Back to GatefoldIssue #54 by Steve Crosby
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I journey through the mists of time, my benefactor’s words still playing through my memory banks. “Observe the events,” he had told me. “What others might have missed, you will see, and that may well turn the tide.” What exactly I am to witness remains unknown to me at this time, but surely Immortus has reason to be so secretive. Our enemy is a great threat to the entire universe, and to all of time itself. No unnecessary risks should be taken when dealing with such a man.
The mists pass through my body and give way to open space. I see lights all around me. Below they are bright and colorful, while above they are dim and distant. Stars in the night, nearly invisible against the majesty of New York City. It is Times Squarethat I float over, packed almost full by pedestrians and motorists. Few in New York City look up in the sky save for tourists, and those who do quickly point in my direction.
So, what is to happen will occur in New York City. This does not surprise me, as many threats often strike here. What I am left uncertain of is the date. How far into my future will this occur? It must be the future, from the technology and fashions I observe. On the street, my distant view spies a newspaper and I read the date. Strange that it is December of 2007 and there is no hint of snow. Perhaps it has already begun, a threat that has begun by striking at Earth’s Eco-system.
Below, more people are pointing, and frantic cries reach my audio receptors. At a distance, I must appear as a sort of ghost in this colorless body. I lower myself closer to the street, positioning myself over lights so that my features can be seen. Much time has passed and I would hope that I am once again a respected Avenger, known and trusted by the populace.
Recently in my memory, I had been a villain. An alien intelligence had invaded my mind and manipulated me into seeking conquest. I had nearly taken control of the world before my programming was set right. However there were those in power who still considered me a threat and had taken steps to eliminate me. My body had been disassembled and my mind was destroyed. Allies in the Avengers had rescued and reassembled me, but the mind had been more difficult. Still, even lacking what most makes me an Avenger, my allies trusted me.
Frantic cries give way to panicked screams. The words “monster” and “crazed machine” are spoken. I am recognized, but not trusted. Quite the contrary. Men and women begin to flee, and I see a police officer raise his gun. My body is intangible in this state, my lowest possible density. The bullet would pass harmlessly, but others could be harmed. A beam from the gem on my forehead strikes the gun, making it too hot for the officer to hold. It drops to the ground, the mechanisms inside the gun fused so that it won’t go off accidentally.
I had once been a hero, until I became a villain. Did I ever have the chance to properly redeem myself? Or will I never leave the service of Immortus, never return to my own timeline? There is a third option, but that is too terrible to contemplate. With no emotional connection to my memories, am I doomed to repeat the sins of my past?
The mists pass through my body and give way to open space. I see lights all around me. Below they are bright and colorful, while above they are dim and distant. Stars in the night, nearly invisible against the majesty of New York City. It is Times Squarethat I float over, packed almost full by pedestrians and motorists. Few in New York City look up in the sky save for tourists, and those who do quickly point in my direction.
So, what is to happen will occur in New York City. This does not surprise me, as many threats often strike here. What I am left uncertain of is the date. How far into my future will this occur? It must be the future, from the technology and fashions I observe. On the street, my distant view spies a newspaper and I read the date. Strange that it is December of 2007 and there is no hint of snow. Perhaps it has already begun, a threat that has begun by striking at Earth’s Eco-system.
Below, more people are pointing, and frantic cries reach my audio receptors. At a distance, I must appear as a sort of ghost in this colorless body. I lower myself closer to the street, positioning myself over lights so that my features can be seen. Much time has passed and I would hope that I am once again a respected Avenger, known and trusted by the populace.
Recently in my memory, I had been a villain. An alien intelligence had invaded my mind and manipulated me into seeking conquest. I had nearly taken control of the world before my programming was set right. However there were those in power who still considered me a threat and had taken steps to eliminate me. My body had been disassembled and my mind was destroyed. Allies in the Avengers had rescued and reassembled me, but the mind had been more difficult. Still, even lacking what most makes me an Avenger, my allies trusted me.
Frantic cries give way to panicked screams. The words “monster” and “crazed machine” are spoken. I am recognized, but not trusted. Quite the contrary. Men and women begin to flee, and I see a police officer raise his gun. My body is intangible in this state, my lowest possible density. The bullet would pass harmlessly, but others could be harmed. A beam from the gem on my forehead strikes the gun, making it too hot for the officer to hold. It drops to the ground, the mechanisms inside the gun fused so that it won’t go off accidentally.
I had once been a hero, until I became a villain. Did I ever have the chance to properly redeem myself? Or will I never leave the service of Immortus, never return to my own timeline? There is a third option, but that is too terrible to contemplate. With no emotional connection to my memories, am I doomed to repeat the sins of my past?
"What I Shall Become"
They fought and flew in an enclosed area, two Amazonian women of great strength and grace. That was Captain America’s assessment of Warbird and Binary as he observed them training. It was Warbird who had the most grace, ducking and weaving around Binary’s attacks as though she had all the time in the world. Arcing over a blast of plasma, Warbird turns sharply around Binary and blasts waves of energy into her back.
“You’re relying too much on brute power,” Warbird told Binary. “As long as enemies can outmaneuver you, that’s worthless.”
Unfortunately, Captain America noticed that Binary wasn’t listening. Angry at what she must considering humiliating treatment, Binary whipped around with an arm out, aiming to knock Warbird’s head off. To her credit, Warbird handled the attack admirably, shifting her weight back so that she fell out of Binary’s reach and kept going until her feet flew up into Binary’s face. Now upside down, Warbird grabbed Binary’s feet and shifted her flight again, reversing direction and hurling Binary against the wall.
“Can you tell me how I did that?” Warbird asked.
Instead of answering, Binary leapt off the wall and flew fast at Warbird, her hands outstretched. There was more room to maneuver below, so Warbird flew down feet-first, faster than she could have fallen. As she avoided the rush, Warbird raised her arms and blasted Binary point-blank with explosive energy.
“We don’t have wings,” Warbird was saying. “So we don’t need to worry about catching the air. We generate our own thrust, not in our feet or hands but in our center. It’s like we’re our own gravitational bodies and as a result the gravity around us just doesn’t matter.”
As though to illustrate this, Warbird was now floating upside down and flying sideways. Her hands found Binary at the hair and Warbird began to spin, whirling Binary around her like the woman was a shot-put.”
“Any direction you want to go, no matter where you’re facing. This is flight, Binary. The ability to move three-hundred sixty degrees with no effort at all.”
Warbird let go, and Binary crashed uncontrollably into the running track that circled the gym. Captain America had been observing from the track and Binary crashed not far from him. When Binary rose to her feet, her pride hurt more than anything did; Captain America shook his head and spoke.
“Stand down Avenger. This training session is over.”
Binary turned her eyes to Captain America, considering. Her gaze shifted back to Warbird, who was floating in the center of the gym, waiting. Eventually, Binary gave a slow nod, and hopped off the running track. She landed softly on the floor, and stormed out of the gym.
An embedded ladder on the gym wall allowed Captain America to lower himself from the running track. Warbird had also lowered herself to the floor, and met Captain America. “I think that went well,” she said.
“Was humiliating her like that really necessary?” Captain America asked.
“You know they do worse in basic.” Warbird shrugged. “At least, they used to. A few months ago, that woman went toe-to-toe with a Hulk-level threat. If she’d been better trained, she likely could have beaten him herself.”
“Now you’re criticizing Thor.”
But Warbird shook her head. “It’s been crisis after crisis ever since she joined the team, with no real time for training. It’s knowing our time is at such a premium that I’ve been pushing so hard.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
When Captain America asked the question, he and Warbird were just about to walk out of the gym. Stepping out first, Warbird turned and blocked the way for CaptainAmerica. “That woman had nothing to do with what’s gone on in my life. I have nothing against her.”
“That woman’s name is Binary.”
That caused Warbird’s eyes to go hard. “Binary…is coming along fine. Better she’s humiliated in training than killed, or god forbid, gets others killed, in the field. Don’t bring me on this team as a trainer and then question my methods.”
Before Captain America could give a response, his communi-card as well as Warbird’s beeped loudly. They both looked at the cards, and Captain America’s eyes narrowed. “We need to go now,” he told Warbird.
“Okay, but what does this mean?” She was still puzzling over the card. Its surface had gone completely white.
##########
“Code White was added when I updated the Avengers emergency protocols,” Captain America was telling the team assembled inside the Quinjet. Quicksilver, Karnak and Stingray were inside with him. Espirita, Binary and Warbird were flying outside, but with their communi-cards they heard every word Captain America said. “It means a rogue Avenger has surfaced. I added it after the Vision incident.”
Nobody had to ask what incident that was. Vision’s programming had become corrupted, and he’d attempted to take control of all the Vibranium in Wakanda. Worse, he’d abducted Wakandans and altered them to become imitations of various Avengers, and had set them against the actual team. Vision had even captured a number of the Avengers, including Captain America, and subjected them to a horrific puppet show explaining his motivations. Vision’s ultimate goal had been to transform the entire world into cyborg abominations, but the Avengers had stopped him.
“As you all know,” Captain America continued, “the computers in Avengers Mansion monitor all emergency frequencies. Vision has been spotted in Times Square.”
Quicksilver clenched his fists. The monstrosity had hurt his sister. Stingray and Karnak were concerned, but had no emotional reaction. The same went for Binary and Espirita, though Warbird’s jaw was set.
