Epilogue
Volskaya outskirts
The Ultron Prime crawled across the ground, pieces of it falling off as it stood up slowly. A large impact crater was visable on the building Ultron had collided with and the Prime was sparking every now and then. His flight systems were beyond repair, his weaponry was non functional and his master plan had failed, leaving him as the last remaining Ultron in existence.
Ultron began to slowly walk away from the factory, limping due the damage he had. Ultron even attempted to activate his flight systems, something he quickly came to regret when he fell straight back down to the ground. As he stood back up once again, more parts falling off, he hoped that no one knew this unit was still functioning, if he could call it functioning anyway. He knew this hope was futile however, he knew Vision would soon come to find him once again.
Ultron didn't get very far before his fear came true, Vision appeared and landed behind him, Ultron turning around to face him.
"Ever get that feeling of deja vu?" Ultron said, accepting his fate.
"Now you sound like miss Oxton." Vision replied, gaining a groan of annoyance from Ultron. "Your the last one?"
"Yeah. Though you thought that last time didn't you?" Ultron answered back, before Vision grabbed hold of his head. He scanned his mind and found no other traces of him anywhere, confirming that he was indeed the last one.
"Was that really necessary?" Ultron asked, holding his head with one hand. He never received a reply. "So go on, grace me with what you've learnt through your time with the humans. I assume you were planning to say something like that."
Vision smiled slightly. "They are still odd creatures, but my time with the Avengers has given me purpose..." before he could continue, Ultron interrupted.
"They're still doomed, this world proves it. Humanity always ends up creating the thing they fear most. Here they created the Omnic's and then Talon, even with all the warnings from Hollywood."
"There is grace in their failures... I think you once again missed that. People are simply scared for the future, a very unknown future." Vision replied.
"Even now though, they continue to make mistakes. They can't even make peace with the Omnic's and then they went and disbanded Overwatch." Ultron said.
"Is this world so different from our own?" Vision asked. "Humanity learns from its mistakes. Sometimes it takes a while for the message to get across, but eventually they listen. The one other thing that I have learnt while I have been with the Avengers is that people look up to heroes for guidance, for hope. In this world, those people are Overwatch."
"And in ours they're the Avengers." Ultron finished, gaining a small nod from Vision. "Your still unbearably naive you know that."
"Perhaps. Or maybe I know something you don't." Ultron simply stared at Vision, wondering if he had a point. He quickly dismissed the idea. Not like it mattered now. His train of thought was interrupted when Vision spoke up.
"Something big is coming in our world. Something that will change the face of earth forever."
"Humanity makes so much noise, your surprised that someone finally took notice?" Ultron asked, surprised but this sudden change in topics.
Vision now pointed at the stone in his head. "You know what this is?"
"An Infinity stone. The mind one... This is relevant how?"
"These Infinity stones keep appearing. It is my belief another one will appear again soon. Something is moving against us and I worry that the earth will be caught in the crossfire." Vision explained, Ultron listening but focusing on the wrong details.
"Then maybe someone else will accomplish what I couldn't." Vision sighed, realising Ultron wasn't listening to what he was trying to say. Ultron finally decided he had enough, lunging towards Vision with the intention of attacking him. Vision was ready for this, using the stone to destroy the Prime instantly.
Ultron was no more.
Watchpoint Gibraltar- one day later
Mercy had been insistent that Natasha stayed around for at least a day to make sure she had fully recovered, so the Avengers all decided to stay for a little longer. Nat fortunately didn't have any lasting injuries thanks to Mercy's healing capabilities.
Now everyone was in Winston's lab, crowded around a large table, sharing a drink. Emily had also joined them, returning to the Watchpoint after the final battle and was currently sat with Lena, the two of them cuddling together.
"So, that hammer of yours." Reinhardt said to Thor. "You have to be worthy to hold it?"
"That is correct." Thor replied.
"So that makes Mercy and Genji worthy. Want to find out who else is?" Reinhardt asked the Overwatch agents.
"By all means, be my guest." Thor motioned to Mjolnir, sat at the edge of the table. Reinhardt was the first to step up, grabbing the handle of the hammer and pulling. The hammer moved very slightly, the movement so little that no one else noticed, except Thor. After a few seconds, Reinhardt stopped, placing his arms on the table.
"I'll be right back." He breathlessly said, walking off out of the lab.
Now Lucio had a go, with no success. DVa and Pharah were next, neither of them managing to make it move. Morrison and Ana stepped up, also unable to make it budge. Mei and Torb had a go. Once again, no result. McCree already had tried once before, so he skipped his turn, already knowing the answer. Zarya now stepped up, grabbing hold of the handle. "Let me show you how it's done." She pulled with all her strength, but like everyone, failed to lift it. Now Reinhardt returned, wearing his crusader armour.
"Zarya, both of us should be able to lift it." They both grabbed ahold of the handle and began to pull.
"Put your back into it!" Zarya said to Reinhardt, pulling with all her strength.
"Put my back into it? Are you even trying?" Reinhardt responded.
"Of course I am! Just pull!" The two of them struggled, Reinhardt even activating the rocket on his back, however, Mjolnir stayed put. The two of them gave up, both returning to their seats.
