Chapter 328: Ant-Man
Chapter 328: Ant-Man
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An elderly man made his way through the bustling streets of San Francisco, his mind buzzing with curiosity and dread.
He was dressed in casual clothes and prescription glasses, his grey thinning hair slicked back, feeling like a relic from another era amidst all the sleek suits and designer bags of those around him.
As he approached the towering glass building before him, which housed Pym Technologies, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. This was his legacy, his life's work.
[Insert picture of Hank Pym here]
Stepping through the sleek, modern lobby, Hank couldn't help but feel a bit out of place.
"Dr. Pym?" An older security guard asked in shock.
After all, Hank hadn't visited the company in a very long time.
"Yes. I'm still alive." Hank Pym smiles, remembering this security guard specifically. "John, right?"
The guard smiles and lets Pym enter the building without any trouble, though he didn't make it very far before he was stopped once again.
"I.D." A much younger security guard stated as he stepped in Pym's way. 'Is that old fossil just letting anyone through?'
He had no idea who he was blocking.
Hank smiled as he pointed to the massive painting of himself in his younger days hanging on the wall. "Perhaps that will suffice?"
The young guard's eyes widened as he hurriedly stepped out of the way. "I'm very sorry, sir. Please come in."
"Is that Hank Pym?"
"It looks like it."
"He's much older than I thought he would be..."
"I've worked here for over 10 years and this is the first time that I've ever seen him..."
Ignoring the stares and whispers, Hank took an elevator up to one of the higher floors, where a professionally dressed woman stood, waiting for his arrival.
She has a heart-shaped face, striking blue-green eyes, and straight shoulder-length brown hair.
[Insert picture of Hope van Dyne here]
"Good morning, Hank." She spoke indifferently.
"Hope. Would it kill you to call me dad?" Hank frowned sadly.
Hank's daughter, Hope, was the main reason that he hasn't been to his own company in such a long time.
Due to her anger toward him for abandoning her after her mother's heroic death, she eventually rose to a high level in the company and wound up casting the deciding vote that kicked him out of Pym Technologies.
"Well, Dr. Cross will be so please that you could find the time to join us today." Hope completely ignores his words and walks off, expecting her father to follow.
And so he did.
Hope led Hank to a hallway outside of a large boardroom, filled with all sorts of high-level people of not only Pym Technologies but other large companies as well.
Even the Military sent a few people...
Outside the room, a tall and slender man with slicked-back blonde hair and piercing blue eyes smirked as he saw Hank walking over. The combination of his smirk and the sharp, tailored suits that he wore made his presence menacing and almost downright villainous.
[Insert picture of Darren Cross here]
Cross walks over to Pym and shook his hand, and although Hank didn't pull away, he most certainly wanted to.
"I was surprised to receive any kind of invitation from you, Darren. What's the occasion?" Pym asked.
The tension between the two of them was most certainly palpable.
"Oh, you'll see. Won't he, Hope?" Darren's smirk seemed to grow as he turns to Hank's daughter.
Hope gives Pym one last cold look before entering the board room, leaving the two men behind. "We're ready for you inside."
"Ouch, I guess some old wounds never heal, huh? Don't worry, she's in good hands now." Darren comments as he follows after Hope.
Sighing to himself, Hank reluctantly follows after them, wondering where he went wrong.
"Now before we start I'd like to introduce a very special guest, this company's founder and my mentor, Dr. Hank Pym." Darren introduced as he walked in and everyone clapped.
At the same time, Pym noticed a miniature building of Pym Technologies on the table, which now has the logo for Cross Technologies on it.
'This power-hungry kid really wants to take everything from me...' Hank thought as he took a seat and the presentation began.
Darren stood in front of the large group of executives, a charming smile on his face.
"When I took over this company for Dr. Pym, I immediately started researching a particle that could change the distance between atoms while also increasing density and strength. Why this revolutionary idea remained buried beneath the dust and cobwebs of Hank's research, I couldn't tell you. But just imagine a soldier the size of an insect. The ultimate secret weapon." Cross explained, instantly catching everyone's interest.
Especially those from the military.
Next, a footage reel of soldiers getting killed by a tiny little speck of a man played on the TV behind him.
"An Ant-Man." Crows said as he pointed to Pym. "That's what they called you. Right, Hank? Silly, I know. Maybe even propaganda. Tales to astonish. Trumped up bullsh*t to scare the U.S.S.R, perhaps?"
Soon, every gaze turned to poor old Pym.
