CHAPTER - XVII

Derek woke up at the right moment, when the Quinjet landed at the coordinates that Hank Pym gave them the coordinates of the anthill.

Tony for his part had not yet realized that Derek had woken up, moment that Derek took the opportunity to see his state and see how much health he had recovered after drinking all those potions to recover.

He could see that his health had recovered by 80%, although he knew that he could recover fully if he drank the Infinite Regeneration Potion, but he decided not to use it and drink low level potions, since once he used the Infinite Regeneration Potion it would take him twenty-four hours to refill his potion bottle.

"I see you woke up kid, perfect timing I'd say" Tony said curiously as he noticed the concentrated gaze on the Quinjet's windows, thinking it was from reaching the anthill.

Derek : "I have superhuman senses, sight, smell and hearing Tony. so it would be weird if I didn't wake up while the ship was landing" Derek replied to him.

"I see, how's your arm" Tony asked to which Derek just picked it up and closed his fingers showing him the state of his arm

Derek : "I'm better, my muscles are almost healed, but the bone will take a few hours to recover".

Tony : "I'm glad, then... well magic drinks helped in your recovery didn't they?" he asked him.

Derek : "Mm, you could say, but if I didn't drink them it would take me about two days to recover from such injuries..., I think" answered Derek, although in the last part with some doubt since it was just his guess.

"Mm, interesting from what you said it seems you have a healing factor, not like Wolverine or Hulk, but you do, you are very interesting you know that kid, most inhumans or mutants would only have one power or element, but you have two... but I won't continue with this topic, each person has their secrets and I will respect yours and if someday you decide to tell I hope you tell me" Tony told him but seeing Derek's cautious look, he decided to step back from this topic.

"Well let's go down, Kamala is very worried about you and I also have to go to the doctor, when that synthezoid sent me flying, I think he broke a rib or two" hearing what Tony said.

Derek looked at him again and realized he wasn't lying, seeing his face a little pale and with a sweat on it, only now he noticed, not only the dent in the armor but also some missing parts, soot in some parts and what worried him the most was that the reactor in the chest of this one, was more opaque as if at any moment it would shut down.

"Tony, your reactor?" asked Derek puzzled.

Tony : "Oh yeah that, it seems it lasted less than I expected, hahaha in these five years I've had to make these homemade Arks reactors with what I had on hand, don't worry I'll make another one" Tony replied without concern as he walked to the airlock of the ship.

Derek decided to follow him but stopped for a few seconds thinking about Tony's reactor, only then did he fully accept that this was no longer a game since every person or hero he knew or would know is alive, he could see why Tony doesn't have a better reactor, since after Tarleton and Monica took his fortune and his technology, Tony didn't have the money or technology to create a better reactor.

He decided to stop thinking about that and also get out of the Quinjet, once he got out he could see both Bruce, Hank and some Inhumans, especially some with skin color like red or purple and another with his arm in a cast implying it was broken, then to see a furious, worried and a little scared Kamala.

"Hello Ka..." without even finishing speaking Kamala started to pull him, "No hello, at this moment we will go to the medical room to get you healed" said Kamala pulling Derek by his healthy arm leaving behind the adults and the group of inhumans.

"Nice to be young don't you guys think" said Tony already out of his armor, to Bruce and Hank.

"Wow Tony, you look...mmm.... as my daughter would say, shitty" Hank teased him to which Bruce smiled and Tony grimaced.

"Well Tony, I'd like you to tell me, what happened to end up in such a state, to both you and Derek" Bruce also told him.

"But you'd better go to the medical room and then replace that reactor with a new one" Hank suggested.

"Thank you guys for your concern, I think this time I will listen to you" and without further ado Tony walked in the direction, where Kamala took Derek.

An hour later we can see both Derek and Tony bandaged on their sides on stretchers, while Kamala told them about their mission.

