A Magnetic Personality

Jason Phillip Macendale eagerly opened his cell phone at the sound of the ring, smiling widely as he heard Fancy Dan's voice on the other end.

"What's the scenario?" Macendale asked Dan.

"The Kingpin's decided," Fancy Dan, the Kingpin's main underboss in charge of internal affairs and administration in his boss's criminal syndicate, "and we're ready to get the police in on this."

"We're going after the Maggia?" Macendale asked.

"That's right," Fancy Dan replied with an evil chuckle. "They'll be hard-pressed as it is fighting Bazin…just imagine how much worse it'll be when the New York Police Department goes after them?"

"Okay, I see where you're going with this," Macendale nodded, "but how are we going to get the NYPD after the Maggia? I'm on the Superhuman Activities squad, not Organized Crime!"

"You're going to be getting a tip from that George Stacy guy about what he thinks is a safehouse for the Acolytes of Magneto," Fancy Dan explained. "However, when you raid the safehouse you're going to find that it's actually a Maggia base, and you're going to find some dirt on the Maggia's money laundering schemes in the Midwest. After that, being the honest and upstanding enforcer of the law that you are, you're going to turn that information over to the Organized Crime unit."

"This, of course, gives the police extra motivation and leverage to go after the Maggia," Macendale laughed, "and none of it can be traced back to the Kingpin."

"You said it, not me," Fancy Dan replied smoothly.

"How'd George find out about this?" Macendale asked.

"We just alluded to how the Maggia is laundering money and smuggling supplies for the muties," Dan laughed. "That wound him up real bad. The Kingpin knew full well that George

would go straight to the cops with that information. I gave him your number."

"Sucker," Macendale laughed as he hung up.

With a wide grin on his face, Macendale returned to watch Pumpkinhead, one of his favorite movies. He knew that Dan wasn't telling him the whole story, of course-he'd heard from some of his contacts in the Organized Crime squad that the flamboyant Crimewave was planning to take advantage of Bazin's being distracted by the war with the Maggia to try and expand into Bazin's territory in New Jersey. Bazin and the Maggia would both be fighting on two fronts...and who knew what the Green Goblin, who'd been a wildcard ever since he came on the scene three years ago, would do in this situation?

The New York mob scene was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Macendale was loving every minute of it.

SPIDER-WOMAN #23

"A MAGNETIC PERSONALITY"

"That should just about cover it," Gwen Stacy told her Aunt Nancy as she handed over the cheque. "Let me know if there's anything else, okay?"

"Actually, there is something else," Nancy Stacy replied, grabbing her niece by the arm as she turned to leave. "Are you doing anything for vacation?"

"…What?" Gwen asked in surprise. "No, I've got a lot to deal with right now," she shook her head.

"Like what?" Nancy asked with a half-frown. "Rent, your job at the coffee shop, figuring out your classes for next semester, getting some more help for Helen, trying to find more acting work, and trying to decide whether you're interested in Randy or Ben, right?"

"More or less, yeah," Gwen sighed with a resigned smile, not mentioning that she was also trying to put up with Roderick Kingsley's lecherous stares and looking after Harry as Spider-Woman, in between stressing about whatever Polestar, Moonstone and Jack O' Lantern were probably scheming.

"You need a break," Nancy said seriously, pulling Gwen back to sit down on the couch. "You're going to burn out if you keep up like this."

"No, I won't," Gwen insisted. "And I can't just drop everything and leave. I have responsibilities."

"Gwen…sweetie…" Aunt Nancy said sadly. "You have responsibilities to yourself, too. Have you looked at yourself lately? I can see how stressed out you are. You're pushing yourself way too hard."

"Yeah, but I've got to," Gwen replied stubbornly. "I'm the only one who can do it…"

"Your father said the same thing twenty years ago," Nancy said, looking down and shaking her head.

"My…what?" Gwen asked.

"George's always driven himself so hard," Nancy explained. "Never letting himself unwind, never taking any time to rest. He always took everything so far, and let the stress get to him. That's when he started drinking."

Gwen paled, knowing better than anyone what George Stacy's drinking had led to.

"But…that won't happen," she tried to insist, although it sounded hollow when she considered how violent she'd been when she'd first started out as Spider-Woman.

"That's always been a problem with us Stacys," Nancy smiled sadly. "We take things way too far, and we let our emotions run away with us. Passion's a wonderful thing, Gwen…but you can't take it too far. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Gwen hadn't thought of it that way. At first, she wanted to tell Nancy that she was wrong, but remembering how she'd used to act as Spider-Woman, as well as other instances such as when she'd nearly attacked Harry Osborn, she knew Nancy was right.

