Hello dear readers!
It's been a while since I have written a new story. Until now, I have mostly done updates. What inspired me to write this story was how the web head influenced me. Especially the Sam Raimi movies.
I have not read the Spider man comics unfortunately. Since I grew up in Norway, I could not get my hands on them. My first introduction was through the 90's animated series. My younger brother enjoyed those series more than me though.
Then came the movies by Raimi. After watching them, I got hooked. The actors who portrayed the characters was a major component in this. In my opinion, Willem Dafoe did a first class job. Especially since he portrayed TWO characters in the same movie! In some cases, Dafoe played both characters in one scene! That is why this story will concern him, Oscorp plus my OC. This is the first time I'm using an OC of mixed race.
Going 23 years back in time was a bit challenging as well. The story takes place about 18 months prior to the first Sam Raimi "Spiderman" movie. Harry Osborne is a high school sophomore in this fic. The goblin serum is under development, and Y2K has barely begun.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
A green recruit.
"Hm...this is interesting" muttered the man as he read the resume. Oscorp was about to take in their next group of interns. More specifically, interns who could work in different departments. Said departments were biochemistry, robotics, computers plus finance. Mendel Stromm knew the computer department in particular suffered. Two younger programmers recently got a job in the sister company. Another was going back to school to learn more. This was often required when you worked in a field that changed that fast.
Royal blue eyes studied the information. 'Borne in late November. Well, what do you know! A Thanksgiving baby!' mused the male. The candidate was graduating Concordia university with a computer science degree this June. That was just what Oscorp was looking for. What intrigued him more however, turned out to be something unusual. 'Three languages? Not bad. Most people here in the U.S. can only speak one. Unless they're immigrants or have lived abroad. It's quite obvious that this candidate is the former' observed the scientist. Her name plus her education was a dead giveaway on that account.
"Any thoughts? I would give a penny for them" laughed his colleague. "Er - I think we should give this candidate a shot. They got the education plus some skills we need. Especially considering their language skills" replied the man. "I agree. Don't think there are many who understand that language at Oscorp. I can only think of two. Having someone who speaks three languages will give us an edge. Especially in the computer department" told the silver-haired man. "I second that" replied the man after taking a sip of coffee. The younger male clicked the button on his phone. "We're ready. Please send in the candidate" said Henry. "Yes mister Balkan" answered the female voice. Both men prepared their questions while preparing themselves for the last interview.
The lobby area outside the board director's room was rather quiet. The pale grey walls paired with the maroon carpet only intensified the corporate atmosphere. Especially since the room was nearly empty. Apart from the receptionist, there was only one other person present. It was a young woman clad in a traditional black suit. Her deep espresso brown hair was tied up in a neat bun. The almond shaped taupe brown eyes revealed her Chinese ancestry. However, her freckles plus the slightly lanky limbs were more common in another continent. Europe to be more exact.
"Miss Wen? The directors are ready to see you" told the receptionist. The woman took a deep breath. 'OK. Concentrate girl. Don't forget what your parents told you. You can do this!' thought the female. She exhaled as she opened up the door to the office. It did not even creak as it swung aside to reveal the room. To the newcomer, it screamed "science and minimalism". All the walls were pale slate gray. The word 'OSCORP' was written in solid black letters at the opposite wall. Her eyes moved towards the shiny black table. Two men sat at the left side of it. At their right stood some paper cups plus two stainless steel jugs.
The man with silver gray hair and glasses rose from his chair. "Ah, you must be miss Wen. Please, have a seat" told the male with a grateful smile. "Thank you sir" replied the younger woman. She hoped her voice sounded grateful. Or at least on the polite side. She sat down at the opposite side after she smoothed out her knee length pencil skirt. "My name is Henry Balkan. I am on the directors board. My coworker here is Mendel Stromm. He is one of the head scientists. We will conduct the interview. I'll ask some general questions first. Next, Stromm will ask some more about your personality. Would you like something to drink miss Wen?" inquired Henry.
"I-I would like a cup of tea please" replied the brunette. A part of her cursed herself for acting like a stereotypical Asian. However, these two men were scientists. They were probably more interested in what she would bring to the table. Especially since Oscorp already had employees of colour or were disabled. "Sure. We only got Earl Grey I'm afraid" told the man. "Earl Grey is perfect for me really" assured the female. She gave them what she hoped was a sincere smile. Thankfully, both of the men gave her a sincere smile in return.
