I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 72: Wrapping Things Up (Patreon)

"I think that would make you the prime suspect, not me," Peter said. "Seriously, you should pay more attention to what you're wearing."

"Oh, shut up, you jerk." Spider-Woman raised her middle finger at him.

Click!

Peter snapped a picture.

"Hey! Delete that!"

"Why would I? It's hilarious."

"I said, delete..."

"Oh. You two work fast," Connors remarked, opening the apartment door to find them fooling around.

"Let's get this over with. I want to get to bed early," Peter said. From his backpack, he produced a small camera that could hang against Connors's chest, along with a concealed earpiece and microphone. He had the doctor put them on.

Connors swallowed an inhibitor capsule. Spider-Woman took a dose of the inhibitor with her as a backup. If the capsule failed, she'd have to deal with the transformation herself.

Peter and Connors hailed a taxi.

"Oscorp Tower." Peter calculated the fare and paid in advance. "Fastest route, please. I'm from around here, so don't try taking the scenic route."

"Two passengers?" the driver asked.

"Two... I think."

Gwen had already settled herself on the roof of the cab.

"Hey! That's Spider-Woman!"

"Spider-Woman!"

As the taxi pulled away, pedestrians spotted Gwen sitting on top. She rose to her feet and waved cheerfully.

"Hey, everyone! Just hitching a ride!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

A moment later, she smacked headfirst into a road sign and tumbled to the pavement.

"Oh... shit..."

By the time she looked up, the taxi was already disappearing down the street.

"Hey! Wait! I haven't gotten back on yet!"

Oscorp Tower was still lit up as brightly as daylight, even this late at night.

The taxi stopped in a shadowy spot nearby. Connors stepped out first, followed by Peter, who went off to wander around the neighborhood while the doctor handled his meeting.

Connors entered the building, explained why he was there, and was soon on an elevator to the top floor. The executive offices were familiar to him. He passed into Norma's suite, through a small reception area that led to a second room. Raised voices were coming from inside.

Before long, a bald, middle-aged man emerged. Connors recognized him immediately.

Adrian Toomes was an electronics engineer. Rumor had it he'd once been an Air Force pilot before changing careers. He was an authority on antigravity technology and had his own laboratory in Oscorp Tower, where he was said to be developing some kind of antigravity aircraft.

Toomes was so reclusive, however, that neither Otto nor Connors knew much about him personally.

The man stormed out with a scowl, shot Connors a glance, and slammed the door on his way out.

Norma appeared soon afterward, looking angry herself. But when she noticed Connors, her expression smoothed over almost instantly.

"You've arrived, Connors. Come in. We need to talk."

Connors followed her inside. Norma took her seat and gestured for him to sit, too.

"You can keep your position here and return to your laboratory," she said. "I'll authorize the funds to repair whatever was damaged."

Connors said nothing. He waited for her to continue. There had to be a catch behind such a complete change of heart.

"I've just secured a new project. Complete it, and you'll have more time." Norma tossed a proposal across the desk.

Connors leafed through it, deliberately reading aloud so Peter could hear through the hidden microphone.

"A biological weapons program? You want to mass-produce Lizard creatures?"

"Not me. The military," Norma replied. "Your experiment was a failure, Connors. You didn't regrow your missing arm. Instead, you turned yourself into a monster.

"Fortunately, that monster was powerful. Terrifying. A walking war machine. The military wants that. So give up your childish dreams, Connors. If you're still determined to waste your time on that damned limb-regeneration research, you can leave.

"But if you want to stay, you'll work on this. Make it reproducible, make it controllable, and turn it into a weapon."

Connors wanted desperately to refuse. He knew what the military was capable of and understood the suffering war caused. He couldn't bring himself to develop a weapon that might destroy countless lives.

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

"Then I imagine the news that Dr. Curt Connors is a giant lizard monster will be on tomorrow's front page," Norma said. "You've caused enough trouble to spend the rest of your life behind bars."

"Accept it, Dr. Connors," Peter said into the microphone.

He was sitting on a swing in a nearby park, watching Gwen arrive on a strand of web.

"Buy yourself time," he continued. "Use it to research a way to remove the experimental serum from your body. Once you've succeeded, who cares about Norma or the military? Leave the country and spend the rest of your life tucked away somewhere nobody can find you."

"I'll stay," Connors told Norma.

"Then all your benefits will be restored, Dr. Connors. Appreciate the project I've brought you. There won't be another chance," Norma said. "I'm not paying to keep useless people on the payroll."

"Understood." Connors picked up the proposal and left the office. "I'll come in tomorrow."

After he was gone and the room fell quiet, Norma rose and looked out at the glittering lights of the city. Then she picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello. It's me..."

...

"I'd call that good news," Peter said later.

"How is any of this good news?" Connors sighed. "I wanted to develop a treatment that could save people, not a weapon that kills them. Does our military know how to do anything besides invade other countries?"

"Well, a few decades ago they were still fighting for their own country, weren't they?"

"That's exactly why I don't understand how things came to this. How could they want a weapon of war as horrible as that?"

"Don't worry, Connors. I'll figure something out," Peter assured him. "You just concentrate on your research. But make sure they don't notice what you're really doing."

"I understand, Peter."

"So this means Gwen gets to keep her internship, right?" Peter asked.

"Of course she does." Connors managed a smile. "But Peter, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

"Go ahead."

"Martha is safe at your place. Norma is sharp, and the military is dangerous. I'd like her to stay hidden with you."

"No problem, Dr. Connors. Just make sure you come back to see her once in a while."

"I will. I'll disguise myself and make sure no one follows me," Connors promised. "I owe you everything, Peter."

"You're welcome, Dr. Connors."