Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen

"So you haven't heard anything from her either?" 

Riri looked at the older man on her doorstep, Leona peeking from behind her afro. He looked tired, worn. The sprinkle of grey in his hair and stubble stuck out even further, his sunken eyes seemed to barely hold onto her figure. 

"No, I haven't." She answered softly, "Her last text was just telling me she'd have to go radio silent for a while. No matter what I texted her after or my attempts at calling were answered." 

"She hasn't responded to me either." Leona said from beside Riri, looking at the man in concern, "It's been two months now." 

George Stacy closed his eyes, his right hand tightening on his cane. The former chief of police had seen better days, but after his rumored run-in with an enhanced druggie looking for revenge, he had been slowly withering. His crippled leg, barely able to move properly, never helped. And now his daughter... "I should have fought her harder on going to the Osborn lab..." He whispered, Riri and Leona only catching it due to the small computers behind their ears. 

Both of them shared a look as Mr. Stacy sighed and looked at the girls, "Please tell me if you hear anything. I'm sorry for interrupting your day." 

"Have you tried getting the police to look into it?" Riri hesitantly asked before he turned around. The old man barked a laugh, "Told me they wouldn't do anything about it and that Norman was clean." He gave a self-mocking smile, "My standards apparently left the force with me." 

"Or they were weeded out." 

Riri and Leona startled and turned to see their mother frowning over their heads, quickly glancing at each other. Tatalia gave her daughters a quick smirk, then turned back to the former chief of police with a frown. "It is shockingly easy for money to weedle its way into places it doesn't belong. Norman having his hands in the cops is not surprising." She shook her head, then narrowed her eyes. "So, Gwenny is still missing and radio silent?" 

"You know about it?" 

Tatalia laughed, "Of course! But that's not the topic." Her eyes hardened, "Girls get ready to go. We're going to meet up with the Starks. George," She turned to the man, "I hope you're ready for a day trip."

"You want to enlist Tony Starks help?" Skepticism covered his face.

"Yes." The girls scampered off to their rooms, leaving the adults in the doorway. "Riri and Leona are two of his daughter's only friends. Gwen is a close third. He'll help, without us even having to get Jazzy to give him puppy eyes."

George raised an eyebrow in disbelief, he heard about Tony Stark becoming a supposed 'hero', but he had met the man years ago. A complete, arrogant playboy who reveled in his own genius would be a better description. 'Is she sure he'll...' he shook his head at his own thoughts. "I'll take whatever help I can get. Are you sure he won't just rat us out to Osborn?" 

Tatalia snorted, "I've heard enough of his caution and disgust with the man to say they are definitely not in cahoots. Now," She stepped up and grabbed his arm in one motion, "let's go. To the car with you." "I have my ow-" "I'm driving, no buts. Into the car, my girls are coming." "Wai-"

 

>>> Stark Residence 

"Well." Tony frowned after hearing Tatalia's explanation, George carefully keeping his body still to not give away his nervousness. "Your timing is pretty good on this." His eyes trailed to Natasha standing next to Jasmine. "Are your preparations done?" 

"Yes. I was planning to make the first trip to the island tonight." The red head nodded, cold blue eyes turning to George, causing him to stiffen slightly at the increased feeling of danger. Tony also turned to look at him, eyes narrowing,

Before he could say anything Tatalia piped up, "This old coot is trustworthy enough- his track record during his time in office showed that." She turned to him, "Though we're gonna need an oath of secrecy old man." 

George bit back the 'you're as old as me' rebuttal on his tongue, mentally stepping back to regard the situation. His eyes narrowed and he looked between Tony and the beautiful redhead. Jasmine, Riri and Leona watched the process in silence while crammed together on a couch, Jasmine in the center with a tablet on her lap. 

His hands tightened on his cane. "You know something about what Osborn is doing?" 

Tony shook his head. "Nothing concrete. The man has gotten into the habit of disconnecting his computers from any outside networks, or anything that could even transmit a wireless signal. So no remote hacking. But we do have circumstantial evidence and some guesses..." Tony's lips pressed into a fine line. "They are not exactly great." 

Tony's dark green eyes stared seriously at George, "You do not need to know anything for us to do something. We were already planning on investigating Osborn before this, Jasmine's friend going radio silent merely accelerated things." 'Wish Pepper was here.' Tony mentally complained, showing nothing on his face. 'She's much better at reading people than I am.' His eyes flashed to the side and landed on the portly chocolate woman, 'Not that Tatalia isn't better than me at that as well...' He thought sourly. 

George took a second to think. 'Is there a need for this? I truly don't know if Gwendolyn is in danger. But my gut...' His hands massaged his cane, 'I need to know. And if she is, I need to get her out.' 

