William Shakespeare's Avengers
Page 40
Yet with the benefit of hindsight and
The knowledge that he never shall come back,
’Tis only memories of joy I have. 135
The man was known for dropping wisdom’s pearls.
HOWARD
What words were these?
STARK
—Investments plentiful
Ne’er made the money that could buy a second
Of time.
HOWARD
—A man most wise.
STARK
—In faith, he did
His best.
HOWARD
—The child hath not arriv’d yet and 140
I would do anything in the wide world
That he would ask of me. Now, must I fly.
You were well met, Potts—feels my spirit lighter.
STARK
I’ve one more word for thee: all shall be well,
All shall be well, and ev’ry manner of 145
Thing shall be well. Thank thee for ev’rything…
[Stark embraces Howard.
Thou hast done for this country.
[Howard walks to his car, where Jarvis is waiting. Stark walks toward Rogers.
HOWARD
—Jarvis, holla.
Was I to that man ever introduc’d?
JARVIS
You meet so many people, sir.
HOWARD
—The man
Was so familiar, though his beard was odd. 150
[Exeunt Jarvis and Howard Stark in the car.
ROGERS
Let us away, our task accomplish’d now,
And hope our feats match what we each did vow.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 3
Space.
ENTER PAST NEBULA, THROWING NEBULA TO THE GROUND.
P. NEBULA
Thou art so weak!
NEBULA
—Yet I am thou, in truth.
[Past Nebula punches Nebula and pulls the time travel device from Nebula’s hand.
ENTER PAST GAMORA. PAST NEBULA WALKS ASIDE.
NEBULA
You could stop all this pain if you desir’d.
Methinks you wish it so—did you observe
What happens in the future whence I came?
Our father, Thanos, findeth the Soul Stone. 5
Would you know how he doth accomplish it?
Would you know what he does to you, his child?
P. NEBULA
Thy traitorous words are more than enow!
[Past Nebula kicks Nebula and pulls out a knife.
Thou dost disgust me, yet thou hast some use.
I shall remove the secrets from thy pate. 10
[Past Nebula removes a plate from Nebula’s head, puts it on her own head, and walks to Thanos’s throne room. Exeunt Nebula and Past Gamora.
ENTER THANOS, ON HIS THRONE.
How doth my head look, Father? Fit to trick?
THANOS
Thou shalt suffice and help me snuff their wick.
[Exeunt.
SCENE 1
In New York, at the Avengers’ base.
ENTER TONY STARK, STEVE ROGERS, THOR, BRUCE BANNER, CLINT BARTON, ROCKET, SCOTT LANG, JAMES RHODES, AND PAST NEBULA, ARRIVING ONTO THE TIME PORTAL.
BANNER
Did we in our large task succeed, my friends,
And gain each Stone?
RHODES
—Is’t possible this plan
Hath work’d, e’en as we hop’d?
[Barton falls to his knees in sorrow.
BANNER
—Why this face, Clint,
Which speaks of an enormous woe? Where’s Nat?
[Barton is silent. All realize Romanoff is dead. All except Past Nebula walk outside to the lake, preparing to mourn her. Past Nebula walks aside, looking around and plotting.
STARK
Is’t known if she had family?
ROGERS
—’Twas us. 5
THOR
What are thou doing, acting like she’s dead?
We have the Stones, yes? Whilst we have the Stones,
Cap, we have, too, the pow’r to bring her back.
’Tis so? Cease with your somber tones, I pray—
We are th’Avengers. Pray, comport yourselves. 10
BARTON
She’ll not fly back to us.
THOR
—What dost thou mean?
BARTON
Once hatch’d, a chick cannot return to th’egg.
This cannot be undone.
THOR
—Beg pardon, but
Thou art a very earthly being, Clint,
And we speak of space magic presently. 15
“Cannot” seems too definitive, methinks.
BARTON
I am a bantam in this fight, and speak
Above my pay grade, I admit. Still, though,
She is not here—’tis true enow for thee?
THOR
Yet ’tis my point.
BARTON
—This cannot be undone, 20
At least so said the gliding specter red.
Perchance thou wouldst enjoy a talk withal—
Grab thou thy hammer, fly, and speak with him.
’Tis certain that I should have died instead.
She sacrific’d the lot for that damn’d Stone, 25
And wagerèd her life we would succeed.
[In rage, Banner throws a bench across the water.
BANNER
She’ll not return, and we must make it worth it.
It is our great and solemn duty, friends.
ROGERS
We shall, succeeding in this trying task.
[They return inside. Stark places the Stones in a specialized glove.
ROCKET
Success! The glove’s prepar’d. Yet who shall snap their 30
fingers to undo what once was done?
THOR
It shall be I.
LANG
—Art thou th’appropriate one?