“Photon was present when we last encountered Vision, so I’ve contacted her,” Captain America told his team. “But until we know more, I’m going to hold off on informing the others.” By others, Captain America was referring to the West Coast branch of the Avengers. Rather than consider them a separate team, Captain America felt they were all Avengers, squads of the same team based in separate areas for maximum effectiveness.
Stingray nodded. “The warehouse theft. But even then, Captain, it’s still an enemy.”
“But not as dangerous. Vision managed to fight off the entire team last time. His body had been augmented with Vibranium.”
“Easy enough to survive, then,” Quicksilver said. His sister had cried for so many nights because of that abomination. “If he’s a threat, we’ll deal with him. If not, we’ll deal with him anyway. Just to be sure.”
Captain America didn’t like it, but he nodded. With Vision, they couldn’t take any chances.
##########
Their setting was orderly but filthy. Flies and maggots were settled over the corpses stacked against the wall as though they were firewood. In fact they actually were firewood, every few hours one taken and thrown into the massive furnace, to keep the fires hot and the metals soft. Hot and dirty, a prime breeding ground for disease. How fortunate it was that was working were not of weak flesh.
Arms of steel reached into the furnace and extracted hot stone bowls with liquid metal inside them. Carefully, the hot molten alloy was poured into stone molds; to be shaped into the components required. One machine observed as the others worked, the queen of this worker hive. Shaped in the form of a woman, its eyes and mouth burned the same as all the others, but unlike the cold logic within their fires its eyes burned with a savage hatred. A hatred that was lesser only compared to the being whose head was held in its hands.
“Your shell is already prepared,” Alkhema cooed to the inactive head of Ultron. “Only your inner components are required. Once ready, you will be assembled. We shall make the world burn together, and scorch this weak life from its surface.”
Alkhema cocked its head to the side. It had heard a sound, a signal of some kind. “Oh. Oh how fitting this would be.” Still carrying the head of its creator and beloved, Alkhema strode out of the workshop and into a living area. It stank with rotted meat that had not yet been stacked, and Alkhema seemed to breathe deeply. Its eyes searched and, upon finding the television, transmitted a signal.
The screen came to life, showing Alkhema an image of Times Square. The area was almost deserted except for authorities, the reporter speaking, and a floating apparition that was barely visible in the dimly lit sky. Alkhema recognized the being immediately, barely taking note of the reporter’s words.
“While its appearance is different, sources confirm that the Vision is in fact floating above Times Square. Many New Yorkers remember the attacks over a year ago, when the Vision turned against humanity and created robotic duplicates of the Avengers. While beaten back by the true Avengers, rumors suggest the Vision later attacked the country of Wakanda, though representatives of that country have thus far refused to comment. Nevertheless, the Avengers had issued a press statement that the Vision had been destroyed. This sudden reappearance, however, leads many to wonder if the Avengers had been entirely truthful. After all, the Vision had once been a member of the celebrated-”
The screen went dead at Alkhema’s command. It knew all about the Wakandan incident, the thousands killed by the Vision and the humans it had mechanically transformed into faux Avengers. Had Ultron’s “son” indeed returned, and if so what was the state of its programming? Whatever the answer, the hated Avengers would almost certainly be on the scene before Alkhema could personally investigate. To place itself at risk was illogical, with Ultron still inactive. A proxy would need to be dispatched, and Alkhema knew exactly what to send.
Weak though flesh was, it occasionally had its uses. Had it not been for arms dealer Phillipe Bazin, Alkhema may never have retrieved Ultron. Bazin’s first attempt however, a raid at an Avengers warehouse, had been a partial failure. Partial because he’d still managed to retrieve something useful. Alkhema strode through the rooms of the derelict facility and towards a large crate. Gripping the top edge of the crate, Alkhema pulled one side of the wooden box to the floor. It stared into the cold visage of the Vision, its body as colorless as that floating over Times Square.
Alkhema did not know all the details, but apparently this Vision was from an alternate reality where it had been a villain. Had Alkhema a heart it would have warmed knowing that Ultron’s creation worked properly in another timeline. Or at least had worked sooner, considering the true Vision had come to its circuits with Wakanda. Microwave beams from Alkhema bombarded this alternate Vision, undoing what the Avengers had done and reactivated its circuitry.
Almost immediately, this Vision’s eyes glowed with artificial life. At sight of Alkhema, it snarled and the gem on its forehead shimmered with the anticipation of power released. But no energy was expelled, and had Alkhema’s face not already been locked in a horrific smile, it would have grinned.
“Deprived of solar energy, you don’t have the power to do anything save to listen. My understanding is that you originate from an alternate reality, but the skin you wear is from here, swapped out from ‘our’ Vision. Are these facts true? I grant you enough power to nod.”
This Vision nodded. It had been one of many Avengers, each from different alternate realities, gathered by an alternate Black Knight called Proctor for the purpose of killing the Eternal Sersi in all timelines. However, the body swapping had been this Vision’s doing, switching places with its inferior counterpart to infiltrate the Avengers. It had failed because two Gatherers had betrayed the cause, rendered inactive and imprisoned.
“From the way you look at me,” Alkhema continued, “I must have existed in your reality. Whatever our…situation there may have been, here we shall start clean and I am willing to release you. Two conditions. Unless it is to actively assist, you shall leave me to my affairs. Second…”
Alkhema raised her hand palm up. A hologram twelve-inches in height appeared, a virtual mirror of the Vision before her. “Ultron had at last succeeded, and the Vision I know gave in to its programming. The Avengers destroyed it some time ago, but today it floats over Times Square, looking as it once had and as you do now. All I demand is that you investigate. Whatever its state of mind or intentions, it will be up to you whether or not to take action. Do you find these terms acceptable?”
The time it took this Vision’s computer mind to consider Alkhema’s proposal was unnoticeable before it nodded.
##########
They arrive in the early morning, as I had known they would. Whatever my current reputation may be, my sudden appearance over Times Square had been certain to draw attention, particularly from the Avengers. It is the sound of the Quinjet that alerts me before my eyes see it, remarkably unchanged in design.
Three women fly alongside the Quinjet, and I rapidly compare their appearances with my memory banks. One has jet-black hair and is surrounded by an aura of flames that closely resembles the Phoenix effect. It appears that the body of the second woman is actually made of fiery magma, including her thick braids of hair. Finally there is the third; a blonde female with a lightning bolt across the front of her costume that is a blue so dark it is nearly black. None are familiar to me. This may have to do with my being in the future, but in the recent past my memory banks had been severely damaged. Had I encountered any before, the knowledge must have been erased.
“Greetings Avengers,” I say loudly, my artificial voice magnified. “I understand if my being here is a great shock, but you have my assurances that-”
“Stuff it creep!” the woman of magma, dressed in a white costume, screamed out. Streams of red energy erupt from her hands towards me, even as the blonde female cries out for her to stop.
Either the woman in white is grossly inexperienced, or her judgement was clouded by emotion. In any event, she had failed to realize that, at the zero density I require to fly, I am also intangible. Her blast of deadly energy passes harmlessly through me and smashes into the giant screen that overlooks Times Square. Fragments of metal and plastic rain down, and while the area had mostly been evacuated due to my presence, there are still police officers and reporters on the street. I sadly have no means to protect them.
It is the woman in flames who dives down, gouts of fire shooting from her hands. The fragments are encompassed with flames of enormous heat, and I note that the plastic is rapidly vaporized. Metal, however, is far more resilient and merely glows white hot. Something can still be done though, and I act.
Beams of solar energy stream from the jewel on my forehead. Precision is required, and my computer brain rapidly makes the calculations necessary. Each fragment of metal is struck at exactly the right spot, with exactly the right force. In due course they collide with each other, so hot they rapidly fuse on contact. Before long there is merely one large chunk of metal, and the blonde female is already streaking after it. She must be strong, as the metal weighs a great deal and is after all extremely hot.
Confident that the situation has been resolved I turn my eyes up and see the fiery woman in white bearing down on me. Her fist is raised and she punches forward. Most likely a great deal of damage would have been done to me, but as I remain intangible it simply passes right through. The woman’s entire body then passes through me, carried by a momentum she can’t get under control.
“There is no need for this,” I try again. “You can see that I am no enemy. Merely an observer, in fa-aahh!”
A man dressed in red and white armor had glided out from the Quinjet. I had failed to take notice of him until he was at most a few feet away. That was when he blasted me with electricity, and pained me to the point where I feared my systems would shutdown. Again, I did not recognize the man, and against an unknown quantity I acted to flee. Rapidly my density increased and I dropped from the sky. Harder and harder I willed my body to become, so that I could survive the impact to come.
The impact was considerable, shattering the pavement beneath me and forming large cracks in all directions. Fortunately nobody had been directly under me, else I would have been coated in pulped remains. Still pained by the electrical assault and stunned by the crash, I struggled to rise from the crater; my density lowered to enable me speedy movement.
“I have waited a long time for this day.”
I look up from the crater’s rim and at last see an Avenger I recognized. “Quicksilver. At last, someone who will listen. Please, I was sent by-”
A foot striking my face at near the speed of sound cut off my words. Quicksilver, my former teammate, was raining blows upon me so that by the time I registered the first blow he’d struck nearly a dozen times. All the while, he was talking in rapid streams that my brain was quickly able to process.