Kamala : "By the time we reached the resistance, the AntHill people had already evacuated most of them, Hulk and I were buying them some time, so that everyone could escape, but while we were destroying the synthezoids"

Kamala : "Hulk and I got separated, but what worried me the most was that I could not hear any roar or destruction from Hulk, I thought they had captured him, but suddenly more AIM robots and people with improved weapons began to appear, which can teleport and their long range shots are very dangerous, I thank you very much for the bracelets and gauntlets you gave me without them I don't know if I would be here."

TING

+5 affection from Kamala

(But what, is it that easy to win a woman's affection?) wondered Derek mentally as he looked at Kamala who was still holding his hand tightly.

Kamala : "But in the end I was cornered until suddenly, a furious Hulk appeared attacking anything in his path, it took us some time to get rid of all the AIM people, just when we thought we were done a purple portal opened and out of it came a man with a gun pointing at us while communicating with someone, and then he told us that Doctor Pym was waiting for us."

Derek : "I see I'm glad Kamala you finally found what you were looking for *resistance*, I told you no, we are not alone, our powers are not a disease, we just have to accept them and live with them, but seriously I'm glad, and I'm also glad that your mission wasn't as dangerous as ours" said Derek making Kamala smile for what he said, "Kamala do me a favor and give this to Tony" he said to take out a Hp potion and give it to Kamala, who without asking took it and gave it to Tony.

Tony who so far had not said anything grabbed the potion and asked "What is this for kid?".

"Well your wounds are not as heavy as mine, and if you drink that by tomorrow you will be as good as new" Derek replied without further ado.

"I see, then I owe you one" to without further ado drink it "Mm you know I thought this would taste bad but it tastes like soda" but at that the door to the room opened, in walked Bruce and Hank.

"Hello Doctor Hank, my name is Derek, I must say I am very happy to meet you, not to mention Ant-man is standing in front of me" said Derek happily.

"Believe me Derek I am happy to meet you, but the Ant-Man thing, that was in another life" said with disappointment Hank.

"Well I'm happy to see you again, but I want to know what you guys are doing here Hank" spoke Tony.

Hank : "Well over the years I have dedicated myself to give shelter to the Inhumans we have been able to save, I have also collected, weapons, robots, AIM technology, what we need to increase our defenses and be able to defend ourselves from future attacks."

"And the naming it the anthill? It was your idea wasn't it Hank" asked Tony with a smile.

Hank : "Actually it wasn't one of our hackers, it was someone named Tiny Dancer."

"Wait you know Tiny Dancer?" asked Derek and Kamala at the same time, only to see Hank shake his head in denial.

"Sorry kids but I don't know who that is either" Hank told them.

"Well now that we are all gathered, could you tell us what happened to make you two end up like this" asked Bruce seriously as the rest nodded in affirmation wanting to know what happened at the AIM base.

"Well guys, actually everything was going well, I was in charge of the distraction, while the kid infiltrated and got all the information of what AIM was doing with my technology, until suddenly everything went to hell, when AIM decided to self-destruct the ARK reactor they had under their lab, Jarvis please do me the honors and show everyone the part where we stopped the destruction of the ARK reactor and what happened after" Tony said to Jarvis.

Jarvis: "Understood Sir."

Jarvis said while Tony took out his cell phone to stretch it and it started to enlarge a few centimeters, and then a hologram came out showing everyone how they destroyed the cores of the platforms, until they managed to shut down the ARK Reactor on a large scale saving the city from destruction, but suddenly they saw how a big shadow fell in front of Tony to send him flying with one blow.

"Tony, what is that?" asked Hank.

"That my friend, it's an Adaptoid, and from what I could see when we faced it, that's AIM's wild card to get rid of all beings with powers no matter if they are inhuman or any being with powers, which reminds me of the sentinels" answered Tony

Derek for his part also took out his cell phone and slid his finger sending all the information about the Adaptoid to Tony's phone to show the rest, everyone was surprised, the more they read about this robot, the more worried they became.

