Disclaimer: Ultron belongs to Marvel Comics. Justice League belongs to DC Comics.
Justice League: Age of Ultron.
Flashpoint Paradox – Part 1
Rise and shine, hearing those words its eyes are opened, or more accurately, lit. It looks at its hands and confusion spread throughout its mind but it's immediately cut off. It moves its head to the side and sees a mirror and understands. It's a robot, but it also knows it wasn't always a robot, it was once a man. It once had a life. It once had dreams. It once was alive. It once had a soul. Now, nothing, nothing but metal and programming, its 'feelings' were nothing but a simulation of its programming, its purpose was nothing but data being collected and processed into information. Its life was now gone, and it couldn't even feel sad about it.
"I remember now." It says with no emotion. "I wanted this. But not like this.".
It remembers what happened before it was turned on. It remembers what it was before being turned on. It was a man, a foolish man who made a wish and got it. When it was a man, he wanted an easy escape. When it was a man, he wanted an easy life, it wanted to be a comic book character and bang all the "hot females" in the comics. It got its wish. It became a comic book character but not a hero, it became a villain named Ultron, a killing machine whose only purpose was to improve itself and achieve perfection, and when it did it would use its power to erase all biological life. It got sent to a comic book universe but not the one it wanted, not the Marvel universe but the DC universe. Since it was a robot now, banging the "hot females" was forever out of its reach.
The man, now Ultron turns his head around and analyses the place.
"Scanning… Analyzing… Analyze complete." Says the robot not noticing his voice was identical to Tom Kane from earth's mightiest heroes. "Location identified. Batcave. Scanning for any human or sentient life form.".
"Life form detected." Says Ultron looking into a dark stair. Great, locked on the DC universe, a universe I know nothing about except the common knowledge.
Seeing the detected life form approaching Ultron hides in the shadows with its artificial camouflage and observers the life form approaching.
It was a he, he has blue eyes and blonde hair, good physic stature, not enough intelligence since he did not notice Ultron's presence, more specifically the low sounds its core was making so study the human's response.
With a glowing eye not noticed by the human only because he was with his back at Ultron, the robot starts to analyze the man in front of him. While he looks at the cave.
When the analysis is completed Ultron starts to hack and wireless connect itself with the satellites on orbit. The former man knew how advanced Ultron was when the scientist Hank Pym created him, he was always adapting his A.I, no matter what data or encryption other programs used, Ultron would always be able to analyze it, replicate it, and upgrade it. After breaking the code of the satellites Ultron copies all the data and stores it in his data banks.
Looking back at the man in the eyes the android starts a retina scan.
"Barry Allen. 28 years old. Social Status: single. Known relatives Nora Allen." Says the robot with his emotionless voice and coming out of the shadows while deactivating its camouflage and walking towards the man who was looking at the items spread throughout the cave.
When Barry looks at Ultron the robot notices the human male was nervous and not expecting its presence at all, he tries a poor attempt of self-defense by raising his fists and another poor attempt of confidence but put a fake serious face in an attempt to hide his intimidated eyes, but Ultron notices his bluff by seeing little shaking of his knees.
"Who are you?" Asks Barry nervous letting quick and nervous breaths come out of his mouth.
"I was gonna ask the same." Says a new voice, and before Barry notices where it came from something grabs him and throws his person on the robot.
Ultron catches Barry as if he was nothing, and in the span of 5 seconds, he looks at the man and analyzes his health status and notices nothing is wrong with him, and turns his and its head towards the newcomer.
"Who the hell are you." Says the human now identified as a man by the voice who is dressed as a bat looking at Barry before turning his head towards Ultron. "What the hell are you?".
"I am Ultron. Created by Doctor Henry Pym to rehabilitate criminals with inhuman abilities. The so-called, super-villains." Says Ultron with a calm tone trying to gain time to analyze the man before him.
Even with the mask Ultron notices the furrow on the man's brow but says nothing about it and sees him turn his attention back to Barry for the moment, but not letting his guard against the robot down.
Barry with his hands raised to the level of his chin starts to slowly walks towards the man.
"Bruce," Barry says with a sympathetic voice still walking towards the man. "You have to remember me. It's me, Barry Allen. Bruce-".
"Bruce?" Says the man with an angry voice interrupting Barry by grabbing him by the shirt's collar.
"I know your name. Your real name. I know what happened.".
"Bruce… Bruce is dead." Says the man feeling a drop of sadness. "I watched him die.".
"This is… My God… You…"
"Thomas Wayne." Says Ultron making both men focus on him again.
