Curt Connors looked up from his work for a moment. He let out a deep breath, and walked over to his desk, admiring his framed photographs. They helped him get through his long nights at the lab. His family was so understanding. His son was 10, and an athlete like his father had once been. The blonde haired blue eyed Billy was a good student, and wanted to one day be a scientist like his father whom he admired very much. Connors set down the little league photo, and focused his attention on the family portrait. It had been taken after the accident, even though Connors no longer enjoyed having his picture taken. His wife had helped him through the physical and emotional pain of having lost his arm. He and Martha had been high school sweethearts. Connors had been both a track star and excellent scholar, eventually going onto medical school and becoming one of the best surgeons in the country. Now that his arm was gone, he could no longer be a surgeon. He started teaching at universities, and worked on his own experiments and research at night. He was determined, one day he would get his arm back.
The windows of the lab were open, the chemical odors could be overwhelming at times, and Connors didn't want to lose consciousness. The long hours of toil and research in the lab would soon pay off though. His regeneration formula appeared to work perfectly. He had worked on it for nearly a decade now. He had the idea right after he returned home from the war where he had been performing surgery on wounded soldiers. After doing research on the cellular regeneration of lizards, he spent the next few years experimenting until he came up with a satisfactory formula that he then attempted to perfect. Connors was in the last stages of testing now. He had started on small rodents- mice, rats, rabbits, anything. He eventually moved up to monkeys. His lab was becoming more of a zoo, but before he could do human testing he had to be sure it was perfect. The results had been remarkable- each and every test subject had grown back its missing limb without any side affects. He hoped to try it on his largest test subject yet.......himself.
Connors went to feed the animals. As he changed the water in the rabbit's cage, he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. His first thought was that one of the animals had escaped. He quickly checked the cages- they were all locked and all of the animals were accounted for.
"The windows are open," Connors thought, "Someone must have snuck in."
He slowly turned around.
"Otto?!?"
"It couldn't be" he thought, "He's dead, isn't he? In the bottom of the river? How could it be him?"
"Aren't you dead?" Connors had always been a blunt man.
"One would think I would be," Octavius replied. He was smirking, but his demeanor was friendly, not threatening. He had come as back as a friend, not as an evil villain like the papers had depicted him as, "It would have been a better fate- to go down with my work. Everything I have is gone."
Connors was unsure what to say. He stood there, still doubting his eyes. Here was a friend he had known for many years, yet he seemed like a stranger. It was the first time he had seen Octavius in months. His trenchcoat and clothes were filthy and torn, his hair a mess and it looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"I'm sorry about-" Connors started.
Octavius raised a hand to silence him.
"It's good to see you. I won't take up too much of your time. You're a busy man, and it's not safe for me to be out. These," he motioned towards his mechanical arms, "don't exactly make it easy to be inconspicuous."
Octavius walked over to Connors desk, exactly where he himself had been standing moments ago. He picked up the family portrait, studying it for a moment.
"Besides the obvious, you've been lucky, Curtis," he set the frame back down on the desk, "A wife and son," he glanced around the room, "stable job with magnificent lab access, and you are incredibly brilliant even if you can't tell the difference between a geologist and a seismologist." Octavius's playful tone had returned. Connors thought back to that conversation. It had been months ago, but it seemed like decades. It had been one of the last times he had talked to Octavius.
"And don't think that because now I'm living in the shadows doesn't mean I don't pick up a newspaper from time to time, I've read the articles on your work, it's taken off so much since the last time we've talked. It's strange to think that only a few short months ago it was my name in the headlines. As myself, not that cartoonish villain those sensationalist newspapers tried to pass me off as. But you understood my motives, didn't you, Curtis?"
He nodded, "It was your life's work." He was too numb to ask Octavius yet again to refer to him as Curt. It seemed so insignificant now.
"Precisely. And now you have yours. Very impressive, might I add. I heard you're nearly done with your first testing phase," he motioned towards the cages, and walked towards them to inspect, "Remarkable."
"It's been nearly a year since the initial testing phase and there have been zero side affects, "Connors boasted, "I hope to test a larger animal soon."
"Congratulations. Another primate?"
"I was thinking of using myself."
"Is it stable?"
Connors was caught off guard, "Otto, this is my life's work."
"That sounds familiar, doesn't it? I was afraid you would eventually try the formula on yourself, since you had hinted discreetly before. That's why I'm here."
"You don't know what it's like to loose an arm." Connors said it matter of factly. He was not one to loose his temper, but he was used to bickering with Octavius like they were an old married couple.
"No, but I do know what it's like to gain a few extra," he said, turning towards Connors, inching closer to him, "I know what it's like to be perceived as a monster, losing all respect from your colleagues and eventually your fellow man, all those years of work disregarded in an instant. I know what it's like to see the woman you love most die in front of you. And I know it's not worth it. I respect and admire your research and courage but I say this as a colleague and I say this as a friend: Don't test it on yourself yet. These things can't be rushed. It can wait."
