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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.
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