Osborn #5 — Nick Peron

Dec 26

Dec 26 Osborn #5

Osborn Part Five

Norman Osborn has just orchestrated his scape from Special Containment Center, a secret privately run prison. As their submarine escapes from the facility, they trick the Navy with an escape pod as a decoy. The resulting explosion rocks the sub, but everyone on board is kept alive by Ai Apec who forms an air bubble around the sub allowing them to breathe until they reach the surface.

Three Weeks Later

The United States Senate has started an investigation on the disappearance of Norman Osborn. Their star witness is Norah Winters a reporter for the Daily Bugle. She had written an exposé on Osborn’s disappearance and they have questions about her sources. Winters tries to ask why the Senate has been secretly imprisoning people in an undocumented prison, but they remind her that she is here to answer their questions. When asked how she discovered this prison, she says she was following a lead but she can’t remember all the details because she believes she was drugged, or something and her memories are hazy. Regardless of this, she is absolutely certain that Norman Osborn is now walking free, possibly in South America.

At that moment, at the First Bank of New York, Norman Osborn enters the building and gets access to his safety deposit box. At that same time, Senator Sondra Muffoletto gets tired of the circus the investigation is going and decides to speak the truth. When her colleague, Senator William Morton tries to stop her from talking she insists that she is going to talk. As Senator Muffoletto admits to her involvement of transferring Norman to the secret prison, Osborn meets with Toxie Doxie for lunch. After sharing a drink he sends her off for a job interview as he calls to turn himself in. Soon a SWAT team arrives outside the restaurant. Norman comes out with his hands up and surrenders to the police without incident.

When Norah Winters returns to the Daily Bugle she meets with her boss, Ben Urich. After her ordeal, she is disappointed that her report about a secret prison was widely shrugged off and she has decided she wants to quit. However, Ben refuses to accept this resignation telling her that she did some amazing work even though the story didn’t set the world on fire. He then asks her what she is working on for next week, she admits she has nothing. Ben tells her not to come back until she has something for him. That’s when Sarah Saulsby comes in and tells them both that Norman Osborn has surrendered to the authorities. Norah then races out of Ben’s office to follow this story.

While at the office of Senator William Morrison, the news of Osborn’s surrender reaches the Senator and he is not pleased. Not long after, Norman Osborn is given an opportunity to address the press outside the New York City courthouse. While reporters have all sorts of questions, the one he does decide to answer is Norah Winter’s demands to know what he did to her. Norman tells her that he made her front-page news. When she threatens to expose him, Norman scoffs at the idea, saying that she is a c-list reporter with delusions of grandeur. With that, Osborn is led off by the authorities. As she and Sarah Saulsby get coffee, Norah explains that she learned that on top of the low pay and crappy hours is the opportunity to shine light on the dark.

Elsewhere, Norman Osborn’s prison allies are now on the loose again. Ai Apeac returns to the jungles he calls home. Carny Rives returns to his usual hunting grounds, the carnivals that blow through small towns all over America. Toxic Doxie ends up getting a job with a local pharmaceutical company. Lastly, the Kingmaker has retreated to a tropical island where he uses his powers to influence the children that live there.

As for Norman Osborn, he has been returned to the Raft. There he is visited by Senator Muffoletto who asks Norman why he went through all of this, particularly orchestrating the destruction of the secret prison. Norman explains that she put them there illegally without due process and he knows that there will be an investigation and Muffoletto will go down because of it. Sondra is blown away at how meticulous Norman Osborn is and can’t help but think how was of a mind like his is. She hopes God has mercy on his soul and leaves. Not long after, Norman is introduced to his new doctor, who turns out to be Toxic Doxie. Acting as though they have never met before, Doxie compliments him by saying his reputation proceeds him. Osborn assures her that the pleasure is all his.