"I just hope you're not going to get too tied up into this superhero thing," commented Amanda as she took a bite of her sandwich. It must have been the 80th time Kurt...as well as Kitty and Peter....heard her say that. But it was for good reason, Kurt and Peter seemed to be talking about that next everyday at lunch for the past couple of days "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I told you Amanda," assured Kurt....for about the 80th time. "It was just a one time deal. I'll probably never do it again. So you don't have to worry."

"How did you find out where Peter was, anyway?" asked Kitty taking a sip of her juice bottle.

"I followed him," replied Kurt. "It wasn't too far...it took about 3 teleports."

"3 long teleports," added Amanda. "It makes you feel really warm on the outside, but on the inside it's freezing. It's like...."

"Being in a microwave?" asked Kitty. "Yeah, I know."

Kurt laughed. "You never do get used to that...." He admitted.

"Cool, now that that's settled..." said Peter trying to change the subject. "We have something else to discuss. Jean has been giving me these weird looks everyday since the incident. It's like she knows or something."

Kitty shook her head. "I don't think so," she disagreed. "Jean doesn't go snooping around in other people minds. And even if she did know, she would have talked to you about it already."

"Or tell the professor," added Kurt.

Peter almost panicked. "What!? She'd do that!?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Kurt.

"....not," added Kitty. "Just because she told on you guys for video taping us during that little slumber party, doesn't mean she's a complete tattler."

"...oh yeah, that was good," said Kurt and Peter in unison...Amanda wasn't very pleased.

"But still, Peter," Kurt got back on topic. "Jean is just as bad as the prof...maybe even worse. When your around her, don't think about-"

"Hey, you!" said a voice that none of the four teens recognized from the side of the table. The four looked towards a voice to see 3 attractive boys, and 3 attractive girls. "You're a smart kid, right?" The same guy, who just was happening to wear a Bayville High Baseball Lettermen's jacket asked Peter.

"Uh...I guess..." he answered.

"Cool. What's the homework for English tonight?" He asked with his arm around one of the three attractive girls. A very pretty blonde girl. "I fell asleep in class."

"Oh..." Replied Peter. "You were the one who was snoring..."

"Yeah, I was," replied the jock almost proudly. "So you got it?"

"Chapter 12, Section 4," Peter simply said.

"Ok cool. Thanks," said the jock as the 'popular group' was about to walk away."

"Wait a minute," the girl under the jock's arm stopped her friends. "I've never seen you around here before. Are you with the Xavier Institute thing?"

Wait a minute. A beautiful girl..a VERY beautiful girl...actually acknowledged Peter's existence at school?? Something was different...this girl seemed....Peter could really find any words to explain it, but her voice and way of talking seemed a little familiar. "I....uh...yeah..." Real smooth Peter! "Yeah I am. I just moved here from Queens."

"Oh that's near Manhattan," replied the same girl. "That's where I live."

"Come on, Felicia," said the same jock who addressed Peter before. "Let's get out of here...lunch is going to end soon," and with that said, the 6 teenagers left, leaving Kitty, Amanda, Kurt and Peter.

"That was weird..." said Kurt softly.

"What?" asked Peter.

"That was Felicia Hardy," answered Kurt. "You know, your average run-of-the-mill rich and popular girl who dates only the jocks and pretty boys. She just came to this school last year. All she had to say was 'I'm from Manhattan,' and she's automatically the coolest thing ever. It's kind of sickening."

"Actually, I'm a little more interested in the girl in green walking with her," admitted Peter.

The three other teenagers turned to look see who Peter was talking about. "Gwen?" asked Kitty. "Gwen Stacey?"

"Is that her name?" asked Peter pretending to be sensual. "Very pretty..."

"Cool down, there, Chief," said Kurt. "She's just like Felicia. No offense Peter, but your chances with her is about as good as Rogue getting with one of Magneto's men." Amanda suddenly hit Kurt playfully, yet still hard on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Kurt! That's so rude!" she said. "I can't believe you said that!"

"Don't worry about it Amanda," said Peter after laughing a little upon the site of her hitting Kurt. "Even in my old school, I always had this bad habit of being attracted to girls I have no chance at having. Besides...that guy she's with..." Peter put his hands on his chin to think. "I know I've seen him before...I just can't place it."

"...So Kurt," began Amanda suddenly. "What about this 'Slumber Party'?"

llllllllll

"Come on, Peter!" Kitty yelled up the stares holding three large books. "We are gonna be late!"

This was it. The day Kitty and Peter looked forward to for a while. Scott is about to take them into the city to research genetics with Dr. Connors. Peter didn't even knew what to wear! Eventually Peter got down the stairs, however he was not wearing anything he wouldn't normally wear. "Ok, ok, I'm here!" exclaimed Peter to the anxious Kitty and the waiting Scott. "Lets go!"

