Chapter 105: Ava Starr

A/N: Ava POV!

-x-X-x-

Ava Starr watches from the sidelines as Tony Stark and Hank Pym work side by side to put the finishing touches on their project. It's only been three days since Stark brought Pym onboard, but between the former's resources and the latter's experience, the Quantum Tunnel is already created and ready for testing.

Judging by both the guilty glances and the way he'd unconsciously relaxed around her, Pym probably thought Ava didn't know about the role he'd played in her parents' deaths and her current condition. It was obvious he felt guilty over it, but he would have been a lot more on edge around her if he thought she was aware of what had happened that day before her father's Quantum Tunnel had failed.

Pym probably thought that Stark had lied to her about that to protect him, but the truth was… Tony Stark hadn't lied to her a single time, as far as Ava could tell. The man had been honest with her from start to finish, even telling her things that nobody except for literal world leaders knew… like the fact that Project Insight had been a scheme by Nazi Terrorists who had embedded themselves deep in SHIELD to try and take over the world.

Ava had noticed something was up with SHIELD on the day Project Insight was supposed to launch, of course. When you suddenly lose the handler you've had all your life and find yourself being instructed to sit tight at a safehouse by a posh British man until everything can be sorted, you tend to figure that something is a bit off.

But all of the code phrases and passwords were in order, so Ava had done as she was told. Only much later did she learn that her previous handler had been HYDRA, just like a good half of SHIELD had been. They'd infiltrated the spy organization long before Ava was even born, and had spread themselves through it, infecting it on every single level, all the way to the top.

In that regard, it wasn't that surprising that Ava and her situation had fallen through the cracks for a time. While she'd eventually learned that the posh British man who'd taken over as her handler was no man at all but instead an AI named JARVIS, she'd also discovered that he was in charge of making sure every SHIELD operative and agent unaffiliated with HYDRA went to ground that day.

They had to clean house after all, and between the WSC losing members and a new Director of SHIELD having to be chosen, it wasn't that surprising in hindsight that Ava had spent months in that safehouse just twiddling her thumbs. She couldn't wait forever though. She was still dying after all. Getting worse by millimeters every day, but still getting worse all the same.

Ava had been torn between loyalty to the organization that had given her everything but also turned out to be a cover for terrorists, and her own survival. Then, finally, Tony Stark had shown up. Apparently, he and the rest of the World Security Council had been going through HYDRA and SHIELD's files ever since Project Insight, trying to put things together and pick up the pieces left behind by HYDRA's demise.

Reading between the lines, it seemed to Ava that JARVIS was likely the one doing all of that work, but she hadn't bothered calling Stark out on it. Especially when the man had proceeded to tell her everything… every last goddamn thing. He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to share so much with her. He'd done it anyways. From SHIELDRA deciding to use her powers for their own purposes and having no intentions of curing her, to Hank Pym being there the day her father and mother died and she was cursed with this affliction of hers.

Tony Stark had laid it all out on the table, being brutally honest with her from moment one. No one in her entire life had ever done that for her. No one had ever trusted her that much; Ava had come to realize. In the end, Tony had asked Ava to spare Hank… and she'd agreed easily enough.

Truth be told, she didn't want to kill Hank Pym. Reading through the files, it was obvious that her father's own ambitions had been what truly laid him and her mother to rest. Neither Ant-Man nor the Wasp had been equipped with the sort of firepower that had damaged her father's Quantum Tunnel and ultimately caused the catastrophe.

In the end, it was her father's own hired thugs who had shot up the fragile machinery and doomed her parents while they were trying to shoot Pym and Van Dyne. And that… well, it still sucked. But Ava knew that wasn't truly Pym's fault. As a SHIELD agent herself, she knew what it meant to just be trying to do your damn job, in the end.

So yes, she knew Hank Pym and his wife were there that day when everything in her life went to shit. But she also knew from reading their mission reports that Pym and his wife would have likely done everything in their power to save her and her mother if they'd known they were there. Hell, Pym's wife had sacrificed her life just years later to stop a Soviet ICBM bound for the US that would have jumpstarted World War Three.