"I won't let it happen, Aunt Nancy," Gwen smiled. "I just feel bad leaving Mom hanging, you know?"

"Don't worry about it," Nancy assured her. "We'll take good care of her. Besides, you've already gotten the money she needs from the modeling work you did with that Roderick Kingsley guy."

"Yeah…and Aunt Nancy?" Gwen asked.

"Thanks," she smiled, more broadly this time.

"Always," Nancy assured her.

Getting Mr. Spencer, her boss at the Empire State Coffee Shop, to let her take a week off had been a lot easier than she'd expected. Gwen realized that, with all the extra hours she'd been putting in now that school was out for the summer, she'd probably already built up a substantial number of extra hours. That, in turn, was probably the reason she needed a vacation.

Returning home and sitting down to check her e-mail, her eyes lit up as she got a message from Liz:

Hey Gwen,

Harry and I are going next week to Fire Island for some R&R to celebrate our getting back together. We want to know if you'd be interested in coming. Kitty's already decided to join us, and she said she'd be bringing her new boyfriend, too. Can you believe it? She actually hooked up with Kong!

Gwen tried and failed to stifle a giggle at the thought of the giant Bruce McFarlane, called "Kong" for his massive size and hairy face and arms, getting together with the diminutive Kitty Pryde. It was a good thing that Kitty wasn't home, or Gwen would have had a fairly awkward time explaining why she was laughing. As she calmed down, she resumed reading the e-mail:

Harry says he'd have room for you and one more person. Who's going to be the lucky man? Randy, Ben, or somebody else?

That was a good question. Gwen honestly wasn't sure if there was anything between Randy and her anymore, especially after how badly he'd taken it after she'd gone out with Ben. She still wondered what had happened to Randy to make him react the way he did, but she hadn't the faintest idea. As for Ben, she'd had a wonderful time at the dinner at the Plaza Hotel (before it had been spoiled by Jack O' Lantern, anyway), and they'd gone out a few more times, although lately he'd seemed more distant.

The rest of the e-mail was simply Liz asking Gwen to write back and let her know if she wanted to come on the trip.

Gwen had every intention of doing so, but first she had some calls to make.

Andrew Reilly picked up the phone as it rang, raising an eyebrow as he saw that the call came from Kitty's apartment. Eagerly smiling as he answered the phone, he soon got a distinctly sour look on his face as he heard the voice on the other end.

"Hi, is this the Reilly residence?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, it is," Andrew replied, as he was once again reminded of Gwen's hypocrisy, arrogantly looking down on everyone she knew while pretending to be all sweet and nice, before moving on the Next Good Deed once she'd gotten everything she'd wanted from whoever it was she was manipulating.

"Ben isn't answering his cell phone," Gwen continued, as if she was just wanting to get in touch with him. "Is he tied up with something right now?"

"Ben's going to be pretty busy over the next week," Andrew replied brusquely. "He's been called in to work at Bellevue Hospital to help with a staffing crunch, and he'll probably be tied up for quite a while."

"Oh, that's too bad," Gwen replied, trying to sound as if she was only disappointed at not being able to get in touch with Ben, although Andrew knew that in truth she was only unhappy at not getting her hooks into him. "I was hoping to see if he could go on a vacation to Fire Island with me, Kitty and some of our friends."

"That's not going to happen, Miss Stacy," Andrew said stiffly. "And now, I have to go. Goodbye," he finished, hanging up before Gwen had a chance to reply.

Gwen was more than a little startled by the frigid tone Ben's father had adopted. She felt kind of bad, thinking she must have caught him at a bad time. Having no luck with Ben, she decided to try Randy.

"Hello?" Randy Robertson asked in a slightly bored tone, having been singularly disappointed with the book he was reading.

"Hey, Randy!" Gwen's voice replied on the phone. "How are you doing?"

"…Gwen?" he asked in surprise. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," she answered. "What are you doing next week?"

"I've got a lot going on, actually," he replied. "I'm going to be visiting my grandparents out in Massachusetts. How about you?"

"Harry's taking some of us to Fire Island to celebrate his getting back together with Liz," Gwen explained. "He said he had room for one more, so I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

Randy paused for a moment, thinking this over. He remembered hearing about how Gwen had gone out with Ben Reilly to the Plaza Hotel, and he frowned.

"No, it's probably not going to work out," he shook his head. "I really appreciate it, but we have an annual family reunion towards the end of June. It's a really big tradition in my family."