"Hank, will you tell our guests what you told me every single time I asked you, was the Ant-Man real?" Cross asks knowingly.
"No, it's all fake." Pym shook his head.
"Right. Because how could anything so miraculous possibly be real?" Cross smirks as he presses a button on the table.
Suddenly, a small hole opened up on the table, revealing a tiny glass canister with a yellow insect-styled suit inside.
Upon seeing the suit, Hank's eyes widened in alarm as he turned to his daughter, who merely turned her head away.
"Well, I was inspired by the legend of the Ant-Man. And with my breakthrough in shrinking inorganic material, I thought, could it be possible to shrink a person? Could that be done? Well, it's not a legend anymore. Distinguished guests, I am proud to present the end of warfare as we know it... the Yellowjacket." Cross spoke grandly as he gestured to the insect-sized suit.
"The Yellowjacket is an all-purpose weapon of war capable of altering the size of the wearer for the ultimate combat advantage." Cross explained and took a seat as an advertisement video for the suit played behind him.
"We live in an era in which the weapons we use to protect ourselves are undermined by constant surveillance. It's time to return to a simpler age. One where the powers of freedom can once again operate openly to protect their interests. An all-purpose peace-keeping vessel. The Yellowjacket can manage any conflict on the Geo-political landscape, completely unseen..."
The video showed an animation of the suit being used for things like spying, assassination, and even wiping out an entire army.
"Practical applications include surveillance, industrial sabotage, and the elimination of obstructions on the road to peace. A single Yellowjacket offers the user unlimited influence to carry out protective actions and one day soon, an army of Yellowjackets will create a sustainable environment of well-being around the world."
Just watching the end of the video, where an entire army filled with thousands and thousands of these Yellowjackets were shown, sent a shiver up Pym's spine.
This is exactly what he didn't want to happen. After all, he buried all of his research and hid the truth of his former heroism for a reason.
"So it's a suit." One man asks. "Like Stark and his Iron Man armor?"
"Don't be crude, Frank. It's not a suit, it's a vessel." Cross clarified. "What's the matter? Not impressed?"
"I think that I can speak for everyone and say we're all impressed." A man dressed in a high level military uniform spoke. "But I'm also concerned. Imagine what our enemies could do with this..."
Hank nodded, agreeing completely though he didn't have a chance to speak.
"We should have a longer conversation about that. I really value your opinion. Thank you for coming." Cross spoke quickly as he turned to Hank's daughter. "Hope?"
Understanding what he wanted, Hope stepped up and opened the doors. "I want to thank everyone for coming. I will escort you out now. Thank you." She said as everyone left, leaving only Cross and Pym behind.
"You seem a bit shocked." Cross states, enjoying the look on his 'mentors' face.
"Darren, there's a reason that I buried these secrets." Pym tries to reason with him, though his words only seemed to brighten Cross' mood.
"So you finally admit it. We could've done this together, you know? But you ruined that. That's why you're the past and I'm the future." Cross says as he turns and walks out of the room.
"Don't do this." Pym stands from his seat and practically begs, but Cross doesn't listen, leaving the old man alone in the board room.
...
After personally escorting everyone out of the building, Hope bumps into her father on his way out.
"We have to make our move, Hank." Hope spoke in a hushed tone.
Although she may hate her father for abandoning her when she needed him most, she most certainly didn't agree with Darren Cross stealing her parent's heroic legacy and selling it to the highest bidder.
"How close is he?" Pym asks.
"He still can't shrink a live subject. Just give me the suit and let me finish this once and for all." Hope seemed ready to fill her father's shoes.
Though he didn't agree.
"No." Pym flat-out refused.
"I have Cross' complete trust. It's now or never..." She wasn't happy with her father's response.
"It's too dangerous." He shook his head, resolute in his answer.
"We don't have a choice!" Hope said heatedly.
"Well, that's not entirely true..." Pym said with a far-off look.
"?" Hope raised a brow in question.
"I think I found a guy." He cryptically revealed.
"Who?"
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A prisoner in an orange jumpsuit sat on his bunk, staring at the calendar he had marked off with a crayon, as he wasn't allowed any sharper utensils, when suddenly, his cell door swung open, revealing a familiar guard on the other side.
"Lang, get up!" the guard shouted. "It's your big day. Time to grab your stuff and get out of here."
"Hold your horses. I'm coming..."
[Insert picture of Scott Lang/Ant-Man here]
A/N: 1744 words :)
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