Using telepathy, Nathan Hawke drove toward Hammer Industries.
He called someone to take care of the bodies, then headed straight to Justin Hammer's office.
"Hey, our superhero—the hottest name in business right now."
When Justin Hammer saw Nathan walk in, his eyes lit up immediately.
Meanwhile, a bottle of 1982 Lafite was already placed on the table.
"Come on, congratulations."
Pouring the wine, Justin handed Nathan a glass.
Nathan picked it up, swirled it slightly, then took a sip.
"Tell me what you want from me."
Nathan appreciated Hammer's directness.
"My forehead…"
Obviously, Justin Hammer wasn't ready for what came next.
"About your company's shares," Nathan said. Though the Hawke Group wasn't a weapons manufacturer, it had become a company producing lifestyle products for superpowered individuals.
Hammer knew that major corporations were already secretly trying to figure out the "price" to win the favor of these heroes.
As long as a hero nodded, they would shower them with gifts and offers.
"You want to buy one?"
Justin Hammer nodded eagerly.
"Yes, yes."
He was thrilled.
"But there's something I need to tell you," Nathan said suddenly, his tone turning serious.
Seeing Nathan's expression, Justin quickly pulled over a chair and sat beside him.
"Go on," he said cautiously, already guessing something.
"On my way here, I ran into a group of heavily armed assassins with vehicles and weapons."
Justin's face twitched slightly. Nathan continued, "I really do want you to join me—so you can help carry some of the weight."
Seeing Nathan's sincere smile, Justin felt uneasy.
He couldn't tell if Nathan was telling the truth or just manipulating him.
"It's true," Nathan said calmly. "The driver downstairs has already been replaced."
"I came here because of superheroes."
Justin couldn't understand how Nathan could remain so calm after everything.
"I want to join," Justin finally said.
"In exchange for a share of your company."
"That's fine."
The two discussed details in the office.
Both were satisfied with the deal.
After acquiring a portion of Hawke Group shares, Justin secretly leaked the news.
Soon after, Hammer Industries' stock price began to rise steadily.
Hearing his secretary report the increase, Justin closed his eyes and took a deep breath in satisfaction.
Nathan Hawke, meanwhile, was enjoying himself.
Now he just had to see whether Justin Hammer would, like in Iron Man 2, try to recruit Ivan Vanko.
If Hammer ended up in prison, Nathan planned to fully acquire Hammer Industries.
But then he squinted slightly—perhaps a free Hammer could still be useful.
Anyone who stood in his way… Nathan Hawke wasn't afraid to fight.
In the following weeks, New York's crime rate plummeted. Hydra stopped bothering Nathan Hawke, though spies and agents had infiltrated deep into their ranks.
He summoned Wesker over—Umbrella still had a lot of experimental data left.
And since New York's crime rate had dropped so much, Nathan began sending his summoned people to appear in other cities instead.
One day, Electro followed Nathan closely, having a faint idea why he'd been called.
"You know why I asked you to come?" Nathan asked.
"I do," Electro replied.
"How have you been lately?"
"Great. Life's been amazing," Max Dillon said gratefully.
"That's good."
Light flashed—then faded.
A man in a white lab coat suddenly opened his eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked, pulling a belt around his waist.
"Transform."
"Lemon!"
"Lock on!"
Kamen Rider Duke.
Kamen Rider Duke raised his Sonic Arrow and aimed at them.
"We mean no harm," said Max Dillon.
"Really?" Duke replied coldly. "I don't feel safe."
Arrows of sound shot toward them.
"Hmph." Max wasn't about to take that—electricity surged through his body.
"Superpowers?"
Electro, moving with lightning speed, dodged Duke's arrows.
The lab wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole. Nathan frowned.
The man they faced—Ryoma Sengoku, a scientist from Kamen Rider Gaim and developer of the Sengoku Driver—had transformed into Kamen Rider Duke.
The two clashed in the experimental lab.
Electro's speed gave Duke a hard time. The small space limited his movement, putting him at a disadvantage.
"Damn it!"
Electro darted around him, slowing his movements with constant electrical bursts.
