Physics class dragged on, the afternoon sun slanting through the windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Hawk sat beside Gwen, half-listening to Mr. Anderson explain wave-particle duality, his mind simultaneously tracking the slow, steady refinement of the Gammanian within his Cosmo.
A small, folded note slid silently onto his notebook. He glanced down, recognizing Gwen's neat, precise handwriting. The note contained only two words and a question mark.
Peter Parker?
Hawk raised an eyebrow, a silent question in his gaze as he looked at her. Gwen just gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod towards the note, her blue eyes sharp and questioning. He allowed a small, noncommittal smile to touch his lips and slid the note back to her, unanswered.
He wouldn't confirm it. It was one thing for her brilliant mind to deduce the truth, to piece together the clues—Peter's sudden strength, his unexplained absences, Hawk's own cryptic comments. It was another thing entirely for him to betray Peter's secret. Spider-Man hadn't betrayed him; he wouldn't betray Spider-Man. Loyalty, even unspoken, was a currency Hawk valued.
Gwen received the unanswered note with a small, frustrated sigh, though a spark of determination lit her eyes. Fine, she thought. If he won't tell me, I'll find out myself. The evidence was almost irrefutable. Peter, the perennial victim, suddenly displaying impossible strength and agility. The rumors swirling that Peter had been secretly training with Hawk—a theory Gwen knew was false, which only strengthened her suspicion. But it felt… too simple. Too obvious. Like a trick question on a physics exam. Her analytical mind demanded concrete proof before accepting such a paradigm-shifting conclusion.
The final bell rang, releasing a wave of relieved chatter into the hallway. Gwen gathered her books, falling into step beside Hawk as they navigated the crowded corridor towards the lockers.
"I need to stop by Mrs. Snow's office," Hawk said, opening his locker and swapping his physics textbook for his backpack.
"Okay," Gwen replied, retrieving her own bag. "I'll head to the library and wait for you there. Need to finalize some details for the prom committee."
Hawk nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He needed to request Monday off. A trip to Maryland was in order, a quiet return to the waterfall to fully integrate the power of the Phoenix and perhaps, finally, touch the Sixth Sense. Requesting leave today was necessary protocol.
Gwen watched him head towards the administrative wing, a thoughtful expression on her face. The senior prom. Tomorrow was the weekend, and the prom was Saturday night. Traditionally, she skipped it, prioritizing her studies. But this year… this year was different. Now that she and Hawk were… whatever they were… the idea of attending, of actually experiencing that quintessential high school ritual with him, held a surprising, tentative appeal. Would he even go? she wondered. Maybe. A small, uncertain smile touched her lips.
While Hawk and Gwen navigated the mundane realities of high school schedules and budding romance, a different, far darker reality was unfolding deep beneath their feet.
In the stygian, foul-smelling labyrinth of the New York City sewer system, something monstrous stirred. The sound began as a low growl, echoing through the dripping tunnels, then escalated into the wet, guttural clicking of a reptile's tongue. A massive, scaled form, moving with terrifying speed, surged through the filthy water.
SPLASH!
The Lizard burst from the sewage, landing heavily on a raised concrete platform at a junction of several large pipes. Water streamed from its grey-green hide, revealing a creature of nightmare, pulsating with unnatural strength.
Midtown High School. The thought was a jagged shard of ice in the maelstrom of its fractured consciousness. Gwen Stacy.
The voice, the insidious whisper that had taken root in the ruins of Dr. Connors's mind, was now a constant, commanding presence. Capture her. Threaten Hawk. Force him to give you his blood.
The Lizard's reptilian eyes, glowing with a cold, yellow light, rolled in their sockets. Its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the stale, chemical-laden air. It could smell her. Faintly. Above.
With a low, predatory hiss, it chose a direction, dropping back onto all fours. Like a true reptile, it scrambled into one of the large outflow pipes, moving with blinding speed through the darkness, following the scent trail towards its prey. Towards Midtown High. Towards the girls' restroom on the first floor.
A freshman girl, still navigating the bewildering social hierarchies of her new school, sat on a toilet in a stall, scrolling through her phone, seeking refuge from the hallway chaos. Suddenly, she felt a strange vibration through the floor. A low rumbling. And then… a cold, damp draft from below.
"What the…?" she muttered, confused. "Earthquake?"
BOOM!
The floor beneath her exploded upwards. She screamed as she, the toilet, and a shower of shattered porcelain were launched into the air, crashing down in the center of the restroom in a heap of tangled limbs and broken ceramic.
The other girls in the restroom froze, staring in stunned silence at the impossible sight. Then, their eyes were drawn to the gaping, jagged hole where the stall had been. A single, massive, green claw, dripping with filth, scraped against the floor tiles, sending sparks flying.
HSSSSSS!
The Lizard erupted from the hole, unfolding to its full, terrifying height. It spread its clawed arms wide and let out a deafening, primal roar, announcing its arrival.
In the hallway just outside, Peter Parker was walking towards his locker after chemistry class when it hit him. A sudden, electric jolt, a high-frequency buzz at the base of his skull. The hairs on his arms stood straight up. Danger.
Before he could even process the warning, the first screams ripped through the air.
"Ahhh!"
"Oh my god! LIZARD!"
"RUN!"
"Mommy, I don't wanna go to school anymore!"
The restroom door burst open, and the terrified girls stumbled out, their faces masks of pure horror, warning shouts catching in their throats. One boy, who had clearly been at a urinal, ran past with his pants still half-undone, his eyes wide with a trauma that would likely last a lifetime.
Just as the other students in the hallway turned towards the commotion, confused and curious…
CRASH!
The entire wall of the girls' restroom exploded outward in a shower of cinder blocks and plaster dust. And standing in the breach, framed against the dim light within, was the monstrous, reptilian form of the Lizard, its yellow eyes scanning the hallway, searching.
The hallway erupted into pure, shrieking pandemonium.