＊＊＊
Kairo, Egypt, one week after Wakanda’s defeat at the Suez.
“ - the amazing restoration of the Suez Canal in a joint venture between Hammer industries and Pym technologies shocked the world, and sent markets soaring - as the Suez not only shaved years of its projected restoration, but in its restoration, showed remarkable technologies on display that caught the markets attention. This showing has investors salivating at the opportunity that a non Hammer owned company might actually have shares available on the open market, a common gripe lately as the privately owned businesses under the Hammer umbrella continues to be unavailable-”
A click of the remote and the TV channel changed, two extremely photogenic news anchors, with fake Hollywood smiles, beaming at the camera, “And we're back! We were discussing with our panel of experts about the impact of the revelation in Egypt, where Justin Hammer was the first one to successfully defeat a Wakandan surprise attack. What do you think about the events, Jack?”
“Well Melanie…” The other anchor paused delicately for effect, before flashing a wide bleached smile at the camera,“I think, first of all, that it's ironic that the man who suffered the first attack by these terrorist savages - was also the first one to destroy them, it continues the pattern of success we've recen- “
The TV channel switched over again, showing a small gathering of mostly obese men and women in ball caps, waving handwritten signs and screaming profanities outside the Texas Arc reactor property, watched over by Hammer Industries security forces, all of them armed with energy rifles.
An electrified fence separating the two forces further, local law enforcement on site to keep the protestors well back from the property line.
“I'm here with the leader of the protestors, a man they call Doc Tiny,” A stern-faced reporter in a suit said calmly, looking severely out of place amongst the sweaty crowd. “Doc Tiny, what is it that you are aiming for here?” He thrust the mic towards the protestor.
The camera swiveled to a red cheeked 400 plus pound man with a scraggly white beard, who beamed at the camera, showing a smile painfully lacking in teeth, “Weeellll, you see, we all ain't stupid, when them machine men popped up, we all knew Hammer was the devil's get you see? He's making them here machine men in this fecking react-”
The TV was quickly switched to another channel which was followed with a groan of disgust, “Americans…” Bakshi said with a sneer from where he was sitting on the couch, working on a laptop, only half paying attention to the nonsense.
Brock Rumlow, holding the remote lazily, feet propped up on the table next to the laptop, just scoffed, “Yeah, fucking Americans.” He agreed, poking fun or just stirring shit as usual, who knew? He idly turned off the TV, though.
With how Frank was suddenly glaring at the two, his campaign of being as annoying as possible was working. For all that the two were practically joined at the hip due to their positions, they seemed to have a real love/hate relationship going on, Justin thought.
There really hadn't been anything new on the TV that hadn't already been said over the past week.
Justin blew out a tired breath, they'd been going at it all morning… “Minions, behave” He warned, fingers flying over the keyboard as he worked, surrounded by most of his team.
They'd taken over Kairo’s finest hotel, Justin just straight up buying it to prevent any hassles from the staff about storing the suits of armor with them.
It also made it so no pesky neighbors were around to ask questions if they overheard something they shouldn't. Killing random civilians wasn't necessarily difficult, but it oh so complicated the whole keeping under the radar as a supervillain business.
Originally he'd planned to make his central African headquarters either in Johannesburg or somewhere more central, that's why he'd placed Frank and Brock in Somalia, in case Wakanda made a breakthrough heading southwards.
As unlikely as that was.
It had also kept the two out of his hair. A benefit he recently realized was worth its own weight in gold.
But with everything that had just happened, his plans changed rapidly, as they have been doing for a while as the world evolved. The Egyptian government was folding over itself to be accomodating, and with its autocratic nature, he didn't have to worry about pulling up stakes or spending millions on bribes on silly democratic politicians - it simply made sense to start working here and take advantage of their obeisance.
But until they had a properly secured building with proper defenses set up, this hotel would have to do. Which had turned the penthouse suite into a work space/hang out area for all his more annoying minions.
Except Vanko, thank god. The man had disappeared into the basement with his Whiplash armor to tinker some more, parts and tools being shipped in to facilitate turning the garage into a temporary workshop.
Justin could only take the man in small doses, and preferably from a distance.
At least he was pretty pliable, just get him vodka and he just continued to crank out improvements to Justin's plans.
“I'm the most well behaved man in the world.” Brock said with a fake wounded look, before his eyes were drawn away as Elena walked by, his eyes glued on her shapely rear, the man whistling at her like he was a construction worker.
“Brock…” Justin said with a hint of warning, feeling irritated, and being irritated that he felt irritated. Elena was his employee, nothing more, but he still wanted to rip the man's eyes out.
He'd say something about not touching his things, but it would come out as incredibly sexist, and she wasn't his anyway, so he kept his mouth shut - but kept his glare on, silently showing Brock not to go there.
Frank leaned over and slugged Brock hard in the shoulder, “Not the time, dumbass.” He grumbled. Out of all of them, he looked the most uncomfortable with being here, in a more social setting than a martial one.
Always one to look for something physical to do, that guy - not really a talkative guy all things considered. Justin liked him the most out of team HAMMER.
Honestly if most people only talked when Justin ordered them too, the world would be so much more orderly.
“Everyone's no fun…” Brock sighed, playing with the remote again, but thankfully not turning the TV back on again. All the channels were the same, either praising him to high heavens, or screeching about how he was taking over the world.
Well… Those ones were right, in a way. But they were still fairly annoying to listen to. They were like sheep, bleating loudly after the wolf had already taken over the sheep farm and installed its pack as the herders - they were bleating too little, too late.
Elena dropped a small plate of beautifully prepared aperitifs next to Justin's desktop, leaning in slightly over his shoulder, distracting Justin briefly from his work as her hair tickled his cheek, “Sir, you have recieved twenty three requests for a meeting from General Ross in the last two hours.” She murmured, “As well, Eileen has requested a call, Dr Cho and Hansen both have updates on their projects as well, how would you like me to proceed?”
Justin appreciated her application of subtlety, as Frank and Brock didn't really need to know too much about any of his projects to be effective at their jobs, but he didn't really have anywhere else to put them right now either. He pursed his lips, staring with unseeing eyes at the computer screen as he pondered what he had time for and what he didn't, and admittedly, enjoying the closeness of his personal assistant.
He noticed the rose water scent, a change from her usual shampoo, reminding him of Hope. It was a funny little coincidence, and a scent he found he enjoyed. What were the odds his personal assistant would switch shampoo to Hopes favored brand anyway?
Funny how coincidences worked like that.
“Tell Ross, he'll have to come to me, or wait until I'm back in the states, face to face only, I'm not doing any negotiations on this over the phone.” Justin said slowly, quietly, before ticking off each task one by one. “Tell Eileen that unless she's got an update that meaningfully changes anything - keep it to an email right now - I'm much too busy for a, nothing has changed, but I'm worried, phone call…” He trailed off, practically feeling Elena making mental notes as she hummed an assent in his ear.
