Dr. Pym

No one knew exactly what Charles had said to Mystique.

In any case, Mystique had actually chosen to stay.

There was still some distance between her and the X-Men at the X Academy, though. Shocker, Riptide, and the others who had known Mystique before were especially reluctant to have anything to do with her.

To those who had followed Charles all along, Mystique's actions amounted to betrayal.

Brad had no interest in the emotional entanglements at the X Academy. A couple of days earlier, Howard had sent him a problem: how to reduce armor thickness while improving its shock resistance.

Howard really was all over the place. He was researching new energy sources and working on antigravity systems, and now he had branched out into a project that, in Brad's eyes, leaned more toward military defense.

Fortunately, Brad was no longer a fraud. Ever since losing the knowledge that came with Nanobug, he had not dared slack off for a moment. He studied cutting-edge science even harder, using his financial resources to maintain friendly exchanges with most of the world's leading laboratories.

Thanks to his foresight in the distinct field of computing, Brad maintained close exchanges of information with many scientists.

It was rather like the Hall of Sages in Ancient Greece, or the Seventy-Two Disciples of Confucius, the ancient sage of the East.

Brad had started out merely pretending to belong, but now he could occasionally produce genuine research results of his own.

Once someone reached this level, even a pig could take flight if it worked hard enough.

And Brad had Skynet's enhanced computing power to boot.

Brad spent a few days on the modifications, then sent the results back to Howard.

Howard was a little puzzled by how long Brad had taken. As far as he remembered, whenever mechanical engineering was involved, Brad could usually produce results in under half an hour, provided the idea was not too outlandish.

Brad could only offer a brief explanation that he had been busy with another new project lately.

To his surprise, Howard showed a rare interest in it.

Normally, once this fellow plunged into his own research, he had little interest in anyone else's.

Left with little choice, Brad thought for a few seconds, then selected the Nano Intelligent Machinery Technology from the Nano Armor technology he had obtained from Multiversal Ultron in his database of pending projects. He compiled a brief document and sent it over.

Half an hour later, Howard sent him an email.

"I never imagined you were researching nanotechnology... hahaha, I've worked on that project too, though I never went particularly deep. Now it looks like you've gotten a little further than I have."

"Perhaps I can introduce you to someone."

"Dr. Hank Pym. In the early days... well, a little before your time, actually, he was also a member of the former Strategic Scientific Reserve. But later, he and I had some disagreements."

"Well... he certainly has talent, but he can be overly neurotic. For a while, he saw everyone as a thief out to steal his research. Still, Dr. Pym really has done extensive work on the microscopic scale."

"If you can get him to talk to you, he might be able to help with your new project. Of course, whatever you do, don't mention that I recommended him."

Brad scratched his head and rose from his chair.

His mind began searching automatically, and soon turned up information on Dr. Hank Pym.

The sheer complexity of the man's background genuinely surprised Brad.

And Brad spotted something that interested him.

Hank Pym, currently the superhero Ant-Man, had discovered Pym particles, which qualified as astonishingly advanced technology in any universe.

Hank Pym, a future researcher retained by S.H.I.E.L.D., had designed the Microprison using Pym particles. Built specifically to hold supercriminals, it was reputedly one of the Four Prisons from which escape was most difficult anywhere in the world.

Hank Pym, in one future, was the first person to propose founding the Avengers. Together with Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and his wife, Wasp, he was one of that future's five Original Avengers.

Hank Pym, the future supercriminal Yellowjacket, opposed the Avengers in several universes.

Hank Pym, in one universe, was one of Ultron's creators. He merged with Ultron to become a half-machine, half-human new life-form and nearly destroyed Earth.

Merging with Ultron into a half-machine, half-human new life-form was rather similar to Brad's current situation.

Clearly, though, Hank Pym's will was not particularly strong. In a vision of one possible future involving Deadpool, Dr. Pym had become nothing more than Ultron's puppet.

But there was obviously more to the man than that. He was a genius scientist living in the same era as Brad, yet Brad's surveillance had never picked him up or added him to the list.

That meant his independent laboratory used none of Brad's technology.

Especially his computers.

That was truly rare. In fact, Dr. Hank Pym was the first.

Not a single leading laboratory could refuse the more advanced computer technology Brad supplied through the United States Government.

That meant Dr. Pym deeply distrusted even the United States Government.

While consulting the information in his mind, Brad instructed Skynet to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network and retrieve this universe's early personal records on Dr. Hank Pym.

He also had a basic psychological profile drawn up for the man.

Skynet ran the calculations for a while and soon produced the results.

Vain, timid, suspicious, excessively attached to family and romantic love, and conceited.

Extremely conceited, far more so than Howard.

The analysis concluded that he was not someone who could be recruited through normal means.

But Brad could use some more underhanded tricks to threaten him into coming over.

Researchers with relatively weak personalities and obvious flaws like these were already found throughout the companies under Brad's control.

Their flaws did not outweigh their talents. They were all very useful tools.

Still, with a genius like this, there was no need to play hardball right from the start. He would first see whether they could communicate normally.

After all, Brad was not some deranged villain.

Considering the man's extreme conceit, Brad decided to send a terminator that looked exactly like him to "visit in person."

Dr. Pym had finished another day's research.

He had been observing the Microverse all along.

Not with a microscope, of course, but with an instrument he had named the Pym Resonance Phase Lens.

The Microverse was so dazzling that Dr. Pym was utterly captivated.

Lately, he could not even be bothered to take a bite of the dinners his wife, Janet, so carefully prepared.

Through the laboratory's glass, Janet watched her husband bustle about inside, an excited flush on his face. She sighed, lonely and helpless.

Dr. Pym was recording his research for the day.

He was using a rather old-fashioned computer.

Since leaving the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Dr. Pym's experimental and research conditions had deteriorated considerably, but that made him feel safe.

Constantly using other people's equipment had made Dr. Pym suspect that his research was always under the surveillance of that man named Howard Stark.

Only in his own company's laboratory, using this computer he had personally modified, could Dr. Pym feel at ease.

He had disconnected every physical networking interface and personally overseen every component and program.

Only this way could my technology remain mine forever!

At last, Dr. Pym finished his work and stood up, tiredly thumping his lower back.

He saw Janet standing outside the laboratory.

"What's wrong? It isn't dinnertime yet, is it? Didn't I promise I'd eat today?"

Dr. Pym was a little annoyed. He thought his wife had come to hurry him along to dinner.

Seeing that Dr. Pym was still standing inside the laboratory, speaking through the microphone connected to the hallway, Janet pressed her lips together, her expression stubborn.

Only then did Pym understand. He took off his coat, opened the laboratory door, and stepped into the doorway to put an arm around his wife.

"Jan, I've made another discovery. I'll tell you all about it tonight."

Janet rolled her eyes and pushed Pym away. "Someone claiming to be a colleague of yours has come to visit. He's waiting downstairs in your company building."

Pym raised his eyebrows. "Who? Howard? No, no, no, someone like him would never come to visit me. Never mind, I'll go down and see."

With that, he bent down to kiss Janet on the forehead, then strode away.

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