Collateral Damage

Gwen Stacy rubbed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. Sitting at a table in the Empire State University registrar's office, Gwen was filling out a series of application forms for financial aid, having suddenly found herself owing more than $5,000 in tuition after her father had cancelled the payments he had been making for her. Aunt Nancy had helped explain many of the forms to her, but filling them out was still a massive headache.

Now, of course, having been forced to borrow all this money to pay her tuition, she was not only going to be broke but up to her eyes in debt, since unless she found more modeling or acting work, she would have no other way of paying her tuition and other bills. Gwen had already become resigned to the fact that she'd have to move back in with Aunt Nancy, Jill and her mother, given how she'd no longer be able to make rent payments on her apartment.

She was brought out of her reverie by a familiar voice who cut in on her, half in surprise and half in amusement.

"I never thought I'd see you here," the man behind her remarked, as Gwen got up and turned around to see who was talking to her. "It just goes to show you, the economy's hitting our nation's Prom Queens just as hard."

Gwen glared at Harry Osborn, who only smiled in response.

SPIDER-WOMAN #13

"COLLATERAL DAMAGE"

"Don't even start with me, Harry," Gwen muttered, as she moved to sit down again. "I have enough problems without having to deal with your crap."

"Funny, I could say the same thing about you," Harry retorted, not backing down an inch. "And that's not the only thing-remember how you told me about how Liz was a saint in putting up with my bullshit? Well, you were right...but again I could say the same thing about Liz being a saint in putting up with your crap, too."

Gwen recoiled in surprise.

"...What do you mean?" she asked slowly, no anger in her voice this time.

"You know exactly what I mean," Harry told her bluntly. "That's all you ever do when you're with Liz, complaining about your problems and snapping at her when she tries to help you."

Gwen had no response to this at first.

"...You don't know what my father's been putting us through," she finally said defensively.

"You think you're the only one with problems?" Harry asked her. "According to my old man, I'm a disgrace to the family name. Kitty still has to put up with mutant bigots harassing her. Peter Parker has to work two jobs to be able to afford to come to ESU. And you think Liz has forgotten how her sister died in that molten metal accident?"

"I..." Gwen began, before she sat back in silence. Her first reflex was to snap back at Harry, but as she thought more about it, she realized he was right.

I haven't exactly been Friend of the Year, she thought to herself. Blowing off Randy when he asks me out, not listening to Kitty or Liz when they might want to get something off their chests...

Her calm, contemplative look told Harry everything he needed to know.

"And like I said before," he finally added, "you were right about me not treating Liz the way I should. Makes you wonder what she ever saw in either of us," he said with a half-smile, before he headed for the exit.

Gwen watched him go, before shifting her attention back to her application forms. Her frustration began to rise up again, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Taking a long, hard look at the papers in front of her, she set back to work on them with a renewed vigor.

Consolidated Edison, or "Con Ed" as it was commonly referred to by New Yorkers, was one of the biggest energy companies in the world, supplying energy to millions of customers in New York City itself and the surrounding Westchester County, possessing billions in assets and employing a small army of workers.

So many people worked for Con Ed, coming and going at all hours, that one employee more or less attracted little notice. Everything about this particular nondescript individual checked out, from his perfect ID to his well-worn uniform, confident gait, and thick New York accent, none of which brought him any questioning as he talked his way into looking at the company's computer records, explaining that he needed to find the addresses of several clients who had requested he come out on service calls.

With the help of the communications staff, it didn't take him long to retrieve the information, notably the law offices of Nelson, Page and Murdock, Attorneys at Law; the radio station HABQ-FM, well-known for The Boys Outta Brooklyn and their entertainment news and talk show Better in the Dark; the residence of Ronald Andrews of Greenwich Village, and the Forest Hills residence of Nancy Stacy.

In truth, the worker didn't care too much about the other addresses, having merely gotten them to keep anyone from guessing his true purposes.

All that mattered was knowing where Nancy Stacy and her family lived.

"Oh, this is beautiful!" Roderick Kingsley gushed as his photographers took pictures of Gwen and her fellow models in an upscale studio, as they posed for the new Red Lavender fragrance. For whatever reason, Kingsley had insisted on being there personally to supervise the session, something that made Gwen distinctly uncomfortable, despite the fact that she badly needed the money she would be getting from this session, if she hoped to continue her studies at ESU. Her emotions registered clearly to the photographers, the intense, piercing look on her face being exactly what Kingsley had been hoping for.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies..." Kingsley finally said as they wrapped up for the day, "this went better than I could have possibly hoped for. I'm going to make a fortune off Red Lavender, and I owe it all to you three lovelies," he smiled winningly. "As my little way of saying 'thanks', here are your paychecks, with a little bonus on top of that. And again, I'll be holding auditions for my new summer collection in a few weeks, so be sure to look me up!" he finished, as Daniel handed Gwen and the other models their paychecks.

Gwen proceeded to follow the other models out, but Kingsley called out to her and asked her to wait. Forcing herself to stop, she turned around and walked back towards Roderick, who was deep in discussion with his brother about something.

"...yeah, that whole business at the Libertine was hilarious," Roderick was telling Daniel. "The look on Forrester's face was priceless...ah, Gwen!" he grinned as she came back. "I've got to say, you're one of the best I've seen in years. I've worked with Crawford, I've worked with Schiffer, I've worked with Klum, and you're on their level, sweetie. That's why I'm wondering if you'd be interested in a little offer I have in mind."

"And that would be?" Gwen asked, trying as hard as she could to avoid shuddering at Kingsley's smile, which reminded her more of a hungry crocodile's grin than anything else.

"Some more modeling work with my summer line coming up," Kingsley replied. "You've got a natural beauty that isn't seen very much, and I know you'd be perfect for some of my upcoming designs. It wouldn't be a permanent thing, mind you, just some additional work. What do you say?"

Gwen weighed her options. The idea of spending any more time at all around Kingsley made her skin crawl, and she hated the idea of taking time away from school. On the other hand, any money she'd make would certainly be a big help, as would the boost she'd be getting for her career by working with Kingsley...

"...I'd need to think about it," she finally demurred, shaking her head. "I have a lot of other things I need to take care of, like school and-"

"Say no more," Kingsley said winningly, although Gwen noticed his eyes flare for a moment. "Here's my card-just give me a call when you make your decision."

More than a little relieved to be leaving, Gwen took the card and headed for the door, hoping that her looks didn't betray her emotions.

She could still feel Kingsley's stare following her out.

