The story behind the story: The Spider Strikes!

The Spider Strikes, the third short in my Applied Science series, is now out at Big Pulp.
In this story, I introduce Steve Flanagan, the protagonist of Brain From Outer Space. It proved much more difficult than bringing in Gwen or Dani.
For one thing, in writing Brain, I gave Steve a more complicated backstory than the others, and unlike Gwen’s time in the OSS, I found I couldn’t introduce him without going into a lot of detail about his long-lost (and possibly traitorous) brother. I also discovered I couldn’t mention his brother without mentioning the sinister experiments that went on at the orphanage they were both at.
Plus I had to give some feel for Steve as a character (impulsive, two-fisted but good-guy); introduce him to Gwen; explain the creation of the Science Investigations agency she works for; and actually include a story.
It was tough to work all that in plausibly. It was tougher to then trim it to a workable size.
But I think I succeeded. And I think it turned out pretty well.