Chapter 4

Assigned Risk





They had been working non-stop since they began. It was now the wee hours of the night and the building was completely empty save for the lab. Two men stayed while others left. It was Doctor Owens and Osborn working away trying to save the company.

Owens had been working at a workstation while Osborn had been studying the latest reports.

Owens typed in several commands and then suddenly clapped in joy.

"I've got it."

"You do?" Osborn asked

"Yes, this is it." Owens said. He then typed in several more commands. "I'm getting a sample ready right now."

"Good. Then we can let Pretsman know about it."

That's when Owens stopped being so jubilant. "That's the thing. I ran the current formula through simulations and nothing happened. But we still need to test it out to see if the side effects are truly gone."

"We don't have time for that!" Osborn shot back.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Osborn thought about it. Although his thinking process was compromised by stress, lack of sleep, the extreme complexity of the work he was dealing with. He knew what he had to do to save the company.

"Get the sample ready."

"Why? We don't have any subjects."

"You do now."

Owens was startled by what his boss said. "I can't."

"Do it."

"We don't know the risks."

"Doesn't matter. It's the only thing we can do." Osborn went over to the processing station which contained the new sample.

"Get everything ready."

Owens was extremely reluctant to continue.

"Do it!"

Owens did what he was told and tried not to think about what he was doing. Giving his boss something that could not only possible damage him permanently but could even kill him.

Osborn prepared the sample and the testing chamber while Owens handled everything else. Everything quickly fell into place and it was time.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Owens asked

"Yes, otherwise this company is done for." Osborn muttered to himself as he prepared.

"Excuse me."

"Just have the chamber ready."

Osborn took the sample and looked at it for just a second studying it's green glow.

"Do you have the calibrator ready?" He asked

"Yes" Owens handed him a larger vile.

"Good" Osborn swallowed the contacts of the vile in one gulp. He was repulsed at the taste of the liquid but had no time to dwell on it.

He laid against the cold operating style table and let Owens strap him down. A small part of his mind thought he shouldn't be doing it but it was quickly overruled. Nothing was stopping him.

"Ready?" Owens asked

"Ready"

Owens moved to the control panel and started the sequence. The table lifted up and went into the chamber. It then raised itself so Owens could see Osborn through the large glass windows.

"Beginning procedure, now!" Owens announced to the empty lab. The entrance door to the chamber closed and then it began.

Monitors kept watch of Osborn's health and progress as the experiment went. In seconds the gas was released and it's effects were showing quickly on the computers.

As the effects of the ehnacers began to take shape. Osborn's heart rate. Owens was shocked by the extreme jump in heart rate. In seconds it jumped over eighty points. Osborn was having a heart attack in the chamber.

"I'm shutting it down!" He said although he doubted that Osborn could hear him. Owens slammed on the abort switch and the emergency fans and other safety equipment kicked in. But by the time Owens was able to enter the chamber. Osborn's heart had stopped.

Owens quickly did his best to revive Osborn. He didn't need to worry about calling for the paramedics. The emergency system already did that.

"Not breathing." He said to himself as he did chest compressions another time. Still nothing. He then put his head against Osborn's chest.

That's when he woke up.

Suddenly Owens went flying across the chamber and crashed through the glass windows. He flew across the lab and crashed to the floor. He was dead.

Osborn jumped from the table onto the ledge of the chamber. The ehnancers had did what they were designed to do. However the side effects were there. Not that he cared. He felt released and exhilarted. Unrestrained, a completely new person who had some new plans to implement. Osborn quickly ran out of the lab and headed for a section of the building he very much wanted.









"See anything yet?" Sergeant Tim Doyle asked his partner Officer Ellison Caine as they patrolled the Gotham skies.

"No, nothing yet. Quiet." He said

Doyle continued to keep watch what was in front of him and what he saw on radar. As the airship came over an industrial section of Gotham. Something appeared on radar.

"We've got something." He said to his partner

"Where?"

"South east, about five blocks away." He checked the screen again. "No it's coming up fast. In fact, right at us!"

Before they were able to react, something flew by them in a blur. All they could see was some type of green object that was large. It almost took up their field of view.

"Better call for support." Doyle told Caine.

"On it," Caine grabbed the receiver. "Central, this is Foxtrot. We need aerial out over Newtown district. Be advised subject is coming at a high rate of speed, 10-4"

"10-4, Foxtrot"







Aerial Lt. Dean Reading was also out on patrol that night. He piloted one of the smaller, single-man aerial units that were more mobile than the air ships. He was near where the call cam from. He saw something fly by the airship at a high rate of speed also.

"Central this is Unit 437, pursuing subject." He activated the sirens and lights and chased it the best he could.

Reading had been a vet of this kind of stuff. He knew the city above like no one could. He chased the subject carefully but with great speed. He noticed that the subject was going near or at maximum speed for a police aerial craft.

"Central back-up requesting. Subject preceding to Upper East Side near Douchester and Liberty expressway.

While dispatch relayed the orders. Reading saw an explosion in the air. He dodged it but still felt the shockwave.

"Suspect now firing on officers. Repeat firing on Officers." He said as he moved in between several more explosions. Just then, the subject suddenly made a wide turn around a building and now was heading toward Reading fast.

Reading did his best to dodges the suspect. He quickly moved out of the way. He caught a quick glimpse of the suspect before it went by Reading's craft. All he could see was a strange distorted mask.

Suddenly, something hit Reading's craft. He could feel himself fall at an alarming rate.

"May-day, May-day, Officer Down, Officer Down" He said into the radio. As he dropped faster and faster. Reading tried to dodge anything that would endanger lives. The only option he had was to land on the Liberty Expressway.

As the craft filled with smoke and debris, Reading did his best to pilot the craft as it fell. As he reached the Liberty he turned the craft a hard right to get out of the way of an oncoming truck.

The craft crashed onto the expressway, splintering into pieces. Cars and trucks screeched to a halt. Reading quickly got out and ran from the burning wreckage. As police and paramedics swarmed on the scene. He could swore that he saw something hanging in the night sky and that despite the sirens, flames, screams and screeching. He almost certain he could've heard what appeared to be laughing. Not like Jokerz laughing which was high and silly. This was deep and menacing.