Osborn #2 begins in the same manner as the first issue of the mini series, with Norman Osborn expressing his admiration for a member of the animal kingdom. This time, instead of a spider, it's the hyena, a so-called 'opportunistic hunter'. Osborn is sharing his thoughts with Father Coulmier, during what appears to be a monitored therapy session. Osborn explains to Coulmier that being opportunistic does not imply a lack of character, rather, it demonstrates 'a good deal of sense.' Norman places emphasis on his point by slamming a rolled up newspaper on the table in front of him, startling Coulmier. He tells the priest he was swatting a fly, but Coulmier quickly replies, 'we don't get flies down here.'

Their session is unproductive as Norman responds to Coulmier's commentary with sarcasm, but soon the priest asks the prison guard to leave so that Osborn can receive the sacrament of penance in private. Once the guard leaves, Coulmier informs Osborn the true reason for his interest in the former villain. 

The priest tells Norman that he is a man of faith and that he and his associates believe that Norman has a 'crucial role in bringing about a better world'. Norman is quite intrigued to be a cult leader (once again!), but refuses aid from Coulmier in escaping. Norman believes himself to be political prisoner, so escape would hurt his cause. Coulmier tells him that there are two ways out of the S.C.C., death and when 'they' need you for something (the former seems most likely). The moment Coulmier issues that statement, alarms go off across the S.C.C., there's a security breach in the Second Wing.

Back at the Front Line, Norah Winters receives a suspicious envelope with a return address located somewhere miles off the coast in what seems to be a non-existent locale. Inside the envelope she finds a note with three words, 'Pier 84. Midnight', on the back of the note is the Goblin Cult image (identical to the tatoos on Vin Gonzalez and Father Coulmier).

After Norah is tipped off to the existence of a Green Goblin Cult, she immediately begins investigating some of the folks who have chose the Goblin as their messiah.  However in Amazing Spider-Man #649, Norah quickly discovers the hard way that the Cult members are not the friendliest of people.  While amongst the members of a biker gang, who also happen to be white supremacists as well, Norah was nearly killed after inquiring about their devotion to the Green Goblin.  The bikers were not the brightest bulbs in the pack and the most Norah was able to extract from the gang was that they embraced Norman's stance against foreigners and keeping them off of American soil.  To quote them, "America is for Americans!  White Americans!".  Luckily for Norah, Spider-Man and the Black Cat were able to step in before things got ugly, and they dismantled the biker thugs in a matter of minutes.  

Returning to Osborn #2, with the alarms still blazing at the S.C.C., Marty, the schmucky security guard from the Third Wing, appears to have a mental breakdown and the prisoners take advantage of it. Ai Apaec grabs the guard while June Covington tries to coerce him into opening the cell gates. Marty fails to get the gate open for June, so Ai Apaec squeezes the guard with its spider-legs, killing him instantly.

The story then returns to Osborn and Coulmier, both of which are lying face down on the ground while the alarm is sounding. Norman becomes fed up with waiting for the guards to allow him to return to his feet, so he does what any impatient person would do...he kills the two guards and begins his escape. Before leaving, however, Norman returns to the Third Wing where he finds their guard slain. Osborn informs the group of prisoners that he will free them, but first he promises that if they don't do what he says until they are beyond the prison walls, he will kill them. The prisoners agree to his terms.

The group of five make their way down the prison halls, looking for an escape route (since none of them know exactly where they are). While leaving, Xirdal (the reptilian inmate) sees the dead guards (the ones Osborn killed) and decides that she doesn't want to follow a murderer into battle so she goes off on her own. After she opens a hatch door, a flood of water is released, seemingly killing Xirdal. Osborn watches her die and says, 'someone chose poorly'. Norman was somehow aware that he's miles underwater. When Father Coulmier asks Norman how he knew that, he replies, 'whoever heard of a cesspool, with no flies'. It appears Norman astutely recognized a clue that Coulmier had given him earlier in the day.

Osborn #2 concludes with Norah's rendezvous at Pier 84, where she is meeting up with her mysterious informant. The informant refuses to give Norah his name, rather, he directs Norah to her 'chariot'...a submarine! She's headed to the S.C.C....

In keeping with the first two installments of this mini series, the opening scene in Osborn #3 pays homage to a member of the animal kingdom, this time it’s the instinctive habits of the leader in a pride of lions. However, instead of Osborn issuing the praise, it's Senator Sondra Muffoletto discussing politics and sharing a meal with her staff in Washington D.C. The senator explains to her people that all human beings are animals and that there are certain essentials (food, water, shelter, community, and protection) that all animals require. In order to secure these essentials, whether it’s a group of humans or a pride of lions, strong leadership is required. Muffoletto delineates the four things a leader must do well.

