Fifteen days later, at night, a van was parked among the rows of luxury cars outside Pym Technologies. It was painted with "Road Maintenance" markings, with traffic cones placed around it to keep other vehicles away. Inside sat two people—Dave, responsible for the getaway, and Kurt, handling the hacking.
Meanwhile, the lobby of Pym Technologies was bustling. Alongside reporters were numerous leading figures from the scientific community, all passing through security one by one. Just as Hope had said, security tonight had more than tripled. Full-body scanners had been installed, and guards were manually scanning each guest as well.
At one of the scanners, Luis—dressed in a security uniform with a gun holstered at his waist—walked through. He even wore an official security ID badge. With ease, he entered the building, casually greeting other guards as he passed.
Back in the van, Dave sat in the driver's seat while Kurt remained in the rear compartment. With him was Scott, already suited up in the Ant-Man armor.
"I'm in, Scott. Heading to the control room now."
Luis's sneaky voice came through the earpiece.
"Copy that. Wish me luck~~"
Scott replied, then pulled down his helmet, yanked open the van door, and jumped out—shrinking instantly mid-leap and dropping straight into the sewer.
Keeping his head down, Luis used his access card to enter the central control room. He had expected it to be empty—but instead, he ran straight into a security guard inspecting the circuitry.
"Who are you?"
The guard didn't recognize Luis and immediately challenged him.
Thinking quickly, Luis replied, "The boss told me to watch this area, so I came over."
Unfortunately for him, the man he'd run into was the boss. Of all the bad luck—lying right to the guy's face.
"The boss? I am the boss."
The man was even bigger than Luis, his imposing presence overwhelming. Luis froze, stammering as he tried to change the subject.
"All units, attention—"
Just as the boss raised his radio to alert the others, a shadow darted in through the doorway. It leapt into the air, legs wrapping around the man's neck before twisting sharply. His massive body was lifted off the ground and slammed headfirst onto the floor, knocking him out instantly.
Luis barely saw what happened—it was over in seconds. He stared wide-eyed, stunned.
Dressed in black, with a flawless figure and shoulder-length auburn hair, Natasha stood there. Her tall, striking form instantly captivated Luis, who could only stare blankly, completely at a loss for words.
"Scott's friend?"
Natasha glanced at him, vaguely wondering if using someone this… not-so-bright was really a good idea.
Luis didn't respond, still staring at her, even forgetting to shut off the main water valve.
Amused, Natasha watched him. In his current state, she could probably coax every secret out of him with just a little effort—he looked completely smitten.
"You're not going to do your job?"
Natasha reminded him. She already knew who he was—the Avengers had thoroughly investigated Scott after capturing him, and naturally Luis and the others hadn't escaped their scrutiny. Seeing him here meant Dr. Pym's plan was already underway.
"Huh? Oh!"
Luis snapped back to his senses and hurried over to the main valve, twisting it shut.
Meanwhile, Natasha moved to the other side and casually placed a small device—no bigger than a USB drive—in an inconspicuous spot.
"Device planted. How's your side?"
Barton's voice came through her earpiece. "All normal. The building is under control."
High above, a Quinjet hovered silently. Alone inside, Barton had already taken over the building's systems.
"Good. Now we wait for Tony."
Natasha left the control room without a second glance at Luis. By the time she pushed open the doors to the press hall, she had already changed into a black evening gown. Her elegant figure drew countless glances as she walked straight to Tony and naturally looped her arm through his.
"Barton has secured control of the building."
Tony gave a subtle nod, then slipped back into his playboy persona, mingling with reporters and guests.
His presence instantly became the center of attention. After all, this was Tony Stark—Avenger, Iron Man, owner of Stark Industries, and one of the most famous figures in America. Any one of those titles alone would make headlines.
Reporters immediately swarmed him. Ever since handing Stark Industries over to Pepper, Tony had largely stayed out of the public eye—aside from appearances as Iron Man, he had become something of a recluse.
Inside the pipes, Scott was still playing Robinson Crusoe—riding a "boat" made of ants as he drifted along the current. After twisting through the labyrinth, he finally spotted an exit. Using a bridge formed by ants, he climbed out through a faucet, then, accompanied by a swarm of flying ants, made his way into the ventilation system.
At that moment, Dr. Pym also arrived outside the building.
Simultaneously, Scott commanded a bullet ant to bite a guard. Hope appeared, dragging the incapacitated guard into the server room.
With practiced ease, Hope placed a signal emulator into one of the server drawers and left without looking back.
"Natasha, another signal is trying to override the system. I'm blocking it, but it's not going well."
A sudden signal interrupted Barton's control of the system. Worse, it could mimic different frequency bands, catching him off guard.
"It's probably the device that Ant-Man took from the facility earlier. Don't worry—I've brought in some backup. She'll be here soon."
Natasha sounded completely unconcerned. Right as she spoke, the "backup" joined their comms.
"If Carl hadn't fully recovered, I wouldn't be here helping you guys."
Skye's voice came through. At the same time, a flashy Quinjet appeared beside Barton's—just as silent.
"Well, I guess we should thank that little brat Carl then? Seriously though, doesn't he have way too much control over you three? Haven't you ever wondered if that guy's a bit of a ?
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