"Could it have been alive? Crawled away?"
"No. I saw it get crushed. Definitely dead." Connors paused the video again. "Norman wants answers. He's not happy that we lost a valuable specimen."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Write up a complete incident report. Include your observations. What you saw before, during, and after. Every detail you remember."
"I can do that."
Connors handed him a folder. "Use this template. I need it by end of day. Norman's reviewing everything personally."
Alex took the folder back to his office. Sat down and opened his computer.
He wrote the report carefully. Everything accurate except the eight seconds that mattered. During those eight seconds, he'd been "walking to the storage room to get the ladder." He couldn't have seen what happened to the spider.
The report was detailed. Professional. Completely believable.
He submitted it before lunch.
At 2 PM, his phone rang. Unknown number.
"Mr. Carter? This is Nora. Mr. Osborn would like to see you. Can you come to his office now?"
Alex's pulse quickened. "Of course. I'll be right there."
He took the elevator to the executive floor. Nora was waiting at her desk.
"Go right in. He's expecting you."
Alex entered Norman's office. The man stood at his window looking out over Manhattan. He didn't turn around when Alex entered.
"Mr. Carter. Tell me about yesterday."
"Sir?"
"The incident. The missing specimen. You were there. What did you see?"
Alex recited his report almost word for word. Described the chaos. The evacuation. Helping Dr. Connors secure the area.
"And you didn't see anyone take the spider?"
"No sir. Dr. Connors asked me to get a ladder. When I came back, it was already gone."
Norman finally turned around. His cold blue eyes studied Alex intently. "Very convenient timing."
"Sir?"
"The spider disappears during the only eight seconds when nobody is watching that specific spot." Norman walked closer. "Strange coincidence."
"I suppose so."
"Do you know what that specimen was worth, Mr. Carter? Months of research. Genetic modifications that can't be easily replicated. All gone because of sloppy security."
"I understand that's frustrating, sir."
"Frustrating." Norman smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "That's an understatement. Someone in this building took that spider. Either to study it or to sell it. Corporate espionage is a real problem in biotechnology."
"Do you think that's what happened?"
"I think someone saw an opportunity and took it." Norman's gaze never left Alex's face. "The question is who."
Alex kept his expression neutral. Concerned but not defensive. "Is there anything I can do to help investigate?"
"You've done enough. Your report was very thorough." Norman walked back to his desk. "You can go. But Mr. Carter? If you happen to remember anything else about yesterday, anything at all, I want you to tell me immediately."
"Of course, sir."
Alex left the office. His heart was pounding but he kept his walk steady. Confident.
Nora looked up as he passed. "Have a good day, Mr. Carter."
"You too."
He took the elevator back down and went straight to the bathroom. Locked himself in a stall and took several deep breaths.
'Norman suspects something,' Alex thought. 'He doesn't know what. But he's suspicious.'
That was dangerous. Norman Osborn was brilliant and paranoid. A bad combination. If he decided Alex was a threat, things would get very difficult very quickly.
But Alex had covered his tracks well. The security footage showed nothing. His report was consistent with what everyone else saw. There was no physical evidence connecting him to the missing spider.
'I just need to be careful,' Alex decided. 'Stay professional. Do good work. Give Norman no reason to look at me too closely.'
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