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*****
Life suddenly slipped back into a lazy rhythm.
Lounging in his recliner under the sun, Mike let out a yawn, popped a piece of pastry into his mouth, then washed it down with fragrant tea.
"This is the life," he murmured leisurely, narrowing his eyes as he gazed out at the street.
The Star Company incident had already come to an end, and within just over a month, people had gradually pushed it to the back of their minds.
Life hadn't changed much for the public, but because of Star Company's relentless superhero marketing, when its heroes disappeared, their fans shifted their attention to others. This ended up making the Avengers and the X-Men more popular than ever.
Still…
There was one loose end to the Star Company affair.
Fiora.
In this world, Fiora had never joined Star Company, so Mike hadn't seen her and had no idea where she was hiding.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have minded taking care of her himself.
But to go out of his way looking for Fiora? Hardly worth the effort.
After all, she was just another Kryptonian. If she ever caused trouble, he'd deal with her then.
Mike, who could conjure Kryptonian short rifles at will, had little regard for Kryptonians. To him, they were far too weak.
"Ah!"
Stretching his body, Mike pulled out his phone and idly scrolled through the news.
The phone, called Future 2, was manufactured by Future Tech.
It hadn't officially launched yet, but Mike had already received a limited edition from Eric.
Compared to Star Company, Future Tech's growth was steady and reliable.
Its first phone, Future 1, had survived months of market testing with an astonishing 95% approval rating. Naturally, the Future 2 model was now ready for release.
Eric was busy running his company, Charles was occupied with his school, Clark spent his days rushing about chasing interviews and writing articles, while Gwen was attending classes.
And himself…
"Let's not mention that," Mike muttered, tossing another pastry into the air and catching it in his mouth.
"Perfect score!"
He squinted in satisfaction.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Mike rolled his eyes.
Peggy Carter.
No doubt she had noticed how idle he was lately and was calling to drag him into another mahjong game.
Did she really think Mike was so free that he could waste his time on mahjong?
Yawning, he was just about to silence the phone when he felt two pairs of eyes staring at him.
No way…
He turned his head at inhuman speed, just in time to spot two faces squashed against the window like pressed flowers, eyes glaring at him through the glass.
Mike: "…"
Pretending not to see, he whipped his head back around, yawned again, and reluctantly answered the call.
If he didn't, he'd only have to endure their nagging later.
The moment they saw Mike pick up, Peggy Carter and Maria pulled away from the window, rubbing their cheeks.
"Stop napping. Keep that up and you'll get dementia," Peggy scolded.
"Exactly!" Maria chimed in. "Come join us and move around a bit!"
"Finger exercises?" Mike said dryly.
"Heh!" Peggy laughed. "You've got nothing else to do anyway."
"Hah. If you two want to come lose money, I won't say no."
Mocking them, Mike let the pair inside.
"Just the two of you? That's not enough for a game."
He moved as if to escort them right back out.
"Stop right there!"
Peggy quickly raised her hands. "We invited someone else!"
"You'll never guess who!" Maria added smugly.
Mike stroked his chin. "Never guess, huh? Pepper?"
"Nope!"
"Natasha? Wanda? Pietro? Bruce…"
As Mike rattled off name after name, Peggy narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't you just list everyone we know?"
"Then who is it?"
Mike was now genuinely curious.
"Hank! Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Peggy and Maria beamed with pride.
"Hank? You mean that Hank?"
Mike squinted.
"That's right, Hank Pym!" Maria explained. "After the Battle of New York, we kept a place for him here. He comes to stay from time to time. Last time he visited, you were off traveling."
Last time? Was that when he went to the Logan world?
Mike mused silently.
Maria checked the time. "By now, he should be ready."
"Ready? Ready for what?" Mike asked casually, then narrowed his eyes as the two women stared back at him. "What are you plotting?"
"What are you standing around for? Open a portal and bring him over!" Peggy urged.
Mike: "…"
Great. Not only did he have to waste time with them, now he was supposed to act as chauffeur too?
With a helpless sigh, he pulled out a card and opened a portal to Hank Pym's home.
Through it stepped Hank, immaculately dressed in a suit and sunglasses, towing a suitcase behind him.
"Mike! Long time no see!"
Mike dismissed the portal with a wave, eyeing Hank's shades. "What's the matter? Can't afford a plane ticket anymore?"
Hank ignored the jab, sliding off his glasses. Just as Mike spread his arms for a hug, Hank sidestepped and embraced Maria instead. "This time the driver's service was a little lacking."
Mike: ?_?
Old man, don't test me—I'll send you straight back to San Francisco.
Hank finally turned and gave Mike a proper hug. "It's been a while."
Mike smiled. "You brought enough cash, I hope?"
"Hmph."
Hank chuckled dismissively. After all, he was still a billionaire.
"I'll go drop off my luggage first," he said, pulling his suitcase away.
Once he was gone, Mike quietly asked Peggy, "He's not still angry at you two?"
Peggy shook her head. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. What's there left to be angry about?"
"Fair enough…" Mike nodded.
A moment later, Hank returned in a change of clothes.
The battle was about to begin!
Clatter, clatter!
While Mike and the others gathered at his place to gamble—er, play cards—Tony was busy in his private lab at Avengers Tower.
At Mike's request, he was building Gwen a mount—one crafted with his own hands, even better than the Three-Eyed beast.
Staring at the design projected on his virtual screen, Tony frowned, making adjustments again and again.
Still not good enough.
With a gesture, he split the schematic into dozens of individual components, carefully tweaking each one.
After reassembling the parts, he finally nodded.
On the screen appeared a great metallic bird, wings spread wide.
Tony sipped his coffee and muttered, "This should do the trick."
(End of Chapter)