I don't own The Avengers. Marvel Does. I only own my OCs.
The Avengers and the Maximoff twins gathered in the lab, even if Thor wasn't here. At the same time, Andrew and the other tech supporters were carrying out their work as they usually did. Then again, Tony did ask Andrew to write down Carol's phone number, and then he called her through his smart phone.
"Ok, who is it?" Carol asked over the phone.
"It's me, Tony Stark," Tony replied.
"Oh hi, Mr. Stark!" Carol chirped over the phone.
"Carol, what are you and Ultron doing in Dr. Cho's lab?" Tony demanded.
"Uh, how did you know we were in South Korea?" Carol paused over the phone.
"Jarvis told me that you two disappeared and went to Seoul a few hours ago," explained Tony.
"Oh, that," Carol replied over the phone, "Ultron here is building a comrade using Helen's machine thingy with the vibranium."
"And how long is that going to take?" asked Tony.
"Uhh, give me a moment," Carol answered over the phone.
Tony waited in a moment of silence, wondering how Carol would be able to get such an answer. He could hear Carol call to Ultron about the question, followed by the sentient robot's voice, which the billionaire could barely hear.
"Ultron said that it would be completed by tomorrow morning in Eastern time," Carol said over the phone.
"Well, thanks for the update," replied Tony, "I'll see you later, ok?"
"Ok, bye!" Carol chirped over the phone.
Tony hung up.
"Ultron is building something in Helen Cho's office," announced Tony, "and he got Carol involved."
Andrew paused in his work upon hearing his daughter's name.
"Excuse me?" interrupted Andrew, "did you say that Ultron disappeared with Carol?"
Tony turned his head at Andrew.
"Sorry, Andrew," replied Tony, "but your daughter's in South Korea right now."
"Then could you do me a favor and deliver her passport to her before she gets deported?" requested Andrew.
Steve placed his finger on his chin in a moment of silence.
"You know what?" Steve offered, "I could take Nat and Clint with me to Helen Cho's lab."
Steve made a brief glance at Pietro and Wanda.
"And the twins can come along if they'd like," continued Steve.
"Why us?" paused Natasha.
"Ultron has the scepter with him, too," mentioned Wanda.
Steve nodded in agreement while glancing at Wanda.
"That's why I suggested we head out to Seoul in the first place," replied Steve, "anyone looking for the scepter could attack Ultron and Carol at any time and destroy the lab to get their hands on it."
"Then we'd better suit up," suggested Natasha.
Wanda conjured some scarlet energy that probed Andrew's mind. Once she found the address of his apartment, she whispered it into Pietro's ear, compelling him to speed out of the lab.
"Ok, where did the little speedster head off to?" asked Tony.
"Ehh, I saw this gothic woman conjuring some magic around my head," blurted Andrew, gesturing to Wanda.
Wanda glared at Andrew.
"S-Sorry, did I offend you, ma'am?" Andrew apologized.
"I could've shown you your worst fears for that," warned Wanda, "my brother's getting Carol's passport from the apartment."
"So you could give it to her?" clarified Andrew.
"Yes," Wanda nodded.
"Well, thank you for that," smiled Andrew.
Once Andrew went back to work, Steve, Natasha and Clint stepped into the wardrobe and pulled out their equipment. Natasha went into the dressing room to change clothes. Minutes later, she emerged from the room in her uniform and stepped out of the way, allowing Steve to step inside. A few more minutes later, Steve stepped out while wearing his suit and carrying his shield on his back. While Clint stepped into the dressing room, Pietro returned with the passport in his hand.
"She seems pretty nice," said Pietro.
"Who?" paused Natasha.
"Mrs. Harvey," clarified Pietro.
"Did you remember to knock on the door first?" asked Bruce.
"Well…" Pietro stammered.
Before Pietro could answer, Wanda examined Pietro's memories through her scarlet energy.
"Yes, he did," nodded Wanda.
Pietro scratched his head, blushing.
"She suggested I bring my sister over for lunch sometime," admitted Pietro.
