I don't own The Avengers. Marvel Does. I only own my OCs.
Ultron carefully examined Thor, noticing concern in his eyes. Questions filled his processor while the thunder god shifted glances between him, Vision, the twins and Carol. Could something have gone wrong between him and his family?
"Thor?" Ultron called.
Without warning, Thor extended Mjolnir and pointed it at Ultron, backing him up into one of the pillars.
"Hey," Ultron blurted, "let's not unleash anger on others for no reason, so put the hammer down."
"You…are coming with me…now!" Thor growled.
Carol stared at Thor in disbelief.
"I-I'm sorry?!" blurted Carol.
Ultron sighed as he tilted his head to the side.
"Now what could you possibly want me for?" asked Ultron.
"My brother is in danger," Thor explained, although he sounded distressed, "and I need your help before he dies!"
"Wait a minute," Carol muttered.
Understanding whom Thor was referring, Carol sprinted towards Thor and Ultron, catching their attention.
"What do you mean he's in danger?" Carol asked, trying to avoid mentioning Loki's name, "did the mad titan kidnap him?"
"No, it's much worse," Thor shook his head, "I'll explain when we get to Asgard."
Thor lowered Mjolnir and descended the stairs while Ultron and Carol followed him. Wanda, being a mind reader, peeked into Thor's mind and turned her head towards Pietro and Vision.
"He might need backup," Wanda advised, gesturing to Thor.
Nodding in agreement, Pietro and Vision followed Wanda as they approached Thor, Ultron and Carol. The Asgardian prince gestured the robots, the twins and the teenage girl to huddle close to him before he raised Mjolnir into the air. In a matter of seconds, the light from the Bifrost shot from the sky and enveloped them, whisking them across the cosmos. After a matter of moments, they arrived at the Bifrost Bridge while Heimdall deactivated the portal.
"So where is he?" clamored Carol.
Thor didn't say anything, but he led Ultron, Carol, Vision and the Maximoff twins out of the observatory and they hopped onto an aerial boat. Its pilot hovered it above the bridge, aiming towards the palace where they landed at the entrance. The thunder god led them inside through the halls until they arrived at the infirmary. Inside, Odin sat next to a bed while Loki rested in it. To Carol's shock, black veins spread across his body from underneath his skin.
"Father!" Thor called out, "had you found anything on what's happening to Loki?"
Odin turned his head towards Thor.
"Not yet," Odin shook his head, "your allies are still searching the library, but we have yet to diagnose the nature of his illness."
Ultron gazed down at the stricken Prince and conducted a scan of his body.
"There are a lot of things here that I don't recognize," he glanced up at Odin, "how long ago did this happen?"
Wanda knelt next to Loki and held one hand next to his head, attempting to read his mind and acquire his memories of the moments leading up to his illness manifesting. She did this with the hope that it could give them information which Loki was unable to provide in his state, and help diagnose if not treat him.
"We discovered it recently," Odin explained, "but we haven't found a clue how he got it until Loki mentioned something about a cake being a lie."
Just as Odin made his statement, Wanda withdrew her hand.
"I suspect he got it around nine days ago," Wanda replied, "when this Kluto Golla gave him a slice of cinnamon cake on his way back to Asgard."
Carol raised her eyebrows.
"Cinnamon cake?" she chirped, "I gotta try that sometime!"
Fandral, Volstagg, Sif and Hogun entered the infirmary, but they had no books in their hands.
"We apologize, AllFather," Fandral said, "but we couldn't find anything about Frost Giant diseases."
Odin and Thor shook their heads in disbelief. This quest to save Loki from dying now seemed to be more difficult.
"We might have to head somewhere else for a diagnosis," Odin sighed.
The AllFather turned his head at Thor.
"I'll search Jotunheim while you find another resource for a diagnosis," Odin advised.
Thor nodded in agreement before he stepped towards Ultron.
"Are any of you willing to accompany me to Xandar?" Thor asked, "we might find someone who can help."
"Well, it's probably the only thing we can do at this point," Ultron shrugged and looked to the others.
