Work Text:
Third Person POV
The Asset watches as the man who called him Bucky and a woman that seems familiar (in a dangerous sort of way) walk up to a regular house in the suburbs.
They’re followed by people the Asset doesn’t know about, but the Asset quickly dismisses them as unimportant. If they were dangerous, his handlers would have told him.
The door is opened by a fairly plain-looking man, and The Asset tilts his head as information about the man fills the left lens of his glasses.
Scott Lang (Alias: Antman)
The Asset reads the rest of the notes his Handlers have on Lang, not really paying attention, until something in the Asset’s brain screams at him.
It’s only due to years of conditioning that the Asset remains completely still, despite the shock to The Asset’s system.
The Asset scans the information again, looking for what could have possibly elicited that kind of response.
When he finds it, he has to blink slowly for a second.
Daughter.
Lang has a daughter.
And…
The Asset knows that his handlers never send him on missions with kids involved because that’s a surefire way for the Asset to go rogue. The Asset knows this.
So why, the Asset muses, was he sent here?
Why this mission?
He sees a red mist twirl around the Witch’s body, and he stiffens before memories crash into him like a tidal wave because he knows that magic.
He remembers that magic being in the chamber with him, torturing him, and the Asset is filled with disgust and rage.
“-you wouldn’t want anything to happen to your daughter, would you?
The sickly-sweet voice of the Witch, combined with the complete wrongness of what she just said, hits the Asset like a freight train.
Danger. Danger. Protect child.
Cassandra Lang: NEUTRAL changed to Cassandra Lang: PROTECTED
Scott Lang: NEUTRAL changed to Scott Lang: ALLY
Wanda Maximoff: TARGET changed to Wanda Maximoff: HIGH PRIORITY TARGET
The system takes less than a minute to change his Target and Allies lists, and then The Asset waits with baited breath as his Targets drive away.
He should follow them. The Asset knows he should be following them, but there’s something inside of him that howls at the thought of leaving the little girl unprotected.
The Assassin strides over to the Lang household, and the door opens before he can even knock.
“If you're one of the Captain’s Lackey’s, I’ll kill you.”
The Asset sees the flicker of fear in Lang’s eyes but the man stands firm in the doorway.
“Your daughter.”
Lang’s eyes sharpen.
“Don’t you dare hurt my daughter.”
The Asset’s opinion of the man grows higher at his determination to protect his daughter, even though the look in his eyes says that he knows fighting the Asset would not end well for him.
“Stand down, Lang. I do not want to hurt her. I have protection from the witch’s magic and I am enhanced like Rogers. I can protect her.”
Lang’s gaze sharpens.
“How do I know you won’t hurt her?”
The Asset frowns.
“If I wanted to hurt her, you’d be dead right now.”
Lang nods slowly as that realization sinks in, and then he steps aside so the Asset can enter.
“Why do you want to protect her?”
The Asset tilts his head slightly.
“I… I do not know. There is something in me that tells me I have to protect her.”
Lang pauses, then nods slowly.
“Prove it. She sets the rules for all your interactions, and if she ever feels uncomfortable they stop right away.”