I don't own The Avengers. Marvel Does. I only own my OCs.
While the subway train continued moving along its tracks, Carol pulled out her smart phone and accessed her Tumblr account. She began looking up posts concerning female genital mutilation, which caught Ultron's attention.
"Carol," whispered Ultron, gesturing to the post on the screen of Carol's smart phone, "what's that?"
Carol turned her head at Ultron.
"It's just Tumblr," answered Carol.
"I meant the post in Tumblr," corrected Ultron.
Carol could see Ultron pointing his finger at a Tumblr post.
"That's about…uh, female genital mutilation," replied Carol.
After glancing at the Tumblr post for a few seconds, Ultron accessed the Internet and started researching the issue Carol took interest in. He read a few articles about it and grimaced at the sight of the graphics.
"You know," commented Ultron, "I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but I kinda find this disgusting."
Steve overheard the conversation and turned his head at Carol and Ultron.
"What are you two talking about?" interrupted Steve.
Ultron and Carol focused their eyes on Steve, bewildered.
"We were just…talking about society issues," admitted Carol.
"More specifically," added Ultron, "third world country issues."
"Oh," replied Steve, "carry on, then."
Carol continued to browse her Tumblr dashboard on her smart phone. Once the subway train stopped at a station in Brooklyn, Steve, Ultron and Carol disembarked and wandered through the station. After stepping through the turnstiles, they ascended the staircase that led them outside. They walked down the street until they reached Coney Island beach. From there, they wandered on the boardwalk until they could see the aquarium gate nearby.
"There it is!" Carol chirped excitedly, pointing at the aquarium gate.
Carol sprinted ahead of Ultron and Steve.
"Carol!" protested Ultron.
Once Carol reached the end of the boardwalk, she stopped and turned her head at Ultron and Steve.
"Well, come on, guys!" beckoned Carol, "let's go inside!"
Steve and Ultron followed Carol through the archway, making a beeline down the ramp towards the entrance. However, they had to get in line since there were several people waiting to purchase tickets to the aquarium. While they were waiting, Carol heard her smart phone go off, so she pulled it out and noticed that she received an email. She tapped the icon and pulled out the email, telling her of an update. She accessed her Fanfiction account and read the latest chapter of one of the fanfics she subscribed to, which caught Ultron's attention as he glanced at the screen.
"Interesting story you got there, Carol," purred Ultron, "did you write it?"
Startled, Carol jerked her head at Ultron.
"N-No," corrected Carol, "it's just a Lilo and Stitch fanfic from one of my friends at high school. She has this huge crush on Captain Gantu."
"Can I see it?" requested Ultron.
"How about after I read the latest chapter?" suggested Carol.
"Fine," sighed Ultron, rolling his optics.
Carol spent the next few minutes carefully reading the chapter. Ultron memorized the link to the website and accessed the Internet on his own, allowing him to read all of the current chapters of the fanfic Carol was reading. Once they both finished reading the latest chapter, Carol typed down her review:
{Kudos to Iris for putting Hamsterviel in his place for Gantu's sake!}
Carol submitted the review when Steve tapped on Ultron's back, catching his attention.
"What?" the silver robot demanded.
"Are you going to stand there and hold back other people?" remarked Steve.
Ultron glanced at the empty area ahead of him and noticed the crowds of people backed up behind him, Steve and Carol.
"Oh, right," blurted Ultron.
Once Carol stashed her smart phone into her handbag, Ultron, Carol and Steve stepped forward and approached the ticket booth.
"Can we get three tickets?" requested Steve.
The receptionist glanced at Ultron.
"Especially your robot friend?" the receptionist insisted.
"Yes," nodded Steve.
The receptionist typed down on his cash register.
"I'll need to see your ID," advised the receptionist, "but I guess your robot doesn't have one."
"I have a name, you know," remarked Ultron.
Steve and Carol pulled out their wallets and handed their ID cards to the receptionist. He soon made a brief glance at Steve.
"You're…Captain America?" mentioned the receptionist.
"I'm just escorting Carol and Ultron," explained Steve, gesturing to Carol and Ultron.
"Ultron's the robot?" clarified the receptionist.
Steve nodded.
"Carol here wants to show him the aquarium," added Steve.
"I see. That'll be thirty-five eighty-five," the receptionist replied.
Steve pulled out his wallet and made the payment. In exchange, the receptionist handed him three tickets, which the super soldier gave two to Carol and Ultron.
"Have a good time," the receptionist.
Steve led Carol and Ultron through the door to the right of the ticket booth. Once inside, Ultron glanced around the room, trying to find anything interesting in terms of interior design. The three stepped towards one of the stands.
"Hi," smiled the staff member, "welcome to the New York Aquarium. How are you?"
"I'm just taking this teenage girl and her robot friend on a tour," remarked Steve.
Ultron sighed as he rolled his optics.
"Can't he just address me by my name?" muttered Ultron.
