The conference room on Oscorp's forty-fifth floor had a view of the Hudson River that Norman usually appreciated. Today he barely glanced at it.
Three men sat across the table from him. Two wore military dress uniforms, insignia marking them as colonels. The third wore a plain gray suit, the kind that meant intelligence or oversight rather than combat command.
"Mr. Osborn." The man in gray spoke first, a folder open in front of him. "We've reviewed the program's progress over the last eighteen months. Frankly, the results haven't justified the investment."
"The research is complex," Norman said, keeping his voice level despite the tightness building in his chest. "Genetic enhancement at this level requires patience. Breakthroughs don't happen on a schedule."
"They need to." The colonel on the left leaned forward, his expression carrying the particular weariness of someone tired of hearing excuses. "We have competing programs, Mr. Osborn. Foreign governments moving faster on similar research. Command wants results within thirty days or this partnership terminates."
"Thirty days is not enough time for controlled testing."
"Then find an uncontrolled method." The man in gray closed his folder with a soft click. "We've seen your internal reports. The Connors incident, the specimen escape, two soldiers injured in a sewer chasing a failed experiment. Command is losing patience with incremental progress, Mr. Osborn. They want a viable candidate. Soon."
Norman's jaw tightened. "You're asking me to rush a process that requires precision."
"We're informing you of a deadline." The colonel stood, buttoning his jacket. "Thirty days. Deliver something the program can use, a stable enhancement formula with demonstrable results, or Oscorp loses its military contracts entirely. All of them. Including the ones currently funding half your research division."
They left without further discussion, footsteps fading down the hallway while Norman sat alone in the conference room, staring at the river without really seeing it.
'Thirty days.'
Months of careful research, years building toward something extraordinary, and they wanted results in thirty days like he was running some assembly line instead of pioneering genuine scientific advancement.
Norman gathered his things and left the building in silence, ignoring Nora's questions about his schedule, ignoring everyone who tried to catch his attention on the way to his car.
...
The drive home took longer than usual, traffic thick across the bridge, giving Norman too much time alone with his thoughts.
'Thirty days. Everything I've built, everything I've sacrificed, reduced to an arbitrary deadline set by bureaucrats who understand nothing about what real innovation requires.'
He gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary, knuckles whitening slightly.
By the time he pulled into his driveway, the anger had settled into something colder, more calculating. Harry's car sat parked outside, meaning his son was home for once instead of out with friends or wherever he usually disappeared to these days.
Norman found him in the kitchen, phone in hand, barely glancing up when his father entered.
"Long day?" Harry asked, not really looking for an answer.
"You have no idea." Norman poured himself a drink, hands slightly unsteady. "Where were you today?"
"School. Then hanging out with friends. Same as always."
"Which friends?"
Harry finally looked up, something defensive crossing his expression. "Does it matter?"
"It matters when you're spending time with people instead of preparing for your future. You have responsibilities, Harry. This company will be yours eventually, assuming it survives long enough to matter."
"Survives?" Harry set his phone down. "What's going on?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Norman finished his drink in one swallow. "Just handle your own affairs properly for once instead of drifting through life expecting everything to work out."
"I'm not drifting, I'm just, dad, what's actually wrong?"
"I said it's nothing." Norman's voice sharpened, harder than he intended. "Go do your homework or whatever you actually do with your time. I have work tonight."
Harry stared at him for a long moment, hurt and confusion mixing on his face, before grabbing his phone and walking upstairs without another word.
Norman watched him go, some distant part of his mind registering that he'd been unnecessarily cruel, that Harry deserved better than a father too consumed by pressure to offer basic kindness.
But that thought faded quickly beneath the growing certainty building in his chest.
'Thirty days isn't enough time for careful testing. But it might be enough time for something more direct.'
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