Space, orbiting earth
The ship came out of the vortex, seeing Earth in the distance. On the bridge, Enoch glanced over at Nebula.
"I think you should wake our human passengers. We have arrived," Enoch said as Nebula saw Earth for the first time.
"It's smaller than I imagined," Nebula mentioned before she turned and walked off in order to wake Tony and Fitz.
Avengers Compound
Not long after
In Steve's room, he and Caitlin lay in bed, dressed only in sheets as they bathed in the afterglow.
"I never thought I'd have this again," Steve mentioned and she looked up at him curiously. "That I'd be able to hold you in my arms again. That once again, I'd fallen in love with someone I could never be with."
"Hey, look at me," Caitlin said, moving his head towards her so he looked her in the eye. "I'm not Peggy Carter. I will fight for us, for you, because I'm not going anywhere."
They leaned in for another kiss when, suddenly, the door opened. They jumped against, Caitlin trying to cover herself as Bay turned around once he saw them.
"Why didn't you lock the door or something?!" Barry asked, all of them completely mortified.
"Because it's my room. Is there something you wanted Barry?" Steve asked uncomfortably.
"Freya wants us to head outside, says it's Important. So…see you out there," Barry said awkwardly before closing the door behind him.
"I'm going to kill him," Caitlin growled, a little of Killer Frost breaking through as her eyes flashed.
A little later, after getting dressed, Steve and Caitlin joined the others on the Compound's front lawn. They stared up in the sky as a ship, unlike anything any of them had ever seen, descended from the sky.
"It's okay, it's a friendly," Freya quickly assured them before they could do anything drastic.
Frank and Fury had their hands on their pistols and Thor had Storm Breaker at the ready, just in case. The ramp lowered and they all breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Tony Stark walking down the ramp.
"Tony," Steve said as he walked over.
"Cap," Tony said without his usual bravo. "I couldn't stop him."
"Neither could I," Steve said solemnly.
"I lost the kid," Tony said with a pained look in his eyes.
"We lost Tony,' Steve emphasized.
"Not yet we haven't," Coulson said as he walked over and Tony stared in shock, sure he was seeing ghosts. "It's good to see you Tony."
"Phil?" Tony looked at Steve for confirmation and Steve nodded. "How…"
"About that," Coulson grimaced, knowing this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.
Fitz had barely gotten off the ship when he suddenly found himself engulfed in a bone crushing hug.
"Mack," Fitz breathed and Mack let him go.
"Sorry. It's just…it's good to see you Turbo," Mack said emotionally, remembering the other Fitz's death.
"Let him breath Mack," Bobbi said as she walked over and Fitz looked over at her.
"Bobbi," Fitz breathed, exchanging a hug with his old friend. "Hunter…"
The only answer was the dull look in Bobbi's eyes as she pulled back. Fitz looked away, his face contorted in pain.
A little later, they all stood in the Compound as they held a meeting.
"It's been roughly thirty four, hours since the snap. Governments are in disarray," Steve said grimly.
"Those that aren't have been trying to find survivors there attempts have helped us reach one conclusion: Thanos did exactly what he said he was gonna do," Natasha said as pictures of their fallen allies started appearing. "Half of all living creatures in the universe have been wiped out."
Barry and Caitlin looked away as they saw Cisco and Wanda's pictures while Clint only clenched his fists tightly. Coulson stared sadly at Daisy's picture while Fitz, Bobbi, and Mack looked pained at Jemma, Hunter, and Elena's pictures. Steve and Natasha stared stonily at Sam and Bucky's while Tony swallowed the lump in his throat at Peter's.
"Okay. So do you guys have a plan?" Tony asked.
"Find Thanos, use the stones to bring everyone back," Clint said gruffly.
"That simple?" Tony asked incredulously.
"Mr. Stark is correct, it is not that simple," Fate said and they all looked at him.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rhodey demanded.
"I am Doctor Fate. Master of the mystic arts, an agent of order," Fate said.
"Oh, is that all?" Tony said sarcastically.
"He's the person you've been working with?" Barry asked Freya and she nodded.
"Just hear him out, please," Freya begged.
"From the moment the Time Stone landed on Titan, it became impossible to prevent Thanos from achieving his goal," Fate said and Tony winced. "There are over fourteen million possible futures from this point on. Only one in which we emerge victorious."
"When we met, you said I was going to be the one to save us all," Fitz remembered and Fate nodded.
"Because you will. There is a task you need to accomplish Agent Fitz. Without you, we are all lost," Fate said grimly and it was silent in the room as everyone felt the weight of his words hit them.
"No pressure right?" Barry joked and Fitz shot him a glare.
"What does Fitz need to do?" Bobbi inquired.
Fate glanced over at Freya and nodded. As everyone watched, Freya pulled out a device that looked like a floppy disk with a button in the center. She pressed it and everyone stared as a holographic version of Thanos' gauntlet appeared above it.
"Is that Thanos' Gauntlet?" Barry inquired.
"No. It's similar but…different," Tony said as he noticed the differences.
"It is an improved and modified version," Fate explained.
"Fitz, we need you to make it," Freya said to the shock of everyone in the room.
Earth-1, Barton house
Same time
Once all three of her kids, plus Freya, were down for the night, Laura Barton walked into her kitchen ,exhausted. She loved her kids and sort of grandchild, but she was just one woman. Laura hoped that Clint and Barry returned home soon, along with Wanda.
Suddenly, her hair stood on end. Laura grabbed a knife from the knife rack and whirled around. However, before she could blink, the knife was out of her hand and against her throat.
"I see what Mr. Barton sees in you. You're a fighter, just like him," Thawne noted.
"HR?" Laura breathed, shocked and Thawne smirked.
"No. We have never been introduced. I am Eobard Thawne," Thawne said and Laura stilled.
"You're the man who killed Barry's mother," Laura said, the parallels not lost on her. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No," Thawne said as he lowered the knife to his side. "Not yet. You and your family have become a message I'm going to send to Barry and your husband. But when I'm done, you'll wish you'd never met Barry Allen."