Chapter 2: You can't do this to me--Well I am!
Looking over the board in front of him and dressed in some casual clothing, Norman looked down to his notepad which was a mess of writing, filled to the brim with ideas, solutions and complex words the layman wouldn't be able to understand even if someone explained it to them.
He'd moved from his bedroom to one of the many other rooms in Osborn Manor where Bernard had brought the information he'd asked for. Not personally, mind you. Norman wasn't about to make an older man carry box after box of information - that's what the moving company he'd just brought was for. Norman even had ideas for that moving company.
How to improve everything. That's what Norman was doing. Oscorp, the USA, the world--not that he wanted to sound like a cushy hero but the world was too dangerous a place. Too full of corruption and utter darkness. If he hadn't already been to what he felt was Hell, he'd have called Earth's current landscape hellish.
Mega corporations basically controlled the world from behind the scenes. Stark Industries, for one, was the primary contractor for the US Military. Without Stark Industries, the US would no doubt begin losing wars without Stark's innovative weapons of mass destruction. And if not wars, they'd begin getting pressured by other countries who did have those weapons into agreeing to deals and accords that just weren't in America's favour. How does this mean Stark Industries has power beyond it's means? It can literally force the hand of the military and the military has to comply lest they be underpowered to protect the country they fight for.
A world run by capitalism...it would be naive to think you could change it now. The world had gotten a taste of the benefits, regardless of the negatives, and wouldn't let go unless you damn near killed it. So, instead of changing the status quo, Norman was determined to redefine the status quo.
He'd gone through all the information at his hands about Oscorp and he'd begun to remodel the company in his image. Within a few minutes he'd figured out a few of the board members were embezzling money from the company alongside some managerial positions doing the same. Within half an hour, he'd planned out a financial plan to recover the damage caused by the embezzlement and even turn it to his advantage. Within an hour, he'd come up with the best solutions to Oscorp's biggest problems.
Now, he was planning for things less...business related.
Norman was thinking about the future of the fucked up world he'd found himself in. It was currently March 17th of 2009 and he was 31-years-old - he'd been in a funk for over nine years ever since he was 22 when Harry was born and his late wife passed away.
Which, all in all, gave him roughly a month before Tony Stark's kidnapping due to the machinations of Obadiah Stane and his envy. The question Norman came to, always, was whether he should stop it; after all, the world doesn't need Iron Man. The original world did but the original events of that reality are forever gone and banished now that Norman was here. He was the butterfly flapping it's wings which would eventually lead to a hurricane.
Time had been changed as soon as he arrived. His foreknowledge? Basically useless now. Plots would be different, people would be changed--everything had been changed as soon as he appeared in Norman Osborn's body with his new genetic powers.
So, there was no need for Stark to go through the trials and tribulations he'd gone through in the MCU. If anything, leaving him to get kidnapped could end in Stark's death. 'But...does that really matter to me?' Norman found himself thinking, hard and cold rationale ruling his mind right now, 'If anything, I only have something to gain if I let him get kidnapped. His stocks will drop and allow me to gain a major part of his company's shares, and if he dies...I can see about taking down Obadiah Stane and taking the company for myself.'
Norman's cold thoughts thawed slightly and he cracked a small smile, 'Even if he doesn't die, after he comes back and reveals himself to be Iron Man...well, his stocks will rise in value by quite a bit. I either get a load of money for doing nothing or I get a company after taking out a few bad people. It's a win-win situation.' With that thought over, Norman laid down his notepad and picked up the tea he'd had Bernard make him.
He sipped at the delicious liquid for a few moments before placing the mug back down, grabbing his notepad and standing up before walking over to one of the many whiteboards he'd brought into this room.
Looking over his plans, he memorised everything before wiping the boards clean. Nobody else needed to know the extents of his plans other than himself and with the total recall given to him by his Augment physiology, he'd never forget the plans as soon as he'd come up with them. Writing them down was just a better way to visualise and plan out how to do them.
Just as he'd finished getting rid of the writings, Norman heard Bernard coming down the hallway leading to the room. Seconds later, the butler opened the door as quietly as possible before announcing his presence and why he was there.
"Sir, I've brought breakfast," Bernard said politely, the smell of eggs and bacon filling Norman's nose alongside fresh orange juice, "Do you have any other requests?"
Turning, Norman regarded the man he had so many memories about. A spark of appreciation burned in the new Norman whereas the old Norman would've thought nothing of it, 'Truly, I'm shocked at how privileged the old me was. A man like Bernard serving him with no complaints and doing his duties as best as possible and not a single thank you had ever left the previous me's lips...Well, new management is in and gratitude is the first order of business.'
