Scott Lang

"I'm sorry, Scott."

Manager Dale wore a fake smile and spread his hands. "Company policy. We don't hire employees with criminal records."

Scott said nothing.

He took off the pink uniform, tossed it onto the counter, and walked out of the ice cream shop.

The sunlight was blinding.

He had only been out of San Quentin Prison for a week and still hadn't adjusted to the outside world.

Inside the battered Ford van by the roadside, Luis had been animatedly sharing some gossip. When he saw Scott climb in with his head hanging low, he abruptly stopped talking.

"What happened?"

"I got fired."

Scott buried his face in his hands.

He just wanted a proper job, to pay child support, and then attend his daughter Cassie's birthday party. It was that simple.

Luis patted him on the shoulder and lowered his voice. "Man, honest work isn't for people like us. I've got a job. One big score, and you'll have enough to buy Cassie a castle."

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. A rough map was drawn on it, with an address circled in red and the words "easy mark" written beside it.

"An old man's mansion. The safe has good stuff inside, and the security system is ancient. For an electronics master's degree holder like you, it's practically free money."

Scott stared at the paper.

He didn't want to return to his old life.

But Cassie's birthday was next week. His ex-wife had already issued an ultimatum: no job, no place to live, no seeing his daughter.

He stayed silent for a long time.

In the end, he took the paper.

The night was dark.

Luis parked at the end of a secluded street and pointed at an old Victorian house in the distance.