"No problem, I understand," Gwen assured him. "What have you got going when you come back?"

"They're casting for a summer production of The Wiz," Randy said eagerly.

"That's great!" Gwen said brightly. "What role are you going for?"

"The Scarecrow," Randy replied. "It was Michael Jackson's role, after all."

"Michael Jackson?" Gwen asked in surprise. "Oh, right…he played the Scarecrow in that '70s film version, didn't he?"

"That's right," Randy grinned. "You saw the movie?"

"Yeah, it was alright," Gwen replied. "I can't remember too much about it, though…"

"A lot of the musical's songs were cut from the movie," Randy explained. "This version is going to try and integrate some of the movie scenes, though."

"Well, good luck!" Gwen encouraged him. "I know you'll knock them dead!"

When Gwen had first called, Randy had felt slightly raw over the fact that she'd apparently started going out with Ben. Now he realized that they were apparently not an item, and a stray idea crept into his mind.

"Why don't you try out with me?" he asked her.

"Me?" Gwen asked in surprise. "I thought it was meant to have an all-black cast."

"A lot of productions do that, but there are colorblind versions too," Randy explained. "All you need is rhythm. You don't have anything to worry about-if anything, you're proof that white people really can dance!" he laughed.

"I guess I could give it a shot," Gwen agreed. "Thanks for telling me about it!"

"Thanks for inviting me," Randy replied. "Too bad I couldn't join you."

"No problem," Gwen assured him. "I should probably let you go, then. See you around!" she finished, before she hung up.

Randy picked up his book and began reading again, this time with a smile on his face.

Gwen sighed in frustration as she hung up, mentally trying to recount all the boys she knew and whether she could take any of them on short notice. Somehow she doubted that any of them would be able to drop everything to go with her, however much they would have enjoyed doing so.

Gwen realized she'd probably have to go stag…but who said that had to be a problem? She remembered how things used to be in high school, with the guys drooling whenever she passed by, always taking care to look available but be ultimately unobtainable. Dating every one of them a couple of times, never committing to any of them. It had been a good way to keep any of them from getting too close.

Now, though, things were different. She knew she'd still be getting the attention she always did, but there wasn't any reason she couldn't genuinely get to know and befriend the guys. Thinking back over the last several months, Gwen honestly wondered if she could or would have been willing to go with Liz on the others on their trip before she'd begun putting on her Spider-Woman costume.

She looked down at the tote bag that held her costume.

A smile came to her face, despite all the headaches putting it on had otherwise brought her.

It was neither wholly human or wholly machine, but some twisted combination of both. The suit of silvery-gray armor that made up its body had a blood red torso, thighs and elbows, marked all over with cracks and holes through which protruded flesh and bone. Glowing with blue magnetic energy, the creature calling himself Polestar had once been a man, a loser named Thomas Duffy, before a disastrous laboratory accident had resulted in his becoming fused with the magnetic suit of armor he was wearing.

You're pathetic, Tom-Chucky made first string running back! And you're telling me you couldn't even catch a single damn pass? Honestly, did you even follow that regimen I gave you? Yeah, well I guess you just didn't do it well enough!

Now, with amazing magnetic powers, Polestar had become a costumed criminal, until he was defeated by the costumed heroine known as Spider-Woman. Incarcerated in the Vault on Ryker's Island, Polestar had been one of the many supervillains enslaved by the demonic mass murderer called Psyko, set to run amuck in New York City before Psyko had been defeated and Polestar had been freed from his mental domination.

Oh, Thomas, Katie got the scholarship! How did you do? Oh…don't even talk to me! You're such a disappointment, you know that? Oh, you worked really hard? Well, I still don't see a scholarship with your name on it.

Since that time, Polestar had laid low, only occasionally robbing bakeries and food shops to feed himself. He had been waiting for things to calm down in New York, and for people to begin travelling on vacation. That way, when he made the shit hit the fan, it would really hit the fan.

I'm sorry, Mr. Duffy. You're just not quite what we're looking for. Your skills are good, but we're hoping to get someone with a little more experience, is all.

Fire Island was a nice, public place.

I don't know why I ever married you, Tom. You're a pathetic loser, you haven't gotten a raise in fifteen years, and you're still driving the same piece of junk you bought in high school. Don't give me any of that crap, Tom! You make less money than our goddamn TV repair man!

He'd heard about how MTV was planning to film some sort of big beach gala there.

You've always been second-rate, Tom. Doesn't matter what you do, or how hard you try. I'm still going to be better than you. Katie's smarter than you, I'm stronger than you. What the hell did you ever do for this family, anyway?

