MIDTOWN SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
POV: SPIDERMAN
Shocker's heist made me late for class. Fortunately, Miss Warren let me go with just a warning—being the best in the classroom has its perks.
During class, while I was taking notes, my sixth sense went off—a rubber band hit the back of my neck. I still don't know how Flash doesn't get tired of this.
I let it hit me. I have a facade to maintain, my mind elsewhere. Two days ago, Dr. Connors transformed into a bipedal lizard… He used himself as a test subject, and at first, everything seemed fine, with his arm grown and controls in order.
But his behavior changed rapidly, and by the time I realized it, he was fully transformed. He fled the lab, I followed him to Central Park, we fought, but I couldn't immobilize him. I was holding him by the tail when suddenly it detached from his body, and he escaped through the sewers.
I spent a whole hour trying to scrub the smell of the sewers off myself, tried to follow him, but it was all in vain… Martha is very worried. Her husband disappeared, she reported it to the police, and he was declared missing… She would be heartbroken to know what her husband has become, but I'm not giving up yet.
I managed to create a genetic stabilizer. It won't cure him, but it will return him to human form, and then we can create a cure. I just need to inject him with the stabilizer.
-TRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGG-
School over, I head out. I need to change and find Connors before someone gets hurt… or worse.
A young blonde with blue eyes and glasses slightly too big for her face is waiting outside. She waves at me as I approach.
"Pete, let's go to Sugar Hill Creamery. They say they have the best artisanal ice cream. The American Museum of Natural History is nearby. We can go there too. I'll pay for the ice cream, you pay for the museum tickets. What do you say?"
She speaks excitedly while holding my hand as she guides me.
"Gwen, I… I'd love to go, but I-I need to help May clean the attic. It's very dark, and I don't want her to get hurt. You know how she is—if I tell her to wait, she'll just do it anyway." I feel a knot in my chest. I don't like lying to her, but I can't postpone helping the Doctor. The longer he's free, who knows what he could do to someone.
"Oh… okay," she says, withdrawing her hand and hiding it behind her back while watching me. "May is very restless; I wouldn't want anything to happen to her. Don't worry, Pete, we can do it another day. But to make up for it, you'll have to pay for the ice cream too." She smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and adjusting her glasses.
"Definitely, I'll pay for both the ice cream and the tickets, Gwen," I say, waving as I walk away. "See you!"
As Peter walks away, Gwen follows him with her gaze, shaking her palm goodbye.
Once Peter is out of sight, her smile fades.
"But you don't have an attic, Pete… What's going on?"
From afar, Harry Osborn watches, thoughtful, observing his friend as she heads home.
MANHATTAN – 11:23 PM
Damn it! The doctor is missing, her house is a mess, the place full of claw marks, like a furious tiger had passed through.
But I know it wasn't a tiger. Swinging through the city, my belt radio crackles with the police station.
"Uh… we got a call from Central Park. An elderly man says he saw a bear near the Environmental Studies Center. Maybe it's just a drunk old man or something. If anyone is nearby, feel free to check it out, at least to show we came by."
A bear? Not exactly the description I expected, but it's my only lead, and I'm not far… I hope Martha is okay.
Damn my luck. Now I don't just have a giant lizard; I have a blind dog the size of a bear.
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I watch from outside the lab window as these two beasts tear into each other. Connors is holding his ground, but he doesn't seem a match for the dog, which is chewing him like a toy.
There's something on its shoulder, a circular plate over a small shoulder pad—maybe it's trained… yeah, right.
I watch a bit longer. The beast seems to be keeping him away from the doctor. I could take advantage while they're distracted and—
I watch as the dog tears his arm off. Connors can't move, hissing in pain and terror… it's going to kill him.
I open the window, fire my web shooters at the dog's back, and pull. Damn, it's like lifting a small car.
I fling it to the other side of the lab, while I stick close to the ceiling.
"Ah, fantastic… Does this fanged hurricane come with the rescue package, or do I have to pay extra? I left the muzzles for comically large dogs at home."
The big dog growls, claws gouging the floor, fur bristled, saliva dripping.
"Was that a growl? 'Cause it sounded like it wanted to rip my face off and then apologize."
"Spider-Man, as timely as ever," the Lizard hisses, backing up against the far wall. His stump grows back and stretches, the sound unpleasant. His arm is regenerating. "I didn't know you worked with mutant canines," he hisses in pain.
"Oh no, I don't. I'm more of a cat guy. Though this one seems to see you more as a toy, Doctor. Let me help." I try to reason. "I can stabilize him, and then we can look for a cure."
"I'm not sick, kid. I'm free, free of human limitations. I don't need anything from you." His stump fully grows back, breaking like a bag, revealing an intact reptilian hand.
"No, maybe not. But there are people who do need you." I free the doctor from her restraints. "You have a whole life, Connors. People who care about you."
Martha rubs her body, easing some pain from her restraints, looking at the creature—her husband.
"Curt, let's go home. We can do this, together." She slowly approaches her husband, raising her hand. "Let's go home, darling."
The Lizard studies her hand, his partner's, briefly returning his eyes to human.
"Martha, I… I c-can't control myself." For a moment, the beast disappears, showing the man beneath, but his eyes sharpen quickly, claws raised toward the woman.
Thwip!
Spider-Man's webs hit her hands, pushing her back a few steps, hands tangled in webbing.
"If you refuse to understand, then your lives mean nothing to me." The Lizard's arms swell, breaking free, leaping toward the woman and Spider-Man.
But he forgot someone important.
