Marvel: The Enlightened One#47+48: The Scent of Hawk, The Lizard is Trending

With a single, graceful swing, Peter landed squarely on the rooftop of Hawk's apartment building.

"Whoa, Spider—"

Hawk, who had been about to speak, stopped short as the hero ripped off his mask, revealing his true face. A look of mock surprise crossed Hawk's features.

"Peter?"

Peter just gave him a shy smile. He finally understood what Gwen had been talking about. "Hawk... you're a terrible actor."

"Am I?"

Hawk blinked, then saw the dead-serious nod from Peter and just shrugged. "Alright, I'll work on it."

If one person says you're a bad actor, it might just be their opinion. But if two people say it...

Hawk made a mental note to practice his surprised face in the mirror.

Peter chuckled, then his expression turned serious as he brought up their recent encounter. "So, did you see what happened back there?"

"Parts of it. But by the time I got a good look, you and that lizard guy were already gone."

Hawk was telling the truth. He had seen the beginning and the end, but he had missed the middle.

No big deal. It would be all over the news tomorrow.

Everyone knew how fast the New York media worked. Less than three minutes after the Lizard had first appeared on the Williamsburg Bridge, Hawk had already counted three different news helicopters circling overhead.

"...." Peter's eyes widened at Hawk's words. He glanced around, then looked toward the Williamsburg Bridge, which was barely a speck in the distance.

From this far away??

Peter looked back at Hawk, his expression one of pure shock.

Hawk just smiled. "My eyesight's pretty good. But then again, so is yours."

Peter nodded slowly. It was true. If he really focused, he could probably make out the details on the bridge from here.

A thought suddenly struck him. "Then did you see where he went?"

"Nope."

"Damn." Peter sighed. "I didn't expect him to be so strong. He just threw me off. By the time I recovered, he had already jumped into the river."

Hawk's curiosity was piqued. "What's your take on him? Power-wise."

Peter looked at Hawk, thought for a moment, and then frowned. "He's stronger than me, but not as fast or agile. But in the water... he's way faster."

Got it.

One-punch material...

I wouldn't even need to burn my Cosmo.

Hawk processed Peter's assessment, gave a slight nod, and was about to head back inside.

But then, Peter seemed to remember something and said to Hawk, "Actually, that lizard felt familiar somehow. I was trying to figure out what that feeling was when he threw me..."

Hawk paused and looked at Peter.

"And did you figure it out?"

"Yeah."

Peter nodded, then just stared at Hawk.

Hawk waited, but when Peter didn't continue, it finally clicked.

"You're saying me?"

"Yeah."

"That's impossible."

The idea was absurd. How could the Lizard have his "scent" on him? He had only been to Dr. Connors's lab once.

And even if some trace had been left behind from a handshake, that was over two months ago. There was no way it would still be there.

He wasn't a goddess, and Dr. Connors wasn't some simp who'd refuse to wash his hand for a month after shaking mine.

But Peter was insistent. "The last time I was this close to you was in the old gym. I remember your presence... your scent or whatever. It's distinct. The trace on that lizard creature was faint, almost unnoticeable. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have taken so long to place it."

Hawk frowned. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Peter nodded, then thought again. "It was like he had been in contact with you, so a trace of you was left on him. Kind of like how Gwen has a trace of your presence on her, but the one on Gwen is way, way stronger."

That description cleared everything up.

He had been wondering what Peter was getting at.

So that was it.

Hawk let out a small laugh. "Okay. In that case, I think I know who he is."

Peter's eyes went wide. "Who?"

"Dr. Curt Connors. He's the head of the regeneration lab at Oscorp. Gwen was just there yesterday. And his entire research is based on lizard DNA."

If Peter had just said the Lizard smelled like him, he would have been stumped.

But using Gwen as a comparison was the key.

If his own presence was as a "1," then Gwen, who spent so much time with him, would probably carry around a '0.5.' And since Gwen worked at Oscorp, that would explain how such a faint trace ended up there.

Peter's jaw dropped as Hawk revealed the Lizard's identity.

"It's him?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, I think I met him once with my dad, a long time ago."

"Right."

Now that the mystery of the lingering trace was solved, Hawk was completely at ease. He let out a yawn.

"Well, it's getting late. I'm going to bed."

"...Okay."

Peter had wanted to discuss the threat the Lizard posed, but seeing Hawk's dismissive attitude, he let it go.

"Goodnight, Hawk."

"Goodnight, Spider."

"Uh, I'm not a spider."

"You sure?"

Hawk, who had already started to walk away, turned back, a playful, smartass grin on his face. "Go on. Tell me where the webs come from."

Peter's mouth opened, then closed. His expression turned serious. "Goodnight, Hawk."

"Goodnight, Peter."

Hawk didn't tease him any further.

...

A moment later, Peter was gone, swinging off into the night.

Hawk went back inside, finished his fried chicken, took a cold shower, and collapsed into bed.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the streets of Queens, in the labyrinthine network of sewer tunnels that served as a winter home for the city's homeless, a sound echoed.

