United Heroes Compound

[Cut to the United Heroes HQ and the Quantum platform everyone looks around to see all the recovered stones]

SHADOW: Did we get them all?

RHODEY: You telling me this'll actually work?

[There's a pause as everyone starts to realise someone is missing]

BRUCE BANNER: Clint, where's Nat?

[The silence from Clint tells them all they need to know. The mission was completed but at a dire cost. Sadness overtakes everyone. Bruce falls to his knees and pounds the floor in grief.]

[Cut to outside HQ. Lakeside, Tony, Steve, Thor, Clint, and Bruce are mourning their fallen teammate and friend]

TONY STARK: Do we know if she had family?

STEVE ROGERS: Yeah. Us.

THOR: (confused) What?

TONY STARK: I just asked him a question–

THOR: Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right? [GROWLING.] So stop this shit. We're the United Heroes, get it together.

CLINT BARTON: We can't get her back.

THOR: Wha– what?

CLINT BARTON: It can't be undone. It can't.

[Thor dryly laughs.]

THOR: I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive don't you think?

CLINT BARTON: (to Thor) Yeah, look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?

THOR: No, that's my point–

CLINT BARTON: It can't– be undone. Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say. (shouts) Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? GO GRAB YOUR HAMMER, AND YOU GO FLY AND TALK TO HIM!

[Clint's anger is quickly replaced with grief]

CLINT BARTON: It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it.

[In a burst of anger, Bruce grabs a bench and hurls it clear across the lake. His anger spent, he turns to the others with a resigned look on his face]

BRUCE BANNER: She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to.

STEVE ROGERS: We will.

[Inside the compound Shadow, Sonic and Batman are grieving as well.]

SONIC: We weren't meant to lose anyone else.

SHADOW: I know.

SONIC: It's not fair damn it

BATMAN: She acted for the greater good, she sacrificed her life, to save trillions. Her final act was a noble one.

SHADOW: Yes it was.

[Cut to inside the Lab. Tony carefully places the stones in the gauntlet he made while Bruce, Sonic and Rocket watches. With nervous precision, Tony manipulates the machine and carefully places all six stones into the gauntlet]

ROCKET: Boom!

[Tony, Sonic and Bruce jump a bit, and quickly groan at Rocket's joke.]

TONY STARK: Hey wait I just realised something. Hey spike ball why didn't we use the chaos emeralds?

SONIC: We can't, their power has been completely depleted, ever since knuckles got dusted, the Master Emerald somehow lost its power and therefore so did the emeralds.

TONY STARK: Huh.

[Scene cuts to another room with the new finished gauntlet. Everyone is gathered around it.]

ROCKET: All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?

THOR: I'll do it.

SHADOW: Excuse me?

THOR: It's okay.

EVERYONE: (holding up Thor) No, no, no, whoa. Stop. Stop. Wait a sec. Hey, hey–

STEVE ROGERS: Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet.

THOR: I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?

SCOTT LANG: We should at least discuss it.

THOR: No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Hero, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty.

TONY STARK: It's not about that–

THOR: (hushes everyone up) It's not that– Stop it! Just let me! (he tears up) Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right.

TONY STARK : Look– It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition.

THOR: What do you– What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?

RHODEY: Cheez Whiz?

THOR: The Lightning.

TONY STARK: Yeah.

BRUCE: Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me.

[Thor lets go of Tony. Sorry, Thor. Maybe next time.]

BRUCE BANNER: You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive.

STEVE ROGERS: How do we know you will?

BRUCE BANNER: We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. [He takes a good look at the gauntlet] It's like...I was made for this.

[Nebula (2014) sneaks off to the Quantum portal and activates it]

TONY STARK: Good to go, yeah?

BRUCE BANNER: Let's do it.

TONY STARK: You remember– everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years.

BRUCE BANNER: Got it.

[Everyone gets ready and suits up]

TONY STARK: J.A.R.V.I.S., do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?

J.A.R.V.I.S: Yes, sir.

[The facility goes on lockdown]

BRUCE BANNER: Everybody comes home.

[Bruce puts on the gauntlet, which nanobotically expands to fit his hand, and the power surge overwhelms him. He grunts in pain.]

SONIC: Take it off! Take it off!

STEVE ROGERS: No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?

TONY STARK: Talk to me, Banner.

BRUCE BANNER: I'm okay. I'm okay.

[Thor gives a double thumbs up, scene cuts to Nebula (2014) opening the Quantum Tunnel and brings the Sanctuary II to the present.]

[Bruce screams, fighting through the intense pain coursing through his body courtesy of the gauntlet, and manages to snap his fingers. He faints and the gauntlet slides off his arm, Clint kicks it away]

STEVE ROGERS: Bruce!

BATMAN: Banner!

TONY STARK: Don't move him.

BRUCE ROGERS: [Bruce holds onto Steve's arm] Did it work?

THOR: Worth a shot. It's over. It's okay.

[Scott walks towards the outside windows and sees plants and birds. Clint hears his phone ringing and sees it's his wife calling]

CLINT BARTON: (struggling to speak from sheer happiness) Honey. Honey.

SCOTT LANG: Guys– I think it worked!

[Bruce opens his eyes and sees the Sanctuary II up in the sky and a single missile heading towards the base blowing away Scott away. Then a continuous array of missiles destroys the base completely and everyone sinks below to the underground.]

[The camera pans over to see Bruce holding up tons of debris from collapsing on top of the other Avengers with his one good arm. Some debris is stuck on top of Rocket.]

ROCKET: I can't breathe. I can't breathe! I can't breathe.

RHODEY: Canopy. Canopy. Canopy. [Rhodey gets out of his damaged suit]

SHADOW: Ugh, What the hell?

BRUCE BANNER: Rhodey, Shadow, Rocket, get outta here!

[Rhodey and Shadow crawl over to help Rocket while taking a rebar as leverage to lift the debris off Rocket]

ROCKET: Hurry up! Hurry up! Come on!

[Rhodey and Shadow get Rocket out and they both sigh in relief]

BRUCE BANNER: Guys!

[A flood engulfs Rhodey, Shadow and Rocket]

[Scene cuts to Scott who survives the blast by shrinking.]

RHODEY: Mayday, mayday! Does anybody copy? We're in the lower level, it's flooding!

SCOTT LANG: What?

SHADOW: We're drowning! Does anybody copy? Mayday!

SCOTT LANG: Wait! I'm here! I'm here, can you hear me?

[Scene cuts to Clint in the sewer system and trying to get his bearings. He flashes a light upwards to see what happened.]

CLINT BARTON: Cap?

[Clint finds the gauntlet is with him but senses he's not alone down there. He shoots an arrow with light towards the dark tunnel and finds hordes of Outriders.]

CLINT BARTON: [under his breath] Damn.

[Clint takes the gauntlet and runs towards the opposite direction while the Outriders chase after him.]

[Scene cuts to the Sanctuary II and it beams Thanos (2014) fully armoured to the ground. Nebula walks towards him.]

THANOS (2014): Daughter.

NEBULA (2014): Yes, Father.

THANOS (2014): So, this is the future. Well done.

[Nebula (2014) takes off the orange plate on her head and throws it away]

NEBULA (2014): Thank you, Father. They suspected nothing.

[Thanos (2014) plants his double-bladed sword on the ground, takes off his helmet and places on top of the sword's edge.]

THANOS (2014): The arrogant never do.

[Thanos then sits down]

THANOS (2014): Go. Find the stones. Bring them to me.

NEBULA (2014): What will you do?

THANOS (2014): Wait.