Scott Lang—the second Ant-Man.
According to Levi's memory of the storyline, Scott should have just returned from the Quantum Realm. Five years ago, he entered it to collect quantum energy, but because of the Snap, Hank Pym and his entire family vanished, leaving no one to bring him back. He was trapped in that chaotic subatomic world for five years—but for him, it might have only felt like five hours.
Time dilation. One of the strangest properties of the Quantum Realm.
Standing on the lawn outside the wooden cabin, Levi closed his eyes and unleashed his super hearing once more. This time, he wasn't searching for the energy fluctuations of an Arc Reactor, but for something far subtler—spatial disturbances left behind by Pym Particle travel.
It was a very peculiar frequency, like space being folded and unfolded at a single point, leaving behind faint ripples. A technology that took Hank Pym decades to master appeared, in Levi's perception, like fireflies in the night—dim, yet unmistakable.
After scanning the entire North American continent, Levi finally captured that distinctive fluctuation near an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of San Francisco.
That's the place.
Raising his hand, he tore open a spatial rift before him. On the other side lay a desolate industrial zone, filled with rusted shipping containers and crumbling factory buildings. Sunlight streamed through shattered windows, casting mottled shadows across the ground.
He stepped through and appeared in the open space outside the warehouse.
Not far away, an aging van was parked by the roadside. Its doors were open, revealing a mess of equipment inside. Levi recognized them immediately—a portable version of the Quantum Tunnel, Hank Pym's legacy.
A man in a gray hoodie was crouched beside the van, clutching his head, looking utterly confused. His hair was a mess, his face covered in stubble, giving off the unmistakable vibe of someone who had just crawled out of bed.
Scott Lang.
Levi took a few steps forward. The sound of his footsteps startled the man.
Scott jerked his head up. When he saw Levi, he froze for a moment before instinctively backing away, raising his hands in a defensive stance. But his movements were weak, completely lacking in threat—more like a frightened drifter than a fighter.
"Who are you?" Scott asked warily, his hand subconsciously reaching for his waist—where his Ant-Man suit controller should have been. He grabbed nothing, only then remembering that he had just returned from the Quantum Realm; the suit was still in the van.
Levi stopped three meters away, making no move to get closer. He studied Scott. The man looked mentally drained—his eyes unfocused, lips cracked, as if he had just woken from a long nightmare.
"My name is Levi," he said simply. "A… consultant for the Avengers."
Scott didn't relax—instead, his guard went up even higher. He took another step back until his back hit the van.
"The Avengers?" His voice carried a hint of mockery. "I thought they were gone."
"Gone, but not dead," Levi replied calmly.
Scott stared at him for a few seconds, then let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. "Fine. Whoever you are, I don't have time for this. I need to find my daughter—she must be—"
His voice suddenly cut off.
Levi watched as Scott's expression shifted from urgency to confusion… and from confusion to fear.
"Wait…" Scott looked around at the ruined surroundings, his voice beginning to tremble. "Why does it look like this? There was supposed to be a convenience store here… and the gas station—where is it? Why is that building collapsed?"
He spun around, rummaged through the van, and pulled out a phone. He pressed the power button.
The screen lit up.
October 15, 2023.
The phone slipped from Scott's hand and hit the ground, its screen shattering. He stood there frozen, mouth open, unable to make a sound.
"Five years," Levi said, stating the brutal truth for him. "You were trapped in the Quantum Realm for five years."
"N-no… that's impossible…" Scott muttered. "I just went in to collect some energy. Janet said it would be two hours at most… It only felt like five hours…"
"Time flows differently in the Quantum Realm." Levi stepped closer. "You spent five hours there; five years passed out here. And the reason you got out is pure luck—the Quantum Tunnel's auto-return program finally triggered randomly after five years."
Scott looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "Cassie… my daughter… she's…"
"Sixteen now," Levi said flatly. "If she survived."
The words struck like a blade through Scott's heart. He lunged forward, grabbing Levi by the collar.
"What do you mean 'if'? What are you saying?!"
Levi didn't resist. He simply looked at him calmly.
"Five years ago, Thanos snapped his fingers. Half of all life in the universe vanished. Including Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne… and Hope."
Scott's grip loosened. He staggered backward, hitting the van and sliding down to the ground.
"No… no…" His voice grew weaker and weaker.
Levi crouched down, meeting his gaze. "But it's only half, Scott Lang. Your daughter has a fifty percent chance of still being alive."
Scott looked up again, a flicker of hope igniting in his eyes. "Y-you… you have a way?"
"Time travel," Levi said simply. "Use the Quantum Realm as a passage. Go back to the past, gather the Infinity Stones, and reverse the Snap."
Scott froze. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but no words came out. After several seconds, he finally managed:
"That sounds… insane."
Levi stood up, offering no rebuttal.
"Whether it's insane or not, you know better than anyone." He looked down at Scott. "You spent five years in the Quantum Realm, but it only felt like five hours. That alone proves time can be distorted there."
Scott fell silent.
His mind was still struggling to process the five-year gap, but Levi's words struck a critical point. His experience in the Quantum Realm—that warped sense of time—was indeed beyond conventional physics.
"Even if you're right…" Scott said, forcing himself to stand, gripping the van door for support. "Even if the Quantum Realm can be used as a time machine… how do we control it? How do we pinpoint a specific moment? Hank spent decades studying Pym Particles—he couldn't do that."
"Tony Stark will solve that problem," Levi said without a trace of doubt. "He's working on a temporal navigation prototype. What I need is the remaining Pym Particles you have—and your firsthand experience in the Quantum Realm."
Scott instinctively glanced at the equipment in the van. Most of it was damaged, but inside a metal case were indeed a few vials of backup Pym Particles—emergency supplies Hank had prepared. They might now be the last samples in the world.
"I…" Scott hesitated. "I need to find Cassie first. I need to make sure she's alive."
"I understand." Levi nodded, pulling a slip of paper from his pocket and handing it over. "This is the coordinate for the Avengers facility. After you confirm your daughter's situation, come find me. I'll be taking the Pym Particles—this is one of the few hopes left in the entire universe."
With a wave of his hand, the metal case vanished.
Scott took the paper, his fingers trembling slightly. He looked at Levi, searching his face for any trace of deception or madness—but found only calm resolve.
"What if Cassie's gone?" Scott asked softly. "What if she was part of that half…"
"Then you should come even more," Levi turned, preparing to leave. "Because that means you have even more reason to bring her back."
He raised his hand, and a spatial rift opened once more before him. Golden light illuminated Scott's pale face.
"One more thing." Levi glanced back. "In the Quantum Realm… did you see anything unusual?"
Scott frowned, recalling that chaotic experience. "Unusual? Everything in there is unusual. There's light everywhere, warped space, and…"
He suddenly stopped.
"And what?" Levi's gaze sharpened.
"Voices," Scott said uncertainly. "I think I heard a voice when I was about to come out. Very faint… like someone calling my name from far away. But there shouldn't have been anyone else in there…"
Levi's pupils contracted slightly.
A possibility came to mind—one that hadn't existed in the original storyline, but in this altered world, might now be real.
Janet van Dyne.
She had spent thirty years in the Quantum Realm, mastering abilities beyond normal comprehension. If she had vanished in the Snap… then could her consciousness still remain somewhere within that realm?
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