Hey, guys. Guess what? Guess what? Guess. What? It's time for the Lizard to attack Peter and Lizzie's school. OH! You're so going to hate me once you finish reading this :)
School was finally out for the weekend. Which meant one thing: Lizzie needed to finish making preparations for her Juilliard audition for tomorrow evening.
She wished she could say that she didn't feel nervous, but she did. The mere thought of feeling like she was going to pass out or be sick the day before the actual event made her want to laugh.
Mr. Boice, the honors concert band teacher, noticed how on edge his student looked throughout the hour. When the bell had rung, signaling the beginning of their temporary freedom, he leaned forward in his desk's chair and asked, "Is everything alright, Miss Parker?"
Her bowed head jerked up at the address he'd given her. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Mr. Boice."
The middle-aged man fixed his sight on his pupil, knowing eyes just peeking above his chunky, black glasses. "You most certainly don't look like you are." When she looked down at her lap, he stated, "It's about your audition." It wasn't a question.
"Yes," she admitted. "I'm just so. . . . I don't know. Anxious? Nervous, I guess?"
The sound of someone getting up onto their feet echoed throughout the room, the soles of their feet squeaking from time-to-time across the tiled floor. A presence hovered above Lizzie, their arms crossed.
"Why do you feel this way? I know that you're more than 'good enough' to make it in. And don't be modest. You're the second best musician this school has," said Mr. Boice, stubbornly.
"Who's the first?"
"Me, of course." He chuckled when Lizzie gave a tinny grin. "I know that once you're done with Juilliard, you'll be even better than me."
"What if I'm not apart of the eight percent that gets in? What happens then?" she asked, brown gaze dull as she thought of the worst things imaginable for a musician.
"Then you keep on doing what you do best: Music. Who knows? Maybe you'll find an even better opportunity than Julliard." He took his glasses off and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Don't say this to anyone else, but I've always thought they were too snobby for their own good. Which is why" - he placed his corrective lens back where they belonged - "I can rest easy in the fact that you'll be able to teach them a thing or two during your audition."
He reached out one of his hands for Lizzie to take. She accepted it, gathering her things once she was back on her feet.
"I know that I shouldn't have favorites, Miss Parker, but I do. And if I have a favorite, that says a lot about them as a person."
It was true. Although generally a kind and quiet man, Mr. Boice was known as one of the most hardworking teachers at Midtown Science High School. He pushed those who were a part of his lessons beyond their limits to the point where many had decided to transfer out of his class before they made it to the end of their first week.
Knowing that he had been referring to her, Lizzie couldn't help but blush. "Thank you, Mr. Boice. That means a lot to me."
Mr. Boice nodded his head. "I expect a full report on Monday, Miss Parker."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
While Mr. Boice stayed behind to finish up his work for the day, Lizzie left.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
The last thing Lizzie expected to happen was for her classmates to come rushing down the hallways as she made her way towards her locker.
"What the heck?" she wondered aloud a mere second before she was swarmed by a good number of bodies.
It was near impossible to fight against it, so much so that she almost fell on her face. (She really wasn't in the mood to reenact Mufasa's death scene.) As she let herself be carried towards the doors which led outside, she spotted Gwen.
"Gwen!" shouted Lizzie over the shrieks of terror. Fighting her way through, she reached her hand out, gripping onto the blonde's shoulder once she reached her. "What's going on?! Why's everyone acting like this?!"
"There's a giant lizard on the loose!"
"A what?!" Lizzie wasn't sure she'd heard her friend right.
"I said there's a giant lizard!"
Okay. Now Lizzie knew she hadn't misinterpreted Gwen's words.
"What?! How is that even -" An umph came from Lizzie as she almost tripped down the main entrance's outdoor steps.
By the time she'd regained her bearings, Gwen was no longer in sight. When the throng finally died down, Lizzie began to scan the area, hoping that she'd catch a glimpse of her friend.
Finally, she found her. . . rushing back inside.
As Gwen disappeared from Lizzie's line of sight, she felt a panic settle inside of her. What the heck was Gwen thinking? She'd just told Lizzie that there was a giant freakin' lizard in the school. If what she said was true, then why on Earth did she just go back into the danger zone?