The ride their wasn't so bad. Scott must have taken driving lessons from Logan. This was something Peter has dreamed about for a while, but for some reason, Kitty was more excited than Peter. "Can you believe this, Peter?" she asked still extremely excited...it was kind of getting old. "We are actually going to study genetics with a real Ph.D! I can't wait!"

"Kitty, I always knew you were smart," began Scott as the three was nearing their destination. "But I never knew you were into all of this hardcore, genetic research stuff."

"Scott," said Kitty trying to calm herself down. "Remember what the professor discovered about mutants?"

Scott laughed. "Kitty, the professor discovered a lot of stuff about mutants! You wanna be a little more specific?"

"He said that there is a specific gene in the mutant genome that gives us special powers," explained Kitty to an already wise Scott. Faintly recalled Xavier mentioning to him that all mutation...with the exception of Peter's....is originated from a specific gene he called the 'X' gene. "Doing research with Dr. Connors means we can probably learn more about mutants and how people are born with mutation!"

"I thought you were working with lizards," said Scott a tad confused. Peter laughed.

"That's just the beginning!" exclaimed Kitty unable to contain her excitement. "If we can have Dr. Connors help us study mutants-"

Suddenly, Scott and Peter both felt very alarmed. "Kitty!" Peter half yelled. "Don't even think about telling Dr. Connors about mutants!"

"He's right Kitty," agreed Scott.

"Don't worry!" Kitty tried to calm down the two boys. "I won't tell him anything. I'm just saying that he's gonna find out sooner or later. And when he does..."

"We're here!" said Scott. ESU...Ivy League....alumni of some of the best minds in the world. Peter had his eye on this school for quite some time, but he never thought that he would actually get a chance to learn here so soon. The two anxious teenager's entered the hallway as Scott drove off. They looked for office number 538. After about 20 minutes searching, they finally found the office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a recognizable voice from the other end of the door. The two walked in and was immediately surrounded by the best science equipment in the world. "You're late."

llllllllll

"Doctor!" Peter half yelled to Connors who was across the room looking at something else. "Take a look at this."

Dr. Connors made his way over to Peter. "What is it, Peter?"

"Check this out!" Peter urged as Connors took a look into the microscope Peter was looking through. "These reptile cells you had me look over have been showing that they are able to replace limbs that may have come off of their body."

"Yes I know that, Peter," Connors said slightly annoyed. "That's what reptiles are famous for."

"No, that's not what I meant," said Peter trying to rephrase his sentence. "You told me to look over reptile cells and human cells and see if it's theoretically possible to fuse the two in asymmetry...right?"

"...Parker...if you don't have a point," Began Dr. Connors as his patients were truly being tested. "I'm just going to..."

"No, Doctor!" said Peter alarmed. "Those cells in the microscope are fused human and lizard cells!"

The Doctor's eyes widened incredibly and took another look into the microscope. It's true that these cells did have some minor human traits, but it seems to the Doctor that most of cells is lizard trait. Kitty stopped her experiment for a second and took a look at the two other scientists. "Parker," Began Connors again. "Asymmetry means to fuse the two cells equally. This seems to have more lizard traits that human."

"I know, that's the point!" Dr. Connors now gets what Peter was trying to say, but he explained anyway. "The lizard trait of the cell seemed to have dominated the human cell somehow." Dr. Connors now had a face of terror, but Peter or Kitty didn't notice. "I'm not sure exactly how because the traits were completely even, but even so-"

"Thank you, Peter," Dr. Connors said holding his stomach lightly as if it were in pain. "That will be all. You too Kitty. I'll give you both a call next time I need you're help."

"But...Dr. Connors," began Kitty as she removed her lab equipment. "It has only been an hour, we we're supposed too-"

"I am aware of that!" Dr. Connors almost yelled as he tightened the grip on his stomach. "But the experiment is over. That will be all."

Kitty and Peter both decided not to question the Doctor's orders. It took them a few minutes to grab all of they're things...and it almost seemed that Connors was trying to kick them out. Peter didn't understand it. Didn't he just discover...or re-discover...the domination of lizard cell traits? "What's up with him?" Asked Peter slightly mad that the Doctor didn't let him learn more about this.

"I have no clue," replied Kitty also irritated as they both reached to the front door of the school. "I didn't even come to breakthrough! Maybe he..oh crap!!" Yelled Kitty.

"What?" Asked Peter.

"I left my purse in the lab," she said. "I'll go back and get it."