"Thank you, Bernard," Norman said, a smile working it's way across his face which seemed to shock the old butler, "Truly, thank you. I know I haven't said it much but your work is very much appreciated." Norman stepped to Bernard and then passed him before turning around and gesturing him to follow, "I'll be having breakfast with Harry today," he said before continuing toward the dining hall.
The shocks rattled the butler even further but his professionalism came forth soon after and he nodded, following after the changed Norman as he made his way toward a place he rarely ever frequented. The old Norman was more likely to eat in his study--or in any other room as long as it didn't have Harry or any other distractions in it.
Norman shook his head imperceptibly as he thought about his son. In a past life he'd been a 23-year-old office worker who did nothing but work, just like the old Norman, but even then he still had more sympathy and compassion than the Osborn he now inhabited did. The memories of the scorn he'd treated his own progeny with...it left a bad taste in Norman's mouth. And for what? Because of some sort of misplaced blame put on the poor child due to his mother's death during his birth? For as clever as the old Norman was, he was shockingly stupid at points.
On a side note, and knowing the comics, Norman had gone over his late wife's death and figured it actually was her dying and had nothing to do with that faking her death debacle in the comics. This might be the MCU but the work 'Alternate' had left Norman with questions upon questions about what was changed and what wasn't. Even if his foreknowledge was now practically useless, it could still be used as a basis for certain things.
Take mutants for example. If they were here, that meant he had to prepare to face off against Magneto or Charles Xavier if they ever came to butt heads with him. And with his knowledge from the comics, movies and TV series they'd been in, he could figure out ways to go up against them even if his foreknowledge of those same comics, movies and TV series was now null and void due to his appearance in this world. His foreknowledge was only useless when it came to plots, not when it came down to someone's powers or weaknesses.
'After breakfast I need to figure out the full extent of this world. Groups of interest, big names from my past memories, big events that have happened or look like they're going to happen soon--I need to find it all out and plan for it,' Norman felt a well of determination and drive come up from inside him, filling him with an odd excitement.
After all, what would having all this intelligence and power mean if he never got a chance to use it?
. . .
Sitting at the table and eating his breakfast, Norman was rethinking his decision to be a better father. Not out of some sort of apathy but out of sheer non-understanding of how to be a good one. As mentioned previously, he has no prior experience to being a father - whether a good one or a bad one. He was a simple office worker who now found himself in a fantastical situation where he was both a fictional character AND a father.
As such, Norman just sat at the table, a somewhat meek and subdued 9-year-old Harry Osborn sitting at the opposite end of a table too big for just two people. In the end, he tried to go about it in as normal a manner as he could think about.
"So," Norman started, startling the young Osborn into looking his way whereas before he'd just been playing with the food on his plate, "How's school going, Harry?"
He internally cringed at the awkwardness of the situation but valiantly pushed on through. Nine years of bad fathering was hard to undo in just a morning but it had to start at some point if he wanted to have a decent relationship with his son. Part of him felt affectionate to the boy, probably as a result of leftover paternal instincts, so he didn't want to neglect him any longer. A major difference between the new and old Norman Osborn being that the new one didn't mind admitting to his mistakes - whether they be one's he directly committed or one's committed before he even took over the body he now inhabits.
Harry, still somewhat startled, meekly replied, "It's okay," before returning to mess around with his scrambled eggs with his fork. Things went silent in an uncomfortable way and Norman frowned before shaking his head.
'The boy won't even meet my gaze with his own,' he lamented, 'Jesus Christ, Norman, you really fumbled the bag, huh?'
"Harry," he called out, earning a skittish glance from the younger Osborn before he continued, "Think about something you want to do today. As soon as you get back from school, we'll do it. You and I, and Bernard, will do whatever you want. Okay?" Norman asked and Harry looked confused for a moment before he nodded his head.
Finishing up his breakfast, Norman stood and made his way out of the dining hall where Bernard was standing watch, "Bernard," he called out, gaining his attention as he went on, "I fear I've been a terrible father." He looked back at Harry who was finally eating his meal and sighed before turning back to Bernard, "I'm ashamed I don't know them but get me a list of Harry's favoured hobbies and interests," he trailed off for a few seconds and then let out a sigh for the umpteenth time today, "I'm off to work. Look after Harry."
Norman didn't care if his new actions and choices were so far removed from his old self. All he cared about now was becoming the best version of himself he could possibly be - and that meant both at home and at work.
He had plans to enact.
. . .
A week had passed since Norman had changed and things were progressing well. Right now he was in a meeting with the Board and a few new ideas were beginning to come up.
"Cloning of organs, Osborn? Are you serious?" one of the board, an older woman with what looked like a permanent frown across her wrinkled face, spoke with a degree of disbelief and contempt for the CEO of the company she was a part of. The past Norman could do nothing when they acted like this, too held back by the bindings of so-called 'modern' business.
But the new Norman had no such bindings.
