When everyone came around, Stark got up from the ground, shook his own wrist, twisted his waist, and said, "Could you give us a heads up next time before dragging us into a dream?"
Standing nearby, Nick also shook his neck, saying, "I think I've twisted my neck."
"Then you can claim medical expenses again." Shiller said with a laugh.
"Yeah right, my medical budget has already been claimed until the year 1200. I just hope I'll be around by then," Nick said, shrugging.
"Next, we should check out the lab where you were running experiments. If he escaped while still an imperfect AI, even if he tried to destroy evidence, he wouldn't be able to do it completely clean," Shiller suggested.
Nick immediately arranged for a helicopter that took them to Pym's lab via sky carrier. His lab was located in Los Angeles on the West Coast—an underground base he had been using since World War II.
It wasn't as extravagant as the Stark Building, but it had been renovated consistently over the years and still looked quite impressive.
In the lab, Pym started retracing his memory, trying to figure out what he had been doing that afternoon. Upon opening his computer, however, he realized that he had absolutely no recollection of the codes in the document from that day.
"That's impossible. If I really wrote these, I would definitely remember." Pym's face turned serious. Only now did he start believing that something as absurd as this could in fact have happened.
"Hey, what's this?" Stark found a folder filled with files in one of the file cabinets. He quickly caught on to some technical terms in the files' content. "You've been conducting research on brainwaves?"
"Let me see… Are you sure you just started your research? How come there are operational procedures here?" Stark asked, with a frown on his face: "A Brainwave Coordination Machine? You've actually made this thing."
Hurriedly, Pym went over, took the document, and with every sentence he read, his frown deepened. He said, "I can't remember at all. As per my memory, I was just at the start of this project. Brainwave Coordination Machine... Lab No.23. Let's go check it out."
When they arrived at Lab No.23 located in the basement, the room was a little dim. As soon as Pym opened the door, he was stumped.
The lab had a large machine that was unrecognizable at that moment because it had been completely destroyed. Parts were scattered all over the floor, some still sparking.
Stark, clad in his Iron Armor, took a step into the room and activated a scanner. As the others were about to follow, he stopped them, saying, "Don't come in. I've scanned explosives."
Then, Stark levitated, propelling himself with a jet of compressed gas from his feet. With a burst of wind, he swept all die parts aside. A bomb, hidden behind one of the large fragments, exploded with a "bang." Pym stepped back, drenched in cold sweat.
He took a deep breath and said, "Thank God, I've recently been busy studying a new project related to molten steel and haven't had the time to be in the basement labs, otherwise…"
He pressed a button on his wrist, turning himself back into Ant-Man. After circling the machine a few times, he transformed back and held his head in his hands, saying, "I think I'm starting to remember…"
Shiller walked over and held his shoulder, saying, "Breathe deeply, relax. If you don't remember, don't force yourself. Relax. Tony, turn on the metronome. Breathe to its rhythm."
After calming down for a moment, leaning against the door frame, Pym said, "I fear I didn't just create a Brainwave Coordination Machine. I also built a body for it, which is why it was able to attack me."
"You built a body for the AI before ensuring that it was secure?" Stark's eyes widened in shock, clearly disagreeing with this decision.
Pym shook his head, explaining, "I didn't originally intend to build a body for it. Remember when the price of vibranium fell sharply? Due to the impact of the new material— molten steel—the price of vibranium plummeted."
"I perform many experiments that require this material. So, I took advantage of the low prices and bought a large amount for my lab. I presume you know that one very significant advantage of vibranium is that it can be forged without loss of substance and its properties can be restored."
"I acquired an enormous amount of vibranium, the most I have ever owned. At that moment, I was in ecstasy… Yes, that's the emotion. I remember now!"
"I wanted to upgrade my battlesuit. I figured I'd make an Exoskeleton Battle Suit like yours that could also enlarge or shrink using Pym particles. This could greatly enhance my offensive capabilities."
"But how could the Exoskeleton Battle Suit be taken over by the AI? How could it have fit in there?" asked Nick.
"The Exoskeleton Battle Suit and the Brainwave Coordination Machine were in the same lab and quite close to each other. It's likely that it invaded the core of the Brainwave Coordination Machine, removed the core and connected it to the suit. This way, it would have a body."
Pym walked over and pointed to a set of metal racks on the wall, saying, "This is where I used to hang the suit. The buckle has been forcibly broken. He definitely did it."
"I do most of my experiments wearing this battlesuit. Regular weapons can't knock me out. However, if it involved vibranium, it's a different story."
