Back at Avengers HQ and everyone appears on the the Quantum platform and looks around to see all the recovered stones, "Did we get them all?" Bruce asks.
"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey questions.
There's a pause as everyone starts to realise someone is missing, "Clint, where's Nat?"
The silence from Clint tells them all they need to know. The mission was completed but at a dire cost. Sadness overtakes everyone. Bruce falls to his knees and pounds the floor in grief.
•
Outside HQ. Tony, Steve, Thor, Clint, and Bruce are mourning their fallen teammate and friend, "Do we know if she had family?"
"Yeah. Us" Steve responds.
"What?" Thor questions.
"I just asked him a question" Tony says.
"Yeah, you're acting like she's dead" Thor states, "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? So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together."
"We can't get her back" Clint tells him.
"What?" Thor says.
"It can't be undone" Clint adds, "It can't."
Thor dryly laughs, "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 says.
"No, that's my point" Thor responds.
"It can't be undone" Clint repeats, "Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? GO GRAB YOUR HAMMER, AND YOU GO FLY AND TALK TO HIM!" Clint's anger is 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 grabs a bench and hurls it clear across the lake. His anger spent, he turns 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."
"We will" Steve promises.
Inside the Avenger's Lab. Tony carefully places the stones in the gauntlet he made while Bruce and Rocket watch. With nervous precision, Tony manipulates the machine and carefully places all six stones into the gauntlet, "Boom!"
Tony and Bruce jump a bit, and quickly groan at Rocket's joke.
•
In another room everyone is gathered around the new gauntlet. "All right. The glove's ready" Rocket states, "Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?"
"I'll do it" Thor volunteers.
"Excuse me?" Scott says.
"It's okay" Thor smiles.
"No, no, no, whoa. Stop. Stop" everyone says, "Wait a sec. Hey, hey."
"Wait, wait, Thor, just wait" Steve orders, "We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet."
"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor asks.
"We should at least discuss it" Scott replies.
"No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back" Thor states, "I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty."
"It's not about that" Tony tells him.
"Stop it! Just let me!" Theo begs, he tears up, "Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right."
"Look" Tony sighs, "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?" Thor asks.
"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey scoffs.
"Lightning" Thor corrects.
"Lightning won't help you, pal" Bryce states, "It's gotta be me" Thor lets go of Tony, "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive."
"How do we know you will?" Steve asks.
"We don't" Bruce responds, "But the radiation's mostly gamma" He takes a good look at the gauntlet, "It's like I was made for this."
2014 Nebula sneaks off to the Quantum portal and activates it.
"Good to go, yeah?" Tony questions.
"Let's do it" Bruce says.
"You remember everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today." Tony tells him, "Don't change anything from the last five years."
"Got it" Bruce says.
Everyone gets ready and suits up, "Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?"
"Yes, boss" Friday says.
The Avengers facility goes on lockdown, "Everybody comes home" Bruce states. Bruce puts on the gauntlet, which nanobotically expands to fit his hand, and the power surge overwhelms him. He grunts in pain.
"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor demands.
"No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?" Steve asks.
"Talk to me, Banner" Tony says.
"I'm okay. I'm okay" Bruce grunts. Thor gives a double thumbs up,
2014 Nebula opens up the Quantum Tunnel and brings the Sanctuary II to the present.
Bruce screams, fighting through the intense pain coursing through his body courtesy of the gauntlet, and manages to snap his fingers. He faints and the gauntlet slides off his arm, Clint kicks it away, "Bruce!"
"Don't move him" Tony orders.
Bruce holds onto Steve's arm, "Did it work?"
"Worth a shot" Thor shrugs, "It's over. It's okay."
Scott walks towards the outside windows and sees plants and birds. Clint hears his phone ringing and sees it's his wife calling, "Honey. Honey."
"Guys I think it worked!" Scott cheers.
Bruce opens his eyes and sees 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 destroys the base completely and everyone sinks below to the underground.
Bruce holds up tons of debris from collapsing on top of the other Avengers with his one good arm. Some debris is stuck on top of Rocket, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe! I can't breathe."
"Canopy. Canopy. Canopy" Rhodey gets out of his damaged suit.
"Rhodey, Rocket, get outta here!" Bruce orders.
Rhodey crawls over to help Rocket while taking a rebar as leverage to lift the debris off Rocket, "Hurry up! Hurry up! Come on!" Rhodey gets Rocket out and they both sigh in relief.