ROGERS
Thor, wait. We’ve not concluded who shall wear’t.
THOR
Apologies. Shall we, then, sit upon
Our arses, hoping that the perfect time 35
Shall show itself to us? Is that thy plan?
LANG
At minimum, we’ll have the conversation.
THOR
To sit and stare upon the powr’ful glove
Shall not bring friends and family to us.
I am th’Avengers’ mightiest; in sooth, 40
Th’responsibility doth fall to me.
STARK
In many cases, thou wouldst be correct.
THOR
It is my duty—stop thy stopping me!
Please, please, I beg of thee, let me do this.
I would do something good and something right. 45
STARK
It is not merely that the glove doth hold
Sufficient pow’r to light a continent,
There’s more—thou art in no condition, Thor.
THOR
What dost thou think is coursing through my veins?
RHODES
I’ll warrant it is Cheez Wiz.
THOR
—Lightning, Stark! 50
STARK
Indeed.
BANNER
—Yet lightning shall not help thee, Thor.
It must be me; the Hulk is bigger, stronger.
Thou witness’dst all the havoc that the Stones
Hath wreak’d on Thanos, nearly killing h
im.
None of ye could survive.
ROGERS
—Canst prove to us 55
Thou shalt?
BANNER
—Nay, Cap, but hear: the radiation
Is largely gamma. I was made for this,
As though the sisters three, the mighty Fates,
Did knit this cord especially for me.
STARK
If thou, then, art prepar’d?
BANNER
—This shall be big, 60
And I am ready to fulfill the calling.
STARK
I bid thee, hear these words and study well:
Each person Thanos snapp’d hence years ago,
Thy task’s to bring them here, today, naught more.
Change nothing from the intervening years. 65
BANNER
So shall it be. The readiness is all.
[All suit up except for Banner. Aside, Past Nebula uses the control panel on the time portal, flipping switches.
STARK
Initiate the barn door protocol,
I prithee, Friday.
FRIDAY
—Yea, it shall be done.
[Emergency doors close throughout the base.
BANNER
The moment comes—the masses shall come home.
[Banner puts the glove on, and power surges through him, bringing him to his knees.
THOR
Remove the glove, which quickly works thee woe! 70
ROGERS
Nay, hold, Thor. Bruce, how dost thou fare?
STARK
—Is’t well?
BANNER
The power vast doth burn my body, yet
It shall be well.
[Banner snaps his fingers and passes out just as Past Nebula finishes opening a portal for Past Thanos. Thanos’s ship crashes through the portal and takes to the air outside the base, unheard by anyone except Past Nebula.
ROGERS
—Alas, Bruce!
STARK
—If we hold
Him steady, he may yet recuperate.
[Stark sprays Banner with fire retardant from his suit to stifle the burning on Banner’s arm and neck.
BANNER
[waking:] Did our grand plan succeed?
THOR
—We do not know. 75
[The emergency doors open. Lang walks aside. Barton’s phone rings, and the screen displays the face of his wife, Laura.
BARTON
[into phone:] My love?
ENTER LAURA BARTON ABOVE, ON BALCONY.
LAURA
[into phone:] —Clint, it is thee?
BARTON
[into phone:] —O, Laura mine!
[Lang looks through the window, observing birds outside.
LANG
My friends, methinks our undertaking work’d.
[Thanos’s ship fires on the base, destroying much of it, burying the Avengers in rubble, and knocking most of them unconscious. Exit Laura Barton. Banner lifts the foundation so that it does not collapse completely. Rocket and Rhodes are near him.
ROCKET
Alack! I cannot breathe—I have been crush’d!
RHODES
Ah, canopy!
[Rhodes’s War Machine suit releases him.
BANNER
—With mammoth speed get hence,
I bid ye, Rhodey, Rocket!
RHODES
—Rocket, now! 80
[Rhodes uses a pole as a lever to lift rocks off of Rocket, who emerges.
BANNER
Enormous surge of water, Rhodey—fly!
RHODES
[into radio:] Cry mayday, mayday! Someone, hear our plea:
The lower level floodeth suddenly,
And we are trapp’d herein!
[Nearby, Lang, who has transformed to ant size, comes to.
LANG
[into radio:] —Reiterate, pray?
RHODES
[into radio:] We’ll drown anon unless someone can help. 85
O, mayday!
LANG
[into radio:] —I can hear thee and shall try
To bring ye some deliverance posthaste.
[Lang runs toward them.
RHODES
[to Banner and Rocket:] We drown! I’ll see ye in Elysium.
ROCKET
Fie, that this should be the end of Rocket!
LANG
[into radio:] I come, my friends, to bring ye liberation. 90
[Exeunt Banner, Rocket, and James Rhodes. Exit Scott Lang severally, searching for them. Aside, Barton awakes.
