Grayburn College, New York City
The laboratory buzzed with innovation, illuminated by fluorescent lights. Workstations filled with cutting-edge equipment thrived in the realm of entomology. High-resolution microscopes focused on petri dishes of unique specimens, while centrifuges quietly separated sample components.
On one side, temperature-controlled incubators housed various live insects, each labeled for quick identification. The air was alive with the soft rustling of wings, cheerful beetle clicks, and the buzzing of fruit flies. Tiny terrariums showcased ant colonies building intricate tunnels and leafcutter bees organizing their materials.
Lab tables displayed charts on genome sequences and behavioral studies, with computer screens showing stunning real-time images of insects under magnification. Walls adorned with posters of ant life cycles and termite structures.
In the lab, a woman with short auburn hair and striking blue eyes ambled through the aisles, a hint of boredom etched on her face. She paused, leaning forward to observe the vibrant butterflies flitting gracefully within their spacious enclosure, their delicate wings a blur of color against the backdrop of the cage. Mesmerized for a moment, she watched as they danced from flower to flower, but soon her restlessness overtook her, and with a sigh, she turned away, her footsteps echoing softly against the tiled floor.
"This is sad, Hank," The young woman, Janet "Jan" Van Dyne, said. "I'm the one that makes all this possible, you know? This-This-"
"Science!" Henry "Hank" Pym said as he continued to focus on his microscope.
"Right... All the business arrangements. The grants. I manage your entire life so you can do this... And it's so boring. So boring," Janet said.
"Jan, I'm mapping insect genomes. What could be better?"
Janet blinked at the man she sincerely cared about, sighing in annoyance at his response.
Janet's relationship with Henry was both sweet and complicated. She genuinely cared for him, but his actions often frustrated her. They frequently clashed over their differing opinions: Jan wanted to achieve more with her life than being stuck in a lab, especially after her accident a few months ago.
In contrast, Henry, a pacifist at heart, preferred to focus on his career as a scientist, despite his incredible intellect and technological skills. These skills led to the creation of the Pym Particles, which would likely define his job and had changed Janet's life forever.
From her spot beside the window, Janet felt a tremor and a far-off explosion that echoed off in the distance. Spinning around, she looked out into the city with a focused expression.
"Did you hear something?" Janet asked.
"What was that? Jan?" Henry asked as he turned around. Only to find Janet's scattered clothing lying on the ground.
With an explosive surge of energy and a deafening rush of wind, a small, compact green tornado barreled through a building, showing no regard for the startled pedestrians who scattered in its wake. The furious vortex twisted and spun wildly, carving a path of chaos through the bustling streets of New York, uprooting park benches and sending debris flying as it consumed everything in its relentless trajectory.
In the midst of this pandemonium, a striking flash of black and yellow sped through the tumultuous cityscape. Upon closer inspection, the object revealed itself to be Janet, now shrunken down. She sported a sleek suit that mirrored the striking patterns of a wasp, with a pair of large, shimmering yellow wings extending from her back.
"Jan, where did you go?" Henry's voice could be heard from Janet's, or she called herself while in the suit, the Wasp, with yellow earpieces that resembled large yellow headphones with antennas. "I just replicated an ant chromosome. It's amazing."
"That's awesome, Hank. Gotta fly now," she said and followed after the tornado.
As Wasp gazed at the tornado's relentless path of destruction, tearing through the bustling street, she steeled herself and raised her hands, channeling a surge of vibrant yellow energy. The crackling blast shot forth, but in a cruel twist of fate, it fell short, striking the ground just as the swirling vortex shifted unexpectedly to the side. Frantically, Janet attempted to accelerate her flight, but fatigue began to seep into her limbs, weighing her down.
Desperate for a moment to regroup, she came to a halt, her breath coming in quick gasps. Her heart raced as she watched the tornado pivot and charge toward her, the sheer force of it sending taxis, cars, and even large trucks hurtling through the air like mere leaves caught in a storm. Wasp braced herself, preparing for the impact, but to her astonishment, the tornado suddenly halted.