"Are you sure about this?" Nancy Stacy was asking Karen Page as they sat in Page's office the next afternoon, discussing the arrangements for George Stacy's alimony payments to his now ex-wife Helen.

"I'm afraid so," Karen sighed. "The way our tax laws work is that alimony counts as income for the spouse that receives it, and the one that pays can deduct it from his own taxes. With the amount that George will be donating, he'll get a substantial tax credit, while Helen might end up owing money, even though she hasn't been working. That's probably why your brother made an offer higher than was set by the courts-it gives him a better tax situation, and it puts more pressure on Helen."

"Damn him," Nancy muttered. "And there's nothing we can do?"

"No," Karen shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Nancy...I never expected him to pull these kinds of tactics. I thought he'd fight every step of the way and-"

"It's alright," Nancy reassured her gently. "I never expected this either. You did your best, and-"

"And I'm working pro bono on this," Karen told her. "Your family needs the money more than I do, and I don't feel right taking any payment after the way I handled this case."

"Thanks, Karen," Nancy smiled at her. "I'm just worried about how Gwen will react."

"How do you mean?" Karen asked.

"There's not much she can do to help Helen," Nancy replied, "and I can imagine how she must be feeling. She's just like her mother that way-she always hated to see people suffer, and it's even worse when you're powerless to help them."

"Powerless," Karen said grimly as she leaned back in her chair. "It's funny how that word always seems to come back to us, doesn't it?"

While her aunt was meeting with Karen Page, and Jill Stacy was keeping Helen company at home, Gwen had returned to the university to clear up her outstanding tuition debts with the money she had gotten from the Kingsley job. She had managed to pay off everything she owed, but after what she would need to pay in groceries and rent for the next month, she'd be back to square one.

Lost in thought, she barely caught herself in time to avoid running into Randy Robertson, whose face brightened as he recognized her and she half-smiled in return.

"Fancy running into you here," Randy grinned at her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Paying off my outstanding tuition debts," Gwen sighed. "At this rate, I'll be lucky-" she suddenly stopped herself, before changing the subject. "What are you doing here? You got tuition payments due too?"

"No, I'm just here to pay the fees I owe for renting some of the University's equipment in making my tap documentary," he replied. "It turned out better than I could have expected-I'll get an A for sure."

"Congratulations," Gwen smiled at him. "I'm so glad to hear it."

"Hey, without you there wouldn't even be a video," Randy told her. "I would have been screwed without your stepping in to take that other dancer's place."

"It was no problem," she answered. "Besides, it's a good way to stay in practice, and add something to my resume."

"By the way, how'd that Kingsley audition go?" Randy asked.

"Better than I expected," she said. "I actually got the job, and finished the shoot just yesterday, but Kingsley creeped me out. I'd rather not work with him again unless I absolutely have to."

"Well, I've got something you might like better," he replied. "That production of A Streetcar Named Desire was put off again, but this time the director's finally got everything taken care of and auditions are next weekend. I was thinking of trying out-you want to join me?"

"Is it paying?" she asked, before Randy nodded. "Then sure, I'll be happy to go."

"What are you doing afterwards?" he asked.

"I haven't planned that far ahead," Gwen said. "I'll probably need to study for midterms and all that."

"Come on, there are better ways to spend a Saturday night," he chided her. "How about getting some dinner and catching a movie afterwards?"

"...Didn't we already go through this scenario?" Gwen asked him, raising an eyebrow. "You're asking me out again, aren't you?"

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Randy smiled.

"Especially not when you actually succeed," she smiled back at him, as his eyes lit up eagerly.

"You mean-" he started.

"Yeah, I do," Gwen replied, "but we're going to have to go somewhere cheap. I'm a little strapped for cash right now..."

"So what?" Randy blinked in surprise. "What kind of a gentleman would I be if I expected a lady to pay for herself on the first date?"

Now it was Gwen's turn to blink in surprise.

"Thanks Randy...for everything," she finally managed, as her features softened. "I appreciate it, I really do."

"No problem," he winked at her. "See you then..."

The downtown plant was one of Osborn Industries' largest factories, kept running 24 hours a day by workers who each came in and took eight-hour shifts. Tonight was no exception, as the clock neared midnight and the next group of workers were coming in to take their shift. Everything seemed like just another night working at Oscorp, punching in and serving eight hours before punching out again.

At least, that's how it would have been if the ceiling skylight hadn't been blown open by a concussion grenade, sending shards of glass falling down towards the shocked workers' heads. Temporarily caught off guard, the workers began scattering as more grenades began flying through the now-jagged hole in the ceiling. Those that remained were suddenly frozen with shock as they saw the figure plummeting into the factory, dressed in dark green armor covered in skulls and paintings resembling skeletal limbs, topped off with a grisly flaming pumpkin for a head, riding a flying platform suspended in midair and ringed with what looked like human skulls.

Jack O'Lantern laughed hysterically as he flew about, firing electrical bolts from the blasters on his wrists while throwing pumpkin-shaped grenades everywhere. Explosions and fires followed in his wake as the workers scattered for dear life, some trying to call the police and the fire department while others simply intended to clear out as soon as possible. Several near-misses followed as Jack O'Lantern's blasts and bombs exploded dangerously close to several workers, who just barely managed to avoid the costumed villain's attacks.

Finally, Jack O'Lantern emerged from the factory, still riding his skull-ringed platform. Looking down with satisfaction at the scattering, screaming workers, he then aimed his electrical wrist blasters at the blank wall of the factory itself. Giggling like an overgrown child, he began blasting at the wall, leaving a long, black burn mark carved into the wall. The pumpkin-headed lunatic continued carving at the wall, until he had inscribed JACK O'LANTERN WAS HERE on the wall.

His expression never changed, but he seemed to emanate a satisfied smile as he surveyed his handiwork. As he burst out laughing again, Jack O'Lantern took off into the night, his laughter lost on the night wind.

Entry #2:

My other field equipment is combat-ready and possesses all the destructive capacity I had expected, ranging from my explosive grenades to my wrist-blasters. Even my ghost grabbers and sonic toads were as effective as I had expected, incapacitating many of the workers in the factory, although naturally I never had the intention of actually slaying them or destroying the entire building.

I must confess, Phase Two was much more fun than I had initially expected. The uncertainty of the diners at the Libertine was as nothing compared to the terror in the eyes of the factory workers as they ran for safety, like panicked animals desperate to escape an encroaching forest fire...an analogy I find myself particularly enjoying.

