The portal deposited Harley, Deadpool, Logan, and Strange onto a bleak, metallic landscape. A darkened sky loomed above, its dim light casting long shadows across a wasteland of twisted steel and shattered buildings. The air smelled of ozone and decay, a world abandoned to machines.
"Well," Deadpool said, stepping over a crumpled robot husk, "I'd give this place a solid 2 out of 10. Atmosphere? Overrated. Hospitality? Nonexistent. And the view? Gloomy at best."
Strange ignored him, surveying the surroundings with a grim expression. "This is Earth-3941. Or what's left of it. Be on guard—Ultron's sentries are everywhere."
Logan sniffed the air, his claws sliding out with a metallic snikt. "Smells like oil and death. This whole place stinks."
Harley stared at the desolation, guilt clawing at him. "So... this is my fault?"
"Not entirely," Strange said, his voice even but firm. "But your interference in the timelines accelerated this reality's collapse. Ultron would've taken over eventually, but now it's worse. He's consolidated power across the entire planet."
Deadpool slapped Harley on the back. "Hey, don't beat yourself up, buddy. Plenty of villains have done way worse. Ever hear about Kang? That guy's like a walking disaster waiting to happen."
Strange gave Deadpool a pointed look. "You're not helping."
"Oh, I beg to differ. Emotional support is key to team morale," Deadpool retorted, dramatically gesturing at himself.
Before anyone could respond, a sharp mechanical hum filled the air. Strange's head whipped toward the sound as dozens of glowing red eyes appeared in the distance, approaching rapidly.
"Ultron sentries," Strange said, conjuring a shield of golden light. "Get ready."
Logan grinned, his claws glinting. "Finally, something to sink my teeth into."
The sentries swarmed, their sleek metallic forms moving with terrifying precision. Logan charged headlong into the fray, his claws slashing through the first wave like butter. Sparks flew as he tore apart one robot after another, their limbs scattering across the ground.
Deadpool drew his katanas, twirling them theatrically. "Alright, metalheads! Who wants to get disassembled first?" He leaped into the chaos, slicing through sentries while delivering a steady stream of commentary.
"Hey, nice circuitry—bet you short-circuit in the rain!" Slice. "Oh, you're headless now? Must've been a bad motherboard day!" Stab.
Harley, meanwhile, ducked behind cover, his heart pounding. He glanced at Strange, who was holding off a group of sentries with spinning glyphs of light.
"Strange, what do I do?" Harley shouted.
Strange glanced at him briefly. "Stay alive."
Harley frowned. "Great advice. Super helpful."
Deadpool's voice rang out. "Come on, Harley! Use those finance skills! Budget their destruction! File their termination! Ooh, tax deduct their heads off!"
A sentry lunged at Harley, and he barely dodged, tripping over debris as the robot's claws slashed the air where he'd just been. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing a piece of jagged metal and swinging it wildly.
"Not today, robo-creep!" he yelled, managing to knock the sentry's head clean off.
Deadpool clapped enthusiastically. "That's the spirit! But next time, say something cooler. Like, 'You've been terminated!' Or, 'Time to reboot... into the trash!'"
Logan snarled as he plunged his claws into a larger sentry, ripping it apart from the inside. "Less talking, Wade. More fighting."
Deadpool flipped over a group of sentries, landing dramatically. "Fighting is talking, Logan. It's just aggressive communication!"
Strange dispatched the last of his attackers, turning to the group. "We need to move. This was just a patrol. The main force will be here soon."
Harley wiped sweat from his brow, adrenaline still coursing through him. "So what's the plan? We can't just fight an army of robots forever."
Strange nodded. "The plan is to reach Ultron's core—his central consciousness. If we can destroy it, we can destabilize his control over this timeline."
"Great," Harley muttered. "Easy. Just waltz into a killer robot's lair and blow up his brain. No problem."
Deadpool slung an arm around Harley's shoulders. "Don't worry, pal. With me here, it's basically a guaranteed win. I've got plot armor so thick, even Ultron can't pierce it." He winked at the invisible audience. "Right, folks? You know how it goes."
Harley frowned. "Who are you even talking to?"
Deadpool grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
As the group set off toward the distant glow of Ultron's fortress, Harley couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get worse. But for now, he had no choice but to follow the team into the heart of the chaos.
And Deadpool, of course, couldn't resist a final quip. "Next stop: Terminatorland! Let's hope their vending machines have chimichangas."