Captain America: Finding A "Peggy"

The Aftermath and the End of Time

Steve was on the ground and looked to the sky, broken by what he had just seen. Never before had he experienced so much pain. Not even the first time around. The image of Bucky fading away, turning into ash, played over and over in his head. Words conversed from years ago replayed in his thoughts:

"That up there... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?" Tony asked.

"Together." Steve replied softly.

Tony stared at him, sorrow in his voice, "We'll lose."

Confidently, and just as somber as Tony's voice, "Then we do that together too." Steve replied.

It seemed as though an eternity had passed as he drowned in his thoughts. Still looking to the sky, he couldn't gather the words to express what everyone was feeling, helpless to say only two. "Oh god..." Steve quietly spoke up. A lonely tear gracing his chiseled and worn face.

Natasha briskly walked over to him, clutching him from behind. Resting her head on his shoulder, she spoke to him, "I'm sorry Steve. I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do."

Putting his hand on hers at his side, he turned his gaze to the ground, blankly staring at the ashes directly below. The ashes of Bucky. "We lost." He said quietly. The remaining few of the battle gathered around him, each was completely speechless. The events that had just taken place were a spectacle to be seen, but nothing more than in sight. Truthfully, it was a massacre. One by one, after the snap of Thanos' fingers, their numbers dwindled, people were turning to ash. To Steve's knowledge, Bucky was the first to go. The weight of the world was on his soldiers as his fellow teammates and friends looked to him.

Steve turned to them all, "I'm sorry." Standing up, he held Natasha's hand, "Bruce, what is this?"

Bruce nervously gulped, "Steve..."

"Tell me."

"He has all the stones..." he paused, "and with the snap of his finger... he erased half of the universe."

"Are we all that's left?" Steve asked Bruce.

"I don't know. Half the universe could mean anything. Planet by planet half, or half all together spanning across all planets. We very well could be all that's left on the planet. Or, half the planet could still be alive. So we went from 9 billion people, to the population of Asia."

"Where's Sam?" Steve continued his interrogation. Everyone looked about slowly, then back to Steve, confirming he didn't make it. "T'Challah?" He asked. Again, their blank stares confirmed they were all that was left.

As more tears built in his eyes, he clenched his teeth. Natasha kept her focus on him, she could bear look at the group and show any sign of weakness, she had to be strong for Steve. "There must be something we can do."

Bruce solemnly looked to Steve, "Without Strange's time stone, there's nothing we can do."

"I had him," Thor broke his silence, "I had him, and he got away. I have nothing now. Not even tree made it."

Steve persisted once more, "There must be something we can do."

Bruce pondered, "Without access to something like the quantum realm, or even time itself, there's nothing Cap. Nothing we can do."

Natasha shot her gaze to Bruce, "What did you say?"

"Nothing we can do?" Bruce nonchalantly yet very confusingly repeated.

"About a quantum realm?" She questioned.

"Yeah the only person to ever even fathom about the quantum realm and dabble in it was Hank Pym, and he's gone off the grid. Right?"