"You're shitting me."
"Tony…"
The billionaire tossed an apologetic glance at Pepper before turning back to his son.
"Are you sure it was him?"
Peter nodded.
"Yeah."
"And he just popped into your room?"
Another nod.
"Yes. There was a flash of light and then he was just standing here."
Peter had had Karen summon Tony to his room as soon as he'd gotten over the shock of the sudden appearance and subsequent disappearance of the Collector right there in his room. Not surprisingly, Tony hadn't come alone. Not only had Pepper arrived with him, but Natasha and Steve had, as well. Peter didn't know if Tony had told them to come or if they were just close enough to his room that they'd automatically known something was going on.
"Or if the mind stone told them to come," Alec added into his mind.
"What did he say?" Natasha asked, although Peter had already told them, once.
He knew that she would ask a couple of times, just to make sure that he didn't forget something. There wasn't much to forget in this case, though.
"He asked if this is where I live, and then said he was supposed to remind me that I control the reality stone and that means I control the realities. Then I asked what he meant, and he said that was the message, and he snapped his fingers and was gone."
"Are you alright?" Tony asked, looking him over – again.
"Yeah." Peter shrugged. "He didn't hurt me or anything – he didn't even take a step toward me and didn't set off my gut or anything."
"Did he bring the reality stone?" Natasha asked.
"No." Peter knew that for certain, since even with Alec, he would have known it was there. "He didn't have it with him."
"Was he really here?" Tony asked him, looking around and wishing – again – that the boy had cameras in his rooms. Of course, he wouldn't want his every move recorded, so he had agreed completely when pepper had added the stipulation before allowing Karen to be integrated into Peter's quarters. "Or was he just an image? Like when you went there?"
"He was here," Peter replied. "I think he was, anyway."
"He was," Alec confirmed.
"Alec says that he was."
"So what does it mean, then?" Steve asked. "Can Peter send Pete back home, then?"
"No." Peter shook his head, already knowing that answer. "I wouldn't even know where to start."
"He's right…" They all turned to see Stephen walk out of Peter's bedroom, dressed in sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He was clearly ready for bed and hadn't bothered to change when Tony had called him. "Peter can handle the reality stone, we know, but he doesn't have the experience to attempt to use it in this kind of a situation. Not when it's such a precision situation like what we're dealing with. He'd have to be able to know where he wanted to send Pete, and when, and intuit the destination when there are so many millions – even billions – of options."
Looking relieved that he wasn't going to be asked to try, Peter nodded, sitting on the arm of his couch.
"Yeah."
"Wong and I actually considered having Peter use the reality stone," Strange told them, coming over to stand beside the boy. "But it would have almost certainly been a disaster." He gave Peter an apologetic look. "Not because we don't trust your abilities," he told the boy. "But because of how difficult it is to make an infinity stone understand what you need – and get it to do what you want." They all knew he had the time stone and had used its awesome abilities, before. No, the figurine is the key to that particular reality, and that's going to be our beacon to his rightful place."
"But this Collector guy wouldn't have come and mentioned the reality stone if it wasn't important," Natasha pointed out. "Maybe Peter needs to help make sure Pete gets to the right time, while the figurine makes sure he goes to the right place, or something?"
Strange frowned, looking once more at Peter.
"Taneleer didn't tell you anything?" he asked. "Nothing about who sent him, or any suggestions about how to apply the reality stone?"
Peter shook his head.
"He didn't. He just said that he was supposed to remind me that I control the reality stone – and the realities. He didn't look really happy about it, though," he added.
"I imagine he wouldn't be. Not only at the reminder that even though he possesses the stone, you're also the only one that can use it, any time. Add in that someone sent him to play messenger boy, and that would have been enough to make anyone of his stature resentful."
"We could go talk to him," Tony suggested. "See what else he can tell us about how to get Pete back."
"We could," Stephen agreed. "But I have a feeling he isn't going to know – and wouldn't tell us if he did."
"Not to mention, we really don't want him to know about Pete," Pepper said, speaking up.
The two men looked at her.
"Why not?"
"Because Peter can control the stones, right?" she said. "If he can, then Pete could, also, presumably, and if this Collector knew that he might make a move for Pete."
Tony scowled at that particular thought. Pete wasn't his Peter Parker, but he was still a Peter Parker, and that meant that he needed to be guarded.
"Yes. We definitely don't need him looking for ways to exploit Pete. So what do we do, Stephen?"
The sorcerer supreme shrugged.
"At the moment, we don't change the plan. Wong and I are working out the figurine." He looked at Peter. "I don't want you experimenting."
"What do you mean?"
"Taneleer said you controlled the stone, but he didn't bring it with him to give it to you. That means there's a possibility that you can control the stone without actually having it in your possession."
"I can?"
"It's possible," Stephen hedged. "Not a guarantee. It might be that you need to be someplace that you can focus on it – maybe the Astral Plane, or something. But I don't want you – or Alec – to try and reach out to that particular stone, just now. In case you don't have to have contact with it to change anything."
"That would be disastrous," Alec said, seriously, making Peter nod his agreement with the silent musing.
"Yeah. No," he said, looking at all of them. "I won't. I wouldn't even think about it."
"Good." He scratched his cheek. "Wong and I are taking a break on our research until morning." He didn't mention that he was hoping the solution would hit them while they were asleep and not concentrating too much on the problem. "I suggest that you all do the same. Get some sleep."
"We don't tell Pete about this, right?" Steve asked.
"I can't tell you not to," Strange reminded him – them. "But I'd suggest – for his sake – that you don't."
They already knew why, and they agreed.
"Sorry to drag you out of bed and over here for nothing," Peter told him.
"Not for nothing," Strange replied. "It's important information. We'll see if there's a way to take advantage of it since it was delivered by such an august messenger – reluctant though he may be. I'll drop by in the morning, sometime, Tony."
"You do that," Stark said.
The sorcerer vanished, and pepper looked at her son, her expression slightly worried.
"She's concerned that you might sleepwalk," Alec told him before he could wonder.
"Are you alright?" she asked, unaware of the ancient sorcerer's comment.
He nodded and smiled, to reassure her – and the others.
"Yes. No injuries. No scary stuff, and nothing to freak me out, really. I'm good."
Tony seemed to understand what he was trying to do, and he nodded, as well.
"Don't stay up too late," he told his son.
"I won't."
They all said goodnight to him (again), and they left, Steve closing the door behind him.
"You should go to bed," Alec said.
"Yeah." He looked around, and frowned, realizing someone was missing. A quick glance up to his shelf proved that the little Ironman plushie was still in its vibranium cage, protected. "Karen? Where's Nutmeg?"
The kitten had slipped out of his quarters during their conversation.
"In the corridor," came the answer. "Almost certainly on his way to the control room."
Peter rolled his eyes.
Better get the little menace before he cause any more trouble.