"Bioweapons?"
The smile froze on Justin Hammer’s face.
So that’s why they’re so secretive. Even Whitehall treats them with respect... They’re in that business.
He cleared his throat and put on the expression of a businessman forced to decline a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Unfortunately, because of the Biological Weapons Convention, I’m afraid Hammer Industries can’t cooperate with your company in that field." He sighed dramatically. "A real shame."
His actual thoughts were considerably less polite.
Please leave. I have never met you. Ideally, I never meet you again.
Who in their right mind got involved with biological weapons?
Sure, every major power continued researching them behind closed doors despite the treaties, but those programs were guarded as fiercely as nuclear secrets. Governments didn’t outsource projects like that to private companies.
And whenever some fictional corporation did start making bioweapons...
A superhero usually showed up and blew the entire operation sky-high.
Come to think of it... there are already superheroes in New York.
Sarah needed only one glance to read exactly what was running through Justin’s head.
Coward.
If he wanted to refuse, he could simply refuse. Instead he was inventing excuses while quietly panicking.
That wouldn’t do at all.
She still intended to improve next month’s food budget with this deal.
"I think you’ve misunderstood me," she said calmly. "I’m not referring to conventional biological weapons. Not viruses. Not nerve agents. Not engineered bacteria. Not genetic plagues."
She leaned forward.
"I’m talking about an entirely different technology."
Justin remained unmoved.
New technology? That just means an even scarier bioweapon.
And after S.H.I.E.L.D. had already dug into his affairs recently, getting caught anywhere near something like this would be professional suicide.
Nobody could save him.
"It seems," Sarah said, her voice cooling noticeably, "that you aren’t as cooperative as Whitehall suggested."
Whitehall’s name made Justin’s confidence waver.
The man terrified him.
Cross Whitehall, and your career might disappear overnight.
On the other hand...
Work with these people?
He wasn’t convinced he’d live long enough to enjoy the profits.
"I genuinely want to cooperate," Justin said, dropping the theatrics for perhaps the first time in years. "In almost any field. But bioweapons..."
He shook his head.
"They’re too dangerous."
"I’m a businessman. I want money. I want influence. I’m willing to do business in gray areas. Bend regulations. Even commit a few crimes if the payoff is worth it."
He met Sarah’s eyes.
"But I’m not gambling my life."
Sarah’s expression remained unreadable.
"So you’re afraid of danger."
"I’m afraid of consequences."
A dry chuckle escaped Justin.
Nice try.
When everything goes wrong, you’ll disappear into the shadows, and I’ll be the one standing in front of a congressional hearing... if I’m lucky enough to make it that far.
"You know," Sarah said slowly, glancing around the room, "this country deployed something very similar about sixty years ago."
"It wasn’t condemned."
"It wasn’t outlawed."
"It was celebrated."
Justin frowned.
That made no sense.
Biological weapons didn’t distinguish between soldiers and civilians. Public opinion would have torn anyone apart for using one.
"So what weapon are you talking about?"
Sarah smiled.
"Captain America."
Justin blinked.
"...What?"
"Steve Rogers was once an ordinary, frail young man," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "Through Dr. Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum, biological enhancement transformed him into a superhuman designed to defeat Hydra and Nazi Germany."
She folded her hands.
"From our perspective, that’s simply a highly successful biological enhancement weapon."
Silence.
Then Justin let out a long breath.
So that’s what she meant...
Not weapons of mass destruction.
Human enhancement.
Then another realization struck.
Human enhancement.
His pulse quickened.
Officially, super-soldier research had died with Erskine.
Unofficially?
Military brass had spent decades trying to recreate it.
If Umbrella truly possessed a working version...
The Pentagon alone could make Hammer Industries unimaginably wealthy.
His current reputation as Tony Stark’s second-rate competitor could disappear overnight.
"Our company..." he began carefully, "...has actually mastered this technology?"
"Yes."
Sarah answered without hesitation.
"Umbrella has completely mastered it."
"We’ve also developed multiple derivative enhancement programs based on the original research."