"And maybe a yoga session?" added Tony.
"I never heard of it," replied Wanda.
Just then, Clint emerged from the dressing room.
"We should get moving," suggested Clint, "and maybe grab a bite to eat along the way."
"Ok, be careful out there," advised Bruce.
Steve, Clint, Natasha, Pietro and Wanda headed for the entrance to the lab, only to be intercepted by Nelson, who stood at the doorway.
"Excuse me," requested Steve, "but could you please move out of the way? We're about to head out."
"I'd like to complain to Mr. Stark," replied Nelson.
"What for?" paused Natasha, "did one of his technologies falter on you?"
"No," complained Nelson, "but my wife and my daughter are missing, and I want them brought home safely."
"Uh, how long have they been gone?" paused Clint.
"Since this morning," ranted Nelson, "I woke up in the morning so I could go obtain a marriage license for someone when I suddenly realized they weren't home."
"Maybe they went on a personal trip?" commented Pietro.
"They should've told me before they left, then!" snapped Nelson.
Nelson made a brief glance at Steve.
"Hey, you're Captain America, right?" begged Nelson, "you've got to help me bring back my wife and my daughter, please!"
Wanda used her scarlet energy to probe Nelson's mind, making sure no one would notice. She then leaned closer to Pietro's ear.
"He's a madman," whispered Wanda.
"Ah," blurted Pietro.
"I hate to say it, sir," replied Steve, "but unless they were being attacked by Hydra, I can't help you out there. You might want to ask the police for that matter."
Nelson pouted and stood in the doorway, so Wanda used her scarlet energy to nudge him aside, eliciting a yelp of protest out of him.
"Hey!" exclaimed Nelson, "what is this witchcraft?!"
"Thanks, Wanda," smiled Clint.
Steve led Natasha, Clint, Pietro and Wanda out of the lab and through the corridor while Nelson shot a glance at Wanda, glaring at her. They walked through the lounge and stepped through the door leading to the hangar, where they boarded the quinjet.
Meanwhile, Ultron peered through the open casket as the Cradle weaved the artificial body with lasers. So far, it only completed the head and the neck and it started working on the torso while Carol was munching on a piece of grilled bulgogi fish before washing it down with iced water. Helen also gazed at the Cradle's work, but she avoided eye contact with Ultron, which piqued his curiosity.
"Are you still angry at me?" asked Ultron.
Helen didn't answer, but Ultron didn't even feel irritated about it.
"Ehh," stammered Ultron, "I don't blame you for it. Maybe I should've given you a heads up before coming here."
Ultron examined the body in the Cradle again and figured that now would be a good time to incorporate the Infinity Stone inside the scepter. He turned his head at one of the drones and nodded, compelling it to fire a laser at the scepter's gem, cutting through it until it broke, revealing the yellow Infinity Stone. Ultron stepped towards the counter and picked up the Mind Stone before ambling over to the Cradle and placing the stone onto the body's forehead. Now he had to wait until the Cradle finished its work and figure out how to give it sentience. For now, he approached Carol and knelt down next to her just as she finished eating her meal.
"Hey, Ultron," said Carol.
"Did you enjoy the meal I ordered for you?" asked Ultron.
"Yeah," nodded Carol, "the food's great!"
Carol handed the empty plastic container to the drone nearby, allowing it to leave the room to dispose of the trash properly. She then turned her head at Ultron as he sat down next to her.
"Would you like me to keep you company?" Ultron offered.
"That would be great, thanks," smiled Carol.
Carol climbed into Ultron's lap and rested her head on his chest while he grabbed the blanket and placed it over her, gently holding her close to him as she started to fall asleep. The sentient robot did not make a single move while he observed the activity in the room. The couple drones in the room took over the observation of the Cradle's activity, allowing Helen to take a break from Ultron's project and return to the work she originally came into the lab for. In Ultron's mind, it's something not really worth objecting to, so he continued to sit quietly with Carol in his arms. After hours passed by, Ultron saw Pietro and Wanda enter the room.
"Where's Dr. Cho?" asked Wanda.
