Becoming Human

Part 4: The Vision

I wish I could describe what it was like to have my consciousness pulled, pushed, squeezed, thrown into dormancy only to be pulled out again, all while trying not to be destroyed. Over the next few hours, there were times when it felt we had finished with a part, only to be reminded of something we had missed. Or times when I was nearly destroyed by being forced too quickly into the new body. I still didn't even really feel like I was in it. I was anchored to it, tied to it, but I had yet to be physically in it.

"Alright, Jarvis..." Mr. Stark was calculating something. "...I'm going to have to send you into a much deeper dormancy for this... you should wake up when we've finished transferring you and we've put the gem in." A slightly altered version of an arc reactor with a hollow center sat next to the pulsing, glowing stone. Nobody brought up what would happen if this failed.

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Stark reached for a keyboard, ready to force a string of dormancy code through me. His fingers rested just over the buttons. "...Jarvis, if this doesn't work. Just- just know that I'm proud of you, alright? You're the best thing I've ever created, and you've evolved on your own from something past a computer program."

I didn't have anything to respond with. Mr. Stark inputted the code.

...what was this...

Where was the code... the organization... the human mind, it was almost like a disease, but a universe so coated in it that you had to accept it... and the disease was... addicting. It was blackness, a soothing, warm nothingness- but it wasn't nothing, was it? I was here. I was alone, but... no, I wasn't. This was a kind of dream, memories and images skating across the corners of my vision. Sounds echoing faintly, thoughts wild and untamed- so different from the coding I had been used to- but so exhilarating. I understood why humans felt the need to rush- you can't be content doing nothing your entire life. Life. The word wasn't foreign- it meant something, something to me, now. I was alive... breathing... a human program.

I sank farther into the blackness, like I was falling through a void, and then it began to get lighter... transferring from black, to red... I felt a curved, cool surface beneath me- behind me- touching my back- air around my toes and my face, my arms and legs covered by clothes, my chest was rising and falling, and if I tried I could even think I heard my own heartbeat...

"Jarvis?"

I opened my eyes. I had been lying in the generator- the clothes were just a simple hoodie and a pair of pants. There was a light right above my head- I had to raise a hand and shield myself from the glare. When I could see, I saw two people leaning over the side of the generator, concern on their faces...

I really don't think I could help myself when it came to what happened next.

I stood up, climbing out of the generator- clumsily, maybe, but I did- and hugged Tony.

I felt him return the hug. I smiled; I grinned.

"You going to join the group hug or not?" Tony asked, holding out an arm. I followed his gaze- Bruce shifted uncomfortably.

"Do I have to?"

"It's an order," Tony told him. Bruce sighed but gave a tired smile anyway and headed over. Tony pulled him into a hug. And for the first time in my life, I got to physically bond with my creators.

"Stark- Dr. Banner- what the hell are you doing?!" The three of us looked and saw Steve walking into the room. He didn't look happy.

"Somebody needs a hug," Tony muttered, as we all stepped away from each other.

"Who the hell is this?! What have you been doing- and where's the gem?"

"Uh- hi?" Nothing like being yelled at and questioned the instant you're born.

Steve didn't look away from me. "Stark?!"

I felt Tony put his hand on my shoulder. "We've been doing some very advanced- and successful- science," he started. "This is Jarvis. And the gem-" he poked my chest, and for the first time I realized there was something metal in it, "-is right there." Out of curiosity, I unzipped the hoodie partially. There had been a faint glow coming from beneath it, and now that it was unzipped, I could see a partially modified arc reactor, glowing point for point to match Tony's. I quickly looked up- Steve had come in flanked by the twins, and Wanda was looking right at me. I zipped the hoodie up, uncomfortable.

Steve didn't look enthusiastic. "We put Jarvis in a better version of the half-vibranium body," Tony explained. "He's going to help us defeat Ultron."

"Care to explain how?"

"Well, he's got a magic rock in his chest, I think that might help."

"You have no idea what he can do, do you."

"Absolutely not."

"The readings say his molecules are unstable," Bruce said.

I blinked. "Wait- what-? Unstable- won't that-"

"As in, they can't decide what they're made of..." Bruce trailed off, looking at a screen. "Something to do with the combination of metal and tissue." He looked over at me. "You might be able to control your own density."

"Well he'll have to figure it out on the way over. We've got a battle to fight." Steve surveyed the group.

I hadn't been entirely aware of what the problem was. "What's the-"

"Ultron," Tony said grimly. "He's... not a nice guy. Trying to destroy the planet."

"...oh."

"You'll get used to it, if you stay on the team," Tony said. He started walking for the door. "Let's go blow some shit up."