I know I shouldn't start a fic so soon after I just did my summer clean-up, but I couldn't resist. There are too few crossovers for Ant-Man and Avengers right now! Kudos to my fellow writers, by the way. I can just tell some excellent fics will appear in the next few months. Special shout-out to QueenPersephoneOfHades, who's been nailing the Ant-Man stories so far. Love your work!
Alright. This, as usual, is part of my Marvel Universe. That means all Marvel movies, except for the first Hulk, most of Iron Man 3, and whatever comes after Ant-Man (including the second post-credits scene on both that movie and the one in Avengers: Age of Ultron) apply, as well as the works I've written on it so far. Pairings are all canon.
Again, this takes place about two weeks after the movie's events, so obvious SPOILERS abound. Enjoy! - Darthkvzn
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything but plot elements and characters not previously owned by Disney or Marvel.
Scott Lang liked to imagine that, when it came down to it, the Ant-Man would be remembered for his heroic deeds, and not for being the superhero equivalent of Tom Cruise in that heist film. Considering both his first and second mission under the helmet were turning out to be glorified robberies, however, his hopes may or may not have been rapidly dwindling.
-"So, I'm going to steal some shit. Again." -he said, dryly.
Those assembled around him snickered. He smirked; his motley crew had really come through in the mission to take down Cross, unlikely though it may have been.
-"Yeah, but now we stealing from the bad guys, bro. Feels kinda good, eh?" -said Luis, elbowing Hope.
-"I wouldn't exactly know." -she deadpanned.
Luis realized his mistake, wincing for a split second. Then he went back to his usual cheery self. "So, what're we grabbing again?"
Hank Pym, who'd been watching the exchange with a knowing smile, raised an eyebrow. "Darren's serum made it into HYDRA hands, though, fortunately, not the Yellowjacket suit, nor the procedures necessary to impede the serum from turning you to plasma instead of just reducing your size."
Hope nodded, pointing to the projected image, which showed a base hidden beneath a cabin in Yellowstone National Park. "Without that data, it'll take them a long time to reproduce Cross's results, let alone getting another working armor prototype to actually make use of the serum. We're denying them the chance to even try it."
-"As you know, HYDRA is even a thorn on the Avenger's sides, so we're playing this mission as safely as possible. And that means the Ant-Man isn't going alone." -said Hank.
Scott frowned, while Luis beamed. "Dude, we hirin' that Falcon guy?" -he asked excitedly.
-"I can't imagine he likes me very much. Plus, Avengers do what they want; I don't think you can hire them." -said Scott, grimacing. He'd done a number to that pricey suit of his, after all. And, y'know, possibly embarrassed him in front of his super friends or something like that. "Wait, what do you mean I'm not going alone? Don't tell me you're putting a suit, old man?" -he asked amusedly.
Hank shook his head. "No, Scott. As I said, I cannot 'suit up' anymore. But that doesn't mean the Pym family will give up its heroic legacy." -he smiled wistfully.
Scott blinked, then comprehension dawned on his face. "You mean...no way." -he breathed.
Hope smirked triumphantly. "Gentlemen." -she said, pressing a button on her laptop, "Meet the Wasp."
A schematic was shown, then, of a similar suit to Scott's, albeit with a clearly feminine figure, and a different-yet-familiar color scheme and design. The most notable feature, however, were the two pairs of huge wings attached to its back, giving the suit wearer the ability to fly.
Scott looked on in awe, while his friends nodded approvingly.
-"Nice design. Very attractive." -said Kurt. Dave, however, was a bit more forward. "That shit's hot, man"
Hope shot her a glare, but eventually resigned herself to nod. "I'm sure I can rock it. What do you think, Scott?" -she asked expectantly.
The former burglar snapped out of his reverie. Before he drooled, thankfully. "I thought Ant-Man looked cool as hell. Now I feel kinda upstaged." -he snarked.
Hope swatted him playfully. "Don't worry. I'm all for equality, so you're getting a couple of upgrades, too. Wouldn't want to leave you biting the dust in your second mission." -she said with a smirk.
-"Considering how big dirt gets in our line of work, I guess I'm pretty thankful." -he said, wrapping his arm around her.
A simulated cough came from the elder Pym, an eyebrow raised. The remaining three teammates watched on, amused. "...right. Now, if you're done romancing my daughter, I'd like you and your audience to follow me down to the lab." -the scientist ordered, and so they did.
