Arachnoblast: I'm Fourteen This is Ridiculous

Prologue: Breathing in the Chemicals

Ready for human testing. The words had been so easy to say when he was sure the human wouldn't be himself. But he couldn't go back to formula—too much depended on this successful test. Besides, risks are a part of laboratory science. He had forced his colleague to accept that, and now he would have to accept it himself. He didn't have two weeks to assemble a team and volunteers, not with Quest Aerospace ready to pounce and steal everything Oscorp had. This would simply have to be a two-person job, with no useless medical staff or interns underfoot, no CEOs or board members squawking about concerns of the ignorant, and no witnesses if things went south.

Things won't go south, he reminded himself. The rodent test that had resulted in aggression and insanity had been an aberration, and he was no aberration. He was exceptional. His mind was exceptional, his work was exceptional, his very bloodline was exceptional. He would build an empire on the ground cowards feared to tread.

"40,000 years of evolution and we've barely even tapped the vastness of human potential," he mused as Dr. Stromm handed him the Promachloraperazine. Without another word, he drank the small bottle in one gulp and lay on the table that would take him into the gas chamber. He tried not to flinch as Dr. Stromm strapped him down and attached all of the instruments that would keep track of his vitals during this test.

After entering the chamber, the table tilted to an upright position. Breathing evenly and confidently, he nodded at Dr. Stromm, signaling for him to activate the vapor. Eyes wide and fearful, Dr. Stromm entered the code to transfer the chemicals from their liquid form in the small tube to a green gaseous form in the chamber.

Strapped to the table, he watched as the gas rushed in from vents at his feet, quickly rising up his legs and spreading throughout the chamber. He tried to keep his breath regular, but couldn't stop from shuddering and coughing as the vapor filled his lungs. It felt as though he was standing directly in front of a humidifier, sucking in the steam, except it tasted like an unnatural combination of kale, blood, and sulfur. After a few breaths of the chemical fumes, his vision faded and his pulse slowed dramatically as he slipped into unconsciousness.

After what felt like mere seconds, his eyes flew open, his heart pounding. His focus darted to Dr. Stromm, who was standing directly in front of him, appearing shocked and frightened. He seized the scientist by the throat, squeezing and glaring into his bulging, cowardly eyes.

"Back to formula?" he snarled, throwing Dr. Stromm backwards. The sheer force of the throw caused the doctor's body to shatter the wall of the gas chamber and slam into a metal table covered in various equipment, bending the table and scattering the equipment.

Sneering, the man in the chamber burst his bonds and leapt out of the chamber, delighting in his new might and ready to take his vengeance on those who had stood in his way.

"Watch out, Quest Aerospace," he grinned. "The Green Goblin is cooking up a nasty little surprise for you!"