Shivering just slightly at the feeling, he thought about Cho and Hansen, eying the mass amount of work in front of him. “Cho and Hansen… Look over the reports, if it's simply status updates with no real breakthrough, take care of it, if something has actually gone very wrong or very right, forward it to me.”
He'd look it over in that case, he was trying not to crowd the two scientists, they did better work without any distractions. As for Ross, it was beyond obvious what he wanted - so he could fly out, or goddamn wait.
It's not like the man can get it anywhere else, so he was entirely dependent on what Justin felt like doing.
Justin expected him to be in Kairo by morning, because patience was not something Thunderbolt Ross had in great abundance. He sighed, briefly adding to his instructions to Elena, “And ensure we have somewhere private and secure for Pentagon level discussions for tomorrow morning, coordinate with Sunil…” He trailed off as the peanut gallery piped up.
“Look at how cute they are.” Brock said, sneering slightly, “It's disgusting in a way, no one should have to see their boss flirt.” He sounded grumpy at having his fun interrupted, such a stark difference from the professional he could be once the chips were down.
Frank and Bakshi both turned towards him, Bakshi inclining his head as their eyes met, letting Frank handle things. He was more well suited to it than Bakshi anyway.
Even if it was hilarious to watch Bakshi speak down to someone in a very British way - that never outright insulted them, but left them feeling like they were nothing but pond scum.
“You, me, boxing ring. Now.” Frank said harshly, grabbing the other man by the arm and pulling him up from the couch.
Brock grinned widely, “Hell yeah, now we're talking!” Smacking his fists together, following an exasperated Frank, as the rest of them watched the men leave the penthouse, heading towards the hotel gym.
＊＊＊
Frank and Brock,
Frank kept one hand on Brock's shoulder as they left the penthouse suite, nodding seriously at the heavily armed men that guarded the door and hallway; he knew they'd have people on the roof as well, and snipers nests set up in the surrounding buildings.
He didn't know the rest of the security as they compartmentalized the info, which he couldn't help but approve of. As the two heavy hitters, he and Brock were more likely to see battle, and possibly face capture and interrogation - albeit not a great likelihood, but the possibility was there.
It felt good working with professionals, which is why it rankled him so much when Brock decided to act foolishly. Especially as he knew the man could turn it on like the switch of a button, so why did he choose to be such a frustrating man?
They entered the elevator, Frank stabbing the button for floor three, the one with a fully stocked gym, including a small area set aside specifically for boxing. “What is your problem?” He ground out, as the little lights ticked down towards the third floor, his face serious as he glared at Brock's back.
Brock looked back over his shoulder, an impertinent grin on his face, “Hah!” He scoffed, “You really don't see it, Jarhead?”
Frank frowned minisculely, giving Brock a light shove, “See you acting like an ass, making us look bad in front of the boss.” He muttered.
Brock shook his head, laughing under his breath as the elevator dinged, the doors opening to the third floor. “Man, I don't do anything without a reason, Frank, you should have more faith.” Brock said as they both stepped out of the elevator, walking down the hallway, shoulder to shoulder.
Frank eyed him out of the corner of his eye, Brock's casual expression and easy gait showing a man completely at peace with himself, he scowled, “Faith is for god and family, got no faith in anyone else.”
Brock clapped a strong hand on his shoulder, stopping him just before they'd reach the gym, “Sure you do, bud, you got faith in yourself, and you got faith in me, right?”
Seeing Frank's serious face, Brock chuckled, releasing his hold on his shoulder, clapping it lightly a few times, “Silence can be hurtful, Jarhead.”
“What is your problem, why are you causing issues?” Frank persisted. This job had given his family surety, not only in money, but in protecting Frank from dying, protecting his family from dying, he refused to screw it up, ever!
The life of a soldier was always hazardous, and if he died and failed to come back… A veterans pension wasn't the future he'd envisioned for his family… His boss had changed that future. If Frank died now, it didn't matter much, because anything killing him - was probably blowing up the planet anyway.
Brock eyed him seriously, wearing a half grin, “Ah, you really don't see it do you?” He sighed, leaning against the wall, next to the entrance to the gym, “Alright, here is how it is, Jarhead…
He pointed to the ceiling, “Those people up there, they take life way too seriously, they're well functioning sociopaths, and you can't let those kinds of people get too used to life, gotta shake em up a bit, annoy them, tease them.”
Frank snorted, giving Brock a look filled with skepticism, “So what? You're just doing them a favor is all?”
Brock grinned slightly savagely, “Nah, I'm also a right bastard, and I enjoy it.” He sobered up, rubbing his chin with one hand, the other crossed under his elbow, “That said, it doesn't invalidate what I said, you can't let those people get too stuck in with just their regular circle, people like us need to shake 'em up once in a while.”
“Is that so?” Frank muttered, still not entirely buying it, but it also didn't sound entirely like bullshit either.
“Trust me.” Brock said seriously, “Those kinds of people get into too much of a routine, they'll start making plans to blow up the moon.” He let that thought settle for a few moments before he clapped his hands together, “Right, let's beat the shit out of each other!” And he opened the door to the gym, slipping inside.
Frank sighed, not really one for these deep thoughts about his bosses, as long as they did him and his right, he didn't much care what else they were doing.
The moon never did anything for him anyway.
He followed Brock into the gym. Now…Beating that smartass up - was something he could get behind any day.
It was pure catharsis.
＊＊＊
With the others, as Frank and Brock left the suite.
Domino snorted, sauntering over to sink down on the couch, taking the spot the men vacated, putting her feet in Bakshi's lap, the man simply sighed and returned to work, all too used to Domino's house cat behavior.
Justin sometimes wondered if a spray bottle would work on the woman, but with her luck powers, he'd probably only end up dumping the bottle on himself, so he'd never tried.
“You need to find those two some work, boss. Rumlow is practically worthless without some action to throw him in…” Domino stated, wiggling her toes at Bakshi, earning another long, drawn out sigh, as the Indian man devoted one hand to a foot rub, even as he continued to type with the other.
Justin probably wasn't paying the man enough considering he was basically doing several CEO’s worth of work at a time, and giving foot rubs apparently… He gave Domino a stern admonishing look, which only earned him a shit eating grin, no more than he expected really.
Well… The man was hardly a wallflower, if he had any problems with it, he wouldn't be doing it, so Justin left it alone.
Elena stepped away from Justin, already typing away replies to the requests Justin had given, but as the superior multitasking machine she was, she also took in what Domino said, parsed it, came up with a solution and presented it to Justin, all within a minute, “Sir, you were investigating the potential of a rescue operation in Afghanistan, it's a high profile event that could do well in giving the Scorpion and Vulture armor both - exposure and more experience.” She suggested.