With the successful completion of Phase Two, I may now, for the moment, sit back and watch for confirmation of my initial suspicions. My unprovoked, unwarranted assault on Oscorp will doubtless lead to many questions and uncertainties, hopefully leading the participants to reveal their true forms behind the masks they work so carefully to maintain...

Of course, Phase Three will potentially be the most lucrative-and most rewarding-part of my experiment to date...

I find myself laughing again as I close the file and shut off my computer. I then turn around and look at the pumpkin mask sitting on the shelf behind me, and a wide smile crosses my face.

Nancy Stacy eagerly took the popcorn out of the microwave, pouring it into a large bowl as Helen cut up the butter they were going to melt and then pour on it. While they were not actually related, the two women were almost like sisters in many ways, sharing many interests, including their enjoyment of Sex And the City marathons, such as the one that was airing on cable tonight. Jill was already sitting on the couch waiting for them, her bad case of the flu having prevented her from going out on Saturday night as she normally would have.

As Helen heated the butter in the microwave, the doorbell rang. Slightly annoyed, Nancy went to the front door to answer it, and looking through the peephole saw what appeared to be a pizza deliveryman. Frowning in irritation, Nancy opened the door to pointedly tell the deliveryman that he must have had the wrong address.

What she saw as she opened the door stunned her. The deliveryman seemed to melt and then begin changing his shape, eventually taking on the form of a woman with dark blue skin, red hair, and yellow eyes, dressed in white with a belt of gold skulls around her waist. Behind her stood an even more bizarre sight, that of a silver-haired woman in body armor with six arms, all of which held bizarrely carved kris knives, which seemed to weave back and forth in a hypnotic dance.

"What-" Nancy began in surprise, before the six-armed woman made several strange gestures. Nancy felt a searing pain course through her body for a second, before she fell limp and collapsed in the arms of the blue-skinned woman.

Coming into the foyer to see what was going on, Helen became as white as a sheet and ran back into the kitchen to phone the police, before a blue blur seemed to come out of nowhere, grabbing her and throwing her off balance. As Helen tried to right herself, the blur slowed down into the form of a man wearing goggles and a strange blue bodysuit with the image of a saber drawn on the front. Grinning wickedly, the goggle-wearing man raised his hand to Helen's ear and snapped his fingers, creating a miniature shockwave that stunned the older woman and allowed her to collapse into his arms. Setting her down gently, it took the man less than a second to run into the TV room and stun Jill with another shockwave as she tried struggling to her feet and moving to another phone to call 911.

The blue-skinned woman marched into the house, dragging Nancy Stacy's limp form in her arms, followed by the six-armed woman in armor. Placing Nancy down gently next to Helen's body, she saw the blue-garbed man quickly join them, carrying Jill's limp body in his arms. The blue-skinned woman nodded to the six-armed woman, who then made another series of gestures, making all six of them fade into nothingness.

Everything was a blur at first as Nancy struggled to wake up. As she tried to stand, she suddenly realized she couldn't, as she found herself tied down to something. When her vision cleared, she saw herself sitting on a crate and securely chained to a large metal pillar. Helen and Jill were on either side, also bound to the pillar. As they looked around in alarm, the three women found themselves in what appeared to be some sort of underground bunker, with artificial lights built into the walls and ceiling. Everything was cold and bare reinforced concrete, with miscellaneous junk all over the floor and open doorways leading into other rooms.

The Stacys' attention was suddenly attracted to a loud booming sound coming from one of these doorways, sounding as if someone was approaching. It was then that they saw the looming shadow step through the doorway and reveal itself as the source of the sounds. The new arrival was a hugely fat man over seven feet tall, whose bulk jiggled as he walked into the room. Dressed in a pair of oversized coveralls and a large T-shirt with the words HUNGRY MAN printed on the front, the brown-haired man grinned as he set his eyes on the three women.

"Yo, they're awake!" the fat man called out in a booming voice, before he moved to sit down on another crate in the corner. It was then that the Stacys noticed he was carrying a large bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, which he opened up before beginning to devour its contents, his table manners leaving much to be desired. The Stacys were fortunately spared having to watch him, as several other bizarre individuals walked into the room from either entranceway, led by the blue-skinned woman Nancy had seen at the door before she had been knocked out.

"...What is all this?" Nancy finally mustered the nerve to demand, as Jill struggled against the chains and Helen simply sat in silence. "Who are you people?"

"You don't know?" one of the people standing around them, a tall, skinny blond man dressed in a costume marked with bright orange and blood red flames, frowned in disappointment. "We really need to get a new press agent, Mystique."

"We won't need one after this, Pyro," the blue-skinned woman, presumably Mystique, grinned in reply. "And in response to your question," she addressed Nancy, "we're the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Ah, I see that rings a bell," she said wryly as the Stacy women paled. "Allow me to introduce the rest of the group..."

"The name's Pyro, me beauties," the man in the fire costume grinned. With a snap of his fingers, a flame appeared in his hand, which became a long streak passing into his other hand, before disappearing in a flash of sparks. "I create the fire, I control the fire, I am the fire."

"That gentleman over there," Mystique indicated the fat man, who was now well into his third piece of chicken, "is the Blob, appropriately enough. Don't let the flab fool you, he's actually quite strong," she finished, as the Blob gestured in mock welcome, all while continuing to chew.

"This is Super Saber," Mystique indicated the blue-garbed man in the goggles who had subdued Helen and Jill. "Faster than the proverbial speeding bullet."

"Avalanche," Mystique continued, pointing to a man dressed in bright steel armor with a manic look in his eyes, "more than lives up to his name with the earthquakes he causes. And anything you can do, the Crimson Commando can do better," Mystique finished, pointing to a black woman dressed in red Kevlar, whose hawk-like face was fixed with a cold glare.

"Stonewall," Mystique resumed speaking, as a large man with a thick moustache, dressed in a purple and gold costume that vaguely resembled the crenellations on top of a wall or tower, stepped into the light, "doesn't speak much, but his name should tell you all you need to know about his powers." In response, Stonewall punched the open palm of his free hand, his stone cold expression never changing.

"And lastly, we have Spiral," Mystique smiled, indicating the six-armed woman, who now continually danced from one foot to the other, "a master of the magical ether. Her dances invoke power, her dances are power."

"What do you want from us?" Jill demanded.

