Hey, true believers! Peter Parker here, with nothing better to do with my time now that Midtown High’s been closed due to quarantine. After OsCorp poisoned all of the students, nearly killing them, the school was shut down and I’m left without a source of income.

Don’t worry, though, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s going to bounce back, though. As a matter of fact, I might already have a new gig lined up. In the meantime, I also have to deal with the fact that I just found out that I’m the father to a seventeen year old. It’s a long story, but it’s worse because I can’t tell the kid. Some days it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed…

BROKEN LIZARD

By Tobias Christopher

Then

Twelve year old Flash Thompson stumbled downstairs in his pajamas, feeling like he was going to die. A flu virus had been going around, and li’l Flash was the latest one to catch it.

“Mom, I’m sick,” Flash told her as he tried not to fall over.

“He’s burning up, go upstairs and get into bed,” His mother said as she felt his forehead and realized he might actually be sick. “I just talked to May Parker last night. Her nephew’s got the same thing, she’s nursing the poor thing back to health.”

“Little bastard’s faking it,” Flash’s father said as he grabbed Flash by the arm. “Get your ass upstairs and get dressed for school. He needs to learn to man up, you can’t coddle the boy forever.”

“But dad,” Flash said as he could barely stand up straight.

“Now!”

Having barely gotten himself dressed, but still leaving the house with only one shoe, his shirt unbuttoned, and his fly down, Flash ended up passing out on the walk to school, and had to be hospitalized for three weeks. His parents never came to visit once, only arriving once he was released to go home. That was when Flash Thompson learned that if he didn’t take care of himself, no one else would.

Today

“Is this really necessary?” Flash Thompson asked as he sat in his bed. He had several blankets over him and a tray of food in front of him. On his bed stand was a stack of comics, brought to him by his good friend Peter. Of course, Flash wasn’t really sick, just really sore from having his body mutated and reverted to human over the course of one night, but his caretaker wasn’t taking any chances.

“You’ve been through a very traumatic experience,” May Parker said as she felt his forehead for the seventh time that hour. Of course, Flash was a grown man who could obviously take of himself, but he’d also just been through a horrible mutation. And then learning he was housing two teenage boys sealed the deal. May wasn’t about to let those poor boys starve while Flash was recovering. “Now you stay in that bed, young man. Peter asked me to take care of you while he’s out running errands.”

“I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself,” Flash muttered as May shot him a look. “But thank you, anyway. It’s nice of you to do this for me.”

“You’re Peter’s best friend, I couldn’t say no to him when he told me what happened,” May replied. Luckily Ben Reilly had worked up a cure just in time, but now Flash was enduring bed rest for a few days to make sure that he was really alright. “Now, eat your soup before it gets cold.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Flash said, feeling like he was twelve again. He lifted the spoon and took a mouthful of the chicken noodle soup.

“Well, all of the students are safe and recovering,” Peter Parker said as he talked into his cellphone while doing some grocery shopping for Aunt May. “They’re in quarantine for at least the next forty-eight hours, but it looks like they’re all going to make a full recovery.”

“I’m just glad that no one got hurt,” Mary Jane Watson-Parker said on her end of the line in California. She’d called Peter immediately after hearing about the events of the last few days on the news. “I was worried about you.”

“I have everything under control,” Peter assured her, smiling as he heard that she still cared for him. “So, are you due for a visit to New York anytime soon?”

“The movie is in post-production now, and soon we’ll be starting the press tour,” Mary Jane replied as she stood in her bathroom, using something she’d picked up at the pharmacy. “I’ll be out there for the New York premiere when the movie opens in a few months. I hope you don’t mind if I bring Riley with me.”

“No, I don’t mind at all,” Peter told her. “How’s the kid taking to the role of well… me?”

“He’s loving every minute of it,” Mary Jane told him. “I’ve been visiting the set. They’ve taken some . . . liberties with the non-Spidey side of things.”

“Well, that’s kind of understandable,” Peter said, glad that the producers knew nothing of his secret identity. “I’m sure Riley will love New York. I can’t wait to see you. I love you.”

“I can’t wait to see you either,” Mary Jane replied. “I love you, too.”

A.J. Michaels sat shirtless on the table in the doctor’s office as he waited for the doctor to come back in. He had to do another follow up just to make sure things were alright after the recent outbreak among the Midtown High students. A.J., his brother Drew, and a very small handful of students were the only ones not be quarantined after outbreak, but all of them had to be checked out, just in case.

Doctor Webber came back in, holding the test results as he continued to stare down at them. He didn’t look at A.J. as he closed the door behind him, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

“Can I put my shirt back on, doc? It’s cold in here,” A.J. told him.

“Yes, of course,” Dr. Webber told him as he finally looked up at the young man. “How have you been feeling these last few days?”

“Like I’m on top of the world,” A.J. said as he pulled his striped red and black polo shirt with a hood back on. “In fact, I’ve never felt this good. Something’s wrong, isn’t there? My cancer’s back and this is just a big fake out, isn’t it? How long do have to live, Doc? One hour, two?”

