LOUD MOUTH → PETER PARKER ✓

Chapter Eighteen: Liquid Nitrogen > Lizards

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍: LIQUID NITROGEN > LIZARDS

Callie was sure she had never run as fast as she was running up the stairs to Oscorp. Emergency evacuation procedures shut down the elevator, so she was left to run up nearly thirty flights with a heavy gun in one hand and a small, metal antidote vial slick with sweat in her hands. If the Lizard was somewhere, it was on the roof. She only hoped she'd find Peter there, too. Alive, she hoped.

Her chest burned and her feet ached as she burst onto the roof entrance. The Ganali device already had Connors' serum in it, ready to disperse it to the whole city within a two minute countdown. The antidote grew heavy in Callie's hand. There was no way she could get it there in time. The Lizard had its tail wrapped around Peter's neck, holding him above the ground. He had pulled his mask off, revealing his bloodied face. Callie nearly screamed at the sight, but kept herself quiet.

"Poor Peter Parker," the Lizard mocked him. "No mother, no father, no uncle." he put emphasis on every syllable, making sure his words had the exact terrifying effect he wanted. "All alone."

That was it. Callie cocked the gun and took aim. "That's where you're wrong." she said lowly. The Lizard turned its head. "He's not alone. Not if I have any say in it."

The Lizard unhinged its jaw and roared at her, showing every single one of its teeth. Instead of shooting at it, Callie turned the gun towards a small pipeline labeled Liquid Nitrogen and shot at it. The pipe snapped in half and released a jet of foggy liquid, the pressure just high enough that Peter was able to grab the hose as it snapped up, spraying the Lizard with the liquid nitrogen.

"I love science." Callie muttered.

Peter broke free, keeping the stream of liquid nitrogen at the Lizard. Frost collected on its tail as it tried to swing around and shattered. That had to hurt. Realizing this was her chance, Callie cocked the gun and shot bullet after bullet at the Lizard, though it was hard to see through the thick fog clouding over the roof. The Lizard tried to swipe with its claws, but Callie shot at his hand, shattering it before he could get very far. Damn, she was kind of good at this.

A robotic voice from the Ganali device spoke, "Detonation in T-minus 45 seconds."

Peter suddenly threw the hose aside and charged at the half-frozen lizard, kicking him squarely in the chest. Connors backed up against the railing in front of a small pit of the roof filled with tanks of liquid oxygen and broke through. Callie took her chance and started shooting at it as it fell.

"Peter!" she yelled once she reached his side. She held out the antidote. "Go! I've got this!" she shot at the tanks of oxygen, watching the Lizard's every struggling move.

"Callie, I have to tell you something!" Peter yelled.

"Can it wait?" she yelled. "We don't have much time left!"

Peter paused for another moment before sprinting away, climbing to the top of the building towards the Ganali device.

"T-minus thirty seconds."

The liquid nitrogen was starting to dissipate, and the Lizard was able to stand up. Callie watched its previously shattered hand grow back, covered in pink, fleshy skin rather than scales. But its claws grew back soon after, and it glared at Callie menacingly.

It climbed out of the pit and Callie shot bullet after bullet at it. Nothing seemed to slow it down. It came closer and closer until it smacked the gun out of her hand. Callie watched the gun fly over the side of the roof and fall to the sidewalk. Her breathing quickened. There was nothing to protect her now. It was just her and Connors.