Justin grimaced at the thought of adding the two of them to Rhodes efforts, and even more at just the idea of personally rescuing Tony Stark, ahead of schedule even. However, it looked like it might be necessary, the Mandarin reveal made him suspicious of the Ten Rings in Afghanistan… “Make it so, Elena, just them though, Vanko has more important things to do then traipse through the desert.”
He really needed to find the man some competent helpers…
Justin snorted wryly to himself, there's a lot that needs to be done…
“Sir.” Elena bobbed her head in acquiescence, turning to go back to her own laptop, to begin arranging things, as well as finish off the tasks he'd already set for her.
Her workload probably eclipsed that of any PA - even Pepper Potts, so really, he should probably give her another raise, as ridiculous as it was to keep doing that every week.
“I should get a bonus, you know.” Domino interjected, spread out on the couch like a cat, a cheshire grin on her face, “I hired you the best little minion.” She cooed, looking over at Elena, “She's cute, a super multitasker, knows how to fight, and well…” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “You've already tasted all the other benefits…”
“Domino…” Elena sighed, a slight pinkish tinge to her face as she walked over to the opposite couch, sinking down in front of her own laptop, “Don't be embarrassing.” She chided with a small glare, utterly ineffective against Domino, who only grinned harder.
Bakshi sighed again, meeting Justin's eyes, doesn't matter which grouping of them there is, there's always this… He seemed to be able to project mentally, and Justin could only agree.
They were highly effective, intelligent and skilled people, but the way they constantly argued or needled each other just for fun, did tend to get annoying. They also all had massive egos in their own ways.
Justin had no idea where they'd picked up such habits from.
He focused back on the task at hand, stretching out his fingers. The contracts were pouring in from everywhere, he was literally being drowned in a wave of money as everyone clambered over each other to outbid one another for who got arc reactors first, who would get Panacea clinics first..
He already had tens of billions of dollars worth of military contracts inked with more on the way - almost illegally fast compared to the usual process.
Innovation hath his benefits.
Or the fact he was selling to everyone had them rushing to be first and sparing no expense.
Thank you Wakanda…
So now… Money was after all pretty much useless just sitting around. His glasses glinted with the reflection of the computer screen as he concentrated on his research.
How best to spread his dominance around the globe?
That was the question…
＊＊＊
Hours later,
Domino was gone, having gone to bed - letting the night shift security take over guarding the penthouse.
Justin sometimes dumped business work on her as well, as she was frightfully intelligent for all of her efforts to seem otherwise - and Domino had quickly escaped upon realizing the amount of work she might face.
He didn't know if that made her more intelligent, or just lazy.
Bakshi, Elena and Justin were still working, even at the late hour, the moon shining down on them through the open balcony, the sound of Kairo’s nightlife reaching them as background noise, a pleasant breeze coming in from the balcony, invigorating them.
They'd all gotten more comfortable after awhile, Justin divesting himself of his suit jacket and tie, as had Bakshi, while Elena had slid off her heels to go barefoot, as they all worked at separate screens, only briefly pausing to make phone calls or ask a question of one another.
This was the true brain trust of Hammer Industries right now, one he needed to expand, but for now, it suited his purposes at a time he couldn't afford the chance of anyone screwing up any of his plans…
His businesses were proceeding even better than planned.
Energy… One working Arc reactor was able to, on its own, take over the work of a third of the state of Texas energy production - if running at maximum capacity with Justinium reactors instead of Palladium. Not surprisingly, that had drawn attention.
His construction company was already growing into the world's first truly global construction firm, hiring at a rapid pace, especially in Africa, the company was already contracted to build over 200 Arc reactors, and that was just the Mexico-USA-Canada sector of the world.
Even at the expansion rate they were growing at, it would take over a decade to outfit the western world and Africa fully, not even mentioning the rest of the world, which would balloon that number somewhat unless he could subsume a lot of the other construction companies worldwide.
Which was a possibility.
From his estimates, they'd need to hire over a million people over the next year to even have a chance of meeting all the grunt level construction goals, not to mention the actual sensitive bits that would need expert engineers - there weren't enough of them right now.
Not with rebuilding Africa on the table together with all the Arc reactor construction.
So Energy and Construction was already ticking away at world dominance pretty rapidly. Ivan and Anton successfully tested a rediscovered Roman blend of concrete in the last few days - which would greatly increase their construction company's reputation and rate of orders, something which would make that dominance even more obvious.
And of course as proprietary knowledge at the moment, it would ensure that any other construction companies could only use it at a premium… Which would neatly raise their prices, allowing him to undercut them with clients, hopefully buying as many of them out as possible to add their experience and expertise to his growing multinational.
As for military orders… Just with what he had already, he could count on over 100 billion in orders this year, if the projections were accurate. And that was from the United States military alone, as they replaced their tanks, armored vehicles, armor and weapons with HammerTech.
Plus the field hospitals they'd ordered for Panacea and the salaries for paying his staff to run them - since he refused to let Panacea out of his hands at any time.
The fact he was selling to other countries, (and with the benefit of his political connections) it had propelled the military budget enough to accomodate the expenditure to ensure America wasn't left behind. And it wasn't even counting how much he could possibly milk them by teasing eventual power suits to them - which was why Ross was screeching at him. Just now, he alone was ⅛ of the military budget, a ridiculous amount. Luckily the budget increase had passed through Congress before they were a crater.
Add in power armor… That figure would get much higher… High enough that the United States government would do pretty much anything to appease him…
The phones, tablets and watches from his Tech division were selling faster than even he had anticipated, with no competitor managing to match his telecommunications prices, nor his electronics utility and advanced features - compared to the competition, they were the only name right now.
The battery life alone was driving consumers to his products, not having to constantly carry chargers around was a convenience people were willing to pay for.
Offering barebones prices for phone plans and data plans as he was - as long as it was paired with HammerTech - would make his telecommunications company lose money for the near future, but make billions in profit once he had cornered a large majority of the market.
Others may match his technological advantage soon enough, or in the case of Stark, fly above his products - but if his market share was already huge, and tied to the low phone plans, he'd stay ahead anyway.
People placed a high value on affordability, so with cheap plans, and expensive phones, he'd get the best of both worlds, the desirable new expensive gadget considered high end - and the cheap plan that made everyone buy them together.
He'd have to continue to grease the wheels of politics of course, or he'd face several lawsuits for his business practices for his attempts to create monopolies in most everything.
Any judge looking to actually pull the trigger on that would have some severe consequences coming their way.
He was still working on the EU, using Britain as a patsy to shatter their silly ideas about monopolies and antitrust laws.
Note to self, schedule a meeting with the prime minister as soon as possible.
