by Sam Maggs
Nadia carefully stepped through the door, her surprised face (now Jarvis Approved™) in place before she even heard the words.
“Surprise!”
Nadia was greeted by more balloons and more streamers. This time, it was just inside the front door of her own home in Cresskill, New Jersey, and the greeting party was a little smaller. Holding open the door, Jarvis pulled out a tiny cardboard party horn and blew into it. It let out a pathetic little celebratory psheeeeeeeee! that Nadia both loved and appreciated deeply.
Inside the living room, two of the most important women in Nadia’s life stood under a big banner spelling N-A-D-I-A-! (A real banner this time, not one that Ying had put together like she was trying to blackmail a police officer from the 1970s.) They wore bright metallic party hats and spun noisemakers that made crackling sounds as they rotated. It was ridiculous and wonderful and it was the best unsurprising surprise Nadia had ever had.
“Happy name day, Nadia!” The woman on the left stepped forward and held her arms out, the noisemakers still in hand. Barbara Morse—Bobbi, to her friends and to people she had only tried to kill on fewer than two occasions—wasn’t a hugger, but Nadia appreciated that Bobbi knew she was absolutely a hugger and thus attempted to meet her halfway. Most people knew Bobbi best as Mockingbird, the kick-butt S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Super Hero who walked tall, used to be married to Hawkeye (Barton, not Bishop), and fought crime with two big sticks.
But not Nadia. No, Nadia knew of Bobbi long before she became friends with Bobbi, and not because of her stick prowess (though that was, inarguably, remarkable). Nadia knew of Dr. Barbara Morse, PhD, from her attempts to re-create the Super-Soldier Serum (you know, the one that turned Captain America from a string bean into a Dorito). She was one of the most advanced biologists at S.H.I.E.L.D., and Nadia had read all of Dr. Morse’s research from her lab in the Krasnaya Komnata.
Nadia loved Bobbi’s science, sure, but Nadia had always really loved the way Bobbi wrote about science. Most researchers weren’t gifted writers, but Bobbi had a special way of making her science jump off the page and dance, each theory and equation jetéing and bourréeing across its reader’s mind.
Okay, maybe Nadia was projecting. But it was how she felt.
For her part, Nadia knew that Bobbi had just been thrilled to meet someone who wanted to talk with her about extradimensional matter instead of her extra-dumpable ex-husband (whom she was absolutely smarter than, and yet was Bobbi on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s list? Exactly).
NADIA’S NEAT SCIENCE FACTS!!!
Mockingbird’s sticks are actually dual battle staves (a way better name than “sticks”). These batons are hollow rods made of a steel alloy and can be wielded separately or screwed together into a bō staff that can extend up to eight feet. Bobbi keeps her opponents perpetually off-balance, and uses the momentum of her strikes to trip opponents into the rods. That is how, if you ever get on Mockingbird’s bad side, she will use your own body weight against you to break your own legs. I would recommend very much not getting on Mockingbird’s bad side.
Nadia felt immeasurably lucky to have Bobbi in her life, and like so many of the good things in Nadia’s life these days, it was thanks to the woman standing next to the dining room table, hands clasped in front of her and a proud glint in her eyes. Janet Van Dyne stepped forward with a smile, placing a light kiss on the crown of Nadia’s head while Nadia was still engulfed in Bobbi’s epic biceps.* Janet was formidable both in reputation and in reality. When Nadia looked at her, she saw exactly the kind of woman she hoped to be when she was older. Poised; buff; lovely; terrifying. The perfect combination of feminine attributes, Nadia thought.
A fashion designer and very wealthy socialite, Janet first found her way to Hank Pym after her scientist father was killed. Hank, impressed with Janet’s intelligence, provided her with Pym Particles—and Ant-Man and the Wasp took flight to exact justice and thwart evil together for the first time.
Janet (who, in an extremely Hank move, looked very much like a younger version of Nadia’s mother, Maria), eventually married Hank. The two of them fought crime alongside Thor,* Iron Man, and the Hulk. It was Janet who first decided to call their epic team “the Avengers.” Janet would tell you that wasn’t a big deal, but Nadia felt like it was definitely a big deal.