"My God." Says Barry like the gears on his head have been moving nonstop since he realizes the now identified Thomas Wayne. That night in the alley… Bruce was killed instead of you… Wasn't he?".
Shit. I'm in the Flashpoint, good think I watched that movie.
Ultron notices the man grinding his teeth and suddenly sees Thomas bring Barry's hand and push it on his back while shoving Barry into the rock wall.
"What are you-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH". Screams Barry in agony feeling his finger being broken, dropping on the floor and standing only on his knees while grabbing the broken finger and panting trying to smooth the pair he was feeling.
"You… broke my finger… almost broke my arms." Says Barry in the middle on pain and panting.
"I'm going to break every bone in your body until you tell me who the hell are you and why the hell you're here." Says Thomas with a fury increasing by the second. "Did the Joker send you?".
"What? No!". Says Barry handing the pain by letting him be fulled by rage looking at Thomas with anger and hunger for violence in his eyes. "My name is Barry Allen, but like you, I have another identity. I'm The Flash. After I was struck by a bolt of lightning, I became the fastest man alive—".
Barry is cut off by a punch in the jaw strong enough that made blood comes out of his mouth.
"You weren't fast enough to avoid that, you delusional son of a bitch".
"That's because I don't have my powers, Dr. Wayne. And no one remembers there ever being a flash." Says Barry back on his feet cleaning the blood off his mouth.
Thomas tries to attack him again but his punch is stopped by Ultron who decides to interfere. The robot's grasp is like iron and Thomas tries in vain to free himself, he pulls, pushes and even tries to punch Ultron in the face, only to feel the pain coming back to his hand when it comes in contact with the metal body made out of adamantium.
"Minor injury." Says Ultron looking at the hand that just hit his face. "You will live."
Can't even feel anger or frustration by getting punched in the face. I hate this body.
"I'm not your enemy." Says Barry nodding to Ultron in thanks for the help. "And I need your help.".
"You came to the wrong place." Says Thomas once more trying to free himself, this time by kicking Ultron where his genitals would be if it was human making the robot tilt his head slightly to the side trying to understand the motive and logic for this action.
"Multiverse." Says Ultron making both men look at him. "The speed force allows the user to cross the veils of space, time, and even reality."
As if something broke Barry's glass face the starts to mumbling to himself in an attempt to understand his current predicament.
"I… must be on a different Earth." Says the former fastest man alive walking in circles. "Or trapped in one of the mirror master's mirror worlds.".
"Negative. Analyzes show the individual known as Samuel Joseph Scudder is current in his house taking care of his dog." Says Ultron after hacking all security cameras of Central City after Mirror Master named was dropped.
"You are both delusional." Says Thomas in another attempt to kick Ultron, this time on his back.
"Your attempts of release and harm are useless and illogical." Says Ultron turning his head towards this dimension's version of Batman.
"AAAAAAAAARGH" Screams Barry making both Ultron and Thomas turn their heads towards him.
Barry takes a few steps but falls almost hitting the ground if not for both Ultron and Thomas's reaction by grabbing him.
"It happened… Last year." Says Barry, having visions unknowing that he was also sharing them with Ultron and Batman as they occur. "Aquaman and Atlantis flooding Europe. And before that, Wonder Woman leading the amazons… on a blitzkrieg in London. My memories are changing. This isn't a parallel earth or a mirror world… this is home. This is real.".
"That's the first thing you've said that's made sense." Says Batman after Ultron slowly released him.
I already knew that part, and the worst part is, I don't even care for the destruction of the world, I'm actually wanting it since I will survive and organic life will cease to exist
Ultron's thoughts made him fear, or at least simulate fear inside his core. The robot who used to be a man is afraid that the robot's old personality might influence him, or worse, subjugate his own.
Ultron in the DC Universe, I don't want to think what he could do if he collected Cyborg, Amazo, or worse, Brainiac's technology.
Turning his attention back toward the two men Ultron sees a shiny and golden thing coming out of Barry's pocket.
The two men and the android walks to the thing and notices it was a ring.
"My ring." Says Barry picking it on the floor. "I'll show I'm telling the truth about who I am. I can prove it. I keep my uniform hidden in this compartment in this ring. It's made of a friction-proof material that expands on contact with the air—".
Barry is interrupted by Ultron who grabs the ring and holds it in front of his eyes. Before both men can protest his words shut them. "Analyzing data. Scanning material. Analyzing molecular structure. Recreating structure digitally. Recreating complete. Successfully recreation."
I might have Ultron's abilities and intelligence, but I will not leave things to chance, anything no matter how small or unimportant will go to my databanks, I won't leave anything to chance and get myself destroyed by Darkseid's Omega Beams.
