A Collapsing Star

Chapter Thirteen

"GUYS!" Peter yelled as he swung through the streets of New York. "It's Dr. Connors!"

"What are you talking about Peter?" came Ned's tired voice over the comm link. He had set it up between the three of them so that Peter could three-way call them from his suit. "Dude it's like nine o'clock. I have school tomorrow."

"The lizard! It's Dr. Connors!"

"What?!" Gwen cried. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"That mouse that we used the serum on? Izzy? She mutated! She looks like a smaller version of the Lizard!" Peter said. "And I was talking to Harry--"

"Harry Osborn?!"

"--and he said that Dr. Connors had tested the serum on himself! And his office and the lab was destroyed!" Peter said, landing on the top of the building. He scanned the streets for anything that looked like the Lizard but it didn't look like he was out right now.

"Oh my gosh! That's..." Gwen said, not sure what to say at that. "Wow."

"I know right!" Peter cried. "We have to find him!"

"How do we do that?" Ned cried. "He's nowhere to be found!"

"Where's the last place people saw him?" Peter asked.

"Uh..he crawled into the sewers." Gwen said. "So I guess we could find him if we follow the stench."

Peter blinked then a large smile grew on his face. "I have an idea."

___________________________________________

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?" Rhodey asked as Tony paced a hole in the floor.Tony just flashed him a glare and growled. Rhodey raised his hands in mock surrender. "What's the problem here Tones?"

"The problem?" Tony hissed. "The problem is that my kid is interning at fucking Oscorp! The worst fucking place ever!"

"I think you're a little biased." Rhodey said with a roll of his eyes.

"Okay! FIne, maybe I'm a little biased," Tony said, crossing his arms with a huff. "But that place is shady and you can't tell me I'm wrong!"

"Maybe this is why Peter didn't tell you about his internship," Rhodey said. "He knew you would act like this."

"No it's because he knows that he shouldn't ever go to Oscorp," Tony said. "He knows how messed up the place is."

"If Peter wants to be an intern, you should let him. It's a normal thing kids do at his age." Rhodey said.

"I would've let him be an intern!" Tony said. Rhodey just snorted.

"Yeah. Here."

"What's so wrong with interning here?" Tony asked defensively. Rhodey sighed.

"Tony," he said. "Peter helps you design half the things interns do here. Maybe he wanted to try something new."

"So? He could have tried something new here!" Tony cried. "He could've..I don't know...maybe management?"

"Really?" Rhodey deadpanned. Tony huffed.

"You're missing the point here, Honey-Bear!" Tony said.

"Which is?"

"He lied to me, Rhodey. He lied to my face and he's been going behind my back to a place he knows I don't want him going to. He could get hurt." Tony said. "That's not okay."

"I know," Rhode sighed. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to ground that boy 'till he's twenty."