Hank awoke with a jolt, feeling drained and aching all over. Michael was sat near his bedside, reading over a medical chart. Seeing Hank awake lifted his arm and checked his pulse.

“So, how are you feeling?” Michael asked as Hank tried to sit up but was pushed gently down by the younger but much weaker man.

“I just found out I tortured an innocent creature. How do you think I feel?” Hank said, lying back down.

“I already knew that. I meant the heart attack. Logan explained everything, about what you did. He is actually a very nice man, well, once you get past the metal skeleton and the claws. And while she is also very angry at him Hope is recovering nicely and is already awake.” Michael paused for a moment to listen to Hank's chest with a stethoscope. “Although, she did try to punch him once more. Not that it went particularly well.”

Hank huffed, “Did you tell him?” but Michael lifted the stethoscope from around his neck, and shook his head, “Coward.”

This time as Hank got up Michael didn't stop him. He wrote down his findings on the chart before he flipped the pages back down, "Why yes Hank, I am fine. I did so enjoy being thrown around like a football."

Hank snorted, "We both know if you were hurt you'd be milking it. As long as you weren't cut, you're just as hardy as a normal person."

Michael took in a slow breath through his nose, "And I forgot that in this lab, I am hardly normal." Hank was just as ill as he was, and that meant no sympathy whatsoever. If Hank wasn't complaining, then nobody else got to. “On the other subject, it is hardly my place to inform our guest about our rescue operation. Or that he just ruined it completely by incapacitating Hope.” Michael said, “I am your doctor Hank, not your advisor. And I can say right now that you will not be replacing her.” 

Hank froze, “not even once?”

“The stress from quantum shrinking would have severely damaged your body. Now, you’d die before you finished even one per cent in reduction.” Michael looked up, “There is also the other issue.”

Michael was a medical doctor, he also held several PhDs in molecular genetics. His own condition was due to a genetic disorder, manufacturing the wrong protein in his blood. Which was why Hank sought him out. Unshrinking was trickier than shrinking. One misaligned organ and the body failed. One misaligned protein and there was a whole list of issues that it created. It was one of the issues Darren Cross had with his own shrinking formula.

The damage done to Hank was at a genetic level. One more shrink could cause his body to start producing not just genetic defects but prions. Prions were normal proteins that simply failed to fold properly. The simplest thing, but within its host body they wreaked havoc. Hank could be patient zero of something much worse than Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease. All it would take is a single protein to remain shrunk even a micron and he could damn not only himself but the world.

Hank paused and sighed, “Do we have anyone else we can contact?” He winced as he stood and tried to take a deep breath. His chest was sore from compressions, and he caught the small smirk on Michael's face, "I know, I know. I'll rest."

Michael shook his head, "Of course you will, and I'll go dancing with Hope later." He lay down the clipboard. “With the mess in New York, all superpowered individuals are laying low. Scott and Sam are being moved department and Eddie.” Michael paused.

“Eddie what?” Hank asked as he finished buttoning his shirt.

“Eddie now works for AIM, along with Cindy,” Michael said.

Hank scoffed, “I had heard, but,” he shook his head, “What if we ask him?”

Michael laughed, “Oh Damien already contacted us. He’ll help, but you already know his price.”

Of course he did. The Pym formula was what he wanted the most. All his so-called 'work' was stolen from Hank, and he didn't know the secret to making Pym Particles. Once Wakanda sent their crack agents to recover and erase everything, he had nothing. Hank had managed to escape the purge, but it was only by keeping his research and a safe house shrunk that he escaped. 

It didn’t surprise him that Eddie jumped ship. He was rich, but not rich enough to support a supergroup. Times were changing. The government had finally had enough. Old timers like Howard Stark and himself were no longer welcome. It was play ball or get out of the game. He just needed more time to complete his goal. 

He was desperate and there was only one other choice.

⁂

Logan sat listening to Rage as she talked excessively about her time with the group. It hadn’t been all bad, and she liked the closeness Cindy felt at being part of a family.

He was sitting on the back steps of Hank's house, smoking a cigar. He didn't even bother to look as Hope, Hank, and Michael approached him.

“Mr Logan. I know things aren't great but I have a proposal for you.” Hank started, but Hope huffed and crossed her arms.

“You made a mess, and we want you to fix it,” she said. “You and your monster.”

“Hope,” Hank said, laying a hand on her shoulders. “I,” he paused, “I may have been wrong in my assessment, but I was trying to save Cindy.“

Logan stared at him for a second, before taking a draw of his cigar. "I know what you were doin' an' it wasn't trying to save Cindy."

Hank sat down on the step next to Logan. ”I, We were Shield agents, Mr Logan. My wife and I, and during a mission my belt was damaged. When I shrank it caused damage to my body. So, my wife shrunk herself to stop a missile, and in doing so became trapped in the microscopic realm.”

Logan drew on his cigar. “Well, it don't take a mind reader to know you were planning on rescuing her, and I’m guessing that Hope was supposed to do it.”

Hank nodded, “But, shrinking while injured can cause complications. And I would like to ask.” He hesitated again. Michael said Logan was willing, but could he be trusted?

Logan shrugged, “Sure, Rage knows you ain't really a bad man, just a bit of an asshole, so sure.”

Hank looked over at Logan, “I was uh.”

