The Lizard Reborn Rough Draft

Chapter 5: The Cure

Hours later:

"Is the cure synthesizing properly, Peter?" A deep, growling voice asked.

"Umm, yeah. It seems that the hair that fell off during your transformation is working just like you said." Peter responded.

"Good...good." Connors returned to pacing around his lab. Despite how bulky his body was, he was moving around quite fast. He was constantly mumbling to and looking at himself as he walked around. This erratic, restless behavior made Peter nervous.

"Oh, Peter, here's..." Connors reached out to grab a beaker on one of the counters.

"Wait, doc! Don't..." Peter blurted out, but it was too late. Connors grabbed the beaker and it shattered under his strength. Luckily, his scales prevented any of the shards from stabbing his hand. Peter sighed.

"Oh...right... sorry I was just trying to..."

"I know, but this is the fourth time you've done this tonight. Just relax."

"Right. I'll go clean it up." Conners grabbed a broom with large indents on the handle where he put his hands on as he sweeped up.

Connors hated this. He wanted to help so badly, but he couldn't. Energy was burning through his body like fire, but he didn't have anything to preoccupy him. As he tossed the glass shards in the trash, he saw on top of it a torn up magazine. A reminder of another failed attempt to entertain himself. It was like he was in a world of cardboard. All he could hope for is that Peter finishes the cure so he could return back to normal.

Minutes felt like hours as the inhuman amount of stamina his new form gave him put him constantly on edge. He felt trapped in this lab, he wanted to get out of here and do...something, anything to distract himself. However he couldn't risk people seeing him like this, it would definitely cause a panic if that happened.

"Finished." Peter finally said.

"Great! Now give me the cure!"

"Hold on, doc. I should probably administer the cure, just to be safe."

"Ok, sure. Whatever you think is best." He quickly took off his lab coat and showed his left shoulder to Peter.

"Ok, here goes nothing." He carefully injected the cure into Connors.

The cure worked very similar to the original serum since it was just the serum with different DNA. It worked almost instantly as the doctor felt his scales softening back to skin, his claws receding back to nails, his hair growing back on his head. It was a strange sensation as he felt his body lose its muscle mass and energy at a rapid pace. It was like he was a deflating balloon. Also unlike the serum, the cure was slowing his heartbeat as his body relaxed and eased up. It felt like the cure itself was reassuring Curt that everything is going back to normal.

Before he knew it, he was back to his normal self, almost. When he thought the whole thing was over, he felt his right arm get tingly. As a final morbid surprise, he looked down to see that his arm was growing extremely weak by the second, as if decaying. Then, before he knew it, the arm fell off of his body, leaving him with only one arm again.

"What?! How is that...?" Connors said before a wave of tiredness crashed his body, and he did a low, tired groan. The energy the Lizard had given him was gone, and he was just Dr. Connors once more.

"Doc, are you alright?" Peter walked towards Connors to keep him steady.

"I'm fine...the reversal just...caught me off guard is all." Connors quickly recovered from the whiplash of the transformation. "What matters now is that I'm normal again. I can see my wife and Billy again without freaking them out." He paused for a moment in thought.

"Speaking of which, we should probably get you back to them before they think something terrible has happened."

"Yes, of course. Poor Martha must be worried sick."

Connors looked back at his stump where his arm was with a defeated look on his face. He sighed to himself. "I wonder..."

"Aren't you coming?" Connors looked up to see Peter already halfway out of the lab.

"Oh right, sorry." He replied, and then they both left together.

...

"So, what do we say to them, Peter?" Connors was asking while they were sitting in his car.

"Well, we can't tell them you transformed into a mini Godzilla, that's for sure." Peter joked.

Connors chuckled. "Yeah, I'll just say I had an accident at the lab I had to clean up."

"Ok then, let's go."

They both get out of the car as Connors unlocks the front door. He heads to the kitchen where they see Martha huddled on one of the chairs on the dining table. Right next to here is Billy, Curt's 10 year old son, trying to comfort her mom when he looks up and has a shocked expression.

"Holy crap! Dad!" He blurted out as he rushed towards him and gave his dad a huge hug. This was followed by Martha looking up and gasping loudly.

"Curt! You're ok!" She got up to hug her husband as well.

"Ah screw it." Peter said before joining the group hug. Connors just stood there, relishing the love of his family and friends.

Then the hug ended and Martha said "You had me worried sick! I was this close to calling the police and reporting you missing!"

"Relax mom," Billy chimed in, "I'm sure Dad was spending extra time working on that arm regrowing thing, right dad."

"Yeah!" Peter butted in as well, "He was, but he accidentally spilt something and slipped on it breaking his phone. Luckily, I had to come back for something and I was able to help him clean up and finish his work." Curt was shocked by how quickly and easily Peter was able to make a cover up story, it's like he was a natural.

"Oh? And you are...?" Martha asked.

"Oh right, Peter Parker. I've been Curt's assistant for a little while now."

"Well allow me to thank you for helping my husband then."

"Yeah, any friend of dad's is a friend of mine!" Billy yelled enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that little guy." Peter replied.

"Actually, hey dad. Weren't you supposed to be finished with your serum today?"

"Billy! What did I tell you about being nosey like that?!" Martha asked in a disciplinary tone.

"No, no. It's alright dear." Curt took a knee to get on his son's level. "Billy, what's the one thing I tell you about dreams?"

"That it takes time to make them work?"

"Right, so sometimes when you're working, you get slowed down by something. It's frustrating, but it's life. When that happens, you just need to keep pushing forward."

"That's what you're going to do right? You're not gonna give up right?"

"Billy..." he puts his hand on his son's shoulder. "I will never, ever give up. You have to keep going no matter how tough it gets until you've left your mark on the world and achieved your dreams. And that's what I'm going to do. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I won't fail you, I promise."

"Awesome. Don't worry dad, I'll follow my dreams."

"Then just keep getting good grades in school like you have been, ok?"

"Alright dad."

"Attaboy." He gives his son some reassuring pats on the shoulder before getting back up.

"Now then, let's go eat out, I gotta make up for making you guys worry somehow, right?"