Disequilibrium

- - - - -

Ana rolled up to Cassie's school.

She parked the van and turned off the ignition. With one hand on the wheel, she angled her torso to look over at Scott and Hope as they flew away, towards the school grounds. The goal today was to obtain the original Ant-Man suit that had been shrunken and taped to the underside of a World's Greatest Grandma trophy that Cassie had taken to school for show-and-tell, despite Scott having asked her to leave it at home were it would be safe.

Hank removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was just the two of them now. He noticed how Ana still hadn't touched her phone even when it buzzed with text notifications. He looked down at his hands, and exhaled slowly. "So, you wanna talk about it?" He asked her.

Ana's eyes flickered over at Pym, and she had to stop from letting out a laugh. She knew it must have been awkward for him to ask her that. He wasn't really the talkative type. She didn't say anything at first. She took a breath and shook her head. "That's okay, Hank. It's just some drama that I'm sure you don't want to hear about. Secrets and lies, that sort of thing."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll all work out in the end." Hank offered her a small smile.

"Hey, Hank. Just so you know, I'm gonna make sure you and Hope get Janet back. Whatever it takes. I know how important it is to you to get the family back together again. Even if the risks to do so are fatal." Ana declared. Hank wasn't that all surprised by her words. He knew she meant them and he nodded. She gave him a fleeting smile, before her eyes trailed off. She chuckled lightly, "You know, I'd give anything to see my team all in the same room. They may not be blood, but I don't need a connection like that to love 'em like I do."

"The Avengers?" Hank asked.

"Yeah. I don't know if you heard but we're all pretty much done in the hero-ing business."

"Except for you." Hank chuckled at her innocent expression. "I watch the news. Saw you and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen teaming up to save New York. You thinking of taking up vigilantism?"

Ana smirked slightly. "I wouldn't mind it. But then again, New York is filled with all kinds of heroes. From Spider-Man to Jessica Jones - I'd say the city is in capable hands."

Hank looked over his shoulder. What he saw made him breathe a little easier. "Speaking of capable hands. Here they come." Hank said as Hope settled back inside the van behind Ana's seat. The Wasp patted Ana's shoulder and sent her a delighted smile, tilting her head at the man running towards them.

"That was pretty fas- Scott?!" Ana exclaimed. Scott stood in a blue hoodie outside the van on the edge of the curb - the size of a toddler. His arms were at his sides and his shoulders deflated at the sound of Ana's laugh.

"Ana, please stop..." Scott sighed out, struggling to get inside the van. It only made Ana laugh harder. She clutched her stomach when it went sore, and wiped at her watery eyes.

"Hiya, champ. How was school today?" Hank teased, earning a fake laugh from Scott in response.

"Get your jokes out now. Can you fix the suit?" Scott questioned, tone stern.

Ana covered her mouth with her hand as Hope slyly replied with, "So cranky."

"You want a juice box and some string cheese?" Hank offered sarcastically.

Ana shut the door after Scott and restarted the car. She snickered under her breath when Scott, in all seriousness, said, "Do you really have that?"

As Ana took off, Hank removed his seat belt and went to work on using the classic Ant-Man suit's regulator that was responsible for controlling the way the suit would shrink. By modifying the diffractors on the regulator, he could track the lab. And after a few moments on working to get Scott to his normal dimensions, Hank typed away at his computer. Bill's idea had worked by the relieved sounds Hope and Hank were letting out. Ana looked back them as she stopped at a red light, and by the looks on their faces, she didn't have to say a word to confirm anything.

"Let's get your lab back."

- - -

"I really think Ana should come with us."

Scott looked directly in Hank's eyes as he suggested that the Warrior were to accompany them inside the dark and closed off mansion in the middle of nowhere. It had taken Ana a few hours to get them to where the lab was, and switched seats with Hank when they arrived. She had her foot propped up on the chair with her elbow resting on it. Scott sent Ana a small encouraging grin, then it dropped the second he realised she was now dressed in a dark version of her super-suit.

