"Love was made for me and you."
Nat King Cole
Now that we know that this whole-time travel thing can work we need to make a plan. We gather around the hologram displays, showcasing each of the six Infinity Stones. Tony, Steve and Bruce are pacing at the front.
"Okay, so the 'how' works. Now we gotta figure out the when and the where. Almost all of us have had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones," Steve tells us.
"Well I'd substitute the word encounter for damn well near been killed by one of the six Infinity Stones," Tony remarks.
"I haven't, I don't even know what the hell you're all talking about," Scott says.
"Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round trip each, and these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history," Bruce explains.
"Our history. So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in," I offer.
"Which means we have to pick our targets," Clint says.
Tony nods his head. "Correct."
"Let's start with the Aether. Thor, what do you know?" Steve asks.
Thor is sitting in a chair with his sunglasses on. It is impossible to tell whether he is awake or asleep.
"Is he asleep?" Rhodey questions.
"No, I'm pretty sure he's dead," I answer.
Suddenly Thor wakes with a jolt. "Where to start? Umm... The Aether, first, is not a stone, someone called it a stone before. It's more of a... an angry sludge thing, so... someone's gonna need to amend that. Here's an interesting story though, many years ago... My grandfather had to hide the stones from the Dark Elves..." He wiggles his fingers to imitate a spooky ghost. "Wooooh, scary beings. So Jane," An image of Jane Foster pops up on the screen, "Oh, there she is. That's Jane... She's... an old flame of mine... She... she stuck her hand inside a rock this one time... and then the Aether stuck itself inside her... And, she became very, very sick. So I had to take her to Asgard, which is where I'm from. And we had to try and fix her. We were dating at the time, you see. I got to introduce her to my Mother... who's dead," Thor starts to look broken, and seems on the verge of tears, "and oh you know, Jane and I aren't even dating anymore, these things happen though you know, nothing last forever," Tony starts to push him back to his chair, "I'm not done yet, the only thing permanent in life is impermanence."
"Awesome. Eggs? Breakfast?" Tony asks.
"I'd like a Bloody Mary, thank you," Thor tells us.
We spend the day trying to figure out all we can about where in time to get the stones.
Rocket is pacing on the table while the rest of us eat take out. "Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag."
"Is that a person?" Scott asks.
"Morag's a planet. Quill was a person," Rocket explains.
"A planet? Like in outer space?" Scott asks.
"Oh, look. It's like a little puppy, all happy and everything." Rocket imitates talking to a puppy, "Do you wanna go to space? You wanna go to space, puppy? I'll get you to space."
Nebula is up next to tell us what she knows. "Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir."
"What is Vormir?" Natasha asks.
"A dominion of death, at the very center of Celestial existence. It's where... Thanos murdered my sister," Nebula explains.
I look up from my notepad as a silence falls over the room.
Scott tries to break the awkward silence, "Not it."
It takes all day for us to figure out all we can regarding the stones. I lie down on the table surrounded by papers. Tony lays down next to me as Bruce lies on the floor. The Time Stone pops up on the display.
"That Time Stone guy..." I start.
"Doctor Strange," Bruce states.
"Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?" I ask.
"Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit from a hat," Tony remarks.
"Nice place in the village, though," Bruce offers.
"Yeah. Sullivan Street," Tony says.
"Hmm... Bleecker," Bruce corrects.
I sit up in realization. "He lived in New York."
"No. He lived in Toronto," Tony remarks. "You met him."
"Guys, if we pick the right year, there are three stones in New York," I explain.
Bruce sits up in surprise. "Shut the front door."
The holograms display the different locations, the Soul and Power Stones in space in 2014. the Reality Stone in Asgard, 2013; and the Space, Mind, and Time Stones in New York City, 2012.
"All right. We have a plan. Six Stones, three teams. One shot," Steve states.
We all get ready to try and pull off the time heist. We all walk to the Quantum Time machine, wearing the Quantum Suits. We stand in the center of the platform.
