Marvel: The Enlightened One#23+24: The Gammanium at Last, A Sudden Accident

Dr. Connors's Regeneration Lab was located on the twenty-first floor of the Oscorp building.

The entire space was filled with a dazzling array of complex scientific instruments.

Some of the equipment looked incredibly expensive, even to a casual observer.

But the thing that truly captured Hawk's attention was right in front of him, visible through a large glass window: a strange, dark stone, housed in a transparent, climate-controlled case.

Hawk didn't know what kind of rock it was.

But—

His gut was screaming at him. This was what he had been looking for.

A thought struck him. He turned to Gwen.

"What is that?"

"What?"

Gwen looked up from where Max Dillon was working on the circuitry. She followed Hawk's gaze and then looked back at him.

"Oh, that? It's gamma radiation."

"?"

Gamma Radiation?

A question mark materialized over Hawk's head, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "My physics grades might not be as good as yours, but they're not bad. Since when can gamma radiation be a solid rock?"

Gwen laughed.

She glanced around, making sure none of the other lab techs were listening, then lowered her voice. "Do you remember back in September of '09, when the Hulk tore up Harlem?"

Hawk froze for a second, then nodded. "Of course."

How could he forget?

That day was burned into his memory more than any other since he'd arrived in this world.

It wasn't just because his power had activated that day.

There was another reason too.

He remembered that day with perfect, painful clarity.

Gwen shrugged.

"Then you probably know about the Abomination. He was created using the Hulk's blood."

"Yeah."

Hawk nodded again. Then, a thought occurred to him. He looked at Gwen, a sudden, wild idea in his mind.

"Are you saying that rock is the Abomination?"

"Of course not. Those rocks were brought in from the military base in Quantico."

Gwen explained with a small smile, "The Hulk... Dr. Bruce Banner... he was created in a gamma lab explosion. But something strange happened during that explosion. These rocks were dug out of the wreckage of that lab."

Hawk was floored.

"Then why did you bring up the Abomination?"

"Oh."

Gwen realized her mistake and shrugged. "I just assumed you didn't know the Hulk was Bruce Banner. I mean, you don't have a computer or a phone..."

She trailed off, then another thought struck her. She looked at Hawk. "That phone I gave you. Don't tell me you still haven't gotten a SIM card for it."

Hawk pulled a sleek, iPhone 4-like device from his pocket. "I did."

Gwen had given him the phone on his first day at Oscorp, twenty days ago.

He hadn't wanted to take it, but she'd given him a reason he couldn't refuse.

Every employee had to clock in and out.

Oscorp was no exception.

And she hadn't given him a chance to say no, just shoved the phone into his hand and walked away.

Hawk gave the phone a little shake, then steered the conversation back on topic, his eyes fixed on the strange rock in the glass-walled room.

"What's a rock from Quantico doing here?"

"Because Dr. Connors's research is partially funded by the military."

Gwen explained.

To be more precise, most of Oscorp's major research projects had military backing. Some were even direct partnerships.

Oscorp and the military had always been close.

The company had started out as a herring cannery, but when the wars came, a young Norman Osborn had seen an opportunity. He'd sold off the cannery and converted the factory to produce weapons and ammunition.

These days, Oscorp was out of the arms business, but they still maintained a very cozy relationship with the military.

Take Dr. Connors, for example.

His project was a joint venture between Oscorp and the Department of Defense. The lab was just housed here for convenience.

After all, Dr. Connors had been a military surgeon before coming to Oscorp.

Hawk nodded, finally understanding.

Inside the glass-walled lab, a technician was preparing a vial of an unknown serum. Another was using a robotic arm to carefully lift the so-called "gamma stone."

"What are they doing?"

"A regeneration serum trial."

"The lizard serum?"

It was no secret that Dr. Connors was studying reptiles, trying to unlock the secret of their ability to regrow lost limbs.

His research papers were all publicly available.

But most of the scientific community was skeptical.

There were a lot of reasons why.

