Name transition: Klaue = Klaw
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Days passed, and Nolan remained buried in Oscorp's state-of-the-art lab. He thrived in this environment nothing made him feel more alive than pure, focused research.
"Boss, it's ready," Connors said, handing him a vial of shimmering green liquid.
As Nolan had predicted, the Goblin Formula and the Lizard Serum shared foundational similarities both had originated from Connors' early experiments. With Nolan's direct guidance, perfecting the antidote became a matter of time.
"Administer it to Norman. No further tests are necessary," Nolan said, examining the solution and comparing it against his calculated reversal formula.
Everything matched. No more trials. It was time to cure Norman Osborn.
Meanwhile, Nolan had been combing through Richard Parker's old notes.
But something was off crucial parts were missing. The data trail ended abruptly. There were no test results, no hypotheses, and no logs of trial outcomes. It was as if Richard had discovered something vital… and then deliberately wiped the trail.
Even the effects of the genetically altered spiders Richard cultivated were a mystery.
Nolan narrowed his eyes, staring at the DNA strands in the last batch of enhanced spiders. If he could clone them in large numbers, he might still run countless trials using his gene scissors.
But these spiders were the last of their kind.
Breeding more would take time and lots of it.
He needed Richard's data.
"Any backup data?" Nolan asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Connors shook his head. "He disappeared too long ago. He was officially declared dead. After that, I cleared out his lab myself. These spiders were all he left behind."
"The rest? Anything he had at home?"
"Just some clothes, a few notebooks nothing on the Spider Project. There was a letter for his son."
Connors paused, lost in memory. Despite their professional falling out, they had once worked side by side. He remembered more than he let on.
"Let's handle Norman first," Nolan said.
He was fairly certain now Richard had left the key formulas with Peter Parker, sealed in that black briefcase. If Peter had it, Nolan wouldn't be able to retrieve the data anytime soon.
He'd need a new approach.
Nolan and Connors descended to the sublevel lab the one holding their four most valuable test subjects: Jewel, Daredevil, Green Goblin, and a partially mutated Lizard-Wolverine hybrid.
Logan's ongoing mutation had a purpose.
Nolan had attempted to turn him into a biological factory for the Lizard Serum—an auto-generating chemical system.
But it failed.
He discovered that Logan's healing factor was slowly weakening just as Logan had warned him. The beta-grade Adamantium alloy in his skeleton was beginning to interfere with his cellular regeneration.
When that healing factor dipped low enough, and considering the sheer amount of Lizard Serum Nolan had injected over time… Logan would eventually mutate fully into the Wolver-Lizard.
"Thud. Thud. Thud!"
Jessica, slumped against the wall until now, sprang to her feet when she saw Nolan. She began pounding on the vibranium containment glass.
"You lying bastard!" she screamed.
Nolan glanced over casually. "Relax. Your turn is coming soon."
Then he turned his attention to Daredevil, seated cross-legged on the floor.
Meditating.
The chemical agent that mutated him was still a mystery. Nolan had found traces linked to a military source, but he hadn't been able to dig deeper. Klaw was working on establishing those connections especially since Phoenix 1.0 had drawn attention from military factions.
Hell's Kitchen had practically become a war zone overnight.
And Fisk… that bloated kingpin had the nerve to leak Jessica's location to S.H.I.E.L.D. Probably upset Nolan had taken Daredevil.
Or maybe Phoenix 1.0 was threatening his hold over the city.
"Meathead with delusions of grandeur. Not worth the trouble."
Daredevil's meditation techniques came from Stick, his mentor and a member of the Chaste a faction at odds with the Hand. They were two sides of the same ancient coin.
Stick's teachings had unlocked Matt's full potential. In time, he'd developed a city-wide radar sense, monitoring New York like a living sonar tower.
Meditation had played a huge part in that.
Nolan hadn't yet triggered Matt's sensory mutation, but it was definitely on his to-do list.
Finally, he looked at the Green Goblin, slouched over, head hanging low. It wasn't clear whether Norman was still in control.
But after reviewing footage from 500 cameras, one pattern was clear:
The Goblin emerged when Norman's emotions slipped.
Just like the Hulk, it was the darker persona born from within an exaggerated version of Norman's rage, not a separate entity.
And lately, it was the Goblin who answered, not Norman.
"Did you finish it, boy?" the Goblin cackled suddenly, snapping his head up with a maniacal grin.
Nolan took the serum from Connors and replied coolly, "Yes. The Goblin Reversal Formula now with integrated regenerative genes. Your inherited disorder won't affect you anymore. It'll still linger in your DNA, but it can't harm you."
"Bullshit!" the Goblin spat. "Even I couldn't crack it!"
His laughter was short-lived.
Because Nolan opened the vibranium cage and walked in.
The Goblin tried to react but Nolan grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and swept his leg out from under him in one brutal motion.
The Goblin hit the ground hard.
"What are you—AHHH!"
Nolan didn't hesitate. He drove the syringe straight into the Goblin's lymph node at the base of his neck.
The Goblin let out a blood-curdling scream.
The moment the serum entered his bloodstream, the effects hit like a freight train. He collapsed, face contorted in agony, pounding his fists against the vibranium floor.
"Stop! Stop! Please!" he howled.
The other test subjects involuntarily backed away at the sight. Sweat soaked through the Goblin's jumpsuit. He writhed and screamed like he was being torn apart.
Connors whispered, "Why is he reacting so violently?"
"He's had it in his system too long," Nolan replied calmly. "The serum deeply altered his genes. Now we're purging every trace of the psychoactive elements affecting his mind. That kind of extraction takes… time."
It was exactly as Nolan expected.
The longer someone is exposed to a mutagen, the worse the withdrawal.
And this Goblin?
He was paying the price.
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