Origins Part 2
Robin couldn't believe what he was seeing. The mouse before him was the size of a truck if not a whole house, and it was looking at him like a juicy snack. The idea that he was so small that a mouse scared the crap out of him donned on him that he was no longer in his normal world. Taking slow steps back towards the shrunken RV, he never took his eyes off of the extremely large rodent before him.
"Nice to meet you, Mickey. I was just passing by," Robin said, trying to calm himself down. "Don't mind me. I bet that there's some cheese or some peanuts you can munch on." He reached for the door.
The mouse scurried at him at great speed. Robin didn't have time to think. He jumped into the RV, closing the door behind him before the rodent reached him. The RV shook as the rodent tried to pry it open and catch Robin. Fueled by his fight or flight instincts, Robin rushed to the control center, turning on the RV. He turned the key over and over as the mouse sniffed at the glass window. It wasn't working and he was getting desperate. Cursing under his breath, he smacked the RV back to life. As the engine roared to life, the mouse scratched the door of the RV, making Robin all the more desperate to get out of there.
Robin floored the accelerator, leaving the mouse to chase after them with its beady little eyes centered on them. He looked ahead, spotting large chunks of debris he would've avoided with ease back in his normal size. But at his current height, they might as well be large hills that cut his path. Swerving with some fast reflexes, he avoided the bits of debris, not slowing down for a second as the mouse continued chasing the RV. He looked out through one of the side mirrors, seeing the mouse getting closer and closer to them.
"Damn it! Why didn't we put some weapons in this thing?!" Robin cursed himself. "How the hell do I lose Mickey?!" His eyes landed on what appeared to be a jungle, but it was actually a nearby park.
With no other ideas in his mind, Robin turned the wheel and drove into the tall grass of the park. It was a bumpy ride from the gravel to the tall grass. Robin could feel how his stomach jumped to his throat as they made their way into the grass area and how much he wished to have something in his stomach. Pushing down his cramping and readjusting stomach, he pushed on into the tall grass, mowing past it like a bat out of hell. He reached a clearing past the tall grass. For a brief moment he saw the trees of the park reach up like skyscrapers with a few leaves falling down like clouds drifting down to earth.
"Woah, this is unreal," Robin muttered, wishing he had a camera to take a picture.
However, his thoughts on photography ended as the mouse scurried over, knocking the RV forward. Robin turned to see the mouse roar at him, showing him all its tiny teeth. With a scared scream, he drove faster and away from the mouse. Part of him wished that he had something to distract the mouse from him or someplace to hide and get a moment to breathe, but the mouse tackling and bumping the RV was not making it easy. His eyes darted in search of a hiding place. He spotted a small opening inside a tree, amongst the roots.
"Better than nothing!" Robin turned the steering wheel to the opening.
He drove into the opening of the root. It was small enough to fit the RV but not big enough for the mouse to get in. He just needed to get in it before the mouse could get them. Gritting his teeth, he floored the pedal as the mouse gained on the RV. He could hear his heartbeat racing against his chest as the opening grew bigger before them. Tightening his hold on the steering wheel, he could feel his worst fears clawing at the back of his mind. He had to get to the opening or else, he-
A groan cut Robin's thoughts. His eyes drifted back, remembering that he wasn't alone. Just over his shoulder, he saw Dr. Albertson was lying on the ground with a makeshift tourniquet on his right leg that was missing. He wasn't alone in this mad wonderland.
"Dr. Albert-!" The RV was shaken by the mouse, reminding Robin that he was in the middle of a dangerous drive.
He turned his eyes forward, seeing the opening only a few meters away from them. He narrowed his eyes as they made past the entrance, going into the opening as the mouse crashed against the rest of the root. Robin turned the steering wheel as his foot stomped on the brakes, begging to whatever force looked out for them to stop the car before it crashed and blew up.
With a loud shriek, the RV stopped inches from the other side of the wall.
Robin panted. He couldn't believe that they were still alive or that all that had happened actually happened. His ears still rang with the sound of his heartbeat while his head fell on the steering wheel. Clutching his heart, he muttered a thank you to anyone that had listened.
"I think I saw my life flash before my eyes." Robin sighed.
He looked up to see that the opening was actually a cut that had been done to the root. The tree was probably cut by accident when the gardeners were cleaning up, but he didn't care about that. It was a safe spot and that's all that Robin cared about. He turned to the opening only to see the mouse chewing at the roots.
"Oh come on!" Robin snapped. "What did we do to you?!"
Before the mouse could even so much as squeak, it was taken off the floor and away from the root.
"Huh?" Robin rushed outside, fueled with morbid curiosity despite the danger.
He stepped out of the entrance, looking for the mouse with the opening a safe jumpable distance away. He heard a loud crunch and flesh being torn from the bones coming from just a little ahead of him. There he saw the largest cat he'd ever seen in his life. It was a common house tabby cat, but Robin could've easily mistaken it for a kaiju that could destroy cities if it wanted. It was eating the mouse without a care in the world and that scared Robin. As the cat turned to look at him, the shrunken scientist jumped back inside the opening and out of the cat's sight.
"Okay, new rule of this messed up wonderland: Everything can and will try to kill you." Robin sighed before remembering that he wasn't the only shrunken man. "Shit! Doc!"
