2012-08-16 Doing Business

-- Financial District - Hammer Industries - Justin Hammer's Office

Justin Hammer's office is just as white as the rest of his facility, from the soft carpet underfoot to the smooth walls -- though the decor does a much better job of breaking it up. Hung on the wall are a number of framed articles and awards that he's earned over the years, while the actual physical trophies have a nice elegant shelf to call home next to what appears to be a rather expansive liquor cabinet.

A large window dominates the rear wall and looks out over the city, set directly behind Hammer's desk. It's large and made of expensive-looking black wood, matched only by an office chair so needlessly expensive that it must have somehow survived the last dot com bubble burst.

--

Making an appointment with Justin Hammer, even at the last second, is not difficult. Not when you have a /name/, at least, or power, or money. Sebastian Shaw has all three, and as such, his request for a little bit of Justin Hammer's time was met with absolutely no resistance. His schedule was, by some miracle, completely open to whenever Shaw wished to meet.

As meeting time draws near, Hammer is in his office, standing at the window and watching the city do its thing while he waits. As a costumed hero goes whizzing by, he glances briefly to his watch, just in time for his assistant's voice to come over the comm.

"Mr. Hammer? Mr. Shaw is here to see you."

"Thank you Sarah," Hammer replies with a warm smile, turning towards the office door. "Please, send him right in."

Right on time, even. Shaw has little patience for tardiness and that includes his own schedule. Running late throws off an entire day, so he takes pains to see it doesn't happen. The large man enters, with a quick glance around the room to soak it in before his gaze falls on Hammer, and he offers a smile. "Justin. So good of you to see me on short notice. I love the decor. It's very... clean," he decides. And the compliment is not facetious-- at least not entirely. There's an appeal to the stark sterility of white and black.

If Justin Hammer finds Shaw intimidating -- and he does -- he hides it well behind a broad smile as he crosses the office to offer him a good, proper handshake. "Not at all, Sebastian. I always have time for you. Please, come right in, make yourself comfortable." He waves towards the chairs in front of his desk before making his way towards his own. "I like a clean work area. It makes it easier to focus on the tasks at hand, you know? I find messes needlessly distracting."

Shaw meets the handshake, and Hammer can rest easy knowing his visitor is not one of those men that insist on crushing every hand offered them. "Thank you," he replies politely, sinking into the chair. Something about the motion and the way he crosses his legs and steeples his fingers makes it seem like he's mounting a throne. "Good. I can see why you've risen to the position in the feild you have. I will do you the courtesy of cutting to the chase. On a trusted recommendation, I have come to arrange a sizable purchase of your stock."

"I'm always happy to hear when we get positive word of mouth," Hammer muses, settling into his own seat and reaching for a tablet tucked away in a desk drawer. "We can absolutely handle large orders, no problem at all. Do you know roughly what you're looking for?" he asks, tilting his head curiously at Shaw. "If you need some examples, we have brochures and a full selection down in the testing range that I'd be happy to let you try out before commiting."

Shaw settles into his chair. "I am looking to supply our employees, particularly those working in facilities-- either ours or client sites-- with the means to defend themselves. Ideally that means something compact, effective, and simple to use and maintain with a minimum of expertise. I outlined these needs to a consultant-- I believe you are aquainted with Cabe McPherson Security? In any case, your Titan stun gun came recommended for the purpose. It seems to me to be an effective but safe choice to employ around most of our equipment."

Hammer's expression brightens noticably, and he makes a note to send Bethany another bouquet of flowers. Nice pretty ones, with a bow and everything. Maybe some chocolates.

"Oh, absolutely. The Titan is a little bulky as stun guns go, but I'm sure Ms. Cabe probably went into that with you. She's very thorough," Hammer notes, in a tone that lands somewhere between conspiratorial and highly approving. "We have plenty of Titans in stock. You're welcome to as many as you need. If I don't have enough on-hand, I'll prioritize a new round of manufacturing." He's just that nice a guy.

How pleasant. He's well aware that a little ego-stroking goes a long way with Hammer, but he still appreciates the man's intelligence, drive and attempts to maintain professionalism. "Two hundred units should take care of our most pressing concerns," he answers smoothly. "For the longer term, I would like to commission a special edition with a projectile delivery mechanism." It will add a little overall bulk, but darts with trailing cables provide useful standoff distance, and he's quite sure Hammer can handle the modifications in his sleep, Stark comparisons be damned.

The tablet comes up and Hammer plucks a stylus from his jacket so he can start making notes as Shaw speaks, nodding his head encouragingly. "Two hundred is no problem at all, I can have those packaged up for you before you leave today. As for projectiles, you just tell me what you want these babies to shoot," he notes, glancing up to shoot Shaw -- yes -- a wink. "We'll make it happen for you."

The wink just gets taken in stride, with a hint of amusement. "I don't think it need be anything exotic. If it can deliver the same charge at up to say... fifteen feet, perhaps with a replacable cartridge for multiple uses, I think it should do nicely. Provided you have no issues making it work, I will happily pay the special commission fee and delivery costs for a thousand units upon successful demonstration."

Professional or otherwise, Hammer can't resist a low, appreciative whistle as he jots this down. "Sebastian... and you wonder why I'm so happy to make time for you. Consider it done," he says brightly, settling back in his chair to do some very rapid mental math. "I'll get the revised designs started tonight. We should have a functioning prototype for you by the end of the month, and we can do a production run as soon as you're happy."

"Excellent," Shaw decides. "I knew I could count on you. Unlike... some people." It's obvious he's referring to Justin's favorite person to hate on, and it's a pretty undisguised appeal to the man's dislike. But Shaw is not exactly ashamed to do it. "I think there's little need to keep this quiet, on a side note. Letting it be known that we're working to take steps to proect valuable infrastructure could play very nicely for both of our companies."

"Oh, come on, you can count on Tony," Hammer says wryly, a little twinkle in his eye. "To be loud, and obnoxious, and more concerned with playing superhero than being a good host. Which is probably why you're here, and not there." Well, and Bethany's recommendation, and the lack of questions, and...

Hammer pokes the 'send' button on his tablet to get the wheels of industry a-turning on packing up Shaw's order and start planning for the next, then sets the tablet aside with a smile. "Hey, I'm happy to see it promoted if you are. Publicity's good for the both of us. Everybody needs power, and everybody needs to be able to protect it. What's not to like?"

Shaw smiles again. "Certainly there's nothing to dislike in a whole lot of good public opinion," he muses. There is nothing quite like winning the public to your side.