1. Distribute resources

2. Enforce the rules

3. Protect the group

4. Play the part (ie, inspire confidence and trust by your actions) and don’t flinch!

The fourth characteristic is the tricky one and the Senator explains that it cannot be taught, an animal is born with the necessary trait…

This bit of foreshadowing transitions the story back to the S.C.C., where Norman Osborn leads a group of recently freed prisoners through the halls of the detention center. His following includes June Covington, Pryor Cashman, Ai Apaec, and the man posing as a priest, Father Coulmier. Norman leads them to the Second Wing (which houses the prison’s general population) where all hell has broken loose and a prisoner uprising is in full swing. It’s clear Norman plans to seize control over the entire S.C.C. otherwise he would have stayed far away from the Second Wing and focused on his escape. Instead, Norman takes them into the heart of the melee.

Upon entering the Second Wing, Norman spouts some latin to inspire his small group of followers, “pax pro eo optimus arma (peace through superior force)”. The Second Wing is in complete disarray as security guards are being torn limb from limb and the bloody riot spares no one. Norman instructs his fellow members of the Third Wing to find 'the biggest, ugliest creature on the floor and make him your…’. But before Norman could finish his sentence the biggest, ugliest, creature on the floor found him and tried to make him his…, well, you get the picture. Osborn finds himself getting pummeled by a 10-foot tall inmate (who looks like a member of biker gang) while the rest of the general population watches in enjoyment.

One of the spectators to Norman’s beat down is Norah Winters, who is ‘safely’ watching the ruckus from the Second Wing’s observation deck alongside her mysterious companion. Norah immediately recognizes Norman. Meanwhile, back at the offices of the Daily Bugle, staff member Sarah Saulsby struggles to contact Senator Muffoletto and her people in regards to both Norah’s disappearance and Norman Osborn’s recent ‘off-radar’ status. Sarah had found a lead from Norah’s notes that suggested 'Pier 84' was of importance and she wanted to find out from the senator what the significance of that pier may be. The message eventually reaches Senator Muffoletto.

Returning to the S.C.C., Norman’s entire group is now under attack from the prisoners in the Second Wing. However, they seem to be holding their own quite well against the other inmates. June Covington takes on a Blob-like inmate, who thinks he has her beaten, but June reveals some interesting facts about herself. June has altered her own biology in numerous ways. She has bones that soften to diffuse impact, glands that distribute relaxin to allow her joints to easily dislocate, and she’s increased her pain threshold. All of this makes her a formidable foe, but she saves the best for last, a neurotoxin in her blood that induces paralysis in her victims. She easily defeats the poor man’s Blob.

Amidst the chaos, Norman is still being battered around by the giant biker-like inmate, and despite the cheers from the crowd for the ‘old man to stay down’, Norman keeps coming back for more. But ol’ Norman soon turns the tables on the inmate and with one powerful blow he knocks him clean off of his feet. After taking control of the fight Norman exclaims, “Your turn! Come out and play with Uncle Norman!”…classic line. Norman’s victim issues a sheepish look as he and the rest of the inmates soon realize who this man is, the great Norman Osborn! Soon, cheers of ‘Osborn! Osborn! Osborn!’ ring throughout the prison and the inmates flash their Goblin tattoos. Norman relishes the moment.

Back in D.C., Senator Muffoletto receives word about Sarah’s 'Pier 84' inquiry and she immediately phones Senator Morrison. She requests to meet Morrison in person, but he declines, stating they have nothing to talk about. Remember that their initial committee meeting was off-the-record and Morrison appears to be covering his tracks all the while framing Muffoletto for his deeds. Muffoletto realizes this and drops her teapot after she reaches the unfortunate conclusion…she flinched! See, there’s a reason I included that whole lion leadership bit from the story’s beginning…

Osborn #3 concludes with Osborn addressing his newfound followers, who are all cheering him on. Before Norman could issue out a speech, Father Coulmier directs Norman’s attention to the observation deck. Unfortunately for Norah, she could not phone anyone for help before she is abducted by Ai Apaec upon Norman’s command. Norman now has a prisoner of his own, a lady he has a small amount of history with, Miss Norah Winters…poor gal.

Osborn was ready to prepare a strategy for his escape, but something did not sit right with him as far as Norah's arrival at the prison, more specifically her anonymous escort who seemingly disappeared just as Ai Apaec snatched her. Norman pointed out that a whistle-blower would have a lot to gain by exposing the S.C.C., yet this source clearly did not want a public connection made between he and the prison. Norah quickly interjects with the claim that she was approached only after she looked into Norman's last visitor (Sondra Muffoletto) at the Raft.  "Visitors", Norman remarks as he corrects Norah and suddenly Norman puts it all together.  He realizes that Muffoletto was being set up and that she was the key to his escape.