Robin rushed back to the RV where Dr. Albertson had managed to wake up slightly.
"Robin… Wha-What happened?" Dr. Albertson asked.
"Hang on, Doc. I'll patch you up." Robin rushed for the medicine kit and started working patching up the wound.
"Y-You need to saturate–no, cauterize the wound," Dr. Albertson coughed.
Robin nodded looking for something that could be used to make something to cauterize the wound. He grabbed one of the bunsen burners, thinking of heating some piece of metal to do the trick. But he couldn't find a metal piece that big, and he didn't have time for it to get burning hot. His eyes landed on a piece of cloth from his lab coat. He tore off his sleeve before running out. Spotting a piece of root that had been broken off, he grabbed hold of it before pulling it. He thought that the piece would take at least ten tries to be ripped off, but the piece came off with only one tug.
He looked at the piece with astonishment. But he didn't have time to think too deeply about it. Chucking it to adrenaline making him stronger, he ran back into the RV. Wrapping his sleeve on the makeshift stick and pouring some alcohol on it, he lit it up.
"Okay, Doc, this is going to hurt a lot." Robin handed a piece of wood for him to bite on.
Robin pressed the torch against Dr. Albertson's missing leg, cauterizing the wound. Hearing the muffled cries of the doctor, he pressed the leg to keep it in place. After a whole minute of agonizing burning, Robin pulled away the torch, throwing it out of the RV. The wound had been cauterized completely, leaving a burnt stomp where blood no longer flowed out. This gave him a turn to his stomach. He'd never heard or even seen something like this and it made him sick to know that he'd done it.
"T-Thank you, Robin." Dr. Albertson muttered through his pain. "I lost a lot of blood, but it seems the Pym Particles slowed down the bleeding, somehow."
"Hang on, Doc. I'll make us big again and we'll take you to a hospital." Robin rushed to the controls.
He pressed the button to enlarge the RV… But nothing happened. He pressed it over and over again, only to get the same result each time. Robin even slammed his fist against the console but nothing changed. He opened the equipment door, looking at the damage. Some of the circuits and parts had been damaged and fried.
"What's wrong?" Dr. Albertson asked.
"The growth function is busted…" Robin sighed. "We're stuck no bigger than a mouse. And it's a big world out there for us."
Robin and Dr. Albertson looked at the situation they were in and to say it was bad would've been an understatement. They took stock of everything that they had, most of the chemicals and equipment still worked, even some of the fabric that they were planning to use for special suits but not much in terms of food and water. They had to find some way to communicate with the people out there. They turned on the radio of the RV trying to communicate with the people at Alchemax, hoping to learn what had happened.
They waited in silence as they tried to get ahold of anyone they had worked with but the static was making it harder for them to find answers. They worked with baited breath trying to fix the machine with their own hands, putting it together with what they had. Soon enough they had a signal.
"Yes! Now, let's call for help!" Robin cheered.
"Late… Chicago… ews… Alche… explosion…"
"Turn up the volume," Dr. Albertson said.
Robin did as Dr. Albertson instructed, getting to finally hear what the transmission was about.
"-It has been verified that the events that transpired last night in the Alchemax building was the result of poorly managed equipment in the Science and Development area. The Chicago branch's head advisor Darren Cross spoke about the explosion and the people responsible for it earlier today. Here is the excerpt from his talk."
"It is with a heavy heart that I must admit that Alchemax did put too much faith in the crackpot ideas of two scientists that believed their experiments into factors and aspects of the world that should never be explored." Darren spoke. "These two scientists caused the explosion, taking millions of eddies in damages to this building and the dreams of many. Not to mention the lives of many brave and noble people. But I am comfortable in saying that Dr. Emmet Albertson and his assistant Robinson Brown Lee perished before their machinations could hurt innocent people."
"There you have it folks. Mr. Cross assured the public that any and all assets of the two scientists would be taken and examined in case any more of their crazy experiments left the confines of the building. Alchemax has now disowned them both as the dangers that they truly were. In this reporter's opinion, we are all breathing a sigh of relief for the deaths of those two mad scientists. Late Chicago News, news here for you always."
Robin and Dr. Albertson were left with their eyes wide and their mouths almost touching the floor. They couldn't believe what they had heard from the news. The attack of that large metal monster had been pinned on them thanks to Darren Cross and Alchemax was more than happy to leave them out to dry. They didn't care what had even happened to them or what they could do to save them. To the company, they were just another investment that had gone wrong and now they had to be let go. They were now disowned and destitute from anything they could reach out for help, believed dead by the world with no resources. If things didn't spell rock bottom then they didn't know what they spelled.
"I can't believe that everyone now thinks that we're to blame for all this?!" Robin snapped. "Didn't anyone hear anything?! A giant metal monster carrying a gun the size of a motorcycle can't be that hard to spot?! What about the cameras?! They should've caught something! ANYTHING!" Robin punched the wall of the RV.
"Robin, please, calm down. I don't think that this was all a coincidence." Dr. Albertson pointed out.
"What are you talking about, doc?" Robin asked.
