◉◉◉◉◉
The lab hummed with a low thrum of energy. Banks of glowing monitors lit up the chamber, each screen alive with Reed Richards' calculations. His arrival had changed everything.
Hank Pym grizzled, sharp-eyed, a man who'd spent decades carrying the weight of unfinished work stood watching with a mixture of pride and disbelief. Reed had only recently been introduced to Pym Particles and the Quantum Realm, yet he unraveled equations Hank had wrestled with for years.
It wasn't magic. It was genius layered on genius. Within weeks, Richards had sketched and built the locator array they'd once thought impossible.
"We've got her signal," Reed said evenly, his voice calm but carrying the thrill of discovery. "Janet van Dyne is alive. Somewhere inside the Realm."
Hope's breath hitched. Hank's hand, for the briefest moment, trembled.
Before Scott Lang could break the solemnity with one of his nervous jokes, E.L.L.'s voice cut through the speakers.
"Intruder detected. Female. Codename: Ghost."
Nolan's brow arched. "So she found us already?"
Hank cursed under his breath. "Bill Foster…"
The name carried venom. "An old S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague. I should've known he'd leak something."
Moments later, she appeared her figure phasing in and out of sight, clad in the white ghost suit, eyes burning with desperation.
Electricity sparked across the lab as Max Dillon materialized, lightning coiling around him like a guard dog.
"Boss. My fault. She slipped through."
Nolan didn't even glance at him. His gaze fixed on Ava. "You know trespassing in my house gives me every right to end you where you stand?"
Ava didn't answer. She lunged, her body glitching between planes of matter. But before she reached the array, her body froze mid-phase. With a flick of Nolan's fingers, she collapsed onto the floor, gasping.
Her mask tore free of its clasps and floated into Nolan's palm. He examined it as though it were a child's toy. "A crude quantum stabilizer. Reed, you could build something ten times cleaner in your sleep."
His other hand extended, and from Ava's trembling body threads of luminous quantum energy were drawn, writhing like strands of smoke.
She screamed as the imbalance inside her was stripped away.
"You'll live," Nolan said coolly. "No more molecular decay. No more phantom agony. You should thank me."
On the floor, Ava's fury only burned hotter. "My father's research stolen by Hank Pym—"
"Lies," Pym snapped. "Your father stole my work, sold it to outside powers. That's why S.H.I.E.L.D. cut him out. Check the files. The proof is there."
Even Bill Foster, voice crackling over Ava's earpiece, fell silent under Hank's words.
Nolan waved a hand. "Enough. Max, escort her out. She's no longer my concern."
The lab settled again, the air tense.
Hank turned back to Scott, forcing composure into his voice. "We have two hours. No more. You know the coordinates Janet sent. You're the only one who's gone that deep before."
Scott swallowed hard. His hands fidgeted. "No pressure or anything…"
"You won't be alone." Nolan's voice cut across the room, calm and absolute.
Hope exhaled, relief washing across her features. "Then I know she'll come home."
Scott blinked. "Wait—you're coming? Into the Quantum Realm?"
"I've seen multiverses fracture, gods rise and fall," Nolan replied. "But the Quantum Realm… that's a universe unto itself. And somewhere inside waits Kang the Conqueror."
Reed stiffened at the name. Nolan's eyes flicked toward him, a faint smile on his lips. "Your descendant, Richards. Quite the legacy."
The chamber pulsed as the portal array powered up, bathing the room in shimmering blue light. Scott adjusted his helmet. Hope reached for his hand.
Nolan only stepped forward, calm as ever, eyes fixed on the threshold of an impossible world.
"Let's begin."
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!