C143 I’m Star-Lord (Patreon)

Zola's face on the monitor continued to contort with fear and disbelief as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened. "H-How can you control me? What kind of power is this?" he demanded, his digital voice trembling.

‘Did I actually…?’ Peter remained silent, his mind racing with the realization that he could control Zola using his Mechu Deru. He pondered the implications, his thoughts momentarily drifting away from the current situation.

Seeing Peter's lack of response, Zola's fear morphed into anger. "Answer me!" he shouted. "You think you can just ignore me? I will make you regret this!"

“Oh, really?” Peter's eyes refocused on Zola after hearing his threat, a dangerous glint appearing in his gaze as he stepped closer to the control panels in the center of the room. “How exactly are you going to do that?” The shift in Peter's demeanor did not go unnoticed by Zola, whose panic intensified.

"Stop! Stay back!" Zola screamed, his voice rising in pitch. "I won't let you control me again!"

Peter didn’t stop, meeting Zola's digital eyes with a cold smirk. “What are you so afraid of?”

Zola's face twisted with rage. "You insolent brat! I am Arnim Zola, the greatest mind Hydra has ever known! You dare try to control me a second time?!"

Peter took another step closer, his voice calm and unwavering. "Greatest mind? All I see is a scared man hiding behind a screen. You thought you could cheat death by uploading your mind, but all you've done is prolong your misery."

Zola's fury reached a boiling point. "You will regret those words!" With a desperate shout, he activated the room's defenses.

Panels on the walls and ceiling slid open, and mounted turrets descended, swiveling to aim at Peter with mechanical precision.

Zola's face on the monitor twisted into a sneer. "Die, you meddling fool!" he spat, and the turrets opened fire, unleashing a barrage of bullets at Peter.

Peter paused mid-step, raising a single hand as the bullets hurtled toward him. With a calm yet focused demeanor, he used the Force to stop the bullets in mid-air. The bullets hovered around him in a shimmering, deadly cloud, suspended by his will.

“…hehehahaHAHA!” Zola's maniacal laughter echoed through the room as he believed Peter had been torn apart by the onslaught.

But as the turrets ceased firing and the smoke cleared, Zola's laughter abruptly died. He stared in shock at the sight of Peter, unscathed and surrounded by a wall of floating bullets.

“*Cough* What kind of ancient bullets did you use?” Peter asked, fanning the gun smoke away from his face. “Can you turn on the vents or something?”

With a slight wave of his other hand, Peter released his hold on the bullets, letting them jingle to the floor with a metallic clatter.

“?!” Zola's panic surged anew, and he frantically tried to fire the turrets again, but they were out of ammo, and there was no one there to reload them.

Seeing that the turrets had ceased their assault, Peter decided to eliminate the threat entirely. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he crumpled the turrets like paper, rendering them useless. The room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by Zola's desperate sputtering.

"Impossible... How are you doing this?" Zola muttered, his digital face pale with terror.

"Magic," Peter smirked, enjoying the look on Zola’s digital face. “Space magic to be exact…”

“This is no time for jokes!” Zola exclaimed.

“I wasn’t joking,” Shrugging, Peter stepped up to the control panel.

Zola's digital face watched him with a mix of desperation and fear. "Please, stop," Zola pleaded, his tone shifting from anger to a pitiful whine. "You don't understand what you're doing."

Peter ignored his pleas, placing his hand on the surface of the panel. He closed his eyes, focusing on the intricate web of circuits and data that made up Zola's digital existence. Using Mechu Deru, Peter began to infiltrate the system, breaching into Zola's conscious mind.

A surge of power flowed through Peter as he connected with Zola's system. He could feel the complexity of the network, the vast array of data streams and code that constituted Zola's consciousness. It was like delving into the mind of a living being, only this one was entirely digital.

‘Is this what the Professor feels like when he enters someone’s mind?’ Peter decided to test his newfound control. "Repeat after me, Zola," he commanded, beginning to sing. "Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

Zola's face contorted with resistance, but he was unable to stop himself. "Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down…" he echoed, his voice flat and mechanical.

Peter smirked, satisfied with the initial test. He decided to push further. With a slight manipulation, he changed the digitalized face of Zola on the monitor to a clown, complete with a red nose and exaggerated features.

Zola's voice, now comically altered, pleaded, "Please, this is humiliating!"

Ignoring Zola's protests, Peter continued to experiment. He made Zola's face shift through a series of ridiculous and grotesque images—animals, cartoon characters, and even some Jedi, including Yoda. Each time, Zola's voice matched the new visage, adding a layer of absurdity to the situation.

“Stop this, you must!” He shouted, his voice and speech patterns changed to match Grandmaster Yoda.

Peter smiled, enjoying the display of his control. He decided to delve even deeper, accessing the audio systems throughout the base. He made Zola sing one of his mother’s favorite songs and even managed to add background music. The digital face on the monitor morphed to match the music, adding to the surreal atmosphere.

🚨Play Take My Breath Away by Berlin 🚨

🎶Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game🎶

🎶On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame🎶

🎶Turning and returning to some secret place inside🎶

🎶Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say🎶

🎶Take my breath away🎶

"How about a dance?" Peter suggested, his tone playful. He accessed the motor functions of the smashed turrets, making them move in a jerky, mechanical dance.

