Sakaar 2014

"Then we'll play you for it." Clint said.

Natasha grabbed Clint's arm. "That wasn't the plan." Clint turned to his best friend and he looked her in the eye. "We know this guy's M.O. he's the grandmaster."

"Oh what game should we play?" the grandmaster asked as he snapped his fingers and multiple gray box drones came flying toward him, each with a golden lace pillow that had a game on top. "Ooh, should we do a blood battle?" Grandmaster hefts a large battle axe from the drone.

Clint shook his head, before digging something out of his utility belt. "The game's Texas Hold'em"

Morag, 2014

Purple light glints off Rhodey's armor as he scans the landscape.

"So, all we have to do is hang out, wait for Starlord and follow him to the Power Stone, right?" Rhodey asked.

Nebula pointed to the current time Benatar descend for arrival. "We need to move quick." Rhodey wraps an arm around Nebula's waist before the two of them press a button on their gauntlets making them invisible.

Rhodey activates his jet boots sending them into the air to watch and follow Star Lord at a distance.

Peter Quill in red pleather trench coat chachas down the ramp of the benatar before looking at a grey circular device. He then proceeds to head toward the large ruins a kilometer away.

Once at the ruins Peter pulls out his walkman and begins to dance to some song.

"He sucks at dancing." Rhodey notes.

"Its so bad that it distracted Ronan the Accuser long enough so they could kill him" Nebula added.

"I would not be proud of that." Rhodey quips.

"You're not Peter Quill."

Finally Peter makes it to a tower wall and rifles through his sack before finally pulling out an electronic lock pick.

"Here's our chance." Nebula says pointing to the door. "Once it opens fire one of your sonic blasts, it should knock him out long enough for us to take the stone." Rhodey lifted his right arm and aimed it at Quill. Once the door popped open, Peter jumped to a victory pose only to be blasted back by Rhodey's cannon.

Rhodey and Nebula dove toward the unconcious future hero. "Sorry." Rhodey said as he flew over Peter and enter through the great stone doors.

The power stone orb hoveres above a decorative pedestal surrounded by a web of laser threads. Rhodey scans the laser threads to see what he could do so they could bypass it.

"These are photovoltaic lasers on a -" Rhodey starts but Nebula reaches her cybernetic arm through the web. The web burns her blue arm revealing the intricate machinery beneath. She grabs the orb and pulls it out. It catches where the orb is and refuses to let it go but Nebula gives it another yank and the orb is free.

Rhodey stares at her arm in amazement, "Are you - okay?" he decides to ask.

She looks down at her arm and is alarmed by the simple thought that she can get it fixed or replaced. "I'm fine." She says stuffing the orb back in its pouch.

"Okay." Rhodey drops it. Not like he isn't changed or damaged as he feels the metal support around his legs which help him walk. "Alright lets sync up and get out of here."

"Three...Two...One..." They say in unison before both press their cuff links.

Asgard 2013

Thor stares at his mother, he feels Stormbreaker stir underneath his cape. He could stay here, help his younger self fight off the dark elves, maybe even kill Malekith before he destroys London with his wild hunt. Or maybe, maybe he could just grab his mom and just fly away.

Thor takes a step to follow her.

Rocket grabs his arm.

"let go of me rodent."

"Whoa, first off I ain't a rodent, second what the flark do you think you're gonna do?" Rocket asked.

"I - I have to at least warn her." Thor growled.

"Didn't you hear what Bruce said, we step a toe out of line and the whole timeline is screwed."

"I don't give a damn what the fool said." Thor thundered.

"Who's there?" shouted a guard. Rocket and Thor quickly dive behind a pillar. The guard checks the immediate area and once seeing the coast is clear returns to his post outside Jane's door.

"Listen - "Rocket started.

"I'm going to warn my mother and you are going to get the reality stone from Jane." Thor hissed before darting after his mother.

Rocket watched Thor depart wanting to desperately to say something but decided not to. "Its up to me." Rocket said before scurrying to Jane's door. He blasted the guard unconcious with the little sonic gun he had on his hip. He double checked his surroundings only seeing the burning urns nearby. He slipped in.

Thor followed his mother to her chambers. He thought about what he was going to tell her when he felt something tap his right shoulder.

He whirled around to see his mother smiling at him. "Isn't this past your time mister."

"What?" Thor recovered from his surprise.

She cupped his cheek, "Don't play coy with me, since when did you start time traveling." Thor wanted to come up with an excuse to explain away her time travel discovery but also he mostly just wanted to lean into her touch.

"Mother." he started. You're going to die, I miss you, can you sing to me again. All these thoughts and requests ran through his mind but the only thing that came out was a silent sob.

"Oh, dear." Frigga said pulling her son into her embrace. He was much taller than her but somehow she was able to press his head into her shoulders where he began to cry. He didn't know how long she held him but soon he had no more tears left.

"Feel better?" She asked pulling his head up so she can see his face.

"No." Thor said pulling away from her, "I - I failed you, mother, I failed father, Asgard, Midgard, jane, even Loki." Frigga watched her son and listened.

Thor slid against the wall until he was in a sitting position. "Everyone is relying on me and I feel I'm just letting them down. Even now I could be back in my time rescuing our people I'm here in the past chasing stones." Frigga knelt by her son.

