Norman Osborn POV

The red dot pulsed on the screen like a beating heart, shining brightly against the cool blue layout of the map of one of the many facilities built beneath Oscorp. Norman watched it, silently rubbing his chin in thought as his eyes followed the light. The dot was walking around in a circle down in Ock's lab, namely the main sector where most of the experimenting went on and seemed to be following the thrumming green dot symbolizing his employee, Dr. Octavius.

Eyes furrowing, he leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the desk, with his lips pursed. Spider-Man was right there, in front of his face and just ripe for the picking. He could pluck that self-proclaimed "hero" from the lab with a simple push of a button or flip of a switch. And if he did that, then any means of exit down in the rooms would instantly shut off and the lab would go on full lockdown, which would - hopefully - give him enough time to figure out a way to immobilize both of the people inside.

It was a good planned. Straightforward and to the point, as he liked it. But there was only one problem: there was still the chance that Spider-Man would get away. The guy has been sneaking in and out of his facilities for who knows how long without him ever knowing it. There had to be a tunnel or an exit he didn't know about - something that gave Spider-Man access to the outside world. Now Norman could be a patient guy; it wasn't out of his list of capabilities. Patience came with running a company. But, then again, so did action.

He has already been waiting patiently for Spider-Man to reveal the mystery exit, but that damn arachnid hadn't left the lab for three days. Three days of a constant cycle of Spider-Man hiding out in a storage compartment Norman had completely forgotten about (which he was, admittedly, thankful to rediscover), and following Octavius around like some lost puppy - which actually also validated his theory that Octavius knew about the hero but wasn't telling him.

But now, Norman has had enough of observing. Every time he called upon Ock, Spider-Man was nowhere in sight, even when the red dot indicated that the hero was still in the room. It was annoying having to listen to Otto's blasphemy and bumbling lies over and over again without fail. But if that wasn't enough, he still felt he needed to SEE his target. He needed to know. Unfortunately, his troubles didn't stop there. The other pain in his butt came in the form of the organization: S.H.I.E.L.D and its sudden interest in Spider-Man. Yes, Norman saw those clips of the fight against the Frightful Four, with Nick Fury's lapdog heroes fighting alongside his future project and - he wouldn't admit it, but - it made him nervous. If Spider-Man joined Nick Fury and his merry band of delinquents, there Norman's chances of getting that spider-army dropped down into the negatives.

Which is something he couldn't allow.

Which meant there was no more time for sitting and waiting. He had to act NOW or else it would be Director Fury with a biological agent and not Norman. But he still couldn't just lock the lab down, he needed a fool-proof way to keep Octavius from messing things up and a plan to properly sedate and obtain Spider-Man, or else the arachnid would just slip through his fingers again.

He needed to be smart about this.

As his mind began to build up plans, the phone on his desk rang, instantly snagging his attention. Sighing, Norman stared for just a second, before he grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear, answering with a, "Hello?"

"Good morning Mr. Osborn," his secretary greeted robotically from the other end. "I'm am to remind you of the Midtown High science class field trip to Oscorp today," she said. "They'll be arriving in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Did you want to make a special appearance during their tour?"

Norman pinched the bridge of his nose. No, of course, he didn't want to stop his plans just to say hi to a bunch of snot-nosed, delinquent kids. Besides, he had completely forgotten how much Harry and begged for the science class to go on their yearly visit. A pathetic display, to be honest, and equally annoying. Besides, why would he want a group of kids in his labs after what happened last year? A genetically modified spider had disappeared the last time he allowed the field to Oscorp. The security team found it, of course, but that didn't mean Norman forgot about it being let out in the first place. None of his scientists were so lazy that it would cause a specimen would escape - that's just unthinkable. No - it must have been one of those kids that let it out. A glue-fingered idiot unable to understand the danger of pestering something new and different. And yet, he still found himself saying yes to Harry's argument. Maybe it was because Midtown High's science program was one of the best in the country, or maybe it was because Harry's begging was just embarrassing - either way, a science class was visiting his company. But that didn't mean he had to be there for it.

"No," he said. "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it this year."

"Yes, Sir."

"Anything else?"

"No, that was all."

Norman ended the call. Sighing again, he glanced back at the computer screen. His eyes followed the red dot, and, despite the numerous obstacles blocking him from his new specimen, he could suppress his smile. So many opportunities right at his fingertips that he could practically taste them. Spider-Man would change the world of science as he knew it, whether the arachnid wanted to be a part of it willingly or not. All Norman needed to do was snatch him up before S.H.I.E.L.D got to him first.

And...and now, he might just know what he needed to do, to do just that.

Norman shut off the screen and got up from his seat. He straightened his tie and dusted off his suit as he walked out the door, smile growing wider with each step.