9. Hospital food

Reality show. Friends rerun. Sports. News - not me. I'm bored. More news - not me. Documentary. News - still not me. Oh, Ancient Aliens! I wonder how Thor would feel about this show.

"Hi Tony" Bruce is awake. I turn off the tv.

"Hi buddy! How you feeling?"

"Um…fine, I think. I'm hungry."

"Ah, yes, to be expected, you were out for a while."

"How long?"

"Few days." He is surprised "We think some of the sedatives Robin Hood shot you with might have actually made it to your bloodstream."

"Oh. Ok. So. Food?"

"Yes. Right. The nurses brought you lunch, they thought you might wake up today."

"Where is it?"

"I got hungry"

"Ah."

"Don't worry, I left the vegetables. Gotta eat your greens if you wanna grow big and strong…" A smile appears in his face for a second but then it vanishes

"Steve…"

"…Is alright. Didn't take him long to recover." first the good news….

"Natasha?" Now the bad.

"Not that lucky. She's in a comma" His face goes white "they say she'll be fine. Eventually. But hey, look at the bright side"

"What's that?"

"You didn't hit me!"

"Cool"

"You were right about the Parker boy, you know. He was a bit helpful."

"A bit? He figured out how to override an asgardian device he'd never seen before in his life in what, a minute?"

"I could do that" Really, I could. The kid just got lucky

"I'm sure you could Tony, but credit goes to him this time" Is he serious?

"But I like credit!" I really do.

"I know you do. Still, he's the new kid, let him have this one" Over my dead body.

"Have what? I saved the day! Its only fair they name a day in my honour" He stares at me. "What? Thor has one! why can't I?" He sighs.

"So, I'm guessing Loki is gone."

"Yup. Parker and I have been trying to figure out how to find him, but we've got nothing so far. I made some improvements on the security mainframe tough, he shouldn't sneak past us that easily the next time." aaaand I brought that up. I just know what comes next. Most of us had a few days to deal with the harsh truth, but its all new to him.

"Phil was dead all along."

"He was."

"How did we not know that?"

"Some kind of mild hypnosis device, we think. It implanted a simple thought in our brains: 'Philip Coulson is alive'. Our own minds did the rest." He doesn't like it one bit.

"I can't believe he did that"

"Seriously? Cause I can. He's Loki, after all"

"Right." He reaches for a glass of water and it falls. He punches the bed.

"Easy there tiger."

"Its ok. I got it." Riiiiiight.

"Okay then." The door opens. Its Steve.

"Steve! I'm so sor…"

"Its ok doc, no need to apologize. Glad to see you're awake. Stark, Pete wants to see you right now. I'll keep him company." damn it.

"What does the kid want now?"

"He's not a kid." You're the only one that seems to think so. "and I don't know. Science stuff. Not my jurisdiction" so, more work for me.

"Science stuff! Great!" I hope the sarcasm is evident "ok then, I'm gonna go there save the day again. You guys have fun." I throw Bruce the remote and he turns on the tv.

"Ancient aliens! Hey, I wonder how Thor would feel about this show."

The moment I close the door, I start running. No more charade, if Peter wants me there, it can only mean one thing. As I get in, I notice something is different. Our huge, incredibly ugly machine in the middle of the room has a few new parts, and its making more lights than usual.

"Is it…?"

"Its working!"

"Brilliant!" He smiles at me "Me, I mean. I'm the one that's brilliant."

"Well yeah, you are the one that discovered Mjo…Moj…The hammers energy signal. None of this would have happened without that" Good boy. Why can't Bruce be more like him? Worshipping and all that.

"Of course. Well, I must admit you were more helpful than I thought of. Here, and in the battlefield" His smile gets even wider. Compliment time is over. "What do we have?"

"The machine can easily pinpoint the location of Thors armor, his hammer, and the device that Loki left behind. It works perfectly in short range, there is no other Asgardian technology in the tower."

"Excellent. And in long range?" Come on Parker, make my day.

"we….still need to make some adjustments. When I tried a nationwide scan, it didn't find anything. I think the signals become to low for it. I have it scanning the whole city right now, but I don't want to risk extending it more." Ok, I guess its something.

"We don't stop until it works worldwide. Give me that" I take his notebook "I'll stay here, review your last changes, and see if I can do some of my beautiful magic. You go get Thor. Have him go to New Jersey with a comm, but leave his penis, I mean, his hammer, here. That way we can extend it -the range, not his penis- and see how well it works. As we manage to extend it, we send him further away and…" he's pale "what is it?"

"I don't think he's gonna like that"

"Captain said you're not a kid, Parker. Prove him right, grow some balls and tell the god of abs he needs to go for a ride."

"Steve really said that?" Oh no you don't. You worship me kid.

"Or something like that. I think he was talking about you. Now shoo! Go!" He runs off, and I'm left alone with the machine. I crack my knuckles, and pour some whiskey on my glass. "lets see…What has the spider kid done to you?"