Ch 95 Janet's message

The next morning, everyone was still rather gloomy from what they had seen in the recording, for very good reason. Though they were all a little better than the previous day. Just a little.

Benjamin had the table replaced during the night and all of them were just sitting there, eating rather slowly. Scarlet Witch, Morgan, Lila and Cassie had joined them for this one too. They would be sitting with them for the last four recordings because it was needed.

Soon, all of them walked into the viewing room. None of them had any idea what they would see now.

"Before we get to the remaining future recordings, there are two more recordings about the past." Logan told them but got no reactions really, "We need to get them watched first."

At a nod from Benjamin, he took out the remote and started that recording.

A house was shown as Hank's voice was heard saying how he still thought about the night he and Janet had to leave Hope. A little Hope was shown watching as a younger Janet kneeled down to her and said they were leaving on a last minute business trip and Rose would take care of her. Hope said she didn't want them to go but Janet joked how she won't be able to keep her eyes due to how boring this was and did mimicked a sleeping person, amusing Hope. Hank said they had to go and Janet snorted funnily, making Hope laugh.

That was enough to alleviate the tension a little as everyone chuckled a bit at that.

"You were just like me, aren't you?" Cassie joked to Hope and both smiled.

The two went off as Hope watched and Hank's voice was heard saying how they had wanted to put down their bags and tuck her in bed but too many lives were at stake. The two were shown in their suits on the nuclear warhead, with Hank failing to penetrate it due to its thick coating. The only way was to go subatomic and Hank was shown trying to, only to fail as his regulator was damaged. But Janet's wasn't. "Tell Hope I love her." She said as she pressed her regulator. "Janet, no!" Hank yelled as she went subatomic and into the warhead.

Hope pressed a hand to her mouth, struggling not to cry as Scott had his arm around, watching sadly as all looked at her in sympathy.

Hank was heard saying how she had saved thousands of lives knowing she would be lost in the Quantum Realm. The warhead was shown falling into water while Janet shrunk into the Quantum Realm. Hope was shown playing with toys when Hank arrived. His expression was all she needed to know what had happened as she burst into tears and the two hugged each other. "Telling you that she wasn't coming home, was the hardest thing that I ever had to do." Hank was heard saying.

Hope closed her eyes sadly at the scene.

Then Hank and adult Hope were shown talking to each other in 2015 as Hank said, "But then, Scott showed up...Or should I say, broke into our house. And when he went to the Quantum Realm...And came back, everything changed." A flashback of Scott returning from the Quantum Realm and hugging his daughter was shown.

Scott and Cassie smiled at each other.

"I started to wonder...Could your mother still be alive?" Hank mused as the two walked together, "So I dusted off some old plans." He opened up plans of some kind of machine.

"That looks like a…" Tony trailed off.

"Quantum Tunnel." Morgan finished for him.

"Dad, what are you saying?" Hope asked. "I think it's possible, to bring her back." He told her as both of them looked at the plans.

Everyone watched in anticipation, knowing this recording was just about getting Janet back.

In present day, Scott and Cassie were crawling in a tunnel and Scott took out a map, asking Cassie if she was ready and said if she showed hesitation or fear inside, they were done. "I eat fear for breakfast." Cassie said and Scott found it cool as the two crawled inside.

Everyone burst out into laughter as Lila said, "That's actually very childish."

"Well, what am I in this recording?" Cassie asked with an eye roll.

"It's endearing actually." Natasha smirked.

The two then saw a model of a giant ant in the front which Scott called Anton and asked which way to go. On not getting a response, he asked a bit more forcefully and Luis heard. He ran to his position and pulled a string, making Anton point in the direction as the two crawled away.

"Ah! So he's in too." Steve said as all smiled, the tension getting a bit lighter now.

"You really devised this entire game for your daughter." Clint said, one father to another, "Respect."

Scott simply nodded in thanks.

Scott saw how ants had burrowed into this facility and there were lasers too. Scott got lased but they still moved to the secret vault.

"Pretty ineffective lasers." Pepper said as all chuckled.

