I've already finished writing the outline, but figuring out the plot while writing is incredibly frustrating.
The wasteland winds of Garden Planet are dry and biting, whipping up fine dust that sweeps across the flat ridges of the fields again and again.
On the empty plain, Carol was imprisoned in place by the spatial cage. The golden Cosmic Energy around her surged violently, repeatedly impacting the invisible barrier. Each impact caused the air to tremble slightly, but she could not break free from the restraint in the slightest.
The sense of defeat she felt from being crushed by Lynn was stuck in her chest. Throughout her countless years in the universe, she had never been in such a miserable situation, suppressed and mocked by a young Earthling, without even the most basic right to escape. Her inherent confidence, pride, and stubbornness all turned into a raging fire.
Carol didn't answer Lynn's question. She stared intently at Lynn, who was lying back on the deck chair not far away, her eyes filled with resentment. She spoke slowly and deliberately, uttering harsh words.
"I've remembered your imprisonment and humiliation today. Lynn, you'd better never let me go."
"Once I get out of this predicament, I will repay you tenfold for what you did today."
He didn't want to waste any more energy arguing. Since Carol was so stubborn, there was no need to let her go back now. Let her stay here and think things through.
"Since you're so unconvinced..."
"Then you should stay and let things settle down."
As soon as she finished speaking, the spatial cage that had imprisoned Carol suddenly changed its form. The originally rigid and cold binding force became softer yet more stubborn, completely locking up the energy within her body.
There was no torment, no further lecturing.
Lynn simply stripped her of all her freedom, forcibly keeping her on this planet.
"Since you're so hypocritical, then stay here and work with him."
"Only when you truly understand what you want to do should you talk about leaving."
From then on, Garden Planet became a secluded place where no one would disturb it.
Thanos, who once struck fear into the hearts of all races in the universe, now works from sunrise to sunset, tilling the land, weeding, cultivating seedlings, and tending to the fields of the entire wasteland.
Day after day, tending to the soil and seedlings, shedding all the hostility and killing intent.
Meanwhile, Captain Carol, who was aloof and self -Captain Marvel of the universe, was reduced to the most unusual "helper".
Unable to use her powers, she could only remain there, watching Thanos work silently day after day, and watching this barren land slowly come to life.
In the beginning, Carol was full of resistance and resentment, filled with humiliation and resentment. She would rather face the most dangerous battlefield in the universe than be trapped in this place, doing the most tedious farm work day after day.
She tried countless times to break free of her confinement, repeatedly channeling the Cosmic Energy within her body to breach the barrier sealing her abilities, but each struggle ultimately ended in vain.
Lynn's methods were far beyond her comprehension; they were gentle yet intractable, and no matter how she tried, it was to no avail.
Over time, she was forced to accept reality and silently work alongside Thanos.
Loosen the soil, sow seeds, water, and weed.
Day after day, year after year.
The monotonous farm work wore down most of her resentment, isolating her from the strife and clamor of the universe. Without the halo of a cosmic policewoman, without the glory of being admired by all, she was just an ordinary laborer on this wasteland.
Lynn still reclines in her deck chair every day, quietly watching the fields, the sunrise and sunset, the rising and setting of stars. Occasionally she will offer a word of advice, but most of the time she simply observes in silence, watching the two settle their minds and wash away their restlessness.
In the blink of an eye, five years have quietly passed.
Earth.
Five years is enough time for the devastated land to slowly heal its wounds, but it can never erase the emptiness etched in everyone's hearts.
Over the course of five years, the Earth has become completely accustomed to its incomplete state. Empty streets no longer evoke panic, vacant houses are gradually covered by dust, and people have slowly transformed from initial grief and fear into a numb calm.
A new generation of children grows up without ever having seen a complete and prosperous Earth. What they are born into is this incomplete world with half of its life missing. Most people still cherish their memories, leaving countless empty seats every year for relatives and friends who will never return. The regret in their hearts has never faded.
The SSC base has remained steadfast and dedicated for five years.
Steve continues to lead his team in maintaining order on Earth and protecting their ravaged home. Bucky, Hawkeye, Sam, and Rhodey are constantly traveling to various places to handle all sorts of emergencies.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for news from Lynn, waiting for a chance to turn the tide.
