<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#ffffff">The view from Tony's bedroom was amazing. Forest, water, panoramic windows that ran seamlessly around the room. It should have been invigorating and inspiring, but as Tony stood looking out it, catching his breath and running his fingers through his hair with one hand while the other held the phone, all he saw was colorless landscape void of any magic or beauty. The interior of the room was cold, modern, sleek like the persona he heaped onto the world but it had become a prison. When he heard Steve's voice he startled, jumping just a little at the proximity of the sound. He turned to look at the man with guarded reservation, himself looking more like the crazy host from Ancient Aliens than the global superstar he had once been. <br/>
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"M22?" he called with a flat expression, still just looking at Steve flatly.<br/>
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"Oh, hello, Captain America," the suit stepped into the room with a greeting and also looked at Steve. The three just stood there for an extended moment until M22 spoke again. "Scan complete, Mr. Stark. Mr. Rogers is indeed an organic being, human, and his bio-metric signature is that of Steven Grant Rogers, also known as Captain America."<br/>
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"Thank you, M22, you can move along."<br/>
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"Shall I offer Mr. Rogers a beverage? Perhaps a chair? Your room seems to be in disarray, I could bring one from the room ajacent."<br/>
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"No, no...just move along now."<br/>
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The suit reluctantly complied and left the room.<br/>
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"A.I.  What can you do with them when they hit that rebellious age?" Tony let out a single chuckle. "So, you're real. You're actually real and here. You know, you said you would do that. You said you would, and you did. That's very 'you' of you. You shouldn't have. Whatever it is, whatever you think you want me for? You don't and I'm not in. I'm not going anywhere, or doing anything. Not with you, not with anyone. If fact? Watch this. I'm hanging up on you," he sniffed haughtily as he punched the disconnect call icon on the cell phone as he looked at Steve with a shrug.  <br/>
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PeterQ was grinning a mile wide too. Him and his name buddy were like instant besties, after the worst of everything had passed, that is. They just clicked and could laugh and dork around for hours if there was nothing to keep them from it. Thankfully, there often wasn't because grinchy Doctor Strange only came around to eat once in a while, and occasionally go to town. He'd set out strict rules about how to conduct themselves to keep from being disruptive and suspicious to the people they encountered, and not unlike Yondu and his threats of eating him, Doctor Strange had threatened that they'd likely get burned at the stake if they didn't mind their mouths and said the wrong thing to the wrong blindly religious nit-wit. Peter didn't want to have anything to do with that kind of stake so, for the most part he tried to be good.<br/>
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"What would I do with my rocket boots???" he parroted PeterP and spread his arms wide to the horizon beyond. "What <i>wouldn't</i> I do with my rocket boots! I'd fly up into the atmosphere and and race around the sky! I'd zip around town upsetting all the apple carts! I'd..."<br/>
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"You would do absolutely none of those things, Quill, because you don't have them and you won't have them anytime soon." Doctor Strange was suddenly standing in the doorway that led inside the house. Dealing with the two Peters on a daily basis was a challenge, like dog sitting for your friend's obnoxious rescue pets. You couldn't say no, and you couldn't strangle them. That was why he didn't have friends, or pets. <br/>
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A frown tugged at the corner of Quill's mouth, having had the wind snatched right out of his sails, and he bit back a snotty comment. He'd learned early on that as good as he was at being a mouthy brat, Doctor Strange was no amateur when it came to scathing retorts. Quill couldn't win and he didn't even try anymore. "So did you come out here just make everyone else as miserable as you, Grand Poobah? Or did you have something you wanted to tell us?"<br/>
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The wizard looked unperturbed by Quill's babble as it was the sum of most of his prattle anyway. He simply cast a wry smile to the pair and candidly announced. "I have found a way for us to return to whence we came."  </span></span>