Issue Number Three
Written by Barry Reese

"Little Earthquakes"
Part Three

Houston, Texas

Karl Wilmon rocked back and forth, his arms tightly restrained around him. "They're going to kill me," he whispered, his face a reddened mass of bumps and bites. Ant venom was still coursing through his veins, making him feverish and ill. "You don't understand... They hate me!"

The attending physician fought the urge to snap at his patient. It had been a long day, with a number of disturbing incidents already -- and dealing with a lunatic like Wilmon was almost too much at this point. "Mr. Wilmon, you're going to be fine. We've checked and re-checked your room... there are no ants here. None."

Wilmon closed his eyes, remembering the pain of his defeat. He'd almost had it all... he could have been God, leading his armies to take over the world. But then Ant-Man had come and he'd stolen it all away, wresting control of his army of ants away from him. "They're sneaky."

"Right. Well, your medication should be kicking in any minute, Mr. Wilmon -- and then you'll forget all about the ants. See you in the morning."

Wilmon peeked out from under his bushy eyebrows, watching as the doctor left the room. There was virtually no furniture surrounding his cot, nothing that Wilmon could use to hurt himself. It was just clean white tile, power blue wallpaper covering padded walls... and an ant.

Wilmon saw him, squeezing his body through a small crack located at the junction of wall and floor. It was a scout, sent to make sure that his prey was alone. Most people had no idea of the power of ants, of how many there truly were in the world. Over a million ants could be found in just an acre of land -- and when they came together to destroy an enemy, they were formidable.

The fire ant seemed to study him from across the room, his antenna dancing. Wilmon had known it would be the fire ants who would come for him... their powerful pinching jaws and stingers would be perfect for this kind of work: for murder. Unlike bees, which died after a single sting, fire ants could inflict their venom upon an enemy again and again. 

The ant turned and retreated back into its crack, but its sudden absence only made Wilmon whimper.

He knew it would be back... and it wouldn't be alone.

Avengers Compound, Palos Verdes

Scott Lang sat at the conference table, his Ant-Man helmet resting on the smooth surface before him. He was clean-shaven today, wearing a new cologne that Cassie had bought for him, and feeling better about himself than he had in months. 

"You look great, honey."

"Shut up," he said, not looking to his left. His dead wife sat there, nude and decaying. She'd been killed when the alien Stark had come to Earth, dying like so many others -- with no dignity attached to their deaths. She'd been in the tub when it had happened, naked and wet. She smelled like soggy meat.

"Did you say something, Scott?"

Ant-Man looked up as Hank Pym entered the room. The leader of the Avengers' West Coast branch, Hank had the air of someone who was incredibly busy and loved every hectic second of it. "Just thinking out loud. Hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"Nah. Just trying to wrap my head around the good news, that's all." He set a folder full of papers down on the table and took a seat across from Scott.

"Good news?"

"I'm going to be a father."

Scott grinned. "That's fantastic, Hank! Becoming a dad is like nothing else in the world. You're going to love it."

"You're one of the first to hear about it, so don't go sharing the news just yet. I'd like to spring the surprise on a few people before it gets out to the rest of the Avengers."

"Because once it hits the rank and file, everybody knows," Scott agreed. The Avengers were Earth's mightiest heroes, but they were also capable of being the biggest gossips in the world. 

"I might be calling you asking for tips at some point."

"I'm not the best dad out there, I'm afraid. Having a record kind of makes that a moot point."

"You've atoned for that a long time ago," Hank pointed out. Dropping his smile, the scientist glanced down at the papers before him, opening the folder and spreading them out. "I've finished analyzing the results. You're right about your powers... they've definitely internalized, both in terms of your shrinking and your ability to communicate with ants."

Scott noticed a couple of ants were crawling up one of the legs of the table. "Any scientific explanation for it?"

"Not that I can come with. Certain areas of your brain are emitting waves of a kind I haven't seen outside of Moondragon or other telepaths. I don't believe it's from continued exposure to the Pym Particles because I haven't experienced anything like this and I've been using them for a lot longer than you have."

"Do you believe what I told you about the avatar stuff?"

"That you've tapped into some invisible field that connects all life and have been chosen by the ants to represent their interests? No, not really."

"Why not? We've both seen stranger things."

"I've interacted with ants for a long time. I don't believe they have some kind of collective consciousness like what you've described."

