2013

San Francisco, California

Few Miles Away From Private Jet Terminal

Two Days Later

 

(Brock POV)

I glance out of the small plane's window as we drift over the clouds and watch them roll by. Zeru stares excitedly out the window as Ava sits across from me in silence. Even through her full body armor, I notice she looks tired, worn down by the stress and strain of the past two days. As we get closer to our destination, I see her leg fidgeting nervously beneath the table between us.

"Are you okay?" I ask gently after a moment.

She looks up at me before nodding. "Yeah. Just a little anxious." She admits to me quietly. "How long until we land?"

"About half an hour," I answer.

"Good," Ava sighs as she leans back in her seat, "You think Pym will actually be there?"

"Hopefully..." I reply.

Ava looks over at me curiously, "I know it was part of our deal, but I didn't expect you to help me out this quickly."

"...Well," I begin, "What kind of leader would I be if I couldn't deliver on my promises?"

"You would be Fury." Ava muses.

I chuckle lightly at her comment and shrug, "Touché."

After a few moments, the engines of the jet grow silent. We sit silently as the plane continues to glide down the runway. Soon, the wheels touch down softly on the tarmac and the pilot comes on the intercom.

"Mr. Rumlow, we have reached your destination." He announces.

Ava glances over at me, "Alright... let's get this mission started."

She shifts out of sight as Zeru and I stand up from our seats and make our way to the exit. Once outside, we step down from the plane and wait patiently while the pilot, a thin grizzled middle-aged man with graying brown hair and a full beard, pulls out our luggage.

"You gentlemen need me to call you a ride?" He asks politely once he's finished collecting our things.

I shake my head, "Nah. We're good." I say as I hand him a small stack of bills.

The pilot smiles warmly as he swiftly pockets the money, "Have a nice trip and please feel free to call should you need my services again." He says before returning back to the cockpit.

The three of us step out of the terminal and immediately head toward the waiting car parked just outside.

"Nice," Zeru comments as we approach the black luxury sedan.

"Yeah," I agree, "Though it should be considering how much I had to pay for it."

Zeru laughs as we pack our stuff into the back and enter the vehicle.

We pull away from the terminal and head out onto the busy streets of San Francisco.

************

Pym Manor

San Francisco

Two Hours Later

The sun begins to drift beneath the clouds as a classic-style manor looms large and comes into view as I pull up and park the car a few blocks away from it.

The house sits high atop a hill overlooking the bay below. Large trees surround the driveway, creating a secluded atmosphere that seems miles away from any other buildings nearby.

"You sure this is the place?" I ask Zeru.

"Absolutely," He replies confidently, "I've studied everything S.H.I.E.L.D had on Pym. He's supposedly been living here since he 'retired' from his position with the organization."

"Alright..." I say before looking over at Ava who was seated in the passenger seat. "You ready?"

Ava nods her head, "I've been ready for this moment since I was a little girl. All my life I've wanted to avenge my father. Now that day has finally arrived."

"Just remember, our first priority is finding a sample of the energy that infected you. Ok?"

Ava nods.

"Great," I smile, "Then let's go kick some ass."

We both step outside the car as Zeru tries to follow us, but I catch him by the arm and shake my head.

"No, stay put," I order him, "There's no telling what might happen in there. You stay here and guard the car. If anything happens, alert us right away."

"Ahh man...this sucks," Zeru starts to complain but I give him a look that silences him and he reluctantly agrees before returning to the car.

"Alright," I say as I turn back to Ava, "Let's go."

We approach the walls of the estate and stop just short of them. Ava scans the area carefully and then motions for me to follow her phases through the brick walls surrounding the property.

With little effort, I leap over the wall easily and land beside Ava on the other side, as I scan the grounds around me.

I spot two security guards patrolling the perimeter of the property and nod at Ava. She nods back and shifts out of sight before heading off in their direction of them.

I follow her closely, using my enhanced senses to track her while keeping a distance between us as we move deeper into the property. We pass several large statues lining the path leading up to the main house, which is covered in ivy and moss. One of them in particular catches my attention.

It's a large stone statue depicting a woman with flowing blond hair wearing a gown that looks like it belongs in a museum, or perhaps a garden. I blink and stare at the statue for a moment before shaking my head and continuing on as we reach the front door.

Ava nears the closest guard from behind as she seizes him by the neck and slams his head into the brick wall to his side. His body slumps to the ground unconscious as I rush towards the other one and grab him by the throat and twist his neck violently, before throwing his corpse over my shoulder and carrying it out of view.

I glance back at Ava as she approaches the second guard, who has regained consciousness and is trying to break free from her grasp. She smirks at him before snapping his neck and dragging him to the same spot.

The two of us continue to move deeper into the grounds, making our way up to the main house. I glance around me and take in the scenery. The mansion is perched on top of a hill, surrounded by lush green foliage that stretches out in every direction.

I don't hear any sound coming from inside the building but Ava continues walking up the front steps and into the house. I follow after her, scanning the interior of the large structure. There are a number of hallways branching off from the entranceway and as we move deeper inside we come upon an ornate sitting room. The walls are lined with bookshelves containing several leather-bound books, each bearing a symbol on their spines.

A distinct scent catches my enhanced nose and I inhale deeply, recognizing it instantly as the aroma of freshly baked cookies.

Someone's here.

I pause for a moment and glance over at Ava who is examining a painting hanging on the wall next to us. The picture depicts Pym in a blue suit holding a cane in his hand as he stands tall and proud against a backdrop of colorful flowers.