The air funnel twisted apart in an explosion of wind, unveiling a formidable figure draped in a sleek, high-tech suit of deep green and jet black. The man leaned forward, his imposing helmet gleaming like a polished gemstone beneath the sun's brilliance, as he locked his piercing gaze onto the diminutive figure of Wasp. "Did you just shoot at me?" he roared, his voice rumbling with a threatening edge. "That was a grave mistake. Nobody shoots at Whirlwind!"
Undeterred, Wasp met Whirlwind's glare with unwavering defiance. She darted around him with agility, releasing sharp bursts of energy that crackled in the air like miniature lightning strikes. Yet, despite her relentless assault, Whirlwind remained unfazed, his thick armor absorbing the impact with a dull thud, rendering her fierce attacks futile.
"Whirlwind? So what, you just woke up and thought you'd trash some college lab? Not very ambitious," Wasp mocked between blasts.
"Not very ambitious? Trashing that lab just made me a millionaire!"
"Oh, crime. Well, in that case. After I take you down, we'll call the cops!" Wasp said as the two began to take the other down.
In an exchange of blasts and bursts of wind, Wasp and Whirlwind entered a dance of attack, only for Whirlwind to fail to land a hit due to Wasp's small size and Wasp's blasts of energy failing to land any meaningful damage.
Wasp frowned and quickly noted that Whirlwind's helmet lacked any real defense for his eyes, a foolish design choice, a design choice she was fully prepared to exploit.
Dashing in, she unleashed another blast right into his left eye, causing Whirlwind to scream in pain, disturbing his concentration and undoing the tornado that kept him afloat. He fell to the ground and landed in a crash. With a satisfied smirk, Wasp flew down and landed on his chest. Her small form looked down on him as he lay on the asphalt.
"Is that all you've got, really?" Wasp said with a victorious grin.
"You want to play? Let's play." Whirlwind growled, his voice a low rumble as he swiped his massive arm through the swirling air, trying to swat Wasp down like a pesky fly. With a sudden burst of energy, Wasp vaulted to her feet, ready to exchange a flurry of rapid attacks, the air around them crackling with tension.
"This is unit 4-10, en route to a possible code blue, over." An NYPD officer reported, urgency lacing his voice as he gripped the radio tightly. He and his partner raced down the street, navigating the wreckage left in Whirlwind's wake—upturned cars, shattered glass, and debris strewn everywhere. "I'm telling you, Mack. More and more of these freaks are popping up lately. It's getting ridiculous."
"You're telling me," Mack replied, his eyes glued to the road as he tried to keep the car steady amidst the chaos. He blinked, his heart racing, as he caught sight of Whirlwind riding atop a massive, roaring tornado, pursuing the agile Wasp who darted through the air like a shimmering dart. "I'm getting too old for this."
Mack's hands gripped the wheel tightly as he swerved to avoid the whirlwind's destructive path, but Whirlwind was too fast, a blur of chaos and raw power. In a display of sheer might, he sliced through the police car with little more than a flick of his wrist, the metal shrieking in protest, before continuing his relentless chase after Wasp.
Fortunately, fate was on their side, and Mack and his partner, Josh, emerged from the mayhem unscathed, their hearts pounding in their chests as they watched the battle unfold.
"Look at you. You're blowing it," Wasp taunted, her voice laced with sarcasm as she deftly dodged Whirlwind's furious assaults. "You could do so much more with your abilities. Why not blend up giant drinks or cool people off on a scorching summer day?" She shot off blast after blast at him, each one lighting up the air with vibrant energy as he chased her down the alleyway.
As she rounded the corner, Wasp suddenly blinked, her senses tingling with alarm at the sight of a massive cloud of tiny insects swirling ominously toward her. "Whoa!"