Scott leaned forward. "Then what explains my new powers? I told you what I felt when I tapped into the field... there are other avatars out there, other people might have this totem connection, too. I saw an image of Spider-Man in my mind, surrounded by spiders of all types and sizes. I think he might be one, too*."

(*See Amazing Spider-Man volume 2 # 32-35 for more on this.)

Hank looked thoughtful, pursing his lips before speaking again. "Have you given any thought to the fact that you might be imagining it? Not the powers, but the field? The avatar bit? The changes that have been made to your brainwaves could induce hallucinations, both auditory and visual."

Scott glanced quickly over at Peggy, who was sitting quietly beside him. She smiled softly, a maggot crawling about in her belly wound. "I... I have seen things. Odd things," he answered quietly, turning back to Hank. "But they're not hallucinations. Cassie's seen them, too."

"You might be projecting them onto her. Right now your powers are still in the defining stage. Maybe they'll extend beyond ant control into the realm of pure telepathy."

"I don't think so. I can't read people's minds. Only ants."

Hank noticed that the ants were on the table, stopping just short of Scott's hand. "Did you summon them?"

"No, but they come when they want to now. These two are Gary and Des."

"I thought you always called them Emma and Steed."

"They have their own names -- I just didn't realize it. Even the worker ants, the ones we've always thought of as interchangeable. Emma and Steed are my flyers."

"Gary and Des don't seem like the kind of names ants would choose for themselves."

"They're just the closest translation I could come up with." Scott allowed the ants to crawl up in his palm. "What's up, guys?"

Hank watched closely as Scott interacted with the insects. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before, seeming to be a much deeper conversation than he'd ever managed during his own days as Ant-Man. "What are they saying?" he asked, curious despite himself.

"They're telling me that the ants are about to kill Karl Wilmon -- the Ant-Lord character I told you about earlier."

Hank's mouth fell open. "Tell them to stop!"

"He killed millions of them, Hank. It's their call, not mine. I turned him over to the authorities... but I can't force them to do something that's against their nature. He's a threat, a predator. They feel they need to strike him down so he won't hurt them again."

"You can force them! Just send out a command that he's not to be harmed! If you let him die, you're a part of his murder. Maybe the driving force behind it -- these are insects. You're human. You have morals, you have--"

Scott stood up, carefully setting Des and Gary on his shoulder. "Thanks for your help, Hank. I really do appreciate it. C'mon, Peggy -- let 's go."

Hank frowned as Scott plucked up his Ant-Man helmet and stepped out of the room. He's going to do it, he realized. He's going to let the ants decide who lives and dies... and who the hell's Peggy? I thought his ants were named-- Hank's heart skipped a beat and he suddenly felt a spreading cold throughout his chest. Peggy was the name of Scott's ex-wife. His dead ex-wife.

Phoenix, Arizona

"It's pretty scary," Cassie admitted. She was sitting in her dad's work room, using one of the video monitors that he'd set up. It was a device created by Reed Richards, allowing them to communicate with the FF whenever they needed to. Cassie's dad said he was going to be serving as a consultant to Reed on some things, but she couldn't honestly imagine Reed Richards needing consulting help on anything. Still, it was a cool gadget.

"Is she there now?" Ben asked, his rocky features drawn tight with worry. The Thing had always been kind to Cassie during her dad's time with the Fantastic Four and she felt like he was an uncle of sorts. The first time she'd seen him, he'd scared her -- he was so big and so inhuman looking -- but the more she was around him, the more she realized that he made her feel safe. He was one of the nicest, sweetest men she'd ever met... and privately she hoped that her future husband would be just like him. Only he'd look like Brad Pitt.

"No. I think she went with dad to California."

"And he left you alone out there?"

"I can take care of myself, Uncle Ben. What do you think about this stuff with mom, though?"

Ben shifted uneasily. "I dunno, kiddo. Normally, I'd say it was stress and all, making you see things that weren't really there -- because you miss your mom, y'know? But with you and your dad both seeing her... Maybe I can convince Stretcho to let me come out there and poke around some." The Thing suddenly snapped his fingers, grinning. "Hey, even better -- I know somebody who might be able to help. This sort of thing is right down his alley."

"It's not Dr. Strange is it? He's kind of creepy."

"Naw, it's not him -- but he's okay when you get to know 'im. You'll like this guy, I promise."

"Okay. I'm not gonna tell dad yet though. He doesn't want me talking about mom to anybody."

