As he placed his hands on the fingerprint reader, an optical sensor turned toward his eyes and scanned his retina.
[Welcome, Dr. Glass. I hope you have a good day.]
The voice of the virtual assistant sounded, welcoming him and opening the thick metal door to allow him entry. Rilley did not respond to the greeting. He simply continued walking as the door closed behind him.
"S.O.P.H.I.N., give me a summary of the experiments and results obtained during the first-phase trials."
[Right away…
Using Specimen Zero as the basis, a total of 9 experiments were conducted with 220 arachnid test specimens during the first phase, in which:
50 arachnid specimens were exposed to highly radioactive waste, simulating collateral damage caused by improper handling of such materials.
27 arachnid specimens were subjected to genetic restructuring through photon bombardment based on uranium, plutonium, and cobalt-60.
32 arachnid specimens were exposed to gamma radiation.
37 arachnid specimens were exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
27 arachnid specimens were exposed to cosmic radiation.
17 arachnid specimens were subjected to cross-species integration through reactivation by high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
9 arachnid specimens were subjected to cross-species integration through reactivation by «Ultra Plus Rays».
14 arachnid specimens underwent genetic mutation through the restructuring of compound DNA chains by reactivation with high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
7 arachnid specimens underwent genetic mutation through the restructuring of compound DNA chains by reactivation with «Ultra Plus Rays».
Results…
The 50 arachnid specimens exposed to highly radioactive waste showed minor physical and genetic changes.
23 lost motor function and perished after four days. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 1%.
14 showed an increase in body temperature and perished after six hours. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 1%.
13 suffered failures in their neural systems and perished after nine days. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 1.5%.
The 27 arachnid specimens subjected to genetic restructuring through photon bombardment based on uranium, plutonium, and cobalt-60 suffered spontaneous combustion and perished instantly. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 2%.
The 32 arachnid specimens exposed to gamma radiation showed minor changes in their genetic structure.
17 lost the ability to generate pigment and turned completely white, presenting hypersensitivity to light. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 4.5%.
15 received certain improvements in their physical abilities, such as strength and agility, due to a change in their genetic sequence. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 14.36%.
The 37 arachnid specimens exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation underwent medium-grade genetic and physical changes.
17 experienced accelerated growth in only four days, along with an increase in reflexes and reaction time. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 14.45%.
20 obtained a change in pigmentation and a hardening of their outer layer and vital organs. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 20.13%.
The 27 arachnid specimens exposed to cosmic radiation underwent major genetic and physical changes.
10 obtained optical camouflage with 77.09% concealment and limb hardening of up to 132%. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 22.72%.
15 obtained a mutation in their neural systems that made them capable of linking thoughts, turning them into a hive mind. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 17.70%.
2 obtained a mutation that gave them electrocytes capable of generating low-intensity biocurrents, allowing them to transmit those currents through their limbs and generate discharges upon contact. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 23.50%.
The 17 arachnid specimens subjected to cross-species integration through reactivation by high-frequency electromagnetic radiation underwent major genetic and physical changes.
8 experienced a mutation that granted them electrocytes and camouflage cells with amplified capabilities, allowing them to generate medium-intensity biocurrents with optical camouflage reaching 80.73% concealment. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 25.73%.
9 experienced accelerated growth that stopped after reaching seven times their original size. They also showed a 123% increase in physical capabilities. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 28.83%.
The 9 arachnid specimens subjected to cross-species integration through reactivation by «Ultra Plus Rays» underwent major-grade changes.
3 experienced a genetic mutation that gave them an amplification in their healing factor, reaching peak condition only 24 hours after extreme exhaustion. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 33.75%.
4 obtained a mutation that granted them improved camouflage, with 95% concealment, making them almost undetectable in optical, thermal, and scent-based characteristics. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 36.84%.
2 experienced accelerated development in their mental capabilities, obtaining the same processing power as a mid-to-high-end computer. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 38.95%.
The 14 arachnid specimens that underwent genetic mutation through the restructuring of compound DNA chains by reactivation with high-frequency electromagnetic radiation all showed, without exception, major-grade genetic changes classified as extreme risk.
10 experienced physical mutations that increased their body mass to a level intolerable for the specimens. This effect was derived from a mutated protein that accelerated cellular division. After six hours, the specimens perished. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 38.63%.
4 showed rejection in their genetic chains, causing a breakdown in cellular bonding and resulting in the transmission among the specimens of a disease ten times more lethal than cancer. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 38.46%.
The 7 arachnid specimens that underwent genetic mutation through the restructuring of compound DNA chains by reactivation with «Ultra Plus Rays» suffered major-grade mutations classified as extreme risk.
All specimens rejected the process, developing a disease that destroyed all their cells within 24 hours. Similarity to Specimen Zero: 43.79%.
End of summary.]
Rilley remained extremely serious as he listened to the summary of the first phase.
