Burch and the Ex-Thieves:

Hope drove the car carefully through the streets of San Francisco until they came to a restaurant. She pulled the car in the side garage.

George fasten tiny cameras onto the ants.

"Cameras set son?" Hank asked.

"Yep they're good to go," George turned on the screen and an image of himself. "Ahh,"

"I'll be right back guys," Hope said.

"Be careful sis,"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," Hope hopped out of the van with a bag full of money.

George connected his screen to the computer and more cameras appeared. They saw Hope walking inside.

"Good job with cams George," Hank applauded. "Really spectacular,"

"Thanks dad. I had a good teacher for it,"

Scott's hand hovered in front of George on the counter desk. "Can I have one of thse?" he reached for a mint tin.

"No," Hank pulled it out of reach.

"Guys. Here she comes," George pointed to a camera which showed a grand glorious room with seats and desk and a crystal chandelier. Hope was approaching a man sitting at one.

"Ahh Susan!" he greeted.

"Sonny!" she exclaimed.

The three men watched as Hope asked this man named Sonny about the component they needed for the tunnel.

"Who is this guy?" Scott asked.

"Sonny Burch. He traffics in black market technology. He's been getting us what we need to build the tunnel," George explained. "And an old acquaintance of mine when I studied engineering before training for the Marines,"

"Can I just have one?" Scott pleaded, reaching for the mint again.

Hank slapped his hand again. "No,"

"Let's just keep watching," George shushed them. They listened intently as they heard Sonny mention to Hope about having a special friend at the FBI, the organisation who were hutting the Pym family down. His 'special friend' had been giving him information such as…

"Your real name is Hope Van Dyne. And your unseen associate is Hank Pym, and I know that your brother is George Van Dyne. He and I go way back. I know that you wouldn't have come to me unless you learnt from someone close to me what I work in,"

The three men were tense.

"That's not good guys," Scott said.

"Oh great," George cursed.

Hope was 'invited' to sit down. Sonny told her how he had discovered that they had been using the components he had bought them for Quantum Technology. To make matters worse, he had arranged buyers for their lab and the bid was one billion dollars.

"Thank you, Sonny, really. But my family and I have more pressing issues than starting a business, so I'll just take the component," Hope attempted to reach for the component, but Sonny pulled it out of range.

But Burch wouldn't give up. "Either we're in business or we're not,"

Hope refused again and tried to take the money, but he pulled it out of reach too.

Hope tried to warn him to do this easy way, but he refused again. She waddled off.

"So now what?" Scott asked.

George smirked. "You'll see,"

A second later, one of the men was thrown back by something invisible. The cameras zoomed in closer to reveal Hope in a suit.

"You gave her wings?" Scott asked.

"And blasters," Hank added in.

They watched through the cameras as swiftly took out the men with her martial arts skills and new suit with its wings and its blasters. She shrunk and enlarged constantly and flew up to the diamond chandelier. Then she took out the remaining men in kitchen before stepping out with both component and the bag.

"Wings and blasters," Scott remarked. "I take it you didn't have that tech available for me,"

"Oh I did," Hank answered, earning a 'what' from Scott.

Hope dropped the bag at Burch's desk again. "Pleasure doing business with you Sonny,"

"Oh our business ain't finished yet Hope. I can assure you of that. And I've got a bone to pick with your brother,"

His words made George gulp a bit. He was feeling a little tense when something caught his eye. "What the…" he leaned closer.

"What is it George?" Scott asked.

"I saw something. But it disappeared. There it is again!" his cameras showed a white figure in a strange white suit with red round eyes.

It attacked Hope and tried to take the component. But she swung her wings at it and blasted it before it disappeared again.

"Guys are you seeing this?!" she called.

"Hope get out of there!" shouted Hank.

"Behind you!" George's warning was too late as the ghost-thing appeared from behind. Hope was not match for its constant disappearing and its phasing.

"I gotta do something!" Scott tried to leave but Hank stopped him.

"Wait!" he pulled out a small box with a small suit similar to his previous design. "It's still a work in progress,"

"Dad, we can't let Scott…"

"We don't have time to argue. Your sister's in danger. And Scott has had more expereicne with this type of suit than you have,"

"Fine!" George huffed. "Don't you lose that or fail to help Hope or I kill you,"

"Do you have to threaten me?" Scott demanded.

"Just go!"

Much to their luck, Scott arrived in time and rescued Hope, but the ghost thing disappeared with the component. They searched for it in the kitchen but couldn't find it.

"Guys, can you see anything?" Hope asked.

"I can't anything on the cams!" George called.

"Try…!" Hank was cut off when George suddenly chocked.

Hank turned and saw the ghost figure with its hand phasing through George's neck.

"Give me that!" the ghostly figure ordered. "Or I crush him!"

"Don't give it to him!" George begged.

"Silence!" his captor squeezed him harder. "I won't ask again!"

