A disturbing change

Sanchez watched Rodriguez out of the corner of his eye as they went about their tasks together. Something about his colleague seemed to have changed, and it was nagging at Sanchez's mind. The words Rodriguez was saying about his wife were different, almost obsessive.

When they paused for a moment, Sanchez decided to broach the subject. "Hey, Rodriguez, are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

Rodriguez turned to him, a strangely shiny glint in his eyes. "Yes, everything is perfect, Sanchez," he replied with a strange undertone in his voice. "My wife is simply incredible. She's my goddess, you know."

Sanchez frowned, confused by the sudden intensity in Rodriguez's voice. Something wasn't right here, he could feel it very clearly. But should he inform Emily or Colonel Harris straight away? Maybe it was just a passing fancy that Rodriguez simply had to put out of his mind. It was as if Rodriguez was no longer the same man he had known for years. An eerie aura surrounded him, and Sanchez felt increasingly uncomfortable around him.

Eventually he decided to keep the matter to himself for the time being, but at the same time he kept a close eye on Rodriguez. Something was definitely wrong here, and Sanchez was determined to find out what it was.

As the rest of the day passed, Sanchez couldn't stop thinking about the strange words Rodriguez had said about his wife. And the more he thought about it, the clearer it became to him that perhaps he should sound the alarm after all. Because what if this change was more than just a whim? What if it had something to do with the genetic change that Rodriguez had experienced as a result of the spider bite?

Rodriguez had never made a secret of how proud he was of his masculinity. He had always been the first to come up with boastful stories about his adventures and conquests. But now all that seemed to have disappeared, imbued with an inexplicable devotion to his wife. Sanchez could not remember ever having noticed such feelings from Rodriguez before.