Spun Out of Control

"Yo, Jax, can you hear me? The signal down here is literally dial-up tier, no cap," Gavin hissed into his headset, his voice echoing flatly against the damp concrete.

"Loud and clear, bro," Jax’s voice crackled back through the static. "You find the server cord yet, or are you just taking a cozy little nap in the dust? Because Rose is lowkey pacing the floorboards right above your head, and she looks like she's about to start throwing hands."

Gavin groaned, shimmying forward on his stomach. "Tell her I'm cooking, fr. It’s like ninety degrees down here. If I die of heatstroke, make sure my search history is wiped. Don't let my mom see it, on god."

"On god, I got you, man," Jax chuckled. "But seriously, speedrun this. She’s got that main-character boss-babe energy going on today, and it is not the benevolent kind. She’s looking for blood."

Gavin sighed, his heart doing a stupid, involuntary flutter at the mention of their supervisor. "She could literally fire me, blacklist me from the industry, and I’d still thank her for her service. She’s just built different, Jax."

"Bro, the level of simping you exhibit daily is actually wild. You are down bad, clinically. Focus on the blue wire."

The crawlspace was a claustrophobic nightmare of skeletal wooden joists and thick, gray cobwebs that clung to Gavin's face like sticky lace. Dust motes danced lazily in the beam of his flashlight, illuminating a tangled nest of cables that resembled a sleeping mechanical beast. He dragged himself forward, the scent of mildew and ancient paper filling his lungs.

"Okay, I see the blue wire," Gavin muttered, reaching out. "But wait. Why is there a weird glow under this floorboard? Is our server room haunted or what?"

"A glow?" Jax replied. "Did you find a legendary loot drop down there? Grab it."

"Nah, it's... wait, ouch! Son of a—!"

A sharp, icy pinch pricked the soft flesh of Gavin's right wrist. He recoiled violently, his skull colliding with a heavy wooden beam with a dull, hollow thud. Stars exploded across his vision.

"Yo, Gavin? You good, bro? You sound like you just got jump-scared by a FNAF animatronic."

"Something just bit me," Gavin gasped, rubbing his head with one hand while shining the flashlight on his wrist with the other.

In the pale beam of light, a tiny, translucent spider scuttled back into the darkness. It was gorgeous but terrifying, its bulbous abdomen pulsing with an eerie, bioluminescent blue light that cast faint, flickering shadows against the wood.

"A spider, Jax. And it was... glowing? Like, literally neon blue."

"Bruh, you're capping. Neon blue? What is this, a Marvel origin story? Did you just get bit by Peter Parker's pet?"

"I'm dead serious! My wrist is tingling. It feels like hot hot sauce is running through my veins."

"Just grab the ethernet cord and get your goofy self back up here before Rose catches us slacking. I’m not taking the fall for your spider-man delusions."

Gavin grunted, his fingers trembling as he plugged the loose blue cable back into the switch. The moment the connection clicked, he scrambled backward out of the hatch, wiping cobwebs off his forehead. He hauled himself back into the real world, dusty, bruised, and thoroughly unsettled.

He collapsed into his mesh desk chair, immediately rubbing his wrist.

"You look like straight trash, no cap," Jax said, spinning around in his chair to inspect him.

"Thanks, bro. Appreciate the daily affirmations," Gavin muttered.

He stared at his wrist. The bite mark was a tiny, glowing blue dot, but the tingling sensation was no longer localized. It was spreading up his arm like a wave of static electricity, making his fingers twitch in bizarre, erratic rhythms.

"My fingers feel... weird," Gavin whispered, flexing his hand. "Like they're covered in syrup. Or melted marshmallows."

"Go wash them then. Rose is coming this way in like five minutes. She wants the server migration report. If you don't have it, she's going to delete your soul from the company database."

"I'm typing it now," Gavin said, positioning his hands over his mechanical keyboard. "It’s fine. I’m a professional. I can type through the tingle."

He pressed the 'G' key to start his daily report.

Clack.

"Okay, off to a great start," Gavin said, attempting to lift his hand to hit the next letter.

His index finger didn't move. The plastic keycap remained firmly stuck to his skin. He pulled harder, his forearm tensing.

"Bro, what are you doing?" Jax asked, squinting at him. "Why is your hand vibrating?"

"I... I can't let go of the keyboard," Gavin whispered, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead as panic began to settle in his chest.

"Stop trolling, man. Just type the report."

"I’m not trolling! Look!"

Gavin yanked his hand upward in a sudden, panicked jerk.

POP. POP. POP.

Three mechanical keycaps—'G', 'H', and 'B'—tore completely off their switches, remaining stubbornly adhered to the pads of Gavin's fingers like plastic barnacles.

Jax stared at the dangling squares of plastic. "Bruh. Did you just rip the switches? What kind of gym-bro strength is that?"

"I told you! They're stuck to me! Look!" Gavin shook his hand frantically, but the keycaps stayed glued to his flesh, rattling against each other. "They're literally part of my body now! I'm fusing with the machine! I'm turning into a cyborg!"

"This is actually unhinged," Jax whispered, leaning back in his chair with a look of pure bewilderment. "Like, majorly weird vibes. How are you doing that? Is it a prank? Did you put superglue on your keyboard? That’s highkey a waste of a good mechanical board."