"All right. I'll go ahead with the questions. What kind of courses did you take at university? Computer science is a rather wide field after all. We just want to make sure your knowledge matches our criteria. Especially since the computer industry is constantly evolving" informed Henry. The Asian woman cleared her throat. This was a question she could answer without issues. "Like most people, I took math as an introduction. Most of it was calculus. My core subjects were computer science theory, programming, and databases. I chose coding plus cyber security for my minors" informed the woman.
'Excellent. The programming and databases are just the skills we need. Looking good so far miss Wen!' observed Stromm. He poured some warm Earl Grey tea from the jug into a paper cup. "Here you are miss" told the man. She gave him a grateful smile. "That's good. I see you're about to graduate this June. However, do you consider taking any courses in the future?" inquired the other male. Their interview object took a sip of tea before she looked at him. "Yes. I am not against that idea at all. The IT field is changing a lot after all. Who knows how the future will look like?" answered the female.
Both men nodded in agreement. The spark in her eyes revealed how honest she was. "I have one question related to your non-computer skills. You speak a variety of languages according to your CV. Do you mind telling me how you learned them?" asked the director. A satisfied smile formed at her face. This was a question she had expected. 'YES! This is where I can impress them!' realized the brunette. "Well...my father is a second generation Chinese immigrant. He spoke Chinese to me and my brother at home. I attended Chinese lessons until I graduated high school as well. My elementary school education was in French since I grew up in Quebec. I was accepted into an IB school after I finished elementary school. All the lessons there were in English. Except French and Chinese off course" explained the woman.
She did a fist pump under the table when she saw their reaction. Both of men were raising their eyebrows in mild surprise. "Right. May I ask what university subjects you liked the most?" inquired the man. "Hm...good question. There were many subjects I liked. I would say coding and programming were my favourites" replied their interview object. "Good..." muttered Henry as he crossed off his last question. He gave his coworker a nod afterwards.
"Guess it's my turn then. Firstly, why did you apply for an internship at Oscorp? I am sure there are many companies in Canada" started the man. The brunette took another sip of the tea, her mind working at full speed. She put down the cup once her mind reached a decent answer. "My primary reason is that Oscorp use extensive computer technology. That means there is a lot I can sink my teeth into. However, I can use every skill I learned at university too. Lastly, Oscorp has an excellent reputation in terms of technology" told the female. Her voice was more measured that earlier. Being a socially awkward Sagittarius meant she suffered from foot in mouth syndrome. Fortunately, this reply did not seem to offend the men.
"What kind of non-educational skills can you bring to the table miss Wen?" inquired Stromm. "Well...I speak three languages for starters. One of them is the most spoken language in the world. I attended an IB school and grew up in Quebec too. This gives me a more international perspective. This combination could be useful if Oscorp goes global" finished the younger woman. She felt a little nervous when the men did not changed their facial expression.
"Now for my third question. If I call one of your friends, what would they say about you?" asked the male. The interview object looked down at her paper cup. Her taupe eyes looked back at him seven seconds later. "It depends on who you're calling really. With that being said...I think most of them would say I am reliable, nerdy and slightly awkward" said the female. She let out a small sigh when the scientist made a small smile.
"Great. Just two more questions to go. Tell me five things you want to accomplish the next ten years" told the male. Her eyes brightened up, making the two men a little surprised. "Oh! I would like to improve my computer skills. Especially coding. Getting a promotion or a more senior position would be nice too. Another thing I wish to do is calligraphy lessons. Preferably in China or Japan if I get the chance. My next goal is to own an apartment. Finally, I want to get my black belt in Taekwon-Do" finished the brunette. The latter statement made the two men raise their eyebrows. Sure, she had origins from a continent where martial arts were common. That did not always extend to women however.
"Sounds very interesting miss Wen. Here is the last question. What is your favourite colour?" asked the scientist. "Can I only pick one?" replied the woman. The interviewer nodded. She closed her eyes for a few moments. 'Just one colour...which one should I choose? I bet pink is out of question. Which is good since I don't like pink. Don't think I can say black. Even though I like black, its got some severe cultural associations. Black is worn for funerals in north America after all. Oh! I almost forgot my number one favorite! This should knock their socks off!' realized the brunette.
Her eyes blinked a little as she looked up at them. "My favourite colour is green. Jade green to be exact" stated the young woman. She smiled when the men looked at her in mild surprise. "Jade green you say? May I ask why that is your favourite?" asked Stromm. The woman in front of him gave him a wide smile. "First of all, I associate that colour with life. Probably because healthy plants are green. Green is not a very girly or masculine colour either. Lastly, jade is an important part of the Chinese culture" told the interview object.
