[41] Wasp Suit

The crescent moon cast its silvery light, but the clouds in defiance obscured its mysteries. The night air in San Francisco was cool and invigorating as an indistinct figure nonchalantly landed near the beach. The mechanical hum of his suit was masked by the restless waves of the Pacific. 

"That was fun-fucking-tastic," Joe commented, his voice full of excitement like a kid on a roller coaster. How could he not be? That was his first time going hypersonic! At Mach 7, the thrill of being bombarded by the extreme atmospheric pressure, of being suffocated, couldn't be more insane. Of course, it goes without saying that the PK armor could isolate him from external counteracting forces. So it was all bullcrap. 

"It isn't anything noteworthy considering you wasted all that time aimlessly flying across states. You are lucky we barely avoided the surveillance of the Air Defence Forces. That was a reckless move from you, Joe," Minerva harshly reprimanded from the comms. 

"I know. But I just wanted to wind down from everything I've been through 'till this moment. We only live once, right?" Joe shrugged. 

"But that means your death and there's no return from cessation," Minerva coldly reasoned. "Behind that suit, you're only made of flesh and bones. Going against the military is a tall order." 

There was deep worry and anger in her voice. The thought of losing Joe to an instant moment of 'fun' didn't sit well with her. He had already been injured once, nearly dying. Even though that was before she was created, if Joe had died then her existence would have been impossible. Minerva knew she was being excessive, but Joe had to be pegged down a bit. He was essentially still an adult teenager, and god knows how irrational they can get sometimes. 

Joe sensed her worry and tuned down his excitement. 

"Hey, I'm sorry. I know that was stupid of me and didn't care to listen to your concerns," he apologized in a sincere tone. 

"Yep. You're definitely stupid. Thanks for the admission, baka." Minerva couldn't let such a moment pass. 

"Huh?" Joe quirked his brows in surprise. 

"I didn't expect you to be that vindictive. And since when did you start using 'baka'?" He gently shook his head, finding Minerva hilarious. 

"Since today. Anyway, let's leave the chitchat and concentrate on the task at hand," Minerva urgently reminded. 

"Right. I nearly forgot about that. What's the status report?" Joe locked in immediately and began taking a detour that led to Hank Pym's property. 

"I've already isolated the surveillance and communication frequencies within a hundred miles radius. Consider this place a safe zone for half an hour." 

Joe scanned the rather stale-looking suburban home and whispered. "Have you dealt with the micro fluctuations from Pym's spying ants?" 

"Make Hank Pym look at what we want him to see. The old timer likes keeping everything in control and he's anything but stupid." 

"You know me well. I don't leave anything to chance. I've intercepted all video feeds with a video looping execution. He would see nothing out of the ordinary through his remote computers," Minerva confidently assured Joe. 

Joe showed a small grin, satisfied by Minerva's quick interventions. "That's all I need to hear. Now's the time to do what we came for." 

Retracting the suit, Joe wore a balaclava and easily made his way into the old house with his excellent lock-picking skills. The balaclava was something that Joe himself found comical and clichéd. However, he had decided on it to fit his Real McCoy persona. He shamelessly had to act his part. 

The interior had an old-fashioned décor without losing its classy feel. Joe ignored the academic awards plastered on the gloomy walls as he made his way into Pym's study. From his memories of the movie, Joe easily located the hidden door and had Minerva overwrite the fingerprint scanner. Unlike Scott Lang, Joe didn't have to look for every item with Pym's residual fingerprint. He took the easy way out. 

With an effortless smile playing on his lips, Joe descended the basement stairs. In the basement, an antiquated vault stood before him; waiting to be broken into. The allure was that strong. 

'I can't believe this vault is made of thick mild steel plates that were used in the Titanic. I didn't come with an iceberg so this will do just fine.' Joe chuckled internally before he partially activated the PK Armor. Within a few seconds, the lasers swiftly carved out a path through the vault. Using the amplified strength from the armor, Joe placed the falling steel door, weighing tons, on the ground. 

"Oh, Hank Pym doesn't know I dutifully watched La Casa De Papel. Only this time, it's a... scientific heist," Joe allowed himself a smirk as he stared at the black and red suit. 

"So that's the Ant-Man suit? How can such a scientific marvel be preserved behind such lousy security?" Minerva spoke in a disapproving tone. 

"Cut the senile old timer some slack, Min. You think going subatomic will leave your brain intact." Joe resisted the urge to touch the suit before turning his attention to the blueprints and vials of pym particles. He had Minerva scan every physical blueprint in the small room and make digital copies. As for the vials of Pym particles, Joe siphoned everything into the microsyringes of his suit. 

Giving the Ant-Man suit one last look, Joe left it untouched and went to other rooms. Minerva was confused by his act. 

"Why are you leaving the suit? It's equally important like the rest," Minerva curiously asked.

"I'm leaving a way out for humanity. Can't be too greedy. In fact, there's another suit that I would like to pick for research purposes," Joe casually explained as he entered another room. 

"You don't come across as the selfless type, Joe. I'm not buying that BS about leaving a way out for humanity." 

"Ow, you got me. However, I'm not excessively heartless. The man who's gonna wear that suit in the future needs it for his redemption arc." 

"So you know about the future?" 

Joe paused, tapped his head, and pretended to think hard about something. After a few moments, he answered. "I deduced everything algorithmically." 

"Between you and me, who's an algorithm?" 

Joe could already imagine her rolling her digital eyes. 

Stopping before a wall with a passcode, Joe nodded to himself. "I could try all the different combinations, but it will waste my time. Minerva, I leave—" 

Joe's words were immediately interrupted by the wall opening up to reveal the Wasp suit in all of its glory. 

"Alright, mm-mmh." Joe awkwardly pursed his lips before taking the Wasp suit and scanning every research paper. 

"We're done here. It's time to roll I guess." Joe sighed in satisfaction and straightened his back. 

"Aren't you going to leave a thank you note for our dear Hank Pym?" Minerva suddenly proposed. 

"I'm proud of you, Minerva. However, that's too evil of you. Give the old man a chance to live a few more years until he sees his wife. Don't be such a girl, okay?" Joe scolded her, deep amusement lingering in his eyes. 

"O-Okay. But I learned it from you. From the best." 

Joe ran a hand down his face in embarrassment. 

"We have a super serum to create." Joe swiftly switched the subject before leaving the house like he owned the damned house. Then, he vanished into the night. 

***