"Are we really letting those idiots leave?" Rocket asks no one in particular.
"We have to." Star-Lord responds. "They're the only ones capable of reaching Omnipotence City."
"I'm sure we could have found a way." Rocket grumbles.
"I'm sure we could have, too." Star-Lord relents. She takes a moment to watch the Commodore fly away and waits for it to pick up speed and get out of ear range. Once she is satisfied, she turns toward Rocket. "That was a tracker you gave them, right."
"Hell yeah!" Rocket responds. "You think I'm going to trust someone like Nebula to be loyal to us? Even if he is Gamora's sister." Rocket jumps up and gives Star-Lord a high five.
"We'll check up on them later." Peter Quill says turning toward Mantis and Drax. "Right now, we need to find the rest of those stones." She looks around the beach for a moment, passing over the Avengers. "Where's Groot?"
"I don't know." Rocket responds. "He left his game on the ship."
Tony approaches Star-Lord and interrupts them. "Okay, so we know where two stones are now."
"Three." Rocket corrects.
"Three?" Tony asks.
"Yes." Rocket answers. "The reality stone, the soul stone, and the power stone."
"Right, the power stone." Tony replies. "Do you happen to know exactly where that is?"
"Yes!" Rocket tells Tony. "And no, actually."
"What do you mean, yes and no?" Tony inquires.
"She means the stone is not somewhere," Star-Lord says, "it's with someone."
"Someone? Who?" Tony wonders.
"You remember Captain Marvel?" Rocket asks him. Tony looks at Rocket trying to recall.
"Big guy, wearing blue." Star-Lord says. "Looks like a G.I. Joe figure. He was at the hearings."
"He sounds vaguely familiar." Tony tells them.
"Well, we're pretty sure he has it." Rocket continues. "If he does, it's not going to be easy getting it away from him. He was already superpowered before possessing it, now..." Rocket pauses for effect. "Well I'm sure you remember the fight with Thanos."
"Yeah, and I don't think he likes sharing either." Star-Lord adds.
"Alright, then we'll worry about that one last." Tony says. "Let's see if we can find information about the rest." Tony turns away and starts his projection again.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" Sam Wilson says, as he comes running from further up the beach. He's in shorts, not wearing a shirt, and is covered in little particles of sand. "I saw a ship taking off. Hi Bruce." He tells the Hulk who is still standing nearby.
"Mr. Wilson," Tony addresses him. "I'm glad you could join us. Where have you been.?"
"I was just getting some exercise." Sam responds. "I don't know if it's the air here, but I feel great."
"Yeah, that's good." Tony passively turns away. "Thor just ran off with another evil brother and the rest of us are trying to track down the infinity stones." Tony starts messing with the digital dial of his tracker again, he's now distracted.
"Are you sure you were exercising?" Star-Lord asks Sam. "You look like you haven't started."
"Yeah." Sam responds. "I literally came running from the hills over there." Sam points off in the distance.
"Over there?" Star-Lord asks, skeptically. "That has to be at least thirty minutes away. You couldn't have just run the whole way."
"Yeah I did." Sam tells Star-Lord. "I was with Scott and Hope. They were right behind me." Sam turns around to point at them, but he can't see anyone. "At least I thought they were."
"Have you always been so tall?" Clint asks as him and Natasha join the conversation.
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Peter Parker joins them as well. "You definitely look different.
"I don't feel any different." Sam responds.
"No," Natasha interrupts them. "You definitely look different." He takes a step closer to Sam. "You're a lot more... muscular, and you've definitely grown a few inches." Sam looks at Natasha questioningly. "I can tell because I got much taller after the changes, and suddenly you're equally taller than me... again."
Sam stops to think about his height for a moment. He looks at Tony Stark who is not paying attention, then toward Clint."Yeah, you're right." He tells Natasha. "Everyone does look a little smaller."
"Why'd you have to look at me?" Clint asks, somewhat annoyed.
"I'm sorry," Sam says, "You and Tony are the only ones who haven't changed. I needed a reference." Sam looks back toward Natasha. "What do you think it is?"
"You think it's the blood?" Peter Parker asks.
"The blood?" Sam asks back.
"From your transfusion with Captain America." The Hulk responds. "Dr. Strange was worried about side effects. Could this be it?"
"Everything was fine, the last we checked." Sam tells them. "But we haven't had any further checkups since we arrived on the planet. He's been too busy."
"You're not worried there might be side effects?" Natasha asks.
"I figured I'd feel sick or something if there were any side effects." Sam says.
"Are there any other changes?" Steve Rogers asks as she attempts to roll her chair closer. The sand is making it difficult for her to move.
"Not that I know of." Sam responds. "I haven't really kept an eye out for any changes. It never occurred to me that I would have the opposite of adverse health effects."
"There has to be some way we can test him." Peter Parker says. "Is there maybe something heavy you can lift?"
"Why don't you try jumping?" Clint says. "I've seen the Captain here jump nearly two stories before."
