Sorry for the delay, but I had to take the time to organize my other fanfictions.
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DATE: MAY, 1, 2015, LOUD TOWER, NEW YORK, 17H26M
On the top floor of the great building, the Loud and Santiago families await the arrival of the leader of the Avengers, with different reactions between them. While most are clearly curious, some reveal intense emotions about what is about to happen.
Lana is excited, since she has spent the last days imagining what it would be like inside the mysterious Watcher. Whenever she tried to ask one of the resident avengers, they assumed a pensive expression, then gave a vague description of the interior of the ship. It only made her even more excited, so she was already planning a private tour when everyone else was asleep.
Lynn Sr. and Lisa seemed to be upset, but in fact they were even more anxious than Lana. She wanted to study the alien science on the ship, and he wanted to find out what was going on inside the helicarrier at all costs. But, above all, they wanted to see the so famous Time Platform. As soon as Lincoln told his family about his experience with the machine, everyone was perplexed to know how the Ant-man managed to deceive them during his visit *, while the family patriarch and little Lisa began to imagine the applications of such equipment in their researchs.
Leni, Lynn, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were worried about what would happen when starting this trip. Although they were happy to remain Avengers, they were afraid of making any mistake that would convince their parents to take them out of the team. This was the most exciting thing that ever happened in their short lives, and they did not want to give up now.
Another one who seemed very worried was Mr. Santiago, but no one seemed to care much, since he was worried almost all the time.
On the other hand, Lori was the embodiment of calm, showing no reaction. It was almost as if she did not care what would happen, focused only on her cell phone and the conversation she was having with someone.
After a while, Lisa checked her watch, realizing that it was only a few seconds to the designed time. The last time he had arrived at the exact time, but this time, there was no sign of the helicarrier or any smaller means of transport. Though it had not been at least ten minutes since they arrived, she was beginning to think he was going to be late, and that thought bothered her.
However, as soon as the clock struck 17:30, they were all involved in energy, and then find themselves in a strange room, which the young heroes and Loud matriarch already knew very well.
Immediately, all of them, except for the young heroes and Rita, felt a slight nausea, so that they hardly noticed who was before them.
Bobby was wearing his SHIELD uniform, feeling a little disconcerted to see how sick they were. Larry's screen had a smiling face, while he thought of ways to make the guests feel better. Most impressive, however, was Dr. Pym himself, who was wearing a white suit with a black tie, in the same style as the eccentric millionaire from television who had an island.
"Welcome to my humble home." Pym bowed briefly, smiling happily. "I know the teleport can be a bit disconcerting at the first time, but after a while it becomes an ordinary experience."
Despite the nausea, most of the guests were impressed with the machine, while Lola got mad when she recovered from her dizziness.
"You should warn before you did this!" Lola crossed her arms, assuming an angry tone. "It is not polite to abduct a lady with you spaceship."
"As much as I've enjoyed traveling by such an advanced mode of transportation, I must agree with Lola." Lisa still felt dizzy, but she could understand what was going on around her.
"Well, even though unorthodox, I admit this is impressive." Lynn Sr. felt better, immediately feeling an excitement that could only be compared to that of a child in an amusement park. "What did you plan, Pym?"
The scientist smiled to see how much Lynn Sr. was anxious, but then noticed that unlike the Santiagos, who each carried a small suitcase, the members of the Loud family were carrying only a large camping bag, which was next to Lincoln.
"First of all, why did you bring just one bag?" He pointed to Lincoln, who was a bit embarrassed. "I'm a master at shrinking things, but there should not be enough luggage there for a weekend."
"About that..." Rita felt a little embarrassed. She searched for the right words, trying not to hurt the host. "We debated the matter, and we thought it would be best if we spent the night today and then we all could stay at our vacation home in Royal Woods."
Pym's eyes widened, making the Loud family feel bad. At the time, they thought that would be a good idea, since not even the young heroes had seen the accommodations of the helicarrier.
However, the scientist recovered from the shock, assuming a thoughtful expression.
