The Prince and the Sol

Chapter 22

ELIZA'S POV

"Are you ready for a day of who-knows-what?" I ask Loki playfully as we walk hand in hand towards the testing area. We're working on Quantum suits and a time machine, so anything can happen. And despite that, I'm excited.

"I'm not quite sure what I'm ready for," Loki replies. "But I think today will certainly be interesting."

"Amen to that." I give him a kiss, just because I'm his wife and I can.

"Hey, lovebirds! Plan on being helpful?" Tony yells from the other side of the room. "Ratchet, how's it going?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" I say, rolling my eyes.

"It's Rocket!" He pokes his head out from underneath a glass platform he's working below. "Take it easy. You're only a genius on earth, pal." Tony shrugs.

"Eliza, Bruce wants you to help him with the Quantum suits. Antlers, make yourself useful here."

"Okay. See you later, Lokes."

"Be careful." I wave and trot off to the lab to find Scott in a suit and yelling at my brother while Rhodey watches.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy!" He snaps.

"I'm being very careful," Bruce replies calmly. Scott holds up a red vial.  

"These are Pym Particles, all right? 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, it's okay," I say soothingly, letting a bit of my tranquility to pass into him. He gives me an apologetic look.

"Sorry. We've got enough for one round trip each. That's it. No do-overs. Plus two test runs." He bumps a button and shrinks into nothingness for a second before returning. Glancing around sheepishly, he says, "One test run."

I want to be mad, but it's so hard.

"All right, I'm not ready for this," he mumbles.

"I'm game. I'll do it." Clint. Tattooed and mohawked, but it's Clint. I instantly launch myself into his arms. He stumbles back a bit but hugs me tightly.

"I missed you!" I say, eyes swimming with tears. I haven't seen him since the Raft. "Seven years, Clint!"

"Hey, I missed you too. And congratulations," he says, smiling a bit. The darkness in him lightens a bit. "Let's get this over with, so we can have a proper reunion later."

Minutes later, we're all out in the main area, waiting for Clint to test the time machine. "Clint, now you're gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chrono-shift. Don't worry about it," Bruce says. Clint barely nods as he takes his place on the platform.

"Wait a second, let me ask you something," Rhodey says, stepping forward. "If we can do this, you know, go back in time, why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know, and..." He pretends to take a rope and tie a big noose.

"Personally, I like that idea," Loki comments from his spot in the corner.

"First of all, that's horrible!" Bruce says. I privately agree with Rhodey's sentiment, but I keep my mouth shut. It wouldn't work, anyway.

"It's Thanos," Rhodey says dismissively.

"The thing is, time doesn't work that way," I explain to the group at large. "Changing the past doesn't actually change the future."

"Look, we go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them, and Thanos doesn't have the stones! Problem solved." Scott looks so happy with his plan. I feel bad that we have to disprove it.

"Bingo," Clint adds.

"That's not how it works," Bruce insists.

"Well, that's what I heard," Clint says, shrugging. Bruce looks like he's trying really hard to not roll his eyes. And failing.

"What? By who? Who told you that?"

"Star Trek, Terminator, TimeCop, Time After Time-"

"Quantum Leap-"

"A Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time-"

"Hot Tub Time Machine-"

"Hot Tub Time Machine. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," Rhodey finishes. "Basically, any movie that deals with time travel."

"Die Hard? No, that's not one," Scott mumbles.

"I don't know why everyone believes that, but that isn't true," Bruce explains. "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 finishes, nodding.

"So... Back to the Future's a bunch of bull?" Scott asks angrily. Bruce ignores him and readies the controls.

"Alright, Clint. We're going in 3... 2... 1!" I hold my breath as the mask covers his face and he goes subatomic. Please let him come back, please let him come back. My hand finds Loki's, and I grip it tightly.

Clint rematerializes on the platform, gasping. Nat immediately runs up, with the rest of us close behind.

"Hey, hey. Look at me. You okay?"

There's a moment where I think he won't respond. He slowly nods, tossing a baseball glove to Tony. "Yeah. It worked. It worked."

It worked.

Hey everyone! How's it going??? We're getting close to the action, I can't wait!!!