Five years ago Lynn's words, "Those who disappear will return," became the only obsession and hope in everyone's hearts, supporting everyone for five years without ever giving up or slacking off.
This was especially true for Tony.
He always remembered Lynn's instructions before he left, and kept a close eye on all unusual movements, never letting go of the slightest Silk.
The long five-year wait was oppressive, tedious, and despairing, yet it also held a faint spark of hope.
Then one day, a disheveled figure suddenly appeared in front of the SSC base.
The security alarm went off instantly, but stopped abruptly the moment the other party appeared.
Scott Lang, Ant-Man.
Five years ago, in order to collect samples of the Quantum Realm, he entered the Quantum Tunnel alone, but Thanos snapped his the Snap just then. With no one outside controlling the device, the channel was completely shut down, and he was trapped in the boundless Quantum Realm.
Everyone thought he had Oblivion in the catastrophe; no one expected that he would return to Earth in this way.
The base's crew rushed to the scene immediately upon hearing the news, and upon seeing Ant-Man before them, everyone's faces were filled with disbelief and astonishment.
Scott, without taking a break or explaining his ordeal, forced down the tremor in his heart and began to speak rapidly, recounting his bizarre experiences over the past five years.
He described in detail the bizarre rules of the Quantum Realm.
It was a microscopic dimension independent of the main universe, not following the normal flow of spacetime. The rules of time and space in the outside world were completely ineffective in the Quantum Realm. Five years in the outside world was only a little over five hours in the Quantum Realm.
He witnessed firsthand the spacetime disorder in the Quantum Realm, the overlapping and intersecting timelines, and the rise and fall of countless parallel fragments. It was also in this endless chaotic wandering that he unexpectedly discovered the most core characteristic of the Quantum Realm: its spacetime exists independently.
In the Quantum Realm, time is a variable, space is fragmented, and the past, present, and future are not fixed.
After recounting his five-year ordeal, Scott took a deep breath, looked firmly at everyone present, and threw out a bold idea that would overturn everyone's understanding.
"You wouldn't believe it, it felt really strange. When I came out, I found that five years had passed outside."
"Perhaps... we can turn everything around."
"Using the spacetime properties of the Quantum Realm to achieve time travel."
"We go back in time, before Thanos the Snap, retrieve the Infinity Stones, rewrite the ending, and bring back everyone who disappeared."
One sentence instantly stunned everyone in the room.
After the deathly silence comes the extreme boiling and restlessness.
Five years of desperate waiting, five years of suppressed torment, but Ant-Man's return instantly tore open a gap leading to hope.
Time travel, reversing the past, resetting the catastrophe.
This is a possibility that no one would even dare to dream of.
The crowd instantly gathered around, their eyes filled with eagerness and anticipation. Only Tony, Banner, and Ivan managed to suppress their excitement and remain calm.
He was all too aware of the stability and domineering nature of the rules of spacetime; arbitrarily altering the past could very likely trigger an even greater cosmic catastrophe.
"The theory is too absurd, the risks are unknown, and we cannot act rashly."
Tony immediately stopped everyone's agitation and promptly entered all the data Ant-Man had brought, the characteristics of the Quantum Realm, and the concept of time travel into the base's intelligent system, handing it over to JARVIS for full simulation and verification.
For the next few hours, the entire SSC base was in a state of extreme activity.
JARVIS operates at full speed, with billions of data points jumping around wildly. Countless spacetime models, rule deductions, and probability calculations are superimposed layer by layer to comprehensively verify the feasibility and risks of quantum spacetime travel.
Banner and Ivan assisted with the calculations throughout the process, repeatedly checking the data, identifying logical flaws, and confirming the stability of the time travel.
After a lengthy deduction process, JARVIS finally arrived at a precise conclusion.
"Sir, the model is approved. Time travel is theoretically feasible."
By using the Quantum Realm as a medium, the spacetime barrier of the main universe is bypassed, and past time points are precisely anchored to achieve the recovery of the original stone and time reversal with an extremely high success rate.
The only risk is the need to precisely control the timing and location of events to avoid branching out. If done properly, a perfect reversal can be achieved without causing large-scale changes or time paradoxes.