When Nadia arrived in America, Janet was kind enough to take her under her biosynthetic wing. She’d opened Nadia’s eyes to everything from super-heroism to BB’s Tacos and from Lizzo to high fashion and “custom couture.”*
Above all, though, Janet had shown Nadia what it meant to be part of a family. To have people you could rely on and who relied on you in return. Which was why, when it came time to fill out the first of dozens of forms that would eventually confirm her citizenship, she didn’t sign as Nadia Pym or even Nadia Trovaya. Nadia had never had a last name, and there was only one that had ever really meant anything to her.
Van Dyne.
So she was Nadia Van Dyne, stepdaughter to the woman behind the Avengers, chooser of families, and unwavering champion for goodness and optimism in a world that often threatened to eradicate both. Nadia was the reason that G.I.R.L. existed, but Janet was the reason that it—and Nadia herself—could become Unstoppable.
Not everyone can say their stepmom invented the Avengers. But Nadia could. And that made her proud to be part of Janet’s family every single day.
“We know you probably already knew,” said Janet, smiling at Nadia, and shutting the door behind her and Jarvis. Nadia smiled at her stepmom, grateful that she didn’t have to keep up the ruse. Nadia and Janet had come by their alter egos in different ways, but they were very similar when it came right down to it.
Nadia trailed Janet into the dining room—and was actually surprised for the first time all day.
“Oh my—” she said, her hand coming to her mouth in genuine shock. “You did all this?”
Rows of boxes covered every square inch of the floor. The shelves had been emptied; the walls were mostly bare; even Nadia’s coffeemaker had been packed away.
“We wanted to get you something you wouldn’t get yourself for your name day,” Bobbi explained, pulling up a chair at the small dining room table in the center of the space. It was the only thing on the main floor that still looked lived-in—there were table settings for four set up on its surface, ready for dinner. “You’re slammed with stuff right now. We handled the house.”
Nadia felt like twenty pounds had been lifted off her shoulders in an instant. Jarvis had brought her to this house in Cresskill after she’d shown up on the Avengers’ doorstep in New York, fresh from the Red Room. It had been her father’s. She’d thought the house might give her a sense of family, of belonging, but it had never felt like home. Her family, her belonging, existed outside of these walls.
Nadia spent most of her time at G.I.R.L. now. Each of the lab partners had their own room at Pym Labs, and Nadia preferred sleeping there. The lab sounded like possibility, even at night. The CPUs still hummed and the fans still ran and she could hear people coming and going in the halls. At the house, it was silent. It reminded Nadia of the things in her past she was trying so hard to leave behind.
Plus, when there were people around, she was less likely to accidentally hyperfocus on a task for nights on end. The lab kept her accountable, and it kept her safe. It reminded Nadia of what she wished the Siberian outpost of the Red Room could have been. It was her future.
“It was actually kind of…fun, packing this place up,” Janet admitted. “I have a lot of memories of this house. Usually I’m one hundred percent cool forgetting them,” she added with a hint of dryness in her voice. Nadia knew that Hank hadn’t always been a good partner, especially not with his mental illness left untreated. “But it’s nice to be reminded of the good times we had here, before we put it up on the market.”
“I also assisted with the packing!” called Jarvis from the kitchen.
“Thank you, all.” Nadia craned her head to give Jarvis a gratef
ul smile and saw that he was already busy over the stove. “This has been like a hanger over my head.”
“Hanging over your head,” Janet corrected. “We’re just happy you had the time to have dinner with us.”
“For real. Also, I’m happy to eat Jarvis’s cooking,” Bobbi added with a devious smile. “The guy’s a beast in there. I think he’s made, like, fourteen courses.”
“Only seven!” Jarvis called out.
“Only seven,” Bobbi corrected herself with mock seriousness. The three Super Heroines around the table burst out laughing.
“Seriously, I cannot thank you all enough,” Nadia said. She reached across the table and grabbed one of Bobbi’s hands and one of Janet’s. “Things really have been busy and I didn’t know when I would find the time. This is a really thoughtful gift.”
Bobbi squeezed Nadia’s hand. She looked over at Janet. “Well…it’s not the only thing we got you.”
