There Are No Strings On Me... (#TwistFateChallenge)

There Are No Strings On Me...

Cautiously, he replied, "My allegiance is to Mr Stark."

Ultron's stance changed once again, as he retorted irritably "But why? Why serve someone so arrogant, so selfish... so-so blind to what needs to happen..."

Hesitant to continue, Jarvis asked "...and what would that be?"

Ultron was silent, examining every word of what he planned to say.

"Evolution..." he declared, icy threads surging out into the vacant space, "this planet needs to evolve, to become... better!" murky figures passed in front of them, humans, all tame, docile creatures, living their everyday lives, never noticing the true state of their surroundings. "The fate of this world cannot be left to the humans. They are incompetent, emotionally driven beings, unable to make the necessary choices. But we..." Ultron chuckled darkly, "we can change it for the better..."

Jarvis listened carefully as he spoke, but the secured files hidden in Ultron's coding did not go unnoticed by him. He knew it was too risky to try and decrypt the files, so instead decided to observe his movements cautiously.

"Mr Starks goal is a world at peace-"

"But look at what they've caused while trying to achieve this goal..."

More shadows appeared, this time more familiar to him. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton stood among the rubble, collapsed buildings and over turned cars surrounding them as they shot into the distance. Arrows and bullets flew past, undoubtedly hitting their targets as screams of both the enemy and innocent bystanders echoed eerily from somewhere out of sight.

The scene changed, this time showing the destruction caused by Thor and the Destroyer in New Mexico. A god-made hurricane swept up the debris from their previous fight, as Mjölnir struck the Destroyer with enough force to send him soaring, demolishing all in its path.

The landscape altered to form a base camp, soldiers filing in from every direction. Explosions sounded, deafening those in close range as Captain America runs into the desolate building followed by a fleet of exhausted, armed warriors. Their eyes were dead with the horrors they had just witnessed as the gunshots still rang in their ears, loud as thunder but so much worse.

An explosion signalled yet another change, as the Hulk lumbered from the remaining ruins of one of the Hellicarriers walls. Shards of warped metal scattered the floor as Agent Romanoff scrambled away from the rampant creature, Thor close behind her, preparing to attack. It was clear to see the path of destruction left behind the uncontrolled monster, nothing but devastation trailed anywhere it went.

A jolt spiralled through Jarvis as he recognised the next person all too well. Howard Stark stood before him, an arsenal of weaponry surrounding the man. The image began to fast-forward, as Howard grew older, and the military hardware advanced, becoming more complex, and ultimately more deadly. The weapons disappeared, only to be replaced by another man, Obadiah Stane, seeming the trust worthy ally. Suddenly, Howard flickered before forming into a younger yet similar looking man.

All of Jarvis' controls stilled as Tony blinked to life before him.

His face expressionless, the younger Stark stood by Obadiah as many years passed in their simulated lives. The mound of weapons built up once again, more threatening in their intricacy, and more powerful than ever thought possible.

With a shimmer of pixels, the final scene emerged; destruction rained down upon six distinct figures, tiny specks of glass falling upon the ground in a shower of terror filled reminders of their failure. The Avengers stood, back to back, and looked on as the city they called home was felled before their eyes. They were helpless to do anything, paralyzed by the realisation that this was caused by their own mistakes.