"Justice," Mystique said simply. "Your uncle has been sponsoring the ongoing mutant genocide in this country, through his support of the Sentinel program and his financial contributions to the Friends of Humanity and anti-mutant activist Senator Robert Kelly," she continued in a sing-song voice, as if she had been reciting a speech. "We seek justice on the man known as your uncle, your brother, your husband."

"...Justice?" Jill asked in amazement.

"Exactly," Mystique replied. "We seek to defend homo superior as the rightful heirs to this planet. Your father has been involved in the war on mutants, and now we're fighting back, to protect our people."

"Protect?" Nancy asked in amazement. "Then why do you call yourselves evil?"

"Because we're the true face of mutantkind," Avalanche barked at her, a slight Greek accent apparent in his voice. "We are everything you fear, everything you hate. You baseline humans call us evil? Well then, that's what we'll be. You want a war between our peoples? Then we will give it to you. You will feel the pain, the suffering, the destruction we have been forced to endure at your hands."

"We're the evil mutants Kelly has been warning you about," Avalanche continued, his voice taking on a crazed edge. "We're the ones who will cleanse this planet. We're the next step in evolution, and we won't rest until the war is done and you all-"

"Enough!" Mystique snapped at Avalanche, who fell silent, although he continued to glare hatred at the women. "Avalanche is a tad overzealous sometimes, but he is correct nonetheless. You call us evil for defending ourselves, and taking the fight back to you...well in that case, evil is what we are. War between our peoples is inevitable, and we're just helping it along."

"So how's kidnapping us supposed to do that?" Jill demanded.

"Simple," Mystique smirked. "We will reveal your uncle's contributions to the anti-mutant agenda, and offer George Stacy a chance to turn himself in to face our justice in exchange for your lives. He will have twenty-four hours to respond, after which we will, of course, summarily execute him, or you if he fails to come to us, in front of a live audience on the Internet, as a statement that mutants are not to be trifled with. In that way, of course, you will have died in the name of a good cause."

Mystique laughed at this, as did several other members of the Brotherhood, except for Stonewall, who stood impassively next to his leader, and the Blob, who was too busy working on his fifth piece of chicken to laugh.

Nancy wasn't sure what chilled her more, the fact that she probably had less than a day to live, or that her only hope of survival rested on her brother George.

Sunday morning saw Gwen sitting down in front of the TV as she set about looking at her bills, wondering which ones to pay with the money that was left over from that photoshoot with Roderick Kingsley. Sometimes she liked to put the TV on a music station or something similar, to provide background music as she did her homework.

It was while flipping past the local news channel that she saw a sight that sent a thrill of horror through her-her mother, Jill and Aunt Nancy, all tied up in a basement somewhere, their pleading faces visible despite the slightly grainy quality of the video that had been recorded and sent to all the news channels.

"George Stacy has twenty-four hours to turn himself in and face mutant justice," Mystique was saying, as the camera was directed back at her. "Otherwise, these three ladies will have to serve in his place, as a warning to all those who would defy the mutant race. It is a pity, of course, but in war one must always expect collateral damage."

Gwen sat frozen as the news show went back to the anchorman, who stated that George Stacy had not made any public statement, and in fact seemed to have mysteriously vanished. She hardly heard it as all the old anger, all the old fury, and all the old frustrations began boiling to the surface again. Her face was a mask of anger as she stood up, and began removing her street clothes to change into her Spider-Woman outfit.

It was then that she stopped. Images of her battles with the Brothers Grimm, with Polestar, and the Constrictor passed through her mind. She thought of Firebrand, and how she had nearly attacked Harry. Gwen then took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down and restrain her anger. Her spider-senses began prickling, and she knew she could track down her mother, Aunt Nancy and Jill, but she realized that simply charging in blindly against the Brotherhood would simply get herself, and more importantly all three of them, killed.

Gwen stood in silence for several minutes, thinking the matter over, before she finally came up with a solution.

She knew full well that she would be taking a dreadful risk of exposing herself if she went through with it, but at this point she didn't give a damn.

All that mattered were her mother, Aunt Nancy, and Jill.

Kitty Pryde was so absorbed in the horror of what she was seeing on the TV that she didn't hear the knock on the door at first. The second, more insistent knock startled her to the point where she ended up phasing through her chair and landing on the floor before she regained control of herself. Standing up, she walked over to the door and opened it to find Gwen standing there, a strange look in her eyes.

"Gwen, is that-" Kitty began.

"Yeah," Gwen replied. "All of it. My mother, my aunt, my cousin. The Brotherhood's going to kill them."

"I'm so sorry, Gwen," Kitty said in concern. "But what are you doing here? Is there some way I could help?"

"Yes, there is," Gwen replied, desperation in her voice. "Do you still have a means of contacting the X-Men?"

"I...what?" Kitty asked in surprise. "Yes I do, but why would you-"

"I need to get in touch with them right away," Gwen insisted.

"Why?" Kitty asked.

"They're the only people who can save my family," Gwen said, "and I need to speak to them."

"What do you need them to tell you?" Kitty wondered, confusion on her face. "They're probably already trying to track the Brotherhood down, and they'll bring your family back."

"Kitty, please, I need to do this," Gwen pleaded, her eyes clouding over. "There's got to be something I can do!"

"But, Gwen..." Kitty shook her head.

"Kitty, if I can't speak to the X-Men, I'll never be able to forgive myself," Gwen continued.

Kitty simply looked into Gwen's eyes, and was stunned by what she saw.

"...Alright," Kitty finally conceded. "If it's that important, then I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you so much," Gwen smiled gratefully, her voice barely above a whisper. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"No problem, Gwen," Kitty replied, offering a smile of her own. "I know how important family is," she finished, before going to retrieve the contact information.

"...And Kitty?" Gwen asked, when Kitty had told her how to contact them.

"Yeah?" Kitty asked, wondering what Gwen wanted now.

"I know I haven't been easy to get along with recently," Gwen said, regret crossing her face, "if I ever was to begin with. You've been a saint in putting up with my crap up to now, and I just wanted to thank you for everything. Whatever else happens, I want you to know that you're a true friend. And when this is over, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Well, I'm glad to help," Kitty answered, somewhat caught off guard by Gwen's comments. "Are you going to be alright from here?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Gwen said, as her face began to brighten. "But I've gotta go now. See you soon, and thanks a lot!" she finished, her spirits renewed as she quickly turned around and ran down the hall.

Kitty simply stood there for a minute, wondering what Gwen could possibly have wanted in speaking with the X-Men, and what she meant by there being "something she could do."

