Beyond The Stars (UNDER REVISION)

Revelations

I wake up to soft sound of breathing. I hear a slow heart beating. There's one hand in my hair and one on my arm. Not wanting to move, I close my eyes again. I hear the tv playing in the living room. "As everyone waits for Stark Expo later this year, many people from around the world are preparing for the biggest technology demonstrations of the past 5 years." I then remember the shed in our backyard. Wow, how could I forget!? I hear Loki's heart pick up and he moves a little. I pretend to be asleep, blocking out all thoughts. I hear a soft laugh as hair is moved off my cheek. He places his hands under me and gently climbs out of the bed, placing me down softly.

I slowly rise up. "Did I wake you?"

"No, it's fine," I soflty say. "Thank you for helping me sleep."

"It is not a problem."

I climb off the bed and we make our way downstairs. I grab the pot of coffee and feel it. It's fresh. I pour myself some into my grey mug before walking over to the couch. "Could the man behind the suit pose a threat to national safety or be the key to world peace? I'm Kathryn Walsh, and this has been News at 10."

"Who is Tony Stark?"

"Rich man who wears a metal supersuit. He was kidnapped in the Middle East. I won't be surprised if they make movie about it within the next 5 years." Loki just nods. The house is oddly quiet. "Have you seen anyone else?" I turn to the very tall man. He picks a note up off the counter.

"Took Adam to football practice. Going out for lunch afterwards. Seen you soon," He reads the note.

Finishing my coffee, I stand up. "Hey, at least we can enjoy the peace and quiet." I rise my mug and place it in the dishwasher. "Speaking of quiet, I want to show you something." I grab Loki's hand and lead him to the backyard. Our feet crunch the late January snow. I lead him into the large shed.

"I have been here this long and now you are finally showing me the shed?"

I laugh and turn the number dials on the lock. Opening the door, I'm met with the familiar smell. "This is where I work. Well, used too. I haven't been in here in MONTHS." I flip the big, industrial light switch. Lights come on over head with loud noises. I look at all of my old projects. "Ooh, check this out!" I grab one of the controllers off the work bench. "This is Oedipus. Tommy and I built him together for his science fair. He was really good at technology. He taught me everything I know.  We named him Oedipus because he would only listen to me." I press the small button on the controller. "Oedipus, awaken." The small machine lights up. I press the button again. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." I quote Jaws into the controller. The small robot beings playing the Jaws theme. "And that's all he really does. It was a 6th grade science fair. Oedipus, sleep." The robot shuts down.

"What is this?" Loki holds up a handcrafted sword, but instead of a blade, it's hollowed out.

"Oh, be careful with that. That is my first prototype of a pure energy sword. With the right amount of energy, it could cut through anything. The only problem is, I don't have a source of synthetic or renewable clean energy. It's a pipe dream." I take the weapon from him. "Ideally, the energy would radiate from the blade, making the framing work as a stable door. My hopes were, if this would work, then we could have a fully functional Lightsaber. And this!" I set the sword on the bench, running over to the large robot arm, "Will allow you build 5 times faster. It can carry 10 times the weight of a normal crane and has drilling speeds faster than a racecar!" My face lights up, then falls. "But it doesn't work."

"Why not?"

"I could never get the formulas right. I turn it on and just... Nothing." I flip the switch. There's a whirring sound followed be a clang. "Just makes noise." I flip the switch again, shutting it off.