Inside the underground workshop of Stark Mansion, the air was filled with the constant hum of operating machines, holographic lights floating in shades of blue and gold, projecting data incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't Tony Stark. There, in the technological heart of his home, Tony stood with his arms crossed, fully focused on the video playing before him.
In the recording, a middle-aged man with a rigid posture and a carefully groomed mustache explained the details of his experiments with restrained enthusiasm. His voice was firm and methodical, carrying an almost arrogant confidence—Howard Stark's unmistakable trademark. Watching it felt strange. Strange and… uncomfortable.
For a few seconds, something nearly imperceptible in the footage caught Tony's attention: a small boy ran through the background, clumsily crossing the frame, laughing at something off-camera.
A young Tony Stark.
He frowned slightly.
Tony couldn't clearly remember that moment. In fact, most of his childhood was a tangled mess of scattered images, distant voices, and conflicting emotions. What he did remember vividly, however, was what came afterward. He remembered how his relationship with his father had deteriorated over the years—the constant arguments, the suffocating expectations, the sharp words thrown like weapons throughout his adolescence.
The last time he had seen Howard Stark alive had also been after a fight.
Not long after that came the news of the car accident.
Howard and his mother… dead.
Overnight, Tony Stark had become an orphan.
He took a deep breath, pushing the memories away before they could dig any deeper. The past had an annoying way of resurfacing when least expected.
"JARVIS," he called, without taking his eyes off the screen. "Did you find anything else?"
The answer came immediately, precise as always.
[No, sir.]
[The remaining video materials consist only of an overview of the Stark Expo. This same model also appears in the recording.]
Tony's gaze drifted away from the hologram, sweeping across the lab until it stopped at a more distant corner. On a metal table, carefully illuminated, rested a detailed model—an architectural replica that, at first glance, looked like nothing more than an old project, something symbolic, perhaps commemorative.
Tony took a few steps closer, studying it more carefully.
"Is there really something hidden in this?" he murmured to himself.
No matter how much he analyzed it, he couldn't identify anything special at first glance. No obvious compartments, no hidden mechanisms, no strange energy signatures. And yet… something bothered him. A persistent, nagging intuition.
He was certain Arthur wouldn't lie to him about something this serious. Those records had completely changed his perception of Howard Stark—and of himself.
Tony sighed.
"JARVIS… looks like we're pulling overtime today."
[As you wish, sir.]
---
New York City streets.
In a narrow, filthy alley, rats fought over scraps of food scattered across the ground and inside dented trash cans. The sound of their teeth grinding and claws scraping against the concrete echoed softly through the quiet night.
Suddenly, they all froze.
As if responding to an invisible command, they lifted their heads at the same time. Their snouts twitched frantically as they sniffed the air. Something was wrong. Something big and dangerous.
In the next instant, panic erupted.
The rats scattered chaotically, crashing into one another, desperately searching for holes, cracks, or any place they could hide.
BANG!!
A muffled, brutal sound echoed through the street.
A manhole cover was hurled into the air, twisting as it flew before crashing heavily onto the asphalt. From the sewer below, a massive green figure slowly emerged.
It was colossal.
Its skin was a dark green, rough and scarred. Sharp teeth, stained with fresh blood, were revealed when it opened its mouth, while reptilian eyes surveyed the surroundings with predatory focus. A forked tongue slid out, tasting the air like a serpent.
With a swift movement, it drove its sharp claws into the wall of the nearby building and began climbing with disturbing ease, muscles flexing beneath thick skin as it vanished into the shadows above.
---
Across the street, completely unaware of the imminent danger, a few men walked along casually.
"Damn… ever since Kingpin died, money's been tight," one of them complained, kicking an empty can.
"Yeah… the good times are over," another replied bitterly.
Suddenly, one of them pointed toward a nearby alley.
"Hey… what's that?"
They approached cautiously. On the ground, partially leaning against the wall, lay an unconscious woman. Her clothes were disheveled, and she didn't react.
"Hmph…" one of them smirked. "You—check if she's got any money."
Without hesitation, the man crouched down and began rummaging through the woman's pockets and bag. After a few seconds, he pulled out a wallet and opened it.
"Damn… only twenty bucks."
They were about to leave when one of the men spoke, his tone disgusting.
"Hey… why don't we have a little fun first?"
THUD!
The dry sound of a punch echoed through the alley.
"I'm not a rapist, you bastard!" growled the man who had thrown the punch.
As the two started arguing, shoving each other and trading insults, neither of them noticed the most important detail.
Just above their heads, clinging to the wall like a living nightmare, a reptilian figure watched in silence.
Hungry green eyes gleamed in the darkness.
---
New York City streets.
The deep roar of an engine cut through the night, echoing between buildings as the car sped through the nearly empty streets. Streetlights flashed past the windshield, casting intermittent shadows inside the vehicle.
Gwen was completely focused on the laptop resting on her legs. The computer belonged to Arthur, and dozens of windows, graphs, reports, and surveillance camera feeds filled the screen. She had already read every line of the files about the experiments—there was information there that could be useful in the future… but not now. Not for this situation.
