Alex got home to his apartment just after 7 PM. The building was quiet. Most of his neighbors were either at work or already settled in for the evening.
He locked the door behind him and set his bag on the small kitchen table. Pulled out the specimen container carefully.
Under the harsh kitchen light, Specimen 15 looked even more disturbing. Its body was crushed on one side but the other side was intact. The red markings on its black carapace stood out clearly. Legs were curled inward in death.
But the important parts were preserved. The venom sacs near the fangs appeared undamaged. The genetic material in its cells would still be viable for study.
Alex didn't have proper lab equipment yet. Couldn't analyze the venom or sequence the spider's DNA from his apartment. But he could store it properly until he figured out how to get access to Oscorp's labs after hours.
He opened his freezer. Cleared space between frozen meals and ice trays. The specimen container fit perfectly in the back corner. The cold would preserve it indefinitely.
'Step one complete,' Alex thought. 'Now I need Peter's samples.'
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Found Aunt May's number. He'd gotten it weeks ago during a study session at Peter's house.
Alex composed a text carefully.
"Hi Ms. Parker, this is Alex Carter, Peter's friend from school. There was a small incident at the Oscorp field trip today. Nothing serious, just wanted to check that Peter got home okay?"
The response came back in less than a minute.
"Hello Alex. Yes, Peter is home. He said it was just some excitement with a spider? He seems fine but thank you for checking. You're a good friend."
"Glad to hear it. I'm planning to stop by tomorrow after school if that's okay. Want to make sure he's caught up on what he missed in class."
"Of course! Peter always enjoys your study sessions. See you tomorrow."
Perfect. Alex now had an invitation to visit Peter's house tomorrow. A legitimate reason to spend time with his friend and collect more samples.
He put his phone down and opened his laptop. Started researching what he should expect from Peter's transformation.
The movies and comics weren't perfectly reliable. Different versions of Spider-Man had different power sets and different timelines. But there were common elements.
Enhanced strength would come first. Probably overnight or within twenty-four hours. Peter would wake up stronger than he'd ever been. Might break things accidentally. Doorknobs. Glasses. Anything fragile.
Reflexes would improve rapidly. Reaction time would decrease to superhuman levels. Peter would catch things before they fell. Dodge obstacles without thinking.
Wall-crawling would develop within a day or two. The ability to stick to surfaces through some kind of bio-electric adhesion. Peter would discover it by accident. Touch a wall and stick to it.
The spider-sense would be last. Days or maybe a week. A precognitive danger warning that let Peter react to threats before they happened.
And his vision would improve. Possibly his hearing. All his senses would be enhanced to varying degrees.
Alex took notes. Created a checklist of symptoms to watch for. Behaviors that would indicate the transformation was progressing.
His phone buzzed. Text from Felicia.
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