Dr. Connors worked tirelessly in his lab, bent over a microscope and several sheets of calculations. At the top of the pile was a pair of slightly charred papers with two different handwritings on it. He knew that the answers he had been looking for were hidden within the two sheets of paper before him.

"Alright Peter, show me what I want to see."

He then took a chemical solution residing in a beaker and poured it into a larger container. Dr. Connors then put the container into a special machine that quickly mixed the contents. The machine then poured the contents out as one green liquid into a waiting syringe. Dr. Connors took it and moved over to a small cage where a three legged mouse was scurrying around.

"Well now, Freddie," Dr. Connors let out. "Let's see if we can finally help you."

Dr. Connors then injected the serum into Freddie, scooping it up afterwards and gently depositing the mouse back into his pen. After a few seconds, the mouse began to squeak in pain, contorting and writing.

"Come on…" Dr Connors let out.

After several agonizing minutes of screeching, something began to poke out of the stump where Freddie's missing leg was supposed to be. It stretched and grew until it became a full fledge limp, Freddie finally settling down before licking his new appendage. Dr. Connors lurched back in amazement.

"It works…" He let out before heading to his phone. "Martha, tell Mr. Osborn I need to see him immediately."

In Norman Osborn's office, Dr. Connors was informing him about his latest breakthrough.

"This is remarkable Curt." Norman commended. "You must be so proud."

"And excited." Dr. Connors added. "This is a massive breakthrough."

"How soon do you think you can begin human trials?" Norman asked.

"Human trials?" Dr. Connors questioned. "Mr. Osborn, I only just now got the process to work. I'm still unsure of any potential side effects. I still need to run a few more tests before going through with human trials."

"I understand that Curt but time is not something I have an abundance of these days." Norman insisted.

Dr. Connors looked confused at this revelation.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Norman took a breath before responding.

"What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, understood?"

"Of course," Dr. Connors agreed. "What is it?"

"Norman hesitated a moment longer, then his fists clenched.

"I have a brain tumor, one that's going to kill me in a year." he explained. "And that's if I'm lucky."

"My god…" Dr. Connors let out. "No wonder you pushed for the research to resume."

"This project is my only chance." Norman admitted. "You quite literally hold my life in your hands."

Dr. Connors paused for a moment, considering everything that had been revealed, and at stake.

"I'll do it." Dr. Connors relented.

Norman let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Thank you." he said, placing a hand on Dr. Connor's shoulder. "I look forward to seeing the results."

That night, Spider-Man swung through the city, his mind a million miles away.

"Does Dr. Connors seriously know who I am?" He mulled. "And if so, what do I do about it?"

A question that would bother me for awhile. Secret identities suck, especially when someone figures it out. Of course, my identity crisis wasn't my only problem.

Just then, an alarm started sounding, prompting him into action.

"Alright New York, what have you got for me, tonight." Spidey mused.

He was greeted by a group of thugs holding up a local convenience store at gunpoint.

"Alright, hand over all the money in the register!" the first thug ordered.

The cashier complied, not wanting to get hurt. Once the cash register was emptied, the thugs made their way out of the store, only for two of them to get webbed into the air. The other two turned to see their friends suspended from a street light, unaware of Spider-Man lowering himself behind them.

"I know I don't have much experience when it comes to modern art, but I think it looks pretty good." Spidey mused, getting their attention.

"Spider-Man!" the first thug let out, aiming his gun at him.

Spider-Man quickly webbed it out of his hands before tying him up in a cocoon of web. The last one tried to run, but Spider-Man just webbed his foot to the ground, causing him to fall on his face and knock himself out.

"How's that for embarrassing." Spidey remarked, webbing over the bag of money. "You go mano y mano with Spider-Man and it's the sidewalk that gets ya."

He then tosses the cash to the cashier before swinging off.

"You can go ahead and call the cops now!" He called back.

Spider-Man then swung over to where he set up his camera and reclaimed it.

