"What is that place?"
"We don't know, but if it's dangerous, no one approach for now," Steve replied, stepping forward, "For now, call S.H.I.E.L.D. They'll handle it."
Natasha nodded, and in less than fifteen minutes the area was completely surrounded by agents and specialized teams.
Coulson approached with a report in hand.
"Well, at the moment we don't have much. We haven't managed to find an end, no matter how many sensors we use. But the atmosphere seems to recreate Earth's: same gravity, same air… it's simply as if it were empty."
The group nodded. They didn't fully understand what it meant, but they knew that if even S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't explain it, they couldn't either. Except for Tony, most were fighters, not scientists.
"By the way," Coulson added, "we're going to interrogate Pym. Do you want to ask him anything?"
"Wait!" Wanda exclaimed, surprising the group, "Leave it to me. I feel something strange inside him."
"Something strange?"
"I think the normal Pym and the one who attacked us are two separate consciousnesses."
"Like a kind of alter ego?" Coulson asked, but Wanda shook her head.
"No. A second personality is still part of the same being: same body, same brain, just different mental divisions. This… this is different. It's as if there were another complete mind, with its own origin, its own history… trapped in the same body as Pym."
"Is there any explanation for that?"
"If there is, I will find it. And I will also try to fix it."
Wanda was heading to the interrogation room where Pym was held when she was interrupted by a call. Seeing the name on the screen she frowned before answering.
"Couldn't you do your usual painting thing? Calling is annoying. What are you doing that's so important?"
"Ha ha… you'll see. In fact, everyone will. But that's not what's important right now. I need to ask you a favor. I want you to..."
Wanda fell silent. What Leonardo was asking left her unsettled, and his tone didn't sound like a joke.
"Are you serious? That's really cruel."
"Wanda. Let this stay in the shadows."
Leonardo spoke seriously.
Wanda sighed.
"I understand."
She ended the call and entered the interrogation room. It was a sober, typical but functional room. Pym had already woken up and wore normal clothes. Upon seeing Wanda, he said nothing—could not. When his eyes met hers, they turned pink and he fell into a trance.
Inside his mind, Wanda confirmed her suspicions: there were two separate consciousnesses. She first entered the "good Hank" side. She saw his past, his struggles, his achievements, his regrets.
And then, she understood.
His wife had been trapped years ago in the so-called Quantum Realm, a microscopic universe accessed by shrinking beyond possible limits. For years he tried to rescue her, until he had an idea: he knew going there was a death sentence, so he designed a machine to separate his consciousness from his body and send it to the Quantum Realm. That way he could search for her safely… at least in theory.
He built the machine, but at the moment he was about to activate it, he regretted and left it off.
Time passed. He hired Scott Lang to retrieve his old suit. He didn't want that technology to fall into the wrong hands. Everything went well.
But the desire persisted. Joy turned into longing. So finally, he activated the machine.
"That's all," Wanda whispered. That's where the memories stopped. From that moment, his consciousness shut down… and the other Hank's took control.
Wanda focused on him.
Entering was easy. The hard part was looking inside. Everything was fragmented, like a chaotic puzzle. His mind reflected madness. Even when she tried to stabilize it, everything would break again. Still, Wanda gathered the pieces and accessed his memories.
They were the same… until he activated the machine.
The "bad Hank" did complete the process. His consciousness entered the Quantum Realm, but never managed to return. It became trapped, without a body, without form. For years, decades… centuries. Alone in absolute void.
He was unfortunate. The Quantum Realm is vast, larger than anything known, and he found himself stranded in one of its most desolate corners. Nothing. Only his thoughts. First came desperation. Then sadness. Then… emptiness.
Until his mind, seeking meaning, replayed his history:
"If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't sent us on that mission… If they hadn't interfered… Now they are a power. Almost a nation. And I lost everything."
He thought of the Avengers. "Aren't they heroes?"
"Why didn't they save me?"
"Isn't there one who sees the future… why didn't he see this?"
"This is all your fault."
"S.H.I.E.L.D… the Avengers… I will kill you. I will kill you. I will kill you…"
For centuries, his hatred became his only purpose. Eventually he managed to move. He learned to master that environment. To understand its rules. Centuries of knowledge about the Quantum Realm. He could have revolutionized science… but he chose revenge.
He was in the right place when Hank activated the machine. And then… he seized his body.
From there, everything was execution. Plans. Traps. Punishments.
But he didn't have enough time—everything happened too fast.
Even now, trapped, his mind still boiled with rage. He knew how they caught him and knew there was an Avenger who saw the future. And that fueled his resentment.
Wanda understood him. Her face reflected empathy, but also guilt.
The others could doubt whether Leonardo knew what would happen to Hank. But Wanda didn't. She was certain. He confirmed it before she entered.
And yet, she was also complicit.
She used her chaos magic on the "bad Hank" consciousness.
It was so abrupt it woke him immediately. Confused, he tried to understand… but the only thing he felt was indescribable pain ripping through his body.
Because yes: he had a body. At some point his consciousness had evolved. He was no longer just a shapeless mind; he had become a new life form, whose body was his own mind.
When Wanda began to split him apart… it was unbearable. He screamed. His existence shattered into pieces. But she didn't stop.
His knowledge was too valuable.
So in agony, the dark Hank died.
And much of his knowledge was absorbed by Pym's original consciousness.
Wanda exited his mind, returning to the real world.
And behind her… only one whisper remained:
"Let this stay in the shadows."
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)