Ultimate Iron Man

Ch: 74 [The Shadow Legion]

The metal walls were quiet, almost too quiet. The only sound was Norman Osborn's slow, shallow breathing.

He lay on the floor, chained, broken. His voice was gone from hours of screaming. No one came. No one listened. Now, he had no more strength to beg.

The door slid open.

Tony Stark walked in. Calm. Focused. He didn't say anything at first. He just stood there, watching the man who had once called himself untouchable.

Norman lifted his head slightly, eyes bloodshot and sunken. "Please…" he croaked. "Please save him. Save my boy…"

Tony stepped closer, his voice low. "What would you give me, Norman? For Harry's life?"

Norman tried to sit up, but the chain pulled tight around his neck. He choked and coughed, collapsing again.

"Anything," Norman whispered. "Anything you want. Just name it."

Tony crouched down in front of him, looking him in the eye. "I don't want money. I don't want your company. I want the truth."

Norman blinked. "What?"

"I want your confession," Tony said. "I want names. Every partner. Every official who backed you. Every scientist who helped you torture those people. Every secret lab. Every hidden file. You're going to tell the world what you did. All of it."

Norman's lip trembled. "They'll kill me."

"Maybe," Tony said. "But you still get a choice. You give me everything, I save Harry. You stay silent, I walk away."

"They will kill him too," Norman replied.

"I'll kill them. I'll kill them all. Then, I'll let Harry go. Here he's safe. So, you have 10 seconds."

Norman's breath was ragged, chest barely rising under the weight of exhaustion and despair.

Tony remained crouched, unwavering.

"You have five seconds left," he said.

Norman's lips trembled. "Promise me," he whispered, voice like broken glass. "Promise me you'll protect him. That Harry gets a life. A real one. Away from this."

Tony didn't hesitate. "He'll never see a cage again. He'll get treatment, education, freedom. No labs. No manipulation. He'll never become you."

Norman closed his eyes, a tear slipping out. His voice cracked as he breathed, "Then I'll give you everything."

Tony stood, eyes cold. "Good."

[Thirty Minutes Later] [Broadcast Room]

It was a clean, white room with a table and a chair. On the table was a handgun. The light was bright. The cameras were set up. 

The door opened, and Norman entered the room. His wounds were healed up, a last bit of mercy from Tony, and to make it look like his confession was real. Injuries and all would make people question the credibility of the confession. 

He sat in the chair. His eyes went toward the gun. He knew what he had to do. Then he looked toward the timer on the wall...

Timer: 04... 03... 02... 01... 00

The red light blinked LIVE.

...[Live Global Broadcast – Unknown Signal Origin]...

The feed cut into screens around the world.

Emergency signals were scrambled. Firewalls bypassed. Every major government channel, news station, and military feed lit up at once.

And then, Norman Osborn's face appeared.

He looked directly into the camera. Calm. Pale. Worn.

"My name is Norman Virgil Osborn. CEO of Oscorp. Former defense contractor. Former scientific advisor to multiple global coalitions."

A pause.

"And I'm here to confess to the crimes I committed in the shadows of power."

He exhaled. Slow. Controlled.

"I greenlit human experimentation across five continents. I funded off-books programs in partnership with black-ops agencies, Hydra remnants, and rogue national actors."

"I tried to recreate the Super Soldier Serum... not for peacekeeping. For control. We called it the G-Serum. It failed. Over and over again. Dozens died in agony, mutated beyond recognition."

Norman glanced at the desk briefly, then back to the camera.

"General Ross authorized experiments on civilians. Veterans. Children. He approved Hammer Industries' cybernetic augmentation trials in Eastern Europe, and when it failed, we erased all the traces and cut our ties with Hammer Industries. Biochemical enhancement trials in Indonesia. Genetic therapy trials in the U.S. prison system. All without consent."

He began listing names:

"Dr. Gavin Speers. Head of Bio-Augmentation Re

Another officer approached. "Interpol just issued a Red Notice for you, sir. And for Senator Colter. Hammer's already been detained by MI6."

Ross barely flinched. "Tell the President to go to hell," he growled.

The room froze.

Ross turned, voice sharp and commanding.

"Secure all exits. Scramble the Ghost Team. Level 7 protocol... Burn everything. All data. All backups. If it's on a server, it doesn't exist in ten minutes."

"But sir, the Shadow Legion..."

"Let them come," Ross snarled. "We've got two teams of Delta Force, four CIA Special Activities Division squads, and a platoon of SEALs. They try anything, and we'll cut them down like dogs."

He glared at his staff, eyes cold. "Do I make myself clear?"

They hesitated.

Ross raised his voice. "I SAID... DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

The command staff stood at attention. "YES, SIR!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Move!"

The room dissolved into chaos as officers scrambled to carry out the general's orders.

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