Obligatory Disclaimer : I do not own anything (except maybe OC characters) all characters, places, worlds, universes…etc mentioned here belong to their respective owners and/or companies.

This is purely a work of fiction. Not meant to offend or incite, but to entertain and (maybe) inspire.

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO TAKE IT.

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Moscow - Russia.

December 2nd, 2010.

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The whole revamping of the company's assets, management and contracts took two months - one of those which I spent reading and experimenting holed up in the workshop. I now had the branches I sought, some being other companies which I bought and brought under the Hammer Industries banner, I needed a large amount of hardware and material imports and some other tools to finally begin the type of production I had in mind which wouldn't be until the end of this year, if all the acquisitions went well.

For now, I've been shipping out a large assortment of digital services for the budding smartphone and rapidly growing Internet market. Of course one step at a time, the current hardware specs on the current devices made it so that I couldn't put out the real powerful stuff, that would soon change. Iron Man's armor is nothing short of a miracle at this technological stage. Oh, I also created Netflix and minecraft, I know, I know. Boo me, evil corporation bad guy stealing others ideas. Yeah well, none of those people even exist in this world, is it bad that I want to bring joy to people?

And I've been working out too, it has become very evident, as it should considering that I not only hired an gym/combat instructor but I've also been taking cocktails to help build my body, cocktails I've made myself based on my now very extensive knowledge and grandmaster level skill on biochemistry, biology, physiology and anatomy. And the workout regimen I've tweaked over time to adequately compliment my rigorous exercises.

By next year, I should be getting my doctorate on the various fields I had applied to. Knowledge is power.

So why was I in Moscow? You'll see in a moment.

“Boss, he's subdued” a voice spoke through the bone conduction audio piece. I rubbed my hands together to get that warm cozy feel back in them as I walked through the thin snow blanketed ground. The weather was colder than I anticipated. Even with the heat trapping fabric, I still felt the occasional chill. I dusted off the white flecks that settled on door handle and twisted it open. Stepping into the very humble abode that was in shambles. Utensils and vodka bottles littered the tight room, with pieces of clothes and garnets strewn about . A small color TV displayed white static in the corner - a result of the interference signal generated by a scrambler device on me- , right above the weathered tools resting on a workbench, and old newspaper clippings.

What drew my eye were rolled up pieces of blue canvas.

“What you want!! What you want you bastard!” Ivan Vanko yelled at me, trying frantically - and failing - to throw off the two large men that had him pinned to the ground.

I grabbed the canvas and peeled them apart. My mind already at work recording the plans in written it white. Restructuring it down to the smallest component and then reconstructing it in my subconscious over and over, running different combinations and configurations as I browsed through the canvases. ‘Don't get lost in thought, now isn't the time.’ I reminded myself. Folding up the canvases and securing them in my hands.

“NO! NO! That mine, that mine! Put back down you bastard!” He yelled in anger, hatred dripping off his words.

I stared the pinned man in his eyes. He could not make out my face through my ski mask. I reached into my jacket and pulled out my weapon. A gun strikingly similar to a desert eagle, but in matte silver, with a glowing green bar on its side. I aimed and pulled the trigger. There was a momentary hum and then a scent of ozone. Ivan Vanko's head was liquefied. Incinerated and partially disintegrated, it was a smoking piece of destroyed flesh on his head. The green charge on the prototype plasma pistol now in red, slowly charging up to green. I had to develop a better powersource which wouldn't be a problem as it was structured in my head. I understood the cost of death, for I had once suffered it. It didn't jarr me to do what I had to, not after mentally preparing myself for it over and over and over again. I still could not rid myself of his hate filled eyes that seemed to look through my soul, I continued to see their burning glare even when they weren't there. May his soul find peace.

One of the men shoved a piece of cloth into the alcohol bottles, setting it on fire and throwing it down the room. The building ignited, as we walked out the door. I boarded an inconspicuous cream colored car parked across the street watching the house go up in flames. The men going different paths as though we never even met or were involved in prior heinous crimes nor the now viciously spreading fire. We would all reconvene on another pickup point during the return trip. I popped a strawberry flavored candy in my mouth, enjoying the taste as it rolled around my tongue, gesturing for Jack to take us away.

“Holyshit”....I forgot to save the bird.

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New York city - United States of America.

December 23th, 2010.

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“Sir” I heard a voice call for me, but chose to ignore it. I was too absorbed in my work. My hand zoomed across the paper, laying lines then connecting them to another, drawing up whole new shapes and bringing them to life in a detailed artistic view that even I was entranced by, beneath the illustrations were the schematics — like skeleton beneath flesh, the accompanying equations being the muscle fibers the part that moves the skeleton, allowing it to become operational and the sketch of the final product, receiving the cosmetic treatment — the skin. The clean, sleek outward appearance that would appeal to aesthetics. I admire my creations, they are as much a work of art as of science, but I never wanted to be stagnant, to be satisfied at this level : I can do better, I can always improve, I repeated, like a mantra to guide my way. I pushed the paper back, and went back to connecting wires, logic gates and microchips on the latest project’s main processor. On a screen to the left of my workbench, terabytes of codes in an utterly foreign language occupied the whole panel, code being compiled after going through diagnostics and then generated to fit the standard.