Knowing that she'd regret her next decision, Lizzie released a groan of frustration. Before she could chicken out, the brunette ran after her best friend. She was so going to kill Gwen once she found her.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
"Gwen!" she called out once she re-entered the building. "Gwen? Where are you?"
Choosing a random direction, Lizzie took off, scanning every inch of the school that was as humanly possible without falling on her face. If Lizzie wasn't worrying about her best friend, she would have felt freaked out by the emptiness and eerie silence that now filled the academic space.
Skidding to a halt as she round a corner, Lizzie felt her feet almost slip out from beneath her. (She felt like Bambi trying to skate on ice.)
As she regained her balance, something charged into view.
What Lizzie saw made her stop dead in her tracks.
There, only feet away, was the largest reptile Lizzie had ever seen. He stood on his hind legs, making him look near-human. There was a snarl on his face, as if something had majorly pissed him off.
A wide-eyed Lizzie took an involuntary hitched breath. (She would have screamed, but it seemed to have become lost on its way up.)
At the sound she'd made, the great beast whipped his colossal head in her direction. A giant smirk soon replaced his snarl. . . as if he recognized her and had a sinister plan in mind.
"Lizzie Parker," he purred, voice rumbling in his chest.
She let out a squeak, covering her mouth soon after as if it she'd just revealed where she was hiding.
Even though her legs felt as if they were made of stone, she immediately took off once he began to charge in her direction. However, she didn't get very far. Before she even made it halfway down the hall, the creature reached forward.
The force of the touch he placed on her tiny body sent her downwards. When her head hit the ground, she became unconscious.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
Sirens filled the late afternoon air as the panic that had spread across the school began to settle down.
Paramedics checked on the students and staff to make sure they hadn't gone into shock or injured themselves during the mad rush outdoors. Reporters from different newspapers and news stations asked some of those who had witnessed what had occurred. Even the police had their own role to play as they went to see if the giant lizard was still inside.
Among this was Eugene Thompson, known as Flash by his fellow peers (he'd earned the name when he played flag football fifth grade year).
Having already been confirmed that he was fine (just a little spooked by the event), he sat on top of one of the outdoor cafeteria's tabletops. His posture was hunched, hands knitted together as he repeatedly tightened and loosened his grip, eyebrows knitted together in concern.
He hadn't seen Lizzie, the girl he was going out with, since lunch.
Before that thing attacked the school, he was going to meet up with her. He knew how nervous she felt about her audition for Juilliard, which was to occur less than twenty-four hours from now. He was going to take her to the movies to help take her mind off of things for a couple of hours. . . .
He kept glancing around the courtyard, hoping that he'd see her. As time went on, his worry for the girl he'd had a major crush on since freshman year increased. It killed him not knowing if she was safe or not. The sooner he found out where she was, the better.
It didn't help much when he spotted his father among a couple of his fellow NYPD officers.
In pissed Flash off that the last person he wanted to see was in his eyesight while the girl he was worried sick about was nowhere to be seen.
As he stared at the ground, deep in thought, someone moving towards him caught his eye. Looking towards the one who'd drawn in his attention, Flash felt a rush of hope overcome him.
It was Gwen Stacy, Lizzie's closest friend.
Flash stood on his feet.
"Flash. Have you seen Lizzie? I can't find her anywhere," the blonde said in a rush.
Just as quick as it had arrived, any hope he'd gained disappeared.
"No," he said, face now fallen. "I don't know where she is."
Gwen's gaze flicked to the side before looking forward again. "Did you ask the police if they've seen her?"
"No. Not yet," said Flash.
Even though it was unlikely, it still gave him a small feeling of hope. (Maybe this time it wouldn't die.)
Going up to a random officer who wasn't busy giving or taking orders, Gwen asked, "Hi. Have you or anyone else seen a girl who's about five-foot-five with long brown hair and brown eyes? Her name's Lizzie Parker."
Seeing how desperate the two teenagers looked, the officer felt pity for them. "No. We haven't. I'm sorry. But we'll let you know if we find her."
The two shared a look as the uniformed man walked away.
Now it was certain. Lizzie was officially missing.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
Walking down a nasty sewer was definitely not Peter's idea of a fun afterschool activity. (He made a mental note to highly discourage others from doing so if they expressed in interest in this particular hobby.)
