"I think something interesting is about to happen, just watch."
They positioned themselves behind a bookshelf where they could see the table but weren't visible. Peter and MJ sat together reviewing notes.
Peter said something. MJ laughed. Not her polite laugh. The genuine one.
They kept talking. Peter's body language was relaxed now that the group pressure was gone. MJ leaned closer to look at something in his notebook.
Five minutes passed. Then Peter took a breath like he was gathering courage.
"Hey, MJ? There's this new sci-fi movie coming out this weekend. The one about the Mars colony. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to see it? With me?"
MJ's face lit up. "Really? I've been wanting to see that. None of my other friends like sci-fi."
"So... is that a yes?"
"Yes." MJ smiled. "Definitely yes. Saturday work for you?"
"Saturday's perfect."
They both looked pleased and slightly nervous. Classic first date energy.
Gwen grabbed Alex's arm and pulled him back further into the stacks. She was grinning.
"You totally set that up."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You orchestrated this whole thing. Getting me away from the table so they could talk privately."
Alex shrugged. "They both liked each other. Someone had to give them a push."
They walked back to the table. Peter looked excited. MJ was still smiling. Neither of them mentioned the movie plans but the energy had shifted.
The study session wrapped up around 9 PM. MJ left first, citing an early shift at her bookstore job tomorrow.
After she was gone, Peter turned to Alex. "You planned that, didn't you? The whole 'I need a chemistry book' thing?"
"Pure coincidence."
"Alex."
"Fine. Maybe I helped a little. You were both too nervous to make a move. Figured I'd create an opportunity."
Peter grinned. "Thanks, man. Seriously. I've been wanting to ask her out for weeks."
"I know. It was painful to watch."
Gwen was studying Alex with an odd expression. "You're different lately. More... calculating. It's not bad. Just different from how you used to be."
"Just trying to help my friends. That's all."
"Is it?" Gwen's tone was curious, not accusatory. "Sometimes it feels like you're playing chess while the rest of us are playing checkers."
Alex packed his books. "If I was that smart, I wouldn't have almost failed out last semester."
"But you didn't fail out. You turned everything around in like two weeks. Got straight A's. Got a job at Oscorp. That's not normal improvement, Alex."
"Hard work and desperation. Powerful motivators."
Gwen didn't look convinced but she let it drop. They said their goodbyes and headed home.
Alex walked back to his apartment thinking about Gwen's observations. She was perceptive. Too perceptive. He would need to be more careful about how obviously he was manipulating situations.
'Is this what survival requires?' Alex thought.
'Constant calculation? Seeing people as chess pieces?'
He pushed the thought away. Peter was happy. MJ was happy. That was what mattered. The methods were less important than the results.
...
Back at Oscorp the next week, Alex dove deeper into the Project Arachne files. He needed more details about Specimen 15 specifically.
Behavioral patterns. Escape methods. Physical description. Anything that would help him identify it during the field trip.
The spider was larger than normal. About the size of a half-dollar coin. Coloring was darker than typical specimens, almost black with red markings. Moved faster than the other test subjects. More aggressive when disturbed.
Lab observation schedule was documented clearly. Researchers checked the spiders three times daily. Seven AM, two PM, and nine PM. Between those times, the lab was empty except for automated monitoring systems.
The field trip was scheduled for 10 AM. Right between morning and afternoon observations. Maximum time for something to go wrong without being noticed immediately.
Alex volunteered for overtime that Thursday. "I want to finish this cross-species report early. Is it okay if I work late?"
Dr. Kumar approved it. "Just make sure security knows you're here. They get nervous about people in the building after hours."
Alex stayed until 8 PM. Most employees had left by then. Cleaning crews were making rounds. Security was lighter than during business hours.
He took a walk to "clear his head." Down one hallway. Up another. Getting turned around in the building's maze of corridors.
A security guard found him on Sub-Level 1.
"You lost, kid?"
"Sorry. Yeah. I was looking for the bathroom and got completely turned around."
"Bathrooms are back that way. Stay on the main floors. These lower levels are restricted."
"Got it. Thanks."
The guard escorted him back to the elevator. Alex memorized everything he saw. Camera positions. Door lock types. Badge readers. Emergency exits.
Bio-Research Lab 7 was one floor below where the guard found him. Sub-Level 2. He couldn't access it directly but he had a better mental map of the area now.
The field trip would pass through observation corridors on Level 3. Those corridors had windows looking down into the research labs. Perfect for viewing experiments from a safe distance.
Also perfect for a spider to climb up through ventilation and end up near students.
Alex returned to his office and added everything to his mental map. The picture was becoming complete.
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