Teasing and Judgment

"Maya Hansen, what exactly are you doing?" Bald-headed Seven glared at Maya Hansen in extreme displeasure.

Maya Hansen avoided his scrutinizing gaze and hid behind Tony.

"What's going on?"

Tony turned around and raised an eyebrow at Maya Hansen.

"Actually..."

Maya Hansen hesitated, but looking at Tony's broad back, she finally began to explain. "Actually, I'm currently a scientist under AIM. They provide the funding for all my research."

"AIM? What's that?" Tony asked doubtfully.

"Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM for short. It's the organization Aldrich Killian created. I work for him now."

"Aldrich Killian? That name... sounds a little familiar." Tony actually knew everything, but there was a world of difference between him exposing it himself and Maya Hansen saying it aloud.

"Before coming here, I thought he served that 'Mandarin.' But after seeing you, Killian's bodyguard, personally answer the Mandarin's call and attack Tony's house, I'm completely certain now. Killian and all of you secretly joined the Ten Rings, which is why you've been able to keep AIM, with its massive funding shortfall, afloat all this time."

Maya Hansen made her deduction.

"You stupid woman. Knowing too much will only lead you to your end. You were originally still useful to the organization. We still needed your research to overcome Extremis's side effects."

"But now..." Bald-headed Seven paused, pointed at Maya Hansen, and said with an incomparably vicious expression, "You've betrayed the organization. You're completely useless now!"

Just when Tony thought Bald-headed Seven would immediately make a move against Maya Hansen after delivering his threat, Bald-headed Seven suddenly ran off in a certain direction without even looking back.

It seemed this was not his first time in Maya Hansen's laboratory, so he knew the escape routes very well. That was also his only remaining hope of survival.

"Huh??"