"Don't be so eager, lizard."
The taunt came out light and casual, completely contrasting with the violence of the attack rushing toward her.
Seeing the Lizard charge without the slightest hesitation, his sharp claws tearing through the air in front of him, Spider-Woman reacted instantly. Her body moved with precision, dodging the strike at the very last second. The attack passed dangerously close to her, powerful enough to crush concrete, but it failed to hit its intended target.
In the same fluid motion, she hurled the briefcase out of the room, throwing it forcefully through the open freezer door.
The Lizard's eyes widened.
The creature immediately aborted his attack, retracting his claws abruptly. If he accidentally tore open that briefcase and the vials shattered, his entire plan would end right there.
Seeing that the Lizard's attention had been completely diverted, Spider-Woman didn't waste a second. She fired a web at the outer wall of the freezer and launched herself out, disappearing in a blur of white and pink.
As soon as the Lizard caught the briefcase, the first thing he did was open it, his hands trembling slightly. His eyes scanned the inside until they locked onto the two intact vials.
Both vials were there.
A wide, almost reverent smile spread across his reptilian face.
"Spider-Woman…" he murmured. "You are being a great contributor to the future of humanity."
He turned, ready to continue his speech, and then realized she was no longer there.
His smile faltered.
Before he could even form the question in his mind, a familiar voice echoed from above his head:
"I'm right up here."
The Lizard instinctively looked up.
And was greeted by a brutal kick straight to the head.
The impact echoed through the corridor. His massive body was thrown backward, staggering. Before he could react, Spider-Woman had already yanked the briefcase back with a well-aimed web.
She held it in midair, spinning it slightly.
"Thanks for warming this up a bit," she commented with a playful tone. "This thing was really cold."
She landed lightly, tilting her head.
"Oh~ right," she continued. "Lizards are cold-blooded animals, aren't they? So you're really useless for warming anything up…"
The Lizard roared, trying to stand, but he didn't get the chance.
Spider-Woman rushed forward and delivered another kick, even stronger, sending him flying back into the freezer. At the same instant, Cortana took control, and the heavy metal door slammed shut with a dull crash.
"Where to now, Cortana?" Gwen asked, adjusting her stance.
Before any answer came, a chill ran down her spine.
Her Spider-Sense flared violently.
"…damn it."
A deafening crash came from inside the freezer.
The next instant, the Lizard burst through the metal door as if it were paper, exploding outward amid debris and shattered ice. He charged straight at her, completely enraged.
Spider-Woman dodged perfectly, twisting through the air at the last second.
The Lizard's attack struck the wall behind her, destroying it effortlessly. The impact was so powerful that the entire area was engulfed in a dense cloud of dust and concrete fragments.
"That definitely would've hurt if it had hit me…" she commented, coughing lightly. "Seriously, how can someone have such a hard head?"
She herself noticed the irony of the situation.
After all, she was the one who had kicked him straight in the head just minutes earlier.
And yet, here he was again.
That proved only one thing: the Lizard's durability was absurd.
If he were an ordinary man, that blow would have been fatal.
"GIVE THAT BACK TO ME!!" the roar echoed through the dust.
The Lizard charged again, now with even more force.
Gwen could clearly feel it—he was much stronger than the last time they had fought.
But that didn't matter.
She couldn't let the briefcase fall into his hands.
"First of all," she replied, dodging another attack, "that doesn't even belong to you. How could I give back something that was never yours?"
Even under pressure, her tongue remained sharp.
"No!" the Lizard roared. "That's mine! Curt Connors and I created it together! But Oscorp stole our research results… stole the serum! OUR SERUM!"
"THEY'RE THE THIEVES!!"
Spider-Woman hesitated for a brief moment.
There was… logic in his words.
He really had taken part in creating that serum.
"Then I'll take it to Dr. Connors," she replied firmly. "In your current mental state, you are definitely not fit to keep this."
"GIVE IT TO ME!!!"
As she dodged, Gwen fired another web, binding the Lizard's feet firmly to the ground. The creature lost his balance and crashed down heavily, making the floor shake.
"It's already late," she said, sprinting toward the windows. "And I have to be home before midnight."
She saw the perfect opening.
The Lizard, roaring in fury, tore a massive chunk of concrete from the shattered wall and hurled it at her with full force.
—xXx—
At the same time
Several police officers had already gathered behind George Stacy, completely blocking Oscorp's entrance. The atmosphere was tense. One single order from him would be enough for everything to spiral out of control.
The security guards couldn't force the police away, but they also couldn't allow them to enter. Any mistake there could lead to serious consequences for both sides.
"I already told you," the head of security insisted. "You cannot enter without a warrant or a direct order from my superior."
"Captain Stacy, Peter really—" someone began.
Beside George stood Curt Connors, who had just arrived, visibly shaken.
"Yes," George replied. "But I don't understand why Peter came to Oscorp after he had already used that serum."
Connors kept his gaze distant, thoughtful.
For a moment, he simply couldn't understand Peter's motivations.
Perhaps… perhaps he would need to ask him personally, when—or if—he saw him again.
"Captain Stacy, please understand our situation," said the head of security. "We cannot allow entry."
He stepped forward, blocking the gate.
"There is no unmonitored wing in Oscorp. I already investigated what you said… and no one infiltrated the building."
George clenched his teeth.
He didn't want a direct confrontation.
And, honestly, he wasn't even sure he could capture the Lizard, even if they went in.
But he already knew: by the next day, all of this would be splashed across the headlines. And the police department's gates would be swarming with reporters.
"What would it take for you to let us in?" he asked flatly.
"Unless there's an explosion in there right now—"
CRASH!
Before the man could finish the sentence, a sharp sound of shattering glass echoed through the air. The noise clearly came from the third floor.
Loud, dry, unmistakable.
Everyone flinched.
The officers instantly drew their weapons, aiming at the building.
Then they all saw it.
A massive chunk of concrete fell from the sky, smashing into the ground.
The head of security went pale.
That wasn't an explosion… but it proved something even worse.
"There really is someone inside," he murmured.
"We're going in immediately," George said, shoving the captain aside and moving forward.
"Wait! I need to call my boss right now!"
Still need to call?!
George felt anger rise within him, but fortunately the other guards were distracted, looking upward, trying to figure out what was happening.
At his signal, the officers rushed inside.
By the time the head of security hung up the phone, it was too late. The police had already entered.
On the other end of the line, the general manager's voice sounded tense:
— What's the situation? I'm almost there.
"Someone really did break into Oscorp," the captain replied nervously. "A chunk of concrete was thrown through the third-floor windows!"
— What?!
Being head of security was definitely not easy.
He explained the situation evasively, adding a slight exaggeration here and there.
(End of chapter)