Hawk had never bothered to read them in detail. He'd never had any ambition to be a scientist, either before or after awakening his Cosmo.

So, Gwen wasn't surprised that he knew about it. She just nodded. "Dr. Connors thinks that combining the lizard serum with gamma radiation might be the breakthrough he's been looking for."

Hawk nodded slowly, his eyes still on the stone being held by the robotic arm. An idea sparked. He looked at Gwen. "Can I go in and get a closer look?"

He had to be sure.

Gwen remembered seeing him reading that research paper in the library.

"Don't tell me you're actually interested in the stuff that turns people into monsters."

"Not the radiation. The rock."

Hawk said, shaking his head. From a scientific standpoint, gamma radiation couldn't be stored. The moment it was emitted, it was gone.

What's that?

This is the Marvel Universe, and science doesn't apply?

Okay, fair enough.

Gwen thought for a moment. She decided that letting him get a closer look wouldn't spoil any of Dr. Connors's secrets, so she nodded.

A jolt of excitement went through Hawk. As he followed Gwen toward the lab entrance, he called out to Max Dillon. "Max, I'm just going to go check out that amazing rock."

He didn't call him Mr. Dillon. Max had insisted against it. It seemed that just by knowing his name, Hawk had accidentally made a friend.

...

Max looked up from his work, a gentle, good-natured smile on his face. "Okay. I'm almost done here anyway."

Hawk said a quick "thanks" and then followed Gwen as she swiped her keycard and opened the door to the inner lab.

And then.

The moment Hawk stepped across the threshold, the moment his eyes locked onto the gamma stone clutched in the robotic arm...

Instantly.

A message, clear and undeniable, surged through him from the depths of his Cosmo.

That's it.

That's the one.

Gammanium.

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

A gentle tap.

"Pa."

The moment the stone in the transparent containment unit was fractured, a strange light, invisible to the naked eye but perfectly clear to Hawk, burst forth.

And in that same instant, his Cosmo surged.

The message was unmistakable.

His Cosmo was telling him one thing.

Gammanium.

He had found it.

As the information from his Cosmo settled, Hawk finally understood what Gammanium was. A wry, almost exasperated smile touched his lips.

The reason was simple.

Gammanium, put simply, was stabilized gamma radiation. Once an uncontrollable energy, it had somehow condensed into a storable solid.

That was Gammanium.

Yep. It sounded ridiculous.

But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Hawk now knew where to find what he needed.

Quantico.

The lab where Bruce Banner was caught in the gamma bomb explosion.

Gwen, who had taken on the role of temporary tour guide, saw Hawk staring intently at the fractured stone. She gently nudged him with her elbow.

Hawk snapped back to the present and looked at her.

His eyes were clear.

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Gwen's brow was furrowed. "You're not actually thinking about turning yourself into a monster like the Abomination, are you?"

She had seen the entranced look in his eyes and had gotten the distinct feeling that Hawk was contemplating leaving his humanity behind.

Hawk pushed aside the sudden urge to bolt for Quantico and shook his head. "Of course not. I was just wondering if Dr. Connors's experiment is close to a breakthrough."

Gwen was about to reply.

Just then.

Dr. Connors, who had seen Gwen bring a visitor into the lab, walked over. He overheard Hawk's comment and chimed in, "Scientific progress is a long road of trial and error. But yes, I do believe we are on the verge of success."

Gwen turned to greet him.

"Doctor."

"Curtis. Curtis Connors."

Dr. Connors, also in a white lab coat but with only one arm, smiled and extended his left hand to Hawk. "And you are...?"

Hawk met his handshake with his own left hand. "Hawk. I'm a classmate of Gwen's. I'm working in the Bio-Electricity department for the summer. I came over with Mr. Dillon, and I asked Gwen if I could see the lab. I hope I'm not disturbing you, Doctor."

Dr. Connors laughed. "I heard what you said to Gwen. Do you really believe my experiment can succeed?"

Hawk smiled back. "I've read your papers, Doctor. It's clear that if your experiment is successful, it will be a tremendous benefit to mankind."