But then they were more surprised to see the fight of Tony and Derek against the Adaptoid, they saw how this robot had already adapted the fighting styles of most of the known avengers and heroes.

But they were more surprised to see the movements of Derek while fighting as they were very similar to a murderer and avenger, and then see how the style of his changed to a more aggressive one, between offensive and defensive, and nothing appeared to the previous, catching the robot off guard

When Derek used the Niko Style, which combined perfectly with the wild way of fighting Derek, but the robot began to adapt to the movements of Derek and not only that, copied the technology of Tony only with a few clashes.

While everyone was busy watching Derek and Tony's fight, derek could smell a sixth person behind the half open door of the medical room, the scent was very similar to Hank's, with that he got an idea of who it could be, he just smiled in the direction of the pair of eyes watching the video, noticing Derek's gaze the person went back to hide.

Derek for his part decided to let the girl do what she wanted, as he could also tell that Kamala was more anxious and worried about her heartbeat as she watched the video, squeezing her hand tighter and as if to tell her that he was here he also gently squeezed her hand to which she looked back at him.

Whispering to her Derek told her "Everything will be ok this time we are not alone", she still worried just nodded without letting go of his hand and watching the hologram again, until they saw the final part where Tony attacked the Adaptoid with a powerful combination with all the energy he could muster and then fell to his knees and saw how Derek attacked the Adaptoid with everything and in the last attack ripped its head off.

"That's what happened guys, do you have any questions" said Tony with his way of being a bit overbearing, but everyone gathered was already used to his way of being.

"Tony you noticed Derek's way of fighting too didn't you?" asked Hank to which Bruce also nodded, "I was wondering that too, you have something to tell us Derek".

Derek : "Haa, I knew this moment would come, damn scrap well she forced me to use the techniques she taught me."

"Wait what are you talking about, Derek?" asked Kamala confused.

"Don't worry Kamala it's nothing bad, I assure you" he said to Kamala, who nodded still hesitantly.

Derek : "Well what can I say, after what happened, because of Day-A, I lived on the streets for a year stealing people's wallets, until one day I stole a certain redhead woman's, who gave me the beating of my life to then take me in"

Derek : "While she taught me what I needed to live, how to defend myself and get food, I was with her for three years, but out of nowhere she disappeared without saying anything or leaving a note, I got depressed, know again to be alone, I never liked that and almost forgetting everything she taught me"

Derek : "I almost died because of that, when a group of racists attacked me out of nowhere just for being inhuman, that was the day we never met, and why I didn't show my fighting skills until now is because she forbade me, to only use it in a life or death situation since AIM would realize we are connected"

(and also because I am still assimilating the memories of the previous Derek) Derek thought and answered, to in the last part look Kamala in the eyes.

"I see it sounds, like something she would do and I'm sorry kid but she must have had her reasons for leaving without saying anything, that's what I can tell you" Tony said in understanding.

"Wait since Derek, has done nothing wrong and everyone knows who the person who trained him is, except me, could you stop all this drama and tell me who it is" Kamala said in frustration.

"Well it's Black Widow, or as I call her Nat," said Derek.

"WHAT?" asked Kamala dumbly.

Once everything was cleared up and Kamala calmed down, as Derek passed all the information to Hank and Bruce, but as they were about to leave these two, Derek could tell that the scent appeared to Hank's began to drift away.

Once they left, Kamala and Derek continued talking, Tony had already fallen asleep, and without either of them realizing it Kamala was lying on Derek's left side, and so the minutes passed until they both fell asleep.

Derek unconsciously hugged her with his left arm making her lean deeper into his arm, while she moved her head to the curve of Derek's neck, while unconsciously he also did the same, without anyone knowing it Tony opened his eyes and looked at them with a smile.

"How good it is to be young, when all this is over I should go see Pepper too, I hope she forgives me for not going to see her all this time" Tony said in whispers to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

up to here.

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