╔════════════╗
𝑰𝑻 𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺 𝑻𝑾𝑶
-𝒔𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏
╚════════════╝

"I'M SORRY, Hank!" Scott whined, chasing after him with Christina and Hope following. "I'm sorry I took the suit. I'm sorry I called last night. I-I-I don't remember seeing Janet down there. I wish that I did. I just had a dream about her playing hide-and-seek with a little girl."

At the mention of the game, Scott saw everyone tense. Hope and Hank looked the most concerned, while Christina looked spooked.

Hope's forehead creased, "What?"

Scott glanced between the father and daughter before shaking his head at her. "It—I had a dream. She was playing hide-and-seek with a little girl. Cassie and I do it all the time." He shrugged, "Doesn't mean anything."

"But, was it Cassie in the dream?"

"...No."

"Where was she hiding?"

Scott frowned. "What?"

"The little girl; where was she hiding? Was it in a wardrobe?"

"No, it was in a, like, a tall dresser."

"You mean a wardrobe." Hank corrected, nodding his head once.

He then looked at Christina, slightly surprised. "Oh. Is that's what its called?"

Hope shook her head, quickly growing impatient. "What colour was it?"

He hesitated before answering. "Red."

Christina gasped quietly as her hands covered her mouth in shock.

"Were there horses on it?" Hope asked with hope in her voice.

"Oh boy," Scott whispered.

She peaked a smile. "That's where I hid every time we played."

"It...doesn't sound like you really got the gist of the game."

Christina's smile flopped at his comment. "Scott,"

"What? I'm just saying..."

Hope looked at her father with a smile, which he returned. Nodding with happiness, she moved forward. "She's alive." The two hugged tightly.

"I knew it." Hank said into her shoulder. After a long moment, they embraced Christina too. "I knew it!"

Hope broke away, holding the two at shoulder length. "We need to get that part."

She reached beside her, opening the door to the lab and leading Hank and Chris inside, "The sooner we get the tunnel working, the sooner we can get this message out of his head."

"Does Burch have it?" Hank asked, glancing at Christina.

"Yeah, let's go." Hope confirmed before Hank grabbed a plastic Hot Wheels carrier case off a nearby table.

"What part?" Scott asked, stumbling to catch up with the three. "Who's Burch? Wait. What's happening?"

HOPE STEPPED out into the street before turning towards Scott, "We need a component to stop the tunnel from overloading again." She opened her car to the backseat, reaching inside. "I grabbed your clothes. You might want to change."

Scott caught the duffle bag thrown at him. Beside him, Hank opened the plastic case. Inside, twenty-three figure-sized cars rested inside. He offered it to Christina. "Care to pick?"

"You know I always do." She smiled before reaching down and picking up a van figurine. Hank lifted the keys to the car on the street, pressing a button to shrink it.

"Look, I'd really like to help you out—"

Hope, standing in front of the car, didn't flinch. Hank nodded at Chris, who then approached the shrunken vehicle, replacing it with the van. When she was a safe distance away, Hank then enlarged the van to regular size.

"—but if I'm not home when they come to take off my ankle monitor then I'm going away forever."

Christina couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Scott but fought not to show it on her face.

"Once we get the component and power up the tunnel, we'll get the message, and have you home by lunch." Hope offered. "We have to hurry. The entanglement won't last."

Hank pointed a finger. "You owe us."

Christina glared, leaning forward. "Big time."

Scott sighed. "All right, fine. But can I just wait inside? Because I'm not supposed to be out here."

On cue, Hank pressed another button on his keys, which shrunk the entire building behind Scott. A gush of wind made Scott step forward off balance. Swatting off a pigeon, Hank pulled up the built-in handle to the building and dragged it behind him, as if it was a suitcase. "Let's go."

Scott stared dumbfoundedly as Hank walked by.

"WE GOOD?" Christina asked, leaning over to look at Hank and Hope. Hank patted her hand that rested on his shoulder with a nod. Hope gave a look of confidence back as she slipped out the van and shut the door.

Scott sat awkwardly quiet, noticing an Altoids case on the countertop. "Can I have one of these?" When he reached for it, Hank quickly moved it away.

"No."

CHRISTINA EXAMINED the interior of the hotel lobby, noticing it's lavish and expensive furniture. She glanced to her right, cocking an eyebrow at the piano in front of the window. Soft classical music played on the speakers.

Smiling politely at a worker there, her head craned up at two bodyguards staring down at her from the second floor. Giving him no reaction, she walked forward with purpose in her steps.

In the middle of the room, where a huddle of chairs and tables were placed, sat a man by the name of Sonny Burch; a black market dealer with their part that they needed. The man smiled when she neared, "Ah, Izabelle! Welcome to Oui!"

"Sonny," she greeted back in a husky tone. Placing down her small case, she sat across from him.

"Oui is French for yes," Burch informed as one of his other bodyguards stepped forward to open the case. Inside, a few bundles of hundreds. "As in yes to farm-to-table, yes to locally sourced...and yes to planet before profit."

"Well, let's hope that it also means yes to 'Do you have the component I ordered'?"

Burch chortled, glancing down at the small rectangular device sitting beside his plate of food; the last thing they needed for the tunnel. "You know, I've always loved your sense of humour, Izze." He gestured for another guard to approach next. He held out his plate, to which he took.

"You know, I have a special friend at the FBI. And I say special, because, well, he tells me things that I didn't previously know. For example, that your name isn't Izabelle. It's Christina Clarke. And that you've been working closely with two people by the name of Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym."

Christina's smile slowly started to fade, turning into a cold frown. When she noticed another man standing directly behind her, she leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and intertwining her hands. "What is it, that you want Burch?"

"Relationships are built on trust, Christina. And I want our relationship to have a strong foundation." She cocked an eyebrow openly at his statement.

"My business landscape has been shifting, Chris. Hell, SHIELD and HYDRA don't even exist anymore... But now, Hank Pym and Hope," he poked a finger on the table to lay his point. "They are both a real opportunity."

"Just get to the point." She interrupted, clenching her jaw.

"Oh, you think I don't know what you've been building with all this?" he asked in return, holding up the piece she needed. "Quantum technology. Now you can forget nontech, forget AI, forget cryptocurrency. Quantum energy is the future. It's the next gold rush."

She hummed, giving a silent question.

"I want in, Christine—"

"Ah," she corrected harshly. "Christina."

He paused warningly before continuing. "So...as a gesture of goodwill, I have taken the liberty of arranging some buyers for your lab. Starting bid...one billion dollars."

Christina ran her tongue over her gums, glaring at Burch. She sighed sharply. "Thank you, Sonny, really. But what we're working on, is slightly more important than starting a business. So I'll just take the device we need, as arranged."

Burch leaned back in his chair as she pushed the money towards him. Christina held his gaze, not daring to break it first. He grabbed the gadget, putting it on the seat beside him. "My buyers don't take no for an answer, so we are either in business together or we aren't in business together."

Christina nodded at him, standing up and grabbing the case of money, "Then I'm afraid we aren't."

Burch shot out his hand, taking the money from her and handing it off. "You can go, but I'm afraid your money's gonna have to remain." Her lips parted with disgust and her nose wrinkled. "Let's call it compensation for my injured feelings."

Slowly, she leaned forward on the table. "Burch, this is gonna be so much easier; on yourself and me, if you just give me that piece and I'll be on my way."

"Darlin', the only thing you're takin' from here, is my heart. But it will mend in time."

Taking a deep breath through her nostrils, her glare suddenly turned into a warm smile. "All right. Maybe another time then."

"Maybe so," Burch smiled, watching as she turned and walked away calmly.