Racing Against Time
ESU Dorm – 9:27 AM
Peter Parker wasn’t asleep.
Well, technically, he was half-asleep—his head rested against the workbench, one hand still gripping a screwdriver. He had passed out at some point during the night while sketching out potential designs for his Baxter internship project.
His dorm was a mess. Papers were scattered across the floor, digital schematics flickered on multiple holographic displays, and a half-eaten sandwich from two days ago sat forgotten near his laptop.
A sharp beep jolted him awake.
“SIR, YOU HAVE BEEN UNCONSCIOUS FOR EXACTLY THREE HOURS AND FORTY-TWO MINUTES. I CALCULATED A 96% LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU WOULD AWAKEN IN A STATE OF DISORIENTATION AND IRRITATION.”
Peter groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Thanks, ERIC. Love the optimism.”
“YOU’RE WELCOME, SIR.”
Pushing himself up, Peter looked at the holographic projection in front of him. The screen was filled with dozens of rejected ideas, all crossed out.
“Alright, where are we?” he muttered, stretching.
“OUR CURRENT LEADING PROJECT CONCEPTS INCLUDE:”
• Bio- polymer adaptive armor – Too advanced. Reed Richards would ask too many questions.
• Microfusion energy cells– Potentially good, but too risky. If anyone reverse-engineered it, they’d figure out he had access to technology way beyond ESU’s level.
• Liquid memory metal framework– Too close to Stark-tech. If anyone saw it in action, they’d start wondering where it came from.
Peter exhaled, rubbing his temples. “We need something impressivebut not so insane that it makes me look like a time traveler from the future.”
“IN THAT CASE, I HAVE FILTERED THE REMAINING OPTIONS TO ONLY INCLUDE TECHNOLOGIES THAT A GIFTED BUT RELATIVELY NORMAL COLLEGE STUDENT COULD PLAUSIBLY DEVELOP.”
A new list popped up.
1. Self-repairing composite materials for aerospace applications
2. Advanced non-Newtonian body armor for impact resistance
3. Nanofiber electromagnetic shielding for electronics
4. Smart polymer exoskeleton for physical rehabilitation
Peter squinted. “Alright, those aren’t bad. They’re ambitious, but not impossible.”
He tapped on the second option.
“Non-Newtonian armor… That could be useful.”
It wasn’t as crazy as Stark’s bleeding-edge nano-tech, but it was practical.A lightweight suit that hardened on impact, reducing blunt force trauma. Police forces, military, rescue workers—so many people could use something like this.
And the best part? It wouldn’t make anyone suspect he was secretly Spider-Man.
“ERIC, rough estimate on completion time?”
“ASSUMING ROUND-THE-CLOCK DEVELOPMENT WITH MINIMAL SLEEP, I ESTIMATE SIX DAYS AND EIGHT HOURS TO COMPLETE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE.”
Peter grimaced. “Great. And how long do we have?”
“SIX DAYS AND TWELVE HOURS UNTIL THE DEADLINE.”
Peter exhaled. “Cutting it close.”
“INDEED, SIR. MAY I REMIND YOU THAT CONTINUED SLEEP DEPRIVATION WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR PERFORMANCE?”
Peter waved a hand. “I’ll be fine.”
ERIC didn’t respond, but Peter could feel the AI’s disapproval.
12:48 PM – Project Kickoff
The first step was the materials.
Fortunately, Peter had a secret advantage—one that no one knew about.
He pulled up a locked storage compartment in his dorm and activated a biometric scan. The door slid open, revealing a compact but powerful fabrication system.
Stark’s fabricator.
After Strange erased him from everyone’s memories he had to rely on his homemade suit and while it was easy and not too flashy it certainly held up but he could not rely only on a single suit which he learned from Tony, and so he had discreetly taken it from Happy’s apartment before anyone could claim it. No one knew he had it.
It was his now , his reminder of his early peaceful life of how easy it was and with people to rely on , with his aunt the one who always backed him , who constantly worried about his well-being and the one who was not afraid to stand up to Ironman when she knew of his night time activities. And of his mentor, his support and his father figure, whom he looked upto and wanted the man to be proud of him, who he learnt so much from - Tony Stark.
And he was going to use it.
