Avi2112
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Chapter 225
🕑 Added 2025-05-19 21:20:21 +0000 UTC“Who the hell are you?”
“Fuck!” Penny jumped back from the container, her hand instinctively yanking away from the glass.
“How did you get in here?”
She spun around to see both the middle-aged Black man and the bald old man standing in front of her, glaring at her with matching expressions of anger and disbelief.
“Oh thank God," Penny gasped, clutching her chest. "I thought the spider just spoke!”
“If you don’t start making some sense, we’re calling security, little girl,” the Black man said, already pulling out his phone.
“No, no, please don’t!" Penny said quickly. "I’m just a visitor! I was touring the labs with my friend—she works here. Gwen Stacy.” She lifted her visitor badge for them to see. “You dropped a paper outside the room when you went in, so I just… came to return it. But the door closed behind me, and then I saw the spiders and… they just caught my attention, that’s all!”
She rushed over and handed the page to the old man, blurting out everything she could think of in one breath.
The old man took the page with a slow nod, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. Neither of them looked convinced.
“I’m telling the truth,” Penny said quietly, rubbing the back of her head.
The old man sighed.“Thank you, but you shouldn’t be wandering into restricted labs. Some of these experiments are extremely dangerous. You could have been seriously hurt.”
“I still think we should call security,” the Black man muttered, eyeing her like she might bolt.
“No, no—please. I swear I didn’t touch anything. I don’t want Gwen to get in trouble because of me,” Penny said quickly, panic creeping into her voice.
“Alright, alright. Let her go, Conrad,” the old man said, waving a hand dismissively.
“But she might be a thief,” Conrad argued, not dropping his glare.
“I didn’t take anything!” Penny protested, patting her jeans and arms. “See? Nothing. I even left my bag in a locker downstairs before coming in.”
“Give the poor girl a break,” the old man said with a tired shake of his head. He turned to the glass case marked No. 00, peering at the red-and-black spider inside. “Now, you said the spiders caught your attention? They really are fascinating creatures. There used to be an entire room full of them. Now… only a few remain.”
He tapped the glass gently, and the spider inside stirred awake.
Penny shivered, goosebumps prickling her arms. Only now was she realizing the truth—the walls surrounding her, filled with countless containers, had once housed hundreds of spiders.
“…Can I please go now?” she muttered, eyes lowering to the floor. All she wanted now was to get far away from this room.
“Conrad, all the spiders are accounted for. Nothing’s missing,” the old man said, giving a small nod.
Conrad sighed and walked to the door, swiping his card. “Go. And next time, don’t wander into restricted labs.”
“Yes, yes—thank you,” Penny said quickly, slipping out without another word.
“Now, what was I saying before—”
She didn’t wait to find out. As she rounded the corner, she spotted Gwen pacing the hallway, looking anxious.
“Penny, there you are!” Gwen rushed over and grabbed her arms. “Where were you?” she asked, her voice edged with worry.
“Ah, that…” Penny gave a sheepish smile. “You’re not gonna believe what just happened.” Then she launched into everything she had seen—and heard.
Sigh. “I told you not to wander around,” Gwen said, rubbing her forehead.
“Sorry…” Penny mumbled, eyes cast down.
“That lab belongs to Dr. Eric Schwinner and Dr. Conrad Marcus. They have been working on a classified project involving genetically modified spiders for years now,” Gwen explained, her tone turning thoughtful. “I mentioned their work on targeted gene therapy using spiders in school, remember? Although lately, there has been a lot of talk that their funding might get pulled if they don’t show some results soon.”
“Yeah, they both seemed pretty stressed out,” Penny said, thinking back to their tense exchange.
“Alright, come on. Let me show you the lab where I actually work,” Gwen added with a smile.
“Hey, what did that Professor guy want from you?” Penny asked, remembering the strange encounter with the man who stopped them in the hallway.
“Oh, that?” Gwen shrugged. “He just wants me to start attending his biochemistry lectures at ESU next semester—some kind of early enrollment program for advanced students. He got special permission for me to join. But I am still not sure if I should go for college classes this early”
“Hmm... I figured you would be more freaked out by how interested that old fogey was in you,” Penny muttered, recalling the weird scene she had seen.
“What? No—it’s not like that,” Gwen said quickly, a bit flustered. “Mr. Warren just... I remind him of his late daughter. That’s all. He’s a little over-affectionate, yeah, but he means well.”