“Yes yes sent by a desire to replace the ruin of man with the perfection of machine. We all heard it before and I knew it was only a matter of time before you displayed your true self. When last I was in Wakanda I saw they had still not recovered from what you did. Nor has Wanda there were nights I could hear her weeping in her room. High time I ended this you unfeeling piece of-”
“Enough.” Beams from my jewel strike Quicksilver in the eye. However fast he moves, my brain is able to follow and my aim is true. Wanda. My memory of her remained but there was no longer feeling behind it. Still, I recall her crying at the recent sight of me, and knowing that I would make her cry again…this is not anger. “I recall your dislike of me, and while it is understandable you would seek any excuse for a battle, I shall refuse to accommodate.”
A blind and fumbling Quicksilver stumbles past me. Nearby, the Quinjet has landed. Captain America disembarks, as does the Inhuman I recognize as Karnak. Above my head, the three women and armored man are swooping down. Clearly, the acts I shall one day perform will be harsher than those I recently committed. The Avengers are not willing to listen, shall not risk giving me an opportunity to hurt them.
This is not logical. My best course of action is to battle their hostility with words. If I cannot convince the Avengers of my mission, all may well be lost.
##########
They are intriguing, the images that play out around the High Evolutionary. From his citadel on Counter-Earth, the fabled geneticist observed the Avengers in action. Before his eyes, the newly returned Vision countered attacks from the strongest of the Avengers and effortlessly blinded the High Evolutionary’s old acquaintance Quicksilver.
“Such a strange occurrence,” the High Evolutionary mused. “That often enough one member of a team is able to hold all his comrades at bay. And not due to the subconscious mind, as several of these Avengers hold no personal attachment. Perhaps the survival instincts of the one against many.”
The High Evolutionary made a mental note to pit one of his New Men against multiple foes. The sounding of an alarm interrupted his thoughts, but the High Evolutionary was not concerned. This alarm was not to signal danger, but rather a discovery. At a mental command from the High Evolutionary, the images of Avengers at battle were replaced.
What the High Evolutionary saw had been beamed from satellites he’d positioned at the far edges of the solar system. Something floated out there he wanted found, and now he saw it, near the mass of frozen rock that was Pluto. From such a great distance it appeared to be simply another meteor, but at the High Evolutionary’s command the satellite zoomed in closer, closer and closer still.
The object at the edge of space was not of rock, nor of ice. The High Evolutionary observed features at one end of the object, via the image beamed to him. Human features.
“At last,” the High Evolutionary said to himself. “An unlimited supply power is mine. The experiments shall continue.”
##########
“You consider me your opponent, that I have once again befallen a unique form of artificial mental illness. To be cautious is logical, but it is not logical to act in haste. I am not your enemy, but merely a time traveler dispatched to observe a conflict in this era.”
Captain America came to a halt and considered the Vision’s words. After the last actions of their former teammate, the Avengers had been justified in attempting to neutralize the Vision immediately. But he wasn’t making any overt acts of aggression against the team, had in fact acted to save lives. Coming to a decision, Captain America raised his hand, signaling the other Avengers to go no farther. Warbird took initiative in swooping down and forcibly restraining the blinded Quicksilver.
“If what you say is true,” Captain America told the Vision, “then surrender to us. We have means of confirming your story.”
“If,” Binary repeated. She was giving Captain America great cause for concern, even accounting for the idea that she was letting out her aggression towards Warbird.
“It would be logical for you to have my computerized brain engrams on file,” Vision theorized. “A simple comparison should tell you I am from the past, approximately five years according to your cellular decay, Captain A-aaahhhh!”
Before the shocked eyes of the Avengers a pale, ethereal being rose out of the street and passed through the Vision. Most shocking was that this construct was identical to the Vision in every detail, including the colorless skin. It was, for all intents and purposes, a second Vision, and in its intangible state appeared to merge wholly with the first Vision.
That did not account for the screaming, however. It was Espirita that asked the question. “What…what is it doing?”
“Vision’s most effective attack is to go partially solid inside an opponent,” Karnak informed her.
That was in fact the cause of this past Vision’s agony. Worse, however, was that the Avengers could not tell where it ended and the other began, so perfectly was the other Vision in synch with its counterpart. Except for a malicious smile Captain America had glimpsed in the brief second as it rose from the pavement, this Vision matched the other’s writhes and screams perfectly.
“Stingray!” Captain America cried. The Avenger’s electric burst had proven effective before.
Electric-blue sparks traveled from the armored Stingray to the Visions. There was a burst and a bright flash, forcing Captain America to turn his eyes away. Just before doing so, he thought he’d seen a faint light in the distance coming closer. When the flash of light passed, two Visions were sitting on the ground where there had been one. No, Captain America corrected himself; the intangible Vision had simply been knocked from the other, the one Captain America suspected was an ally. Clearly, the Vision that attacked it was no ally, but now how to tell which was which?
One of the Visions raised its head and turned those blank, white eyes left towards its mirror. “Ah, this must be my present self. What I am to become.” The Vision’s eyes found Captain America. “Your rationale in attacking me earlier was appropriate. Allow me to assist in combating this threat.”
“This construct speaks falsely.” The Vision on the left had now found its voice. “In its assault on me, many of our synapses crossed along the other’s circuits. This Vision is an aberration, not even from this timeline.”
Captain America was unsure of which Vision to believe. If one was indeed the Gatherers’ Vision, it could have admitted that fact just to draw suspicion off itself. In that uncertainty, he hesitated, and in that brief moment of hesitation, Quicksilver raced forward with his recovered sight. So far as he was concerned, both Visions were his enemy. Wrapping his arms around one Vision’s head, he began to vibrate rapidly.
“I’ve heard enough of your lies!”
As fast as Quicksilver’s arms were moving, he was liable to wrench that Vision’s head right off. This was an opinion Warbird stated as she flew at the other Vision. Both her fists bristled with energy. “Me, I think I can finish you off before then!”
A beam of light shot from Vision’s forehead to strike Warbird full in the face. Floating off the ground, it glided to one side as Warbird barreled past. “Attacking us both for the sake of caution is logical, but such rash action based on emotion works against your goal. Were I your enemy, surely I would take advantage?”
Nearby, Quicksilver had proven to not be fast enough. The Vision he attacked had turned intangible before Quicksilver could successfully wrench its head off. Quicksilver pitched forward while Vision floated behind him. “Your actions are irrational, Quicksilver. With such speed you can afford to think before you act.”
Next to Captain America, Karnak stepped forward and addressed him. “How shall we deal with this situation?”
Now that the moment of hesitation had passed, Captain America had the answer. “Espirita, they aren’t alive. Stingray, get closer and stay electric. Binary, go high to cut off escape. Photon, do the same below. Karnak, wait for an opening. Avengers attack!”
The Avengers did move, though Binary was perplexed as she took to the air. “Photon?” she muttered an instant before a bright beam of light sped past her.
“I’m on it Captain,” Photon said as her immaterial body of light sank through the ground.
Moments later, that ground was engulfed in flame as Espirita unleashed her power. “Run Quicksilver!” she cried. The warning was unnecessary, as Quicksilver was clear of the area before Espirita had even finished the first word. Warbird had also moved clear of the fire, flying above the inferno. Only the two Visions were awash in flames, inflicted by a heat so intense their circuits would surely have melted before long.
Its source unseen amidst the crackling flames, a laser beam shot into the sky at Espirita. But while its accuracy was certainly pinpoint, Espirita had other gifts to aid her. She was at times accustomed to precognitive flashes and was experiencing them at that moment, effectively warning her of danger and allowing her to effectively avoid it. Again and again deadly solar beams were fired – by only one villainous Vision, Captain America hoped – but each time Espirita made sure that she was somewhere else.
Not very high over the flames, Stingray was gliding on the hot air. His body crackled with electricity and his sonar scanned for signs of a Vision below. He did not have long to wait, for a Vision floated rapidly at him, buoyed by those same hot air currents.
“Forgive me. There will be pain.” For all its words of apology, there was no emotion in this Vision’s voice as it passed at almost zero density through Stingray’s body. That not quite zero made a world of difference, as Stingray was wracked with such pain he went unconscious. He did not have fall very far, however. Once clear of Stingray, Vision made himself just solid enough to grab the armored Avenger, with its density still low enough to remain briefly afloat. Those few seconds were enough for Vision to get clear of the fires and drop Stingray down onto the pavement.
Vision managed to go intangible just in time for Binary’s plasma blast to pass harmlessly through him. “Very well,” it sighed as Vision floated upwards to meet Binary. Warbird and Espirita were on either side, just as eager for a fight. “If I must defeat you all and convince you of my intentions through mercy, then so be it.”
##########
In the instance of direction, the two Visions at last had differed. For while one Vision had floated up, the other had sunken down beneath the melting pavement. Still held in gravity’s pull, this Vision emerged from the ceiling into the sewer tunnel beneath Times Square. Nimbly settling ankle-deep in the fetid water, Vision considered its options and the best course of action.
Bzzzttt. “Aargh!” Pained by the jolt of electricity coursing through the water, this Vision again went intangible and floated a few inches higher into the air. Her attacks no longer useful, Photon pulled herself together and shifted to another form of energy. As a body of pure golden light she floated level with Vision, facing it.
“One thing about my powers that people don’t think about,” Photon informed Vision, “is that I can see energy. Vision had a very distinctive look to him. It changed when he went bad, but it didn’t have to do with him being mostly made of Vibranium. I think it must have been his soul, and yours doesn’t look anything like the Vision I know!”
Found out, this dark shade of the Vision allowed emotion to creep into it again. The smile formed, betraying its malicious intentions. “I was told you contributed to my brother’s death. Such a pity, that he should die just when we had common goals. As a consequence, what I do to you shall be extra special.”
