"When Thanos died in that battle, he took so many people with him. Now we have a chance to bring them back. Ryan, you were the first person I came to."
Captain America's face was earnest, but sincerity alone would not get the job done.
Wind stirred the leaves in the woods, setting them rustling.
Ryan did not answer at once. He turned and pointed at the grill, where the heat of the coals had drawn sizzling fat from the meat. "These past few years have been hard on you too."
"Every moment, I feel like I'm still there, watching Thanos snap his fingers. A lot of us do." Captain America looked toward the coals.
He realized he had not given a thought to something as simple as an outdoor barbecue in a long time.
Ryan crossed the soft forest floor to the grill and used a spare pair of chopsticks to turn the meat. "Clinging to the past is just a way of running from the future. We lost. It's like this meat—once it burns, all you can do is throw it away."
His voice was cool. Captain America paused, then walked over to him.
He picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The hot fat did not burn him. He chewed twice and swallowed. "Now we have a chance to take this meat back to before it ever touched the grill."
"You mean..." Ryan sat down, watching Captain America through the smoke curling off the grill.
Captain America helped himself to a can of beer, opened it, and drank. He probably had not eaten on the way over.
Only after the beer had soothed his throat did he speak. "Time travel. We can travel back to the past and change