( colligo ¬ get collected ) → network.

I... [ long silence ] Father? Mother? [ slightly uncertain ] Thor, if this is some cruel revenge for my earlier games, it is in poor taste. And [ trying his best not to sound at all unsettled ] not at all effective. Get whatever Enchantress you persuaded to assist to drop this illusion. Now. [ pause ] If you do not... If you do not... I will be forced to tell mother in the morning!

[ long silence filled with increasingly panicked breathing ] Thor?

Hello again, 2012. I didn't think I'd be seeing this time again. I'm guessing you missed me something terrible.

Dad? Mom? Meri, are here somewhere?

Right, so would anyone care to explain why I just woke up in some strange apartment? My first thought was that I'd become part of that 80% of teenagers who get kidnapped, but the college textbooks with my name on them kind of killed that theory. Then again, there shouldn't be college textbooks with my name on them, because, oh I don't know, I'm still in high school. That and usually kidnappers don't leave fancy PDAs where their kidnap victims can have access to them and there's no one else in this apartment. So, anyone know what's going on? My parents are going to expect me home at some point and I'd love to know where I am so that I can actually get home.

Okay. 2012. I can deal with that.

I'm a reasonable, sensible person, so I can absolutely deal with being chucked back into the past. Totally not a big deal.

My husband's even here. I assume. He's still asleep and But, either way, it's Bruce, so There are so many ways this could be worse.

But I'd just like to know one thing.

Where the hell is my kid?

( the little boy's voice sounds nervous )

Momma? ( hesitantly ) Barney?

( a pause )

Where am I? I'm up high and I don't know how to get down and...and...I don't know how I got here...

( another pause )

Hello? Momma? Barney? ( very hesitantly ) Dad?

Is anyone there?

[young annoyed voice with a small lisp with the usual five year old dramatics.]

Hey.. hey girl... [clicking his tongue, sounds of the puppy older!him got in July, barking and whining in the background.] Who put that dum'ass bow on yer head?

[sounds of petting, voice turning worried.] ...Pop's gon' kill me SO BAD you don'even know, puppy.. [muffled shifting, most likely dragging the puppy into his lap.] This is bullshi'. I wanna g'home NOW.

...Hello? Helloooooooo? [ a pause, as someone wanders around Tony's floor of the tower, looking for some signs of life. ] Is anyone there? Hello? [ softer, now mumbling to himself as he wanders from room to room, keeping a stream of dialogue going to keep himself from getting nervous. ] Fuck, did I... pass out in someone else's house again? Christ, I thought I fell asleep in the MIT lab again. How do I have a hangover? Did someone put amphetamines in the coffee again?

Anybody home? [ Tony starts to sing the chorus of "Hello" by Lionel Richie to himself as he wanders from room to room ] Well, if I'm already in your house I might as well steal your food. Holy shit is that--- is that a television? Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore. Although that poster kind of looks dad... or some secret uncle I don't know about. Is this--- is that Howard and Maria? [ Tony continues to talk to himself in increasingly confused and slightly frantic tones before he comes to a sudden halt, and then laughs as if in sudden understanding. ]

[ louder, as if addressing some unseen figure ] AH, you had me going there for a second. RHODES, I'm a Ph.D student now. You don't have to haze me anymore. Not falling for it. Where the fuck are you, anyway? Whose house is this??

...Rhodey?

What the hell is going on around here?

Is it just me, or did half the city turn into kids?Thank God it didn't happen to me

We should probably do something about rounding them up The last thing we need is a city full of kids wandering around with the nut jobs in this place and I'm not going to let kids get hurtagain. Is there anywhere big enough that you know of where we could house 'em, keep an eye on them, or is there any way we can get an accurate head count as to who might be..afflicted..or sick..or changed - whatever?

I've counted at least three so far. And it seems like Tony and some other have been changed,seriously, this sounds like bad science fiction on some level. I really don't think it's a good idea to let kids wander the streets here.

[A little girl's voice sounds far away and scared.]

Mummy? Daddy? [Soft, tentative footsteps can be heard, the voice getting louder the closer she gets to the location of the PDA] Leo? Tish?

Where are you? This doesn't look like home.

Hello?