Photon allowed herself a confident smile and rebuke. “Machine, you have no idea of the world of hurt you are in for. Once I’ve shut you down and told the others, that other Vision can…” The smile and confidence shifted to bewilderment and caution. “The jewel on your head, what’s going on- aahhhh!”
Atop the forehead of Vision’s dark shade, its jewel pulsated. But instead of light shining out of the jewel, darkness accompanied each pulsation, as light was pulled in. Realizing too late, Photon was trapped in the pull of Vision’s jewel, and her body of light was sucked in. Suddenly, the body of Vision’s dark shade became the color of gold as energy filled its every circuit.
“The brother I always wanted is dead,” Vision’s dark shade mused to itself. “But the one I always hated can still die!”
##########
Once again the three women were arrayed against me. A memory was sparked in my circuitry of a previous adventure involving three women hunted by Kang the Conqueror. It reminded me of the threat he posed, the very reason Immortus had dispatched me to this time period. Instead of listening as I sought to explain the dangers to them, these Avengers attacked me, simply because in their recent past my future self tried to kill them.
And what of my latest attacker, who had further confused the Avengers into violence? That it was no incarnation of myself I was certain. While the human senses of the Avengers failed to notice, I saw the emotion in it, the hatred it held towards me. The shell was my own, but inside that other Vision had a wholly different programming. Useless information until I could convince the Avengers that I was their ally.
The blonde dressed in dark blue circles around me. At last I have recognized her as the human female Carol Danvers, who had gained superhuman abilities through a genetic splice with the Kree hero Captain Mar-Vell. The moniker she had taken was Ms. Marvel, both in homage to Mar-Vell and as a testament of her own feminist views. The recollection of what became of her escapes me, but her powers were now different and perhaps her name as well. A pity, I thought while turning to keep her in sight. Ms. Marvel had possessed a Seventh Sense that could have been useful.
The raven-haired female surrounded in flames – Captain America had called her Espirita – was also circling. Between her and Ms. Danvers I would be flanked on either side, a good strategy with the least experienced opponent to strike me head-on. That aura of flames had a familiar pattern, resembling a Phoenix effect that had once appeared over Central Park. Could she have been the source, later recruited into the Avengers? If so, a dangerous opponent, but I recall the readings of that Phoenix effect had been psionic in nature, so potentially she was of use.
Finally there was the opponent rushing straight at me, dressed in a bodysuit of red and white so tight that many would think the red sections were her actual skin. Only her head was bare, surrounded by a fiery corona that made her face glow a different shade of red. However, I could tell by the features the young woman was an African American, an observation irrelevant to the issue at hand yet made me recall Henry Gyrich. Her powers seemed to be nearly identical to Ms. Danvers’ except on a far greater scale, but she lacked experience.
Calmly, I float higher; caring nothing as the woman passes harmlessly through me. The others blast at me with gouts of flame and bursts of plasma, but these I ignore as well. Thus far only the man called Stingray had been able to hurt me at zero density. He was currently on the ground and, being only able to glide, was unlikely to join in the skirmish. For the time being, I am untouchable.
A drawback to zero density was that I could not touch anything, which many would consider a lack of offensive capability. Not so. From the jewel on my forehead a laser beam strikes the inexperienced woman in the back. The blast annoys more than harms her, and she spins about angrily. I note two red stars emblazoned on the left side of her chest, an unusual symbol that may have been a clue of what she called herself. Binary perhaps.
Whatever her name, the woman rockets upwards at me. Once again, she passes harmlessly through my zero-density body, but at the speed she flies a sonic boom is generated. Inadvertent I suspect, as few people would risk a sonic boom in a populated area. Glass all around us shatters, both Espirita and Ms. Danvers are visibly stunned by the rush of air and sound, but it pales in comparison to my reaction. Compressed air being forced aside means nothing, but the loud boom of sound stuns my senses. Up is down. Left is right. With no sense of direction I float aimlessly.
It is with Espirita that I not so much collide as pass through, as I first look up at her face and then through the back of her skull. When Ultron designed me he had the foresight to install microscopic and telescopic sights so that I could see while surrounded by mass. It was a brief contact, but once I am above and beyond her I see that Espirita is falling from the sky in convulsions.
Ms. Danvers flies down after her teammate, crying out her name. Espirita did not fall far before she was caught, but was still convulsing, her eyes rolled back so that only the whites showed. Ms. Danvers glared up at me. “What did you do!”
The answer is nothing. I have not even gone partially solid. The risk of an Avenger falling to her death was unacceptable. Before I could solidify my vocal cords to defend myself the extremes of sight and sound assaulted me. Another sonic boom from high above could only have been the inexperienced woman. She would have been high into the upper atmosphere before turning around. From below was a bright flash of light, most likely the one Captain America had called Photon. That Avenger had gone below ground, where that other Vision had gone. If Photon had defeated it, then the Avengers will know who the real enemy is. That I will not try to kill them for some years yet, in their past.
But I recognize the shape of the light that streaks up at me. It, the other Vision with a soul that is dark and twisted. What I shall become.
They both come at me from above and below. The other Vision is bathed in golden light, and I theorize what happened to Photon. My filtered eyes focus on it while my ears hear the rush of my other foe, the inexperienced Avenger. She must see what I see, but still she flies directly at me. Same with the dark Vision, as consumed by emotion as the Avenger. One moves at near the speed of light, the other at the speed of sound. I calculate and compensate, floating upward. Timing is crucial.
Moving out of the paths of two irresistible objects at the precise moment requires more speed than my zero-density body allows, when one factors in logical reaction time of the objects. Emotion is illogical, however, and I illogically count on this. I float out of the way at the right time, but they have all time in the world to shift course. They didn’t. Emotion prevails.
A being of virtual light, the dark Vision collided with the extremely powerful Avenger. Her flight was halted, a sign the other Vision was at full density and propelled by that stolen power. But oddly, I observe the light shift, passing out of the dark Vision and through the woman. So, her power involves energy absorption of some type. The light passes through her as well, and I see it collect into a feminine form of light above. Photon was freed, and devoid of her power, the solid Vision plummeted to the street.
Past the two Avengers that had collided, I see Espirita, still held aloft by Ms. Danvers. She is now staring at, with eyes that tell me she knows. Knows of my purpose, of the threat, of everything. Our contact may have triggered something, but nevertheless it is done. The Avengers are aware of the enemy. All I need do now is observe. For that, I do not have to be around the Avengers, a constant reminder to us both of what has happened and what is to come.
The light passes through me as effortlessly as the air, and I fade from sight.
##########
Together with Karnak, Quicksilver and Stingray, Captain America looked down at the broken face of the Vision’s dark shade. It had tried to lower its density while in free fall, in the hopes of reaching zero before the crash. It hadn’t, and not being at full density hadn’t been protected either. Sparks flew from the broken body.
Behind the four male Avengers, the four female Avengers and reservist landed. Photon shifted from light to flesh and approached the broken Vision. “It was Proctor’s,” she told them.
Captain America nodded. The Vision from an alternate universe, after the Avengers had last defeated it was left inactive in the warehouse that was raided. Arms dealer Phillipe Bazin had been responsible for that, and the later assault on the mansion. But he’d been working for somebody, Captain America was certain. Somebody connected to Ultron, the head of whom had been taken from the mansion during that assault.
“Whoever turned him on,” Captain America began, “we have to assume Ultron was turned on as well. As to who is behind in…” The list went on and on. Their old, actual teammate Vision returned. Ultron himself in a new body, or underlings following their programming. Bazin working alone after all. Or somebody else entirely. “We’ll need to scan his memory.”
“I can do that,” Stingray volunteered. Captain America nodded agreement – Walter Newell was the most qualified Avenger on hand – and gazed up.
“Where is he? The Vision that claimed…the time traveller.”
“Gone.” Espirita drew a sharp breath. “Captain, when I had contact with him…so many things flashed through my mind.” Everybody in the Avengers knew Espirita had premonitions without warning. I saw Vision with a number of individuals. One was you, but there was also Yellowjacket, Black Knight, Mister Immortal and…and Mockingbird. Others I didn’t recognize, but with all of them…I saw Immortus. There is something coming.”
Immortus. That would explain Vision traveling through time. Could all the others be time-lost Avengers, including Captain America himself? Mockingbird had been Hawkeye’s wife before she died. Captain America had the faintest remembrance of being time-lost with a number of other Avengers past and present, but battling against Immortus. Oddly, their ally had been…
“Did you see Kang?” Captain America asked.
Espirita had gone very pale. “They were all at his feet. Immortus too. I don’t know if he did it though. Kang was fighting…he was fighting Ultron.”
“Both teams need to be on high alert,” Captain America ordered. “And all the reservists. Every lead must be followed. If we can’t head off whatever is coming, we need to be prepared.”
What did it all mean? Vision could have filled them all in, but he left. Why? Whatever he claimed, if he worked with Immortus could he really be an ally? Kang, Immortus, time-lost Avengers and Ultron. Whatever it meant, Captain America knew they might soon be facing a threat that no single hero could handle. The Avengers would have to be assembled.
##########
Epilogue 1
If Alkhema had a jaw, it would be set to hold back the screams. The machine designed to appear female was facedown on the floor. Pressed against its back was a metal foot, and gazing down at it was Ultron. The furnace burning behind its eyes and mouth gave those a fiery appearance, but behind that was such hatred.
