Alex worked until midnight. Taking notes. Building models. Planning experiments he couldn't actually run yet.
Finally exhaustion forced him to stop. He saved everything and went to bed.
Tomorrow he would continue building his report for Norman. Continue helping Peter learn control. Continue preparing for a future where being human wasn't enough.
Alex fell asleep thinking about genetic sequences and enhancement formulas and the thin line between helping and using someone.
But mostly he thought about survival.
In a universe with gods and monsters and cosmic threats, being smart wasn't enough. Being prepared wasn't enough.
You had to be willing to do whatever it took. To walk whatever lines needed walking. To make whatever sacrifices were necessary.
Alex was willing. That's what made him dangerous.
That's what might let him survive.
...
The rest of the week passed quickly. Alex finished his report on Specimen 15. Submitted it to Norman on Thursday morning. The man reviewed it in front of Alex, reading carefully.
"Excellent work," Norman finally said. "Thorough. Well-researched. You have a talent for synthesis."
"Thank you, sir."
"Dr. Connors speaks highly of you. Says you think like a scientist." Norman closed the document. "I'm making your position permanent. Full-time junior analyst. Salary increase to twenty-five dollars per hour. Plus benefits."
Alex did the math instantly. Twenty-five per hour. Forty hours per week. That was a thousand per week. Over four thousand per month.
Combined with his article income from TechCrunch, he would be making over five thousand monthly. More money than he'd ever imagined having.
But the real gain was access.
"Thank you, Mr. Osborn. I won't disappoint you."
"I know you won't." Norman stood and extended his hand. "Welcome to Oscorp, Mr. Carter. Permanently."
They shook hands. Norman's grip was firm. His eyes were still cold but the suspicion was gone. Alex had proven himself valuable. Trustworthy.
That's all that mattered to Norman. Value and loyalty.
Alex left the office feeling accomplished. He'd navigated a dangerous situation perfectly. Cleared himself of suspicion. Gained full access to the research he needed. And gotten a massive promotion in the process.
'Sometimes the best outcome is the one where everybody wins,' Alex thought.
Norman got a detailed report and a valuable employee. Alex got money, access, and cover for his research. Peter got help understanding his powers.
Everybody got what they wanted.
Alex just happened to want things nobody knew about yet.
Saturday arrived. Alex met Peter at an abandoned warehouse in Queens that Peter had found. Far from any neighbors. Private. Secure.
They spent six hours testing Peter's abilities systematically. Measuring his strength. Testing his adhesion. Documenting his reflexes and reaction time.
Peter could lift approximately three tons. Could stick to any surface regardless of texture. Could catch objects moving at over one hundred miles per hour.
He was superhuman. Genuinely superhuman.
And Alex documented everything. Video recordings. Measurements. Data points.
All of it stored on his encrypted drives. All of it analyzed for patterns. All of it bringing Alex closer to understanding how to replicate the process safely.
By the end of the day, Peter was exhausted but smiling. "This is amazing. I'm actually amazing."
"Yes you are."
"What do I do with this? I can't just ignore it. You know, I've been thinking a lot about what to do with these abilities and there's this inspiration in my heart."
"Let me guess you want to help people," Alex said simply. "You have these abilities and you want to use them for good."
Peter nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I want to do that. It actually reminds me of something my uncle says."
"If that's the case. Just be careful with using your abilities to help people. Keep your identity secret. Don't let anyone know who you are."
"Why?"
"Because if people know who has powers, they become targets. For criminals. For government. For everyone who wants to use them or stop them."
Peter understood. "Secret identity. Like a real superhero."
"Exactly."
They parted ways that evening. Peter went home thinking about costumes and names and how to help people. Alex went home thinking about genetic formulas and enhancement serums and calculated risks.
They were friends. Genuinely friends. But they were also moving in different directions. Peter toward heroism. Alex toward survival.
Both paths were valid. Both required power. Just different kinds.
Alex uploaded all the test data to his secure cloud storage. Added it to his growing research database. Began analyzing the patterns.
Somewhere in all this data was the key. The formula that would let him become more than human without dying in the process.
He would find it. No matter how long it took.
Because in this universe, being normal was death. Being enhanced was survival.
And Alex Carter intended to survive. Whatever it took.
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