Following the events at Cross Technologies two weeks before, Hank had done a remarkable job of upgrading the lab, modernizing the Cold War era equipment, and diving madly into the considerable effort of improving the already impressive tech that made up the Ant-Man.
Scott's suit was laid out on the table, but it looked a little different; instead of the shiny leather that made it look kind of like a biker's outfit, it was now a dull, matte shade, and the conduits that distributed the Pym particle serum, and the energy required to activate them, looked considerably reinforced.
-"Now, with a few days free of an incoming apocalypse, I had the time to improve the old suit. I'm sure you can notice a few differences." -said the Doctor.
Luis raised his hand, eagerly. "It's not very shiny now!" -he said.
Hank smiled, wryly. "Good eyesight, Luis. The matte-like finish comes from the new material of the suit. Kevlar and Vibranium weave, over a form-fitting, flexible body suit made from Plasteel. It should feel a little less tight, give you a lot more freedom of movement. And it's obviously much safer now. Small arms should be no problem, now. The helmet is upgraded, as well. I added a state of the art Heads-Up Display, which will show you everything from mission objectives to ant numbers and types in the immediate area." -he explained.
Aside from Kurt, it looked like no one really understood much. "I thought Vibranium was off market." -he said, frowning.
Dr. Pym winked. "Wakanda doesn't sell it anymore, no. The Hulk's temper tantrum made their already closed-off behavior worse. But I made friends with the current King's father in the eighties, and the young man has fond memories of me, so he allowed me a small amount of the metal. Enough to better both Scott's suit, and Hope's."
Hope, who'd stayed behind in the Wasp suit's vault, came in tiny, shifting to full size before their awed eyes. Her faceplate lifted, revealing her smug expression. "It was about damn time."
Luis looked around ready to faint. "Do we get one next?" -he asked eagerly.
Hank shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I can only produce enough serum to maintain two suits. Also, the Vibranium has all been used." -he said, apologetically.
Scott frowned. "For a king, the guy's kind of a cheapskate, isn't he? I mean, the suits can't use all that much...can they?" -he asked.
The old man tapped his beard. "They're no flag-themed shield, no. And, well, I actually used most of the metal on someone you might recognize." -he said, nodding to a small terrarium.
Scott narrowed his eyes, looking through the magnifying glass. Then, he gasped, as he recognized the insect inside. "Ant-tony!?" -he said, and the small creature seemed to wiggle at being mentioned. Scott turned to Hank, baffled. "How!?"
Dr. Pym smiled widely. "She was rescued, after she fell. Your friend seems to be very resilient, not to mention loyal. But, as you can see, she's not above injury. The bullet did a number on her; she lost two legs, a mandible, and her right wing. The remaining Vibranium was used to make the prostheses. And some armor to match them."
Scott, who'd tuned him out after the first few words, cocked his head. "Wait, Ant-tony is a she? I thought it was the male ants that had the wings." -he asked.
Hank nodded. "The males and the queens, Scott. Ant-tony, in particular, is the queen of one of the colonies you command. And I do believe she's eager to take flight again." -he suggested.
Scott rushed off, taking the suit with him. Kurt shook his head, disbelieving. "I cannot believe you did all this for ant. How long will she even live for?" -he asked.
Hank shrugged. "Give or take 20 years. She's young. And armored, now."
Hope smirked softly, patting her old man in the cheek. "You are such a sap. And the best dad in the whole world."
Dr. Pym smiled, softly. Not for the first time, he thought that maybe, just maybe, the risks his beloved daughter was about to take on were worth it. And, y'know, those of his likely future son-in-law.
Though, to be fair, those were a little more on the amusing side of the spectrum.
I couldn't bear to leave Ant-tony behind, sorry. I don't actually know its gender, but I prefer to think of that ant as female. More awesome female characters could stand to appear on the MCU! I think Vibranium is kind of plot armor, but I promise not to abuse it. The upgraded suits will stop bullets, but not, y'know, rockets and other powerful weapons. Those are just mitigated. As an odd tidbit, I did research the average lifespan of an ant. Yahoo answers says the record is 29 years for a black ant queen, so I think 20 years is fair.
I'll endeavor to update this story every week, though fair warning, I've only got this chapter so far, and I've got a lot more fics to take care of first. Short chapters like this one should be manageable, I think.
Oh, and Plasteel is made up. By me, I mean. It comes from another fic, and was invented by Hiro Hamada. Long story!
What did you think? Cool? Not? Feel free to tell me all about it! See you next time! - Darthkvzn