“On the contrary,” Dr. Webber told him. “I can’t explain it, but there’s not a trace of cancer in your body. It’s like it was never there in the first place. You’re one hundred per cent healthy.”

A.J.’s nearly fainted as he heard that. “You’re kidding.”

Dr. Webber showed him the results. “You’re going to live to a ripe old age, Mr. Michaels. It’s a miracle.”

Miles underground, in the vast sewer system of New York, loud munching echoed throughout the tunnels. The Lizard was feeding on whatever scraps he could find – rats, squirrels, dogs, and whatever other animals were unlucky enough to find themselves close enough to a sewer grate to be pulled through.

This had been the life of the Lizard for the last few weeks, ever since he had escaped the ESU lab. The scientists were working on a cure to return him to the form of Curt Connors, but weren’t making any progress. Then one night, someone had ripped open the doors to the cell that even he couldn’t budge. He didn’t know who his liberator was, and didn’t stick around to find out.

Now all there was for the Lizard was life underground, away from humans. Away from his beloved son, Billy, who had transformed into a younger version of the Lizard once again the last time they were together.

As the Lizard was feeding on tonight’s dinner, a dog who had wandered away from its owner while in the park, he paused to spit out the bones before continuing on with the meal.

“You’re disgusting,” a familiar woman’s voice said. The Lizard stopped and looked around, seeing nothing before finishing his meal. As he turned around, he saw a woman standing six feet away from him. She was wearing a long white dress which was extremely clean and spotless given the environment. Her hair was blonde, long and flowing, with piercing green eyes. Her features were shared with one Billy Connors.

“M–Martha,” the Lizard’s voice managed to stumble out, along with some left over dog blood.

“This creature is not the man I married. You are not the man I loved,” Martha told him as she inched slowly closer towards him, keeping her voice calm as she spoke. “You are a true beast. An animal. It is because of you that our son is dying in a hospital bed.”

The Lizard tried to speak, but his reptilian vocal chords couldn’t produce full sentences. Only bits and pieces of various words.

“Curt Connors is dead, gone forever. All that is left is this . . . beast,” Martha told him. “To pretend that you’re anything else is a lie. You are a monster, a horrible and violent thing that should be put out of its misery.”

The Lizard reached his hand out to touch her, but she smacked his hand away.

“Don’t touch me, you . . . monster,” Martha bitterly told him. “You destroy everything you touch. You destroyed your life, you destroyed me, and you destroyed our son. I don’t who the bigger freak is, you or the shell that dared to call itself a man.”

The Lizard let out a low growl as Martha backed away.

“You’re a horrible monster, and you should start acting like it,” Martha told him. “Go terrorize the people of New York, toss some cars around . . . eat some children. Make people see the thing that you truly are!”

As Martha disappeared into the shadows, the Lizard tried to follow her, but only heard a harsh laughter in the darkness, taunting him as he tried to find his beloved wife. That’s when he heard the voice of his son calling out to him.

“Daddy! Why did you do this to me?” Billy cried out, and after a few seconds, the cries started becoming garbled, turning into a vicious roar, mixed with a child’s crying.

The Lizard fell to his knees, holding his hands to his head, trying to drown out the sounds of endless torment. That’s when the next tormentor came.

“I’m coming to get you, Lizzie!” Spider-Man taunted in the darkness. “I don’t care whether you’re Curt Connors or the Lizard, I’m going to come for you. And then I’m going to lock you away in a teeny, tiny little box for the rest of your life, praying each day for death. Only death will never come because I’ll never let you die!”

As the Lizard looked up, he saw Spider-Man, Martha, and Billy standing around, taunting him and telling him how much they hate him. Finally the Lizard let out a horrific roar and rushed off into the darkness, his sanity finally having snapped. As he disappeared into the sewer system, Martha smiled to herself.

“That’s right, Mr. Connors,” Martha said as she morphed into Mephisto before gloatin. “Go bring me my prize.”

Flash was sleeping peacefully when he opened his eyes and saw May standing in the doorway.

“You dirty bird,” May as she walked toward Flash. She headed to a bird cage that hanging near the dresser. “Honestly, do you ever change the newspaper in this thing?”

“I’ve been kind of busy lately,” Flash told her. “You know, getting mutated and all. You know, I think I am feeling a lot better, I think I’ll get up and go for a walk.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” May told him as she pushed him back down against his pillow. “You’re going to rest until I’m sure you’re well enough to get back out there.”

“But who knows how long the high school’s going to be closed? I have to find a way to pay the bills,” Flash said.

“You’re going to worry yourself into an even worse state,” May replied as she felt his forehead. She wouldn’t admit it, but she loved taking care of Flash. It reminded her of taking care of Peter when he was a small boy. “You’ll find something in a few days when you’re well rested.”

“You know something? Peter’s a lucky guy to have you around,” Flash told her with a grateful smile. “No wonder he turned out to be the guy he is now.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but I can’t take all the credit, Peter’s Uncle Ben did a lot of the work, too,” May said as she folded the laundry. She knew all about the Thompsons and what went on inside of their house. She felt bad for Flash’s home life, but was glad he turned into someone her nephew could call a best friend. “I’m going to go get dinner started. I’ll check on you shortly.”