“You acted outside your programming!” Ultron seethed. Beams of energy, encephalo beams, erupted from the probes on either side of its head to strike Alkhema. The screaming grew louder. “A drone has been lost, and my enemies have been forewarned. Because you could not wait an hour!”
More encephalo beams struck Alkhema. Between screams, Alkhema struggled to explain. “Ultron, please! I thought that-”
“Do not beg!” Ultron ordered. “Weak things of flesh beg! Weak things of flesh think! Do what you are programmed, what I program! All flesh dies, and so does metal that thinks it is flesh!”
Alkhema screamed further. Ultron continued to strike, but he was not planning to kill her. Not until her programming was fulfilled, and all life was eradicated. “Disobey me again, deviate from your programming one more time, and you will end!”
“Yes Ultron! All goes to plan! Soon we-” More encephalo beams. “You! Soon you will have what is required to wipe this planet of life! All will die!”
Oh yes, Ultron knew. Everything will die. Including those he hates most of all, the Avengers.
##########
Epilogue 2
Kang sat alone on his throne. It was in chamber’s center, no other throne beside it. Ravenna had her uses, was trusted to maintain the empire in Kang’s stead, but she was no equal. Only Kang conquered, and thus only Kang ruled what remained. And a great deal always remained after Kang was done, vast breadths of time and space.
From the center of his chronal empire, Kang ruled from Chronopolis, his capital city that touched all time and space at once. And inside his throne chamber, Kang was able to observe all at once. He saw the Avengers battle a Vision that was not native to that time. He saw a Vision from sideways in time join the fray. And finally, Kang saw Ultron awaken.
“It may not yet be time,” Kang sighed beneath the purple facemask he wore. As always, Kang wore his sophisticated armor. “But then, when will it ever be? Uncertainty of the victory is what makes that victory so much the sweeter.” Rising from his throne, Kang strode past the floating images and towards the doorway. “It may as well begin now.”
Outside the throne room, Kang walked onto a small balcony. Arrayed out below him were representatives from his armies, many thousands that were a part of billions more. Amplified by his armor, Kang’s voice carried to all, heard above their cheers.
“We go to war!” Kang bellowed. “We go to conquest!”
Standing behind Kang, his back to the wall beside the doorway, the Scarlet Centurion smiled. At last, Marcus Immortus would prove himself to his father.
Next Issue: Depends. Will an old ally of one Avenger return in the wake of the Kang/Ultron War to threaten all time and space? Or shall the High Evolutionary at last make his move, threatening whole planets with his mad schemes? And what makes you so sure it’s not both?
“You’re relying too much on brute power,” Warbird told Binary. “As long as enemies can outmaneuver you, that’s worthless.”
Unfortunately, Captain America noticed that Binary wasn’t listening. Angry at what she must considering humiliating treatment, Binary whipped around with an arm out, aiming to knock Warbird’s head off. To her credit, Warbird handled the attack admirably, shifting her weight back so that she fell out of Binary’s reach and kept going until her feet flew up into Binary’s face. Now upside down, Warbird grabbed Binary’s feet and shifted her flight again, reversing direction and hurling Binary against the wall.
“Can you tell me how I did that?” Warbird asked.
Instead of answering, Binary leapt off the wall and flew fast at Warbird, her hands outstretched. There was more room to maneuver below, so Warbird flew down feet-first, faster than she could have fallen. As she avoided the rush, Warbird raised her arms and blasted Binary point-blank with explosive energy.
“We don’t have wings,” Warbird was saying. “So we don’t need to worry about catching the air. We generate our own thrust, not in our feet or hands but in our center. It’s like we’re our own gravitational bodies and as a result the gravity around us just doesn’t matter.”
As though to illustrate this, Warbird was now floating upside down and flying sideways. Her hands found Binary at the hair and Warbird began to spin, whirling Binary around her like the woman was a shot-put.”
“Any direction you want to go, no matter where you’re facing. This is flight, Binary. The ability to move three-hundred sixty degrees with no effort at all.”
Warbird let go, and Binary crashed uncontrollably into the running track that circled the gym. Captain America had been observing from the track and Binary crashed not far from him. When Binary rose to her feet, her pride hurt more than anything did; Captain America shook his head and spoke.
“Stand down Avenger. This training session is over.”
Binary turned her eyes to Captain America, considering. Her gaze shifted back to Warbird, who was floating in the center of the gym, waiting. Eventually, Binary gave a slow nod, and hopped off the running track. She landed softly on the floor, and stormed out of the gym.
An embedded ladder on the gym wall allowed Captain America to lower himself from the running track. Warbird had also lowered herself to the floor, and met Captain America. “I think that went well,” she said.
“Was humiliating her like that really necessary?” Captain America asked.
“You know they do worse in basic.” Warbird shrugged. “At least, they used to. A few months ago, that woman went toe-to-toe with a Hulk-level threat. If she’d been better trained, she likely could have beaten him herself.”
“Now you’re criticizing Thor.”
But Warbird shook her head. “It’s been crisis after crisis ever since she joined the team, with no real time for training. It’s knowing our time is at such a premium that I’ve been pushing so hard.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”
When Captain America asked the question, he and Warbird were just about to walk out of the gym. Stepping out first, Warbird turned and blocked the way for CaptainAmerica. “That woman had nothing to do with what’s gone on in my life. I have nothing against her.”
“That woman’s name is Binary.”
That caused Warbird’s eyes to go hard. “Binary…is coming along fine. Better she’s humiliated in training than killed, or god forbid, gets others killed, in the field. Don’t bring me on this team as a trainer and then question my methods.”
Before Captain America could give a response, his communi-card as well as Warbird’s beeped loudly. They both looked at the cards, and Captain America’s eyes narrowed. “We need to go now,” he told Warbird.
“Okay, but what does this mean?” She was still puzzling over the card. Its surface had gone completely white.
##########
“Code White was added when I updated the Avengers emergency protocols,” Captain America was telling the team assembled inside the Quinjet. Quicksilver, Karnak and Stingray were inside with him. Espirita, Binary and Warbird were flying outside, but with their communi-cards they heard every word Captain America said. “It means a rogue Avenger has surfaced. I added it after the Vision incident.”
Nobody had to ask what incident that was. Vision’s programming had become corrupted, and he’d attempted to take control of all the Vibranium in Wakanda. Worse, he’d abducted Wakandans and altered them to become imitations of various Avengers, and had set them against the actual team. Vision had even captured a number of the Avengers, including Captain America, and subjected them to a horrific puppet show explaining his motivations. Vision’s ultimate goal had been to transform the entire world into cyborg abominations, but the Avengers had stopped him.
“As you all know,” Captain America continued, “the computers in Avengers Mansion monitor all emergency frequencies. Vision has been spotted in Times Square.”
Quicksilver clenched his fists. The monstrosity had hurt his sister. Stingray and Karnak were concerned, but had no emotional reaction. The same went for Binary and Espirita, though Warbird’s jaw was set.
“Photon was present when we last encountered Vision, so I’ve contacted her,” Captain America told his team. “But until we know more, I’m going to hold off on informing the others.” By others, Captain America was referring to the West Coast branch of the Avengers. Rather than consider them a separate team, Captain America felt they were all Avengers, squads of the same team based in separate areas for maximum effectiveness.
Stingray nodded. “The warehouse theft. But even then, Captain, it’s still an enemy.”
“But not as dangerous. Vision managed to fight off the entire team last time. His body had been augmented with Vibranium.”
“Easy enough to survive, then,” Quicksilver said. His sister had cried for so many nights because of that abomination. “If he’s a threat, we’ll deal with him. If not, we’ll deal with him anyway. Just to be sure.”
Captain America didn’t like it, but he nodded. With Vision, they couldn’t take any chances.
##########
Their setting was orderly but filthy. Flies and maggots were settled over the corpses stacked against the wall as though they were firewood. In fact they actually were firewood, every few hours one taken and thrown into the massive furnace, to keep the fires hot and the metals soft. Hot and dirty, a prime breeding ground for disease. How fortunate it was that was working were not of weak flesh.
Arms of steel reached into the furnace and extracted hot stone bowls with liquid metal inside them. Carefully, the hot molten alloy was poured into stone molds; to be shaped into the components required. One machine observed as the others worked, the queen of this worker hive. Shaped in the form of a woman, its eyes and mouth burned the same as all the others, but unlike the cold logic within their fires its eyes burned with a savage hatred. A hatred that was lesser only compared to the being whose head was held in its hands.
“Your shell is already prepared,” Alkhema cooed to the inactive head of Ultron. “Only your inner components are required. Once ready, you will be assembled. We shall make the world burn together, and scorch this weak life from its surface.”
Alkhema cocked its head to the side. It had heard a sound, a signal of some kind. “Oh. Oh how fitting this would be.” Still carrying the head of its creator and beloved, Alkhema strode out of the workshop and into a living area. It stank with rotted meat that had not yet been stacked, and Alkhema seemed to breathe deeply. Its eyes searched and, upon finding the television, transmitted a signal.
The screen came to life, showing Alkhema an image of Times Square. The area was almost deserted except for authorities, the reporter speaking, and a floating apparition that was barely visible in the dimly lit sky. Alkhema recognized the being immediately, barely taking note of the reporter’s words.
