Issue Number Two
Written by Barry Reese

"Little Earthquakes"
Part Two

Ant-Man held tightly to the back of Emma's head, letting the winged ant fly him higher and higher. She was a bright girl, one of the better ones that Scott Lang had worked with, and she lightly skimmed along the currents of air, taking him the full run of the property. Sugar Land was a little bedroom community located just outside Houston, with a variety of well-manicured lawns and streets with sweet Americana names. It was the kind of place that Scott had never been able to afford, but one that he and Cassie certainly would have enjoyed.

"Take me down, girl." Emma landed on a spot of grass, letting Ant-Man climb off her back. He'd been in the area for only a few hours, making sure to take Cassie out to eat and do some shopping first. He enjoyed spending time with her, but the entire day had been nerve wracking for him. He could feel the death and pain of the ants, growing stronger and stronger. Their fear was palpable here, so close to the madman whose power was controlling them. How anyone could be so numb to the torment of those around him was beyond Scott...

He moved through the grass, the blades of which towered above him. Looking at the world through this perspective had altered Scott in so many ways -- normal men and women often ignored the world below, taking for granted the many beauties that were all around. The glory of life and creation didn't start in the heavens, as so many people seemed to think -- it started from the ground up, with the majesty of the insects. Man's arrogance led him to often think that the world was created solely for his kind, but Scott knew differently. Man was just one more lifeform on a planet teeming with them, each with their own quirks and wondrous nature.

Ant-Man saw an earthworm snake past, its body glistening moistly. It was awe-inspiring and brought a smile to his face. This whole trip -- even with the turmoil surrounding the ant community -- was good for him. It got him out of the house and away from the dead woman who haunted him. He'd seen her last night, for the first time actually laying eyes upon her. Peggy Rae had looked bloated and rotting, but there had been a tenderness in her eyes that had both pleased and repelled him.

He pushed that out of his mind, not wanting to dwell on it. If he was going crazy, he didn't want to admit it -- not now, at least. Not when so many were counting on him.

Ant-Man stopped just outside the house, noting that several days' worth of newspapers were gathered on the front porch. A trail of ants were moving up the side of the home, disappearing in a thin line under a cracked window. The scent of ant-death was so strong that it nearly made Scott vomit. He approached one of the ants, reaching out a hand to touch its side. The male turned to examine him curiously, its antenna dancing.

What do you want? it asked.

"The man inside... why are you going to him? Can't you feel the air here? He's going to kill you!"

The ant seemed to grow more agitated. It had broken from the single-file ranks and his decision to do so had thrown the rest of the ants into confusion. Several of them pressed on towards the window but others turned this way and that, unsure of how to continue. The breakdown of tradition and ritual was a horror to them. We do what we must. He calls and not even the Queen can say no. His voice burns us.

Scott thought of the waves of ant deaths that were sweeping the country -- on the plane ride here, he'd read a newspaper report about 10,000 ants in Atlanta, all of whom had spontaneously combusted on the streets. For most people, it was an aberration -- a weird bit of pseudo-science to file alongside reports of fish falling from the sky -- but to Ant-Man, it was stomach-churning. "I'm going to send you guys away from here, okay? It's going to be hard but I need you to listen to me and convince the others to do the same."

He will try and force us--

"I know. But I'm going to deal with him. If you can be strong for a little while, you'll be safe. Please."

The ant's antenna continued to twitch -- since there was little in the way of expression their features, Scott had learned to view their body stances as a means of reading their primitive emotions. This one was torn between the strong desire to answer the powerful call of the man within the house... and the clear desire to be free of him. I will change the path the others follow. But even the Queen is coming. All the young ones are, as well. He desires us all.

"Go, then. Quickly!" Ant-Man sent out his mental commands, urging the ants to turn and flee. He wanted them to abandon their hills and nests, to rush across the street and find another yard to hide themselves in. As he was doing so, he felt the mental power of the man within -- the man who had turned the ants into pitiful slaves. They engaged in a brief mental tug-of-war for the ants and Scott saw confusion break out amongst the chain of insects. He smiled as they broke ranks, scurrying about in a hundred different directions. There were undoubtedly more within the house, more whose wills had been broken already. It was quite possible that Scott would have to fight them, possibly even kill some of them...

