Marvel - The Blood God

Maverick had no idea that Trish was making a spectacle of herself outside. He poured Max a cup of tea and asked, "Max, I heard you're responsible for upgrading the city's power grid?"

Max was flattered. Holding the teacup with both hands, he said both cautiously and proudly, "To be precise, the new power grid was designed by me. I'm the best engineer at Oscorp."

Maverick asked, "Then why isn't your name on the design?"

Max's enthusiasm faded. He put down the cup, waved his hand angrily, and said, "They took credit for my work."

"Did they bully you because you're Black?" Maverick inquired.

Max was taken aback. "Does that matter?" he wondered.

In truth, it wasn't about race at all; Max was just an oddball, and his colleagues at Oscorp's power department often bullied him. But Maverick thought it was a convenient excuse.

Taking a sip of tea, Maverick asked, "Max, have you ever considered suing Oscorp for discrimination and stealing your achievements?"

"Sue them?" Max shook his head bitterly. "How can I sue Oscorp? They have a team of top lawyers. If I go against them, I'll just get fired, and no one else will hire me."

"That is, unless someone helps you," Maverick said. "I can provide you with a first-class legal team."

Max looked puzzled. "You'd help me? Why would you want to help me?"

"Max, I'll be honest. I want to lower Oscorp's stock price," Maverick admitted. "You're the designer of the new power grid—that's significant."

Max's eyes widened with excitement. "Am I that important?"

"Absolutely. You could greatly impact Oscorp's stock price," Maverick smiled. "If you agree to sue Oscorp, I'll not only provide legal support but also ensure you're financially secure. Of course, my condition is that you can't settle without my approval; we have to see this through."

"That's all?"

Max hesitated, but Maverick added fuel to the fire. "Max, once you sue Oscorp, you'll become the talk of the city. Reporters will line up to interview you."

"Really?" Max grew more excited, his face flushing slightly. "Will I make headlines like my good friend Spider-Man?"

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "Your good friend Spider-Man?"

Max nodded earnestly. "Yes. He told me I'm his friend."

Maverick smiled. "Well, discrimination against Black people is a big deal."

"Yes, exactly." Max exclaimed. "They discriminate against me because I'm Black—they bully me, isolate me. They often close the elevator doors early so I can't get in, and they..."

Maverick listened patiently to Max's complaints, occasionally offering sympathy. Max was deeply grateful; aside from Spider-Man, Maverick was the only one who treated him so kindly.

"For a friend like this, I'm all in for the lawsuit." Max thought, silently promoting Maverick to the status of close friend.

After Max finished speaking, Maverick called through the intercom, "Natasha, come in."

"Boss." Natasha entered gracefully. Max's eyes widened a bit, but when she glanced his way, he lowered his head and sipped his tea nervously.

Maverick introduced Max to Natasha, then said, "You're in charge of this case. Choose any law firm in the city. I have only one requirement: win."

He added, "And the bigger the impact, the better."

"No problem. Racial discrimination is serious," Natasha smiled. "I'll find a Black lawyer to handle the lawsuit and donate to some civil rights organizations to get their support."

"Have them protest directly at Oscorp's building," Maverick suggested. Turning to Max, he asked, "By the way, Max, are you comfortable speaking publicly?"

Max looked up eagerly. "Speak? In front of people?"

"Yes," Maverick replied. "We can help you with the speech, but you'll need to deliver it yourself. I'll arrange for it to be broadcast on TV."

"On TV?" Max was ecstatic. He nodded repeatedly. "I can do it."

"Great. Natasha, I'll leave everything to you. Budget is not an issue; just report expenses to me for approval," Maverick said with satisfaction.

Natasha skillfully invited Max to an adjacent office to discuss further. Before leaving, she shot Maverick a resentful glance. Was this guy really a man? With a beautiful woman like her around, he never even made a move. Worse, he often asked her to help him charm other women. If it weren't for her mission, she'd have given him a piece of her mind.

Maverick noticed Natasha's frustration and chuckled to himself. "She thinks too highly of herself," he mused.

After they left, Maverick picked up his phone and called James. "What's the status of Oscorp's human enhancement serum?"

James replied, "They're about to start official human trials. Also, they previously conducted illegal experiments through a shady pharmaceutical company—many homeless people died. They've improved the serum now; the failure rate is down to about 20%, but the enhancement effects are slightly reduced."

"Even with a 20% failure rate, they're desperate," Maverick sneered. "Bribe the audit supervisor and slip in some test subjects with violent tendencies."

"No problem," James assured him. "In America, money can do just about anything."

"How are things with the shareholders? Anyone willing to sell their shares?" Maverick asked.

"One shareholder is willing to trade Oscorp shares for Stark Industries shares but wants to exchange 6% for 5%," James reported.

"He's dreaming. Stall him for now. Once Oscorp's scandal breaks, we'll negotiate—three percentage points will suffice," Maverick instructed.

"Understood," James nodded. "By the way, I found the professor you were looking for: Dr. Samuel Stern from Grayburn College's Department of Cellular Biology. I tried to recruit him on behalf of the Council of Blood, but he declined."

"Samuel Stern? Got it. You don't need to worry about him. Good work, James," Maverick acknowledged.