…Ugh, he hated that man, but what can you do?
Note to self, ruin him?
Is that too much?
He'll sleep on it.
…
Anyways,
Once his health clinics were fully operational, he'd be the only name in healthcare that really mattered, that alone would give him enough billions to finance all the rest of his businesses even if they weren't all money makers on their own - that's how crazy profitable it was to be the only name in healthcare.
Already he had hundreds of the clinics up and running, and a dozen more opening a day, having prioritized HammerHealth above all else - the good PR from them couldn't be discounted. It was very hard for politicians to push against his growth when the public saw him as the second coming.
…
There were actual cults around him, Domino had shown him the articles. He might have to stamp those out, because they'd likely create problems down the road. Cults never behave rationally - and he'd get the bad press over the wackos holding up a school or something.
They could also serve as throw away patsies if he needed someone silenced in a flashy absolutely moronic way that would obviously have nothing to do with him.
….
Anyways,
With his insurance company rapidly expanding to the only true worldwide insurance conglomerate - following the clinics and the rabid attention they gathered… And with him in the process of poaching the best and brightest from all over the entire industry while he was at it - he was truly on his way to becoming a mega corporation.
But there was no need to rest on his laurels. There was still much to do, and he'd spent the last few hours researching his next targets.
He wanted world domination, where he literally could not be removed, or the world would shatter. Forcing the heroes to accept him even if he did the cackling supervillain thing - because the cost of his removal would be too much.
The first one on the list was Amazon, they weren't nearly the giant yet that they'd become, and had only something around 20 000 employees, only turning a profit over the last couple years. He'd give a generous offer, and if that got refused. Well… He had other means.
The HammerMarketplace or H-Market would be the one stop shopping place for the world after he rebranded, he already knew exactly how to grow the company after all, and intended to move ahead with their grocery delivery plans long before they would have even thought of it... The idea of removing the grocery store from the equation and with it, all those expensive thefts, employees and other annoying costs.
And instead they would move to having food warehouses, where online orders would be placed and they would simply either be picked up on site by customers or delivered to their home… It was a game changer that would drop like a bomb in the market - his competition wouldn't be prepared.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
They didn't even have the framework for such a thing yet - the great delivery age not quite existing yet, they'd be left behind at the onset, and Justin would not allow them to catch up.
The convenience of it all didn't exist yet, but he'd make it into reality, and the whole world would thank him, even as he dug his influence into everything from their phones, to their insurance and their healthcare, to their food.
Going further down the path of convenience, Uber wasn't a thing yet, so he'd usurp them before they could come onto the stage. His fingers flew deftly across the keyboard as he drafted a business plan and the necessary information to begin the motions.
HDelivery or H+ would be the services provided, split between food delivery to a convenience level that ‘conveniently’ didn't exist yet either - and the taxi replacement ride service that wasn't really profitable, but Justin could tweak it a bit, if he even felt he needed to - profitability wasn't the key here, it would be a bonus, but the key was to saturate every market with his name, his products.
He already had his huge moneymakers, the rest was just gravy if it ran a profit.
Finishing up with the barebones of the plan, he sent the email off to Elena and Bakshi, letting them begin the process of contacting the necessary people and set the wheels in motion.
Elena briefly snorted, covering her mouth with a hand as she received her copy of the email, both Justin and Bakshi glancing at her, somewhat looking alike with their raised eyebrows and politely enquiring faces.
“Sorry.” She apologized, waving her other hand, still letting loose a giggle from her covered mouth. She let her hand down, showing an amused smile, “You really like putting your name on things, sir.” She said tongue in cheek, grinning at him as Bakshi coughed, turning away to hide a grin himself.
Justin crossed his arms as he leaned back in his comfortable massage chair, “It's to get a point a cross.” He said, somewhat defensively.
Also, no one would ever disparage the name Hammer again…
Elena's lips twitched, “I for one look forward to one day going to a food court and getting a McHammer for lunch.” She said, barely holding it together, failing to hold it when Bakshi unexpectedly started laughing, Elena falling into giggles.
Justin just sighed exasperatedly, giving his minions a mock glare, “Please, like I'd take over that chain…” But his expression grew calculating as he began thinking of how to enter that market in a logical way to get full name penetration in all markets.
“Oh my god… He's actually thinking about it.” Elena said quietly to Bakshi.
Bakshi gave her a long-suffering look, although his lips were still twitching, “Please refrain from giving sir any more ideas, we already have a lot to do as is.”
Justin ignored them for a moment, pulling up the research he'd done over the last hour, another step in a plan to become utterly indispensable to daily life.
He'd steal an Elon Musk idea… The everything app. It wouldn't of course be everything, but he'd mix enough in there to get the majority of people who'd use such things - on there.
He'd buy up YouTube and Netflix, (which was barely a year into streaming) and combine the two, slap a small subscription fee on, nothing too outrageous - and add in a twitter copy, and the future craze that was TikTok to boot.
He sent his brief outline to his minions, rolling around on his chair, watching them expectantly as they read it.
“Sir… Social media? Must we?” Bakshi asked, with a pained grimace.
Justin rolled his eyes at him, not sure if he was pleased or annoyed that despite telling these two in particular that they could call him Justin - they persisted in avoiding it. It was weird he wanted their obedience and show of respect, at the same time as it annoyed him that they weren't more personal and relaxed.
He should have figured Bakshi was the kind of snob who looked down on social media, however, the normally intelligent man allowing prejudice to blind him to how incredibly useful it was. It practically drove the entire narrative for millions of people that would become addicted to it, millions that already were.
And they'd use a H-phone to log into it, going online through his apps, ordering food through his businesses. Benefitting him every step of the way…
Elena gave the proposal a critical gaze, shaking her head, the blonde's ponytail swishing in the air, “It's more complicated than I like, sir, can you explain your thought process?”
Justin smirked superiorly, feeling quite smug, “It's simple, it will be the everything app, Netflix bought for the streaming of any and all shows and movies, YouTube for everything else and the non professionals, twitter so that people can tweet on the app - while also using it while watching or making videos - in real time, the TikTok I mention in there, being like a devilish spawn of twitter, Instagram and YouTube, primarily marketed for the younger generations.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully, “We can probably throw in the food delivery app and a PayPal equivalent in there as well, separate all the separate functions in a sensible but easily accessible way so it's not clunky - but allowing for a simple swipe or push to access what they want.”
“Simple, he says.” Bakshi said, staring at Elena looking for support, if anything looking even more pained at the prospect of entering into the social media sphere than he had at the prospect of being tortured as a HYDRA agent. “Hardly any of that sounded simple, sir…”
Elena nodded, looking skeptical but thoughtful, “It could work,” She said hesitantly, “But no one will pay for all those services.”
