(f/a) means "future age"

~~~

FIVE YEARS LATER

I remember the days when quiet was a sanctuary. After a long, hard day at school, I would run up to my room and pull out a comic book. Maybe even put on some soft music for the background as well. With no distractions, no loud noises, and the feeling of my stress leaving my body, I could relax. It was peaceful.

Now, quiet has been tainted. It sends shivers throughout my body and its presence is eerie. What I would give to walk down the street and see a small band playing instead of litter blowing in the wind. Or, perhaps, see groups of small kids on their bikes yelling at each other to wait up, instead of empty cracked sidewalks.

It doesn't help that I tend to walk alone. I started walking around the world about three years ago. Since I have the power of teleportation, I can get to places around the world with ease. The Avengers trust me by myself, now that I'm older.

Oh, right. Five years have passed since Thor killed Thanos. Instead of being (y/a), I am now (f/a) years old. Doctor Strange could have told me I had to wait five years to set everything right.

Doctor Strange.

Is this really the right path to fixing everything, or did we mess up somehow? Was Thor not supposed to kill Thanos? These questions and more flow through my head every day. But, what am I supposed to do about it? Was I supposed to rewind time while I still had the chance? I'm sorry, but I was completely in shock. Plus, bringing back Thanos probably wouldn't have done any of us any good. He destroyed the Stones.

I sigh, walking through the seemingly abandoned streets of San Francisco. Steve is probably in a focus group right now, trying to get people to move on from losing their families and friends. Or their bosses, coworkers, doctors... I've seen a lot in the past five years.

So many people have died. Not just in the snap, but riots break out every once in awhile. Hospitals are the worst. So many doctors and nurses have dusted, leaving their patients to die. I remember heading over to a hospital to see if there were any survivors, but what I saw instead...

Don't think about it, (Y/n). There was nothing you could have done. They were all dead for more than three hours. Thankfully Steve and Rhodey were there to pull me out of that terrible building, or I would have gone crazy.

I hear a faint beeping sound and look at my watch. All of us Avengers got the same watches to help tell us when important things were happening. Right now, it's noon. Natasha must be having her weekly meeting with Rocket, Rhodey, Nebula, and Carol.

Don't get me started on Carol. I thought she was cool, mostly because her solo movie I saw in my head was cool. But if you hang around her for too long, you will notice she's extremely cocky and just all around mean. She thinks she's sooooo cool because she's taking care of the entire universe, while us Avengers are stuck here on Earth. Not that I mind, who needs her help anyway?

I'm just glad Thor never started a relationship with her. I would have thrown up.

Sighing again, I decide to walk down a small alleyway path. On my right, there's a huge white building that seems to be some storage unit. To my left, there's a brick house. It's not that cramped of an alleyway, so a lot of sunlight can shine through.

"Urg..." I immediately stop walking and put a hand on my head. There's a nagging feeling, no, a voice trying to call out for help. This usually happens when someone needs help. I think it's the work of the Mind Stone.

Anyway, I think the voice is coming from the white building. I use the Space Stone's portals to make an easy entrance to the interior of the building.

Stuff is everywhere. Cages of junk all piled up and crammed into one area. There are many cages of stuff, and on the door of each cage is a piece of paper with a name on it. They seem to be last names. Smith, Coulter, Johnson.

There doesn't seem to be anyone in here, either. Maybe the voice I heard was just my imagination. I furrow my brow in confusion and grip the fake Eye of Agamotto that hangs around my neck for comfort. I decide to leave, but then, "Can anyone hear me? I'm so hungry, that I could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"

I whip my head around, looking for the person who said that. The voice was not in my head, it was way too clear. I start looking around the other cages: Brown, Williams, Wilson, Taylor, Lang, Jones - wait! Lang?!

Sure enough, inside the cage labeled Lang, a big, ugly brown van sits. But it's not just any ugly van, that's Scott Lang's ugly van. Scott Lang, as in Ant-Man.

You have got to be kidding me. It was here the whole time?! Without wasting another second, I portal myself into the cage to Scott's van and hop into the driver's seat. Scott's voice keeps saying things in my head, but I ignore him, trying to concentrate.

