Marvel: The Enlightened One#25+26: A Girl's Old Phone and a Girl's Old Laptop, The Job Isn't Even Half Over, and I'm Already Fired

Evening.

On the rooftop of the new apartment building.

His workout finished, Hawk tugged at the hem of his shorts and sat down, leaning his back against the cool metal of the ventilation shaft. He grabbed a Coke from beside him and took a long drink.

Just then.

A thought occurred to him. He put the soda down and opened his right hand, palm up.

The spot where Gwen had seen a patch of new skin was now completely gone, without a trace.

After awakening his Cosmo, his strength, speed, and durability had all transcended the limits of a normal human.

Even without burning his Cosmo:

His strength could easily shatter boulders, demolish thick walls, and even bend steel.

His speed, if he pushed it, could break the sound barrier.

His durability was just as impressive.

He could withstand impacts that would kill a normal person instantly, even without the protection of a Saint Armor. And if he did get injured, his Accelerated Healing allowed him to recover from fatigue and minor wounds far faster than any human.

That piece of shrapnel from the centrifuge today was a perfect example.

If he hadn't intervened, Gwen wouldn't have stood a chance. The shard would have killed her instantly.

But that wasn't what was bothering him.

The important thing was...

Hawk replayed the moment in his mind, his left hand tracing the spot on his right palm where he'd felt the impact.

He frowned, lost in thought. Just then, the phone lying next to him began to ring.

Hawk snapped out of it, surprised. Since he'd gotten the SIM card, this was the first time it had ever actually rung.

He answered.

"Hello?"

"...Yeah, it's me. Are you there?"

"Okay, I'm on my way."

He hung up.

Hawk sprang to his feet. In a blur, his figure vanished, reappearing a moment later by the fire escape. He slipped back through his window, grabbed five hundred dollars from his backpack, and headed out.

...

Ten minutes later.

At the entrance to Queensbridge Park, across the street.

Hawk stood by the gate, scanned the empty surroundings, then pulled out his phone and dialed the only number in his contacts.

A moment later, the headlights of a parked van down the street flashed once.

Hawk's eyes snapped toward the vehicle.

The driver's side door opened, and a young Asian woman with long, thick brown hair, looking to be in her early twenties, stepped out. She held up a phone, showing him his own number on the screen.

Hawk looked at her face and raised an eyebrow.

Skye?

Skye, standing next to her van—which also looked like her home—called out the agreed-upon code phrase. "Faster than a speeding bullet?"

Hawk nodded. "But not as strong."

That was the signal. Skye didn't waste any more time. She pulled a laptop from the van and handed it to him. "Just like we discussed online. Three years old, but in great condition. I've already wiped it and installed a fresh OS. Check it out. If you're happy, you can pay me."

Hawk took the laptop without a word.

After all, this was a five-hundred-dollar transaction.

If he had been a little less proud, he might have just asked Gwen if she had an old laptop he could have.

Again.

A line in the sand is meant to be crossed.

He had already accepted the phone Gwen had practically forced on him.

But, Hawk thought, a man's got to have some dignity.

Still, he never would have guessed that the random seller he'd found on a used electronics forum this afternoon would turn out to be another major player in the Marvel Universe.

Skye.

The future Quake.

Hawk shook his head at the irony. He opened the "girl's old laptop" and ran a quick diagnostic, confirming that it booted up and ran the basic programs without any issues. Satisfied, he closed it and handed over the five hundred dollars he had brought.

Skye took the five crisp hundred-dollar bills and inspected them just as carefully.

A moment later.

She pocketed the money and extended her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Hawk shifted the laptop to his left hand and shook hers. "Likewise."

No small talk.

Just business.

The transaction complete, Skye got back in her van, started the engine, and drove off without another word.

...

Hawk returned to his apartment, placed the "girl's old laptop" from Skye on his folding table, and set the "girl's old phone" from Gwen next to it.

Comparing them like this, Gwen was better.

Wait, what am I thinking?

Hawk frowned again, shaking the distracting thoughts from his head. He connected the laptop to the mobile hotspot from Gwen's phone.

Next step.

Quantico.

He opened a satellite map and zoomed in on the coordinates of the military base.

Some of the more classified buildings were blurred out.

But it didn't matter.

With a single glance, Hawk found it: a ruined, fenced-off structure on the edge of the base.

He spent the next half hour cross-referencing information, confirming that this was, in fact, the remains of the lab where Bruce Banner was exposed.

The internet was a powerful tool. After the Avengers were revealed to the world, and with Banner's own public incident back in '09, his history was all out there.

His life story, how he became the Hulk, when he became the Hulk... it was all online.

Even the gossip about his past relationship with Betty Ross had been dredged up.

But that wasn't what Hawk was focused on.

Sitting in his new apartment, one hand propping up his chin, the other scrolling on the trackpad, Hawk stared at the satellite image of the abandoned lab, a thoughtful, calculating look in his eyes.

Hawk had a feeling he was about to cross that line.

He had no choice. He had no money, and even if he did, the military wasn't about to sell him a piece of a top-secret Gamma experiment.

But he needed that Gammanium.

His Saint Armor depended on it.

However...

Stealing the Gammanium from a US military base was not the same as stealing Vibranium from Wakanda.

To put it simply:

If he stole the Vibranium and got caught, the world wouldn't come after him. It would be like starting a raid and having the rest of the server automatically join his team. The world would come after Wakanda. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council would undoubtedly demand that Wakanda share its resources, or at the very least, allow a UN peacekeeping force within its borders.