The moment the conclusion was announced, the entire base erupted in cheers.
Tony stood in front of the control panel, staring at the densely packed success probability data on the screen. His fingertips trembled slightly, and his eyes churned with extreme excitement and solemnity.
He immediately recalled Lynn's words of advice from five years ago, those meaningful words. "If you hear anything about the quantum universe, remember to contact me."
Lynn already knew the advantage, and he already knew that the Quantum Realm was the only way to break the deadlock.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tony immediately activated the highest-level encrypted communication, traversing the boundless sea of stars to directly dial Lynn's private contact channel.
The signal penetrated the atmosphere, traversed the vast universe, and was precisely transmitted to the distant Garden Planet.
Garden Planet, on the ridges of the fields.
Five years have passed, and the entire wasteland has been completely transformed. The once barren and cracked land is now covered with lush green seedlings, and the entire planet has shed its desolation and gained a sense of stable vitality.
Thanos remained silent and continued working, his movements skillful and steady, completely washing away the malevolent aura of a cosmic overlord.
In the fields not far away, Carol quietly tended to her crops. Five years of farming had smoothed out her impetuousness and arrogance; she no longer spoke of cosmic righteousness and order and justice all the time, and had become more calm and reserved.
Although she still did not approve of Thanos's actions, she gradually came to understand that Lynn's mockery back then was not unfounded.
Lynn remained reclining in the deck chair, her mind becoming increasingly calm and clear after five years of quiet meditation.
Just then, the personal communicator vibrated slightly.
Lynn raised his hand to connect the communication, and Tony's urgent and excited voice came through immediately, telling him everything about Ant-Man's return, the mysteries of the Quantum Realm, the time travel plan, and JARVIS's verification results.
After listening to everything, Lynn looked at the disconnected communicator, a knowing glint in his eyes.
He had been waiting for this phone call for five years.
The crucial link has finally been completed; these past five years must have been tough for them.
He slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the two figures in the field.
"Pack it up."
"Back to Earth."
Upon hearing this, Thanos stopped working, silently put down his tools, and stood calmly, awaiting instructions.
Carol paused, looked up at Lynn, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes—a mixture of relief, anticipation, and a calm that had settled over time.
Lynn opened the portal, and by the time the three returned to SSC headquarters, it was already quite dark.
There were quite a few people greeting them. Steve stood at the front, Bucky beside him. Wanda and Pietro stood behind, their faces expressionless. Thor, James Rhodes, and Sam stood on either side. Ivan leaned against the hangar door. Tony stood at the front of everyone.
Lynn nodded. He followed Tony into the base. Thanos and Carol followed silently at the back. Neither of them spoke first.
Tony stood in front of the long table in the conference room and had JARVIS project the entire framework of quantum mechanics onto the main screen.
"I've had JARVIS recheck the time and location of the gem. There aren't many timeframes that can be confirmed."
Tony waved his hand, and several years and locations appeared on the screen.
"Let me first explain the group assignments. If you have any objections, please feel free to raise them at any time."
"First group, the Battle of New York. The Space Stone, the Mind Stone, and the Time Stone are all here. Steve, Scott, Banner, and I are going."
"Second group, Asgard. The Reality Stone." Tony looked at Ivan and Thor.
Thor sat at the end of the table. He was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay."
"The third group." Tony turned to look at Lynn.
Lynn interrupted before he could finish, saying, "I know what you mean. The Power Stone and the Soul Stone, Thanos and I will go."
There was a moment of silence in the conference room.
"He's going with you?" Tony repeated, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.
He has to go.
Lynn looked away from the screen and onto Tony's face. "There are some things that only he can do."
Carol looked at Thanos, as if she wanted to say something, but after thinking for a moment, she quickly looked away.
I know what you're thinking.
Lynn didn't beat around the bush, "He's coming with me. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."
He looked at Thanos.
Thanos sat a little distance from the table, remaining silent until this moment, when he finally spoke slowly, "I have no objections."
"The last group, Carol and the rest, will remain at base on standby."
The meeting adjourned, and everyone went back to prepare.
Thanos was the last to get up. He followed Lynn towards the door.