Marvel: Gene Extraction

Chapter 17: A Partnership with Dr. Pym

The receptionist made a quick phone call. After hanging up, she stood and said politely to Ethan, "Sir, if you'll just wait a moment, Mr. Pym's assistant will be right down to escort you to his office."

A few moments later, a woman with short, stylish hair approached him. "Mr. Hunt, hello. I'm Dr. Pym's assistant. Please, follow me."

"Lead the way," Ethan replied, following her.

When he entered Hank Pym's office, Ethan didn't bother with pleasantries. He sat down and got straight to the point. "Dr. Pym, hello. I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. To be blunt, we want your Pym Particles. Name your price."

Hank Pym leaned back in his large executive chair, a look of lazy disinterest on his face. "And what, exactly, do you plan to do with them?"

"Build weapons," Ethan said, his voice ringing with righteous conviction. "To protect the Earth."

"If you're building weapons, then the answer is no," Pym refused flatly. He was a staunch opponent of war, a conviction so strong it had caused a permanent rift between him and his former protégé, Darren Cross.

"Dr. Pym," Ethan began, his tone shifting, "surely you're aware of how dangerous the world has become. Aliens have attacked Earth multiple times, each time bringing us to the brink of destruction. Without powerful enough weapons, humanity will either be enslaved or exterminated. As a genius-level scientist, don't you feel a sense of responsibility? If every brilliant mind hoards their creations, and we are all wiped out, who will be left to protect you? To protect your wife and daughter?"

At the mention of his family, Pym sat up straight, his eyes wide with a sudden, desperate urgency. "You just said 'protect my wife and daughter'. You know my wife isn't dead? Where is she? Tell me, and I'll give you the Pym Particles."

A thrill of victory shot through Ethan. He had him. "Your wife, Janet, is not dead," he said calmly. "She is trapped in the Quantum Realm."

Pym shot to his feet, his entire body trembling with a violent, uncontrollable excitement. "Is... is that true?" he stammered.

"It is," Ethan confirmed. "Your wife is lost in the Quantum Realm. And because she has been there for so long, her body has absorbed a massive amount of quantum energy. She hasn't aged a day. She looks exactly as she did the day you lost her."

This time, Ethan wasn't lying. This was all information he had gleaned from the Ant-Man and the Wasp movie.

"Oh, thank god," Pym whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "I knew it. I knew Janet wasn't dead." He and his wife were deeply in love, and he had spent decades studying the mysterious Quantum Realm in the desperate hope of finding her.

"So, can I have the Pym Particles now?" Ethan asked with a sly grin.

"Yes! Of course!" Pym exclaimed, his face beaming with joy. "I'll not only give you the Pym Particles, but I'll also give you the technology to produce them."

"Whoa, seriously?" Ethan was genuinely surprised.

Pym nodded, his expression now deadly serious. "Yes. But you have to help me rescue my wife."

Ethan extended a hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"Dad, you can't work with him! He's lying to you!"

A woman with short, dark hair and striking red lipstick burst into the room.

"Hope! Where are your manners?" Pym scolded his daughter. "How can you speak like that? Mr. Hunt is with S.H.I.E.L.D. Why would he lie to me?"

"Dad, think about it!" Hope argued. "The fact that mom is lost in the Quantum Realm is something you've told many people. It's not surprising that S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about it. And as for the Quantum Realm itself, Pym Technologies is the only place in the world that has the technology to access it. If we can't find her, how can they? They don't even have the tech. Are they going to find her with words?"

"Well... that's a good point," Pym admitted, his initial excitement waning.

"Dr. Pym," Ethan interjected, shifting back into persuasion mode, "have you ever heard of the 'Zola Algorithm'?"

Pym shook his head. "No."

"The Zola Algorithm was created by the brilliant World War II scientist, Dr. Arnim Zola," Ethan explained. "It's a predictive algorithm that can see all possibilities. The reason I know where your wife is and how to rescue her is because I have access to it."

The Zola Algorithm was, in essence, a complex calculation method, similar to the ancient Chinese I Ching, which used vast amounts of data to deduce desired information.

"I will give you the Pym Particles and my quantum technology," Pym said, his expression firm. "But first, you have to rescue my wife." It was a smart move; this way, he couldn't be tricked.

Ethan extended his hand again. "Deal." He was confident that with his own abilities combined with Pym's, rescuing Janet would be more than possible.

Pym shook his hand. "Deal."

"To expedite our research into the Quantum Realm," Ethan suggested, "I recommend you come with me. I have a private island with a fully equipped laboratory, a wealth of resources, and other scientists you can collaborate with."

"Alright," Pym agreed without a second thought. He would do anything to get his wife back.

"Dad, I'm coming too," Hope insisted, stepping forward. "I don't trust him." She had a bad feeling about Ethan.

"And who will run the company while you're gone?" Pym retorted.

Hope had no answer.

"That's settled then. You'll manage the company in my absence. I'm going to pack my things," Pym said, turning to leave with a newfound sense of purpose.

After her father had left, Hope marched up to Ethan, completely unintimidated by his massive frame. "If you dare to lie to my father, or if any harm comes to him," she threatened, her voice like ice, "I swear I will make you pay."

Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. "Have you perhaps failed to notice my rather large physique?"

"It doesn't matter how big you are if you can't fight," Hope scoffed. She was an expert martial artist, undefeated in hand-to-hand combat. She had even trained Scott Lang, the new Ant-Man. And with her own Wasp suit, which allowed her to shrink and grow at will, she wasn't afraid of anyone, least of all this muscle-bound stranger.

"How about a little demonstration?" Ethan said with a wicked grin. A woman with this much fire needed to be taught a lesson.

"Fine by me," Hope shot back. "Let's go to the roof."

The rooftop was empty and spacious, a perfect place for a spar.

Ethan beckoned to her with a finger. "Come on, baby," he taunted.

Hope gritted her teeth, closed the distance, and threw a lightning-fast punch. Halfway through the motion, she feigned, her fist turning into a vicious kick aimed straight at Ethan's groin.

With a simple move, Ethan clamped his legs together, trapping her foot. He smiled. "You're too weak."

Hope's response was a punch aimed at his head. Ethan's left hand shot out, catching her wrist. "Still too weak," he said, his smile widening.

With her free hand, Hope jabbed two fingers toward his eyes. Ethan tilted his head, his other hand darting out to grab her other wrist. "Can you even move now?" he taunted.

With both of her hands and one of her legs trapped in his iron grip, Hope struggled uselessly. "You bastard!" she seethed. "Let me go! Let me go and I'll beat you to a pulp!"