"Damn!" Hank Pym took off his glasses, feeling a headache coming on. In the end, this was his fault—he hadn't planned things thoroughly, which led to Scott recklessly trying to retrieve the device.
And now, just as expected, Scott had been completely identified as an enemy by the Avengers.
"Alan, I'm sorry. Before I could properly investigate, Scott has already exposed his identity," Hank immediately apologized.
He had acted too hastily, giving Scott the freedom to improvise, which ultimately led to him being discovered by the Avengers.
"No need to apologize, Dr. Pym. Just keep watching."
Alan rubbed his palms together. If anyone should be apologizing, perhaps it was him—after all, he had long known that the old factory had been repurposed by Tony Stark into an Avengers base.
He also hadn't informed Hank Pym about the Avengers' recruitment assessment.
Shifting his gaze back to Scott, he saw Sam extending his powerful left hand, aiming to grab Scott. But once again, Scott shrank down to the size of an ant, slipping through Sam's grasp.
Scott leaped up, throwing a punch toward Sam's chin.
However, Sam's reflexes were sharp. He stepped back a few paces—if he had been hit that easily, Tony and the others would never let him hear the end of it.
Unfurling the mechanical wings behind him, Sam flapped them forcefully, sending a gust of wind that blew Scott down onto the lawn.
Sam continued reporting to Tony and the team about the intruder's characteristics and abilities.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "He has shrinking and enlarging abilities? Looks like the so-called 'Emperor' introduced us to a mutant."
Tony shrugged. "Who knows? Either way, the test has already started. If he manages to get what he came for, that means he passes the rookie assessment."
Finishing his sentence, Tony's eyes gleamed with excitement as he watched the scene unfold. Sending Sam to engage Scott was a test in itself—if Scott could take the item right under Sam's nose, then that would prove he had real skills.
Besides…
Tony had read the reports about Scott's criminal record. There had to be more to the story than what was officially documented. Perhaps, one day, he'd have the chance to ask Scott about it.
Meanwhile, Sam used his infrared imaging lens to precisely track Scott, who was sprinting frantically across the lawn.
As he continued relaying information through his comms, he spread his wings and soared into the air. Predicting Scott's movement trajectory, he flew ahead and landed directly in Scott's path, cutting him off.
At the same time, he retracted his wings, appearing suddenly in front of Scott, startling him.
Scott barely had time to react when he looked up and saw a massive foot about to stomp down on him.
"Hey, man! Don't think I'm just some ordinary ant you can squash that easily!" Scott raised his arms, blocking Sam's stomp.
Hope's warning echoed in his ears—if he didn't control his strength properly, he might actually kill Sam with a single punch.
Control was key.
Scott shoved Sam's foot aside and then sprang onto Sam's body.
"Sorry, big guy, but I'm really just here to grab something. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you."
Dodging bullets, Scott knew he had to come up with a way to reach the warehouse.
But first, he needed to deal with Sam.
Otherwise, getting what he came for would be impossible.
"That's enough!" Sam roared, swinging his fist at Scott.
The next second, Scott was sent crashing to the ground.
...
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