"Alright, now to develop the photos, get to the Bugle, collect my money, and keep a roof over me and Aunt May's heads for a while longer." Spidey listed off.

"What do you mean no one will volunteer?" Dr. Connors asked his wife, Martha, at home.

"I'm sorry Curt, but no one is willing to try such an experimental treatment." she explained. "The risks are too great."

"I understand that, but we are standing at the precipice of a new age of scientific progress." Dr. Connors insisted.

"I'm sorry, Curt." She told him. "But it's just not going to happen right now."

Curt sighed in defeat.

"I suppose you're right." Curt replied. "I need to take care of a few things in the study. Think you can get Billy to bed?"

"Sure." She replied, kissing him on the cheek. "Don't work too late."

She then walked off towards Billy's room as Curt walked towards the study. He pulled out a vial of lizard serum out of his coat, considering what to do with it. As his mind wandered, he came to one inescapable and potentially dangerous idea.

In the study, he set up a camera in front of a desk and pressed record, taking a few steps back

"This is Dr. Curt Connors." He addressed, looking at his watch. "The time is 9:52 PM."

He then walked over to his desk and sat down, pulling out the serum and placing it on the table.

"After many years of trial and error, the Cross Species project has finally yielded results." He continued. "My lizard serum is complete and ready for human trials. Unfortunately, willing volunteers have yet to step forward. But this project is too important to wait for those willing to take a chance, so I have decided to test the serum myself."

He looked down at his stub arm in contemplation before steeling his resolve.

"I understand there are risks, but if this serum works, it could mean that cases like mine could become a distant memory." Curt continued. "This could help heal the world. But should the unthinkable come to pass… Martha if you're seeing this, know that I love you and Billy more than anything."

Curt then took a breath and reached for the vial. He took it and injected the serum into his stump. Almost immediately, he felt a burning pain radiate throughout his entire body. He grunted in pain as he clenched his stub.

"Something's… happening…" He let out.

He then cried out in pain as he fell to the floor, clutching his stump of an arm as everything goes black.

At the Daily Bugle, Peter walked out of the elevator and through the newsroom towards Jameson's office.

"Hey, Betty." Peter greeted. "Is Mr. Jameson here?"

"He's in his office." she replied. "More photos?"

"You know it." Peter confirmed.

"Excellent." She commended.

"More Spidey photos from my new favorite photographer." Eddie Brock announced, throwing an arm around Peter. "You have got to tell me your secret, kid."

"Uh, just right place, right time, I guess." Peter replied. "Besides, aren't you worried about the competition?"

"Eh, I consider it motivation to step up my game." Brock remarked. "Can't have some kid with an antique camera have me on the ropes forever. Where'd you even get that thing, the 1800s?

"It was my uncle's." Peter explained. "I think my dad got it for him at a pawn shop somewhere."

"Well, if you're gonna get far in the newspaper business, you need to get a better quality camera." Eddie insisted.

"Yeah, I kinda figured as much." Peter admitted. "I'm saving up. It's slow going."

"Maybe you could ask your parents for a little help." Eddie suggested.

Peter winced.

"I… can't." he admitted. "My parents died in a plane crash when I was little."

"Ah… sorry." Eddie replied. "If it's any consolation, my folks died the same way."

"Really?" Peter responded.

"Yeah." Eddie confirmed. "Since then, I bounced around from foster home to foster home."

"I was raised by my aunt and uncle." Peter went on. "Though now it's just my Aunt May."

"At least you got somebody looking out for you." Eddie told him. "Not everyone can-"

"Parker! My office! Now!" Jameson called out.

"And moment ruined." Eddie lamented. "Better get moving, kid. He sounds angrier than usual."

"How can you tell?" Peter remarked, entering his office.

"Give it time, you'll figure it out." Eddie informed him.

"Alright Parker, what've you got for me this time?" Jameson asked.

"See for yourself." Peter replied, showing him the photos.

Jameson picked them up and shuffled through them.

"Crap, crap, mega crap," He commented. "This can't be the best you can do?"

"Well, if you don't want them…" Peter began.

