Hope Van Dyne grumbled as she clapped her laptop shut in frustration. She sighed, dropping her chin into her hand as her gaze wandered to their partially built quantum bridge that took up the majority of the lab. She had been trying to find another dealer who could get her that particular specialty part, not wanting the one that Burch had contacted her about knowing who the seller was.

It'd been a fortnight since she'd discovered what S.H.I.E.L.D. had been up to. From what her father had always told her about the organisation, she'd always had a skeptical view of them. However, her encounter with Commander Hill – seeing the agent up and cozy with an arms dealer, all while investing in their project for their own personal gain – truly solidified Hope's opinions of them. They were greedy and entitled; doing whatever they pleased.

She growled as she came to accept the reality that she would have to get the part from S.H.I.E.L.D. Though, Hope was not going to stoop so low as to go through Sonny for it. No, she'd make them give it to her themselves.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number of an old French restaurant that her mother and father used to frequent along with the Starks, back when the foursome were all friends. She made a reservation for two under her father's name for that evening, knowing that the Pym moniker would get her a reservation to the exclusive establishment. But more importantly, she suspected that S.H.I.E.L.D. would have eyes there. She was fairly sure that the owners would have been encouraged to, 'call this number if Hank Pym ever showed up.'

She always told her father whenever she was going out, especially when it was pertaining to their project so that he could run surveillance and act as a backup if need be. In this instance, however, she didn't want to apprise him with the fact that she was knowingly meeting up with S.H.I.E.L.D. She felt relatively safe on this endeavour knowing the need for backup would be slim. Hope and her father may have been in hiding, but S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't after them; they were evidently helping them. But at what cost? Hope's aim was to find out.

Hope looked at the clock, figuring she had better start getting ready. Suddenly the annoyance she'd been feeling faded away as a smile grew on her face; it was exciting that she had a mission that didn't involve wearing a ponytail and yoga pants under an armoured suit. She hopped up and took the elevator to her personal suite so she could get ready, telling her dad as she passed that she'd be going out for some air at the waterfront to recharge for a while.

About two hours later Hope was sitting at a table for two, martini in hand. She wore an emerald sleeveless dress that swept down to the floor. Its neckline lay across her collar bones as the back plunged down almost showing off the entirety of her muscular back. Her hair was partially down with a slight curl just at the very ends. Two large hair pins held up her hair, which was swept up on one side of her head behind her ear.

She looked down to her drink, swirling the olive inside to try and pass the time. She'd been waiting about fifteen minutes already and was wondering if S.H.I.E.L.D. even knew about her movements that evening.

Just before she was about to bring her glass to her lips, she saw a black briefcase slide to her feet. She looked up to Maria Hill casually sitting down at the seat across from her.

The agent barely acknowledged her as she turned to the approaching waiter. "Votre meilleur Cognac, pur, s'il vous plaît," she said with a warm smile. He nodded and turned to fetch her the brandy that she'd just ordered.

Hope studied the woman, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a dark blue cocktail dress with a boat neck. Her hair was swept into a simple updo which exposed her magnificently angular jawline. The agent then looked to Hope, exposing the most piercing sapphire eyes she'd ever seen as she leaned back in her chair.

Hope had only really had the opportunity to observe Maria from afar, noting her beauty previously. But there, in that moment, as she was stationary and right before her eyes, Hope physically gulped at how stunning she was.

Maria cocked her head slightly as she seemed to look her over too. "I have to give it to you. This is probably the nicest rendezvous I've ever attended," she said with a tight smirk but her eyes twinkled as if she were genuine. Her soft gaze made Hope question the nature of Maria's intentions; she was expecting a harsh demeanour on arrival. Afterall, that's how Hope had greeted her during their first contact.

"Well, I thought it was the least I could do. You know, make up for kicking your ass at our last meet and greet." Hope leaned in, crossing her arms in front of her on the table.

Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, shrinking down in size before your ass hits pavement, isn't exactly the crowning victory you make it out to sound."

Hope had to bite the inside of her lip to hold back a chuckle; she had a point. She then straightened up, almost forgetting herself and who she was interacting with, then tensed her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "What exactly is it S.H.I.E.L.D. wants with our quantum technology?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"Nothing."

"Oh, don't give me that." Her words came out plainly while she internally scoffed at Maria's ridiculous answer.

"Nothing at this time." Maria clarified. "S.H.I.E.L.D. likes to keep an eye on advancements being made."

"Don't you mean 'keep a finger on advancements being made'?"

Maria looked her in the eye as she nodded. "Yeah, that too. To an extent." Her eye contact never faltered as she continued. "If we can help something along, such as your quantum bridge, we're not gonna shy away from doing so. But to be clear, we're not here to annex your tech. As much as your father refuses to believe it, we are not your enemy."

