Who exactly was he?
Why would a "gift from a friend" given so casually be this kind of black technology that transcended common sense?
All these questions intertwined, sending Scott's brain into a state of overload.
Moreover, he didn't have Daniel's contact information, so there was no way to find out any of this.
"Forget it..."
Scott scratched his hair irritably as exhaustion surged over him like a tide. Tonight's harrowing journey had exhausted all his physical strength.
"I'm not thinking about it anymore; whatever happens, happens. I'm still alive, and that's enough." Scott tucked the pendant back inside his collar, keeping it close to his skin.
"I'm going to sleep. Even if it's the end of the World tomorrow, it can wait until I wake up." Scott muttered as he got up and sat on the edge of the sofa.
He then pulled an old blanket from the sofa over himself and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next morning.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of violent knocking echoed through the hallway.
"San Francisco Police Department! Open up! Scott Lang! We know you're in there!"
Scott was jolted awake from the sofa by the loud pounding on the door. He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked ahead.
In the living room, Luis was wearing a pair of floral boxers, standing against the wall with his hands raised, his face full of terror.
Two fully armed officers had already smashed through the fragile wooden door, their dark muzzles pointed directly into the room.
"On the ground! Hands behind your head! Now!" the lead officer barked sharply.
Before Scott could even figure out the situation, two officers swarmed forward, roughly pinning him to the floor. With a cold, hard metallic "click," handcuffs locked around his wrists behind his back.
"Scott Lang, you're under arrest." The officer yanked Scott up from the floor and shouted coldly, "Don't resist!"
"Wait! On what grounds are you arresting me?!" Scott struggled and shouted, "I didn't do anything!"
"Didn't do anything?" The officer gave a cold laugh.
"The home invasion robbery at 804 Millville Street last night—you'd better save your excuses for the judge."
Scott's mind went blank instantly. Flanked by two officers, he was roughly shoved into a patrol car downstairs, its red and blue Police lights flashing.
...
San Francisco Police Department, Interrogation Room.
Pale fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, emitting a faint electrical hum.
Scott's hands were cuffed to a metal table bolted to the floor.
Half an hour later, the iron door of the interrogation room was pushed open.
The person who walked in wasn't the detective in charge of the case, but a man in a crisp Police uniform with a rugged face.
Jim Paxton.
Maggie's current husband and Cassie's stepfather.
Paxton pulled out the metal chair opposite Scott and sat down heavily.
He didn't speak immediately, simply scrutinizing Scott with an expression mixed with anger, disdain, and deep disappointment.
A moment later, he spoke.
"You really are incorrigible, Scott." Paxton's voice was full of mockery.
"I thought three years in San Quentin would have taught you something. It seems I overestimated your intelligence."
Scott kept his lips tightly sealed and didn't speak, merely shifting his gaze to the one-way glass on the side.
"What? Don't want to talk?" Paxton sneered and pulled out a file.
"A serious armed home invasion robbery occurred on Millville Street last night. Several thugs with automatic weapons broke into a private Villa, breached the vault, and triggered a heavy firefight."
"But the best part is here..."
Paxton pulled a photo from the file and pushed it in front of Scott.
"A neighbor of the Villa had high-definition security cameras with night vision installed in their yard. Those three gunmen wore tactical masks, but you..." Paxton said mockingly, "your hat fell off while you were escaping. Your face was caught clear as day, like a Hollywood star on the red carpet."
Scott looked at the photo. It was indeed him, climbing over the yard wall with a look of panic on his face.
"Did a fight break out because you and your accomplices couldn't agree on how to split the loot?" Paxton leaned back in his chair, setting the tone like a judge. "Or were you just a cheap tool hired by those armed thugs to pick the locks?"
Scott looked up at Paxton.
"I didn't have any accomplices. I don't know who those people with guns were. I was just going there to..."
His words got stuck in his throat. What was he going there to do? To steal something?
Regardless of his original intent, he was still an intruder in the eyes of the law. And now, due to the appearance of those gunmen, the nature of the case had escalated directly from a simple burglary to armed robbery.
He had no way to explain himself.
"Just going there to do what? Go for a walk?"
Paxton pressed closer, his hands braced on the table, his face almost touching Scott's.
"You're hopeless, Scott." His tone carried unconcealed contempt.
"You're a thief. You're a criminal to your core. You'll never change that."
"Maggie was originally hesitating about whether to give you more rights to spend time with Cassie after you found a stable job. But now, it seems there's no need at all."
"Armed robbery, plus your prior record—you'll be going away for twenty years. You've lost Cassie forever."
Scott's hands clenched into tight fists, the metal edges of the handcuffs digging into the skin of his wrists, yet he seemed not to feel the pain.
He just listened silently, offering no rebuttal.
What could he say? Tell Paxton that his original plan was to steal the item and then return it as a hero?
In this cold interrogation room, facing this policeman who had always looked down on him, such an absurd reason sounded ridiculous even to his own ears.
Let him say what he wants. Scott closed his eyes as despair washed over him like a tide.
But it seemed Heaven had no intention of letting him go just yet.
Today happened to be a half-day open house at Cassie's school, so classes let out at noon.
Maggie had specifically brought Cassie to the Police station, planning to wait for Paxton to get off work so the three of them could go out for a lavish lunch.
People were coming and going in the Police station's main hall. Maggie held Cassie's hand, smiling and nodding to familiar officers.
Just as they were walking toward Paxton's office, an unusually loud reprimand came from the direction of the interrogation rooms.
Because the soundproof door of the interrogation room hadn't been fully closed during the recent shift change, Paxton's anger-filled voice carried clearly into the hallway.
"...You're a piece of scum, Scott! You won't ever see your daughter again for the rest of your life!"
Maggie's footsteps stopped, her smile freezing instantly as she turned to look at the ajar door of the interrogation room.
"Mommy, that's Uncle Paxton's voice." Cassie looked up, blinking her large eyes, her innocent voice carrying a hint of confusion. "Who is he talking to? He mentioned Daddy's name..."