Fictional History
Self-made man, Darren Agonistes Cross, created and headed his company, Cross Technological Enterprises, and made it a success to rival the top competitors. However, Darren was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. He used his own technology to create a experimental nucleorganic pacemaker to save his life. Although a success, the nucleorganic pacemaker mutated Darren's body to and gave him superhuman abilities. A side-effect of the mutation was that Darren would quickly overuse and burn out his heart. Multiple heart transplants were performed, but each heart was removed when overused. Desperate, he kidnapped heart surgeon Doctor Erica Sondheim to replace his damaged heart. He also kidnapped 'donors' from slums. Ant-Man, also looking for Doctor Sondheim to save the life of his daughter Cassie, attempted to rescue her. A battle between Darren and Ant-Man resulted in Darren burning out his heart and dying, Sondheim revealing when Ant-Man interrupted the operation she replaced his old heart rather than a new one. The company was then taken over by Darren's son, Augustine.
A number of burglaries had occurred at C.T.E., despite the company's belief that their security systems was impregnable. Hawkeye, searching for a job after recently parting ways with the Avengers, sensed an opportunity. He broke into the office of K.H. Keeshan, a high-level employee in the company, and asked for a job. Despite being met with anger over his actions, Keeshan hired Hawkeye to uncover the mystery behind the burglaries. Hawkeye soon discovered that the burglaries were being committed by Deathbird, a member of an alien race named the Shi'ar. Hawkeye battled and defeated his powerful foe and gained full employment at C.T.E. as the Head of Security. He later went on to defend the company against Mister Fear.
Hawkeye later helped sabotage a plot by C.T.E. employee Ambrose Connors after an encounter with El Aguila. He also starts a steady relationship with the company's Head of Public Relations, Sheila Danning.
The superhero Mockingbird, working on a lead that C.T.E. is involved in criminal activities, breaks into one of the company's warehouses searching for evidence. She is confronted by Hawkeye, who believes that Mockingbird is an industrial spy. The pair battle, with Mockingbird trying to convince Hawkeye of her intentions, until she is captured by C.T.E. security forces. Hawkeye, sensing that something is not right, later conducts his own investigation into the company. He is then betrayed by Sheila Danning and captured by the C.T.E. security forces and relieved of his duties. Together, Hawkeye and Mockingbird manage to escape and set out to learn the truth behind Cross Technological Enterprises. They discover that Crossfire, cousin to original owner Darren Cross, has gained control of the company and is using it to further his goals of destroying the superhero community. Hawkeye and Mockingbird are able to defeat Crossfire, and get married shortly afterward.
C.T.E. Head of Systems Designs Douglas Arthur Cartland is among a group of scientists brought together to sort through the acquired machines of Bruce Banner. Cartland, accompanied by Beast, meets with Mister Fantastic, Captain America and the Avengers. Later, while secretly attempting to learn about Banner's machines to further his own career, Cartland is attacked by Arnim Zola. He is soon rescued by the gathered superheroes.
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“One of the proud joys of the man of letters—if that man of letters is an artist—is to feel within himself the power to immortalize at will anything he chooses to immortalize. Insignificant though he may be, he is conscious of possessing a creative divinity. God creates lives; the man of imagination creates fictional lives which may make a profound and as it were more living impression on the world’s memory.”
—Edmond De Goncourt (1822–1896)
“Classes struggle, some classes triumph, others are eliminated. Such is history; such is the history of civilization for thousands of years.”
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