Battle Scars (A Bucky Barnes Fanfic)

Fifty-One

I walk through the Avenger's Compound, where I see Thor in a hoodie, drinking a beer, and walking through the compound's Testing Chamber, I roll my eyes. Dad is also there, walking in from behind Thor.

"Drifting left. On the side there, Lebowski." Dad says to Thor, then to Rocket, who's working on something underneath a glass platform: "Ratchet, How's it going?"

"It's Rocket." Rocket tells him, "Take it easy. You're only a genius on Earth, pal."

I snort then walk into the room where Scott, Bruce, Steve, and Rhodey talking. Scott is in a white and red suit, similar to the Ant-Man suit.

"Time travel suit?" Rhodes asks, "Not bad."

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy, easy!" Scott says in response to Bruce touching the suit and something red in a glass tube.

"I'm being very careful," Bruce says to him.

"No, you're being very Hulky," Scott replies.

"I'm being careful."

"These are Pym Particles, alright?" Scott says holding up the red glass bottle, "And ever since Hank Pym got snapped out of existence, this is it. This is what we have. We're not making any more."

"Chill Scott, it's ok," I say.

"Scott, calm down," Rhodes tells him.

"Sorry. We've got enough for one round trip each." Scott says, "That's it. No, do-overs. Plus two test runs." He accidentally presses a button, and shrinks, and then grows back to his normal size. "One test run."

I shake my head in disbelief. Sometimes grown men drive me crazy and I'm surrounded by them and their occasional idiocy.

"All right." Scott says, "I'm not ready for this."

"I'm game." Clint says, "I'll do it."

Clint walks in wearing the suit Scott was moments before, the Quantum Suit.

"Clint, now you're gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chronoshift," Bruce tells him, "Don't worry about it."

Clint takes position on the platform. I get a look from Dad and stop messing with the tags and fold my arms. He knows it's a habit of mine now, and especially when I'm nervous.

"Wai-Wait a second, let me ask you something." Rhodes says "If we can do this, you know, go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know, and..." he makes a hand gesture suggesting that they strangle baby Thanos with a rope.

"First of all, that's horrible..." Bruce says disgustedly.

I look at Rhodes, "That's dark, especially for you," I say.

"It's Thanos," Rhodes replies in a tone that says: it's what we're all thinking.

"Still very dark for you," I reply.

"... And secondly, time doesn't work that way." Bruce says, "Changing the past doesn't change the future."

"Look, we go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them..." Scott says, "Thanos doesn't have the stones. Problem solved."

"Bingo," Clint says.

"That's not how it works." Nebula points out.