What if it was the opposite? Rewrite 2

Chapter 45

Outside HQ Lakeside, Peter, Steve, Thor, Clint and Bruce were mourning their fallen teammate and friend.

"Do we know if she had family?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. Us." Steve said.

"What?" Thor asked confused.

"I just asked him a question–" Peter said.

"Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right?" Thor said. "So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together." he said growling.

"We can't get her back." Clint said.

"Wha– what?"

"It can't be undone. It can't." Clint said and Thor dryly laughed.

"I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive don't you think?"

"Yeah, look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?" Clint said to him.

"No, that's my point–"

"It can't– be undone. Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say." Clint said. "Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? GO GRAB YOUR HAMMER, AND YOU GO FLY AND TALK TO HIM!" he shouted and his Clint's anger was quickly replaced with grief. "It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it."

In a burst of anger, Bruce grabbed a bench and hurled it clear across the lake. His anger spent and he turned to the others with a resigned look on his face.

"She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to." he said.

"We will." Steve said.

Inside the Avenger's Lab Peter carefully placed the stones in the gauntlet he made while Bruce and Rocket watched. With nervous precision, Peter manipulated the machine and carefully put all six stones into the gauntlet.

"Boom!" Rocket said and they jumped a bit, and quickly groaned at his joke.

Later everyone was in another room gathered around the new finished gauntlet.

"All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?" Rocket said.

"I'll do it." Thor said.

"Excuse me?" Scott said.

"It's okay."

"No, no, no, whoa. Stop. Stop. Wait a sec. Hey, hey–" everyone said holding up Thor.

"Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." Steve said.

"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor said.

"We should at least discuss it." Scott said.

"No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty."

"It's not about that–" Peter said.

"It's not that– Stop it! Just let me!" Thor said and hushed everyone. "Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right." he said and teared up.

"Look– It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition."

"What do you– What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?"

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey said.

"Lightning."

"Yeah." Peter said.

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce said and Thor let go of Peter. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Steve asked.

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma." Bruce said and took a good look at the gauntlet. "It's like... I was made for this."

Then 2014 Nebula snuck off to the Quantum portal and activated it.

"Good to go, yeah?" Peter said.

"Let's do it. Bruce said.

"You remember– everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years."

"Got it." Bruce said and everyone got ready and suit up.

"Karen, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?"

"Yes, Peter." Karen said and Avengers facility went on lockdown.

"Everybody comes home." Bruce said and put on the gauntlet, which nanobotically expanded to fit his hand, and the power surge overwhelmed him.

He grunted in pain.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor said.

"No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?" Steve said.

"Talk to me, Bruce." Peter said.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Bruce said.

Thor gave a double thumbs up.

Meanwhile 2014 Nebula was opening the Quantum Tunnel and brought the Sanctuary II to the present. Bruce screamed, fighting through the intense pain coursing through his body courtesy of the gauntlet, and managed to snap his fingers. Then he fainted and the gauntlet slid off his arm, Clint kicked it away.

"Bruce!" Steve said.

"Don't move him." Peter said.

"Did it work?" Bruce asked holding Steve's arm.

"Worth a shot. It's over. It's okay." Thor said.

Scott walked towards the outside windows and saw plants and birds. Clint heard his phone ringing and saw it's his wife calling.

"Honey. Honey." he said struggling to speak from sheer happiness.

"Guys– I think it worked!" Scott said.

Bruce opened his eyes and saw the Sanctuary II up in the sky and a single missile heading towards the base blowing away Scott away. Then a continuous array of missiles destroyed the base completely and everyone sunk below to the underground.

Bruce was holding up tons of debris from collapsing on top of the other Avengers with his one good arm. Some debris was stuck on top of Rocket.

"I can't breathe. I can't breathe! I can't breathe." Rocket said

"Canopy. Canopy. Canopy." Rhodey said and got out of his damaged suit.

"Rhodey, Rocket, get outta here!" Bruce said and Rhodey crawled over to help Rocket while taking a rebar as leverage to lift the debris off Rocket.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Come on! Rocket said and Rhodey got him out and they sighed in relief.

"Rhodey!" Bruce said and a flood engulfed both Rhodey and Rocket.