Norah scoffs at Norman's plan to expose the S.C.C. to the world, she believes that no one would care once they realized who was locked away in there. But Osborn plays the patriot card and contends that if these prisoners were born on American soil, then they have rights and they deserved a trial. Father Coulmier interrupts their soap-box bickering and informs them that there is a code that could be used to telephone the surface, within seconds Osborn had Muffoletto on the line. Norman reminds the Senator that she is being set up (a fact she realized at the conclusion of Osborn #3) so he bargains for a legal escort out of the prison, a transfer back to the Raft, and a trial. In exchange, he would help the Senator bury this story and Norah would return to NYC as if nothing had happened. Muffoletto takes Osborn up on his offer and then tells him where the escape pod in the S.C.C. was located. Immediately after getting off of the phone, Muffoletto contacts the Pentagon and orders an attack on the S.C.C.

Coulmier was surprised to see Muffoletto provide Osborn with such an obvious opportunity to double-cross her and simply make a run for freedom. Norman was suspicious as well and decided to dig a little deeper into the motivations of his priestly associate. After Osborn questions the nature of Coulmier's 'grand plan', the priest responds that it was simply to free him from incarceration. Coulmier went on to say that despite being aware that Osborn's freedom was also the intention of others, he was not privy to their motives. After hearing the priest describe him as 'a man of lawlessness and a man whose ascension is a herald...', Osborn decides to test the Coulmier's convictions. He sends the priest on a suicide mission.

As the group (which included Norah, June Covington, Pryor Cashman, Ai Apaec, and Norman) made their way to the escape pod, Norah's anonymous source appeared before them, one Carney Rives! Rives, a phasable entity, was originally a prisoner in the Third Wing but he was removed just prior to Osborn's arrival in Osborn #1. Norman pilots the escape pod, with six passengers packed in, as Coulmier begins opening hatch doors in an attempt to implode the prison. But Coulmier's suicide mission is a futile attempt, as the U.S. Navy fires missiles at the S.C.C., annihilating the prison just as Osborn and the others make their getaway!

The opening scene for Osborn #5 immediately follows the events of the previous issue as Norman and his crew navigate their escape pod to safety at the surface of the ocean.  Ai Apaec created a cocoon to protect the pod and Osborn, as well as his fellow inmates, was now officially a free man.

The story then transitions to a time three weeks after Norman's escape from the S.C.C. as Norah Winters and Senator Muffoletto are called to a Senate investigative hearing on Osborn's disappearance.  Chairing the hearing was none other than the Green Goblin Cult co-cospirator Senator Bill Morrison himself!  Morrison rips into Norah's story (which she published in the Daily Bugle) on Norman's disappearance and the S.C.C. as a secret prison.  He cites that there very little corroborative evidence backing her story up.  Unfortunately for Norah while she was Norman's captive she was drugged and brainwashed in order to muddy the waters of her memory (this was part of Norman's deal with Muffoletto as he attempted to bury this story for her), making her an unreliable source of factual information.

Fed up with Morrison's facade, Muffoletto interrupts Norah's interrogation and confesses her involvement in Norman's illegal transfer to the S.C.C. as well as his escape.  She threw herself at the mercy of the committee as she claims that she was convinced the country was not safe with Norman in the system.

Whilst Norah and Sondra were defending themselves at the Senate hearing, Norman was out and about in Manhattan at the First Bank of New York.  He accesses a lock box and appeared to make a withdrawal, shortly after doing so he was sharing cocktails with the lovely (but deadly) June Covington.  The two share a romantic dinner after which Norman called for his 'ride'...he was turning himself in to the authorities!  Meanwhile, June heads off for a job interview.

The word of Norman's surrender spread like wild fire and it did not take long to reach Senator Bill Morrison who became infuriated with the news.  He quickly sends his subordinate to find out more information on Osborn's status, as Morrison was now in full panic mode.  Later, at the Federal Courthouse in New York City, Osborn (dressed in his prison garb) addresses the media.  He claimed to be proud to live in a country that guaranteed him a day in court and that he was proud to have had a role in keeping it that way.  Norah makes her way to the courthouse and confronts Osborn for what he did to her while she was captive.  After briefly antagonizing her (and not answering her questions), Osborn was carted off by the authorities back to the Raft.

Norman's journey ends exactly where it began, in a lonely spider-web-filled prison cell at the Raft.  Soon after returning to the Raft, Muffoletto pays him a visit.  The humbled senator wanted some closure on this whole debacle as she questions Norman's motives throughout his escape.  Muffoletto asks Osborn why he arranged to have all the prisoners killed and, in short, Osborn describes it as a mercy killing.  Osborn points out that he promised them all justice and that their dignity had been robbed the moment they were imprisoned there, so the only logical thing to do was kill them all (d'uh!).

Muffoletto leaves after asking for God's mercy on both Norman and herself, Norman then reminds the Senator that he may still save the world someday (I guess we'll wait and see on that one).  As Muffoletto walks away, Norman's new doctor arrives with his meds...the new doctor is June Covington!  Norman is already planting the seeds for yet another escape from incarceration...