Chapter 84: Escape from the Police Station

Scott crouched in the holding cell, while his ex-wife’s fiancé, Paxton, stood beside him.

Paxton happened to be a police officer in this very precinct, making Scott feel as if he couldn’t be more unlucky—he couldn’t even drink water without getting something stuck in his teeth. He’d planned to pull off a job to get some quick cash, but not only had he ended up empty-handed, he’d also been nearly scared out of his wits by a bizarre suit. And just as he was about to return the suit, the police caught him in the act!

Now he had to sit here and listen to the lectures of his ex-wife’s irritating fiancé. Scott’s nerves were fraying.

“You know, we almost believed you’d turned your life around. Both she and her daughter had high hopes for you. This is only going to break their hearts,” Paxton said.

“Someone’s here to see you, Scott,” a Black officer approached.

“Who?” Scott asked.

“Your lawyer friend,” the officer replied.

Lawyer? Since when did I have a lawyer? Scott was baffled. He followed the officer to the interrogation room.

Inside, Scott saw an elderly man with white hair and a younger, blond-haired man. He didn’t recognize either of them.

“I told you I’d be in touch, Scott. I’m starting to think you like spending time in lockup,” the old man said.

So it was the owner of the villa. Scott recognized the voice that had spoken to him through the helmet—it belonged to the old man standing before him.

“Please, have a seat,” Dr. Pym said, while Arthur stood nearby, arms crossed.

Scott sat down and addressed Dr. Pym, “Sir, I’m sorry I stole your suit. I don’t even know why you have such a miraculous thing.”

“Maggie didn’t misjudge you,” Dr. Pym replied.

“How do you know Maggie?” Scott asked. Maggie was his ex-wife.

“No wonder she won’t let you near Cassie. Whenever things can’t be resolved, you go back to your old ways and break the law,” Dr. Pym said.

Scott was shocked that the old man seemed to know everything, but he had to admit he was right. Shamefaced, he lowered his head.

“But I’m telling you, you still have a choice. Either spend the rest of your life in prison, or go back to your cell and wait for my next instructions,” Dr. Pym said.

“I don’t understand,” Scott said.

“I didn’t expect you to. But you don’t really have another option, do you?” Dr. Pym replied.

Scott glanced at Arthur, who was watching him with a strange, almost pitying smile.

“Did it never occur to you that I set this all up from the start so you would steal the suit?” Dr. Pym suddenly asked.

“What?” Scott was stunned.

So it had all been orchestrated by Dr. Pym—the information had been leaked on purpose, all to lure Scott in.

“Not everyone gets an opportunity like this. So if you do, I suggest you think it through carefully,” Dr. Pym said, then left the interrogation room with Arthur.

Outside, they saw the Black police officer still waiting for Arthur’s instructions.

“After you take him back to his cell, erase all the surveillance footage from earlier. And then, forget everything,” Arthur told him.

The officer nodded and went to escort Scott back. Arthur had implanted a suggestion in the minds of everyone who had seen them; no one would remember their visit.

“Let’s go,” Arthur said, and Dr. Pym led him back to the villa.

...

Scott sat in his holding cell, replaying Dr. Pym’s words in his mind, when he suddenly noticed three ants crawling toward him, carrying a tiny object. It grew larger before his eyes—it was the suit he’d worn earlier. Next to the suit, a swarm of ants arranged themselves into a number.

10, 9, 8... It was a countdown, reminding Scott that time was running out.

Scott made his decision instantly and donned the suit as quickly as he could...

Just as a passing officer noticed Scott was missing! The officer immediately sounded the alarm, and the precinct erupted into chaos as they searched for Scott, unaware that he was right by their feet.

Guided by Dr. Pym, Scott raced out of the precinct and arrived at the side entrance.

“Okay! Where to now?” Scott asked.

“Hold on,” Dr. Pym replied.

Suddenly, countless ants swarmed around Scott, and a gigantic flying ant descended from above, landing before him.

“Step onto the middle segment and climb onto its back!” Dr. Pym ordered.

“Is this thing safe?” Scott asked, a little scared.

“Stop wasting time and get on!” Dr. Pym said impatiently.

Gritting his teeth, Scott mounted the flying ant. It carried him onto a moving police car, and Dr. Pym directed the car to take him through five blocks cordoned off by the police.

Scott clung tightly to the device on the ant’s back, trying to steer. The ant took off from the police car and flew into a parked bus. Then it exited the bus and soared through the sky. The ride left Scott dizzy and nauseous—he thought it was even worse than flying in an airplane!

Scott wanted to get off; he couldn’t take it anymore, but Dr. Pym urged him to hold on.

In the end, Scott passed out on the ant’s back and tumbled downward. The flying ant dove after him, caught him, and carried him toward Dr. Pym’s villa.

...

“See? He’s completely out of it,” Arthur quipped as he watched the monitor.

“He did well enough. It’s perfectly normal to faint on your first flight,” Dr. Pym remarked indifferently.

“I didn’t faint on my first flight,” Arthur retorted.

“He’s not like you. He’s a normal person,” Dr. Pym replied, implying Arthur was not. Arthur pouted but said nothing more.

The flying ant No. 247 successfully delivered the unconscious Scott back to Dr. Pym’s villa. Arthur helped him out of the suit and tossed him onto the guest bed—definitely not a task for Hope.

“So what’s your plan now?” Arthur asked Dr. Pym.

Hope was also there, eager to hear her father’s intentions.

“I’m going to wait until Scott learns to control the ants. Then, I’ll have him take my bomb to the Pym Technologies lab and destroy all of Darren Cross’s research equipment,” Dr. Pym explained his plan.

“I could do it myself, no need for him,” Hope protested.

“No! It’s too dangerous. I won’t let you take that risk!” Dr. Pym refused.

“There’s no need for all this trouble. I could just apprehend Darren Cross directly, then have someone take care of the lab equipment,” Arthur offered.

“No! The research on Pym particles mustn’t fall into anyone’s hands—especially not the government! I have to destroy it with an atomic bomb,” Dr. Pym insisted.

“I could just blow up Pym Technologies for you,” Arthur suggested again.

“No need. After my atomic bomb goes off, nothing will be left. The lab will be destroyed without drawing attention,” Dr. Pym replied.

Clearly, Dr. Pym still didn’t trust him, believing the Avengers coveted his research. Fine, they’d do it Dr. Pym’s way.

“Alright then, we’ll follow your plan. But when the time comes, I’ll help to make sure everything goes smoothly and simply,” Arthur said, having no choice but to agree in order to win Dr. Pym’s trust.

...