Tony Stark sat down with a look of despair in his eyes, having not moved after witnessing his protégé Peter Parker beg for his life repeatedly, before he had faded away into nothing like the rest of the hastily put together team that had sparred with him here on Titan. The young Spider-Man's final expression as he apologized for his shortcomings was engraved within his mind, he knew it would be for the rest of his life. Tony fought back the emotions and tears that threatened to come, though he was unsure why, given that the only other living being within proximity was the blue robot-like lady, seemingly almost devoid of flesh.

His thoughts turned to the battle they had just lost, as he replayed the events that led to their defeat. First, the tactical teamwork and utilization of everyone to their strengths seemed to give them a slight upper hand against Thanos, though Tony knew now that the Titan likely could've ended the desperate skirmish before it had even begun. It was like he wanted a fight…

But they had miraculously managed subdue him with the Mantis creature, and in the moment, he had wanted to give Quill, the plucky man from Missouri who had created a life for himself in space, his props for succeeding. He and Parker pulled at the gauntlet with all their might, and they were oh so close, until the self-proclaimed Star-Lord had unraveled his own plan by hitting the Titan's face with his gun. Stark closed his fist shakingly, trying and failing to contain his anger.

Why couldn't Quill just wait a few more seconds once the gauntlet was off? Couldn't he have at least fired his plasma gun instead of slapping off Mantis's grip? Still, Tony knew why he did it, drawing parallels to his own experience two years prior, in his effort to blow apart Bucky Barnes, blinded by his rage. But he still felt anger, given the circumstances with half the universe at stake this time, compared to the Avengers' petty Civil War over superhero regulations when he had lost control. Whether it was rational or not…

"Terran," the blue lady spoke, her voice cold. Tony snapped back to reality, his eyes meeting hers. "You've been sitting there for the past thirty minutes."

He studied the woman, the cold and calculating look in her eye, her body appearing to be augmented by some sort of metal, unsure what to make of her. He swallowed hard, his mind still tormenting him of his brief mano a mano with Thanos. When she realized he wasn't going to say anything, she shifted gears.

"Who was the boy?" she asked more quietly, her voice seeming to muster as much empathy as she could. "The one who you held?"

He sighed, knowing he shouldn't keep up the silent treatment, so that he wouldn't alienate his final potential ally on the planet, but it hurt to even think about the demise that had befallen Parker, much less discuss it with this unpredictable stranger. Still, he knew he had to give some form of answer to her.

Tony took a deep breath that was cut short, as the insides of his midsection protested against the action, then spilled. "He was… kind of the world to me, took him under my wing for a while. It just… his death hit me the hardest, I knew him the most out of everyone here, like a son." His eyes threatened to well up with liquid again, but he refrained once more, letting out a half-hearted "Sorry about that" before falling silent again.

The woman seemed surprised by his show of emotion, Tony could tell from the way her eyes shifted, to where she glanced at him curiously. The moment had passed quickly though, her face becoming unreadable again, as she held her hand out to him. He hesitated momentarily, but took the gesture nonetheless, knowing that nothing good could come of mourning any longer, as it would just overwhelm him into an endless abyss of sorrow. He needed some form of distraction at the moment.

He stood up with some difficulty, as his adrenaline rush from the fight had come and gone, the woman supporting his weight as he limped forward. As he draped his arm over her shoulder, he found the strength to form the question dancing on his tongue:

"Where are we going?"

"Where else? Terra of course," she replied curtly. He blinked twice, confused, and she got the hint. "Your planet Earth, okay? We're certainly not going to find my father now, he could be anywhere in the universe at this point. He won't show us mercy if we return regardless."

Earth. Her mention of it made his chest feel even more compressed. Were any of the Avengers still alive? How had they fared against the Mad Titan? Did it matter, since either way he had obtained the sixth stone? Whatever the case, all he could hope for was that Thanos at the very least showed the same 'mercy' he did to the group on Titan.