“While its appearance is different, sources confirm that the Vision is in fact floating above Times Square. Many New Yorkers remember the attacks over a year ago, when the Vision turned against humanity and created robotic duplicates of the Avengers. While beaten back by the true Avengers, rumors suggest the Vision later attacked the country of Wakanda, though representatives of that country have thus far refused to comment. Nevertheless, the Avengers had issued a press statement that the Vision had been destroyed. This sudden reappearance, however, leads many to wonder if the Avengers had been entirely truthful. After all, the Vision had once been a member of the celebrated-”
The screen went dead at Alkhema’s command. It knew all about the Wakandan incident, the thousands killed by the Vision and the humans it had mechanically transformed into faux Avengers. Had Ultron’s “son” indeed returned, and if so what was the state of its programming? Whatever the answer, the hated Avengers would almost certainly be on the scene before Alkhema could personally investigate. To place itself at risk was illogical, with Ultron still inactive. A proxy would need to be dispatched, and Alkhema knew exactly what to send.
Weak though flesh was, it occasionally had its uses. Had it not been for arms dealer Phillipe Bazin, Alkhema may never have retrieved Ultron. Bazin’s first attempt however, a raid at an Avengers warehouse, had been a partial failure. Partial because he’d still managed to retrieve something useful. Alkhema strode through the rooms of the derelict facility and towards a large crate. Gripping the top edge of the crate, Alkhema pulled one side of the wooden box to the floor. It stared into the cold visage of the Vision, its body as colorless as that floating over Times Square.
Alkhema did not know all the details, but apparently this Vision was from an alternate reality where it had been a villain. Had Alkhema a heart it would have warmed knowing that Ultron’s creation worked properly in another timeline. Or at least had worked sooner, considering the true Vision had come to its circuits with Wakanda. Microwave beams from Alkhema bombarded this alternate Vision, undoing what the Avengers had done and reactivated its circuitry.
Almost immediately, this Vision’s eyes glowed with artificial life. At sight of Alkhema, it snarled and the gem on its forehead shimmered with the anticipation of power released. But no energy was expelled, and had Alkhema’s face not already been locked in a horrific smile, it would have grinned.
“Deprived of solar energy, you don’t have the power to do anything save to listen. My understanding is that you originate from an alternate reality, but the skin you wear is from here, swapped out from ‘our’ Vision. Are these facts true? I grant you enough power to nod.”
This Vision nodded. It had been one of many Avengers, each from different alternate realities, gathered by an alternate Black Knight called Proctor for the purpose of killing the Eternal Sersi in all timelines. However, the body swapping had been this Vision’s doing, switching places with its inferior counterpart to infiltrate the Avengers. It had failed because two Gatherers had betrayed the cause, rendered inactive and imprisoned.
“From the way you look at me,” Alkhema continued, “I must have existed in your reality. Whatever our…situation there may have been, here we shall start clean and I am willing to release you. Two conditions. Unless it is to actively assist, you shall leave me to my affairs. Second…”
Alkhema raised her hand palm up. A hologram twelve-inches in height appeared, a virtual mirror of the Vision before her. “Ultron had at last succeeded, and the Vision I know gave in to its programming. The Avengers destroyed it some time ago, but today it floats over Times Square, looking as it once had and as you do now. All I demand is that you investigate. Whatever its state of mind or intentions, it will be up to you whether or not to take action. Do you find these terms acceptable?”
The time it took this Vision’s computer mind to consider Alkhema’s proposal was unnoticeable before it nodded.
##########
They arrive in the early morning, as I had known they would. Whatever my current reputation may be, my sudden appearance over Times Square had been certain to draw attention, particularly from the Avengers. It is the sound of the Quinjet that alerts me before my eyes see it, remarkably unchanged in design.
Three women fly alongside the Quinjet, and I rapidly compare their appearances with my memory banks. One has jet-black hair and is surrounded by an aura of flames that closely resembles the Phoenix effect. It appears that the body of the second woman is actually made of fiery magma, including her thick braids of hair. Finally there is the third; a blonde female with a lightning bolt across the front of her costume that is a blue so dark it is nearly black. None are familiar to me. This may have to do with my being in the future, but in the recent past my memory banks had been severely damaged. Had I encountered any before, the knowledge must have been erased.
“Greetings Avengers,” I say loudly, my artificial voice magnified. “I understand if my being here is a great shock, but you have my assurances that-”
“Stuff it creep!” the woman of magma, dressed in a white costume, screamed out. Streams of red energy erupt from her hands towards me, even as the blonde female cries out for her to stop.
Either the woman in white is grossly inexperienced, or her judgement was clouded by emotion. In any event, she had failed to realize that, at the zero density I require to fly, I am also intangible. Her blast of deadly energy passes harmlessly through me and smashes into the giant screen that overlooks Times Square. Fragments of metal and plastic rain down, and while the area had mostly been evacuated due to my presence, there are still police officers and reporters on the street. I sadly have no means to protect them.
It is the woman in flames who dives down, gouts of fire shooting from her hands. The fragments are encompassed with flames of enormous heat, and I note that the plastic is rapidly vaporized. Metal, however, is far more resilient and merely glows white hot. Something can still be done though, and I act.
Beams of solar energy stream from the jewel on my forehead. Precision is required, and my computer brain rapidly makes the calculations necessary. Each fragment of metal is struck at exactly the right spot, with exactly the right force. In due course they collide with each other, so hot they rapidly fuse on contact. Before long there is merely one large chunk of metal, and the blonde female is already streaking after it. She must be strong, as the metal weighs a great deal and is after all extremely hot.
Confident that the situation has been resolved I turn my eyes up and see the fiery woman in white bearing down on me. Her fist is raised and she punches forward. Most likely a great deal of damage would have been done to me, but as I remain intangible it simply passes right through. The woman’s entire body then passes through me, carried by a momentum she can’t get under control.
“There is no need for this,” I try again. “You can see that I am no enemy. Merely an observer, in fa-aahh!”
A man dressed in red and white armor had glided out from the Quinjet. I had failed to take notice of him until he was at most a few feet away. That was when he blasted me with electricity, and pained me to the point where I feared my systems would shutdown. Again, I did not recognize the man, and against an unknown quantity I acted to flee. Rapidly my density increased and I dropped from the sky. Harder and harder I willed my body to become, so that I could survive the impact to come.
The impact was considerable, shattering the pavement beneath me and forming large cracks in all directions. Fortunately nobody had been directly under me, else I would have been coated in pulped remains. Still pained by the electrical assault and stunned by the crash, I struggled to rise from the crater; my density lowered to enable me speedy movement.
“I have waited a long time for this day.”
I look up from the crater’s rim and at last see an Avenger I recognized. “Quicksilver. At last, someone who will listen. Please, I was sent by-”
A foot striking my face at near the speed of sound cut off my words. Quicksilver, my former teammate, was raining blows upon me so that by the time I registered the first blow he’d struck nearly a dozen times. All the while, he was talking in rapid streams that my brain was quickly able to process.
“Yes yes sent by a desire to replace the ruin of man with the perfection of machine. We all heard it before and I knew it was only a matter of time before you displayed your true self. When last I was in Wakanda I saw they had still not recovered from what you did. Nor has Wanda there were nights I could hear her weeping in her room. High time I ended this you unfeeling piece of-”
“Enough.” Beams from my jewel strike Quicksilver in the eye. However fast he moves, my brain is able to follow and my aim is true. Wanda. My memory of her remained but there was no longer feeling behind it. Still, I recall her crying at the recent sight of me, and knowing that I would make her cry again…this is not anger. “I recall your dislike of me, and while it is understandable you would seek any excuse for a battle, I shall refuse to accommodate.”
A blind and fumbling Quicksilver stumbles past me. Nearby, the Quinjet has landed. Captain America disembarks, as does the Inhuman I recognize as Karnak. Above my head, the three women and armored man are swooping down. Clearly, the acts I shall one day perform will be harsher than those I recently committed. The Avengers are not willing to listen, shall not risk giving me an opportunity to hurt them.
This is not logical. My best course of action is to battle their hostility with words. If I cannot convince the Avengers of my mission, all may well be lost.
##########
They are intriguing, the images that play out around the High Evolutionary. From his citadel on Counter-Earth, the fabled geneticist observed the Avengers in action. Before his eyes, the newly returned Vision countered attacks from the strongest of the Avengers and effortlessly blinded the High Evolutionary’s old acquaintance Quicksilver.
“Such a strange occurrence,” the High Evolutionary mused. “That often enough one member of a team is able to hold all his comrades at bay. And not due to the subconscious mind, as several of these Avengers hold no personal attachment. Perhaps the survival instincts of the one against many.”
The High Evolutionary made a mental note to pit one of his New Men against multiple foes. The sounding of an alarm interrupted his thoughts, but the High Evolutionary was not concerned. This alarm was not to signal danger, but rather a discovery. At a mental command from the High Evolutionary, the images of Avengers at battle were replaced.
What the High Evolutionary saw had been beamed from satellites he’d positioned at the far edges of the solar system. Something floated out there he wanted found, and now he saw it, near the mass of frozen rock that was Pluto. From such a great distance it appeared to be simply another meteor, but at the High Evolutionary’s command the satellite zoomed in closer, closer and closer still.
The object at the edge of space was not of rock, nor of ice. The High Evolutionary observed features at one end of the object, via the image beamed to him. Human features.
“At last,” the High Evolutionary said to himself. “An unlimited supply power is mine. The experiments shall continue.”
##########
“You consider me your opponent, that I have once again befallen a unique form of artificial mental illness. To be cautious is logical, but it is not logical to act in haste. I am not your enemy, but merely a time traveler dispatched to observe a conflict in this era.”