“If you say so…” Penny replied, clearly not convinced.
They reached a new corridor, and Gwen flashed her ID badge at the access panel. The doors slid open with a soft hiss.
“Look, this is the lab I work in,” Gwen said, inviting her into a brightly lit space filled with glowing monitors and rows of terrariums.
“Whoa… there are so many lizards,” Penny muttered aloud, wide-eyed as she looked around at the various enclosures—some small, others large, each housing a different species under specialized environmental controls.
“That’s because lizards are what we work with here at the Cross-Species Genetics Lab,” came a flat, matter-of-fact voice.
Penny turned to see a bespectacled man in a lab coat, hunched over a tablet in front of a large enclosure. He didn’t even look up as he spoke, his focus absorbed in data analysis.
“Oh—I didn’t mean to sound rude,” Penny said quickly, flustered.
“What my charming husband means,” a warm, melodic voice interjected, “is that we study a wide variety of lizard species to identify and isolate genes responsible for traits like regeneration, adaptability, and cellular resilience.”
A stunning brown-haired woman in a pristine lab coat, showing a hint of cleavage, stepped forward with a gentle smile. Her presence immediately softened the atmosphere.
“You must be Gwen’s friend… Penny Parker, right?” she asked kindly.
“Ah—yes,” Penny replied, reaching out to shake her hand.
“This is Dr. Martha Cooper,” Gwen said with a grin. “She is the lead researcher here—alongside Dr. Curt Connors.”
“Just call me Martha,” she said warmly. “Gwen tells us you’re quite the brilliant young woman yourself—interning at Watson Labs, right?”
“Yes, but it's nothing as big or impressive as what you’re doing here,” Penny replied modestly.
“Oh, nonsense. In research, there’s no such thing as small or big,” Martha said with a light chuckle. “You never know which discovery might change everything.”
“That’s certainly true,” Penny admitted. “Still, what you’re doing here—editing lizard genes to help people recover what they have lost—it’s incredible.” She has heard bits and pieces from Gwen before.
At that moment, Curt Connors stepped over to them, now showing a slight smile. As he moved, Penny noticed something unusual—his right lab coat sleeve hung empty.
“Exactly. Our focus is on identifying and isolating the specific genes responsible for regenerative traits—like how lizards regrow their tails—and seeing if we can safely adapt those mechanisms for human biology.” He said, offering a modest smile.
“So you’re studying the signaling pathways and genes involved in tissue regeneration,” Penny said thoughtfully, her eyes drifting to the empty sleeve of Dr. Connors’ lab coat. “Trying to replicate those processes in humans?”
“Correct,” Dr. Connors said, clearly impressed. “Humans already carry many of the same genes, especially those involved in wound healing and limited regeneration. The goal is to activate and enhance those capabilities—ideally enabling true limb regeneration based on our own biological memory.”
“That would revolutionize medicine,” Penny breathed, visibly amazed.
“That’s the plan,” Dr. Connors said with a proud smile.
Martha, who had been quietly listening beside them, chimed in with a curious tone. “Now, Penny, I have heard Watson Labs has a rather advanced biochemistry division, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” Penny nodded. “They have been expanding their synthetic biology program too.”
“Don’t start again, Martha,” Curt said, rolling his eyes.
“What?” Martha replied, feigning innocence. “I am just asking questions. It’s smart to keep our options open. You and I both know Norman’s a slave driver who doesn’t value what we bring to the table.”
“But it still feels wrong,” Curt muttered with a sigh.
“We’re just talking,” Martha said, giving him a pointed look and folding her arms. “It’s not like I am asking you to jump ship today.”
Curt waved her off with a weary gesture and turned back to his tablet, already absorbed in his data again.
“Now, Penny dear, how much is the annual budget for a typical advanced research project at Watson Labs?” Martha asked, looping her arm through Penny’s and casually steering her—along with Gwen—deeper into the lab. “And don’t mind the earlier talk. I’m really just asking around... casually.”
“Isn’t Susan Storm—the Invisible Woman herself—the director of Watson Labs?” Gwen chimed in, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Then the budget must be huge!”
“Well, yeah… I’m not exactly sure of the numbers,” Penny admitted, “but I know Luk—I mean, Lucas Watson, our CEO—would absolutely back something as groundbreaking as this. He’s really supportive when it comes to revolutionary research.”