Cassie had brought the contact lens, which was some kind of giant eye as she put it on and Scott opened the vault.

"The lens works." Morgan said as all chuckled.

There was a microtreasure there, a trophy. They picked it up as Cassie said she wanted it for show and tell but Scott said it was too important and the best birthday present she got him, saying how he was touched she thought of him as the 'World's Best Grandma' as that was plastered at the bottom.

Everyone laughed as Peter asked, "Grandma? Really?"

"That's all they had left." Cassie shrugged.

Scott joked how he wanted to knit her a sweater as Luis arrived and said he was looking at the schematics of the Karapetyan Buildings and they had too many security cams. Scott argued as Luis said they needed to land the bird. Scott said the investor could go anywhere and the expression was 'land the fish.' Luis asked how they would land a fish as it couldn't walk and if it swam to shore and battled a hawk, it wouldn't win. Scott said Luis had turned it around on him now and said they would land Karapetyan.

Everyone laughed as Bucky said, "But it is to land a fish."

"Ignorance is bliss." Scott said and all chuckled again.

Scott said he was trying to steal something with his daughter and they crawled into the tunnel, getting on top of an ant called Antoinette. Scott removed the support and they slid down across the entire house. Cassie had a helmet for protection. They managed to slide out of the house and 'crash-landed' as Luis looked down and said he was headed to the office and apologized for freaking out earlier, saying he had this and was the boss. That was when the alarm beeped and Scott and Cassie realized his foot, which had the ankle monitor, had broken through the fence and was out.

"Oh no." Bruce said and all groaned.

"Yeah, bummer." Scott said.

The feds were then at the house, searching the place as Scott told Jimmy Woo he just had 3 days and wouldn't try to escape. Woo said rules were rules and they had to search the perimeter if he tripped the alarm. Scott said his foot had crashed through the fence and Cassie said their flying ant had crashed. Scott told him to try to entertain a 10-year old without leaving the house.

"No can do." Clint said.

Scott said he had gone to lengths, including close-up magic, producing a card from his fingers and showing it to them both.

"Okay, that looks awesome." Peter said and all chuckled.

"It's a trick." Scott shrugged.

"I know." Benjamin said.

Cassie asked why they couldn't leave daddy alone and Woo kneeled down, explaining to her about the Accords in a convoluted way, saying how their school had rules of not drawing on walls and her daddy had gone to Germany and drawn on walls with Captain America.

"Drawn on walls?" Sam said in amusement as all chuckled.

Scott dryly said how he was great with kids.

"Oh he really is." May said and all laughed.

Woo also said he was a youth pastor and asked if he had contact with Hank or Hope because their tech was in violation too but Scott hadn't. Woo said talking to them would give him 20 years minimum in prison but he said he hadn't spoken to them in forever and Cassie said they hated his guts.

Everyone laughed.

Woo pulled Scott to a side and asked how he had done the card trick.

"I thought he was going to threaten you." Thor said as all chuckled.

Maggie and Jim arrived, with her saying how they couldn't just show up and search the place but Jim said they could without a warrant to her shock.

"Not the most knowledgeable about law then." Tony said and Scott nodded.

Later Jim, Maggie and Cassie were going away as Maggie said Scott would be free next time they see him. They both hugged him and Jim did too, twice.

"I had no idea husband and ex-husband could be besties." Hope said and all burst out into laughter.

"Yeah, shocking, I know." Scott said.

"Your superpower must be instant likability." Benjamin joked to him and all laughed.

They walked off as Scott said once he got out they would have so much ice cream they would puke and Scott ended up puking cards, shocking Jim who asked how he did that as Maggie said he was getting good.

"Okay, how did you do that really?" Tony asked as all were impressed by Scott's trick.

"I'll teach you sometime." Scott said and all were amused.

Jim, Maggie and Cassie went off as Scott went back into the house after waving goodbye. Scott decided to have some fun, playing drums to 'Hello World' and later trying to hit pins with a bowling ball but missed.

Everyone laughed as Hope asked, "How old are you?"

"Not my best moments." Scott said.

"I can see that." Cassie said and all laughed again.