He climbed back onboard Emma, who flew him under the open window -- and straight into Hell.

Cassie Lang paid for her purchases with her dad's credit card. She was a very responsible girl, but she'd splurged a bit in this particular store, buying a couple of Happy Bunny t-shirts and a new CD by My Chemical Romance. Her dad didn't really like the sentiments expressed on many of the Happy Bunny items she'd bought, but these were particularly hilarious -- and given how stressed out he'd been lately, she didn't think he'd complain too much. Now if only he'd back down on his stance about makeup... she was practically a woman now and besides, girls wore makeup much earlier now than they did in his day. Maybe she'd ask him about it again when she saw him.

As she walked towards the food court, glancing at her watch, she wondered how long her dad would be away. She worried about him, of course, but she'd long since come to the conclusion that he could take care of himself. It was some time during his stint with the Fantastic Four that she'd finally decided to just enjoy his life as a superhero. It was really kind of cool, like being the kid of a rock star -- only your dad could got to take you to other planets sometimes.

"It is kind of cool, isn't it? Maybe I should have seen it that way when I found out."

Cassie frowned, stepping into line at a smoothie store. She could smell her mom's perfume behind her but she didn't turn around. Over the last few days, she'd sensed her mom's presence all around her -- but she hadn't told her dad. Given how badly he'd reacted to mom's death, she didn't want to unsettle him more. Besides, ghosts weren't real.

"That's what he thinks, too. Honey, I'm here."

Cassie glanced behind her nervously. There was an old man there, smiling at her indulgently -- but no sign of her mother. "I'm going crazy," she whispered under her breath. "It must be the hormones. Probably happens to all teenagers."

"Miss? Can I help you?"

Cassie jumped at the sound of the cashier's voice. She turned around to order her strawberry-kiwi smoothie, but the words died on her lips. Standing next to the cashier was her mom... only she looked horrible, nothing like Cassie had ever seen. Her skin was blue-green in color and she was naked, her body looking bloated and full of disease. "Mom?" she asked, not noticing the look of confusion on the cashier's face.

"I'm sorry about the way I look, honey, but it can't be helped. I was in the tub when the Stark attack came. The roof caved in on me." She touched a painful looking wound in her midsection. "Split me open like a fish being gutted and--"

Cassie screamed, backing up so fast that she sent the old man behind tumbling to the ground. He yelled something about his hip, but she didn't pay any attention. She was gripping her shopping bag so hard that her knuckles had turned white and her blood was rushing in her veins. She felt faint but managed to hold on to her consciousness. She ran from the food court as fast as her legs could carry her, not stopping until she was outside the mall. She pressed her back against the brick exterior of the building, panting. Men and women were stopping and staring at her, but she was beyond caring. Her breath came in loud, ragged gasps.

My mom is haunting me ran through her brain, again and again.

Phoenix

Colin Davies drew a face as he downed the last of the liquor. It burned down his throat, settling into the pit of his belly like liquid fire.

"Another?" the bartender asked, smiling at him. The guy was handsome and cocksure, which made Colin's mood even worse. He knew the bartender was flirting with him and he was exactly the sort that Colin usually liked, but not today. Visiting the Lang house yesterday had made it even clearer to him that this career wasn't one that he was cut out for. Talking to people who had just survived tragedy, trying to go over insurance figures and policies... it sucked.

"No thanks. I better hit the road."

"You look kind of down," the bartender said, taking the empty glass. The bar was mostly empty at this time of day, with just a few men sitting around quietly. "Want to talk about it?"

"I... I just hate my job. I'm sure you hear plenty of that around here."

The bartender laughed, nodding. "Sure. Everybody hates their boss or their coworker. Same old, same old. So why don't you quit?"

"What would I do?" Colin shrugged. "Life's a bitch, then you die."

The bartender started to reply but he frowned instead, smacking the palm of his hand down on the counter. When he drew his hand back there was a black smear in the center and Colin noted that the head of an ant was stuck there. The rest of the creature's torso was flattened on the counter. "Damn bugs are everywhere. Wish we could just wipe 'em off the face of the earth,  y'know? What are they good for?"

"Some people eat them."

"Not me. Nasty." The bartender wiped his hand on his slacks. "You hear about those bugs down in Georgia? Bursting into flames?"