"A theory, that metal monster, as you called him, his name is Adam Smasher. He is Arasaka's biggest and baddest enforcer, a so-called hero of the corporate wars," Dr. Albertson rubbed his bandaged leg. "Though, calling him anything less than a pitbull or an attack dog at this point would be doing him a favor. He was once a man that turned his entire body into that of a machine. I doubt there's anything human inside that cold dead metal exterior."
"But why the attack? We're not a threat to Arasaka." Robin paced, trying to think of what to do.
"Arasaka would send Smasher to destroy anything they deemed a threat to them. If the rumors about him are true." Dr. Albertson pondered out loud.
"He only attacked our installations, our lab and tried to kill us and anyone that got in his way."
"Go on." Dr. Albertson encouraged.
"That means that Alchemax itself isn't-wasn't the target. We were." It dawned on Robin. "Someone reached out to Arasaka and they sent Adam Smasher to destroy us and the Pym Particle research. But who benefitted from us being gone?"
"There are always those that want a leg up in the corporate world, Robin." Dr. Albertson pointed out, making Robin think about how he used to think. "But for now, we need to find a way to survive on our own," Dr. Albertson said. "We need food and water, and then, we will figure something out. We have to survive. We need to tell the people what happened."
Robin nodded. Now they needed food and water to help the doc recover all the blood he'd lost. He grabbed what remained of his torch before thinking about heading out, hoping to find something they could both eat. But just as he was about to reach for the door, his eyes spotted his Ant helmet. It was one of the few things that had hitched a ride with them when they shrunk. He had so many plans on what he'd do with the technology before this mess happened. But now, they all seemed like far away dreams that he could only imagine. With a sigh, he decided to put on the helmet before heading out.
"At least now it can work as armor, for whatever it's worth." Robin walked out, venturing into the large wonderland of the outside world.
Robin slowly walked into the grass, feeling like he was walking into the jungle without anything shielding him from any threats. Like a sheep that had lost its way and was now walking through a wolf infested forest, Robin kept looking over his shoulder, listening to anything that could be a threat or wanted to eat him. His heart pumped with so much fear that he started to see monstrous faces behind every shadow and corner he took. He stayed low, trying to make as little movement as possible. He needed to be invisible to everyone and everything around him.
"You can do this. You can do this," Robin whispered to himself as he kept on going.
The smell of blood caught his nose, making him wince. He moved one blade of grass, spotting the remains of the mouse that had been chasing after them a short while ago. A gruesome fate seeing it up close, but Robin had to steel himself for what he had to do. He kept on walking wondering where he was supposed to find anything edible for him and Dr. Albertson. He hoped to find something like a plate of chicken or some discarded bag of chips or the remains of a sandwich at this point. But as time passed, he couldn't find even so much as a slice of lettuce. It was frustrating him a lot. The size comparison of his surroundings exhausted him with looks alone. He wondered if he had even so much as made any progress in the overall scheme of things.
"I will never look down on walking ever again if I ever get back to my normal size." Robin sat down under a leaf, using its shadow to rest up.
His stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten anything since he woke up and whatever food was in the RV he'd given it to the doc. If he didn't find something to eat soon, he'd be very tempted to cook what was left of the mouse. His eyes landed on a blade of grass.
"It could be an early salad." He tore off a piece before eating it very quickly. "This tastes terrible. Beats starvation."
Robin started munching on the grass blade, letting it turn into mush in his mouth. He wondered if the taste ever crossed the mind of a cow or any other animal whenever it ate something terrible. They probably didn't know how good they tasted when seasoned with garlic and butter and some herbs. Robin hadn't ever considered how tough things were when all the commodities of his life were taken from him. But as he munched on the grass, he was reminded that he was in fact in the literal and ever brutal rock bottom. No communications. No help coming. And everyone believed that he was dead and a dangerous lunatic that meddled with things no man should meddle with. He needed something to boost his spirits. What he wouldn't give for this to be a dream and suddenly wake up back in his warm bed with a beautiful woman by his side after a night of celebrating. But the heat of the sun, the sounds of the leaves on the trees and the terrible taste in his mouth were so vivid and strong that no dream could ever wrap its arms around his mind.
"I better take some of this back to the doc." Robin started ripping chunks of the grass. "It might taste like juicy burnt kale but it'll have to do. Wish I could get some meat in his bones though-"
Suddenly, he heard something crawling up behind him. He slowly turned around, fearing that it was another mouse to take up where its friend had fallen. But it wasn't. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin could see a large black creature with six eyes and a black exoskeleton, large black pincers and a long black tail with a very sharp and poisonous looking stinger at the end. He was now face to face with a scorpion that looked all too hungry. Its mandibles looked like they were salivating at the sight of Robin and its pincers were getting a little too claw happy about him.
"I swear the universe must hate me." Robin muttered.
The scorpion shot one of its pincers forward, trying to grab Robin's delicious body. But Robin jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting caught by the large bug. He rolled back to his feet before noticing how far he'd actually managed to jump. A good three feet from the scorpion that charged after him. He saw the stingers coming after him, forcing him to roll and dodge all of them as they came after him. Robin started running once more with the scorpion close behind him. The sound of its many legs and snapping claws rumbling like a stampede of bulls running up behind made him go even faster. He was tempted to try jumping once more but he couldn't think of where to run. He couldn't return to the RV and lead the scorpion the size of a car there. Suddenly, he tripped on the loose ground, falling.
