Oswald sat inside the Iceberg Lounge the next night staring at the dismal crowd in attendance. It seems the crowd had thinned out without the billionaire socialite Bruce Wayne. He grew depressed watching teenagers dance around. This was not the crowd he wanted to attract. he wanted to be a success in Gotham. Now it seemed like he would turn into a cheesy nightclub owner. The Cobblepot family name had always been successful that is until he was born. As a child he attended private school with the other wealthy neighborhood kids. They would constantly tease him about his weight, beak like nose, and a limp he had developed from a car wreck at the age of ten. Anne Cobblepot was his mother. She managed to make his school enviroment worse when she demanded he wear a suit everyday. The kids started calling him Oswald the pudgy penguin in his early childhood. When he was older the kids just called him penguin. They often stuck raw fish inside his gym locker. The gym would stink of raw fish. It caused Oswald to get into trouble a number of times. Richard Cobblepot was his father. Richard was an adventerous man who built up wealth at an early age. Oswald looked up to him from an early age. He never wanted to be a dissapointment in his fathers eyes. When Oswald was twelve his father passed away. Richard was caught in a downpour when his car broke down while coming home from the office. He was only a few blocks from the Cobblepot residence and decided to walk home. He took off walking in the rain without an umbrella. When he reached his house he was dripping wet and freezy. The next morning he went to the hospital because he had contracted pneumonia. The death was very hard on Oswald and his mother. Anne was never the same. She became more strict with Oswald and demanded perfection. She also grew to be more protective of Oswald. She demanded he carry an umbrella everywhere he went. It was just another thing the kids tortured Oswald over at school.
When Oswald recieved his diploma he along with a friend Allen Grace developed a new line of umbrella's. It was simply named "The Cobblepot" and sold very well. Allen and Oswald gained a small wealth and moved into an apartment together to pursue a business career. The two young men had bold new ideas to change the world. Oswald felt very proud of his umbrella line and thought it to be a tribute to his father. Anne passed away when Oswald was just twenty-five years old. She had been battling breast cancer from an early age. The death was a shock to Oswald as his mother had never mentioned she was sick or ever had been. Anne and Richard had left Oswald enough money to open his own business. He along with Allen began Cobblepot Industries. The small company grew bigger with each passing year. A number of successful items like life-lasting windsheild wipers for cars and developing plant food from bird urine made the company a household name. The imporved plant food seem to make the plants grow bigger and faster. At the age of thirty Oswald and Allen met Dr. Victor Freeze. Victor was a fellow classmate from school. The three had a lunch meeting and told old stories from school. Oswald changed the topic to current business plans as he hated his school life. Victor mention he was trying to develope an ice gun but was failing miserably. The contract he signed was running out and if he couldnt produce a new ice gun then he was going to be out of a job. As the months past Victor failed at creating the ice gun or anything suitable that the defense company would call genuis. When he was fired he begged Oswald and Allen for a job. While at Cobblepot industries Victor invented an amazing version of artificial snow. When tested it was found that artic animals such as the polar bear, artic fox and penguins perferred the instant snow over current zoo habitats. Oswald,Allen and Victor sold the instant snow to zoo's around the world. Cobblepot Industries was then named one of the top new businesses in the decade.
It was then Oswald moved to the town of Bludhaven. He opened up his own zoo. The addition of his penguin artic exhibit was world known. All of the world's top animal enviromentalist proclaimed the penguins at Bludhaven Zoo to be the happiest in the world. Oswald spent days in the zoo with the penguins. He often found himself sitting by thier cage after the zoo had closed and all the guest had left. The bird name that tortured him as a child now made him famous. In the nights he spent with the penguins he became suprised at the intelligence the birds showed. The friends close to Oswald called his love of penguins a harmless obsession. As the years went by Allen grew distant from Oswald. He saw himself as the genuis of Cobblepot Industries. Allen was vastly falling on hard times. He had spent more money than he was making. He began to shop Cobblepot Industries around to see if he could find anyone to buy the business. Oswald was unaware of his actions. When a buyer became available Allen tried to convince Oswald to sale the business. This however was Oswald's legacy. It kept the Cobblepot name in everyones mind. This was what he worked his whole life to achieve. It was the only time in his life when he felt like both of his parents would be proud of what he had done with his life. The pay off from the sale was a hefty amount. Allen would be able to come out of debt. He needed Oswald to sell very badly. In recent years Victor had become the third partner. He also saw a better vision for the business than to be a sale out. When Allen saw that he could not convince either man to sale the company he left. A news cast informing everyone of his death was broadcasted three days later. Allen had taken his own life. The pressures of debt and a failing marriage had been to much for him to take. Victor and Oswald took time away from the company. Oswald sank into a deep depression over loosing his life long friend. It seemed like everyone he got close to meet with an early death. Victor tried to pull Oswald out of his depression but failed. Oswald informed Victor he needed more time away from the business. Victor agreed to help his friend and run the business until Oswald was ready to return.
