chapter 186 part 1
Chapter 185: The Raft Prison
May 2, 2023 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
On the boundless sea, a solitary island stood tall.
Upon the island, a heavily guarded structure appeared exceptionally cold and desolate amidst the surging ocean waves.
The Raft Prison, also known as the Island Prison, was originally affiliated with Ryker's Island Prison, serving as its maximum-security department. Later, the Thunderbolts acquired ownership of the prison and transformed it into the most formidable penitentiary, designed to hold the most heinous superpowered criminals.
"Sir!"
Harry Osborn disembarked from the helicopter, ignoring the sea winds from all directions as it landed within The Raft Prison.
Seeing Harry descend from the helicopter, the prison personnel who had been waiting on the rooftop rushed forward to greet him.
With the disbandment of the Thunderbolts led by Taskmaster, control of The Raft Prison had shifted, with the new leader, Harry Osborn, taking over.
Harry nodded, disregarding the obsequious expression on the supervisor's face.
He glanced at the turbulent waves surrounding the prison before asking, "Have we confirmed the target's condition?"
"We have confirmed the situation; the target is showing no abnormalities," the supervisor reported, his expression settling as he responded to Harry's inquiry.
"Take me there."
Withdrawing his gaze from the sea, Harry Osborn spoke.
"Please follow me, sir."
The prison supervisor had no reason to refuse Harry Osborn's request. He nodded and led the way into The Raft Prison.
Due to being built on an island, The Raft always carried an inescapable dampness. Influenced by the oceanic climate, the entire structure seemed to exude an oppressive atmosphere. Walking through the prison, Harry Osborn passed through floor after floor, encountering familiar figures on many of them.
He bypassed a specially designed cell, ignoring the screams and roars emanating from within.
Led by the prison supervisor, Harry Osborn stopped at the entrance to the lowest-lying cell in The Raft Prison. His eyes shifted slightly as he observed the fine sand flowing within the specially designed saltwater cell.
Noticing the activity outside the cell, the flowing sand within the saltwater prison began to coalesce, slowly forming a blurred human face under Harry Osborn's gaze.
"William Baker."
Inside The Raft Prison, Harry spoke the other man's name as he looked at the indistinct face made of fine sand through the water-filled cell.
William Baker was originally a street thug. During an escape from prison, while evading police pursuit, he inadvertently stumbled into the Georgia Desert Nuclear Test Site.
In the desert, the nuclear radiation affected William Baker's molecular structure, causing him to merge with sand and become Sandman.
Upon discovering his ability to control sand at will, William Baker, or rather Sandman, chose to commit crimes with this newfound power.
His ability to freely manipulate and transform into sand indeed caused significant trouble for the members of the Thunderbolts at the time. Most physical attacks, including those from Luke Cage, could not inflict substantial damage on him. However, Natasha eventually discovered his weakness. By using a large amount of water to dilute William Baker's transformation speed, and then with Songbird using sonic control to subdue his consciousness, he was confined to a special cell in The Raft Prison.
To prevent William Baker from escaping again, the Thunderbolts had specifically designed the saltwater prison that Harry was now observing.
The flowing saltwater would constantly wash over William Baker's body, preventing him from coalescing.
Concurrently, the vast ocean surrounding The Raft Prison served as a further barrier, making any escape attempt by William Baker impossible.
"Who are you?"
Inside the cell, upon hearing the name Harry uttered, the face's expression began to change.
More fine sand coalesced to form a face with indistinct features. William Baker, his eyes formed from sand, stared intently at Harry outside the cell and spoke with difficulty.
"Harry Osborn, the new leader of the Thunderbolts."
"Thunder... Bolts... New leader?"
Harry's response caused a shift in William Baker's voice from within the cell.
Due to prolonged confinement, much of William Baker's consciousness had become blurred. However, his hatred for the Thunderbolts remained undimmed.
Or rather, it was this hatred that allowed William Baker to maintain his consciousness amidst the constant drenching of seawater.
"That's right." Nodding, Harry looked at William Baker's sand-formed face within the cell and stated his purpose for being there.
"Due to certain special circumstances, the original Thunderbolts were forced to disband. I have been tasked by the Superhuman Activities Oversight Committee to assemble a new Thunderbolts team."
For the formation of the new Thunderbolts, Harry clearly had no intention of following the old traditions.
He needed to build a team that would act entirely under his command, not just a generic 'Superhero' team.
To achieve this, he utilized Osborn's resources to persuade the members of the Superhuman Activities Monitoring Committee to agree to his recruiting candidates from The Raft Prison.
"I can grant you your freedom, but in exchange, you need to join my team and follow my orders."
Harry looked directly at William Baker in the cell and presented his terms.
"I agree."
Without the slightest hesitation, William Baker accepted Harry's proposal.
For him, as long as he could get out of this damned prison, he was willing to do anything.
Upon receiving William Baker's reply, Harry turned and nodded to the prison supervisor beside him.
"Sir..."
The supervisor's expression showed hesitation. After all, William Baker was one of the most dangerous inmates in The Raft Prison, and it had taken considerable effort for the Thunderbolts and others to confine him in this special cell.
However, remembering the full authorization directive he had received from the Superhuman Activities Monitoring Committee, the prison supervisor gritted his teeth and issued the order: "Drain Sector G."
"Yes, sir!"