Peter Parker's perspective:

Peter and Dr. Curt Connors were working on a formula.

"Aspirin?" asked Dr. Connors.

"Aspirin," Peter handed it over. Dr. Connors dropped the aspirin pill into the formula, stirring until it dissolved.

"Orchid ester?" asked Dr. Connors

"Orchid ester," said Peter.

"Crococillin?" asked the doctor, one last time.

"Crococillin," nodded Peter.

Dr. Connors stirred the cup containing all the dozens of ingredients for two full minutes. Unlike the other times they had tried this, the formula was the mixture of red, purple and white that Dr. Connors had said that they needed.

"Looks about right," said Peter.

"Then we'll run the first test," said Dr. Connors. He injected a rat with a missing rear leg they had acquired at one of the many warehouses along the waterfront. They also had other animals missing limbs that they got from humane facilities around town that took in strays that had been dismembered by cars. They could not afford to treat the animals with no owners, but giving them to Dr. Connors who treated them, then kept them alive, albeit it maimed, seemed like a humane alternative to putting them down. Peter found using animals in this manner to be distasteful. And if they succeeded in healing the animals they could find homes for them and dramatically alter medical outcomes for dismemberment forever!

The rat showed no immediate reaction to the compound, negative or positive. After waiting a day and doing labs with no harm done to the rat, they agreed it had not done any damage. Rule one of the Hippocratic oath passed. They did note a dramatic improvement of the wound at the site of the injury, certainly a hopeful sign.

"My turn," said Dr. Connors. He had been working on this for years because it could possibly restore his lost right arm. He would be the first of many that it was to be a boon to. Peter knew that it was a big jump from a rat to a human, but the doctor knew the routine and chose to inject it anyway, so Peter watched cautiously for effects.

But a minute passed and nothing had happened.

"Slower to work on humans?" asked Peter.

Dr. Connors shook his head. "Another one bites the dust. At least it works on rats. Probably not humans. We're getting closer."

"Sorry," Peter offered his sympathy. He knew that Dr. Connors getting his arm back meant a lot to him. It was harder to work with only one hand. Plus, although he never said so, it had to affect his ability as a lover.

Pedro Salvarez' perspective:

Mexican captain Pedro Salvarez was shipping the food that his company delivered once a month to New York City to be sold to stores throughout the city. They had almost reached a port when a man in a PPE coat ran and made a mighty leap onto the boat!

The "man" looked more like a humanoid lizard. He broke open a crate of Mexican food and began eating its contents.

"You eat it, you buy it," shouted a sailor. He was responded to with a tail whip that launched him into the ocean. Fortunately, he began swimming to shore soon enough.

"The Lizard is hungry," snarled the monster. His accent was monstrous but strangely American.

"Keep your distance," warned Pedro. The Lizard clearly had super powers. Pedro picked up his megaphone and shouted in English, "Americans, we have a dangerous intruder on our ship. Please assist us." But Pedro sighed in frustration when he saw that no help was coming. In fact, many of the Americans on land were fleeing their current posts.

"Abandon ship," shouted Pedro.

"I hate to abandon the food," agreed a sailor. "But we're out of our league." And they all dived off the ship.

Peter's perspective:

Spider-Man's nightly patrol was over. Peter Parker had taken off his costume, showered and put on regular clothes. As soon as he was out of the bathroom, his wife, MJ, said, "Peter, you're really going to want to see this."

MJ played a local news report that she had the foresight to record. It seemed that a lizard creature had attacked a Mexican cargo ship of food.

"Definitely a job for Spider-Man," said Peter with resolution, "But where to even start?"

"I have a suggestion," said MJ. "That coat of his looks kind of like Connors'."

"You're not suggesting that he was turned into a lizard?" asked Peter. He tried not to laugh. Dr. Connors was a good man. He was not capable of this.

"You said his experiment used the regenerative cells of a lizard, right?" MJ asked. "That and the coat gives us a pattern."

"A couple of coincidences isn't proof," said Peter. "He's a compassionate professional. I guarantee he didn't do it."

"That's not proof either," said MJ.

"Don't get smart with me," said Peter, knowing that MJ was prone to snark. "The Lizard has both arms. Proof enough?"

"I guess..." MJ finally relented. "At least ask him some questions tomorrow."

On the way to work the next day, Peter was on the phone with his Aunt May. "Yeah, MJ's very suspicious of Dr. Connors."

"Why the interest in this Lizard monster?" asked Aunt May.

Peter could tell his aunt that he was actually going after The Lizard after work. "MJ's worried about me."

"She should be," said May. "I lost your Uncle Ben because of someone like him."

"I'll be careful," promised Peter. Of course, being careful in apprehending The Lizard could not have been what Aunt May had in mind.