For the moment, all she could do was monitor and wait.
Suddenly, one of the frames on the screen flickered and automatically expanded, occupying almost the entire display.
There were a few people in the alley captured by the camera—ordinary men at first glance, arguing among themselves. They didn't matter. What truly caught her attention was the figure partially clinging to the wall, almost invisible to anyone who didn't know what to look for.
Even with the lab coat torn, dirty, and nearly unrecognizable, something was still visible.
The ID badge.
Gwen zoomed in as far as she could, clenching her teeth.
"It's him!" she exclaimed, unable to hide the urgency in her voice.
Arthur reacted instantly. The car braked sharply, tires screeching against the asphalt as he turned the wheel toward the curb.
"Where?" he asked, already on high alert.
Cortana intervened before Gwen could answer, her artificial voice sounding clear inside the vehicle.
[I have already identified the location. He is behind a bar, two blocks from here.]
There was a brief pause, followed by a more urgent alert:
[I advise you to hurry. The target is displaying predatory behavior. He appears to be preparing to attack those men.]
Arthur accelerated again.
"Gwen, use your webs. You'll get there faster from above."
She nodded without arguing.
"I'll go by car."
"Okay."
In a fluid motion, Gwen was already putting on her mask and adjusting her suit. As soon as the car slowed further, she opened the door, fired a web that latched firmly onto the top of a nearby building, and was yanked upward in an elegant arc, disappearing into the shadows.
Arthur drove to the indicated alley and parked the car at a safe distance. Before getting out, he put on his mask—by now, it had become an automatic, almost instinctive habit. As natural as fastening a seatbelt.
"Cortana," he said as he closed the car door. "Keep monitoring all the surrounding cameras. Notify me immediately if anyone approaches. And if… if anything gets out of control…"
He paused briefly, as if disgusted by the next words.
"Contact Nick Fury."
[Understood.]
Arthur put in an earpiece, adjusting it firmly, then leapt, grabbing onto the side of a nearby building before quickly climbing to a higher vantage point, from where he had a partial view of the alley.
---
Meanwhile, in the alley…
The men were still arguing, shoving each other and exchanging insults, when one of them felt something drip onto his shoulder.
He frowned.
"What the hell is that?" he muttered, instinctively looking up. "Is it raining now or what?"
He wiped his shoulder and felt something viscous—far too sticky to be water.
"What the hell…?"
Confused, he slowly turned his head, trying to figure out where the slime was coming from.
And then… he froze.
His entire body stiffened, muscles locked by absolute terror. His heart began pounding so violently in his chest it felt like it was about to explode. He wanted to scream. He wanted to warn the others to look up.
But the fear was so overwhelming that he couldn't even move.
Above his head, clinging to the wall, was the green monster.
The creature stared at him with a grotesque smile, jagged teeth gleaming in the dim alley light. Slowly, almost mockingly, it raised a finger to its mouth and made a shushing gesture.
"Shhh~" it hissed.
In the next moment, the monster's long, muscular tail slowly wrapped around the man's body.
There was no time to scream.
With a violent yank, he was ripped off the ground.
The last thing he saw was the monster's mouth opening wide. Sharp teeth sank into his neck, and in the next second, a horrifying sound echoed through the alley.
CRACK!!
PSHIIII~
The man's head was crushed and chewed without mercy.
The sudden sound of breaking bones and splattering fluid immediately caught the attention of the others.
They looked up.
And their world ended there.
Their pupils dilated in pure terror at the sight above them: a green, giant-lizard-like monster holding a headless corpse while chewing slowly, as if savoring every bite.
The creature's gaze lowered to them.
As if it didn't see people… only prey.
In the same instant, all the men began to scream, shrill and desperate sounds echoing through the alley, mixed with the nauseating noise of bones being crushed between monstrous teeth.
---
Gwen, moving rapidly across the rooftops in that same direction, heard the screams.
Her stomach dropped.
"I have to go faster!!" she shouted, firing another web and propelling herself forward with even greater force.
When she finally reached the alley and landed on the ground, the scene before her made her blood run cold.
The green monster was still holding a headless corpse, chewing something with brutal indifference.
Damn… she thought. I got here too late!
"Peter! Stop this!!" she shouted without hesitation.
In the same motion, Gwen lunged forward and landed directly between the lizard and the terrified men.
"Waaa!! Spider-Woman, save me!" one of them screamed.
The strong smell of urine in the air made Gwen wrinkle her nose.
Behind her, the criminals were huddled on the ground, clinging to each other, completely broken by terror. A puddle of urine spread across the asphalt.
And honestly… she couldn't blame them.
If the situation were reversed, she might have reacted the same way.
After all, who wouldn't wet themselves at the sight of a giant green monster chewing someone's head like it was nothing?
It was the kind of scene that could traumatize anyone for the rest of their life.
---
(End of chapter)
Lizard -