"As long as Gwen is safe, you have my word that I'll not reveal any of the secrets I discover here." He finally said, looking Tony in the eyes.

The billionaire slowly nodded, turning back to Natasha afterwards. "What time do you want to do reconnaissance?" 

"After sun down would be preferable. Or at least at sunset." Natasha tilted her head in thought, "You may also want to move your extra measures in place. I'm assuming your preperations are all done as well?" 

Tony nodded, Jasmine piping up from the couch as she swiped on the tablet, "Yeah, me and Dad got the ME-I Mark One autonomous suits up and working. Just finished basic testing this morning. You'll have backup if something goes wrong or you somehow get detected."

"We don't have floor plans or schematics for the building they have on the island, and there's no telling where all their security cameras and such are located. There's a heavy risk I will be detected eventually. Even with the invisibility and presence concealment enchantments you've added to my suit." Natasha shook her head, "If I didn't have those then there would be no chance to get in undetected at all. Norman is, unfortunately, not stupid."

"And if him being behind Dr. Connors' transformation turns out true, we may be dealing with enhanced security as well, or at least rampant beasts." Tony added, "Though I doubt he has any controllable successes, else I'd probably pick up movement from the government."

George frowned, "Dr. Connors?"

"The Crocodile that's been scuttling around the sewers for the past year." Tatalia waved her hand, "Natasha here has been trying to hunt him down through said sewers. Former employee of Osborn. Highly regarded geneticist. Became a lizard monster."

"As for why Norman hired him in the first place, well." Tony sighed, "Osborn got a contract from the United States government to try and recreate the super-soldier serum, or at least a variant of it. His attempts have so far been only with animals as far as we can tell, none being truly successful. I'm somewhat certain Dr. Conners ended up injecting himself of his own volition, though for the why..." Tony shrugged.

A shuddering breath escaped the old man. "The reason Gwen got a job offer..." 

"Her being able to massively increase the durability of gecko's. She's likely been added to the group he has attempting to create an alternate serum." Jasmine confirmed, sighing. 

George's lips thinned, "If she's in danger, how do we plan on getting her out?" 

"We'll have to wait til we have more information. At least a floor plan and info on the security." Jasmine tapped her tablet, "We can't go the legal route due to Osborn paying off local authorities and some government officials. Him being heavy into lobbying doesn't help."

George let out a shuddering sigh, "So we can only infiltrate, gather data, and adapt from there?"

"Yes. Though," Tony raised an eyebrow, "You seem to be taking our less than legal actions in stride for an ex-police chief."

The old man chuckled tiredly, "What legality?"

You are reading story Warped Causality at novel35.com

"Fair enough." Tony muttered. "Do you have any connections that would be helpful for the aftermath? While I don't know exactly what we'll find, I doubt it will be pretty."

"I have a few favors I can call in." George said, eyes sharpening, "It won't compare to an active lobbyist in terms of governmental reach, but I've got connections in the media to offset it. I'm assuming you have some as well?"

Tony nodded. "What we're really in need of is a good lawyer. Mine are great, but if we want to keep our involvement under the table..."

"You'll need another group." Geirge ran a ha d through his stubble, eyes glinting a bit as he remembered a certain lawyer known to take cases others wouldn't do to the backing of the other side. "I've got someone I can call at least..."

 

>>> OsCorp Artificial Island Laboratory 

'The sun's probably setting by now.' Gwen blankly stared at the wall across from her in the pitch blackness of her 'room'. Her face was dry and hollow, no more tears escaping, panic long since repressed under gunpoint. She'd had her panic attacks already when finally trapped in the room over the first few nights, and randomly over the following weeks. All observed by the single, pitiless camera over the door.

She didn't know if it could see her in the darkness. She imagined it probably could. She'd grown numb- to the cruel invasion of privacy and everything else. It was that or suicide, not that she had alot of options in that regard either. The few who had tried were stopped and tortured before being forced back into research. Those who resisted met a similar fate, with the couple who could still be 'obstinate', or rather had a complete feral mental breakdown, were finally killed. Though not before the woman was thrown to the mercenaries to be raped.

Gwen shuddered a bit at the memory. That woman was used as an example and hung in the cafeteria for a week after she was finally strangled to death. Her name was Julie. Gwen still had nightmares- where she was back on her first few days on island, guided around by the cheerful woman while slowly watching rope scars and bruises form on her skin.

'This can't go on.' She shook her head to rid herself of her dreams. Her fingers dug into the skin of knees. 'Just a couple more days.' She'd been moving slowly, afraid to get caught. Subtly moving things around to try and find a way out. But the only way out she could find was through force.