Perhaps that was why Tony had told Ava everything, giving her access to more files and reports and top secret information then she really knew what to do with. Perhaps he'd known that all she really wanted was to live, and all she really needed was someone to actually have her back for once, instead of lying to her. Either way…

"Alright… it's still a little too fast for my tastes, but I've double- and triple-checked everything at this point. We're ready for a test, Stark."

… it was time to find out if Tony Stark was the sure bet he seemed to be or not.

Grinning at Pym's frowning face, Tony moves over to the controls, rolling his shoulders as he does so.

"What'd I tell you, Pym? I've got all the best toys. You really thought I couldn't build a Quantum Tunnel in three days? Ye of little faith!"

Pym just growls, slipping along the side of the console… and plugging in a small chip into an access port he'd snuck into the design when he thought Ava and Tony weren't looking.

"It's insane, Stark. Building this thing should have taken us months. Three days… you could revolutionize the human race with this sort of stuff."

Tony just raises an eyebrow, his smile growing.

"And who's to say I'm not already doing so, Hank? There's a reason your precious little protégé turned to the Dark Side to try to take down Pep. Frankly, you should be happy your daughter and your company are working under my wife these days. Pym Technologies is going to be part of a very bright future."

Ava watches as Pym scowls even harder at that. But before the older man can formulate a response, Tony claps his hands together and bulldozes on ahead without hesitation.

"Now then, shall we get this show on the road? Or do you need a few more seconds to finish downloading Janet's last known Quantum Signature into the console?"

Hank Pym freezes in place, the blood draining out of his face as Stark calls him out just like that. Ava tenses up, ready to leap into action if need be. She's still wearing her Ghost Suit after all, and while she's sure Pym has some tricks up his sleeves, his Ant-Man Suit is still back in the safe in his residence.

Tony, of course, cuts through the tension with a laugh and a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Oh man, you should see the look on your face man. What, did you really think I wouldn't notice? Or that I didn't know the possibilities? Science can be about more than one thing, Hank. In fact, it very often is. Yes, we're trying to save Ava today… but there's no reason we can't potentially save your wife while we're at it."

Pym chews on that for a moment, even as Tony sighs.

"Honestly, what I wonder is why you felt the need to hide it from me. Do you really think I would be so heartless as to not let you try and lock onto your wife?"

Jaw clenching, Hank scowls.

"… It could damage the integrity of the experiment. By using Janet's Quantum Signature from 1987 as a lock-on point, we don't know what will happen. It won't be just trying to peer into the Quantum Realm, it'll be opening a tunnel wherever Janet herself might be. You should be furious, Stark."

Ava watches as Tony just smiles.

"And yet…"

A long tense moment passes between the two men, before Pym finally huffs and turns away. Tony's smile grows as both men take up their positions at the console, beginning to press buttons and flick levers. Ava doesn't pretend to understand what they're doing, or most of the things they're saying back and forth to each other. There's a whole lot of terminology related to the Quantum Realm and that's about it.

But finally, something she very much understands begins to happen. The Quantum Tunnel begins to glow and spark with power, reminding her of the incident all those years ago. Ava stiffens, taking a step back as her jaw clenches and her hands curl into fists. But she stays clear minded. She doesn't let it get to her. If nothing else, she has SHIELD to thank for focusing her mind and body in pursuit of her goals. SHIELD might have used her, but she'd used them in turn to get to this point, hadn't she?

Unlike her father's Quantum Tunnel all those years ago… this one actually works. Ava had her doubts, but it seemed where Tony Stark was involved, those could be set to the side. The Quantum Tunnel activates, and as Stark and Pym exchange comments about 'readings coming in' and 'power levels holding steady', Ava finds herself stepping forward. She can feel the pull of the Quantum Realm. She can feel the energy she needs to survive within it, like someone dying of thirst in a desert only to see an oasis in front of them.

She just has to go forward and scoop up some of that energy for herself.

Before she can do so however, something at the far end of the active Tunnel flashes. And then again. And then Ava's eyes widen as actual laser projectiles shoot out of the Quantum Realm in their direction. They splash harmlessly against a blue energy shield that springs up at the front of the Quantum Tunnel, doing no harm… but as Ava peers closer, she realizes they weren't aimed at her and the two scientists behind her anyways. They were aimed at someone who was running down the tunnel even now.