"Yeah. Weird." Colin thought about Scott Lang and his superhero friends. Were exploding bugs something that superheroes worried about? Somehow he doubted it.

The bartender leaned across, lowering his voice. "I get off work in about 15 minutes. You want to come back to my place?"

Colin stared down at the smeared remains of the ant, still on the counter. The bartender had forgotten all about it after wiping off his hand... and now a second ant had joined the first, coming forward to investigate the death of his friend. It looked like it was sniffing or nudging the body that remained. Frank? Is that you? he seemed to be asking. C'mon, Frank, talk to me, buddy!

Colin swallowed hard, nodding. "Sure. Why not?"

The interior of the home was filled with ants -- every spare inch of the living room was crawling with them, many of the insects forced to crawl over the burned corpses of their fellows. The man within didn't seem to be directing them with any real purpose right now and so they were milling about in confusion once they answered his summons to come into the house. 

Ant-Man shared their feeling and not just because he could feel their minds brushing his own. Why would anyone torment other living creatures like this? Maybe he's like so many other humans, Scott mused. Ants don't feel pain like we do, right? That's what they tell themselves as they gas the little critters to death with a can of Raid.

He hopped off Emma's back, giving her a strong mental push to go away. Thankfully, she listened to him, ignoring the background drone generated by the Ant-Lord. Scott watched to make sure she was safely outside before he pressed through the throng of ants. Some of them were battling one another, their fear driving them mad, but none stood in his way as he crossed the room. He activated the short-burst jet rockets strapped to his belt and flew upwards to the dining room table. There were fewer ants here and a series of glossy photographs lay spread out on the table. 

Scott felt his heart begin to pound as he stared at the contents of the pictures... there were women here, nude women, bound to a bed. Honey or syrup of some kind was smeared across their breasts and genitals, with large numbers of ants crawling over them. The expressions on their faces were a mix of pain, fear and disgust.

"Some women don't enjoy such pleasures," a voice said. "Some called me sick. Some wanted to go to the police. I couldn't let them. I'm in the process of becoming so great. So wonderful."

Ant-Man whirled about, staring at something straight out of a horror novel. A man had entered the room, driving the ants into a frenzy. He was covered from head-to-toe with a living wave of insects, a writhing second skin of ants that pulsed whenever he breathed.

Some  of the ants in the room burst into flame as he entered, causing a terrible stench to rise, while others just tore into their compatriots. "You need to stop," Scott warned. "You're hurting them!"

"They're my toys," the other man replied, as if he were explaining things to a slow-witted child. "I tell them what to do and they listen. If God didn't want them to die for me, he wouldn't have given me this power."

"They're suffering," Scott whispered. He took several steps towards the Ant-Lord, lowering his voice. "I won't let you keep doing this."

"There's nothing you can do about it. They worship me." The Ant-Lord raised his hands, sending out a powerful wave of mental force. The more wounded of the ants, those who had felt his 'touch' the longest, couldn't handle the wave and exploded... but the others merely 'screamed' in torment before answering his command.

Scott clenched his hands into fists... as the horde of ants descended upon him, eager to rip him limb from limb.

Ant-Man hesitated, not wanting to harm these innocent creatures -- but he also knew that they would not hesitate to hurt him in return. He activated his electrical stingers, delivering low-level charges to the nearest ants. He ran forward, blasting as he went to clear himself a path, and then threw himself into the air towards the Ant-Lord. He landed on the man's shoulder, but the ants that covered him began to fight back immediately. Scott ignored them, allowing several to deliver stinging bites to his flesh. He aimed at the exposed tissue around the Ant-Lord's eye and fired, causing the man to shriek in agony. His spasms dislodged Scott, who fell alongside a number of ants to the floor. The carpet of dead bodies cushioned his fall, but he still felt something snap in his left arm.

"You bastard!" the Ant-Lord roared. "I'm God's messenger on earth! I'm the ruler of the world below!"

You're a psycho, Scott thought to himself, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. What kind of God lets monsters like you live while people like Peggy die?

Ant-Man felt the ants begin to swarm over his body, driving him to the ground. There were too many to fight, far too many...

I am sorry, human, one of the ants whispered to him, biting him hard. You have been one of us in the past.