"Yes, I'm serious, Marie," Norman smiled as he looked out at the skyline of New York, hands behind his back and not deigning to look back at the board, "The money we could make from it is astronomical even if we sell at relatively low prices. The technology is there, we have the funds--so why not?"
Murmurs went across the board, no doubt feeling the differences in Norman more than they had throughout the meeting on the finances of the company where he'd been silent for most of it. But now, he spoke and he spoke with such assurance and confidence it was like night and day with what they knew of Norman.
He'd been a brilliant scientist and an above average businessman but never had he demanded such attention from them before. Never had he been this forefront with his ideas and his view of the company.
"And what about the body performance enhancement contracts with the military?" another of the board piped up and Norman had to restrain the smile on his face as he turned to look at the board.
"Well obviously, we'll be dropping them," he simply said, to the surprise and gasps of the board. He walked along the table, his gait steady and his steps calm and measured, "It was naive of us to think we could go toe-to-toe with Stark Industries when it came to military contracts. What use would a super soldier be when he dies just as easily to a high-powered ballistic missile as any other human? Not to mention the development being plagued with problems that are draining our money and making us rely more and more on the military for their funding."
Things went silent before the same woman from before spoke up, standing as she glared over at Norman, "And what would you have us do? Go bankrupt so we can fund your outlandish ideas? Organ growing has been looked into before and no success has been had--" she was stopped when Norman gave her a side glance and lifted a finger to his lips.
"Shh," he shushed her, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly at her, "Marie...please don't interrupt me. I wasn't finished talking." The older woman stood in stunned silence, her mouth half open and still in the process of forming a word yet Norman continued, "No success was had in other companies. Oscorp will be different, of course. Come in," he gave a louder command and a secretary entered the board room and began handing out papers to the board members, "On those papers are plans and ways to extract, swiftly grow and use adult stem cells to produce entire organs alongside a machine that can 3D print said organs. I call it flash cloning because of how utterly fast the process is and because the organs match the exact DNA of the recipient leading to an infinitesimal chance of rejection."
The board read through the papers, their eyes growing wide and basically turning into dollar signs as they saw the well thought out science behind it all. Norman has especially pulled out all the stops to show how promising the prospect was, even with no successful experiments on record.
Marie, the ever frowning old woman, dropped the paper and looked to Norman, "...As promising as it seems, where will we find the money for this if not for the successful military contracts?"
"It's funny you should ask that," Norman smiled a little and yet his smile chilled the room as he walked over to his seat at the head of the table where there was a phone. Leaning in, he pressed a button and spoke, "You can come in and detain them now."
And within seconds, people wearing FBI jackets and those of the FRD came in, holding warrants and all the necessary documents as they began to arrest and apprehend at least half the board. Marie, catching on to what was happening, looked to Norman, "You can't do this to me--" she tried to get out but stopped solid when she saw the cheshire cat-like smile across his face.
"Well, I am and just did, Marie," he said and turned back to the skyline of New York while the board members were taken away on charges of tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement.
All the evidence was there but it needed someone with motive and a brain like Norman's to find it. Contacting the FBI and the FRD when he discovered it, pointing them in the right direction and then agreeing to get all the offenders in the board room on a specific day...it'll all been so easy for Norman.
'Like taking candy from a baby,' Norman smiled to himself, 'Now I'll get reimbursed for all the money they stole, and I'll be able to strong arm their shares away from them. I'm going to sue them out the ass for as much money as I possibly can as well. How am I gonna fund the flash cloning? With your money, Marie, just to spite you,' his smile grew and stayed as it was all until the FBI and FRD had left the board room. Which left Norman and the other half of the board alone.
Silence reigned through the board room and Norman sat down at his seat, levelling a somewhat sinister gaze at those still in the room, "So, is there anyone who's against the projects I will bring to this table henceforth?" he asked, gaining shaky nods from the members at the table only causing his smile to widen as he continued, "Oh, and just in case you think I don't know...I know you were all in on their little embezzlement scheme. I have the evidence in multiple safe locations, all backed up in other locations and ready to release the information if something unfortunate were to happen to me or mine. Because of this unfortunate situation you've all brought on yourselves and me, I'll be taking a percentage of your shares in the company over the next few months until I have half of all your shares - I'll pay of course but at obviously at a discount due to your, you know, stealing."
Ashen faces and even shakier nods were traded among the members and toward Norman. Each board member began to see Norman as some sort of devilish being, in their eyes horns and an impish tail growing from his being as his eyes looked down on them with a baleful glint.
Just as they thought it was all over, Norman held up a finger and everyone just...froze.
"Ah, and I expect you all to jump off the board by the end of the year. You'll also all make a sizeable donation to Oscorp as a 'thank you' for all the good it's done for you, right?"
...The people of the board felt their blood run cold. What had Norman Osborn become?
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