Justin waved away any thoughts on costs.
He'd never have to worry about getting the kind of streaming competition Netflix got, because his price point would be too low, especially with all the extras he'd have in one single app. With his technologies, on his phones and electronics, he'd pull it off and make it viable to work, by the time he'd finish creating the new everything app.
And he didn't even need specialists like Vanko, because all of this could be done with normal people working at it hard, especially with all the extra processing power and tech he could afford to give them for the job.
It would run on a complete loss indefinitely, he'd price it that cheaply, because the intent was to get almost everyone on it. If it was free that would work too, but would draw just as much scrutiny on why and how it was free. So a small fee would do, just enough for there to be payments, but not enough to truly hold anyone back from getting it.
“It's not meant to make money, it's meant to give me influence, to corner the market and he the big name in, to control the narrative, especially in America.” Justin explained, liking the idea the more he thought about it.
Once he got the AI up and running… This app would allow him to practically know every human on the planet - down to what underwear they like to buy. The amount of data he'd take in everyday would be incredible.
He'd already be inside every phone with his satellite network once he had his AI for overwatch, with this app under his belt as well - forget SHIELD, he alone would get more information in a day than they pulled in a year.
He thought about it as he continued the research, Twitter was also fairly new still, so it would probably be cheaper to just get it than to create his own, “Elena, I have a new task for you.” He said, turning towards his personal assistant, who raised her head inquisitively. “Netflix, YouTube, Twitter, PayPal, explore opportunities to buy, I want priority on this.”
Elena nodded, making some notes as she pursed her lips thoughtfully, she cocked her head, eying him with what he thought might be anticipation, “How far am I allowed to go?” She asked eagerly.
Justin thought about it, leaning back in his chair again, “Heh, give them three times their companies value, that should be enough, if they're looking like they're just holding out for an increase… Go four times as a last resort.”
“And if they refuse?” Elena asked, her lips parting as she licked them, seemingly without noticing, as she looked about ready to pounce on something, Bakshi giving her a look as if reevaluating her.
Justin gave her a weird look as well, but chalked it down to the long hours they'd been having, of course she'd be excited for something new, “Now I know this isn't exactly your wheelhouse, but if they refuse…” Justin shrugged lightly, waving a hand dismissively, “Then blackmail them, if they don't have anything spectacular about them, then make some blackmail or arrange a situation, just get me those companies..”
It would be a nice test of just how versatile she really was as well, he believed them both to be loyal, and even if he was still having Domino check Bakshi now and then - he honestly believed the man was entirely on his side, he just subscribed to trust but verify, even amongst his most loyal.
Elena had proven exceptionally skilled in every manner so far, so he wanted to see what she could really do when let loose, and it would also allow him to figure her out a little, what made her work so hard for him, where her ambitions might lay.
The more he knew about his minions, the easier he could predict them. Betrayal was after all so much more costly if done by someone in the inner circle.
Elena practically bounced in her seat as she chirped out, “Yes, sir!” Sounding very excited at the opportunity to blackmail people. She tapped away at her laptop for a moment, before glancing his way, a palpable aura of excitement around her, “Rules of engagement? How far am I allowed to go, sir?”
Justin looked at her oddly, sharing a glance with Bakshi who simply shook his head, going back to his work, obviously washing his hands of it. “Don't… Kill anyone or anything, murder draws law enforcement and the media, we don't want that associated with our takeover…”
“Just torture, got it.” She said happily, eyes gleaming as she typed away, bare feet practically dancing away on the lush carpet underneath, as Elena seemed to have gained a second wind of sorts.
Justin opened his mouth to admonish her, because no, torture was also bad for media reasons… But… She looked so excited, he stared at her with an open mouth for a few more moments, before closing it and turning back to his work, she was kidding anyway, he decided.
It's just been a long night.
Besides, she was a saleswoman before taking this job, they were sharks for sure, the business demanded it - but they weren't that dangerous.
Not anymore dangerous than a normal woman was anyway. And blackmail was practically part of business school, even if an unspoken one.
It would work out.
＊＊＊
Next morning,
Domino sometimes felt like she was a bit out of place amongst these people.
She was carefree, flippant and badass on just a general level - and everyone else were painfully high strung. Not to mention the fact that while she generally thought herself an intelligent woman, she felt slightly dull compared to the people her boss surrounded himself with. Even Eileen just screamed competence and intelligence - while rocking the - I'm too cool for you kids look.
Her power had always allowed her to kind of let worries take a backseat, as it wasn't like something bad would really happen. It was strange now, to actually worry. She usually didn't get attached to jobs. They were just that, jobs.
But Justin Hammer was changing the world, and promising to bring mutant kind along for the ride, which was… Domino didn't care about many things, usually finding such things as baggage she didn't need - but it was hard to pretend she didn't care about mutant kind getting a break before things really got bad.
She'd seen a lot of shit working the mercenary scene, and although mutant kind weren't publicly out yet, that didn't mean governments or organizations weren't testing the waters on what they'd found, and usually not in a kind way.
Domino had run into a few too many poor kids with unfortunate mutations that had met a bad end. Sometimes even by her own guns… She didn't care about much anymore, but this… This she could care about.
Which is why she deigned to lower herself to a simple servant, schlepping a cart of breakfast foods and unholy amounts of coffee up to the penthouse suite.
When she'd gone to bed last night, the three of them up there had been hard at work, and she'd be surprised if they'd taken care of themselves properly. It really seemed the more intelligent someone got, the dumber they got. An oxymoron to be sure, but not wrong either.
She nodded seemingly pissed off, as one of the security guards stopped her and searched the food, and her. As annoying as getting frisked so heavily it constituted petting was - it was her own and Eileen's protocol, no one went up to see Justin without a search, even his own people. Especially his own people…
Domino had worked enough jobs to know an assassination attempt almost always happened from someone in the inner circle once security got too tight for conventional means - whether through bribery, hostages, mind control or any number of situations, it's how it usually went. So there would be no slacking off.
Not while she was on the job, which on its own was amusing in a way - as slacking off was one of her favorite things to do.
She let out a minor huff of annoyance as she readjusted herself a bit, her bra having moved slightly during that heavy frisk. She gave the guy a glare that made him gulp, even as she moved onwards with the food and drink, idly reminding herself to send the captain of the team a note to praise that guy - even at the sight of her annoyance he still followed through all the way.
She didn't bother to knock as she entered the penthouse suite, figuring they'd all be in the bedrooms anyway, snoozing away after staying up half the night.
She came to a stop just over the threshold, sighing loudly, not believing what she could see, while admitting to herself that it was all too believable. “Boss… Sleep is actually important, you know…”
Scratch half the night, the idiot she worked for had apparently pulled an all nighter…
Justin was sitting on the couch, a laptop precariously propped up on a pair of pillows, as he typed away furiously, the reason for the awkward position being the sleeping Elena, cuddled into his lap.
