Chapter 30: Picking up a Starr -28
"That idiot! You absolute idiot! Why did you continue, and why did you have to drag your family, your child, into it as well?" Hank cursed.
Reading both the summary and the detailed information in the S.H.I.E.L.D. file filled Hank with anger and disappointment. He had ceased research into the quantum realm because of its dangers, and to see someone so recklessly and foolishly pursue it, even after all his warnings, infuriated him.
As he continued to read, his disappointment only deepened. Clearly, there had been no adherence to proper procedures or safety measures. Not only did those fools suffer for their recklessness, but an innocent child had to suffer as well.
But his disappointment didn't end there. As he read about what S.H.I.E.L.D. had done—or rather, the lack of action—they had promised help and hadn't delivered, hadn't even attempted to deliver.
The thought that the very people he once worked for, that Janet had sacrificed herself for, would disregard a little girl's suffering, choosing instead to consider her potential utility, confirmed his decision to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. Taking his knowledge with him had been the right choice. S.H.I.E.L.D. really couldn't be trusted.
He also realized why the Foundation wanted him on this project. He was, after all, the single most qualified person in the entire world when it came to the quantum realm and its energies.
Another worry filled him. Was Janet suffering a similar fate? If she was alive, was she enduring the same kind of pain as this girl? He quickly shook his head, sealing off that thought, denying it.
'Janet, I'm sorry, and I promise if you are alive, I will find you and help you.'
That was his promise, and the first step toward fulfilling it was to help this girl. Understanding her condition and this fluctuating quantum state might be key to figuring out how to eventually save Janet.
First, he needed to familiarize himself with the entire document, all of it, and, of course, take Doctor Brown up on her offer. Then, he would head to SITE-98, construct the containment chamber for the girl, and help her.
...
The very next day, Hank met once again with SITE Director Emily Brown.
"From the look of you, Doctor Pym, I'd wager you're ready to head to SITE-98," came Brown's observation upon seeing him.
"Yeah, this is what I want to do. While I do appreciate the chance to work with Vibranium, this clearly is a case that needs me" Hank spoke, waving the folder around.
"Then pack your things. Transport will be arranged later today. Remember to take all your little friends as well. You won't be able to come back here. There are many SITEs, after all, and after SITE 98, you might want to go somewhere else."
The meeting was short, concise, and to the point. Hank spent the rest of the day saying goodbye to the people he had worked with during the short time he had been there. He gathered up all his ants... and had to quickly pack a dinner prepared for him as transport by a sleek and very advanced jet took him towards this mysterious SITE-98.
[Shield Facility]
[With Ava Starr]
Ava had grown used to her room, or her cell as it really was. She didn't enjoy it; in fact, she hated being here. She had thought about leaving so many times.
To leave behind all that grueling, painful training. But in the end, no matter how painful, how tiring that training was, it just didn't compare to the suffering that was being without this cell and the suit.
She needed this place more than it needed her; she knew that. Because of that, she had to do what she was asked, even if she didn't like it. She always wished that a sure solution would be found, that their promises of working on that were true. That wasn't easy since making this suit; they seemed to have made no real improvements.
Her time was running out; she knew it, they knew it, which is no doubt why they were sending her on so many missions. They wanted to get use out of her before it was too late. At times, she thought about just ending it all, to just be free of the pain and suffering, but never for long. She wanted to live; she wanted to be normal, to have a normal life like Bill always promised her.
*knock knock*
A knocking brought her out of her musing.
*Sound of door opening*
"Ava Starr, do you think that staying here will help you escape your fate?" One of the researchers asked her.
"Wha? What do you mean?" she asked, unsure and confused.
The man standing there might look like a familiar face, but he was, in fact, a member of Tau-5 who had used SCP-034. He honestly didn't think the kid before him looked like much, but thankfully, as a member of the Foundation, he knew she could be slippery.
"That's right. These people just want to use you as a weapon; they don't care about treating you, well, except that Foster guy. I know some people who can help you and are willing to do just that," he said, sticking close to the script prepared ahead of time.
Ava only grew more confused until things clicked in her head. When that happened, she grew afraid. This person was an intruder! Someone had broken in! Her heart hammered away in her chest. She couldn't phase inside this chamber! She was trapped in here with him.
Seeing she was afraid and panicking, he quickly attempted to calm her down; having her come willingly would make this a lot easier. Even if he had gotten permission to drop the subterfuge.
"Now, now, don't be afraid, girl. I'm here to help. Even Bill Foster can come with you to a place where you can get help and not be trained like here," he reassured.
She wasn't sure if she could trust his words; he was clearly a spy of some kind. Which was strange, considering she thought S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to be the best spies.
