It All Started In A McDonald's...

top level security shit

Maximoff looked at me – the red in her eyes totally freaked me out, I can't lie. "Oh, do not worry about them, I am just mind-controlling them."

"Oh, that's alright then, if you're just mind-controlling them," I deadpanned, and she let out a laugh at this. "This is what you're doing with Stark then? How does it even work?"

"Absolutely no idea," she admitted.

"No one knows how telepathy works," Loki said from behind us. "Though Peter is apparently going to make it his mission to find out."

"The child is very ambitious," Maximoff noted, nodding. I had to agree. Also... the child. Heh. Kid was almost a whole year younger than me after all. I'm definitely referring to him as the child from now on. "OK then. How do I disable the backup security protocols and FRIDAY?"

Loki looked over mine and Maximoff's shoulders and "hmm"-ed. "That's more complicated than basic security downstairs," he noted. "And by the way, you're losing control on one of the guys behind us."

"How can you tell?" I asked, confusedly, as she did some kind of gesture behind her to solve whatever was going on. I thought Maximoff was the telepathic one here?

"I know things," Loki shrugged, ambiguously. "But none of those things are how to disable FRIDAY without Stark or FRIDAY knowing."

"Can't she see us now and report us to Stark? What if she's already done that?" I asked, and I had to admit, I made a good point.

"We sorted that before you came, do not worry," Maximoff assured me. My tired brain just wasn't working today. How would they have sorted it out? You know what, maybe it would be better to just not question it. Right now wasn't time for answers, it was for tracking down Boss-Man and the gang with Peter, and I was just gonna let them get on with it. Maximoff turned behind us and beckoned the agent-y looking lady to come towards us. "Maria, disable FRIDAY for the next five hours."

"Of course," the Maria lady said, responding to Maximoff's instructions, and I was shocked to realise I recognised her voice from a while ago. Maria...

"Is that Agent Hill?" I asked Loki. I was almost certain that was the voice of the woman who'd called me on the behalf of Stark.

"Yep," he said, face darkening a little. "She's a scary lady. Don't get on her bad side. I think she takes being a S.H.I.EL.D. agent much too seriously. It's like her religion."

"But she's alright now," I checked, which wasn't so much of a question, more me reassuring myself. "Maximoff has her completely under control."

"Unless she messes up and Hill breaks free and then we're screwed," Loki shrugged. Maximoff turned around, alarmed. "Don't worry, you're doing fantastic," he said, double thumbs up reassuringly.

She must have been doing fantastic, because almost immediately after Hill stepped back from the control board we were off again, out into the corridor, and I assumed Loki must have found time to wipe their memories before locking the door behind us. And everything turned out to be great because the security guard in the cupboard turned out to be the owner of the security card Loki stole which meant no one would be suspicious that they couldn't see him because it would show on the system that he'd left the room (even though it was us).

Unless they looked in the cupboard, which could be hard to explain.

But anyway, we speed-walked all the way back to the elevator, hopped back in and went down to the level with all the labs. The lab level. Level of labs. I talk some real shit sometimes. Think I'm hyper.

"That's step one over," Loki noted. "Now for step two. Stark."

"Step Stark," I said, for some reason. They both stared at me. I shut up.