Spider-Man lowered himself down the shaft until he reached the bottom of the sewers, literally in the very thick of things. For a few tense moments the web-head recalled the settings of all of his battles with the previous villains. He battled the Green Goblin in a derelict building, Doc Ock atop a run away train and Venom and Sandman at a construction site. He never considered the possibility of facing a new foe in the cesspool of the New York City sewer line; until now. Even more disturbing was the fact that the Lizard was once a man that he, as Peter Parker, respected in Dr. Connors. Peter himself felt partially at fault, after all, he was Connors' assistant when the formally good doctor tinkered around with the serum.
He thought, Man, my laundry bill's going to be insane.
Spider-Man started scanning the immediate area for any sign of the man turned monster. "Dr. Connors, where are you?" He kept scanning until he witnessed a large, reptilian shadow heading down a tunnel. "Doc, wait a second!"
Spider-Man fired a web line and gave chase down the same tunnel. Even with his tremendous speed, the web head found it difficult to keep up with his quarry. Then again, Peter was in no hurry to turn Connor into a suitcase; he was more focused on catching him so a cure could be found. The bad news was that only Dr. Connors could find a cure, unless Peter did some serious catching up on his reading.
Spider-Man began to gather some momentum until the Lizard was in view but the wall crawler maintained a reasonable distance. Meanwhile, the Lizard hopped and vaulted from surface to surface until he made a sharp left turn into a water junction. He followed and landed onto a wide ledge; there was no trace of the Lizard.
"Dr. Connors, I know you're in here; somewhere!" Spider-Man called out, causing a faint echo. He spun around quickly, ready to move the moment he sensed anything unusual.
Spider-Man continued scanning the area, so far not sensing any danger whatsoever. He turned sharply after hearing a very faint sound; an almost inhuman sound. Behind the wall crawler, the water started rippling slowly toward the ledge. For a brief moment, a shredded lab coat and a scaly back jutted out through the surface and vanished just as quickly. Spider-Man turned and saw nothing.
At that point, Peter started wondering who was hunting whom. Again from behind him, the water rippled until it reached the ledge. A dripping, scaly hand latched onto the surface as Spider-Man quickly turned and spotted the Lizard rising up from the depths. For some reason, the creature didn't try to attack him this time, and he didn't sense any danger.
The Lizard hissed at Spider-Man, "Why are you following me?"
"Dr. Connors, I'm not hear to hurt you," explained Spider-Man. "I just want to help. Maybe we can find a cure."
"How do you know who I am; who I used to be?" the Lizard asked, sinking to all fours in a defensive position. Spider-Man took very slow, subtle steps toward him.
"One of your students' spoke very of highly of you, doctor," said Spider-Man, talking about himself as Peter. "Peter Parker."
"Parker," the Lizard whispered. "I know him well; one of my best students. Alright; I will surrender."
That was easy! Peter thought as he approached the Lizard. His spider-sense suddenly went off and in slow motion, he saw the burning red eyes of the Lizard flaring. The Lizard immediately lunged at Spider-Man but he quickly leaped away onto a wall. I stand corrected.
"You would foolishly believe I'd want to return to being a fleshy weakling," snarled the Lizard. "I have evolved into something more, and so to will this whole city."
"I guess there's no point in convincing you otherwise," Spider-Man asked.
The Lizard leapt high into the air, sailing directly toward Spider-Man before he swung out of the way. Clearly, this wasn't the right time to start cracking jokes for the wall crawler, especially right now. Spider-Man bounded back onto the ledge and the Lizard followed, lunging once again at his foe. Spider-Man leapt clean but the Lizard seemed to anticipate his movement and swiped at him with his tail. Still, Spider-Man outmaneuvered the swipe, fired a quick web line onto his foe's feet and tripped him. The Lizard face-planted into the concrete, after which Spider-Man clasped onto him from behind in the hopes of holding him down.
"Give it up, Dr. Connors! It doesn't have to be like this." Spider-Man held one of the Lizard's arm behind his scaly back.
"I will not surrender to likes of you, monkey spawn." The Lizard quickly rose up, and then rapidly backed into the far wall, almost crushing Spider-Man between it and him. Then, he grasped his arms and slammed him hard into the floor before opening his maw.
Spider-Man grasped the snout and jaw with his hands, desperately preventing a lethal blow. Still, the Lizard whipped his massive head around in a frenzy and finally sent the web slinger flying across the room. Spider-Man fired a web line back toward and past the rabid beast, distracting him momentarily. The Lizard turned right into a swift kick to the snout and that sent him into the filthy water. He quickly resurfaced to face Spider-Man, but then turned and bounded away down another tunnel. Spider-Man fired a web line and followed him down the same path. The Lizard proved to be one quick S.O.B and Spider-Man eventually lost sight of him. Thankfully, his spider-sense directed him into a new partially submerged room; three inactive conveyor belts situated one by one and each with a steel gear at the end. Spider-Man scanned the room for any sign of the Lizard.