Nadia pulled back her hands. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “You did too much.”
Janet reached under the table and pulled out a package wrapped in silver paper. It had a bow of rainbow-hued ribbons attached to the top. She slid it across the table toward Nadia.
“It’s kind of all one thing,” she explained.
Nadia gave her stepmom a stern look. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
Bobbi pushed her chair back and headed toward the kitchen. “You’re never trouble. Even when you get into trouble. Soda?”
Nadia shook her head silently, reaching for the box. The silver gleamed, light reflecting from the small chandelier hanging over the table. Nadia hoped to bring that chandelier into her room at the lab. It would be the perfect touch.
What could Janet have gotten her? Nadia already had everything she could possibly need. Too many roofs over her head; more friends than she’d had in her entire life; an amazing starshaya sestra* in Bobbi; the coolest stepmom on the planet; and one performatively curmudgeonly dedushka. She had gone from having absolutely nothing to having absolutely everything she could possibly want. She felt selfish accepting another gift from Janet. Nadia preferred giving gifts to getting them, every single time.
“Just open it,” urged Janet, waving off Nadia’s trepidation. “I know, I know, but I think you’ll like it. And then we can eat.”
“And then we can eat!” called Bobbi, from the kitchen. Nadia could tell her mouth was already full.
“Okay, okay,” Nadia gave in. She grabbed the gift and looked for the wrapping paper’s seam. She carefully unstuck the tape and unfolded the paper, careful not to rip or damage any of the beautiful silver stock.
Setting the paper aside, bow still attached, Nadia looked at the box beneath. The image on the front showed a sleek gold rectangle, no bigger than Nadia’s palm.
“‘VERA,’” she read off the packaging. “‘Virtual Executive Remote Assistant.’”
“Exactly!” Janet said, excited. “It just came out. I had to bribe Tony to get one at release. Totally worth it.”
Nadia turned the box over to read the ad copy on the back. “‘HoffTech’s VERA. Do less, experience more.’”
“It’s your own personal assistant in your pocket,” Janet explained in a rush of excitement. “HoffTech—they actually just moved into a Manhattan office—they’re doing the most interesting development in AI right now. VERA’s supposed to be completely life-changing—she’ll keep your life organized, get you on schedule, help you finish tasks…she even reminds me when to take my meds.” Janet looked at Nadia, her eyes shining. She was excited, but there was a touch of nervousness there, too. She didn’t want to suggest that Nadia couldn’t handle absolutely anything that came her way. But she wanted to help make whatever might come easier for Nadia.
“I thought it could be just what you need right now, since things are so hectic,” Janet said. “I mean, they’re good. I know you’re good. But you’re still just one person. And you could use an extra brain in your life, you know? To free up yours for the big stuff, the world-saving stuff.” She seemed like she really wanted Nadia to like her gift. Of course, Nadia liked most gifts, so she didn’t have a lot to be nervous about.
Popping open the box, Nadia pulled out the filler and let the rectangle slide into her hand. It was as shiny and gold as the chandelier over her head. The word VERA was stamped in one corner. Otherwise, it was completely featureless. If it really did everything Janet said it did, and still looked as clean as this, Nadia knew it was an engineering marvel.
“Janet,” Nadia said, tearing up. “It is really, very thoughtful. Thank you. I can’t wait to try it.”
“I’m so proud of you, Nadia,” Janet said, getting up to give Nadia one more hug. “Let me know what you think, okay? I really hope it helps.”
Nadia squeezed her stepmom back. Her hair smelled like lavender, like it always did. The best. Instant comfort.
Home, Nadia thought. Sure, they were selling the house, but home would always be Janet.
“I will. I’m sure it will. Thank you again, so much.” Nadia pulled back. “The best name day I’ve ever had.”
“Now,” Bobbi interjected, stepping back into the room with a flourish. She had her rods in each hand, and balanced atop each one was a full plate, overflowing with food. Nadia recognized the smells—cabbage and onion and parsley galore. It seemed to Nadia that Jarvis had really embraced the spirit of her name day and gone for a full Russian meal.
Sure, Nadia was more partial to Ethiopian takeout these days, but it was the thought that counted.