"Hey now, we had a deal!" Jameson reminded. "I'm not about to back out on that. I'll pay you the usual rate, but you need to step it up, Parker!"

"Understood." Peter replied. "I'm already in the process of saving up for a new camera."

Said process started two minutes ago, but he didn't need to know that.

"Then what are you standing around for?!" Jameson let out. "Get going!"

Peter held up his hands in defense before backing out of the office.

Back at the Connors residence, Martha went to check on Curt in the study, only to find Curt passed out on the floor.

"Curt!" She let out, running over to him. "Curt, wake up!"

Curt let out a groan as he slowly woke up.

"Martha…" He grunted.

"What happened?" She asked before noting something. "What is that?"

Curt looked at where his stub used to be and saw a bulbous, green cocoon extending from his stub to form a crude looking arm. Curt began tearing at the cocoon, pulling off piece after piece. Finally, he managed to tear it fully off, revealing a brand new, fully functioning arm. He was in awe of seeing his new appendage, as was Martha. Instinctively, he placed his new arm on her cheek, hardly believing what was happening.

"I… I feel you." He realized.

They both broke out into ecstatic laughter as he picked her up and swung her around. They both embraced, happy about the change and relishing in the experiences they'd both missed out on.

"I can't believe it." Curt let out. "It worked!"

"Worked…?" Martha repeated before realizing what he meant. "Curt, tell me you didn't use that lizard formula on yourself."

"I thought it the only option." Curt admitted. "But look at the results! Think what this could mean for everyone. For the world."

The two were interrupted by a yawing coming from the doorway. They both turned to see Billy standing there rubbing his eyes.

"Dad?" He called out. "What's going on? It's so noisy."

Curt instinctively sprang up and ran over to Billy, hoisting him into the air.

"Billy!" Curt proclaimed.

"Whoa!" Billy let out in astonishment. "Dad, your arm!"

"It's a miracle." Curt told him.

"It really is." Martha agreed, walking over to him.

The next day, Peter and Gwen arrived at Oscorp to report for Dr. Connors, only to find the lab empty.

"Where's Dr. Connors?" Gwen asked.

"Think he may be out today?" Peter suggested.

"Peter! Gwen!" Curt called out.

The two turned to see Dr. Connors coming in, with Martha and Billy behind him, wheeling in a cake on a cart.

"Just in time to celebrate." Curt shared.

"Ooh, cake." Gwen noted.

"Chocolate." Martha and Billy said at the same time.

"So, what are we celebra-" Peter asked as he shook Curt's hand, only to realize what hand he was shaking. "Doc your…. Your hand. Your right hand!"

"I have you to thank for it, Peter." Curt admitted. "Your corrections on my formula finally helped me figure out what I was doing wrong."

"Just… happy to help, Doc." Peter replied.

"You did more than that." Curt told him. "With this serum, you and I are going to save countless lives. Now come, let's celebrate."

The next few hours were spent just having fun and celebrating. They ordered a pizza and dug into the cake. Eventually, Peter and Curt were engaged in an arm wrestling contest. Even holding back his spider strength, Peter managed to win out.

"Yes!" He cheered before realizing what he had done. "Sorry Doc. I didn't mean to-"
"Are you joking?" Curt replied. "I've never been more happy to lose at arm wrestling."

"Gotta say Doc, this lizard formula is a winner." Peter commended. "We can heal any wound, any injury. We could be looking at the greatest medical innovation of all time."

"Slow down there, Peter." Martha told him, walking behind Curt. "I appreciate your help, but I still have my reservations about Curt using himself as a guinea-"

She was cut off at the sight of something on the back of Curt's neck. Her face went emotionless, then she turned to her son.

"Billy, I think you dad downloaded that new computer game you like on his office computer." she told him. "Why don't you go play for awhile?"

"Alright!" Billy exclaimed. "Thanks, dad!"

"If you're gonna crank the volume, shut the door!" Martha called out.

The door shut, and the second it did, Martha turned to Curt.

