Chapter Eighty-One: Dr. Pym

That day, Arthur received a call from Hill. Hill had noticed that Pym Technologies was researching biological atomic shrinking technology and intended to sell it to certain American military politicians. She hoped Arthur could intervene and stop them.

The inventor of this technology was Hank Pym, a true scientific genius and former S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist. He had developed the Pym Particle and, under the guise of Ant-Man, made tremendous contributions to S.H.I.E.L.D.

He could use the Pym Particle to alter the atomic size of objects, shrinking them smaller than ants, or enlarging them to sizes greater than mountains. However, after his wife Janet perished during a mission, he discovered S.H.I.E.L.D. was stealing his research. Furious, Dr. Pym left S.H.I.E.L.D. with all his research materials.

After his departure, Dr. Pym founded Pym Technologies, focusing on intelligent robotics. Now, he had already handed the company over to a man named Darren Cross and was enjoying retirement at home.

Recently, this Darren Cross began experimenting with biological atomic shrinking, seeking to exploit Dr. Pym’s research for weapon development and profit. He had even manufactured a Wasp suit, barely thumb-sized, and intended to sell such weapons to unscrupulous politicians in the U.S. military. Dr. Pym apparently did not support his actions.

Hill wanted Arthur to contact Dr. Pym, help him deal with Darren Cross, and ideally persuade Dr. Pym to join the Avengers again. Dr. Pym was an exceptionally talented scientist, the kind of talent the Avengers needed.

Arthur asked Hill why she always had him handle these matters.

Hill replied that, among everyone, Arthur was the least busy—if not him, who else?

Arthur had no retort.

...

Los Angeles, USA

Arthur drove to Dr. Pym’s villa, a two-story red vintage house. In truth, Arthur rather envied Dr. Pym—his house could be taken anywhere, which was extremely convenient.

Arthur rang the doorbell; after a moment, the door opened, revealing a tall, dark-haired beauty in professional attire.

Arthur recognized her: Hope van Dyne, Dr. Pym’s daughter, who would one day become the Wasp.

“Who are you looking for?” Hope asked, eyeing the blond man in a suit at her door who seemed vaguely familiar.

“I’m here to see Dr. Hank Pym. Does he live here?” Arthur replied.

“He’s my father. Please wait a moment.” Hope let Arthur in and went to fetch Dr. Pym.

Dr. Pym, his hair snow-white and well into his sixties, emerged from the living room, studying the stranger before him. “I am Hank Pym. Who are you? What do you want?”

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arthur Yohn, codename Aquaman. I work with the Avengers. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Arthur said, extending his hand.

“I assure you, the pleasure is entirely yours. I have no interest whatsoever in your Avengers. You should leave!” Dr. Pym cut Arthur off, refusing to hear him out further.

“Wait, Doctor, please let me finish—”

“No need. Just leave—I don’t want to see any of you Avengers again!” Dr. Pym interrupted, clearly wanting Arthur gone.

“Dr. Pym, I came here sincerely. Do you really think I’ll just walk away?” Arthur smiled faintly.

“I advise you to leave before I lose my temper!” Dr. Pym warned. Arthur then noticed a swarm of bullet-sized ants crawling across the floor, surrounding him.

Beside Dr. Pym stood a giant ant, over a meter long, baring its teeth at Arthur.

“So this is your hospitality?” Arthur asked, folding his arms.

“I don’t consider you a guest,” Dr. Pym replied. Hope watched, curious how the blond visitor would handle the situation.

“I’m here to help, Doctor. Darren Cross wants your research to sell it to the military, which is something we Avengers cannot allow,” Arthur said, walking toward the living room.

The ants parted, opening a path for him. Arthur approached Dr. Pym, even reaching out to gently stroke the giant ant’s head.

Arthur sat at the dining table, found a chair, and said to Dr. Pym, “Shall we sit and talk? I’m a bit thirsty—could the lovely lady bring me some tea?”

Dr. Pym nodded; Hope turned to prepare the tea. Dr. Pym took the main seat, looking at Arthur. “How did you do that?”

“You control them with electromagnetic waves. I control them with mental power. If I wanted, I could control you, make you hand over your Pym Particle research! But that’s not my style—I prefer to win people over with sincerity,” Arthur replied.

“Very well, what do you want me to do?” Dr. Pym asked, resigned.

“Doctor, you’re practically one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s founders; your contributions and sacrifices for the country are immense. I hold you in the highest regard. This time, the Avengers learned of Cross’s scheme and sent me specifically to help you,” Arthur said earnestly.

“I don’t believe you came to help me without ulterior motives. Tell me, what do you want?” Dr. Pym pressed.

“Here’s your tea!” Hope brought freshly brewed black tea for both Arthur and Dr. Pym.

“Thank you!” Arthur said to Hope.

“We Avengers are no longer the S.H.I.E.L.D. of old. S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely infiltrated by Hydra, which is why they coveted your research,” Arthur said, sipping his tea—quite delicious.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. has been utterly destroyed. The current Avengers are actually led by Captain America. We’d like to invite you to join, to help defend world peace!” Arthur continued.

Dr. Pym laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’m old! I’m no longer the Hank Pym of years past. What use would I be to the Avengers now?”

“You are a remarkable scientist, precisely the kind of talent we need. As for your research, I know you have a successor in mind, and your daughter will inherit your work—am I right?” Arthur said.

“You know quite a lot. Yes, I do have a candidate to inherit my suit. Are you after my Pym Particle as well?” Dr. Pym asked.

“No, no! I’m simply inviting you sincerely. Whether or not you join, I will help you, Dr. Pym,” Arthur replied, meeting his gaze.

Dr. Pym stared at Arthur for a minute, then said, “Alright, I believe you. But you must first resolve the trouble at Pym Technologies. As for joining, I’ll have to consider further.”

Arthur understood he would be judged by the Avengers’ actions first. He extended his hand, “Thank you very much, Dr. Pym!”

“And I thank you for your help!” Dr. Pym shook Arthur’s hand, and the two finally reached a temporary understanding.

“So, what’s your plan?” Arthur asked Dr. Pym and Hope.

“I have someone in mind for the job. His name is Scott Lang. Though he’s just out of prison, I’ve observed him for a long time. Scott is a good man, devoted to his family, so I chose him to help me!” Dr. Pym explained to Hope and Arthur.

Hope was a bit unconvinced. She had great faith in her own abilities, but her father wouldn’t let her take risks. Could Scott Lang really be better than her?

“Alright, so how will you recruit him?” Arthur asked.

“I have a plan. Scott Lang is newly released and has failed at several jobs. He desperately needs money. All I have to do is drop him a hint—I believe he’ll take the risk again,” Dr. Pym said.

“OK! That’s a good plan. May I observe as well?” Arthur asked.

“Very well...”

...