The next thing I knew we were in the streets of New York way back in 2012. "All right, we all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone, down." Steve said as our Quantum Realm suits come off and revealed our normal clothes. "Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock. Feel free to smash if things don't go your way." Steve said when 2012 Hulk, back when he still was a mindless monster, jumps in and started to smash vehicles and smash the aliens. Then he hops up and down on a car then he jumps away. 

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever." Bruce said, shaking his head, as he rips off his shirt then walks over to a car and halfheartedly smashes a car and gives an unenthused roar. I rolled my eyes as I put on my Iron Man suit and began to fly off.

"Got to hustle, Cap. Things look like they're just about wrapped up here." I informed him as I scanned the old Stark building. "Got it. I'm approaching the elevator now." Steve said and I fly over the building where I see the six of us surrounding Loki. I enter through the window but hide behind a wall while my suit disappears, revealing my normal clothes.

"If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now." Loki said to our past selves. "All right. Good one. No standing around, I'm closing up this door for later. By the way, feel free to clean up." My past self said.

"Ugh, Mr. Rogers. I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass." I said as I look over at 2012 Steve. "No one asked you to look, Tony." Steve replied to me through the earpiece. "I think you look great, Cap. As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass." Scott, who was tiny and on my shoulder, said. 

Kiss ass...I thought as I hear a noise behind me.

I go and hide just as a few people walk out of the door and over to our past selves and started to take Loki's weapon.

"Who are these guys?" Scott asked me. "They are SHIELD... Well, actually Hydra. But, we didn't know that yet." I replied. "Seriously, you didn't? I mean...they look like bad guys." Scott said and I roll my eyes. "You're small, but you're talking loud." I muttered to him as they packed up the weapon and started to leave as our 2012-sleves talk among each other.

"On my way down to coordinate search and rescue." 2012 Steve said as he starts to walk away until Loki transforms to him and mimics Steve. "On my way down to coordinate search and rescue! I mean, honestly! How do you think you'll be..." he said as he starts to turn back to himself but Thor said. "Shut up." And placed a device to cover Loki's mouth.

"All right, you're up, little buddy. There's our stone." I said to Scott as I point towards the case that was holding the Tesseract. "Alright. Flick me." Scott said as he stands on my shoulder. Then I flick him across the room. 

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa." My past self said to Hulk as we all gathered in the elevator. "Hey! Buddy. What do you think? Maximum occupancy has been reached." 2012 me said. "Take the stairs!" The rest of us said. "Yeah. Stop. Stop! Take the stairs." 2012 me said as the elevator doors shut then Hulk punches the door then grumbles. "Take the stairs!"

Then I quickly run out the window and jump out of the window then my suit forms over me.

"All right, Cap. I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 80th floor." I said as I scan the building and see them leave with the scepter. "On it." Steve replied and I began to leave.

"Thumbelina, do you copy? I've got eyes on the prize." I said to Scott as I see our 2012selves walk past us. "It is go-time. Bombs away." Scott said then a few seconds later. "Is...is that Axe body spray?" He asked. "Yeah, I had a can just for emergencies. Relax. Can we focus, please?" I said just as (y/n) starts running towards my past-self.

I gasped as I hear Scott said. "I'm going inside you. Now." Meanwhile, (y/n) ran towards my past-self and said. "Dad! Thank God, you're okay!" She runs to my past-self and hugs me.

"(Y/n), what are you doing here?! Happy was supposed to take you somewhere safe!" My old-self exclaimed to her as he hugged her back. "I know, I know...I was just...." She started to say until Pierce and his crew comes up to them.

"May I ask you where you're going?" He asked them. "To lunch and then Asgard." Thor replied. "I'm sorry, you are?"

"Alexander Pierce. He's the man, one of the folks behind Nick Fury." Past-self replied. "My friends call me Mr. Secretary. I'm gonna have to ask you to turn that prisoner over to me." Pierce said. "Loki will be answering to Odin himself." Thor said to him. "Oh, he's gonna answer to us. Odin can have what's left. And I'm gonna need that case." Pierce said as he nods towards the case in my past-self's hand.

"That's been SHIELD property for over 70 years." I replied. "Hand over the case, Stark." Pierce said as he reaches out for the case.
"All right, move it, Stuart Little. Things are getting dicey up here. Let's go." I said to Scott as I watch my past-self and Pierce fight over the case.