"I admit it's a good idea. After all, I just asked you to visit my helicarrier and accompany us in the mission. If you think it will be better this way, then so be it."
Everyone was relieved to realize that the host was not angry.
It was not long before everyone had recovered from the nausea, making the scientist realize that it was time to start the tour.
"Now that you seem to be more willing, I think we can begin." He made a brief gesture, making Larry pick up the luggage. "My faithful assistant will take the luggage to the lodgings, and then we'll take our tour on the ship while Larry finishes our dinner."
"Is he making dinner?" The children said, stupefied.
The adults were a bit surprised, and then they thought about having robot stewards to do everything.
"Do not worry, Larry is skilled enough to match any professional chef. Now, follow me, please. We have much to see and little time for this."
The eccentric host began to walk out of the room while the guests looked at each other, but then they shrugged and began to follow him.
As they left the room, they saw a wide, well-lit corridor, as well as several doors down the hall.
"I think the first thing you'll notice is the width of the corridors." Pym took a small object in his pocket, which projected a hologram of the ship, showing that all the floors were divided in the middle by wide corridors, crossed by some smaller corridors in some areas. "In my opinion, the best way to take advantage of the space is with large rooms on each floor, separated by a wide corridor."
"And how do you utilize this space?" Lori asked, her real estate curiosity talking loudly. "If this helicarrier is smaller than a standard one, then there should not be much space left here."
"That's the beauty of my design, my dear." He replaced the hologram with two diagrams representing the left and right sides of the ship. "Since I do not have a crew or an arsenal to transport, space is taken advantage of for what I consider important. Of course, I still have a large cargo bay and a hangar to hold my plane, but other than that, it's just the bare necessities."
In this comment, everyone began to wonder what would be essential for the scientist, especially Bobby. Being a special agent, he did not understand how a room full of ants could be "essential" for a group dedicated to saving the world.
Pym was excited to see how much the guests were paying attention and continued his tour, pointing to the hall.
"This is the lodgings corridor, and the first door on the right is Bobby's room. Although I have not planned this vehicle to carry many people, I have twenty rooms with accommodations for four people, as well as a complete bathroom in each of them."
At that moment, Lana raised her hand.
"Yes, Lana?"
"What kind of plumbing do you use?"
"Well, frankly, the plumbing goes to a filtration chamber in the engine room, where any residue is reusable."
While Lana was impressed, the others felt a little disgusted to imagine how he reused the waste from the plumbing.
"What about that door?" Lori pointed to a room in front of the teleporter room, whose door seemed to have a card reader.
" Oh, that's where the force-field generator is." Pym felt proud, assuming a slightly arrogant tone. "It needs almost as much energy as the teleporter, and being so close to the lodgings ensures that the passengers stay safe during an attack. However, in the case of an emergency, they would be the closest to the teleporter during an evacuation."
Although it made sense, he was a bit too cautious, especially if he did not expect to carry large numbers of people. Still, that was enough for their curiosity at the moment.
Seeing that there were no more questions at the moment, the scientist led the group to the other side of the corridor, where there was a wall with two doors and a corridor to the left and one to the right.
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DANGER ROOM
"These corridors go to the stairs, and these are the doors to one of the most important rooms of the Watcher, my-"
"Danger Room!" The young heroes exclaimed, excited.
The others felt a bit out of place, not knowing what to think.
"And what happens in this room?" Maria asked, a little apprehensive. "That name does not inspire much confidence."
Pym prepared to answer, but did not have time to speak.
"This is the best room on the ship!" Lynn positioned herself in front of the larger door, totally euphoric. "This is where we train how to use our powers and work as a team!"
"So this is some kind of gymnasium?" Roberto took a thoughtful pose, wondering what the room would look like. "Does not sound so impressive."
"Then let me prove otherwise." Pym smiled, heading for the larger door.
He picked up his ID card and passed on the the reader next to the door, which, though heavy, opened quickly. The guests entered, walking down the small corridor leading to the room, perplexed by what they saw.
