Spider-Man.
No—more accurately…
The spider had finally awakened.
Lucas watched Peter Parker's pupils rapidly contract and expand. The reaction confirmed his suspicion.
So it had happened.
Back in the locker room and on the school bus, Lucas had deliberately stayed out of Peter's business.
Partly because he had no interest in getting involved in a future superhero tragedy.
But there was another reason.
He didn't want to accidentally interfere with the birth of Spider-Man.
After all, there had been three different cinematic versions of the character.
And the one Lucas liked most was the version standing in front of him now—the one who looked suspiciously like Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker.
The first Spider-Man.
The "Amazing" version?
Lucas hadn't liked it much at first, though he grew to appreciate it later.
But the youngest version?
That one had never appealed to him.
So Lucas quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
Peter was still staring at him.
Lucas broke the silence first.
"Good afternoon, Peter."
"…Good afternoon."
Peter snapped out of his daze and gave his usual shy smile.
Then he turned toward Gwen.
"Hi, Gwen."
Gwen had noticed the strange moment when Peter and Lucas looked at each other, though she quickly dismissed it.
Instead, she smiled and said,
"Good afternoon, Peter. I heard you gave Flash Thompson a hard time yesterday."
At lunchtime the previous day, Peter and Flash had caused a scene in the cafeteria.
Gwen hadn't witnessed it personally, but according to other students, Peter had suddenly become very… capable.
Flash had ended up looking ridiculous.
Peter scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
He didn't deny it.
Gwen simply raised a fist in encouragement.
"You should've stood up to him a long time ago. Keep it up, Peter."
Peter smiled sheepishly.
Mrs. Snow clapped her hands lightly once everyone had arrived.
"Alright, Peter, take a seat."
Peter sat on the couch opposite Lucas and Gwen.
Mrs. Snow returned to her desk and picked up three documents.
After a moment, she handed one to Gwen.
"This is an internship offer from Oscorp Industries—specifically from Dr. Curtis Connors' laboratory."
Gwen's eyes lit up.
"Thank you!"
She accepted the document eagerly.
"Dr. Connors told me yesterday that he would contact the school soon, but I didn't expect it this fast."
Technically, Gwen could have joined the lab without the paperwork.
But having official documentation made the experience far more valuable for her academic record.
Mrs. Snow nodded, then looked at Lucas and Peter.
"I have two more internship offers," she said. "But I wasn't sure which of you would prefer which one, so I decided to call you both here and let you choose."
Lucas suddenly raised his hand.
"Wait a second, Mrs. Snow."
"Yes, Lucas?"
"I'm not sure why I'm here."
Mrs. Snow blinked.
Then she stared at him.
"You forgot our conversation last month?"
Lucas paused.
He thought back to the routine one-on-one meeting he had with her.
They had talked about academics.
College plans.
And just before he left…
Mrs. Snow had asked about his summer plans.
Specifically, whether he had found a summer job yet.
Lucas had said no.
Mrs. Snow had casually offered to help if he needed one.
Lucas had agreed without thinking much about it.
Now he suddenly understood.
He inhaled sharply.
Mrs. Snow smiled.
"Remember now?"
"Yes," Lucas admitted.
Mrs. Snow lifted the two remaining documents.
"One of these is another internship from Oscorp Industries. It's in their biological energy division. They need someone to help organize research materials during the summer."
She raised the second document.
"The other is from the Daily Bugle newspaper. They're also looking for a summer assistant."
Neither position required advanced technical skills.
But that wasn't the point.
If Lucas or Peter walked into those companies alone asking for work, they would almost certainly be turned away.
These offers existed because of Mrs. Snow's recommendation.
Without these documents, the opportunity wouldn't exist.
Peter glanced at Lucas.
"Lucas… you can choose first."
Lucas was about to decline.
He had originally planned to spend the summer focusing on training and Cosmo Awakening.
But then he remembered something.
The research paper he had read earlier in the library.
Dr. Connors.
Gamma radiation.
Lucas changed his answer immediately.
"I'll take the Oscorp position."
Peter nodded.
"Then I'll take the Daily Bugle," he said. "I really like photography."
Lucas glanced at him briefly.
Of course you do.
Peter Parker didn't just like photography.
He would eventually make money selling photos of himself to that very newspaper.
Mrs. Snow seemed satisfied.
She handed each of them their documents.
"Peter," she said.
"Yes?"
"When you arrive at the Daily Bugle, ask for J. Jonah Jameson. Give him that letter and he'll arrange your position."
"Got it."
Then she turned to Lucas.
"Lucas."
"Yes, Mrs. Snow."
"When you arrive at Oscorp, report to the Bio-Electric Engineering Department. Look for an engineer named Max Dillon. I'll notify their supervisor in advance."
Lucas nodded calmly.
"Understood."
Max Dillon.
The name rang a bell.
If Lucas remembered correctly…
Max Dillon was the quiet engineer who later became Electro after a disastrous accident involving electric eels.
Lucas dismissed the thought.
That had nothing to do with him.
Compared to Electro, Lucas cared far more about something else.
Dr. Connors' research.
Specifically—
Gamma radiation.
Because Lucas had a strong feeling that the mysterious material he was searching for…
Gammanium
…was somehow connected to that research.