Steve handed his ticket to the staff member, allowing her to scan it before handing it back to the super soldier. Carol went next, handing over her ticket and waiting for the staff member to scan it. Once the staff member returned the ticket to Carol, Ultron handed over the ticket and waited for the staff member to scan it.
"Thank you, have a good day," the staff member announced.
Ultron and Steve were about to explore the aquarium when they suddenly noticed that Carol wasn't near them.
"Carol?!" panicked Ultron, "Carol! Where are you?!"
Ultron frantically glanced around the room in search for Carol. Could someone have kidnapped her? The silver robot was starting to worry when Steve noticed Carol standing in front of one of the fish tanks.
"There she is," called Steve, pointing at Carol.
Ultron glanced at where Steve was pointing and sighed in relief. At least he knew Carol was ok. He slowly approached her, although she was engrossed in the fish swimming in the tank. The silver robot took a few moments to examine each type of fish, which seemed so mesmerizing.
"Hey," called Steve, "are you two going to stand there all day?"
Ultron and Carol snapped out of their thoughts and turned their heads at Steve.
"N-No," stammered Carol.
Ultron and Carol stepped away from the tank and followed Steve through the room. Ultron noticed a particular phrase on the wall to his right:
{Our earth's oceans, lakes, and rivers are home to animals both beautiful and threatened…}
While following Carol and Steve, Ultron started researching on the Internet in search of articles relating to marine life. He frowned while reading articles explaining of various endangered species that lived in water. He even found an article about the Great Barrier Reef and he started to worry. He felt tempted to destroy the coal port in Australia, although he wondered what would Carol think of this decision if he ever went through with it. He placed a reminder so he would ask her later. Steve, Carol and Ultron stopped at a fish tank. The silver robot read the plaque describing coral reefs while Steve and Carol gazed at the swimming fish while ignoring the blank stares other people gave Ultron.
"Carol," asked Ultron, "have you ever been to a coral reef?"
"You mean in the wild?" Carol shook her head, "no."
"I could show you one later," offered Ultron.
"If you're planning on taking Carol to a reef," suggested Steve, "I suggest you let her take some scuba diving lessons first."
Carol couldn't help but giggle at Steve's suggestion.
"It would still be nice to go see the Great Barrier Reef," replied Carol.
"Or maybe save it," muttered Ultron.
Carol snapped her head at Ultron.
"You did research on it?!" exclaimed Carol.
"I can go anywhere through the Internet, remember?" reminded Ultron.
"That's Ultron for you," Steve said to himself.
Ultron gazed into the tank and noticed a green moray eel perching on a rock.
"Interesting creature," commented Ultron.
"Oh, cool!" chirped Carol, "you like eels?"
"No, Carol," replied Steve, "we're not getting Ultron a pet eel."
"Ehh, that's ok," assured Ultron, tilting his head.
After a few moments, Carol, Ultron and Steve continued wandering through the Conservation Hall, stopping by each tank and observing the fish swimming around. Ultron searched through the Internet to gather information on the animals' behavior in the wild. At the same time, Carol stared at the rays gliding along the bottom of the tank. After a short while, Ultron, Steve and Carol stepped outside the building.
"So," asked Ultron, "where to next?"
"Why don't we go check out the Sea Cliffs?" suggested Carol.
Seconds after that, Carol darted off, compelling Ultron and Steve to follow her to the Walrus exhibit. Again, Ultron carefully studied the plaque before observing the walrus.
"I hear the polar ice caps are melting in the Arctic," Ultron said to himself.
Ultron didn't realize Carol heard him until she turned her head at him.
"Yeah," admitted Carol, "that's going to be bad news for the polar bears."
Startled, Ultron snapped his head at Carol.
"Polar bears?" paused Ultron.
"Yeah, but we're not going to find any polar bears here," replied Carol.
After a few moments, Steve, Carol and Ultron continued venturing through the park and stopped at the sea otter exhibit. Again, the silver robot read the plaque while Carol stared at the otters swimming in the water.
"Oh, look!" chirped Carol, "those otters are such cuties!"
"And how are they cute?" remarked Ultron.
"Just look at them!" cooed Carol, gesturing to the otters.
Ultron observed one of the otters, gazing at its face and examining the whiskers, the small eyes and the cute nose.
"Yeah," Ultron said to himself, "I guess anyone would find otters attractive."
"You don't mean sexually attractive," blurted Carol, "right?"
"Of course not," Ultron assured Carol.
Ultron and Carol continued to gaze at the otters for a few minutes. After that, they and Steve stepped over to the penguin exhibit. They could see a couple professionals feeding some penguins that stood on the rock while other penguins were swimming in the water. While Ultron took a moment to read the plaque, one of the penguins wiggled its tail feathers.
"Don't penguins usually hunt for their food?" asked Ultron.
"They do," nodded Carol, "but I hear that there's been disruptions in the food chain for the penguins."
