From early morning, messages from multiple sources began pouring in, informing me that the Department of Defense had officially decided to terminate its contract with Oscorp. It seemed they were aware that no breakthroughs had been made in the development of the Oz Serum within the two weeks they had allocated. Most likely, someone with access to this information had directly tipped them off, and I was willing to bet a million dollars that it was someone on the board of directors—someone bought by Adam Hall and his company.
Sitting in my very comfortable chair in my office, I occasionally glanced at the timer running on my phone. It was counting down to the completion of the Oz Serum Plus testing, and the numbers showed 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 18 seconds. I hoped there would be no issues with the serum, and I would finally be rid of my illness. Of course, I understood that this wouldn't happen instantly, but that wasn't so important.
"Wanda, bring me today's press," I ordered my secretary, pressing the intercom button. Yes, it was only the mid-2000s, and while newspapers were gradually moving online, they were far from obsolete. I suspected that even fifty years from now, some newspapers would still be printed on paper. Wanda didn't keep me waiting—she was a true professional, and compiling the morning press was part of her duties as a secretary.
By the way, although I had mentioned Wanda several times, it was worth describing her in more detail. She was twenty-five years old and had the appearance of a typical ditzy blonde with a figure of 90-60-90, but this impression was deceptive. Behind her almost doll-like appearance lay considerable intelligence and... an enormous desire to work as little as possible, which she openly admitted and even fought against her laziness with varying success. But back to the press.
Hmm, the New York Post wrote about another scandalous escapade by Tony Stark, who had spent millions of dollars on an incredibly lavish party, invited a bunch of celebrities, and then flew off with one of the most famous models to buy a castle in Scotland. But I doubted those invited celebrities were dissatisfied—this party was likely organized by his indispensable assistant, Pepper Potts. I was very sorry that I didn't have such an assistant myself; it would have simplified many things.
The Daily Bugle, however, managed to please me with a very blurry photo of Spider-Man on the front page and the headline: "Spider-Man: Hero or the City's Greatest Threat?" Ha, J. Jonah Jameson was, as always, in his element. It seemed Spider-Man had already appeared and started acting. I would need to keep a close eye on him. Where he went, problems followed, and some of his problems could be turned into significant advantages.
I didn't bother looking at the other newspapers and instead decided to check the current stock price of Oscorp. As expected, the stock value had dropped slightly over the past few hours. I was glad that the price of Oscorp's shares no longer held much significance for me—my shares already belonged to others, and that was now their headache. I was about to speak with some of the people who would soon be leaving the company with me when Wanda contacted me via the intercom.
"Mr. Osborn, Mr. Balkan from the board of directors wants to speak with you," Wanda said in a tone that suggested something very unpleasant wanted to connect with me. Even she didn't like this snob much.
"Put him through," I said, frowning. This was expected, of course, but I had hoped for a little more time. Still, I was ready, and this didn't disrupt any of my plans.
"Osborn," Balkan greeted in his peculiar way.
"Balkan," I replied just as briefly.
"Osborn, there will be a shareholders' meeting today at four o'clock, and as one of the shareholders, you must be present," he said and cut the connection without waiting for any response from me.
This was rude—one might even say very rude. But it seemed he had reached the point where he no longer cared about basic courtesy. He had stopped hiding and started acting directly. He had only contacted me because, when convening the major shareholders, he was obligated to invite me as someone who owned 14 percent of the company's shares. He didn't know that I had already concluded an agreement to sell them at a much higher price than the current one, not to mention the premium.
At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted by a call on my phone. Glancing at the screen, I saw it was Arthur calling.
"Yes, Arthur," I answered.
"Norman, I don't know how much you're aware, but at today's shareholders' meeting, Balkan plans to remove you from the position of CEO of Oscorp. It seems he wants to take this position himself, and as the holder of 23 percent of the shares, he can very well win in a vote, especially if he has prepared in advance—and he certainly has, securing the support of enough shareholders," Arthur informed me in the calmest tone possible.
"Yes, judging by his behavior, it wasn't hard to guess. And that's not counting the fact that several people contacted me earlier to inform me that Balkan had reached out to them about their votes at today's meeting. But still, thank you for this call," I thanked Arthur.
