Oscorp Lab
"Peter, you came at the right time. Come here," Dr. Connors called out, not looking up from his work.
"Inject this serum into that rat." He placed the syringe in Peter's hand.
Peter didn't hesitate. He injected it into the small, white, disabled mouse.
"Watch carefully."
Peter watched. Within a few minutes, the rat was in pain, then a new limb slowly started to grow — but just before it fully formed, the rat died.
"Dr. Connors, that was nearly a success," Peter said, genuinely amazed.
But Dr. Connors didn't look happy at all. To him, nearly was still a failure.
"I don't know where it's going wrong," he muttered, turning back to his work.
Peter glanced around and noticed a nearby computer displaying the experiment's digital success rate. Curious, he started reading through the files. After a few minutes, he felt that changing a few things could improve the results, so he began modifying them. Since only Peter and Dr. Connors were in the lab, no one stopped him.
Dr. Connors noticed a little too late.
"Peter, don't change anything — it's far too advanced—" Before he could finish, Peter hit enter. The success percentage jumped higher than it had ever been.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?" Dr. Connors rushed to the computer and went through what Peter had changed.
"This is… Peter, you're a genius."
"No, no, it was a small change. You would have found it yourself soon enough, Dr.," Peter said, embarrassed.
"Don't be modest. You're a real genius, Peter. I was right to bring you onto this project." Dr. Connors looked at him with something close to emotion. "You're exactly like your father."
Peter went still. "Father?… Dr. Connors, you knew my father?"
It caught him completely off guard. Uncle Ben and May rarely talked about his parents, so hearing someone speak about his father like that felt strange.
"Yes, though that was many years ago. We worked together on this very project. Your father was a brilliant man." Dr. Connors paused, his gaze drifting into the distance. "It's a shame the world lost such a great scientist. The reason I invited you to intern here was because, when we met before, you felt strangely familiar. Later, after some thought — and noticing the surname — I realized you were Richard Parker's son."
Peter was about to ask more when the lab door opened.
"Dr. Connors. I assume you've done what you promised me?" Norman Osborn walked in with a cold expression, not bothering to greet anyone.
"It will be completed in a few days, Mr. Osborn." Dr. Connors quickly pulled up his latest notes and started walking Osborn through the new approach and updated details.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Connors. The project has been cancelled by management."
Dr. Connors' face changed. "Mr. Osborn, we still have time left on the deadline you gave us."
"Yes, but the shareholders no longer want to invest further in this project. It's done. You're welcome to move to another project or leave Oscorp, Doctor." Osborn said it flatly, didn't glance at Peter once, and walked out.
"Wait — Mr. Osborn—" Dr. Connors went after him.
Peter stood alone in the lab.
I'm not fired, too, right?
With the lab empty, Peter wasn't sure what to do while waiting for Dr. Connors. Then he noticed a nearby computer still logged in under Connors' account. He glanced toward the lab entrance. No one was coming. After a brief hesitation, he made up his mind and sat down at the computer. He started searching through Oscorp's files, looking for anything connected to his father since Dr. Connors had mentioned they had worked together.
He found research papers, project records, and old files. Reading through them gave him a general picture of what his father had been working on — and what was still missing from Dr. Connors' current research.
"A lot of things are missing… or maybe even Dr. Connors doesn't have clearance to access those files."
While browsing through some old newspaper archives, he came across a photo of his father. Seeing it pulled him back to his childhood — the day his parents had dropped him off at Uncle Ben's house.
He had been young, but looking back now, they had seemed rushed. Hurried. Like they already knew they weren't coming back.
And then he remembered.
His father had left a suitcase behind.
There has to be something in there.
He quickly logged off and left Oscorp without waiting for Dr. Connors to return.
Peter's House
Ben and May were in the living room watching TV when Peter came through the front door.
"Peter, how was your first day?"
"It was good."
Before Ben could ask anything else, Peter headed straight for the basement.
Ben looked over at May. "What's gotten into this kid?"
"It has to be here somewhere. I remember seeing it…" Peter muttered as he searched through the basement, moving boxes and old bags aside.
"Where is it? Where is it…"
After a few minutes, he found it — a dusty brown bag tucked against the wall.
"There it is."
He picked it up and slowly walked back into the living room, turning it over in his hands.
When Ben and May saw it, their expressions shifted. A quiet sadness crossed their faces at the same time.
"That's your dad's. He asked us to keep it safe for him," Ben said quietly.
Peter looked up at them.
"You know, he bought that bag when he was around your age." Ben smiled faintly. "Want to guess who sold it to him?"
"I don't know."
"Your mother. That's actually how they met."
Peter looked back down at the bag.
"But why did he leave it here? Is there anything important in it? Did you ever check inside?"
"Your father was a very private man, Peter," May said softly from her seat.
"Yeah… I know."
He said it quietly, thinking about them for a moment.
"Alright, enough sad thoughts." May stood up. "And get that dusty bag off the table — we're eating dinner out here."
"Oh. Right."
After dinner, Peter took the bag to his room and began going through it properly.
The first thing he found was a photograph — his father and Dr. Connors standing side by side.
He laid everything else out on his bed one piece at a time. Old papers. Small personal belongings. Nothing that stood out at first.
He turned the bag over in his hands, running his fingers along the bottom.
Then he found it.
A hidden zipper.
Inside was a single file.
Peter's eyes narrowed slightly.
He quickly locked his bedroom door and sat down to read it carefully.
"Decay Rate Algorithm…" Peter muttered after reading the entire file.
His eyes widened.
This was the missing piece. The exact thing Dr. Connors had been trying to figure out all along.
"This is the final answer to Dr. Connors' project… With this, he could make his dream come true. A world without disabilities."
He leaned back, the file resting in his hands.
There were still so many things surrounding his parents that he didn't understand, and nothing he found tonight made the picture clearer.
If anything, it only made it bigger.
I need to get back into those Oscorp files. The ones I couldn't access. There has to be more there.
He carefully hid the file somewhere safe and glanced up at the clock.
"Oh no."
He shot up from his chair.
"I completely forgot about Gwen. She must already be waiting for me."
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