The scene on the screen shifted.
Inside a building marked with the Avengers logo, Black Widow was connected via video call with several people, discussing ongoing matters.
"We boarded that highly suspicious battleship Danvers mentioned," Rocket Raccoon said first, sounding mildly exasperated, "and it turned out to be nothing more than a garbage barge full of infectious waste. Thanks for the accurate intel."
"Mr. Stark… is that a giant rat?"Peter Parker asked in disbelief, pointing at Rocket.
A talking rat?That was… unsettling.
"Obviously, that's a rabbit," Thor said matter-of-factly.
"A rabbit?" Tony Stark glanced over. "Isn't that a squirrel?"
"It looks like a rat, a rabbit, and a squirrel," Scott Lang shook his head. "Honestly, I have no idea what it is."
"You're the ones standing closer to it," Captain Marvel's voice chimed in.
The group stopped arguing and returned their focus to the screen.
"Did you get any seismic readings?" Black Widow asked Okoye.
"A minor shift in the African tectonic plate," Okoye replied.
"Is it visible? What do we do about it?" Natasha asked, tense.
"Nat," Okoye said helplessly, "it's an underwater earthquake. We don't do anything."
"Carol, will you be back next month?" Natasha asked Captain Marvel.
"Unlikely," Carol shook her head.
"What, going for another haircut?" Rocket muttered.
"Listen, fur-face," Carol replied seriously, "my jurisdiction is huge. What's happening on Earth is happening on thousands of other planets. You probably won't see me for a long time."
That was… an unassailable reason.
She was literally keeping the universe safe.
"Alright," Natasha nodded. "This channel will stay open. If anything happens—if anyone causes trouble where they shouldn't—report it to me."
Everyone on the projection nodded.
The call ended.
Only War Machine, Rhodey, remained.
"Where are you?" Natasha asked.
"Mexico," Rhodey replied. "The FBI found a room full of bodies. Looks like a local drug cartel. Didn't even get a chance to draw their guns."
"Probably a rival gang," Natasha said, already knowing the truth.
"No way," Rhodey said firmly. "It was Barton. What he's been doing here… what he's been doing these past few years… honestly, part of me doesn't even want to find him."
"Can you track where he's going next?" Natasha asked quietly.
"Nat?"
"Please."
"…Okay."
The call ended.
Through fragmented scenes, the footage revealed how much everyone had changed since Thanos snapped his fingers.
Natasha was clearly devastated.
And Clint Barton… had turned into a relentless executioner, slaughtering criminals to vent his pain.
"I'd offer to cook for you," a voice said, "but it looks like you're already suffering enough."
Captain America walked into the hall.
"Doing laundry?" Natasha asked flatly.
"And checking on a friend."
"Your friend looks just fine," she forced a smile.
"I saw whales in the harbor while crossing the bridge," Steve said gently. "Fewer ships. Cleaner water."
"If you're about to tell me to look on the bright side," Natasha replied coldly, "I will throw a peanut butter sandwich at your head."
"Sorry. Old habits," Steve said, sitting down.
"I've always told people to let go of the past and move forward. Some did. But we couldn't."
"If we let go… who's left to do this?"
"Maybe this doesn't need to be done."
"I had nothing once," Steve continued. "Then I had this. This job. This family. It made me better. Even if they're gone… I still try to be better."
"I think we all need a life."
"You first."
At that moment, an incoming signal was detected.
Natasha opened it.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Scott Lang appeared on screen, waving frantically.
"I'm Scott Lang! We met years ago at the airport in Germany—I was wearing a mask—"
Steve and Natasha froze.
"Is this an old message?" Steve asked.
"It's the front door," Natasha replied.
Moments later, Scott Lang was inside the hall.
"Do either of you know quantum physics?" Scott asked after pacing nervously.
"A little," Natasha answered.
"Okay. Five years ago—right before the Thanos incident—I entered a place called the Quantum Realm."
"Quantum Realm. I knew it," Tony Stark said smugly.
This confirmed everything they had deduced earlier.
"The Quantum Realm has its own micro-universe," Scott continued. "To enter it, you have to become incredibly small. Hope—she was supposed to pull me out. But then Thanos happened. And I got stuck."
"I'm sorry," Natasha said softly. "Five years must've been hard."
"That's the thing," Scott said seriously. "It wasn't. For me, it was five hours."
"The Quantum Realm doesn't follow our rules. Nothing is predictable."
"Scott," Steve interrupted, "what are you trying to say?"
"Time works differently there. The problem is—we can't navigate it."
"But what if we could?"
"What if we could control the chaos and set coordinates?"
"What if we entered the Quantum Realm at one point in time… and exited at another?"
"…Before Thanos snapped his fingers."
Steve's eyes widened.
"Wait. Are you talking about a time machine?"
"No—well—yes! I know it sounds insane, but I can't stop thinking about it. There has to be a way!"
"This is crazy," Scott admitted.
"Scott," Natasha said calmly, "I receive emails from a raccoon. Nothing is crazy anymore."
"So…" Scott asked seriously, "who do we talk to about this?"
The image froze.
"Exactly as I expected," Tony Stark said confidently. "Lang entered the Quantum Realm, discovered time anomalies, and convinced everyone to build a time machine."
"I don't know who this Thanos is," Peter Parker said excitedly, "but five years passing here while only five hours pass there? That's insane!"
Everything today felt impossibly new and exhilarating.
For a high school student filled with curiosity, it was like a whole new universe had just opened up.
"Five years," Captain America summarized."Five years after the snap, they built the time machine, went back, and collected the six Infinity Stones."
An extremely important detail.
"So everyone was helpless for five years," Scott said smugly, "until I came back from the Quantum Realm and saved the world. Wow. It's like the universe was waiting for me."
"Too bad," Thor grinned, patting Scott's shoulder. "You won't get that chance again."
"Not a shame at all," Scott shrugged. "If the world still needed a savior, that would be tragic."
With all the future knowledge and preparation they now had, failure was impossible.
Time travel to undo defeat?
That would never happen.
[Question Incoming]
Why did Black Panther T'Challa bring Everett Ross back to Wakanda?
A. Invited by former King T'Chaka to visit WakandaB. A normal diplomatic visit by the United StatesC. Ross was injured while saving an important Wakandan figure, forcing T'Challa to bring him back for treatmentD. To seek outside help against Killmonger
Hint:Correct answer → Penetration Ring ×1Wrong answer → Random attribute deduction (knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc.)
The room fell silent.
A new question had begun.
.............
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