"Alright. Give me your word you won't hurt my son and I'll give it to you," Hank lifted up the lab-suitcase with the remote and handed it over.

Immediately the 'ghost' let go of George and it disappeared. George collapsed, hyperventilating.

"It's alright George," Hank soothed, helping him up.

"Why'd you give him the lab?"

"I wasn't going to let him crush you apart,"

"Guys!" Hope's voice shrieked.

They turned and saw her and Scott scurry forward to them.

"They got the lab," Hank cursed.

"That ghost-thing had his hand right through my neck, and he threatened to crush me!"

They drove off. George was hyper-ventilating and Hope was trying to calm him down.

"Calm down?! Hope! I just felt that whoever-it-was's hand through my neck! I felt I was being ripped apart!"

"Well you're alright now," Scott soothed. "You're okay,"

George didn't snap but he frowned at him.

Scott frowned back. I was only trying to be nice.

"What was that thing?" Hope asked, getting back to the subject.

"I have no idea," Hank shook his head. "We should find somewhere to regroup and figure out where the lab is,"

"But where?" George asked.

"How about my place?" a desperate Scott suggested. "Woo could show up at any minute,"

"Which is exactly why we're not going there," George crossed his arms.

"How about your house?" Scott mistakenly suggested. This earned him a slap in the face from George.

"Sorry," he cringed. George might have been a younger than him but he still quite strong. "Well, there is one place I can think,"

"No! No! NO!" Hank refused. "We are not going there,"

"Come on guys! It's the perfect spot!" Scott implored.

"Absolutely not! Your friend will just turn us in!" George accused.

"No they won't!"

Reluctantly they went to X-Con security consultants, a shop above a café where they were greeted by warm smiles and coffee.

Luis was the most excited. "Wow doctor Pym, who would have thought that once again, in your hour of need…that you would turn to us you know?"

"Not me," Hank muttered loudly.

"Here's some pastry," Kurt offered them a pox.

"What's with the pastry? We gotta keep the food budget down,"

"Well, what are we supposed to have for breakfast?" asked Dave

"The oatmeal packets," Luis gestured to the kitchen counter with the simple packets.

"Oatmeal packets," Dave huffed.

"It's an insult," Kurt affirmed.

"Why is it an insult?" Luis began to argue with them.

"Because it tastes like sand,"

"You know why? Cause it's organic,"

"It's not organise, it's sand,"

George banged his head on the table, irritated by their squabbling. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. He could tell Scott was annoyed too.

"Guys! Guys! Come on man!" Scott shouted. "We got bigger fish to fry,"

George saw his attention fade away when he saw a small table.

"Wait? Is that my desk?" Scott peered down disappointedly at the small desk that had his name stuck on.

"Yeah,"

"What? Why do I have such a small desk?"

"Because you weren't there when we choose desk,"

"You snooze, you lose," Kurt sung.

"You know Scott, this isn't even a desk. This is garbage. You found this outside amongst garbage,"

"I got it at a rummage sale," Luis answered.

George banged his head again. "Why did we come here?" he muttered angrily.

"Guys!" Hope spoke up for her brother.

"Hope! Let's concentrate! We gotta find that lab already! Jeez!" Scott snapped.

George banged his head a third time annoyed with everyone in the room.

"Oh you know what? I heard stories, like what happened to you. This crazy, creepy cat, who walks through walls and stuffs. Like a ghost,"

"Like Baba Yaga," Kurt chanted.

"Not like Baba Yaga," Geroge pointed at him. "That's a witch,"

"Who can disappear,"

"Who has a hut with chicken legs,"

"Whoever stole the lab knew what they looking for," Hank said.

"And whoever it was looked like it was phasing," Hope highlighted.

"Phasing?" Scott asked.

"Quantum phasing. When an object moves through different states of matter,

"Oh yeah, that's what I was thinking,"

"No, you weren't," George shook his head.

"The lab emits radiation so couldn't we modify a quantum spectrometer and track it?" Hope asked.

"I could but all my equipment is in the lab," Hank said.

"Then what do we do?" Scott asked. "Where else could we find someone with that equipment?"

"There is one person…" George attempted to say but was interrupted by his dad.

"Absolutely not!" Hank snapped.

"Dad…" Hope tried to say.

"No! I will not see Bill Foster!"

"Who's Bill Foster?" Scott asked.

"He's an old colleague of dad from S.H.I.E.L.D who he had a falling out with," Hope explained.

"I will not see that man again!"

"Dad, we have to find the lab and Bill Foster is our only hope," George retorted. "Please put aside your anger to him…for mum's sake,"

Hank softened. "Fine. But don't blame me you two when I say that it was a waste of time,"

"Well, let's go," Scott rushed them. "I'm the one risking my life being here so can we please go and find him?"

What'd you all think? What is George's history with Burch? Feel free to send over any ideas if you want. Hope you all enjoyed it.