Absolutely nothing!
The room was huge, in addition to going beyond the ceiling of the corridor outside. Despite this, there was absolutely nothing in the room beyond the reflective floor and walls, that were so clean that they looked almost like a mirror house.
"No offense, Pym, but this does not look like a training area at all." Mary watched her reflection on the floor, feeling slightly disappointed. "I've seen surgery rooms less clean than that."
"I agree." Lisa adjusted her glasses, looking for something that caught her eye. "Unless this material is indestructible, I do not see how this room could be useful for combat training."
Pym just smiled, picking up his cell phone and interacting with the screen.
The room's walls, floor and ceiling began to light up, and then the lights began to change color. In a few seconds, they were no longer in an empty room, but in a rainforest.
Except for the young heroes and little Lily, everyone was amazed at what was going on around them. They could feel the heat of the forest, the humidity in the air, even a slight breeze. In addition, there were birds flying in the sky, monkeys and other small mammals moving through the trees and even a mountain on the horizon, farther than the room could certainly go.
"That looks so real!" Luan reached out and tried to touch a tree, surprised to see it was solid.
As soon as they saw Luan's reaction, they all started touching things too, all as entertained as little Lily with a new toy. Rita took Lily in her arms while the other adults examined everything around them. Bobby himself was surprised by what he saw, since he was also visiting this room for the first time. Luna tugged hard on a vine and tied it to a branch, improvising a string instrument. Lucy disappeared from sight for a moment, then reappeared on top of a tree. Lola watched her reflection in a nearby stream, while Lana made some mud. Lisa put a sample of soil inside a test tube, getting more and more excited to look what was inside.
"How you do this?" Lucy asked, appearing out of nowhere behind the scientist, but surprisingly not frightening him.
"Actually, this is technology of an advanced civilization that I met once. Everything here is made of solid light, which can take any shape I want." Pym pointed where the wall should be, attracting everyone's attention. "That other door leads to a smaller room that sits inside the security wall. It's where's the computer that controls all this, but it is also possible to control remotely through an application on my smartphone and on Lincoln's cell phone."
"Can Lincoln control this room?" The adults exclaimed in surprise.
"Well, I promised them that they could use the room whenever they wanted, and Lincoln seemed the most responsible."
As for this, none of them could disagree.
"Well, how about we go to the next room?"
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DETENTION AREA
After going down the stairs, they went to the lower level, whose ceiling was much higher than that of the upstairs. Pym just explained that the two lower floors were taller to be more comfortable, though it did not make much sense.
As soon as they entered the main corridor, they noticed two rooms about the same size, one on each side. He passed the card to open the door on the right, leaving everyone surprised by what they saw.
The room held what looked like several combs of a beehive, with a large console near the entrance. In all, there were twenty-four combs, split between the two sides of the room.
"This is the detention area. Here, I can temporarily incarcerate superhumans until I can take them to the SHIELD to process them properly."
"Do you have a jail here?" Rita asked incredulously.
"I know it sounds a bit excessive, but believe me, it can be very helpful."
Although Rita and Maria felt a bit uncomfortable about it, Lynn Sr. and Roberto thought it was very wise.
"Well, leaving that aside, the next room is by far my favorite."
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ANTS ROOM
As they left the detention area, they prepared to enter the next room, while Bobby said he would wait from the outside. As soon as they stood in front of the door, they realized that it opened automatically, almost like a hotel or a mall. However, the interior was not very inviting.
The room, which was as large as the detention area, was filled with sand, rocks and small trees, as well as several anthills. There was a trail of gray bricks that seemed to divide the territory of the ants, plus a 'Do Not Step On The Sand' sign.
Wherever they looked, there were ants of all sizes and colors, free to do whatever they wanted at their private resort.
Even Lana felt uncomfortable with so many bugs in one place, but the host seemed to feel at home.