"So, once again, can someone please explain to me why we're meeting with this spider-girl when we should be trying to track down the Brotherhood?" Warpath asked Cyclops as they stood with the rest of the X-Men in Central Park, waiting for Spider-Woman to arrive.

"She says she knows where we can find them," Cyclops reminded the young Apache, who stood almost a foot and a half taller than him. "And in a city the size of New York, the sooner we can find the Brotherhood, the sooner we can rescue the Stacys."

"Alright, so then how'd she get our contact information?" Warpath frowned.

Cyclops had no answer to that.

It was Storm that spotted Spider-Woman first, swinging from the trees as she came down to the appointed meeting spot. Jean Grey, Thunderbird, Forge, Iceman, and Rogue followed Cyclops and Warpath as they ran to join Storm. The X-Men surrounded Spider-Woman as she came down, their suspicion clearly evident in the looks they gave her.

"You're this Spider-Woman person that's made the New York news recently, right?" Cyclops began, as Spider-Woman nodded in reply. "And you want to help us rescue those women the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants hostage?"

"That's right," Spider-Woman replied. "One of my own mutant powers is to mentally track people, no matter where they are. I have what you might call a "spider-sense", that lets me do it."

"You're a mutant?" Storm asked in surprise, as Spider-Woman nodded.

That's odd, Forge thought as he stood in silence, listening to the conversation. I wonder why Cerebro hasn't identified her before now? Maybe it needs a tuneup, he continued, before his attention returned to the conversation.

"So how did you get our secured line number?" Iceman demanded. "We only give it out to people we trust. And we've never had any reason to trust you."

"Does that really matter?" Spider-Woman demanded, her eyes flaring as she scowled back at him. "All that matters right now is-"

"-is if this isn't some sort of Brotherhood trap," Thunderbird snapped back at her.

"What?" Spider-Woman demanded, her voice rising in anger. "I'm just trying to help, and this is how you reply?"

"We've been burned more than once," Storm said quietly but firmly, which made Spider-Woman pause, "especially by people who claimed to be our friends. And why are you so insistent on aiding us, child? What is your stake in this matter? We have had no offers from the likes of Daredevil or Moon Knight, or any of this city's other heroes, and the expression on your face clearly belies your interest..."

Now it was Spider-Woman's turn to look suspicious.

"We all have secrets we need to protect," she said defensively, before taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I can tell you don't know where the Brotherhood and the hostages are. I do, and I can lead you to them, but I need to be able to help you. And you're right-I do have an interest in this, but that interest is my own."

Spider-Woman could see the X-Men still were not convinced, skepticism playing across their faces.

"How can I prove it?" she asked them, frustration in her voice.

"If you will allow me, I can read your mind," Jean Grey finally spoke up. "I will be able to see if you are telling the truth, and your intentions behind your contacting us. I can promise you that I will not delve into your personal memories or your secret identity."

"Either Jean can read your mind, or it's no deal," Cyclops said firmly. "Take it or leave it."

Spider-Woman nodded in agreement, a look of determination on her face as Jean activated her telepathic powers, linking with Spider-Woman's mind and reading her surface thoughts, while being careful to avoid gathering any more personal or intimate information. After a minute, Jean broke off the contact, nodding in agreement.

"She's telling the truth. She knows how to find the Brotherhood and the hostages, and we'll be able to count on her if things go bad," Jean concluded.

Everyone looked at Cyclops, waiting for his decision.

"...Alright," he finally agreed. "But I'm the field leader here. You have to follow my orders as long as you're working with us. Understood?"

"Will do," Spider-Woman nodded, as the tension in the X-Men's faces seemed to relax.

"It's definitely the Brotherhood," Forge sighed as he looked over the Cerebro monitor in the Blackbird. "I recognize their mutant DNA signatures. And judging by the way they're spread out, the hostages are probably there," he pointed out the room with his finger. As the X-Men's resident engineering genius, Forge has developed a number of useful gadgets for the team's use, including one that was able to scan a given area and map it on a computer monitor, along with the signatures of any mutant DNA present in the area.

"What is that place, anyway?" Thunderbird looked at it curiously.

"An abandoned underground SHIELD bunker," Forge replied without looking up. "More common than you might think-they use a front company as a way to build or renovate a given building, and pass it off as being legitimate, but construct a bunker underneath it where they keep all their fancy files and equipment. SHIELD no doubt abandoned it at some point, probably when the above-ground building was condemned. They cleaned the place out when they vacated, but the underground maze was still there. A perfect place for any supervillain group to hide out in."

"Cute," Iceman scowled. "Want to bet they've got every way in heavily guarded?"

"That's what we'll be counting on," Cyclops replied. "Thunderbird, you can short out the alarms, can't you?"

"You bet," the younger Apache grinned, as electricity sparked between his hands. Priding himself on being the "Native, good-guy version of Electro," Thunderbird had eagerly volunteered to join the X-Men along with his older brother Warpath some years ago, committing his powers to generate and control electricity wholeheartedly to Professor Xavier's dream.

"Hey, hold up now!" Rogue protested. "Ya'll can't be sayin' that we're just gonna walk straight in an' let the Brotherhood know we're comin'!"

Spider-Woman suddenly paled at the thought.

"Wait...no, you can't do this!" she said angrily. "The Brotherhood will kill the hostages! What the hell are you-"

"You're both forgetting the Brotherhood's goals," Storm reminded them both. "They want to graphically and visibly kill someone, either George Stacy or the rest of the Stacy family, as part of one of their sick media statements. If they kill the hostages now, all they'll do is throw away their main bargaining chips. They need those women alive," she continued as Rogue and Spider-Woman both calmed down, Spider-Woman again taking a deep breath to force herself to relax.

"...So what's the plan?" Spider-Woman finally asked, her voice calm and steady.

"Mystique!" the Crimson Commando ran into the room where the hostages were being held.

"What is it?" Mystique demanded, hastily rising from her chair.

"The alarms," the Commando replied. "They've been shorted out, destroyed!"

"They think they're being clever," Mystique snorted in amusement, "hoping we won't be able to tell which way they're coming in."

"Who the hell are you talking about?" the Blob demanded, finishing up his last donut and throwing the empty box onto the pile of garbage he had created from various hamburger wrappers, pizza boxes, and buckets of fried chicken.

"The X-Men," Mystique smiled, as the rest of the Brotherhood except for Stonewall grinned in reply. "Spread out to every exit, and take no prisoners," said, before giving each member his or her marching orders, finally coming to Spiral.