"Two stories?" Sam asks, suddenly looking nervous. "I don't think I can do that." He takes a step back and looks around. "I'll give it a shot." After a quick crouch Sam launches himself in the air and manages to reach a bit more than six feet, before slamming down. Sand flies everywhere and the others have to brush themselves off. "How was that?" Sam asks.
"There's definitely some super strength." Peter Parker says.
"Or something else at play." Bruce adds.
"Are you sure it's not the planet?" Sam asks, now looking even more concerned.
"Clint and I seem fine." Natasha tells him.
"Are you okay?" Steve asks, as she studies Sam's face. "You seem a little more concerned than I would expect."
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Sam looks away, clearly lying. The others wait for his response. "It's just..." He thinks for a moment. "I've always prided myself on being able to keep up without any superpowers or anything..." He looks down, somewhat embarrassed. "It was kind of my thing."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with having superpowers." Steve Rogers says. "You're still you."
"I know that." Sam responds. "At least I hope I am still me."
"What do you mean?" Peter Parker asks. Steve Rogers looks away, implying she has an idea.
Sam looks at Peter and thinks about what to say before speaking. "Historically, people who've taken the super soldier serum don't come out... the same. Cap' is the exception."
"Wait, really?" Peter Parker asks, now concerned.
"Red Skull, Abomination... and others." Natasha fills in the gaps.
"Abomination?" Peter asks. "But didn't he take the same thing as..." She looks at Bruce who slowly nods. Reality and concern seem to set in for Peter.
"No one has ever been able to get the formula right." Bruce tells Peter. "My lab was working on a variation of the serum. I'm sure you know how my experiments turned out."
"But Sam seems alright." Peter says, turning back to Falcon. "You seem the same... Still nice and all."
Sam studies Peter for a moment "Thanks kid..." He then starts looking at his hands. "I don't feel any different. You guys would tell me if I was being a jerk or anything wouldn't you?" The others start nodding.
"Hey asshole!" Someone shouts from behind Falcon. They all turn to see Hope trekking through the sand and Scott breathing heavily as she holds her chest. "You left us behind, you jerk!" Hope continues. "You didn't tell us you had super strength!"
"How do you run with these things?" Scott says, trying to catch her breath and holding her breast. "They hurt so much. It feels like gravity is trying to rip my chest off."
"You could have killed her!" Hope snaps at Sam, while pointing at Scott. "Are all you super soldiers just stuck up or something?" Hope pauses to look at Sam but notices everyone else's shocked expressions. "What?" He asks, still somewhat upset. No one answers immediately, they all just stare in silence.
Rocket starts to chuckle from a few feet away. No one knew she was listening. Hope glares at her. "I believe that was what we space travelers like to call, "Bad Timing." Rocket says.
Despite the odd tension, Sam is the first to crack a smile and chuckle. The others still watch.
"Honey," Scott interrupts, "can we go sit down? I really can't catch my breath."
Hope turns back toward Scott and breathes out heavily. "Get used to them, because that's what it's like." He turns toward the Tiki Hut and takes a few steps.
Scott is still trying to catch her breath and speaks without thinking. "I don't think yours were this big."
"Excuse me!" Hope stops, taking a step back. Scott looks up realizing her error. She peers over Hope's shoulder and sees a few people making cringey faces while Natasha is shaking his head.
"I didn't mean it that way..." Scott tries to defend herself. Hope is clearly upset.
"Well, you know what?" Hope asks Scott. He glances down at Scotts crotch briefly and looks back up into her eyes. "Mine's bigger than yours was!"
"Whoa!" Sam says, before he can stop himself.
"Is this really happening?" Peter Parker whispers loudly to those near her.
Scott looks a little emotional, but not too offended. "Okay, can we sit down now?" she tries to de escalate the conversation.
Hope still feels agitated, but can tell he's not going to get his fight. "Fine, come on." He turns away and starts leading Scott toward the Tiki Hut.
As they walk past the others Scott turns toward Sam and mouths, "Sorry." She looks away and continues to follow Hope. When they are out of ear shot, everyone starts talking again.
"Has he always been that mean to her?" Natasha asks.
"I don't know," Sam responds, "I have only ever met Ant-Man."
"Are we sure he's not taking any super soldier serum?" Clint asks.
"Who was that?" Peter Parker asks.
"Scott called him The Wasp." Sam answers. "I think I'm starting to see why. He said they work together, and something about him being Hank's kid."
"Was that Hope?" Bruce Banner asks.
"I think so." Sam replies.
"I met her once..." Bruce says, "before the Hulk. She was small, but even for a kid she was very... serious."
"Do you think," Sam wonders, "the changes made him more angry? Like, too much testosterone?"
"It's possible." Bruce replies. "Tony did say the changes are very similar to going through puberty. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a little hormonal at times, also."
"I'll say," Clint tells Bruce, "You almost tore apart the ship."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Bruce tells them.
"In any case," Sam interrupts, "we should probably keep an eye on those two. I know red flags when I see them."
They all turn to watch Scott and Hope walking away with concern.
