Hurried footsteps were heard from one of Oscorp's many corridors. Many youngsters with lab coats could be seen moving from one side to the other in the most basic wings of the building, this was the first time that the company opened its doors for new minds to intern in its facilities after so many scandals involving its name, this was the first step towards a public retraction of the company. So, whenever any of them arrived, a hologram of the late Norman Osborn's smiling face greeted them.
- Welcome, young students, to the Public Internship Program of Oscorp Industries. Only you, the best minds chosen by our experts, are privileged to represent the people of New York in our research and development industry. It is an honor to work alongside you.
Everyone watched in silence, but in the background, Peter Parker grunted quietly, he couldn't hear that without expressing a little how much he found that situation ironically funny. He had managed to get in for a few reasons, one of them being that he was the notorious boyfriend of Gwen Stacy, who had, not long ago, died in one of the company's most modern facilities. The other reason being, of course, his brilliant mind, and these two together made him one of the perfect poster boys for this new era of transparency. He was alert to answer the call of what he came to, what he named, his “spider sense”, any time in that place, he has already lost too many lives to secrets that permeate those corridors.
He was participating in one of Oscorp's most recent research projects, nanotechnology. Approaching his desk in the research lab, he held up the papers with schematics for the nanorobots he was helping to develop. After scribbling some of his notes, a person approached him.
- Hi Peter… How are things with the nanorobot? — Said Debra Whitman, adjusting her coat.
- Oh… It's okay Deb. And with you?
- That's what I wanted to talk about — She dragged a chair and sat next to Peter, adjusting her big glasses — I came here to steal you to help me with something again.
- Okay… Go ahead — He turned back to Debra, leaving the schematics on the table.
- You know, the chemical cocktail rarely takes a stable form in any composition we arrange. We were wondering if our approach is wrong.
- You say if the introduction into the human body should not be completely by osmosis?
- Yes and no. We're considering that the human body does everything, what if our solution is part of the service too?
- I understand what you're getting at.
- Yes! A needle-free vaccination, the solution itself takes care of the case.
- But that would require a... Acid behavior. Isn't it a little risky? It can hurt more than help.
- Not if we do it right. That's why I asked for your help.
- Ah… I see — Peter gave an ironic smile — I have my own projects, Debra, I can't help you all the time.
- Please! — She grabbed Peter's arm, pleading with him.
- All right, all right. I hope I can continue the nanorobot for the rest of the week, I should be finishing it by now.
- Thanks, Pete! — He said, approaching Peter and kissing him on the cheek — You're the best.
- Let's get this over with.
Peter didn't care how Debra acted; in fact she has been a very precious friend to him ever since he started leaving the house again. This Oscorp program has not only helped him stay close to the company that has been controlling the latest events but has also given him space to start life over again, including having an income that he didn't have besides selling the, now almost null, photos of Spider-Man for the Bugle. After they finished helping Debra with the chemical nutrient solution project, they needed to do a test.
- I'm going to get a mouse — Debra ran to where they created the rodents and came back with one, putting it in a jar — Okay, we have the base compost, but what are we going to put in it?
- I don't know, something that can be easily assimilated by an animal. I mean… let's not be ambitious, water is the solution here — Peter pointed.
- Alright… Applying 100mL of H2O to the base compound… — She mixed the water in the solution they had taken from the lab.
- Here... — Peter lifted the glass jar with the mouse.
And so, Debra poured the contents onto the mouse's skin, and Peter placed the jar in front of a camera they had set up earlier. So, a few moments later, the liquid felt alive, and it started seeping into the mouse. The two looked at each other and smiled, but then the mouse began to become very agitated, running from one side to the other, until it stopped suddenly. Before their eyes, he began to squirm, the fur falling from his body and his skin… becoming transparent. Its body began to enter a gelatinous state, and through the transparent skin, they could see the creature's organs melting, and the heart stopping. The students looked at each other again, silent, and shocked.
- Test one of the new completed solution. Negative results — Debra said, walking over to the camera and turning it off.
- It wasn't this time.
- Yeah, it wasn't. But it's already something, what do you think happened?