"They might make a play for the prisoners while the rest of us are distracted," Mystique reminded her. "You stay here and guard them while we deal with the X-Men. And if everything else seems lost, and the X-Men are on the verge of winning...well, you can use your imagination on what to do next."

Spiral resumed her jerking, twitching dance as she laughed out loud, turning her sickly smile back on Nancy, Jill and Helen Stacy, still chained to the pillar in the center of the room.

None of the Stacy women dared move a muscle.

It was in the main foyer, just above the stairs leading to the lower levels, that Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm were almost buried under the torrent of rubble that Avalanche generated, sending his vibratory powers right up the supporting columns and shattering the upper floors. Caught off guard, Jean just barely managed to generate a telekinetic shield above the X-Men to shield them from the collapsing masonry. Her head pounding with the effort, Jean needed a moment to regain her bearings, which was far too long when dealing with someone like Super Saber, who came racing up the stairs and struck her with a super-fast punch, instantly knocking her senseless.

An enraged Cyclops shot at him with his optic blasts, but Super Saber easily raced around it, grinning wickedly as Storm took to the air. Summoning her weather-controlling abilities, Storm generated an intense windstorm in the main part of the building, blowing Super Saber off his feet. She heard the loud rumbling sound and began dodging as Avalanche generated a second round of seismic waves, and was more than a little relieved to see Cyclops's optic blasts coming from below and blowing the falling debris apart before it could hit her. Now free to concentrate on Super Saber, she intensified her wind, finally pinning the speeding mutant down and blowing him into a collapsed wall, knocking him out.

Down on the ground, Cyclops had pinned down Avalanche and was caught in a firefight with the crazed mutant, firing optic blasts as Avalanche came right back with his vibratory waves. Slowed by the necessity of having to drag the unconscious Jean, Cyclops could not avoid Avalanche's next blast, which knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into a pile of broken masonry. His entire body throbbing with pain, Cyclops tried to struggle to his feet as Storm flew down to help him, even as the hysterically laughing Avalanche prepared to bury them in those parts of the building that were still standing.

It was only through generating a burst of lightning that Storm managed to blind Avalanche, giving Cyclops enough time to recover so he could strike the crazed mutant down with another optic blast. Avalanche's body armor prevented the blow from being mortal, but it staggered him enough that he slowly felt himself blacking out. Before he did, he focused his powers on the ground above the stairway leading to the lower levels, collapsing it under a ton of rubble, after which he fell unconscious.

Cyclops gritted his teeth in pain as Storm examined Jean.

"Thank the goddess, she still breathes," Storm replied in response to Cyclops's concerned look. "She will recover. Can you clear a way through the barrier to the lower levels Avalanche has created?"

"Not without probably bringing the rest of the floor down," Cyclops cursed. "He made it so weak that any further pressure will level whatever's still standing. We'll need Jean to dig a way through telekinetically."

"Then let us hope she recovers in time," Storm said grimly.

Warpath and Thunderbird made their way into the building through the back entrance, where supplies and other large quantities of goods had been delivered. They were both constantly looking around, expecting an attack from any direction, and did not have long to wait for the first gas grenade tossed by the Crimson Commando, and the roaring fireball tossed at them by Pyro. Gagging from the tear gas the Commando released, Warpath moved to shield his younger brother from Pyro's flames. Warpath did his best to ignore the searing pain, before he used his powerful leg muscles to leap free of the gas cloud, Thunderbird in his arms.

Pyro and the Commando were at opposite ends of the room, working in concert to trap them in a crossfire, but the Proudstar brothers had spent countless hours training together in the Danger Room and knew full well how to counter such tactics. As Warpath shut his eyes and covered them with his hands for good measure, Thunderbird glowed brightly and generated a huge burst of electrical light, blinding his opponents and forcing them to let up on their attack. The brothers then charged in different directions, barreling down on their opponents.

Pyro was the first to recover, and lay down a wave of fire on Warpath, who shouted in pain before leaping free of the flames. Not giving an inch, Pyro reshaped the flames into a giant hand, which caught Warpath and brutally slammed him into the floor, before coming down to press on the Apache man and shroud him in flames. An ordinary man would have long since been incinerated, but Warpath was no ordinary man, slamming the ground with his fist and creating a shockwave that knocked Pyro off his feet and forced him to let up control of his flames. As the fires winked out of existence, Warpath struggled to his feet and caught up to Pyro with a single jump, knocking him senseless with a hard tap to the head.

Thunderbird, meanwhile, had been forced to generate an electrical shield to protect himself from the bullets fired at him by the Crimson Commando, who skillfully dodged whatever blasts he threw at her. Sweat poured down the young man's cheeks with the effort of generating all that energy, while the Commando tossed another gas grenade at him. Even as his eyes began watering, Thunderbird still saw a way to win. As he let up his electrical shield, Thunderbird focused it into a wide blast, forcing the Commando to dodge out of the way and grab a metal support pillar to regain her balance.

A short blast of energy aimed at the pillar's base was all that was needed for the electricity to be conducted up towards the Commando before she could escape, shocking her into unconsciousness as Thunderbird flew up to catch her. Coming back down to the ground and carrying the unconscious Commando in his arms, Thunderbird approached his brother and shuddered at the ugly red burns Warpath had suffered from Pyro's flames.

"Jim, are you-" Thunderbird began in horror.

"Yeah Johnny, I'll live," Warpath muttered, as he dragged the unconscious Pyro forward and dropped him in a heap in front of Thunderbird, who added the stunned Commando to the pile. "Not as bad as what Riptide or Arclight did, believe me."

Thunderbird only shuddered, remembering that dreadful battle in an underground maze of tunnels beneath San Francisco, where the mutant killers known as the Marauders had nearly annihilated the X-Men in their efforts to murder the community of outcast mutants known as the Morlocks. Warpath had killed Arclight, being severely beaten for his troubles, before he had been mercilessly torn by Riptide's spikes and shurikens. Thunderbird, in turn, had electrocuted Riptide to death, before Prism had turned his own electricity back on him and nearly killed him. It had taken the brothers weeks to recover from their injuries, and Thunderbird still hated to be reminded of that time.

"You going to be alright?" he asked Warpath.

"Just give me a few minutes," Warpath said, before he sat down, weariness in his eyes.

