Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

12

"I really missed you, Mum."

---

Rocket ran away from the Asgardian soldiers and yelled, "Thor! I got it!"

"Get that rabbit!" an Asgardian soldier ordered.

"Ma, I have to tell you something," Thor said.

"No, son," 2013!Frigga replied. "You don't. You're here to repair your future, not mine."

"But this is about your future."

"It's none of my business."

"Hey. You must be Mom. I got the thing. Come on, we got to move," Rocket told Thor.

"I wish we had more time," Thor said.

"No, this was a gift. And you're going to be the man you're meant to be," 2013!Frigga encouraged.

"I love you, Mum."

"I love you. And eat a salad."

"Come on," Rocket said. "We gotta go."

2013!Frigga whispered, "Goodbye."

"Three... two..."

"No, wait!" Thor cried, holding out his hand.

Rocket asked 2013!Frigga, "Wh- what am I looking at?"

"Oh, sometimes it takes a second," 2013!Frigga explained.

Thor summoned Mjölnir. He was happy and surprised. "I'm still worthy."

"Oh, boy," Rocket muttered.

"Goodbye, Mum."

"Goodbye," 2013!Frigga whispered.

MORAG

Quill danced to Come And Get Your Love. Rhodey and Nebula were hiding in the background watching Quill dance and sing to their perspective without music.

"So he's an idiot?" Rhodey said.

"Yeah," Nebula replied.

Rhodey knocked out Quill and Nebula rummaged around to take Quill's tool.

"What's that?" Rhodey asked.

"The tool of a thief," Nebula said, using the tool to open the door that led to the Orb a.k.a. The Power Stone. Nebula tried to walk in but was stopped by Rhodey.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... This is the part where spikes come out with skeletons on the end and everything..."

"What are you talking about?"

"When you break into a place called the temple of the Power Stone, There's gonna be a bunch of booby traps-" Nebula shook her head and walked in. "Okay. All right. Go ahead."

Nebula forced her hand inside the force field protecting the Orb while it melted away the exterior plating on her arm. She successfully retrieved the Orb and handed it to Rhodey. All the while Rhodey watched the whole thing.

"I wasn't always like this," Nebula admitted.

"Me either. But we work with what we got, right?" Rhodey said.

They each looked at each other solemnly as Rhodey said, "Sync up." They each suited up. "Three... two... one..."

Rhodey was the only one who disappeared while Nebula was left behind unable to move, then she was riddled with pain on her head. She fell to the ground.

SANCTUARY II

2014!Nebula was being scanned in synch with her future self. A memory played, coming from future Nebula's head.

Memory!Bruce yelled, "You murdered trillions!"

"You should be grateful," Memory!Thanos told them.

"Where are the Stones?" Memory!Natasha asked.

"Gone. Reduced to atoms."

"You used them two days ago," Memory!Bruce said.

"I used the Stones to destroy the Stones. It nearly killed me. But the work is done. It always will be. I am inevitable."

The memory paused.

"What did you do to them?" 2014!Gamora asked.

"Nothing," 2014!Thanos replied. "Yet. They're not trying to stop something I'm going to do in our time. They're trying to undo something I've already done in theirs."

"The Stones..."

"I found them all. I won. Tipped the cosmic scales to balance." He caressed 2014!Gamora and she knelt down.

"This is your future," 2014!Maw told 2014!Thanos.

"It's my destiny."

2014!Maw resumed playing the memory.

Memory!Nebula said, "My father is many things. A liar is not one of them."

"Ah... Thank you, Daughter," Memory!Thanos replied. "Perhaps I treated you too harshly..."

Thanos got beheaded in the memory. 2014!Gamora was shocked and stood.

"And that, is destiny fulfilled," 2014!Thanos said.

2014!Maw stated in a dangerous voice, "Sire, your daughter..." He telekinetically wrapped a chain around 2014!Nebula.

"No!" 2014!Nebula cried.

"...is a traitor."

"That's not me. It's not. I could never... I would never betray you. Never."

2014!Thanos released the chain around 2014!Nebula's neck and held her head in his palm before saying, "I know. And you'll have the chance to prove it." He made sure Nebula could not travel back to 2023. Nebula was stuck in 2014.

"No!" Nebula cried. "He knows!" She ran back to the ship and got on the comms. "Barton? Barton, come in. Romanoff? Come in, we have a problem. Come on! Come in, we have a prob... Thanos knows. Thanos... He knows."

Nebula looked up in horror just to be abducted by the Sanctuary II.

---

Steve, who had just defeated himself, jumped down from a building with the scepter.