Chapter 14: Hammer's Hubris and a Spy's Shadow
The Stark Expo was a shambles, the reverberations of Ivan Vanko's drone attack still echoing through the public consciousness. Justin Hammer, the flamboyant, incompetent rival to Tony Stark, was in damage control mode, his desperate attempts to replicate Iron Man technology having culminated in a disastrous public spectacle. Yet, even in his humiliation, Hammer Industries remained a hotbed of intellectual property, prototype weapons, and industrial secrets—a veritable smorgasbord for Adam's team. Their objective was clear: infiltrate, acquire, and profit. This wasn't about heroism; it was about leveraging a corporate meltdown for maximum System coin generation, aligning perfectly with the "evil in the sake of good" (for profit) ethos. The year was 2010, and the world was slowly waking up to the age of powered suits and technological warfare, creating a volatile new market for those willing to operate in the shadows.
"Hammer's a bumbling idiot, but even a broken clock is right twice a day," Adam mused, his voice dry, as he observed the heavily fortified (yet fundamentally flawed) Hammer Industries complex from a nearby rooftop. "And his desperation makes him predictable. Which means... profitable." He saw the complex as a giant, inefficient vault, its treasures ripe for the picking. His Haki pulsed, mapping the internal security networks, the hidden research labs, and the vulnerable points in Hammer's corporate façade.
Their target was a new generation of stealth alloys, supposedly "untraceable," and advanced targeting systems that Hammer had been trying to reverse-engineer from salvaged Stark tech. These items, if acquired, would significantly bolster the System's inventory and provide a massive coin payout.
"Ghost, Black Cat, you're on infiltration," Adam commanded, his voice crisp and authoritative. "Punisher, perimeter. Keep us clear of any... uninvited guests."
Ghost, the master of intangibility, moved like a whisper through the heavily guarded corporate facility. Her molecular stability, courtesy of the System, allowed her to bypass laser grids, thermal scanners, and even reinforced vault doors as if they were made of mist. Her scientific mind devoured the data streams as she navigated the complex, identifying the most valuable schematics and prototypes. "This is amateur hour," she reported, a hint of disdain in her voice, yet also a thrilled hum of professional interest. "Their encryption is rudimentary. I'm already downloading the alloy schematics and the next-gen targeting data. It's like taking candy from a baby... a very incompetent, loud baby." She moved towards the secure server farm, the heart of Hammer's intellectual property, her phasing powers making her utterly undetectable.
Black Cat, meanwhile, used her newly acquired "steal without touching" power to disable the more complex biometric locks and pressure-sensitive floors from a distance, creating invisible pathways for Ghost. Her Haki, still imbued with a playful mischief, also caused minor, inexplicable malfunctions in the security cameras, causing them to suddenly swivel away or display static at critical moments. "Oops," she purred over the comms, a faint chuckle in her voice as a security guard stared in bewildered frustration at a suddenly blurry screen. "Looks like someone needs a tech upgrade. Or maybe just better luck." She was having immense fun, her natural predilection for high-stakes thievery perfectly aligned with the System's directives.
Frank Castle, ever the stoic sentinel, moved through the shadows of the complex's exterior, his Haki a wide net, sensing every twitch of an approaching guard, every subtle shift in the air that indicated a potential threat. He was a human alarm system, ensuring their operation remained undetected. His grim focus was a stark contrast to Black Cat's playful energy. For him, it was merely the efficient execution of a profitable objective.
It was during Ghost's infiltration of a particularly sensitive research lab, filled with advanced weaponry prototypes, that Adam's Haki brushed against a familiar, yet unexpected, presence. It was a subtle, almost ephemeral signature, like a precisely tuned instrument hidden amidst a cacophony. He recognized it instantly from prior observations of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s more discreet movements around Tony Stark: Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow. She was operating undercover as "Natalie Rushman," Tony Stark's new, impossibly efficient assistant, but Adam had known from the beginning that she was far more than she seemed. His Haki, now keenly attuned to the nuances of human and enhanced presences, had marked her for future recruitment.
Natasha, moving with the silent grace of a seasoned operative, was navigating the same lab, her own objective clearly unrelated to Hammer's tech, likely assessing the overall threat and gathering intel for Nick Fury. She was just a few rooms away from Ghost, a tantalizingly close near-miss. Adam's HUD briefly flickered, highlighting a potential "Interaction Alert" but no "Conflict Alert" – their paths were crossing, but not yet clashing.
Adam subtly guided Ghost, diverting her path away from Natasha's precise trajectory. "Ghost, slight detour," he murmured, "found a more... efficient server cluster two levels down. Higher value. Adjust course." He had no intention of revealing his hand, or his team's capabilities, to S.H.I.E.L.D. just yet. Natasha was a future asset, a high-value target for recruitment, and direct confrontation would only complicate that. He allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smirk. He'd sensed her, identified her, and deftly avoided her.
As Ghost completed her final data transfer and the team made their clean exit, Adam couldn't resist one last, juvenile prank. He remotely accessed Hammer's personal computer, which, predictably, was left unlocked. He typed a ridiculously long, nonsensical message filled with non-sequiturs and random conspiracy theories, ending with: "P.S. Your mother wears combat boots. – A Friend. Or not. Maybe a sentient toaster. Who knows?" He pictured Hammer's bewildered face as he read it, questioning his own sanity, attributing the message to late-night stress or a rogue intern. It was a subtle, absurd touch, perfectly Adam's brand of humor, and a fitting cap to a highly profitable infiltration. The System chimed, signaling another influx of coins, and Adam felt a wave of satisfaction. Hammer Industries was poorer, and Adam's team was richer, with Natasha Romanoff now firmly marked as their next recruitment target, her shadowy presence a tantalizing promise for future grey endeavors.
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