N-701124 {b. barnes}

XVI

Autumn was far from pleased to be back at the compound early the next morning. Belle couldn't recall the last time Autumn was this groggy.

As far as they knew, today was the day they were going to attempt their time travel scheme. Scott was already in his suit, near a van, and Steve, Bruce, and Natasha were standing nearby. Belle and Autumn walked over, a skeptical look on their faces.

"So, uh, what's the van for?" Autumn asked. "Are you going to drive to the past?"

"It's the tunnel to the Quantum Realm." Scott announced.

"Okay...."

After a quick debrief and set of instructions, Scott seemed to be all set to go. Bruce counted down, pressed a button, and waited a few seconds. When he pressed the button again, there was a confused sound that came from Scott.

"Uh, guys? This....this doesn't feel right." Scott stammered.

Belle looked over at him and took a bewildered step back. Teenage Scott stood in front of them. Suddenly, Scott was sucked back into the van, only to reappear, this time hunched over.

"That'll be you next week." Autumn whispered teasingly.

Belle shoved her shoulder. "Jerk."

"Ow! My back!" Scott complained.

Once again, Scott was sucked back into the van. This time when he reappeared, he made no sound at all. For a second Belle thought he was dead, until she seen the baby face in the suit. She bit her tongue to hide her laughter.

"It's a baby." Steve pointed out.

"It's Scott." Bruce corrected.

"As a baby!"

"He'll grow."

"Bring Scott back."

Bruce turned to Natasha. "When I say kill the power, kill the power."

"Oh my God." Natasha mumbled.

"And kill it!"

Natasha pulled the lever, Scott was sucked back into the van, only to reappear a few moments later, as his usual self.

"Somebody peed my pants."

"Oh, thank God." Natasha sighed.

"But I don't know if it was 'baby' me or 'old' me....or just 'me' me."

Bruce held up his hands in victory. "Time travel!"

Steve looked at him, shook his head, and walked away. Belle almost followed, but didn't once she got a 'look' from Natasha. Scott left to go change, leaving Belle and Autumn with Natasha and Bruce.

"I see this as an absolute win." Bruce announced.

"I think you need to make a few improvements." Autumn pointed out. "It's a great start, though." She added quickly.

Belle nodded in agreement. "Take baby steps for now. We've got nothing but time."

"We've waited long enough. Don't you agree?"

It took a few days before anyone was willing and able to attempt the time travel stunt again. This time, Tony was present, and so was Clint, and also Thor, who looked a bit different than she remembered. Rocket accompanied Nebula, and James Rhodes showed up. Belle herself was there with Autumn, and still with Bruce, Steve, Natasha, and Scott.

Scott was wearing a red and white suit, similar to his Ant-Man suit. He went on a rant towards Bruce, telling him to be careful, and that they only had enough equipment for two test runs and one round-trip each. He accidentally pressed a button and paled, then corrected himself.