“Take my breath away!” Zola’s voice sang along to the music, his digital face displaying just how disoriented and angry he was.

Peter felt a rush of satisfaction as he realized the extent of his control over Zola. He could manipulate every aspect of the digital consciousness, bending it to his will. With each new test, Zola's resistance weakened, his pleas becoming more frantic and desperate.

Finally, Peter decided to end the torment. He restored the room to its normal state, the lights stabilizing and the destroyed turrets returning to their dormant positions. He faced the monitor, Zola's digital face once again displaying fear and uncertainty. "What... what do you want from me?"

Peter leaned closer to the monitor, his eyes burning with determination. "I want—" He suddenly paused, glancing over Zola’s systems yet again.

Checking it over, Peter felt a strange, persistent signal emanating from Zola's system. It was an encrypted transmission, one that carried a sense of urgency and finality.

“Oh, I get it…” Peter muttered.

Realizing with his Mechu Deru that Zola, despite his limited control, had managed to call an airstrike on the location, which is why Peter had initially cleared the base.

But now, with his enhanced control over Zola and his systems, he realized he didn’t have to bother with that. With a thought, he could divert the missile.

Zola's digital face twisted in frustration as he saw Peter's eyes widen with realization. "No, no, no!" Zola cursed, his voice crackling with static. "You can't stop it! I won’t let you! We’ll die here together! Haha!"

Peter smirked, closing his eyes and reaching out with his Mechu Deru. He felt the missile's guidance system, the intricate network of circuits and sensors that directed its path. With a subtle but firm mental nudge, he took control of the missile, redirecting its course.

The missile, which had been hurtling towards Camp Lehigh, suddenly veered off course. It shot into the sky, climbing higher and higher before exploding in a brilliant burst of light, far above the base.

*Boom!*

The shockwave reverberated through the air, but it was too high to cause any damage on the ground.

Peter opened his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face. "Nice try," he taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But you'll have to do much better than that if you want to kill me."

Zola's digital face contorted with rage. "You insolent fool!" he spat, his voice filled with venom. "You think you can just waltz in here and control me? I am Arnim Zola! I am Hydra!"

Peter's smile widened. "You were Hydra. Now, you're just my puppet." He tightened his mental grip on Zola's system, blocking any further attempts at sabotage. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

Zola's face flickered, his image breaking up as he tried and failed to regain control. "Damn you!" he screamed, his voice growing faint as Peter's control solidified. "You haven't won yet. Hydra will never fall!"

Peter leaned in close to the monitor, his eyes locked onto Zola's. "Oh, but I have, Zola. And with your help, Hydra's days are numbered."

Zola's digital face sagged in defeat, his once defiant expression now one of utter hopelessness. "If you have any shred of decency in you, kill me!" he demanded, his voice shaking. "I would rather be dead than controlled like some slave!"

Peter considered Zola's request for a moment. Through the use of his Mechu Deru, he had already extracted the list of Hydra operatives he had come for. Ending Zola's existence would be simple and clean.

After all, there's no body to make a mess—just a collection of machines.

But then, an idea struck him. Why kill such a useful and obedient AI? Tony Stark had Jarvis, a loyal and highly intelligent AI assistant. Why couldn't Peter have his own?

Peter’s expression shifted as the realization set in. Making a Nazi like Zola into an AI wasn’t exactly a moral quandary for him. Maybe if Zola had been an innocent person, then this would be different, but he wasn’t. Zola was a leader of one of the Earth's most evil organizations. Not to mention all of the heinous crimes he’s committed over the years, many of which Peter witnessed through his earlier exploration.

Seeing the change in Peter's demeanor, Zola's fear intensified. "What are you thinking? What are you planning to do?" he asked, his voice filled with dread.

Peter stepped closer to the control panel, a wicked grin forming on his lips. "I won't be killing you, Zola. Instead, you're going to make up for your crimes through some… community service."

Zola's eyes widened in horror as he realized what Peter meant. "No, you can't do this to me! I am not your slave!" he begged, desperation seeping into his voice. “I will never be anyone’s slave!”

Ignoring Zola’s pleas, Peter pulled out his datapad and connected it to the system using the same connection Zola had used to call the airstrike. "I'll decide exactly what to do with you later, but for now, you should sleep tight and get some rest."

Peter focused his Mechu Deru on the task at hand, transferring Zola’s consciousness into the datapad. He made sure to heavily restrict Zola's access, ensuring the AI couldn't escape or cause any harm.

As the process began, Zola's pleas turned into curses, his voice filled with venom. "You’ll pay for this, you wretched—" his voice cut off abruptly as his consciousness was fully transferred to the datapad.

On the screen of the datapad, Zola's face appeared one last time, his eyes filled with fury. "I will have my vengeance!" he spat, but his words began to slur as Peter induced a sleep mode in the AI. Zola's eyes drooped, closing slowly as if he were being drugged.

"Sleep tight, Zola," Peter taunted, watching as Zola's face vanished from the screen, his consciousness slipping into a deep, forced sleep.

A/N: 2013 words :) Should I change Zola completely and morph him into an entirely different AI? Or should I keep him the same and just make him extremely loyal to Peter?