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A rundown house sat alone on the outskirts of the city.
It was late, well past midnight, and the surrounding area was eerily quiet. No lights came from the windows, and the inside was worse: filthy, cluttered, overrun with rats. Dried blood stained the floor.
A massive figure lay sprawled on the ground inside.
Dr. Curt Connors stared at his increasingly green, scaled arm, gritting his teeth. "Damn, parasite… I'm human. I'm Curt Connors. Not a monster."
But the voice in his mind was growing louder, clawing at his thoughts. His vision wavered one of his eyes shifted, the pupil becoming a vertical, reptilian slit.
"Let go… Embrace your true self," the voice hissed. "You're not human. You're a king. The Reptile King. Rule them all of them."
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Connors grabbed his own neck, trying to choke the transformation out of himself. He hadn't been home in days. His wife thought he was either having an affair or had been sent on some covert assignment. The truth?
He'd been fired. Jobless. Isolated. Drowning.
The serum had failed him. He'd taken it to regrow his missing arm to heal. But instead, it had made him the very thing he feared most: an abomination.
A freak.
He slammed his fists to the floor, screaming. "I'M NOT A MONSTER!"
And then… a voice from the shadows.
"Need a hand, brother?"
Nolan stood at the broken window, dressed in custom black tactical gear and holding a vibranium shield. His expression was calm, collected even amused.
After receiving Connors' location from Klaue, Nolan had come prepared. His headset had picked up the agonized screaming the moment he approached.
No doubt—this was the Lizard.
Connors had clearly just injected the serum. The full transformation hadn't taken hold yet. That meant his mind—his humanity was still fighting for control.
And that meant he was still… salvageable.
"You're not beyond saving, Connors," Nolan said, stepping down from the window.
"Leave me alone!" Connors barked, covering his face with his hand. "You don't know what it's like… To be treated like you're less. Like you're broken."
He hadn't always been like this. He'd poured his brilliance into the Lizard Serum so that others like him—the forgotten—could be whole again.
But it had betrayed him.
He wasn't whole. He was… worse.
"I can fix this," Nolan said. "You don't have to live like this."
But Connors' mind snapped. The green overtook him. His body surged, growing and mutating. Within seconds, he had fully transformed—nearly eight feet tall, covered in forest-green scales, claws gleaming, eyes glowing with animal rage.
The Lizard bared his teeth. "You? Help me? You filthy human?"
With a roar, he lashed out his massive tail whipping across the room toward Nolan.
Nolan raised the vibranium shield, absorbing the blow without flinching.
"Captain America?" the Lizard hissed, surprised.
"Nope. Just Nolan."
He dropped from the windowsill and squared up. "But I can help you. I can make you whole again."
"LIAR!" the Lizard shrieked, slashing at Nolan.
Connors, in this form, was dangerously strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. But Nolan wasn't a pushover. With superhuman hearing, sharp reflexes, and a nearly indestructible shield, he danced around Connors' rage, blocking blow after blow.
Still, he didn't fight back. Not yet.
Because he knew Connors was still in there.
The serum wasn't stable.
The Lizard wasn't fully in control.
All he had to do was stall and let Connors' mind fight its way back.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
The room echoed with impacts as Nolan held firm, blocking and deflecting. Connors fought like a beast, powerful and wild but lacking technique. Nolan moved with purpose and precision.
Eventually… the attacks slowed.
Nolan could feel the resistance.
Connors was losing momentum. Losing control. Not to the Lizard—but to himself.
And then, Nolan stopped defending.
He let Connors' claws rake across his chest, tearing through his suit and ripping flesh.
Blood poured down his torso.
But almost instantly… the wound began to heal.
Muscle. Skin. Reformed right in front of Connors' eyes.
"What… What are you?"
"The future," Nolan said, lowering his shield. "My own creation. I call it the Phoenix Serum. It accelerates healing and even regrows limbs. Just ask the blind man I cured he sees now."
The Lizard's form trembled.
Slowly, the scales began to recede.
Dr. Curt Connors fell to his knees, naked, shivering, human again.
"…How do I know I can trust you?" he whispered.
Nolan extended a hand, calm and resolute. "Because I'm offering you something no one else will: redemption… and a job."
"I own a controlling stake in Oscorp—34%, climbing fast. Once I call a shareholders' meeting, reinstating you as Head of R&D is a done deal."
Connors blinked. "You're… a shareholder in Oscorp?"
"Yes. And I value minds like yours. I don't believe brilliant people should rot in the shadows. Join me, and I'll give you everything you need your research, your career, your life back."
"…What do you want in return?" Connors asked, voice hoarse.
"Your Lizard Serum. Your expertise. And your loyalty," Nolan replied. "You'll be well compensated, of course."
He started walking toward the door.
"Think about it. Stay here, and you'll go back to being the monster. Hated. Feared. Alone."
"Or you can walk with me and be human again."
Nolan stepped out into the night.
He didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
He already knew Connors would follow.
Because in truth… he had no other choice.
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