"Does this look like a prank to you?!" Gavin hissed, desperately scraping his index finger against the edge of his desk. The 'G' key remained fused. "I am having a medical emergency! My DNA is mutating, Jax! I’m going to end up in a government lab!"

Before Jax could reply, the sharp, rhythmic click of designer heels echoed down the carpeted hallway. The sound was unmistakable. It was the march of doom.

"Oh, rip," Jax muttered, instantly turning back to his monitor and typing furiously at a blank screen. "The final boss has arrived. Good luck, soldier. It was nice knowing you."

Gavin’s heart did a violent, agonizing backflip. He looked up.

Rose Lee strode into the IT department, looking every bit the high-maintenance, hyper-competent division lead she was. Her sharp, tailored blazer hugged her frame with intimidating perfection, and her dark hair was swept up in a flawless, sleek bun that screamed executive authority. She carried a tablet in one hand, her expression a mix of professional impatience and effortless elegance. To Gavin, she was a goddess walked among mortals—and he was currently a mortal with keyboard parts stuck to his fingers.

"Gavin," Rose said, her voice smooth but carrying a chilling edge of absolute authority. "Please tell me the server migration report is ready. And please don't use your usual excuse about the mainframe being 'moody'."

"Uh. Hey, Rose. Miss Lee. Boss," Gavin stammered, his voice cracking like a teenager's. "It's... it’s going great. Super great. No cap. We are literally thriving over here."

Rose arched a single, perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Thriving? Gavin, you are sweating through your shirt, and you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. Why are you sitting on your hands?"

Indeed, Gavin had slammed both of his hands under his thighs, wedging them against the seat of his chair to hide the three keycaps still glued to his fingers.

"Oh, this? Just... keeping them warm," Gavin squeaked. "Ergonomics, you know? Cold hands lead to carpal tunnel. It’s a health thing. Fr fr."

"Right," Rose said slowly, her eyes narrowing in deep suspicion. "I don't care about your hand temperature, Gavin. I care about the data. Where is the report? I need the physical printout for the board meeting in exactly two minutes."

"The printout," Gavin repeated, his mind racing at a million miles per hour. "Right. The... paper one. With the words on it."

"Yes, Gavin. The paper one. The one I asked for yesterday."

"I... I have it!" Gavin said, his face flushing deep red. "It’s... uh..."

He looked down. On the bottom shelf of his desk, resting just near his feet, was a printed copy of last month's server report. The layout was identical, and from a distance, she wouldn't notice the date was wrong. If he could just get it to her, it might buy him enough time to run to the bathroom and figure out how to unstick his hands. But he couldn't use his hands without revealing the plastic keys stuck to them.

"Well?" Rose tapped her foot against the carpet. "I’m waiting. Don't make me pull your web logs, Gavin. You know I will."

"No need! No cap, it’s right here!"

Gavin took a deep breath. Keeping his hands firmly wedged under his thighs, he slipped his right shoe off, using his toes to grip the edge of the printed report on the bottom shelf. With a silent prayer, he dexterously hoisted the document up with his bare foot, sliding it along the side of the desk and flipping it onto the desktop surface with a soft, clean shuck.

Jax watched this entire athletic feat with his mouth hanging wide open. "Bruh," Jax whispered under his breath. "The toe rizz is immaculate."

Rose, luckily, had been looking at her tablet for a split second and only saw the paper slide onto the desk. She picked it up, scanning the front page.

"Hm," Rose murmured, her icy expression softening just a fraction. "At least you're fast today. This looks complete. Don't let me catch you slacking off for the rest of the day, Gavin. We have a lot of work to do."

"Of course, Miss Lee. I am on that grindset, 24/7. No cap," Gavin said, flashing a strained, sweaty smile.

"Good." Rose turned on her heel, her perfume—an intoxicating mix of vanilla and expensive confidence—lingering in the air as she walked away, her heels clicking off into the distance.

Gavin let out a massive breath, slumping forward. "Oh my god. I survived. I am a literal god."

"Bro, that was the most unhinged, athletic, desperate thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life," Jax said, turning around with a look of pure, unadulterated awe. "You literally used your toes to deliver a document to the boss. You are built different, fr fr."

"I am a master of survival, Jax. I am the alpha," Gavin boasted, finally relaxing his tense shoulders. "Okay, now help me get these keys off before they become permanent."

Gavin slid his hands out from under his thighs. He placed his right palm flat against the smooth, polished mahogany of his desk to steady himself, intending to pry the keycaps off his left hand with his teeth.

"Alright, let's see," Gavin said, pulling his hand back up.

It didn't move.

He pulled harder. The heavy wood creaked.

"Uh, Jax?" Gavin’s voice lost all its confidence, dropping an octave.

"What now, bro?"

"My hand." Gavin pointed with his free left hand, which still had three keycaps stuck to it. His right palm was pressed flat against the wood. "It's... it's stuck again."

"So pull it off?"

"I am pulling!" Gavin strained, his shoulder tensing as he yanked upward.

The heavy mahogany desk lifted two inches off the carpet, its metal legs groaning under the weight.

"Bro, the desk is coming with me! I'm literally glued to the wood!"

Jax’s eyes went wide. "Bruh. No cap?"

"NO CAP!" Gavin shrieked.