Where are you? I know you're in here.
Spider-Man kept up his desperate search for the Lizard, not noticing the water surface bubbling behind him; and slowly creeping toward him. Spider-Man's spider sense started blaring again; in fact, it went way off the scale. Time seemed to slow down and Spider-Man got a far superior view of his surroundings, up until his sight settled on the Lizard pouncing on him. Spider-Man ducked in the nick of time, snagging the Lizard with a web line and pulling him in.
The Lizard got loose and started clawing wildly at Spider-Man, who was doing his best to avoid the blows. He managed to get in a few blows and even a swift kick to the jaw. Still, the Lizard kept swiping and Spider-Man kept dodging until he was met by that leathery tail. The blow sent him careening into the water and the Lizard followed. Spider-Man resurfaced, fired a quick line and pulled himself out of the water, just miniscule seconds before the Lizard.
Spider-Man stuck to the ceiling, looking down at his foe, who hissed to him, "You are a fool, Spider-Man! You should be thankful that in death, you will be spared the subjugation by the true rulers of the planet."
"That would be the mice, right?" Spider-Man joked. "I'm pretty sure it's the mice."
"This is not a game!" The Lizard screamed.
The Lizard took a monster leap toward Spider-Man but the latter leaped off the ceiling back to one of the conveyor belts. He once again snagged the airborne beast with a web line and yanked him straight down. The Lizard landed with a thud on the belt, and in the chaos, his tail slammed into a nearby console that activated the conveyor belt.
Spider-Man almost lost his balance on the belt, and that moment of distraction allowed the Lizard to pounce on him. Again, the Lizard tried to make a meal out of his prey, while Spider-Man blocked the literal Jaws of Life lest he became a snack. The wall crawler noticed that he and the Lizard were inching closer toward the giant gear.
"That's not good; in fact that's way bad!"
In desperation, Spider-Man placed his feet on the Lizards' chest and tried to shift his body. The Lizard closed in and snapped his jaw shut, narrowly missing his prey's head. Spider-Man used that moment to his advantage, shifting his body and flipping the Lizard up and over him.
The Lizard slammed into the rolling gear, the impact demolishing it and throwing the Lizard into the water. Spider-Man rose to his feet and saw no sign of the Lizard. For a moment, Peter feared he might've killed the former Dr. Connors. But then the Lizard slowly climbed out of the water and onto a ledge with a doorway leading to another room.
"Don't think that I'm beaten yet, mammal," The Lizard announced.
As soon as he retreated into the new room, Spider-Man followed close behind. The web slinger entered a spillway, quickly finding the Lizard scaling the wall towards the ceiling. Once there, the Lizard turned his reptilian head back toward Spider-Man. "This is not over, flesh bag!"
"Okay, now that really stings," Spider-Man commented.
The Lizard started pulling on a massive cover leading into a spillway, and that spillway in turn led to the streets above. Spider-Man had to do something right now to stop the Lizard from reaching the surface. He swung and climbed up the spillway, finally reaching a catwalk with two pressure valves on either side.
Spider-Man latched two web lines to the valves and began to pull with everything he had in his body. The Lizard was just about to open the cover as Spider-Man finally succeeded in his attempt.
Just as the Lizard opened the cover to its full extent, a massive waterfall slammed right onto him. The frantic beast fell several feet down the spillway, after which Spider-Man followed.
The web slinger descended to the bottom but saw no trace of the Lizard. As the cascade of water receded, he noticed that a grating had been damaged. Spider-Man investigated the damage to the grate; it became clear that the Lizard had disappeared.
For now at least.
The fashion show had long since ended and most of the guests had gone home for the evening. Only a skeleton crew remained to clean up the setup, the runway and whatever else needed to be cleaned. Standing outside the ballroom, Gwen Stacy waited patiently for a cab.
She was completely absorbed in trying to make sense of finding Peter's clothes lying discarded underneath a dumpster. Just when she thought the man couldn't be any more mysterious, he goes and pulls a bizarre stunt like that.
Did he run off into the night stark naked? She wondered.
The arrival of a black limousine snapped Gwen out of her trance, and then Roderick Kingsley came into view.
"You did very well tonight, Ms. Stacy," he said. "You impressed quite an assortment of onlookers."
"Oh, uh thank you, Mr. Kingsley," said a somewhat distracted Gwen. "I have to admit that I'm always a little nervous whenever I walk out on that runway."
"Well, that's to be expected; but it becomes much easier over time," said Kingsley just as his chauffer opened the passenger door. "By the way, where's your photographer friend?"
Gwen had to think quickly of her answer because she figured telling her boss that her friend was out running around the alleyways stark naked wouldn't have been an appropriate answer. "Peter? He had some business down at the Bugle."
"That seems typical of a man that puts his work before his friends." Kingsley said.