"Take off your coat." she told him, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"What?" Curt replied. "Martha, I-"

"Now." She insisted.

Curt finally obliged and took his coat off. Gwen and Peter watched as they saw what Martha saw. Small scales growing on Curts neck. The sight made everyone gasp as Curt turned towards them.

"What?" He asked.

"The reptilian DNA in your system is growing exponentially." Martha realized. "It won't be long before it completely overwrites your human DNA, making you more lizard than human."

As Curt was writing out equations on a piece of paper, he faltered and the pencil snapped.

"You're right…" Curt let out. "The change… I can feel myself… regressing…"

Martha went to his side, trying to calm him down.

"Martha, you need to get Billy out of here." Curt told her. "If I lose control…"

"I'm not leaving you Curt." She told him.

"This doesn't look good." Peter admitted, looking at Curt's DNA under a microscope. "The lizard cells are replicating faster than I can knock em out. Guess I did a little too good a job on that formula."

Gwen pondered for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"Wait, what if we worked from the other end." She suggested. "Use a human gene to filter out the lizard genes."

"Hey, yeah." Peter realized. "Like the noise filter on a cellphone. That could work."

"Yes…" Curt agreed. "A sort of… gene cleanser… a formula to eradicate all non human DNA."

"Including lizard." Martha finished.

Or spider.

"My notes…" Curt shared. "They should have what we need."

Gwen immediately went over to Curt's desk and getting his notes. Peter was about to join her when Curt pulled him aside.

"Peter listen to me." He said in a hushed tone. "I know who you are, and I need you to promise me something."

Peter was surprised by the frankness by Curt, but he obliged.

"What?" Peter asked.

"No matter what happens next, do not let me hurt my family." He begged. "If I lose myself, if this gene cleanser fails, protect Martha and Billy. Please…"

"You have my word." Peter promised.

He then noticed the door to Curt's office open, and Billy poking his head out. Billy quickly retreated back inside the office and sat back at the computer as Peter walked in.

"Hey Billy." Peter said. "How… much of that did you hear?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Billy replied.

"Ok, what do you wanna talk about?" Peter asked.

Billy paused for a moment, before looking down in sorrow.

"I read once that lizards can lay hundreds of eggs and never see them hatch." Billy told him. "Some of their babies even get eaten by predators and don't even care… cause they got lizard brains."

"Billy," Peter spoke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your dad is always gonna care about you."

"... even if he turns into a monster?" Billy asked.

Just then, the sound of Curt crying out in pain got both of their attentions. Peter came out just as Curt's hands turned into scaly claws and his skin began turning green.

"Doc…" He let out.

"I've made… a terrible… mistake…" Curt mustered.

He cried out in pain again as his size began growing, tearing at the sleeves of his coat and the legs of his pants. A tail suddenly sprung out from his back and his face began elongating, sprouting sharp teeth from his mouth. He roared, his eyes turning yellow as he looked around in feral madness. The three of them looked at the transformed man in fear and trepidation what lied before them.

I saw it, but to this day, I still barely believe it. What was once a great scientist and a good man, was now a feral Lizard, nothing short of a monster.

"Curt…" Martha let out, walking towards him. "Do you recognize me? It's Martha."

Lizard turned to her, sniffing her slightly. He then hissed, and Peter's spidey senses went haywire. On instinct, he moved to intercept the Lizard, only to get smacked away by his tail. The Lizard then leapt out a nearby window, falling towards the streets below. Peter picked himself up, grabbing his backpack.

"You two keep working on the gene cleanser." he told them. "I'll trail the doc and keep tabs on him!"

"Peter!" Gwen called out as he ran off. "Be careful…"

Once Peter was out of Oscorp, Peter ducked into an alleyway and webbed his backpack to a wall before shedding his civilian clothes, revealing his Spider-Man suit underneath. After slipping on his web shooters and mask, he ran up an oncoming wall and leapt off the edge, swinging through the air.

"Alright then," Spidey pondered. "If I were a six foot lizard instead of a five foot spider, where would I be?"

