Endgame

by kingoffanfic67

Steven "were in the Endgame now" Lincoln "the fuck does that mean [looks at the tile]...oh...oh shit...wait so we are at the end? [Steven nodes his head and turns to dust]

3. 5 Years Later

FIVE

[A pause]

YEARS

[pause]

LATER

[We see shots of New York City, seemingly abandoned. There are a lot of boats gathered around a dock, all abandoned. A baseball stadium comes into view, with no life present at all. The aftermath of the Decimation is evident, and Earth has not coped well.]

[Cut to an abandoned cafe, with a poster on the wall labeled "WHERE DO WE GO, NOW THAT THEY'RE GONE?". A therapy session is taking place with Steve Rogers and seven other people.]

JOE RUSSO: So I, uh... Went on a date the other day. It's the first time in five years, you know? I'm sitting there at dinner... I didn't even know what to talk about.

STEVE ROGERS: What did you talk about?

JOE RUSSO: Same old crap, you know? How things have changed, and... my job, his job... How much we miss the Mets. And then things get quiet... He cried as they were serving the salads.

JIM STARLIN: What about you?

JOE RUSSO: I cried... just before dessert. But I'm seeing him again tomorrow, so...

STEVE ROGERS: That's great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump, you didn't know where you were gonna come down. 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 went on the ice in '45 right after I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later. You gotta move on. Gotta to 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 have killed all of us.

[Screen Title: SAN FRANCISCO]

(The camera pans to San Francisco Bridge, all the way to a self-storage facility with a sign saying "U-STORE It, SELF STORAGE", with its interior filled with stored stuff and junk until it spots Luis' van from "Ant-Man and the Wasp", behind a metallic fence with a label named "LANG". A rat crawls over the van's rear windshield and accidentally activates the controls for opening the Quantum Realm, haphazardly activating the Quantum Tunnel. The rear door busts open, flinging Lang outside the van.)

Scott Lang: (grunts as he pushes away a cushion out of his body, and deactivates the helmet, but still grunting in pain, as he sweeps away sparks from an electrical failure out of his suit, then try to stand up.) What the hell?

(He manages to stand up, as another electrical failure sparks out of his gauntlets, and now looks around in a confused look.)

Scott Lang: Hope?

(Inside a security office, a security guard (Ken Jeong) reading a book as he looks upon his security screen, seeing something going on in one of the storage facilities. In the cameras, it shows Lang in his casual clothing, shouting, waving a sign with the word "HELP" written on it.)

(Outside the facility, he pulls out a pushcart and looks back seeing the guard giving a stern look from far. He walks around until reaching his hometown, finding a post filled with MISSING posters, abandoned houses, a wrecked car, nothing but desolation. He then sees a kid in a bike pass by.)

Scott Lang: [yells] Kid! Hey kid!

[The kid stops his bike as he stares back in a serious look.]

Scott Lang: What the hell happened here?

[The kid still stares at him and is almost about to tear up, but immediately turns away from him and moves on. Lang still gives the same confused look, as he arrives at a memorial called "THE VANISHED", with all the names of the people who became victims of the Decimation. As Lang arrives on one of the engraved stones, he immediately drops the handle in shock.]

Scott Lang: No. Please. Please, please. [moves on to check the other side of the engraved stone] No, no, no. No. [Lang excuses aside a young couple as he keeps on checking another engraved stone if his daughter's name is on one.] Excuse me, sorry. No, Cassie, no.

[The camera keeps panning and switching as Lang checks the rest of engraved stones if her daughter's name was in one.]

Scott Lang: [in a mantra-like] Please, please, please, please... No, Cassie. [Lang looks at the engraved stone in shock, revealing his name in it.]

Scott Lang: What?

[Scott is now seen running across the memorial, then to his hometown, only to ring a doorbell at his house, bang on the door, and try opening the door, but is found locked. Then, he sees a feminine figure appear out of a hallway inside. The figure gets closer, revealing a woman in a purple sweater, with her hand pushing towards the glass door's window, and her face filled with amazement, as she unlocked the door. It was Lang's daughter, Cassie, now a grown-up teen since the last five years.]

[Cassie, who hasn't seen him for five years, holds up his face in an emotional sight and starts to smile tearfully. Lang does the same.]

SCOTT LANG: Cassie?

CASSIE LANG: Dad? [Both of them emotionally hug each other as both dad and daughter had reunited. Then Lang shoves her back, realizing that her daughter is now a full-grown teenager.]

SCOTT LANG: You're so big!

[Both dad and daughter share a hug once more.]

