Days passed and soon Kristi received word that they were going to continue with her hypothesis. She was completely rattled. Not only was this an exciting moment for her, but an altering one as well. The moving of her Calculus test had really shaken her up. She needed to spend as much time as possible with her Calculus book. She figured this meant that things were going to pick up again since they finished midterms not too long ago. Kristina tapped her foot against the gray looking carpet nervously. The class wasn't a problem…passing wasn't a problem…the institute presented a problem. Things were going entirely too well at the institute to stop now.

She was hoping for her assumptions to be incorrect about the class picking up. Before anyone was truly paying attention to the professor, she raised her hand quickly and blurted out, "Professor Martin, I was just wondering…why did you move the test up a week?"

The elderly woman, never looked up from her wooden desk. "Because, you are too far behind and besides, I've been babying you people for entirely too long." She got up and sauntered toward her overhead projector. Addressing the entire class instead of just Kristi, she added, "The next weeks are going to be fast paced so I suggest that all extracurricular activities you have be put on hold."

Peter chuckled at that thought. 'Easier said than done…' he chimed in his head as his mind went back to the robbery of this morning. It amazed him that there were such people in the world who were stupid enough to rob a bank in broad daylight.

Kristi inwardly groaned at the news. This was not good. She wanted to be there to observe her hypothesis become a reality. True, she never conducted the tests herself, she still had a hand in the whole thing. They were about to began testing her hypothesis and SHE was gonna have to miss it? Not quite. Kristina worked entirely too hard on this to let school get in the way… she shook her head at her thoughts…that didn't sound right. It was going to be a burden to jet back and forth from the institute to her apartment and back to school. Tapping her pencil ruefully on her wooden desktop, she started to wonder. Her apartment was closer to her classes. She could always ask to have in home studies with the spiders. That might work…she did create one herself and helped provide the funding so the board members wouldn't have an excuse to ban it…so she did have some sort of claim to it. Maybe Morris would go for it. He always did have a soft spot for her. "Excuse me…Miss Devun?"

Kristi snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Ma'am?"

"Since you obviously feel the need to daze off in my class, you obviously know what you are doing, so why do you share such an interest in the test date?"

"Um…well, I'm not entirely sure of what I am doing. I was just, um…" she rattled her brain for something. "I was just thinking of other approaches to the, um, equation."

"Oh really? And what equation would that be since I didn't put one up."

Kristi smiled nervously at the fifty year old woman. "The… problems you gave us for review. I noticed another way to approach the graphs without using Logarithmic Functions but with, um the old school trig function, Cosine. Since it's mainly right triangles and Cosine is not a polynomial, it would, um, make the problem simpler." Adding quickly she said, "So I thought."

Raising an eyebrow, Professor Martin answered while nodding her head, "Very good Miss Devun, I was just about to get into that today. But, if you could possibly humor me by acting as though your paying attention, then that would keep my mind at ease." She then turned her silver head away from Kristi and back to the overhead projector.

Peter leaned in a whispered behind her, "Nice Kristi."

Sighing loudly, she said, "I know…I'm just smooth like butter." This was great…it was just peachy keen…how was she going to do this?

………………

Kristi tugged at her bottom lip nervously as she often did. There was no way he would go for this…no way at all, but she could always try…"Mr. Morris, may I speak with you about something?"

"Sure, come in."

Kristi made her way through the boxes in his office and toward his desk. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Oh no…I'm just putting a few things into storage."

"Oh." Clearing her throat, Kristi said confidently, "Mr. Morris…may I continue the rest of my studies at home…sir?"

Never looking up from the papers in front him, he said monotonously, "And how do you plan to do that?"

"By, um," taking another breath she spoke in one word, "By-taking-one-of-the-Super-Spiders-home-and-working-on-it-there." She exhaled slowly. There…she got it out in the open. It just might work…

He looked up at her through his bifocals. "Surely you jest child?"

Or maybe not…Nervously smiling she said, "Alas…I, um, jest you not."

He shook his head at her. This girl was just itching to get into the real world and for the life of him he couldn't understand why she couldn't be content with where she was. "Kristina, you know we prefer that all work be done here in the lab."

Nodding her head slowly, she said nervously, "Well yes sir, I know."

"And you know perfectly well that we prefer all genetic work be done by SCIENTISTS, not students. Recording observations is one thing, but performing them is entirely something else."

She continued to nod her head. "Well yes I know that too."

"Then why did you come here?"

"Because…I have a huge load of work to be done with school and I know that I shouldn't be doing this job if it's going to interfere, but I'm too far in to quit now. It would be a real help if I could do this at home. I-I have most of the necessary equipment, and it would be my real first hand account. Would it be better if the person who was presenting had a hands on deal with the actual experiment?" She could hear herself whining. As much as she hated, she couldn't help but do it anyway.

"Kristina…you aren't dealing with the class pet…we're talking about a mutated animal here."

"Yes sir, I know that, but I guess I'm just asking for the trust that you give me in the labs. It's all the same really…just a different environment. Who knows, maybe the spider will respond differently to a change in environment. I'll experiment with the one I helped make back in the fall. I mean I think it would be a good idea, because it offers two opinions if I do it and if one of the other scientists did it here in comparison. It would sound a lot better if two worked and not just the one I did, that is if it even works." Sighing loudly, she said almost solemnly, "Plus, I feel like I contributed a lot to this. Do you know how weird it feels to have some one else try out YOUR hypothesis, while you sit back and don't even get to watch?" With slumped shoulders, she finished with a pathetic, "Please? I really don't want to stop the project now."