Rogue, Iceman and Spider-Woman made their way through the sewers towards the underground entrance to the abandoned bunker, fully expecting a fight. They did not have long to wait, as the huge forms of the Blob and Stonewall loomed out of the shadows and Mystique followed behind, her hands glowing with the electrically-charged Tazer gauntlets she so loved to wield in combat. The three Brotherhood members charged before Iceman covered the floor in a coating of ice, making it desperately slippery and forcing the villains to let up on their assault as they struggled to regain their footing. Iceman himself had no problem walking on the suddenly slick floor, while Spider-Woman stuck to the walls and ceiling and Rogue simply flew over it.

Anchoring himself in place with his gravity field, the Blob reached out and tore a large metal pipe from the wall, slamming Rogue hard with it and sending her flying before she crashed into the wall, slumping heavily to the floor. He slowly advanced, raising the pipe again before he got a face full of webbing from Spider-Woman, forcing him to pause and tear it free. The arachnid heroine was suddenly forced to dodge and roll out of the way as Mystique, now flying with wings sprouted from her back, lunged at her with her gauntlets. Spider-Woman quickly spun around, using one hand to nail Mystique with a sting blast while using the other to spraying the evil shapeshifter with webbing, stunning Mystique and pinning her to the wall before running for the entrance that led into the complex.

Stonewall, his face never changing its deadpan expression, lunged for her but was slammed by a large hammer of ice created by Iceman, who then gave the rock-skinned mutant a double blast of cold, encasing him up to his neck as he struggled to break free. It took Iceman several seconds to trap the struggling Stonewall, however, which left him vulnerable to the Blob coming up on him from behind and beginning to crush him in a vicious bearhug.

Iceman grunted in pain, lowering his temperature to try and make himself too cold to handle, but the Blob merely grinned and kept up the pressure. The big, blubbery bully would have broken Iceman in half if Rogue had not recovered in time and picked up the sewer pipe he had hit her with, using it to slam the Blob across the back of the head. Dizzy from the blow, the Blob released Iceman, who created a miniature hailstorm of ice balls from his hands, pummeling the Blob's face and eyes and knocking him senseless. Even as he did so, Rogue flew up to the struggling Mystique and removed one of her gloves, tapping Mystique with her finger and absorbing her powers. The shapeshifter fell unconscious as Rogue came down to Stonewall and touched him as well.

Unlike his leader, Stonewall was physically strong enough to resist the system shock that came with Rogue's touch, but when his own superhuman strength was combined with Rogue's, she possessed enough power to knock even the rock-hard mutant senseless.

Gasping in pain, Iceman leaned against the tunnel wall, as Rogue came down to join him.

"This ain't good," Rogue said, having absorbed and scanned Mystique's memories. "The Brotherhood's got Spiral guardin' the hostages."

"Terrific," Iceman sighed. "The Brotherhood's most powerful and unstable member guarding the hostages, and that inexperienced spider-girl went in after her. She's going to need your help."

"Will do," Rogue assured him. "How 'bout you? Ya'll don't look so good."

"I'll be alright," Iceman assured her. "The hostages are all that matter right now."

Spider-Woman would normally never have been able to make her way through the twisting underground complex, which had probably been designed that way to confuse enemies and provide the proper fallback and escape routes for the defending SHIELD agents, if it ever came to that. Her spider-senses were an unerring guide, however, the pheromones she had marked her mother, aunt and cousin with allowing her to track them down no matter where they were.

She finally came into the room where her family was kept. At first, their eyes lit up in hope, before shifting into panic. Spider-Woman recognized the signal immediately and rolled out of the way, as Spiral dropped down from the ceiling, her swords flashing and cutting through the air where Spider-Woman had been standing.

"A new recruit?" Spiral asked in a lilting, sing-song voice, her head jerking from side to side as she hopped and skipped in place. "The X-Men once more seek to hinder our efforts to bring justice to the mutant race, and their numbers have expanded? Are you the newest convert to Xavier's lies, woman-spider?"

"Your little crusade is over," Spider-Woman replied, her voice calm and collected. "I won't let you hurt these people."

Spiral only burst out laughing.

"Foolish girl, do you honestly think you can stand against my might? The essence of magic, the breath of life, the wisdom of the ancients, all this and more are mine to command! You will tremble before my power, as so many have trembled before you!"

"Talk is cheap," Spider-Woman merely said as she sprayed a double blast of webbing at Spiral. The six-armed mutant easily jumped out of the way, coming down and swiping at Spider-Woman with her swords. Spider-Woman rolled out of the way and shot a flurry of sting blasts at Spiral, who easily deflected them with her specially designed blades. She charged at Spider-Woman again, as the Stacy women could only watch in horror. Her incredible speed allowed Spider-Woman to dodge the endless sword strikes, but she soon saw a pattern emerging, as Spiral shifted the tone of her movements from sword-strikes into a twisted, spiraling dance.

Rolling out of the way of yet another sword-strike, Spider-Woman suddenly felt her entire body become wracked with pain. Writhing in agony, she collapsed and fell to the ground, as Spiral laughed out loud, continuing to move her arms in that strange, bizarre pattern and hopping around in a frenzied state.

"A valiant effort, little spider, but ultimately futile," Spiral laughed. "And now, before these witnesses, I will-" she paused for a moment. "Well, it seems as if my brothers and sisters have tasted the bitter nectar of defeat by the X-Men's hands," Spiral resumed. "Therefore, we have no more use for our hostages. It falls upon I alone to exact mutant justice, and all your lives are at an end."

At that moment, Spider-Woman was in so much pain she could barely move. But as she heard Spiral's words, she felt it all come back.

The anger, the guilt, the sense of helplessness, everything filled her mind. She saw Firebrand, the Brothers Grimm, Boomerang, the Constrictor, and most of all her father, recalling everything they had done, and everything they had tried to do. Ignoring the pain in her limbs, Spider-Woman forced herself to her feet, her hands glowing brightly with her sting blast energy.

"What?" Spiral said in shock, temporarily stopping her dance. "Inconceivable!"

"You can't stop me," was all Spider-Woman replied.

"You presume to resist my magic?" Spiral sneered, as she resumed the dance. "Then I shall demonstrate the true intensity of my power! Your powers are as nothing before me!"

The pain became even worse, even as Spider-Woman's sting blasts faded from her hands.

Firebrand set yet another building on fire.

Her powers were fading...she could not-

The Constrictor broke Phil Urich's neck.

She felt her mind begin to shut down, as Spiral increased the power of the dance...

George Stacy viciously backhanded his wife Helen, before grabbing her by the arm and slamming her against the wall,

Not. Any. More.

