48. Dr. Connors Ascends to the Top of the School's Trending List

As expected.
The next day.
While still on the school bus, the lizard monster that had appeared on the Williamsburg Bridge yesterday had already become today's hottest news topic.
Without exception.
"Holy crap, did you guys see the news this morning?"
"Saw it. Good thing my family lives in Queens, not Brooklyn and definitely not Manhattan, because there's no way we could ever afford a house in either of those places."
"I think we should just leave New York City after graduation."
"Why?"
"Look at this. A few years ago it was Hulk and Abomination, last year some kind of science expo, and this year aliens actually showed up, for crying out loud. And we haven't even finished this year yet, and now another lizard monster pops up."
"Hiss."
"That's true, too. What on earth is happening to New York City these days?"
"Anyway, things haven't been right since September of 2001."
"By the way, is it just me, or is anyone else curious about how that Spider-Man shoots webs?"
"..."
Sitting in the last row by the window, Hawke heard this faint voice echoing inside the school bus, raised an eyebrow, and instinctively glanced at Peter sitting beside him.
Look.
I'm not the only one who's curious.
Feeling the teasing glint in Hawke's gaze, Peter twitched the corner of his mouth: "I don't want to talk about this."
Hawke shrugged, unconcerned, and smoothly changed the subject, glancing at the last row where only he and Peter were sitting.
"Where's Harry? He's not riding the school bus with you today."
"He's running late. He went to Oscorp Biotechnologies this morning, said Oscorp was broken into last night."
Peter said, scanning the interior of the bus, and then lowered his voice: "I asked around a bit more. What got stolen was Dr. Curt Connors' laboratory, and rumor has it that all the equipment and everything else was hauled away by the Lizard Man."
Hawke nodded.
"Rumor has it? Wasn't New York's friendly neighborhood hero at the scene?"
"New York's friendly neighborhood hero was sleeping."
The corner of Peter's mouth twitched.
He was now immensely glad that he had made himself a spider suit to cover his face.
Look at that.
The only person who knew his true identity, and someone who was just as quiet and reserved as him at school, was mocking him like this.
Imagine if it had been anyone else.
The most important thing was that he was upholding justice, which was right. Uncle Ben would probably be very proud seeing him now.
With great power comes great responsibility, after all.
But...
No matter how great your powers are, you still need to sleep. Even a real spider needs to rest every day.
Besides, he wasn't actually a real spider, so he couldn't possibly be out fighting crime twenty-four hours a day.
Thinking of this, Peter lowered his voice to resume the conversation that had been cut short last night.
"What do you think Dr. Connors is trying to achieve by doing this?"
"I don't know, I don't care, and it's none of my business."
Hawke shook his head, delivering a triple-whammy refusal.
Peter watched as Hawke, having said that, returned to his usual taciturn self and gazed out the window at the scenery. Peter opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything more.
He had never thought of inviting Hawke to join him as a vigilante.
After all, just because you like something doesn't mean others will, and you shouldn't force your preferences on people.
Peter still understood that basic principle.
Arriving at school.
The buzz surrounding the lizard monster not only failed to die down, but seemed to intensify even further as students from all grades converged.
All sorts of gossip.
All kinds of rumors.
Fluttered everywhere among the adolescent students aged fifteen to seventeen, whose hormones were overflowing and impossible to contain.
At lunchtime.
Hawke, who had ordered his usual burger and cola, was eating with his head down when Gwen, whose class had ended later than his, arrived fashionably late and set her tray down on the opposite seat.
"Just got the news, I don't need to go to Oscorp Biotechnologies for a while. Dr. Connors' lab was raided by the Lizard Man, and Dr. Connors is missing."
"Uh..."
Hawke looked up, thought for a moment, gazed at Gwen, and lowered his voice: "It wasn't raided by the Lizard Man; Dr. Connors *is* the Lizard Man."
He had originally planned to tell her this as soon as he saw Gwen at school in the morning.
But Mary, the gossip girl, had been right by Gwen's side this morning, so Hawke thought better of it and kept quiet at the time.
Still, telling her now made no difference.
It wouldn't mess anything up.
Upon hearing Hawke's words, Gwen's expression froze at first, then instantly turned to shock, her chest heaving visibly.
But quickly.
She seemed to remember that this was the cafeteria and shouting was inappropriate, so she just stared with wide eyes at Hawke, who had gone right back to eating his burger after dropping the bombshell.
"What? Dr. Connors is... really?"
"Ninety-nine percent probability. Spider-Man said the Lizard Man has my scent on him, though it's very faint."
"Spider-Man?"
"Mhm."
Hawke nodded with a natural expression.
Gwen, however, froze once more.
If her eyes weren't already opened as wide as possible, she felt she could have opened them wider still.
"You know Spider-Man?"
"Yes."
"Who is he?"
"Can't say."
Hawke shook his head, choosing not to reveal to Gwen that Peter was Spider-Man.
He had told her Dr. Connors' identity because there was a chance Dr. Connors might harm Gwen.
That wouldn't do.
But Peter was different.
Especially this version of Peter, who was the original Spider-Man—the friendly neighborhood guy who, even when possessed by the Venom symbiote, only harbored the ultimate malicious desire of buying a discounted suit, demanding a raise from his boss, and blowing dust into the eyes of someone he disliked.
Besides, Peter hadn't been shouting about his powers through a megaphone.
Naturally, he wouldn't go around telling others that Peter was Spider-Man either.
Hawke said as much, then met Gwen's unblinking, wide-eyed stare and chuckled: "Even if you look at me like that, I'm not telling."
Only then did Gwen retract her gaze.
If he wouldn't say, he wouldn't say. She'd find out on her own.
That old saying still applied.
No one knew Hawke better than she did. Hawke's social circle was simple; basically, everyone Hawke knew, she knew as well.
Therefore...
If Hawke knew Spider-Man, then in all likelihood, she probably knew Spider-Man too.
She was quite confident.
As Gwen rapidly sifted through the people known to both her and Hawke in her mind, she lowered her voice.
"Wait, how did Dr. Connors turn into that lizard thing from yesterday?"
"I don't know."
Hawke shook his head: "Probably only God knows what happened. The last time I talked to Dr. Connors on the phone, he claimed his regeneration serum had been successful on a white mouse with a docked tail."
He only bothered to think about it because Gwen was asking.
If it were Peter, he wouldn't even waste the mental energy.
Even if the Lizard Man tore New York City to shreds, it wouldn't be his turn to worry; someone else would be far more anxious than him.
Hawke thought to himself, and then watched as Gwen's eyes widened all over again.