"It might be the only way to save Loki's life," Vision nodded solemnly, "we must do everything we can."
"We will go with you," Wanda agreed.
"Good," Thor turned towards the doors, "then let us be off! Every second—"
Each and every one of them experienced a blur of motion and color before they were deposited…back at the Bifrost. Thor looked towards Pietro with an irate expression as the speedster casually tossed an apple up and down before taking a bite from it.
"You didn't see that coming?" Pietro asked with a shrug before strolling into the Bifrost where Heimdall awaited them with one brow raised at the…suddenness of their arrival.
"Whelp," Carol shrugged, "we can't leave Loki waiting."
Carol and Ultron stepped into the Bifrost with Wanda, Vision and Thor following them. They were whisked across the cosmos until they arrived in Xandar moments later. Much like the last time there had been Asgardian visitors to Xandar, many people were startled by the sudden arrival of the group, some of them having to scramble back when the pillar of light and energy from the Bifrost had crashed down into the middle of a plaza and left its signature upon the surface, as well as the travelers using it.
One nearby Nova officer on patrol had spotted the spectacle and had at first reached for both his side arm and communicator only to pause as his partner placed one hand on his shoulder and shook their head.
"Them again," the officer muttered, "don't bother."
Ultron was standing still as a statue, but beyond the physical medium of his body he was stretching out into the new and unfamiliar networks of computers stretching across the alien world.
"Oh, wow," he murmured, "so aliens really do have an internet."
Thor shrugged.
"They're not savages."
"Yeah, but…oh man, I'm seeing things that cannot be unseen," Ultron said before pulling out of the Xandarian analogue of the World Wide Web.
With Ultron occupied, Thor noticed Lania approaching them.
"Thor?" Lania asked, "what brings you here?"
Thor gave Lania a bow.
"Lady Lania," Thor explained, "my brother has fallen ill and we cannot get a diagnosis. We are searching for someone who can help him."
"Preferably someone who has an expertise on Frost Giants," Ultron added.
Lania placed her finger on her chin and tilted her head sideways.
"If this situation is dire," Lania suggested, "then I should recommend Dr. Fylo Montone."
Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances while Thor, Carol, Ultron and Vision gave Lania confused stares.
"Never heard of him," Carol shrugged.
Ultron placed his hand on Carol's shoulder while he tilted his head sideways.
"You're not the only one," Ultron assured Carol.
"So who is Dr. Fylo Montone?" asked Vision.
The Maximoff twins returned their glances to Lania, who let out a sigh.
"Dr. Montone specializes in xenobiological medicine," Lania explained, "including Frost Giants. I can show you where you can find his office, if that would help."
Ultron nodded in approval.
"Asgard itself shall be in debt to you for this aid," Thor said as Lania took the lead, "as shall I."
"Oh that's…quite alright, Prince Odinson," Lania tapped a command into the computer embedded in her sleeve, calling down a Nova Corps transport, "time is of the essence, so I think I'll skip the paper work for this."
"Interesting," Ultron analyzed the craft as he climbed aboard, examining the means of propulsion and power generation for the alien vessel, "really interesting."
Once the craft's doors closed and it lifted into the air, Carol peered through the window and gazed at the scenery.
"Wow, this is so cool!" Carol chirped.
"Why do so many aliens look so…" Pietro searched for the proper word, "human?"
He had a point. Many of those on the streets and walkways below looked indistinguishable from the average human while others had a few facial or skeletal features that set them apart, others just had skin color ranging from orange to bright pink. There was of course a number of species that looked distinctly non-human.
"Pardon?" Lania gave the speedster a puzzled look.
"You know, they look human, like us," Pietro gestured to the group, "what's with that?"
"I…don't exactly know how to answer that," Lania shrugged, "a lot of mammalian species tend to develop under similar environmental factors, and…a lot of them just seem to come out that way."
Pietro scratched his head but resumed staring out the window.
"I hate biology."
