Klaus Technology?
Anton touched his chin. He wasn't particularly impressed by Klaus Technology itself, but he was deeply intrigued by its CEO, who was also its primary power figure. After all, this man was the villain in the first Ant-Man movie.
The company in question—Klaus Technology—was originally known as Pym Industries, founded by the first Ant-Man, Dr. Hank Pym.
Hank Pym, one of the earliest human superheroes, had been active since the previous century. He was once a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he made significant contributions as an agent, helping the organization resolve numerous crises. He even collaborated with Howard Stark in its early days.
However, Pym eventually grew disillusioned with S.H.I.E.L.D. He believed that key figures, including Howard Stark, were attempting to steal his revolutionary Pym Particle technology—a formula that allowed objects and people to change size.
This betrayal led to a falling out. Feeling that his work was being misused, Pym left S.H.I.E.L.D. and established his own company, Pym Industries.
While not a corporate giant, Pym Industries became one of the most advanced scientific enterprises in the world under Hank Pym's leadership, accumulating a wealth of specialized patents and generating considerable profits.
That was until Darren Cross, one of Pym's former protégés, became obsessed with the potential of the Pym Particle technology. Pym, wary of its misuse, refused to share his research, determined to keep it from falling into the wrong hands—particularly for military applications.
But Cross was ambitious, even ruthless. He eventually turned against Pym, seizing control of the company and ousting its founder. Under his leadership, Pym Industries was rebranded as Klaus Technology.
Not long after Klaus Technology emerged, the global arms industry faced a period of upheaval.
Tony Stark, chairman of Stark Industries, was kidnapped. Upon his return, he announced Stark Industries' complete withdrawal from the arms business. Norman Osborn, head of Oscorp, mysteriously disappeared, throwing his company into chaos. Justin Hammer, chairman of Hammer Industries, was arrested for his involvement in terrorist activities and various crimes, leading to his company's downfall. Destro, CEO of M.A.R.S., a major player in the international arms market, was arrested by the World Security Council. Reports from The Daily Bugle later revealed that he was a high-ranking member of both the terrorist organization Cobra and a faction of Hydra. This revelation severely damaged M.A.R.S., causing its market share to be divided among competitors.
These consecutive events sent shockwaves through the global arms industry. Almost every major weapons manufacturer seemed to be facing an unprecedented streak of misfortune.
Among the biggest beneficiaries of this turmoil was Wayne Enterprises—backed by the Justice League and associated with Batman—which, despite being a relatively new player, quickly capitalized on the chaos.
But Klaus Technology, under Darren Cross, also saw an opportunity. With its rebrand and aggressive expansion into the arms market, it managed to secure a foothold during this period of industry-wide instability.
Jonah Jameson had actually mentioned Klaus Technology in a family conversation some time ago, remarking that it was trailing behind Wayne Enterprises. However, at the time, no one in the Jameson family—including John Jameson—paid much attention to it.
The Wayne Company Has the Right Timing and Position—And the Biggest Share of the Cake
There's no reason for someone surviving on scraps to think they can outgrow the one feasting on the main course. It's not even a fair comparison.
Yet, it seems Klaus Technology has lost its sense after getting a taste of success—or perhaps it simply refuses to let the opportunity slip away. Now, it's setting its sights on Wayne Enterprises.
Trying to snatch military contracts from Wayne? That's bound to attract the wrong kind of attention.
While lost in thought, Anton was pulled back by John Keller's voice.
"Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Keller," Anton said, acknowledging the warning with a nod of appreciation. Then, with a hint of goodwill, he added, "Recently, Wayne has been developing a new type of tech eyewear—an upgraded version of the Men in Black sunglasses. It's not available for sale yet, but I think you'll like it."
After a brief pause, he continued, "I designed these for my old man and my father. If they ever find themselves in danger, the glasses will trigger an alarm and transmit their location and data directly to the Justice League. They'll receive priority rescue."
"This is great!" Keller responded enthusiastically, showing no hesitation in accepting the gift. "You know, I've always believed Wayne is the military's best partner."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they ended the call.
Wayne's special glasses incorporated Cybertronian technology, with core design elements developed by Reed Richards—better known as Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four. The glasses contained a wealth of cutting-edge technology.
