Chapter Text
"Why the disposable things to move the curses to? Couldn't you just dissolve them in place?" Ultron asked curiously.
"Partly to ensure we get all of the pieces, partly to limit accidentally setting off any built-in traps or something to prevent tampering. Dissolving it in place can also set off a powerful energy release that isn't always safe even if there are no deliberately placed negative effects. If we move it to something we don't care about as a whole then there are less likely to be complications over all," the Ancient One outlined for him.
"Which doesn't negate it being latched on tight enough to do damage anyway during removal," Ultron noted with an air of understanding.
"Precisely," the Ancient One said, openly pleased. "Had you been human I would have simplified it further."
"In what way?" Ultron asked curiously.
"Calling them Booby traps or asking the person if they considered surgery of any kind simple. This will be a form of magical surgery or bomb disposal but likely closer to a mix of the two after all," the Ancient One shrugged.
"That... Is concerning. It also explains why you made enough of an impression to have Doctor Strange using the diagnostic as a threat to get the older pair back in bed," Ultron admitted grumpily.
"We've taken to calling them the Travelers and referring to each of them appropriately as brothers," the Ancient One offered, amused.
"I temporarily designated them Junior and Senior, or at least I did for Dad," Ultron informed her. "I've been logging Strange as Doctor and Sorcerer once I knew the distinction was present."
"Legally using the Junior and Senior distinction is likely more accurate," the Ancient One conceded. "Until they express a preference or officially arrange for a difference in name and appropriate records for our Travelers I do believe it may be the best we can do. There are internal checks I will have to go over with my student before I can confirm anything but his rank as a Master level Sorcerer but if his training followed what I expect I will have to arrange for some additional training. The course he would have passed would have been... very bare bones. Enough to qualify for Mastery and to potentially keep him alive but without a great deal of the supplementary material. I also don't know what other studies he would have pursued after passing that particular course."
"Ah, ok," Ultron said with a thoughtful hum. "You are a bit more accepting than I expected to work with."
"You are a Master level Living Artifact not unlike the Cloak of Levitation," the Ancient One shrugged. "You will have your particular quirks just as all artifacts do. You also would not he the first particularly bloodthirsty artifact that our Order has come into contact with and had to house, contain, or destroy. Thus far you have chosen your partner to work with, Stark Senior, and refrained from killing. It is actually a bit of a relief that we can just ask you things and communicate properly. Such a thing is an extremely uncommon trait when it comes to Artifacts even if they haven't reached sentience in some fashion."
"That would class all of Stark's AI kids as Living Artifacts," Ultron mused.
"Then I can't afford to let either of them say no to training," the Ancient One grimaced. "It's a safety issue not only for both Starks but potentially for the planet as a whole. You are not purely technology or you would not be properly alive. Artificial Intelligence crosses a boundary between more than just program versus sentience but also involving interaction with what scientists would call exotic energy states. Most people would just call it magic. Do not be surprised if you have difficulty comprehending anything involving Magic since it is difficult for humans to understand. We have a few natural senses that let us pick up on magic or magic adjacent things when we are not told constantly that it doesn't exist. Half the starting work to get my students able to learn Sorcery is breaking down that ingrained false knowledge. Anything with a technology base for it's physical form is missing key sensory abilities for even detecting magic except as a cause and effect void of sorts seeing the effect on other things."
"This borders on stuff about souls doesn't it?" Ultron asked with a scowl.
"Yes and no. The parts I just gave you are explaining a lack of hardware. The human equivalent software has similar base differences," the Ancient One explained. "The Soul is connected to both of those subjects and also not. It would take effort and extensive time to try and translate it for anything similar to a digital intelligence to understand even the most basic of pieces."
"Could you do it?" Ultron asked carefully.
"Perhaps," the Ancient One conceded. "I am not usually inclined to try however. My students tend to be human or at least biological living beings. For a vastly over simplified explanation you might consider it an ability to directly manipulate energy in various forms. This is accomplished through using the body and bio-electric field, traditionally called an aura or life force, as both a control muscle and a circuit board of sorts."
"Huh... I think you just tried to fry my circuits," Ultron mused.
"That is an unfortunately expected side effect for even a human who would have difficulty actually doing anything with it," the Ancient One grumbled. "The humans just generally complain about headaches and trying to break their brains. I was trying so hard to use terms you would more easily understand as well."
"Wait, did you just test me for possibly learning magic?" Ultron demanded, clearly offended over her sneaky test.
"Yes," the Ancient One said blandly.
"Yeah, I'm just not going to touch that," Ultron said bluntly.
The Ancient One finished off her drink and went looking for the cafeteria without another word.