A Spider's Web

~ Chapter 3: Work In Progress ~

"Miguel!" A familiar voice called out his name.

He turned around to the source of the voice, his face immediately sour as he spotted his younger brother, Gabriel, jogging towards his direction.

"Miguel, Miguel, Miguel! Why aren't you answering my calls?" He grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"I was busy okay." Miguel brushed his hands off of him, shooting him an annoyed look.

"I know you're busy but don't be so inconsiderate. Even Dana's worried about you." Gabriel crossed his arms.

Noticing the girl beside him, Gabriel let out an awkward laugh. He leaned close to his ear, whispering ' Miguel, who's that girl beside you? She's pretty.'

An exasperated sigh escaped from Miguel's mouth. He then turned towards (F/n) with a tired expression plastered on his face. 

" (F/n), this is my brother Gabriel. " He gestured to Gabe. " Gabe, this is my partner, (F/n)."

" Nice to meet you (F/n)." Gabe grinned as he offered his hand.

"Likewise." (F/n) awkwardly smiled as she shook his hand.

Gabriel was the first one to let go, an amused expression plastered on his face.

" I guess you know by now that Miggy is always grumpy." Gabriel let out a chuckle.

" Shut up, Gabe." Miguel hissed.

"Well, point proven." He wiggled his eyebrow at him as his brother let out an exasperated sigh.

" OH! If ever Miggy gets on your nerves-" He fumbled around his pocket before handing out a calling card to her- " Call my number and I'll deal with him."

An amused laugh escaped from (F/n)'s mouth as she took the card from Gabriel's hand. The stark difference between the sibling's personality was entertaining for her to watch.

" Thanks but I have my own way of dealing with him." She shot him a small smile as she slipped the card in her wallet.

Gabriel let out a defeated sigh, his brown eyes filled with sadness. Miguel on the other hand, crossed his arms and put on the usual sour look.

"Are you done? (F/n) and I still need to get our lunch." He huffed.

His brother's eyes lit up upon hearing his statement.

"Can I come?"

"No."

(F/n) let out an awkward laugh. She somewhat felt bad for Gabriel, having Miguel as a brother would not be ideal.

"Anyways-" The girl clasped her hands together-" It was nice meeting you, Gabriel. We can all get lunch together at another time."

Miguel reluctantly agreed to the girl's statement as he 'shooed' his brother off. With a small pout on his lips, Gabriel left in the opposite direction. They watched as his figure disappeared into the busy crowd of people waiting at the stoplight.

" You seem close with your brother, " (F/n) voiced her thoughts, glancing at her partner.

Miguel let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

" He may be annoying but he is still my brother." 

The girl nodded her head, grinning to herself as she imagined a grumpy Miguel as a kid. She then turned to the direction of the cafe, gesturing to Miguel to follow her.

______/|\(◦.◦)/|\

The day has arrived, leaving (F/n) with a sick feeling brewing at the pit of her stomach. She knows that Miguel and her did try their best to prepare everything yet she can't help but feel a little bit skittish. The man himself, Tyler Stone, will be arriving soon to watch the process.

' If only they didn't schedule it today." The girl let out the sigh as she prepared the lab.

(F/n) took a look at her clipboard, checking the details of the test-subject. A wave of shock passed through her body, realizing that they will be bringing a human to test. A human. What if something went wrong? Will she be framed as a murderer?

" Mr. Sims, ex-convict..." She mumbled to herself as she read papers.

Suddenly, the doors opened, revealing Tyler and Miguel chatting with each other. Behind them, a guard was escorting another man, presumably Mr.Sims.

While Miguel escorted the company president, (F/n) assisted Mr. Sims to the middle of the lab. She checked his vitals, made sure to take any notes that may affect the process. She then let him sit in the metal chair, strapping on the restrains on his arms just in case things may go wrong. Once everything was in place, she returned to her station beside Miguel.

" Hello? Mr. Sims can you hear me? " Miguel spoke loudly, almost yelling.

"Y-yes sir, I can hear you." The man replied.

" Good, for today we will be tinkering with your genetic structure. At the moment, we will try something simple that would give you augmented strength."

(F/n) glanced at the company president, silently observing him as her partner turned the machine on. A silver dome, known as the transformation chamber, covered the ex-convict as Miguel busily input the details. The girl could see that her partner was also nervous, his hands slightly shaking as he cranked up the knob on the control panel.

' Dealing with a human life is very risky..."

After a moment, the process seemed to be completed.

"You-" Tyler pointed at the girl-" Go down there and check on Mr.Sims."

She nodded her head, silently leaving her station as she approached the transformation chamber. Upon reaching the area, she turned around and signaled Miguel to open the chamber. The girl could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the metal dome slowly opened.

"Mr. Sims? Is there any discomfort-"

The disfigured man grabbed (F/n)'s neck, his red beady spider-like eyes staring straight into her soul. From the distance, she heard Miguel shout her name. She tried to peel his grubby fingers off of her but to no avail.

' He's strong, that's for sure," she thought to herself as his grip tightened. 

Mr. Sims still retained his legs and arms but his whole torso and head morphed into a circular shape, similar to a spider's head and body. This once was a man, a man that was capable of communicating with her. A wave of sadness washed over senses as her head started to throb.

"I'm sorry..." The girl choked, her vision becoming blurry.

As if the man understood her, he loosened his grip. Out of nowhere he suddenly went limp, dropping the girl to the ground as his body fell forwards. A horrifying sight to see.

" Too bad he died. " Tyler mumbled to himself. " I trust that you will not fail the next time, Mike."

He turned towards Miguel's direction,giving him a pat in the back before leaving the lab.

Miguel could feel the anger swell in his chest as gritted his teeth. He was glad that he restrained himself from lashing out on his boss. A man just died in front of their eyes, his partner nearly died in the process and yet it didn't faze him at all.

(F/n) took in a deep breath, her lungs aching for air as her vision started to clear. She still can't believe that Mr.Sims morphed into something horrifying. She also can't believe that she is still alive. He broke the restraints like wooden sticks, he could have easily snapped her body in half.

" Hey (F/n), are you okay?" Miguel jogged towards her direction, a look of concern plastered on his face. " Here, let me help you."

The man grabbed her arm, gently helping up on her own two feet. She muttered a small ' thank you ' to him once she was finally stable enough to stand on her own.

The two stared at the body of Mr. Sims, both wearing the looks of remorse on their faces. They knew that he didn't deserve this, despite being a convict himself. No matter how much preparation they had, they can't hinder a disaster that was fated to come.