"You seem nervous, Hope." Homelander turned toward her, his gaze intent. He had dropped her surname and addressed her by her first name with easy familiarity.
"I'm not nervous." Hope forced herself to meet his eyes. "I'm just curious why the Starr Group suddenly took an interest in a company focused on nanotechnology and communications. Besides, you should know Darren Cross is the one running Pym Technologies now."
"The Starr Group has always looked beyond its time." Homelander leaned back slightly, draping his left arm over the back of the sofa, just behind Hope.
"I'm not interested in Darren Cross." Homelander turned toward her, closing the distance between them. "I'm interested in you, Hope."
"Me?" Hope struggled to keep her expression calm, though her heart was pounding and part of her found herself hoping for something. "I'm a director at Pym Technologies, yes. But I don't run the company, and I don't hold its core patents."
"Don't be modest, Hope."
"I know who really inherited the genius in that company. And I know the secret your father, Hank Pym, has hidden for half a century."
"I know Ant-Man exists..." Homelander said plainly. "And I know about Pym Particles."
Hope's pupils contracted sharply. When she spoke again, her voice was lower.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Ant-Man was just a story made up during the Cold War."
"My father, Hank Pym, has said in public countless times that there is no Ant-Man, and no Pym Particles that can change an object's size."
Hope pointed toward the door. Suppressing the turmoil inside her, she said coldly, "If you came here hoping to collaborate based on that fantasy, then I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."
"Pym Technologies has nothing it can collaborate on with the Starr Group right now.