Scott's mind was filled with pain and he thought only of Cassie... he was going to die here, buried beneath the ants, and he would leave her all alone. What kind of father was he?

And then he felt the Field again. The living Field that bound all life together. He'd touched it before, back in his Phoenix home, and through it he had tracked the Ant Lord. Scott knew without a doubt that the Ant Lord was tied to this Field as well, that it was through here that the madman was transmitting his commands. It was a perversion of the Field's true purpose -- and Scott knew that someone had to stop it.

He let his consciousness spread out, dissipating through the Field. All at once he felt the minds of the ants, all the varying types and sizes. He saw a horde of army ants in Brazil, staggering under the waves of force and pain that was linking them all together. In Moscow, several sugar ants were pulling back into a hill, trying in vain to protect their Queen.

He felt their fear.

He felt their desire for conformity and for unity.

"Don't let him use you," he whispered aloud, even as the venom in his system began to overwhelm him. "You and yours are greater than all of humanity. You outnumber us, you'll outlive us. Use that strength."

The ants around him began to pull away, uncertain. This human had just as much power as the Ant Lord, but it was different. He asked where the other commanded and burned. 

You are our champion, one of them whispered. The avatar of the ants.

Scott caught glimpses of other men and women, each of them empowered to protect some portion of the Field. It was all part of some great pact, he knew, between Humanity and the Green. Man and Nature, united by the fragile Field. Destroy or weaken one aspect of the Field and all would be threatened -- should the lowest of the low fall, even the highest in the Field would suffer.

The ant swarm parted around him and he rose up, bloodied and bruised. His helmet remained on the ground, shattered. There was a strength to him now, one that hadn't been present before -- and the Ant Lord took one step back in recognition that his reign of power was over. "No!" the madman raved, as the ants began to peel away from his flesh. The skin beneath was cracked and sore-looking, revealing a pot-bellied man with bloodshot eyes. "You can't do this to me... they're what makes me special."

Ant-Man pointed an accusing finger at his enemy. "For crimes against the ants, for the deaths of untold millions, I sentence you." 

The ants eagerly responded to Scott Lang. There was no hesitation, no resistance. 

The so-called Ant-Lord howled in fear and pain.

Three hours later, Scott and Cassie Lang sat in the lobby of the Red Lobster, each lost in thought. Scott looked awful, but he was smiling. He reached out and put an arm around his daughter's neck. "You want to tell me what happened?"

Cassie hesitated, chewing her bottom lip. "I saw mom."

That made Scott's smile falter. "When?"

"At the mall. She looked dead and stuff... I kinda freaked out." She looked at him, tears in her eyes. "I was scared."

Scott leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "It's okay. I... I've seen her, too. I smell her perfume, hear her voice. It's like she's all around me."

"So I'm not going crazy?"

"Not unless I am, too."

"You think it's really her?"

Scott looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I really don't. But you and I can't keep secrets from one another anymore. We're partners in this. Okay?"

Cassie smiled. "Okay."

They held each other for a moment, each finding solace in the other. When they parted, Scott saw an odd expression on his daughter's face. "What is it now? Do you see her again?"

"Nooooo," Cassie said, letting the word draw out before continuing. "You remember what you said about makeup? I was wondering if--"

"No."

"But we're partners! You said--"

"No."

"Daaaaad...."

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Issue: "Little Earthquakes" concludes as Scott visits Hank Pym, seeking answers for his newfound powers. Meanwhile, Cassie Lang calls upon an old friend to help her deal with her mother's hauntings, while Colin Davies has a life-changing experience.

Author's Notes

As you can all see, the supporting cast is really beginning to shape up. We have Scott, Cassie, Peggy (who's dead) and Colin (who's a depressed gay insurance agent). Now that's a cast!

We got a ton of responses on our first issue, which is very gratifying to say the least! I credit Gary Dreslinski with coming up with the idea of a Scott Lang series and I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying my somewhat offbeat take on the character. First up in the letters section is one from CW, who posted the following to the Avengers 2000 mailing list:

I always thought of Ant Man, no matter who was wearing the helmet and shrinking, to be boring and generally worthless.

Barry Reese has changed that.