Wanda placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, giving him some reassurance. Ultron allowed Carol to lean into his embrace during the ride. It took only several minutes before the Nova Corps transport arrived at the clinic, so it touched down on the airfield. After the pilot tapped on the control panel that opened the ramp, Lania led Ultron, Carol, Thor, Vision, Pietro and Wanda out of the transport. Ahead, Carol gazed at the huge facility at a distance, plastered with the same color scheme as the rest of the city.
"Wow, how are we going to find a doctor inside a hospital that big?" Carol commented.
Ultron tilted his head in his girlfriend's direction.
"You do realize that there are human hospitals back on Earth just as large as this one, right?" Ultron reminded Carol.
"Well, you never know, Ultron," Wanda replied, "maybe is bigger on the inside. Like…Doctor Who?"
"I'm afraid we haven't anyone here by that name, and unfortunately pocket space manipulation is a dangerous business to dabble in so you will find the interior dimensions of this facility to perfectly align with the exterior dimensions," Lania explained as they approached the entrance.
Once they made it inside, Lania led Thor and his companions through the lobby and stopped by the receptionist desk.
"Excuse me," asked Lania, "but is Dr. Fylo Montone in?"
The receptionist locked eyes onto the Nova Corps member.
"What do you need?" asked the receptionist.
"These visitors have a Frost Giant friend who is ill," Lania explained, "and they came here to get help."
The receptionist checked the chart on his desk before returning his focus to Lania.
"He is in his office right now," the receptionist replied, "I suggest you take the elevator and walk past two doors to get there."
"Thank you," Lania nodded.
Lania led the group into the nearest elevator, which had only just arrived and opened up by convenient chance. After the doors shut, they were left with only the sound of a light song to fill the silence.
"Huh, so aliens have elevator music too," Ultron noted.
"Of course we do," Lania pulling out a small hand held device.
"What's that?" Pietro asked, "calling in for something?"
She gave the speedster a puzzled look.
"I'm connecting to the wifi," she answered, leading to a renewed awkward silence until the doors opened, "what? We're not savages."
Lania shrugged and stepped out into the corridor.
"We're sure we're still not on Earth?" Ultron whispered to the group as they followed her to Dr. Montone's door.
Lania knocked three times.
"Dr. Montone?"
A speaker positioned next to the door buzzed.
"Yes, who is it?" the doctor responded, sounding calm but a little stressed.
"Lania Curana, Nova Corps."
"Oh! Come in, please."
The door slid open and admitted the group to the office, revealing a humanoid alien with red hair and elongated ears who otherwise looked like an ordinary human and had a stack of papers on one end of his desk with a slightly smaller one on the opposite end.
"My apologies, I've been dealing with the latest barrage of bureaucratic rhetoric that the Medical Board has seen fit to inflict on me and my colleagues."
"I sympathize," Lania nodded, "but we need your assistance, Doctor Montone. We have a Jotun, a Frost Giant, and he needs treatment for a poison."
Dr. Montone gestured Thor to approach him.
"Do you remember what symptoms this Jotun has?" Dr. Montone asked.
Thor took a deep breath.
"When I learned Loki has fallen ill," Thor explained, "I saw black veins under his skin. Our healers attempted to isolate the cause of it, but we are not familiar with the body of a Frost Giant."
"I've got some data from a scan I ran on Loki's body if that'll help," Ultron spoke up.
"Indeed it would!" Montone nodded, "please."
Ultron held one hand out and projected a three dimensional hologram of Loki's body over Montone's desk. The outer layer turned transparent while the organs and bones became highlighted…as well as a spreading red infestation which filled Loki's veins.
Montone examined the projection.
"Interesting…" he murmured.
Wanda glanced up at Ultron.
"You can do this?" she asked Ultron.
"All it takes is more than a passing glance and I could tell how close Stark is to losing all liver functions," Ultron nodded, "the benefits of having high intensity scanners for eyes."
Carol nodded in agreement while Dr. Montone searched through his data pad. Moments later…
"I suspect this might be Dichro Fever," Dr. Montone said, "luckily, what you described in this projection suggests that this is only in the middle of its first stage."
"So how do we treat it before it gets worse?" Wanda asked.