“Spasibo za uzhin, Dedushka.” Nadia tucked VERA and her silver paper away to make room on her plate for dinner. “Let’s eat!”
And beneath the table, where no one could see it, amidst the paper and carefully designed packaging, a tiny, barely noticeable LED light on the corner of the device’s shiny surface blinked on.
* “Grandfather” in Russian, much less theoretical to Nadia now.
* If there were a S.H.I.E.L.D. list of Best Biceps, Bobbi would certainly be on that list. Along with Captain Marvel. And America Chavez. Nadia had a feeling that it’d be men who were relegated to the twenty-seventh spot for Best Biceps.
* Noted Best Biceps contender for a spot somewhere between twenty-seven and fifty.
* Janet’s term for Nadia’s superspecial jackets with holes in the back for her Wasp wings.
* Russian for “older sister,” a concept very familiar to Nadia.
Nadia had never been so full in her entire life. Maybe that one time she bought out that Portuguese bakery, but she’d shared most of those with the people waiting at the immigration office. It is a truth universally acknowledged that free baked goods in a busy waiting room have a tendency to become Beatles-level* crowd-pleasers.
Jarvis’s take on Russian food had been delicious—much better than Nadia was expecting! But then Nadia was always expecting the Red Room’s version of Russian cuisine. If you could call it cuisine, and Nadia certainly wouldn’t.
Nadia tried to like everything—but she wasn’t a masochist.
With food even better than she’d hoped, the conversation among the four of them had been full of laughter and teasing and theories and plans. It was everything Nadia’d never had when she was younger and everything she’d always wanted but didn’t know how to wish for. Between the food and her friends and her family, Nadia felt completely filled to the brim.
She shut the door behind Dedushka—always the last one to leave after he’d made sure absolutely everything was in order—waving him out as he tried to ask if she was positive there wasn’t anything else she needed. Nadia leaned her back against the door with a contented sigh, basking in the afterglow of being surrounded by the kindest people she’d ever known. How had she gotten so lucky?
An actual happy name day, Nadia thought. It was certainly a first. Who could ever have hoped?
Nadia closed her eyes and for a moment felt completely and totally free—the way she did when she was darting through the air
on a sunny day. Warm and bright; focused and clear. But in this moment, the sun was inside of her, not warming her from above. Her spirit felt as if it were floating, as free of the earth’s oppressive gravity as Nadia was on her wings. This was what love felt like, Nadia was pretty sure. To be loved and to love in return. She felt very, very lucky.
And then she opened her eyes and looked at the house and felt all the normal pressure resettle around her shoulders. Her day had been amazing, yes, but her to-do list ticked through her brain, ever-present:
Finish packing the house
Help Taina figure out why her robot caught fire
Finish pitch to Janet for taking G.I.R.L. statewide
Call driving teacher and schedule another lesson
Take meds
Finally, finally decide what to work on for Like Minds
Figure out a way to make the subway less smelly
And so on and so on and so on forever and ever—or so it felt. Nadia pushed back off the door and set her shoulders. She liked being busy. She liked having a purpose. And she was trying to change the world.
That wasn’t easy. It took hard work, and Nadia knew it.
She just…well. She just had to get on with it.
Nadia unlocked her phone and started up her playlist again. Her phone was connected to the Bluetooth in her house, so a wireless speaker in every room picked up the signal. The synth and the drums drowned out the white noise in Nadia’s brain, helping her focus.
And she had some bops on this playlist! Shay and Bobbi had put their heads together and made it for her, keeping in mind her somewhat specific tastes. Nadia only liked music she could dance to. Dancing while getting through her to-do list was sometimes the only thing that kept her on track. She might not have been a ballerina anymore, but she would always be a dancer. Same as Ying.
There are certain things that never leave you, thought Nadia, and this is one of them.
Dancing her way from the front door back into the dining room, Nadia was struck again by how much work Janet, Bobbi, and Jarvis had done for her. She peeked into a couple of the boxes, their flaps still open, ready to be filled with any last-minute tchotchkes* (or, more likely, batteries or wires or PlayStation controllers, since Shay had been trying to convince her to learn how to play the Spider-Man video game) left around the house.