He then watched a video, learning more card tricks but failed to do this one in spite of snapping his fingers like instructed.

"I'm sure you'll learn. You seem to be good as this." Loki told Scott.

Scott then sang the song on a karaoke set while looking at the lyrics.

"You're pretty good." May told him.

"Thanks." He said.

Scott later read 'The Fault In Our Stars' and cried.

"Oh this is gold." Hope said and all laughed while Scott looked embarrassed, though he didn't really comment. As long as Hope's mind was off hers and her family's potential deaths, he was good.

Scott made paper birds in his room and later threw a ball which managed to fall into the hoop.

"Nice one!" Peter said and Scott smirked again.

Later, Scott wrapped a plastic bag around his left leg to protect his ankle monitor from water and went into the bathtub, muttering 'easy peasy' as he closed his eyes.

"You do have abs." Hope said and all laughed.

"Of course I do." Scott said.

"He is not a show-off." Odinson told her, "That's why you never saw them."

Everyone laughed again.

He then suddenly found himself in the Quantum Realm and saw a projection of someone else around him.

"My mom?" Hope asked as all watched in shock.

"Yeah." Scott said.

He was suddenly in a house and said in Janet's voice how he was going to find someone, calling the person 'jellybean.' He then opened a red wardrobe and found a little Hope in it. She laughed and said how mommy always found her. Scott looked into the mirror and was shocked to see he was Janet. And then he woke up.

"What the hell was that?" Rhodes asked as all were a mix of shock and amusement.

"I became Janet." Scott muttered and everyone found the situation rather funny, "I know. I know."

"She was trying to send a message through you." Hope said.

Scott then took out a secret phone from where he had hidden it and sat on his bed, thinking. He then called Hank and it went to voice mail. He said how he was the last person Hank would want to hear from but he had a weird dream which felt real. He saw Hank's wife back in the Quantum Realm and then he was his wife, not in a weird way or anything. He said it didn't sound like an emergency now that he had said it out loud.

"You never know, dad." Cassie said.

He apologized for bothering Hank and other things before dismantling the phone. Later, he was watching 'Animal House' when a flying ant bothered him and he was shot by a miniature dart, being knocked out.

"Was that you?" Hill asked Hope.

"Yup." Hope said.

Scott later woke up to realize he was being driven away and saw Hope next to him. He said out loud if it was another dream and she asked if what he had seen was a dream or real. He said he didn't know before realizing he couldn't be here and tried to open the door, reminding her of his house arrest but she said system was engaged and they won't open. And then a giant eye looked down.

"Oh I get it! I finally get it!" Tony said as all realized the car was shrunken.

"Doesn't look like a pleasant reunion to me." Fury said.

"No it's not." Scott said.

Giant pigeons pecked the car as a truck passed over. They drove again as Scott said cops could arrive any second but Hope said they won't and Scott realized his ankle monitor was gone. A giant ant sat in his home with his ankle monitor on it, startling Luis who wondered if Scott had transformed into an ant.

"Seriously dude?" Scott asked as all burst out into laughter.

Hope said he was programmed to replicate Scott's daily routine- 9 hours in the bed, 5 hours in front of the TV and 2 hours in the bathroom whatever that was about. Scott said it was inaccurate before asking how she knew of it.

"It is inaccurate though." Logan noted.

Hope said they looked into all security threats and he was the biggest one.

"Sorry about that." Scott said.

Scott apologized, saying it was a matter of national security and Cap needed help. Hope asked who Cap was as they drove into a pipe and Scott said it was Captain America and that's what friends called him and that he knew him a little.

"We're friends." Steve told Scott who seemed overjoyed to everyone's amusement.

Scott said he hadn't thought he'd get caught and Hope said he hadn't thought of a lot of things as he asked how Hank was and she said the house and their freedom was gone. Scott apologized and she said she wasn't looking for an apology but needed what was in his head. They stopped in front of a building as the car enlarged and they went inside as Scott looked around.

"That's a nice place." Pepper noted.

They went into the elevator which went down as Scott asked if they needed money, he'd help. She said they were fine as they stepped out into a lab where giant ants helped move around stuff.

