Symbiotic Agent

"Dr. Kurt Connors… I didn't expect him to be Dr. Lizard," Spider-Woman muttered under her breath.

[A/N: Just to clarify one thing, you guys may get put off by the constant use of "Dr. Lizard" as the address instead of just "Lizard" but this is to differentiate between normal ones and Connors. Thank you]

At the sound of her voice, Holm set aside the scent he had been contemplating and turned his attention to what Spider-Woman had just said.

"Do you know him? Have you met him?" Holm asked, intrigued. He didn't understand the connection between Kurt Connors and Spider-Woman.

"I've heard his lectures. He's a brilliant scientist," Gwen replied, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "A friend and I once planned to do scientific research together."

She paused for a moment, lost in thought, before continuing, "But then my friend left, and Dr. Connors suddenly stopped his research. There was no word from him after that."

"Now, I think the reason for that was the accident with his family," Gwen added quietly, as if trying to make sense of it all.

She reached forward and clicked on the next video. "Keep watching. I want to understand how he became like this."

Holm couldn't see her expression, but the sadness in her voice was unmistakable. He didn't push her for more details; instead, he glanced at the progress bar on the screen beside him.

"Have you found the formula yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

Gwen nodded, her focus shifting back to the task at hand. "The formula's not hard to find. I've already configured the opposite serum formula based on its characteristics. The machine in the lab will be able to produce it shortly."

Holm was surprised. "Is it really that simple?" he asked. He hadn't expected the serum to be so easy to synthesize.

But then again, it was Spider-Woman who was handling it. If it were him, it would have been far more complicated. Everyone had their own expertise, and scientific research wasn't his area of expertise.

The second video began to play, and the image on the screen shifted.

Time had passed since the first video. Kurt Connors no longer looked disheveled; he had cleaned himself up, now dressed neatly. A broad, almost manic smile stretched across his face, and his eyes—no longer obscured by glasses—shone with excitement, though there was a hint of madness there too.

"My experiment was a success! Hahaha! My arm has grown back!" Dr. Connors laughed gleefully, raising his right hand into the frame.

A new arm had grown from the sleeve of his shirt. It was flexible, though still somewhat pale, with a faint greenish hue.

After showcasing his restored arm, Connors began explaining the experimental process to the camera.

At the end of the video, he said, smiling with both joy and anticipation, "I need more experimental subjects, more samples. This serum can be further enhanced."

From this video, it was clear that Dr. Connors appeared normal on the surface. But beneath that calm exterior, he was starting to lose his grip on reality, his thoughts veering dangerously toward obsession.

The third video started. This time, however, the person on screen was no longer Dr. Connors in human form. Instead, the figure was a tall, menacing lizard-like creature, covered in green scales.

"I have evolved into a whole new species!" Dr. Lizard declared in a hoarse, yet thrilled voice. "My body is stronger, my mind is sharper! I even have the ability to regenerate lost limbs!"

He paused before adding with growing excitement, "I finally understand! What I've created is not just an experiment, but a new species!"

He laughed maniacally, his voice tinged with madness. "Weak humans will eventually fade away, and powerful lizard men will replace them, taking over the world! I will become the progenitor of this new race —--- their creator!"

By the third video, Dr. Connors had completely transformed, both physically and mentally. His body continued to grow, becoming larger and more horrifying with each passing video. His mind, too, became more twisted, as his obsession with power and evolution took hold of him.

In a subsequent video, Dr. Lizard gruesomely dissected a failed experiment—a creature that had only partially transformed into a lizard—explaining his findings as he cut into it. The camera zoomed in on the horror of the creature's incomplete mutation.

Dr. Lizard had long since forgotten his former life as a human, as a loving husband with a family. Or perhaps it was not that he had forgotten, but that he no longer cared. The tragedy that once shattered him had become insignificant in his mind, replaced by his newfound belief that he had discovered a greater purpose.

The final video ended, the timestamp indicating that it had been some time since the last recording. It was evident that all of Connors' focus had gone into his experiments, as the later videos grew shorter and less coherent, with irregular recording times.

"He's no longer human," Holm muttered, staring at the dark screen in front of him.

"Yeah," Gwen responded quietly, her voice tense. "Kurt Connors is gone. Now, there's only Dr. Lizard."

As they exchanged grim words, an instrument beside them emitted a soft sound, signaling that it had completed its task.

Gwen stood up quickly and walked over to the machine. She removed a sealed canister from it, her hands steady despite the gravity of the situation.

Inside the jar was a small piece of transparent glass, through which they could see a faintly glowing blue liquid. The liquid pulsed with an almost otherworldly light, as if it contained a galaxy of stars within it.

"Is this the serum?" Holm asked, his voice full of curiosity, as he looked at the sealed jar in Gwen's hand.

Gwen nodded. She placed the jar carefully on the operating table. "It should have a purifying effect, but we haven't tested its full potential yet."

"If we follow the usual logic," she continued, "the shorter the exposure and the smaller the dose, the better the results should be."

Holm picked up the jar, turning it over thoughtfully. "What if the target is Dr. Lizard himself?" he asked, his fingers lightly brushing the sealed container.

Gwen hesitated for a moment before answering. "The effects are somewhat unknown."

"From the videos," she added, "he's already subjected himself to the serum countless times. This isn't just an increase in power; it's a complete transformation."

Holm recalled the monstrous figure in the last video. Gwen was right. Dr. Lizard had gone beyond simple augmentation; his body had undergone a qualitative change.

Gwen continued working at the computer, her eyes focused. "I'll try to enhance the serum's effects further. In the meantime, you search for more information."

Her words left a sense of uncertainty lingering in the air. Both of them understood the gravity of the situation, yet they continued with their tasks, driven by the need for answers.

Holm resumed his search. After a while, he found Dr. Lizard's plan for the operation. It wasn't detailed, but rather a series of sketches and crude design drawings that outlined his intentions. It was enough to give them a glimpse into his deranged mind.