“What? Expected animosity, maybe some more violence?” Hank nodded. “I went through a rough patch and did a lot of bad things. The first thing I learned is not just to forgive but to let go. You did a lot of shitty things, and Rage won't ever forgive that. But she knows lettin' go of that anger is the first step to dealing with the pain, and rescuing your wife.” Logan took a draw on his cigar, “Maybe she’ll smack some sense into you.”

You just want to brag to Peter that you have been somewhere he cannot go.

Logan laughed as Rage scolded him, so what? I did say I was going on a journey, it's about as far out as you can get. An’ don't you be sittin’ there think you won't be doin’ the same. I know you little critters love to share what your hosts have done.

Hmph, we are not gossipers. We share important information to encourage growth and help each other.

Sure, you just keep telling yourself that, an’ I can always hold off going back to New York. Maybe spend six months just campin’ out.

Hmph hmph, bad Logan. Teasing us. We know you are done with your wandering and wish to see Laura again. Rage giggled, And maybe that island woman, we know you have tasted her before and would like to do so again. 

Hey, that's enough, an’ no sharin’ that either.

Rage just chuckled, see, we learn, we can tease Logan just as much.

Logan smiled, “Yeah, so, you zap us with a shrink ray or what?”

Hank shook his head, Hollywood had a lot to answer for. Shrink ray? How amateur.

Michael helped him back into the house, as both now needed a cane, while Hope stayed behind.

“I still don’t trust you, and don't think for one-” but Logan sighed and held out a hand.

“Sorry I stabbed you, but that damn belt needed to be taken care of. But uh, take it.” He nodded down at his hand, and Hope apprehensively lay her hand in his.

Hello Hope, we are happy to finally talk to you.

Hope pulled her hand back, staring at Logan, “was that?” 

He nodded. “They ain't got mouths, and can't talk, so how else you think they communicate?”

Hope clapped her fingers against her palm a few times nervously before taking her hand again

I am sorry I scared you, but we are happy to speak.

Uh, do I just, think? Hope asked.

Yes yes, we talk with the mind. Although Logan is not good and needs to touch, I think Cindy called it being a muscle brain.

Hope laughed as Logan rolled his eyes.

So uh, hi, Silk. Uh, Rage

We changed it, to make ourselves feel better. We know we are angry, but Logan says that is part of being alive. One day we will change it again, but for now, Rage is what we are.

Hope really didn't know what to say to the creature. So, do you sound female because of Cindy, or are you a girl?

We sound like Cindy as she was our first. We learned to talk with her, and now this is how we are, but we do not mind being bonded with Logan. He is interesting, he likes to smoke, drink and lay with women, all things we enjoy as well.

What the hell? I told you not to share stuff like that, an’ Hope don't need to know

Yes yes, Hope laid with Scott every day, we could hear them, and smell them after. She is not a prude, unlike you. You are boring old man, Hope is sexy young woman with- 

But Logan pulled his hand back before Rage could finish.

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Seems me an’ the snot need to have a little one-on-one time.” 

Hope watched Logan walk back into the house, shaking his head as he talked to the creature. She was sure it was just her imagination, but she was sure she heard a raspberry being blown.

⁂

Logan felt like an idiot dressed in what looked like a tight-fitting spacesuit. Considering the professor wanted yellow and blue jumpsuits for the X-Men, it wasn't so bad.

“We have completed our Quantum tunnel. When it activates, the suit will connect, and lock onto Janet,” Hank explained. “When we were Shield agents we wore transmitters, as shrinking made us hard to keep track of. I still have the frequency, and the data from Scott's suit. It should be a few seconds of disorientation, and then you should be at Janet's location.”

Logan nodded, as did Michael, wearing a similar suit. He was coming for medical backup. His sickness was unaffected by shrinking, and while it might hurt, he would be fine. They had no idea of what condition Janet would be in once they located her. If medical attention was needed, Michael was the only choice.

Hope stood to one side. She was happier to know that Silk was now happy, and not the mindless monster they all thought she was. Being stabbed still hurt like a bitch though. She was still sore at Logan for keeping her from the mission. Forgiveness would take a little longer.

As the machine powered up, the square row of energy conductors began to pulse,

“Once you have located Janet. Resize with her if you can, if not, return and we can spend another mission.” Hank asked them. They had prepared a larger vehicle, with supplies and medical equipment if necessary. Today was a scouting mission only. While they had hoped they would find her, even Hank would admit he wasn't optimistic. Nobody had successfully shrunk to that level before.

“Then, in five, four, three, two and one.” At the end of the countdown, Hank hit the switch.

For Logan it was weird, it was like being sucked down a long tube while feeling that you weren't moving.

Not helped as Rage excitedly screamed weeeeeeeee in his mind.

Lights and strange images flashed in front of him, but he had been warned that was normal. He was now shrinking past the atomic level, and the light was the glow of energy from electrons. As he shrunk, even that faded into darkness before becoming a rainbow of dancing strings. They grew as Logan shrank, becoming all-encompassing, and the light they gave off was blinding. Suddenly it stopped. Logan stumbled slightly and reached out an arm to stop Michael from falling.

He hadn't expected to hit solid ground, or for there to be anything here at all. Scott had been here but was so disoriented from the trip he had only seen brief flashes. He frowned as he looked around. There was a barren landscape stretching off into the distance. Finding land made their search so much harder. 

In this place, Janet could be anywhere.