"You didn't have to thank me; you know it's my job," Arthur replied. I could even imagine him shrugging at that moment.
"By the way, how did you find out what Balkan wants to do?" I asked, suddenly becoming interested in this question.
"Well, I could start talking about how I'm the head of Oscorp's security and have my sources, but I'll just send you this very interesting video," Arthur said with a smile for some reason.
Hmm... a video. Let's see.
The video was clearly filmed in one of the restrooms in the Oscorp Tower. At first, I saw Balkan quickly using the urinal, but then, without even washing his hands, he checked all the stalls for people and inspected the restroom for cameras (failing to find the one that was filming him). Approaching the nearest mirror, he cleared his throat and began to speak:
"I want to speak as one of the main shareholders of Oscorp. Norman Osborn has made too many mistakes to remain in his position, and the loss of the Department of Defense contract is just the latest of them. Dear shareholders, just look at the current stock price—no further explanation is needed. I believe it's long past time for him to retire. I propose we hold a vote to remove Norman Osborn from the position of CEO of Oscorp to elect a truly worthy candidate in his place."
"Did he really rehearse his speech in one of the Oscorp restrooms? Is he that stupid? Couldn't he have done this at home?" I couldn't help but ask these questions, to which Arthur only chuckled.
"I don't even know what to say about this..." I muttered softly.
"Yes, it's quite amusing indeed. Norman, I know you have a lot of work, so I won't distract you any longer. I'll contact you later," Arthur said, and after my response, "Alright, I'm available," the conversation ended.
For two hours until the timer ran out, I sat on pins and needles. It was even difficult to work, let alone persuade the people I needed at Oscorp to join my new company. Even those with whom everything had already been agreed upon wanted to contact me to confirm that everything was still in place. But I still did it—time was running out. After the shareholders' meeting, everything would change one way or another.
When the numbers on my phone showed all zeros, I headed to the lab where I had been working on the Oz Serum Plus for the past few days. The simulation results were already waiting for me.
Subject: Norman Osborn
Chance of successful serum application: 93.1%
Chance of curing retroviral hyperplasia: 97.6% (if serum application is successful)
Chance of uncontrollable mutation: 4.2%
Chance of temporary side effects: 89.1% (details)
Chance of permanent side effects: 18.5% (details)
Chance of fatal outcome due to unsuccessful body restructuring: 8.2%
Serum effect duration: Approximately two months, with a brief peak during the initial application.
Hmm, things weren't as rosy as I had imagined. The risks weren't negligible. I needed to learn more about the side effects, so I pressed the "details" button.
Possible temporary side effects:
Temporary reduction in critical thinking
Increased aggressiveness
Mild confusion
Warning: Unpredictable side effects possible
When I pressed "details" for the permanent side effects, the list narrowed down to increased aggressiveness. It seemed the foundation of the Oz Serum was making itself known—this problem had been prominently expressed in it. At least there was no madness among the side effects; becoming the Green Goblin wasn't part of my plans. But even what was listed was enough.
I didn't have much of a choice. Soon, I would lose access to Oscorp's lab and its supercomputer, and I simply didn't have the health for lengthy research. So, I initiated the synthesis of the Oz Serum Plus (all three possible doses—there simply wasn't enough Wolverine blood left for more) and began erasing all important information from the computer. I transferred the Oz Serum Plus data to an external drive and hid it in my pocket. Now, all that was left was to wait for both the start of the shareholders' meeting and the completion of the serum synthesis.
Shareholders' meetings weren't held very often, and if we're precise, unscheduled shareholders' meetings weren't held very often. Because if a company is operating normally and everything is fine, the shareholders don't worry and simply spend their dividends. But now, Balkan, as the main shareholder, had convened a shareholders' meeting, which meant tough times had come for the company—though not everyone yet understood just how tough.
"I want to speak as one of the main..." Balkan began his well-rehearsed speech once all the major shareholders had taken their seats, but I didn't let him finish.
"Balkan, shut up," I ordered him, and to his surprise, he did exactly as I told him.
"Osborn, don't you dare silence me," he hissed furiously. It seemed he didn't like that things hadn't gone according to his plan.