Whenever Duke tried to attack, Electro was already elsewhere, countering.
Zzzzt—
A charged blast hit Duke square in the chest.
The energy impact struck his abdomen hard—even with armor, the blow was brutal.
Duke's armor faded, and Ryoma fell to one knee, gasping for breath.
Electro appeared behind him, pointing a finger at his neck—ready to strike if Nathan gave the order.
Though the summoning gave Nathan little power boost this time, he was satisfied.
At last—a true scientist had joined them.
A genius developer.
"What do you want from me?" Ryoma asked, looking up at Nathan.
Nathan waved his hand, and Electro lowered his finger.
"So I'm useful after all," Ryoma smirked.
"Take him to meet Wesker," Nathan ordered, turning to leave. His cold, commanding figure lingered in the lab.
"Hmm… his aura feels a bit like Takatora's," Ryoma muttered.
The next day, Nathan, led by Wesker, visited Umbrella's underground lab—where he found Ryoma already working intently.
"A very talented scientist," Wesker said coolly.
Nathan was a little surprised—it was the first time he'd ever heard Wesker compliment anyone.
"Then let's not disturb him."
Back in the office, Nathan asked, "How's the overseas base?"
"Everything's ready. Just waiting for researchers."
At that moment, Nathan's phone buzzed—
A mysterious hammer had fallen in New Mexico. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were already on site.
Wesker had received the same intel.
"I'm going to New Mexico," Nathan said.
"Do you need someone to go with you?" Wesker asked.
"Send Andre and Max Dillon. Also, leak word to the media—there'll be a big fight soon."
On the private jet, Andre and Max Dillon boarded together.
"Boss."
"Chief."
Nathan nodded to them both.
On the plane, they discussed Thor.
"Wait—Thor? As in the Norse God of Thunder?" Andre's eyes widened.
"You mean the one I know?" Max asked.
As a character from Ultimate Spider-Man, Max still remembered Thor.
"You've studied this world already," Nathan reminded him. "Think of it as a parallel version."
Max nodded. "I get it. This world has Tony Stark but no Osborn. Some things are the same… others, not."
"And Spider-Man—you looked into him too?" Nathan asked.
Andre looked between them, confused.
"Yeah," Max said. "There's a kid named Peter Parker, but he's too young. Doesn't match the one I know. Not sure if he'll ever become Spider-Man."
Nathan smiled but said nothing. He seemed to know something Max didn't.
"Hey, we're talking about Thor, not the little spider," Andre interrupted loudly.
"Anyway," Max shrugged, "they can do whatever they want."
"Drinking?" Andre asked. "No thanks."
"I'll drink," Max said casually. He used to be a heavy drinker—every defeat at Spider-Man's hands ended with a bottle.
According to Nathan's plan, they intended to recruit Thor into the Superhero Initiative.
But Max suddenly looked uneasy.
"I use electricity… and he…"
"It's fine," Nathan smirked. "Right now, he's just a hammerless mortal, not the God of Thunder."
That made both men pause.
After landing, they reached the small town where the story began.
Short on manpower, they bribed a mail clerk for information about Thor's whereabouts.
In a town this small, a tall blond man shouting "Hammer! My hammer!" after drinking wasn't hard to track down.
The bar wasn't open yet—so where else could he be drinking?
After getting directions, they drove off.
Inside a small diner, a man and two women watched a blond man eat voraciously.
Actually, one man and two women were watching as Thor devoured his meal.
"Money… my poor money," Jane thought painfully as she paid for his endless food.
The budget was burning fast.
"Another pint of beer!" Thor shouted.
"Coming right up," the waiter smiled.
Lately, this strange customer had brought a lot of business—and tips.
Jane quickly stopped him.
"No, he's had enough!"
"Oh, Jane, come on, I can still drink!"
"No—you've had too much already!"
"Jane, you're too stingy!"
They began to argue as the others watched silently.
Then, the waiter brought another large beer anyway.
Thor grabbed it immediately and chugged it down.
Burp! "Ahh… that's good! But still not as fine as Asgardian ale!"
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