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"Frankly, these robotic soldiers are terrible, but with some time, I can enhance their combat capabilities to at least meet the requirements of the Department of Defense," Daisy started by outlining her potential role in this project.
Justin was delighted and snapped his fingers to signal his staff to prepare champagne for a celebration.
Daisy quickly shifted the conversation, adding, "However, I demand terms that match my abilities. Rescuing Hammer Industries, coupled with the five-year major contract from the Department of Defense, just 3% of the shares is clearly insufficient."
Justin had anticipated this response and was prepared to raise his offer, but Daisy interrupted him: "Mr. Hammer, I know you don't hold a significant portion of the shares yourself. Do you even control 20%? My terms are simple. Skye Data will trade 15% of its shares for 15% of Hammer Industries' shares. You might want to discuss this with your fellow shareholders."
Justin Hammer was dumbfounded by her bold demand. Her small data company wasn't even worth ten million, and now she proposed trading $1.5 million worth of Skye Data for what was effectively 3 billion dollars worth of Hammer Industries shares. This was a daylight robbery! Could he call 911?!
Daisy didn't give him a chance to negotiate further. She picked up her bag, signaled to James Wesley, and the two left Hammer Industries.
"Will they agree to these terms? They seem quite harsh," James, as the president of the company and Daisy's representative in various business activities, questioned with some doubts as they sat in his Lincoln limousine.
The word "harsh" was used because the two were in the same camp, but from an outsider's perspective, James felt Daisy was outright looting, worse than what a year of mob shakedowns might achieve.
If Skye Data acquired 15% of Hammer Industries, it would be a major shareholder in this publicly traded conglomerate.
Selling submachine guns on the street and missiles in a large boardroom are wholly different experiences. Knowing Daisy didn't have time to manage the specifics herself, James realized that if they entered the board of Hammer Industries and exercised daily powers, it would become his job.
With Daisy's support, becoming the CEO wouldn't be difficult, and the thought of becoming a titan in the arms industry made him extremely excited. Yet, he was skeptical about Daisy's tough conditions.
Our little Skye Data is probably worth tens of millions at most. Skye Pictures is valuable, but since S.H.I.E.L.D. holds a major stake and they only control management rights, they could only count on Skye Data's share.
"Don't worry, James, I'm about 50-60% sure they'll agree. You have to understand that knowledge is priceless, and right now, only Stark and I have this knowledge. They can't afford Stark, so they have to turn to me," Daisy confidently said, and she estimated the chance of success was not really 50-60 but even closer to 60-70%.
Justin, as a manager, wouldn't sell his life's work so cheaply, but his backers—those self-sustained Hydra members—would likely offer some "quality" advice, and capital would make Justin compromise.
Approximately 45% of Hammer Industries' shares were on the open market, the rest held by various investment groups and even some high-ranking military officials.
Gaining a 51% control is hard to achieve in reality. Even for Stark Industries, a third is public shares, a third is held by the board, and Tony Stark owns the remaining third.
This one-third share has made him the world's richest man and given him the right to speak with considerable authority within the group.
Hammer Industries, far inferior to Stark Industries, had to cede many shares to gain support from all parties. Daisy's initial 20% estimate for Justin's control was optimistic. According to Danger's statistics, even accounting for some hidden holdings, Justin could only control about 16.5%. The rest was in the hands of outsiders.
Compromising once makes it easier to do so again, and Justin faced enormous pressure.
He did not know that the Hydra members who were going in circles trying to obtain the Iron Man suit designs from Daisy, were also experiencing significant frustration.
As Daisy and James said, it wasn't a matter of money for her but knowledge. Her substantial accumulation of knowledge allowed her to feast on capital opportunities. By eliminating Ivan Vanko early, she had a unique offering—give her price, or take a walk!
For Hydra, it also wasn't about money but qualifications. The arms market is massive but tightly controlled by vested interest groups. Want to enter this circle as an ordinary person? Sorry, no chance. Money won't help. Better play in the internet sector.
While 3% of the shares might be acceptable, once Daisy holds 15% of Hammer Industries, her influence would leap dramatically. Every move she made would impact this military industry business, and having another player slicing the pie is unwelcome in the closely guarded arms circle.
To facilitate this, Hydra would need to leverage its connections to coordinate relationships between all parties and make various compromises to ensure Daisy's smooth entry and a seat at the table.
Lower-level operatives couldn't make this decision, and the issue was passed above through the ranks until it reached the Hydra Financial Base, the "Crown" in Kyoto, Japan, and the most influential leader of Hydra, Baron Strucker.
This tall, Caucasian man with a gloomy atmosphere was like the antithesis of Nick Fury; one maintained justice with dark skin, the other caused chaos with light skin, and while one was blind in the left eye, the other in the right.
Reviewing the subordinate's report, he felt uncomfortable. It was always Hydra taking advantage of others, but this time, it seemed the roles were reversed, and Daisy seemed almost telling them to be exploited.
Looking out over the streets of Kyoto from one eye, he was a little upset and casually tossed aside Daisy's profile after reviewing it multiple times. Hydra's spies reported that Daisy had close ties with Viper.
Strucker's people couldn't monitor Viper, who was also a big boss in Hydra, and there was no information sharing among Hydra's different factions. He just had to rely on guessing.
Absurdity, incomprehension, doubts, etc. rushed into his heart, and Strucker couldn't help but think, could Daisy Johnson be a Hydra? Was one Hydra faction doing business with another?
Strucker suspected that Viper was scheming behind his back, and this beautiful snake was trying to swallow up SHIELD, which was an important asset.
No wonder Strucker thought this way; he had risen to power by devouring most of the Red Skull's subordinates and seizing a significant portion of Whitehall's forces when SHIELD captured him. This collective manpower helped him occupy a dominant position within Hydra.
Everything depended on personal ability—that was Hydra's iron law.
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