Chapter 55: Infiltration
2013
San Francisco, California
Few Miles Away From Private Jet Terminal
Two Days Later
(Brock POV)
I glance out of the small plane's window as we drift over the clouds and watch them roll by. Zeru stares excitedly out the window as Ava sits across from me in silence. Even through her full body armor, I notice she looks tired, worn down by the stress and strain of the past two days. As we get closer to our destination, I see her leg fidgeting nervously beneath the table between us.
"Are you okay?" I ask gently after a moment.
She looks up at me before nodding. "Yeah. Just a little anxious." She admits to me quietly. "How long until we land?"
"About half an hour," I answer.
"Good," Ava sighs as she leans back in her seat, "You think Pym will actually be there?"
"Hopefully..." I reply.
Ava looks over at me curiously, "I know it was part of our deal, but I didn't expect you to help me out this quickly."
"...Well," I begin, "What kind of leader would I be if I couldn't deliver on my promises?"
"You would be Fury." Ava muses.
I chuckle lightly at her comment and shrug, "Touch."
After a few moments, the engines of the jet grow silent. We sit silently as the plane continues to glide down the runway. Soon, the wheels touch down softly on the tarmac and the pilot comes on the intercom.
"Mr. Rumlow, we have reached your destination." He announces.
Ava glances over at me, "Alright... let's get this mission started."
She shifts out of sight as Zeru and I stand up from our seats and make our way to the exit. Once outside, we step down from the plane and wait patiently while the pilot, a thin grizzled middle-aged man with graying brown hair and a full beard, pulls out our luggage.
"You gentlemen need me to call you a ride?" He asks politely once he's finished collecting our things.
I shake my head, "Nah. We're good." I say as I hand him a small stack of bills.
The pilot smiles warmly as he swiftly pockets the money, "Have a nice trip and please feel free to call should you need my services again." He says before returning back to the cockpit.
The three of us step out of the terminal and immediately head toward the waiting car parked just outside.
"Nice," Zeru comments as we approach the black luxury sedan.
"Yeah," I agree, "Though it should be considering how much I had to pay for it."
Zeru laughs as we pack our stuff into the back and enter the vehicle.
We pull away from the terminal and head out onto the busy streets of San Francisco.
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Pym Manor
San Francisco
Two Hours Later
The sun begins to drift beneath the clouds as a classic-style manor looms large and comes into view as I pull up and park the car a few blocks away from it.
The house sits high atop a hill overlooking the bay below. Large trees surround the driveway, creating a secluded atmosphere that seems miles away from any other buildings nearby.
"You sure this is the place?" I ask Zeru.
"Absolutely," He replies confidently, "I've studied everything S.H.I.E.L.D had on Pym. He's supposedly been living here since he 'retired' from his position with the organization."
"Alright..." I say before looking over at Ava who was seated in the passenger seat. "You ready?"
Ava nods her head, "I've been ready for this moment since I was a little girl. All my life I've wanted to avenge my father. Now that day has finally arrived."
"Just remember, our first priority is finding a sample of the energy that infected you. Ok?"
Ava nods.
Ava frowns at me and hesitates for a moment before nodding her head and releasing the woman.
"Fine," She says, "But only for a moment."
The woman slowly gets up to her knees and takes a deep breath to calm herself, "Please! Just let me go!! I swear I don't know anything about this Pym!"
"You're his daughter, right?" I ask calmly, moving closer to her and lowering my voice.
"What?" The woman asks, shocked by my words.
I point over to a picture sitting on top of the nightstand beside her bed. The picture shows a young girl with long dark hair standing next to a younger Hank Pym.
"That's you, isn't it?" I say gently.
"Y-yes, that's me," The woman admits nervously.
"I'm sorry," I tell her sincerely, "But you have to answer some questions for me. I promise we won't hurt you."
"Why?" She asks, confused.
I sigh and lean against the wall, "Because if you don't, someone else might die because of you."
"I don't understand," She says, "What are you talking about?"
I look over at Ava whose eyes are narrowed at the woman.
"Look," I begin, "I know you want to protect him, but we need to know where he is. We mean him no harm.. we just want to talk."
The woman glances down and looks up again, "He...isn't here anymore..."
"Excuse me?" Ava gasps as she steps toward the woman, but stops as I shoot her a look.
"He left," The woman says, "Just last week. He told me he was going to go visit an old friend of his. That's all I know."
"Old friend?" I ask.
"Yes," She replies, "All he said was he was going to visit some guy named Garrett. But that's it. He didn't say what his relation to him was or when he'd be back."
"Can you at least tell us where he went?" Ava asks.
"No!" The woman shouts.
I step closer to her, "Listen carefully, please. Someone really bad wants to hurt him. We can stop it...but only if you tell us where he is."
"Really, I don't know!" The woman cries, "I don't know anything!"
I stare at her for a moment longer, judging whether or not she was lying, before dropping my gaze and speaking softly, "Alright...thank you for your time."
I turn away from her and walk back to the doorway and nod at Ava. The woman remains on the floor and I close the door behind us.
"Well that wasn't very helpful," Ava scoffs. "What now?"
"Well, she's telling the truth," I tell her. "For now we search the house for clues. There has to be something here that could help us."
"Okay... but what about her," Ava asks motioning towards the door.
"Guess that's up to you," I say, giving her a cold look.
"What do you mean?" Ava asks.
"You said you wanted revenge, right?" I ask and Ava nods. "Well, a dead Daughter for a dead Father doesn't sound too bad to me."
At my words Ava just stares at me, dumbfounded by my suggestion.
"Or don't. As I said, it's up to you." I say as I start to walk away from her, heading back down the hallway. Ava starts to follow me, but I hear her footsteps slowing behind me.
"Do you really think that's what my Dad would want?" She asks quietly.
I pause for a moment and turn my head to look at her, "Not to sound like a dick, but he's dead. The question is...what do you want."
Ava stays quiet for a second then shakes her head, "I don't understand you sometimes, Brock."
I don't respond to her comment as I continue to walk down the hall. I move towards the staircase as Ava's footsteps sound out behind me, followed closely by the soft creak of a door opening.
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A/n: Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the story so far and as always thanks for reading!