Arcs Collide

Chapter 22: Project Fishing

Summary: Tony and Hank Pym settle their differences while, with the help of Hope and Scott, they prepare for a daring project.

As Tony, Hope, Scott, and Hank rode the elevator up to the 31st floor, his mind drifted back to the meeting they had just left.

To be honest, the entire thing had gone as well as Tony had expected. But what he noticed was that the Rogues seemed to be waiting for him specifically.

He could guess what Barton wanted. He would demand Tony create his custom-made bow and arrows, and he would demand to see Laura and the kids. And, of course, when Tony refused, Barton would likely threaten him like the assassin he had always been.

Next would be Romanoff. She would try to sweet-talk her way back into Tony's good graces, selling him the idea that they were family and he shouldn't push them away. She would likely try to position herself so she could either jump ship again or gather enough dirt to force him to accept her.

Wilson and Barnes were also there, but they looked much less confrontational and more apologetic.

Maximoff? Tony was pretty sure she just wanted to kill him.

As for Rogers, Tony suspected he would demand the world from him. He'd likely ask for his rank back, expect Tony to rebuild their suits, demand to lead the Avengers again, and those were just the first things Tony could think of.

"You don't have to worry, you know," Hope commented out of nowhere.

Tony looked at her with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Huh?"

Hope took one of his hands in hers before speaking softly, "I know what you were thinking about. I saw how they looked at you too. That's why we pulled you away from there. You don't need to worry about them. Everyone in this tower will make sure that even if they're stupid enough to break the restriction order, they'll never get close to you."

Scott put a hand on Tony's shoulder and added in his usual upbeat tone, "Yeah, man. We got you. After all, if I let anything happen to you while on my watch, Cassie would kill me, and Paxton would help her hide the body."

Tony chuckled, both at the terrified look on Scott's face and from the fact that this threat was legit. Kids these days were way overprotective.

Old Hank scoffed, "I wouldn't mind punching the lot of them."

The elevator pinged, and the number 31 glowed above the opening doors.

Tony gave a mock gasp, placing a hand on his chest before saying, "Who knew you cared, Papa Smurf?"

Hank just scoffed again before leaving the elevator, followed closely by the other three.

The 31st floor was one of the two lab floors. When they exited the elevator, they entered the main lobby of the floor, which wasn't big. It was modest, with a few tables and a couple of seats around each of them. In the corner of the lobby, under the big windows, were a couple of drinking and coffee machines.

Of course, none of them stopped for a drink. As much as Tony would love a cup of coffee, there were more pressing matters at hand. The group took the left hallway and kept walking until they reached the door at the end.

Friday opened the door, and they all went in. On the right side of the room was a row of servers with many beeping lights in different colors. On the wall across from the entrance was a supercomputer with at least five monitors hooked up to it.

But the most impressive part of the room was where the left wall should have been. Instead of a simple flat wall, there was what looked like a high-tech tunnel that led to a dead end. Tony's mind was thrown back to a conversation a year ago.