'It likely won't be successful.' She saw the recording of Dr. Connors. Saw him transform into a hideous lizard man. She'd also seen the results of the prototype serums just on the other side of the glass, watching limbs bend and break in directions they weren't supposed to, tumors and scales seep out like rot from skin, organs slip out from bodies and muscles free themselves from their shells.

She'd been moving materials, making sure she had the right quantities in the small lab she was forced into. They weren't allowed any injectors, for fear of what Gwen wished to do. But the serum did not necessarily need to quickly get into the bloodstream immediately- though the longer it took to circulate the higher the risk of failure... A giggle escaped her. 'My first experience 'snorting' will either kill me or turn me into a monster.' Her giggles choked into sobs, 'I'm sorry dad. I'm so sorry.' 

 

>>> Edge of the artificial island 

Natasha frowned, slipping through the water, away from the proximity mine her spider-sense caught. 'Another one? At such a depth to blow out a passing ship.'' She swam forwards again, carefully keeping her senses peeled.

'There's even radar I can feel slipping by me.' She'd have shaken her head if she thought the movement wouldn't have disturbed any sensors. 'I wonder if they go after any shark that they detect...' Though, she had noticed a distinct lack of fish in the area. Or any sea life for that matter... 'Even the muscles are missing. I should get Tony to test the water for toxins...' 

She sped through the water, relying on her suits enchantments to keep her undetected. 'This is a paranoid level of security. I think the last time I infiltrated something of this level was when I was hunting down the remains of the red room.' 

The water quickly came to an end, the sea floor rising up into a shore. 'Wires to detect movement throughout the sand. Where did Osborn procure all of this? His government funding would not be enough.' She floated carefully in the water as the sun set behind her. 'And that wouldn't escape Tony or Jarvis' detection either. They've also kept track of all the boats reaching the island as well, and there's simply too much specialized material to be disguised by ledgers without noting incongruencies.' She slid along the shore in the water, measuring the net of wire laid out. 'At least with the boats on the surface. Could there be submarines? But that implies Norman isn't working with just the US government...' 

She glanced at the tall walls lined with electric fences and barbed wire through the water's surface. The sand ended where the walls began, no forest or vegetation to make use of. 'It looks far more like a concentration camp than any research facility.' A white light flickered on, Natasha's eyes glancing towards the nearby guard tower that turned on its search light for the night. 'Definitely a concentration camp.'

She slid backwards in the water without a disturbance. 'Let's see if I can find that submarine entrance.' She kept an eye out for more mines and traps as she swam around the island, slipping through the water with supernatural grace and minimal movements.

'They likely won't have lights underwater considering the secrecy, unless the entrance is very far out from the island, which may be a possibility.' It was alot of area to cover. 'I'll see if Tony can do a sweep further out to check for submarines if I can't find it today.' 

She took her time drifting through the water, radially sweeping out from the island but finding nothing but some areas of increased security; two docks and a few waste outputs cleverly hidden just above the shoreline to avoid being spotted, being covered completely in high tide. Nat snorted and had her head camera take a picture, 'If all else fails we can get them for illegal disposal methods...' 

Farther away she found a high-speed internet cable on the sea bed, covered in pressure detectors. 'May be able to fool those with some of Tony's tech and at least get some info on their communications. I wonder how their network security is?' Considering Norman's recent habits, she imagined the actual communicating devices to be on a completely separate network from any important data. 

'No powerline, as expected.' The island was on its own electrical grid. Though the question was what they were using for a power source, as there was a lack of air-borne emissions visible in the day or night. 'Maybe there's an underwater vent? It'd have to be decently far from the surface...' 

She swam even further back, hours having already passed, the sun completely set. Luckily the 'eyes' of her suit were able to see decently underwater and in darkness. Jasmine was still working out a stable night vision enchantment, though the increased tremor sense on the suit was even better, in Nat's opinion.

Failing to find anything else in her 'quick' sweep, she finally swept herself back to the shore. Once again floating before the sand, careful to stay under the water as searchlights swept above. 'I can probably use my friction and ki manipulation to get across the sand without triggering the pressure net, and my invisibility makes me pretty immune to the searchlights and cameras covering the wall. The problem is the barb wire on top.' Natasha narrowed her eyes. The barbs themselves, or even the electricity she can feel running through the wire, are not the issue. The problem is not bending any of the wire and leaving a trace of her passing. 'I'll peek through the electrical grate to see what is on top of the wall. Hopefully I can simply jump over without being detected.' 

Taking a deep breath, she moved. Slipping out of the water without a ripple and sliding along the sand, not disturbing a single grain much less the net underneath. her hands touched the wall and her muscles flexed, lifting herself by her palms up and away from the ground, planting her toes on the wall in a semi-crouch position before smoothly climbing up the wall, stilling as one of the passing search lights swept over her without incident. 'I don't think I can get quite used to being truly invisible.' 

