The
Vision, having been reconfigured in WEST COAST AVENGERS #43-45 and left inhuman
and colorless, puts himself through a systems check and learns that everything
is working well except one: he lacks a purpose. He goes to speak to Captain America
about the matter but finds Cap just leaving with Sersi for a charity
auction. Vision asks Jarvis if any other Avengers are at the mansion that
evening and there are not. His eye falls on a newspaper and sees Ann Landers’
advice column and has an idea….
Vision
visits the lab of AI expert Miles Lipton and asks him for help in solving the
problem of purpose. After some discussion, Lipton notices Vision going into a
fugue state briefly. Lipton creates a holographic image inducer for Vision to
wear so he can mingle with humans unawares and observe how they behave….
One
week later, Miles Lipton explains to his daughter-in-law Nancy that he has had
no success in tying the murder of his son Alex, her husband, to the Roxxon
Corporation; she advises him to stop the search, fearing losing him too. They
encounter Vision, in a human form called Victor Shade, and he goes off with
Lipton. Vision explains that he has attended religious services, a sports bar,
the movies, and other human activities. He goes into the fugue state again and
this time Lipton records Vision’s internal workings. After analysis, Lipton
discovers that Vision’s troubles stem from the lack of a human template for his
operating system, having lost that of Simon Williams in his overhaul. Lipton prepares
to install the brain pattern of his son Alex into Vision in sleep mode—but then
they are visited by Roxxon thugs, who know that Lipton has been hacking
Roxxon’s mainframe for evidence of his son’s murder. They take Lipton and the
unconscious Vision to the Roxxon building where they demand Lipton reprogram
Vision to serve them, leaving him alone with one guard. Lipton downloads Alex’s
brain pattern into Vision who comes online without a hitch. Vision then
occupies the body of the sleeping guard and when the other thugs return, he
beats them up, switching from body to body as necessary. He seizes onto the
leader and forces him to confess to the murder of Alex Lipton, Vision’s
memories being admissible as evidence in a court of law.
Epilogue:
Nancy Lipton is so happy that Alex’s killers have been brought to justice that
she invites Miles and Victor Shade to a baseball game. The next evening, Jarvis
apologizes for having been dismissive of Vision’s concerns the previous week.
Vision assures him no harm was done and excuses himself to attend a ball game,
confusing Jarvis….