Thankfully, the Lizard didn't stir as Chilton shackled him, and remained unconscious for at least an hour more. And fortunately for Chilton, as the reptile made the first few noises of waking up, that was enough for Connors's groggy mind to reassert himself over the Lizard's groggy mind. This was enough. He knew that if he didn't take this opportunity now, it would be ages until he could do it again, so Connors put all of his mental energy towards thinking about Billy, thinking about Martha, thinking about everybody who cared about him and how he needed to be himself again.

It worked. Thank God, it worked. Just as quick as the transformation started, the scales receded, back into Connors's body, as his body shrunk and contorted from a massive lizardbeast back to the human scientist he was. The shackle that held the Lizard's right hand now lay on the floor as his right arm essentially withered away back to it's previous length, while Connors's throat and left hand still remain bolted--though, with plenty more wiggle room thanks to his decreasing mass. He looked absolutely pathetic, sitting on the floor of the cage, half naked, shackled, only wearing a pair of tattered pants.

The first thing that Connors realized when coming to full consciousness was the weight of the shackle around his neck, pulling him down to a hunched position whether he wanted to be or not. The memories of what happened during his transformation were hazy, slowly sorting themselves out as Connors tried to force himself into attention. He turned to look at Chilton, concerned expression on his face. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you...did I?"