Spidey then looked down and saw a large trail of destruction leading towards a subway entrance.

"Duh, underground." Spidey let out, conking himself on the head before jumping down into the subway.

Down below, an oncoming train pulled up into the station and several passengers were getting off, including Eddie Brock. As he got off though, he saw the Lizard barreling through several people, even pinning one to the ground. As he was about to take a bite out of her, Spider-Man came swinging in and kicked the Lizard aside.

"Sorry, no eating in the subway." Spidey remarked.

The Lizard crashed into some turnstiles, prompting Eddie to push some nearby civilians out of the way. After getting back to his feet, Lizard grabbed one of the turnstiles and threw it at Spider-Man. Spidey caught it with his webs, dropping it before shooting some webs at Lizard, trying to pin him down.

"Alright Doc," Spidey spoke, landing in front of him. "We need to get you back to the lab. Dr. Connors, are you in there?"

Lizard then managed to tear out of the web. Spider-Man held out an arm in defense, but the Lizard just bit down on it, causing him to cry out in pain. He kicked Lizard on instinct, forcing him to let go. Spider-Man had deep, bleeding marks on his arm, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Ok… ow." Spidey grunted, webbing his arm up. "Gonna chock that up to the Lizard, Doc. I won't hold it against you."

Lizard then sprang forward, tackling Spider-Man onto the tracks. As they struggled, Spider-Man noted they were getting dangerously close to the third rail. Spider-Man mustered all his strength to keep from touching it. Just then, the sound of an oncoming train altered them and forced them to move. Lizard darted to the side as Spider-Man leapt to the ceiling. Spider-Man looked down and saw Lizard leap onto the subway, prompting him to drop down.

Seeing what was happening, Eddie went for the ticket stand as fast as he could.

"Hey, that train Spider-Man and that lizard creature leapt onto." Eddie rushed out. "Where's it heading?"

"Next stops the Manhattan Zoo." the ticket lady answered.

"Thanks." Eddie replied before heading topside. "Taxi!"

On top of the train, Spider-Man faced down his reptilian adversary.

"Come on, Doc." Spider-Man pleaded. "You gotta work with me."

Lizard just leapt forward, prompting Spider-Man to drop to his back and vault Lizard overhead. Lizard tumbled onto the train, allowing Spider-Man to tackle him. Lizard then promptly used his tail to bash him in the back, causing him to let go. As Spider-Man dropped to the ground, Lizard tried biting at him again, but this time, Spider-Man grabbed his jaw and held him back.

"Ugh, can you say halitosis?" Spidey remarked.

Lizard responded by smashing him repeatedly with his fists until he crashed through the ceiling into the train itself. Spidey held his head in pain as Lizard stared him down. As he leapt towards him, Spider-Man tackled him through a nearby window and onto the side of the train.

"Had enough?" Spidey challenged.

Lizard replied by slapping him across the face with his tail. The impact knocked him off the train and forced him to collide with the subway walls. This impact caused Spider-Man to tumble onto the ground fiercely, making him land with a groan of pain.

"Guess not…" Spidey let out.

Back at Oscorp, Martha and Gwen continued their work on the gene cleanser serum. Martha poured the last of the contents into a vial, causing the solution to turn a bright green.

"That should do it." Gwen noted. "Right?"

"It should." Martha replied. "But there's only one way to find out. And since Curt's… hide is so thick, we'll have to get him to drink it."

"How do we do that?" Gwen wondered.

"Maybe by asking for help from a guy in a spider themed onesie." Spider-Man remarked, rappelling upside down from the ceiling.

"Spider-Man!" The two let out.

"I get that reaction a lot." Spidey replied.

"How's you know to come here?" Gwen asked.

"Peter called me." Spidey quickly supplied. "He wanted me to collect the cleanser while he kept an eye on your friend."

"Is he alright?" Gwen asked.

"He's fine." Spidey reassured. "He's just watching and staying a safe distance."

He then webbed the vial from the table into his hands.