Dr. Montone wandered through his office and began checking the inventory in the cabinets. Carol sighed in boredom, feeling like she could look around for a while. She stepped out of the office and wandered through the corridors of the clinic, eyeing various alien creatures she passed by as they gave her confused stares before moving on. Still, she found an excuse to approach the door to another examination room and peek through the window. None of the doors to the examination rooms seemed to budge when she leaned on them for a sneak peek, not that it bothered her. But when she stopped at the next door to the examination room, she leaned onto it, but her weight pushed it open. She had to regain her balance just as the door opened even wider, revealing a green-skinned woman, a humanoid being with dull purple skin and red markings, a raccoon wearing a suit and standing on two legs and a middle-aged man. They turned their heads towards the teenage girl while an alien doctor continued to examine a small tree-like being.
"S-Sorry, am I bothering you guys?" Carol blurted.
The raccoon growled and stomped towards the door.
"Beat it, kid!" the raccoon-like being snapped, "it's rude to walk in on someone like that! We're busy!"
Carol tilted her head in the raccoon's direction.
"Aww, it's a talking raccoon," Carol chirped, "so cute!"
The dull-skinned humanoid and the middle-aged man exchanged confused glances while the raccoon glared at Carol.
"Cu-CUTE?!" the raccoon sputtered indignantly, "okay, listen here yah—"
The man clad in a combination of leathers and surprisingly non-alien looking clothes cleared his throat and inserted himself between Carol and the raccoon.
"Uh, let's take things back a couple steps. Sorry about my friend here, he uh…needs to go shoot something after this."
The small tree being tilted its head.
"I am Groot," it said in a high pitched voice, sounding like it was addressing the raccoon.
"I don't care how many raccoon pics Quill showed us, I ain't one of 'em!" the raccoon grumbled.
Carol leaned over sideways and locked her eyes onto Rocket.
"Aww, is he grumpy?" Carol cooed, "I think he needs a hug!"
Carol sauntered past Quill and lifted Rocket into her arms, cuddling him to her chest.
"Hey!" Rocket snapped, "lady, what do yah think you're—LET GO!"
Quill took a step away while Rocket clawed at Carol's arms.
"Uh…lady, bad idea. Very bad idea there. Get shot in the face level of bad idea!" he tried to warn Carol.
However, the teenage girl didn't seem to listen as she stroked Rocket's head with her hand.
"Who's the cute little raccoon?" Carol sang.
Rocket jerked his head away from Carol's hand.
"Shut up and put me down before I blow your head off!" Rocket threatened Carol.
Just then, Ultron passed through the hall and found Carol in the examination room.
"Carol," Ultron called out, "are you done messing around with the equipment in there?"
Carol turned on her heels with Rocket still in her arms.
"Hey, Ultron!" chirped Carol, "I found this cute little raccoon! Can I keep it?"
"Damn it, lady!" Rocket snarled, "I told yah I ain't a raccoon! Now let me go before I scratch your eyes out!"
Rocket continued to struggle to push himself out of Carol's grip, which caught Ultron's attention.
"Carol, you're making the talking raccoon uncomfortable," Ultron requested, "and I think he's packing some heat. You may want to ease up on the hugging."
"Geez, fine," Carol sighed.
Carol reluctantly set Rocket onto the ground. The raccoon-like being shook his head in disbelief and started muttering swear words while the teenage girl stepped out of the examination room.
"What is it?" Carol asked.
"Let's just say," Ultron explained, placing his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, "Dr. Montone has a shopping list for a couple more ingredients for the medicine on another planet. Do you mind coming back over?"
Carol glanced over her shoulder, her eyes locking onto the Guardians of the Galaxy. Was this a once in a lifetime chance of meeting such intergalactic adventurers or would there be another coincidence? Still, she had other things to worry about, so she gave the intergalactic heroes a wink.
"Have fun with whatever adventures you're planning!" Carol chirped.
Quill chuckled as he placed his hand behind his head.
"You should be careful, too, ok?" Quill advised.
Ultron nodded in agreement before he led Carol down the corridor.
I would love to see a funny comic strip involving Carol and Rocket.
Please leave a review, so Ultron and Loki would be happy.