"Just as expected of the chosen child. While others die from some strange cancer or turn into deformed monsters, he obtains superpowers, fulfilling the fantasy of many fans," he murmured to himself.
Rilley understood that, in this kind of world, that destiny of becoming extraordinary had already been carved in stone. It was a predetermined fate, merely waiting for the exact moment to manifest. Like a scheduled software task, executing only after all the necessary conditions had been met.
[Dr. Glass, based on the results obtained during the first phase, the permitted threshold to proceed with the second phase has been reached. The results with the highest genetic similarity will be used, isolating only the useful markers and discarding the routes associated with cellular rejection, in order to synthesize an experimental formula. This formula will be applied to new specimens to repeat the process. Calculations for the formula based on the first-phase results are close to completion.
Remaining time: 00:25:00.]
The feminine voice of his virtual assistant pulled him out of his thoughts. He then remembered that, first thing that morning, he had ordered the second phase of the project to begin.
The Specimen Zero mentioned so often, and from which the main sample for his experiments had been extracted, was none other than the mutated radioactive spider that had granted its powers to the well-known Peter Parker. An event that, in this universe, just as in many others, had allowed the birth of the famous Spider-Man.
At that time, within «Ultimate Universe 14672», Peter Parker had been fifteen years old and Rilley fourteen. The age difference between them was minimal, but their paths had been completely different from the very beginning.
Five years had passed since that incident.
The origin of this Spider-Man was very different from that of the other universes Rilley knew. First of all, there was the laboratory where that spider had been created. In this reality, it had not been born in Oscorp or any other laboratory known within the many stories, but in GIG's medical branch, as part of an experiment to develop a cancer treatment. That small spider had been the only specimen to survive a special treatment involving low-frequency radiation.
Rilley had investigated and discovered that the school Peter Parker attended had been deciding between four laboratories for its annual field trip: the laboratories of «Oscorp Industries», the research laboratory of the «Future Foundation», the weapons research department of «Stark Industries», and the laboratory of the medical branch of the «Glass Industrial Group».
After much deliberation, and due to GIG's growing fame, they chose to visit the laboratories of its medical branch. What happened during that field trip was something any Spider-Man fan would know.
Fortunately, at that time, Rilley had also visited GIG's medical branch, presenting himself as an assistant for the cancer-cure project involving that very same spider. It was there that he observed the entire process that granted Peter Parker his arachnid powers. And before the spider escaped, only to later be crushed and die in some unknown place, Rilley acted quickly and managed to capture it, preserving it as a sample for his future research.
At no point did the thought of letting himself be bitten by that spider to obtain Spider-Man's powers cross Rilley's mind. It was not that he was uninterested in such powers, but he was not so naive as to believe that anyone randomly bitten by that spider could become Spider-Man. Due to the genetic modifications and the radiation accumulated in its body, it was very likely that anyone else bitten by it would die within days, if not within a few hours.
It was around that time that Rilley decided to plan a new project, an extremely ambitious one, but one he was forced to leave on hold for several years because of how little time he could devote to it. He only captured the spider and obtained the research data from that now-abandoned cancer treatment, keeping both the sample and the data archived until the creation of «S.O.P.H.I.N.», to whom he was finally able to delegate much of the project's management and analysis.
This new research was provisionally named «Project Superhuman», taking as its basis one of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel universe: Spider-Man.
By tracking Peter Parker's life, he managed to gather a great deal of information about the double life he led as Spider-Man. The truth was that, if one knew where to begin, following a superhero with a secret identity was much easier than most people would think.
He knew about the classic death of Uncle Ben, which marked Peter forever with a change in mentality that led him to become a hero. He also knew of his closeness with Mary Jane Watson, the most popular girl in his school and someone who, in many ways, could be considered his first love.
He also knew about his first encounter with Felicia Hardy, the well-known white-glove thief, Black Cat. He even knew the situation with Gwen Stacy, who in many universes held a fundamental place in Peter Parker's life.
At present, Gwen Stacy was also Dr. Connors' assistant, as well as a probationary employee seeking to join the research center of GIG's medical branch. But she had not been present for the final trial because of a leave request she had submitted days earlier.
Rilley still remembered the first day he met her. That day, he understood why Spider-Man could feel so attracted to her. Had he not been so focused on his own projects, perhaps he would have tried to get closer to her.
The personality of this universe's Gwen Stacy aligned very well with Rilley's tastes. She was a girl with an attractive appearance, as well as an outstanding temperament and intellect. In addition, she was sociable, kind, and approachable.
At times, Rilley lamented the future that might await that young woman. He knew that, at present, Gwen was already too close to Peter Parker for him to intervene without altering things in a clumsy or unnecessary way. He had already lost that opportunity, and he understood it very well, taking it calmly. Even so, he decided that if he ever had a real chance, he would try to save her if that tragic fate were to repeat itself.
"The current Spider-Man has yet to encounter his most dangerous villains, so his life could be considered relatively peaceful," Rilley murmured as he thought about the possible events that might repeat themselves in the future.