"I won't mention it to anybody, kiddo, don't worry."

"Thanks, Ben." Cassie said goodbye and turned off the monitor, letting silence descend over the house. She did like it here -- it was very roomy and had a big yard -- but she missed all her friends. 

She rose from the chair and moved over to a small mirror on the wall. She combed her fingers through her hair, looking at herself. She felt so different these days, so confused... her dad said she was becoming a woman, but that sounded so lame. There were just some things that didn't feel right discussing with your father and these feelings were like that.

It was enough to make her wish her mother were still alive.

"Mom?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Are you there?"

"I am now, darling. Just got back." The nude form of her mother appeared in the mirror behind her, the decomposition not looking so terrifying now that Cassie was expecting it. "Is something wrong?"

"I... I just wanted to know if... we could talk. Girl stuff."

Peggy smiled, revealing a cracked tooth and blackened gums. "I'd love that, baby."

Colin Davies woke up, his head pounding. He was still in Ryan's bed, the smell of sex thick in the air. The bartender had turned out to be a nice guy, with a stamina that left Colin feeling wasted. "Ryan? You still in the shower?" he yelled. The last thing he remembered was Ryan getting up and entering the bathroom, but a glance at the nightstand clock told him that was over two hours ago -- and yet the shower was still running.

Colin got out of bed, pulling on a pair of boxers. He'd have to leave tomorrow and head back to work... his dead-end job that was sucking the life out of him. 

"Hey, you didn't drown, did you?" he asked, pushing open the bathroom door. Steam rolled out to greet him, momentarily blinding. Through the haze, however, he saw a man sitting on the closed toilet lid. At his feet lay a shriveled husk, something that looked like one of those mummies you sometimes saw on the Discovery Channel... only this one wore Ryan's pajamas. 

The long-haired man looked up, smiling through the steam. His eyes seemed to glow and Colin felt his bladder loosen. It was an embarrassing moment, to be sure, but Colin felt such power radiate from this man... it was terrifying, much worse than being in the presence of the Thing, like he was at Lang's place.

"I decided to let you sleep," the man said, his voice sounding ancient and powerful. He had an accent that was difficult to place. "Your companion fed me well, but it is not enough. We have another to hunt, one whose spirit will warm me for many months."

"You killed Ryan," Colin whispered, feeling stupid for stating the obvious but feeling that it needed to be said.

"He died to feed me, as many others have before. But that won't be your fate... not if you serve me." The well-dressed man rose, stepping over the corpse at his feet. "You have touched the Ant. I wish to drink of him. Deeply."

"The Ant...? I don't understand."

"I can feel his touch upon you. You were with him recently. You will lead me to him."

An image of Scott Lang rose in Colin's mind. Somehow he knew that this was the man the murderer was speaking of. "I... Just leave me alone," he said, backing up against the wall. 

The man stepped closer, so close that Colin could smell expensive cologne and hair gel. "You have no choice. You are mine." He reached out and caressed Colin's cheek. The touch was electric, melting away the spirit of resistance within the insurance lawyer. "Say my name with me."

Together, they whispered a name that was known to only a few... most who came to know it died soon after.

MORLUN

Ant-Man made it home late in the evening, stepping out of his cab and yawning. There was only one light still on in the house and one on the porch. He smiled -- Cassie was good about saving electricity. When he'd been a kid, Scott had a tendency to turn on every light in the house whenever he was alone. It wasn't fear so much as being so self-centered that he forgot to turn them off when he left the room. Cassie, though, was a different beast altogether. She was such a good kid that Scott was frequently amazed by her.

A small swarm of flying ants greeted him as he walked towards the step. He stopped in place, letting them swirl about him like a small whirlwind of living things. Laughter bubbled up past his lips and he spread his arms wide, allowing his mind to brush theirs. All around his yard were mounds of ant hills -- the neighbors would be complaining soon, he knew -- but these insects had as much right to live as anyone else.

"You guys are going to be protected from now on," he promised. "Ant-Man's here to stay."

Next Issue: Morlun the Hunter is on the way, eager to feast on Scott Lang, the totem of the ants! Plus: Cassie makes a new friend, one that her deceased mother doesn't like at all... Be here for part one of "Hunter and Hunted."