"I get how you feel." Rocket says unexpectedly. "Ever since my little boy hit his growth spurt, he's been a mess of angry emotions. You'd think with all that energy he wouldn't be so lazy!"
Everyone is now looking at Rocket with shocked expressions. "What?" She asks.
"You have a kid?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, where is he?" Peter Parker wonders excitedly.
"My kid?" Rocket asks. "You've all met him." Rocket starts to look around. "Groot, where are you?" His shouting catches the attention of Drax and Mantis, who start shouting for Groot also. "Where is he?"
"Wait, Groot is your kid?" Steve Rogers asks.
"Yeah," Rocket replies, "He was born here on Xandar."
"I heard about that!" Peter Parker chimes in. "Didn't one explode in town or something."
"He didn't explode!" Rocket snaps. "He died protecting us. Groot was his father!"
"So his son exploded?" Sam asks.
"No," Rocket snaps again, "Groot did. Groot senior."
"So you're a single mother?" Sam asks jokingly.
"No!" Rocket snaps. "Well, yes... but not like that. Our ship is his family."
"Yeah, I noticed none of you take after each other." Sam continues to joke.
"Are you making fun of us?" Rocket snaps. "Because none of you guys look the same either. Especially with the gorgeous beast over there." Rocket points at the Hul, who points at himself also in surprise.
"What did you do to get like that anyway?" Rocket asks. "It seems like it would be very handy."
"You don't want what I have." Hulk responds. "It comes with a lot of unwanted side effects."
"Like what?" Rocket asks.
"For starters," Sam jumps in, "Anger issues." Rocket looks at Sam then back toward the Hulk.
"Yeah, it took me over ten years to tackle my issues, and I've only had control for less than a week."
Rocket thinks about it for a moment, then looks up. "I can deal with some anger issues."
"No she can't!" Star-Lord suddenly interrupts.
"Yes, I can!" Rocket snaps back.
Star-Lord shakes her head. "Rocket, as long as I've known you, you've been the angriest one in our crew."
"Yes, you're always saying mean things to me." Mantis adds.
"Well you keep touching me!" Rocket protests.
"And you're always eating all our food." Drax interjects.
"It's our food!" Rocket snaps. "We're supposed to share."
"You lock it in your room, so we can't get it." Mantis grumbles.
"You also bit the Captain." Drax says.
"That was a long time ago!" Rocket shouts.
"That was this morning!" Peter Quill shouts back.
"Hey guys!" Tony Stark shouts over their bickering. "Can we concentrate?"
Star-Lord and the others turn back toward Tony, who motions toward his projection angrily.
"Alright guys," Star-Lord slowly turns back toward Tony. "We've got to concentrate!"
"Yeah, let's get back to finding these stones!" Rocket is eager to change the subject.
They all direct their attention toward Tony.
"Groot!" Rocket suddenly shouts." What did I tell you about putting weird things in your mouth?!" She storms past Star-Lord and Tony, kicking up sand that distorts the projection. Groot is soaking wet and slowly walking out of the water. He is covered in what looks like indigo seaweed and carrying something vibrantly purple in his mouth. "Don't eat anything colorful or pointy!" She shouts pointing at Groot. "You know this!"
"I ah Groo..." Groot mumbles. Rocket starts trying to leap up and snatch the shell-like object from Groots mouth, but Groot keeps pulling away and grumbling.
"How you guys ever found two stones will always be a mystery to me." Tony grumbles under his breath.
"I'm sorry?" Star-Lord asks. Mantis chuckles, having heard.
"Nothing!" Tony replies. "Let's track these stones." He turns back toward the projection and looks toward the center. His face shows immediate panic. He presses a few buttons. Mantis is the first to notice, then Star-Lord.
"What?" Peter Quill asks.
Tony fiddles with his device a little and it seems to zoom out. "We're missing a stone."
"What? How?" Star-Lord says loudly.
"There were three earlier, now there are two." Tony zooms out even more. It's not showing up at all.
"Do you think they hid it somewhere?" Peter Parker tries to be helpful.
"I don't know." Star-Lord leans in to get a closer look at the map. "What else could it be?"
"It's because It's already gone." A woman says aloud, from behind the group.
The Avengers and Guardians all turn to see an open portal. Nick Fury, T'Challa, Okoye, and James Rhodes seem to have just come through. T'Challa clearly has a defeated expression.
"What's going on?" Tony asks, afraid he already knows the answer.
"The hearings are over." T'Challa answers. "The stones have been separated and the possessors must leave the planet immediately."
"Wait," Star-Lord takes a step forward. "That can't be true."
"See for yourself." The female voice speaks again. Doctor Strange comes walking through the portal and gestures toward the projected map.
Several of them turn toward the image just in time to see one stone zoom away, and the other seems to pop out of existence. Tony stares a moment longer, contemplating whether he should mess with the settings. He knew it wouldn't help. He looks back toward Dr. Strange angrily.
"It's over Tony." Doctor Strange speaks in a sad, almost motherly tone. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