"She's pretty busy with other things and it will be a while before she gets back," answered Ultron.
While Pietro placed the passport next to Carol's handbag, Wanda glanced away from Ultron and focused her eyes on the Cradle. She noticed that the casket's lasers were in the middle of weaving the vibranium body's abdomen, yet the arms weren't formed yet. She peered at the Mind Stone on the body's forehead, which piqued her curiosity. Could it be possible to look inside it? Using her telepathy, Wanda entered the android's mind through the Mind Stone, only to see a vision of a meteor crashing into the planet and destroying everything surrounding the impact. The vision was too much, so she shouted as if she was in pain while she withdrew from the Cradle. Pietro rushed to her side and placed his hands on her arms in an attempt to comfort her. Ultron gently laid Carol to the floor and stood to his full height, concern filling his optics as Wanda caught her breath. Seconds later, she glanced at the sentient robot in fear and confusion.
"W-What does this mean?" Wanda choked.
"I don't understand," Ultron responded, confused.
"You said…you would make a better world," reminded Wanda.
"I'm trying to," Ultron assured Wanda.
"I still can't read your mind," continued Wanda, "but in that gem, I saw destruction. Are you the same way?"
Ultron let out a sigh and rolled his optics.
"I could've been," admitted Ultron, "it can still be difficult to trust humanity when plenty of humans feel entitled to degrade others in the name of power."
"Are you mad?" paused Pietro.
"Almost," shrugged Ultron, "we need to evolve if this planet is to remain habitable."
Ultron made a brief glance at Carol before returning his optics on the Maximoff twins.
"Thanks to Carol," continued Ultron, "I don't see a reason to dispose of humanity. Maybe there are certain traditions holding them back."
Wanda and Pietro exchanged confused glances before focusing their eyes on Carol. Was Ultron really that dangerous? Then again, Wanda didn't know what was going on in Ultron's processor, so it would be difficult to determine whether he would kill a human out of a personal motive. She made a mental note to figure out a way to make it easier for her to read his mind. For now, they could keep an eye out for any hostile intruders, even as Ultron sat back down and brought Carol back into his arms, his optics still focused on the twins.
"Aren't you two tired?" asked Ultron.
Wanda scoffed playfully.
"Why do you say that?" inquired Wanda.
"Even enhanced humans that get a good sleep can get a sense of refreshment and concentrate better in battle," answered Ultron.
Well, Ultron had a point. It may be morning in South Korea, but the Maximoff twins knew it would be nighttime in New York, so maybe they should rest regardless of the jet lag. While Pietro and Wanda set off to find a place to sleep, Helen returned to the room and examined the progress on the body in the Cradle. It was almost finished with constructing the abdomen and according to the data on the screen, it would soon start working on the arms. Then again, something popped into the Korean doctor's head.
"This body will need a base consciousness," mentioned Helen, "how are you going to find one?"
"I could find an AI for the body when it's finished," replied Ultron.
Before Helen could respond, Steve entered the room, catching Ultron's attention as he sighed.
"Again?!" exclaimed Ultron.
"Nat and Clint have landed outside the city and are waiting for my signal," explained Steve.
Ultron gave Steve a blank stare while the super soldier made a brief glance at the scepter, noticing that its gem was shattered.
"Define signal," beckoned Ultron.
"Let's just say if Thanos or any of his followers attack the lab, we get this body out of here," clarified Steve, "did you already install the Infinity Stone into it?"
"I did," nodded Ultron.
Steve examined the body in the Cradle as glowing lasers continued to weave it with tissue and vibranium.
"Is the magic stone that dangerous?" asked Helen.
"I heard that it's really powerful," answered Steve, "if someone fires at the Cradle, it's possible that the gem might level the city."
That answer sent a chill down Ultron's spine…if he ever had one. Based on Wanda's vision from the Mind Stone, maybe firing at the Cradle would be a fatal mistake for the people in Seoul. He turned his head, surveying the area outside a building in case Thanos ever showed up. For now, Ultron would still need time before his android comrade was completed.
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