"Thor, you sound worried and you know what that means?"

Thor bristled preparing for an admonishment. "That you are like everybody else." Frigga said with a smile.

"But I'm - a king." Thor said a bit stunned by his mother's words. He wasn't like everyone else, right? He was a god, a king of god people, the master of thunder and lightning.

"Even Kings are like everyone else, we all fail, we all worry but the thing that makes us so similar to everyone is that we're not going through this alone. Its okay to rely on someone else, to ask others for help."

Frigga place a hand on Thor's shoulders, "You don't always have to be strong, Thor."

Tears filled the God of thunder's eyes. "I really do miss you mother."

She gave a soft smile and placed her pointer finger in front of her lips and shushed him. "No spoilers."

Rocket tears down the hall, extraction device in hand. "I got it, I got it, I got it!" He yells.

Thor turns to watch the racoon race down the hall. Clanking of metal could be heard coming from the distance which could only be the guards coming for Rocket.

Thor wipes the tears from his eyes and looked at his mother for the last time, trying to shove every detail into his memory.

"I think thats your cue to go." Frigga said.

Thor got up, "I love you, mom." Thor chased after the racoon.

"Rocket!" Thor yelled out.

Rocket came to a spinning stop as he saw Thor running up to him. "Lets get out of here." Rocket said as he pressed his cuff and Thor did the same.

New York 2012

Tony wished he could say he gave the ancient one the hardest battle of her life, but with only a scorched shoulder as his accomplishment, he could guess she had tougher. He hung upside down by green webs which was giving him major spider-man deja vu, as his armor laid empty below him.

"Okay, ma'am you've proven you're a badass can you please let me down."

"Once I found a proper way to send you back to your time." The ancient one said.

"I can't go back without the time stone." Tony yelled for the thousandth time. It was pretty cool that a chitauri charriot exploded right when he yelled that.

"I wish I could help you, Stark, but the time stone is too dangerous in anyone's hands even an avenger."

"Yeah, well... I guess I have to take it by force." Tony said. The Ancient one chuckled, "I have you trapped."

"But I'm Iron Man." Tony Said and at his words his suit flew forward and wrapped itself around the Ancient One. She tried to fight it but she was already inside the armor.

"Let me out!" She screamed. From the brief studying Tony did of Strange, his 'spells' required movement and audio, now with the ancient unable to use movement he had hopefully cut off half her capabilities.

"Victory!" Tony cheered but instantly got a migraine.

The ancient one continued to curse and shout trying her best to manipulate the armor. "Armor, sleep." Tony ordered. Though he was nowhere near the armor he could imagine the green mist pouring through the oxygen channels, knocking the ancient one out.

And sure enough the green webs disappeared and tony landed on his head. He laid there for a few moments trying to recover before getting up to move to his iron man suit. "Open armor." he said and the Ancient One came tumbling out. Tony bent down and grabbed the eye of agomotto from her neck. "Don't worry." he said stepping back into his armor, "I'll be back before you even know i'm gone."

He pressed the button on his gauntlet and vanished.

Sakaar 2014

Natasha and Grandmaster Aide watched from the sidelines as Clint and Grandmaster sat at a table.

"A King, Two queens, A ten, A two... Three cards in the same suit... Its a very potent hand, Clint. Of course it all depends on what you can make with the two cards you're holding - " Grandmaster lectures.

"I know the rules, Grandmaster." Clint snapped.

"Then I'll remind you of the stakes, Clint, you're imprisonment or freedom." Grandmaster smiles. " I heard youre use to working in a circus, right?" Clint growled.

"Well, Clint do you fold?" Clint glared at the cards.

"I raise." Clint said.

"What?" The grandmaster looked up in surprise. "How, what do you have that is worth an infinity gem?"

"My history. You're an elder of the universe I'm pretty sure you have powers that can make it happen."

The grandmaster quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm forgotten." Clint continued. "Every bit of good I ever did. Every life I ever saved. Every victory - erased! Let no one remember me as a failure. A loser."

THe grandmaster's smirk slowly faded and he stared hard at his cards. "But...if you won then I would have to pay the ... the same... A loser." Clint smiled on the inside. And there it is the hole card. The thing he doesn't know. That what I'm betting here is nothing. This isn't about being the winner. It's not for the glory. A hero doesn't care if we're remembered. Because it doesn't matter if anyone knows what good you did. As long as the good is done. Thats what being an avenger is all about.

A look of utter defeat crossed the grandmaster's face. He put down his cards revealing a King of Hearts and King of diamonds. "I fold."

Clint smiled and Natasha gave him a high five. "You owe me an Infinity gem."

The grandmaster snapped his fingers in the little gem appeared in Clint's hands. "I had a full house, King's high." Clint pocketed the gem before collecting his cards. Natasha and Clint got ready to time back to their present.

"Wait! At least- At least tell me what I lost to. Did you have the better hand ? Were you bluffing? I have to know. I need to know!" The grandmaster was prostrate in front of the two avengers.

Clint slipped the deck into his pocket. "Oh, honey. I don't play." Clint said before Nat and him tapped their cuffs and blinked out of the present.

The grandmaster clenched his fist. His aide debated wether to stay or try to assist their master. The grandmaster screamed into the void.