The charcoal nylon and black armour was a new look. Ana had just gotten the hang of changing up her style using Mystic Arts the same way Stephen used it to switch his attire within seconds. There were a few momentary glitches when the fabric was too loose or the colour was way off. She didn't want to infiltrate the property wearing a baggy, bright green outfit. People would think she was cosplaying as the Incredible Hulk. She smiled, already unbuckling her seatbelt. "I love our team-ups."

"Go for it." Hank wouldn't argue with Ana, and sat back as the three supers exited the van in the dead of night.

The second Ana walked inside the mansion, she felt a cold chill travel up her spine, forcing her to shiver from the feeling. It felt foreboding. It concerned her. She motioned for Hope and Scott to go in further, while she broke off and searched the rest of the house. She wanted to know who this Ghost was, and why they were so intent on getting to the lab.

"Careful, guys." Ana whispered, and sent them off with a nod.

"You too." Hope replied through their comm link.

Ana found herself in an empty room one could see as a living room for a large family. An old TV unit covered in dust was in front of a boarded window. She could barely see a thing, and activated the night vision on the mask Tony made for her years ago. It was still functional and capable of more than just seeing in the dark. The software inside the technology swept the room for any live pieces of equipment. None. While Ana moved inside the room one step at a time, she listened for anything. The humming of Wasp's wings all the way on the other side of the house was the only indication of life. Ana put one foot out and heard a crunch underneath her boot. She lifted the limb and kneeled, picking up a single sheet of paper.

"Ava Starr?" She read curiously. It happened to be a field report - from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Her heart stopped. What? Ana skimmed through the paragraphs, learning more and more as she read along. The paper outlined Ava's success in infiltrating and destroying an arms warehouse in Glasgow. Her kill count made Ana's mouth run dry. She dropped the paper and searched for more, turning over cardboard boxes to reveal stacks of tossed aside folders containing countless more field and medical reports. According to a majority of the latter, Ava's condition was life threatening. It was getting worse the more she used her abilities.

Ana's head snapped up when she heard a shout. It sounded like Hope. She was back on her feet in an instant, and when she went to aid her team, a man who had snuck up behind her made Ana stop in her tracks. Still clutching numerous reports in one hand, Ana stared down at the man she came to realise as Bill Foster. He had a modified firearm in his possession and it was aimed right at her heart.

"One move and I shoot." He warned.

Ana thought she heard hesitation in his tone. She wouldn't want to do anything to find out if she was right. She held her hands up and thought to play this smart. He didn't look like he wanted to kill her. She showed him the papers in her hand, and began speaking in a slow voice. "What's your role in helping Ava, Bill?"

Bill didn't answer her and instead gestured for her to follow him. "Drop them and come with me." He demanded.

Ana stood her ground. "No."

Bill then pulled out Hank from behind the wall outside the living room. He aimed the gun at Hank's head, and Ana didn't like the look on Hank's face. He was nervous. He shouldn't have to be. Especially when an old colleague of his was threatening his life. Bill removed any and all expression from his features so he could look blankly at Ana. He had his reasons for his actions, and currently both Ana and Hank were quite simply in his way.

"Now." Bill stated firmly.

"Really, Bill. You're threatening to kill a kid?" Hank questioned with a scoff.

Ana suppressed an eye roll. "I'm twenty-eight, Hank."

Hank only shrugged at her response. Still a youngster in his eyes.

Bill let out an agitated sigh, raised his weapon in Ana's direction and fired. The bullet hit Ana in her forearm, and she grunted, hearing as the shot went right through the limb and plowed into the wall behind her. She covered the wound with her free hand and seethed at the pain. Blood seeped through her fingers, dropping onto the papers at her feet.

Hank was struck with a bash to the head and Bill set him down in an empty seat, keeping his eyes on Ana as her knees buckled. It felt as if her forearm was on fire, and she did her best to keep her eyes open even though they fought to close.

"You'll be fine." Bill's voice came to her disoriented and she lifted her gaze. He approached her and leaned down to face her, "The bullet left behind a device in your arm that, in simple terms, won't let you gather your strength. When you wake up, you may feel a little bit weird..."