He nodded, relieved that at least someone was on the same page as him today, a plan beginning to form in his head. He decided to probe a little more, and asked her what they would do once they arrived.

"We'll have to heal your wounds first," she told him, and Tony almost rolled his eyes at the obvious statement, before realizing it would be wise to let her continue. "Find as many of your allies as possible, I certainly have none left, then learn as much about the Infinity Stones as possible. It's the best option at the moment, since it seems that powerful sorcerers and other heroes reside on your planet." No doubt she was referring to the now deceased Dr. Strange.

They trudged forward together in a respectful silence for one another afterwards, the words spoken of what lied ahead looming in their minds. Tony didn't mind the rudimentary beginnings of the plan, as despite being keen for a chance at vengeance, he knew even in his current unraveled emotional state that it would be wise to regroup first, especially now that it was likely no one knew where Thanos was. After a few minutes, they entered a relatively intact ship, Tony stumbling towards one of the seats.

"Quill's ship?" he inquired, surprised at the lack of venom in his voice. But maybe he just didn't have the energy for that right now.

She nodded, beginning to power up the vessel. "He called it the Benatar." There was a fleeting hint of sadness on her face, no doubt she was thinking of Star-Lord and his plucky group of jokesters. It didn't take long for the ship to go airborne, as the blue woman plotted their course for Earth. Once they had exited the atmosphere of Titan and the ship had stabilized in the vacuum of space, Tony finally allowed himself to relieve some of his tension, if only slightly.

As he watched various stars and planets disappear in the distance, he suddenly wished that his first experience of intergalactic space travel had come under different circumstances. He shook the thought out of his subconsciousness, willing himself to stay focused on what laid ahead. Glancing over at the machine-like lady who was his only confidant for now, it occurred to him that he didn't even know her name. And as much as he didn't mind the silence, the last thing he wanted was for his thoughts to drift back to the battle.

"Oh, I'm Tony by the way," he said, deciding just to be blunt about it. "Tony Stark."

"I'd say we're past formalities at this point, Mr. Stark," she replied, sounding chillier than usual. After a few moments, she seemed to reconsider her stance, sighing.

"Nebula," she told him, as if her name was a curse. Nodding to his midsection, she asked, "How's it holding up?"

Tony reached to touch the grievous stab wound, but instead he only felt metal, his suit's nanobots having regenerated after the battle. He retracted the armor, assessing the damage at hand. While the nanobots had stopped the blood from flowing out and were frantically scrambling to stabilize his torn insides, he knew his condition wouldn't improve much until he received proper medical assistance. He was still resisting the urge to cough up the blood that had surged up his throat.

"Not bad," he lied, deciding he could hang on for another few hours.

She shifted her face, making an expression to suggest she was raising her eyebrows in disbelief (except she had no eyebrows), but left the subject alone. After a prolonged silence where the two observed the cosmos, Nebula got up and headed towards the back of the ship, returning with some sort of broth.

"You have to eat," she said, handing him a spoon before adding, "I didn't save you just to have you die on this ship. Eat."

Tony accepted the food and utensil with a trembling hand, sipping the soup quietly, head down. He expected the woman to leave him be after that exchange, so it surprised him when he startled to find one of her metal hands resting on his shoulder. Cold, but oddly comforting in the moment.

"Your head doesn't seem to be in the best place right now," she said, a note of sympathy passing through her tough exterior once more. Tony opened his mouth to deny these allegations, but she held up her other hand and continued. "No one is right now. Just… don't completely lose yourself right now. Get some rest. That's all I can say."

And with that, the moment passed as Nebula straightened up, telling him they would reach Earth in about two hours before walking away.

He craned his neck to glance back at her, befuddled by the woman's behavior. He could tell even from their short exchange that she wasn't a very sociable person, but she had still done well in digging him out of the trench his mind was buried in. She didn't mention anything from her own past, but judging from the lack of flesh, the woman certainly had a troubled one, which explained her typical cold demeanor. Tony didn't mind, he really just needed the company to keep his thoughts at bay. If she wanted to talk about what cruel fate had befallen her earlier, that would be up to her.