The Beast had stayed in the shadows, waiting.
When the Lizard is in the air, unable to change direction, it pounces on him again, pulling him away from the doctor.
"Doctor, get out of here. Go to safety, I'll handle this." I move her toward the exit, holding her shoulders.
"But my Curt, that creature will kill him! You have to help him, Spider-Man! He's a good man!" Martha grips my hands, trembling in desperation.
"Calm down. I know. From what I saw, if that thing wanted to kill him, it would've done it long ago. I'll keep you safe and return your husband in one piece, I promise. But you have to stay safe too, alright?"
The woman nods frantically, keeping a safe distance, still not leaving entirely—her concern for her husband outweighs her sense of self-preservation.
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The Lizard moves like a green shadow among broken display cases, claws scratching the floor. I'm panting, veins bulging, instinct dominating my body. A roar bursts from my throat before I can contain it, deep and resonant, echoing off the walls.
Then webs stick to my shoulder, spinning me around.
"Hey, Pocket Hulk!" Spider-Man's voice, sarcastic even amidst the chaos. "We need the Lizard in one piece, not fillets. You seem smart—you moved him away from the hostage and put him back when he attacked the doctor. How about we work together and finish this fast? I've got a game to watch."
I growl, jaws clenched like I could crush steel. He's already moving, dodging the monster's tail with a flip.
The Lizard lunges at me, mouth open, fangs wet. Before it can strike, a web pulls him by the neck.
"Over here, Pocket Godzilla!" Spidey yells, tightening the web to immobilize him.
I take advantage: jump, claws dig into scaly shoulders, slam him into a metal table that splits under impact. I feel the urge to sink my jaws into his neck, tear a piece off.
But again, webs. A sticky line stretches from the wall, yanking my arm back.
"Hold it, Steroid Simba!" Spidey shouts, grappling with the Lizard's tail. "If someone loses an arm, I'll have to fill a thousand forms… and I'm not a fan of paperwork."
I growl but stop straining. He knows the Lizard won't die; he just doesn't want me to hurt him. Typical Spider-Man.
"Focus!" Spidey yells as the Lizard frees himself from the table, turning toward us. His yellow eyes blaze with rage. "I'll distract him, you take him down—but no buffet!"
I nod, claws dripping greenish blood. A short growl, and I'll do it his way. Better finish this fast.
Spider-Man leaps at the Lizard, wrapping his legs in webbing. I charge from the side, using all my brute strength to slam him to the floor, pressing him down until he stops moving. Spider-Man wraps him almost completely, leaving only his head free, also securing his snout.
Silence hangs, broken only by my heavy breathing and the final snap of the webs.
Spider-Man collapses on a destroyed table, exhausted. "See? We work well together, but… next time, save the bites for dinner."
The creature watches him a moment, breathing stabilizing, tilts its head toward the exit, steps back.
Mrs. Connors rushes in, dodging broken glass, metal, and debris.
"Darling!" Just as she reaches for the Lizard's head, Spider-Man stops her, shaking his head.
"Not yet, Doctor. Curt is still inside, and the Lizard controls his body. We can't rush."
"But if we give him to the police, who knows what they'll do? They'll experiment on my husband!" She stands in front of him as a shield.
"Calm down. I've got this." Spider-Man pulls a small device from his suit, protected in a case. "This won't cure him, but it will stabilize his genome and return him to human form. He'll need regular injections, but it gives us time to find a cure." He places a hand on her shoulder. "I need to apply this. May I?"
Stunned, she nods. She didn't expect Spider-Man to create something that could help her husband.
Spider-Man injects one of the many wounds on the Lizard's neck.
The Lizard hisses and struggles, but slowly shrinks, his noises fading.
Mrs. Connors approaches, kneeling, holding his head. Tears stream down her face, relieved to see him again.
Spider-Man removes the webs and covers the man with a surviving lab coat.
Looking around, he sees the creature observing the couple from the shadows, surprisingly silent.
"So… what's your name? Tasmanian Devil?" He steps closer, trying to lighten the mood.
"Rrrr… raaahh… grrrhh." The creature growls several times, turning slowly toward the exit.
"Oh… pleasure, I guess? You're more about growls than words, huh?"
The hero escorts the creature to the exit, studying it carefully.
It's huge, like a bear. The old man was right. Beneath all that orange fur, pure muscle—the perfect mix of strength and speed, four powerful clawed fingers about 15 cm, a jaw full of teeth that could chew a car, the symbol on its shoulder like a logo, what seems like gills on its neck, and obviously, no eyes.
"So, you're blind, but move like you can see. Echolocation? Smell? A mix? I've never seen an animal like you. Are you like the Loch Ness monster?" Spider-Man babbles, fascinated, reaching toward its gills.
GRRRRRR! The animal growls menacingly, making Spidey pull back.
"Sorry, got carried away. Anyway, thanks for going along with me back there. Dr. Connors just had… a rough patch. He's not a bad man, and I didn't know if the Lizard's pain would affect him too."
The Beast stops growling, looks at the dark forest ahead, then nods.
Under his mask, the hero smiles. "Knew he was a good guy… just a little wild."
"So… waiting for someone to catch up or what?"
He's interrupted as the creature sprints into the forest, disappearing into darkness.
Should I follow? No, it helped a lot here. Would be rude to cause trouble just out of curiosity.
Not today. I'll check back sometimes. Maybe teach a trick. Bring treats.
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That's all for today, folks. Sorry for any errors—today was hectic with the storm and work.
You know the drill: like, comment, and I'll pay attention to your feedback.
Take care!