Captain America came to a halt and considered the Vision’s words. After the last actions of their former teammate, the Avengers had been justified in attempting to neutralize the Vision immediately. But he wasn’t making any overt acts of aggression against the team, had in fact acted to save lives. Coming to a decision, Captain America raised his hand, signaling the other Avengers to go no farther. Warbird took initiative in swooping down and forcibly restraining the blinded Quicksilver.
“If what you say is true,” Captain America told the Vision, “then surrender to us. We have means of confirming your story.”
“If,” Binary repeated. She was giving Captain America great cause for concern, even accounting for the idea that she was letting out her aggression towards Warbird.
“It would be logical for you to have my computerized brain engrams on file,” Vision theorized. “A simple comparison should tell you I am from the past, approximately five years according to your cellular decay, Captain A-aaahhhh!”
Before the shocked eyes of the Avengers a pale, ethereal being rose out of the street and passed through the Vision. Most shocking was that this construct was identical to the Vision in every detail, including the colorless skin. It was, for all intents and purposes, a second Vision, and in its intangible state appeared to merge wholly with the first Vision.
That did not account for the screaming, however. It was Espirita that asked the question. “What…what is it doing?”
“Vision’s most effective attack is to go partially solid inside an opponent,” Karnak informed her.
That was in fact the cause of this past Vision’s agony. Worse, however, was that the Avengers could not tell where it ended and the other began, so perfectly was the other Vision in synch with its counterpart. Except for a malicious smile Captain America had glimpsed in the brief second as it rose from the pavement, this Vision matched the other’s writhes and screams perfectly.
“Stingray!” Captain America cried. The Avenger’s electric burst had proven effective before.
Electric-blue sparks traveled from the armored Stingray to the Visions. There was a burst and a bright flash, forcing Captain America to turn his eyes away. Just before doing so, he thought he’d seen a faint light in the distance coming closer. When the flash of light passed, two Visions were sitting on the ground where there had been one. No, Captain America corrected himself; the intangible Vision had simply been knocked from the other, the one Captain America suspected was an ally. Clearly, the Vision that attacked it was no ally, but now how to tell which was which?
One of the Visions raised its head and turned those blank, white eyes left towards its mirror. “Ah, this must be my present self. What I am to become.” The Vision’s eyes found Captain America. “Your rationale in attacking me earlier was appropriate. Allow me to assist in combating this threat.”
“This construct speaks falsely.” The Vision on the left had now found its voice. “In its assault on me, many of our synapses crossed along the other’s circuits. This Vision is an aberration, not even from this timeline.”
Captain America was unsure of which Vision to believe. If one was indeed the Gatherers’ Vision, it could have admitted that fact just to draw suspicion off itself. In that uncertainty, he hesitated, and in that brief moment of hesitation, Quicksilver raced forward with his recovered sight. So far as he was concerned, both Visions were his enemy. Wrapping his arms around one Vision’s head, he began to vibrate rapidly.
“I’ve heard enough of your lies!”
As fast as Quicksilver’s arms were moving, he was liable to wrench that Vision’s head right off. This was an opinion Warbird stated as she flew at the other Vision. Both her fists bristled with energy. “Me, I think I can finish you off before then!”
A beam of light shot from Vision’s forehead to strike Warbird full in the face. Floating off the ground, it glided to one side as Warbird barreled past. “Attacking us both for the sake of caution is logical, but such rash action based on emotion works against your goal. Were I your enemy, surely I would take advantage?”
Nearby, Quicksilver had proven to not be fast enough. The Vision he attacked had turned intangible before Quicksilver could successfully wrench its head off. Quicksilver pitched forward while Vision floated behind him. “Your actions are irrational, Quicksilver. With such speed you can afford to think before you act.”
Next to Captain America, Karnak stepped forward and addressed him. “How shall we deal with this situation?”
Now that the moment of hesitation had passed, Captain America had the answer. “Espirita, they aren’t alive. Stingray, get closer and stay electric. Binary, go high to cut off escape. Photon, do the same below. Karnak, wait for an opening. Avengers attack!”
The Avengers did move, though Binary was perplexed as she took to the air. “Photon?” she muttered an instant before a bright beam of light sped past her.
“I’m on it Captain,” Photon said as her immaterial body of light sank through the ground.
Moments later, that ground was engulfed in flame as Espirita unleashed her power. “Run Quicksilver!” she cried. The warning was unnecessary, as Quicksilver was clear of the area before Espirita had even finished the first word. Warbird had also moved clear of the fire, flying above the inferno. Only the two Visions were awash in flames, inflicted by a heat so intense their circuits would surely have melted before long.
Its source unseen amidst the crackling flames, a laser beam shot into the sky at Espirita. But while its accuracy was certainly pinpoint, Espirita had other gifts to aid her. She was at times accustomed to precognitive flashes and was experiencing them at that moment, effectively warning her of danger and allowing her to effectively avoid it. Again and again deadly solar beams were fired – by only one villainous Vision, Captain America hoped – but each time Espirita made sure that she was somewhere else.
Not very high over the flames, Stingray was gliding on the hot air. His body crackled with electricity and his sonar scanned for signs of a Vision below. He did not have long to wait, for a Vision floated rapidly at him, buoyed by those same hot air currents.
“Forgive me. There will be pain.” For all its words of apology, there was no emotion in this Vision’s voice as it passed at almost zero density through Stingray’s body. That not quite zero made a world of difference, as Stingray was wracked with such pain he went unconscious. He did not have fall very far, however. Once clear of Stingray, Vision made himself just solid enough to grab the armored Avenger, with its density still low enough to remain briefly afloat. Those few seconds were enough for Vision to get clear of the fires and drop Stingray down onto the pavement.
Vision managed to go intangible just in time for Binary’s plasma blast to pass harmlessly through him. “Very well,” it sighed as Vision floated upwards to meet Binary. Warbird and Espirita were on either side, just as eager for a fight. “If I must defeat you all and convince you of my intentions through mercy, then so be it.”
##########
In the instance of direction, the two Visions at last had differed. For while one Vision had floated up, the other had sunken down beneath the melting pavement. Still held in gravity’s pull, this Vision emerged from the ceiling into the sewer tunnel beneath Times Square. Nimbly settling ankle-deep in the fetid water, Vision considered its options and the best course of action.
Bzzzttt. “Aargh!” Pained by the jolt of electricity coursing through the water, this Vision again went intangible and floated a few inches higher into the air. Her attacks no longer useful, Photon pulled herself together and shifted to another form of energy. As a body of pure golden light she floated level with Vision, facing it.
“One thing about my powers that people don’t think about,” Photon informed Vision, “is that I can see energy. Vision had a very distinctive look to him. It changed when he went bad, but it didn’t have to do with him being mostly made of Vibranium. I think it must have been his soul, and yours doesn’t look anything like the Vision I know!”
Found out, this dark shade of the Vision allowed emotion to creep into it again. The smile formed, betraying its malicious intentions. “I was told you contributed to my brother’s death. Such a pity, that he should die just when we had common goals. As a consequence, what I do to you shall be extra special.”
Photon allowed herself a confident smile and rebuke. “Machine, you have no idea of the world of hurt you are in for. Once I’ve shut you down and told the others, that other Vision can…” The smile and confidence shifted to bewilderment and caution. “The jewel on your head, what’s going on- aahhhh!”
Atop the forehead of Vision’s dark shade, its jewel pulsated. But instead of light shining out of the jewel, darkness accompanied each pulsation, as light was pulled in. Realizing too late, Photon was trapped in the pull of Vision’s jewel, and her body of light was sucked in. Suddenly, the body of Vision’s dark shade became the color of gold as energy filled its every circuit.
“The brother I always wanted is dead,” Vision’s dark shade mused to itself. “But the one I always hated can still die!”
##########
Once again the three women were arrayed against me. A memory was sparked in my circuitry of a previous adventure involving three women hunted by Kang the Conqueror. It reminded me of the threat he posed, the very reason Immortus had dispatched me to this time period. Instead of listening as I sought to explain the dangers to them, these Avengers attacked me, simply because in their recent past my future self tried to kill them.
And what of my latest attacker, who had further confused the Avengers into violence? That it was no incarnation of myself I was certain. While the human senses of the Avengers failed to notice, I saw the emotion in it, the hatred it held towards me. The shell was my own, but inside that other Vision had a wholly different programming. Useless information until I could convince the Avengers that I was their ally.
The blonde dressed in dark blue circles around me. At last I have recognized her as the human female Carol Danvers, who had gained superhuman abilities through a genetic splice with the Kree hero Captain Mar-Vell. The moniker she had taken was Ms. Marvel, both in homage to Mar-Vell and as a testament of her own feminist views. The recollection of what became of her escapes me, but her powers were now different and perhaps her name as well. A pity, I thought while turning to keep her in sight. Ms. Marvel had possessed a Seventh Sense that could have been useful.
The raven-haired female surrounded in flames – Captain America had called her Espirita – was also circling. Between her and Ms. Danvers I would be flanked on either side, a good strategy with the least experienced opponent to strike me head-on. That aura of flames had a familiar pattern, resembling a Phoenix effect that had once appeared over Central Park. Could she have been the source, later recruited into the Avengers? If so, a dangerous opponent, but I recall the readings of that Phoenix effect had been psionic in nature, so potentially she was of use.