Anton had a clear reason for creating them. As he said, they were for his old man and his "cheap old man"—the two people closest to him in this world. Protecting them was a priority.
At the same time, these glasses served another purpose: securing and protecting valuable allies—such as John Keller.
In fact, gifting Keller a pair had been part of Anton's plan all along. As the Secretary of Defense and a close associate of his father, Keller was an important connection to keep within the Wayne fold.
Anton sat at home for a moment, thinking. Seeing that his father and the old man were still at Wayne Enterprises, he decided to drive over. If they were preparing a response to Klaus Technology's actions, he wanted to know about it.
As the heads of Wayne Enterprises, his father and the old man had frequent contact with the military. If something was brewing, they would have the details.
Wayne Enterprises
Upon arriving, Anton headed straight to the conference room, where he saw Wayne's head of security—John Wick—standing at the door.
"What's going on?" Anton asked.
"The chairman is in a meeting," Wick replied. "They're discussing some recent developments."
"About Klaus Technology?" Anton pressed.
"Yes," Wick confirmed without surprise. To him, it was only natural that Anton would be aware of the situation. "But it's not just Klaus Technology."
"Understood," Anton said with a nod. "Let me know when the meeting is over."
"Will do."
Not long after, in the chairman's office, Anton finally saw his father and the old man walk in together.
"Anton, how are things going?"
John asked, his tone casual but attentive. "I just got word from the research team—everything is progressing well. Also, Superman took Jane Foster to Asgard. That was your doing? What's going on with Asgard now?"
"Asgard was attacked," Anton replied. "Superman went to lend a hand." Then, shifting the conversation, he added, "But that's not why I'm here. I came to talk about Klaus Technology. As far as I know, they're trying to steal military contracts from us. Secretary of Defense John Keller gave me a heads-up and told me to keep an eye on them. Have you heard anything?"
"Of course," the old man said with a nod. "We had a meeting today and determined that Klaus Technology is no real threat to us. On the contrary, they should be more concerned about how they plan to survive our retaliation."
A sharp sneer followed. "Stealing from Wayne Enterprises? Not that easy. You don't take food from a tiger's mouth without consequences."
"We've also been looking into Darren Cross," John Jameson added. "The way he stole Hank Pym's company was clever—but far from clean."
"We're working on a way to put him away," the old man said.
"Put him away?" Anton rubbed his chin. "That doesn't sound too difficult."
"Oh?" John Jameson raised an eyebrow. "Do you know something we don't?"
"It's hard to say for now," Anton admitted. "But I'll investigate Darren Cross through the Justice League's channels. We'll hit him from both sides and make sure he's finished for good."
"Don't worry," the old man assured him. "We're not letting that kid off easy."
With years of experience behind him, he wasn't the type to be deceived easily. Hank Pym, on the other hand, had made one fatal mistake—he had trusted Darren Cross completely.
After wrapping up his conversation with the old man and John, Anton returned home. He activated his cybernetic enhancements and began searching for a specific name—Mitchell Carson.
In the original Ant-Man storyline, Darren Cross had only managed to develop an imperfect shrinking technology. Even so, he had reverse-engineered Pym's designs and successfully created a weaponized Yellowjacket suit.
More importantly, he had tried to sell that technology to Mitchell Carson.
Carson's true identity? A high-ranking member of Hydra.
Even though Hydra's U.S. branch had been nearly wiped out after the Battle of Washington—especially with the downfall of Alexander Pierce—its European divisions remained powerful. Hydra had been growing in the shadows since World War II. A few setbacks weren't enough to destroy them entirely.
Hydra's motto wasn't just for show: Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.
Modern-day Hydra was even more dangerous than in the Red Skull era.
Despite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s renewed efforts to eradicate Hydra's European factions, Anton wasn't naive enough to believe that Hydra had no presence left in the U.S. That meant the Ant-Man storyline might still be unfolding in much the same way.
If that was the case, Darren Cross was still working with Mitchell Carson.
Anton tapped into his cybernetic enhancements, scanning for Carson's movements.
