Perfect Storm I Loki

Nineteen

The jet landed on the Avengers compound about fifty minutes later. The sun had already come up. She walked inside to find Rhodey and Banner.

She found them in the main room once again. "How's he?" Rhodey asked her.

She shrugged. "Good, I think," she murmured. "The doctors told them it could be worse so," she trailed off.

"Hope he gets better," Rhodey replied.

"Thanks," Layla said.

Bruce was silently listening to them. "So, uh, any word on Steve and the others?"

"No," Layla responded. She had checked the phone but there wasn't anything. "But it's been hours so I think they are bound to come sometime soon,"

Then, the phone started ringing. "It's Ross," Rhodey muttered.

Layla turned to Bruce. "He doesn't know you're here yet," she said.

"And what's wrong with that?" Banner asked.

Rhodey sighed. "Remember what I told you? The Sokovia Accords and all that? You're not a part of that so,"

"Oh," Banner muttered, "I'll be in the next room then,"

As he started walking Layla turned to Rhodey. They both had hardened faces as Rhodey accepted the call.

"Finally!" Thaddeus Ross said. It was a visual call and he was sitting at a desk with a lot of people. "Why haven't you been answering?"

"Working," Rhodey replied.

"What work is that? I haven't assigned you anything," Ross replied.

"Gathering information," Layla responded.

Ross turned to her with a mocking smile. "So that's where you are,"

Layla pressed her lips together and gestured with her hands.

"I think I told you to come back," Ross continued.

"And I did. You told me to get on a jet. I did. You told me to come back to the States. I did. Am I missing anything?"

"Doesn't seem like that to me," Rhodey said, crossing his arms.

Ross let out a long breath. "Look, I don't have time for this right now. We are still dealing with that thing over New York from yesterday. Do we have information about Stark?"

"No," Rhodey replied.

"Then what the hell have you two been doing since yesterday?" Ross asked sharply.

"Working," Layla replied.

Ross seemed pissed off now and it made her want to smile. He looked over a file he was holding and then turned back to them through the visual call. "Still no word from Vision?"

Rhodey leaned on the desk in front of him. "Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh,"

"On a stolen Quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals. Not to mention, another of them is standing next to you. Are you really telling me you don't know?" Ross replied with a rough tone.

Layla turned to Rhodey. He hadn't given up the real information that he had and neither was she and she wondered how he was going to respond.

"You know," Rhodey started, taking a step back, "They are only criminals because you have chosen to call them that, right, sir?"

"God, Rhodes," Ross groaned. Layla's heart skipped a beat when she heard Rhodey's words. "Your talent for horseshit rivals mine,"

Layla would really like to punch his moustachey and douchey face if she ever got the chance.