Samuel Stern—Mr. Blue from the Hulk's story—a genius. If he wouldn't accept employment, it meant he'd already connected with the Hulk. Maverick thought he might need to pay him a visit. Perhaps Hulk's blood could enhance his own strength.

"Thanks for valuing me, Maverick. I won't let you down," James said.

"Didn't realize you were such a smooth talker," Maverick joked, ending the call with a smile.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Maverick said.

Jessica walked in, her expression annoyed. "Boss, need more tea?"

Maverick smiled. "Still refusing to change clothes?"

"In your dreams. This is kidnapping." Jessica snapped.

He gestured for her to pour the tea. "You could've run away. Why stay?"

"The old lady said there's some 'chi' in my body. If I try to escape, it'll act up and cause me pain." Jessica grumbled as she awkwardly refilled his teapot, spilling a bit.

"Takes one to know one," Maverick chuckled. Jessica glared at him. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Where's that guy?"

"Forget about him. He won't bother you again," Maverick assured her.

"Good riddance." Jessica sighed with relief, then gave Maverick a sidelong glance. "You too."

He smiled. "People who owe debts usually don't want to see their creditors, but that's not how it works. Just work here peacefully. Once you've paid off what you owe, you're free to go."

"I'll pay for that piece of glass, even though you scammed me—what kind of glass costs tens of thousands of dollars?" she grumbled. "But can you ask that old lady to take Trish as her apprentice? She really wants to learn kung fu; she's even kneeling outside."

"She's actually kneeling?" Maverick was surprised. He looked out the window and smiled. "She's smart—willing to swallow her pride to meet the requirements."

"Trish is always smart. She was a child star, you know," Jessica boasted.

"Why does she want to learn kung fu so badly? She doesn't strike me as a martial arts enthusiast," Maverick remarked.

"Because kung fu is the only way for ordinary people to become superheroes," Jessica explained.

"If she wants to be a superhero, the rich rely on technology, the poor on mutation. Your sister could try mutation," Maverick suggested. "Like Daredevil—he became popular in Hell's Kitchen after being mutated by chemicals as a child. And Spider-Man, too... Wait."

Noticing something outside, Maverick saw Peter Parker snapping photos of Trish. Fresh out of high school, Peter was working as a freelance photographer, trying to sell interesting shots to the Daily Bugle for some cash. Since intriguing photos were hard to come by, he often sold pictures of himself as Spider-Man, only to see the paper smear his alter ego.

Trish hadn't noticed anyone photographing her. Feeling thirsty, she pulled down her face mask to sip some water, then pulled it back up—an action Peter captured perfectly.

"At his age, sneaking around taking pictures," Maverick thought, shaking his head.

Jessica didn't notice his distraction. "Wait, you know Daredevil and Spider-Man?" she asked skeptically.

"I even know Tony Stark. He owes me quite a bit," Maverick replied with a smile.

"Sure you do," Jessica scoffed. "And I had dinner with Beyoncé last night."

Maverick laughed but didn't elaborate. Jessica eyed him and asked, "You're so strong; why not become a superhero?"

"I'm a vampire—a natural-born villain. Not exactly hero material," Maverick said. "Besides, who says the powerful have to be superheroes? I'm wealthy enough to help others without getting involved personally."

An idea struck him: perhaps he could recruit a few superheroes to make future endeavors smoother. After all, the world was moving in that direction. But hiring established heroes was nearly impossible; they weren't swayed by money. "Maybe I should train a few myself," he thought, eyeing Jessica and Trish. They both had potential.

"Vampire? Well, I'm a werewolf." Jessica retorted, unaware of his musings. "And you're just a teahouse owner pretending to be rich. Your place will go under soon enough. Who ever heard of a teahouse with a membership system?"

Maverick smiled silently. With his resources, bankruptcy was unlikely. Jessica hesitated before asking, "If you're not going to be a superhero, isn't that a waste of the abilities you have?"

"Did Trish put that idea in your head?" Maverick asked. "Don't let others dictate your path. Be yourself. Help if you want; don't if you don't. The most important thing is to live comfortably. People should live for themselves, not others."

"Are you living comfortably?" Jessica muttered. Then, looking at him disdainfully, she said, "You're wasting your abilities."

"With that attitude, it's a wonder you haven't been knocked out yet," Maverick remarked. He waved her off. "Go talk to that kid outside. See if he'll be a sparring partner for a couple of hours a day. The pay is good."

Jessica glanced at Peter and scoffed, "That scrawny guy? I could floor him with one punch."

"Who was it that got bested by a frail old lady and begged for mercy?" Maverick teased.

"I did not beg for mercy. I was just respecting my elders." Jessica huffed, storming out.

Seeing Jessica exit, Trish looked hopeful. Jessica nodded to her before approaching Peter. "Hey, my boss wants to hire you as a sparring partner. Good pay."

"Sparring?" Peter was momentarily stunned. "Uh, sorry, I don't like fighting. I've got somewhere to be."

He quickly turned and walked away, eager to submit his photos. Little did he know that the only photo he'd chosen was of Trish sipping water.

Although Trish was a former star, she had been quite popular. J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle, recognized her instantly and was thrilled. An ex-celebrity, possibly unstable, kneeling in front of a teahouse? It was the perfect story.

Maverick didn't stop Peter from leaving; he knew Peter would be back. After all, he was a noble yet poor guy who refused to use his superpowers for profit.

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