The information he had about Queens was limited.
Cyclops had rarely been involved in the goings on of this borough of New York City.
He had some information, which was better than none.
However, a great deal of that was from what Scott had learned by scouring the internet with little being provided from Cyclops' memories. It had taken him a few hours to find the most valuable information, but now he could begin piecing together the pieces of the puzzle and find the answers he was looking for.
Amelia was out right now, getting food and no doubt letting Charles know that they would not be back anytime soon, Scott had made that very clear to her. He was not about to leave while Warren was out there, missing and in danger, not when he could do something about it.
So, for now, the little hotel room they had booked was his and he had turned into a mess of torn-out notes pages with scribbled words and paragraphs. The walls and floors were littered with them as Scott stepped back to take a look, eyes flickering over the pages as he stroked his chin in thought, gaze narrowing.
As he said, Cyclops' interaction with the players of Queens was limited and from what he knew so far, the only interactions he had was with Kingpin and most importantly, Norman Osborn. Yet even then, the instincts that would often guide him in the absence of his memories were, while not quiet, they were subdued. They would not provide him with the answers and Scott found himself bereft of one of his most valuable tools, but that was hardly concerning to him.
He had not spent all this time training his mind and body only to panic when he no longer had Cyclops' memories or instincts to rely upon. If Scott allowed himself to be that dependent on them, then he would never be destined to achieve anything meaningful. His limits would be clear and low, and Scott would not allow himself to fall into that trap.
So, as he looked upon the information he had compiled, Scott for the first time in so many years, ignored the instincts of Cyclops and the preconceptions of the memories. He looked upon everything he had gathered, every scrap of paper and piece of information with new and fresh eyes, free of personal bias and feelings.
Slowly, Scott began to find a pattern.
Oscorps investment in various confidential and high-value projects that gained the attention of the American government.
The various robberies of Oscorp corporate rivals and the mysterious death of Norman's business partner, Mendel Stromm.
The fallout that followed was led by the large acquisition of Oscorp shares linked to offshore accounts and shell companies.
Norman Osborn's generous donations to charities around Queens and New York, each with ties to the Maggia Crime Syndicate.
Even without the information he had on New York thanks to Cyclops' memories, Scott could already begin to piece together what was really going on in this city. Norman, despite his image as a legitimate businessman, clearly had ties, willingly or not to the Maggia Crime Syndicate who were more than likely responsible for the death of Mendel Stromm and robberies of Oscorp corporate rivals. The technology and resources that were stolen, were then delivered to Oscrop, giving them a monopoly on highly valued projects by the American government.
All these things alone painted a clear picture of what was really going on in this city and all one had to do was look.
The internet was a marvellous place with observant and curious people delving deeper than they should have into the mask that their cities elites wore. In the process, uncovered the truth and posted it on the internet for everyone to see, only for it to be lost in the sea of inane and miscellaneous articles. But all it took was a little time and perseverance and Scott was able to find what he was looking for.
What others had dismissed as hate speech and conspiracy theories, Scott saw for the truth that they actually spoke, all it took was for someone to connect the right dots and put in a little time and effort. It also didn't hurt that thanks to Cyclops' memories, Scott knew that Norman had never been the kind, generous and charitable figure he presented himself as to the public. He was greedy, power-hungry and ambitious, only ever working for his own self-interest and would be more than willing to work with the criminals of the world, and especially the criminals of New York to get what he wanted.
It was where Kingpin fitted into all this and whether he did that stumped Scott.
He knew that while the charities with 'suspected' ties to the Maggia Crime Syndicate had never been proven to actually have said ties, but Scott doubted very much that they weren't. Norman was never the type to give away freely and while he was trying his best to not let personal bias cloud his judgement, the things he had seen of Norman painted a very similar image to what he had been like in Cyclops' world. He would never give away freely, unless it actually served a purpose, like paying off the Maggia or purchasing their services.
However, Kingpin had never been the leader of the Maggia Crime Syndicate, he had always been in charge of his own organisation that might have had ties with the Maggia at various points. But Cyclops had never had enough reason to interact with Kingpin because their areas of focus were too different so he could not say for certain whether Kingpin was actually involved or not.
But Scott knew for certain that the Maggia were and in turn, so was Norman Osborn.
However, if Kingpin proved to also be involved, then he would just have to deal with that when it came.
Right now, he needed to plan on what to do next.
-X-
With a wave of his hand, Norman heard the sound of quick footsteps, three men moving forwards with a briefcase in each hand, placing them all on the bonnet of the car. "As you'll find Joseph, I am a man of my word and as promised, ten million in unmarked bills," Norman said with an amicable smile upon his face as he looked up at the large man before him.
He wasn't majorly tall, not even six feet in height but he was a big guy, weighing anywhere from possibly two hundred to three hundred pounds. Yet Joseph didn't look overweight or morbidly obese, instead he looked strong, with clear muscle definition that appeared as it strained against the contours of his suit. Yet Joseph was not an attractive-looking man, with an oddly shaped head that was both big but square in shape and a receding hairline that only made the shape of his head more pronounced.
However, it was his distinguishable features that made Joseph who he was.
The only man in New York City who opposed Kingpin's rule, Hammerhead.
The two men had been at odds for some time, Norman not even knowing the full story behind it, but what little he did know made Joseph a valuable ally to have. He was the leader of the Maggia Crime Syndicate branch of New York City, a branch whose influence had been weakening ever since Kingpin rose to power and someone who Hammerhead held a great distaste for.
Just like Norman did.
That made them unlikely allies, the enemy of his enemy being his friend.
"Indeed you are, Norman," Hammerhead replied, a few of his own men checking the contents of the briefcases, each filled to the brim with money. "And as promised, two willing experiments for your projects." As he said that, the back of a truck opened up, two men being dragged out, bound and gagged, their eyes glazed over from the drugs they had been injected with to keep them compliant.
"Their names?"
"Is that necessary?"
Norman shook his head. "No, but I like to at least know who I will be working with."
"Flint Marko and Aleksei Systevich." Hammerhead indicated first to the man on the right and then to the one on the left. "They've worked with me in the past and were willing to do this last job for me in return for a large sum of money." From the tone of his voice, Norman knew that the possibility of them receiving said the money was unlikely, something he would have to keep in mind in the future.
"Well, I thank you for the products all the same," Norman said, giving the signal for some of his men to take the two, dragging them to a truck of his own where they were thrown inside. "Once this is done and we manage to succeed in creating the weapons and mercenaries we need, Kingpin can be removed once and for all. I hope that the Maggia will take into consideration the work I have done for them when deciding upon the future of our partnership."
"I"m sure they will." Norman doubted it very much though, nor did he want to consider the possibility of continuing their relationship in the future. He either cut off ties with the Maggia and ensured his own security or they would remove him just as they had done for his old partner, Mendel Stromm per his request.
That was just the way of the world.