It's been so long since I've had any vision or dreams of Ant-Man and the Wasp, and it's not like I can pop the Ant-Man movie into the television. So, how does he work this thing again? I scan the buttons behind the steering wheel, and hesitantly press a couple. Nothing. Maybe this one, then?

The sound of a machine turning on invades the quietness of the room. I quickly turn around in my seat just in time for the Quantum Tunnel to start spinning. My heart thumps so hard that I can hear it in my ears. And then, a huge BOOM threatens to shatter my eardrums as Scott Lang is pushed out of the tunnel.

I hop out of the van and rush over to Scott, who is laying down in his own disassembled junk. He groans and opens his eyes, his helmet off, and looks around before looking into my own (e/c) eyes.

"Who are you? What did you do to Hope?!" That's right, Scott and me have never officially met.

I back away and put my hands up to show him I mean no harm. I also kneel down on the floor so he doesn't feel threatened by my height (because I've also grown quite a bit since the snap five years ago). "You're in a storage unit in San Francisco. I'm with the Avengers. Scott, you've been stuck in the Quantum Realm for five years."

I let that process for him before explaining anything else. After a couple of moments, Scott turns to me with a new question. "But, Hope and her parents were supposed to help me get out. What happened to them?"

"It's a really long story." I put my hands down and look at the floor. When I meet Scott's eyes again, his expression says he just wants to know the truth. I sigh and nod before explaining. He deserves to know. "Alright. While you and Hope were dealing with Ghost, the Avengers and I were trying to save the universe."

And so, I told him everything. I told him about Thanos and his quest for the Stones, about how I was kidnapped by his minions which was so long ago, and about the snap that took away half of all life in the universe.

Scott connects the dots, knowing that Hope, Hank, and Janet were part of the half that were killed for the sake of the universe. "It could have been me, too. If I wasn't in the Quantum Realm, I could have died."

I let the thought sink in. If Ant-Man didn't go into the Quantum Realm when he did... but, he did go there. And that's the key. Scott Lang is alive, and now the journey can continue. Doctor Strange, I hope you know what you're doing.

"Come on, Scott, we have to go to the Avengers." I hold out my hand to help Scott up, but he doesn't take it.

"Wait." Scott seems to connect another set of dots, one that I might have missed. "Is Cassy, my daughter, alive?"

I pause and rack my brain for any information on Scott's family. Nothing comes to mind. I try to use my power of the Soul Stone to see if Cassy is still alive, but I unfortunately can't find her. I pull Scott up and look at him in the eye. "I'm not sure, but there is somewhere we can check to see if she is."

I teleport Scott and myself outside of the building. I decide it would be best for him to walk around a little bit just to show him what the world is like now. We can walk to the memorial instead of just teleporting straight there.

Scott looks around, still in disbelief. I can't blame him - being stuck in the Quantum Realm for five years must have taken a toll on him. How did he even eat or stay alive for that long? Well, I guess Hope's mother was able to stay alive down there for around thirty years. She also says that time works different in the Quantum Realm, so that could have had something to do with it.

We barely see anyone during our walk. One kid riding his bike, an old man out of his porch reading a book, that's about it. When we get to the memorial, however, there's a crowd of people.

I lead Scott down the hill and into the field where tall, granite stones stand. There has to be at least fifty of them, all with hundreds of names of The Vanished. I've done this a lot, lead people to the grave memorial so they can see if their distant relatives have been part of The Vanished. I always tell them it's a fifty-fifty shot to find their name up on the granite.

Scott looks around frantically, trying to find his daughter's name. He hopes it's not up there, I can tell. Of course he would, what kind of person should he be if he did wish Cassy's name was etched in the stone?

I look around calmly, also trying to find Cassy's name. I find the L's quickly and scan the names, looking for Lang. Suddenly, my eyes widen in a moment of shock when I see another Lang on the stone. I call Scott over to let him see his own name staring right back at him. Scott Lang.

Tears threaten to spill at the corner of his eyes, and I can tell he's trying desperately to keep it together. "C-can I go see my daughter, please?"

"Of course." I nod and give him a small smile before taking his hand and leading him away from the memorial.