“Ah yes, the handsome young billionaire,” Martha said with a sly smile. “I imagine it wouldn’t be too hard to twist a pretty boy like him around your finger.”
That earned her awkward glances from both Gwen and Penny, who looked down, unsure how to respond.
“Haha, I am just teasing, you two are way too stiff,” Martha laughed, patting them both on the back. “Tell you what—let’s leave my boring husband to his lizards and go have some fun. I have got a secret wine stash in my office we can check out.”
You just need an excuse to get drunk,” Gwen said, rolling her eyes with a grin.
“Ah, you know me too well, Gwen dear! Come on, girls!” Martha said cheerfully, guiding the two younger women toward her office, leaving Dr. Connors quietly immersed in his tablet behind them.
—-
Later…
“Sigh… I can’t believe it’s already this late,” Penny muttered, glancing at her phone. The screen read nearly 10 p.m. The Oscorp Tower was practically deserted, most employees having left hours ago.
“Why can’t you ever say no, Penny,” she said to herself, rubbing her forehead in mild exasperation.
Apparently, Dr. Martha Connors became a serious talker when tipsy—mostly to bitch about—and for some reason, she had taken a liking to Penny. Gwen had left earlier for some police celebration her father, Commissioner Gordon, had been invited to, leaving Penny alone to weather the storm.
“Don’t let her drink more,” Gwen had warned before heading out.
Penny had tried… really, she had. But in the end, she had been no match for Martha’s wine-fueled determination.
For hours, she sat and listened to Martha pour her heart out—about how she had foolishly fallen in love with a nerd like Curt back in college, ended up pregnant, and married him. For a while, they had a happy family… until the car accident.
That one night changed everything. Curt lost his arm. They lost their son. Martha had been at home and was spared—but not from the emotional wreckage that followed.
Their marriage crumbled after that. Both threw themselves into work to avoid the grief. But no matter how hard she tried, Martha couldn’t get Curt to meet her halfway.
“He’s obsessed,” Martha had said, glassy-eyed. “Fixated on his missing hand. He acts like growing it back will fix everything… like it will bring our son back… like it will save this broken marriage.”
Penny could only offer quiet comfort, swallowing her own grievances as she listened and nodded along.
“At least I kept refusing the wine by saying I’m underage,” she muttered. “Otherwise, I would be the one needing a cab home right now.”
Just as she was about to head for the subway, she froze mid-step.
“Oh crap, I totally forgot my bag!” she groaned, smacking her forehead before turning around and hurrying back into the tower.
“Thank god it’s still here and not in the lost and found…” she muttered as she slung it over her shoulder. “I should check if everything’s still inside.”
As she walked while rummaging through her bag, she suddenly crashed into someone.
“Ah—ouch!” Penny yelped, stumbling backward and nearly falling.
“Oh shoot—I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn’t paying attention,” came a flustered male voice.
Penny looked up and saw a young Black man with thick glasses and a worker's uniform, his arms full of rolled-up blueprints and a stack of books. Several of the charts had spilled onto the floor.
“It’s fine, I wasn’t paying attention either,” she said, crouching down to help him. The situation gave her a weird sense of déjà vu—just yesterday she had collided with a strange but striking woman. This time, the stranger was a bit odd too but, well… he was not at all attractive.
“Thank you, miss. You're so polite,” the man said, flashing her a wide smile. His teeth were crooked and gapped, giving him a slightly awkward look.
“It’s nothing,” Penny replied, gathering up the remaining roll-ups. “Do you need help carrying these? Looks like a lot for one person.” she offered, noticing how the scrawny man was struggling to carry everything.
"Oh, that would be mighty kind of you!" he beamed, clearly relieved. “I’m just taking all this back to my office. My overnight shift just started, and I was already running late.”
Penny gave a polite smile, suppressing a tired sigh. She had only meant to be polite.
“Okay then. Lead the way.”
“Right this way!” he said enthusiastically, speeding off ahead of her.
Trying to keep up, she called out, “I’m Penny Parker, by the way.”
"Ah, very nice to meet you, Miss Penny! I am Max Dillon—Electrical Engineer here at Oscorp," he replied, glancing back with a wide cheerful smile. The gap between his front teeth made them look a little crooked, adding to his slightly awkward appearance.
***
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Comments
Orvious
The future Electro. Also needs help with confidence issues.
CkLance
Yeah, help Max. Bro doesn't deserve what happened 😔
