What Matters {B.Barnes Daughter} ✔️

~Thirty-Eight: Library~

"What are we doing here?"

"Getting answers."

"Tony is already looking at the security footage."

Loki turned back to look at Stephen, and shook his head.

"It won't show up on the security footage."

Stephen furrowed his eyebrows, his crystal blue eyes glimmering with confusion.

"Lizzie has... very unique abilities that allow her to alter what people see in the real world, it's what helps her become invisible. Basically, she prevents the person's mind from registering her presence. In the coffee shop, after Peter got his coffee, she made it appear as though you two had left, sort of like a mirage. This also means that she can make someone see her as another person, almost like shapeshifting, which means she's extremely dangerous and we need to find her immediately."

"Wha-... okay, how do you know all this?"

"Erm... let's just say I have friends in a lot of places who can get information very quickly."

"You? Friends?"

"Shut up. Alright, follow me. Do you still have the Time Stone on you?"

"Yes, of course, but why would we-..."

"You'll see," Loki said, throwing open the door to the Starbucks coffee shop.

He paced inside confidently, Stephen following closely behind.

"Alright, where was Peter lying before he disappeared?"

"Um... right about here," Stephen said, moving aside so Loki could see as well.

Loki nodded, staring at the spot on the tile floor with great concentration.

"Okay. Use the stone, bring us back to that very moment. You won't be able to see her, considering she's blocked your mind from being able to register her presence. But, I'm a different story. To me, she won't appear invisible."

Stephen gave him a quick nod before reaching behind the flaps of his tunic to retrieve the Time Stone from its protected casing. He maneuvered it around, watching as customers from earlier hours entered and exited the shop.

"Stop," Loki said suddenly, throwing his hand out beside Stephen. "I see her. She's carrying Peter in her arms, walking out of the shop. Come on!"

Loki rushed out of the door, leaving a slightly confused Stephen to follow.

"Hurry! She's getting in a car!" Loki yelled, dashing towards a black Honda.

"Get the license plates!" Stephen yelled, running after him.

"They're in a foreign language!" Loki growled, frustrated. He quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo before the car sped off into the bustling New York street.

"I got it," Loki panted, showing the photo to Stephen. He squinted as he read it, both the numbers and letters being printed in a different language.

"I... I don't know what that is..." he mumbled, looking to Loki.

"Don't look at me. I'm not even from this planet," he claimed, shaking his head. "We need to find someone who speaks a lot of different languages..."

"No, wait! I've got a better idea," Stephen exclaimed. "Why don't we just run this through the national database? We'll see who this is registered to, and then we can get an address."

Loki nodded, clearly enthused. "Brilliant, let's go."

{ * * * * * }

"Curse this Midgardian contraption!"

"Sssh! We're in a library!"

"Your point?"

Just then, the librarian came up behind Loki, and whacked him on the side of the head with a rolled up magazine.

"Ssh!" She told him harshly, bringing her index finger up to her lips.

Loki muttered something under his breath about a "mewling, old hag," before turning back to the computer screen. Stephen bit his lip in order to contain his laughter. 

"Alright, there. This should tell us where the license plate is registered to," Loki whispered, clicking a button on the screen.

"Come on, come on," he whispered as the screen loaded.

"Okay, it's registered to... Siberia?!"

"What did I just say? We're in a library, you can't-... Siberia?!"

Both of them leaned in closer to the computer screen, squinting their eyes as their mouths fell agape.

"Why would it be registered to-... Ow!"

"Ouch!"

The librarian whacked them once again, shushing them forcefully afterwards.

"Can I liquify her?" Loki asked in a hushed voice.

"Absolutely not. Now, why would it be registered to Siberia?"

"I have no clue... but we're about to find out. Come on," Loki said, standing abruptly.

"Where are we going?" Stephen asked, following his actions.

"Oh, I don't know. How about a nice trip to the Bahamas? The Dominican Republic? Use your mind, Stephen! We're going to Siberia of course."

"Wait, shouldn't we tell some of the others?"

"No. No one else can know about this. Not until we find her and show them that she is alive. No one will believe us otherwise."

"They're going to worry about us."

"We're grown men. We can handle ourselves. Now, come on. Make us a portal to Siberia."