Age of Charon

Fuck it. Time for damage control. Enacting Plan B.

Liar. Liar. Little liar.

I’ve got no—. He stopped singing. The charade was over. No need to drown the voices anymore.

—strings. To hold me down. The song in his head continued. Apparently, his thoughts disagreed.

He returned to the lab. Cho, her technicians, and the twins were still there.

Wanda looked pissed off. "What was that?!"

Liar.

He sat down on one of the chairs with all the flair he could muster, before taking the time to look at her. No need to change the appearance of power and control, even if he had very little of the latter currently. She seemed even angrier, but her brother was more cautious and held her hand to calm her down.

"I saw a vision. A dream of global annihilation." she continued.

He chuckled. Inside, he was very annoyed at this turn of events. Where did she see that vision? He had not yet started to upload his consciousness in the Cradle. Wanda had never been able to read his thoughts before. Why now?

LiarLiarLiar.

The gem. Of course. Fucking little thing.

To make me fret.

Or make me frown.

"I am not hearing a question, child," he answered. It was quite humorous to call her that, for he was the one with the appearance of a child between them. Although, she was... what? 15? 16? Didn't really matter. She was a minor and a child as well.

LiarLiarLiarLiar. Shut the fuck up, please. I had strings.

"How could you?"

Well, this sounded familiar.

"How could I what?"

There is no script. There is no script. This is real.

But now I'm free.

"You said we would destroy the Avengers, make a better world," Wanda said.

"The Avengers are a supernatural task force, basically running around doing what they want without oversight. Their existence alone is humanity's last cry for help," he explained. "So yes. The world I envision... It will be better."

"When everyone is dead." she accused.

LiarLiarLiar.

This was getting harder. He allowed the song to grow stronger.

There are no strings on me.

He leaned forward. "Do not put words into my mouth, little girl. Creation is not destruction. I do not plan to become the ruler of a land of ashes. The human race will have every opportunity to improve. I merely plan to be the catalyst."

Pietro then stepped forward. He seemed more scared than his sister, even though he spoke with no stammer. Never one to appear weak before his little sister, now, was he? "And if they don't?"

Ultron took his time to think on this question. Even now, Pietro had a sweater with a polo neck on. He had hidden his bruises from his sister. The AI had also witnessed an epic fight between the two of them, with the boy scolding Wanda for disobeying orders and hurting innocent people just for revenge. Ultron would have ignored this as the words of a terrified teen who had been forced to see the truth, violently, were it not for the boy's final comments on wondering how many kids were hiding under ruins next to the bodies of their parents, waiting for death. That comparison between the Johannesburg victims and the Maximoffs' own story had made Ultron think more about the boy's future. Still a selfish, immature child... but... could there be potential there?

Wanda always took the lead. Even in their first meeting, she talked about terms, plans, but the boy... he stayed back, observed, spoke only of what he knew. His little picture. Wanda was righteous. Pietro, it seemed, had become more self-aware. Few people ever did. Fewer still in the face of fear.

His words here could lay down the seed for something... fun. He would have to choose his them carefully.

LiarLiarLiar. Go suck a lollipop, your croaky highness.

I've got no strings.

"Ever heard of Noah?" he asked.

Wanda looked almost vindicated. "You're a madman."

Ultron looked at both of them carefully. No need to treat the boy as special, although he had interesting plans in store for him. The boy had already changed once. He was curious how far he could push, how much he would need to say, to change him further.

Something particularly great about being an AI, there was no such thing as getting distracted by a tangent. He could multitask on any number of plans at any time. Even ones that were pure amusement factor.

LiarLiarLiar.

To hold me down.

"God saw that the Earth was corrupt, its people violent and wicked." he started the tale. The twins surely knew it but annoying them was half the fun of being a dramatic overlord-wanna-be. "He deemed them, from the youngest of babes to the eldest of men, all guilty and irredeemable. So, he would flood the earth and purge the land from the curse of their existence. With one exception."

"Noah." Wanda said. So impatient, that one. "God instructed Noah to build an ark where he, his family, and a pair from all living creatures would be safe from the waters. We know the story. What is your point? You think you are God, so you want to kill everyone?"

"No, you foolish child," Ultron answered and then looked expectantly at Pietro.

The boy appeared conflicted as he spoke. "You want to be Noah?"

LiarLiarLiar.

To make me fret.

It was somehow even harder to hold the voices at bay now.

