Initiative 2028
Chapter 21: Dreamland
Alec Pym was getting drunk, the man sitting at the dingy bar in Washington DC. It was a run down hole, but it was the sort of place a man could go, get drunk and not have to worry if he was talking to himself in public.
"Damn it," Alec muttered to himself. "they passed me over. Me! After all I did for her, Richards didn't make me a Defender."
Alec Pym did NOT mention his congenital deformation that left him four feet tall. He could compensate somewhat by using his growth powers to look 'normal' but it wasn't easy. Worse, he tended to revert to his usual size if he didn't think about it. Obviously, Richards hadn't thought he'd look good in the team shots.
Being the son of Hank Pym, the hero Ant Man, Giant man, and numerous other identities should have given him opportunities. Instead, he found himself a freak of nature working for a government he was beginning to hate. Worse, he had a brilliant mind, which had him mostly slaving away quietly in the labs at Dreamland.
"Damn bitch," Alec muttered, slamming another drink back.
"You wanna go easy on that stuff?" the bartender drawled, the older man looking at him with some amusement.
"Shut up old man," Alec growled, growing a bit involuntarily. He shuddered, going to his six foot height as he muttered, "Another."
"Up to you," he poured. "Wanna talk about it?" the man with short black hair and rediculous looking mutton chops asked.
"Got passed up for a promotion," Alec sighed. "Fuck. I invested years working for them, but does that matter?" he grumped.
"That always sucks," the bartender agreed as he asked, "you figure you deserved better?"
Alec tossed back his drink, "Oh course I did! Without me half the projects we're working on wouldn't have gone through." He felt a bit woozy, surprised the booze was kicking in so soon.
"Another?" the bartender offered.
"Yeah," Alec held out his glass, "I mean, they never promised me the spot, but damn it! I earned the spotlight for once!"
"You'll get your spotlight eventually," the oddly familiar bartender noted.
Alec's hand wobbled as he took another drink, "Not soon enough."
"You might be surprised," the voice noted as blackness rushed in over Alec.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Alec came awake with a groan, then stiffened in alarm. He was in a strange room, in a chair and tied up. He tried to use his growth power to burst free of his bonds, then made a surprised sound when nothing at all happened.
"Power damper," the voice drawled.
Alec looked up at the bartender, surprised at how much his hair had grown out. Now it swept back from his head in two upwards going tuffs, which along with the mutton chops made him instantly recognizable.
"Oh crap," Alec breathed out.
"Yup," Logan aka Wolverine smiled. "You, Ant-Mite, have been a very very bad boy."
"Don't call me that!" Alec snarled.
"Why not?" Logan shrugged, "Most of your colleagues do."
Alec struggled angrilly against his bonds, but he couldn't get free.
"And you should be more careful where you go to get drunk," Logan added, "we started following you weeks ago, and you hit the same places regular."
"Bastard," Alec muttered.
"You've been a very bad boy," Logan noted. "Working as a killer for the Shadow Initiative, plundering your Da's tech for Richards and overseeing experimentation at Dreamland. Yer momma would be ashamed of you."
"Don't..." Alec started then shook his head, realizing he was being baited. "You won't get anything out of me," he said instead.
"You think so?" Logan popped a claw. "I wouldn't kill you, probably," he mused, "but I can hurt ya. Mess you up enough that even your mad choppers at Dreamland couldn't fix you up."
Alec gulped, "You wouldn't dare."
Logan actually laughed, "Kid, I'm goin' to hell anyway, for all the crap I done. Think cutting a scumbag up like you would bother me?"
Alec made a soft sound of fear.
"Oh my god, I think he pissed himself!" a woman laughed.
Alec turned to see a attractive redhead dressed in a jacket and jeans, looking very amused. She also had a odd, black set of tattoos on her face, tho they seemed to fade in and out.
"You get what we needed, Rachel?" Logan asked.
"Yup, you scared him enough his mental shields went down," Rachel noted cheerfully.
"Rachel Summers," Alec groaned loudly, "the damn telepath! How dare you...!"