"The overfishing part?" clarified Steve.
"Yeah," agreed Carol.
Ultron facepalmed.
"Do these fishing industries have no limits controlling them?" objected Ultron.
"There are still people trying to protect these endangered species," reminded Steve.
"Then they need to be persistent," suggested Ultron.
After a few minutes passed, Carol, Ultron and Steve wandered over to the seal exhibit, where the silver robot could see a harbor seal relaxing on the rock.
"Aww," cooed Ultron, "are you tired?"
"Who? Me?" paused Carol.
"I was talking to the seal over there," clarified Ultron.
"Just let him sleep," suggested Steve, "he'll wake up when he wants to."
After observing a couple seals for a few moments, Steve, Carol and Ultron continued their trek through the park until they reached the shark tank. Ultron could see sand tiger sharks swimming in the tank. Ultron read the sign next to the tank describing facts about sharks.
"So sharks have lived long before dinosaurs have?" Ultron said to himself, "interesting."
After examining the sharks swimming in the tank, Ultron turned his head at Carol.
"Is this all that the aquarium has to offer?" asked Ultron, "it seems small."
"There's still the Aquatheater," offered Carol, "want to go see the seals in action?"
"I'll just look for videos of the show you were referring to," shrugged Ultron.
Carol leaned her head closer to Ultron and placed her hands behind her back.
"But it's not as fun as seeing it for yourself," Carol insisted in a singsong voice.
The next thing she knew, Carol heard Ultron give a soft laugh.
"All right," agreed Ultron, "I'll give it a go."
"Yay!" Carol chirped as she jumped up excitedly, "come on, let's get going!"
Carol led Steve and Ultron through the park until they reached the entrance to the Aquatheater. There were already people hassling for seats, but that didn't stop them from finding suitable seats that would allow them to have a decent view of the entire stage, with Carol sitting next to Ultron. Minutes later, music began to play while a professional skipped towards the center of the stage, clapping her hands in tune to the music. Once she stopped clapping, she spread her arms apart.
"Welcome to the New York Aquarium!" she announced.
Seconds later, a sea lion leapt out of the water and headbutted a ball dangling on hanging string, causing it to wobble around. This elicited an excited applause from the audience while Ultron kept his eyes focused on the sea lion.
"We are happy to have you here during this exciting time in our history," the professional continued.
While the female professional continued to speak, another professional scurried up to the stage and the sea lion hopped out of the pool and scuttled up to the pedestal. Ultron took his time to observe the sea lion performing tricks upon the professional's command before they rewarded it with fish.
"Interesting," Ultron said to himself, "I wonder how they even managed to tame the sea lion even if it's meant to live in the wild."
Ultron turned his focus on Steve.
"Do you know how they train sea lions?" Ultron asked.
"I guess you would have to understand its natural behavior and earn its trust," shrugged Steve.
Ultron continued to watch the show until he heard something about Hurricane Sandy.
"Sandy?" Ultron whispered to himself.
Carol focused her eyes on Ultron.
"Oh, right," explained Carol, "Hurricane Sandy struck New York a few years ago and this aquarium suffered a lot of damage. That's why there aren't much attractions here at the moment. It's still going under repairs."
"So humans rebuild?" clarified Ultron.
"Yeah," nodded Carol, "whenever disaster strikes, we have to start over."
"No wonder you humans have survived that long," commented Ultron.
Ultron and Carol leaned onto each other as they continued to watch the performance. In the silver robot's optics, it may have been an experience learning about marine wildlife through an aquarium, but he figured he should plan a trip so he and Carol could see marine wildlife in their natural habitat.
Meanwhile, Nebula arrived at the entrance to the abandoned Hydra base in Sokovia, satisfied that she found it. If Thanos approved of it, this could be a suitable location to build a weapon of mass destruction. She had yet to learn how it would wipe out the human race. For now, she figured that she should inspect it, so she headed inside. After she wandered through the corridor, she entered the control room. Inside, she happened to notice drones gathering materials of some sort as if they were relocating a rich resident. Before Nebula could think of a plan to sneak past them, one of the drones spotted her and fired a laser at her, forcing her to dodge it. She fired a concussive blast at the drone, stunning it long enough for her to make her escape.
"Maybe if I could follow through with his plan," Nebula thought, "I could kill him when he lets his guard down."
Nebula snapped out of her thoughts and continued to scurry through the corridor until she reached the entrance. At the same time, she could see Thanos's ship land nearby. The ramp opened and the purple titan emerged from the ship. He glanced at the building before noticing the cybernetic assassin as she approached him.
"I found the base you were looking for," reported Nebula, "but it's infested with drones."
"You know that you don't run from a fight, do you?" scolded Thanos.
Nebula bit her lip, trying to suppress her anger at Thanos while keeping a stern expression.
"It won't happen again," she said.
"Nonetheless," declared Thanos, "I have a way to tame the robots."
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