"You promise me you won't die?" Scott asked me. "You're only giving me a mild cardiac dysrythmia." I replied to him. "That doesn't sound mild." Scott said as I see my past-self and Pierce fight over the case and Thor and (y/n) try to intervene.

"Do it, Lang! Window's closing. Pull my pin!" I said. "Here it goes!" Acott said and then my past-self began to bend over and convulse. "Stark?" Thor said, concerned. "Stark! Look, he's convulsing. Give him air!" Pierce said.

"Dad! Daddy!" (Y/n) said, fearfully, as past me lays down on the floor. "Medic! Medic!" I shouted as I see the case, with the Tesseract inside, slides towards me. I bend down and pick it up. "Good job. Meet me in the alley. I'm gonna grab a quick slice." I said but then a door flew open and hits me, knocking the case out of my hands and knocking me down.

"No stairs!" Hulk exclaims in anger. I groan in pain as I look up and see that Loki disappeared with the Tesseract and Thor saved my past-self. "That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?" Scott said as I see his little form jump on my chest. "Oh, we blew it." I said in defeat while I look over and see (y/n) hugging my past-self as she let's out a sigh of relief.

"Cap... Sorry, buddy. We got a problem." I said as Scott and I were sitting in an old destroyed car in the alleyway while Steve jumped down in front of us. "Huh. Yeah, we do." Scott grumbles

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" Steve asked after we explained what happened. "You know what, give me a break, Steve. I just got hit in the head with a Hulk." I said. "You said that we had one shot. This...this was our shot. We shot it. It's shot. Six stones or nothing. Six stones or nothing." Scott exclaims in anger after he gets out of the car. 

"You're repeating yourself, you know that?" I said to him. "You're repeating yourself. You're repeating yourself. You're repeating yourself." Scott exclaims, angrily. "No!" I grumble as Scott continues.

"Come on. You never wanted a time heist, you went on board with the time heist..." he said.

"I dropped the ball."

"You ruined the time heist." 

"Is that what I did?"

"Yeah!"

"Are there any other options with the Tesseract?" Steve asked, calmly. "No, no, no. There's no other options. There's no do-overs. We're not going anywhere else. We have one particle left. Each. That's it, alright? We use that...Bye, bye. You're not going home." Scott said, angrily.

"Yeah, well if we don't try...then no one else is going home, either." Steve said and then I got an idea. "I got it. There's another way. To retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles. We'll stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State." I said as I climb out of the car and towards Steve.

"Why were they both there?" Steve asked me. "They were there at a...I've a vaguely exact idea." I replied. "How vague?" Steve asked while Scott asked. "What are you talking about? Where are we going?"

"I know for a fact they were there..." I started to say.

"Who's they? What are we doing?" Scott asked again.

"And I know how I know." I said, quickly, to Steve.

"Guys, what's up? What is it?" Scott asked.

"Well, it looks like we're improvising." Steve
said. "Right." I said, nodding.

"What are we improvising?" Scott asked then Steve looks over at him. "Scott, get this back to the compound." Steve said to him as he hands Scott the scepter. "Suit up." Steve said to me as he walks back over to me.
"What's in New Jersey?" Scott asked while Steve and I tapped away on our GPS

"0-4."

"0-4..."

"Uhh, 0-7."

" 0-7."

"Excuse me..." Scott said as we continued on.

"1-9-7-0." I said and Steve looks up at me. "Are you sure?" He asked and I nod. "Cap. Captain. Steve, sorry. America. Rogers. Look, if you do this, and this doesn't work, you're not coming back." Scott warns us and I just look at him. "Thanks for the pep talk, pissant." I remarked at him then I turn to Steve.

"You trust me?" I asked him. "I do." He said, nodding, and we look down at our GPS. "Your call." Steve said. "Here we go." I said and we slammed our hands down on the GPS and we dissapeared.

"Clearly, you weren't actually born here, right?" I asked Steve after we gather up a disguise. "The idea of me was." Steve replied. "Right. Well, imagine you're SHIELD, running a quasi-fascistic intelligence organization. Where do you hide it?" I asked as we approach a base.

"In plain sight." Steve said as he nods towards the base. I tapped my glasses and xray the base as I see the elevator going down.

We enter the elevator and we kept getting these weird looks from this woman until the elevator stops. "Good luck on your mission, Captain." I said to Steve as I get out of the elevator. "Good luck on your project, doctor." Steve replied back and I nod at him as I leave.

