At the penthouse of Stark Tower, Tony Stark lounged lazily on the sofa, sipping a glass of ice-cold whiskey. Fresh from a grueling congressional hearing, his face was etched with frustration...
"How is it possible," he grumbled like a scorned lover, turning toward Sean who sat at the bar, "That I, a superhero, SHIELD's Chief Scientific Consultant, and CEO of a cutting-edge energy company, get zero respect from those bureaucrats?"
"If they truly gave you zero respect, you'd already be in custody by Blonsky's special task force and shipped off to the Raft." Sean replied calmly, swirling the amber liquid in his own glass.
This time, Tony's development of the Ultron program had caused quite a stir. Although Stark Industries had immediately locked down all information leaks, S.H.I.E.L.D operated under the oversight of the World Security Council. Such an incident couldn't be swept under the rug; reporting it was mandatory.
In fact, the moment Tony had tracked down Zemo, the Sokovian colonel had promptly reported the matter directly to the World Security Council and swiftly drafted a comprehensive emergency response protocol to prevent the situation from spiraling into an irreversible catastrophe.
"You should thank Ultron for not prioritizing hijacking the U.S. President or cracking nuclear launch codes," Sean teased, watching Tony fume, "Otherwise, by the time I got back to New York, World War III might've already started."
While S.H.I.E.L.D's Program Insight included the Skynet protocol as a final failsafe, if Ultron had been truly determined to wreak havoc, global chaos would have been inevitable.
Just triggering a financial tsunami on Wall Street or hacking into every nation's military command systems would've been enough to overwhelm Tony, and even S.H.I.E.L.D would've been powerless to stop it...
"Do you have any idea how much time, energy, and resources I poured into the Ultron program?" Tony threw his head back and drained his glass in one bitter gulp.
He wasn't objecting to accountability, he was simply furious at the Council's uncompromising stance. Not only was he forced to compensate the U.S. military for damages, but Stark Industries would now be placed under long-term S.H.I.E.L.D supervision.
"When you mess up, you pay the price, Tony," Sean said evenly, taking a small sip, "I can't, and I won't plead your case on this one."
He understood perfectly that the World Security Council was using this incident to rein in Stark's reckless autonomy.
Even though Sean held considerable influence within the Council thanks largely to his foothold in S.H.I.E.L.D, he saw no reason to shield Tony from consequences this time.
"Did you really take Dr. Pym with you?" Tony suddenly asked, as if remembering something, "He's not exactly the easiest guy to work with. I just found out Howard used to collaborate with Hank Pym, and they had a falling out."
Hank Pym was a prodigy of the last century. He discovered Pym Particles at a young age and later developed the Ant-Man suit. He was eventually recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D, becoming the legendary agent known as Ant-Man.
Speaking of which, Hank Pym was the primary reason Ultron developed self-awareness and broke free from Tony Stark's programming...
"I have a keen interest in quantum tunneling technology, and Umbrella's research in the subatomic domain is still relatively underdeveloped." Sean explained quietly.
He knew Hank Pym was deeply obsessed with rescuing his wife, Janet van Dyne, the original Wasp, who had been lost in the Quantum Realm after shrinking to subatomic size.
That's why Pym, alongside his daughter Hope, had devoted years to perfecting quantum tunneling. Despite his difficult personality, Pym's genius was more than enough for Sean to overlook his quirks.
"Pym is a fiercely proud man. How did you get him to cooperate so willingly?" Tony asked skeptically.
From what he knew, Pym was notoriously hard to deal with. Years ago, Darren Cross had effortlessly ousted the founder of Pym Technologies from his own company, largely because Hope Pym had orchestrated the whole affair.
Betrayed by both his trusted protégé and his beloved daughter, Pym had withdrawn into semi-retirement, cutting all ties with his former enterprise.
"Dr. Pym has fallen out with two of his former partners, a trusted student betrayed him, and his beloved daughter harbors hatred for him... As you can imagine, he's even more difficult to approach than I am." Tony mused.
Sean chuckled at Tony's self-deprecating remark, setting down his glass with a nod of agreement.
"I acquired Cross Technologies, the company formerly known as Pym Industries," Sean said casually, as if it were a trivial matter.
Tony's brow furrowed slightly...
Cross Technologies was a major enterprise with core patents spanning multiple sectors. Its growth trajectory and operational health made it a highly valuable asset. Even a hostile takeover by a conglomerate as vast as Umbrella would normally require months of preparation.
Sean continued with an innocent shrug, "Mr. Darren Cross has been charged with intellectual property theft and attempted murder. A certain concerned citizen, Mr. Scott Lang, provided testimony that Cross illegally broke into Hank Pym's home armed with a weapon. NYPD arrested him two days ago. His company's stock plummeted overnight. Umbrella simply stepped in at the right moment. So this was hardly a hostile takeover."
Tony stared, momentarily speechless. This kind of corporate maneuvering reminded him all too well of Obadiah Stane's old tactics. Stark Industries itself had risen on less-than-savory foundations, propped up by Pentagon contracts and shadowy deals.
After all, if genius alone could build America's greatest defense empire, then Reed Richards wouldn't have languished in obscurity for so long, and Victor Von Doom wouldn't have lost everything over a single failed experiment.
The idea that 'effort always leads to reward' was, in truth, the world's greatest lie...
"I've rehired Hank Pym as Chief Scientist at Cross Technologies," Sean added with a serene smile, his eyes deep and unreadable.
The unspoken truth? If Pym had refused, he'd have been shipped straight to the Raft and face life imprisonment with no chance of parole.
The World Security Council was furious over the Ultron crisis. While they couldn't openly punish Tony Stark due to his status and influence, they needed a scapegoat to absorb the political fallout. And who better than a washed-up scientist with no allies, no power, and no connections to any major faction?
Sean had simply laid out the stakes, and the famously stubborn Dr. Pym had made his choice without hesitation.
"Sometimes you're even more detestable than those politicians." Tony said half-jokingly, feet propped up on the table in his usual irreverent pose.
"It's just the law of survival," Sean replied noncommittally. He set his glass down and stood up, "I'm leaving for a new journey. Try not to cause another world-ending headache before I get back."
With that, Sean strode toward the door, his head held high and his figure straight.
Before Tony could even ask where he was going, his figure had already vanished beyond the threshold...