Under the sunlight, Hawk's blood, glimmering like starlight, slowly flowed out of his body and into the blood bag.
He sat on a chair, squeezing a grip ball in one hand while gazing at the distant Statue of Liberty standing tall on Liberty Island.
Anna stared at the blood bag as though it were a sacred relic, her eyes wide and unblinking.
The blood shimmered like diamonds under the sun.
At that moment, a phone rang.
Anna pulled it out, glanced at the caller, apologized softly to Hawk, and stepped aside to answer it.
Nearby, Gwen sat quietly, looking very much like someone keeping Hawk company during a blood donation. Her eyes followed Anna as she walked off to take the call. Then she leaned closer to Hawk and whispered.
"So… you traded four hundred milliliters of blood for a truckload of iron meteorites?"
"Yeah."
Hawk nodded slightly, then looked at her. "Do you think I made a profit or a loss?"
Gwen opened her mouth.
From a money standpoint, Hawk had come out on top—by a huge margin.
Selling blood didn't pay much.
According to last week's quote from a New York blood products company, four hundred milliliters of blood fetched about one hundred and fifty dollars.
But meteorites?
Gwen had just checked: last week, a New York auction house sold a thirty-five-kilogram meteorite for 210,000 dollars.
By that math, thirty tons of iron meteorites were worth over 179 million dollars.
But…
Gwen frowned at him.
"Your blood isn't ordinary, Hawk. Your blood…"
"How about this?"
Hawk smiled at her. "I won't sell blood. I'll return the meteorites to Anna, and tomorrow I'll just go find them myself. Thirty tons isn't much—if I raid Osborn's and Stark's private collections, that should cover it. No need to sell blood. What do you think?"
Gwen stared, mouth agape.
A second later, she realized from the smile tugging at his lips that he was joking. She rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "But your blood—aren't you worried Anna will…"
She cut herself off when she noticed Anna returning from her call.
Hawk knew what Gwen wanted to say. He chuckled. "Relax. I told Anna—no cloning with my blood. And don't worry, this is the only time. Besides, selling blood is a lot more fitting for a good guy than robbery, isn't it?"
Gwen pressed her lips together.
So the choices were… sell blood or become a thief.
Forget it.
Selling blood was at least honest work. Better than robbery.
That's what she told herself.
Meanwhile, Anna walked back with a touch of joy on her face. She looked at Hawk. "Latest news—Tony Stark's private jet that landed in Bangalore yesterday has taken off. It's expected to arrive at a private airfield thirty kilometers from Culver Lake at 2 p.m. today."
The 22nd.
That was today.
A spark flashed in Hawk's eyes.
"Confirmed?"
"Confirmed."
Anna handed him a palm-sized tablet.
On the screen, airport surveillance showed Bruce Banner boarding the private jet.
Hawk smiled. Then, as a thought struck him, he turned to Gwen. "Good. I won't need to ask Helen for time off on Christmas Eve."
Christmas Eve was on the 24th.
He had expected Hulk to show up then. If that had happened, Gwen would have wanted to come along, forcing him to ask Helen for leave.
On their way this morning, Gwen had even been racking her brain for an excuse.
Now, problem solved.
With Banner arriving today, they could finish quickly and be back in New York tonight.
Gwen tilted her head curiously. "But wait—Tony Stark's private jet? I thought he was missing?"
Yes.
Tony Stark had gone missing—again.
Last time was in the Middle East. This time, Los Angeles.
Worse, his Malibu mansion had been blown up. All because last week, Stark publicly declared war on the Mandarin.
Of course, Hawk knew this Mandarin was just an actor.
The real Mandarin was too busy trying to resurrect his wife to bother with this.
When Hawk heard the news last week, he'd laughed and dismissed it.
Anna felt the same.
"Tony Stark might be missing, but Stark Industries hasn't stopped operating. This flight was probably arranged before the holidays. Still, we have a theory."
"What theory?"
"Bruce Banner's early arrival could mean he's coming to help after hearing about Stark's disappearance."
"…That's possible."
Hawk nodded thoughtfully.
Then he chuckled and shook his head, handing the tablet back to Anna. "If I get the chance, I'll have to thank Tony Stark."
If Stark hadn't disappeared, Banner might not have shown up until Christmas Eve.
But with Iron Man missing, Hulk had come early.
From that perspective, Hawk really did owe Stark a thank-you.
Anna smiled faintly, said nothing, and stored the tablet. She turned to the nearly full blood bag and hurried to remove the needle.
As soon as it came out, the puncture in Hawk's arm healed instantly.
He adjusted his sleeve and stood up.
Anna, meanwhile, placed the blood bag carefully into a portable cryo-lock case, clicking it shut like it was a priceless treasure.
Her face relaxed as the task was done.
She looked up at Hawk.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I always treat my friends this way."
Hawk smiled softly, then glanced at Gwen, took her hand, and walked toward the yellow Corolla parked nearby.
Anna stood watching as they left.
Gwen started the car and, though she already knew their destination, asked anyway.
"Where to now?"
"Culver!"
Hawk turned to her with a smile.
"For revenge!"
"…."
(End of Chapter)
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