She reached the top and peeked through the electrified wire, her eyes narrowing at the walkway. 'Another pressure net?' She shook her head, 'Does Osborn want to know where every mouse is as well?' She lowered herself slightly, thinking. 'I can't jump over the wall unless I want to try and propel myself further, but all methods I have for that leave traces- even if temporary.' She peeked again and looked at the roofs inside the courtyard. 'I can't pick up if they also have pressure nets as well. Though considering Osborn has the entire walkway and beach covered, I wouldn't be surprised.' She frowned, if the entire facility was covered... 

She shook her head, 'That would be ridiculous. I know that not the entire docks are covered, which means there is a limit to the amount they have.' She glanced around, 'The guard patrols up here are somewhat infrequent too, so it may be that the pressure net gets overwhelmed with too many objects? I'll have to ask Tony and Jasmine later. For now...' The woman swiftly crawled back down the twenty foot wall, gliding back across the sand and slipping into the water without a sound. 

Within a minute she was near the docks, floating silently several dozen feet out. 'One of the radar scanners definitely originates from here.' Her eyes scanned the underwater foundations, eyeing the bottom of the boats in the docks. 'There doesn't seem to be any submerged access points, so above water it is.' Without hesitating she slid up to a concrete pillar and slid to the surface of the water, glancing at the algae coating the concrete and leaping past it, the sound drowned out by the lapping waves, sliding a hand onto the dock and hoisting herself onto the flat ground, keeping low as she quickly scanned her surroundings. Very little dotted the docks, purposefully kept free of any cover as spotlights swept across it in random intervals.

'Is that a full steel door?' She thought in amusement, looking at the rectangular, massive door in the wall. 'They probably only open it for deliveries.' Her eyes swept the nearby wall and spotted a small access door. Several cameras scanned the area as Natasha frowned in thought, sliding forward noiselessly. 'I can't imagine this door is not monitored. If nothing else they definitely have something to tell when it is opened or closed. Though, the lack of live guards is somewhat surprising.' 

She glanced around again, 'It may be easier to infiltrate during the day.' She frowned, 'More like, I may have to if I want to remain undetected. Color me impressed. Maybe if I could fly without any sound or disturbance...' Unfortunately she needed to rely on Stark's propulsors for that, else she could only glide with her webs. Neither option good for the level of stealth needed. She slid up to the door and carefully scanned it, her mask sensors picking up several electronics embedded in it, as well as circuitry running into the distance. She shook her head and quickly slipped back and retreated with one more glance around. 'I'll let Jasmine and Tony know what I've found so far, then take a quick nap before returning in the morning. Maybe they can do a sweep underwater while I rest.' 

 

>>> Horizontal Edge of New York City Sewers 

Yellow eyes blinked, watching as his new minions slowly dug forward, others carrying away debri as the lizard men with extra large forearms and shovel-like claws cut open the wall and made another extension to the ever expanding sewers of the big apple. The beings worked blankly, eyes eerily focused only forward as they moved around, fulfilling their tasks as the Croc watched, his jaw parting with a hiss as he turned around and gracefully lumbered back towards his temporary camp. 

Dozens of lizardmen stood around like statues, unmoving, unblinking as they simply waited. After the last batch of minions were born from their tubes, the Croc had moved his operation. His 'patron' had let him know of a little spider getting closer and closer to where he was set up. His instinct screamed at him to crush the intruder, but what remained of his mind worried about allies of the intruder. If he squashed them, more would likely come.

No no, better to let them find another dead end, delaying them even longer. Time, after all, was in his favor at the moment. His yellow eyes swiveled to the tubes lining the wall. A new pool, temporarily made to feed the newly born soldiers, sat shortly to the side, the turbid water glinting in the LED lights. Several larger lizardmen stood vigil over the tubes, ready to remove 'defective' products, they're brown scales dimly glowing in the ambient light. 

His eyes turned away, to his computers, hands reaching forward as he quickly tapped the keys, uncaring of the scales and flesh slowly growing over electronic components. Graphs and data streams were flicked through, his rambling notes covering his desk fluttering in a breeze that felt like a turbid breath. He was almost ready. The tunnel just had to be completed- A snarl of rage appeared and disappeared from his face- and he would have even more resources, courtesy of Osborn, at his claw tips.

A cruel grin appeared on his jaw, yes. He would steal that little island of Osborn's, taking all the resources he dumped into it and finally being able to have some 'live' subjects to experiment with. His body twitched at the thought- a primal growl faintly heard in the back of his mind. He should provide some to his patron too. He could feel their hunger after all, and mere flesh would not be enough to fill it...