Los Angeles, California
2023

It's been 3 years since Aaron returned as The Flash.

During that time, Gwen and Jimmy got married, and Aaron was Jimmy's best man. Gwen had decided to hyphenate her name. Now, she goes by Gwen Stacy-de Luca.

Speaking of Gwen, she and Aaron still acted as co-protectors of Los Angeles.

They occasionally participate in holographic meetings with Natasha, Okoye, Carol (sporting a new haircut), Rocket, Nebula, and Rhodey.

They were in one of those meetings now. They stood on a rooftop and put down a device that activated the holograms.

Rocket: Yeah, we boarded that "highly suspect warship" Danvers pinged.

Nebula: It was an infectious garbage scow.

Rocket: (turns to Carol) So thanks for the hot tip.

Carol: Well, you were closer.

Rocket: Yeah, and now we smell like garbage.

Natasha turned her attention to Aaron and Gwen.

Natasha: Aaron, Gwen, any new updates?

Gwen: Well, we took down this guy who can cover himself in rocks the other day, calls himself Titan.

Aaron: Yeah, all we did was punch him until the rocks fall off his body. He's in California State now, in the Enhanced wing.

Natasha: Okay, good. (turns to Okoye) Any reading on those tremors?

Okoye: 'Twas a mild subduction under the African plate.

Natasha: Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?

Okoye: Nat, it's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it.

Natasha: (turns to Carol) Carol, are we seeing you here next month?

Carol: Not likely.

Rocket: What, you gonna get another haircut?

Carol: (turns to Rocket) Listen, fur-face. I'm covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth are happening everywhere, on thousands of planets.

Rocket: (nods) Yeah, it's a good point. It's a good point.

Carol: (turns to Natasha) So you might not see for a long time. (turns to Aaron and smirks) You know, you still owe me a race, Aaron. Don't forget that.

Aaron: (smirks) Get over here, and let's find out.

Natasha: Alright, well...This channel is always active, so, if anything goes sideways, anyone's making trouble when they shouldn't, comes through me.

Everyone: Okay.

Natasha: Alright.

Carol: (to Rhodey) Good luck.

Aaron: (to Rhodey) See you around.

Everyone left the meeting except Rhodey. Aaron knew that Natasha tasked Rhodey with finding Clint, who has been brutally massacring gangs around the world as Ronin for 5 years since losing his entire family.

Aaron and Gwen sat down on the edge of the building they stood on.

Aaron: How's the marriage coming along?

Gwen: Still can't believe it actually happened. What about you? You got out on any dates yet?

Aaron: (sighs and shakes his head) I don't know if that's the right thing to do. I want to move on, I really do, but...you know how much she meant to me. I'm not sure if I can move on.

Gwen: (nods) Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't know if I'd be able to move on if I lost Jimmy.

Aaron and Gwen sat in silence for a few minutes until their devices pinged. They turned it on and a hologram of Natasha appeared.

Natasha: Aaron, Gwen, I need you at the compound.

Aaron: (confused) Why?

As if to answer his question...

???: Hey, it that The Flash? and that Ghost Spider chick?

Aaron and Gwen recognized that voice.

Aaron: Is that Scott?

Natasha: Yeah. Apparently, he survived, and we didn't know. He's got something to say, and he want you two to hear it.

Aaron and Gwen looked at each other before Gwen spoke.

Gwen: We'll be there.

They close the hologram device as Gwen texts Jimmy saying that she and Aaron will be out of the city for a bit.

Aaron held the back of Gwen's neck and sped off to the Avengers Compound.

Upstate New York

They have arrived at the compound and saw Steve, Natasha, and Scott.

Scott was pacing around the room.

Gwen: Scott?

Scott stopped pacing as he faced the four.

Gwen: You good?

Scott: Yeah...Have any of you guys ever studied quantum physics?

Aaron: I know a lot about it.
Gwen: A little bit.
Natasha: Only to make conversation.

Scott: Alright, so...5 years ago, right before...Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small.

Aaron: Wait, how small are we talking?

Scott: Subatomic.

Aaron: (nods) Gotcha.

Scott: Anyways, Hope, she's my uhh...she was my...She was supposed to pull me out, and then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.

Natasha: I'm sorry, that must've been a very long 5 years.

Scott: Yeah, but that's just it...It wasn't...For me, it was 5 hours.

Steve, Natasha, Aaron, and Gwen looked at each other baffled.

Scott: See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. (points to a plate of sandwiches) Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving.

He grabs a sandwich and began eating it.

Steve: Scott, what are you talking about?

Scott: So...what I'm saying is...time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it, but what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we can enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time, but then exit the Quantum Realm at another point in time, like...like before Thanos.

Steve: Wait, are you talking about a time machine?

Scott: No, of course not, not a time machine? It's more like a...

He tries to think of another term for it, but he couldn't.

Scott: Yeah, like a time machine. I know, it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be...Some...(shakes his head) It's crazy.

Gwen: Scott, dude...

Scott turned to face Gwen.

Gwen: I once had a psycho speedster from the future try to kill me, make of that what you will.

Steve: (turns to Aaron) Is that possible?

Aaron: Yeah, it is, but...

He sighs and looks down.

Natasha: But what?

Aaron: But I can't do it alone. I'm gonna need help.

Everyone except Scott knew who Aaron was referring to.

Scott: I'm sorry, who are we talking about here?

If he was being fully honest to himself, Aaron still hasn't forgiven him.

But he has to put that aside.

Aaron: Tony Stark.