"Well, you guys are basically S.H.I.E.L.D.," said Hank Pym with a half-smile. "So you'll find out anyway. Here."
He handed them small metal discs. The Avengers looked at them with suspicion, not quite sure what they were, except Tony, who seemed to recognize them immediately.
"Put them in your glasses and press the center button."
They followed his instructions. As soon as they did, the glasses, which had been normal-sized, suddenly grew until they nearly reached the ceiling. Fortunately, the weight remained unchanged.
"Impressive," Clint commented, though his expression remained as serious as ever.
"Technology based on Pym Particles," Hank explained with visible pride. "Developed by me, of course."
A moment later, the glasses returned to their original size.
"As you can see, they can alter the size of any solid object. Shrink, enlarge, compress..."
He was about to launch into a technical explanation when Natasha interrupted him.
"Doctor, what does this have to do with what you mentioned earlier?"
"Right, right," he coughed softly, a bit embarrassed. "I got carried away."
He cleared his throat and continued.
"As I was saying, molecules are extremely difficult to manipulate, especially in living organisms, where the body is in constant motion. But that's only a problem for tools, not for someone who can shrink down to the size of a molecule. At that scale, manipulating them would be as simple as moving building blocks."
"But that can't be done, right?" Tony chimed in. "From what I understand, Pym Particles were the result of a failed attempt to miniaturize humans. You ended up with something functional, but only for objects. Isn't that right?"
Pym remained silent for a moment, then let out a small chuckle and looked at him with admiration.
"You did your homework, Stark. Officially, yes, I never succeeded. But the truth is very different."
He stood and walked a bit as he spoke.
"I did succeed, years ago. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, it was much easier. But it was also a mistake. I ended up hurting someone I loved. Shrinking too much is incredibly dangerous. When I saw what my technology could do in the wrong hands, I decided to shut it all down. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to use it to create invisible soldiers, impossible to reach, capable of infiltrating anywhere. But their ambition only caused deaths."
"And that's why you quit," said Tony, arms crossed. "You had to hide what you'd achieved, and Fury… well, he didn't forgive you."
"Exactly."
"So, someone recreated your tech? Or stole it?"
"My old suit, the one I used as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, was recently stolen. It was kept in a secure facility, but it vanished. That might be a good starting point."
They kept talking for hours. Even without solid evidence, everyone on the team agreed that whoever stole the suit likely found a way to use it.
"We'll keep investigating," said Steve as he stood up. "But if we have more questions, we'll come back. Thank you for your time, Dr. Pym."
"It was my pleasure, Steve. You're always welcome."
Once they were far from the house, Natasha made a call.
"I want a full report on everything Hank Pym has done in the last few months. I want every detail."
Clint understood instantly. Steve, more naive, frowned.
"You think he's lying?"
"Quite the opposite," Natasha answered without hesitation. "Everything he said is true. That's exactly why it's dangerous. We don't need to look for someone who fits the profile of the culprit. Hank Pym is the profile."
"But if he were guilty, why help us?"
"Because the best lies," Clint added, closing the conversation, "are always wrapped in a layer of truth."
---
"So, if we had done something to Loki, Asgard would've invaded Earth? Wasn't he exiled?"
"Exiled or not, he's still Odin's son," replied Thor. "Prince of Asgard. If anyone within the Nine Realms harms him, that realm would suffer Asgard's wrath."
"Asgardian culture is... complicated... Oh, they're back," said Rhodes as he saw them enter.
"Did you find anything?" asked Pietro.
"Well, Natasha thinks we already have our culprit," replied Tony sarcastically.
"Seriously, Tony?" Natasha shot him a warning look.
"I'm not saying he's guilty," Natasha continued, "but he's suspicious. He fits the profile perfectly. Think about it: even if someone knew how to use Pym Particles, they'd still need the suit. And the only one who knew how to make it work is him."
"I'll admit it's strange," added Steve. "Too convenient. The suit gets stolen, and basically we're being handed a target right from the start. Things are never that easy."
"And what did S.H.I.E.L.D. tell you?" asked Tony.
"Nothing unusual. The only noteworthy thing is that, recently, someone tried to break into his house."
Tony chuckled bitterly.
"Even better. Why don't we stop investigating the brilliant scientist who's cooperating with us and focus on the thief who broke into his home?"
---
They arrived at the thief's house.
A few seconds after ringing the bell, a man with dark hair and an otherwise normal appearance opened the door. His expression lit up like a child meeting his heroes.
"No way... the Avengers! It's an honor. You look even more heroic in person!"
"Scott Lang, right?"
Clint interrupted him in his usual dry, direct tone.
"Yes! Yes, of course. Do you need something? Want to come in?"
"No, thank you," replied Natasha with a kind smile. "We just want to ask you a few questions."
Her tone was deliberately calm. Interrogating someone always works better when they don't realize they're being interrogated.
"A few weeks ago, you tried to break into Dr. Hank Pym's house, right?"
Scott got nervous instantly. His enthusiasm vanished.
"Yeah… I'm really sorry. But I didn't steal anything, and Dr. Pym even dropped the charges."
"You say you didn't manage to steal anything?"
"No, I swear. The house was supposed to be empty. But it wasn't. I got caught before I could do anything."
Natasha gave the rest of the group a quick glance. They could read the signal. Scott wasn't lying. He didn't steal anything. But his nervousness… his guilt… there was something more behind it.
And they intended to find out what it was.
______________________________________
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