Ana then collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

- - -

With a sharp intake of breath, Ana's eyes opened and she glanced down at her forearm. The wound she remembered getting was bandaged with a small spot of blood where the entry point was. She turned her arm over and poked at the flesh, trying to get some sort of feeling back into it when she realised it was numb from the device Bill implanted her with. Ana grumbled to herself.

"Shit..." She murmured when she saw Scott, Hope and Hank all unconscious and tied down in their seats next to her.

All of a sudden, a woman appeared out of thin air in front of her. She wore silver-grey patterned leggings and a pale grey hoodie. She was playing with her long, tussled brown hair as she smiled down at Ana. This was the woman behind the Ghost suit. "Hi." She greeted. "I'm Ava."

Ana shifted in her seat. There wasn't much she could do. She couldn't even feel her legs. She checked to make sure they were still attached to her body. "I know. Uh, I'm Ana." She replied.

Ava then snickered. "Our names are quite similar. You know, I've seen you before. The day S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, I was there when you were taking down the Insight Helicarriers. I saw you fall into the Potomac and the man with the metal arm jump in after you." She explained. She brought up a chair and sat down across from Ana, studying her openly. Her emerald green eyes took in her suit, and she reached out to remove Ana's eye mask, pulling it down to reveal her whole face.

Ana cleared her throat. She didn't expect that. She couldn't exactly prevent it from happening. She knew Ava had the skill to miraculously phase into a person's body and hold their life in her hands, literally. If at any point Ana acted out, Ava could send her fist into her heart. She had to be as civil as possible. "I read the reports you keep in the other room. I take it you took them the second S.H.I.E.L.D. was dismantled. You're hurt... I mean, you've got a medical issue and it's painful for you, isn't it?" She asked, genuinely curious about Ava's situation.

Ava glanced at her Ghost suit that was propped up on a mannequin. "The suit helps me control it - my medical condition as you put it. And the pain... supposedly." She shared, "Something our bosses at S.H.I.E.L.D. gave me in return for my service."

Scott grunted as he woke up, and his head lifted to look around. When his eyes settled on Ana and Ava, he froze. "You're not gonna reach into my chest and crush my heart, are you?" He asked.

Ava laughed, and shook her head. "You're funny. I'm not gonna hurt you, Scott, unless I have to. I need what's in your head." Slowly, Ava raised her hands and held them on either sides of Scott's head. For a moment, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Ana furrowed her brows when Ava's hands began phasing, and after witnessing the look of frustration cross Ava's face, she realised she couldn't even control simple movements without being forced to go through her molecular disequilibrium.

Ava stood, and motioned at Hope and Hank. "Let's wake up the rest of the gang and get this over with, shall we?" Ava struck all their chairs with a kick, rattling them awake. "Get up! Come on!"

Hank groaned in pain and Hope looked him over, eyes displaying her concern for his wellbeing. "Dad?" She called, and when he nodded in acknowledgement, Hope gave Ava a sneer, "Don't ever touch him again."

"Now, now, Hope, I think I'm being rather gentle with your father... all things considered." Ava drawled, narrowing her eyes at Hank sharply. The very view of his face made her stomach churn. It brought up bad memories. Ava loathed Pym, and everyone in the room could tell just how much by the way her fists were shaking at her sides.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hope remarked.

"Another casualty of Hank Pym's ego." A voice responded that didn't belong to anyone in the room. Bill stepped out of the shadows to make himself known to the others, head tilted slightly towards the ground with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

"Bill." Hank muttered. He could still feel the dull throb from the place Bill hit him. "What have you done?"

Ana raised her arm where the disk had been embedded on the skin of her forearm. "He put something in me and it makes everything feel numb." She groaned, scrunching her eyes shut. "I can't feel my face." She said, bringing her floppy hands to slap her numb features. She knew it didn't look like it, but her lips seemed swollen and the more she spoke, the more uncomfortable she became.

"A little something I picked up while studying Ava's condition." Bill explained shortly. "I've been meaning to try it out for some time now, so thank you for being the very first test subject, Michaels."

