"Heard there was drama at Oscorp today. You okay?"
Alex smiled slightly. Felicia always knew what was happening. Her network of connections was impressive.
"I'm fine. Spider got loose during a tour. Everyone evacuated safely."
"Just a spider? Boring. I thought maybe Norman finally snapped and went full supervillain."
Many knew if Norman's character by now. She was just joking but she had no idea how true her words would be.
"Not yet. Give him time." Alex laughed at that while inwardly sweating a bit thinking.
'If that happens I'll surely be on the target list like my bro Peter.'
'Well, I don't have or won't have a no kill rule.'
"Ha. Lunch this weekend? Want to show you the office space I'm looking at."
"Sure. Saturday?"
"Perfect. I'll text you the address."
Alex set his phone aside and continued researching. He found academic papers on genetic modification. Studies on venom properties. Research into how foreign DNA could integrate with human cells.
Most of it was theoretical. Nobody had actually successfully modified a human with animal DNA. At least not publicly. Not safely.
But Oscorp had done it. By accident. The spider's bite had transferred genetic material directly into Peter's bloodstream. His body was accepting it. Integrating it. Becoming something new.
'If I can understand the mechanism,' Alex thought, 'I can replicate it safely. Design a formula that gives enhancements without the risk of rejection or mutation.'
That was years away. Maybe decades. But it was possible.
Morever, he plans to use enhanced AI systems to significantly boost the process making it significantly shorter...maybe a few months at most if successful.
He worked until midnight. Taking notes. Building models. Planning his research approach.
Finally exhaustion caught up with him. Alex closed his laptop and collapsed into bed.
Tomorrow would be critical. First day of Peter's transformation. First opportunity to collect detailed samples.
He needed to be ready.
...
School the next day felt surreal. Everyone was talking about the Oscorp incident. Stories were already getting exaggerated.
"I heard the spider was the size of a dinner plate," one girl said at her locker.
"Someone told me it bit three people before they killed it," another student added.
Alex walked past them toward his first class. Found Peter at his usual desk. His friend looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes. But otherwise normal.
"Hey," Alex said, sitting down beside him. "How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted. Didn't sleep well." Peter rubbed his face. "Kept having weird dreams. And I woke up with a headache."
"Probably just stress from yesterday."
"Yeah. Probably."
The teacher started class. Alex watched Peter out of the corner of his eye. His friend kept flexing his hand. The one the spider had bitten. Like it felt strange.
During the lecture, Peter's pencil snapped. Just broke in half while he was writing. Peter stared at it confused.
"Cheap pencils," he muttered. Grabbed another one.
That one lasted ten minutes before it snapped too.
Alex noted it mentally. Enhanced strength beginning. Peter didn't realize he was gripping things too hard.
At lunch, they sat with Gwen and MJ. Peter knocked over his water bottle reaching for his sandwich. His hand moved faster than he intended. The bottle spilled across the table.
"Sorry. Sorry." Peter grabbed napkins to clean it up.
"You okay?" MJ asked. "You seem jumpy."
"Just tired. Didn't sleep great."
Gwen studied him with concern. "Maybe you should go home early. Rest."
"I'm fine. Really."
But Alex could see he wasn't fine. Peter's movements were slightly off. Too fast sometimes. Too strong other times. His body was changing and he didn't understand why yet.
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