There were puddles of filthy water filled with who knows what. The water that flowed down the tunnels made him want to pee, and don't even get him started on the smell!
Despite how grossed out he was, Peter sucked it up. He needed to go after Dr. Connors, the giant lizard that had basically destroyed half of his high school. If this led to a secret layer, then he needed to find it before he did any further damage.
As Peter slowly made his way through, careful not to make more noise than needed, his cell phone began to vibrate.
Wondering who could be calling him during one of the most risky situations he'd ever been in, he reached inside his backpack. Looking at the caller ID, he saw his girlfriend's number.
"Hey," he said once he answered.
"Where are you?" asked Gwen, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine. I'm okay," Peter said in a rush, trying to assure her that he was safe. . . for now, at least. "I'm in the sewer, tracking him. I gotta stop him before anyone gets hurt."
"Peter," said Gwen, trying to get his attention.
"But we need an antidote," he continued on, choosing to ignore whatever she had to say. They needed to stop Dr. Connors before it was too late.
"Peter."
"Do you know how to run a serum?"
"Peter." Her voice was now firm, demanding that he shut up and listen. "It's Lizzie."
Peter stopped in his tracks, heart skipping a beat at the way his sister's name was mentioned. "What is it? What happened? Is she alright? Was she hurt?"
"I don't know. No one knows where she is. She's missing, Peter. Lizzie's gone, and I'm scared that Connors might have done something to her," said Gwen in a rush, voice cracking as she fought back the tears which threatened to come out.
When neither of them had spoken for quite some time, Gwen said, "What if she noticed when I went in to help you? Oh, my gosh." A nervous laugh followed this. "She did, didn't she?"
Gwen was, of course, referring to when she'd found him and Dr. Connors fighting in the walkway that led to the other side of the building. She'd hit the giant lizard with a trophy, drawing his attention away from Peter, aka Spider-Man.
Peter had a feeling she was right. If Lizzie had seen her best friend run back inside where she could get hurt, there was no doubt in his mind that she'd gone after Gwen. And now she was most likely at the mercy of the Lizard.
"Gwen, listen to me. We need to make that antidote. It's the only way we can help Lizzie."
When she didn't say anything in response, Peter took it as a sign of agreement.
"Do you know how to make a serum?" he asked, fighting to keep his tone even.
"Yeah. I do it for Connors all the time."
"Okay. Great, great, great, great. Okay, I need you to go to Oscorp. I need you to access the cross-species file. It's a blue serum. File 12389."
"Okay. I'm on my way."
"I'm going to find her, alright? I'm not going to let Connors hurt her," promised Peter, having now resumed his sewage stroll.
"Be safe," she whispered before hanging up.
Peter soon did the same.
There was a fury burning within him now. If Dr. Connors had taken or harmed his baby sister in any way, shape, or form. . . . Needless to say, Hell was going to look like Heaven by the time Peter was finished with him.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
When Lizzie came to, she felt her limp body hanging from something cold and scaly. Through silted eyes, Lizzie could see grimy, shallow water. . . and a long, thick tale.
This image brought back the last thing she'd seen before. . . before she'd become unconscious (which was a first for her).
A giant lizard had attacked her school, sending everyone into a panic. Of course, that didn't stop Gwen from going back inside once they reached the safety zone outside of the building.
Now Lizzie knew for sure she regretted going after her blonde BFFL.
She loved Gwen to death, but she wasn't pleased that she found something straight out of a horror film instead of her. . . . And that's when her brain finally caught up with her. Lizzie. Was. Being. Carried. By. A. Giant. Freaking. Lizard.
When she opened her mouth to scream, she found it pretty much impossible. Her throat felt dry and swollen, like she'd already screamed herself horse. And if that didn't suck enough already, her head felt like she'd been hit with a sledge hammer (talk about a major headache).
Lizzie groaned instead.
Not long after her verbal expression, the two came to a stop.
Lizzie felt the creature put her down onto the ground. (She was glad it was a walkway that wasn't covered in waste.) He made sure her body was leaning against the curved wall before leaning down to look her in the eye.