Sure enough, his surveillance data confirmed it—Mitchell Carson's recent travel patterns aligned perfectly with Darren Cross's. They had even been in New York at the same time, inside a top-secret research facility owned by Klaus Technology.
The facility's name? Future Lab.
And they weren't alone.
Military personnel were also present.
Anton didn't recognize all of them, but he knew enough to be suspicious.
During his earlier conversation with John Keller, Keller had made one thing clear—not everyone in the military was supportive of the Justice League. Some high-ranking officials viewed them as a threat.
Their solution? Develop military-controlled superhuman technology and weapons.
Of course, given the Justice League's influence, they weren't stupid enough to openly oppose it. Instead, they were working behind the scenes—using military contracts as a cover to build their own tech division and weaken Wayne Enterprises' influence.
Klaus Technology was merely the first step.
Anton's cybernetically enhanced mind made quick work of Klaus Technology's security. Their firewalls didn't stand a chance.
Within moments, he had accessed their meeting logs.
Now, it was time to see exactly what Darren Cross, Mitchell Carson, and their military backers were planning.
Inside the file was a video.
Darren Cross stood at the center of the Future Lab, presenting the latest achievements of Klaus Technology to a group of high-profile guests.
"Since I took over Klaus Technology, I have dedicated myself to the research of a special type of technological particle," he announced. "By increasing its mass and density, and altering the distance between atoms..."
Cross spoke slowly, deliberately. "Why was such a revolutionary idea left to gather dust in Hank Pym's archives? We all know Hank. Even though he isn't here now, you all remember—he was a stubborn old man. That's why I had to take charge and run this company my way."
He let his words settle before continuing.
"Now, imagine a soldier—small as an insect, yet the ultimate battlefield weapon. An Ant-Man. Of course, that was Hank's old nickname."
At this, the expressions in the room shifted.
Everyone standing there was privy to certain secrets. They knew whether Ant-Man existed. But that wasn't what mattered today. The real question was whether Ant-Man's abilities could be mass-produced—whether his technology could be replicated and weaponized.
Cross gave them their answer.
"We have developed a breakthrough—shrinkable steel. Our current challenge is determining whether we can apply its properties to living organisms. We've conducted extensive experiments… and while the process was challenging, the results were expected."
He smiled.
"Ant-Man is no longer just an idea—he's a reality!"
There was a murmur in the crowd.
Cross continued, his voice rising with enthusiasm. "At the Future Lab, we have launched a new project. We call it Wasp. And the finished product? The Wasp Suit."
On the screen, the presentation shifted to visuals of the suit in action.
"The Wasp Suit will be the ultimate weapon of war. It allows its wearer to change size at will, creating unparalleled combat advantages. As a universal peacekeeping tool, it can intervene in geopolitical conflicts undetected—highly effective for both defensive strategies and tactical offenses."
The audience listened intently.
"Its practical applications include covert surveillance, industrial sabotage, and eliminating threats without a trace. With just a single Wasp Suit, a soldier could operate with limitless potential, carrying out protective actions or strategic eliminations.
"But imagine a full army of Wasp soldiers. In the near future, we could create a safe, sustainable world—free from conflict, controlled and stabilized by those who wield this technology."
Cross was a born showman. His rhetoric was powerful, almost hypnotic.
Even Anton, watching from the shadows, had to admit—the Wasp Suit was an impressive feat.
Though the technology was plagiarized, Cross had still managed to successfully replicate the Pym Particles. That alone proved his genius.
But Anton's focus wasn't on Cross.
His eyes locked onto Mitchell Carson.
Bringing down Klaus Technology would be easy.
All it would take was exposing Mitchell Carson's true identity—a Hydra agent. The moment the military learned they had been dealing with Hydra, Klaus Technology would lose all credibility.
But Anton had a different thought.
Why destroy it when he could take it for himself?
Anton attempted to hack into Klaus Technology's servers.
His cybernetic enhancements made breaking through the firewall simple. But the moment he tried decoding the Wasp Suit's schematics, a failsafe triggered—the data would self-destruct if tampered with.
He frowned.
"Interesting..."
Dismissing his cybernetic interface, Anton leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
"I need another way."
…
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