"Alright," said Peter. "I'll call Scott." Kitty went back inside the building as Peter took out his cell phone and dialed the number. For some reason, however, Scott, didn't answer the phone. Peter got slightly irritated and dialed the number again. Nothing. Peter than decided to call the Mansion, and ironically, Scott picked it up.

"Hello?" Scott said from the other side of the receiver.

"Scott!" Peter almost yelled. "Where the hell were you! I was calling you for the past five minutes!"

"My cell phone is upstairs. Why? Are you guys done already?"

"Yeah,"

"I thought you said It'll be about 2 to 3 hours!"

"I did. But Dr. Connors had to kick us out early."

"So your saying that I have to drive all the way to the city again?"

"Yup! Can you do it?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Meanwhile...

"Dr. Connors!" Kitty yelled as she kncoked on the lab door. "Are you in there!? I left my purse!" There was no answer...he must have left. Kitty checked to see if the door was open, and it was. She slowly crept inside...there didn't seem to be anyone in there. Soon enough, she spotted her purse on the other side of the room. As she walked towards it...

"What do you think your doing!?" came a voice from Kitty's right. She almost screamed upon the sound of the voice. She looked to where the voice was coming from, and saw a figure was some kind of blanket wrapped around him with his back turned to Kitty. The voice sounded like Dr, Connors...only more raspy.

"Dr. Connors?" Kitty asked scarred. "Is that you!?"

"What do you want!?" he asked with that same creepy voice.

"I...I left my purse..-"

"Take it and leave!" Kitty picked up her purse...but remained there. "Are you sure you're alright." She said walked over to 'Dr. Connors'. "You sound a little-"

Just then a hand grabbed Kitty. A green hand. Kitty tried to scream, but she was too afraid. "I SAID TO LEAVE!!!" said the beast that was inside the blanked as he swiped at her causing her to sail across the room.

Spider-Sense.

Oh, no. Not now! What could be happening now? Peter quickly looked around to see if anyone was ready to jump him or something. No...that wasn't it. It was coming from the building...inside the building. This wasn't a small signal either...someone is in really danger. Peter jolted back into the building and followed his Spider-Sense...which led him back to Dr. Connors' lab. Peter was about to knock on the door, but his movements were interrupted by a scream that come from the other side of the door.

"KITTY!" Peter yelled as he looked through the small window of the door. Kitty could be seen pinned to the floor...by a gigantic lizard!!

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME BACK!!" the lizard yelled to the pinned girl.

"Dr. Connors!" she tried to yell back. She tried to make herself incorporeal so she could release from it's grip, but he was holding her too tight that she couldn't get her mind off the pain long enough to concentrate. "Please...you don't want to do this. You have to let me go!"

"AND WHY SHOULD I?!" growled the lizard almost incomprehensibly. At this point it sounded absolutley nothing like Dr. Connors. "SO YOU CAN TURN ME OVER TO SOME GENETIC FREAK LAB!?"

"I wouldn't say Lab," said a voice from behind that was familiar to Kitty. "Psychologist maybe..." It was Peter...or rather...Spider-Man crouching on the wall. Although Kitty couldn't see him at this point, he new he had his red and blue costume on. "Get off of her!" The lizard didn't budge, he just stared at the teenaged Spider-Man, Kitty still in his grip. Spider-Man jsut the spun a web from each wrist at the Lizard attaching them to his right wrist. "I ain't gonna ask again!" said Spider-Man as he yanked the over-grown reptile right off the girl.

The lizard fell flat on the floor right near Spider-Man, then quickly picked itself up, and swiped at the masked teenager. Spider-Man successfully dodged it, but caught a blow right across the chest sending him flying.

"Peter!" yelled Kitty as she made her way over to him to see if he was alright.

"LOOK OUT!" Screamed Spider-Man as he saw the lizard launch himself right at Kitty and himself. Kitty just then hugged Peter and pushed them both through the floor of the room, causing the lizard to smack his head against the floor. Meanwhile, the two teenagers fell through the floor/ceiling and land directly one floor below. "Hey, thanks," said Spider-Man not even thinking about using Kitty's powers to his advantage. "Okay, get yourself outta here! I'll take care of him." Peter then opened the window nearby and jumped onto the building from the outside.

"Peter! Don't hurt him!" yelled Kitty just before Spider-Man left her sight. "It's Dr. Connors!"

"I know..." he said to himself.


Lift up a stone and you will find him. He refuses to cherish the beauty in the world around us. He's wife sits at home watching the door, begging it to open. Yet he since in his lab, night after night, trying to play god. He refuses to acknowledge his past, and to move on. He refuses to acknowledge that true strength comes from within. That we were given this life to live and not exist under standards. My only solace is that he could have seen this sooner....maybe he wouldn't be suffering.

(A/N: a few more chapters left. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!)