Actions speak louder than thoughts.
With only two stars left to ignite in the Phoenix Constellation, it was only a matter of time before Hawk completed it.
Even without stepping into battle, at his current pace ten thousand punches a day he'd likely activate the remaining stars within three months.
But the real issue wasn't the constellation.
It was the Cloth.
Or to be precise, Gammanium and Hawk had no leads on it at all.
The other two core materials were at least theoretically attainable.
With enough money, even meteorites that could be refined into Silver Star Sand were available for purchase. In the United States and especially in New York wealthy collectors who hoarded meteorites were abundant. Meteorite auctions and trade expos were held regularly.
So long as he was willing to spend, Hawk could buy what he needed.
As for Vibranium, it was rare and untradeable.
But that didn't bother him.
He knew where Vibranium originated on Earth. If it came down to it, and diplomacy failed, Hawk wasn't above acquiring it himself.
As he often reminded himself:
"I want Vibranium. That has nothing to do with you."
So really, that left just one roadblock:
Gammanium.
Every day after class, Hawk spent hours at the public library checking out books on gamma radiation and searching online for anything related.
Along the way, he discovered something useful: the wealthiest meteorite collector in New York was none other than Norman Osborn.
Yes, that Norman Osborn the one who appears as a major villain in the Spider-Man films. The CEO of Oscorp Industries.
Hawk found an old forum post from a month ago, written by a fellow meteorite enthusiast, which claimed that Osborn had an entire room in his mansion dedicated to housing his massive meteorite collection.
He even dug up contact info for the Wakandan ambassador to the United Nations, who just so happened to be stationed in New York due to the UN headquarters being based there.
So now, Hawk had both the meteorite and Vibranium angles covered.
It was just Gammanium that remained a mystery.
He sat at one of the public library's aging computers, eyes fixed on the screen, running search after search about gamma radiation.
If there was anyone in the Marvel Universe who understood gamma rays best, it was undoubtedly Dr. Bruce Banner, the man behind the Hulk.
Unfortunately…
Even if Hawk wanted to find him, he couldn't.
After the Battle of New York, Dr. Banner had quietly disappeared, riding off on a small motorbike to parts unknown.
Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. knew where he was.
But Hawk wasn't about to deal with any superheroes especially not with the bureaucratic nightmare that was S.H.I.E.L.D.
Still, all hope wasn't lost.
Banner wasn't the only scientist studying gamma radiation. Others had explored the field too maybe not at Banner's level, but their research still held potential.
Take, for example, the paper Hawk had just pulled up:
"On the Use of Gamma Radiation in Biomedical Therapy"
Author: Dr. Curtis Connors
Affiliation: Oscorp Industries
He squinted at the name and muttered under his breath, "Curtis Connors…?"
Then it clicked.
"Oh. The Lizard."
Yes, Dr. Connors the man who would become the Lizard in another life was one of Oscorp's top scientists.
Before Hawk could dwell on that further, a voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, you're reading Dr. Connors' paper?"
He turned around instinctively. The voice was familiar.
Behind him stood Gwen Stacy, holding a thick book in her arms. A few strands of golden hair fell across her pale, unblemished forehead as she leaned forward, peeking at his screen.
"Gamma radiation in biomedical therapy?" she read aloud, her blue eyes blinking curiously. "I thought you wanted to study law at NYU. Why the sudden interest in radiation?"
No, I only chose law to make money, Hawk thought to himself.
Before his Microcosm system awakened, he had mapped out a very practical future for himself.
Law school.
At first, he'd considered medicine.
In his homeland, becoming a doctor was often discouraged people believed that a doctor living in luxury must've gotten there through corruption or bribery.
But here? The opposite was true.
If a doctor wasn't living in a mansion or driving a sports car, people assumed they weren't competent.
So medicine, especially surgery, was a lucrative and respected profession.
Still, after some serious reflection, Hawk had ruled it out.
He just didn't think he had the aptitude for it.
So he settled on law as a more realistic alternative.
And truth be told, being a lawyer wasn't that different in terms of prestige or income.
Even better, law offered a range of career paths he could join a firm, work in the District Attorney's office, or even become a judge one day.
That had been his plan back when he thought he'd live a normal life.
But now?
Now that he had awakened the Microcosm, that path was no longer necessary.
It wasn't that Hawk had given up on college but he no longer felt the same pressure to chase a law degree out of survival.
He gave Gwen a casual smile. "Just browsing. Saw it and clicked."
He closed the page, stood up, and gave up his spot at the computer, heading off toward the school's old gym to complete his daily ten thousand punches.
That, at least, had never changed.
After more than two years of training, a day without punching felt… incomplete.
Gwen blinked as she watched him leave, thoughts turning over in her mind. But before she could ponder too deeply, a classmate tugged on her arm, and the two went off to find a seat and study together.
After all, the end of the month was near.
Which meant one thing:
Final exam week.
And for underachievers, it was a living nightmare.
Every school had its share of slackers, and Midtown High was no exception. Many of its students came from families wealthy enough to casually pay tens of thousands in tuition each semester.
And most underachievers came from those exact families.
This week, even those students normally bursting with energy and bravado could be found huddled in corners, desperately cramming from textbooks they hadn't touched all semester.
But not Hawk.
Even before awakening his Microcosm, he never needed to cram.
Now that it was awakened?
The idea didn't even cross his mind.
His future held only two options:
Comfort and more comfort.
So, Hawk stuck to his rhythm.
Inside the old, echoing gymnasium…
He trained.
Focused. Relentless. Alone.
The door creaked open behind him an old, tooth-grinding sound that echoed off the walls.
A slender figure stepped into the light.
"They're planning to tear this place down after the holidays," she said casually. "Replace it with a swimming complex."
Thud!
Hawk's fist slammed into the heavy bag.
It didn't swing it quivered in place, dust exploding from the seams as the force reverberated through its core.
Sunlight poured through the cracked windows, catching the suspended dust in the air.
And in that still moment, the light struck just right
Illuminating everything.