[The camera cuts to a sunset in San Francisco, showing a metal face with a sign saying in its headings, "RESTRICTED AREA, DO NOT ENTER" with the subtext, "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT, SECURITY ID OR ESCORT REQUIRED", then cuts to a scene inside the New Avengers facility, someone cutting the two bread with peanut butter filling into a couple of triangles, as someone else was speaking. The camera pans up to Romanoff, now having red, long hair, over-colouring her blonde streaks, hearing Rocket Raccoon out about his status so far.]

ROCKET: Yeah, we boarded that highly suspect warship Danvers pinged.

[The camera cuts show a few of the Avengers in holographic calls from the left to right, respectively: Nebula and Rocket Raccoon, Okoye, Danvers with a tomboyish haircut, and Rhodes.]

NEBULA: It was an infectious garbage scowl.

ROCKET: So, thanks for the hot tip. [turns to Danvers and replies back with a smirk]

CAROL DANVERS: Well, you were closer.

ROCKET: Yeah. And now we smell like garbage.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: [turns to Okoye] You get a reading on those tremors?

OKOYE: It was a mild subduction under the African plate.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?

OKOYE: Nat, it's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: [turns to Danvers] Carol, are we seeing you here next month?

CAROL DANVERS: Not likely.

ROCKET: What, you gonna get another haircut?

CAROL DANVERS: [irritated] Listen fur-face, I'm covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth is happening everywhere, on thousands of planets.

ROCKET: [murmurs to himself] All right, all right, that's a good point. That's a good point.

CAROL DANVERS: So you might not see me for a long time.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Alright. Uh, well. This channel is always active. So, if anything goes sideways... anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't... comes through me.

[Okoye agrees in her language.]

ROCKET: Okay.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Alright.

[The Avengers cut off their calls one by one...]

CAROL DANVERS: [To Rhodey] Good luck. [cuts off call]

[Except for Rhodes. Nat sighs exhausted, and sits down, as she notices Rhodes still online in the call.]

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Where are you?

RHODEY: Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys. Never even had the chance to get their guns off.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: It's probably a rival gang.

RHODEY: Except it isn't. (Nat realizes something.) It's definitely Barton. What he's done here, what he's been doing for the last few years... I mean, the scene that he left... (Nat starts to show signs of sadness as she gradually tears up.) I gotta tell you, there's a part of me that doesn't even want to find him.

(In an abrupt moment of silence, she tries to chew her tears and emotional feelings as she eats a sandwich.)

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Will you find out where he's going next?

RHODEY: Nat...

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Please.

RHODEY: [reluctantly] Okay. [then Rhodes cuts off his]

[Nat starts to cry as she tries to hold back her tears miserably.]

STEVE ROGERS: You know I'd offer to cook you dinner but you seem pretty miserable already.

[Out of nowhere, Roger slumps over a bookshelf, in the same mood as he is in the therapy session, as Nat wipes off the tears off her face.]

NATASHA ROMANOFF: You here to do your laundry?

STEVE ROGERS: And to see a friend.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Clearly, your friend is fine.

STEVE ROGERS: You know I saw a pod of whales when I was coming up the bridge.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: In the Hudson?

STEVE ROGERS: There's fewer ships, cleaner water.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side. Um... I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich. [jokingly smiles, as Rogers does the same]

STEVE ROGERS: Sorry. Force of habit. [Throws his jacket, then sits down on another chair, opposite Natasha.]

STEVE ROGERS: You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and... grow. Some do. But not us.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: If I move on, who does this?

STEVE ROGERS: Maybe it doesn't need to be done.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: [Deep in her thoughts] I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job... this family. And I was... I was better because of it. And even though... they're gone... I'm still trying to be better.

STEVE ROGERS: I think we both need to get a life.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: [Smiling] You first.

[A camera footage pops up in front of them, showing Scott Lang with his Quantum Realm Van behind him.]

Scott Lang: Oh! Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn't recognize me.

STEVE ROGERS: [Standing up] Is this an old message?

NATASHA ROMANOFF: [Also standing up] It's the front gate.

SCOTT LANG: Ant-Man? Ant-Man, I know you know that. I need to talk to you guys.

[Cut to Scott inside the Avengers Compound, pacing worriedly in front of Steve and Natasha.]

STEVE ROGERS: Scott. Are you okay?

SCOTT LANG: Yeah. I'm fine.

[He struggles to ask about something. He finally blurts it out.]

SCOTT LANG: Have you ever studied Quantum Physics?

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Only to make conversation.