Victor Freeze was a genuis at inventions, but proved to be a horrible business man. Oswald returned to a company full of debt after two months. The two failed at making any sucessful inventions to change the world. Oswald failed at getting a defense contract for his weapons technology division. The bio-tech division along with Victor develope a vaccine for the bird flu. After it was released to the public and considered a success disaster struck. The vaccine had caused people to grow very sick. Cobblepot Industries was sued over forty-three times. After all the debt and lawsuits had been paid the company barely had enough money to stay alive. Oswald was forced to sale his exspensive estate during the companies law suits. He spent his nights living inside his office at Bludhaven. He had lost everything he worked so hard for. He had no more than fifty dollars in his bank account. Cobblepot Industries had cut almost all of its partnering sub-divisions. A massive employee layoff helped make him a hated man in Bluhaven. The layoff of over four hundred employees devastated the city. Dr. Victor Freeze was eqaully in as much trouble. He along with his wife Nora were having trouble making ends meet. Nora had been going to the doctor more and more in recent months. She was getting sick more and more. Victor was growing worried after the doctors failed to find the cause of her sickness. Victor was offered a job as cryogenics researcher. It was the field he specialized and a perfect solution for his current situtation.
As Oswalds world began crashing down Victor came into the office one morning and delivered what seem to be the final blow. He informed Oswald he was leaving Bludhaven and the business for another job. Oswald refused to say a word to his friend even as he turned and walked out of the office. Oswald was determined to go down with the ship. The business however never went into bankruptcy. It still remains open but only making a minor profit for Oswald. The company only employees thrity people today. The life work Oswald had achieved was nothing more than poverty. It was then he decided to move to Gotham City. It was the only place that his name would mean anything. He knew if he could get in with Wayne Enterprises then he could rise up from the ashes of his life. Now here he sits in his Iceberg Lounge surrounded by the morons of Gotham citizens. The couple of drunk peopel stumbled by him laughing. Bruce Wayne had rejected his offer. He had place the money Bruce had given to him back into Cobblepot Industries and into the lounge. He was growing desperate and depressed. He drank exspensive wine from his crystal wine glass. A life of wealth was all he knew. He was now facing poverty. It was time change.
It was at that time five men walked into the Iceberg Lounge. The men were dressed like most common thugs in jeans and torn t-shirts with leather jackets on. They all wore a five o'clock shadow on thier face. These men brought attitude where ever they went. A stumbling drunk nineteen year old bumped into the one of them. A fight quickly broke out. Oswald continued to drink from his glass. This wasnt the class he invisioned bringing to the Gotham night scene. The fight grew even as the boys friends came to help out thier friend. The five men ended the battle quickly. The girlfriends rushed to the side of thier defeated men. Oswald decided not to call the cops. He was just to depressed to think of anything but his own misfortune. The five men approached his table. Oswald remained staring at his glass of wine. He was in a dark place in his mind. The world seemed to be burning all around him.
Man One: Hey buddy you got a problem?
Man two: I think he mental or something.
Man One: Mental man you got any cash? You better have some cash!
Oswald sat still. He seemed to be zoned out to the mens taunts. It was if he was back in the school yard. The men repeatedly demanded money from him. It was then he found himself laughing hysterically. He was broke and failing at life. It just seemed funny to have these men hovering over him demanding money.
Man three: This guy is mental. We can just take his cash.
Then one of the men grabbed Oswald by his suit collar and shoved Oswald onto the floor. He shouted demanding money. The five men began laughing as they walked closer to Oswald. The people in the lounge had run off in fright. Oswald grabbed his umbrella that stood propped up by the table. The men began to laugh as he pointed it at one of them.
Man Two: What you going to do with that mental man. We want cash and anything else you got!
Oswald was well aware the umbrella he held was the same umbrella gun Bruce Wayne had said was useless. He then fired off four shots hitting four of the men. The fifth man stood frozen in fear. Oswald slowly got up chuckling along the way. He walked over and pointed the umbrella to the chest of the fifth man.
Oswald: What is your name?
Man Five: Please dont shoot.
Oswald: What is your name!
Man Five: Eddie, my name is Eddie.
Oswald: What was the plan Eddie? You come into my place and rob me?
Eddie: We didnt know it was your place I swear.
Oswald: You must like picking on a man who seems weak then.
Eddie: I am sorry we were desperate!
When he heard Eddie say the word desperate he grew a small sense of sympathy. He knew desperation. Eddie stood panting hard and terrified at what Oswald may do to him. He did not want to die. Oswald looked around at the men laying in the floor. The shots from his umbrella hit them all with fatal wounds. He had taken four lives. It was such a horrible thing to do and yet he felt like he had gained an ounce of respect back as he watched Eddie quivering in front of him.
Oswald: Lets sit down and talk this over Mr. Eddie.