23. The Long-Awaited Gamanion

Dr. Connors’ regeneration laboratory is located on the twenty-first floor of the Oscorp Industrial Building. The lab is filled with a dazzling array of instruments, some of which look incredibly expensive just from their exterior. However, what draws Hawk’s attention most is the stone housed within a transparent case, which he can see through the glass.

Hawk doesn’t know what kind of stone it is, but his intuition tells him it is exactly what he has been looking for. With a shift in his thoughts, he turns to Gwen beside him.

"What is that?"

"What?"

Gwen is momentarily stunned. She pulls her gaze away from Max Dillon, who is busy with repairs, follows the direction of Hawk's finger, and then looks back at him.

"Oh, that? Gamma radiation."

"?"

Gamma... radiation?

A question mark appears over Hawk’s head again, and the corner of his mouth twitches. "My physics grades aren't as good as yours, but they aren't bad either. Since when can gamma radiation turn into a rock?"

Gwen laughs. She pauses to glance around, seemingly ensuring that the other researchers aren't paying attention, then lowers her voice to say to Hawk, "Do you remember the Hulk’s rampage in New York back in September of '09?"

Hawk is slightly taken aback before nodding. "Of course I remember."

How could he forget? That day was the most unforgettable moment since he transmigrated—not just because his "cheat" was activated that day, but for another reason as well. In short, Hawk remembers that day with absolute clarity.

Gwen shrugs. "Then you should know about the Abomination. He was the one who mutated into that ugly monster using the Hulk’s blood."

"Yeah." Hawk nods again, then, as if something occurs to him, he looks at Gwen. "Are you saying this stone is... the Abomination?"

"Of course not. These stones were shipped in from the Quantico military base," Gwen says with a smile. "The Hulk... Dr. Bruce Banner mutated because of an accident in a gamma lab, but it seems some peculiar changes occurred during the explosion. These stones were unearthed from the site of that exploded laboratory."

Hawk is confused. "Then why did you mention the Abomination earlier..."

"Oh." Gwen realizes, then shrugs. "I just assumed you didn't know the Hulk was Bruce Banner, considering you don't have a computer or a smartphone..."

Gwen pauses here, then looks at Hawk. "You haven't bought a SIM card for the phone I gave you last time, have you?"

Hawk pulls out a phone that looks remarkably like an iPhone 4 from his pocket. "I bought one."

Gwen had given him this phone twenty days ago when she brought him into Oscorp. He hadn't wanted it, but Gwen gave him a reason he couldn't refuse: it is well-known that employees need to clock in, and Oscorp is no exception. Furthermore, Gwen hadn't given him a chance to refuse, simply shoving the phone into his hand and walking away.

After pulling out the phone and giving it a quick wave, Hawk steers the conversation back, looking at the stone inside the glass lab that gives him such an strange sensation. "How did a stone from Quantico end up here?"

"Because Dr. Connors' experiments have military backing," Gwen explains. To be precise, most of the experimental projects invested in by Oscorp have military support, and some are even joint ventures. After all, the relationship between Oscorp and the military has always been tight. In the beginning, Oscorp was just a food processing plant making canned herring, but when war arrived, a young Norman Osborn seized the opportunity, decisively selling off the herring production lines to replace them with weapon and ammunition production lines.

Today, even though Oscorp no longer sells arms, it maintains a strong cooperative relationship with the military. Dr. Connors is a prime example; his project is a partnership between Oscorp and the military, just housed within the Oscorp facility. After all, Dr. Connors was previously a military doctor.

After hearing Gwen's explanation, Hawk nods in realization. Inside the laboratory behind the glass, a researcher is securing a vial of serum—the contents of which are unknown—and operating a robotic arm to pick up the so-called "gamma stone."

"What are they doing?"

"Regeneration serum testing."

"Lizard serum?"

It is no secret that Dr. Connors is trying to research lizards to uncover the secret of limb regeneration; his papers are out there for anyone to see. However, most people are not optimistic about it for many reasons.

Hawk doesn't look into it closely. After all, whether before or after awakening his Cosmo, he never intended to pursue a path in scientific research. Gwen isn't surprised that Hawk knows this, so she nods and says, "Dr. Connors believes that combining lizard serum with gamma radiation might be the breakthrough he's been searching for."

Hawk nods, then watches the stone being held by the robotic arm. A thought strikes him, and he looks at Gwen. "Can I go in and take a look?"

He wants to confirm it. Hearing this, Gwen thinks of the time she saw Hawk reading papers in the library. "You aren't actually interested in the gamma radiation that turns people into monsters, are you?"

"No, I'm interested in the gamma radiation inside this stone," Hawk says, shaking his head. From a scientific perspective, gamma radiation cannot be stored—it vanishes once emitted. What? This is the Marvel Universe, and it doesn't care about science? Fine, then it doesn't matter.

Gwen thinks it over, and confirming that simply letting Hawk take a close look wouldn't spoil the progress of Dr. Connors' experiment, she nods.

Hawk feels a surge of joy. As he follows Gwen inside, he says to Max Dillon, who is still repairing equipment, "Max, I'm going in to see that amazing stone." He doesn't call him "Mr. Dillon" because Max wouldn't allow it; it seems that because he knows Max's name, Max considers him a friend. If only Max's skin were a little lighter, Hawk thinks to himself.

Max, busy with his repairs, looks back and offers a simple, honest smile. "Sure, I'll be done here soon, too."

Hawk says thank you and follows Gwen, who is swiping her badge, into the inner laboratory.

Just then, as Hawk steps into the lab and his gaze locks once more onto the gamma stone held by the robotic arm, a message instantly resonates from his Cosmo.

It’s it.

It’s it.

It really is it.

Gammanium!