From how stone cold she was out, Domino wouldn't be surprised if she'd worked into the early hours as well, at least she'd had the sense to actually get some sleep… Her eyes swept to the other couch where Bakshi was as unsheveled as she'd ever seen him, curled into a ball with a sheet tossed over him, dead to the world as well.
Seriously, these people…
Domino let loose another sigh, Justin not even answering or acknowledging her comment. She rubbed her forehead, not managing to keep back a slight laugh at it all, what a situation I'm in, never thought I'd be a babysitter instead of a big bad mercenary…
She rolled the cart in closer, opening up the coffee carafes and the cloches covering the food, smirking as Justin jerked to, eyes drawn to the coffee. She wagged a finger at him, “Nuh-uh, food maybe, but no coffee, you need sleep, boss.”
“I have a meeting with General Ross this morning.” Justin said firmly, shaking his head while making a gimme motion with one of his hands, directed at the coffee.
Domino didn't move, crossing her arms as she stared back at him with bemusement, “Sure, I'm almost positive the general will love meeting you while you're dead on your feet and liable to agree to anything he says.”
Justin frowned, opening his mouth to argue, when he let out a hiss, having been poked in the ribs by Elena, who glared up at him sleepily. “What the hell?” He asked, rubbing at his red eyes, pushing his glasses up onto his forehead.
“No meee-etings.” Elena tried to act stern, but the massive yawn in the middle of the sentence just made her look like a cute little animal burrowed into its nest. Domino quickly brought up her phone and snapped a picture, getting both of them to snap their heads in her direction, with matching sleep deprived glares.
So cute!
“This is adorable.” Domino said, smirking at the two of them, waving her phone tantalizingly in front of them, “Now if you don't want this posted for everyone to see, eat breakfast and then go to bed!” She ordered, pointing at Justin specifically.
Her boss had too much power now, they definitely could not afford to have him make decisions while loopy. They might invade Australia or something.
Domino had nothing against Australians, per say - but if she was going to be conquering any countries on Justin's behalf, it wouldn't be one where everything in the country wanted to kill you.
If Domino could pick - it would be the country with the most strippers per capita.
“General Ro-” Justin began, only for Domino to cut him off.
“Nope!” She said cheerfully, “I'm sure the good general will understand the delay in the meeting, he strikes me as the understanding type really.” She lied, wiggling a hand towards Elena, “Gimme the number, I'll call and change the meeting time.”
“Do not!” Bakshi moaned from within his sheet, still curled up, but obviously awoken by all the noise, “I can call, give me a minute…” He groaned, sounding almost hungover.
Domino eyed the plates and glasses all around with hidden glee, had they gotten drunk? While on the job? She did another once over of Elena and Justin and pouted in disappointment, there weren't nearly enough signs to suggest they did the nasty. And here she was rooting for her hiree. “Give me your phone, and then go to bed ~ “ She called out to Elena.
Elena seemed to hesitate for one moment, looking at Justin, then the disgruntled Bakshi peeking out of his sheet, before she folded, reaching for her phone and tossing it Domino's way with a low throw.
To Domino's amusement, as she caught the phone, Elena still hadn't gotten out of Justin's lap. Although to her slight annoyance, putting a damper on her amusement, her boss was once again typing away at his laptop and seemed unaware of the cuddling. “You didn't unlock it, what's the password, cuddlebug?”
Elena tilted her chin up, a rosy tint to her face as she answered, “6969.” Her glare practically demanded that Domino kept her mouth shut.
So of course she didn't, “Cute.” She said, lips twitching slightly at the woman's tired glare, “How old are you again?” That's so teenager it's adorable…
“Fuck you, Domino!” She bitched without any real heat in it, climbing back into a seated position and leaving Justin's lap - one hand trying to fix her hair in a lost cause, the blonde hair sticking out everywhere.
“~Promises…” Domino sang, already dialing the number, walking just slightly away from the set of couches to give the three grumpy and tired musketeers a chance to regroup, “Oh, and don't give Justin any coffee!” She ordered, backpedaling momentarily to narrow her eyes at them all, two fingers going back and forth in a motion between her eyes and the trio.
“This is General Ross.” A gruff voice answered the phone before she could impress the seriousness in the offense of feeding their boss coffee right now, and she focused on the phone call turning away from the others.
“Hiya, how you doing?” Domino chirped cheerfully, grabbing a biscuit off the food cart and carelessly tossing it over her shoulder. It would work out, things always did.
“Who is this?” Ross asked suspiciously, a brief silence taking over as he double checked the number no doubt, “.... Are you one of Hammer's people?” He sounded doubtful, Domino was hurt, they'd met and everything, how could he forget her!
Behind her, there was a noise of complaint as her biscuit found its way - by pure chance - to closing Justin's laptop for him, making her intentions clear - go sleep - or else!
“You might remember me from such great hits as… “She paused, looking for the words, before pouting, “You know, that analogy doesn't really work when you've only seen me do bodyguard work for Justin.” Domino complained lightly, tapping her chin with a finger, “Well, anyways, something important came up and I'm afraid your meeting has been bumped down the list to…” She looked at her watch critically, it was still early morning…”Let's say 2ish, that sounds good to you, right?”
“Now hang on just a min-” Ross tried to interject, sounding angry for some reason.
“It's a date~” Domino sang out cheerfully, ending the call, spinning the phone on one finger as she turned around, “There you go, no meetings now, have something to eat and then bed!” God, I really am the babysitter…
Elena walked up and took back her phone in one quick snatch, giving Domino a small glare, which Domino just took in with a wink and a grin. “Sleep well!” She told the girl, a more honest smile blooming onto her face, Elena scoffing lightly, but ducking her head to avoid showing the small smile on her face, skipping breakfast entirely to walk off to one of the bedrooms.
Domino turned around, pleased and annoyed that Bakshi as well was skipping the breakfast that she'd been professionally molested for to bring up - the man also heading straight for a bedroom.
Her shoulders slumped slightly as she noticed that Justin had opened his laptop up again, and had somehow grabbed a cup of coffee during the short interval she hadn't watched him. Quick as lightning she tossed another biscuit at him, spilling the coffee onto the couch, missing Justin's crotch by inches, before the biscuit bounced up and knocked the laptop off its precarious position, knocking it to the floor.
“That is important, you could have broken it!” Justin protested, jumping to his feet to avoid the growing coffee spill on the couch. “I could have been finishing up a billion dollar deal, you know?”
Domino scoffed, crossing her arms again as she stared down the giant man child, “I wanted it out of the way without damages, so it is, you got nothing to worry about, boss.” She considered her statement, her smirk turning dangerous as she fingered one of her gun holsters, “Well… You have nothing to worry about as long as you sleep…” She casually threatened.
