The next morning, Hawk rose early. After dressing neatly and slinging his single-strap bag over his shoulder, he left with the document Mrs. Snow had given him and headed for the subway.
Originally, he had planned to take the bus. Everyone knew New York subways were… questionable. But from his new apartment there was no direct bus to Oscorp Tower, and taking the bus would mean three transfers. In the end, the subway was faster—and cheaper if you didn't bother paying.
Unfortunately, the moment he stepped inside, he regretted it.
The smell. Too many smells. Sour, greasy, sweaty, cloying—so overwhelming he instantly sealed off his sense of smell with his Microcosmos.
And the passengers… one hippie howling on a guitar as if he were destined for stardom, a massive woman with a golden python draped around her neck like jewelry—how she smuggled that in, who knew.
But the worst was the pickpockets.
One hooded kid singled Hawk out immediately. A subway rookie. Easy prey. He moved in, pretending to adjust his headphones, hand slipping down with a concealed knife to slice open Hawk's bag.
Just then, Hawk stumbled backward as if he'd lost his footing—slamming into him.
The knife turned in the kid's own hand and drove straight through his wrist.
"Ahhh!" he screamed, clutching the spurting wound. Blood splattered across the floor.
The other passengers looked over briefly, then just as quickly looked away. No panic. No one helped. At the next stop, everyone silently filed out.
Hawk joined them, never once glancing back. He could feel the kid's burning glare on his back as he left the train, and his lips curled faintly.
He had already been merciful. In an alley without cameras, the thief wouldn't even have ashes left.
He was poor, his bag filled with second-hand junk worth less than fifty bucks, and still someone had tried to rob him? Was there no law left in this city?
Stepping out of the station still fuming, Hawk froze.
"Gwen?"
There she was, standing at the base of Oscorp Tower, scanning the crowd. When she saw him, her face lit up and she waved him over.
Is she waiting for me?
Hawk crossed the street, weaving between cars.
It had been two weeks since the Battle of New York. Manhattan was already scrubbed clean, rebuilt with the power of money. Even Oscorp Tower, which had been punctured by Chitauri fire, gleamed pristine as if nothing had happened.
Hawk tore his eyes from the skyscraper and looked at Gwen.
"You were waiting for me?"
"Of course," Gwen said with a grin. Today her long blonde hair was tied back in a high ponytail, a white lab coat draped over her shoulders. "If I didn't wait here, how else would I uncover your secret?"
Hawk chuckled. "I don't have any secrets."
"You do," she said firmly. "And I'll find them."
Then her smile softened. "Anyway, I'm not teasing. Mrs. Snow called me this morning. She remembered you don't have a phone yet and realized you wouldn't have an Oscorp passcard either. She asked me to bring you in. Otherwise you wouldn't even get through the front doors."
She tilted her head. "Remind me, who was it you needed to see?"
"Max Dillon," Hawk replied. The future Electro, though right now just a faceless little engineer.
Gwen nodded. "Right. Come on, I'll take you to Bio-Electrical Engineering."
Hawk didn't refuse.
She led the way, swiping through security. After a few words with the guard, the turnstile unlocked. Hawk followed her inside.
Soon, Gwen's practiced steps brought them to the first floor of Oscorp's Bio-Electrical Engineering Department.
…
(End of Chapter)
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