As Liv and Peter watched Curt undress they understood the severity of the situation. Today they were going to properly cleanse Curt and re-enhance him. He was unwilling to leave May unprotected, and with Gwen's work on the Lizard formula they wanted to keep it and him separate. The only issue she had been unable to solve was the regeneration.
The Lizard formula had a flaw, that to regrow a limb the subject needed to remain enhanced, this wasn't a cure-all. Even the basic Stacy formula, as it had been christened, could only repair. Regrowing a missing limb or organ was beyond even its semi-miraculous powers.
Gwen had already fixed the formula, and with a small workshop capable of doing the work the harness had been taken apart and Liv had been working on two new ones. One for her, with the standard four additional limbs, Peter was content with the modified harness he had taken from Liv, and she was more than happy to let him, and an extra one for Curt, that only contained the mental neural connectors.
If they were set right, he would be able to remain conscious during his transformation and then guide the Lizard part of him into a more docile and controllable state.
"I don't really need to explain this to you, do I?" and Curt shook his head. To save on the cleanup, he agreed to be strapped almost naked to a gurney, it was just welded rebar, as Peter had plenty lying around, but it would be secure enough that if he lost control of the transformation, it would hold him. Lastly, Peter was there to make sure that if he did lose control, Venom would make sure the Lizard behaved itself. Even if it wanted to run and hide.
After the first injection, Curt spent a good few minutes vomiting, and then strapped down once more and given the second injection, coupled with the new harness. While it was noticeable, the thick metal back adorning his neck would be prominent if he took his top off he figured that as May already knew he was sick, he could pass it off as a medical device. While technically untrue it was close enough he didn't feel guilty about lying to her.
As the second injection took hold he felt the Lizard within him stir, but this time the override in the collar kicked in and he felt it settle. It was a strange feeling, as the creature that dwelled within him stirred but then became docile and he nodded over to Gwen and Peter, "I am going to transform," and Peter darkened and grew as Venom stood, tensed and ready. As Curt called to the creature he felt himself slip away, and as Venom and Gwen watched the monster they both knew as Lizard cracked and grew from Curt.
"We are free!" it hissed and in his mind, it heard the Connors, you are, but you will listen to me now, listen, "We will listen now," and it lay perfectly still on the gurney.
"I'm going to untie you okay?" Gwen asked, and as she undid the first trap Venom tensed,
"We will listen, and not hurt the Gwen," and hesitantly Gween reached over and ran a hand over the arm of the Lizard, "We are here Gwen, we listen to the Conners and speak for him." and Gwen sighed and patted him on the arm.
"Looks like it worked Pete, but uh, stay like that, just in case," and he nodded but relaxed his stance. "Right, undoing the straps and then, if you behave, you can eat, we have meat right?" and Venom nodded. They knew, from Curt, that the Lizard did prefer to eat the rats it could catch in the sewers but as Curt would prefer to remain vermin free they had bought a few different cuts of meat to see if bribery, as well as the collar, would work.
"Uh, I made the sausages for dinner though," Venom admitted and Gwen tutted,
"Those were Lizards," and as she leaned over she whispered, "but I'll get you more," and Venom shook his head,
"He's not a pet Gwen." but Gwen just pulled a face at him and continued to undo the straps.
As the last one came free Gwen moved back and gave both Lizard space to stand, and Venom space to attack if he needed, but the transformed Curt stretched and swished his tail back and forth, "We feel better, calm, but we wish the meat now, please." and Gwen stifled a laugh
"Do you want to eat in private or at the table with us?" and the Lizard tilted his head,
"Gwen, it probably doesn't understand. Follow, we'll get you something to eat," and at the word eat Lizard nodded and moved after Venom.
Gwen tutted, "bribe him with steak and get a new pet, see if I care, stupid Venom." and muttered to herself, "he's my mentor, and it's my formula, but no, a bit of steak and its ignore the nice lady," as she cleaned up the room they had used to cure Curt.
"You know I can hear you right?" Venom called back into the room and Gwen cursed,
"Still a stupid head," and she could hear the laughter from the breakfast table.
