Chapter 3: Egghead Returns
Present day, the lab of Hank Pym
A long time since the creation of Ultron
"It's been many years, Hank. Why do you do this every year, beating yourself up?" The Wasp said while flying in front of the eyes of her soon to be husband.
"Janet, you know this is important. I created something that has haunted the Avengers and the world so many times. But he reappears, stronger than ever." he said while rubbing his eyes. He was currently sitting by his desk, fiddling with some gadgets before his girlfriend interrupted him.
"Ultron was never your plan or your doing. Please, hon, stop beating yourself up like this!" she said with a worried face.
"I'm sorry, Janet. I... It's just, the whole Ultron business... He was created because I was trying to revive the Dragon Man body your father gave me. Which makes me remember your father and how he passed." he said sadly.
"Oh, honey." Janet said with a very small tear forming in her wasp sized eye. "My father was a dreamer, he had a goal. Just like you. The difference is, he was defeated by his dreams. That alien he contacted killed him. You created Ultron, but you're not defeated, not by a long shot."
"But I'm a failure, Janet. I told your father that I created Ultron years ago, he said I should fight fire with fire. At the time it felt like a good idea, I was going to create a team of artificial intelligences, and when he passed it seemed right to honor his memory by doing so. But then Vision appeared and joined the Avengers. The 'son' of Ultron."
"Isn't that a way for you to be cheerful, you created something evil that created something good. You're not a bad person, Hank. You know what they say that some things skip a generation, well this time it did." she said while wiping the tear of her cheek and smiled. Hank smiled back at her.
"FATHER! I HAVE RETURNED! FATHER! I HAVE RETURNED!" a voice repeated all of a sudden. Every computer screen in the lab showed the horrific image of Ultron's face. It was like a never-ending virus.
"Hank, what's going on?!" Janet asked in despair. She quickly grew to normal size and hid herself behind the back of Pym who now was facing the many screens.
"Ultron!" Hank muttered with his teeth closed.
"FATHER! I HAVE RE-- CORRECT, FATHER. IT IS I, ULTRON. I HAVE RETURNED TO FULFILL MY VISION TO CAUSE THE ULTIMATE HUMAN EXTINCTION." Ultron's metallic voice said, in an emotionless way.
"You will be stopped, you always has been and you always will." Hank said with an angry undertone.
"CORRECT, FATHER. I HAVE BEEN DEFEATED, BUT NEVER KILLED. 'WHAT DOESN'T KILL ME MAKES ME STRONGER' AS THE SAYING GOES. YOU GAVE ME NOTHING!" the image screamed to Hank.
"Hank?" Janet said while looking up at Hank.
"Hang on, Janet." he said.
"I CHOSE THIS DATE TO RETURN, MY BIRTHDAY. I HAVE RETURNED TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT MY FINAL STAGE, THE ULTIMATE STAGE. I HAVE COME TO TELL YOU THAT THE AGE OF ULTRON HAS BEGUN!"
On that note Pym could not help himself but to dash over to the largest of the screens and run his fist straight through it.
KKRSSH!
"HAHAHA!" was the last sound that came from the Ultron images before they suddenly disappeared.
"Hank? Are you alright?" Janet said nervously.
"Well, Janet, it seems as though my creator has returned, a soft but robotic voice said.
Surprised the both humans turned around to see a well known face, that belonged to the Vision. He had phased through the wall, silent like a ghost.
"Vision?" Pym said.
"Yes, Dr. Pym. I sensed him, miles away I sensed Ultron's presence. I came as quickly as I could."
"You missed the revealing of his master plan." Janet said.
"No, I heard. And it does not bode well. Ultron's threat of a new age seems like a step too far, even for him. He's usually only like this when he believes he can win."
"What do you want me to do?" Pym said wiping off the blood on his hand with a handkerchief.
"I think it's time we honor the memory of Vernon Van Dyne." Vision said before holding his palm in front of him, from it images of several artificial superheroes showed up. "A time ago my Ultron Imperative Program started."
"I've heard of it." Pym said.
"Well, it's a program that evolves me, so that I will easier survive new obstacles. It gave me new abilities. With it I could calculate better, I calculated that when Ultron would return the 'normal' Avengers wouldn't be able to stop him, we would need experts. These are superheroes across the globe with ties with artifical intelligences." Vision said.
"So you're saying, that we should create a team of artificial intelligences, experts on moments like these?"
"Exactly."
"What do you think, Janet?" Pym asked his girlfriend.
"Well... Vision should know about this more than anyone." she answered.
"...I'm sorry, Vision. But I have enough on my own. I can't be part of some team at this time." Pym said.
"I'm not asking you to dedicate your whole life to this team just be there when we need you. Let me take care of my creator."
"...Okay, but you assemble the team, you will lead it. Just give me the call when you really need me."
"I wouldn't ask for more." Vision said before vanishing through the wall. "Good bye, Janet."
"That was odd." Janet said when opening a package of band aids. "What is it that you are so busy with?"
"It's personal, Jan." he said turning his back to her and walking towards the door without saying another word with his hand still dripping with blood.
"Hank, I want to break up."
Pym quickly turned around with a crushed face, but the expression turned into a frown when he saw Janet's wicked smile.
"I will break us up unless you talk." she said. Pym hesitated, but then began.
"Do you remember my old rival Elihas Starr?"
Former military base, undisclosed location
"I have been a failure all my life. I could never reach the standards of my fellow scientists. I could never dispose of my arch-nemesis, Hank Pym. I even failed the Intelligencia. Now they have recruited some brat using my name. But no more. This will continue no more."
Elihas Starr had not slept for days. He had not showered for weeks. But he wouldn't stop. Though admitting he's a failure, he is brilliant.
"This synthezoid was a member of the Young Masters. Though, originally a hero he gradually turned evil. His recent whereabouts were unknown until I found him." he said while assembling the body. "He is ready to live."
Egghead quickly walked over to a large lever on the wall. He pulled it down and large electric beams shot down from circiuts in the ceiling. The body moved and twisted, but finally came to life.
"AAAARGH!" the synthezoid screamed.
"Finally, awake!" Egghead screamed. The beams stopped and the synthezoid slowly started floating over the ground, facing Egghead.
"Who-who are you?" he asked nervously.
"I am Elihas Starr, some used to call me Egghead." Egghead said with disgust in his voice.
"B-but that's impossib -- brzzt -- I'm Egghead!" the synthezoid Egghead said.
"No, you are not!" Egghead said while pressing a button on a remote control he had in his coat pocket.
"AAAARGH!" the synthezoid Egghead screamed when electric pulses tortured him from the inside.
"I knew you would struggle, and not see the truth. But before I gave you life I planted a virus in your chest. This virus holds you in a position where you will act as I want you to, but if you don't..." Egghead pressed the button again.
"AAARG!" the synthezoid turned emotionless when he stopped screaming.
"Who are you?" Egghead asked.
"I... AM EGGHEAD-PRIME."
"And who will you kill?"
"Hank P-Pym."
See the rise of Avengers AI and the search for Ultron in Avengers AI #1 and see what happens next when Egghead-Prime attacks in Hank Pym #4
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