"Never thought I'd find that normal." Wanda said and all chuckled.

Scott then saw a machine and Hank in front of it.

"This is gonna be good." Tony said dryly.

He was about to apologize but Hank told him to save it as they needed to get ready. Hope said while Scott was relaxing at home, they had built this. It was Quantum Tunnel to the Quantum Realm and to Janet. Hank said they thought she was down there but didn't know the location. Hope said if they pinpointed the location, the pod would get her. Scott was shocked they had built all this and didn't even know if she was alive. Hank said it was a hypothesis as they had powered up the Quantum Tunnel the previous night and it had shut down but for a split second, the doorway was open.

"Now comes the good part." Morgan said.

Five minutes later, Scott had called about Janet and they thought he had entangled with her down there. Scott said he respected Hank too much but Hank said he meant Quantum entanglement.

Everyone laughed and Scott looked embarrassed.

Hank said Janet had put a location in Scott's head and the tunnel had activated it. Scott said it was insane but Hank said insane was going to Germany to fight the Avengers without telling them. Hank asked if he had destroyed the suit and Scott said he had. Hank moaned how that was his life's work and he wasn't supposed to go away with it.

"Did you really?" Tony asked.

"Nope." Scott said as he and Hope smirked.

Scott apologized for everything, saying he had only dreamt of Janet playing hide-and-seek with a little girl, shocking the other two. Scott said it was no big deal as he and Cassie did it all the time. Hope asked if the girl was Cassie and Scott said it wasn't. She asked if she had hidden in a wardrobe and Scott said it was a tall dresser. Hank said that was a wardrobe.

Everyone laughed as Scott said, "This is embarrassing."

Hope asked what color and Scott said red. Hope asked if there were horses on it and Scott realized he had seen Janet play hide-and-seek with Hope. She said that was where she always used to hide as a kid and Scott joked she didn't get the gist of the game.

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Man's got a point."

Hope and Hank were overjoyed and hugged as she said, "I knew it! I knew it!" They needed to get the last component from Burch now to stop the tunnel from overloading.

"Sonny Burch?" Tony asked as Scott and Hope turned to him in shock, "That guy showed up in the same conventions Klaue did."

They nodded, realizing that made sense as Tony said, "The guy's an asshole."

"Tell me about it." Hope groaned.

They walked out as Hope tossed him clothes and he said he'd help but needed to be back home when they took off the ankle monitor or he'd be gone forever. Hope said they only needed the part and to open the tunnel and would send him back before lunch. Hank said he owed them as he shrunk the van and Scott asked if he could just wait inside when Hank shrunk the building and pulled it like a suitcase.

"Damn!" Sam said as everyone's jaws just dropped.

"Even Wakanda cannot top that." A shocked T'Challa said.

"People bring work to home. He can take his home to work." Tony said and all laughed at that.

They drove away as an intangible figure watched them.

"Who's that?" Loki asked.

"You'll see." Lila said.

They stopped out Oui as Hope went inside and Scott asked if he could have one of those but Hank refused. Hope walked inside and looked around before seeing Sonny on his suit who greeted her and said Oui was French for yes and in yes they found a table, yes she saw them and yes to plan before property. Hope also said yes to if he had the component she ordered as she put the money on the table.

"Nice one." Pepper said as all watched in anticipation.

"Still an asshole." Tony said.

Sonny said he always loved her sense of humor, calling her Susan.

"Fake name. That's the right thing to do." Fury said approvingly.

"Until they find out that is." Hope groaned.

He asked her to have a seat but she refused as Scott and Hank watched via camera. Scott asked who that was and Hank said he was Sonny Burch who specialized in black market technology and was getting them what they needed. Scott asked if he could have one again but Hank slapped his hand away.

Everyone laughed as Hill wondered, "What's his problem?"

Sonny said he had a friend in FBI who told him things he didn't know, like Susan wasn't her real name but Hope van Dyne was while her unseen associate was her father Hank Pym.

"Oh no!" Rhodes said.

"And now I'm busted." Hope sighed.

