"Hey Gwen, I'm at Oscorp Tower right now… yeah, just outside. Should I just walk in?" Penny asked, eyeing the crowds of people moving in and out.
"Oh, okay. Reception desk—cool. Meet you soon," she added with an overexcited laugh.
Sigh.
"It's cool, Penny. It's just Oscorp… Just the largest tech company in the world!" she muttered to herself, trying to calm down. "You're also interning at Watson International, so there's nothing to be intimidated about…"
Her eyes widened suddenly.
"Oh no—what if they think I'm here to spy and throw me in jail!" she whispered in panic. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea!" She turned halfway around before forcing herself to stop.
"Should've just canceled this morning… stomachache is a perfectly justifiable excuse. Or maybe I could've played the period card. Ha!" She gave a dry, nervous laugh as she took her first steps towards the tower.
"But seriously—what is it with these big corporations and their overly tall buildings?" she muttered, looking up. "It definitely looks cool, though. And is it just me, or is it taller than Watson Tower?"
Shelving the thought, Penny finally walked through the sliding doors.
"Huh. Security's pretty lax for a place this big. And the lobby looks… kinda old compared to Watson," she observed quietly while waiting by the reception lounge. "Well, Watson Tower did get a major renovation recently, so maybe that's why."
To pass the time, she glanced around at the multiple screens set up in the lobby, all running looping promotional videos for Oscorp—and for Norman Osborn.
"Welcome to Oscorp. Born from the mind of our founder, Norman Osborn, the Oscorp Tower houses 108 floors of innovation.
Our scientists are redefining the boundaries of defense, biomedical engineering, and chemical technologies. The future lies within."
'Altering the future, from the cell to the superstructure.'
—Oscorp Industries
"The guy's such a genius," Penny whispered to herself. "He's really a self-made man. Built all of Oscorp International from scratch… He has got Toni beat in that, for sure. Although… Luke is definitely more impressive," she added with a proud smile.
"Hey, Penny!"
A bright, familiar voice jolted her from her daydream.
"Hey, Gwen," Penny said, standing up with a grin.
"So glad you made it!" Gwen said, hurrying over and giving her a tight, excited hug.
"Oh—okay," Penny replied awkwardly, returning the hug a little stiffly.
"I've been begging my friends to come visit, but they always say yes right away—and then totally ghost me!" Gwen said with a pout. "But I knew you'd show up, Penny."
"Haha, yeah, why wouldn't I? I told you I wouldn't miss it for the world," Penny replied with a wry smile.
"Come on! Let me show you around—this is going to be so exciting," Gwen said, hooking her arm around Penny's and leading her inside.
"Well, I'm definitely excited," Penny said, swallowing her social anxiety and trying to focus on all the cool tech this place probably had.
Donning a Visitor's Card, Penny followed Gwen deeper into the building.
"Hey, Gwen, heading to lunch?" one of the lab techs asked as they passed.
"Nah, I already ate. My friend's here for a visit, so I'm giving her the grand tour."
"Oh nice, I will leave you two alone, then."
"Hi, Gwen!" another voice chimed in.
Penny quickly noticed that—unlike at her internship at Watson Tower, where practically no one even remembered her name—Gwen was clearly well-known around Oscorp. People smiled, waved, and made small talk as they passed. A lot of them were men, which didn't exactly surprise Penny.
"So, as I was saying," Gwen continued as they stepped into an elevator, "Oscorp Tower has 108 floors—though most of the real research happens below the 15th."
She pressed the button for the 10th floor, where her team's lab was located.
"Eight more floors than Watson Tower, huh," Penny muttered as she glanced around.
"Yeah, that was the first thing I noticed, too," Gwen said with a laugh. "Oscorp is the global leader in robotics, chemicals, communications, biotech—you name it. Our R&D departments are huge."
Penny nodded, already familiar with Oscorp's reputation, she muttered tapping her chin.
"If I remember right, Norman Osborn started the company with his college professor, Mendel Stromm. Back then, it was just a chemical company. But Stromm was later ousted after some embezzlement scandal, and the name changed to Oscorp, with Norman taking full control."
