I Kept Mad Secrets for your Dad

OOC: This takes place the day after Nebraska. Let’s hope there’s still a team once Banner sorts them out.

Morning came all too soon for Emily. As her alarm clock blared that it was 8 am, she groaned. Meeting Birdy for the first time last night, sneaking back into her room and making sure her Step-parents didn't wake up when she got back inside, crawling into bed very late; her alarm ensured that she only got 4 hours of sleep, but it all felt like only minutes had passed. So she threw her pillow at it, and nearly broke one of her ant farms, she had a book about different kinds of ants and she had managed to find about 7 of her current collection of Nylanderia fulva, or the Crazy Ant. and she almost set them loose in her own home. She honestly got lucky; she did, however, get up and get ready for her day, she pulled out a small suitcase and began to pack her Ant Farms, leaving dummy farms in their place. If she was really going to do this, she needed 2 things: her Ants and a cover story. After all, even if it was summer vacation, she couldn't just disappear for days on end. And even though Birdy suggested she tell her step parents about her hero work, she had someone else in mind. So around 8:30 she took out her cell phone and dialed her Uncle. he wasn't her real uncle, but he was around for all the important parts of her life, and he filmed them all on a small video camera. "Uncle Luis, i need a favor from you.... how soon can you be over?"

It turned out that Luis could get there close to 11:00 in the morning. So Emily sat on the stairs that opened up onto the porch and living room. Her packed hero stuff and a few normal outfits were in a suitcase next to her. Luis was sitting on the porch with Maggie and Paxton so Emily listened in on his conversation with her Step Parents.

“I was surprised when I got your guys call that you were moving over here, after Our Security Firm almost went bottom up in California, Myself, Dave and Kurt relocated to upper Manhattan, it was rough starting out, but X-Con has actually been gaining some ground, and we haven’t been in the red in a couple months. But I was surprised when you said you’d be moving out here. What sparked the decision?”

Maggie looked at Luis, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Well, since Jim retired from police work, we decided that we wanted to get out of San Diego, especially since… well, Scott Disappeared, I didn't really want to stay in that area…. It brings up bad memories.”

Paxton nodded and added. “Cassy didn’t move over with us, she wanted to stay in California, and she’s 26 so that’s perfectly acceptable, but I'm still worried about her, alone in a big city. But I trust the guys on the force.”

Luis nodded. “Alright, yeah… that makes a lot of sense, and i’m glad Emily has some stability, since the only thing that she has from Scotty and Hope is that old VHS Tape, she told me she’s watched it at least 50 times. Oh! This is a bad transition, but X-Con is having a company retreat to this sweet lodge in the mountains, I think it would be a good chance for her to get out of the house, see the world, you know, like a vacation with Uncle Luis and his buddies Dave and Kurt.” Both of Emily’s Step-Parents looked skeptically at Luis. “I swear to you, I won’t let anybody lay a finger on her, I’ll protect her like an alligator protects its children.”

Maggie spoke up first. “Alright, but I want you to call me as soon as you get up there, I want to make sure she gets there safely.”
Paxton chimed in. “And if you don’t call, I'll come up there to check up on you.”

Luis nodded quickly. “Of Course, Of Course, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll call you as soon as we get up there.” Luis smiled and gave a reassuring thumbs up before he hopped into the Van. Thus, It was close to noon when, suitcase in hand, Emily climbed into Luis's Van, and she honked the horn, playing the familiar and wacky horn, La cucaracha. Then Luis pulled out of the driveway, and Emily waved goodbye to her parents.

After they had began to drive away that Emily asked Luis what she wanted to ask him. "So, how much do you know about my dad?"

Luis was caught off guard, and looked at her. "I'm sorry, um repeat that question please?"
Emily nodded, and looked at Luis. "How much do you know about my dad, tell me everything... because he disappeared while I was a baby."

Luis got a far off look in his eye, as if he was remembering something from several years ago... And then he launched into his story. "Alright, well Emily... That's a really loaded question, because I knew your dad way before he met your mom. You see he was in a pretty bad place when we first met, he dispensed some social justice outside the law, but then he got thrown in prison, so we were cell mates and when I first met him, your Step-mom Maggie, she had just filed for divorce." Emily sighed, she knew her Uncle Luis was like this, and she still asked him. Luis continued, unabated. "We fast forward a little bit, and Scotty, he gets out of Lock-up, promises to go straight. He works for Baskin Robbins, but they found out about his record and fired him. Now around that time, I had gotten a tip, from my cousin, who heard it from a crazy stupid fine maid who worked for a super rich retired old guy, your grandfather, had a super legit vault which probably had lots of cash in it. Your grandfather planted this tip, but I didn't know that at the time, but anyways, I tell him about the tip, and we break into Dr. Pym's house. Scotty gets into his underground vault, but all he finds is a motorcycle suit. But the suit's got the ability to shrink the wearer, but he didn't know that at the time, so when he tries it on, he shrinks, and then he has a traumatic experience, and he returns the suit. and then he gets arrested, and he didn't even steal anything that time!"

Emily nodded, she wasn't following all of it, but she was getting some of the important parts. Luis glanced at her. “Tell me if i’m losing you in this.”

Emily nodded, “I’m good, keep going.”

Luis nodded and continued his story. “So, Dr. Pym shows up as Scotty’s lawyer, and gave him back the suit, helping him break out of his holding cell. Then after a bit Scotty meets your mom. Her name’s Hope, But anyways, she doesn’t like him, but after a little while she’s like super into him. Me and the guys go straight and we’re running a security business, as former burglars it makes sense right?!”

Emily sighed. “Luis, what’s this got to do with my dad?”

Luis snapped to attention, “Right Right Right! Sorry I got distracted. Anyways, so your dad and your mom team up, she has her own suit, she can fly and shoots lasers from her hands, but anyways they teamed up as Ant-Man and The Wasp, they saved your grandmother from this really weird place called the Quantum Realm, where time and space don’t mean anything, but anyways, me and the boys were the only ones who knew your dad was a superhero, I kept mad secrets for him, so when the Avengers were asking it made me nervous. But anyways, why are you asking me now?”

Luis finished his Tirade and Emily took a deep breath. “I want to be a superhero like my dad!” she exclaimed.

Luis slammed on the brakes, pulling off to the side of the road. “Woah! Are you kidding? I just told your Step-Parents I wouldn’t let you get hurt!”

Emily looked at Luis. “Uncle Luis, you kept mad secrets for my dad, can’t you keep a few mad secrets for your favorite niece?” Emily blinked at Luis several times. It was a flattering trick many young girls had mastered. Emily was not one of those young girls.

Luis looked confused, blinking back. “What? I don’t - what are you doing? Stop, that’s… okay, fine, but stop blinking.”

Emily smiled, “Thanks, Uncle Luis!”

Luis shook his head, sighing. “You know I'm not your real uncle.” Emily nodded, smiling and Luis pulled back onto the road and drove. “So, where are we really going, Emily?”

Emily pulled out Birdy’s card and read the address aloud. “177A Bleecker Street.”