Once she was finished, Gwen came out of the room to the delectable smell of steak being fried, and the Lizard was sat on its haunches tearing at a large fatty piece of raw steak while Peter worked over the stove.
He smiled and kissed her on the side of the cheek as he lay a plate down and slid a medium-rare piece of steak on a plate in front of her, another onto a plate where he was and a third onto the last plate.
"Uh?" Gwen asked. but Lizard threw the steak up and with a snap of its jaws devoured it whole. After licking its mouth clean of blood, its muzzle shrank and a barely dressed Curt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking slightly pale Peter motioned to the back of a nearby chair where Curt saw slacks and a shirt waiting for him, Nodding in appreciation he dressed before sitting and helping himself to the much preferred cooked breakfast.
"Gwen dear, while Mr Stupid head here might not say it, I am incredibly grateful, not just to have you create the formula but as my pupil. I don't think I could be any prouder right now, or happy." and as she cut a slice of steak and stuck it in her mouth she grinned,
"That's how you suck up," Peter said and Gwen batted his arm but he laughed. "My brilliant girlfriend," and beaming she sat, happily enjoying her steak.
After enjoying his breakfast he headed back home. With his fugitive status removed, the paperwork dealt with concerning his accidental death and a whole lot of insurance claims and bank accounts unfrozen Curt had managed to afford a small place for himself and May, and after living in the sewers for so many years he was glad to have not just a home but a backyard.
May was at home, and as his bank accounts were fairly rich she had quit her job and taken up several more classes to occupy her time.
As he unbuttoned his coat and shouted, "I'm home," up the stairs she came down, towelling off her long brown hair, straight from the shower. Kissing her on the cheek, "hello dear," he said and she smiled, "anything interesting in the post?" but she shook her head,
"The usual, maybe a job offer from Hammer Industries," she said, "But no". Even Aunt May knew of his reputation and she would prefer Curt to get a job in a smaller, less volatile lab this time around. She knew Gwen had offered to pay him for tutoring, but he needed a real job, and not to be stuck in the warehouse with Peter and his friends.
For now, fixing up the ramshackle two up two down house had been Curts focus but now, as he sat at the table he needed to explain a few things to May, and hopefully not land Peter in hot water with his Aunt.
"Dear." he said hesitantly and May raised an eyebrow at him, "I might have fixed my small problem, and maybe, after I've made sure that it works, maybe we can go on that holiday we planned?"
"Cured? Does that mean you won't be spending time at the warehouse?" and Curt frowned and half shook his head,
"I do still tutor Gwen, but yes. It does mean more time here dear, more time for us?" and as he looked over expectantly at May he heard something knock over the garbage cans in the backyard. "Stupid racoons," but May looked at the clock,
"At this time?" and Curt paled.
"Maybe go upstairs dear, just in case." and she frowned but nodded.
Curt knew Harry had threatened both Peter at the warehouse and Aunt May, and living under both their names finding their address wouldn't be very hard for someone even without Harry's vast network of resources.
As Curt crept into the kitchen he tiptoed to the back door, Peter had been insistent on some upgrades and while it looked normal it was in fact a reinforced steel security door and the window, toughened safety glass. Curt peered out and shook his head as he saw the cans rolling on their side. They had just been knocked over but there was nothing there. Checking to make sure he couldn't smell anything and unlocked the door and closed it behind him as he went to straighten up the yard.
He waved at May as she peered out from behind a curtain and as she moved from the window, he began to right the cans and stick their dented lids back on. Dented? He thought to himself and as he lifted one to examine what caused the mark it was smashed into his face, throwing him backwards.
A symbiote, red and black giggled as it stretched up out of the can and as its alien limbs lengthened and sharpened, "oh we promise this will be fun, fun for us and fun for you too." Curt had no idea who this was, only that he recognised it as a symbiote. Harry, he thought and took a breath, come on then old friend, and as he sent the command to the collar his body erupted in a wave of pain.