"Damn it!" Robin cursed as the scorpion lunged towards him with its pincers ready to snap him in two.
Robin quickly held up his makeshift torch like a battling club. He swung it against the pincer only for it to get caught by it. Pulling back and forth in a tug of war against the scorpion's hold over his makeshift weapon, he realized that he was having no problem keeping up with the strength of the large beast.
"Wait-How is this possible?" Robin grunted through his teeth. "Insects are capable of insane feats of strength despite their size. Ants can easily carry up to fifty times its own weight and run 300 meters an hour. A scorpion this size should be tossing me around like a damn ragdoll." Robin jumped back as the scorpion's other pincer took a shot at him.
There wasn't time to look into the strange development of super strength and agility of his tiny body, he needed a weapon. The club was all but holding on by a thin threat. Robin needed a real weapon. Not that he'd actually ever used a gun or a sword before, but he needed something. He saw the stinger coming down on him. He ducked underneath the stinger, feeling the wind flow above his head. The scorpion tried over and over again to sting him and crush him to death, but Robin was able to hold on just enough to avoid getting his head removed. He turned his eyes and spotted the corpse of the mouse and a few broken ribs sticking out.
"That should do it." Robin turned back to the scorpion, thinking of a plan. "I hope this works!"
Robin released his grip on the club, letting the scorpion fall back by the release of strength. He bent his legs back, taking into a sprint towards the mouse corpse. Feeling the speed surpass anything that he'd ever run before, like he was somehow zooming past every blade of grass that was in his path. He was like an ant or any other insect running at incredible speeds despite his diminutive size. But he wasn't the only one. The scorpion ran up behind him, trying to catch up to him and devour him. It shot its stinger forward, trying to skewer Robin through the stomach. But in a single long shot idea, Robin jumped forward. And he jumped high, crashing into the tree above the mouse corpse.
"Ow…" Robin groaned as he fell back down.
As soon as he landed, his ears picked up the scorpion's cries coming for him with a vengeance. Robin looked at the corpse and the sharp rib poking out from the flesh. He ran up to the rib, pulling at it, breaking it off from the body just as the scorpion jumped at him. Robin jumped underneath the scorpion, jabbing the sharp rib into its body with the aid of his newfound super strength. He heard the cries of pain of the scorpion as it tossed and turned above him like a wild animal in pain. Letting out a wild primal roar of his own, Robin punched the rib through the scorpion's entrails, killing it completely.
The scorpion went limp before Robin pushed it off of him. Robin looked at the insect, making sure it was dead after the impalement punch. He reached for another bone from the mouse corpse, poking the scorpion to be sure it was truly dead. He poked it once and then twice seeing that there was no movement.
"Good… it's dead." Robin sighed.
With his enemy vanquished and his heart beating normally, Robin took a moment to look at his hands. What he'd done was insane and completely impossible without any cybernetic augmentations or a battle suit at the very least. Yet, he had done it. Him a guy who didn't have a single bit of chrome in his system because it was something his parents didn't approve of and he didn't see the need for. But he now looked at the corpse of the giant scorpion he had killed with his two hands. He wasn't that strong, he knew that for a fact. It wasn't just his strength but it was also the height of his jumps and the distance he had run.
Looking up at the spot that he had crashed against the tree. It was no more than a scratch to anyone of normal size, but it was the impression he left when he crashed into the tree with his jump. The last time he'd been shrunken down, he hadn't been able to test what the effects of the Pym Particles had given him. After what happened to Darren, Dr. Albertson was very much against the idea of shrinking anyone until they were more than certain that there weren't any nasty side effects. But now he was free to experiment and learn what else they could do.
"But now I need to find out how to take this damn thing back to… camp, I guess?" Robin scratched the back of his head only to meet the back of his helmet.
Robin smirked, knowing that it was about as good a time to try the helmet on the field. He looked around, hoping to see some ants to help him. He heard the ground moving before him. Jumping back, he feared that the scorpion had somehow returned from the dead. But as luck would have it, it was currently being picked up and dismembered by a bunch of ants. He'd seen them before when he first became small, but now he was face to face with them. They looked like large stallions of the wild with the size of tall pickup trucks that could be ridden if someone was brave enough. He looked in awe at how they tore and pulled apart the giant scorpion in record time. Their coordination was impressive and useful. Their communication skills were better than those of most teams he'd ever seen, whether they be sports teams, engineering teams or even security teams. And they could do everything with the proper directions that their leaders told them with pinpoint accuracy. A thought came to his mind as he saw them finishing to tear the scorpion's tail off. He looked at them, slowly walking towards them. They noticed him, turning to face him like a pack of wild dogs picking up on a stranger getting closer to their territory.
"Okay then, Let's try this," Robin said. "I am Robin, and I need you to take this food to another location where the nest is located. The food needs to feed me and another… queen. Follow me." He spoke, addressing them, hoping that the ants would listen to him.