"This is where I raise my ants, and I must admit it's a very rewarding hobby." He smiled cheerfully, putting a hand on an anthill and removing it with a swarm of fire ants running down his arm, looking for insects as if they had an intimate relationship. "They're very attached to me, and I really like being with them." For a moment, his smile disappeared, giving way to a desolate expression. "Except, of course, when someone steps on them by accident. You can not imagine how difficult it is to make a funeral for twenty thousand relatives and friends."
Everyone looked at each other, internally thinking the same thing.
"He needs a girlfriend. Badly."
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LIVING ROOM
After a very uncomfortable experience in the last room, everyone went to the lowest level, towards the room they all heard about.
Lynn Sr. and Roberto were amazed to see that the ship's vast command center had been decorated to look like a mix of living room and game room. In the corner, there was even a modest laboratory, clearly so that Pym could enjoy company while running simple experiments.
On the other hand, Rita, Maria and the Loud sisters liked the warm ambiance, as well as the carpet, which was as soft as an expensive mattress.
Lily immediately threw herself on the floor, enjoying the incredible comfort of that carpet. Lynn and Lana were immediately playing at the air hockey table, while Lincoln showed Luna the karaoke mode of the television. Bobby, Lori, Luan and Lucy stood in front of the huge glass wall, watching the scenery below them as the ship slowly crossed the sky.
The only one who was not entertained was Lisa, who just wanted to know one thing. Approaching the host, she cleared her throat to get his attention, making him a little surprised to see how long it took her to ask what he knew she would ask.
"I do not want to be rude, but I suppose there's a more interesting place for you to show us."
Pym smiled slyly, anticipating what would happen.
"Actually, that would be our next stop."
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TIME PLATFORM ROOM
Leaving the living room, at the end of the hall, past the laboratory and the library, there were two small rooms, facing each other.
While the room on the right was a little smaller and had a common door, the door on the left was much safer than the doors to the Detention Area and the Danger Room.
Beside the door were not only a card reader, but also a palm scanner, a keyboard with brightly colored buttons, and even a microphone in which the scientist sang the chorus of an 80's song.
While the others were impressed by the security, Lincoln and Ronnie were confused, since the last time the lock had asked for the ID card and the palm of the hand. He probably wanted to keep Lynn Sr. or Lisa from entering the room.
As soon as the door opened, the room lit up and they entered, watching carefully what was inside.
In the center of the room was a wide platform attached to a console, both seemingly simple, until the platform began to glow, leaving everyone in awe.
"What's going on, Pym?" Lynn Sr. asked, worried about the lack of reaction of the scientist.
"I think I'll do a demonstration in a few minutes."
Suddenly, the platform stopped glowing, and now there was something over there.
"Are these my glasses?" Lisa asked, approaching to see better.
Everyone approached the little girl, as surprised as she was. They looked like the same glasses she was wearing, and when she changed glasses, she realized that it was identical to hers. She turned and stared at the scientist, who was staring at her as if nothing had happened.
"How is this possible?"
"As I explained to your brother and Ronnie earlier* ², my Time Platform allows sending people and objects on the platform across time and space. The only problem is that I can not use the same time twice."
Nonchalantly, he took the glasses that the girl was holding in her hand and placed it on the platform, and then got in front of the console.
"Obviously, I did this demonstration, sending your glasses a few minutes in the past."
As soon as he finished speaking, he activated the platform, making the glasses disappear.
"Wow!" Everyone said, surprised.
Lisa immediately began to think about the applications of such a device, analyzing the size of the platform and the information she received, until she came to a conclusion that left her despondent.
"So, that means that your machine can not be used to go to a time when it does not exist or send anything larger than a car. Or is there any way to do such a thing?"
Pym put his hand on his chin and began to ponder, drawing everyone's attention. It did not take long and he shook his head, confirming Lisa's fears.
"I have tested several variables, but there is not much to do. I can even shrink things and send it with the platform, but if I program to a destination where the platform does not exist, it not only becomes na one way trip but also something with the same weight of what was sent appears in place."
"How so?" Lincoln asked, puzzled by the statement.