Scott and Hank were shocked as Sonny made her have a seat and said relationships were built on trust and the business landscape was shifting. Hank Pym was a real opportunity and he knew what they were building as he looked at the component. He said Quantum Technology was the real future and they could forget nanotechnology, AI and cryptocurrency.

"Not nanotechnology." Tony said and all chuckled.

Sonny said he had arranged buyers for their lab and starting bid was $1 billion but Hope said they had more pressing issues so they should stick to the original arrangement. Sonny said his buyers wouldn't take no so they were in business or not. Hope said they weren't then and was going to take her money back but Sonny refused, saying it was compensation for his injured feelings.

"You keep this up and you will injure something else." Logan said as all watched in anticipation.

"Listen, Sonny." Hope said, "This is gonna be so much easier on everybody if you just give me that component." Sonny said she was only taking his heart and it would mend in time. She smirked and walked off as Scott asked now what and Hank said he'd see.

"Oh we will." Scott said as Hope smirked.

Sonny and his men were walking as he told them to find out who they were working with when one of the men was sent flying off on being hit by something. They looked around in shock as Hope flew in her Wasp suit. Scott was shocked she had wings.

Everyone clapped at Hope's entrance as she smirked.

"Well, wasps sting." Peter said and all laughed.

Hope enlarged and flipped a man down before hitting some with stingers, sending them down too. She then shrunk and knocked another out as Sonny and his men backed off while she enlarged and flip kicked another guy down, taking more down with her stingers and skills as Sonny and the others ran. She flipped and grabbed a guy's head before throwing him off.

"That looks awesome." Peter said as all continued clapping.

"I remember that one." Scott said and they laughed.

"Of course you do." Cassie said.

She shrunk and flew into the chandelier as the others fired but Sonny told them to stop as he didn't want the chandelier gone.

Everyone laughed as Hope said, "You should have thought of that before."

They started walking away when Hope flew down and crashed a man into a kitchen. The others tried to run when she threw a jar at the door and enlarged it, blocking their way. Another tried to throw knives at her but she shrunk and ran across their surfaces, hitting a frying pan as the hot water inside it fell on his face and he fell down.

Everyone clapped again as Tony said, "Nice one."

She dodged another man who tried to hit her with a spatula and threw flour around, blinding them all as she lit a fire, burning another guy's hand and threw him down on enlarging before grabbing another's hand and hitting the other with a frying pan the man had before knocking him out and taking the money.

Everyone clapped happily as Hill said, "Take that!"

Scott said Hank didn't have wings and blasters available for him but Hank said he did.

Everyone burst out laughing as Scarlet Witch said, "He didn't want to use it for you."

"I know." Scott groaned.

Hope put the money down and took the part, saying it was a pleasure doing business with Sonny but he said their business hadn't started yet. Then the intangible figure appeared, shocking Sonny.

"Who is that?" Tony asked.

"Just watch." Hope said.

Hope tried to attack but the figure's intangibility protected it, though she managed to hit it a few times. She asked Hank what to do and he told her to get out. The figure was getting the upper hand as Scott said he needed to help and Hank took out a new suit which was a work in progress.

"Ant-Man is back." Scott said as all chuckled.

The figure overpowered Hope and pinned her to the pillar. It was about to punch her when Scott blocked and kicked it away. He said how Hope had taught him the kick and she complimented his form. He reminisced about good ol' days but she told him this wasn't the time as they realized the figure was gone.

"Now it's gone because nothing is easy!" Natasha said as all sighed.

Scott and Hope looked around as Hank tried to say something but was cut off. The figure had punched through his throat and asked for the lab.

"Oh no!" Pepper paled.

"This thing is something." Tony muttered.

The two returned as Hank said she had the lab. They got into the van and drove away, wondering what that thing was and said they needed to regroup. Scott said they could go to his house and Woo could show up but Hank said that was why they weren't going. Scott asked about their house before remembering it was stolen and apologized and suggested one place. Hank said 'no' multiple times before adding another one.

"I think I know what that is." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Oh you do." Scott said.