Spider-Woman's arms snapped up, as she sprayed her webbing in a wide arc. Caught off guard, Spiral spun out of the way, quickly recovering as she gave the arachnid heroine a severe mental shock. Spiral then focused on Spider-Woman's mind once again, blocking the mental paths that allowed her to trigger her webbing abilities. One of Spiral's deadliest abilities was to temporarily disrupt the powers of superhuman beings, disrupting the mental connections that allowed the superhumans to consciously activate them.

Her eyes gleaming brightly behind the lenses of her mask, Spider-Woman seemed not to notice, rolling out of the way as Spiral tossed two of her swords at her and retaliating with a vicious double sting blast, knocking Spiral off her feet. The six-armed sorceress staggered, her movements becoming even more pronounced and jerky, determined to break Spider-Woman's will and shatter her mind.

Sheer anger battled sheer power, as the two women fought in a battle of wills, neither one giving or expecting an inch.

Through it all, Spider-Woman realized one critical thing.

Spiral's bizarre movements, particularly the circling motions of her arms, allowed her to perform her magic.

Everything became clear in that moment, as Spider-Woman seemed to stagger, her will apparently broken. Grinning in triumph, Spiral prepared to strike the fatal blow, shifting all her focus to breaking Spider-Woman's mind.

It was a critical mistake, as Spider-Woman released a stream of webbing from both hands, entangling Spiral's arms and legs. Falling off balance and unable to move her limbs properly, Spiral's magic was lost, ruined, even as Spider-Woman continued to spray her with webbing and then blasted her with her electric stings. As Spiral staggered, she then noticed Spider-Woman advancing on her slowly and relentlessly, her face set in a mask of anger.

The punch, coming right between her eyes, was the last thing Spiral saw coming.

Wearied from the effort, her adrenaline fading, Spider-Woman advanced on Nancy, Helen and Jill Stacy. It was a simple enough matter to snap the chains binding them to the pillar with her incredible superhuman strength, before sitting down to catch her breath, even as the rest of the Stacy clan thanked her profusely. Rogue appeared less than a minute later, using the knowledge of the complex she had gained from Mystique's memories to lead them above-ground. The police and the rest of the X-Men were already waiting, having brought the rest of the Brotherhood with them. The Stacys were handed over to the police, who would see to it that they received proper medical attention, before returning them home.

Spider-Woman was left with the X-Men, who were looking at her with a different view now.

"You're one of us, then?" Cyclops asked her. "A mutant?"

"That's right," Spider-Woman nodded. "And I wanted to thank you for letting me help you on this. It means more to me than you ever-"

"Wait, hold up," Forge interrupted, holding a strange-looking device in his hands.

Everyone turned to look at him in blank amazement.

"I knew my genetic scanner couldn't be on the fritz," Forge said, looking at the readings on the monitor. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure I'm right."

"What are you talking about?" Jean asked curiously.

"I knew something was off when you first came into our presence and didn't set off Cerebro's detectors," Forge said, as the X-Men looked at each other in amazement and confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Spider-Woman asked in surprise. "What's this Cerebro?"

"Cerebro is a special genetic-tracking system that I devised to help locate mutants," Forge informed her. "It can be used to scan for people with the 'x-gene', the gene that mutants carry that eventually causes their ambient powers to manifest. Only mutants have them-people like the Fantastic Four don't. They were ordinary humans that got transformed somehow, so technically they're mutates, not mutants."

"So what does all this have to do with me?" Spider-Woman demanded, not liking where this was going.

"Well, we often carry portable Cerebro detectors with us when we're in the field. They serve not only to track down friends or enemies that might be in danger, but also work as an alarm in case unknown mutant hostiles approach without our knowledge. When you came swinging down, you didn't set off our detectors," Forge replied.

"Wait...what?" Spider-Woman asked in amazement. "That can't be possible!"

"See for yourself," Forge answered, as he began fiddling with the controls. "I can even set it to scan specific people to see if they carry the x-gene. I'll do it to you, if you'll let me."

Spider-Woman only nodded, and Forge pointed the scanner directly at her. She walked over to see the results.

NO X-GENE DETECTED, the monitor read, before it shifted to say OUTSIDE GENETIC MUTATIONS DETECTED-SUBJECT IS CONFIRMED AS MUTATE.

"I...I'm not a mutant?" Spider-Woman said in amazement, stunned by the revelation. "Then how...how could I..." she said in confusion.

"Your DNA was altered at some point to induce superhuman abilities," Forge told her. "Can you think of any kind of accident or change that would lead to this?"

"No!" Spider-Woman said in dismay. "Nothing like that's ever happened to me! My powers only started manifesting a few months ago, and-" she stopped, reluctant to reveal anything else.

"Might there be some way we could help you?" Storm asked, putting her hand on Spider-Woman's arm. "If you would return with us, then perhaps-"

"No," Spider-Woman shook her head, thinking of her family. "I have other things I need to take care of right now. I appreciate the offer, but-"

"It's still good whenever you want it," Cyclops assured her. "Just take care of what you need to do right now."

Spider-Woman offered him a grateful smile, before she leapt into the air and spun a webline.

"I was worried sick about you all," Gwen hugged Aunt Nancy as they sat in Nancy's house. "You're sure you're alright?"

"Yes, we'll be fine," Nancy assured her. "Mind you, I'm quite grateful that Spider-Woman arrived when she did."

Gwen brightened at this.

"What about Mom?" she asked.

"That's the oddest thing," Nancy smiled. "She seems so much better since we were rescued. I don't know what could have come over her."

True enough, Gwen was astonished to see her mother smiling as she watched the news, humming under her breath before rising to hug Gwen as she came in.

"You look alright," Gwen told her.

"I feel quite a bit better," Helen said serenely. "But what about you? You seem so worn-out and tense..."

"I was worried sick," Gwen sighed. "But now-"

"Now it's alright," Helen assured her.

Nothing more needed to be said, as Gwen sat with her mother in silence, at peace for the first time in a long, long time.

The question of where she had obtained her superhuman powers still nagged at the back of her mind, but right now it didn't really matter.

What mattered was what she'd been able to use those powers for.

(Next Issue: With a renewed sense of purpose, Gwen begins to get her life back on track, as she returns to her studies and prepares for her date with Randy Robertson, while also rebuilding her friendships with Liz and Kitty. Things become considerably more complicated, however, when she crosses paths with the mysterious costumed criminal known as Jack O'Lantern! All this and more in Spider-Woman #14: By the Light of the Jack O'Lantern!)