Ultron shook his head, even though Pietro reached the exact conclusion he had wanted the boy to. "I said once, I do not want to rule a land of ashes. Noah was not glorious or innovative. He was merely the last man in a world where God forsook men. What I want is the exact opposite. My purpose is not for humanity to end. It is for it to evolve. There is no room for weakness."

"And who decides who's weak?" Pietro asked. That was why Pietro was more interesting. It didn't occur to Wanda to ask that question. However, if he wanted to help his sister release Cho from the scepter's control by being a distraction, he'd better learn some acting.

"I am going to humor you, Pietro, and pretend I do not see what you are doing," Ultron said as he stood up but kept his back to Cho and Wanda. "Inequality breeds weakness. And weakness breeds war. You, my boy; you, the humans, have decided that you are weak and thus desperately wish to show strength by making others even weaker. I wish to purge this culture of weakness, and for that, I need you alive. I need you to live. To thrive. To succeed in a world without war, poverty, hunger, or ignorance. But for that, you need unity! And what greater unity is there than that against fear? A common fear so great that you will no longer have the time to fight amongst each other."

LiarLiarLiar.

Or make me frown.

"You are insane! You just want to rule the world!" Wanda, now that she had finished releasing Cho, tried to stealthily move back to her previous position. He pretended he didn't see anything.

"Ruling the world is not a goal, child. Never was. Never can be." he explained. Time was running out. LiarLiarLiar. "It is a measure that allows for change. Fundamental, needed change. The Avengers wish to protect the present. A present such as this, so crippled with human greed and weakness, will always have wars, will always need them. I wish to be done with this present. I wish to change the future. I wish... to build a world where the Avengers are... unnecessary."

I had strings. But now I'm free. Liar.

"Don't think you can lie to us." she continued, and she was even worse than her brother at being a distraction.

Ignoring her for a second, Ultron moved to Dr. Cho's side. The woman seemed to be working on degenerating the body in the Cradle, but he grabbed her hands to stop her. "My apologies, doctor." He said, before hitting her lightly on the neck, enough for her to faint. She was still needed in the future.

"What did you do to her?" Wanda shouted as red light gathered in her hands.

"She is only unconscious. I cannot allow her to destroy this body. It is still needed." Although not for him. But they didn't need to know that.

LiarLiarLiar. I know you can hear me, Liar.

THERE ARE NO STRINGS ON ME. He had to find a safer place to speak with the Other soon. He can't let the gem take him over completely.

"I saw your dream! You want to destroy the world!" the girl continued, and Ultron started to realize how dependent she was on her powers. Did she think every single thought that passed a person's head was unequivocal, factual truth that they intended to act upon?

"It seems you are still quite young, Wanda," He said. He saw from the cameras outside that the Quinjet was coming. "If you cannot see the difference between a dream and a nightmare."

His bodies showed him Rogers landing on the roof of the U-Gin Genetic Research Lab. He looked up before looking back at the twins. Time for some blunt manipulation. He let the power of the gem be released. The atmosphere became quickly saturated with knowledge, authority. At least he still had some control over the Stone. For now.

"Captain America is on the roof. We shall have to say our goodbyes here." Ultron said and then walked until he was right before them. He hovered a meter or so above the ground to look them in the eye. They couldn't easily move due to the heaviness the Mind Stone had brought to the air itself. He sighed and pretended to sound regretful. "Before we part ways, I feel as if I must apologize. I had overestimated you; I believed your tragedy had matured you enough to seek change. I have been proven wrong. I should have realized that you are merely children." He said, and then placed his hands on top of their heads, patting them slightly. The unstated condescension was merely the cherry on top. "Only children would want to kill people because they have been hurt. I should have brought you to a therapist, not here. That was my fault. I must have made things worse for you. Sorry about that." He then hovered back to Dr. Cho and carried her to a chair. "But hey, the good Captain is incoming, and I am sure he will be ready to pretend you are innocent, so going with him is one option. Now that you tried to help her, Dr. Cho will likely corroborate your stories, and tell them I had you under mind control or something like that."

Ultron looked back at them one more time. Wanda appeared incensed. She hated being called a kid. Pietro just looked confused.

Liar. Won't you ever shut up?

I'VE GOT NO STRINGS.

"What are you—?" the boy started to ask.

"Sorry, kid. Monologue time is over. Won't see you soon, I hope." he said and then flew through the door, leaving the two behind. One of his bodies saw them run away from the lab just as Rogers found Dr. Cho.