I follow Scott to his house. I would have teleported there, but I want to give Scott some time to pull together his thoughts. He just found out his daughter is alive, and that's a big deal for him. Honestly, I'm very happy myself that Cassy didn't dust.

Scott runs up to his door and rings the doorbell at least eight times before banging hard on the door. I stand a bit away, not even stepping up to the front porch, so Scott can have his own time with his daughter. I see a young teenage girl approach the screen door with a happy face filled with sadness.

Cassy bursts through the door and crushes Scott in a hug, while he keeps saying her name in disbelief. I watch the reunion and feel silent tears stream down my face. This is a beautiful moment, after all. I just hope Hazel is this relieved to see me when I help bring everyone back.

Scott and Cassy talk for a bit, and by a bit I mean for an hour. I let them talk, but then my watch beeps 2:30 and I know it's time to head back. "Scott, I'm sorry, but we have to go back to Avengers Headquarters. With your knowledge, we may be able to fix this."

Scott reluctantly nods and hugs Cassy one more time. I shake Cassy's hand and assure her that I will protect her dad. Scott nods and I put a hand on his shoulder. In an instant, we teleport from San Francisco to New York.

With a newfound urgency, Ant-Man sprints over to the Avengers' door, leaving me behind. I chuckle at his eagerness and jog up from behind him. When I get to the door, Scott is talking to the camera. "This is Scott Lang! We met a few years ago, at an airport, in Germany. I got real big, I'm Ant-Man! You have to know that! That's me, can you buzz me in?"

The camera points at me and I nod, giving a thumbs up. Instantly, the door's security shuts down and the door itself slides open for us. I lead Scott to where I think Natasha and Steve are. Sure enough, they are in the main living space of the building.

Natasha and Steve tell Scott what has been happening for the past five years, something I didn't get around to telling Scott. As they are explaining, Ant-Man paces the floor. Something must have clicked in his head.

"Scott, are you okay?" Steve asks, with heavy concern in his voice.

Scott stops walking immediately and turns to the Captain. "Y-y-yeah... just letting it sink in that it's been five years. Oh God, I'm hungry, is that anyone's sandwich?"

Scott points to a desk where a plate holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich rests. Instead of waiting for permission, Scott paces over and starts devouring the lunch. I can't stand it anymore and speak up, "Lang, tell them where you were for the past five years! Everyone thought you were dead!"

Natasha and Steve turn their heads to listen to Scott, who swallows half of the sandwich in one bite. Scott fidgets in his stance and takes a breath. "Have any of you ever studied Quantum Physics?"

"Only in mid conversation," Natasha says.

Scott points at Natasha and walks over next to me. "Five years ago before... before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. To get in there you have to be incredibly small. My friend Hope, she was... she was my... ugh she was supposed to pull me out, but then Thanos happened and I got stuck in there."

"I'm sorry. That must have been a really long five years." Natasha crosses her arms in front of her chest, silently wishing that the rest of The Vanished would pop out of the Quantum Realm.

"That's what I was thinking." I lean backward on a table and cross my legs. Maybe Scott will tell us just how he survived down there.

"But that's just it. It wasn't." Scott's answer was not what I was expecting at all. What does he mean it wasn't five years? I let him continue, "For me it was five hours. Time and space work differently in the Quantum Realm."

"What are you saying?" Steve asks, just wanting Scott to get to the point.

"I'm saying, what if we could enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time, but then exit at another point in time? Like a time... before Thanos." Scott pauses to let that sink in and takes another bite out of his sandwich. "The problem is, we don't have a way to navigate it. But, what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it! What if we could somehow control the chaos of the Quantum Realm?"

"Are you talking about a time machine?" I ask, kind of stupefied. Out of all the things, this is the big answer? There are so many things that could go wrong. The question is, am I willing to take the risk?

"Listen," Natasha takes everyone's attention. "Even if this could work, we don't have the tools to do it. We are going to need help."

"Help? Help from who?" Scott asks, looking at all of us with confused faces.

I glance between Natasha and Steve, knowing we are thinking exactly the same thing. I smirk and say, "From the man who started it all, of course."