Chapter 353: Tony's Request
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Silas asked with a faint smile as he walked toward Scott.
Scott strained with every fiber of his being to break free, but he couldn't shake that overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It felt as if invisible ropes were binding him tight—and the same went for Ant-ony beneath him.
Standing beside him, Silas carefully observed the ant-sized Scott. This Ant-Man gear was truly fascinating.
"Uh, hello," Scott greeted helplessly. There wasn't much else he could do since he was completely immobilized.
Silas waved a hand toward the swarm of ants behind them, and the entire insect army slowly descended to the ground.
"Ready for a proper chat, Scott?" Silas asked.
"Sure. I love chatting. Especially since, in this current situation, I don't exactly have other plans," Scott replied dryly. Being held captive by mysterious forces tended to make one very cooperative.
Hearing Scott's answer, Silas relaxed his telekinetic grip. Instantly, Scott and his swarm regained their mobility.
Bzzzzzt!
the ant army took flight again, circling Silas warily.
"Whoa!" Scott suddenly enlarged to full size in front of Silas, pulling off his helmet. "How did you do that? How did you control us?"
"Blacklight." Silas didn't answer Scott directly. Instead, he called out to his AI.
Blacklight immediately understood Silas's intent and directly hijacked the intruder's communication system.
Pym Residence
Hank Pym, who had been watching Scott on his monitors, suddenly saw his screen dissolve into flickering static and snow.
"Things seem to have gone off the rails," Hope van Dyne sighed, rubbing her forehead. "This is bad."
Hank lowered his head, stroking his beard in thought. What now?
Avengers Compound
"So that's the story." Scott was surprisingly blunt about his mission, selling out Hank Pym almost instantly.
"You're just going to sell Hank out like that? You sure he won't kill you when you get back?" Silas joked.
Scott shrugged. "He can't hear us right now." To prove his point, he added, "Hank, you're a total jerk."
There was no reaction from the comms, only white noise. Clearly, this masked man had some serious tech.
"Why the mask? Are you here to steal something too?" Scott asked, looking at Silas's demonic mask.
Silas tapped the metallic surface of the mask, producing a sharp clink. "Safety first."
"Ah, I see. We're in the same line of work." Scott misinterpreted him, thinking Silas meant "safety" as in not getting caught during a heist. Silas actually meant he didn't want his true identity revealed to the world.
"Well, since we're colleagues, I'll be seeing you." Scott immediately shrunk down, hopped onto Ant-ony, and bolted. He was terrified this mysterious powerhouse might change his mind and keep him there.
Watching Scott flee in a panic, Silas simply laughed and didn't bother giving chase.
"Who was that guy?" Sam Wilson limped over to Silas, his Redwing drone having been roughly patched back together.
"Why? You interested in him?" Silas teased.
Sam looked up at the sky where Scott had vanished, a hint of frustration in his eyes. "That ability of his is actually pretty cool. I want to know who he is."
"Find out yourself. You're the Avengers; surely you can find one man," Silas said, not bothering to help. For a group with their resources, finding Scott Lang wouldn't be difficult.
"I mean, yeah, we can, but a little help wouldn't hurt." Sam felt a bit miffed, but he didn't dare push it. Destiny wasn't an Avenger, and getting on his bad side was a recipe for disaster.
Inside the Compound
"Long time no see, Masked Boy." Tony Stark was sitting in a chair, having waited for Silas for quite a while.
"What's with you? You look exhausted. Spending your nights with too many models isn't good for that fragile body of yours," Silas said, pulling up a chair.
Tony, uncharacteristically, didn't snap back with a witty retort. Instead, he changed the subject. "Have you seen the news lately?"
"What news?" Silas twirled a pen on the table.
Tony pressed a remote, and a blue holographic screen appeared in the center of the table, showing footage of the explosion in Sokovia. Silas watched in silence while Tony leaned his head on his hands, waiting for a reaction.
The news reports were condemning the Avengers, calling them lawless vigilantes who were more dangerous than terrorists. One specific clip showed Wanda Maximoff—Scarlet Witch—trying to move a detonating Crossbones away from a crowd, only to have the blast hit a nearby building, causing massive civilian casualties.
"That's the gist of it." Tony turned off the news and stood up. "Sometimes I wonder... what have the Avengers actually brought to the people? New York nearly getting nuked? The Ultron attack in Sokovia?" Tony paused, adding bitterly, "Right, I created Ultron. My fault."
"So, what's your point?" Silas asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Tony nodded. "The Sokovia Accords. The UN wants to oversee the Avengers. A panel of representatives from various countries will decide when we can act."
Silas realized the conflict between Steve and Tony was about to boil over. The Civil War was starting.
"But I'm not an Avenger. The Accords don't affect me," Silas said, crossing his legs. (In the original comics, it was the Superhuman Registration Act, which targeted everyone with powers. In the movies, the Sokovia Accords were focused more specifically on the Avengers to avoid making enemies of every powered person at once.)
Tony put a hand on Silas's shoulder. "I just need you to do one thing for me."
"And that is?" Silas was intrigued.
Tony gave him a mysterious smile but didn't say a word.
A Luxurious Mansion
"Hi, Wanda." Silas walked into Wanda's room.
Silas never expected that Tony's "request" would be for him to act as a guard for the sequestered Wanda Maximoff. After the explosion, the public outcry was so intense that Tony felt he had to keep Wanda out of the spotlight for her own safety.
The "house arrest" was in a mansion that had everything—a swimming pool, a theater, a gaming room—basically more entertainment than a theme park.
"Destiny?!" Wanda turned around, her face lighting up with genuine joy at seeing him.
"Ahem!" Tony stepped out from behind Silas. "Wanda, Destiny is going to stay here and look after you so you don't get bored."
The smile vanished from Wanda's face. She realized Silas wasn't there just to visit; he was there to monitor her.
"Well, have fun you two." Tony sensed the change in atmosphere and immediately made his exit.
Once Stark was gone, Wanda's expression softened slightly. "Do you want something to drink?"
Silas didn't answer immediately. He looked around the room, eventually landing on the kitchen. It was a mess. The sink was piled with dirty dishes, and dried coffee stained the cups.
"I haven't really been in the mood lately," Wanda explained, following his gaze with an embarrassed look.
"I understand. It shows," Silas said, pointing to his own face with a small laugh. Wanda quickly touched her cheeks. Is it that obvious?
Silas sat down next to her while she channel-surfed through some old sitcoms to pass the time. Silas realized that since Vision was never created (due to his own interference), he had essentially taken Vision's place in this part of the story.
"Do you like this? We can change it if you don't," Wanda said, though she wasn't really watching.
Silas shook his head. "No, it's fine. Most of it is boring anyway."
Click!
Wanda turned off the TV and hugged a pillow. "It's my fault. If it wasn't for me, those people would still be alive."
Silas thought for a moment, preparing to comfort her, when a silver blur suddenly streaked into the room.
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