Ava tenses as the cloaked figure rushes right through the shield, which seemed to only be capable of deflecting energy, not physical mass. She's prepared for a fight, but then the figure tears off her helmet, revealing a weathered face and white hair.

"Janet!"

Huh. Seemed they'd found Hank's wife after all…

"SHUT IT OFF! SHUT IT OFF NOW!"

What? Ava's eyes widen at that. No, they couldn't do that. She still needed a moment to draw on the Quantum Realm's power. She needed to- but before she could do anything, the Quantum Tunnel shuts off. Pym had still been standing there like a dumbstruck buffoon, but Stark hadn't even hesitated. He'd listened immediately and… and Ava finds herself staring at the suddenly dark Quantum Tunnel, at her only opportunity for salvation.

"Turn it… turn it back on! I need that! I need it!"

She's not usually prone to throwing what some might call hissy fits. A byproduct of being trained as a SHIELD agent for most of her life. But in this moment, Ava actually stomps her foot, feeling like a child but also feeling utterly outraged as she snarls at everyone in the room and nobody in particular.

Stark, as always, knows just what to say.

"Sorry Ava, but we can reactivate it in a few minutes once we change the location we're opening the tunnel to. Then we can see about getting you plenty of Quantum Energy, alright?"

That… that would work, yeah. Now she was feeling embarrassed. Only, before she can apologize…

"No! No, you can't activate the tunnel again. Not under any circumstances. It doesn't matter where you put it… there are things in the Quantum Realm that will do anything to escape. And if they do… our entire universe will be in danger."

Just like that, Janet Van Dyne had dashed her hopes. The selfless woman who had sacrificed herself to avert World War Three was telling Ava she had to die to keep the universe safe. It wasn't fair, but Ava wasn't going to throw a fit over it. Tears start to well up in her eyes all the same though, damn it all…

Which is when Janet turns to her, looking more closely.

"You… you're suffering from a Quantum Mutation. An… imbalance to your molecular equilibrium, right?"

Ava jerks her head up and down, trying to hold back the tears, not trusting herself to speak. Stark does it for her, in the end.

"She was a child when she was hit by an explosion of Quantum Energy. She needs more if she's going to survive."

Suddenly, Janet steps forward. Ava stiffens as the older woman brings her hands up to her cheeks.

"You're… Ava Starr, aren't you? You look a lot like your mother."

Ava's eyes widen. She hadn't known that Janet knew her mother. Catherine wasn't a scientist like Ava's father. She wasn't his partner and teammate in the same way Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym were.

"I can sense that you've still got time… but that's no reason to let things get worse."

And then… Janet does something. Ava's breath hitches as she feels her body jerk under a sudden influx of Quantum Energy. The older woman's palms glow with the power she's sending into Ava, and Ava can feel it… she can feel her very existence on this realm, her tangibility itself, stabilizing.

That was certainly something. Beyond her wildest expectations, even. Janet smiles at her and Ava finds herself hesitantly smiling back.

"There we go, sweetie. Feeling better now?"

"I… yes. T-Thank you…"

There's guilt in Janet's eyes just like there's been in Pym's these last three days. Likely, she's quickly deduced how Elihas Starr's daughter had been hit by an explosion of Quantum Energy at a young age. And much like Hank, she blames herself. Good… that should make this next part easy for Ava to pull off. Her next and last SHIELD mission, granted to her by Tony Stark himself.

-x-X-x-

"… You knew I was planning on going after Stark Industries, didn't you Stark? You arranged this whole thing just to distract me."

As he and Pym watch Janet and Ava talk from across the lab, Hank can't help but mutter out of the side of his mouth over to Tony. Tony, in turn, just smiles.

"Distract you? If I wanted to just distract you, I would have had all of this take much, much longer Hank. I could have had you chasing ghosts, both your own and others, for years. Instead, I gave you absolution and your wife back in just three days."

Hank falls silent for a moment at that… which is fair to be honest. Tony knows the effect he has on people.

