Man-Mountain Marko starts to work over Curt Connors but is stopped by Silvermane, who directs Connors and Wilson to a lab giving them 24 hours to decipher the tablet. Once locked in the lab, the stress begins Connor’s transformation into the Lizard, but he stops it by thinking of his wife and son. Spider-Man reads a Bugle article about Cicero bailing out Wilson and heads over to the lawyer’s offi ce, confronting him and a bunch of Maggia thugs, one of whom reveals they have Martha and Billy Connors captive. Cicero escapes with the Connors, believing Spider-Man killed in a rigged explosion, but Spidey dodges the blast. Cicero brings Martha and Billy to Silvermane’s headquarters, where the Maggia Don is threatening the two scientists to fi nish or face execution. Connors realizes that the tablet’s hieroglyphics are chemical symbols, not words, and quickly prepares the serum. At ESU, Peter runs into Harry and Gwen but is too distracted to hang around. Meanwhile, Silvermane drinks the formula extract and immediately collapses. Marko grabs Connors thinking he has poisoned his boss. However, a voice calls out behind him and Marko turns to see a younger, rejuvenated Silvermane, who tells him that the secret of the tablet is that it contains the formula for the Fountain of Youth.