The main lobby of the Averton University Institute for Genetic Research was a huge marble circle. Tall, fluted columns rose toward the splendid white ceiling, and the corridors extended from that circle like the spokes of a train wheel.
Despite his continued protests, Mr. Cranky could not get his students, who were milling around the lobby waiting for further instructions, to lower the noise level.
"Your mother's not that bad," Twilight said to Sunset as they joined the rest of the class.
"No, if you're a genius" Sunset replied with a smirk "I think she wants to adopt you."
Sunset nudged him and nodded toward a group of students gathered around a column in the lobby.
Twilight looked over at the group and saw Flash Sentry. Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. She was crazy about Flash since he moved next door, when they were both going to school. Twilight would have loved to date her pretty, popular, and friendly neighbor, but she still hadn't mustered the courage to ask him.
Susnet started walking towards him. Twilight followed her.
"Hello, Flash!" Sunset said nonchalantly "How are you?"
"Hello!" Flash replied.
"Say something" Sunset whispered to Twilight "This is your chance."
Flash smiled at Twilight. She smiled back, but was silent. The opportunity passed. Twilight walked away from her, and Sunset behind her.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Susnet asked Twilight when they reached the other side of the hall.
"I was about..." Twilight replied, defensively "But it wasn't the right time."
"Good, and what are you waiting for?" Sunset asked, shaking her head "To a printed invitation?"
"Alright guys" said Mr. Cranky "Let's go in now. I want adult demeanor. Is that clear?"
For the first time all day, the students fell silent.
"Come on" the professor continued, heading towards one of the many corridors that led out of the lobby "Follow me."
The class met inside a large laboratory. The footsteps of the thirty students, the teacher, and the guide echoed through the huge room, bouncing off the high arched ceilings and hard marble floors. There were different displays throughout the lab, but they all had a common theme: spiders.
"There are over thirty-two thousand species of spiders known in the world" started guide, filling the room with her powerful voice "All are carnivorous, devouring ravenous that feed massive amounts of liquid protein, usually the juices of its victims Of course, the spiders are not insects. They belong to a group of small animals called arachnids. Scorpions and mites are also arachnids".
Twilight's attention shifted from the guide's words to Flash and his friends. She couldn't stop staring at him as he and his group, which included Trixie Lunamoon, giggled and joked with little interest in the class.
As Twilight watched them, Trixie put her arm around Flash's shoulders and brought her head closer to his. Twilight flinched and backed away from her, a move that did not go unnoticed by Flash. In a hurry, he pulled away from Trixie and tried to pay attention to the exposure.
"Spiders have different degrees of strength; it helps them in their constant search for food" continued the guide, and pointed to a glass urn in which a large brown spider was inert on its web "For example, the jumping spider, of the genus Salticus... ".
"Please!" shouted Mr. Cranky noticing the lack of interest of some of his students "Have you paid attention to the genus Salticus?" then he turned to the guide "My apologies. Please continue."
The guide continued:
"The genus Salticus can jump distances of up to forty times the length of its body, thanks to a proportional muscular force much greater than that of a human being."
Twilight caught the guide's gaze and pointed to her camera.
"Can I take some pictures for the high school newspaper?" she asked.
The guide attended and continued with his class. As the exposure continued, Twilight prepared to photograph the spider in the glass urn. But just at the time of shooting, one of Trixie's friends muttered "Nerd!", and hit Twilight's arm, spoiling the picture of her.
"Hey!" Twilight growled looking at Justin, who in turn was watching the guide, showing a smile of false innocence.
"The funnel-shaped web spider, of the genus Atrax, is one of the most deadly in the world" continued the guide "It weaves a web with a complicated funnel shape whose threads have a tensile strength equivalent to that of calbes that support the bridges".
Twilight raised the camera, preparing to take another picture when, once again, Trixie's friend slapped her arm. Twilight turned to him and stared at him. So did Sunset.
"Leave her alone or..." Sunset murmured.
"Or what?" the boy asked defiantly, looking at her with disdain.
"Or her mother will fire yours" Trixie answered quickly.
Those who were nearby and heard the comment laughed.
"Now it is OK!" exclaimed Mr. Cranky, surprising both his students and the guide "The next person to speak will fail this course".
Giggles and whispers spread among the students.
"I am not kidding!" roared Mr. Cranky, and motioned for the guide to continue.
"The crab spider, of the genus Misumena, hunts its prey using incredibly fast reflexes. Its nerve impulses develop at such an impressive rate that some researchers believe it is very close to clairvoyance. In other words, it seems to know when it is going to the pre-hazard will appear before it occurs. Call it "arachnid sense" if you like".
The group advanced to the center of the laboratory, where a team of researchers sat in front of the keyboards of several computers. The computer equipment was connected to an atomic microscope, which in turn was linked to a series of large video screens distributed throughout the room. Each screen showed the unmistakable image of DNA strands... spider DNA.
"During five tough years, Columbia genetic research has been able to map the genetic code of each of the three types of spiders that I just showed you" explained the guide. considered impossible: to mix the species genetically ".
The class gathered around a large glass tank located in the center of the laboratory. Inside the tank, strange-looking spiders crawled and wove their webs.
Flash's eyes widened as he stared at the hideous creatures. He smiled and said:
"How disgusting."
Sunset was standing next to him.
"Hateful bugs..." she said. She would have said anything to agree with him. Although she knew Twilight's feelings for Flash, Sunset also found the vivacious blue-haired boy attractive.
"No" Flash whispered "I think they're cool."
Doubting whether he meant it or not, Sunset chose the safe exit:
"Really?" she said "Me too".
The class continued.
"In our laboratory we have combined genetic information from these three types of spiders. Each of the resulting guests have the strength and jumping power of the jumping spider, the incredibly strong web of the funnel-web spider, and the arachnid sense of the crab spider. In short, we have created these fifteen genetically engineered super spiders, the first humanity has ever produced. "
For the first time, all the attention of the class was devoted to the specimens in front of them and to the words of the guide.
He continued, visibly moved:
"Imagine if one day we could isolate human strength, powers and immunities, and transmit this DNA code between us ... we could make diseases disappear! Of course, we are not close to experimenting with humans yet, so for the moment we are concentrating on these fifteen mutant spiders. Questions? "
"Aren't there only fourteen spiders?" Flash asked pointing to the tank.
"No" replied the guide "There are fifteen, I think ..."
In one of the arches in the laboratory's ceiling, high above the marble floors, a mutant spider, patterned in pink and purple, scurried across the row of its powerful web. Unseen by the people below, the genetically engineered spider left the center of its web and began to descend towards the laboratory floor.
As the visit continued, Flash stopped before a glass urn and stared at his reflection, adjusting some strands of his blue hair.
"Do you mind if I take a picture of you?" asked a voice behind him.
Amazed, he turned and saw Twilight with the camera ready.
"I need one with a student in it," she explained.
"Ok" Flash agreed "But don't make me ugly."
"Impossible!" Twilight replied, focusing her lens "Like this. Don't move. Great!"
As Twilight took the photo, the mutant spider was descending at an ever-increasing speed. Now he was only a few feet above Twilight's head.
"One more, Flash" Twilight said, and hit the trigger again "Thank you."
Flash turned and ran to meet his friends.
The mutant spider leapt from his thin filament and landed right on Twilight's right hand.
"Ow!" she screamed as her arachnid's teeth dug into her skin.