“Alright, ERIC, let’s get to work.”
With a deadline breathing down his neck, Peter didn’t have time to waste.
He wasn’t just going to submit a great project.
He was going to submit something unforgettable.
ESU Dorm – 3:12 PM
The hum of the fabricator filled Peter’s dorm room as molten material was layered into the first test sample. The smell of burning polymers lingered in the air, and holographic projections of molecular structures flickered across his laptop screen.
He hadn’t moved from his desk in hours.
A cold cup of coffee sat next to him, untouched. His hoodie was crumpled from leaning against the chair, and his fingers were stained with bits of resin and synthetic polymers.
“SIR, YOUR CAFFEINE INTAKE HAS DROPPED BELOW OPTIMAL LEVELS. I RECOMMEND INGESTING A BEVERAGE TO MAINTAIN MENTAL ALERTNESS.”
Peter blinked at the screen, then at the coffee.
“Oh. Right.”
He took a sip, wincing at the bitterness. It had gone cold hours ago, but he wasn’t going to waste it.
“WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ORDER A FRESH COFFEE FROM YOUR USUAL CAFE?”
Peter shook his head. “Nah, I don’t want them getting suspicious about how much coffee I’m drinking. I swear the barista already looks at me weird.”
“UNDERSTOOD. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CONTINUE ANALYZING THE BAXTER INTERNSHIP APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?”
“Yeah, tell me what we’re up against.”
The holographic display shifted, bringing up the official Baxter Building Internship Program guidelines.
REVIEW PROCESS:
• Preliminary Screening:Applicants submit a detailed project proposaloutlining their concept, materials, and theoretical application.
• Technical Assessment:Selected candidates demonstratea prototypeand undergo a Q&A sessionwith senior engineers.
• Final Interview:Shortlisted candidates meet with the review panel, including Reed Richards.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
• Innovation & Practical Application – 40%
• Technical Execution – 30%
• Presentation & Explanation – 20%
• Problem-Solving Skills – 10%
Peter tapped his chin. “Alright. So, we just need to make something impressive enough to get past the first round.”
“CORRECT, SIR. HOWEVER, BASED ON HISTORICAL DATA, ONLY 12% OF APPLICANTS MAKE IT TO THE FINAL INTERVIEW.”
Peter let out a low whistle. “Damn. They don’t mess around.”
“INDEED, SIR. REED RICHARDS HAS A REPUTATION FOR DISMISSING CANDIDATES WHO PRESENT THEORETICAL CONCEPTS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT PRACTICAL EXECUTION.”
“Great,” Peter muttered. “So he doesn’t want dreamers. He wants builders.”
Which meant half-baked ideas wouldn’t cut it.
His non-Newtonian body armor had to be functional. Not just a concept. A real, working prototype.
Peter cracked his knuckles and turned back to the fabricator.
“Alright, ERIC. Let’s build something Baxter won’t forget.”
8:56 PM – Progress & Problems
It wasn’t going well.
The first batch of polymer collapsed under stress testing. The second batch froze at the wrong temperatures. The third batch wasn’t flexible enough.
Peter let out a frustrated groan, tossing a failed sample across the room. It bounced off the wall and landed near a pile of notes.
“SIR, YOUR SUCCESS RATE HAS DROPPED TO 23%. PERHAPS A SHORT BREAK WOULD IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?”
“I don’t have time for a break, ERIC,” Peter muttered, rubbing his face.
He needed a breakthrough. Something to make the polymer both flexible and impact-resistant.
Peter stared at the screen, thinking.
What if the material needed a structural memory component? Something that could shift between soft and rigid states?
His eyes widened.
“ERIC, cross-reference smart polymer designs with piezoelectric nanomaterials.”
A new schematic appeared.
Peter’s heart pounded.
This could work.
11:57 PM – Breakthrough
By the time the next test sample came out of the fabricator, Peter was barely keeping his eyes open.
He placed the polymer under stress testing and activated the charge.
The material instantly hardened.
Peter held his breath.
He deactivated the charge.
It softened again.
Peter grinned.
“Holy shit. We did it.”
“CONGRATULATIONS, SIR.”
He leaned back, exhausted but triumphant.
Now, all he had to do was build the full prototype.
And he only had five days left.