BARTON
[aside:] Where am I? Deep within the flatten’d base,
Where it is dark and dim as ravens’ feathers.
Beside me, either way, a lengthy cave,
A hole above me. [Calling:] Cap? Where have you gone?
[Aside:] Here is the glove that lately Banner wore. 95
I must take it—but wait, what was that noise?
Behind me, something wicked this way comes!
HE SHOOTS AN ARROW WITH A LIGHT ON IT THROUGH THE CAVE. ENTER THANOS’S BEASTS IN THE CAVE NEAR BARTON.
Angels and ministers of grace defend us!
Attacking hordes of monsters hither charge.
[Barton picks up the glove and runs in the opposite direction. Exit, pursued by beasts.
ENTER THANOS OUTSIDE THE BASE, DELIVERED VIA A BEAM FROM HIS SHIP. PAST NEBULA WALKS TO HIM.
THANOS
My doting daughter.
P. NEBULA
—Yea, my father bold. 100
THANOS
This is the future, then? Well done, my lass.
[Past Nebula removes the plate from her head.
P. NEBULA
My thanks. The trusting fools suspected naught.
THANOS
The arrogant ne’er do, as they are too
Wrapp’d in their folly to see clear enow.
Go, now, find thou the Stones and bring them me. 105
P. NEBULA
What shall you do?
THANOS
—Wait, for the battle comes.
[Past Nebula walks toward the base while Thanos sits.
ENTER GAMORA AND NEBULA ON BALCONY, INSIDE THANOS’S SHIP.
GAMORA
I bid thee, tell me something, Nebula:
When future cometh, what transpires betwixt
Us two—e’en thee and me?
NEBULA
—I try to kill thee.
In truth, ’tis sev’ral times I make th’attempt. 110
Eventually, we become dear friends—
The sisters that we never were before.
[Gamora extends a hand to Nebula.
GAMORA
I prithee, let the future start today.
We two can stop him.
[Nebula takes Gamora’s hand. Exeunt. Below, in the rubble, Stark wakes, finds Rogers’s shield, and walks to Rogers, who is unconscious. Aside, Thor wakes and walks outside, seeing Thanos and watching him.
STARK
—I bid thee, awake!
[Rogers gasps and wakes.
Well done, good lad. Shouldst thou lose this again— 115
The precious shield I only lately gave thee—
I’ll keep it for a souvenir, I vow.
ROGERS
What hath occur’d? How turn’d the world to ruins?
STARK
If one would mess with time, it shall mess back,
And—as thou seest—we are in the mess. 120
[Stark pulls Rogers to his feet. They
walk outside the base and stand with Thor. The three behold Thanos, still seated.
What hath the rogue been playing at, strong Thor?
THOR
Nay, absolutely naught—he only sits.
ROGERS
Where are the Stones? Should we lose them, we’re lost.
STARK
I’ll warrant they are somewhere neath the wreckage.
From what I see, ’tis clear he hath them not. 125
ROGERS
Let us, then, strive to keep that as it is.
THOR
Ye certainly must know this is a trap.
STARK
Indeed, and yet I find I do not care.
THOR
’Tis well, as long as each of us agrees.
[Thor’s eyes glow with lightning as the clouds above begin to swirl. He calls both Mjölnir and Stormbreaker into his hands.
Let’s kill the brigand properly this time— 130
A death befitting all the deaths he caus’d.
[They approach Thanos.
THANOS
You could not bear the weight of your own failure.
Where did your bitter absence of acceptance
Bring you? ’Tis certain: back to me again.
Methought eliminating half of life, 135
The other half would thrive by richer means.
You’ve shown me, though, such is impossible—
Whilst any live, who do the past recall,
There ever shall exist those people who
Cannot accept the possibilities, 140
The promise of what can be, and what should.
They will resist, e’en as you shall.
STARK
—In troth,
We are a stubborn, common race of souls.
THANOS
You have my gratitude, for now I know
What I must do—shred th’universe entire 145
Down to its final atom, verily.
[Thanos stands and begins to don his armor.
Thenceforth, withal the Stones you have collected—
On my behalf, for which I give you thanks—
I shall create a newfound universe
That teems with life and hath no sense of loss, 150
Yet only knows the gifts it hath been giv’n.
A grateful universe the next shall be,
And o’er it I shall reign, its rightful god.
ROGERS
A universe born out of pain and blood.
THANOS
Yet my creation ne’er shall know the cost, 155
For ye’ll not live to tell them what was paid.
THOR
For Asgard, brute, let slip the dogs of war!
[Stark, Rogers, and Thor attack Thanos. They fight.
ENTER CLINT BARTON IN THE BASE. ENTER THANOS’S BEASTS, STILL CHASING HIM.