"Yep, you got it! Looks like someone secretly did their homework," Gwen said, smiling playfully.
"Haha, no-no, Oscorp's such a giant—especially in the chemical and technological fields—that I've studied up on them quite a lot," Penny replied, rubbing the back of her head. In fact, Oscorp had been attempting their own version of the web fluid project, though with little success. So when she began developing hers, she had researched their approach and even their whole company thoroughly.
"Well, sadly, I won't be able to show you the other departments—I mostly work in Biotech R&D, so that's the area I'm familiar with… But trust me, the things you'll see are still nothing short of amazing," Gwen said with a grin.
"I can't wait," Penny replied, beaming. The little scientist inside her was now wide awake and practically bouncing with anticipation.
---
"…I can't believe they're this close to developing a bacteria that can dissolve plastic waste in the oceans!" Penny gushed as they stepped out of the Environmental Sustainability R&D labs.
"Yeah, that one's actually a long-running personal project of Emily Osborn herself," Gwen replied proudly. "I've met her twice—she is a really kind soul. Totally different from her jerk of a son, Harry," she added with a snort.
"Well… Harry wasn't always a jerk," Penny muttered quietly, recalling how back in early middle school, he had actually been a good friend of hers. That all changed once people started flocking to him because of his family's wealth.
"Well, now let me show you something… a little more infamous around here," Gwen said, lowering her voice mischievously. "It's called Devil's Breath."
"That sounds dangerous. And lethal," Penny whispered back, alarmed.
"It was—back when the project first started in the '80s," Gwen said with a smile. "Not so much anymore, but the nickname stuck. You will see what I mean soon… But listen, the head researcher, Dr. Michaels is very serious and strict. So stay close and don't touch anything."
"Yep, got it!" Penny nodded obediently, her eyes wide with excitement and just a hint of fear.
---
"…Wow. Automatic genetic editing—being able to modify errors and mutations in human DNA on the fly… If it works, it could completely revolutionize everything," Penny said in awe as they stepped out of the lab. She still couldn't believe that the red liquid had been filled with AI-controlled gRNA.
"Hehe, I knew your mind would be blown," Gwen said proudly.
"B-but… why isn't this more well known?" Penny whispered, trying to keep her excitement in check. "This kind of tech should be world-famous. It could potentially cure every disease!"
"Well, that's because the current version—GR-27—is still far from perfect," Gwen explained with a wry smile. "It's actually an imperfect viral treatment right now, and Dr. Morgan Michaels is the third lead scientist to take over the project. It has been running since the '80s, and no one really knows when—or if—it will ever be completed."
"I knew it was too good to be true…" Penny muttered with a sigh. "…So why's it called Devil's Breath then?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Hmm, from what I have heard, the early versions were extremely contagious and deadly," Gwen said seriously. "Apparently, it leaked from one test rat to another—and they all died in a single night. Horribly." Her voice lowered as she continued, "Even now, most people still call it Devil's Breath, and so it's not something that's circulated widely in the company, despite its potential."
"That's… terrifying," Penny murmured, glancing back towards the lab, now seriously thinking that red liquid might really be Devil's Breath.
"Anyway! Let me take you to my cross-species lab nex—"
She was suddenly cut off by the arrival of an older man with a neatly groomed mustache, who stepped into their path.
"Hello, Gwen," he said warmly, adjusting his glasses with a practiced motion.
"Ah—hello, Mr. Warren," Gwen replied with a polite smile.
"Oh Gwen, how many times have I told you to just call me Miles? Calling me 'Mr. Warren' makes me feel ancient," he said dramatically, placing a hand over his chest like a theater actor.
"That… wouldn't be appropriate, Mr. Warren," Gwen replied with an awkward smile. She quickly turned to Penny. "Ah yes, this is my friend Penny Parker. Penny, this is Mr. Miles Warren—he is the lead researcher here in the genetics lab, and also a Professor, he is teaching biochemistry at ESU."
"Oh! Hello, Professor," Penny said politely, extending her hand.
"Hello," he replied curtly, brushing her hand with the lightest touch, his eyes clearly focused on Gwen instead.
