Dr. Pym simply shrugged. "Want some sugar?"
Westerners always seemed to add sugar to their tea—an odd habit.
"Oh, sure…"
Scott nodded blankly.
Then he saw two sugar cubes sliding across the table on their own. Looking closer, he realized two ants were pushing them forward.
Scott's expression instantly turned to disgust. "On second thought… I'll just drink it plain."
As soon as he said that, the ants turned around and pushed the sugar cubes neatly back into the jar.
"How did you do that?"
Scott's curiosity flared. Ants that small obeying commands so precisely—it was unbelievable.
Hope, meanwhile, remained unfazed, calmly sipping her tea and scrolling through her phone.
"Ants can carry up to fifty times their own body weight," Pym said.
"I know that. I'm asking how you make them listen to you."
Scott wasn't asking about strength—he was asking about control.
Pym nodded in realization and pointed to his ear. Scott looked up and saw a device resembling a hearing aid.
"I emit electromagnetic signals that stimulate their central nervous system. It's essentially direct communication."
He tapped the earpiece.
"With this, I can go anywhere, hear anything—even see through their perspective."
There was a hint of pride in his voice. Alongside Pym Particles, this control over insects was one of his greatest achievements—almost like a modern, streamlined version of the Aburame clan.
"And yet he still doesn't know anything."
Hope set down her teacup, grabbed her briefcase, and stood up.
"I'm meeting Darren. If I don't leave now, I'll be late."
With that, she turned and walked out, long legs carrying her away without a second glance.
"Uh… Dr. Pym, I have a question."
Scott raised his hand like a student.
"You don't need to raise your hand, Scott. I'm not that old."
Pym rolled his eyes.
"I only have one question."
Scott held up a finger.
"Who are you? Who is she? What is all this? And can I just go back to jail now?"
He fired off a barrage in one breath—apparently counting multiple questions as one.
Pym stood up.
"Come with me."
---
They descended into the basement—the same one Scott had broken into before.
But this time, Pym led him to a different section. A wall stood before them. Pym tapped it twice, and it slowly slid open, revealing a hidden control room.
"Forty years ago, I accidentally discovered a formula—one that can alter the distance and size between atoms."
Pym's words were explosive.
"And the suit you stole… uses that formula."
Scott was stunned into silence.
Inside, the room was filled with monitors, instruments, scattered equations, and incomprehensible devices.
"Later, I realized how dangerous this discovery was. So I hid it."
Pym took the Ant-Man suit from a nearby rack and laid it on the table.
"To better conceal it, I founded my own company."
He placed the belt and helmet beside it.
"Pym Technologies. I know that one."
Scott finally got a word in.
"Correct."
Pym nodded.
"I also took on a protégé—Darren Cross."
"I know him too. Big name."
Scott gestured.
In New York's tech world, there were two giants—Stark and Oscorp. Beneath them, Darren Cross's company was among the most prominent.
Pym scoffed lightly.
"Before he became famous, he was my assistant. I valued him greatly—like a son. He was brilliant."
Holding a diagnostic device, Pym examined the suit.
"But as we grew closer, he began suspecting I was hiding something. Somehow, he learned about Pym Particles and became obsessed with replicating my formula."
He inserted a vial of red liquid into the belt.
"So he conspired with the board to vote me out of my own company."
Scott blinked.
"You founded the company. How could they remove you?"
"Simple. The board chair is my daughter, Hope. She cast the deciding vote."
Pym shrugged, picking up the helmet.
"Now she's come back to me because Cross is close to cracking the formula. Without a specialized helmet, the particles will cause irreversible brain damage."
His tone darkened.
"Cross hasn't realized that yet. And he's… not the most stable person."
"So… what do you want me to do?"
Scott still looked lost.
Pym turned to him.
"I believe everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Help me, and I promise—you'll reunite with your daughter."
Scott's eyes lit up instantly.
"I've been ready for that. My days of breaking into people's homes are over. I've turned my life around. What do you need me to do?"
He spoke with absolute conviction.
"I need you to break into someone's home… and steal something."
Scott's expression collapsed on the spot.
He had just declared he was done with theft—only for this seemingly upright old man to immediately ask him to steal again.
---
Meanwhile, in Darren's laboratory—
A group of researchers in white coats surrounded a sheep sealed inside a glass chamber, running tests and recording data.
Darren stood nearby, staring intently at a tablet.
Above them, behind a glass window, Hope watched.
Her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Darren's increasingly erratic behavior.
Regret crept into her expression.
Driving her father out of the company… might have been a mistake.
Without Pym to restrain him, Darren had spiraled—his ideas growing more dangerous by the day, with no one left to stop him.
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