"Don't worry, he and your friend will be fine." Spider-Man promised before taking off.

"What do we do now?" Gwen asked. "Just wait and hope for the best?"

"At the moment… that's all we can do." Martha replied.

At the Manhattan Zoo, Spider-Man swung over the gate and landed on a lamppost, looking for any sign of the Lizard.

"Alright, where would be the best place to look for a giant lizard man in a place like this?" Spider-Man pondered. "Duh, the reptile house."

Spider-Man then took off for that very area, unaware of the intrepid Bugel reporter, who had managed to sneak inside.

"Gotta find out what the deal is with that lizard thing." Brock said to himself.

He continued making his way through the zoo, following close behind Spider-Man.

Outside the reptile house, Spider-Man landed in front of the entrance.

"Well… this is it." Spidey muttered.

Spider-Man then shot out a web and swung inside, clinging to the walls and crawling through the building.

"Phew, it's like a sauna in here." Spidey commented. "Starting to think the full body suit was a bad idea."

All joking aside, I was feeling pretty uneasy. Trouble was, I didn't know what bothered me more, that my friend was transformed into a mindless monster, or that I was responsible for it. If I hadn't given him that equation, none of this would be happening. Whatever happens to the Doc next, would be on my head. Unfortunately, I didn't have long to dwell on 'What ifs'.

Spider-Man then dropped down from the wall and landed in front of a large pool of water.

"I am really hoping you're not in there, Doc." Spidey let out. "A late night swim isn't what I had in mind… unless it was with Liz."

Just then, a tail slowly crept its way out of the water towards Spider-Man's ankle. His spider sense went off to warn him, but he was too late to react. The tail wrapped around his ankle and pulled him into the water. As Spider-Man became submerged, the Lizard grabbed him and dragged him down into the water. Spider-Man struggled to break free, despite the Lizard's impressive strength. Finally, Spider-Man managed to get a leg up and kick the Lizard in the face before making a break for the surface. The Lizard wasted no time giving chase towards Spider-Man, quickly swimming after him. Spider-Man tried shooting a web at him, but the web barely made it a few feet. It also began dissolving almost instantly, becoming nothing more than useless gunk. The Lizard then grabbed Spider-Man again and dragged him to the bottom of the pool. Running out of oxygen quickly, Spider-Man slowly began slipping into unconsciousness. Just then, a passing alligator rammed itself into the Lizard, prompting it to retaliate. Lizard dropped Spider-Man and attacked the alligator, prompting the hero to rise to the surface. There, he would've drowned if a set of human hands didn't pull him out of the water and lay him on the shore. Spidey coughed up some water, even raising his mask to his nose so he could expel the suffocating liquids, and sat up slowly. He looked over to see Eddie Brock standing over him.

"You alright?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah." Spider-Man replied, being careful with his voice so Eddie wouldn't recognize him. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm a journalist." Eddie told him. "When a giant lizard decides to tear apart the city, I wanna know what's up."

"Well, I wouldn't bother." Spider-Man replied, pulling his mask down. "That thing is just some mindless monster.

"Maybe, or maybe not." Eddie remarked, holding up an ID badge. "Why would a mindless monster drop an Oscorp ID badge off it's lab coat?"

Spider-Man went wide eyed at the sight.

"Says it belongs to a Dr. Curt Connors." Eddie explained. "I read once that he's some kind of genetics expert."

"So you think he created that monster?" Spider-Man asked.

"Or worse, he is that thing." Eddie surmised. "Best guess, one of his experiments went wrong and he mutated himself. Heh, reminds me of what I heard about that Hulk creature out in Nevada."

As Eddie turned to leave, Spider-Man got up and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" Spider-Man asked.

"To do my job and get to the bottom of this." Eddie answered. "Whatever this thing is, it's dangerous and needs to be stopped."

"No argument there," Spidey agreed. "But you stand the risk of sending a good man to prison for something that for all you know could be an accident."

"Sorry, but that's how the world works." Eddie reasoned. "Sometimes, you gotta do what's right, no matter how hard it is."

