~LANG~

I park my car in the familiar driveway outside of Hank Pym's house, locking it as I leave. Hope waits for me in the doorway, a smile on her lips and her head tilted to the left slightly. "Nice to see that you finally turned up." She taunts as I near. "I'm not even late." I reply, pecking her on the lips. Hope checks her watch. "Okay, sure." She says sarcastically, leading the way to Hank's office. The house is in its perfect order as usual, a familiar trail of ants collecting sugar in the kitchen. Hope opens the doors to the office and we both enter.

"HYDRA has destroyed Stark Tower." Hank begins, not even glancing in my direction. "All of The Avengers are missing, along with almost every other superhero around. Spider-Man is the only other hero that isn't missing. The interesting part is, Animalia has showed up again." He swivels in his chair, pulling a  small stack of papers from a filing cabinet behind his desk.

Memories of a red-head in a dark uniform shooting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents consume my thoughts. "You mean assassin, HYDRA-hailing Animalia?" I clarify. "Yes." Hank replies. He pulls out a photo from the stack of papers, a large headshot of Animalia in a HYDRA uniform, with a split lip and black eye. I raise an eyebrow. "Nick Fury is not the only person who keeps tabs."

Superheroes go missing, Animalia shows up and HYDRA blows up Stark Tower? She has to be the cause of this. Hank seems to read my thoughts. "I think she did the same thing that The Winter Soldier did. It explains why she was able to escape the tower before it exploded. There wouldn't have been enough time to escape her locked cell and flee the building. It also explains why she didn't leave with HYDRA." He says. I nod. "So you want Scott to try and find her?" Hope asks him.

"Yes." Hank says.

***

I hold onto the back of Anthony, the sibling of Antony, as we climb up a rusty pipe in New York City. An army of smaller ants follow us, the comforting pit-patting of their limbs hitting metal bouncing off of the walls. We reach the top of the pipe fairly quickly, the faint sounds of honking cars echoing in the distance. "Alright Anthony, where is she?" I ask.

Anthony's antennae move hurriedly. He makes a quiet noise, opening up his large wings and gliding into the air. I point at different parts of the building to the other ants, and they scurry away. "Anthony found her. We're on our way." I say through my earpiece, informing Hank on the situation. "Good. Hope is watching her from across the street. She should be in a side alley at Parker Avenue." I nod, even though he can't see me. Anthony makes noises of approval.

We fly down the streets, Anthony flying expertly through the crisp air. I see a sign with the words Parker Avenue written in white writing, the fluorescent lights of the traffic making it glow. We soar down the street, only stopping when the side alley comes into view. At first, the only thing occupying the alley are two trashcans and a drain, but Anthony continues to propel forward, stopping abruptly above the nearest trashcan, giving me a clear view of the alley.

Animalia sits on the damp concrete next to a drain, counting a collection of quarters and pennies in her left hand. She has a gaunt face, as if she hadn't been fed in years. She reaches the last penny and curses, putting them all in a pile and counting again. The trashcan is only a metre away from her shoulder, but the darkness perfectly obscures her body. I try leap onto her shoulder from the trashcan, hitting the side of her neck instead.

Animalia jumps to her feet, scattering the coins as she wildly swipes at her neck. "Jesus Christ." She breathes, closing her eyes. "Stupid bugs." Sliding down the wall, her stomach growls loudly. She glances at the coins once more. I walk slowly up to her ear, careful not to touch her bare skin. "Hello." I say. Animalia jumps again, squealing. "What the hell was that?" She squeaks. I wait a moment before responding. "Uh, Ant-Man?"

Something changes in her eyes, and she goes blank for a couple of seconds.

~MEL~

I study the file of Hank Pym, formerly known as Ant-Man. There are two pictures, one of Hank in his red and black suit, and one with him smiling, embracing his wife in a warm hug. "He's a genius." Melony says, walking toward me with a smile. "That doesn't even begin to cover it." I respond, smiling back. "Something is bothering you." Melony states plainly. I nod, looking briefly scanning his profile once more.

"I just don't get why we are keeping tabs on him. He's so old now, retired and quite frankly, I don't understand why we are watching anyone who doesn't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. It doesn't make any sense." Melony nods, taking a seat and looking me in the eye. "I made a promise. These people, these so-called 'Superheroes' might stop me from keeping that promise. I can't have that, you know I can't." She says sadly.

"You can't continue to feel bad for them, or face this mission with emotions. That's what I have to do, why can't you do it?" She asks me. I exhale deeply, pushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "This is your problem. We have plenty of time for emotion once all of this is over, once-"

"Idon'tthinkthisistherightthingtodo." I blurt out. Melony's eyes widen. "What?!" She exclaims, standing abruptly off of her seat. "This is all we have ever worked for! If we stop now, there will be nothing left! We went to all of the trouble of getting Barnes and stopping HYDRA-" She starts. "That's just it!" I scream, getting off of my seat and poking a bony finger into her shoulder. "You still think that I am as insane as you are! You're so hell-bent on revenge that you can't even see sense!"

Melony screws her face up. "We're done here. Get out." She orders, pointing at the door. Tears prick my eyes and I bite my lip. "Fine. It's great to know that I'm all on my own - again." I retort, speed walking toward the door, throwing her papers into the air. Melony watches me leave.

"Doctor Kritchen, your services are needed."

~LANG~

"Hank Pym?" Animalia asks, genuine. I remove my helmet. "No. I'm Scott." I respond, taking out my earpiece and shoving it into her eardrum. She waits a few moments, a worried expression plastered onto her face. Slowly, it fades and she smiles weakly. Minutes pass by. Her emotions seeming to change with every detail Hank is inevitably telling her.

"I don't trust you, or Hope for that matter." Animalia says, frowning at me. "But I trust Hank. So lead the way, Bug Boy." I shrug my shoulders. "Good. He is the only reason I came." I say, clicking the helmet back into place. Animalia smiles, watching me shrink down. "My turn."

I see a brief yet horrifying mix of human and animal, followed by a dark ant cocking its head beside me.