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A man's word is his bond.
Say you'll repay a debt, and you repay it.
Say you'll wipe out someone's entire family, and you wipe out their entire family.
Hawk kept his accounts balanced.
He'd given Namor a chance. Hand over that Wakandan survivor Shuri, and Hawk would pretend nothing had happened.
But Namor hadn't just refused the offer—he'd attacked instead.
So Hawk couldn't be blamed for what came next.
If that was how it was going to be, then Namor and his underwater kingdom Talokan would follow Wakanda into oblivion.
But...
Hawk knew Marvel's Sea King Namor and his underwater kingdom were somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
He just didn't remember the exact location.
If Namor hadn't been injured, Hawk would have flown straight to the Atlantic and conducted a carpet search of the entire ocean floor.
But now Namor was wounded. He wouldn't recover for at least a year.
So, Hawk thought of the Big Five.
He was confident that once the Big Five learned Talokan had vibranium deposits and some kind of magical herb that allowed people to breathe underwater, they'd be extremely interested. They might even take the initiative themselves.
Once the Big Five moved, all he had to do was sit back and wait.
He had no direct conflict with the Big Five. In fact, their collaboration during the Wakanda operation had been quite pleasant.
Hawk had gotten what he wanted—Wakanda destroyed.
The Big Five had gotten what they wanted—Wakanda's vibranium deposits divided among them.
Now Talokan was just another Wakanda.
The Big Five would handle finding Talokan. Hawk would handle destroying it. Then the Big Five would pay Hawk for his services and take care of the cleanup afterward.
Perfect!
...
After listening to Hawk explain that Talokan also had vibranium deposits and some kind of magical herb, Sharon immediately understood his plan.
The next second, Her expression turned somewhat peculiar as she looked at Hawk. "You're probably the first person in the world to order the Big Five around like this."
Hawk glanced at Sharon, smiling. "Just tell me—will they listen?"
Sharon nodded without hesitation. "They will."
Without question, The moment she reported that vibranium deposits identical to Wakanda's existed at the bottom of the Atlantic, the Big Five would dispatch a joint fleet to the Atlantic immediately.
Even knowing full well that Hawk was using them, they wouldn't be able to refuse.
Because Hawk was offering too much.
Bottom line, Hawk had no interest in vibranium. But the Big Five were very, very interested in vibranium.
So, Sharon pulled out her satellite phone and first reported the Atlantic vibranium discovery to Director Hill and Commander Hand. After hanging up, she looked at Hawk.
"The director's already contacting the Security Council."
"Excellent. Let me know the moment they find it."
Hawk smiled faintly at Sharon. "Anything else you want to ask?"
Sharon nodded. "Merrick..."
"Dead."
"So the one we captured really was a clone?"
"Yes."
"But didn't you say clones couldn't have souls? Then how—"
"Look..." Hawk opened his right hand and once again summoned his trophy from the Underworld—the red apple that appeared to have a bite taken out of it.
Sharon stared at the apple materializing in Hawk's palm and blinked.
"An apple with a bite taken out of it?"
"I'll give you a hint."
Hawk smiled. "Think mythology."
Sharon pondered Hawk's hint while studying the red apple in his palm intently.
An apple with a bite taken out of it. What could that represent in mythology?
Her mind raced, flipping through mythological stories at high speed.
The next second, Sharon seemed to realize something. Her pupils dilated instantly, and her hands involuntarily covered her mouth. Her gaze kept shifting between Hawk's face and the red apple in his hand.
"Are you saying this apple with a bite taken out of it is from the Garden of—"
"Yes."
"HOLY COW—"
Getting Hawk's confirming nod, Sharon sucked in a sharp breath.
Hawk returned the apple to his Underworld.
Sharon was a professional SHIELD agent, so she quickly recovered from her shock and regained the composure required of her position.
"But wait... that doesn't make sense. What does this have to do with the clone's soul? This apple is the fruit of knowledge."
"Where does knowledge come from?"
"Consciousness?"
"Where does consciousness come from?"
"The soul..." Sharon's expression cleared with understanding, then her brow furrowed again. "But where did Merrick get this thing?"
Hawk smiled faintly.
"From SHIELD."
"WHAT?"
"Merrick said so himself. He said he found it while helping you identify some unusual creature at something called the Sandbox. Found it in that warehouse."