Connors looked down for a moment to collect his thought and come up with his rebuttal. When he looked up again to defend his decision, Octaviuis was gone. He wondered if the visitor had ever truly been there or if he was a figment of his imagination brought on by his grief over the loss of a friend and his inner fear and uncertainty. Whatever it was, Connors knew what he had to do. His fate was sealed. But to become The Lizard was never the fate he expected........
The windows of the lab were open, the chemical odors could be overwhelming at times, and Connors didn't want to lose consciousness. The long hours of toil and research in the lab would soon pay off though. His regeneration formula appeared to work perfectly. He had worked on it for nearly a decade now. He had the idea right after he returned home from the war where he had been performing surgery on wounded soldiers. After doing research on the cellular regeneration of lizards, he spent the next few years experimenting until he came up with a satisfactory formula that he then attempted to perfect. Connors was in the last stages of testing now. He had started on small rodents- mice, rats, rabbits, anything. He eventually moved up to monkeys. His lab was becoming more of a zoo, but before he could do human testing he had to be sure it was perfect. The results had been remarkable- each and every test subject had grown back its missing limb without any side affects. He hoped to try it on his largest test subject yet.......himself.
Connors went to feed the animals. As he changed the water in the rabbit's cage, he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. His first thought was that one of the animals had escaped. He quickly checked the cages- they were all locked and all of the animals were accounted for.
"The windows are open," Connors thought, "Someone must have snuck in."
He slowly turned around.
"Otto?!?"
"It couldn't be" he thought, "He's dead, isn't he? In the bottom of the river? How could it be him?"
"Aren't you dead?" Connors had always been a blunt man.
"One would think I would be," Octavius replied. He was smirking, but his demeanor was friendly, not threatening. He had come as back as a friend, not as an evil villain like the papers had depicted him as, "It would have been a better fate- to go down with my work. Everything I have is gone."
Connors was unsure what to say. He stood there, still doubting his eyes. Here was a friend he had known for many years, yet he seemed like a stranger. It was the first time he had seen Octavius in months. His trenchcoat and clothes were filthy and torn, his hair a mess and it looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"I'm sorry about-" Connors started.
Octavius raised a hand to silence him.
"It's good to see you. I won't take up too much of your time. You're a busy man, and it's not safe for me to be out. These," he motioned towards his mechanical arms, "don't exactly make it easy to be inconspicuous."
Octavius walked over to Connors desk, exactly where he himself had been standing moments ago. He picked up the family portrait, studying it for a moment.
"Besides the obvious, you've been lucky, Curtis," he set the frame back down on the desk, "A wife and son," he glanced around the room, "stable job with magnificent lab access, and you are incredibly brilliant even if you can't tell the difference between a geologist and a seismologist." Octavius's playful tone had returned. Connors thought back to that conversation. It had been months ago, but it seemed like decades. It had been one of the last times he had talked to Octavius.
"And don't think that because now I'm living in the shadows doesn't mean I don't pick up a newspaper from time to time, I've read the articles on your work, it's taken off so much since the last time we've talked. It's strange to think that only a few short months ago it was my name in the headlines. As myself, not that cartoonish villain those sensationalist newspapers tried to pass me off as. But you understood my motives, didn't you, Curtis?"
He nodded, "It was your life's work." He was too numb to ask Octavius yet again to refer to him as Curt. It seemed so insignificant now.
"Precisely. And now you have yours. Very impressive, might I add. I heard you're nearly done with your first testing phase," he motioned towards the cages, and walked towards them to inspect, "Remarkable."
"It's been nearly a year since the initial testing phase and there have been zero side affects, "Connors boasted, "I hope to test a larger animal soon."
"Congratulations. Another primate?"
"I was thinking of using myself."
"Is it stable?"
Connors was caught off guard, "Otto, this is my life's work."
"That sounds familiar, doesn't it? I was afraid you would eventually try the formula on yourself, since you had hinted discreetly before. That's why I'm here."
"You don't know what it's like to loose an arm." Connors said it matter of factly. He was not one to loose his temper, but he was used to bickering with Octavius like they were an old married couple.
"No, but I do know what it's like to gain a few extra," he said, turning towards Connors, inching closer to him, "I know what it's like to be perceived as a monster, losing all respect from your colleagues and eventually your fellow man, all those years of work disregarded in an instant. I know what it's like to see the woman you love most die in front of you. And I know it's not worth it. I respect and admire your research and courage but I say this as a colleague and I say this as a friend: Don't test it on yourself yet. These things can't be rushed. It can wait."
Connors looked down for a moment to collect his thought and come up with his rebuttal. When he looked up again to defend his decision, Octaviuis was gone. He wondered if the visitor had ever truly been there or if he was a figment of his imagination brought on by his grief over the loss of a friend and his inner fear and uncertainty. Whatever it was, Connors knew what he had to do. His fate was sealed. But to become The Lizard was never the fate he expected........