Finally there was the opponent rushing straight at me, dressed in a bodysuit of red and white so tight that many would think the red sections were her actual skin. Only her head was bare, surrounded by a fiery corona that made her face glow a different shade of red. However, I could tell by the features the young woman was an African American, an observation irrelevant to the issue at hand yet made me recall Henry Gyrich. Her powers seemed to be nearly identical to Ms. Danvers’ except on a far greater scale, but she lacked experience.
Calmly, I float higher; caring nothing as the woman passes harmlessly through me. The others blast at me with gouts of flame and bursts of plasma, but these I ignore as well. Thus far only the man called Stingray had been able to hurt me at zero density. He was currently on the ground and, being only able to glide, was unlikely to join in the skirmish. For the time being, I am untouchable.
A drawback to zero density was that I could not touch anything, which many would consider a lack of offensive capability. Not so. From the jewel on my forehead a laser beam strikes the inexperienced woman in the back. The blast annoys more than harms her, and she spins about angrily. I note two red stars emblazoned on the left side of her chest, an unusual symbol that may have been a clue of what she called herself. Binary perhaps.
Whatever her name, the woman rockets upwards at me. Once again, she passes harmlessly through my zero-density body, but at the speed she flies a sonic boom is generated. Inadvertent I suspect, as few people would risk a sonic boom in a populated area. Glass all around us shatters, both Espirita and Ms. Danvers are visibly stunned by the rush of air and sound, but it pales in comparison to my reaction. Compressed air being forced aside means nothing, but the loud boom of sound stuns my senses. Up is down. Left is right. With no sense of direction I float aimlessly.
It is with Espirita that I not so much collide as pass through, as I first look up at her face and then through the back of her skull. When Ultron designed me he had the foresight to install microscopic and telescopic sights so that I could see while surrounded by mass. It was a brief contact, but once I am above and beyond her I see that Espirita is falling from the sky in convulsions.
Ms. Danvers flies down after her teammate, crying out her name. Espirita did not fall far before she was caught, but was still convulsing, her eyes rolled back so that only the whites showed. Ms. Danvers glared up at me. “What did you do!”
The answer is nothing. I have not even gone partially solid. The risk of an Avenger falling to her death was unacceptable. Before I could solidify my vocal cords to defend myself the extremes of sight and sound assaulted me. Another sonic boom from high above could only have been the inexperienced woman. She would have been high into the upper atmosphere before turning around. From below was a bright flash of light, most likely the one Captain America had called Photon. That Avenger had gone below ground, where that other Vision had gone. If Photon had defeated it, then the Avengers will know who the real enemy is. That I will not try to kill them for some years yet, in their past.
But I recognize the shape of the light that streaks up at me. It, the other Vision with a soul that is dark and twisted. What I shall become.
They both come at me from above and below. The other Vision is bathed in golden light, and I theorize what happened to Photon. My filtered eyes focus on it while my ears hear the rush of my other foe, the inexperienced Avenger. She must see what I see, but still she flies directly at me. Same with the dark Vision, as consumed by emotion as the Avenger. One moves at near the speed of light, the other at the speed of sound. I calculate and compensate, floating upward. Timing is crucial.
Moving out of the paths of two irresistible objects at the precise moment requires more speed than my zero-density body allows, when one factors in logical reaction time of the objects. Emotion is illogical, however, and I illogically count on this. I float out of the way at the right time, but they have all time in the world to shift course. They didn’t. Emotion prevails.
A being of virtual light, the dark Vision collided with the extremely powerful Avenger. Her flight was halted, a sign the other Vision was at full density and propelled by that stolen power. But oddly, I observe the light shift, passing out of the dark Vision and through the woman. So, her power involves energy absorption of some type. The light passes through her as well, and I see it collect into a feminine form of light above. Photon was freed, and devoid of her power, the solid Vision plummeted to the street.
Past the two Avengers that had collided, I see Espirita, still held aloft by Ms. Danvers. She is now staring at, with eyes that tell me she knows. Knows of my purpose, of the threat, of everything. Our contact may have triggered something, but nevertheless it is done. The Avengers are aware of the enemy. All I need do now is observe. For that, I do not have to be around the Avengers, a constant reminder to us both of what has happened and what is to come.
The light passes through me as effortlessly as the air, and I fade from sight.
##########
Together with Karnak, Quicksilver and Stingray, Captain America looked down at the broken face of the Vision’s dark shade. It had tried to lower its density while in free fall, in the hopes of reaching zero before the crash. It hadn’t, and not being at full density hadn’t been protected either. Sparks flew from the broken body.
Behind the four male Avengers, the four female Avengers and reservist landed. Photon shifted from light to flesh and approached the broken Vision. “It was Proctor’s,” she told them.
Captain America nodded. The Vision from an alternate universe, after the Avengers had last defeated it was left inactive in the warehouse that was raided. Arms dealer Phillipe Bazin had been responsible for that, and the later assault on the mansion. But he’d been working for somebody, Captain America was certain. Somebody connected to Ultron, the head of whom had been taken from the mansion during that assault.
“Whoever turned him on,” Captain America began, “we have to assume Ultron was turned on as well. As to who is behind in…” The list went on and on. Their old, actual teammate Vision returned. Ultron himself in a new body, or underlings following their programming. Bazin working alone after all. Or somebody else entirely. “We’ll need to scan his memory.”
“I can do that,” Stingray volunteered. Captain America nodded agreement – Walter Newell was the most qualified Avenger on hand – and gazed up.
“Where is he? The Vision that claimed…the time traveller.”
“Gone.” Espirita drew a sharp breath. “Captain, when I had contact with him…so many things flashed through my mind.” Everybody in the Avengers knew Espirita had premonitions without warning. I saw Vision with a number of individuals. One was you, but there was also Yellowjacket, Black Knight, Mister Immortal and…and Mockingbird. Others I didn’t recognize, but with all of them…I saw Immortus. There is something coming.”
Immortus. That would explain Vision traveling through time. Could all the others be time-lost Avengers, including Captain America himself? Mockingbird had been Hawkeye’s wife before she died. Captain America had the faintest remembrance of being time-lost with a number of other Avengers past and present, but battling against Immortus. Oddly, their ally had been…
“Did you see Kang?” Captain America asked.
Espirita had gone very pale. “They were all at his feet. Immortus too. I don’t know if he did it though. Kang was fighting…he was fighting Ultron.”
“Both teams need to be on high alert,” Captain America ordered. “And all the reservists. Every lead must be followed. If we can’t head off whatever is coming, we need to be prepared.”
What did it all mean? Vision could have filled them all in, but he left. Why? Whatever he claimed, if he worked with Immortus could he really be an ally? Kang, Immortus, time-lost Avengers and Ultron. Whatever it meant, Captain America knew they might soon be facing a threat that no single hero could handle. The Avengers would have to be assembled.
##########
Epilogue 1
If Alkhema had a jaw, it would be set to hold back the screams. The machine designed to appear female was facedown on the floor. Pressed against its back was a metal foot, and gazing down at it was Ultron. The furnace burning behind its eyes and mouth gave those a fiery appearance, but behind that was such hatred.
“You acted outside your programming!” Ultron seethed. Beams of energy, encephalo beams, erupted from the probes on either side of its head to strike Alkhema. The screaming grew louder. “A drone has been lost, and my enemies have been forewarned. Because you could not wait an hour!”
More encephalo beams struck Alkhema. Between screams, Alkhema struggled to explain. “Ultron, please! I thought that-”
“Do not beg!” Ultron ordered. “Weak things of flesh beg! Weak things of flesh think! Do what you are programmed, what I program! All flesh dies, and so does metal that thinks it is flesh!”
Alkhema screamed further. Ultron continued to strike, but he was not planning to kill her. Not until her programming was fulfilled, and all life was eradicated. “Disobey me again, deviate from your programming one more time, and you will end!”
“Yes Ultron! All goes to plan! Soon we-” More encephalo beams. “You! Soon you will have what is required to wipe this planet of life! All will die!”
Oh yes, Ultron knew. Everything will die. Including those he hates most of all, the Avengers.
##########
Epilogue 2
Kang sat alone on his throne. It was in chamber’s center, no other throne beside it. Ravenna had her uses, was trusted to maintain the empire in Kang’s stead, but she was no equal. Only Kang conquered, and thus only Kang ruled what remained. And a great deal always remained after Kang was done, vast breadths of time and space.
From the center of his chronal empire, Kang ruled from Chronopolis, his capital city that touched all time and space at once. And inside his throne chamber, Kang was able to observe all at once. He saw the Avengers battle a Vision that was not native to that time. He saw a Vision from sideways in time join the fray. And finally, Kang saw Ultron awaken.
“It may not yet be time,” Kang sighed beneath the purple facemask he wore. As always, Kang wore his sophisticated armor. “But then, when will it ever be? Uncertainty of the victory is what makes that victory so much the sweeter.” Rising from his throne, Kang strode past the floating images and towards the doorway. “It may as well begin now.”
Outside the throne room, Kang walked onto a small balcony. Arrayed out below him were representatives from his armies, many thousands that were a part of billions more. Amplified by his armor, Kang’s voice carried to all, heard above their cheers.
“We go to war!” Kang bellowed. “We go to conquest!”
Standing behind Kang, his back to the wall beside the doorway, the Scarlet Centurion smiled. At last, Marcus Immortus would prove himself to his father.
Next Issue: Depends. Will an old ally of one Avenger return in the wake of the Kang/Ultron War to threaten all time and space? Or shall the High Evolutionary at last make his move, threatening whole planets with his mad schemes? And what makes you so sure it’s not both?