Hawk left out the part about Merrick finding it under God's guidance.
After all, Sharon wore a cross around her neck.
He was a kind person, and Sharon was his friend. He didn't want his friend's faith to collapse.
Like the fact that God wasn't exactly a good guy.
Mephisto at most treated Earth as his soul ranch. God wanted to turn Earth into his personal farm.
"The Sandbox... it does store many strange and unknown objects. But I've never been there."
After hearing Hawk mention the Sandbox, Sharon frowned thoughtfully, then continued, "When I get back, I'll request access to the Sandbox intake logs. See when this apple was brought in."
Hawk made a sound of acknowledgment, then stood up from the deck.
Sharon followed suit.
After standing, Hawk stretched, preparing to return to New York. But before leaving, he looked at Sharon again.
"Any more questions?"
"Yes."
"Go ahead."
"Those numerous clones discovered after the Molokai explosion?"
"Burn them."
Hawk looked at Sharon's hesitant expression. "You know me. I've never worried about these clones. If you guys want to clone me too, be my guest. Really. Just don't let me know about it."
Sharon immediately waved her hands. "No, no, no. We won't. Burning them is good. Burning them is very good."
Hawk laughed. "Relax, Sharon. I'm joking. I know that with you, Maria Hill, and Commander Hand around, SHIELD would never try to clone me."
Sharon let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you. So does this mean the clone crisis is over?"
"Yes."
"That's good."
Sharon nodded, then seemed to remember something. She looked at Hawk. "One last question. Earlier in Georgia, after Natasha confirmed that the Merrick we captured was a clone, you said this was connected to a Dimensional war."
Hawk looked at Sharon and said nothing.
Sharon watched as a somewhat strange expression gradually appeared on Hawk's face. Her heart sank, and she asked cautiously, "Can't I ask? You just said I could ask anything."
Hawk shook his head. "Don't be nervous, Sharon. Again—we're friends. You can ask me anything. If I know the answer, I'll tell you. But with this question, I'm just considering whether you really want to know the answer."
From their first meeting until now, Sharon hadn't given him as much timely assistance as his first friend Anna had.
But there was no denying that Sharon was genuine.
Even if Sharon had approached him with an agenda, trying to build a good relationship with him.
But judge by actions, not intentions.
Sharon's phone number was saved in his rarely-used cell phone's contacts.
First name only. No last name. That kind of friend.
Hawk looked at Sharon. "This answer might be difficult for you to accept. So think carefully. If you really want to know, ask me again. I'll tell you the truth."
Sharon listened to Hawk's words, her eyes flickering, but she didn't hesitate long before looking at Hawk and nodding.
"Yes. I want to know."
"Alright. Then ask."
"The Dimensional war..."
"The Heaven Dimension and the Hell Dimension."
"...Wait." Sharon's eyes widened. "HEAVEN? AS IN, THAT HEAVEN? THE HEAVEN I'M THINKING OF?"
Hawk nodded.
"Yes."
"Jesus Christ..."
Sharon sucked in another sharp breath.
Hawk looked at Sharon's shocked pupils and smiled. "Are you sure you want me to continue? What comes next might shatter your faith. I remember you're a believer."
Sharon's expression regained its composure. She took a deep breath and looked at Hawk.
"My faith and my work are separate. Besides, aren't you a believer too? I remember you were even in the church youth choir."
"I have a good voice. And they paid me fifty bucks every time I sang at a baptism ceremony."
Hawk shrugged.
"..." Sharon looked at Hawk, who had just bluntly admitted he'd only joined the choir for money. Her mouth opened, then she shook her head and pulled the conversation back to the Dimensional war.
"So..."
"A War between Heaven and Hell."
"Yes."
"How does that affect my faith? I don't understand why it would shake my beliefs."
"Unless..." Sharon frowned, then seemed to realize something. She looked at Hawk with disbelief, her pupils rapidly contracting again. "Heaven isn't Heaven, and Hell isn't Hell."
Hawk met Sharon's gaze, his expression calm.
"Yes. Heaven isn't the Heaven you think it is. Hell isn't the Hell you understand."
"What do you mean?"
Sharon took a deep breath, then looked at Hawk with determination and a hunger for truth in her eyes.
"Please. Tell me."
"That requires starting from Earth's creation."
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