For now, he decided to heed her advice as he leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes at last.


Defeat.

While that was what the Avengers in Wakanda had suffered at the hand of Thanos, the stakes had never been higher.

Trillions of living beings across the universe were gone now because of their failure, a reality that was beginning to sink in for those who survived the battle and Thanos's final act.

They didn't know what to do.

No off handed quip, joke, or heartfelt speech would bring the team out of their heads this time around for the moment, the events of the day shadowing them into a dark place.

Steve Rogers seemed to be headed down that path, as he sat down on the log next to where Vision had died, once by his own accord, followed by a gut-wrenching death at the hands of the purple Titan. The once proud Captain America seemed… broken, a vacant faraway look in his eyes.

Thor meanwhile stood to the side, away from the group that remained when the dust settled. The God of Thunder's eyes bored a hole into the spot where the Mad Titan had mocked his aim before he snapped and exited hastily using the Space Stone. The losses he had suffered that day were only just starting to catch up to him, even before when he had confided in the rabbit Rocket, it still hadn't quite hit him, as he knew there would be a chance to avenge the fallen. He knew in that moment that his journey to Nidavellir with the forging of Stormbreaker would lead to victory, no matter how many Infinity Stones he had to face.

Now he wasn't sure he knew anything at all.

Thanos would never give him or any of the other Avengers that chance again as he hid out in space, somewhere it could take eons to locate him. Thor knew that even with just the Reality Stone, Thanos could turn him and the others into rocks if he pleased, but all six now… the man could erase them from reality with a thought. And with the Black Order members all dead, except for perhaps the telekinetic Thor had seen on the ship, they didn't have a remote idea of where to even begin a search.

Those who were left were of a similar mindset, the losses of those who fought alongside them being mourned, Wakandan warriors and Avengers alike. Murmurs spread throughout the battlefield, people trying to comprehend what had just transpired.

The thing that would get them the most were the words spoken as it happened.

Bucky Barnes's simple "Steve" as he disintegrated, Rhodey yelling Sam's name repeatedly as he searched, never finding a body, Okoye slight hyperventilation as her king died right before her eyes, Rocket begging Groot, who at one point was his only companion, to stay. It was like a nightmare where you screamed but couldn't wake up.

But this was real.

It was a while before anyone who fought against Thanos directly had snapped out of their stupor. Captain Rogers had been the first, walking over to Thor, who looked as if it was taking all his willpower to maintain his sanity. The skies were still clear however, no rumblings yet.

"Thor," he said simply, the word welcoming yet serious.

"Hello Captain," the anointed Point Break replied, turning to face him.

Steve extended his hand, knowing neither of them would be very forthcoming of their experiences of the past two years, including the battle that had been just fought.

"Avengers assemble?" Cap asked.

Thor nodded, taking the First Avenger's hand and shaking it firmly, a paper-thin smile managing to appear on his face despite everything.

"I suppose so," was all the answer he could muster before the two men embraced one another.


The remaining Avengers—Cap, Thor, Banner, Rhodes—held an emergency meeting with the remaining leadership in Wakanda in Shuri, Okoye, M'Baku, and the queen Ramonda, mother of T'Challa. Rocket was present as well, mainly because the talking raccoon had some intel on Thanos. Meanwhile, Natasha was outside the room, making numerous phone calls to see who else was still available to help them with the aftermath.

"What's our next move?" Bruce asked to open the discussion.

"We have go after Thanos," Thor said in a hushed manner, knowing it would be a fruitless journey to locate the Titan, but he had nothing else in mind. "Maybe if we can…"

Rocket's eyes raised in fear as the man trailed off into thought. "Look, Thor… I hate to break it to you, but Thanos could be anywhere in the whole universe right now," the raccoon began. "And even if you manage to find him, he won't be in the mood to do battle now that his goal is complete."

