Abnormal Norman 32: Roll on the  Other Spider's Web
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Be Viri Scientia tracker
Canterlot Grounds
 
>In front of you, lies the target you need to capture.
>You call headquarters via video call to confirm it.
>"What is it?"
"Wheat, we found the hobo, but there seems to be some conflict in...identity..."
>"What do you mean?"
"Well, apparently, the hobo is no more than an ordinary kid. Teenager wearing a hobo disguise."
>"A kid? How old?"
"Teenager, no less than fifteen years, most likely."
>"Where is he now?"
"He's at the Canterlot High grounds, sleeping by the tree."
 
>"Then what are you waiting for? Bag him and bring him in!"
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for the van."
>As you said that, your comrades have already arrived.
>They get out of the vehicle, armed with a tranquilizer and a large sack.
>>"That 'im?"
"Yeah. Fire three darts, I don't think this guy's normal."
>Your comrade fires three darts. The kid's body flops for a second.
"Alright, bring him in!"
>Your comrades carefully bagged the kid, put him in the van and drove away.
 
>As the van's driver drives, you sit on the passenger's seat looking at the kid's bag.
>>"Find anything in there?"
"Lets see, we have a trench coat, a football helmet, a mask...wait a minute..."
>>"What?"
"I recognize this mask! Shieeet, he even has the suit in here!"
>>"WHAT?"
"Ever heard of the hero on TV called 'Noir-Man'?"
>>The driver looks at the back for a few seconds, then looks at you.
>"No...NO WAY!?"
"Hot damn, we got the infamous Noir-Man!"
>>"Well shit! Guess we have the privilege of raising the pay for this!"
"HELL YEAH!"
>You high five the driver. You then spread the news to your comrades at the back of the van.
"HEY GUYS, WE GOT NOIR-MAN OVER HERE!" You say holding the mask up.
>>"Whoa, shit, really?"
>>>"Whoa-ho-ho! So this is the kid who's been screwing up Saint's Bro!"
>>"Kid's lucky we're freelance trackers, otherwise, he'd arrive at the hide-out in a body bag!"
>>>"I can't believe it! A kid was responsible for lowering the crimerate here?"
>>"I can't believe it either! I thought those teenage superheroes only existed in one of them' cape movies or them' comic books!"
>>>"Whoo, doggy! We're going to be rich after this!"
>As the celebration goes on, the driver hits the gas pedal and drives back to Viri Scientia's headquarters.
 
Be Norman
The Void
 
>Here I am again, walking on a floating rock in the dark void.
>I wonder to where this huge chunk of mineral will take me.
 
>Floating on, the purple-haired woman with the gray fedora and jacket greets me.
>"Wakey-wakey, beanie butt! Oooh, right, you can't!"
>As always, you can't say a word. Your mouth is shut tight.
>"Guess what, you're being kidnapped."
>Your eyes widen in shock.
>"Yeah. I mean, what kind of hero sleeps under a tree in public?"
>Fuck, that was stupid of you, but then again, you couldn't walk much further.
 
>In other words, it was stupid of you to even go out of your house in the first place.
>Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
>A small ghostly screen appears in the distance of the void. It looks at the inside of the van.
>You're in a potato sack while the guys who kidnapped you were high-fiving while one of them holds your bag and your mask.
>You held the purple-haired woman's shoulders and shook her, hoping she'd give answers.
 
>"Here's the thing, beanie-butt. You're about to enter that one place that Gilda hates, well, aside from your father's old precinct."
>You look at the screen in horror. You're being transferred into Viri Scientia.
>"Well, sadly, you can't wake up, even though you're a bit self-aware now. They tranquilized you with a lot of darts."
>You nod in defeat.
>"Ahh, don't be sad. You're not going anywhere anyway. Come on, enjoy yourself for a while. I heard the Fingerbang general's made some new porn featuring you and Flash Sentry."
>You look at her with an annoyed face.
>"I know you'll just love it."
>I have no mouth and yet I must scream.
 
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
 
>It's been an hour...or so I believe.
>THe purple haired girl has shown me three-hundred pornographic artworks featuring me and Brad, and that's just without clothes ON.
>"We even have TONS of stories about you and Flash's horse cock. Don't get me started on Big Mac, whoo boy..."
>I cannot escape. I feel the urge to scratch my eyes in horror.
>"Well, now that we've gone through all SFW Brad photos, I say we move on to you and Nolan."
>Why must you torture me, vile woman?
>"I know you'll just lo-"
>...
>...
>...
"What the?"
>She disappears, and so does the rest of the walls of the place she has lead me to.
>What's going on? I cannot see anything.
>Only darkness in this place.
>The sudden disappearance of the woman and the walls of pornographic art has led you to believe that you have already died.
>This is the dark void of death...
 
