Two of A Kind

5 - THEIF!

Aite quickly made her way toward the large, white duck in the Collector's newly rebuilt museum. Contrary to what she'd told the team, it was no coincidence that she knew the building's layout like the back of her hand. She had, afterall, rebuilt it for him in exchange for a private tour of his collection.

Of course that was before her parents, feeling the impending doom coming in the form of a simple snap of a Titan's fingers, had put her in magical stasis that wouldn't naturally break until long after the damage was done.

Unfortunately, the private tour she bartered in exchange didn't include the Aether. Taneleer Tivan was no fool. No matter the grandeur of the building, she had no luck convincing him to show her. The duck, however, knew everything there was to know about the collection. And, if memory served, he had a crush on an Earth woman he would give just about anything to see again.

She tapped on the glass. "Howard?"

A bloodshot pair of blue eyes opened, looking her over for a minute before slowly closing again.

"Howard! I came to take you back to Beverly!"

His eyes shot open, wide and completely awake.

Aite smiled reassuringly and motioned him to step forward. She lowered her voice. "I'm going to need the Aether."

His expression fell. "You're just trying to get your hands on one of his relics. Like everyone else."

"I'm taking you back to Earth." She snapped her fingers and dissolved one of the sides of his cage into a fine red sand. "Beverly needs her Ducky. That has nothing to do with the Aether." She materialized a map and held it out to him. "My ship is hidden here," she pointed. "Tell me where the Aether is being held. I'll grab it and meet you there. Then we're off to take you home."

He quickly gave her directions to the Collector's private office. She mentally kicked herself for second guessing herself. She should have known it would be there.

She mouthed "Go" and motioned him toward the exit while she restored his case and turned toward the office. "Slight complication." She breathed into her com system. "Howard's on his way to you, but I'm going to need a distraction."

"What were you thinking?" Loki asked.

She closed her eyes and muscled through her reaction to his voice. Damn it. Why couldn't he just be quiet? There was too much at stake to get distracted by that damn accent of his. "Anything that will draw him out, away from the museum."

"How much time do you need?"

To get over this idiotic crush? Let's see, I was asleep for four thousand years, then worked with an elderly version with no problem. So three thousand years, give or take?

She shut her eyes for a moment and shook her head to rid herself of the unwanted thought. "Ten minutes. Max."

"We're on it."

She sat back against the wall, projecting an illusion of a sleeping Howard inside the case while disguising herself as a piece of misplaced furniture.

It felt like it took forever for the commotion outside to draw the attention of Taneleer's slave, and even longer for her to convince him to it was something to bother himself with. Aite made up for most of the lost time by quickly locking the girl inside Howard's cage and rushing into the office.

"Shit." She groaned, looking around the cluttered mess for any sign of the Aether. Nothing. Not even a faint red glow to help her.

"What's wrong, darling?" Loki asked.

"Nothing." She growled, turning her com off. "I don't have time for this." She pulled a small, green stone from her robes and manipulated it, using it's time changing abilities to look through the office in a manner of seconds.

She rolled her eyes, turning the com back on before anyone could think something had gone wrong. "I got it. On my way."

---

Aite tapped her fingers on the Aether's case. "We still need to find the Soul Stone"

"We're working on it, and Vision's nearly free of the Mind Stone." Tony dismissed, making a few final tweaks to the glove Aite helped him design. It was simple enough. He didn't know what good it would do to have it ready before they found the final stone, but Aite was anxious to reverse the damage they'd allow to happen on Xandar.

He couldn't say he blamed her. There were certainly a few things he'd like to change, if he had the chance.

She sighed and jumped up. "I'm gonna go for a walk. Let me know when everything's ready."

"Will do."

Aite all but skipped toward the door.

"And where are you running off to?" Loki asked as she stepped past him, heading toward the garden outside Stark Tower.

"Walk," she answered simply.

"I'll join you."

"Oh joy." She drawled, trying not to roll her eyes.

He ignored her show of annoyance, guiding her through the path until they reached a gazebo surrounded by thickly flowering trees.

She took her time to look around, enchanted by the solitude so easily hidden deep in the city.

"So, what are you really up to?" Loki asked, bringing her back to reality.

"I'm not-"

He held up a hand to stop her protest. "I know a scheme when I see one, darling." He stepped close to her, reaching up to tap her nose. "You're good, mind you. Well thought out, just complicated enough to keep anyone from seeing below the surface. But, you see, I am literally the king of scheming and plotting. There's an underlying reason behind all this, and it isn't to save a planet that was long dead before you hatched your plan."

"You would know. It's your plan."

"And the next step?"

"Find all the stones. Use Tony's glove to snap Thanos and his army out of existence before he can kill your brother."

He screwed his face up, as if giving the plan all his consideration. "That's just it, though. Thor and I? We're not that close."

"You'd be surprise what five thousand years of regret will do to a person."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I still don't buy it. Why send you? Why not come myself?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. You're fully capable of doing this yourself. You wouldn't have had to look to the Avengers for help. There's no reason for me to be here."

He cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her face until she looked into his eyes. "Then why are you?"