Too Obvious to See // MARVEL // STONY

2.04 every time i read the word dust i think of infinity war

Never follow anyone else's path. Unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path. Then by all means follow that path. - Ellen Degeneres

TONY STARK walked out of the room Clint was being treated and met Bruce who went into that room at the same time.

'How's he doing?' Bruce asked Tony.

'Unfortunately, he's still Barton,' Tony answered as if Clint was diagnosed with death itself.

'That's terrible,' Bruce played along.

'He's fine,' Tony now said seriously. 'He's thirsty.'

Tony continued his walking and went into his lab now. He walked toward the scepter, examining it. It could be the answer to a lot of things. It was interesting how much humans already knew, but how much more they didn't. Humans always think of how far they've come, but why didn't anyone think of how far they could come?

Tony started talking to Jarvis. 'All right. Look alive, Jarvis. It's playtime. We've only got a couple of days with this joystick, so let's make the most of it. Update me on the structural and compositional analysis.'

'The scepter is alien,' Jarvis responded. 'There are element I can't quantify.'

'So there's elements you can?' Tony asked as he walked to the other side of the room.

'The jewel appears to be a protective housing for something inside,' Jarvis informed his boss, 'something powerful.'

Tony got interested. 'Like a reactor?'

'Like a computer. I believe I'm deciphering a code.'

In another room, Natasha looked sceptical at Clint's wound. Clint lay under some kind of device, layering his skin if you will. It didn't look very painless, but Clint didn't seem to feel any pain, so Natasha believed Dr. Cho. She still was pretty unknown with the method, though, so she didn't stop being sceptical of it.

'Are you sure he's gonna be okay?' the redhead asked. 'Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together.'

Dr. Cho didn't seem to notice Natasha's unbelieving tone. 'There's no possibility of deterioration. The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous. His cells don't know they're bonding with simulacra.'

'She's creating tissue,' Bruce simplified. Natasha kept looking at Clint's enormous wound.

'If you brought him to my lab, the Regeneration Cradle could do this in 20 minutes,' Dr. Cho told Natasha and Bruce.

Tony walked into the room with a few drinks. 'Oh, he's flat-lining. Call it,' he joked. 'Time?'

'No, no, no, I'm gonna live forever,' Clint chuckled as he thankfully accepted his beverage. 'I'm gonna be made of plastic.'

'You'll be made of you, Mr. Barton. Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference.'

Clint shrugged. 'I don't have a girlfriend.'

'That I can't fix,' Dr. Cho judged. She turned to the billionaire. 'This is the next thing, Tony. Your clunky metal suits are gonna be left in the dust.'

'That is exactly the plan. And, Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday,' Tony invited the Asian doctor.

Dr. Cho continued her work. 'Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties.'

Silence.

'Will Thor be there?'