Seeing that he wasn't getting a response, he figured that it was best to go with plan B: move the girl out of here by force. Once she was in the containment cell made for her, well, she wouldn't be able to leave without feeling a lot of pain if the file about her was right. Meaning she wouldn't try to flee, and even if she did try, she would fail. After all, the Foundation knew what they were doing.
"Target resisting, going with plan B-1," he said to the rest of Tau-5, who was listening in and drew the weapon made for this mission. A special, one-of-a-kind tool that would be able to knock the girl out, even if she tried to phase.
Hearing his words and seeing him draw his weapon, Ava was scared and tried to phase. It wasn't easy; the chamber was made to stop it. But if she didn't phase, she would get caught! Pushing against the back wall as she pulled up the pain and tried to use her ability, she failed to see the man shooting her with a purple glowing dart.
"Ahh!" she exclaimed at the pain before suddenly feeling all the pain she was normally, experiencing – even the lower pain, which never went away from being in the chamber – was all gone. Confusion and relief were the last thoughts to pass through her mind before she passed out, falling into a more peaceful sleep than ever before.
"Target secured, making my exit now," he said in an emotionless voice as he picked up the young teen and slung her over his shoulder, as he pulled out his normal gun from under the white robe he was wearing and made a beeline out. Thanks to the data they had already stolen about the object, they were well aware of all the measures taken to prevent her from running off.
Which was why they weren't alarmed when the alarm went off moments after he brought her out of her chamber. Thankfully, the pitiful amount of resistance the staff at this place could muster was nothing compared to Tau-5. Without the need for stealth and with only Bill Foster, who couldn't be eliminated, they didn't have to hold back. After all, Foster had already been secured and was sleeping in the transport.
Taking a predetermined route through the building and shooting anything that moved with deadly precision ensured it took no more than 5 minutes to exit the building. Under the cover of explosions, a large van left the area and soon disappeared among dozens of replica vans.
"Tau-5 reporting, SCP object 11111 secured and en route to containment SITE. The secondary target, one Bill Foster, also secured."
"Understood. Congratulations on the success of your mission, Tau-5. Please proceed with exit strategy alpha-4."
"Proceeding with exit strategy alpha-4," was all the members of Tau-5 said. As one of the most elite Mobile Task Forces of the Foundation, they remained fully serious at all times while on a mission.
The moment SCP object 11111, aka Ava Starr, aka Ghost, entered the new containment cell made for her back at SITE-98 under the careful watch of Hank Pym, Alex got notified by his system.
[SITE-001]
[with O5-1]
Having finished his work for the day, Alex was just relaxing by the pool, fully ignoring the cold weather as he wore nothing more than a stylish suit. The ping from his system barely caught his attention as he merely gave the smallest of nods towards the floating UI, which only he could see.
'Another SCP in containment. My points really are starting to add up. However, this will no doubt send S.H.I.E.L.D. into overdrive as they lost two humans with special powers to parties unknown. Poor Coulson,' was all Alex thought about the situation as he lifted a glass to his lips and sipped from the ruby-red liquid.
[South Africa]
[With Ulysses Klaue]
It hadn't been a good time for Ulysses since he had been robbed. With so many of his men dead and every piece of electronics in his base fried, he quickly found himself in a terrible position. Thankfully, he had a full billion in clean dollars he hadn't spent yet. It was only thanks to that money that he was even alive now.
After all, while he had lost his greatest treasure, he still had plenty of stuff many would kill for. This meant he would find many others wanting to rob him if they knew about his situation. It was only thanks to the large amount of money he could throw around that he had been able to rebuild his forces to the point where he didn't have to be afraid anymore. Which finally gave him time to track down who was behind the attack.
The first suspect was the Ricci family. After all, they knew he had the Vibranium. But it seemed doubtful they would have bothered to buy some and pay in full right before robbing him. It made them appear like such a clear target that it just smelled like a setup from far away. Not to mention that the force that attacked him didn't seem like gangsters, no matter how well-funded.
Not that it would clear them so easily. He had also sold some of the weapons they had requested, which they once again paid for in full. It just didn't seem like something they would do if they had just robbed him. So, he was still suspicious of them, but he felt they had to be nothing more than a distraction.
'They probably want me to attack Ricci. That's why they left me alive,' he mused as he sat in a tent outside his base since they were still working on replacing all the fried electronics.
'Must be someone who knew about the Vibranium… maybe they are the same people who filled Ricci in on the information? Maybe they used him to verify that I indeed had the goods?' he racked his brain over it again that night, as he had done every night since the raid.
Ulysses might not have a fancy nickname like "Overkill," but he wasn't about to take this one lying down. As soon as he figured out who was behind it, he would make them pay. For now, he would keep his eyes and ears open on both the Ricci family and everywhere else.
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