'That's an interesting answer. Wonder what Osborn will say about it' pondered Stromm. "All right. Do you have any questions for us?" inquired the male. "Yes, I do. If I get the internship, who will train me?" asked the brunette. "We have an orientation week in the end of July. All interns will get a general guide there. Afterwards, the interns in each department must go through a training course. The course lasts six weeks. Lastly, you get your own mentor. Said mentor is available throughout your whole internship" explained Balkan. He adjusted his glasses after rubbing his eyes a little. Thankfully, this was the last interview of the day.
"I see. When will I know when I get the internship?" inquired the female. "We will let you know in three days" told the men in unison. The interview object bit her lip to not laugh. "Thank you. I don't think I have any more questions. If you have any questions left for me, please give me a call" told the woman. Both men smiled at her. "It was a pleasure meeting you miss Wen. Have a nice day" told the man with glasses. "Thank you for having me. I hope you have a nice day as well" replied the brunette. She stood up after smoothing her skirt. The petite lady left the room after shaking their hands. 'I've done my best. I guess the only thing I can do is to wait' concluded Annie.
"There we go" muttered the man as he placed the chemicals back into the cupboard. He was currently working on a unique serum. It could put Oscorp on the map in several ways. Said serum contained several complex components that required a lot of attention. Hence why it had taken four years to develop. However, the scientist was positive this would succeed. A sudden 'bip-bip-bip' made the male blink in surprise. 'Ah...I almost forgot. I need to meet Stromm about some internships. This better be good. Some of the kids we hired last year were subpar' recalled the redhead.
He put the Nokia phone back into his coat. 'At least they did not ask for a lot of time. That is a good sign' thought the man. He locked the door before he went towards the corridor. A smell of lemon mingled with cleaning alcohol made him smile. The cleaning staff had apparently just been here. Forest green eyes studied each door in the white corridor. He turned on his heel when he saw the door that said 'Dr. Mendel Stromm'. The scientist knocked on the door to see if he was in. "Come in!" called a familiar voice behind the door.
The male opened the door to the office. It sported a rather simplistic interior, like most of the offices. There was a desk in the center of the room with a computer on it for starters. Next to the desk was the only piece of decor. It was a photo of Stromm and his wife. On the right side was a chest of drawers made out of metal. The window at the wall opposite to the door gave the room some sunlight. Behind the desk sat a bald man in a white coat. "Good morning Stromm" greeted the male with a sincere smile. "Osborn. Good to see you" replied his coworker. His smile mirrored the one his boss had.
"So, I heard we got some new recruits coming in. What can I do to help?" inquired Norman. "We're undecided about some of the interns. Let's start with the two who applied for the computer department. Here are their resumes plus their interview answers" told Mendel. He handed two sets of papers to his boss. The man looked at the papers, his logical mindset kicking in. 'They're both under 28 years old...good. Both of them similar degrees as well. One is from the states while the other is Canadian. We have a girl and a boy too' observed the redhead.
He glanced at their interview questions. By the looks of it, the guy was more outgoing than the girl. He appeared to be more fun loving as well. The girl however seemed more ambitious. That did not surprise him. Especially due to her mixed ethnicity. 'Well...what do you know. Looks like we got something in common' noticed the male with a smile. His mind started to imagine how these two would fit in at Oscorp. This was a large company that wanted a diverse staff. His green eyes looked back at his coworker.
"I have decided. I think they're both a good fit. No wonder you couldn't decide. I would say this candidate is the best choice. This person seems more serious about their career. Furthermore, I like their language background. How many people at Oscorp can speak that language?" inquired Norman. "Er - only two according to the database. One of them is at the directors board. The other one is a biochemist" replied the scientist. "I guess that settles the score then. Let's call this candidate in" stated the man. He glanced at the name once more before laying it at the desk.
"Very well. Thank you for your input. It's much appreciated" told the male. "Glad I could help. Guess we can move onto the next one" told the redhead. He glanced at the resume once more. 'Annie Wen. Who likes jade green, coding and can speak Chinese. Welcome to Oscorp' concluded the man.
Yes, I know Willem Dafoe has blue eyes. Norman is often portrayed with green eyes in the comic however. I hope you enjoyed the start of this story! Constructive criticism and praise are both appreciated ^_^