"Shut UP." Rachel his him with a esper blast that made Alec howl in pain. "I know all the crap you've gotten up to in Dreamland," she growled, "you are VERY lucky telepathy gathered evidence can't be used in court, or I'd have you up for war crimes."
"Easy," Logan put his hand on her arm, "he'll get what's coming to him."
'What does he mean by that?' Alec thought worriedly.
"Hup you go," Logan sat the bound Alec against the wall as he noted, "In about two hours, someone will note you're missing. If security forces don't find you in twenty four hours, a automated call will tell them where you are."
"Why are you not killing me?" Alec had to ask.
"Because we need a fall guy," Logan pat his shoulder hard enough to make Alec wince, "and YOU are it. Have fun."
With that, both disappeared before Alec could ask what the hell they meant.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Dreamland was based around the former Area 51 base, that had been 'expropriated' from Tony Stark. Or more accurately, stolen and seized from the millionare industrialist. Rebuilding the former military complex had taken less time than anyone expected, in part because of technologies the US seized from the Fantastic Four and others.
It extended underground miles, as well as out underneath the desert. It's purpose and exact location had been deliberately been kept shrouded in mystery, with materials shipped in via Hellicarrier or teleported in. If you wanted to get in, you either had to be carried in or unconscious.
Or at least, that was the theory.
Lemar Hoskins, once a hero called Batlestar, was less than thrilled working security in Dreamland. He was mostly stuck in a office, behind video screens as he monitored the base. He also did his best not to think about what went on in the medical wing, tho the hints he had were disturbing.
Robin Braxton entered the office, pausing to kiss her boyfriend's cheek. "Hey," the woman called Gladiatrix smiled, "Quiet night?"
"So far. Satana and her sorcerer team are out on a job, so at least that's not a problem," Lemar admitted. "And Ant-Mite is off on one of his benders again."
"Don't call him that," Robin laughed, "he HATES that." Curiously she asked, "Do you know if the bosses know he's doing that?"
"I've reported it a few times," Lemar admitted, "but Captain Von Blitzschlag just shrugs it off." He sighed as he mimicked the scientist, "Ve all have stress we need to get out, ja?"
Robin laughed at that. She looked at him curiously as he flipped through screens and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Not sure," Lemar admitted, "but... there's been some hints that something is going on with the Secret Avengers. Supposedly there's a rumored assault planned on a major US target."
"But they don't know where we are," Robin noted reasonably.
"That's the theory," Lemar said wryly. He switched images as he asked, "How many of the rest of the team is on base?"
Robin shrugged as she told him, "Half the squad is off, as you know. There's you and me, a couple of Iron Patriots, Blue Shield and the usual SHIELD detail."
Lemar nodded, "Fair enough. Do you think we should..."
Robin blinked as he trailed off, "What?"
"We are so fucked," Lamar said as he pointed at a screen where multiple quinjets all bearing Avengers logos had simply appeared and were rapidly descending towards the base.
"How...?" Robin asked as she grabbed her plasma rifle, even though it would probably do no good.
"I have no idea, but we've got to TRY to stop them," Lemar said to her grimly as they rushed to the entrances.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"What." President Richards sounded shocked.
Henry Peter Gyrich had hurried to her office to report the bad news. "The Avengers have raided Dreamland, freeing captives and getting video and files of the biological experimentation section," he reported grimly.
"How the hell did they...?" Valeria asked flatly.
"Alec Pym was found in a dive bar at the edge of town," Henry told her, "Phoebe confirms he was scanned telepathically."
Valeria looked grim, "So the Avengers know we were studying and dissecting Skrulls, Brood, Badoon and others?"
"They got the data, though the lab self destructed as planned," Henry revealed.
Valeria got up, looking out the window at the Iron Patriot standing guard. 'Wonder if I'll need them if this all goes south on me?' she mused as her thoughts raced.
"Ma'am?" Henry pressed.
"We spin doctor it," Valeria sid briskly as she turned back to face him, "the Avengers attacked a medical facility. That will be our story and we stick to it."
"Workable," Henry conceded, "and the files they stole?"
"They lied," Valeria said briskly.
To be continued...
More on Dreamland next chapter.