The ants started to move in tandem, picking up the remains of the scorpion just as Robin had asked of them. They looked to him for guidance and a lead to the new anthill they were going to. With a small smile, Robin led them on foot towards the RV. The ants never wavered as Robin kept them under his careful instructions. One of the ants walked right behind Robin as he kept on walking, making him wonder what it was expecting from him. They easily kept the pace when they arrived at the RV.
"Alright, we're here, but we need some other things." Robin turned to the ants. "Take off the heavy armored bits of the exoskeleton, and the organs. No poison for us or the colony."
The ants went to work just as Robin had instructed them to do. He looked at the pieces that were around the RV. He pulled them off, making a pile in the middle to light a campfire. He went in and helped Dr. Albertson to his foot and out to the campfire. He brought out the burner, lighting it up as the ants were finishing up the task he asked of them. He smiled at the sight of the scorpion meat before them. It was time to eat and survive in this small world.
"I still can't believe that you got the ants to help you bring the scorpion here, or that you were able to kill it on your own, Robin." Dr. Albertson took a bite out of the cooked scorpion meat.
"Neither can I. It seems that the Pym Particles have more than just a shrinking effect on people." Robin tore a piece of meat and threw it at the ants. "We'll need to look into it while we look for a way back to our normal size. And find out who did this to us."
"We have little to work with, and in no condition for vengeance. We must prepare and learn to survive with our new friends here." Dr. Albertson took another bite of the scorpion. "This tastes horrible."
Robin laughed as the fires died down.
"Needs salt." Robin chewed.
The days passed and Robin did as Dr. Albertson had told him to do. He spent his time preparing and getting ready to take justice for what had happened to them. He set up a list of names of those involved in the attack to their lab, Adam Smasher and Arasaka were at the very top but they were seconded by another name: Darren Cross. It didn't take them long to find that he was the only one that wanted them to fail. The process was simple elimination from all the people that knew of the Pym Particles and their future applications.
"It couldn't have been any of the higher ups at Alchemax," Robin said. "They all were working hard to keep the company afloat and the Pym Particles were going to put us on the map and give us a leg above all other corporations. Plus we are-were loyal to the company and weren't planning on screwing them over." He paced as he tried to rationalize what to do next."
"Then let's look at who would have it out for us particularly. And that narrows the list quite a lot, assuming that there weren't any spies in the branch," Dr. Albertson said. "It seems that Darren Cross is the only one that could've contacted Arasaka and told them about the Pym Particles. Then Arasaka sends their deadly metal muscle to clear things out."
"Adam Smasher was sent to kill us, you mean." Robin crossed his arms.
"Bravo." Albertson clapped.
Robin ran through the grass, keeping up the cardio training to see how far he could push himself. He saw roots poking out from the ground forcing him to lightly jump towards them, bouncing off of them before rolling back onto the ground. His feet took off once more before he was knocked to his side by a trip rope placed for him. He punched the ground, cracking a pebble.
"Damn, I'm strong," Robin muttered.
He ran back to the starting line, setting up all the traps he'd put together with the aid of Dr. Albertson once more. It was irritating work but he needed to get stronger if he wanted to survive in a world that everything could eat and kill him with ease. He dragged a stick on the ground, drawing a line for him to start. Kneeling down, he looked to his right to see one of the ants roar. It was his starting shot. He took off once more, feeling his body ripple with pain from torn muscles growing stronger each time he had to work.
First off was the potholes that he had to lift his knees up high, giving him more leg strength. Then there were the flying mud balls being flung to him by the ants using leaves of grass as catapults. He ducked and blocked the shots with his makeshift staff, flipping over them to avoid being taken out. Then there were the tiger traps and trip wires where he had to be ready to look for any movements.
His eyes kept observing everything before him, taking stock of where he had already run through and where the earth looked like it had been moved. He spotted a path before him he'd taken last time. Smirking, he ran through the path, counting his steps before noting that there was another tripwire. He jumped over the wire and then another.
"I think I'm getting better at this." Robin ran, only for a giant praying mantis to jump out from the leaves.
Robin could only barely react, holding up his arms for the giant insect to take a crack at him. He was sent flying back to the ground. Groaning in pain, he held his arms to check if they were broken. Thankfully, they weren't but it still felt like he had been tackled by a truck about to run him over. He looked at the giant mantis looking at him with its large bug eyes like a beast trying to hunt its prey. Judging by the speed and power behind those blows, he wouldn't be able to take this one down on his own. But just then an idea popped in his mind.
"Hey, ugly, want dinner? Then come get me!" Robin ran into the grass with the praying mantis running after him.
He ran back to the different traps, knowing which ones to trigger. He pressed his hand to the side of his head, sending instructions to the ants. First, he led it to the stones. He rolled and dodged the stones as they pummeled the mantis. The large green bug was blinded by all the mud and stones hitting it.
"Alright, phase two." Robin ran up to the pits.
He pulled out the cord he'd used for the tripwire, tying it to his makeshift staff before running at the praying mantis. Jumping with his new strength, he wrapped the cord to the mantis' neck, pulling on it with the staff before digging it into the ground. He was basically keeping the large animal in place with his greater strength despite his small size.
"Phase three, attack!" Robin commanded the ants to attack the praying mantis.
