Recovering from Superior

Chapter 33

"M-more information? What kind of information?" Peter questioned cautiously looking at the visage of Ultron on his screen.

"I wish to understand YOU more. Your reasons, your thought processes, why it is you do what you do?." Ultron robotically spoke to him.

"From your memories I have seen the world through your eyes, but I cannot comprehend your every action. I must understand." Ultron informed him of his dilemma.

"Then... what do you want? I mean, from me." Peter asked him curiously.

"Please... help me understand your reasons, your actions. In a city that is filled with villains, filled with people who have hated and villainised you for years, why do you still offer your help?" Ultron voiced his query.

Peter was a little taken aback by the request but if this was going to help rehabilitate Ultron for the better then he was up for anything. But the question remained about how he could go about it.

How was he going to explain his years of heroism despite the many... many challenges he's faced, his personal life suffered greatly, his professional life was pretty much none existent, his heroic life wasn't doing that much better with a new villain around every corner, no support from other supposed heroes and the press eating him alive for every little thing that ever happened.

'I'm screwed.' He dejectedly thought.

"Well... I guess... I should start at the beginning. With great power comes great responsibility." Peter began but was immediately interrupted by Ultrons imposing robot voice.

"The death of your uncle Ben. You blame yourself for his demise due to having let the man who killed him get away from a previous unrelated crime. Upon tracking him down you were mere moments away from taking his life in retribution... yet you hesitated... resisted the impulse that many wouldn't be able to... you spared his life when you had no reason to... why?" Ultron surmised the memory he had experienced from Peter.

Peter wasn't sure how to process such a simplified rundown of his horrific experience when he lost his uncle but that wasn't what was important right now, the lesson he learnt was.

"I didn't kill him... because what would it have accomplished? What would I have gotten from taking his life?" Peter asked rhetorically.

Not picking up on Peters rhetoric, Ultron attempted to answer the posed question.

"Retribution. Revenge. Vengeance. These are few of the reasons I believe one would find solace in their actions." Ultron answered.

"No. Those aren't reasons." Peter quickly rebuked him.

A brief silence came from Ultron as he tried to process Peters response. "Then why didn't you kill him?" He asked.

"Because... it wouldn't have changed anything. If I killed him my uncle wasn't coming back, so what would have been the point? And what's worse... I wouldn't have been any better than he was, killing someone... just because I could. If I had killed him... I would be killing the memory of my uncle...

I would be killing myself." Peter depressingly explained.

"And what about peace of mind? Knowing that the man you deemed responsible would never be able to inflict that harm upon another again?" Ultron pressed.

"That's why I left him for the police to find. That's why from that moment on I decided to honour my uncles wishes, with great power comes great responsibility." He was quick to answer.

"I have a great power, a power that can help so many people. But I also know what that kind of power can do to someone if I'm not careful, the damages I could to someone if I slip up for even a second. So, it's my responsibility to use that power appropriately and not let it go to my head. That's the meaning behind those words, that's the meaning behind that lesson." Peter rounded off hoping this explanation cleared things up for the android.