Nathan stood in front of his surveillance monitors, eyes narrowed in deep thought.
He wasn't about to make a move just yet.
Rushing in without knowing the enemy's full capabilities would be reckless—and Nathan wasn't reckless.
His target this time was Luke Cage, a man shrouded in mystery and strength.
Unfortunately, Luke wasn't a spotlight-hogging Avenger. Information on him was scarce, especially compared to bigger names like Iron Man or Captain America.
The only source Nathan could pull from was a copy of HYDRA's stolen database. From it, he gleaned just a few facts:
Luke Cage was the result of a failed prison experiment.
He had a body that could withstand bullets and explosions, and he had once lifted a medium-sized truck without breaking a sweat—a machine that weighed between 6 to 14 tons.
That alone proved Cage's strength exceeded Nathan's current capabilities.
"Which means I need to upgrade—fast," Nathan muttered.
Luke Cage disappearing from the surveillance feed was expected. Public cameras only covered so much, and someone like Cage wouldn't linger in front of them long.
That's why Nathan had sent Kurt to install covert surveillance units—ones that could track Cage more precisely.
But this was just Step One of the Superman Project.
Copying Luke Cage's steel-like body was the beginning. The real plan was to take that durability and push it to the limit—a transformation into something beyond human.
Still, first things first.
Nathan left the monitor room and headed toward a different target: Green Goblin.
He liked dealing with types who talked big. The more they resisted, the more satisfying it was when they finally broke.
As for Emily—his adopted little sister—he'd enrolled her in beginner-level online courses. Today's lesson covered basic language and math.
At a desk in the living room, Emily stared at the screen in despair. Her small arms flopped dramatically, her forehead resting on the table.
When Nathan walked past, she perked up, "Big brother!"
She tried to rush over, but Klaue stopped her sternly. "No skipping lessons. You'll thank me later."
Pouting, Emily sat back down.
Nathan smiled.
Downstairs in the bio-lab, a tiny figure sat at another desk—Little Spider-Man.
The multi-legged creature stared at its own screen, focused and serious.
It was watching human educational content, using its front legs to awkwardly trace out letters on the desk.
Nathan gave a proud nod. "Good job, Spidey."
Then he got to work.
Scattered across the table were notes, chemical formulas, and crumpled scraps. He was optimizing the Green Goblin serum.
He'd done preliminary calculations before—now it was time to finish the job.
Thanks to prior experience with the Super Soldier Serum and Lizard Serum, Nathan had a baseline for enhancement formulas.
After two hours of testing and refining...
A glowing yellow vial stood on the desk.
It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. It would eliminate Norman's Green Goblin persona—though it came with side effects.
Yes, it would reduce Norman's strength somewhat.
Yes, the injection would be agonizing.
But for Nathan, that was a feature—not a flaw.
He wanted Norman Osborn back. Not the lunatic alter ego that had taken over his mind.
With serum in hand, Nathan entered the operating room.
Green Goblin sneered, "Still failing to make progress? Maybe it's time you admit defeat."
Nathan calmly held up the vial.
"I finished it."
That wiped the grin off Green Goblin's face.
"This will erase your alter ego. But it'll hurt. Badly. Want to try it?"
The villain's eyes twitched.
"You think you're clever, don't you? This is all a bluff!"
"I know what you're doing—trying to scare me!"
Then suddenly, as if wrestling against himself, Green Goblin's voice faltered.
"I… I want to use it…"
Nathan didn't pause.
He filled the syringe, face emotionless.
As he approached, panic set in.
"No! Don't inject me! Let's talk! I'll work for you! I'll serve you!"
Nathan's hand didn't waver.
Psst!
The needle plunged in.
Green Goblin screamed in agony, his body convulsing violently against his restraints.
Nathan folded his arms, silently watching him writhe.
Minutes passed.
Then finally, silence.
Sweat soaked Norman's face. His eyes fluttered open, weak but sane.
"I… feel at peace," he whispered. "The voice—it's gone."
Nathan nodded. "Good. Rest. Then you'll return to Osborn Industries."