Ants swarmed around the large green insect, pinning it down with their weight. Before Robin's eyes, the large beast was brought low as he panted. Another reminder that his skills could only take him so far. He needed to grow more acquainted with his new allies and powers, for lack of a better word.
Robin and Dr. Albertson drove the RV to a different spot of their new wilderness, searching for equipment and pieces to fix their vehicle. They had had a few too many close run-ins with the workers and people's pets for their liking. It was time to look for greener pastures. Not only that, but winter was coming, a harsh winter that would kill them if they didn't prepare.
Robin looked up and saw the snowflakes starting to come down as he drove to their new home: An ant hill. They drove deep underground with a few ants as their company, leading them to where they would be spending the next couple of months. They had made sure to stockpile plenty of food for not just themselves but all the ants as well. They went down through the properly dug out tunnels, making them feel like they were driving down an old subway tunnel that never seemed to end with only ants and their headlights as company on their descent.
"Pretty spooky, right, doc?" Robin joked.
"It is, but amazing too," Albertson replied. "The ground is stable enough to support the weight and the space gives us plenty of space to move, though we'll have to go all the way down to the cave to make any turns."
They were led down to a small cave big enough to park the RV and for them to make their home for the winter months. The living arrangements were not the best but it beat being eaten by the weather or being buried in the snow or having the RV being taken by some curious kid or nosey pet thinking it was a chew toy. They had had plenty of those close calls already. As they finished parking the RV, Dr. Albertson began coughing.
"Doc, you alright?" Robin went on to check up on his friend.
"It's fine, Robin. Just a cough." Dr. Albertson brushed it off. "But I think I've found out the reason why you now possess these extraordinary abilities." Dr. Albertson rolled himself towards the lab on a small wheelchair they had built out of scrap metal, and old toy pieces.
They stood before a centrifuge and one of the computers of the RV's lab. The screen showed an analysis of both Robin's blood and the Pym Particles effects on different objects. Dr. Albertson had taken a blood sample from Robin a few days ago and had been running tests on the samples to determine the source of his newfound strength, speed, and endurance. Most of the tests showed that he was in perfect health and that new aspects had altered his biology, apart from being shrunk down to the size of an ant.
"What did you find, doc?" Robin asked.
"Well, from what I've found out, you're in peak health for a normal human. But I believe I've found out why you have these new abilities." Dr. Albertson pressed a few keys, pulling up what he had transferred about the Pym Particles. "When an object shrinks down it becomes much denser than when it is at its original size, making it more durable and resistant. Just like insects are capable of incredible feats despite their size, their bodies are so dense and strong that they can survive almost anything. The Pym Particles have made our bodies just like theirs, which is why you can go toe to toe with any of those large beasts despite not being one of them."
"Wow, that's a good thing, right doc?" Robin whistled.
"So far, I can't find anything wrong with it. But you're not invincible. You may be strong enough to knock back a normal man with one punch, but not knowing how to punch or fight will get you killed." Dr. Albertson pushed himself to one of the suits. "And to help you, we need to make your clothes better suit your new way of life."
Robin wasn't one to look shy away when he needed a new change of clothes. After months of living in the wild, his clothes and lab coat looked more like those that a burnt victim would be found with. They were torn, dirty and smelled of insect guts, mud and blood. But these weren't the usual type of clothes that Robin would usually wear, the suits were going to be the experimental self-shrinking and growing utility the scientists and those working with the shrunken material would wear. They were fully red expanding fabric with a button on each hand to shrink and grow whenever the user wanted. They had yet to test their effectiveness, but seeing as they would be the only ones that knew about the particles, it wouldn't hurt to be ready.
"I'll start looking for pieces to fix this old junk tomorrow," Robin said. "For now, we best get settled in for our new apartment."
"You're right, Robin. Too bad the view isn't much to look at." Dr. Albertson chuckled.
"At least the rent is cheap." Robin joked back.
"At least they won't charge us for food and water either," Dr. Albertson chuckled at the idea that their new living situation was far from perfect but it was what they had. "The neighbors won't be coming here to eat us will they? Don't want to wake up and get a bite out of my one good leg."
"Don't worry, I told them to put some friendly pheromones on the RV so that they don't get antsy during the night. Plus they have plenty of food and water to last them through the winter, plus a little bit more for us should we run through our stock first." Robin looked over the suit, trying to look for anything that could need fixing or stitching. " We need better conduit metals for the suit, some of it needs to be stitched back together. And I can get the metal to replace the pieces the RV got busted. The ants spoke about a tech facility not far from here, though they used more ant language and described it as 'a place full of shinies'."
"How far did they mean?" Dr. Albertson asked.
"A couple of miles. About five days walk on our current size," Robin explained. "And with the snow coming down little by little-"
"It'll be suicide, Robin. You won't survive if you walk there, even the RV won't get you there and back again fast enough." Dr. Albertson countered. "You won't get there unless you can fly."
"Funny you should say that, doc." Robin put on the suit with the remains of his coat on top of it.
