One | Steve Rogers

2

Not a single word that has come out of Scott's mouth has been comprehensible.

He's been talking to himself for the past five minutes.

" Scott, are you okay?" Steve asks.

" Have any of you studied quantum physics?" Scott asks.

" Only to make conversation," Nat replies.

" All right, so... five years ago right before... Thanos... I was in this place called the quantim realm. The quantum realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my, um, my... uh... she was supposed to pull me out, and then Thanos happened and I got stuck there."

" I'm sorry, that must have been a very long five years."

" Yeah, but that's just it. it wasn't. For me, it was five hours. See, the rules of the quantum realm aren't like they are yup here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving."

Lauren waves her hand and the sandwich floats to Scott.

" Oh, uh, th-thank you... ma'am."

" Scott, what are you talking about?" Steve asks.

" So... what I'm saying is," Scott says as he inhales his sandwich," Time works differently in the quantum realm. 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. What if we somehow could control the chaos and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the quantum realm at a certain point of time--"

" But then exit the quantum realm at another point in time," Lauren finishes.

" Well... yeah!"

" Are you talking about a time machine?" Steve asks.

" No! No, of course not. Not a time machine. This is more like a... yeah, like a time machine. I know, it's crazy," Scott says, " But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be... some way... it's crazy."

" Scott, I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore," Nat says.

" So, who do we talk to about this?" Scott asks.

Everybody goes silent, because they all know who.

Lauren hasn't seen Tony since he returned to Earth.

Steve has kept his distance, but managed to stay in contact.

Steve drives them to Tony's lake house.

Lauren's nerves spark fire as they get closer.

They exit the car, and see Tony with his daughter.

Morgan.

In that moment, it feels like time has stopped for Lauren.

She feels her heart beating out of her chest, her eyes wide open and tears daring to fall out.

She makes eye contact with Tony.

He can see the pain in her eyes.

And she sees happiness in his.

She gives him a nod, and Morgan runs off inside.

Steve gives his wife's hand a squeeze as they walk up to the genius.

And they get straight to business.

" No, so... We know what it sounds like," Scott says.

" Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve asks.

" Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?" Tony asks, " In laymans terms, it means you're not coming home."

" I did," Scott says.

" No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke," Tony says.

" So was I," Lauren says, " But here I am."

Tony sucks in his bottom lip and takes a deep breath.

" Th-That's true. But now you guys want to pull a-- I'm sorry, what did you call it?"

" A time heist?" Scott asks.

" A time heist, of course. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable. Because it's a pipe dream."

" The stones are in the past. We could go back, we could get them," Steve says.

" We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back," Nat says.

" Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?" Tony asks.

" I don't believe we would," Steve says.

" Gotta say it. Sometimes, I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise."

" Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. Alright? No talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events," Scott says.

" Scott... do not tell me that you're trying to get us roped into a plan to save the universe that's based on back to the future," Lauren says as she crosses her arms.

" *nervous laugh* What? No..." Scott says.

" Good, you had me worried there. Cuz that's horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works," Tony says.

" Tony... we have to take a stand," Nat says as Lauren puts a hand on her shoulder.

" We did stand. And yet, here we are," Tony says.

" I know you have a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter... but I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. And now, we have a chance to bring her back to bring everybody back, and you're telling me that you won't even--" Scott says.

" That's right. I won't even. I can't," Tony says.

Just then, Morgans little footsteps get louder as she jumps into her father's lap.

" Mommy told me to come and save you," She says.

" Good job, I'm saved," Tony says.

" How old?" Lauren asks.

" Five," He says, making her smile, " I wish you were coming here to ask me something else. Anything else. I'm honestly happy to see you guys, I just... "

" I understand," She says, " I'm happy for you... I really am."

" Tony... this is a second chance, " Steve says.

" I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can't roll the dice on it, " Tony says.

As he turns to walk back into his house, Morgan looks at Lauren over his shoulder and waves. Lauren waves back, the tears welling up in her eyes once more.