"You're going to run it for me."
Norman gave a tired, bitter smile. "The company's a mess. It'll take time."
"You'll manage," Nathan said simply, turning to leave.
---
Meanwhile, Kurt was on the move.
Using Nathan's tech resources, he installed surveillance hardware near Luke Cage's usual haunts.
He also began digging into the New York State Penitentiary, where Luke had received his abilities.
The company's intelligence branch was growing under Kurt's leadership. It didn't take long to make headway.
On another part of town...
Zemo stood in the shadows, watching Captain America and Iron Man disappear around a corner.
A grim smirk crossed his face.
"Keep smiling," Zemo whispered. "That friendship won't last. And when it breaks—your precious alliance will fall with it."
---
Inside the New York State Penitentiary, things were heating up.
In a high-security office, the prison warden sat across from a man in a black coat.
"Have you found him yet?" the man asked coldly.
The warden shook his head. "Luke Cage disappeared. He's underground now."
"Find him," the man snapped. "He's the only successful subject we've had. His physiology must be studied."
The warden nodded. "We've activated contacts within the prison gangs. We'll locate him soon."
The man leaned forward. "Good. And when you do—burn all evidence. I don't want that data leaving the facility."
---
The next morning.
Nathan woke up early.
He stretched, rolled his shoulders, and clenched his fists.
Energy surged through him.
"Let's test the effects of yesterday's training," he said to himself.
With a snap of his fingers—
Little Spider-Man scurried in, climbing onto his desk and saluting with a tiny leg.
"Training time," Nathan announced.
Excited, the creature flexed its small limbs, ready to go.
They headed into the private company gym.
The room was huge, filled with advanced training machines. Nathan strapped on electrical muscle stimulators, a method proven to boost results.
Little Spider-Man did the same, tying a red headband around its head with dramatic flair.
And the training began.
Boom!
Weights slammed. Legs sprinted. Machines hummed.
Both of them trained hard, sweating and panting through the grueling workout.
Time passed.
Finally, the two collapsed side-by-side on the floor, breathing heavily.
"You… did great," Nathan gasped between breaths.
Little Spider-Man raised a trembling leg in victory.
After a short break and some food, it was time to test the results.
Nathan stepped up to the strength meter.
He punched.
The machine blinked, then displayed the number:
17 tons.
His eyes lit up.
"Perfect. That's 1.5 tons higher than yesterday! The electric current stimulation really works."
"At this rate, I'll be lifting 47 tons within a month."
"And in a few more months… I'll hit 100 tons."
Then it was Little Spider-Man's turn.
It punched.
1.2 tons.
"Nice. That's a 0.2-ton increase—20% gain," Nathan said.
Spider-Man chittered with pride.
---
Later that day, Norman returned to the company.
Nathan had appointed him General Manager.
Upon learning about the trauma-healing medicine in development, Norman was stunned.
Now he understood how Nathan planned to fund his empire.
A healing agent that could treat critical injuries in seconds—this was a revolutionary product.
Norman immediately convened the marketing team.
A product launch was scheduled within the week.
At the same time, Kurt—finally relieved of managerial duties—refocused entirely on gathering prison data.
That evening, he pulled up in his car.
Nathan slid into the back seat.
"What did you find?" Nathan asked.
Kurt passed him a tablet.
"The prison is secretly controlled by a military figure. They're experimenting on inmates, trying to recreate the Super Soldier Program."
"Most participants die or suffer crippling injuries."
"But one… named Carl… survived and evolved."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Carl…?"
"That's Luke Cage's real name."
According to the report, an altercation in the lab triggered an unexpected chemical reaction, mutating Carl's entire cellular structure and granting him his powers.
"The data is deep in the prison," Kurt added.
Nathan looked out the window, mind already racing.
---
Outside the towering prison walls...
A masked figure approached swiftly.
He stopped under the moonlight.
"So the data's in here, huh?"
With a flick of his wrist, Nathan launched a web-line and soared toward the wall.
----------------------------------------------------
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------