"Janet's not going to want to leave Ava behind now. She'll want to all but adopt the girl, given what happened back then…"

Tony hums and nods.

"And Ava will push for it too. She thinks it's on my orders."

That gets a sharp look from Pym, with Tony just smiling placidly in response.

"Her new mission, which she chose to accept if everything worked out, was to worm her way into yours and Janet's lives and become a surrogate daughter of sorts. She's to do everything in her power to make you come to see her as part of the family, all so she can keep an eye on you and make sure you aren't going to go supervillain and try to come after me, SHIELD, or the world at any point."

Silence again. Though this time not because Hank chooses not to speak. Rather, his mouth opens and closes a few times wordlessly… it's just he can't find the words. Finally though, he manages a response.

"… Why would you tell me that, Stark?"

Rolling his eyes, Tony finally properly looks at Hank.

"Because Dr. Pym, she would never have just accepted retirement. She feels like she owes me her life now, and if I don't find a way to pawn her off on someone else, she's going to want to spend the rest of that life killing for me. But I have enough SHIELD agents and other mooks who weren't raised from childhood to be weapons. And I know you and Janet will do right by her. I also know she and Janet will be good for each other."

Pym's jaw clenches, working for a few moments as he no doubt finds himself in reluctant agreement with Tony's words. Finally though, he scowls.

"And I suppose in response I'm supposed to back off and turn the other way while you and your wife turn my actual daughter into one of your sex pets. A daughter for a daughter, is that what this is supposed to be?"

Tony rolls his eyes and reaches out, putting a hand on Hank's shoulder before the older man can do more than stiffen at the movement.

"Hank, look me in the eye. I'm being completely honest when I say I have zero intentions of seducing your daughter into my bed."

He can see Hank believes him. Which he should, because Tony is being entirely truthful. Maybe he should have left it at that. But…

"… Of course, I can't exactly say the same for Pepper."

Hank's face grows stormy, but Tony just squeezes his shoulder as he continues.

"However! If such a thing does occur, and your daughter winds up sharing a bed with my wife and I, know that it will be entirely consensual, Hank. I have not, nor will I ever, coerce a woman into my bed. Nor would I abide by my wife doing so either. The position of CEO of Pym Technologies belongs to your daughter no matter what. And while Stark Industries might be Pym Technologies' new parent company, that does not mean your daughter will be expected to trade sexual favors in order to keep her position. Anything that happens will be her choice. I guarantee it."

After a beat, Tony tilts his head to the side before shaking it ruefully.

"Besides, Pepper has her hands full with the Asgardian Goddess of Death right now anyways. I'm not entirely sure your daughter is even on my wife's radar at the moment."

For a long moment, Hank doesn't look like he wants to accept that, nor how to respond to Tony's mention of Hela. But finally, his shoulders slump and he lets out a huff as he looks back over at Janet and Ava… who at this point are touching their foreheads together as Janet whispers something to the younger woman.

"… I suppose that's the best I'm going to get, isn't it Stark?"

Huffing himself, Tony lets go of Hank's shoulder and rolls his eyes.

"Your daughter is a grown woman capable of making her own decisions, Hank. As she showed you when she cast the deciding vote to kick you out of your own company all those months ago. Darren Cross is gone. Hope is standing on her own two feet now. Maybe let her see what she can do now that she's not being overshadowed by men with egos too big to get out of her way, hm?"

Another long pause ensues and for a moment, Tony thinks they might just leave it at that. Hopefully playing with kiddie gloves will pay- oh. Hank Pym is holding out his hand. Huh. Taking hold of the older man's hand, Tony gives it a firm shake while also being careful not to crush it. Then, he and Hank share a simple nod.

Well then. Look at that, turned out he didn't have to kill or imprison all of his would-be enemies after all. All was well that ended well… hm, though this did leave one minor loose end, didn't it?

… Tony would toss the ball over to Pepper and see what she wanted to do about that. If it worked out, then great. If it didn't, then it didn't.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Hank: "I can tell you're fucking with me Stark, but I can't do anything about it."

Tony: "You're welcome."

Hank: "... Thanks.".

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