The Weight of the Universe | Avengers

28. Back to the Past

Eve just nods and Rhodey's eyebrows shoot up his forehead. "Wait a second, let me ask you something. If we can do this, you know, go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know, and...?"

He gestures with his hands to strangle Thanos' baby version and Aurora's eyes widen. "Am I still in the team with heroes or the one with vigilantes? This is so wrong."

Also Bruce is disturbed. "First of all, that's horrible."

"It's Thanos." Rhodey scrunches up his face, not caring about the importance of morals in this case.

"And secondly, time doesn't work that way. Changing the past doesn't change the future." Bruce explains furthermore and Aurora points with her finger at the big guy in agreement.

"Look, we go back, we get the Stones before Thanos gets them... Thanos doesn't have the Stones. Problem solved." Scott suggests and Rhodey nods.

"Bingo."

"That's not how it works." Now even Nebula joins the conversation and she sounds clearly pissed by their stupidity.

"Well, that's what I heard." Scott shrugs and Bruce turns back to him.

"What? By who? Who told you that?"

"Star Trek, Terminator, TimeCop, Time After Time." Rhodey starts to list all time travel movies and Eve only knows one of them.

"Quantum Leap," Scott adds.

Rhodey continues, "A Wrinkle In Time, Somewhere in Time."

"Hot Tub Time Machine."

"Hot Tub Time Machine." He repeats Scott's example. "Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure. Basically, any movie that deals with time travel."

"Die Hard." Scott pauses, waving it off. "Nah, that's not one."

"This is known." Rhodey insists nonetheless and Bruce sighs tiredly.

"I don't know why everyone believes that, but that isn't true. Think about it: If you travel to the past, that past becomes your future. And your former present becomes the past which can't now be changed by your new future." Everyone remains confused.

"Basically, if we travel to the past and change something, an alternative timeline will be created, but it doesn't affect us, at least not in our own time. So, it's not the typical butterfly effect." Aurora sums it up and Nebula supports her explanation.

"Exactly."

It's silent in the room as Eve, Rhodey and Scott process the real meaning of time travel. The latter is the first one to speak up, still stunned by it. "So, Back To The Future is a bunch of bullshit?"

Aurora sighs, "Unfortunately, yes."

***

"Okay, the plan is easy. You go back to the certain time that you chose, I let you walk around for three minutes and then you return with any object, just so we can see that the time machine actually works and to prove that we can carry objects from the past with us to the present. Got it?" Bruce repeats the procedure and Eve nods as everyone else is gathered around the panel. Steve takes a look at the screen to find out which date and place she chose and his eyes widens.

"Wait, Eve!" He grabs her arm before she can walk onto the platform, his eyes are locked with hers. "Out of all dates... May 26 in 1923? Are you sure about this?"

He remembers. Of course, he remembers that special date. Tony frowns and senses a way too serious atmosphere between them. "What? What's about May 26 in '23?"