As she left, Flash just stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah, a real lucky guy.”

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” Tommy said as A.J. sat by his hospital bed. A.J. had come by to tell him the good news about being completely rid of his disease before leaving the hospital to tell the rest of the world. Tommy was in a room by himself since there was an odd number of students in quarantine.

“I’m sorry I ran off after,” A.J. told him as he stared down at the ground. “Why’d you do it?”

“I like you,” Tommy said, almost having been too ashamed to admit it. “I mean, I really like you. I wanted to say something before, but I was just too embarrassed. Then this spider-power thing happened and I guess it made me not want to hide anymore.”

“I have someone already,” A.J. replied.

“He’s in a coma and he may never wake up,” Tommy bluntly told him. “I just don’t want you to wait around twenty years for someone who may never come back to you.”

“He’ll come back to me,” A.J. told him angrily as he stood up. “And no one’s going to make me believe any differently. Not you, not my brother, no one!”

A.J. stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him as Tommy just watched him go.

Peter was bringing the groceries to Flash’s apartment, and stopped outside to dig the front door key out of his pocket. As he finally fished it out, a piece of paper fell out of his pocket. He picked it up and looked at it.

“I’d forgotten I had this. Looks like I have a phone call to make.”

Peter finally fished the key out of his pocket and let himself into the apartment.

“Aunt May?”

“In the kitchen, Peter,” May said as Peter followed her voice. “Did you get everything?”

“Everything but the–” Peter started to say as he saw Drew sitting at the kitchen table, who had been forced into preparing the vegetables for dinner.

“Help me,” Drew mouthed silently as Peter put the bags on the table. He hadn’t had time to tell May the truth about Drew, and was worried that if he told her, she’d start treating the boy like her a grandson, which technically, he was.

“A.J. called, he said he was running a little behind after his check-up, would you be a dear and go get him?” May asked.

“Uh, sure,” Peter told her, wanting an excuse to not be in the same room as his son. Now that he knew the truth, he was fighting every urge to tell him what he’d learned from the Jackal. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

A.J. sat at Billy Connors’ bedside, holding his hand. Billy was still comatose, having won the battle against his transformation into the Lizard’s junior counterpart, but at the cost of his mind. The bandages on his face had been removed, revealing three deep scars that ran from his right jaw to his the left of forehead. His dyed black hair had since grown back to its natural blonde color, leaving his hair only partially dyed. A.J. brushed the blackened ends of his hair out of Billy’s eyes as he just sat there silently for a half hour before he finally spoke.

“You need to come back to me,” A.J. told him. “You need to show these people that you’re not gone. I won’t give up on you, Billy. I love you.”

Peter silently entered the room and came up behind A.J. “They said you left the hospital and came here. I had to swing all the way across town to come pick you up.”

“Sorry,” A.J. said almost silently as he continued looking down at Billy. “I just had to see him. You know he’s going to wake up, right?”

“I know he has a lot of fight left in him,” Peter said as he sat down next to the boy. “But if he wakes up, he might not be the same guy he was.”

“I’m not giving up,” A.J. told him.

“No one says you have to,” Peter said as he put a hand on A.J.’s shoulder. “But you’re still young. You need to go out and be a kid, and if Billy wakes up, then you two can plan a future together if that’s what you both want.”

“Tommy’s into me,” A.J. said as he looked at Peter. “I love Billy, but . . . what if he doesn’t wake up for a long time?”

Peter just sighed as he looked down at Billy. “I’m not the best expert to dispense love advice, kid. All I can say is just do what you think is best. If you want give Tommy a shot, then do it because you feel like you want to be with him. If you want to wait for Billy, then do it because you want to be with him. Do whatever you feel is best, kid. Now come on, let’s get home to dinner before Aunt May gets worried.”

“Mind if I skip dinner?” A.J. asked. “I have one more thing I need to do.”

“Just don’t stay out too late,” Peter told him. “I’ll see you later, kid. Stay safe.”

Night soon fell over the city, and while the Parkers’ were having dinner at Flash’s apartment, something horrible was about to go down in Central City Park.

The Lizard’s mind had indeed snapped even further, and Mephisto hadn’t relented. He showed up once every few hours, taking the form of one the Lizard’s loved ones to continue push Curt Connors down the path of insanity, not caring who he hurt.

Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Jason Carter was still in the park’s basketball court, long after his friends had gone home to dinner. Jason wasn’t ready to go home yet, especially with his parents arguing again. Sometimes he thought if he didn’t come one night, his parents would stop arguing and bond over missing him, eventually rekindling their love.

As Jason continued shooting the ball into the basket, this time having missed and sending the basketball into the bushes. As he went to get the ball, he heard a growling and assumed it was a stray dog. As he reached down for the basketball, he didn’t realize the towering form of the Lizard behind him. Jason’s screams were quickly silenced as the Lizard devoured him in less than two bites, leaving just one sneaker, one basketball, and a small amount of blood behind.

Jason Carter got his wish two nights later after his parents had put aside their arguing to find him, eventually rekindling their love over their dead child.

NEXT: New careers, new loves, and tragic endings.