M'Baku chimed agreement. "Wakanda will not help you in your efforts."

"But M'Baku-" Okoye protested.

"BUT WHAT? More than half of our tribes killed in battle, some vanishing before my very eyes. Even our king," his voice quieted down as his rant progressed. "We are no position to fight such a battle now, you know that."

Okoye's eyes looked down to the floor, conceding to the head of the Jabari tribe's points.

"Well then, what do you suggest we do?" a hint of temper flared in Thor's voice before it softened a bit. "I know it isn't the grandest of ideas, but the way I see it, there's nothing else to be done."

"Help the Earth recuperate," This was Steve interjecting. "There's likely already mass hysteria amongst the living, and a lot more than half of all life could be lost if we don't help."

"That might have to wait," Rhodes said, a frown on his face. "Cap, you're still enemy number one in the world right now, I don't like it as much as anyone else here does, but that's the reality of our situation right now. I'll try to get through to the Accords council in the meantime, but we're better off staying here for now. Assuming you're okay with that." War Machine glanced over at the Wakandan royalty for their approval, which was given quickly.

Steve shook his head at the reminder of Earth's slow turning wheels of politics in this era, but nodded agreement anyway.

"In regards to the rest of the Earth," Ramonda spoke sadly. "Some news stations' broadcasts just came back on the air a few minutes."

The group turned their eyes to the holographic television that covered the entirety of the wall, channels across the world showing the world in turmoil, pictures of plane crashes and reports of police being overwhelmed by crime in cities around the world. The group stared at the scenes being shown, sagging slightly, before Bruce spoke up to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, so going after Thanos is a no for now," he began, trying to be a calming presence. "And we aren't going to do much good for the Earth until the panic has gone down a bit. So where does that leave us?"

"In a tight spot for sure," Natasha said grimly, having returned from her phone calls.

"What's our status Nat?" Steve asked quickly.

"I got through to Clint, his whole family's… gone. Told him to stay safe for now, maybe take a Quinjet here when things simmer down a bit. Nothing from Scott…" the Black Widow bit her lip at what she had to say next. "Pepper, she's put herself on lockdown for the time being, no word from Tony though, didn't even go to voicemail."

The group nodded as Natasha took a seat, digesting the news. Eyes flickered towards the screens on the wall once more before Cap rose from his chair, having determined the best course of action. Everyone turned to face the Avengers' leader.

"It hurts to say this," he started, before inhaling a deep breath. "But we have to think long term here, for us and the Earth—no the universe's survival. Thanos seems untouchable right now, we aren't going to bring anyone back by going down that path. Not yet."

"What are you saying?" Rocket asked as the Avenger paused, earning him stares from the rest of the table.

Steve sighed. "What I'm saying is, we'll have to take this one step at a time. Eventually, we'll find a way to pinpoint that purple bastard, but no more battling for now. We're gonna have to pick up the pieces, starting with finding whatever other allies we have left, no matter how small."

Surprisingly, everyone nodded agreement, adjourning the meeting. It wasn't much of a plan, not even a plan at all in truth, but it was a start to steer the ship in the right direction in a post-apocalyptic world.


As Scott suited up in his suit, Hank assuring him all the kinks were worked out, something came to his mind, an idea that could be a real time saver. He thought of it on the spot while Janet was explaining to him the dangers of the quantum realm. Something about time vortices and other scientific lingo being used.

"Hey Hank, couldn't we just have Hope and I go in to get this quantum energy stuff at the same time? Might save us a couple of trips doing this. I mean, efficiency and all that."

Hank frowned at this, not because of the idea, the idea was good, but from the fact that it was Scott who thought of it. "Well," he said, conceding to the ex-con for the first time in a while, "I don't see why not. Janet and I are enough backup on the outside as it is already."

