DYER | STEVE ROGERS

𝐕𝐈.𝐗𝐈

〚 QUANTUM 〛

Natasha swiped the projection to the side, and the group turned their attention to where they saw Scott Lang outside of the Avengers compound.

"Oh. Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn't recognize me. Darla fried me." He paused. "That was amazing." Scott shouted as he waved towards the camera.

"Wasn't he-didn't he snap?" Darla questioned as she stood up to inspect the projection closer.

She remembered him requesting her to shock him. It was a strange request but she did it nonetheless.

"Is this an old message?" Steve questioned as he followed the girl.

"It's the front gate." Natasha couldn't help the smile forming on her face.

Darla didn't waste any time in rushing to let the man in. This was their first real break through in five years. For the first time, they had a real shot at getting everyone back.

The blonde watched as Scott paced in front of them. He was mumbling things to himself that none of the others could make out.

"Scott." Steve spoke up. He allowed Darla to step in front of him. His arms wrapped around her waist and his head rested on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

Scott ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath before saying,

"Yeah. I'm fine." He took a minute to himself, his brows furrowing at the thoughts racing around in his head. "Have you guys ever studied Quantum Physics?"

"Only to make conversation." Natasha shrugged.

"No." Darla almost burst out laughing.

She turned to face Briar, who anxiously chewed his bottom lip. This could mean they could get their family back. They could get everyone back.

Briar wanted his siblings and parents back more than anything. He wanted them all to meet Natasha as his girlfriend rather than Darla's best friend. He wanted to laugh with them all again. He missed his family more than words could describe.

"Alright. So, five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small." Scott explained.

Darla had to take a minute to figure out what the man was saying due to how fast he spoke. She quickly glanced at Steve and Briar, who seemed as equally confused as she did.

"Hope, she's my-She was my-" Scott couldn't to think of the way to describe his relationship with his girlfriend. "She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there."

"I'm sorry. That must've been a very long five years." Natasha apologised.

As much as she wished things could be different, she was glad that she wasn't alone within this past five years. She didn't know how she would have coped if she was.

"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours." Scott responded. Darla linked her hand with Steve's.

He gave her hand a small squeeze, silently telling her that he was hearing the same thing as she was.

"See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich?" He pointed towards the peanut butter sandwich and quickly walked over to it. "I'm starving."

"Scott, what are you talking about?" Steve questioned, turning to face the man and cutting straight to the point.

"What I'm saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm." Scott continued to explain as he ate the sandwich. "The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it." He continued to pace up and down.

Darla tilted her head to look up at Steve, he pressed his lips against her temple. He could tell that she was getting her hopes up. But he didn't want her to be let down if this didn't work.

"What if, we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos."

"Wait, are you talking about a time machine?" Steve questioned, motioning to Scott with his hand.

"No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a-" Scott fell into silence for a minute before saying, "Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way. There's gotta be-some w-it's crazy."

"Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore." Natasha quickly shut down his idea of him sounding crazy.

Briar stepped forward, his hand finding the small of Natasha's back. He flashed her a toothy smile before saying,

"I think it's a great idea."

"Could it work?" Darla questioned the dark haired man standing in front of her.

"Sure." Scott nodded. "So who do we talk to about this?" He questioned as he looked around at the group.

"Tony?" Natasha suggested, she hadn't spoken to him in five years. Ever since he left them.

"Nobody knows where he is. He went completely off the grid." Briar responded to the red head.

Darla let go of a deep breath. If there was a chance in getting everyone back and Tony could help, she'd have to tell everyone that she'd been in contact with him.

"I do."