The cavernous chamber erupted into chaos. Ultron's drones surged forward, their mechanical limbs clanking and whirring like a symphony of destruction. The group barely had time to react before the first wave was upon them.
"Okay, so, drones," Deadpool said, slicing through one with an almost casual flick of his sword. "I've faced worse. Like that one time I got my foot stuck in a vending machine. Oh, and I'm still haunted by that ham sandwich."
Logan rolled his eyes, slashing through a second drone with precision and grace. "Focus, Wade!" His claws sparked as they made contact with the metal, sparks showering over the floor.
Harley ducked behind a cracked column, heart pounding as he tried to catch his breath. This was real—this was happening. The world as he knew it had been replaced with a nightmare straight out of his worst comic book. But there was no time to dwell. He had to keep moving, keep fighting.
Strange floated above the fray, his eyes flickering with energy as he conjured barriers of glowing runes to deflect incoming attacks. "Harley, get to the left side! There's an opening!"
"Left side? I'm terrible with directions!" Harley yelled, taking off at a sprint, narrowly avoiding the sweep of a drone's metallic arm. He darted to the left, adrenaline surging as he rolled behind an overturned console.
"Worry not, young scribe!" Deadpool called, slicing through two drones with a flourish that sent a spray of sparks and shrapnel raining down. "We've got this! Right, Logan?"
Logan didn't answer; he was too busy ripping into another line of drones. The room was a cacophony of mechanical screeches, steel-on-steel clangs, and Deadpool's enthusiastic quips.
"Quick question: when I was making fun of that 'robot apocalypse' trope, was this what I had in mind?" Deadpool joked, dodging an incoming attack by doing a half-cartwheel, half-dance move. "I feel like my bad jokes just summoned this."
Strange's voice, steady and resolute, cut through the noise. "Enough games. We need to end this now." He raised his arms, chanting in a language that seemed to resonate with the very fabric of reality. A ripple of energy surged from his fingertips, expanding outward like a pulse. The drones faltered, their circuits scrambled by the magical interference.
"Wade, Logan, take them out now!" Strange commanded, eyes locked on Harley as he stabilized the spell.
Logan sprang forward, his claws a blur of silver as he carved through the drones with animalistic ferocity. Deadpool, meanwhile, took a more theatrical approach. He spun, twirled, and launched into an acrobatic dance of death, blades flashing like a lethal disco ball.
"Look, kids, I know we're all busy and whatnot, but can we talk about the choreography for a second?" Deadpool called out, punctuating his sentence by slashing through three drones in rapid succession. "I think we could use a little more razzle-dazzle."
Harley pressed himself against the console, breath coming in ragged gasps. The drones that were still active were retreating, their eyes flickering out like dying embers. Ultron's voice echoed throughout the chamber, mechanical and unforgiving.
"You are insignificant," he boomed. "You delay the inevitable."
"Did he just call us insignificant? Oh, it is on," Deadpool hissed, turning to the others with mock indignation. "Insignificant? Pfft. I demand a rematch with that ego."
With a final sweep of his hand, Strange released a pulse of energy that shattered the remaining drones into smoldering metal. The room fell silent, the echoes of battle fading into the stillness that followed.
The group's labored breathing filled the space. Deadpool's mask was splattered with oil and sparks, and Logan's shirt was torn and stained, but his eyes were still fierce. Strange lowered his hands, exhaustion creasing his brow.
"Ultron's gone for now, but he'll be back," Strange said, voice heavy with foreboding. "We need to prepare for what comes next."
Harley slowly stood up, still panting. "I'm starting to think that this is more than just a bad dream."
"More like a cosmic mess," Logan muttered, sheathing his claws. "You're telling me."
Deadpool sauntered over, wiping his katana on a fallen drone's arm. "Don't worry, kid. If we're all stuck in this mess together, at least we'll die with style. And, you know, a good story for the afterlife."
Harley gave a weak smile, heart still thundering in his chest. "Is it wrong to wish for just one normal day?"
"Normal?" Deadpool chuckled. "Ah, you sweet, naive soul. In this line of work, 'normal' is just a synonym for 'boring.'"
Before Harley could respond, Ultron's voice returned, this time a whisper in the air.
"Not for long."
And as the group braced themselves for the next wave, the dark promise of the future loomed over them, heavy with the weight of battles to come.