A terrified moan escaped her chapped lips when she saw his moon-sized, reptilian eyes peering into her brown very human ones.
"Lizzie Parker. So nice to see you again."
Under normal circumstances, she might have said something witty in response. However, this was more than normal. This crossed the line of reality and make-believe.
"How. . . . How do you know my name?" she asked, horrified that this monster knew who she was. Had he been following her? Why did he look like they'd crossed paths before?
"Why, Lizzie. Don't you recognize me? It's Dr. Curtis Connors. We met yesterday morning in that coffee shop, remember?"
Her eyes widened at this. "Dr. . . . . Dr. Connors? Oh, my gosh. What have you done to yourself?"
"I've merely made myself a better being, Lizzie. My human self was nothing but a weak and pathetic obstacle that I needed to overcome," he said, deep voice rumbling in his chest, like a crocodile. "In fact, all of humanity is held back by their weaknesses. Each and everyone of them imperfect."
Reaching a giant, scaled hand out, he gently touched the side of Lizzie's cheek. She flinched once their skin made contact, heartbeat increasing in speed as it frantically pounded against her ribcage.
Dr. Connors blinked, gaze focused on the side of her face. Taking his clawed hand away, he showed Lizzie something dark and wet that now covered his fingers.
"You see this, Lizzie Parker? This is your blood. Blood that had been spilt when you hit your head. If you had to ability to heal at an increased rate, the wound you now bare would have long been healed by now. Because you don't, your face is now covered in red."
Lizzie heard herself give a chocked sob when he snapped his attention back on her, a large grin now on his unnatural face.
"I plan to make the world a better place. To give them all the ability to survive. Which is why I created the serum that has liberated me from my bondage. That is why I am heading to Oscorp, to bless all of New York with my gift of invincibility. No more pain, no more weakness, no more cripples."
Unzipping the black duffle bag he had slung over his broad shoulder, Dr. Connors took out a silver container filled with a green liquid.
"What is that?" she asked, voice trembling.
Lizzie gasped when Dr. Connors brought it in front of himself.
"The future."
When he slowly brought it towards her arm, Lizzie scurried away as fast and as far as her sore body could carry her.
"What are you doing? Stop! Please stop. Leave me alone! Keep that thing away from me!" she cried out as she tried to get away from the monstrous being.
Unfortunately, she didn't get very far.
As quick as a whip, Dr. Connors grabbed her hand, preventing her from going any further.
"Every Adam needs an Eve," he simply stated in his unnatural voice.
Lizzie kicked, hoping that she'd be able to get him to let go. "Please! Please! No! Please!" she screamed as he brought the sharp needle to the exposed soft spot of her arm, tears of fear now falling down her cheeks.
She watched in horror as the serum entered her body.
Not long after, she felt an excruciating pain set her veins aflame. She fell on her back, body arched, silent cries of agony filling the air as her body began to shift and stretch in every way imaginable.
- A - T - O - W - A - R -
Dr. Curtis Connors watched on, awed, as Lizzie Parker - Spider-Man's sister - flopped around like a fish on a dock.
His creation was now being shared, improving the young female's cells. He'd meant what he said about her being Eve. Eve meant 'life' in Hebrew. In the book Genesis, she's said to the first mother of humanity.
How appropriate, how fitting, it was for Lizzie to be called so.
As he walked away, he heard a splash, telling him that she'd fallen into the water.
Yes. Lizzie Parker had been given a great honor. She was the first female of a new and better species.
The lizards would soon rule the world.
See? I told you that you'd hate me.
Now you know why Lizzie wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider. Yes, I know. I've totally pissed a majority of you off. ("No! What the heck were you thinking?!" "This is the dumbest idea you've had so far." "I QUIT!" "Peace out, fool." Wait! Come back here!)
I'm really sorry if this wasn't what you were expecting. I honestly could not resist. To me, I felt like this would spice the story up a little bit. I wanted Lizzie to get in on some of the action, therefore the end result of this chapter.
Sigh. I really, really, really hope I'm not the only one who thought this was a brilliant idea.
Feel free to yell at me.
On a happier note, I'm working on a tumblr for A Twist of Webs and Reality. And let's be honest, once I'm caught up with the films, we're going to need something to tide us over until the next film comes out.