I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 66: Getting Ready to Beat Up the Lizard (Patreon)

Martha woke to a horrible stench that made her stomach turn. As her eyes adjusted, she saw an enormous green lizard crouched on the ground, fiddling with something. Her heart sank.

That was Connors. Her husband. Somehow, he'd become a monster.

She struggled upright, and Connors seemed to notice the movement. He turned toward her. "Martha, just wait a little longer! I'll be finished soon!"

"W-what?!" Martha scrambled backward, breathing deeply as she fought down her fear. She had to stay calm.

"Martha, look at this body!" Connors rose to his feet. He was considerably smaller now than he'd been at his most powerful, and he'd lost much of the strength that had once allowed him to flip cars with his bare hands. In exchange, however, he'd gained something else.

Intelligence. He could finally think clearly about what was happening to him, and he still possessed a body far beyond anything a normal human could achieve.

"My experiment worked! Better than I ever imagined. I'm stronger than before. My speed, strength, and regenerative ability have all improved beyond comparison!" Connors could barely contain his excitement. "I'll lead humanity into the next stage of evolution!"

"Oh, God... Connors, how can you talk like that?" Martha stared at him in disbelief. Her husband had always been a modest, courteous man. When had he become so arrogant?

Unless...

Her eyes went to the vials he was holding.

"Are those...?"

"Oh, darling, this is the serum that transformed me! I went back to Oscorp Tower and brought it here. I just need to adjust the mixture. Trust me, once you've tried it, you'll understand!" Connors declared with absolute confidence.

Martha took in her surroundings. They seemed to be in a junction of the city's sewer system. There was little water because it wasn't the rainy season, and Connors had built himself a makeshift workstation amid a sprawling mess of equipment.

Then she spotted a backpack.

She recognized it. It belonged to that boy, Peter.

Martha drew a steadying breath. Something was terribly wrong with Connors, so she forced herself to sound agreeable. "All right, all right, Connors. But look at the state of this place!"

"Sorry, Martha. It's safe here. That annoying person swinging around kept getting in my way. I'll be done soon."

"Then you get back to work, and I'll tidy up. Honestly, what if you step on something dangerous? Look at all this glassware lying on the floor!"

"Uh... all right." Apparently, his new intelligence hadn't given him much common sense.

Martha began pretending to clean while inching toward Peter's backpack.

Connors went right on explaining his grand vision. "Once I've combined the remaining vials, I'll pour the mixture into the water treatment plant. Then everyone in New York will get to evolve!"

"Evolve... into something like you?" Martha crouched and opened the backpack.

"Not necessarily. They might become scorpions, or spiders, or something else..." Connors broke off and turned sharply. His reptilian eyes locked on Martha's hands as she searched the bag. "What are you doing?!"

"Just checking whether there's anything... anything you need in here. But it looks like... a lot of junk! Ha ha..." Martha managed a shaky laugh. She'd already spotted an inhibitor and a satellite phone. What on earth had possessed Peter to pack things like that?

"You work so hard for me, Martha. What a wonderful wife you are." Connors turned back to his equipment, giving his massive tail a couple of lazy swishes.

Martha hurried to dial the number Peter had left her. Her hands shook so badly that she entered it incorrectly twice. "Honey... could I use the bathroom?"

"Oh, don't go too far. It isn't safe out there!"

"Of course!" She rushed to a corner behind the pipes and waited, breathing hard, for the satellite phone to connect.

As soon as someone answered, she lowered her voice. "Peter?"

"Martha?"

"It's me. I'm with Connors, Peter. Something's very wrong with him..."

"I understand. Where are you?"

"I... I don't know. But I found your backpack..."

"Is everything still in it?"

"Yes. It's all here..."

"Okay. Please be careful. There's a GPS tracker inside the bag. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Peter hung up and looked across the table at Gwen, who had already set down her knife and fork. "Looks like we've got trouble."

"Um... is there something I should do?"

"Help me figure out how to get in touch with Spider-Woman," Peter said. "She's the only one who can handle this. Connors took my backpack, which means he has the inhibitor, too."

"How am I supposed to contact her?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Try shouting her name. Or shine a big searchlight into the sky, like Batman. Maybe she'll turn up."

"Right... I'll try that..."

Peter returned to his room to gather his things, then left the apartment. A little later, Gwen climbed through his bedroom window and pulled on her mask.

"Okay. I remember Peter has some materials in here."

She'd completely run out of webbing, so she had little choice but to borrow enough supplies from him to make a temporary batch.

Now she owed him money and materials. When she finished, she thought for a moment, then left a note with her other phone number and an IOU before heading out.

Once she'd reached a high vantage point, she called Peter. "I found Spider-Woman! She wants to know where you are."

"That was fast, Gwen. I'm at..." Peter gave her his location and waited.

A short while later, Spider-Woman swung into view on her webs. "Well, look who it is. Good to see you again, buddy!"

"I'm Peter. Though I suppose you already knew that." He held out his hand. "The GPS has located Connors. We'd better get moving."

"What's the hand for?"

"For you to take me there, obviously." Peter gave her an incredulous look. "My friend's car got wrecked this afternoon. Were you expecting me to run the whole way?"

"Fine, but I'm charging you for the ride." Gwen wrapped an arm around his waist and launched them into the air.

The experience was like being dragged onto a roller coaster without warning. Peter didn't enjoy it one bit.

And then there was something else.

"By the way, Spider-Woman, you really ought to wash your suit. It's starting to smell."

"Oh! Um... I will. I just don't have a spare, you know? Anyway, let's deal with tonight's problem first." Gwen sounded distinctly uncomfortable. Under her mask, her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Fortunately, Peter couldn't see them.