"I sent a stone to the Jurassic period, and a mosquito the size of a crow appeared. Or another time, in which I sent a very heavy wooden trunk to medieval Europe and a boar as heavy as the trunk appeared."
Both the Loud patriarch and the little genius were intrigued by the failed experiments of the platform, making them wonder what they could do if they built their own time machines.
The others were impressed with the machine, even with the limitations, although Lana was curious about something. As much as they were not operating at the same time, most of the rooms their host presented seemed to consume a lot of energy.
Once more, the tomboy raised her hand, begging to speak.
"Yes, Lana?" Again, Pym seemed happy to answer a question from the little girl.
"Well, I was thinking, and... well... how do you have enough energy for all this? Your helicarrier seems to consume as much energy as a city."
"Well..."
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REACTOR ROOM
After climbing two flights of stairs and returning to the staircase next to the Danger Room, Pym led them down the other corridor, which led to a thick door with another card reader, and warnings of danger. As soon as he opened the door, everyone heard an intense noise of heavy machinery working.
The engine room was at full steam ahead, clearly because the ship was moving. Gears creaked, pistons moved madly and powerful turbines generated a maddening noise.
Following a corridor that passed beneath the danger room, they reached another room with reinforced door, which Pym promptly opened. As soon as they entered, they came across a startling sight.
A large reactor was connected to advanced machinery, and inside the reactor was what appeared to be an explosion contained within a force field. Everyone was surprised at what was in front of them, but Lisa stared at the reactor closely, trying to convince herself that she was seeing wrong.
As much as she tried, only one thing made sense, but if it were really so, then...
"Tell me that's not what I think it is!" Lisa exclaimed, looking terrified at the scientist.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's exactly it." Pym just adjusted his tie, completely casual.
"B-But... That's impossible." Lynn Sr. was even more surprised than Lisa. "Such a thing is not possible."
The others, who did not seem to understand what was happening, were as lost as Leni.
"What is this, anyway?" Rita asked, hugging Lily tightly.
"This is a supernova, causing a continuous surge of energy." Lisa explained, still in shock. "Just by imagining such destructive power contained in a machine..."
"Wait, with supernova, you mean an exploding star?" Being a science fiction fan, Lincoln had a sense of what his sister and father was worried about. "How can a star explode inside that reactor?"
Upon hearing what Lincoln said, the others had a vague notion of what they had perceived and were worried. Despite this, Pym remained perfectly calm.
"This, as well as the Danger Room, is advanced alien technology. Basically, it's like holding a rodent inside a wheel and making it generate enough energy to turn on a light bulb, only thousands of times more powerful. The reactor absorbs and converts the shockwave of the explosion, while the containment field creates such a powerful gravitational force that it can compress the explosion. According to my vendor, this should last for at least three thousand years before starting to lose power."
"And you have any emergency plan if that fails?" Lincoln began to calm down, seeing that his super senses were not reacting at the machine.
"In the smallest possibility that the containment of the reactor fails, I have an emergency system that will shrink the reactor at the subatomic level, in addition to activating reserve power to land the ship safely."
A sense of relief filled the room until they heard a slight beep. Pym looked at his phone, and saw that it was time to end the tour.
"Well, it looks like we're done for today. Now, if you can join me, I'm sure dinner's ready to be served."
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REFECTORY
After an odyssey through the corridors, they came back to the second level and went to the other end of the corridor, feeling a strong shudder to see that the kitchen was so close to the room of the ants.
As they entered the room, they realized they were in what appeared to be a school cafeteria, with several rectangular tables and a self-service area, where a happy Larry waited for them.
There were several main dishes, as well as salads, appetizers, and cut fruits. In addition, there was a table with several desserts, such as ice cream, cakes and pies. None of them had realized how hungry they were until they came across the banquet, but as soon as they looked at the food they immediately rushed forward.
Rita, Maria, Lori and Lola managed to keep their composure, but the others put everything on their plates, trying to taste all kinds of dishes at the buffet. Larry was happy to see his food being appreciated, while Pym was pleased with the success of the first part of the mission.