I was in the lower levels and looked around, through my X-ray glasses, to see where the Tesseract was until I finally found it. "Gotcha." I said as the armor for my hand forms and I use the laser open the crate. Finally, I open the crate and smiles once I see the Tesseract.

"Back in the game." I muttered with a smile then I look over to see a suitcase. I grab it then placed the Tesseract inside then closed it.

"Arnim, you in there? Arnim?" A voice shouts and I started to turn the other way. "Hey! The door's this way, pal." A voice called out and I turn around to see it was my father. "Oh, yeah." I said as I start to walk towards him. 

"I'm looking for Dr. Zola. Have you seen him?" Dad asked me. "Yeah, no, Dr. Zol... No, I haven't seen a soul." I said as I set the briefcase down on a chair. "Pardon me. Do I know you?" My dad asked me. "No, sir. I'm, a...visitor from MIT." I replied as I showed him my badge.

"Huh. MIT. Got a name?" He asked and I was taken aback by this and quickly thought of a name.

"Howard." I replied. "Well, that'll be easy to remember." Dad said as he walks up to me. "Howard....Potts." I said after thinking for a moment. "Well, I'm Howard Stark." He greets as he holds his hand out to me. 

"Hi." I said as I go to shake his hand but ended up grabbing his index finger. "Shit." I muttered. "Now, don't pull it." He jokes and I give a nervous laugh. "Yeah..." I muttered as I remove my hand off of his finger.

"You look a little green around the gills there, Potts." Dad noted. "I'm fine. Just, long hours." I replied. "Wanna get some air?" Dad asked but I was too shocked and nervous to tall to him as my mind began to wander.

"Hello, Potts." Dad calls out to me and I come back to my senses. "Yeah. That would be swell." I said and I started to walk away. "That way." I said as I walk past dad. "Okay. Need your briefcase?" Dad asked and I turned around to see him holding up the case with the Tesseract.

I nodded and took the case from him. Then I started to leave, Dad right behind me. "You're not one of those, are ya, Potts?" He asked me.

"So, flowers and sauerkraut. You got a big date tonight?" I asked him as we get on the elevator and I pointed out the items in his hands. "My wife's expecting. And, uh...Too much time in the office." He said as he gestures to the items. "Congratulations." I said to him as the elevator door closes behind us and Dad pushes the button.

"Thanks. Hold this, will you?" He asked me as he holds out the flowers to me. "Yeah, sure. How far along is she?" I asked as I take the flowers in my hands. "I don't know...uh...She's at the point where she can't stand the sound of my chewing." Dad said and I began to chuckle while the elevator starts to go up.

"I guess I'll be eating dinner in the pantry again." He said. "I have two girls, a teenager and a five year old." I replied. "A girl would be nice. Less of a chance she'd turn out exactly like me." Dad said and I give him a curious look.

"What'd be so awful about that?" I asked him. "Let's just say that the greater good has rarely outweighed my own self-interests." He replied just as the elevator stops and opens.

"So, where are you at with names?" I asked him as we walked out of the base and towards his limo. "Well, if it's a boy, my wife likes Almanzo." He replied and I chuckled. "Might wanna let that stew on." I said as we come to his car but he stops me. "You got time. Let me ask you a question." He said and I nodded.

"When your kids was born...were you nervous?" He asked. "Wildly. Yeah." I replied, quickly. I couldn't tell him that I wasn't there for (y/n) when she was born.

But when she first came to the house, I'd hate to admit it but a part of me was nervous to meet her. But, like I normally did, I played it off and tried to act more like a friend than her dad.

"Did you feel qualified? Like you had any idea how to successfully operate that thing?" Dad asked me. "I literally pieced it together as I went along, I thought about what my Dad did, and..." I said but I trailed off when I saw Steve some feet behind him, standing near a tank. I look over at him and he nods at me as Dad said. "My old man, he never met a problem he couldn't solve with a belt."

"I thought my Dad was tough on me. And now, looking back, I just remember the good stuff, you know. He did drop the odd pearl." I said. "Yeah? Like what?" Dad asked, curiously. "No amount of money ever bought a second of time." I recited and Dad smirks. "Smart guy." He said. "He did his best." I said.

"Let me tell you. That kid's not even here yet and, there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. Good to meet you, Potts." Dad said as I hand him back the flowers and he starts to walk past me. "Yeah, Howard...Everything's gonna be all right." I said once he turns back to me then I go and hug him.

"Thank you for everything....you've done for this country." I said before I pull back from the hug and walk away towards Steve, so that we could head back home.