The operation systems of all my personal devices were reworked from the ground up, meaning I created and implemented my own operating system and coding language, I call it Nails ( get it, my name is Hammer and the nail is-- nevermind), massively improving electronic security of my devices and putting them decades ahead of the current tech standard. Of course the rest of my company tech and products ran on an improved OS called Manna derived from the Nails OS, fully compatible with any other OS on the planet and adaptable to all other electronic devices, yes even a digital clock or calculator could run its ported OS.

Once again I heard my loyal butler's voice “Sir, you'll be late for your appointment. You must hurry if you wish to avoid that” he reminded with urgency.

“Damn, I'm almost done, Jack. Let me get these arranged” I said, annoyed at the disturbance, not towards my Butler but the ones who set the appointment. Tito, my robot assistant came to my aid. With Its short dwarfish stock and sleek streamlined build, it gently and efficiently roamed the workshop picking papers and canvases strewn around the room into a neat file. Then it picked up the various tools and set them to their containers. Before I knew what was happening the robot grabbed the instrument in my hand disrupting my concentration, it zoomed to the rack on its wheels hung the tool it on a rack.

“Hey!” I yelled at the innocent looking robot who returned my stare and couldn't find it in myself to blame it, after all I programmed it this way. I was working on an AI, well it was a work in progress. The amount of code needed was absurd, it made you sick just thinking about it having to write all of that. But I gotta do what I gotta do.

“Computer, create digital models of all the illustrations and schematics on the papers. Run operational simulations on Hexa - 1 to 564 within preset parameters. Monitor the heat generation in relation to power accumulation.” I spoke voice commands to the Virtual intelligence that governed my computers.

[Affirmative] an electronic voice stated, sounding strikingly familiar to Siri. An automated scanner - one of many robotic arms - mounted to one of the workbenches began its operation, stuffing papers and capturing their contents.

“What's the current progress on the element - S?” I asked moving the holographic projection of a glowing atom over and about, expanding and collapsing it's structure.

[53.61%]

“Redirect 50% processing power from the element - S fabrication model to simulations on Hexa. I'll be able to fill in the gaps for element - S on my own. Oh, and send project Ph-40 to the Maker branch, filed under ‘ready for production’”

[Affirmative]

I sighed in resignation finally rising from my seat, and stretching with my bones making loud satisfying pop, I grabbed a whiff of my odour. “How long have I been here?” I asked no one in particular but my trusty Butler still answered. “Almost two weeks sir” handing me a cup of fragrant coffee.

That wasn't the longest I'd spent holed up in here “I see,” I said, sipping on the warm coffee as I walked to the exit of the workshop, Jack in tow. “Is everything set for departure?” I asked, crossing the passage to reach the elevator.

“Of course Sir.”

“You're a lifesaver, Jack.” I said, boarding the elevator, the door shutting behind me. Jack heading on to do what other duties he had left. “top floor” I spoke. The elevator moving swiftly to the apartment suite.

The doors slid open and I was presented with my apartment suite. A luxuriously furnished room with a number of my very own hand made paintings occupying the walls in large golden frames.

I crossed the sitting room headed straight for the shower in my bedroom. Throwing my clothes off I jump in. The beads of warm water washed away the accumulated fatigue and stress I didn't even know I had. I scrubbed my body clean, running various designs improvements through my mind. And thinking of what'd I'd sell to my investors.

You see all the stuff I've been doing? All those nifty tech upgrades and revamps, the power consumption of the hammer building - after tonight that problem would end - the employee salaries, even my own living expenses, they cost a LOT of money. And do you know where that money comes from, military contracts. The various other branches haven't started bringing in profits yet, as they are still in an early phase. The app revenues and other digital content profits are just beginning to take off, the profits aren't that much substantial yet, I know it will be soon, most likely during and after Christmas and the New Year's celebration. One good thing though is that the Hammer brand name is beginning to really take hold.

I shaved the short fuzz along my more defined jaws and lower chin. Pushing the faded sides of my now coal black hair backwards. Admiring my face and now clearly defined musculature, I worked hard for it. Not to mention that I looked exactly like a movie star, the one who played Justin Hammer in the MCU, Sam Rockwell. Thinking of it now, I look like he did in that recent movie where he was the red nose killer, with that girl from pitch perfect… Anna Kendrick in the movie Mr. Right. I pulled and patted my hair a bit more and viola I was ready. Yeah, I'm really not a cosmetist when it comes to my aesthetics.

I proceeded to suit up, literally, Jack got me a black Armani suit that made me want to start calling myself John Wick. And with that done, we set off for the Edwards Airforce Base.