Nimbly darting away, Wasp managed to escape the incoming swarm, but luck was not on Whirlwind's side. The ravenous cloud quickly engulfed the unfortunate man, his frantic yells of pain echoing in the air as the insects swarmed.
"Let me guess. An ant told you what was happening," Wasp quipped, glancing to her left where a much smaller figure flew in on the back of a buzzing ant.
As he drew nearer, the figure came into focus: it was Henry, now clad in a striking red and black suit. A large helmet, shaped like an ant's head, sat atop his head, giving him a proud yet serious demeanor. "A termite, actually," Ant-Man replied, his expression disapproving as he directed his ant closer to Wasp. "He was in the sonics lab when it all went down."
"Sonics lab? What did this guy manage to steal?" Wasp asked, her gaze shifting toward the chaotic scene where Whirlwind was still desperately fending off the relentless swarm of flying ants.
"What are you doing, Jan? We should leave this to the authorities. They can rehabilitate him; he could be a valuable member of society." Ant-Man said.
"The police can't handle this, Hank. It's up to us."
"This isn't the best use of our time."
"No, you're wrong. This is the best use of our time. This is what we should be doing. Using our abilities, your inventions, to help people," Wasp said. "That's what we should be doing. Not staying locked away in a lab doing nothing!"
"We are helping. Science helps people. Not fighting. Leave that to the other glory-seeking maniacs in the city, like that spider guy, Iron Man, or Atomic!" Ant-Man said.
"Ugh! You're not getting it!" Wasp yelled, frustrated that Ant-Man wasn't seeing her point.
"No, I am getting it. You're not trained for this kind of thing, and I don't want you to get hurt. This isn't a-"
A powerful gust of wind erupted from the street, sending Ant-Man and the Wasp tumbling backward as the swarm of ants relentlessly assaulting Whirlwind violently scattered into the air.
"Play time's over!" Whirlwind shouted, his voice filled with fury. As he lifted his arms, the intricately designed armor around his forearms whirred to life, causing the razor-sharp blades to spin with a menacing hum. In a dramatic flourish, he spun in place, conjuring a chaotic vortex of wind and debris. Inside this whirlwind, he unleashed a hail of blades, each one whistling through the air with lethal intent, aimed squarely at the Wasp and Ant-Man.
From his precarious position on the ground, Ant-Man shook his head in disbelief, eyes widening as he caught sight of Wasp soaring straight toward Whirlwind and the storm of deadly projectiles. "Jan!" he shouted, panic rising in his chest.
Unafraid and filled with determination, Wasp deftly weaved in and out of the spinning blades of energy that whizzed through the air like angry hunters. Her petite frame darted with remarkable speed, each movement precise and calculated.
As she soared past, she unleashed vibrant blasts of energy from her hands, illuminating the street with bursts of bright color as they struck the menacing projectiles, obliterating them in brilliant flashes before they could even threaten her or the frightened civilians observing the battle from a distance.
The crowd, packed tightly along the sidewalk, gasped in unison, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and admiration as Wasp took command of the chaotic scene. With skillful agility, she cleared the airspace, ensuring that no harm would come to the innocent bystanders.
When the last blade disintegrated into a shower of sparks, Wasp touched down elegantly on the roof of a nearby vehicle and returned to her full size. She turned to face Whirlwind, and a broad smile spread across her face.
"That's all you got?" she asked, cheekily.
"No way." Whirlwind muttered.
"Whoa," Ant-Man said, clearly impressed.
Frustrated by the countless failures he had faced throughout their fight, Whirlwind charged at Wasp with sheer bullheadedness. His fists clenched tightly as he closed the distance, ready to unleash a physical assault. However, Wasp remained calm and composed; with a measured grace, she raised her hand and unleashed a powerful blast that struck Whirlwind squarely in the head. The force of the impact knocked him out cold, leaving him crumpled on the ground.
"I know it's not a game, Hank," Wasp said as she walked up to a full-sized Ant-Man. "But I can do more than make money and take meetings. Together we can do more. Be more... And we can have fun doing it."