In 2006, the sixth year since the Small Town Meteorite incident in Kansas, at an Osborn Group research facility far away in New York.
"This is the Knight System, developed by the industrial division of the Osborn Group to fight the Insects. Once suited up, the user can gain the strength and speed to match them, but the system demands a great deal of physical fitness. According to our test data, users must withstand tremendous G-forces while accelerating. Ideally, the wearer should be an active fighter pilot—one of the very best."
Norman Osborn, brimming with confidence, explained to the group. Beside him stood a human-shaped suit of armor in a display case, about two meters tall. Its overall design was sleek and smooth. The armor itself was made of flexible black material, overlaid with red plates, while golden energy conduits ran between them. Even at a glance, it had a refined, high-tech beauty.
"Norman Osborn, our time is precious. If all you've done is 'invent' this armor, and you don't even know whether it's useful, then there was no point in making us come all this way!"
The audience consisted of people from the Department of Defense and the military. The one voicing his doubts was a lieutenant general, who looked at the self-assured Norman Osborn with clear displeasure.
They knew exactly how capable their military partner, Norman Osborn, was.
They had been working with the Osborn Group for a long time to recreate Captain America's miracle, but Norman's so-called "Human Enhancement Potion" had yet to produce results. The money they had poured into it would have been enough to wage a regional war.
But the past two years had been highly unusual. The Insects' arrival had thrown all of America's plans into disarray. They had even infiltrated the upper ranks of the military, so all foreign operations had been canceled. Funds originally earmarked for overseas war were diverted to research on the Insects.
The American military depicted in Hollywood movies was just that—a movie fantasy. They had no experience fighting an enemy from outer space. Since the Insects generally appeared in densely populated cities, the use of weapons of mass destruction was restricted, and standard infantry weapons couldn't kill them effectively. The military had no choice but to cast a wide net and focus on catching the fish, placing specialized development contracts with multiple industrial groups.
The development cycle had been far too short. The Osborn Group was the only one with a product ready, so even though they had little hope, they had still come.
Seeing the look on the general's face, Norman Osborn immediately said, "The Knight System is fully calibrated and ready for field testing. Data can only tell us so much. Its performance in actual use will be far more convincing."
As a man ruthless enough to use the unfinished Human Enhancement Potion on himself, Norman Osborn had already worn the Knight System. Having undergone the necessary enhancement surgery, he could bring out the armor's full power. He had good reason to be confident.
A lieutenant named Sonon was selected to test the weapon. He was a tall white man and had once piloted an EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft at a U.S. base in Japan. The Insect incident had brought him back to the States, making him a perfect fit for the lead role in an American patriotic film.
Under the guidance of Osborn personnel, he changed into a specially designed, skin-tight G-suit and stepped into the display case.
The display case was kept cold. Caught off guard, Sonon shivered, and his entry activated the built-in weight and infrared sensors.
After detecting the user, countless tiny beams of light formed a fine mesh and scanned Lieutenant Sonon from head to toe. The Knight Armor adjusted itself based on the results, reshaping to fit his body more closely.
Once the adjustments were complete, ten mechanical arms took the Knight Armor apart into pieces, then began assembling them along the contours of Lieutenant Sonon's body. In less than a minute, a mechanical warrior clad in exquisite armor stood in his place.
Assembly complete. Self-check complete. Knight System activated.
"This feeling... It's incredible!"
As countless instructions for operating the Knight System scrolled across the retinal display, Lieutenant Sonon discovered that all of his senses seemed to have been enhanced. The instructions moved too quickly for an ordinary person to make out, but he could read them clearly. He could even see the paths taken by dust motes in the air. Despite the thick layer of armor around him, he could hear everyone outside and distinguish each person's heartbeat.
He was a superhuman now, and it wasn't an illusion!
"Beep, beep, beep. Insect detected!"
Before he could test the armor's various functions, an alarm sounded inside it, audible only to Lieutenant Sonon. One person in the crowd was marked, and their data appeared in a list beside him.
Lieutenant Sonon couldn't understand the technical terms he'd never encountered before, but the system's feedback made one thing clear: somehow, an Insect had infiltrated the group of people standing with him.
"Captain Patrick Honeck, identify yourself!"
Lieutenant Sonon stepped out of the display case and approached his comrade, who had been marked by the system. His presence was intimidating.
"So I've been found out. Then this armor and its developers can't be allowed to survive!"
Captain Honeck gave a strange smile and reverted to his original Insect form. Unfortunately, he was a mature Insect.
The Insect looked like a cross between a human and some kind of spider. It stood two meters tall and had a humanoid outline. Three pairs of black, beadlike eyes of varying sizes were arranged symmetrically on either side of its face. Its hands were insectile claws, and four pairs of appendages curled against its ribs. Its body was covered in a gray-brown and black exoskeleton, studded with tiny spikes.
Several military personnel reacted quickly. As soon as they sensed danger, they turned and scrambled away from the Insect that had infiltrated their group, even though they knew they had no chance of escaping its abilities.
Just as they took their first steps, the Insect unleashed its special ability. The world seemed to slow to one sixty-fourth of its normal speed, leaving the Insect free to move as it pleased while no one could see it or keep up with it.
"ClockUp!"
Lieutenant Sonon had moved as soon as the Insect revealed its true form. Following the instructions, he slapped the button at his waist with his right hand. Red light flared along the energy conduits on the armor's outer layer. A powerful surge of energy burst from the core at his waist and coursed through his entire body. Some of the excess energy ionized the air, sending countless tiny arcs of electricity lashing in every direction with soft crackles.
"I can see its movements—and I can keep up!"
The figure that normally only a high-speed camera could capture slowed before Lieutenant Sonon's eyes. The Insect still moved swiftly, but its speed was within the range a human could process. Sonon could follow it completely.
As the fleeing people took their second steps, the many display cases in the exhibition hall shattered in an instant. Lieutenant Sonon, still wearing the armor, crashed into the wall in Section C. He struggled a few times, but in the end he couldn't get back up. The armor radiated intense heat, and the air around him shimmered and warped.
The Insect that had threatened everyone's lives lay on the ground at the other end of the hall. Its exoskeleton was shattered and its limbs were mangled. Thick green bodily fluid had spread across the floor. It looked as though a truck had run it over. It was clearly dead.
For the first time, humanity had won a battle against the Insects.