Hope smiled at her father's mutters under his breath, catching the words "never ceases to amaze" and "couldn't think of it" as he handed her an identical thermos as Scott's to contain the quantum healing particles they would retrieve. She suited up quickly, joining Scott at the entry point of the quantum tunnel.

"Nervous?" Scott teased her, and a smile creeped up Hope's face as she gave him a sideways glance. "I mean, it's okay if you are, I do have experience over you in this area."

She laughed and was about to fire a joke of her own back at him, but Hank cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but could we save the not so subtle flirting for when the adults are not here?" he chided.

The two froze at his comment, putting on their helmets so Hank and Janet wouldn't see the blush creeping up their faces. "Sorry Dad, I could only inherit so much of your 'always down to business' personality," Hope retorted with a grin.

"Right," Hank said, shaking his head slightly. "Anyway, all checks are complete, readying for deployment in 5… 4… 3… 2… and 1." He pushed the button, sending Scott and Hope through the tunnel in the back of Luis's van.

Before they went subatomic, they could hear Janet trying to get Hank to ease up. "Let them have their fun," she said.

As they entered the microverse, Hope looked around in awe, the place being just as beautiful as Hank had described. The fixed point where Scott and Hope had been transported to was vibrant with all sorts of colors on the spectrum. It was like another universe, each individual space so defined.

The two held hands, mesmerized by the view. "Wow" was all Hope could say in that moment.

"I know right?" Scott said giddily. "I didn't remember seeing this my first time around. Actually, I don't remember seeing much of anything at all."

Hope smiled again, still taking it all in. "You know, there's only so much you can learn about a place with just research, especially when there are no photos of it. Seeing it physically, in person, it's something else. Thank you Scott, for giving Hank the idea."

"Well, I didn't just tell him that to save time," he said as the two embraced one another. "I figured you would love to see the place of your own accord."

"Again, could we settle down on the PDAs here and get what we need here?" Hank's voice over the comms device in their ears startled the pair, as they quickly went back to only holding hands.

"Right, right, sorry about that," Scott said sheepishly as he opened his thermos, watching as it absorbed and contained the quantum energy. Hope did the same, the task swiftly completed with no issue whatsoever.

"Quantum energy for Ghost contained and stabilized," Hope reported to the two on the outside. "Ready for re-entry."

"Good," Hank's voice sounded weary now, but after a pause he spoke again. "Preparing for re-entry in…"

Hank's end suddenly fizzled out.

"Okay, good joke guys, you really got us there," Scott said sarcastically, applauding the charade he thought was going on.

After a few seconds, Hope spoke up. "Mom? Dad? Look we'll…" she looked over at Scott and gave him a wink. "We'll tone down the flirting, okay?"

Time continued to move along, but there was no sign of either Hank or Janet's voices resurfacing on the comm. "Guys, seriously, it's not funny anymore, can you get us out of here?" Scott asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"MOM? DAD? What's going on up there?" Hope added.

The two continued their shouts for help a little longer, until it had finally sunk in for them.

Something terrible had happened.

Were Hank and Janet attacked? By who? Was the quantum tunnel still working? These questions only caused them to wrap their arms around each other, as the Ant-Man and the Wasp pondered the potential answers.

But not even the worst of their imaginations could even begin to think of a scenario as terrifying as what had actually transpired outside the quantum realm.

"Hope?" Scott asked, turning to face her. The two held each other as if the other would vanish if one of them let go. "What do we do now?"

And then Hope Van Dyne, the smartest woman Scott had ever met in his life, uttered the words that Scott never thought he would hear from her ever, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know."


A/N: Thanks for reading! I know this is probably just one of hundreds of A4 fanfics out there at this point, but I'm always usually late to the party. Please review, rate, follow, and all that good stuff if you think you're enjoying the story so far. You can PM me for suggestions on future chapters, I'm always open to them so I can improve on my rudimentary writing skills.

Yes, I kept Hope alive, it was a gut punch when she was dusted after her character development in Ant Man and The Wasp.

Stay tuned for more updates!