"According to the protocol outlined in the company's charter, the founder of the company speaks first, followed by the owner of the largest share package, and so on," I told him in a stern voice.
"But..." he began to object, but I wasn't interested in his objections.
"There is a protocol for such meetings, and we will follow it, or do you need a reminder of who the founder of this company is?" I asked, narrowing my eyes threateningly.
"No need," Balkan practically hissed through his teeth.
"Good," I said.
"First, I want to make an announcement. I, Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp Industries, officially declare my resignation from this position, and I will do so after I hand over my duties to whoever replaces me, as I would like to focus more on my health," I said and surveyed everyone present in the meeting hall. Some shareholders were surprised, some were annoyed, but mostly, everyone hid their true emotions about my resignation very well.
"And now, Balkan, you can say what you wanted to say," I generously allowed Balkan.
"Well... ahem..." he faltered. It seemed he hadn't expected me to give up so easily. He thought I would fight for my position to the last and had spent a lot of money to influence the board of shareholders.
"Since the esteemed Norman Osborn is resigning, we need a new CEO, and I propose myself for this position," he said after recovering somewhat from the collapse of his plans. At that moment, I suddenly became "esteemed."
"Don't rush, Henry," said Maximilian Fargas, one of the board members and also one of the main shareholders of Oscorp.
"Why shouldn't I rush? What are you talking about?" Henry asked in confusion. But Fargas didn't have to answer his question because, at that moment, the well-known director of Quest Aerospace, Adam Hall, entered with two of his assistants.
"Why are you here? Who even let you in? This is a shareholders' meeting of Oscorp Industries, and outsiders have no place here. Especially outsiders like you," Henry Balkan said indignantly. "Fargas, what is this? Did you invite him?" he asked a new question.
"Calm down, Mr. Balkan. I have just as much right to be here as you do," Adam Hall said. And at that moment, Balkan realized that his entire struggle for the position of CEO had been essentially pointless. He had been so absorbed in it that he had missed the emergence of a new player within the company.
"What are you trying to achieve, Hall?" Balkan asked with hostility in his voice.
"Nothing now. Everything is already done, and from now on, the appointment of the CEO and, in general, making important decisions in the company will be handled by the official representative of Quest Aerospace," Adam Hall replied with a smile, as if not noticing Balkan's hostility.
At that moment, my phone vibrated, and I quickly checked who was trying to reach me at this time. To my surprise, it was Arthur, who knew very well where I was. I was about to answer him, but the call ended due to a complete lack of signal, which was very strange. I would have to deal with this immediately after the shareholders' meeting.
"But that's only possible if Quest Aerospace has a controlling stake, but that's simply impossible, considering that together with Fargas, we have 32 percent of the company's shares," Henry Balkan objected.
"Sorry, Henry. Nothing personal, it's just business. I sold my shares to Quest Aerospace, and now nothing can be done. Their offer was too advantageous, and it included a confidentiality agreement," Fargas said, trying not to look at Balkan, whom he had considered a friend.
"Norman, we've worked together almost since the founding of the company. Let's combine our shares. Together, we'll have a blocking stake, and Quest Aerospace simply won't be able to make any decisions we don't like," Balkan began to look for options, still not understanding that he had completely lost.
"Balkan, accept the fact that Oscorp effectively already belongs to Quest Aerospace, and there's nothing that can be done about it. My 14 percent of the shares are already theirs, and I can't help you even if I wanted to. And I don't want to. Do you think I don't know about your plans to remove me from the position of CEO?" I asked mockingly, looking at him.
"Henry, it's better to sell them your shares, as most in this room have done. That way, you can exit the situation with minimal losses," Fargas advised Balkan.
"I'm not interested in your opinion, traitor," Balkan snapped angrily in response.
"Now, now, there's no need to get so heated. I think working together, we can find a solution that suits everyone, and..." Adam Hall began to speak, but he never got to finish his speech because suddenly, the large panoramic windows shattered, and several typical Green Goblin pumpkin bombs flew straight onto the table. Since I knew very well what they were capable of, I realized I had only a couple of seconds left to live. I simply wouldn't have time to get out of the blast radius.