Chapter 71: Fulfilling a Promise - Little Ant-Man Gets in Big Trouble
Without his vibranium prosthetic arm, the Winter Soldier was no match for even a standard enhanced operative.
Ryan approached the reinforced containment cell holding James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky kept his head lowered, long hair obscuring his face and concealing his expression.
The supervising enhanced soldier approached Ryan carrying a secured transport case. Opening it revealed Bucky's severed vibranium arm, still gleaming despite the battle damage.
"All of you head out and take this to the materials lab for analysis."
Several guards departed, leaving Ryan alone with the caged Winter Soldier.
After everyone had exited and the security door sealed, the Winter Soldier finally looked up and asked, "Are you here to execute me?"
Ryan unlocked the containment cell and entered, speaking with cold calm. "Steve must be getting lonely down there in hell. I'm here to arrange your reunion with Captain Rogers. This fulfills the promise I made to him."
When Ryan had first been captured and brought before Doctor Strange, the Winter Soldier had advocated for his immediate execution. From that moment, James Barnes had earned a permanent place on Ryan's kill list.
The timing of his death had simply been delayed by circumstances. If Bucky had moved faster, he might have caught up with Steve, who had already departed for the afterlife.
The Winter Soldier sneered with bitter defiance. "Steve was always too merciful. I should have put a bullet in your head the first time we captured you."
"What's the point of such regrets now? It's just the impotent rage of someone who can't alter their fate."
Minutes later, Ryan exited the cell, leaving behind the cooling corpse of Bucky Barnes.
Military personnel transported the body to Dr. Angus for post-mortem analysis.
Angus had originally served as Ross's research assistant but had since taken on the specialized role of studying Captain America's enhanced physiology. While the HYDRA-developed serum in the Winter Soldier's system was inferior to the original Super Soldier formula, it still held significant research value.
Inside the London Sanctum Sanctorum, Black Panther T'Challa spoke in measured tones. "I'm returning to Wakanda immediately. My apologies, but Ryan's threat is now your responsibility to handle."
With that declaration, he turned and departed the mystical sanctuary without anyone attempting to dissuade him.
Dr. Banner, having reverted from his Hulk form, sighed heavily. "I have no idea where Thor has gone, and now Doctor Strange has lost his dominant arm. We've suffered too many casualties. I believe we should abandon this crusade."
The one-armed Strange, supporting himself against a wall, replied grimly, "If we cannot neutralize Ryan, our entire world faces destruction. We haven't lost this war yet."
"Haven't lost yet? Steve is dead, Sam is dead, Bucky has been captured and likely executed, T'Challa has abandoned the cause, and you've lost your arm along with your ability to cast spells effectively. How exactly do we achieve victory? Must we sacrifice every remaining Avenger?" Banner didn't want to criticize Strange, but he genuinely saw no path to success.
Without their moral leader and tactical anchor, the Avengers had become scattered and directionless.
Even more discouraged was Shang-Chi, now possessing only six of his ten ancestral rings. Not only had his combat effectiveness been severely diminished, but he'd also created serious problems for his family's organization.
Shang-Chi had believed he was joining a righteous cause, but the motivation had been based on ancient prophecies rather than solid intelligence.
A pale and weakened Strange declared, "We need to retrieve Wanda Maximoff. Combined with Thor's return and Carol's power, we can definitely achieve victory."
Captain Marvel Carol finally spoke up, asking pointedly, "Where exactly is Thor?"
"Crisis has erupted in Asgard. Thor is dealing with urgent matters there."
"Then why can't we simply wait for his return?" Carol looked at Strange with obvious confusion.
Strange shook his head grimly. "Because time is not on our side."
If the Time Stone were still available, Strange would have numerous methods to counter Ryan's threat. Without it, Strange couldn't employ temporal manipulation to predict future outcomes as he had during the battle against Thanos.
Shang-Chi, pushing aside his grief over losing four of his ancestral rings, asked, "What should our next move be?"
Strange considered carefully before responding, "You travel to New Asgard and await Thor's return. I'll go back to Kamar-Taj and, with assistance from other Master sorcerers, attempt to locate and extract Wanda from her self-imposed exile. Hopefully, we still have sufficient time."
Master Wong opened a portal and transported the others to the small Norwegian fishing village that served as New Asgard, then returned to Kamar-Taj with Strange.
Having lost his dominant arm, Strange faced enormous challenges in opening dimensional gateways and accurately locating Wanda's mystical signature across the multiverse.
Another participant in the failed operation was Ant-Man Scott Lang.
Having a family and young daughter, Scott had heeded Ryan's warning and immediately evacuated from the combat zone.
Rather than purchasing commercial airline tickets, Scott had shrunk down and stowed away aboard a direct flight to San Francisco.
Upon returning home and removing his Ant-Man suit, Hope van Dyne entered the room carrying a coffee mug.
"Hey Scott, I haven't seen you for over twenty hours. Where have you been?"
"Well, it was such a beautiful day today. I decided to go for a long walk," Scott lied with forced cheerfulness.
Looking outside at the overcast sky threatening imminent rain, Hope shook her head skeptically. "I don't know what's been bothering Cassie lately. If you have time, I think you should check on your daughter."
As they conversed, the sudden screech of multiple brake systems echoed from outside.
Peering through the window, Hope saw rows of military vehicles parked along the street, completely surrounding Scott's residence.
Hope, who knew Scott's history better than anyone, turned and asked, "Are you in trouble again?"
Scott gave an awkward smile. "Just a little bit. Barely any trouble at all, really."
