Our little family (sequel to Baby Captain Widow)

Chapter 13: The Stones

4 weeks later...

"You're drifting left." Tony called to Thor as he walked passed, big, thick, snake-like cables wound around his shoulder. Thor looked over, clutching a freshly opened can of beer in his partially gloved, tubby hand. "One side there, Lebowski." Tony continued to walk swiftly towards the nearly finished time machine, taking in the beautiful masterpiece. "Ratchet, how's it going?"
"It's Rocket." The raccoon retorted, knocking in some nails with a hammer, hanging upside down from the metal framing. "Take it easy. You're only a genius on Earth, pal." Tony nodded, as Thor burped just behind him. He turned to look at the drunk Demi-God, before looking back, Thor raising his arms.
"How much longer until it's completed?" Steve asked, joining them.
"Almost done. Just need what your friend has." Rocket replied, pointing out a paw at Tony.
"Thor, I think you've had enough to drink." Steve said, taking the beer out of his hand.
"Nonsense! Why, on Asgard, we could drink ten times this and still be fit for work." He smiled, reaching back for the beer. Steve didn't let it go.
"No more." He said, turning away, beer in hand, throwing it in the bin as he left the room.

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Natasha, Bruce, Scott, and Nebula all stood in a smaller version of Bruce's lab, sorting out Scott's suit in preparation for the second test run that they were about to do. Nebula was focusing on the suit that Scott was wearing, whilst Natasha and Bruce were busy preparing the Pym Particles. "Time travel suit, not bad." Rhodey said, walking into the room, leaning on a wall. Banner began to try and put a small vile of the particles into a tiny compartment of the suit, his larger green fingers making the job more difficult.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Scott cried. "Easy! Easy!"
"I'm being very careful." The Hulk reassured him.
"No, you're being very Hulky."
"I'm being careful." Bruce retorted, standing almost at his full height.
"These are Pym particles, all right?" Scott held up the small vile, the glowing red light dancing on his black gloves. "And ever since Hank Pym got snapped out of existence, this is it. This is what we have. We're not making any more."
"Scott, calm down." Rhodey said softly.
"Sorry. We've got enough for one round-trip each. That's it. No do-overs. Plus two test runs." He inserted the vile into the compartment, immediately shrinking down to a minuscule size, before regrowing again. "One test run."

Rhodey sighed, looking down at the grey floor, and shaking his head in slight annoyance.
"All right." Scott said, nerves getting to him. "I'm not ready for this."

"I'm game." Came a voice from the doorway. Clint was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded, Lily by his feet. She had been following him like a little shadow ever since he had arrived. "I'll do it."
"Are you sure, Clint? I mean, Scott's used to these particles. He knows what he's doing." Nat asked, concern on her face.
"I can learn."

Very quickly, Clint put on the suit that Scott had previously been wearing, Nebula pressing buttons on the programming connected to his shoulder. "Clint, now you're gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chronoshift. Don't worry about that." Banner said, Clint nodding at him.
"Wait a second. Let me ask you something." Rhodey interrupted. "If we can do this, you know... go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos? You know, and..." He gestured with his hands as if to strangle the air in front of him with an invisible rope. Nat opened her eyes wide in shock, Lily looking up at him, confused.
"First of all, that's horrible." Hulk replied.
"It's Thanos." Rhodey responded.
"And secondly, time doesn't work that way. Changing the past doesn't change the future."
"Look, we go back, we get the Stones before Thanos gets them..." Scott interjected. "Thanos doesn't have the Stones. Problem solved."
"Bingo." Clint said.

"That's not how it works." Nebula muttered.
"Well, that's what I heard." Clint replied.
"Wait, but who? Who told you that?" Banner asked the android.
"Star Trek, Terminator, Time Cop..." Rhodey began to list on his fingers. "Time After Time."
"Quantum Leap." Scott joined in.
"Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time." Rhodey continued.
"Hot Tub Time Machine." Scott added.
"Hot Tub Time Machine, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Basically, any movie that deals with time travel."
"Die Hard. No, that's not one." Scott corrected himself.
"This is known."
"I don't know why everyone believes that," Banner argued. "But that isn't true. Think about it. If you travel to the past... that past becomes your future... and your former present becomes the past... which can't now be changed by your new future."
"Exactly." Nebula agreed, speaking softly and quickly.
"So Back to the Future is a bunch of bullshit?" Scott murmured.
"Um, language?" Nat moved over to Lily, picking her up and placing her on her hip.
"You've spent too much time with Cap, Nat." Rhodey smirked.
"Yeah, I know."