>...Or is it?"
>You float on in the dark void, until you see a lone, dim light.
>The large transparent screen is still there, and you see yourself locked in an operating table, naked and bear.
>A female scientist converses with one of your kidnappers.
>You float nearer to the screen.
>The scientist then raises her hand to the light on the ceiling.
>She's holding something.
>The ring.
"OH SHIT."
 
Be Awake
Viri Scientia Operating Room
 
"HUAHH!"
>"Ahh, our little hobo's awake." said the female scientist.
>>"Eheh, now about our payment?" said the tracker, rubbing his hands.
>"You asked for triple, correct?"
>>"Of course. The first for the tracking of the kid, second, mainly his bag and files, and third is for us to shut our traps about the kid being 'Noir-Man'.
 
>"Alright."
"H-HEY! MY RING!"
>The lady ignores your pleas and goes to a small vault.
>She opens it and brings out two suitcases and a flask of wine.
>>"Free wine? You shouldn't have, lady!"
>"Let's say it's a gift, for bringing me two birdies."
>You hand the man the two suitcases full of cash and the wine.
>"Pure English wine, made from the finest breweries in England."
>You can smell the wine from where you're lying down.
>It has an aroma so thick, you'd want to get a sip of it.
>>"Ohoho, well, a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Jubilee."
>"The pleasure was all mine."
>The tracker exits the room.
 
>You struggle on the operating table.
"HURRGHRRAHH!"
>"No use struggling, boy. Six hard leather belts strapped to your body."
>She adjusts the operating table, slanting it a bit upward.
"W-Who are you?"
>"Considering that you work for the Saint's Bro, I think you know who I am..."
"I don't work for the Saint's Bro. Just blackmailed into helping them."
>"Help, work, so long as you further their cause, you're indeed, with them."
"Screw you."
>"Now, back to the first question you asked; My name is Cherry Jubilee. Surely you've heard of me, yes?"
>Cherry Jubilee? Cherry Jubilee, Cherry Jubilee...OH.
"I...I think I remember...Gilda saying your name."
>"Oh good, I'm sure we can skip with the pleasantries."
"W-wait, I don't know where I am..."
>"Depending on how this conversation of ours goes, I will answer many, if not all your questions. Now, may I ask who are you?"
>You don't answer.
>"Ehh, I'll just read your file those trackers got for me. *AHEM*.
>She has your records. She reads them out loud.
>"Norman Normal, son of Richard and Mary Normal. Goes to Canterlot High, onced had a part-time job at the Apple farm, yadda yadda yadda..."
>She flips through the files.
>"I think all is in order here."
>She redirects her attention to your ring.
>Cherry taps the ring with her pins and chissel tip. She even bites it.
>"This ring...very familiar, yes."
>She then directs her attention to her computer.
>Typing numbers and searching files, though you can't see too clearly.
>The only thing that's bugging you is that she has the ring, and you may as well die in the next few hours like last time * .
[spoiler]See Issue # 6   -Dan[/spoiler]
 
>The lady finally stops typing and talks to you once more.
>"Where did you get this ring?"
"What's it to you? It's my family ring."
>"Bullshit. This is one of the artifacts from those meteors."
"What? How did you know about the artifacts?"
>"We used to have one in custody, but some idiot janitor managed to drop it down the sewers * before we could have uncovered it from its rocky prison. "
>[spoiler] See Issue # 2 -Dan [/spoiler]
"W-Who are you guys?"
>"It's not a question of who WE are, it's a matter of what we DO."
>She leans closer to you.
>"The real question is, what can YOU do for us?"
"Without that ring, I can't do shit."
>"So you admit the ring does have supernatural powers, yes? You use them in your so-called 'heroics', hmm?"
>Cherry wears the ring on her finger. She attempts to lift up the table, but to no avail.
>"Hmph."
"Sorry lady, that trick only works for me."
>"How do you make this work?"
"Like I'd know. Aren't you the smart one in this room?"
 
>"So you have no idea why that thing gives you power?"
"M-Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
>"Interesting."
>She sits down, cross legs and writing notes.
>Oh god, don't get a boner, don't get a boner, don't get a boner, don't get a boner.
 
