The buses rolled to a halt in front of the towering glass-and-steel structure of Columbia Genetic Research Facility. Its reflective panels shimmered under the morning sun, giving the entire building a futuristic gleam that made even the chattiest students pause in awe.
As Ethan stepped off the bus with Peter and Ned, the air smelled faintly sterile—clean, crisp, almost metallic.
"This place looks like it costs more than the whole school," Ned whispered.
Peter nodded. "Yeah. My aunt would faint if she saw the maintenance bills."
Ethan glanced up at the massive banner near the entrance:
OSCORP GENETICS: THE FUTURE
His mind immediately buzzed with possibilities—gene editing, cellular engineering, neural regeneration.This place wasn't just a lab.
It was a milestone of human evolution.
Their teacher, Ms. Clarke, clapped her hands sharply.
"Alright, listen up! We'll be splitting into six groups of twenty-five. Stay with your group. No wandering off. No touching equipment. Please don't make me yell."
A head researcher wearing a white lab coat approached. The badge on his chest read:
Dr. Harlowe — Senior Geneticist
"Welcome, Midtown High," Dr. Harlowe greeted warmly. "We'll take you through our active exhibition halls, current research showcases, and controlled observation decks. Please follow all safety protocols."
The students split into groups.
Ethan, Peter, and Ned ended up in Group 3, surrounded by familiar faces.
The group entered the facility through a pair of massive sliding doors. Cold air whooshed against them as the sterile brightness of the interior swallowed the class whole.
White floors.
White walls.
Chrome railings.
Machines humming everywhere.
The future.
Behind a glass wall, two researchers in full lab gear stood beside a large containment array filled with transparent cubes.
Each cube held something inside.
One scientist, Dr. Kaleb, frowned at his clipboard.
"…Supervisor, Cube B-12 is empty."
His supervisor, Dr. Arren, didn't even look up.
"Probably transferred for the behavioral test."
"I didn't see the transfer order."
Dr. Arren sighed loudly."Kaleb. You panic every time a door is left open. The spider's probably in the testing chamber. If the system hasn't triggered an alarm, it's fine."
Kaleb hesitated. "But—"
"No alarms, no problem."Arren waved a dismissive hand. "Focus on the neural response study."
Kaleb reluctantly nodded, though worry lingered in his eyes.
Neither of them noticed a faint trail of silk on the metal railing.Or the tiny shape slipping into a ventilation grate.
Dr. Harlowe led them along a broad corridor lined with displays of exotic insects and genetically enhanced organisms preserved in clear glass cylinders.
Ned pressed his face to one of the displays."Dude… they have glowing beetles."
Peter chuckled. "Ned, please don't start collecting those."
Ethan walked a step behind them, absorbing every detail.
Every sound.
Every machine.
Every possibility.
His mind raced with ideas—biotech interfaces, DNA-coded circuits, neural implants that could sync with an AI like Apocalypse someday.
He didn't notice Peter brushing his shoulder lightly as they walked.
Didn't notice Peter twitch.
Didn't notice the tiny spider climbing higher along the inside of Peter's shirt.
Oblivious, the tour continued.
The group reached a high-security enclosure with thick glass walls. Inside were suspended platforms, laser grids, artificial webs—some natural, some mechanical.
The head researcher began his explanation.
"This sector focuses on genetically enhanced arachnids. Certain specimens here exhibit increased durability, agility, and neural learning rates. They are used for studying tissue bonding, regenerative enzymes, and potential medical applications."
Ned raised his hand immediately.
"Can any of them shoot lasers? Like—real lasers?"
Half the group laughed.
Dr. Harlowe smiled politely. "No, young man. The spiders do not shoot lasers."
Ned leaned to Ethan and whispered, disappointed, "They really should. Would be way cooler."
Peter nudged Ethan. "He's going to ask about laser-shooting roaches next, I swear."
Ethan grinned.
He was starting to enjoy this school thing more than he expected.
The group moved on.
None of them noticed the faint rustle from Peter's collar.Or the tiny creature crawling silently upward—settling beneath the fabric of his shirt.
The missing spider had made its choice.
And the field trip was just beginning.
The tour group reached another glass walkway suspended above a laboratory pit where technicians monitored large screens filled with genetic code patterns. Students pressed against the railing, fascinated.
Ethan stood slightly apart, letting the others crowd around.His mind wandered—not distracted, but aware.
Something felt… off.A quiet itch at the back of his consciousness.
He didn't know why.He didn't know what.
But his instincts tugged at him.
Detect.
The familiar system pulse ran quietly through his senses—subtle, like sonar only he could feel.He used it to scan the immediate environment.
Usually, it picked up things like structural weaknesses, small heat signatures, unstable electronics…
But this time—
A faint blip.
Tiny.Organic.Fast-moving.
On the left side of the walkway.
Ethan's eyes sharpened.He scanned—
Another blip.
This time directly behind him.
No—on someone.
He turned subtly.
Peter Parker.
Ethan's breath caught.
Something small was crawling up the back of Peter's neck beneath his shirt collar.A tiny heat source.Erratic movement.
The spider.
The missing specimen.The one the researchers shrugged off.
Ethan stepped forward instinctively—"Peter—"
Too late.
Peter flinched sharply.
"Ow—! What the—"
He slapped the back of his neck.A tiny crunch.
The spider fell to the floor, curled, crushed.
Peter winced and rubbed his neck.
"Stupid bug…"
Ethan's heart hammered.
His Detect skill pulsed again involuntarily:
Foreign toxin detected — mild neuro-reactive signature.
His eyes widened.
The system didn't know what it was.Didn't label it.Didn't analyze it fully.
Just the faint signature of something abnormal entering Peter's bloodstream.
Peter bent down, examining the crushed spider with mild disgust.
"Ugh. Great. Hope that wasn't one of the freaky research ones."
Ned snorted. "Dude, you killed it like a ninja. Respect."
The rest of the students hadn't noticed anything.The teachers didn't react.The researchers continued on as if nothing happened.
But Ethan…
He had seen it.
All of it.
The spider's heat signature.Its movement.The bite.The reaction in Peter's body.
Something twisted inside him—fear?curiosity?a sinking feeling?
Peter shrugged, brushing it off like any normal kid would.
"It was probably just a normal spider," Peter muttered, trying to shake off the sting.
But Ethan knew better.
The timing.The location.The specific lab they were being shown.
Everything matched with terrifying precision.
Ethan swallowed hard.
Ned is talking. Peter is joking. The class is moving on.
But Ethan's mind was somewhere else entirely.
His Detect skill pulsed one more time.
Anomaly Tracking: Peter Parker — internal change in progress.
Ethan forced himself to breathe slowly.
He needed to stay calm.He needed to think.
But as Peter walked forward, rubbing the back of his neck casually…
Ethan couldn't shake the feeling:
Everything had just changed.