Scott set his backpack down, completely baffled by what the three goofballs gathered around the table were doing.
Were they... performing some kind of ritual to sacrifice their souls in exchange for money?
"Scott, there's an envelope for you. The guy who delivered it was a little chubby, but he had serious presence. He handed it over personally!"
Kurt spoke without even lifting his gaze from the envelope.
"Dude, hurry up and open it! We're dying of curiosity here. Don't tell me it's another letter from your ex-wife's lawyer demanding child support for Cassie?"
As Scott's good friend, Luis knew how tight money had been for him lately.
He also had no idea what kind of job Scott had landed recently—he was heading out early and coming back late every day.
And just a few days ago, he'd come home with bruises on his face.
Was he working at some underground club as a punching bag?
"No, Maggie wouldn't do that," Scott said. He knew Maggie's character well.
And legally speaking, he had to finish paying off his owed support before he could even _hope_ to see Cassie again.
"Besides, I've already paid off the child support. There's no way Maggie would do something like that."
Dave, standing to the side, deliberately made space for Scott.
All three of them stared intently—six eyes locked on Scott—as he opened the envelope under their invisible pressure.
Scott reluctantly tore it open, and when he saw the short message inside and the name at the bottom...
He took a deep breath, eyes going wide.
"Shit!"
Tony Stark had found him!
One second, he was sneaking the signal jammer out of the base.
The next, he gets a letter from the Avengers—and not just anyone, but _Tony Stark himself_ wrote it!
Was he about to be arrested?
"Dude, who sent it? You don't look so good..."
Luis looked confused and picked up the envelope.
As soon as he saw Tony Stark's name, he leapt up from the couch.
"Oh my god, Scott—it's a letter from _Tony Stark_! And he's praising you, man! Said you did a good job!"
"I just remembered! The guy who delivered it—he's Stark's assistant, Happy!" Kurt exclaimed, his memory finally kicking in.
After hearing the name "Tony Stark," he realized who the man was.
They'd originally assumed he was some lawyer sent by Scott's ex. But nope—not even close!
...
"No... you guys don't understand anything..."
Scott buried his face in his hands, heart pounding in panic.
"Did Mr. Happy say anything? Or how did he seem? Was he... angry?"
Scott asked cautiously. He _had_ to know one thing:
Was Tony's letter actually a warning?
If the Avengers decided to lock him up and throw him in prison...
...wouldn't that mean he had completely failed both Alan and Dr. Pym's expectations?
After all, when they discovered the old factory had become a base, Dr. Pym had _explicitly_ told him to retreat and _not_ to act impulsively.
"Uhh... he didn't seem upset or anything. What's going on, Scott? Is there something we can do to help?" Dave asked.
"I... I stole something from the Avengers' base today. And one of the Avengers saw me."
As soon as Scott said those words, the three men collapsed onto the couch in shock.
"Dude... please tell me you're joking."
...
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