Battle on the Horizon (Part One)

"So you're saying this whole disaster is your fault?" Before Tony Stark could finish, Hercules interrupted him with a strange look. "If you hadn't invented Ultron, none of this would have happened? Those people wouldn't have died, and those buildings wouldn't have been destroyed?"

His cold, unsparing words instantly made the atmosphere in the cabin tense.

"This isn't Tony's fault."

Bruce Banner stepped forward to defend Tony Stark. "He created Ultron with good intentions. He just wanted to give Earth another safeguard, a global defense system. He never expected things to turn out like this."

But no matter how he put it, his words lacked conviction.

"Then what did he expect? He created Ultron. If it isn't his fault, whose is it?"

Hercules curled his lip and swept his gaze over the others. "A mortal dared to create life, even if it's the 'digital life' you speak of. In Omnipotence City, that would be considered the ultimate affront to divine authority."

"Prometheus merely stole fire for humanity, and he was chained to a cliff to suffer eternal torment. Your friend"—he looked at Tony Stark—"tried to play creator. That's clearly far more dangerous."

Bruce Banner opened his mouth, then realized he had no way to argue.

Because, in a sense, Hercules was right.

He and Tony Stark both bore responsibility for Ultron's creation. Their unauthorized research, their arrogance, and their good intentions had all led to today's disaster.

"Enough."

It was Vision who spoke. His gaze passed over Hercules, then Tony Stark, before settling on Bruce Banner. "Arguing about who was right, who was wrong, and who should take responsibility won't help us with the mission ahead."

"Ultron exists now. He's slaughtering innocent people and destroying the human world. Whatever brought him into being, there's only one thing we need to