"Rhodey!" Bruce yells, A flood engulfs both Rhodey and Rocket.
"Mayday, mayday!" Rhodey says, "Does anybody copy? We're in the lower level, it's flooding!"
"What?" Tiny Scott says.
"We're drowning!" Rhodey states, "Does anybody copy? Mayday!"
"Wait! I'm here!" Tiny Scott says, "I'm here, can you hear me?"
Clint is in the sewer system and trying to get his bearings. He flashes a light upwards to see what happened, "Cap?"
Clint finds the gauntlet is with him but senses he's not alone down there. He shoots an arrow with light towards the dark tunnel and finds hordes of Outriders, "Damn."
Clint takes the gauntlet and runs towards the opposite direction while the Outriders chase after him.
The Sanctuary II beams 2014 Thanos fully armoured to the ground. 2014 Nebula walks towards him, "Daughter."
"Yes, Father" Past Nebula smiles.
"So, this is the future" 2014 Thanos says, "Well done."
2014 Nebula takes off the orange plate on her head and throws it away, "Thank you, Father. They suspected nothing."
Past Thanos plants his double-bladed sword on the ground, takes off his helmet and places on top of the sword's edge, "The arrogant never do" Thanos then sits down, "Go. Find the stones. Bring them to me."
"What will you do?" Past Nebula asks.
"Wait" 2014 Thanos says.
2014 Nebula proceeds to go find the stones while 2014 Gamora watches from Sanctuary II. Past Gamora heads over to where Present Nebula is being held prisoner, "Tell me something. In the future, what happens to you and me?"
"I tried to kill you" Present Nebula tells her, "Several times." 2014 Gamora rolls her eyes, "But eventually, we become friends. We become sisters."
2014 Gamora holds out her hand, "Come on. We can stop him." Nebula takes her hand.
Tony walks towards Steve who's unconscious on the ground, "Come on, buddy. Wake up. That's my man" He has Cap's shield, "You lose this again, I'm keeping it."
"What happened?" Steve asks.
"You messed with time" Tony reminds him, "It tends to mess back. You'll see" Tony helps Steve on his feet. They walk up to join Thor, who has been observing 2014 Thanos from a distance, "What's he been doing?"
"Absolutely nothing" Thor responds.
"Where are the stones?" Steve asks.
"Somewhere under all this" Tony replies, "All I know is he doesn't have them."
"So we keep it that way" Steve plans.
"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor states.
"Yeah. And I don't much care" Tony shrugs.
"Good" Thor smirks, "Just as long we are all in agreement" Thunder cracks as Thor stretches out both hands to summon both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir, His casual clothes transform into his armour and cape, with his beard getting some braid treatment, "Let's kill him properly this time."
The Trio walk over to confront 2014 Thanos face to face, "You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."
"Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn" Tony smirks.
"I'm thankful" 2014 Thanos states, "Because now, I know what I must do" he stands up, "I will shred this universe down to its last atom" Thanos puts on his helmet, "And then, With the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given" Thor lights himself up, "A grateful universe."
"Born out of blood" Steve says.
"They'll never know it" Thanos smirks, "Because you won't be alive to tell them." The fighting starts, Thor and Tony go straight at Thanos.
•
Hulk is under all of the mess trying to hold up the structure. Rhodey and Rocket are breathing for their lives, "See you on the other side, man."
"Hang on! I'm coming!" Scott calls.
•
Clint is running with the infinity gauntlet. He blows the place, and escapes before the Outriders overwhelm him. He sees Nebula, "Oh, hey. I know you."
Clint gives her the gauntlet. then she puts her hand on her earpiece, "Father." Clint gasps realising he's screwed up, "I have the stones."
Clint tries to get up but Past Nebula steps her foot down on him an points her gun at him.
"Stop" 2014 Gamora orders. Gamora comes around the corner.
"You're betraying us?" 2014 Nebula scoffs.
With her hands up, Nebula joins Past Gamora. 2014 Nebula points her gun at her future self, "You don't have to do this."
"I am this" 2014 Nebula states.
"No, you're not" Past Gamora tells her.
"You've seen what we become" Present Nebula reminds her.
"Nebula, listen to her" 2014 Gamora begs.
"You can change" Present Nebula continues.
"He won't let me" Past Nebula states.
2014 Nebula points a gun at 2014 Gamora, "NO!" Present Nebula shoots 2014 Nebula and she dies.
•