"I didn't receive a response, so didn't wait any longer, but simply decided to come to Gotham and meet in person."
Heather and Barbara probably took it for the stupid prank of a thirteen-year-old and ignored it. If I hadn't met him today, I could have missed out on one of the most brilliant characters.
He's actually only thirteen, but remember, this is a comic book world, and age limits are very arbitrary. Here, even a five-year-old can possess enough power to destroy the universe itself. Just remember Reed Richards and Sue Storm's son.
"Hiro, you must have misunderstood: Nidavellir isn't a subsidiary of a computer game company, but a research and development facility for new technologies."
"What, what?"
"That's right, and I already have people developing games, including computer games. We were planning to start developing a new game soon, so your help with that would be a bit redundant."
You're crazy if you think I'm going to let a bright mind with an IQ of 210 work on games. I absolutely must convince Toyman to join Nidavellir as a design engineer. I should have hinted about it, but young Okumura, openly disappointed, refused. Heh, do you think you have a chance of turning me down, kid? Someone who knows your character and your entire life?
"Hiro, did I tell you that the head researcher in Nidavellir is a stunning beauty named Lana?" I said with a sly glint in my eyes.
"Really?" the teenager asked with interest.
"For your information, I never lie."
He paused significantly, "In that case, I'll think about your offer... Hm, is she single?"
"She was this morning."
"Yes," he clenched his fists in a victory gesture. "This will be just the chance to test my X-ray glasses in action," he adjusted the binoculars on his forehead.
Ah, well, what can I say, teenage hormones. Forgive me, Lana, believe me, this sacrifice is for the good.
"Alex, do you think I'll get to meet Batman?" The boy began to ask questions enthusiastically, looking at the Bat-Signal in the night sky.
"Who knows... Anything is possible."
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After an unexpected encounter with a young genius from Japan, I couldn't shake the thought that I might have missed out on such incredible talent due to my own shortsightedness! Sometimes I forget what an absurd universe I live in. Here, even the most ordinary teenager can become a superhero and fight crime. It's worth remembering Dick Grayson, who became Robin at thirteen. That's why I decided today to review all the resumes that Heather and Barbara rejected and that never reached me.
Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and find another diamond in the rough. There were a lot of applications, but most of them were truly unworthy of attention. The girls worked hard on this matter, so I can't blame them for anything. And yet, among the others, I managed to find one name I recognized: Riri Williams. She's a student at MIT. And this at fifteen years old! But I know Riri better as Iron Man's future successor, known as Ironheart.
[A/N: No hate on her for the recent series, this one is different guys.]
Despite her young age and limited resources, she managed to develop her own mechanized armor practically from scratch, which shows how gifted she is. I wouldn't hesitate to say that intellectually, she's not much far behind Tony Stark. And such a genius wants to work for me! I feel like I've hit the jackpot that almost eluded me.
Needless to say, Heather and Barb eliminated Riri. To them, she's just a smart teenager going to college. Yes, she's smart, yes, she got into MIT at not quite fifteen and won a scholarship, but that's it. She has no scientific experience or significant discoveries, and therefore didn't meet the requirements for applicants. But Heather and Barb don't have the knowledge I do: this girl is secretly building her own version of Iron Man armor from scrap materials, and, as far as I understand, this is still unknown to the general public.
So it's hard for outsiders to judge her abilities. But I know what she's capable of, and I can't let such a valuable employee slip away. Lana Lang, Hiro Okomura, and Riri Williams... I think there's no need to worry about Nidavellir's bright future.
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"Lana, let's go on a date!" the boy repeatedly suggested to the girl, who was intently heating solder over a circuit board with a soldering iron.
"Definitely, Hiro. As soon as you're older, we'll go right away," Lang threw over her shoulder, not taking her young gentleman seriously.
'Come on, this excuse is already three hours old!"
"Well, since you still haven't grown up in the past three hours, then I think the matter is settled," she cooled his romantic thoughts and again concentrated on the microchip.
"It would be better if you helped than to repeat the same thing all day without result."
"You could just agree…."
"Or maybe I could stick a soldering iron in your place where the sun doesn't shine," She said irritably, pointing the red-hot tool at the presumptuous youth.
"I u-understand….No need to get so offensive, he-he."
"Are you having fun?" I asked, watching their cheerful bickering. My sudden appearance in the workshop caused genuine surprise in both of them. After all, I, as their immediate supervisor, dropped on their heads like snow in mid-June. I suppose they thought of me as a typical investor who would show up at Nidavellir at most once a month to check on the progress of the work. But I've already told them repeatedly that I'll be not just a frequent visitor to this place, but also its honored worker.
I still have plans to develop a watch that jams cameras from a distance, insulating me from the public eye. And I'm going to work on this project here with them. They'll soon get used to me, but for now we'll just go with the flow.
"Hello, Mr. Reath." Lana Lang greeted.
"Nice to see you."
"Hello," saluted little Toyman, clearly not bothering with things like corporate subordination. However, I don't mind, since he's only thirteen, and I've never demanded anything like that from my employees.
However, unlike me, Lana was clearly angered by the boy's insolent behavior. A lightning-fast slap on the back of the head was clear proof of that.
"Ow! For what?!" shouted Hiro, rubbing his head.
"Respect... Please show a little respect."
"You speak just like my mother," Okomura quipped, moving a respectful distance away from the girl. Apparently, Miss Lang was already starting to cope with the restless young man. She turned out to be a more skilled educator than I expected.
"Ha-ha, I see you are already getting along well," I remarked. "I hope you will not object to an addition to the team?"
"An addition? It's a girl?" Toyman was interested, which earned him another loud slap on the back of the head.
"Riri," I called the girl. "Have you looked around? Come in, come here, I will introduce you to the others."
A beautiful, dark-skinned girl of fifteen entered the workroom. She was dressed very simply: a loose gray sweatshirt, ordinary dark jeans and bright red sneakers. The young prodigy gazed around curiously, constantly adjusting her unruly, bold afro curls.
She was amazed by the size of Nidavellir, the workshop's equipment, and the possibilities it offered. I know Riri Williams is an ardent fan of Tony Stark, and like any budding engineer, she dreamed of one day visiting the high-tech workshop of Stark Industries. And while she hadn't yet had the chance, she had seen our Forge of the Gods instead, which was no bad thing.
Sure, the workshop was still a bit bare, but in terms of technological equipment, it was in no way inferior to Stark's lair. Especially considering the fact that the girl had assembled the Iron Man suit in her garage, this place was like heaven to her.
"Meet Riri Williams, and as of today, she's your new colleague. Please treat her with love," I introduced the girl, and also told her the names of her future work partners. The subsequent reaction from Lana and Hiro was far from as rosy as I'd imagined. Toyman didn't mince words and bluntly declared his dislike of the newcomer "I don't like her. I'm against..."
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Thank you all for reading, please do vote with power stones.
You all can read extra chapters on [email protected]/annihilator009