"I just hope our hacker does not disappoint us."
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Later that night...
Late at night, and no sound echoes through the Watcher's halls. In the lodgings wing, most are sleeping peacefully, following the room division made by the host.
Rita, Maria and Lori was in a room while Leni, Luna and Luan in the next room.
Lynn should be in the other room with Ronnie and Lucy, but instead she asked to train in the Danger Room, performing a simulation at high speed.
Because of this, Lucy slept alone, since none of her roommates were present.
Lola and Lily rest quietly, apparently without bothering with the absence of their roommates.
In the other room, where the two patriarchs and the white-haired boy would sleep, there was only Mr. Santiago's little suitcase, besides the silence.
Except for Lynn, everyone who was not asleep was in the living room, where Lincoln was playing video games with Ronnie and Lana, while Lisa studied the scientific equipment on the other side of the room.
Meanwhile, in front of the panoramic window, the host was talking to the Loud patriarch and the director of the SHIELD, discussing a serious matter. Although they did not get along very well, the three of them knew they had to deal with the subject themselves.
"So, in short, SHIELD can't do anything about it?" Lynn Sr. exclaimed, worried.
"Unfortunately not." Roberto replied, looking at the host. "I was hoping you could persuade the president to do something about it."
Pym shook his head, then assumed a discouraged tone.
"Unfortunately, I am not in position to ask for political favors at the moment. And even if I could, I doubt that old Ross would risk helping with this issue with an election approaching."
Though disappointed, Lynn and Roberto knew he was right.
"This is so frustrating!" Lynn punched the window, looking at the horizon with regret. "I can not believe we can not do anything!"
"Actually, there's something we can do."
Pym folded his arms, grinning victoriously. Both parents looked at him in confusion, not seeing where he wanted to go.
"What are you talking about?" Roberto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I know one way to solve this, but first let's focus on what we'll do tomorrow." He looked at the clock on the wall, realizing the time. "Correction, later today."
"Are you really sure you can easily capture this hacker?" Lynn Sr. looked at the scientist curiously, taking advantage of the chance to change the subject.
"No, that would be ridiculous. In fact, I believe there is a probability of about 44.09% that we get involved in a confrontation."
"What?" They both said in astonishment.
"I know, it seems a bit dangerous, but do not worry, this time we will not be taken by surprise like the time they attacked your kids at their school. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get some rest."
Both parents watched him as he left, surprised by the hero's confidence.
Of one thing they were sure: if the situation gets out of control, they will get involved.
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Meanwhile, at Royal Woods ...
In a normal residence, all the lights are off, except for one. In a room with children's decor, a being of peculiar appearance is facing a computer, playing an online RPG.
It has a humanoid body, but it seems to be completely naked, without having hair, nipples, belly button or genitalia. The eyes are bluish like tempered glass, and the skin is scarlet as living flesh. The strange child is focused only on the game, as if it were the most important thing in the world.
With great skill, buttons are pressed intensely, while the characters fight fiercely on the screen, both with few life remaining.
"Just a little bit, just a little bit... Dang it!"
It looks at the screen, furious. Apparently, even with all its ability, it could not defeat the other player, who was now boasting at the chat and challenging for a second round.
"This time, you will not have luck." The weird being spoke in a menacing tone, when its eyes glowed.
At this point, the screen changed to the area for customization of the character, showing various weapons at disposal, all rare and very expensive. Without even touching the computer, the weapons were bought with a credit card and immediately equipped to the character.
The computer responded immediately to the strange child thoughts, like a dog doing tricks to its owner. Within moments, it was starting another battle against the same opponent, this time controlling the character with its powers instead of the keyboard.
"You will see. With the appropriate update, I am invincible." Smirking, it started the fight, this time taking full control of the game. "With my power, I will be the ruler of the world."
TO BE CONTINUED...
*: Meet The Louds
* ²: Again, Meet The Louds
And our new villain makes its debut.
Our heroes will be able to discover the identity of this threat?
Discover in the next chapter. XP
