The Vulture had recognized him. Had known he worked for Oscorp. Had almost killed him for it.
That was going to happen again. Maybe not Toomes. But someone else. Some other villain with a grudge against Norman or Oscorp or just heroes in general.
Being normal in a world with supervillains was dangerous. Being friends with a superhero was even more dangerous.
Alex needed to change that. Needed to become strong enough to protect himself. To not need rescuing.
He pulled out his laptop and opened his research files. The enhancement formula he'd been working on. Based on Peter's DNA. On Specimen 15's modifications.
Current success probability: seventy-three percent. Too low. Unacceptable odds.
He needed more data. More resources. More time.
But time was the problem. How many more near-death experiences before his luck ran out?
Alex worked through the night. Ran simulations. Adjusted chemical ratios. Tried to improve the success rate without access to proper lab equipment.
By morning he'd pushed it to seventy-six percent. Better. Still not good enough.
'I need a real lab,' he thought. 'Proper equipment. Funding. Resources.'
His current setup was a laptop and a freezer. That wasn't going to cut it for the kind of research he needed to do.
He needed money. Serious money. Enough to build a proper research facility. Buy equipment. Create something that would let him work without Oscorp looking over his shoulder.
Alex calculated costs. Lab equipment ran into hundreds of thousands. A secure location would cost even more. Computer systems. AI assistance. Security.
Millions. He would need millions.
His savings were about a hundred and fifty thousand now between his salary, his articles, and investments. Not nearly enough.
'I need something valuable,' Alex thought. 'Something I can sell. A patent or invention or idea that's worth enough to fund everything.'
He spent the weekend reviewing Oscorp's research. Looking for gaps. For things they were missing. For opportunities.
Monday morning, he found it.
...
The research was in the neural interface division. Scientists working on brain-computer connections. Trying to let paralyzed patients control prosthetics with their thoughts.
The technology was promising but limited. The interfaces required surgery. Implants directly into the brain. Invasive. Risky. Expensive.
Alex read through the papers. Saw the limitations. Understood why progress was slow.
Then he had an idea.
'What if you didn't need implants? What if the interface was external? Non-invasive?'
He pulled up related research. Electroencephalography. Brain wave monitoring. Existing technology could read surface-level brain activity without surgery.
But the resolution was terrible. Not precise enough for complex tasks. You could detect if someone was thinking about movement. You couldn't detect which specific movement or how to execute it.
'Unless you amplified the signal,' Alex thought. 'Used machine learning to interpret patterns. Created a feedback loop that let the brain adapt to the interface instead of forcing the interface to perfectly read the brain.'
The idea crystallized. A non-invasive neural interface. Headband instead of implants. Machine learning algorithms that improved with use. Something that could be mass-produced cheaply instead of requiring expensive surgery.
Market applications were enormous. Gaming. Virtual reality. Accessibility devices. Military applications. Medical rehabilitation.
This was worth millions. Maybe tens of millions if marketed correctly.
Alex spent the next week designing the prototype. Not building it. He didn't have the equipment for that. But creating detailed specifications. Explaining how it would work. Proving the concept was viable.
He filed for a provisional patent. Listed himself as the inventor. Made sure Oscorp couldn't claim ownership since he'd developed it outside work hours using his own resources.
Then he scheduled a meeting with Norman Osborn.
...
Norman listened to Alex's presentation without interrupting. Watched the simulation videos. Read the technical specifications.
When Alex finished, Norman leaned back in his chair.
"This is impressive. More than impressive. Revolutionary if it works."
"It will work. The math is solid. The technology exists. It just needs someone to put it together correctly."
"And you want to sell the patent to Oscorp?"
"Yes. With conditions."
Norman's eyebrow raised. "Conditions?"
"I keep creative control over development. My name stays on the patent. And I want three million for the exclusive license."
The room was silent for ten seconds. Norman's face was unreadable.
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