- I mean... He clearly absorbed the water... But equally, in the whole body.
- As if the compound had dissolved him, and not the other way around. Well, it's time for lunch, then we'll finish the report.
- Then you finish the report.
- Peter!
- Don't get me on this! — Peter laughed.
- Shoo! — She threw a ball of paper at him.
The two left the office and headed for the building's food court, Debra leading the way as Peter stopped to say hello to another friend he'd made during his time at Oscorp.
- Morris! — Peter waved, with him approaching — How are you?
- Great, Peter. How are things going with the search?
- Ah, they could be better, to be honest.
- What a pity. You know, you fascinate me.
- You flatter me, Morris, you know I don't even do anything but the internship.
- It is serious. For me, Peter, from a guy who used to live on the streets of the Bronx, to seeing a kid from Queens being one of Oscorp's poster boys and doing all that scientist stuff that you guys do, I almost feel represented.
- Stop, man. You're also at Oscorp. Maritime transport security is not just anything.
- But I'm expendable, Pete. People like you are not.
- Don't say that it's not true — Peter put an arm around his friend's neck — Focus on the good, a stable job in one of the biggest companies in the world.
- If I'm going to do it, you should too.
- Like what?
- C’mon. You just helped a beautiful woman with her problem.
- Are you talking about Debra?
- Of Course. Look at her, Peter —Morris pointed at her, not far from them — It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she's into you.
- She's just a friend.
- No, I am a friend. Come on… I know you're not over Gwen yet. I don't blame you, I've had to lose a lot of people too, a lot of girlfriends that I really loved, but you must move on.
- I… — Peter looked at Debra. Her long blond hair still brought back memories of when his heart was full of hope. Gwen's smile still tormented Peter's thoughts even when he didn't think of anything that reminded her, like little daily reminders — Morris… I'm starving, can we talk about something else?
- You don't know how to avoid the subject, do you, boy? — Morris gave a playful smile and punched Peter in the shoulder.
The two sat down to lunch, sharing good laughs, and enjoying each other's company. It was already the third time that Peter created a friendship with someone from Oscorp, and consequently drew attention to that person. A lot of people had their eyes on Peter, at the behest of someone very specific. On the top floors, in the CEO's office, there is a man, a man with messy brown hair and an ostentatious suit, he watches Peter and Morris in the security systems, in a hologram on his desk. After a while, he decided he had seen enough. And he took the data box from the table, disabling the holographic functions.
After dark, the man donned a hat and overcoat, headed for the elevator, and after joining his company escort, headed for the Ravencroft Institute. The shadows hid his face as he approached the cell of a young man with dark hair, who was sitting facing the glass window that separated them, who, when he saw his approach, smiled. The shadow man took off his hat and revealed the data box that previously belonged to the boy.
- What did you come to tell me this time, Fiers?
- I'm keeping an eye on Parker, like you said. But that's not what I came to show you — Gustav Fiers fixed the box to the cell window, displaying the projected hologram of its data — One of the many projects of the intern program had a… Unique Result.
- Of course, there was, it's the projects that we suggest.
- That's not what I meant, Osborn. Ravencroft's projects are benefiting from the minds of these young people, many of them are being completed just because of that, but this is about one of our tests.
Fiers tapped on the holograms, and it showed Debra's composite test video. The mouse's transformation fascinated Harry's sadistic eyes, who watched it with clear malice. He approached the recording and ran the transformation a few more times.
- What would this project be?
- We were trying to realize fast-acting anabolic steroids, an idealization of the legendary super soldier serum that haunted the desires of the military during the second war.
- And this happened in place? — Fiers nodded his head — And what did they inject into that rat to make that happen?
- A compound for subcutaneous injection.
- A what?
- Water. Just water.
- So… — Harry said after a long pause — Catalog this discovery. “Hydro” Project. The ability to absorb any compound can serve in the future, take the project from the interns, put it here in Ravencroft.
- Okay… — The shadow man grabbed the box off the wall and turned to go.
- And Fiers… — Gustav turned to listen — Put those responsible for this project with Parker's nanorobots. I want to test some theories...
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