It wasn't flattery, it was a fact.

If Dr. Connors's regeneration research succeeded, it could mean the end of physical disabilities for the entire world.

Of course, that was assuming he could actually create a regeneration serum, and not just the lizard formula that turned him into a monster.

But... That seemed unlikely to happen here.

In the other story, Dr. Connors only became the Lizard because of a push from Spider-Man.

And while this Dr. Connors looked just like the one from the movie, there was no Andrew Garfield Spider-Man in this universe.

There was a Spider-Man, sure.

But he was interning at the Daily Bugle. He wasn't likely to show up here.

So—

The probability of this Dr. Connors becoming the Lizard was probably lower than the probability of Max Dillon becoming Electro next year.

Hawk chose his words carefully.

He didn't say whether he believed in it or not, only that its success would benefit humanity.

Dr. Connors was clearly pleased. He laughed again and, just before he walked away, he turned to Gwen. "Gwen, feel free to show your classmate our current progress."

It wasn't often he got such positive feedback. Besides, Gwen wasn't involved in the core research, and the progress was all unclassified. There was no risk of a leak.

Gwen nodded. Once Dr. Connors was gone, she stood next to Hawk again and whispered, "Do you really think his experiment can work?"

Hawk was watching the technician who had fractured the gamma stone walk over to a centrifuge. He turned to Gwen.

Just as he was about to shake his head and say no, he sensed something. He looked up at the ceiling.

The fluorescent lights overhead flickered once, twice.

The next second.

POP!

With the sound of a bursting bulb, the entire lab was plunged into darkness.

"Thump!"

"Holy—"

"Squelch!"

In the sudden blackness, a series of sharp, violent sounds echoed through the room. Hawk instantly felt a wave of pressure rushing toward—

Gwen.

Without thinking, almost on pure instinct, Hawk shot his right hand out, shielding her.

"Thwip!"

"..."

A sharp pain lanced through his palm. He gritted his teeth as the lab's emergency lights kicked in, bathing the room in a scary red glow.

The scene they illuminated was horrific.

A female lab technician lay in a rapidly growing pool of her own blood.

She was clutching at her neck, where a shard of the destroyed centrifuge had embedded itself. Blood bubbled and frothed between her fingers.

A few white lab mice scurried across the floor.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"Mia?"

"JESUS CHRIST!"

"Mia!"

The people in the lab, their faces pale in the red light, began to panic. Some ran out to get help, while others rushed toward the fallen woman.

Gwen's eyes were locked on Hawk, who had quickly pulled his right hand back and hidden it behind him.

Her gaze was sharp. She moved to stand directly in front of him.

"Show me your hand."

"What?"

Hawk feigned confusion.

Gwen didn't say another word. She just reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled his right hand out from behind his back, forcing it open.

And there it was.

Hawk's palm was completely unharmed, except for a small patch of skin in the center that looked brand new.

Gwen stared, speechless.

Hawk just smiled and pulled his hand back. "My hand's not as pretty as yours."

Gwen didn't reply, her brow furrowed in thought.

Just then, Oscorp's paramedics and security team burst into the lab and began clearing the area.

In the ensuing chaos, Hawk grabbed a dazed-looking Max Dillon and slipped out of the lab.

Gwen remained standing just outside the door, her mind racing.

She was certain she hadn't imagined it.

The moment the lights went out, she had felt that wave of pressure, that sense of something moving through the air. It was gone in an instant, but she had seen it—in that split second, she had seen a few drops of blood fall right in front of her.

But Hawk's hand was fine.

Wait a minute.

A thought struck her. Her eyes lit up. She walked back to the entrance of the lab and looked at the spot where she had been standing.

There, on the pristine white floor.

Were a few distinct drops of blood.

A lab mouse with a severed tail scurried over. It sniffed at the drops, then its eyes seemed to brighten, and it began to lick the blood from the floor.

Shit.

Gwen snapped out of it and rushed back into the lab.