Scott reflected on his recent training. He had spent countless hours honing his skills alongside the ants underground—though not without being trampled by a few disobedient ones along the way.
But by now, he had grown familiar with each ant and their unique traits, especially Ant-thony. Scott and Ant-thony had practically become "best partners."
Determined to succeed, Scott saw this final trial as a test of his training progress—not just for himself, but for Cassie and for Dr. Hank Pym and his team.
He had to pull it off!
Of course, he also didn't want to let Alan down. After all, Alan was the one who introduced him to this high-stakes job.
If he successfully retrieved the Wasp suit and completed Hank Pym's mission, there might even be a chance for him to join the Avengers.
It was a respectable opportunity, even though superheroes had recently been vilified by the media, painted as harbingers of disaster.
But Scott never saw it that way. In the end, weren't those same critics still relying on superheroes for protection?
He, too, wanted to be a hero—someone strong enough to protect his daughter, Cassie.
Meanwhile, Wanda noticed something strange—Alan wasn't in the room while Hank and the others were discussing the plan.
A flicker of doubt crossed her mind. Had Alan simply gone to the bathroom?
It didn't seem likely—he wouldn't leave in the middle of such an important discussion. Maybe he had his own business to take care of.
Alan was on a call with the Red Queen. It was time to let her exert some influence over Tony Stark.
Not long ago, J.A.R.V.I.S. had even contacted him, inquiring about when the new recruit would report to the Avengers' base. They were preparing tests to welcome the newcomer.
Alan told them not to worry—he had his own plans.
"Sir, you have a message," came a mechanical voice devoid of emotion in Tony's ear.
He was used to it by now. J.A.R.V.I.S. never spoke with emotion, yet his thinking was as sharp as any human's.
"Play it," Tony commanded.
J.A.R.V.I.S. obeyed, playing the recorded message. Tony wasn't particularly surprised—after all, during the last Hydra incident, the only person who had managed to bypass networks and send J.A.R.V.I.S. direct information was none other than the Emperor himself.
"Tony?"
Natasha, sipping from a mug of hot cocoa, raised an eyebrow at Tony's peculiar expression—like someone suffering from constipation.
"What's up with you?" she asked.
"Nothing," Tony replied, shaking his head. "Remember when Alan mentioned introducing us to a new recruit?"
With a flick of his fingers, Tony pulled up global population data. With J.A.R.V.I.S.'s tracking capabilities, he could dig into anyone's records.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., pull up all available data on Scott Lang… and his family," Tony said, intrigued. If Alan personally vouched for someone, could this guy be some kind of genius?
"His name is Scott?" Natasha took another sip of her cocoa as she stepped closer to Tony, skimming through Scott's information.
"A thief… and an engineer?"
Tony and Natasha exchanged glances.
Why would Alan endorse an ex-convict?
"If Steve finds out, he'll be the first to reject him," Natasha remarked. She knew Captain America's rigid sense of justice—he wasn't the type to easily accept someone with a criminal record as a defender of justice.
"Let's not judge too quickly," Tony mused, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Maybe he's not just a thief—maybe he's a master thief."
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. Should he beef up the security at the Avengers' base?
"So… this so-called master thief—when exactly does he plan on showing up?" Natasha asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
...
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