While Steve was getting slapped in the back of the head repeatedly, as if it would somehow force the stupid from his head, Bruce and Tony examined the box, as soon as Tony could be torn away from the soap-opera dramatics.

Now that there wasn't much worse that could happen with the box, the two scientists were free to examine it much more visually than they had previously.

With Asgard tech, you never knew whether touching it would turn you purple, into a girl, or a small feline, and scanning it could be equally disastrous. Things often reacted badly, and they were probably going to have to institute a no cell phone policy when they were playing with Asgard tech. Bruce carefully checked to make sure that there didn't happen to be a convenient manual stamped in English on the bottom, telling them how to get home.

There was no manual.

Steve could tell Bucky was getting more and more pissed off as the argument continued, mostly upset about Steve's apparent criminal tendencies (although Steve had picked a fair amount of pockets and stolen a fair amount of candy from the angry old shopkeeper in his time, and they both knew it).

He could also tell his team was getting impatient for the show to wrap up, especially Natasha. She liked Bucky well enough, but what she did not like was anyone getting in the way of her mission. It probably didn't help that the Red Room was around, right now, waiting to take in a little Natasha Romanova.

"We were just getting back property, Bucky, come on. It's not illegal or anything-"

Natasha interrupted, folding her arms over her t-shirt as Bucky stared at her, apparently now noting her strange dress. "Steve, we do not have time for this. I, for one, would like to leave, and unless we want SHIELD crashing down on Avenger's tower, we better do it quickly, too."

She raised an eyebrow, daring Bucky to argue with her. That eyebrow had taken down dictators.

Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair and making it stand up before nodding resolutely.

"Okay, Nat, I agree. Right, now, Bruce, Tony, have you figured out how that thing works?"

He mostly ignored Bucky, earning him a look from Bucky as the other Avengers followed suit, waiting for Steve to give orders. Steve shrugged apologetically to Bucky, slipping into his Captain persona.

"Yeah, Cap, far as I can tell-"

Bucky folded his arms again, whipping his head to glare at Steve. "Cap."

Tony glared, finishing his sentence.

"Far as I can tell, just pressing the button on the MEB isn't going to cut it. We might end up in 2014, we could end up running from Skynet; we just don't know."

Steve nodded, his face as serious as it usually was when directing troops, although he sensed it might not be so out of place on his younger, smaller body, either.

"So what do we need to do, short of summoning Thor here to help out? I don't think that's possible at this point."

"The Other Guy doesn't like the magical explodey box much,"

Bruce said, looking faintly apologetic,

"But he seems to think that we should get rid of it in the same place we were in when everything went,"

He waved his hands,

"purple."

Clint nodded.

"Like a scent thing? Some of the energy from our little trip got left behind when we jumped, and now we need to reunite the remaining energies to go back?" He coughed, noticing the grin on Tony's face and the knowing look on Natasha's. "Just a theory?"

"Ah, nice try, Barton, but we all know you're not just a dumb hick. Maybe like, 12 percent dumb hick."

"Thanks, Stark."

"No problem."

Steve stifled a chuckle of his own before he remembered the very angry, dark-haired problem tapping his foot next to him.

"Stark?" Bucky asked, his voice increasingly calm, which was not a good sign. "As in Howard Stark, who you just robbed?"

Steve coughed.

"...no?"