Beyond The Stars (UNDER REVISION)

Five Years Later

I rub fingers on the edges of the pages. I look at the book with my lips pressed together. I run my finger over the gold curvature of Loki's Helm on the dust cover. "And that's it. That's those little brave baby steps we gotta take to try and become whole again, try and find purpose." I hear Steve's voice beside me. "I went in the ice in '45 right after I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later. You gotta move on. Gotta move on. The world is in our hands. It's left to us, guys. And we got to do something with it. Otherwise... Thanos should've killed all of us." I huff softly. "Something to add, Dri? Maybe you'd like to share your story?" He gestures to my book. 

I look down and shove it in my bag. "I-... Uh," I laugh softly. "I've lost the love of my life three times." I bite my lip and think. "It doesn't get easier. I've watched the man I love die over and over again..." I take in a sharp breath. "This past time, I truly thought it was it. I believed that we could live here, on Earth, in peace and in love. He told me 'Dri, this is it. We can be how we were before all of this' and then he was taken away from me." I feel myself start to cry, but I push it back. "I'm sorry. This was clearly a mistake," I grab my bag and swiftly leave, ignoring the murmurs from behind me. I push the door open and step out into the filthy streets. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial the number. I wait for the ringing to stop. "Hey, bud."

"Hey, Dri," Anthony's voice says through the phone. 

"I'm going to head to the compound. I know I can trust you. No funny business. If anything goes wrong, call me." 

"Of course. Dri, I'm 13. I can be left home alone." 

"Just... Get your homework done. I'll see you tonight. I love you." 

"Love you too." I take a breath as I hang up the phone. 

I dial a different number. With each ring, my heart gets heavier. "You've reached Adam. If you are Dri, stop calling. If you are not, leave a message and I'll get back to you." I press the red button on my phone before shoving it back into my pocket. I swing my leg over my bike seat and begin my ride to the Avengers Facility. 

Using the towel that's wrapped around my neck, I gently wipe the sweat off my face as I walk into the main conference room. I see a face I never thought to see. "What... H-How is...?"

"Let's see... How do I explain this?" The man begins pacing and muttering to himself. 

"Scott. Are you okay?" Steve asks. 

"Yeah... Have any of you guys ever studied quantum physics?" 

"Of course," I say. 

"Only to make conversation," Nat says at the same time. 

He points to us. "Alright, so, five years ago, right before... Thanos... I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like it's own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope. She's my, uhm, she was my... She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened and I got stuck in there." 

"I'm sorry. That must have been a very long five years." 

"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours. See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody sandwich?" I look at the table. "I'm starving." 

"Scott. What are you talking about?"

With his mouth full, he turns back to us "So. What I'm saying is... Time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit the Quantum Realm at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos."