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"Which one's more important right now the Ark Reactor Mark II or the Lizard?" Sylas asked calmly.
Tony's eyes sharpened beneath his helmet. "Both."
BOOM!
The Lizard lunged without warning, grabbing Tony and crashing with him straight through the lab window.
CRASH!
Sylas and Peter rushed to the edge, peering down.
---
"Get off me, you overgrown gecko!" Tony's reactor core glowed, gathering power before firing a brilliant beam of energy.
"RAHHH!"
The blast punched clean through the Lizard's chest but the wound began regenerating almost instantly, flesh knitting back together before their eyes.
Tony didn't give him a chance to recover. "Jarvis, bring out the big guns."
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied.
Panels unfolded across Tony's shoulders and back, a full missile array locking into place. Tony aimed both arms forward.
"See you later, big green."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A storm of micro-missiles struck the Lizard head-on, engulfing him in fiery explosions. The monster roared in pain before retreating, ripping open a manhole and vanishing underground.
Tony flew to the opening and peered inside only to get splashed in the faceplate with filthy water.
"Ugh—what the hell?" He wiped it off in disgust.
"Subterranean sewage, sir," Jarvis reported.
Tony grimaced. "Great. The lizard's playing in the mud now. Guess he's ready for a pool party."
"Sir, priority remains recovering the Ark Reactor prototype," Jarvis reminded him.
"Right," Tony muttered, taking off toward the building's main corridor.
---
When he landed, Sylas was gone.
"Hey, pajama boy," Tony turned to Peter, "where's the masked guy?"
Peter blinked. "He was right next to me just now—wait, he's gone?!"
Tony looked around. "Guess he slipped away."
"Jarvis, where's the nearest security feed?"
"There's one at the hallway corner. The others were destroyed by the Lizard."
"Pull the footage," Tony said. Then to Peter: "Keep it up, Sleepy Spandex. I've got my eye on you."
With that, he blasted off.
"Hey! It's Spider-Man!" Peter shouted, tugging at his chest emblem, but Tony was already gone.
Sighing, Peter rushed to the restroom to change back into his regular clothes.
---
Moments Later
Once everyone cleared out, Sylas reappeared from the corridor.
He hadn't left at all he'd simply slipped into the [Shadow Dominion] during the chaos and waited it out.
"Everyone's gone?" he murmured, raising an arm and wincing at the sting that shot through it.
Pulling up his sleeve, he found a scraped wound minor, but painful.
"Still not strong enough…" he muttered.
Then came the familiar voice of the system:
[Mission Complete: Saved the school's students – +50 Justice Points]
[Mission Complete: Repelled the Lizard – +300 Justice Points]
"Three hundred just for repelling him?" Sylas said in disbelief.
['Repel' rewards are granted only once per target.]
"Got it," he said, nodding. With the cameras fried and his outfit already reverted inside the [Shadow Dominion], the black mist of his mask faded away, revealing his youthful face.
---
Sylas ran downstairs just as Missy spotted him. She rushed over and grabbed his hands.
"Where did you go? I was so worried!"
"It's fine. Didn't you say that bracelet meant a lot to you?" Sylas pulled out a blue wristband from his pocket.
"Thank you!" Missy hugged him tightly. "But don't you ever take a risk like that again."
"I won't," he said softly, placing a reassuring hand on her back.
Earlier, Missy had been panicking about leaving behind her precious bracelet in the classroom. Sylas had used that excuse to go back for it and, conveniently, to change into his combat gear.
---
"Mr. Claine?" said Jedek, the assistant teacher, walking over.
Claine looked up. "What's wrong?"
"Orders from the principal count your students and send them home. Classes are canceled for a week."
Claine nodded. "Alright, everyone pack up. You're dismissed for the week."
"YES!"
"Best news ever!"
"Lizard Man rules!"
Claine narrowed his eyes. "Whoever said that five-hundred-word essay on the Lizard, due tomorrow?"
"Aww, come on!" groaned one student.
Missy wiped away her tears, smiling at Sylas. "Hope you have a good weekend."
"You too," Sylas replied warmly.
"You live in Queens, right?" she asked playfully.
"Yeah… why?"
Missy grinned. "You'll find out soon enough."
She waved goodbye and walked off, leaving Sylas tilting his head in confusion.
---
"Hey, Sylas!" Peter jogged over through the crowd. "You okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"Just scraped my arm when I tripped," Sylas replied honestly. No need to hide it battle or not, it could've happened during the evacuation.
"Be careful next time," Peter said with concern. He was hiding his own pain the Lizard's tail whip had left deep bruises across his back and stomach.
"Ow—" Peter hissed when Ned suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh shoot—sorry! You hurt?" Ned said quickly, pulling back.
"Yeah, just fell on the stairs earlier," Peter said, trying to sound casual.
"You should see the nurse. It's still open," Ned advised.
Peter shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."
He didn't dare go the nurse would definitely notice those weren't fall injuries.
"Your call, man," Ned said. "But get checked soon."
---
Sewers – Unknown Location
Dr. Connors the Lizard snarled in the darkness, scales glistening in the dim green glow.
"I need… a better plan…"
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