"No, won't budge." Reinhardt said, defeated. He took hold of his large mug of beer and took a large gulp.
"It's not all about strength Reinhardt." Mercy responded, taking a sip of her drink.
Reinhardt now looked over to Winston, who was away from the main group and looking at some computer screens. "Winston, come and have a go."
Winston looked over, seeing Reinhardt pointing at the hammer. He shrugged, walking over while everyone spoke among themselves. "Well I don't think I'll be able to lift this since you weren't able to Reinhardt." Winston admitted, taking hold of the handle. He went to pull the handle, using very little effort since he knew the result.
But to everyone's amazement, he lifted it. Everyone was stunned into silence for a few moments, Lena being the first to break it.
"Well, that shut everyone up, didn't it." Her joke caused a couple of laughs among everyone.
"What about you Lena?" Reinhardt asked. Lena looked at the hammer, Winston placing it back on the table.
"Nah, I'm good thanks. I don't need that question answered."
Nat now chuckled to herself. "See, I'm not the only one." She said to Stark and Steve.
"Well." Emily spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "It doesn't matter to me either way, your worthy to me." She said to Lena, causing a slight blush.
"Aww, thanks luv." Lena leaned forward and gave her girlfriend a kiss.
Meanwhile, Steve and Tony were talking to themselves, a conversation that eventually became public. "So that's three of them to one of us, not including Thor." Stark said.
"Yeah, But they aren't from our universe." Steve replied.
"So it doesn't count." Tony concluded.
"Doesn't work like that." Thor said, smiling as the two of them tried to justify how the hammer worked again.
"So." Lena said, intrigued by something. "What if we put the hammer on one of those mobile platforms we have?"
"It'll still move." Tony replied. "Just like if we put it in an elevator."
"Platforms not worthy." Jack said, taking a drink from his bottle of beer.
"I missed these conversations we had." Thor said, picking up Mjolnir and throwing it gently into the air, catching the handle again as it spun in the air.
As everyone chuckled at the silly conversation, Mei thought of something. "So, What actually happened to Anubis? I'm guessing it was in the rocket but it exploded."
Tony was the one to answer. "Well, Once Vision was finished with Ultron, me and him took a trip over to the wreckage. Turns out that the device holding Anubis survived."
"Seriously?" Jack asked in amazement. "How did that thing survive?"
Tony simply shrugged. "I don't know. The device it was in was damaged, though Vision looked it over and said that the god program was secure and still functional."
"Wait, isn't Anubis going to still be... well... Ultroned?" Lena asked, now a little concerned.
"When I faced the last form of Ultron, I checked through his system thoroughly. The Prime was the last version of Ultron. The god program works in a very peculiar way. I consider that after Ultron's defeat, it managed to regain control." Vision explained.
"So does that mean that part of Ultron is still in the god program?" Angela asked.
"Perhaps Anubis assimilated that copy of Ultron once there were very few of him left, deleting any trace of Ultron. Maybe Ultron didn't assimilate it, instead finding a way to control it. Or maybe a part of Ultron will forever live in Anubis. In any case, I also checked over this god program and I saw no trace of Ultron, not even a small deactivated code. I do not consider he will return again."
Vision's speech put everyone's minds at rest. However, one question remained on McCree's mind.
"So where's Anubis now?"
"I had a Helix Security dropship come over to Volskaya. He should be reinstalled back inside the temple by now." Fareeha said, McCree nodding at her reply.
Now Steve stood up, grabbing his shield that was resting against the table. "On that note, I think it's time we returned to our world."
Tony stood up, heading over to his Iron Man armour, standing towards the rear of the room. The rest of the Avengers also stood, collecting their things and prepared to leave.
"So, will we ever see you lot again?" Lena asked.
"You might, though I wouldn't bet on it. That portals going once were back." Tony explained as he entered his armour, Lena's head dropping for a moment at the reply. "Friday, activate the portal."
The portal suddenly appeared at the back of the lab, exactly where the first one appeared. One by one, the Avengers walked through, Steve turning just before they stepped through, while Tony waited for him.
"Your doing a good thing here." Steve said. "Talon are a major threat, but as long as you keep up your fight, you'll win in the end."
"Thanks." Winston said. "We will."
"Yeah well, we're not gonna let grumpy guys Reaper win are we?" Lena joked, causing a laugh among the Overwatch members.
Steve stood for a moment longer before he gave his signature salute, being returned by Morrison and Lena, through Jack's was a little more formal. With that Steve stepped through, Tony walking after him but turning as he passed through.
"Good luck with grumpy guts!" With that, the portal closed, the Avengers returned to their world.
"I'll miss those guys. So, What now?" Lena asked.
"Well, I still have leads out there." Jack stated.
"Your not staying?" McCree asked, slightly surprised.
"Overwatch isn't my home anymore. I need to find those responsible for its downfall."
"Which you could achieve easier here." McCree said back.
"Don't worry McCree. I'll watch his back." Ana said. "Besides, I'm sure that if we're needed, you'll find us."