SCOTT LANG: Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She was my... [struggling to not tell the entire truth about their relationship] She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: I'm sorry. That must've been a very long five years.

SCOTT LANG: Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours.

[Steve and Nat share a quick bewildered glance.]

SCOTT LANG: See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving.

[He strides over to pick up Nat's sandwich, and bites into it.]

STEVE ROGERS: Scott, what are you talking about?

SCOTT LANG: 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 to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos.

STEVE ROGERS: Wait, are you talking about a time machine?

SCOTT LANG: No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way... There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Scott, I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore.

SCOTT LANG: So who do we talk to about this?

[We cut to a cabin in the woods, at the bank of a lake. We see Tony Stark sitting outside what looks like a tiny shed.] TONY STARK: [Clapping his hand in a famous beat. Clap! Clap! Clap-Clap-Clap! Clap-Clap-Clap- Clap!] Chow time! [He seems to be speaking to someone unknown by the audience.] Maguna Loly? Morgan H. Stark and Loly M Loud. You want two some lunch?

MORGAN STARK: Define lunch or be disintegrated. [She puts on a silver and blue helmet similar to Iron Man's]

(A girl with long dark hair walks out in front of Tony. This is Morgan Stark, Tony and Pepper's daughter. She looks to be about 3 4 years of age.)

TONY STARK: Okay, You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I'm making for Mom. and where is your Sister (Takes the helmet off Morgan's head. She emerges out smiling mischievously.)

MORGAN STARK: Okay.Loly out

LOLY LOUD: sowy Mr. Stalk we where playing

TONY STARK: There you go. Are you thinking about lunch? I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce.

Both Girls: No.

TONY STARK: That's what you want. How did you find this?

LOLY LOUD: Garage.

TONY STARK: Really? Were you looking for it?

MORGAN STARK: No. We found it, though.

TONY STARK: You like going to the garage, huh? So does daddy and Uncle. It's fine, actually. Your mom never wears anything I buy her. Same with your Uncle Lincoln

(They start walking towards the house, but Tony notices a black Audi pulling coming to a stop a few meters away. Steve, Nat, and Scott get out of the car. Tony sighs. He is not looking forward to the discussion about to take place. Lincoln comes out with two glasses of sweet tea for him and Tony)

LINCOLN LOUD: he bro i got you some…shit

SCOTT LANG: (Cut to after Scott's plan has been explained to Tony) Now, we know what it sounds like...

STEVE ROGERS: Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?

TONY STARK: Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?

(Scott, Steve and Nat all look puzzled. Science is barely any of their fields.)

STEVE ROGERS: (Tony giving a drink to him.) Thank you.

LINCOLN LOUD: In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming home.

SCOTT LANG: I did.

TONY STARK: No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a... What do you call it?

SCOTT LANG: (Trying to hide his pride) A time heist?

TONY STARK: Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?

SCOTT LANG: The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back.

LINCOLN LOUD: Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?

STEVE ROGERS: I don't believe we would.

TONY STARK: Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise.

SCOTT LANG: Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events -

TONY STARK: I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back To The Future?

SCOTT LANG: [embarrassed] No.

TONY STARK: Good. You made me worried there. 'Cause that'd be horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works.

NATASHA ROMANOFF: Tony... We have to take a stand.

TONY STARK: We did stand. And yet, here we are.

SCOTT LANG: I know you got a lot on the line. You both have a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. [His voice gets louder as he tries to sell his desperation to Tony.] And now, we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that won't even...

TONY STARK: That's right, Scott, I won't even. I have a kid.

[Morgan runs to her dad, who picks her up.]

MORGAN STARK: Mommy told us to come and save you.

TONY STARK: Good job.we're saved. [Turning to face Cap, Nat and Scott.] I wish you'd come here to ask us something else. Anything else. Honestly, we... we missed you guys, it was... Oh, and the table's set for nine.

STEVE ROGERS: Tony, Lincoln, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance.

LINCOLN LOUD: We got our second chance right here, Cap. We can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch. And I have already accepted the fact that I can no longer see half my sisters…please….just don't

[We see Cap, Nat and Scott walking back to their car outside Tony and Lincoln's house.]

NATASHA ROMANOFF: they're scared.

STEVE ROGERS: He's not wrong.

SCOTT LANG: Yeah, but I mean, what are we gonna do? We need them. What, are we gonna stop?

STEVE ROGERS: No, I wanna do it right. We're gonna need a really big brain.

SCOTT LANG: (Incredulous, pointing to Tony and Lincoln's house) Bigger than there's?