It was going to be glorious.

Although it wasn't as large as the beaches of California or Florida, Fire Island still had a rich, glamorous history as part of the American beach and surfing culture. The place had everything vacationing youths could ask for-sun, sand, surfing, and sexy young people in revealing bathing suits.

As with the high-class social functions at places like the Plaza Hotel, Gwen fit right in. Ironically, she found she was able to open up a lot more easily when she didn't really know the people and they didn't really know her. She'd thoroughly enjoyed herself on the ferry from the mainland, chatting away with several other people while Kitty and Kong made out on another part of the ship, Liz read a novel and Harry got caught up on some e-mails.

It hadn't taken Gwen and her friends long to unpack in their lodgings before they headed down to the beach to relax. Whether it was Kitty in her sky blue two-piece, Liz in her green and purple tankini, or Gwen's deep blue and sun gold string bikini, the girls gave Kong and Harry another reason to feel incredibly lucky and incredibly proud, and gave the other men on the beach another reason to love coming to Fire Island.

Kitty and Kong got caught up in a game of volleyball while Liz and Harry continued working on their novels, leaving Gwen to lean back and truly relax for the first time in a couple of weeks. She not only basked in the sun, but also in the approving stares of many of the boys on the beach and the jealousy of many of the other girls. Gwen only chuckled at the notion and pushed her sunglasses farther up on her nose, before closing her eyes to get some sleep.

All day long, Gwen felt a wonderful sense of relaxation, relieved at being able to leave all her problems behind. She gave a playful smile to the men who wolf-whistled as she passed them by, joined in dancing to the reggae music brought by another group of beachgoers, and enjoyed the picnic lunch Kitty had put together from food she'd bought at some of the local co-op stores.

As they sat eating in the shade, Liz brought up a topic she, Gwen and Harry had been meaning to ask for a while.

"So how did you two hook up?" she asked Kong and Kitty, who looked at each in slight embarrassment.

"To tell the truth," Kong said, "we just kind of clicked, you know?"

"Well, that wasn't all there was to it," Kitty added, to which Kong kind of frowned.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"My mom and dad have always meant a lot to me," Kong replied with some hesitation, before Kitty patted his hand and nodded.

"It's okay," she assured him.

"What I mean is, after my mom was abducted by that crazy Moonstone bitch, I nearly lost it. Even after Spider-Woman rescued her, I still had a hard time getting over it. I ran into Kitty, she invited me out for coffee, and…well…things just went from there."

"So is your mom alright now?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, she and Dad are doing great," Kong smiled. "I really owe Spider-Woman, though. She came through when we needed her the most."

"You're telling me," Liz replied. "She saved me when I got kidnapped by the Brothers Grimm, again when I got kidnapped by Tarot, and again when Firebrand came after me," she shuddered.

Kong and Liz didn't realize it, but hearing their words made Gwen happier than she'd been a in a long, long time.

Night brought a bonfire, a DJ playing Caribbean rock, and vendors selling tequila and rum. Even as her friends came and went, Gwen kept up the dance, surrounded by admiring beachgoers. In the heat of the flames, Gwen was the sun the boys' worlds revolved around, lighting up the night with a passion all her own. The people surrounding her became so caught up in the dance that, even when she grew tired and went to get something to drink, her fellow beachgoers barely even noticed.

Breathing heavily from her exertions, Gwen got a drink of ice water that she gratefully downed on the spot, before paying for another one and stepping aside to relax. Liz and Harry had already gone to bed, while Kitty and Kong had gone for a moonlit stroll on their own. As she sat down to join a group of random partiers, Gwen yawned, thinking she should probably be getting to bed herself.

"You're amazing, you know that?" she heard a deep voice say as its owner pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. He was a tall, tanned man with reddish brown hair, a well-defined physique, and strangely bright blue eyes. Gwen found herself running her eyes approvingly over the muscles on his arms and his chest, to which the man only grinned in reply.

"You like what you see?" the man grinned.

"I certainly do," Gwen said wryly with a half-grin of her own. "What's your name?"

"Mark Raxton," the man replied. "What's yours?"

"Gwen Stacy," Gwen replied. "Is this your first time on Fire Island?"

"Yeah, it is," he replied. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Very," Mark nodded. "It's so nice to get a break from all the crap going on in the city."

"You're a New Yorker too?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "I go to Empire State-I'll be a junior this fall."

"What do you study?" Gwen asked.

"Business," Mark replied. "How about you?"

"Drama," Gwen replied. "I'll be a sophomore-I actually go to ESU too."