"Alright, I'll pass it by the board though. Yes, yes, I know. Don't give me that look, but it's a must. There is one condition I'm making before they get their grimy hands into this though."

"Anything."

"You allow me to inspect your equipment and give me your solemn word that you will watch that thing at all times."

"I'll attempt to, but I can't watch it all times. I'll make sure it's in an inescapable environment when I'm not there and I'll have cameras set up around it if necessary."

"Alright…if anyone asks, tell them you have permission to do an independent study. I will come by on random days to check up on your progress, if the board goes for it."

"Thank you sir."

"Matter of fact, I'll call them right now. They should be in session now."

"Okay. That's great."

……………………………..

Placing a yellow folder on the 34 year old's desk, the short, stubbly man replied, "All things are in order Mr. Klefton."

Rubbing his chin calmly, John nodded his head in compliance. "Very good. Would you please leave for a moment, I have an important phone call to make."

"Yes sir, Mr. Klefton."

The short messenger left quietly as John pulled out his cell phone. Pressing speed dial, he heard two rings and then the clicking of a phone being picked up. "Mr. Inconnu?"

A cool voice spoke into the phone. "Hello Klefton. I was expecting your call. Is everything going well?"

"Yes! Sir, I spoke with the Devun girl earlier this week. She seems very intelligent."

Chuckling, he said almost with pride, "I always knew she would be."

John drummed his long fingers on his desk. "I anticipate that she would add youth and vivacity to your…cause." He let the air out of his nostrils hastily at the thought of her. Under that whole "I'm not important enough to look at" exterior she was carrying around, she certainly did come in a nice package…

"Yes, I know she would. I want you to keep an eye on her. Make everything that she wants available to her, but make it inconspicuous."

Catching the man's drift, he nodded almost absently. "Absolutely sir."

"How is everything going with the board meeting?"

"We're taking a short recess for lunch. These poor weak-minded fools are easier to control than I thought. I almost hope that this Devun person will not be such an easy conquest. I'm looking for more of a challenge…" Smiling to himself, he thought sinfully, 'In more ways than one…'

As if tracking the man's thoughts, the voice said with quick anger, "Don't you dare make her out to be a 'conquest'. She will be nothing of that to you and if I find out that you did as such, and you know I will, I will have you brought to me and will personally break your damn neck."

He was taken back by his boss's abruptness. What was so special about this girl? "I didn't mean for it to sound so offensive, Professor."

"Yes well, I've been thinking this out…she needs more time before the serum can be injected, but a deal must be presented to her." He was speaking more to himself than to the person on the other line. "She has a strong willful mind. It will be harder to convert her with the serum…"

"How do you plan to go about it?"

Catching himself quickly, he answered smoothly, "All things in time fall into my lap. This will be no different. This does not concern you anyway. Just make sure you keep an eye on her."

"Yes sir." Click. John was not too sure about what importance this girl was to his boss, but he had some speculations. Professor Inconnu had a strange attachment to her. It was interesting to hear him talk about her. He had almost a silent longing for her.

John lost his thoughts when Jameson came barging through his office. He eyed the old man funnily when he saw the humorous distortions on the man's face. Pacing, Jameson spoke almost giddy like. "Guess who I just got off the phone with? The screwy Morris fellow. He wants permission to allow that girl access to a Super Spider to try and conduct a test on it herself. The man's out of his head."

"Did you give him an answer?"

"Hell no! So I wouldn't sound so cruel about it, I told the crazy bugger I'd think about presenting it to the board." He began to laugh to himself. "I really don't see why I should."

John eyed the man carefully. Standing up slowly, he walked toward the man. Coolly he said, "Let her."

Jameson turned his head toward the man. "You're talking just as loony as that Morris fellow. I will not allow-"

John moved his eyes over the man's face almost like a predator. Moving three of his fingers in the air, making it appear to add emphasis to what he was saying, he said, "You WILL allow it," but in actuality, it was doing something more.

Jameson stopped in mid sentence. His brain was still trying to fight off this mysterious force that was engulfing it. "B-but on what grounds?" he asked dazed like.

"She is very intelligent and has exceptional skills. She would do a good job. It would be good practice for her. She will be allowed to continue the studies at her home and she will have no further problems from you. Even if she fails, you will not remove the funding, but allow the studies to continue."

Jameson's eyes turned obsidian. "I will allow her to do the studies in her home…and she will receive no further problems since she has exceptional skills and is very intelligent…all of the funding will still be present if she fails," he said in a drone readily voice. "I'll present this to the board members."

Smiling confidently, John pulled on his suit to straighten it out. "Very good. That is an excellent judgment call on your part, Mr. Jameson." Jameson stared at him with a blank face. His black eyes soon turned back to their regular cool gray ones.

Perplexed as to where the idea came from, he shook the feelings off. Content with the thought of doing something correctly, he said smugly, "Yes, I know it is Klefton. Thank you." He walked as if nothing had ever happened.

Klefton smiled to himself. "Thank you Inconnu…"

Author's Note: To anyone reading this, I know that the story is getting off somewhat slowly, but I promise you it will pick it up by or in the fifth chapter. Thanx!