"Believe me, I know." Spidey muttered as Eddie ran off.

He didn't get far before a web connected with his back and pulled him upwards. As he dangled in the air, he turned towards Spider-Man as he stuck to the ceiling.

"Hey, you can't do this!" Eddie cried out.

"I kinda just did." Spidey remarked. "Sorry, but I can't let you ruin Connors' life. Don't worry, this should dissolve in about an hour or so."

He shot off as Eddie continued to struggle.

"Come back here!" he demanded. "Let me down!"

"It's a good thing he likes Peter Parker," Spidey said to himself as he landed in front of the pool where Lizard was. "Cause he's gonna hate Spider-Man for a long time after this."

He looked on and saw the Lizard still fighting with the alligator in the pool, much to his annoyance.

"Looks like the docs not in a medicine taking mood." Spidey noted. "Especially since he's preoccupied with his playmate in the heated pool."

Just then, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey… that's it!" He proclaimed, taking off.

Lizards are an endothermic species with no way of controlling their temperature. In warmer climates, they're as happy as can be. However, put them in a cold environment like, shall we say, a polar bear exhibit? They get sluggish and slow, just what this spider wants.

Spider-Man managed to find the polar bear exhibit with relative ease, and to his luck, the polar bears were tucked in their caves.

"Step one," He let out as he leapt down into the exhibit. "Make sure the polar bears don't take a late night swim.

He then webbed up the cave entrances to make sure it was just him and the Lizard.

"Step two," Spider-Man said, dreading what was coming next. "Lure the doc here so I can knock him into the pool. Fun."

Spider-Man then leapt out of the exhibit and swung towards where the Lizard was.

Inside the reptile house, the Lizard came out victorious over the alligator and prepared to devour his quarry. Before he could though, he was struck in the back by a small web ball. He turned to see Spider-Man leaning on the frame of the entrance.

"What's up doc?" Spidey taunted. "Up for a game of follow the leader?"

The Lizard just roared in response, leaping towards him. Spider-Man quickly backflipped out of the way before the Lizard could strike.

"Guess so." Spidey remarked, swinging off.

The Lizard maintained his pursuit, unaware of Spider-Man's plan. Once they got closer to the polar bear exhibit, Spider-Man quickly hid himself as the Lizard rounded a corner. As the Lizard looked around for Spider-Man, the web slinger readied himself to pounce.

"Alright, only got one shot at this." He let out before springing forward.

Unfortunately, as Spider-Man soared towards him, his cell phone started ringing. The Lizard heard this and spun around, swinging his tail at him and knocking him to the ground. As Spider-Man tried picking himself up, the Lizard grabbed him by the neck and lifter him into the air. The Lizard then opened his jaws, ready to finish him off. Seeing no other option, Spider-Man pulled off his mask, exposing his face.

"Dr. Connors...it's me… Peter." He pleaded. "Remember who you are."

This move gave the Lizard pause. For a brief moment, Lizard's eyes cleared, becoming human for just a few short seconds. This was long enough for Peter to free himself from his grip and leapt backwards into the exhibit, shooting out two weblines that attached to the Lizard and pulled him in along with him. The two splashed down in the water, with the Lizard slowly pulling himself up. Peter surfaced too, gasping for air as the Lizard came towards him. Peter quickly leapt over him and webbed a nearby rock, swinging it around hitting him in the face. With the Lizard disoriented, Peter leapt onto his back, webbing his arms together so he couldn't attack again. He tried slamming his tail on him, but Peter quickly grabbed it with one hand as he used his free one to take out the gene cleanser vial and pop the cork off.

"Alright doc, down the hatch!" Peter declared, shoving the vial down his throat.

The Lizard finally managed to tear his arms free and grabbed Peter, throwing him towards the shore. As Peter landed, he looked down at the vial and saw that it was empty. He held out hope as he got up and the Lizard started moving towards him. As he did though, the Lizard cried out in pain. His size was slowly reducing as he clawed at his face. As he opened his eyes, they were no longer reptile slits, but human pupils again, causing Peter to smile in triumph.

