Nicole Horne (1952 - 2001) was the CEO of Aesir Corporation from at least the early 1990's up until 2001. A ruthless and amoral businesswoman, Horne was responsible for the killing of Max Payne's wife and daughter and the production of designer drug Valkyr. Due to Horne's wrinkled appearance, she is known as 'the witch' and 'the hag' until Max Payne uncovers her name in relation to a government research project known as Project Valhalla, along with her rival Alfred Woden and the secret society 'The Inner Circle', of which she was once a member. The main goal of the research was to create a chemical drug to increase the morale and stamina of US military soldiers. The project was cancelled in 1995, due to the fact that the test subjects lost their minds and the end result was unsatisfactory.