Luis welcomed them into X-Con, saying how he had turned to them in his hour of need. He said they needed to cut the food budget and would eat oatmeal packets but Kurt found it insult because it tasted like sand.

"Here we go again." Steve said as all chuckled.

They argued about it until Scott told them to focus before noticing his desk and was shocked it was so small. Luis said he wasn't there when they were picking one and Scott pointed out he was under house arrest and the argument re-started. Hope called out to him and then he said they had to focus, amusing her. Luis said he had heard of what had happened to them, with someone who could walk through walls stealing their stuff.

"One of the people at the school can do that." Logan revealed.

Kurt said it was Baba Yaga, the witch, asking if they knew her.

"I know Baba Yaga but he uses a pencil." Tony said and all laughed.

Hope said they needed to find the person but Dave said such a person would find them. Luis asked if Hank had put a lojack on the lab or they had options. Hank said they had but it was disabled. Hope remembered the person was phasing and explained to Scott, who pretended he knew.

"Now I know." Scott said and all chuckled.

Hope and Hank said they could modify a Quantum spectrometer to track the radiation of the lab but all the equipment was in the stolen lab.

"That sucks." Pepper said and all groaned.

Hank said they knew a man called Bill Foster who was a colleague of his from his S.H.I.E.L.D. days but they had a falling out. Luis noted he had a lot of falling outs as Scott said he was risking everything and they needed to at least try.

"Yeah you do." Bucky agreed.

The intangible person put the case down somewhere and opened the suit, revealed to be a young woman.

"That ain't Baba Yaga." Tony said as all watched in shock.

"Something's up." Fury realized.

She staggered into a machine and shutting herself, activated Quantum energy.

"She appears to be in pain." Steve noted.

Scott, Hope and Hank walked to Bill's university wearing cap and glasses as disguise but Scott said it wasn't a disguise as they looked like themselves at a baseball game.

"Oh don't worry. Everyone disguises themselves like that." Benjamin told Scott and all chuckled.

Bill Foster was teaching a class when he noticed Hank and decided to end it a few minutes early with a joke. He later sat with them and talked about Quantum entanglement with Scott, who joked if they put 'Quantum' before everything.

"I thought I was the only one who noticed." Tony said as he and Scott chuckled.

Hope said they needed to find the lab but Bill said he couldn't make the equipment. Hank said they should go but Bill asked him not condescend as he was on the run from the FBI for growing to a size his ego could fit in. Hank said that was Scott and Bill noted he would have been tired from that. Scott said he had slept for 3 days and Bill said he had been Hank's partner on a project called Goliath back in the day. Hank was angered but Bill said the only thing more tiring than going that big was putting up with Hank's bullshit and the two laughed as Hank looked angry.

Everyone laughed at that too.

"Yeah, dad is difficult to work with." Hope agreed.

Bill said he had grown to 21 feet while Scott had grown to 65 feet. Hope said they needed to find the lab and Bill mocked Hank, saying he seemed to have all the answers back in the day and that's why he had left. Hank said he had fired him but Bill pointed out all of Hank's flaws, saying he pushed everyone away. Hank said just the mediocrities as Bill said only Janet could endure him and chose to stick it out but paid the price. Hank was going to attack him but Scott and Hope restrained him.

"That did cross a line." Thor said.

"Yeah it did but we didn't need any fighting there." Hope said.

Scott then notice Woo and other FBI outside and thought someone would have seen him but Hank looked at the camera and saw an ant playing the drums, asking if Scott was 15.

"You're the one showing off here!" Scott said.

They needed to go right now as Bill told them if they modified the diffraction units on the regulators, they would improvise the trackers. Scott and Hank ran out as Hope thanked him gratefully before the three ran out as Woo and the others arrived.

"At least he gave you the idea." Tony noted and they nodded.

Woo later told Bill campus police had ID'd Hank and Hope but Bill said he hadn't talked to Hank in 30 years and he was the last person Hank would want to meet. Another agent tried to argue but Woo asked why and Bill said they hated each other's guts.

"Yeah. That helps." Hill noted as all chuckled.

"It's gonna get messy." Logan said as the recording continued.