Gwen could not think of any response to contradict Roderick's statement. She wanted to but she just couldn't think of anything so she just shrugged.
"I made a point to not bring up the subject tonight," Roderick began, "but I've got to ask, have you given any more consideration to the modeling contract in Paris. It's a once in a lifetime offer and my colleagues are simply putty in your hands."
Gwen thought a moment before speaking. "I'm leaning toward yes, Mr. Kingsley, but I'm also trying to figure out where me and Peter stand in our relationship."
"I'd think the answer to that is perfectly clear, Ms. Stacy." Roderick said. "Did he not disappear on you tonight to tend to his job? Why should you place your career in limbo when he is not willing to do the same for you?"
Gwen considered his words and then nodded. "You're absolutely right. The answer is yes. I will definitely go to Paris. I'd be a fool not to."
"That's the spirit, Ms. Stacy." Kingsley said with a smile. "Meet me at my office tomorrow and we'll get your contract signed."
"Why not tonight?" She asked, finally ready to take the plunge with her career.
"I have much of my own work that needs to be seen to tonight. I'll see you tomorrow and don't forget that next week we have another photo shoot."
"I wouldn't miss it," Gwen beamed.
Roderick smirked at her and before he entered the limousine he stated, "There is one other thing that needs to be addressed, Ms. Stacy."
"What's that?" Gwen asked.
"It is evident to me that Peter Parker is a distraction to you and your career. I would ask that he not be allowed to attend any future photo shoots or events."
"Oh, that's not necessary..." Gwen started to argue.
"But I insist that it is," Roderick argued back. "Your future is of paramount importance to me and I don't want to see it squandered by that photographer who so clearly values his career above your own. This is not a request, Ms. Stacy."
Without further word or room for argument, Roderick entered the back seat of his limousine and allowed his chauffeur to secure the door. The limousine then made it's way down the road, away from her.
Soon after, a bright yellow cab pulled up in front of her, and with some reluctance, she entered the vehicle. She was ecstatic about the new job and couldn't wait to go to Paris. The only thing that gave her pause was the fact that it meant that her and Peter were truly over. She just hoped that they could come to some sort of amicable resolution before parting ways, possibly forever.
Roderick Kingsley sat comfortably in the back seat of his car, pondering over sweet little naive and innocent Gwen Stacy. He would be remiss to deny the attraction that he had for her and he knew all to well that he had far more to offer her than that geeky little nobody, Peter Parker. Hopefully she would realize that fact sooner rather than later or else she'd find herself becoming a gorgeous and sexy nobody with nowhere to go.
Gwen Stacy had no idea how competitive the business she was getting into actually was. He took certain enjoyment in watching innocent young women get strung out and used up in the competitive modeling business. Who knows, she might actually make it out on top, but he highly doubted it. She would ultimately amount to nothing without his guidance and nurturing.
He suddenly received a call on his phone and immediately answered, "This is Kingsley, what did you find?" There was a pause. "Well keep searching for some kind of information; I want to know everything about the previous owner of that house. That includes all his dirty little secrets."
Kingsley ended the call right there, after which he pulled a black case up from the floor. He opened the case to view the contents within; sketches and blueprints of "certain things." Kingsley than pulled out what appeared to be a photograph of the "previous owner." Peter Parker would have recognized the man in the photo instantly, but Kingsley knew him just as well.
Kingsley whispered to himself, "What do you have to hide, old man?"
Peter Parker threw himself onto his rickety bed in his equally rickety apartment. Well, it wasn't as bad as in the past. Mr. Ditkovitch actually came through in fixing the door and shower head, although he still demanded the rent every so often.
Peter had practically tossed his now rancid costume into the basket; thank God he had a spare costume. Peter sat up on his bed, hands on his knees and deep in thought. He came to reach over the dresser drawer and picked up a picture of himself, Aunt May and of course, the late Uncle Ben.
Why does everyone I know and love, have to suffer because of me; Uncle Ben, Mary Jane, Harry, Mr. Osborn and now Dr. Connors? Maybe even Gwen too if we stay together.
Peter placed the picture back on its resting place before settling himself into bed. He laid there with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling for what seemed like a life time. His thought once again drifted toward all of the villains he'd fought and beaten. Now he's faced with another enemy that was his mentor and friend in Dr. Connors.
Peter felt his eyelids becoming heavy and before long, he was dead to the world. Hopefully, the next day would bring some much needed promise.
Meanwhile back at the school, Ned Leeds managed to sneak back in despite Spider-Man's previous warnings. This kid was determined to find something of value, and that something was literally at his feet. Ned looked down, spotting a video camera on the floor and picked it up.
Ned wondered how the police could've missed something so important. Figuring this could be the valuable asset he might need; he took the tape out of the camera and soon enough, left the scene of the crime.
Down in the sewers, a tiny rat floated up stream on a chunk of debris. Then without warning, the rat vanished beneath the surface, after which a scaly back jutted in and out of the water.