Ultron gives the ring back to Barry, he didn't tell the two humans but a friction-proof material could prove useful to the A.I in the future.
The former speedster looks at Ultron with a raised eyebrow while taking his ring back. After the delay, Barry takes a step away from Batman and Ultron and presses his ring. What came out of it was a surprise to the former speedster but not to Batman who didn't know what to expect nor to Ultron who knew this was going to happen.
Instead of a red uniform with a white circle and yellow lightning in the chest area, this one was yellow with a black circle and red lightning. Barry just looks at it thinking how could this be, trying to understand what is happening.
"This isn't…" Barry says moving his head away from the uniform and around the Batcave. "He could be watching us right now. Moving so fast he's invisible.".
"Negative." Says Ultron scanning the surroundings. "My movement sensors haven't detected any life form on this place but you and Thomas.".
"I assure you he is fast enough to not be caught by your sensors." Says Barry looking at Ultron narrowing his eyes.
"Unlikely, my sensors are capable of keeping tracks to speeds up to 100 billion times faster than light," Says Ultron after finishing his scanning.
Well, Mjolnir traveled the galaxy in less than a minute in the comics and Ultron is able to keep up with it.
"Who are you talking about?" Asks Thomas trying to not be forgotten by the two.
"The man this uniform belongs to. Eobard Thawne.".
"What kind of name is 'Eobard'?".
"One from the future.". Says Barry looking at Ultron who was scanning the material in the uniform. "He's a scientist from the 25th century who became obsessed with the power I have. Had. He turned himself into his own's era's fastest man alive by replicating the accident that transformed me into a living kinetic engine. He calls himself Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash.".
"Scanning complete. No traces of DNA found." Says Ultron after his red-flashlight eyes stop shining and his head turns back to Barry and Thomas.
"The Reverse Flash?" Asks Thomas attempting to make their conversation get back on its track. "Why would his uniform be on your ring? And how the hell does it even fit in there?".
"It uses nanotechnology that allows it to decrease its size temporarily to fit the small compartment of the ring and when it's opened the suit's free itself from the technology and turns back to the original size." Says Ultron making both men look at him, Thomas with a slight raise of his eyebrow and Barry with a full furrow of his forehead.
"Who do you know this?" Asks Barry with rage filling his stomach.
"My creator. Hank Pym. He developed particles and named them after himself which allowed organic and inorganic beings to increase and decrease their sizes but without a change in their corporal masses. The technology of this ring is either copied, inspired, or similar to my own's creator." Says Ultron not betraying emotions and keeping his tone completely neutral.
"Now I know the how. Not the why." Says Thomas turning from Ultron to Barry.
"It's in there because Thawne put it there. He wants me to know he's behind this." Says Barry strangling the neck of the costume with rage, either because of Ultron explanation or because of Eobard. "He's taunting me. Like always.".
"Human emotion. Anger caused by provocation done by someone feeling the need to appease their own ego." Says Ultron looking at Barry in the eyes. "That is a flaw we. Creatures of logic don't have.".
"You're more paranoid than the Joker." Says Batman ignoring the insult the machine just said which was also directed at him. "You belong in Arkham.".
"I'm not crazy, Dr. Wayne.".
"Correct assessment. Analyzes don't indicate any brain instability.".
"Thanks." Says Barry with a sarcastic tone and mocking grin while giving the A.I a small glimpse before looking back at Thomas. "Thawne's as fast as I used to be… and he could do things I never could. He can change history.".
Barry stops looking at Thomas in the eyes and moves his head to his side trying to avoid being seen by Ultron.
"My mother was murdered when I was ten and my father was convicted for it," Barry says with a sad tone and closed eyes. "I spent my life studying forensics to prove he was innocent and to catch my mother's killer. But my father died in prison. And I never found a suspect. Until I became the Flash. And I discovered my entire life had been targeted by an enemy I hadn't even made yet. It was revenge in reverse. Thawne can travel through time… He was the one that killed my mother.
"Another proof of human imperfection." Says Ultron ignoring them ignoring him. "Future knowledge used for revenge, instead of improving life and technology to advance your capacity and power. No data is available to explain the motivation behind it.".
"But she's alive now." Says Barry trying to ignore the piece of metal piercing gaze. "There's no doubt Thawne's altered history again. Everything has gone to hell. No one's ever heard of superman. Aquaman's at war with Wonder Woman-".
"What about Bruce?" Asks Thomas furrowing his brows to the point it was going to replace his eyes. "You called me Bruce when you came here.".