Eileen needs to come back, it's too annoying to be the mean one instead of the laidback one. She thought briefly.
Justin grumbled the entire way, but wisely left the laptop behind, instead of trying to sneak it into the bedroom.
Domino looked around, seeing the mess of what might as well have been a trio of college idiots cramming for a test and sighed. “I'm not cleaning this up.” She said to the thin air, before looking down at the food laden cart which absolutely no one touched.
It would be a crime to make all that hard work go to waste, especially as they cooked it while armed men glared at them the entire time, watching them like hawks.
“Well, might as well, it practically took me out on a first date…” She muttered, sitting down to enjoy the spread, her senses on full alert, as she now would have three sleeping people to watch out for.
“God damn babysitter….” She muttered, with no real anger behind it as she sat down, taking the entire carafe of steaming hot arabic coffee for herself.
She was paradoxically happier now than ever before.
Go figure.
＊＊＊
1pm, Kairo, Egypt.
Justin felt immeasurably better after a few hours of napping and a shower. He felt slightly abashed that he'd forced Elena and Bakshi into an all nighter, for work that would take years to come to fruition, and was in no way an emergency.
The sudden thought of dominating the social media sector and taking a major chunk out of the internet pie, as well as the food delivery and rideshare sector - had been too tempting, and he'd sunk into almost a fugue state as he kept working on it.
He tried giving Elena and Bakshi the day off, but as he walked out of his bedroom again, perfectly put together in a fresh Armani suit, he was met by Elena in a cream white dress that left her shoulders bare, the stubborn gaze on her face telling him she would continue to refuse if he offered again.
Bakshi nodded deferentially at him from the couch, where he was back at work again, dealing with everyday business, having several dozens of high level managers underneath him who themselves had dozens of lower level managers and so on.
Domino stepped up to them, gun holsters across her waist, with shoulder holsters and thigh holsters completing the look past her tight black bodysuit; it wouldn't surprise Justin if she had a tiny little peashooter in her boots as well. “All ready boss, Ross is probably going to be a little irritable though, I don't know why, I was an absolute delight on the phone.”
Justin gave her a dry look, “I wasn't that sleep deprived that I don't remember that phone call, Domino, Extremis might not replace sleep, but it allows me to go longer without.”
“Your car is waiting for you, sir. And it appears Hope Van Dyne has unexpectedly shown up in the lobby asking for you.” Elena said, tapping away at her phone, a slight scowl on her face, one that was instantly wiped out into a neutral state, once she saw that Justin was looking.
He wondered briefly what that was about, but asking women what was on their mind was dangerous business
“Hope is here? What for?” Justin asked, before waving a hand, “Nevermind, I'll just ask her.” He decided, walking off, heading out of the penthouse suit with Domino one step behind him and Elena trailing further behind, furiously typing on her phone.
“Anything I should know about, Elena?” Justin asked as they approached the elevator, curious about what she was doing.
Elena looked up, smiling guilessly, “Oh, just ensuring the security team gives her the same treatment anyone else gets, wouldn't want to risk it after all.”
Domino coughed, looking amused, as Elena walked into the elevator with a smug feel to her. Justin followed her, not entirely sure what he'd missed, but sure it was something, “Alright, that sounds reasonable, I know better than to argue with my security.” Seeing Domino about to open her mouth, he hurriedly added, “Most of the time.”
“You got there just before me.” Domino said, snapping her fingers, grinning as she winked at Elena, “Just like the security team got there with Hope - before you could…”
Justin looked at her oddly, eyes moving from Domino's smug and amused attitude to Elena's suddenly nervous smile, looking at anything but him. “There's something going on here…” He mused out loud, the elevator doors opening to the first floor, “I'm watching you two…” He said, eyes narrowing, before he stepped out into the lobby.
He wasn't sure what was going on with those two, but he'd have to ensure there wasn't any friction or drama being created - he couldn't afford to lose their competence due to nonsense.
Seeing as Hope was apparently being searched by his security team, Justin took a seat in the lobby, engaging with Elena on some business matters while he waited. He still had plenty of time before the meeting with Ross, so there wasn't any need to rush.
Several minutes later Hope appeared out of a side room, a look of annoyance on her face as she looked around, her eyes flashing as she zeroed in on him. Justin raised a hand in greeting as he stood up, while Hope strode over in several quick strides, wearing much the same local clothing as she had last week.
“Hope, what a pleasant surprise, it's great to see you again.” Justin said, honestly meaning it too, smiling at Hope, his eyes somewhat hesitant as he noticed her irritation.
Hope glanced at Elena and Domino, before huffing, looking at him with annoyance clear and present in her visage, one hand cocked on her hip, “I would say it was a pleasure for me as well, Justin.” She began dryly, “But considering your security protocol practically goes further than some dates I've had - I'm not sure I can say it and mean it.”
Justin snapped his head around to glare at the security team, “Did they now… I am sorry Hope, I will deal with them…” He promised darkly.
Domino cleared her throat, “Sorry, sir, but that's simply protocol, I have to go through the same every time I go up to your suite, so does Elena and Bakshi.”
Justin looked at her in askance, turning to look at Elena who nodded as well. He sighed, straightening his tie, as he turned back towards Hope. “Either way, I apologize, Hope. I'm sure we can make an exception in the future.” This was directed towards his minions pointedly, who both nodded quickly.
Hope's body language eased up as she straightened slightly, “Ah, well, no real harm done, this time.” She narrowed her eyes at Domino and Elena, focusing especially on Elena who seemed particularly closed off, not showing any expression all of a sudden. “Although I wasn't actually coming up to your suite, so it seemed a little excessive.”
Justin narrowed his eyes in thought, eyeing Elena and Domino out of the corner of his eyes, lips thinning as he noted mentally that the two had likely played a bit of a mean prank on Hope - he'd have to keep an eye out for that stuff, he didn't want an ally driven off through sheer pettiness.
“What brings you around today, Hope? Not that you're not welcome,“He hurried to assure her, “You can always call upon me, but surely you didn't stop by just to catch up?” Justin asked, slightly curious at her sudden arrival.
Wondering if it meant good things for his goals with Pym technologies.
Hope smirked, “I had a meeting cancel on me suddenly, and I figured it couldn't hurt to come ask you out for lunch.” She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “I mean if you are available and I'm not interrupting anything?”
Justin chuckled, grasping her hand and lifting it up to press a quick kiss to it, “I'm charmed my lady, although at some point I will have to invite you out, because it is simply unbearable that you keep beating me to the punch!”
“Sir… General Ross?” Elena cut in, looking alarmed, and slightly constipated from something, eyes flicking from Hope to him.