>At that moment, you cough up blood.
"COUGH* GaHk!"
>"You have some problems, boy?"
>Cherry is suprised when she glanced at your body. From a fit, muscled man to a skinnny, boney teenager.
>"Oh my god, you look malnourished."
"T-That ring set me to die in a few hours if...if I don't wear it."
>"And you think I'll just give you the ring here and now?"
"Maybe you will, maybe you won't...T-Then again, if you don't, I'm your only source of information."
>You feel your heart beat slower by the second. Times slows down as your sight switches from normal to blur.
>Cherry bites her pen sensually.
>She thinks for a moment, walking slowly around the room.
>She then takes the files. Your files.
>Checks them again, before making a decision.
 
>She goes to her desk and grabs a pill. She then forces the pill onto your mouth.
"MMMPH"
>"Open your mouth. It's not cyanide if that's what you're thinking."
>Due to your crap state, your weak mouth gives in. She shoves the pill in by shaking your head.
>Down goes the pill onto your body.
"What was that?"
>"Something similar to shock collars. The pill has  fifty nanobots inside it. It will safely live in your body for fifty years."
"W-WHAT?"
>"Saftey precautions. Instead of torturing you, I want you to work for me, as a double agent against the Saint's Bro."
"Why? Why not just shove a hundred truth serums up my ass and be done with it? Aren't you all vicious gangsters?"
>"As time goes on, we work a bit more...professionally. Besides, I want us to be partners, especially since I owe your father a debt of gratitude."
"M-my dad?"
>"He might have not told you, but he DID save me from Gilda many years ago. Besides, we're not as vicious as that animal woman, Gilda."
"So just because of that, you've decided...to trust me?"
>She taps to her chest.
>"Nanobots. You're under my control until the Saint's Bro is gone."
>You stay silent.
>"Tell me, boy, how loyal are you to the Saint's Bro?"
"I'm not."
>"Oh? Then why work for such incompetent morons?"
"..."
>"Ahh, I see you have some hatred for them, eh?"
"I have hatred for all criminals."
>"But you seem to hate the Saint's Bro more. What did they do?"
>She wants info on the Saint's Bro. Normally, you'd refuse to tell info, but then again, Nolan threatened your family.
"Their...leade-"
>"No need to to be so secret on the details. I know the leader of the Saint's Bro is Nolan."
"Then why don't you just assassinate him?"
>"If it were that easy, we would have just done it with everyone every day, now, what did Nolan do?"
"Threatened my family with his army of snipers, tortured my friend, forced me to oversee an inventory transfer..."
>"I see..."
"And then...he gave me a deadline to take out the competition. All...seven of them * ."
[spoiler]See Issue # 25 -Dan[/spoiler]
>"Seven? I thought this city only had five?"
"Nolan antici...pated two others that will try to gain territory in this city."
>"Two more? What's so special about this city?"
"That's what's been bothering me. The city has three costumed people patrolling occasionally every night. Why come here?"
>"Well, what else has Nolan got you doing?"
"Nolan has a friend who's cursed as I am with the artifact. As a last chance bargain, my partner told him that we will find a cure for the curse.
>"And have you?"
"My friend's working on it. She's crazy and...foreign, but she's smart."
>"I would like to meet that woman."
"Like I'd let you."
>Cherry backs off a bit, thinking to herself again.
>Finally, she comes to a decision.
>"Since the Saint's Bros apparently have more info on our little gang war, I want you to take them out last."
"Huh?"
>"Let me clarify: You work for us now. You're going to Saint's Bro as our little double agent. You are to get every info against the remaining five gangs and  you will destroy those gangs."
"And...and then what?"
>"With Saint's Bro and Viri Scientia remaining in this little war of ours, you will destroy Saint's Bro from the inside."
"And if I refuse?"
>She holds up a remote. She clicks it once.
"AAAAHHHRGGHH!"
>You feel your inner body electrocuted, though not as powerful as you would have thought.
>"You don't have a choice. Nanobots are a wonderful thing."
"Ugh."
>"Remember this, boy. The only reason you're still alive is because of my respect for your father. Other than that, our mutual hatred for the Saint's Bro is what will keep this partnership strong."
"Partnership? I never wanted to be part of this gang."
>"I wouldn't refer too much to Viri Scientia as an illegal gang. We work for knowledge. I work for knowledge that's too risky for those crooked legal science communities."
"So you joined Viri Scientia to continue your experiments because other scientists disapprove of your experiments?"
>She points the remote to one monitor.
>As she opens it, you see one of the trackers, naked and strapped.
>>"H-HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON?" yelled the tracker.
>"Sometimes, we require more...potent lab rats."
>>"I...I DON'T FEEL SO G-GRRRRAHHHHHHHHH"
>The tracker melts in his cell.
"What the hell?"
>The tracker's face is immediately stiffed as his body turns into crystal.
>"56%. Note to self, work on it tomorrow."
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"
>"We do more than weapons in here. What you saw was an experimental alcohol that tries to filter out cancer. We just tested it on him to see the side effects."
"BUT HE WAS YOUR TRACKER? WASN'T HE YOUR EMPLOYEE?"
>"Please, he was a freelance. Besides, he knows your secret identity. We already killed all the trackers."
"Why?"
>"They have information that they're willing to sell to ANYONE."
"..."
>"Don't be so disgusted, Norman. Now, only me and my messenger knows you're a hero and a gang member."
 