I'm stunned to find an Ant Man tale has been penned, by a non Marvel employee no less, that I can't wait to read the next installment of. I enjoy the father - daughter dichotomy, it gives the tale some heart. What I find more interesting is the psychological implications of a man that is more interested and indeed comfortable talking to insects than old friends because they are super heroes. Bizarre. Interesting.

As a closet entomologist I shall be watching Mr. Reese closely but this isn't a science paper. Thankfully it isn't a super hero story either. Yeah Lang wears tights but this is a science fiction story in a super hero setting. That is  how it's done.

Nice, Mr. Reese. Very nice.

I appreciate the kind words -- especially with regards to changing your opinion of Ant-Man as a character. This isn't the first time I've written a story with Scott Lang as the main character (he was part of the Champions series that I briefly wrote at Marvel Volume One) but this is definitely a new experience for me, delving into his mindset to the degree I am. Scott's emotion connection to the ants will be a recurring theme in the series, so I'm glad you like that aspect.

Next up is Jeff Melton:

I've always liked Ant-Man. He always came off as a likeable guy, and Cassie has always been fun to read as well. I've never really thought about writing a title with him, but the idea of seeing Barry handle him is certainly appealing, particularly after reading this first issue.

There are a couple of elements that I don't remember--such as his relationship with his ex-wife. I can't really remember how she was handled, but it's interesting the way you're showing how her death is affected Scott and Cassie. I always got the impression that Scott had moved on, but don't remember Cassie's relationship with her mother really being addressed in the stories before.

This issue got my attention, with guest-starts such as Ben. He was an interesting choice to pay his respects, given that he and Scott have worked together before, and it makes sense that if anyone was close to Scott in the FF, it would be Ben.

The scene where Ant-Lord is being swarmed by the ants puts me in mind of the old 70s villain the Hive. This guy seems pretty psychotic, at any rate. I'm looking forward to seeing where Barry is going with this one. I'm glad you took Gary's challenge. This should be pretty interesting.

Considering how much I enjoy just about everything that you write, Jeff, your words mean a lot to me. I agree that Scott had 'moved on' with his life with regards to Peggy, but there's a big difference in going on in a new direction and facing the harsh realities that someone is dead and gone. I think Scott had never fully dealt with his emotions after the divorce and her death has only renewed his emotional struggle. Of course, Peggy's hauntings of both Scott and Cassie only complicate things. I promise this isn't part of some villain's plot or anything, though -- it's just par for the course in this superhero/psychological horror/suspense hybrid of a series I'm building.

Our third letter comes courtesy of Robert Rock:

To me, this is what Fan Fiction is all about. A great writer doing something with a character that the "Big" two won't or can't. Barry did a fantastic good with the set up and ground work in this issue. No previous knowledge really needed to read and enjoy. Good selection for the guest appearance. Ben was the perfect choice.

I like the internal struggle that Barry's set up, the balance between responsibility as a father and as a hero. Ant-Lord seems like a real whack job and I look forward to Barry fleshing him out more.

I'm hooked and can't wait for the next issue. 

Another positive response to Ben's brief appearance in issue one. :-) When I first wrote the scene, I was actually going to use Captain America from the Avengers but the more I thought about it, the more it just didn't feel right. In the end, Ben seemed to be the logical choice, given his own nature. 

Finally, we have a review that was posted to the Heroes Fanfic mailing list, courtesy of Ben W:

I just read Barry's Ant-Man, and I want to say that I'm very interested to read more. I've never been a huge Avengers fan, let alone Ant-Man. I only saw Ant-man in comics when he was in old Marvel Presents stories that my mom would from the bargain bins buy so that I'd shut up on long car rides, or in a FF mag I got for cheap because the cover was ripped off. But this issue has helped to develop my interest. This isn't a guy who, as it was pointed out, is going to be called on to save the world. This is a guy who's struggling more with some of the normal things in life than having the ability to shrink to the size of an ant. Barry, you did a great job in the beginning showing just the state Scott was in. The cameo was a nice touch, as was Lang's investigation of the ant way of thinking. I'm very much looking forward to the next issue.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Ben. I enjoyed writing the scenes between Scott and the ants -- there'll be plenty more of that as the series progresses. I see the ants as supporting cast members and I might even do an entire issue starring just them down the road.

Keep in touch everyone!

Barry