So, Hawk wasn't worried about Wakanda.

But stealing from Quantico? That was a different story.

Hawk stared at the satellite map on his screen, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

<><><><><><><><>

The next day.

On the subway ride to Oscorp, Hawk was still thinking about the gamma stones stored at the Quantico military base.

He had a plan.

If he was going to hit a place like Quantico, there was only one way to do it.

A lightning raid.

Get in, get out. No hesitation.

After all, he was talking about storming a United States military base, not some random warehouse.

The FBI Academy was there.

The infamous CIA headquarters in Langley was just down the road.

Robbing Quantico was the equivalent of taking a dump on the heads of the US military, the FBI, and the CIA, all at the same time.

...

"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

"I need to make a trip out to Quantico first. Do some recon."

"At the very least, I need to scout the place out and map an escape route."

Lost in thought, Hawk swiped his keycard and walked into the Oscorp building, heading up to the Bio-Electricity department.

And then. He was immediately called into his supervisor's office.

The future Electro, Max Dillon, was already there.

The supervisor looked uncomfortable. After a long silence, he finally spoke to Max. "Starting today, you're being transferred to the maintenance division."

Max Dillon looked stunned.

"Sir, I—"

"I'm not finished."

The supervisor cut him off, then turned to Hawk and sighed. "Hawk, you're being let go. You can collect your final week's pay."

Hawk just blinked.

He wasn't as shocked as Max. He had already figured out what this was about. He looked at the supervisor, his expression calm.

"May I ask why?"

"The accident in Dr. Connors's lab yesterday."

Knew it.

Hawk thought to himself.

Max was frantic. "Sir, what does a power outage have to do with us? Our department only supplies the building's general power. The specialized equipment in the labs runs on a completely different—"

The supervisor rubbed his forehead. "That's enough. This isn't a negotiation, it's a decision. You can go... Hawk, stay."

Max stood frozen for a moment, then looked at Hawk.

Hawk just shrugged.

"It's okay, Max."

"Alright."

Max looked like he wanted to say more, but he just hung his head and walked out of the office.

...

Once Max was gone, the supervisor sighed again. "I'm sorry, kid. I pulled every string I had to keep Max, but there was nothing I could do for you. You're a good worker, Hawk. If there's anything you need, just ask. I'll do what I can."

Hawk smiled slightly. "It's fine. Just make sure you explain the situation to Mrs. Snow."

His only reason for coming to Oscorp was to find the Gammanium. Now that he had, there was no reason to stay.

His original plan had been to ask for a few days off, not get fired.

After all, this job was a favor from Mrs. Snow. She was a good person who had always looked out for him, and he didn't want to make her look bad.

But now he didn't even have to ask for time off.

The supervisor looked relieved. "Of course. In fact, I just got off the phone with Selena. I know this wasn't your fault, or, uh, what's-his-name's..."

Hawk prompted him.

"Max."

"Right, Max."

The supervisor's brow smoothed out. "I know it wasn't your fault. But... my hands are tied."

Hawk just shook his head with a small, knowing smile.

The truth was, Max had been right. The Bio-Electricity department's power grid was for the building's basic needs.

Those eels could only generate limited juice.

It wasn't nearly enough to power the dozens of labs with their massive, energy-guzzling equipment.

But you can't fix stupid.

The whole mess had started because some idiot executive at Oscorp thought the Bio-Electricity department could handle a bigger load.

And now that there had been an accident, that same executive was refusing to take responsibility.

Yep.

Scumbag move, but it fit the corporate profile.

It was that simple.

Hawk didn't linger. He took the eight hundred dollars for his final week's work, walked out of the office, and left the Oscorp building without a backward glance.

"Hawk, wait!"

Just as he was about to cross the street to the subway, Gwen came running out of the building.

Hawk turned and watched her catch up.

"Did Mrs. Snow call you?"

"Yeah."

Gwen stopped, leaning over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

She'd run down as soon as she'd gotten the call, but by the time she got to the Bio-Electricity department, they told her Hawk had already left.

Good thing she'd caught him.

After a moment, she straightened up and looked at his face. "Are you okay?"

Hawk shrugged. "Never better."

He hadn't let Mrs. Snow's favor go to waste, he was free to head to Quantico, and he'd gotten a free week's pay out of it.

What was not to like?

He saw the genuine concern in Gwen's eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'm really fine. The supervisor said I could even come back and work here during winter break."

The supervisor did indeed say so.

He had no intention of coming back, but he hadn't turned down the offer either.

You never know.

Never burn a bridge. Never say never. A lesson well learned.

...

Gwen seemed to relax, seeing that he was genuinely not upset. "So, what are your plans now? You've still got over a month until school starts."

"Probably just stay home and read. You know how it is. It's too late to find another decent summer job now."

Hawk shrugged, then started to turn away. "Anyway, you should get back inside. I'm really okay."

Gwen nodded. "Alright. Well, if you get bored, we could go study at the library sometime."

Hawk paused for a second.

But Gwen didn't give him a chance to reply. It seemed that ever since she'd given him the phone, she'd figured out the best way to talk to him was to not let him talk at all. She just smiled, turned, and with her hands in her pockets, walked back into the Oscorp building.

Hawk watched her go, a small, genuine smile on her face as she waved at him one last time. He frowned slightly.

The next second.

He turned and walked away.

Time to get to work.

Quantico.

Here I come!