"Finally here, huh?"
A smile appeared on Tony's face as he stood up straight.
Hank, who hadn't reacted yet, instantly understood everything when he saw this.
"You... you were just using Pym Tech and Pym Particles as bait? You never intended to help me?"
The realization landed hard, and anger followed in its wake. Doesn't Stark have his own headquarters? Why the hell does he have to stir up trouble here at Pym Tech?
"Heh, the stubborn old man finally figured it out. That's right, just like you said. And now, it's time for us to move."
With that, Tony pushed open the conference room door and stepped into the hallway. While walking, he pulled up his shirt, exposing a thin layer of metal armor already strapped to his body.
In the original timeline, he would not have built the first Iron Man suit until 2008 during the Ten Rings kidnapping. But in this reality, if he had waited that long, the so-called Mark 1 would have been nothing more than scrap metal.
Thanks to Luthor's kryptonite armor influence, Tony had started working on exoskeleton tech much earlier. The armor he now wore was the Mark 5 suitcase suit, which originally only debuted in Iron Man 2.
Leaving alongside Tony was Doom. He gave Reed a meaningful look before shattering the conference room's floor-to-ceiling window with magic energy and flying out.
Reed understood his message.
He had to make a choice. Keep his powers and stand against LexCorp and Doom, or entrust them to someone else and return to being the man he once was.
"Hank, I'm sorry we didn't speak with you beforehand," Steve said. "But this attack is most likely Hydra's doing. We have to make sure no information leaks."
He removed his suit jacket, showing the star-spangled uniform underneath, and picked up his shield.
"But don't worry. We will take care of this quickly. Please stay somewhere safe."
As he spoke, Steve was ready to leave. Reed could no longer hesitate. He stood up and said, "Captain, I'm coming with you."
By the time Hank came back to his senses, he found out the only ones left in the conference room were himself and Darren, who had passed out from blood loss.
"Damn it! Those bastards! And that shameless Stark!"
He cursed under his breath, but his hands didn't stop moving. After calling the medical team to take Darren away for treatment, he walked to the wall and tapped it lightly with his finger.
The smooth surface shifted, revealing a hidden safe. He opened it and took out several small gadgets, some blue and some red.
"I'm old now. I can't wear the suit anymore. I can't go back to being Ant-Man."
The Pym Particle's effects were extraordinary, but they couldn't reverse aging. Still, Hank had kept Pym Technologies safe on his own until now, and he had his ways. These red and blue gadgets were his means.
"My company has not fallen so low that it needs a Stark to protect it."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Pym Tech lobby, all employees and visitors were lying face down on the floor. Around them, dozens of figures in tactical suits that covered them from head to toe stood armed with laser weapons, completely securing the area.
Even though the company's security had some advanced gear, the regular guards, no matter how well equipped, were no match for these well-trained Hydra operatives.
"Team A, open the underground lab doors and get the Pym Particles. Grab any research data if possible. Team B, intercept Captain America and his team before they arrive," a voice ordered over the radio.
The agents immediately went into action. One group began hacking into the CEO's private elevator, while another moved up the stairwell, planning to take control of the entire building.
But their intel hadn't mentioned that Tony had an exoskeleton suit. Even after his surface-level cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never revealed that fact.
The moment they tried to secure the second floor, Tony burst out of the stairwell in full armor, ramming into several agents and sending them flying.
"Enemy Attack!"
They reacted fast, turning their weapons and firing. Crimson laser bolts shot toward him.
Facing that kind of assault, Tony knew better than to take it head-on.
The Mark 5 suit might be compact enough to fit inside a suitcase and easy to deploy, but that convenience came at the cost of overall performance. It could not withstand laser fire.
Without hesitation, he drove the suit forward, smashing through a window and soaring outside. In the open sky, he could maneuver enough to dodge the incoming shots.
"Update: Stark's exoskeleton tech can't stop laser rounds. Keep firing and pin him down!"
From his evasive moves, they figured out the suit's weakness and adjusted their tactics.
This was the advantage of a disciplined organization. It was something Tony, and most heroes like him, didn't naturally have. Against disorganized thugs, a single hero could end the fight quickly. But when dealing a group like Hydra, with clear roles and perfect coordination, even a superhuman's abilities could be gradually suppressed.
Of course, that only worked when the organization fully understood their target.
Tony had gone into this knowing what Hydra was capable of, which meant he wasn't flying blind. He still had cards left to play.
Because of the existence of LexCorp and Luthor in this world, he had patched many of his original shortcomings.
Take the Mark 5 suit for example. He knew it was weak in performance and couldn't hold its own in a direct fight with Hydra. So his choice to wear it here indicated he already had a countermeasure in place.
Now, the limbs of the Mark 5 pulsed with a faint red glow as an invisible signal traveled through the LexCorp space station in orbit and reached a Stark Industries warehouse still in New York.
The warehouse roof split open, and a much bulkier suit of armor launched into the air, heading straight for him.
* * *
"Five... four... three... two..."
While weaving through incoming fire, Tony stayed composed. Despite taking hits and sustaining damage to the suit, his focus didn't waver.
"One!"
The instant the countdown ended, a brand-new suit dropped from above. It opened mid-air and merged with the Mark 5, completing the transformation in seconds.
The next volley of laser fire struck, but this time, the thicker plating blocked them with ease. After the laser beams drained their full charge, they left nothing more than faint scorch marks on the metal, unable to penetrate further.
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Hey guys, I posted a new novel. Its a fanfic of Jujutsu Kaisen. Mc is reborn in Zenin clan and becomes Toji's brother. This novel is a bit different as Mc has family and friends and cares about them. But as a Zenin he's still very ruthless and level headed. Anyway, check it out if it interests you.
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