To Peter's surprise, Dr. Connors' missing arm had regenerated. This meant that the formula had worked after all. Then again, there went the one piece of hard evidence that Dr. Connors was not The Lizard.

During lunch break, Dr. Connors was eating a burrito. This reminded Peter that Dr. Connors often chose this lunch.

"You like Mexican food?" asked Peter.

"All my favorites are Mexican," said Dr. Connors with a smile. And it was Mexican food that the ship attacked by The Lizard carried.

Perhaps MJ had been right. Too many things were pointing to Dr. Connors.

Spider-Man's perspective:

Upon changing into his costume in an alley near the lab, Spider-Man began web swinging after the car Dr. Connors was driving away in. Before long, the car sped up and ran over as many streets with overhead passes to drive under so as to obscure itself as possible. Soon enough, Spider-Man had lost the car.

So Spider-Man climbed up a building. Soon enough, he was able to spot the car. And it was a good thing, too! He had never asked Dr. Connors where he lived. But the car had pulled so far ahead that The Web-Slinger could only follow it, not catch it. By the time he caught up to it, Dr. Connors was out. The car seemed to have parked next to a house. Spider-Man knocked on the door.

A red-haired woman came to the door. "May I help you?"

"Yes, I've been following that car until it parked here. Is that Dr. Connor's car?" asked Spiderman.

"Yes. My name is Martha Connors," said the woman. "How can I help you?"

"Where's your husband?" asked Spider-Man. He was surprised how comfortable Martha was with him having knocked on her door. "As I was saying, I was following him, but he got so far ahead, I didn't see him get out of the car."

"He's gone to a bar," said Martha. "And, for the record, there's nothing wrong with him."

Before Spider-Man could say anything else, his Spider-Sense began tingling. Knowing from experience what this meant, Spider-Man dived away. He looked to see The Lizard had dived at where he was and tried to bite him. Lizard turned around, whacking Spider-Man with his tail and knocking him a distance away.

The Lizard dived again, but Spider-Man managed to use his legs to force The Lizard to overshoot and land face-first on the sidewalk! Lizard began playing it more cautiously. Spider-Man sent webbing into the eyes and delivered a few punches. The Web-Slinger was forced back when his stomach was cut in two places by claws. What was more, those Claws had freed Lizard's eyes.

The Lizard charged, looking to claw Spider-Man's eyes out! Spider-Man caught the wrists with his hands but could not stop them from inching closer and closer. Just as he would have been blinded, adrenaline flowed. This enabled him to throw The Lizard through a neighbor's chain link fence!

Spider-Man charged, decking The Lizard with a leaping punch. The Lizard was straddled by Spider-Man and hit some more. Soon enough, he had fallen unconscious. Spidey punched more just to be sure.

"Spider-Man, please stop!" cried Martha.

"Stop me if I get anything wrong," said Spider-Man humorously. "This guy's your husband, but he's not himself. You want me to save him, not hurt him."

"I'm afraid you might have hurt him," said Martha. "But other than that, yeah."

"I'll do my best," said Spider-Man. He had two things on his mind. The first was trying to permanently restore Dr. Connors to normal. The other was that Daily Bugle and J. Jonah Jameson were going to give Spider-Man hell for the fence he had broken knocking out The Lizard.

Peter's perspective:

The easy part was sedating The Lizard (through the tongue; his skin seemed to be bulletproof) to keep him unconscious. There was sedative in Dr. Connors lab for that. To Peter's surprise, The Lizard never reverted to Dr. Connors during the trip to Peter's house. This persona must have had control over the transformations.

As Peter worked on a cure, MJ asked, "Why have you changed to regular clothes?"

"Because I don't think I'm going to bed tonight," lamented Peter.

"Ouch," realized MJ. "Think you can cure him?"

"Yes," said Peter.

"Good answer," grinned MJ. "Before I forget, I was right about Connors. You were wrong."

"I saw that coming," grumbled Peter.

"Hey, I deserve it," said MJ with pride. "I may not have any powers like you and Felicia, but I'm no damsel in distress. Shit, I help you so much, I wonder what you'd do without me."

"I don't wanna know," said Peter.

"Nor should you," said MJ. "Night!"

Peter kept working. It was a good thing he was Dr. Connors assistant. He understood the formula that had turned him into The Lizard. It would take a lot of work, but Peter was confident he could cure it.

Spider-Man's perspective:

Right on cue, Spider-Man had been bashed by Daily Bugle over the fence that he had launched The Lizard through by morning. Hours later, said Lizard had been cured and was Dr. Connors again. Spider-Man had taken him home to his wife at 1:43 PM.

"Will he change again?" asked Martha.

"I don't think so," said Spider-Man. "But, just in case, have him see the doctor once a week. We can't be too careful."

Spider-Man felt for Martha. After all, Spidey's own mutation was not too different from Dr. Connors'. Only the slightest twist of fate...