Chapter 432: Genji Saves the Day
"Sorry, we don't need to provide anything like that. I don't have evidence because I don't need it. I said I don't have it, and that's the end of it."
Tony stepped out from behind the group, his chin tilted high with characteristic pride. As Tony Stark, he felt absolutely no need to hide his actions.
"My agreement with Silas was that you must produce evidence, otherwise, I will still take you into custody."
Carol stood her ground, her posture equally proud. She was practically itching for a reason to settle things with her fists and vent the lingering frustration from the Mirror Dimension.
"Mmhmm... and what of it?" Tony countered.
The atmosphere plummeted back into a stalemate. The air crackled with the threat of a renewed brawl. Carol stood protectively in front of Nick Fury, the cosmic glow beginning to flicker around her skin as she prepared for combat. Tony's faceplate snapped shut, his HUD glowing with a fierce, calculating blue light.
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a silver-white figure flickered into view. Every eye in the clearing immediately shifted to this new arrival.
"Who are you? Another reinforcement Stark called in?" Carol shifted her focus to the newcomer.
Before the figure could respond, Tony spoke up first: "I genuinely have no idea who this is."
"Are you sure?" Carol and Fury exchanged confused glances. Fury had assumed this was one of Stark's hidden contingencies.
"I am not an ally of Stark. You may call me Genji." The figure—Genji—offered a polite nod to the assembled Avengers.
"Genji? Sorry, never heard of you." Fury remained wary, unsure of this stranger's purpose.
Carol added arrogantly, "If you have business, wait until we've finished our business here."
"Heh..." Genji let out a soft chuckle and pointed to his own forehead. "Are you looking for this—the Mind Stone?"
"The Mind Stone?!" The shock was universal. Every gaze was instantly magnetized to Genji's forehead.
"Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Genji, and I am an Artificial Intelligence," he said in a friendly tone.
"An AI?" Upon hearing those words, everyone's eyes snapped back to Tony.
"Relax, I didn't build this one," Tony said, his voice laced with suspicion. He was starting to suspect a setup. First, the breadcrumbs of the Mind Stone led directly to him, and now another AI appeared, seemingly designed to frame him further. It was a perfect trap to make him "unreasonably" guilty.
"I am an AI created with the Mind Stone as my core. Rest assured, I have absolutely no connection to Mr. Stark."
Genji's proactive distancing from Tony softened the billionaire's glare slightly.
"The Mind Stone? Who created you?" Natasha asked, her brow furrowed.
Genji cast a subtle, imperceptible glance toward Silas Parker before answering, "A great being."
"A 'great being'? I don't care how great they are—what is your point in showing up now?" Tony's palm thrusters whirred, ready to fire.
Carol, meanwhile, was processing the situation with a frown. The pieces were starting to get messy. However, if the Mind Stone was truly in Genji's head, didn't that prove Stark hadn't taken it?
"I am here to stop this conflict. Didn't you say you wanted proof of Stark's innocence?" Genji tapped his forehead. "It is right here. Is this proof sufficient for your requirements?"
With that, Genji looked down at Fury and Carol. Carol, unsure of the next move, looked toward Fury for direction. Fury's expression shifted through a dozen shades of doubt before he finally spoke.
"Let's move this to a more private location and talk in detail."
The suggestion was met with unanimous nods. Aside from Carol, no one on the field wanted to keep fighting—including Silas. He knew he wasn't quite ready to take on that "crazy lady" in a direct brawl. Once he had the full set of twelve Talismans or mastered the Demon Sorcerers' chi, he might stand a chance. For now, Genji was his secret weapon to end the civil war.
"Of course. Peace is my only desire." Genji's delivery of the lie was as flawless as his master's.
"I hope so," Fury muttered. He still felt something was off about Genji, but the presence of the other Avengers gave him the confidence to proceed.
Avengers Compound
Returning to the familiar halls of the compound, the Avengers were filled with mixed emotions and memories. Scott Lang and the others were politely asked to leave by Fury, as they weren't technically Avengers. Peter Parker, despite his desire to stay and explore, was also ushered out—leaving Silas as the only "outsider" present.
In the briefing room—
"Alright, now we can talk properly." Fury took his place at the head of the table, his thumbs twining together as he waited for the room to settle.
"Then let's talk," Steve said. He was technically a fugitive from the government, along with Natasha and the others. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't been helping them in the shadows, they would have been caught long ago.
"First, we'll hear from this AI who claims to be the creation of a 'great being.' Genji, the floor is yours." Fury pointed a finger.
Genji immediately launched into his cover story. "I was originally a small piece of wreckage from your recent war in Sokovia. The great being found me; he happened to have the Mind Stone in his possession. He is a genius. He successfully fused the Mind Stone with my systems, creating a new life—Genji."
He wove a complex tapestry of lies regarding his origins.
"Wreckage? Impossible. We accounted for every robot; we had to be thorough to ensure Ultron didn't escape," Tony was the first to object. The story sounded far too convenient.
"Please let me finish, Mr. Stark. My physical form was indeed crafted from robotic remnants, but it was the Mind Stone that granted me a second life." Genji spoke calmly, as if stating an undeniable fact.
"The Mind Stone..." Tony stared at Genji's forehead again.
"Enough for now," Fury interrupted. "It's my turn to ask. Mr. Genji—if I may call you that—how do you intend to prove that the stone in your head is actually the Mind Stone?"
Genji met Fury's gaze directly. "On that point, I imagine you have your own methods of verification."
"If you don't mind, I'll need to run a full physical diagnostic on you," Fury said cautiously.
"I have no objection to that. But perhaps we can finish our meeting first?" Genji suggested. Fury didn't answer, merely nodding his consent.
"There's no need for tests. I can feel the immense power radiating from his forehead," Carol interjected. Her own power was vast enough that the only thing she would recognize as a peer in energy was an Infinity Stone.
"You say no tests, and we just listen? No, we're testing it. I don't want some 'LED Girl' coming after me again because of a misunderstanding," Tony leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He clearly found Carol irritating.
"Then test it!" Carol snapped back, her own temper rising. She still had plenty of frustration left over to vent.
Natasha watched the two of them with an exhausted expression. The fight is over, do we really need to keep bickering?
"Do you have any other questions for me?" Genji asked the room.
"I have the most important one," Tony said, his voice suddenly sharp. "Ultron said the Mind Stone was in the hands of the Avengers. Does that mean your 'great being' is one of us?"
Tony's words were like a needle, popping the bubble of temporary peace. His logic was sound; he wasn't going to be blinded by a convenient arrival. Ultron's statement had been the catalyst for this entire conflict.
Carol remained indifferent. "The stone has been found. Does the identity of the person behind it really matter?"
"It matters a great deal," Tony retorted, his words full of bite. "We aren't all 'LED Girls' who can just pat ourselves off and leave the planet when the dust settles."
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