Robin grabbed on to his ride for dear life as they flew through the air like a stray speeding bullet in the middle of a hurricane. The large black thorax that worked as both his seat and his seatbelt was the only thing keeping him from falling to his death on the cold Chicago floor. He held on tight, while focusing on where he wanted to go with his squadron. The icy winds made for a bumpy ride and made him almost lose all feeling in his fingers. But he had to keep going, he knew that they were close to their destination according to the ants. He would've laughed at the idea of taking directions from ants before but he was not in a position to make jokes of any kind or make snide comments about what he would've or could've done in the past. He was on his way to the tech facility on the most dangerous and most wild method of transportation that had been unknown to man for most of its history: He was flying on an ant over the tall buildings of the Windy City.
The ant flew fast and without a second thought for anything or anyone else apart from its fellow ants. While Robin was hanging on for his life, he had to admit that he was starting to feel a little bit more engaged and having more fun flying than he'd had in the last five months. He moved along with the ant's movements, almost like he was riding a horse through the wild west in search of a long forgotten gold mine. His eyes watched everything below him move like they were the ants and he was a giant. It was an exhilarating experience, all he needed to make the experience completely good was for him to get his hands on what he was looking for.
He pulled out a wrapped up leaf with a piece of glass tied at the end to look down. He spotted the tech facility right below them. His improvised spyglass was barely visible and had scratches all over it, but it still worked wonders for him. He directed the ants to the rooftop of the tech facility. They landed on top of the building, overlooking the inside of the facility through a skylight. They could see the entrance of the front door and with a good look down at the workings of the facility. The place was still packed with people working on putting chrome pieces together before shipping them to other parts of the country, more specifically, places like Night City from what Robin could read from where they stood.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked for what they needed. With so much movement, it was hard to find the pieces and sneak out with them before anyone could even notice that they were gone. He looked at the skylight, spotting that it had special opening springs on to quickly open up during the summer time. He smiled, looking for the edge to grab hold of it. His fingers traced it until he found a spot to put them in.
"Here goes." Robin grunted, lifting the skylight little by little.
The skylight opened up completely.
"Yes!" Robin cried out.
…Only for the alarms to go off.
It turned out that they were alarmed at night, even when people were still inside.
"Great, well, time to go down!" Robin jumped back onto the ant's back, flying down with the other ants to snatch up their loot.
Everyone was panicking and looking for what had set off the alarm that they didn't see them moving in for their snatch and grab.
Robin and the ants spotted their first stop.
"Alright, some steel for the armor and copper for the conductors of the suit and RV." Robin jumped down to the table just as a scientist was moving away from it.
Robin pulled out a makeshift knife made out of wood and a piece of metal that had been salvaged from an old knife that had been dropped back at the park. He quickly cut the pieces of the copper wiring that they needed before going on for the metal. It took him some work but he managed to pry off the pieces that they needed for both the armor of the new suit as well as the pieces that they needed for the RV. He put them all in two large bags before tying them up to one of the ants.
"Good boy," Robin said. "Let's go get the next pieces."
Robin ran to the next table while the ants flew behind him. He jumped to the next table and then the next, flipping and dodging all the pieces of loose metal and tools that had been laid scattered through the tables with his newly formed muscles and parkour experience. In a way he had to thank his luck and his work in the past months of living in the wild and the uncivilized.
"Alright, the second target. Some much needed plastic and oil." Robin landed on the next table.
He pulled out a hose and a large canteen to fill up with the chemical oil to put in. The canteen could easily hold up about three to five liters of oil but in his small size, two drops would do the trick. They needed the oil to fix up the RV and put things together. He sealed up the canteen and hoisted it over another one of his ants. He turned to the plastic tubes that were being used to move any and all chemicals that were going to be used in the piece of chrome, in this case being an eyeball.
"I'll never get why people change their eyeballs for these things." Robin started cutting the plastic. "But with this I'll be able to use it to make a proper weapon or a better glue for a weapon."
Robin finished cutting the piece of plastic he needed before hopping on his ant, flying out of the skylight before it closed down. Robin smiled as they flew through the night sky, heading back home with all their resources with them. They were getting better, finally getting a good foothold in this big world.
But it was only the first step. Robin needed to learn and do better for the next run. He could've gotten more stuff but the alarm complicated things greatly.
Two years later…
It had been two years since the attack on the Alchemax branch by Adam Smasher and Arasaka. Two long years of grueling training and surviving against all the large monsters in the world. An experience that left many changed from the days they once took everything for granted but now had to work arduously to survive. It was not something that everyone liked or even enjoyed going through, but it was something that Robin had to go through in his new life.
Even now, he couldn't stop going through his whole routine to make himself stronger and prepared for the worst. He ran through the tunnels of the ant hill with the ants running behind him, like an army following their general down to their final battle. He now wore the shrinking suit with armored gauntlets, boots and a utility belt wrapped around his waist. The fixed suit was now fitting him like a glove, almost like a second layer of skin wrapping around his body. He spotted a broken down bridge up ahead, making him narrow his eyes at it. With his helmet, he commanded his ants to form a bridge before him, connecting the two parts of the ant hill. He ran on top of the ants before landing on the other side. He made a sharp turn to the right, spotting a tunnel heading back to the top of the ant hill. It was around twenty feet from where he was running, but nothing a jump with his enhanced strength couldn't fix. Jumping through the hole led to the next floor where he could see a light ahead at the end of the tunnel. His ears picked up the sound of the ants running behind after him with the might of wild stallions running through the wild planes.