"Yes!" Peter cheered. "Thank you, Gwen Stacy."

The Lizard's tail retracted into his body as his right arm did the same. The reptile scales were slowly transforming back into human skin and his long snout shrunk back into a human face. Now fully human, Curt collapsed in weariness as Peter moved to catch him.

"Take it easy doc." Peter told him. "The nightmares over."

Back at Oscorp, Gwen and Martha were waiting anxiously for any word on Doc Connors. Suddenly, the doors opened up and Peter (having changed back into civilian clothes) led a semi-conscious and thoroughly exhausted Dr. Connors inside.

"Look who I found." Peter declared.

"Curt!" Martha exclaimed, running over and hugging him.

He held her tightly, his single arm gripping onto her coat.

"Martha..." he let out. "Seems I only have one arm to hold you with."

"That's always been enough for me." Martha told him.

Hearing his dad's name called, Billy peaked out of the office and saw that he was human once again. His face lit up and he came running out.

"Daddy!" He cried out.

"Billy!" Curt exclaimed, kneeling down and hugging him.

"Dad, I was so scared." Billy let out. "I thought you'd forget about me."

"Never." Curt reassured.

Gwen ran over to Peter, pulling him into a hug. When he winced, she pulled back, seeing the bite on his arm.

"Peter, are you okay?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Spidey needed help getting the cleanser into the doc." Peter lied. "I got sloppy."

"Peter, I love your need to help," Gwen told him, "but you could've gotten killed."

"I know," Peter replied. "But I felt… responsible."

"What happened wasn't your fault, Peter." Connors insisted as Martha ushered him into a chair. "I'm the one who rushed things, and it nearly cost me everything. I'd probably either be locked up in prison or a lab if not for you… and Spider-Man."

Peter smiled in response, happy to see his friend alright.

The doc was right. I may have helped create the Lizard, but I also helped stop him too. And thanks to Spider-Man, Curt's a free man, and Billy got his father back. That's a win in my book.

The next day, Norman looked at the resignation letter in his hand, more than a little shocked at who had handed it in. He set it down, looking up at Dr. Connors.

"Curt, you can't be serious." Norman told him.

"I'm afraid so." Curt replied. "I'm sorry Norman, but your cure is not going to be found by me, or my Cross Genetics research. I've completely scrapped the project."

"What?!" Norman exclaimed. "What about your breakthrough?!"

"A fluke." Curt replied. "A coincidence. Everything else since then has had… disastrous results."

"You can't just walk out on me." Norman told him, standing up from his desk. "I won't allow it!"

"I'm sorry, but my decision is final." Curt insisted. "I've already accepted a teaching position at Empire State. I think it's the kind of change I need right now."

"You're walking away from a multi-million dollar company to work at a school?" Norman scoffed.

"I'm doing what's best for my family." Curt corrected. "Good day, Mr. Osborn."

Curt then walked out of the office, prompting Norman to plop back in his chair in defeat. He looked down at his hand, which was starting to shake a little. He closed them into fists, then slammed them on his desk, lowering his head as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

Norman's emotions were still running rampant when he returned home that night. He closed the door a little harder than necessary, stopping when he found a pissed off Harry pacing in the living room.

"You seem troubled, son." Norman noted.

"Troubled?" Harry repeated. "Yeah, kinda an understatement. I failed my calc test cause Pete abandoned me. Flash's crowd won't cut me a brea-"

"Enough!" Norman proclaimed. "There's nothing I hate more than whining."

Harry was taken aback by his father's harshness, but said nothing as Norman stepped forward.

"Peter's not the reason you failed." Norman told him. "You wanna pass tests, study. You wanna become popular, be popular. Harry, life's pretty simple. When faced with adversity, you cowboy up and do what you have to do."

With that, Norman walked towards his personal study, leaving Harry alone to ponder his father's words.

"Yeah…" he let out. "Think I'll just do that."