Venom Robin didn't possess the physiological response of pupil dilation, but as he watched Hank Pym grow from human size to a towering giant in the blink of an eye, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Damn it, Old Bat, didn't you say this guy was 'Ant-Man'?" Venom Robin whispered to Batman, his voice low. "What part of that looks like an ant?"
Batman's expression remained unchanged. He wasn't at all surprised by Hank Pym's ability to transform into a giant.
Ever since Batman had hacked S.H.I.E.L.D. and learned of "Project Goliath"—one of the three internal initiatives—he had suspected that the Pym Particles the hero relied on could do more than just shrink things; they could likely enlarge them as well.
Consequently, among the many contingencies Batman had prepared, the plan specifically designed for Ant-Man was titled "Project David."
If the opponent was the giant Goliath, then Batman would be David, the shepherd boy of legend who brought him down.
"Janet?" the giant Ant-Man called out. He stood in the central lightwell of the Pym Building.
His increased size amplified his voice several times over, the force of his words making the ventilation ducts hum and vibrate.
"Hank, when are you going to stop dumping these trivial chores on me?" In response to Ant-Man's shout, a clear, feminine voice rang out.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
The sound of insectoid wings vibrating rose from near Ant-Man's feet, quickly ascending until it reached his shoulder.
"Is that the Wasp, Janet?" Venom Robin asked.
Batman nodded, remaining perfectly still alongside Venom Robin in their concealment within the ventilation shaft.
Unlike the giant Ant-Man, Janet the Wasp was only the size of a flying ant. She looked as though a child could crush her between two fingers with the slightest effort.
However, neither Venom Robin nor Batman harbored such thoughts. Despite her tiny, two-millimeter body, the Wasp was currently hoisting a coffee cup over a thousand times her size, filled to the brim with steaming coffee.
If not for Batman and Venom Robin's exceptional vision, anyone else would have only seen a coffee cup flying toward Ant-Man's shoulder, unable to spot Janet Van Dyne supporting it from beneath.
"A cup of coffee is something you could have easily handled yourself, yet you insist on turning into a giant and acting like you're physically incapacitated," Janet complained.
Hank Pym let out a booming laugh, the sound knocking dust loose from the vents.
"Because a brilliant mind should be reserved for more difficult tasks. Brewing a cup of coffee is a waste of my cognitive resources."
"Oh, please, Pym," the Wasp scoffed. "It's just a cup of coffee."
As they spoke, Ant-Man didn't take the coffee. Instead, he cradled the miniature building block house he had retrieved from the ants on the seventh floor in the palm of his hand.
Then, one shrinking and the other returning to normal size, Ant-Man and the Wasp sat down together at a table on the first floor.
Clang.
Under the watchful eyes of Batman and Venom Robin, Ant-Man removed his helmet, revealing a square-jawed face with blonde hair, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He reached out and tapped a finger against the toy house.
"Natasha, wake up," Ant-Man said to the little house.
Batman and Venom Robin exchanged a look.
"Black Widow is here," Venom Robin whispered.
Batman nodded.
Their mission tonight had nothing to do with Black Widow, or even the Pym Particles themselves. Batman had simply brought Venom Robin along to scout the location, intending to observe the layout before returning to design a specific plan to steal the particles.
But now, before they had even finished their primary objective, they had inadvertently stumbled upon Black Widow's location.
"Pym, it's incredibly rude to disturb a lady's sleep," a voice drifted out from the toy house. It was cold, yet it possessed a lingering, professionally cultivated charm. "If you want me to leave the door unlocked for you, remember to keep it a secret from Janet."
"Janet is right here, Black Widow," Ant-Man said with a smirk.
Janet the Wasp had also removed her mask, revealing short, ear-length blonde hair and a sweet, youthful face that looked nothing like someone who had lived through World War II.
If Batman hadn't already known that she and Ant-Man were both over a hundred years old, their appearances would have led anyone to believe they were a young, newlywed couple.
"Hee hee," Janet giggled. "Black Widow, you still haven't given up on trying to stay in the Ant Farm, but unfortunately, your charms are wasted on Pym. His head is filled with nothing but experiments."
"It's no wonder you two centenarians still don't have children," Black Widow's voice came back biting and sharp. "A hundred years have passed, Janet; that 'American Sweetheart' act of yours went out of style a long time ago."
"At least we didn't undergo sterilization just for 'absolute focus' during missions," Janet retorted, showing no mercy in the face of Black Widow's mockery.
Inside the toy house—or the "Ant Farm," as Pym called it—Black Widow fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Did you seek me out just to say this?"
"No," Ant-Man said.
He took the coffee cup from Janet and pressed a coin-sized device to the bottom of the mug.
Without any further visible action from Ant-Man, the cup of coffee suddenly shrank. It became so small that Batman could no longer see it with the naked eye, relying instead on the specialized lenses of the Arkham Suit to maintain visual contact.
On the first floor of Pym Technologies, Hank Pym used a pair of tweezers to place the tiny cup of coffee inside the toy house.
"Natasha, there are two Hydra agents looking for you," Pym said. "Are you willing to talk to me about them?"
"Who?" Black Widow asked.
"One is named Nathan Garrett, a colleague of yours from S.H.I.E.L.D.," Ant-Man replied. "Nick Fury told me a few days ago that he had arrived in New York, but he didn't show his face until yesterday during Reed's dinosaur incursion."
"Garrett..." Black Widow repeated the name in a low voice. "And the other one?"
Janet answered for him.
"We don't know the specific name of the other one, and neither does Nick Fury. We only know he calls himself 'Batman'."
"As a member of Hydra, you should know this colleague of yours. Tell us about him."
Inside the Ant Farm, Natasha Romanoff took a sip of the coffee and licked her lips.
"Batman?"
"Of course I know him."
Ant-Man and the Wasp looked at each other in silence.
In the ventilation duct, Batman and Venom Robin also looked at each other, equally silent.
Black Widow's voice continued.
"What do you want to know about him? The face under the mask, or his name?"
"Or perhaps... how he spent the night with me? Speaking of which, it was truly an unforgettable experience. Janet, you really should dump Pym and find out what Batman tastes like."
Venom Robin looked at Batman with a bizarre expression, his voice kept extremely low. "When did this happen? No wonder you've been working so hard to find her."
Batman's exposed chin showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Shut up."
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