Justin hesitated.
"You understand... I’m a businessman."
"I prefer proof over promises."
"You’d like a demonstration."
She wasn’t asking.
He nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly."
"Very well."
Sarah smiled.
A faint shimmer rippled across her body.
Then she vanished.
Completely.
Justin nearly jumped from his chair.
"What the...?"
His eyes darted around the office.
"Where did you go?"
"I’m standing right in front of you."
Her voice came from directly across the desk.
He stared at the empty space, straining to see even the slightest distortion.
Nothing.
Then the glass of water beside Sarah’s chair slowly lifted into the air.
No hand touched it.
No visible force held it.
The glass tilted.
Water disappeared one sip at a time into empty space.
Moments later, it floated gently back onto the table.
Sarah reappeared exactly where she had been sitting.
Same posture.
Same calm smile.
"What do you think, Mr. Hammer?"
Justin rubbed his forehead.
"...Invisibility?"
"Correct."
She allowed herself a hint of pride.
"We designate this enhancement package as the M-Type Enhancement Program."
"It’s one of Umbrella’s proprietary biological technologies, intended primarily for our security personnel."
Justin stared at her.
The demonstration had done exactly what it was meant to do.
This wasn’t theory.
It worked.
Still...
"I have one more question."
Sarah suppressed a sigh.
You certainly do enjoy asking them.
"Go ahead."
"If your company already possesses technology this valuable..." Justin asked, "...why do you need me?"
He wasn’t being falsely modest.
Compared to what she’d shown him, Hammer Industries seemed almost irrelevant.
Umbrella could walk into the Department of Defense tomorrow and sign contracts worth billions.
Why involve a middleman?
Fortunately, Sarah had already rehearsed this answer.
Whitehall had asked Evenson nearly the same question months ago.
The explanation had worked then.
It would work now.
"S.H.I.E.L.D."
That single word was enough to change the atmosphere.
"They’re investigating Umbrella."
"We’re keeping a low profile for the time being."
"We need a proxy."
Justin frowned.
"Why is S.H.I.E.L.D. investigating you?"
"You remember the attack on the classified military installation a few months ago?"
His face paled.
"...That was you?"
The incident had been whispered about throughout defense circles.
No details.
Only rumors.
An American military facility had been assaulted.
That alone was unbelievable.
Sarah immediately shook her head.
"Of course not."
Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
Whitehall had orchestrated the operation.
Umbrella had merely nudged events in the right direction.
Justin clearly didn’t believe her.
No one confessed to attacking a military base.
"Several months ago," Sarah continued, "Umbrella sold a limited batch of enhancement compounds to a client."
She sighed as though recalling an unfortunate business decision.
"We needed operating capital."
"And we wanted real combat performance data."
"We never anticipated that customer using the compounds during that attack."
"Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. traced part of the trail back to us."
She spread her hands.
"Which is why you’re meeting with me instead of one of our executives."
Justin finally understood.
He’d wondered from the beginning why Umbrella had sent its head of security to negotiate a business partnership.
Now it made sense.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. appeared unexpectedly, someone with invisibility and combat enhancements could escape.
A conventional executive couldn’t.
Justin scratched absentmindedly at the edge of his desk.
"This partnership suddenly sounds... rather dangerous."
"It does."
Sarah didn’t deny it.
"But risk creates opportunity."
"We only need to weather this temporary period."
She let the words hang.
Then added one final push.
"And even if we’re eventually exposed..."
"You can honestly say you didn’t know who we really were."
"Our identities were concealed."
"You believed you were dealing with a legitimate contractor."
Justin considered that.
It wasn’t a perfect defense.
But it was plausible enough to survive initial scrutiny.
He drummed his fingers against the desk for nearly a minute.
Finally, he stood.
"...All right."
He extended his hand.
"We have a deal."
Sarah didn’t shake it.
Instead, she rose smoothly from her chair.
"Excellent."
"The first thing we require is a secure laboratory."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Along with the equipment specified on the procurement list."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"And, naturally..."
"...sufficient funding."
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