Author's Notes

Answers are forthcoming about Peggy's odd form of un-life, don't worry. I think you'll all be suitably creeped out. The Morlun plot line is one I'm pretty psyched about -- in the AV2K universe, the Spider-Man story in which he first appeared never happened, since it occurred after our continuity cut-off point. So you'll get to see Morlun developed as an arch-enemy of Ant-Man instead. How cool is that? Meanwhile, letters keep pouring in so let's get right to them!

Mark Anderson posted the following to the Avengers 2000 Mailing List:

I missed Scott's ex-wife dying in the Stark Invasion. Was it mentioned anywhere else or is it just a backstory element here?

The Thing coming to pay his respects is wonderfully done and fully in character for Ben. Good stuff!

Scott's seeing the ex's ghost is one thing. Seeing her in the death state, all battered and bruised, is disturbing.

Ant Lord has psycho-sexual deviant writ large on him. Excellent!

I'm a little disturbed by the blurb's suggestion that Scott is going to take Cassie along to Houston on the Ant Lord hunt. Seems like child endangerment to me.

Very interesting read. I'll be back for more.

I give it 8.5 out of 10 cigars.

Thanks, Mark. Peggy died off-panel in the Stark Invasion, along with many, many others. As for the child endangerment thing, Scott wouldn't actually try to place Cassie in harm's way -- but he also doesn't want to just leave her alone in a city that's still new to her. So he took her shopping. 

Steve Crosby:

I'm torn, because as a writer I'm jealous that Barry can write such good stories so quickly, yet as a reader I'm thrilled about it. Next week I guess we'll see how Ant-Man deals with this new Ant-Lord, that sadistic bastard whom Barry wrote with such creepiness in that final scene. Then I can't wait to see where Barry takes the title,
particularly the relationship between Scott and his daughter. Sure, it's the story of a C-List character, but Barry makes us forget that by focusing in on the character itself. Its this emotional conflict that makes the story enjoyable, and that more than the super-conflict is what's gonna have me reading the next issue.

Hopefully you're still enjoying the ride, Steve. I definitely want to focus on Scott the person, not the superhero -- though Ant-Man's just plain cool, when you really think about it. Yeah, he shrinks and talks to ants... but what superpower do you have? That's what I thought. :-)

Tony Thornley from the Heroes Fanfic list:

First I have to say, very few fic writers have seen the potential for Scott Lang as a leading man. He really is though. He's not a Captain America or a Spider-Man, but Scott is a very unique character and probably the most underused character Marvel had until Geoff Johns' Avengers.

That said, Barry captured the feeling of Scott Lang very well. His ex-wife is dead and Scott's through. No more Ant-Man. The opening scene where Scott chews out an annoying lawyer was very good in capturing this feeling. He's totally sick of the superhero world. Then he gets a visit from an old buddy, Ben Grimm, and the plot thickens. Ants are attacking people and doing other misc. bad things. Developing from there, it seems Scott has developed a natural link to ants and is able to find a malevolent force controlling them. Add to that the ghost of Scott's ex-wife
haunting him (in one of the most chilling moments I've read in a long time), this series is the beginning of something good.

The Good: Barry made Scott come to life. He's a single parent struggling through some tough times in his life. He wants to leave his past behind, but he's discovered something that won't let him do so. The lawyer scene as I said was excellent, as was the final moment with Scott's dead ex. The character's evolution was also good. The set-up for the confrontation with our villain is also interesting.

The Bad: A little melodrama for the villain. The Ant-Lord? Eating ants? Wierd. But then, I think that was Barry's point. If the melodrama was intentional, it belongs in the previous section, if not, now you know Barry.

Overall: Good set-up for an arc that promises something new for a character that we don't see that often.

Rating: Four out of five punches thrown. Potential to be a classic.

Glad you enjoyed the basic plot of our first issue -- and yes, Ant-Lord is meant to be melodramatic. He's what passes for a villain in these not-so-4-color pages.

Here's a note from Ben Wolfert, about issue two:

Awesome work Barry. As soon as I had time away from class and work, I read your second issue, and it's just as intriguing as the first. I'll never hurt another ant as long as I live. Okay, that's a lie, but still. There's so many things good about this issue it's difficult to pick one. I enjoyed Cassie's mall scene a great deal, especially how it
ended. Very spooky. It looks like what appeared to be a subplot in issue one might turn out to be the main story in this arc, especially with Lang's actions in this issue. Colin's bar scene is a nice change of pace, and makes me wonder if there aren't grander plans for him. Keep up the great work.

Keep in touch everyone!

Barry