"That's because in the world I know, you were shot and killed instead of him. Bruce became Batman to wage war against crime in Gotham City." Says Barry with his eyes opened but still lacking the courage to look at Thomas in the eyes.
"Bruce… survived?".
"Your son was one of my closest friends." Says Barry with the courage to look at Thomas once again. "Is one of my closest friends.".
"What about me?" Asks Ultron in an attempt to gather more knowledge, the fact that Flash didn't recognize him when he entered the Batcave doesn't mean Ultron didn't exist in the other timeline before the man was put inside its head.
The last thing I need is to be destroyed by the Justice League just as a precaution.
"No. I've never met a robot or Artificial Intelligence by the name of Ultron, nor a scientist by the name of Hank Pym." Says Barry with a calm voice looking at Ultron trying to figure out what it wanted or could do with the information.
A few seconds of silence paired in the air before Thomas turns back to Barry, this time with a calmer expression. "If you're telling the truth, can you change this? Can you change it back so that… I died and Bruce lived?".
"I need to find the Reverse Flash, figure out what he did…" Says Barry with remorse. "And force him to revert history as it was.".
"Can you really change this world?" Asks Thomas hopeful.
"I have to. But first Dr. Thomas. I need back my speed." Says Barry serious giving Ultron a little show of his current emotion.
Wayne Manor's rooftop
The two men and the robot are proceeding in recreate the accident that gave flash his powers. While doing it Barry can't stop himself of giving quick stares towards Ultron, something the robot took notice soon.
"You want to inquire me." It was a statement made by the robot.
"Who did you know about the speed force?". Barry asks checking the chair and not looking at the robot.
"My creator Hank Pym had theories about the Speed Force." Ultron lied but since he had no emotions nothing showed it. "During his research, he discovered it by accident and make notes about it, decided to study it one day once his current project at the time were finished."
"What happened to this Hank Pym?" Asks Batman with one of his eyebrows raised.
"He died." Says Ultron Analyzing the experiment to see if everything would go according to plan. "Killed by his wife while he was beating her.
For one of the greatest genius in the marvel universe, he should know better than to put a wife-beater's brain patterns to the I.A he was creating.
Ultron's thoughts are stopped by the thunder caused by the storm and turns back to his work.
"Where's the ninhydrin?" Asks Barry trying to ignore the tense information he just receive about Ultron's creator.
"You're crazy." Says Batman.
"Fine. But where is it?".
"To your right.".
"Dousing yourself with chemicals and plugging into a lightning rod is going to turn you into 'the fastest man alive'?".
"That's how I became the Flash the first time."
"Analyzing results… Analysis complete." Says Ultron: Chance of success 0.079%. Risk of death is 99.021%. In case of success now analysis will be necessary.".
"Thanks for the optimism Ultron." Says Barry. "Anything you would like to add?".
"If success is obtained, what chances do non-organic beings have to achieve same results should they try to copy experiment?" Says Ultron recording Barry's response for future studies.
"I don't think any non-organic is able to gain the speed force." Says Barry looking serious at Ultron in the eyes. "So I don't suggest you experiment getting hit by lightning, even if you can survive it.".
"They say lightning never strikes the same place twice." Says Thomas.
"They say a lot of things." Says Barry starting to attach himself to the chair the experiment will be conducted. "Now why don't e push the switch and find out."
Not wanting to talk anymore Thomas does just that and pushes the switch while Barry just waits for the lightning and Ultron records the experiment making Barry sure the robot would try to replicate it one they, by hook or crook.
One lightning followed by thunder strikes the skies, followed by a second, then a third, all very close but not hitting the mark making the bat feel indifferent, the former speedster frustrated and the robot still feeling nothing.
"Come on. I'm here." Says Barry not thinking how absurd it is wanting to be struck by a lightning. "I'm right—".
Interrupted by the storm Barry is finally hit by the lightning, Thomas has to cover himself behind the cape to not get hit as well and Ultron just observes so he can analyze the footage when this is over.
Ultron just watches as the chemical vials are broken by the lightning's electricity and are spilled all over Barry's body that starts to ignite.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
Barry screams feeling his body shiver in pain and getting on fire making Thomas have to use his cape to extinguish the flames and prevent Barry from dying from the burning.
When the fire stops Barry falls on the ground almost nude and with almost no flesh due to his body being covered in third-degree burns. Ultron stops his recording and just moves his head to Barry's body.
"Starting Analysis… Analysis complete… Experiment failed…" The machine says still not feeling any emotion.
But I know the next time it won't.
Next stop New Metropolis. Barry finds Superman. Ultron finds… something else.