>She cuts off your binds and you slide to the floor.
>She then fits the ring on your finger.
 
>"Listen to me, Norman. We aren't as bad as the Saint's Bro. We work to find cures and scientific innovations. They work for money."
"and you guys will stop at nothing to achieve your experiments?"
>"Why else would I work outside the legal boundaries. Sacrifices must be made."
 
>You slowly regain your strength again.
>"Now, I'd assume that your parents must be worried sick about you."
"Worried sick? They barely notice I'm gone!"
>"Heh, but your old man just got off the hospital from a gang war. With his history with Gilda, I have no doubt he's more suspicious with teenagers that walk outside in midnight."
"So what are you going to do?"
>"I see potential in you, Norman. You may not be a smart man to further our works here in Viri Scientia, but you are not as savage as Saint's Bro's Gilda."
"So?"
>"You're capable of things that can help the world with our cause."
"..."
>"Now come, I'll escort you to your school. It's 7:00 AM."
>She throws you your bag.
>"And don't worry about your parents. I'll provide an alibi for you."
 
>So, she spared you thanks to your dad, and she seems to see you more of an ally than a threat.
>To be fair, her cause is much better than Saint's Bro, who seems to be more interested in control.
>Still, you don't trust her fully, but she just spared you, so you play along.
 
>You walk along the hideout of Viri Scientia.
>The place is decorated to mimic 15th century castles.
>"Watch your step, this place is rigged."
"What?"
>You remember that Gilda told you about Viri and their paranoia.
"You know, when Gilda told me about you guys, she said you guys were religious as hell."
>"We lost that mentality a few years back when I took over. Sadly, not everyone is a sane as most of our people."
"Define sane."
>"We have extremely normal people, some who believe in our cause too much and some who are, well...Amaranthine.
"I remember her. What's her problem?"
>"She became obsessed with Gilda, more than we are."
"Err..."
>"Yeah. If my timing is correct, she's going to attack her and fail again in two hours."
 
>You arrive at the limo.
>Before you get in, Cherry asks you something.
>"Norman."
"What?"
>"Can we trust you to do the right thing?"
"I don't know what the right thing is, but if it means for Nolan to stop breathing down my family and friend's necks, then by all means, you can trust me, but I can't say the same for you."
>"I suppose showing you my failed cancer formula wasn't the best first impression."
"However, you were at-least more decent to talk to than Nolan. The guy's a dick."
>She smiles. Flattery DOES get you somewhere.
"Anyways, I'll just walk to school. Less inconspicuous."
>And so, you walk away.
>Your mind is baffled.
>Working for two gang members, all because of the artifact.
>Decisions, decisions, decisions...
 
Be Cherry Jubilee
By Hideout gates
 
>Your messenger, Dry Wheat comes to your side.
>"Should we trust him, Cherry? He IS a superhero!"
"We had a long chat, and I already had my nanobot pill inside his body."
>"And he took that well?"
"Yes. The pill has some calming elements inside it. Perhaps they worked TOO well..."
>"So you just let him go, just like that?"
" I knew his father, and turns out he's had worse with Nolan."
>"So we have a double agent against Nolan?"
"Most likely so. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to eavesdrop on the boy."
>"Right. Watch your step, Mistress."
 
>You came back to your office and activated the nano bots.
>You have Norman at your disposal. All his words can be heard, and he can be tracked as well.
>"Mistress, what does he know about the nanobots?"
"All he knows is that I could electrocute him."
>"He doesn't know you're going all NSA on him, huh?"
"We are a paranoid team, aren't we?"
>"Heh."
 
 
End of Chapter 32