Hope was impressed by the agent's subterfuge. Her delivery seemed genuine even when her words didn't. "Look, I'm really not the type to play word games. We don't need to figure out who can better mask the smell of their bullshit. I'd appreciate honesty. And if not that, we could always resort back to throwing punches." She couldn't help but smirk a little as she added. "I'm not wearing my suit now, so you might actually have a chance of landing a blow this time." Maria briefly closed her eyes as she chuckled under her breath at Hope's words.

Before the agent could respond, their waiter returned to their table and placed Maria's drink in front of her. "Voulez-vous voir le menu maintenant?" he asked them.

"Merci, mais pas maintenant," Hope said swiftly as she wished him away. She wanted to continue their conversation uninterrupted. The man, getting the hint, promptly bowed his head and turned away with a tight smile.

Maria picked up her drink, taking a sip before she leaned slightly forward, reducing the space between them. "Okay, the fact of the matter is – I'm a soldier, not a spy. I joined the military at age sixteen. I assure you the only things you're gonna get from me is simple honesty."

"Honesty?" Hope scoffed as she quirked a brow. "Like the identification papers you would've needed to forge in order to get into the military as a minor?" she asked in interest of the woman's past more than in the scepticism of her declaration of truth.

"Yeah, well desperate times call for desperate measures. When you're kicked out of your house as a teen there aren't many places to go."

Hope knew that she had no right to ask, but she wanted to see how far Maria was willing to go in her attempt to earn her trust. Also, not wanting to admit it to herself, she was genuinely taken with the woman and simply wanted to know more about her. "Delinquent childhood? Parents couldn't handle your rebellious actions?" she asked, throwing out possible reasons for her guardian's harsh actions towards her.

Maria lifted her glass, chuckling before she said into her drink, "Yeah, rebelliously dating my girlfriend of the time." She then took another sip of her brandy.

Hope's heart skipped a beat and she felt her skin grow hot at the reveal of Maria's attractions towards women. She quickly pushed her sudden onslaught of emotions down while she focused on the more pertinent meaning of the agent's words.

"So you joined an institution that only furthers one's obligation to lie through omission?" Hope lifted her glass. "You may not deceive like a spy, but soldiers can show dishonesty just as effectively in their silence." She then sipped her drink, hoping that Maria took her words as a slight to her employer and not towards her character. Hope knew that she would have had to keep her sexuality hidden while serving for most of her career due to the military's past homophobic policies.

Hope could see Maria's jaw clench as her eyes ever so slightly narrowed, making her instantly regret what she'd said. Or more importantly, how she'd said it. She had absolutely no obligation in showing kindness towards this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had been sticking her nose into their business, yet she felt desperate to somehow smooth over her previous words.

Hope sighed. "Okay, so if you are indeed being completely honest with me here." Her guilt throwing Maria a little slack. "What exactly is it you think you're gonna get from this?"

Maria simply said, her guards visibly up a bit now, "The same thing you are."

Hope practically laughed in exasperation before she said, "You're hoping to find my mother too?"

Instantly she was disappointed in herself for revealing information that S.H.I.E.L.D. had no need nor right to know. It's just that Maria had a way of making her feel secure, which was the exact opposite of what she should have been experiencing within her company.

Maria furrowed her brow in confusion. "You guys think The Wasp could still be alive?" she asked almost softly like she had intentions of not wanting to offend.

Hope tensed, eyes narrowing. She didn't know exactly who she was angry at, but Maria was going to be the one to bare the brunt of it. She growled through a clenched jaw, "It's no concern of yours. If it really is our project, our tech, and you truly have no intentions of laying claim to any of it, that is." Hope strained her neck as she tilted her head to the side. She had so many deep seeded emotions when it came to her mother that this interaction easily pushed her over the edge.

Maria didn't say a word. She just sat back and examined the woman to the point where Hope wanted to squirm under her gaze, but dared not show any weakness in that moment. Finally Hope snapped.

"What?" Hope blurted.

Very calmly Maria spoke up. "I suggest you take this part then." She gestured with her head to the suitcase at Hope's feet. "Because I doubt you'll find it anywhere else." She then pulled two twenty dollar bills out from her bra, tossing it on the table. "Drinks are on me," she said. No smile, no frown, just a flat emotionless face presented as she rose to her feet and casually walked away.

Her fists clenched while watching Maria amble out the door. She was frustrated at the corner Maria had seemingly trapped her in. The woman picked up her drink and slugged the rest back as nerves danced around the entirety of her body. Maria had instilled such conflicting emotions in her that her head was spinning. One thing she knew for sure was that she would have to proceed with utmost caution and keep the knowledge of their meeting a secret from her father. She could handle this on her own. She could handle Maria on her own.

With that, she emphatically grabbed the briefcase on the floor and stood up to leave as well. Hoping that she wasn't making a huge mistake.