"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends... We lost family... We lost a part of ourselves," I state.
"Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. But it doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win," Steve assures. Tony gives Steve a look. "Whatever it takes. Good luck."
"He's pretty good at that," Rocket says.
"Right?" Scott says, looking very excited.
"All right. You heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green," Tony instructs.
"Tractors engaged," Bruce states.
Rocket turns to look at Clint and the shrunken Benatar in Clint's hand. "You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?"
Clint nods his head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I'll do my best."
"As promises go, that was pretty lame," Rocket states.
Natasha smiles excitedly. "See you in a minute."
We all shrink and enter the Quantum Realm. We split off at different intervals, going to a different place at a different time in our history.
I am beyond nervous. To pull off the time heist is a necessity and I am willing to put my life on the line. In the back of my mind are the kids. This had to work because my daughters and sons deserve to grow up in a world with Peter Parker, and Sam, and Wanda, and everyone else we lost. They deserve to know what life was like before the snap. To hear birds chirping at the worst times. To have way too many bugs biting you in the middle of summer. I'm willing to risk everything so my kids can live in a better world. A world that's whole.
Rhodey gets off the Benatar as it lands on Morag. "Alright. Bring it down low. Right on that line. That's it. Down, down."
Nat, Clint, and I stand off to the side. Nat kicks some slimy miniature dinosaur looking thing away from her.
"Hey, can we hurry it up?" Clint asks.
"Guys, chop-chop. Come on. We're on a clock," Nat remarks.
Nebula walks out of the ship after having programmed it to its next destination.
"All that, is really helpful," Rhodey remarks.
Clint and Nat just shrug their shoulders.
Nat walks over towards Rhodey and hugs him. "Take care, okay?"
"Take that stone and come back. No messing around," Rhodey instructs.
Clint and walk over to Rhodey hand in hand. "Hey."
"Hey. We got this," Rhodey states.
"Let's get it done," Clint tells him.
Rhodey nods. "Yes, sir."
I walk over towards Clint and Nat. I hug them both.
"Be careful," I tell them. "I mean it. No heroics."
Clint and Nat both walk onto the ship.
"You guys watch each other's six," I tell them.
Clint and Nat smile before heading towards the front of the ship. I watch as the ship takes off for Vormir.
"The coordinates for Vormir are laid in. All they have to do is not fall out," Nebula tells us.
I look around at the gloomy planet. "Okay, so, uhh... We just wait around for this Quill guy to show up and then he leads us to the Power Stone, is that it?"
Nebula looks around. "Let's take cover. We're not the only ones in 2014 looking for the stones."
"Wait a minute, what are you talking about right now? Who else is looking for these stones?" Rhodey asks.
"My father, my sister... and me," Nebula explains.
I look at her confused. "And you? Where are you right now?"
Eventually the guy I'm assuming is Quill shows up. He is singing and dancing as he walks. There isn't any music playing.
"So he's an idiot?" Rhodey asks.
Nebula nods. "Yeah."
Rhodey easily knocks him out with a hit to the face. Nebula rummages around to take Quill's tool.
"What's that?" I ask.
"The tool of a thief,' Nebula tells me.
She uses the tool to open the door that leads to The Orb that holds the Power Stone. Nebula tries to walk in but is stopped by Rhodey.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...This is the part where spikes come out with skeletons on the end and everything..." Rhodey starts.
"What are you talking about?" Nebula asks.
"When you break into a place called the temple of the Power Stone, There's gonna be a bunch of booby traps," I argue.
Nebula just shakes her head and walks in.
"Okay. All right. Go ahead," Rhodey tells her.
Nebula forces her hand inside the force field protecting The Orb while it melts away the exterior plating on her arm. She successfully retrieves The Orb and hands it to Rhodey. Nebula blows on her sizzling, burnt hand. "I wasn't always like this."
"Me either. But we work with what we got, right?" Rhodey tells her.
"Let's sync up," I tell them. The three of us suit up. "Three.. two.. One..."