"So… what kind of research do you do here, Professor?" Penny asked, trying to keep her tone polite despite feeling irritated by his blatant disregard for her presence.
"Mostly cloning," he replied shortly, before turning his full attention to Gwen. "Now, Gwen, I need to speak with you further about that subject we discussed earlier… if possible, alone."
"But Mr. Warren, I'm giving my friend a tour right now. Can't it wait?" Gwen asked with an awkward smile.
"Oh, I'm sure Miss Parker won't get lost if I borrow you for just a couple of minutes," he replied with a too-pleasant smile.
Gwen sighed in defeat and turned to Penny. "Alright. Stay here, and don't go anywhere, okay?" she said seriously.
"O...kay," Penny mumbled, watching as the old man led Gwen into a side room.
Something about it felt off. Curious, Penny quietly followed and cracked the door open just enough to peek inside. Her brow furrowed.
"Lunch?Is this the 'serious topic' he needed to talk about?" she muttered, confused, as she saw the old man pull out a lunchbox and start eating, smiling and chatting with Gwen, who looked mildly uncomfortable.
She started to step back when another pair of voices caught her attention—this time coming from behind her, down the hall.
"…Norman just doesn't understand. I still need to run more tests on the spiders. I know the drug's not ready," said an older voice sharply—an old, short man with a bald head and a thin mustache, holding a stack of documents as he walked.
"I get it, Eric, but our funding might get cut if we delay any further," replied a deeper, calmer voice—belonging to a middle-aged Black man with glasses. "You know Norman won't hesitate."
Penny turned slightly, eyes narrowing as she watched the two scientists pass behind her. Both wore lab coats and looked deep in conversation, unaware of her presence.
"Just let me run one last test tomorrow," the first man—Eric—insisted. "I need to figure out why this batch of spiders is turning radioactive."
"I'm telling you, Eric, it's just a temporary, harmless side effect of the OZ drug," Conrad said, shaking his head as they approached a high-security door.
"Bah, we can't afford to take any chances," Eric shot back, pointing his stack of papers at him.
"You're just being stubborn now," Conrad sighed, unlocking the door using a keycard, keypad, and retinal scan. The door hissed as it began to open.
"Why don't you see my point? We only have these 20 spiders left. So many already died... we seriously can't—"
Penny, watching from the hallway, saw one of the pages from the old man's file flutter to the ground just outside the door.
"Hey, you dropped something," she called out, walking forward and picking up the paper. Without really thinking, she followed them into the room.
Mid-sentence, she stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes were fixed on the page in her hands—on the image of a spider, black with streaks of red. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the bold title:
OZ Experiment Arachnid No. 00
Genetically Engineered Super Spider
Enhanced Agility
Enhanced Strength
Enhanced Reflexes
As Penny stared, transfixed by the words and the image, the door behind her shut with a quiet hiss, the sudden sound jolting her from her daze.
"Ugh… where the hell did they go?" she muttered, glancing around.
Ahead of her stretched a long, dimly lit room. The two scientists were gone, nowhere in sight.
The walls were lined with cube-shaped containers, stacked neatly like high-tech shelves, each one numbered. There were hundreds of them stretching the length of the room.
"What the hell are they doing in here?" she murmured, stepping forward cautiously.
She ran her fingers along the glass of a few containers. "They're… empty," she noted. Her hand passed over the etched numbers. "No. 7… 6… 5… 4… 3…" Her voice paused. "Oh—this one isn't."
Container No. 1 had a spider inside.
Black. Still. Unmoving.
"It's kinda creepy," she whispered, watching it closely, it was also quite small—half the size of her fingernail.
Then, her gaze shifted one box over.
No. 00.
Inside was a black spider with deep crimson streaks across its body—the exact one from the file.
A strange calm washed over her. Penny, who normally couldn't stand spiders, didn't feel afraid. In fact, she smiled a little as she reached out and gently placed her hand against the container.
"Hey, little spidey."
***
There are new Patreon Benefits Tracker and Chapter Release Calendar Links on Discord and Patreon for the Supporters.
More exclusive stuff will be coming soon!