Focusing on my senses, I hear the sharp sound of a heartbeat, coming from the upper level of the house.

"This way," I whisper to Ava as I enter a doorway on my right.

I lead her up another set of stairs and into the second floor of the house. I take a moment to look around me and then continue down yet another hallway. I pause at the end of the corridor as I hear slow deep breaths coming from the other side. Slowly turning the corner, I hold up a hand and motion for Ava to keep quiet.

We stop in front of a large wooden door with intricate carvings and gold leaf adorning its surface. I make another hand sign and Ava moves to phase through the door. I remain still for a few seconds before she returns to me.

"It's a woman," She whispers. "She's asleep."

I nod as Ava slips back into the room and I try to silently open the door to follow her, but it creaks open loudly as I try to push it forward and the sound wakes the woman inside.

She sits up and stares directly at me as I step into the room. Her hair is a dark brown color, falling loosely about her shoulders and her skin is pale and smooth. Her big amber eyes are wide and staring in shock as she looks at me. She looks to be in her late thirties and appears to be quite beautiful. I feel a strange sense of familiarity washes over me.

I felt like I've seen this woman from somewhere, but couldn't quite place her face.

"Who are you?!" She shouts at me angrily, "What are yo-"

Her screams get cut off as an invisible hand clamps over her mouth. She is suddenly pulled from the bed and tossed aside with surprising force. She hits the floor hard, landing on her stomach as her arms are forced behind her back.

"Gah!" She shouts as she struggles to rise and fight back.

Ava appears atop the woman, holding a pair of thick zip ties in her hand.

"Where's Pym?!" She snarls at the woman as she tightens the zip ties around her wrists.

"What do you want? Why are you attacking me?!" The woman demands.

"Answer the question!" Ava snaps, tightening the restraints even more.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" The woman cries out.

Ava grabs the woman by the chin, pulling her neck back and forcing her to look her straight in the eye, "You're lying. Where's Pym?"

The woman's eyes widen in fear, "What?! I don't know anything!!"

"You will tell me where he is, or so help me god..." Ava threatens as she shoves the woman's face into the floor.

She reaches down and places her wrist near the woman's ear as a sharp blade vents out of her gauntlet, caressing the soft skin of the woman who is now struggling to regain her composure and break free of the zip ties.

"Wait," I call from the doorway behind her.

Ava freezes mid-cut and turns to look at me, "What?" She asks.

"Hold on a minute," I say as I slowly walk towards her, "Let me talk to her first."

Ava frowns at me and hesitates for a moment before nodding her head and releasing the woman.

"Fine," She says, "But only for a moment."

The woman slowly gets up to her knees and takes a deep breath to calm herself, "Please! Just let me go!! I swear I don't know anything about this Pym!"

"You're his daughter, right?" I ask calmly, moving closer to her and lowering my voice.

"What?" The woman asks, shocked by my words.

I point over to a picture sitting on top of the nightstand beside her bed. The picture shows a young girl with long dark hair standing next to a younger Hank Pym.

"That's you, isn't it?" I say gently.

"Y-yes, that's me," The woman admits nervously.

"I'm sorry," I tell her sincerely, "But you have to answer some questions for me. I promise we won't hurt you."

"Why?" She asks, confused.

I sigh and lean against the wall, "Because if you don't, someone else might die because of you."

"I don't understand," She says, "What are you talking about?"

I look over at Ava whose eyes are narrowed at the woman.

"Look," I begin, "I know you want to protect him, but we need to know where he is. We mean him no harm.. we just want to talk."

The woman glances down and looks up again, "He...isn't here anymore..."

"Excuse me?" Ava gasps as she steps toward the woman, but stops as I shoot her a look.

"He left," The woman says, "Just last week. He told me he was going to go visit an old friend of his. That's all I know."

"Old friend?" I ask.

"Yes," She replies, "All he said was he was going to visit some guy named Garrett. But that's it. He didn't say what his relation to him was or when he'd be back."

"Can you at least tell us where he went?" Ava asks.

"No!" The woman shouts.

I step closer to her, "Listen carefully, please. Someone really bad wants to hurt him. We can stop it...but only if you tell us where he is."

"Really, I don't know!" The woman cries, "I don't know anything!"

I stare at her for a moment longer, judging whether or not she was lying, before dropping my gaze and speaking softly, "Alright...thank you for your time."

I turn away from her and walk back to the doorway and nod at Ava. The woman remains on the floor and I close the door behind us.

"Well that wasn't very helpful," Ava scoffs. "What now?"

"Well, she's telling the truth," I tell her. "For now we search the house for clues. There has to be something here that could help us."

"Okay... but what about her," Ava asks motioning towards the door.

"Guess that's up to you," I say, giving her a cold look.

"What do you mean?" Ava asks.

"You said you wanted revenge, right?" I ask and Ava nods. "Well, a dead Daughter for a dead Father doesn't sound too bad to me."

At my words Ava just stares at me, dumbfounded by my suggestion.

"Or don't. As I said, it's up to you." I say as I start to walk away from her, heading back down the hallway. Ava starts to follow me, but I hear her footsteps slowing behind me.

"Do you really think that's what my Dad would want?" She asks quietly.

I pause for a moment and turn my head to look at her, "Not to sound like a dick, but he's dead. The question is...what do you want."

Ava stays quiet for a second then shakes her head, "I don't understand you sometimes, Brock."

I don't respond to her comment as I continue to walk down the hall. I move towards the staircase as Ava's footsteps sound out behind me, followed closely by the soft creak of a door opening.

************

A/n: Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the story so far and as always thanks for reading!

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