Justin eyed her briefly, “Push him back to four, it's not like he's going to leave, he needs me.” Justin said dismissively, taking Hope's hand, “Now that this little misunderstanding has been cleared up, did you have anywhere in mind or do I get to surprise you this time?” Justin asked suavely.
Elena stepped aside pulling out her phone, her face flushed as she stared at the two of them for a moment, before she began dialing, preparing to make excuses to General Ross.
Hope laughed, seemingly amused about something, like she'd just caught onto something funny, eying Elena. “I'll let you pick this time, Justin, I'm interested in seeing what you have in store.” She said playfully, her phone ringing, interrupting them as she stepped away, holding a finger up, “Just one minute, probably just my father, it won't take me long.”
Justin waved Domino over as Hope took a few steps away, raising her phone to her ear, “Domino, find me a nice local little spot that only the locals know and eat at, nice rustic little family owned place.” He hissed out, having done absolutely nothing to prepare for another meal with Hope, having honestly completely forgotten about her over the last week with everything going on. He wanted to make a good impression on her by reciprocating her excellent choice of locale last time out - but he had no idea about any of that in Kairo.
Domino snorted, “Sure thing, Boss, I'll do my best.” She promised, giving him a thumbs up, “Maybe my luck will find the perfect spot…” She said to herself, already pulling her phone out.
Justin turned to Elena, but found her holding the phone away from her ear, grimacing as someone - likely Ross - yelled at her from the other end of the line. “Elena…” He said, catching her attention, “Make it tomorrow morning.” He said firmly. “No one yells at my people…”
Ross can go fuck himself if he thinks he can get away with doing that to MY minions…
Hope returned, sighing as she put her phone away in her purse, “My father is still doing everything to hold back progress.” She complained bitterly. “Just another lecture on how I can't trust anyone, ever, with anything.” She said with a helpless shrug.
Justin knew he could step on a landmine here if he didn't walk carefully, “He's just worried about your safety.” He said slowly, carefully “I can understand that part, but he could do so much more for the world and for your safety if he just let us collaborate.”
That was considerate enough, right?
Hope smirked, tossing her hair back as she stepped forward and slid her arm into his, “We'd own the shipping industry.” She agreed, seemingly troubled, for all that she carried on with some swagger. “Pym particles could be the biggest game changer since… Well, you.” She added, snorting lightly as Justin preened. “I didn't mean to fluff your ego.” She mocked lightly, a small companionable smile on her face.
Justin walked off with her, heading for the doors, Domino trailing behind - while Elena stood back, looking frustrated as she continued to speak into the phone. “There's definitely some potential there, shipping is the low hanging fruit, there's so much more you could do with my backing…” Justin mused out loud.
The entire reason he'd been interested in collaborating with Hope had been for the military application. Hank's fears were clear, and not necessarily wrong. The particles spread over the world like that and being used for shipping or military means, or whatever else they'd find a use for them for - risked someone terrible getting a hold of them.
Justin was simply more pragmatic, they could ensure only Hammer security handled the use of the particles, which would limit potential theft to supervillains - and honestly, if some of them wanted to steal the statue of liberty or assassinate the president…
Justin saw that as necessary sacrifices for progress. If Earth moved ahead a hundred years in logistics, sciences and military capabilities - was it worth the potentially hundred or thousands who'd die to one bad actor stealing some particles?
Yes. To Justin it was an obvious and complete yes. He'd sacrifice a country for the opportunity. Maybe not America, but like… Who'd miss Sweden or Norway or something anyway?
Hope smiled as they exited the hotel, finding Justin's armored limo waiting for them. “I think beyond those fears he has, he also doesn't want to upend entire industries… Send hundreds of thousands to unemployment...”
Justin gave her a look, seeing the impish smile on her face, “I see…” He answered dryly, “That's a dig at me, right there.” He held the door open for Hope, receiving a thankful smile as she scooted inside. “Besides, anyone that got fired, I'd just hire, so it's a moot point.” He pointed out as he entered behind her.
“Tell that to Hank.” Hope said wryly, a hint of frustration underneath it. She flashed him another smile as he opened the fridge and offered her a drink.
“I prefer not to speak with him if I can help it. You're much lovelier.” Justin said, flashing her a smirk, enjoying the light blush that appeared on her face.
“To friendship and business.” Hope said, lifting her drink in a toast, eyes mischievous as Justin sat back, a hand to his heart.
“You're killing me here, Hope.” He complained lightly.
She eyed him thoughtfully, “I think you could use a friend more then another booty call anyway, Justin.” She pointed out, smirking in an undeniably sexy way.
Which just wasn't fair in this situation.
Justin chuckled, leaning back in his seat, “Spoken like someone who hasn't tried a Justin Hammer special.” He taunted lightly, bragging a little.
Hope raised an eyebrow, her blush intensifying even as she spoke dryly, “I have seen the video, you know.”
Justin scratched his chin, “Ah.” He said, lacking anything better to say, feeling slightly caught off guard. He'd thought SHIELD wouldn't lose hold of it so quickly and easily.
Hope cleared her throat, seemingly determined to just move past that embarrassing moment, “Anyway, I think we could do a lot together, as friends and business partners, we click together, you know?”
Justin smiled, “We do.” But inwardly his thoughts whirled, he'd been friendzoned, which stung slightly as he quite liked Hope - but more than that, Hope still wanted to move forward in business together.
It seemed that in saving Hank Pym's life he hadn't entirely ruined everything after all. Pym technologies wouldn't be his, no… But if he could pry some particles out of Pym’s hands, who knows what could happen?
He eyed Hope, smiling as she excitedly talked about the potential in a business arrangement between them. She really was beautiful when she smiled, he thought.
Pity it seemed she was wary of a relationship, but he was probably not well suited for one, and either way, they'd barely begun a friendship.
Who knew what could happen years down the road.
＊＊＊
Next morning,
“So General Ross, let's make it clear, I'll sell you power armor, but it will cost you 10 billion per suit and the operator will have to come train with our development team for several years before we can make it operational for an entire force, instead of a singular individual.” Justin explained smugly, sitting at the table fully relaxed at the situation.
By the time the army would have some suits, an alien invasion would have happened, ensuring the military would focus on outside threats and not be looking to blow up his planet.
He'd DNA lock them too, needing a new operator trained after their operator retires or dies - further slowing down the process. Allowing him to wait until just before Thanos before letting the genie fully out of the bottle and spreading them everywhere.
Earth would be no one's plaything.
“That's outrageous, Hammer!” Ross barked, a vein pulsing in his forehead. “Both the time and the money, you can do better than that!”
Justin crossed his arms, a superior look on his face as he stared the general down with an all out smug attitude, “If you don't like my prices just ask someone else…”
There was of course no one else.
Justin so liked winning.
＊＊＊