The lock released. Peter opened the enclosure carefully. Reached inside with a containment tube. Spider-42 crawled into it without resistance. Like it knew what was happening.
Peter sealed the tube. Then placed his hand on it and mentally activated system storage.
Shimmer.
Reality bent slightly. The tube vanished. Transferred into his dimensional space where it would remain in temporal stasis. Perfect preservation. No aging. No degradation.
The moment the spider disappeared, an alarm sounded inside the empty enclosure. Not audible to the rest of the building. Just a biological failsafe.
Red light flashed. A hidden compartment opened in the back of the enclosure. Two identical spiders emerged. Clones. Backup specimens.
They immediately scattered. Seeking enclosed spaces. Dark hiding spots. Their instincts drove them toward the ventilation system.
"Tracking clone spiders," FSIS reported. "They're moving through the ventilation network. Probability analysis suggests they'll reach the backpack storage area within 90 seconds."
Peter had no time to chase them. He moved to Spider-67's enclosure. The silver-blue spider with regeneration and electrical capabilities.
Same process. Biometric override. Transfer to containment tube. System storage. The spider vanished.
Two more clones released. They scattered as well. Heading for the same ventilation routes.
Spider-91 next. The organic webbing variant. Black and white patterning. Beautiful in a deadly way.
Peter repeated the process. But this time, three clones emerged. The most successful genetic line had more backup specimens.
Seven clone spiders now loose in Oscorp's ventilation system. All moving toward dark, enclosed spaces. Toward backpacks that smelled like humans.
"Five minutes remaining," FSIS warned.
Peter moved to the regeneration research area. Dr. Connors' life work. Shelves of lizard DNA serum. Each vial represented months of research. Years of hope for the one-armed scientist who just wanted his body whole again.
Peter took six vials. Left six. If he took them all, the theft would be obvious immediately. This way, it might go unnoticed for days or weeks.
System storage. The vials vanished.
Electric eel genetic material next. Samples stored in liquid nitrogen containers. Peter took two. System storage.
He moved through the lab systematically. Taking samples. Leaving enough that immediate inventory might not reveal the theft.
Spider venom in various forms. Genetic stabilizers. Mutagenic compounds. Cross-species templates. The base protocols that enabled all of Oscorp's research.
Everything went into system storage. A crime so perfect it was invisible. Physical evidence simply ceased to exist in normal space.
"Three minutes remaining," FSIS said. "Research database download at 76%. Extracting all genetic research, clinical trial data, and prototype formulas."
Peter grabbed more samples. His enhanced Mind cataloged everything. Remembered every specimen. Every vial. Every data point.
"Download at 94%. Final files copying now. Two minutes remaining."
Peter returned to the ventilation shaft. Climbed back up. Moved through the maze of metal tunnels with the same perfect silence.
He emerged in the bathroom stall where he'd started. Straightened his clothes. Washed his hands. Checked his reflection in the mirror.
Normal. Unremarkable. Just another student on a field trip.
He walked back to the conference room where the tour group had gathered. Arrived exactly as security systems rebooted across Oscorp.
Total elapsed time: 7 minutes, 51 seconds.
"Download complete," FSIS reported. "All Oscorp genetic research now in our possession. Database restoration successful. No evidence of intrusion detected by their security systems."
Peter sat down next to Flash. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing much. Norman's still bragging about genetic superiority. Your typical supervillain monologue."
Up front, Norman was indeed speaking. "The future belongs to those willing to evolve. To enhance. To become more than human. Oscorp will lead that evolution. We'll create a new humanity. Stronger. Better. Superior."
Peter watched him. Saw the desperation behind the rhetoric. Harry had mentioned his father was dying. Some rare genetic disorder. Norman wasn't just pursuing power. He was pursuing survival.
'That makes him more dangerous,' Peter thought. 'Desperate men make terrible decisions.'
The tour concluded. Students were directed back to the storage area to collect their belongings. Everyone grabbed their backpacks. None of them noticed the small spiders that had crawled inside.
MJ slung her bag over her shoulder. Felt heavier than she remembered. Shrugged it off as imagination.
Gwen picked up hers carefully. Always organized. She'd packed everything precisely. It should feel exactly the same. Did it? Maybe. Hard to tell.
Felicia grabbed hers with one hand. Casual. Unconcerned. Her mind was elsewhere. Thinking about Norman's announcement. About Project Black Cat. About being targeted.
Norman Osborn approached Peter before they could leave. Cut through the crowd of students with deliberate intent.
"Mr. Parker. A word. Privately."
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