"What about you Fareeha?" Reinhardt asked, clearly curious about her intentions.
"Someone needs to keep an eye on Anubis for a while, I'm probabaly the best suited for that role. Besides, I'm probabaly due for a raise after this." A chuckle once again filled the room.
"Well, I'll make sure I visit you sometime, check in on things." Angela said.
"That'll be nice... and if anything happens beforehand I know who to call."
Sokovia- Hydra base- Avengers universe.
The Avengers had moved the portal device outside, away from any buildings and out of sight. They checked he area once more before Steve was certain it was all clear.
"You ready?" Thor nodded at Steve's question. "Do it."
Thor summoned a large bolt of lightning, drawing its power into Mjolnir, before slamming it into the device, shattering it into pieces.
"Yep, no ones putting that back together." Tony said, firing at a couple of pieces just to make sure. "So that's that then."
"What do we do now? Ross will kinda realise we're all working together again." Rhodes stated, glad that this whole situation was over.
"We go back to the way things were." Steve answered. "Only we know what happened here. We pretend that this never happened so no one finds out what this thing was. We can't risk a repeat of this."
"Guess I'm going undercover again." Nat said aloud. "Could be worse."
Tony extended his hand to Steve. "Till next time then."
Steve grabbed Tony's hand, shaking it. "Till next time."
Stark now activated his flight systems, flying off back towards the Avengers facility. Rhodes gave a short salute, while Vision smiled towards Wanda, before the two of them flew off after Stark.
"Come on, better head back to Wakanda." Steve said. Need a lift?" He asked Nat.
"Drop me off half way." She replied. "I still need to work on my cover."
After about ten minutes, the jet Cap's group used to get here had taken off, returning to Wakanda. As the remains of the portal were left alone, no one around to know what they were, a portal opened up nearby. A man stepped out and the portal closed behind him, his red cape moving with the light breeze.
Doctor Strange looked at the remains of the portal, happy that the Avengers decided to destroy it. "Power like this belongs to no one." As he scanned the debris, he noticed a small, clear crystal, sitting alone on the ground. He walked over to it, kneeling down and picking it up.
"Who knew a tiny thing like this could cause so much trouble. Better keep this out of sight." Once he was satisfied, he turned around, using his magic to open a portal and stepping through.
Overwatch universe- Talon Base- Unknown location
Reaper, Sombra and Widowmaker sat in a small room. Reaper was due to give a report of what happened to Doomfist and he guessed Moira would be lurking somewhere nearby. Not that he didn't like Doomfist, they got on well. Moira on the other hand was a different story. Sure she had given him his abilities, though that had bitten him in the ass after he fought Morrison at the Swiss base. Moira wasn't the sole reason he was Reaper now.
"So, it seems Ultron's gone." Sombra said as she closed down her computer. She managed to find out that Anubis was back in place and she even picked up a small memo specifically saying that the Volskaya incident had nothing to do with Anubis. Of course Helix were covering it up, if they didn't all hell would break loose.
"Good, one less thing to worry about." Reaper grumbled, returning the room to silence. He had a new mask on, covering up his face. Sombra and Widow has seen it before, though it still creeped Sombra out a little. Widow just never seemed to be phased by anything... until Ultron showed up that is. The silence between the three was broken as a phone in the room rang.
"What?" Repaer asked, rather forceful.
"I'm ready for your report." Doomfist said.
"I'll be up in a moment." Reaper hung up the call, placing the phone back down.
"See you later Gabe." Sombra said, waving as he walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Sombra turned to Widow, who had been very quiet since they returned.
"How's your head?" Sombra asked, knowing Reaper was concerned as well, even if he wasn't showing it.
"I've not had any images recently if that's what you mean." Widow replied coldly. "There's nothing."
"It'll take time for the conditioning to break down enough for you to consistently remember things." Sombra said, placing a reassuring hand on Widow's shoulder.
"And What will happen when it finally crumbles. I want to remember... but Talon will simply make me forget again."
"I'm working on that." Sombra said, opening her computer and showing her a screen full of notes. "This is only me scribbling down everything, but give me a month and I'll have a full plan ready."
"Do we have that long?" Widow asked.
"Your conditioning isn't decaying quick enough to be worried right now. However, after a few months it will start to become more... noticeable. I'm planning to get you out long before that however." Sombra could tell that Widow wasn't fully convinced. "Do you trust me?"
Widow didn't answer for a few seconds. "Oui, I do."
"Then don't worry. I'll get you out."
"Thank you, Sombra." Widow looked away, lost in her thoughts. She didn't know what the future held, yet she knew one thing for certain. A big change was coming. She was about to remember everything after years of Talon's conditioning. She would not allow them to take it all away from her again. She vowed to avenge Gerard.
The end
Authors note.
Hello everyone, I hope that you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to everyone who has read it and given feedback, it means a lot hearing that people liked it :)
For those of you who are wondering, I am thinking of doing a sequel. I have a brief idea of a new story, though it likely won't follow the Avengers and instead focus on the Overwatch universe. Some of you may guess what it might be, but I'm not revealing anything here ;)
So once again, thank you for reading and keep an eye out for any new stories.