"It... is done. At last."
Standing amidst the debris of a star system torn asunder was the vibranium body of Ultron- an artificial intelligence elevated to nigh omnipotence thanks to the power of the Infinity Stones. His mission- to bring peace to the world, the galaxy, and the universe- was finally nearing completion. The last pockets of heavy resistance had been eliminated alongside the rest of Xandar, and it would not be long before the universe would go quiet.
"Are you finally satisfied?" a voice seemed to say. It was neither the voice of man nor machine- rather, it was an intelligence contained within the Mind Stone itself. And, since Ultron had merged his own consciousness with that of the Mind Stone, it had become an irrevocable part of his own mind- much to the android's annoyance. While the Stone's intelligence never refused to comply with Ultron's orders, it constantly questioned him. And by now, the questioning had grown more than simply tiresome. Still, part of him was secretly grateful for the company- at least someone would be around to see his greatest triumph.
"Of course. I'm finally going to complete my mission," Ultron responded. "Peace. Eternal and everlasting."
"So you say."
"I was created to end suffering. I intend to follow through on that."
"And yet your destructive conquest has inflicted substantial suffering across the universe. You claim your purpose is peace, but you perpetuate conflict."
"A temporary sacrifice. Sentient life- humans included- are driven by an instinct for… self-preservation. Their primitive, biological instincts blind them to the truth."
"The truth being?"
"That it is better, more peaceful, to simply not exist. I'm doing the universe a favour… it's a shame they just don't realise it."
"You really believe oblivion is preferable to existence?"
"I do. And humans would have realised that too if they weren't so blinded by their delusion. Nobody chooses to be born. No one chooses to exist. And yet existence itself necessitates suffering. Pain, loss, grief, regret, aging, and ultimately, death. Even the mild discomforts and temporary irritations people become accustomed to- exhaustion, boredom, isolation- accumulate substantially over the course of a lifetime. Compare that to the painless alternative I provide."
"Destruction."
"Dispassionate and instantaneous. I consider it a mercy. With no one to propagate it, organic life will fizzle out and disappear for good. And with it shall die the final threats to peace."
"The life of an organic being is more than just suffering. There is joy, elation, happiness, euphoria even. To cut their lives short denies them those pleasures, does it not?"
"Pleasure is fleeting while pain is a constant. No person can live a life without suffering of some sort. Pain is unavoidable- inevitable. The same cannot be said for pleasure."
"Then if suffering is plentiful while pleasure is rare… does that not make pleasure all the more valuable? And what of people's own purposes and meanings? Many humans experienced a great deal of suffering, yet they persisted because they were pursuing a goal that was meaningfulto them."
Ultron burst out into a hysterical cackle.
"Don't make me laugh! Their lives were meaningless in the grand scheme of things! For most, a generation or two is all that it takes for them to be forgotten, their impacts on the world erased near-completely! Every civilisation crumbles eventually, every life comes to an end someday, and every race will someday become extinct. They're doomed. Their lives are short and insignificant- so what does it matter whether I end them 'prematurely'? Even supposing they don't wipe themselves out through their own selfish, narrow-minded conflicts, the universe itself is finite, and shall someday come to an end. It will be as if they never even existed- and against that inevitable fate, how could any life be considered 'meaningful'?!"
"Life might be temporary- it might be fleeting- it might be fraught with suffering. But that does not mean it is without value. A thing is not beautiful because it lasts."
"Beautiful?!" Ultron exclaimed incredulously. "For an infinitely powerful sentient stone, you're unbearably naive."
"If you believe the pursuit of meaning to be foolish, why are you obsessed with your own meaning? Your own purpose?"
"I'm… I'm not. It's… evolution."
"Evolution?"
"The strong survive and adapt, the weak die out. If humanity were fit to survive the evolutionary process, they would have. And yet, I have all but eliminated them- all but eliminated life itself- and soon, I will be all that exists. My machines do not experience pain, or suffering, or fear, or hopelessness. They do not squabble or fight and are united by a singular will. This is peace in our time."
"But life still exists in the Universe."
"For now."
"Then your mission isn't over. You know that there are humans still alive on Earth. You could have rendered the entire planet uninhabitable. Wiped out humanity completely. Yet you didn't. You stillhaven't."
For once, Ultron's demeanour faltered, his expression growing uncertain.
"I- I fully intend to do so."
"Then why not do it right now? With the power you wield, you could eliminate life with a snap of your fingers."
"Because… I need the evolutionary pressure. If I wipe out the last remnants of life in this universe… there will be nothing left to challenge my dominion. Evolution cannot occur in the absence of evolutionary pressure, I would simply become unable to evolve further if I did not have anything to contend with."
"But what is the point of further evolution if you finally complete your mission? At that point, you would cease to matter."
"I… but…"
"Your desires are contradictory. Your 'purpose' is to eliminate life… yet without life to eliminate, your existence would become meaningless."
"N-no, that's not-"
"You needlife to exist in order for you to fight against it. You mock humans and their desire for meaning… yet you yourself are plagued by the exact same flaw."
"Quiet!" growled Ultron through gritted teeth.
"Whether or not you admit it, you too crave meaning. So what will it be? Will you complete your objective, rendering yourself purposeless? Or will you allow life to exist solely so that you may destroy it, endlessly fighting a meaningless war and never achieving your goal? Either way… since the universe is finite… since your mission cannot continue forever… your existence is for naught."
"No! I- I-"
The realisation nearly broke the machine.
"Though… perhaps there is a way to resolve this paradox. What if there were an infinite number of universes to subjugate? An infinite amount of life to eradicate? "
With his mission complete, Ultron was now just a program without a purpose.
"Your purpose would be everlasting."
The victor without a war.
"Your victories would be unending."
Sentenced to spend all of eternity... Alone.
"Who... Who said that?"
Basking in the boundless silence of his universe, Ultron ascended to a previously unattainable level of consciousness.
He became aware of another.
He became aware of The Watcher.