A primal, bestial roar echoed from the darkness. Gradually, the roars grew weaker.

Until finally.

The roaring stopped.

And in its place, a human groan of agony could be heard.

<><><><><><><><>

Unsurprisingly, the next day, the lizard monster from the Williamsburg Bridge was the only thing anyone was talking about.

"Holy shit, did you guys see the news this morning?"

"Yeah. Thank God I live in Queens. My family could never afford a place in Brooklyn or Manhattan."

"You know, I'm starting to think we should all just leave New York after graduation."

"Why?"

"Think about it. A few years ago, it was the Hulk and the Abomination. Last year, that Stark Expo disaster. This year, we get aliens. And now, before the year's even over, we've got a giant lizard monster."

"Damn..."

"He's got a point. What the hell is wrong with New York these days?"

"It's been cursed ever since 9/11, man."

"Okay, but am I the only one who wants to know how that Spider-Man guy does the web thing?"

"..."

Sitting in the back of the bus, Hawk heard the quiet question and raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Peter sitting next to him.

See?

Peter felt the teasing look and just sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Hawk just shrugged, then smoothly changed the subject, glancing at the empty seats around them. "Where's Harry? He's not riding with you today?"

"He had to go to Oscorp this morning. Said there was a break-in last night."

Peter lowered his voice, scanning the other students on the bus. "I asked him about it. It was Dr. Connors's lab that got hit. He said the lizard guy cleaned the place out, took all the equipment."

Hawk nodded. "I'm surprised New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man wasn't on the scene."

Peter's jaw tightened. "Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man needs to sleep."

He was suddenly very grateful for the mask.

Look at this... The one person who knew his secret, a guy who was just as introverted as he was—was already dissing him.

Imagine if anyone else found out.

Besides, he was trying to do good. Uncle Ben would be proud of him.

With great power comes great responsibility.

But—

Even with great power, you still need to sleep. Even actual spiders needed to rest every now and then.

He couldn't be on patrol twenty-four-seven.

Peter pushed the thought aside and leaned in, continuing their conversation from the night before in a low whisper. "So, what do you think Connors is trying to do?"

"Don't know. Don't care. Not my problem."

Hawk replied with a dismissive three-part combo.

Peter watched as Hawk, having said his piece, returned to his usual stoic silence, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery. He opened his mouth to say more, but then closed it.

He wasn't about to ask Hawk to join him on his crusade.

Just because it was his passion didn't mean it had to be anyone else's. Peter understood that much.

...

At school, the buzz about the Lizard was even more intense.

Gossip and rumors flew through the halls, fueled by the overactive hormones of a thousand teenagers.

At lunch, Hawk, who had gotten his usual burger and Coke, was just starting to eat when Gwen, late from class, sat down across from him.

"Just got the news. I don't have to go in to Oscorp for a while. Dr. Connors's lab was robbed by the lizard-man, and Dr. Connors himself is missing."

"Uh..."

Hawk looked up. He thought for a moment, then leaned in, his voice low. "It wasn't some lizard-man who robbed the lab, Gwen. It was Connors."

He had been planning to tell her this morning. But Mary Jane had been with her, and Hawk hadn't wanted to say anything in front of her.

Now was as good a time as any.

"..." Gwen's eyes went wide. She gasped, her chest rising and falling in a sudden, sharp breath.

She quickly remembered they were in the crowded cafeteria and kept her voice down, her eyes wide as she stared at Hawk, who had already gone back to eating his burger.

"What? Dr. Connors is... Are you serious?"

"Ninety-nine percent sure. Spider-Man said the Lizard had my scent on him, but it was faint."

"Spider-Man?"

"Yep."

Hawk nodded casually.

Gwen stared at him, her mind reeling. If her eyes could have gotten any wider, they would have. "You know Spider-Man?"

"Yep."

"Who is he?"

"Can't say." Hawk shook his head. He wasn't about to give up Peter's secret.

Telling Gwen about Connors was one thing. The Lizard was a direct threat to her. But Peter was different.

Especially this version of Peter, the original one. The one whose idea of "going dark" was getting a bad haircut, asking for a raise—and putting some dirt in his rival's eye.

Besides, Peter hadn't told anyone about his powers.

So, he was going to return the favor.

...

Hawk met Gwen's unblinking stare with a small smile. "You can stare at me all you want. I'm not going to tell you."

Gwen finally looked away.

Fine. I'll just figure it out myself.

Again, she knew Hawk's social circle was practically non-existent. If Hawk knew Spider-Man, chances are, she knew him too.

She was confident she could solve this.

As her mind began to race through a list of potential candidates, she leaned in again, her voice a whisper.

"But... how did Dr. Connors become that... thing?"

Hawk shook his head. "Only God knows. The last time I talked to him, he told me his regeneration serum had worked on a mouse."

He only bothered to think about it because it was Gwen asking.

If it had been Peter, he wouldn't have wasted the brain cells.

Even if the Lizard tore New York City in half, it wasn't his problem. There were other people who would be far more concerned about it than him.

He looked up and saw Gwen's eyes go wide with a new, dawning horror.