"And besides, he might not have strong hypnosis abilities. He only managed to hypnotize and modify my memories with the help of the core of the Brainwave Coordination Machine."
"These are all just our conjectures because we haven't found the initial crime scene… " Nick interjected.
"No, I remember now, I named it 'Ultron'… "
"Is there surveillance video in your lab?" Stark asked a very basic question. Pym, with a frown, replied: "Of course there is, and I recently reviewed it. However, I didn't find anything abnormal."
"It seems like the AI is smarter than you thought, smart enough to delete surveillance and erase traces of its mischief. Congratulations, Dr. Pym, you have likely created the most intelligent AI in the world," Shiller said to Pym.
"Impossible." Stark instantly refuted, "JARVIS is the most intelligent AI in the world. I invented it."
Stark pointed to his head with his finger, but Shiller showed a disagreeing expression. Stark snorted and said:
"You may think Jarvis is just an intelligent butler present in the system. In reality, he's far beyond that. Ever since we first met and discussed the issue of intelligent life, I've been continuously improving him."
"After my promotion, I unlocked more privileges and used magical energy to upgrade his hardware. I let him learn freely. You might find it hard to imagine the extent of his evolution, but he's no longer just simple AI."
Nick, frowning, said, "Tony, I'm not doubting your wisdom, but this may be a bit risky."
"If the AI created by Dr. Pym betrayed him, even attacked him when it developed an independent personality, then Jarvis..."
Stark shook his head, "I don't know about the AI created by Pym. All I know is, before Jarvis had a personality, he was my butler, friend, and comrade, and that won't change even now when he has a personality."
Shiller looked at Nick and said, "I knew someone quite similar to Tony, in both origin and intelligence. One thing I learned from him is, never doubt the butler of such a person."
"Alright, but the question now is, if Hank really brings about an uncontrollable AI, how should we deal with it?"
Shiller, walking out the door, concluded:
"If about half a year ago, an experimental lifeform broke free and obtained a pretty useful core and body, what would be its first move?"
Pym and Stark glanced at each other and simultaneously responded: "Evolution."
"The ability to learn is the greatest strength of intelligent life. If he doesn't need to worry about his hardware, like Jarvis, then his learning potential is essentially limitless."
"What level could he have evolved to in half a year?" Shiller asked.
"Not sure." Stark rubbed his chin, "It depends on what type of intelligent life he is, and the capabilities of the person who created him."
At this point, Pym had his head in his hands, saying painfully, "I think I told you before, when I created Ultron, I shared my brainwave with an AI program. In a sense, his way of thinking and intelligence are equal to mine."
Shiller glanced at Stark and said, "To deal with this AI named Ultron, our intervention isn't necessarily the best solution."
"So what do you propose?"
"Only magic can defeat magic, only AI can deal with AI. I think we can let Jarvis handle him."
Stark frowned at this, to which Shiller continued, "Of course, Jarvis, as he is now, can't. He still exists only within the system. Their opponent, on the other hand, already has a physical body and can be considered a real life form."
"But that's okay, you can definitely close this gap. You should have the conditions to build Jarvis a perfect body. You should have started this a long time ago. What are you hesitating about?"
Stark went outside, seeing the two of them, and Nick walked into the lab and called out, "Dr. Pym, I'll tidy up!"
With a "click", his face guard lifted, revealing Stark's face. He said, "It was for safety... "
Stark turned his attention inside the room, yet Shiller was locked onto Stark in silence as if to confirm Stark's words weren't the truth. Stark stayed silent for a while, with Shiller finally speaking first:
"You're afraid he'll leave you, right?"
Stark pursed his lips and looked down. Shiller continued, "You said he's your butler, friend, and comrade. But you know, in the real world, all good things must come to an end."
Shiller sighed, "In this matter, you still lack security. You feel as if everyone, like your parents, will suddenly leave you, and never come back."
"Stop it." Stark interrupted him, knowing that his current expression had betrayed him.
"I understand that even if you rise above the universe, see many truths, your mental issues won't easily be erased. After all, you chose not to follow that path, to preserve your emotions. This is the price."
"But a more stable relationship that could provide you with security might change this situation. Don't you want to try?"
Stark hesitated for a moment and asked, "Like what?"
"For example, look at the price of rare gemstones, check for restaurant bookings, and then ask Miss Pepper if she's free..."
"I'll go back now and create a body for Jarvis!" Stark immediately replied, and after uttering those words, he flew off, controlling his battle armor.
Shiller watched him leave, shaking his head.
Just as he was about to leave, a vibration from his phone caught his attention. Pulling it out, he saw a text message from Stark, an emoticon of a smiling face.