"Excuse me, are you hiring here?"
An intellectual and beautiful middle-aged woman stood at the entrance holding a flyer. She offered a warm smile to Samuel as he descended the stairs.
Jessica Jones and Claw Woman had already headed out to make copies and post the new recruitment notices. They hadn't returned yet, but an applicant was already at the door. After a somewhat frustrating morning spent trying to communicate with the silent Kimiko, Samuel's mood instantly brightened.
"Applying for the clerk position?" Samuel walked over, taking a careful look at the woman. As he scrutinized her appearance, he was momentarily taken aback.
Aunt May?
With her kind face, graceful figure, and elegant temperament, she looked exactly like the future Spider-Man's guardian—May Parker. Doesn't she live in Queens? he wondered. What brought her to Manhattan to look for work?
"My name is Mei Parker, and I'd like to apply for the clerk position," she introduced herself proactively. She spoke with a quiet confidence, detailing her skills and her ability to handle the role with grace and ease.
"Alright, you're hired."
"...Ah?" Mei blinked, surprised by the suddenness.
"Working hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, one day off per week. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, absolutely!"
"When can you start?"
"I can start right now!"
"Good. Consider today your first day." Samuel nodded in satisfaction and pointed to the empty hall beside them. "This will be your office area. As you can see, the company is brand new, and everything is still being set up. Your first task is to purchase computer desks, chairs, and other necessary office equipment."
With that, he produced fifty thousand U.S. dollars in cash and handed it directly to her. "Buy whatever supplies you think we need—only the best. We'll settle any difference in cost later. Try to have it done before dark. Any problems?"
"No... no problem."
"Then go ahead."
Mei Parker walked out of the building in a daze, clutching the money. Did I... did I really just get hired like that?
The process was so casual she almost couldn't believe it. He hadn't verified her background or checked if she was lying about her experience. The young boss was incredibly decisive—perhaps even too much so.
He had handed a massive sum of money to a stranger on her first day without a second thought. Was he not afraid she would vanish with the cash or inflate the prices? Mei had never encountered a boss so "down-to-earth." To be honest, she couldn't help but worry about the company's future. Was the young man's money going to be swindled away by the first person who walked through the door?
Even though she barely knew his name, Mei was already worrying herself sick over the business's well-being.
Back at the office, after Jessica Jones and Claw Woman returned, Samuel informed them that Mei Parker had joined as the clerk and was currently out buying equipment. He instructed them to handle any other interviews that might crop up.
"You're leaving this to us? What are you doing?" Jessica's instincts flared, and she subconsciously grabbed Samuel's arm. "You... you aren't leaving again, are you? You only just got back last night!"
Samuel chuckled at her quick reaction. "Relax. I'm just going to secure some more funds for the company. I'll be back in two or three hours."
"Really?"
"I promise."
Only after getting his assurance did Jessica let go. Samuel went upstairs, grabbed his scavenging backpack, and activated his teleportation. With a surge of anticipation, he transmitted himself back to the Void.
The sky in the Void was a bruised, oppressive gray, and the dark clouds felt heavy enough to crush the earth. Deafening roars and flashes of violet light periodically tore through the silence, creating an atmosphere of constant dread.
In the distance lay a landscape of ruins—dilapidated, broken buildings that looked like a snapshot of the apocalypse. This was the Void: the terminus of time and the ultimate junkyard of the multiverse. For Samuel, however, this was his treasure trove.
He had scavenged here several times and found incredible artifacts:
The ruins of the New York Sanctum Sanctorum; the crumbling remnants of Stark Tower; even ancient Egyptian Sphinxes and Greek temples cast aside by the Time Variance Authority. He had seen the massive skull of the Living Tribunal, the wreckage of a helicopter with "Thanos" painted on the side, and even a giant-sized Yellowjacket helmet.
Most of these things were destined to be consumed by the "cleaner," Elios. As Samuel surveyed the wasteland, a terrifying roar echoed from the horizon. A mass of dark clouds was sweeping across the land like a tsunami. This was Elios—the living storm and watchdog of He Who Remains.
Suddenly, Samuel spotted a figure running for his life. It was an old man wearing a pointed helmet, a golden cape, and a signature gold-and-green bodysuit.
Classic Loki.
The old man waved his hands, and a brilliant green magical light flared. A realistic doppelgänger of himself materialized and rushed toward Elios to distract it. Simultaneously, the real Loki conjured a cloud-like portal of green energy. He dove through the portal just as the storm swallowed his clone.
THUMP.
The old man tumbled out of the green portal and hit the ground with a muffled grunt. As he struggled to his feet, a pair of boots appeared in his line of sight.
The old man slowly looked up. Samuel stood over him, looking down with a playful smile.
"Hello there, Loki."