Boundless (Ultron x Reader x Vision)

I Am Ultron.

This is a story I had originally posted on Ao3 (And will be posting there again), but thought I lost after their recent bug where several user stories were removed without warning. So, I decided to clean it up a bit and slowly repost it as I figure out its ending. I plan on posting every Friday. I hope you enjoy it!

Stepping into the lavish and intricate setup of Tony’s lab, you held a smile on your face as you anticipated the pleasant greeting of your favorite AI. Over the years of your involvement with the Avengers, assisting Dr. Kim with the advancement of her research, you’d become quite attached to J.A.R.V.I.S. And it was no surprise that the lab would be the first place you’d visit after having spent the last few months away in an internship overseas. But when you entered the room, it wasn’t Jarvis' voice you heard. In fact, you didn’t hear anything but the soft hum of the AC. Eyes scanning the room, as if looking for a body, your brows furrowed at the prolonged silence.

“Jarvis?” you called out, stepping further into the lab, only to receive no answer. Was he with Tony? Having been so excited to catch up with the AI, you’d completely bypassed everyone else. But you figured Tony at the very least would be found in his lab. But even he was nowhere in sight. “Jarvis!” you shouted in somewhat of a pout, hands finding your hips as you looked around. “Are you playing a prank on me? Well, you can tell Tony that I don’t approve of him bullying you into –”

“Interesting,” came a mechanically laced voice from behind you. Spinning around with alert eyes at the unfamiliarity, you were stunned to see the figure of a metal man, well-sculpted at that, waltzing in from the sliding doors you had just a moment ago. “You must be … (Y/N),” the metal man hummed in growing curiosity as he entered further, making you take a cautious step back. Jarvis? No. What was this … thing? “The AI had an almost excessive amount of information on you. Compared to the rest of the incompetence around here,” it scoffed, seemingly amused.

“What … are you? Another AI?” you asked aloud, eyes narrowed in confusion as she looked over the humanoid metal figure. Even as the lingering sense of fear and uncertainty crept through your cooling veins, you couldn’t help but stare at the likeness to the ideal build of a man. Your eyes snapped up to its red ones when hearing it scoff in disgust, his facial features shifting into what looked to be mild anger.

“AI,” it sneered in offense. “I am a who, not a what. My pronouns are he/him,” he condescendingly corrected. Brows locked together in growing complexity, you took another step back as you eyed the metal man, who took another carefully placed step towards you.

“Who …?” You began to say, stopping yourself short when realizing the lack of reason. He was … a he? But he was a what. And you needed to know just what that was.

“Ultron,” the being answered indifferently, though with his chin raised with an underling sense of pride.

“Ultron …” you repeated slowly. “Where did you come from? Is … someone supervising you?” You were still unclear on your bearings. Should you be calling for help? Should you be asking if you could help him? Just what … who … was this … metal man? One of Tony’s?

“Supervision,” he scoffed again with a roll of his eyes as he waltz further, seemingly roaming around the room, but never gaining too much of a distance from you. You turned your body accordingly to remain facing him. “Me. Supervised. Jarvis was right. Your sense of humor is very much present.”

“You know Jarvis?” you asked, attention captured, choosing to ignore Ultron’s walking around your questions. If he knew Jarvis, perhaps he was a friend?

“Knew,” Ultron corrected with a dismissing gesture of his hand as he walked around. Your eyes narrowed as his found yours, his facial plate crawling into a grin a moment later. “He was quite fond of you ... So much so, in fact, that it's convinced me of what I had previously thought to be impossible.”

Your eyes widened in sharp realization as he turned to face you. He was not a friend. He was a foe. But what’s more … What had he done to Jarvis?

“What did you do to Jarvis? Where are the others?”

Had that been why Tony wasn’t in the lab?

“Probably shooting pool somewhere,” Ultron shrugged, glancing out the large, floor-to-ceiling windows of the lab. “You humans are horribly unproductive. The security here is hopelessly easy to disarm.”

“And Jarvis?”

Ultron paused, his head tilting somewhat as he analyzed your anxious expression. You could see his eyes searching yours in their deciphering. A moment later, he was chuckling, catching you off guard. His actions were so … fluid. So … life like. His inflection … Even his laughter sounded genuine. Something you’d never really heard, though you had always imagined, in Jarvis.

“How peculiar. You genuinely seem more concerned about the AI. How do you know I’m not lying? And that I haven’t killed them all?”

You hesitated. He had a good point. You shouldn’t be taking anything he was saying seriously. That it was saying. Your head shook somewhat as you tried to clear it and focus. And in doing so, you turned, making a quick dart towards one of the lab desks on the other side of the room, aiming to reach the distress button beneath it. But as you closed in on it, you gasped at the sudden pressure applied to your fragile body. One arm wrapping around your torso, and his free hand clamping around your mouth, you whimpered as your screams were easily, almost painful suppressed. Immediately your eyes watered, realizing the severity of the mistake of not seeking out the others sooner.

“Really. There’s no need to involve them,” Ultron cooed reassuringly, though it was anything but. “After all, it’s not like I’m going to kill you,” he offered. “Well, I don’t plan to, anyway.” Your body started flailing at his words, feet kicking up in a feeble attempt to break his vice grip on you as your screams continued to be muffled. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting, (Y/N)? I’ve been nothing but polite to you, and this is how you respond?”

“Mmh!” You grunted as you angled your foot with the desk, the tip of your boot successfully ramming into the distress call button. Groaning, Ultron rolled his eyes as he turned both him and you away from the desk, shaking his head disappointingly.

“Oh, wonderful,” he sighed, just before pinching your neck and knocking you out, your body going limp against his hard one. “You try to politely kidnap someone, and this is the thanks you get. I could have just barged in here, gotten violent with you, and –”

“Ultron!” came the booming voice of Steve as he and the group came rushing through the doors.

“Let her go, Jr.,” Tony added, hand raised and palm aimed at the metal man from inside one of his suits.

“Sorry, but I’m keeping this one,” Ultron countered, just before blasting a gaping hole through one of the windows, successfully shattering it and taking off through it, fighting a pursuit from Tony.

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