"Whatever, Goliath. You suck." Ana whispered. She didn't feel like a demigod at that precise moment. This is so embarrassing, Ana thought to herself, really glad the Avengers aren't here to see me like this.

"You with her?" Scott questioned, looking in-between Bill and Ava. He clicked his tongue and shook his head, disappointed. "Aw, man. I thought you were cool."

"What the hell is going on here?"

Ava stepped up to explain. She gathered everyone's attention. She had the whole room in her palm. "I doubt Hank have ever mentioned my father. Elihas Starr." She began, voice filled with a mixture of displeasure and sentimentality. "They were colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. Quantum research. Until my father dared to disagree with the great Hank Pym." Ava pinned Hank down with a striking glare, and practically seethed, "You had him fired. Oh, and discredited for good measure. My father tried to continue his research on his own. Desperate to restore his name, so he took risks. Too many. Until something went wrong. He told us to run. I could tell he was scared. I didn't want him to be alone. His life's work exploded right in front of our eyes and when I woke up, my parents were dead. I wasn't so lucky. They call it 'molecular disequilibrium' - a rather dull name, I think. Doesn't quite do justice to what it means. Every cell in my body is torn apart and stitched back together. Over, and over, everyday." Ava informed them. Ana could tell she tried her best to put on a face that showed them she wasn't scared, or hurting, just mad. But Michaels could see right through it.

The Ghost was transparent.

Ana couldn't help but feel for her. It was something she knew she shouldn't let get to her. In this scenario, Ava was the antagonist. Right? She wasn't supposed to be easy to sympathise with. The recollection of Ava's accident and losing her parents was a terrible thing hear. As an adult, she was suffering. Everyday. And it was killing her. It couldn't be easy. Ana understood Ava's goal to take the lab and find a way to use the Quantum Tunnel to heal her cells - but it didn't mean Ana approved of her methods. Ava was willing to kill others. She was willing to hurt people to get what she wanted. That made her dangerous. Impulsive. Unpredictable. Ana couldn't agree or sympathise with any of that.

"I was still at S.H.I.E.L.D. when I got the call about a quantum anomaly in Argentina." Bill added.

"Dr. Foster did his best to keep me safe. But others at S.H.I.E.L.D. saw an opportunity in my affliction. They built me a containment suit so I can control my phasing. And trained me to be a stealth operative. They weaponized me. I stole for them, spied for them... I killed for them." Ava stared, looking at Ana directly. She hoped that the Warrior could find some similarities in that. She had this idea that Michaels had been in the same position at one point. "And in exchange for my soul, they were going to cure me. They lied."

Ana felt ashamed. Guilty, even. She knew S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't perfect. It had a lot of dark spots. Not to mention Hydra was at the heart of many of those stains. S.H.I.E.L.D., in a big way, was Ana's salvation. After Nick recruited her, she felt like she was apart of something greater than herself. She didn't like many of the things she was pressured to do while serving as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. - but that didn't mean she regretted any of it. It was her duty to follow orders, and she did so on every occasion... even though Clint would argue otherwise. Ana never took the archer seriously. Clint blamed it on Natasha's harsh yet appropriate orders. He was always the fun one while the Widow had a reputation for causing others to shiver at the sound of her name.

"When S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, I took Ava in. I built the chamber to slow her decay, but her condition was progressive. I didn't know how to cure her. She wanted to kill you, Hank. But I told her, no. And that she should watch you instead. And sure enough, she discovered that you were building a tunnel." Suddenly, the sound of a duck quaking came from Scott's phone. Someone was trying to get in touch with him. Bill briefly paused, tuned the horrid sound out, then went back to explaining. "Then she told me about Lang, and the message from Janet inside his head..." More quaking. Finally, Bill cracked from the constant ringing of Scott's phone and cried out, "For Christ's sake!"

"That's me. I'm sorry. Look, can you tell me who's texting me?" Scott asked as Bill picked up his phone.

"Cassie. 911." Bill read.

"That's my daughter. I need to text her back." Scott rushed out. The very thought of his daughter being in trouble made his mind race.