CLICK
Ryan stepped out of the lead military vehicle. Steel Penn and Death Blade Anthony flanked him, followed by a dozen enhanced soldiers in full tactical gear.
Steel Penn and Death Blade were their chosen codenames. Since the Avengers all had superhero aliases, the enhanced operatives naturally wanted their own distinctive identities for field operations.
Seeing Ryan personally leading the operation, Scott's heart sank with dread.
DING DONG
Ryan politely rang the doorbell.
Hope approached, opened the door, and asked cautiously, "Who are you looking for?"
"This is Scott Lang's residence, correct? You must be Hope van Dyne." Ryan smiled while peering inside, catching sight of Scott attempting to hide behind the door.
The Pym-van Dyne family represented two generations of superhero legacy, so they weren't easily intimidated by Ryan's military display.
Hope immediately responded, "If Scott has committed any wrongdoing, please contact our legal representatives. Otherwise, I must ask you to leave our property."
SWOOSH
Death Blade Anthony's bone blade materialized from his forearm as he glared menacingly at Hope.
Ryan smiled and raised his hand dismissively. "No need for threats. I'm a research consultant with the military laboratory division. You can call me Ryan. We were attacked by Ant-Man Scott several hours ago. This constitutes far more than simple criminal activity. I suggest you call him out to discuss this situation, or I'll be forced to extract him and your family for questioning."
Hope's eyes widened as she turned to look at Scott hiding behind the door. Scott shook his head with a look of complete innocence.
Hope had no choice but to step aside and allow Ryan entry.
Scott, who had been concealing himself, emerged with an awkward smile directed at Ryan.
Ryan patted Scott's shoulder with false friendliness. "You're an intelligent man. You should be grateful you made the wise choice to withdraw when you did."
Entering the living room, Ryan settled onto the sofa and crossed his legs casually.
His two bodyguards, Steel Penn and Death Blade Anthony, positioned themselves behind him.
Scott stood at a respectful distance, scratching his head nervously. Fortunately, Hope approached with coffee, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Mr. Ryan?" Hope pulled Scott over to sit across from their uninvited guest. "Is there perhaps some misunderstanding here?"
Ryan smiled diplomatically. "I believe Mr. Lang was deceived by someone's manipulation, but it's also undeniably true that he participated in an assault against federal personnel."
Hope turned to Scott, hoping for a reasonable explanation.
Scott quickly replied, "Doctor Strange approached me. He claimed he was trying to save the world, so I agreed to help him."
Hope slapped her forehead in exasperation.
Ryan gestured, and Marcus Payne immediately produced an official document and handed it over.
Ryan placed it on the coffee table. "This is a Pentagon-issued control order, authorized by Congressional oversight committee. Effective immediately, Ant-Man Scott Lang and all associated Pym Technology equipment will be subject to federal restriction. Until this order is formally lifted, Mr. Lang must wear a GPS monitoring device or face court-martial proceedings."
Hope immediately seized the document and began reading its contents.
Normally, even if Scott were guilty of criminal activity, such restrictions would only be enforced following proper legal proceedings. However, this document cited national security endangerment as justification, with Congressional authorization effectively bypassing normal judicial processes.
Ryan continued, "I'm actually here regarding a different matter entirely. I understand Dr. Hank Pym is considered an expert in quantum realm mechanics, and I'd very much like to speak with him. Would that be convenient to arrange?"
Hope handed the restriction order to Scott. "I need to contact my father immediately."
Several minutes later, Hope returned to the living room. "My father will be here shortly. Regarding Scott's situation..."
"Don't worry. The monitoring order won't remain in effect indefinitely."
Approximately twenty minutes later, Dr. Hank Pym and his wife Janet van Dyne arrived at Scott's residence to meet with Ryan.
This wasn't Ryan and Hank Pym's first encounter. They had met once before, in 1970, at a classified military installation in New Jersey, though it had been merely a brief passing interaction.
Ryan had also stolen eleven Pym Particles during that previous encounter, leading to the complete breakdown of the relationship between Hank Pym and Howard Stark.
"You requested this meeting?"
Ryan smiled and stood, extending his hand professionally. "I've heard remarkable things about Dr. Pym's work."
Hope had already briefed Hank about Scott's predicament over the phone. Although Dr. Pym was known for his volatile temper, he didn't display hostility toward Ryan due to Scott's situation.
Ryan stated his purpose directly. "I understand Dr. Pym possesses extensive knowledge regarding subatomic particles and quantum realm physics. I have an artifact I'd like Dr. Pym to examine."
He removed one of the captured Mandarin rings and handed it to Hank, then activated his remaining three rings with cosmic energy for demonstration.
Hank held the ring with obvious fascination, studying its construction for several moments before becoming genuinely intrigued.
"I'm not entirely certain what materials comprise this device, but I suspect it functions as an energy amplification mechanism. The quantum energy entanglement appears to operate using principles similar to Pym Particle manipulation."
Ryan was undoubtedly an authority in bioengineering and genetic enhancement, but his understanding of quantum physics remained limited. While Hank Pym's research into subatomic manipulation was specialized rather than broad, his expertise in quantum energy mechanics was undoubtedly far superior to Ryan's.
"Could you elaborate on that theory?"
Hank shook his head. "Drawing definitive conclusions would be premature. I'll need access to specialized analytical equipment for proper examination."
Ryan then departed, leaving Scott under house arrest, and drove directly to Pym Technologies' private laboratory facility.
End of Chapter 71
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01