"Final stretch guys!" Robin called back as they managed to catch up to him.
Robin took off, running to the exit as the ants joined him once more. His steps matched the stomps of the ants running by his sides towards the exit. Before he knew it, they were all out in the open, looking at the clear blue sky without a cloud to cover their eyes. The ants went on to do their thing as Robin looked around through his ant helmet visors, like an explorer finding himself in a new world.
"Good going, guys." He scratched the heads of the ants before sending them on their way. "I gotta do something before I go. See you guys in a bit." Robin walked towards a large great tree, the same tree where he and Dr. Albertson had hidden their first time in the shrunken world.
The walk was one that Robin had made many times over. But he wanted to do it one more time on his own. It was a way to pay his final respects to the man who helped him and taught him everything he knew. He knelt before the base of the tree, taking off his helmet to reveal his aged face. He now had long hair that reached down past his shoulders and a long beard that made him look like he was in his thirties.
"Hey, Dr. Emmet Albertson," Robin said. "It's the day. The day we talked about. It sucks that it took us two years to get all we needed. Wish you were here to see it. The suit works like a charm and the RV is now fully operational. I'll find those responsible for what happened. But I hope you can rest now, being with your wife. Send me some luck from the other side if there is any. Goodbye, my friend. I'll see you when I see you." Robin brushed the dirt from the tombstone, revealing the name of his mentor.
'Here lies Dr. Emmet Albertson'
'Beloved husband and true friend'
'One small mark on the world to make a better tomorrow.'
Robin made his way back to the RV, driving it out of the ant hill before getting ready to turn it on. All systems turned on and looked to be all good. After finding a secluded space, Robin looked at the growth button.
"Here we go." Robin pressed the button, causing the RV to grow quickly back to its original size.
Robin waited a few seconds as he got used to the brand new size and world around him. He slowly opened the door and stepped out, walking into the street where he was met with a taxi driver honking at him.
"Hey, you! Watch where you're going!" He drove off.
"Sorry, my bad. I'll be more careful." Robin muttered before looking at the city and how much it had changed in two years. "I'm finally back. Time to pay the piper, Darren."
"No, no, no, I keep telling you, Alchemax is about to promote me to the head of the branch." Darren walked into his apartment with a big smile on his face. "Think of it as a major reward for cleaning up the mess those two nerd monkeys did two years ago. Next stop, CEO position."
Darren wasn't exaggerating, he had spearheaded the reconstruction of the Chicago branch ever since the attack. He was able to make the company save billions and make the right investments to make Alchemax stable and profitable, seconded only by Arasaka of course. His superiors were so happy with him that they were more than willing to sign anything he handed them without reading it once. He was so high and happy on his way to the top that he didn't notice that he wasn't alone in his apartment. Small dark shadows moved around the apartment, taking out the cameras and tampering with the lights.
"I even bought some new clothes that I know you'll love~." Darren continued his call as he opened his shopping bag.
Darren pulled out a black armless hoodie that he planned to use to show off his new toned body for any lucky lady that was around. However, his smile dropped when the TV turned on, making him jump slightly.
"What the fuck?" Darren whispered as the static caught his attention.
He turned it off with his wireless connection, before turning back to his shopping. But the TV turned on once more. He turned it off again, muttering an annoyance under his breath. The TV turned on once more to a recording of the address he'd given two years ago. Darren tossed the hoodie away, having enough of the damn piece of junk malfunctioning.
"Don't like to reminisce, Cross?"
Darren turned around only to be met with a punch to the face that sent him down to the ground. He looked up only to see that he was alone. Fearing an invisible assassin with deadly red eyes, he ran to the kitchen, pulling out a gun. He smiled before being struck in the face by what felt like a kick to the face. Darren was sent to the ground once more, only this time, he fired at the kitchen wall. He fired three shots before scrambling to his feet. Blood and sweat dripped from his face as he looked for his attacker.
"Arasaka sent you to kill me?! We had a deal!" Darren screamed. "I gave you the target and you'd take them out! I've kept quiet. I had everything to win and everything to lose! They tried to get rid of me but I showed them! I became indispensable to Alchemax! I am indispensable! They tried to make me into a Cyberpsycho, but I came from the brink! I won't stop! no Night City punk will get me!"
"Guess you were always a greedy unstable bastard," Darren turned around to see Ant-Runner sitting on his chair. "Darren."
Darren emptied his clip at the chair, just as Robin shrunk down before his eyes.
Robin used all his training to run on the bullets. He jumped and ran over the surfaces of the arm shots. Grunting at the strain, he hopped from one to the other before he landed on Darren's gun. Using the momentum of his sprint, he jumped at Darren's face, punching him with the strength of a bullet.
Darren was sent flying all the way to the wall, falling face first unconscious from the blow.
Robin grew back to his normal size, looking at Darren's beaten body.
"I'm sure the people on top will be happy to hear your little secret, Darren." Robin pulled out a recorder before mailing it from Darren's own account. "Looks like Arasaka's home turf is next." He picked up the hoodie, putting it on over his suit. "It's time to head to Night City. And get a haircut. Time for a brand new life. One of cyberpunks and corporations. And an Ant-Runner in between them."