The symbiote watched as Curt doubled over and with a cracking noise suddenly leapt at him, his skin and body now suddenly thick and scaly green. In shock, the symbiote sliced out with an arm blade, but the Lizard simply caught it in his jaws and bit down. Howling in pain his other arm came and smashed against Lizard's head, but rather than let go he shook the Red symbiote, lifting him off his feet and thrashing him like a rag doll. As he yelled and screeched in pain Lizard let go and threw him towards the back of the yard.
"Gut You, Kill You," it hissed at him but Lizard shook his head,
"Eat you. Fresh meat, tasty," and he snapped his jaws and licked them with a huge Lizard tongue. The Peter had never said the slime monsters were tasty and he could eat the Red one. He knew he wouldn't get in trouble as he smelt different from the others, they might even buy him steak as well. Lizard knew anyone different was bad, and the May creature was the Peter creature's kin, even though he could what Connors in his mind telling him to be careful Lizard wasn't worried, this red slime man was weak, tasty but weak.
Red stretched to his full height, his arms splitting and becoming giant axes. "Eat me? Eat ME? I'll gut you, gut you," and with no coordination, he swung for Lizard, as the axe slid harmlessly off his skin Lizard crouched and spun, batting carnage with his tail. Grabbing it, carnage lifted Lizard up and slammed him down into the ground, sending dirt and grass into the air, "kill you kill you," it screeched and with Lizards tail trapped under one arm, his symbskin enveloped a small section of it, wrapping itself around it like a wire.
Lizard howled in agony as the skin twisted and bit into him, coating his thinner tail scales in some kind of toxic acid. He thrashed it back and forth, trying to dislodge him, but the red slime man only laughed as he dug his heels into the soft yard dirt and held him fast.
"Kill you, then kill the May," and with that taunt Lizard became enraged. In his mind, the Lizard felt the world go black and for a second he was sure the Conners had put him to sleep, but as his vision regained, Red was on the ground and with a thick scaly clawed foot he stomped on his back.
Red watched as the creature shrank and became a man again and with his hold broken he stumbled, only for him to shift back to his much larger form and attack him once more. Even as he sent tendrils waving and slashing from his back the monster was relentless.
Ignoring the useless blades that only cut and slashed his clothing, Lizard picked up the red and black slime man and hoisted him over his head, smashing him down on his knee. As the man coughed and vomited he repeated the same move and it was only when he heard the sirens that he paused.
With a momentary distraction Red coated himself in the same acid he used before, and as Lizard dropped him he bolted, vaulted over the neighbour's fence and ran. It had not gone according to plan, his master had been wrong and he had gotten hurt. If he could only free himself he would be able to take revenge on them all, take revenge on the ones who did this. Oh, what fun he would have, he thought but the master kept him on a tight leash, and he could only obey.
As Connors shrank back down he thanked the creature and heading inside. He saw May standing with a phone in one hand and her brother-in-law's old gun in the other, "Is it gone?" and as Curt nodded she burst into tears and grabbed hold of him.
Even as the doorbell rang and Curt saw the armoured police ETF officer there he waved and the man nodded, seeing the state May was in.
"May, listen, I will explain but we cannot tell them, about me, I know you saw, I'm not stupid and I know you're not either, but they will take me." and buried in his chest she nodded,
"Richard was Shield, I know when to lie," and as she stood up straight, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
As she opened the door she apologised, "I'm sorry officer, it, it was just a bit much," and he nodded,
"It's okay ma'am, but we will need a statement, it was the Lizard, yes? and one of Venom's associates?" and Aunt May had no choice but to nod.
Once they had both given statements, and the backyard had been scoured for blood and other forensics, May was handed a cup of tea by Curt. As she sat staring at it she looked over at him, knowing full well that guilty nervous smile hid more than he was willing to tell.
"Is he safe?" and it was only then that Curt frowned, "Is Peter safe?" and with a moment of realisation Curt nodded,
"Then don't bother lying, as long as he is safe then I don't need to know." and as she took a sip from the cup, "But, if you ever lie and he isn't Mr Conners, then whatever that man was going to do will be a picnic compared to what I will do to you."
Curt and the Lizard both gulped, now he knew where Peter got it from.