Fury's voice came through the communicator, low and measured.
"If we'd told Ava from the beginning that her condition was incurable, what do you think would have happened?"
He didn't wait for Lock to answer.
"It's one thing if she refuses to join S.H.I.E.L.D. But imagine a woman who can phase through matter—half ghost, half human—wandering free, her cells tearing apart every second, knowing she'll die soon. Tell me, who could predict what she might do in that state?"
He sighed. "It was better to give her hope. A small lie that kept her controlled and useful… and the world safe."
Fury paused before adding quietly, "I even gave her one of your recovery potions. The same one you gave me for emergencies. It didn't work."
Lock's eyes narrowed slightly. As expected.
The potions—no matter how advanced—worked on the physical body. Ava's existence was quantum. She wasn't just displaced in matter, but in reality itself. Even his golden or purple restoratives would likely fail.
"Do you know where she is now?" Lock asked.
"No. Her powers make her nearly impossible to track," Fury admitted. "Besides, we assumed she didn't have long to live. I didn't allocate anyone to watch her."
He hesitated. "But… if you give me two days, I can cross-reference ghost sightings across the globe—incidents matching her phasing profile. That should narrow it down."
"Two days is too long," Lock said, shaking his head. "I'll give you a lead instead. Check on a man named Bill Foster. He's a university professor now—but he's been helping Ava search for a cure."
"Bill Foster?" Fury sounded taken aback. "I know him. Used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D., part of an experimental weapons division. When the project stalled, he left and went into teaching."
Lock's lips curved slightly. "Let me guess. That project was called Goliath."
"You really don't miss a thing, do you?" Fury muttered. "Yeah, that's the one."
The very name made Lock smirk. Goliath—the biblical giant who fell to David's stone.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "Project Goliath" had been an attempt to replicate superhuman gigantification through Pym particle technology. But without direct access to Pym's formula, their experiments had failed spectacularly.
The premise was simple but flawed: scale up size and mass to create soldiers the height of buildings. But without the molecular reinforcement properties unique to Pym particles, their test subjects became unstable and weak. The project collapsed after Pym's falling-out with S.H.I.E.L.D. left them powerless to continue.
"How long will it take you to find Foster?" Lock asked.
Fury paused, calculating. "Give me an hour."
"Good. And send a team to Pym Technologies. There's cleanup needed here."
"I already did," Fury replied. "The moment you mentioned the White Ghost, I dispatched Falcon. He should be there any minute."
Lock raised an eyebrow. "Just Falcon? I half-expected you to send another full task force again."
Fury groaned audibly. "Don't start. I'm still hearing about that mess. General Ross has been breathing down my neck ever since. If I hear the phrase 'incident report' one more time, I swear I'll retire on the spot."
Lock chuckled. "Relax, Fury. Even if you retire, I'm sure Tony will still tell that story to his daughter someday."
Fury didn't reply. The line clicked off.
A few minutes later, the glass wall of the Pym Tech lab exploded inward with a thunderous crash.
Falcon soared in, wings gleaming under the artificial lights. "Hey, Don—long time no see."
Lock nodded. "Good timing. Start with these guests. Check for Hydra infiltration."
The assembled dignitaries went pale. Whatever shred of hope they had evaporated instantly.
Even the stubborn ones recognized Falcon—one of the public faces of S.H.I.E.L.D., known across the world. And if he was taking orders from the man in front of them, then there could be no doubt: the mysterious King Apocalypse was very, very real.
Lock turned to Dr. Pym. "Can you construct an instrument capable of restraining a quantum body?"
Pym hesitated, brows furrowed as he thought. "In theory—yes. I can create a high-intensity quantum energy field capable of locking quanta in place. It's the same principle I used in my earlier quantum studies."
"But," he added grimly, "binding even a few qubits requires massive energy. If you're talking about a human-sized quantum body, the process would be astronomical. You'd need power on the scale of ten particle accelerators. It would take months—years—to construct."
Lock sighed quietly. "So… impossible in the short term."
He had no deep knowledge of quantum mechanics, but he'd seen the scale of a particle accelerator—massive underground rings, consuming the energy of an entire city just to move subatomic particles. Building something ten times that size wasn't realistic.
A new idea began to form in his mind. If he couldn't trap Ava… perhaps he could lure her.
He requested another classified file from Fury's database, then turned to Scott and handed him a holographic tablet.
"You have one hour to study this. You'll need to act soon."
Scott took the tablet, scanning the screen. It was crammed with dense formulas, circuit schematics, and theoretical diagrams. His eyes widened. "Uh, Tang… you really think I can make sense of this? This is quantum physics, not electrical engineering!"
Hope took it from him, her brow already furrowing as she studied it. "Let me see."
Though she wasn't a theoretical physicist, she had spent years working with her father on quantum field mechanics and had helped design the quantum tunnel. Piece by piece, she began to understand what she was reading—and even Scott, watching over her shoulder, began to catch on.
Lock smiled faintly. Originally, I planned to take Scott alone. But now it seems, Hope, I'll need you too."
"No!" Dr. Pym's voice snapped across the room. "Absolutely not! My daughter is not going on a dangerous mission like this."
"Dad…" Hope began softly.
"I said no!" Pym's tone was firm, angry—but beneath it was fear.
In the past, Hope would have defied him without hesitation. But after their reconciliation the night before, her expression softened. She couldn't just dismiss his concern anymore.
Scott tried to lighten the tension. "Dr. Pym, with King Apocalypse here, what's there to worry about?"
Pym glared at him. "Really? Then tell me—how did the White Ghost escape just now? The quantum body doesn't obey physical law. If she reaches into your chest and tears out your organs, do you think Don can stop her?"
Scott froze, glancing helplessly at Lock. "Uh… boss? A little help here?"
Lock just smiled.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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