"Most ESU kids actually go this time of year," Mark noted. "Most of the Metropolitan students don't come until after July. You come here all by yourself?"

"With my girlfriends and their dates," Gwen shook her head. "I had to go stag, though-the guys I invited couldn't make it."

"Hey, it's their loss," Mark grinned. "Would you like me to buy you a drink?"

"Sure," Gwen nodded with a smile. After Mark had purchased her a Pina Colada, they moved to an empty booth where they could sit by themselves.

"So who did you come with?" Gwen asked Mark.

"Just some guys from my fraternity," Mark answered. "Typical bunch of college boys up to no good," he joked.

"And you don't have a date?" Gwen said in surprise.

"Hey, I could ask you the same thing," Mark teased. "One of the cutest girls on the whole beach, and you came stag?"

"Well…" Gwen hesitated. "I tried to invite a couple of guys I know, but they weren't able to come."

"Yeah, but even beyond that, I'm surprised you're still single," Mark blinked.

Gwen seemed to frown and look down at the table.

"Work and school take up pretty much all my time," she replied in some embarrassment. "I mean, I hang out with my friends a lot, but I've only been dating a couple of guys since then."

Mark paused, his drink raised halfway to his lips.

"Really?"

Gwen merely shrugged, now more than a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's no big deal," Mark reassured her. "I'm just kind of surprised, what with how well you seemed to fit in with everyone."

"That's different," Gwen replied with a half-smile. "I don't mind just hanging with people, making friends, you know?"

"Well, yeah…" Mark nodded. "But you seem really nice-I'm surprised more guys haven't asked you out."

"That probably has to do with the fact that I've been known to be a real four-star bitch at times," Gwen said ruefully.

"Sure doesn't seem that way from where I'm sitting," Mark raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, though-you lit up the beach the way you led the dance tonight. You should give yourself more of a chance."

Gwen only smiled briefly, as Mark finished his drink and yawned.

"Oh man, I'm beat. I'm pretty much done for the night," he said as he rose to leave.

"Me too," Gwen chimed in as she stood up, slightly wobbly from fatigue and alcohol.

As she made her way back to the rooms she and her friends had rented, Gwen found herself thinking more and more about what Mark had told her.

The next morning was much the same as yesterday, except that MTV was hosting some sort of beach party special. Gwen and her friends had initially wanted to see what was going on, but Kong had overslept and so they arrived later than most of the beachgoers, and were forced to take a spot closer to the far end of the beach. Not that anyone besides Gwen really cared-Liz and Harry were just as happy with being ignored, while Kitty and Kong were more interested in going swimming.

Intrigued by the TV coverage, Gwen went over to try and get a better look. There was apparently some celebrity speaking into the camera, although she couldn't really see who it was. Then again, it didn't seem particularly interesting, anyway-most of the kids were mugging for the camera while the host was saying the same stuff all the MTV-types repeated whenever they did these types of shows.

Gwen quickly grew bored at the spectacle, which was why she was as shocked as anyone else when the broadcasting equipment suddenly began sparking to life, twisting and dancing as if they were possessed. Several beachgoers were startled, milling about in confusion, running and bumping into each other as some of them began screaming.

Blinded by the chaos, Gwen couldn't see what was going on at first before the source of the mayhem rose into the air above her. The flashing, electrical monstrosity that was Polestar concentrated intently, causing the metal of the deck chairs and electronics many of the beachgoers were using to explode into deadly shrapnel, cutting into their owners and causing the beach to run red with blood. Terrified screams replaced joyful cheers as the scene erupted into mayhem. Panicked teenagers ran in every direction, tripping and crashing over each other as Polestar blasted some of them at random with electrical bolts and trapped others in cages of warped steel and metal.

Sickened with horror, Gwen turned and ran as fast as she could for the buildings at the far end of the beach, looking around desperately for a place where she could get out of sight.

Despite how loath she'd been to do it at the time, Gwen was now extremely glad that she'd listened to her intuition and brought her tote bag with her.

"What the hell do you want?" one of Polestar's prisoners, trapped in a steel cage formed from broken railings and pieces of metal, screamed up at him.

"Want?" Polestar scoffed in a discordant, electrically scrambled voice. "A captive audience, that's what! And I-"

The electrical sting blast caught Polestar completely by surprise, knocking him out of the sky and crashing down to the ground. He was up on his feet in an instant, whirling around to see who had attacked him. What passed for a wide grin crossed his face when he saw the red-and-gold figure of the spectacular Spider-Woman advancing on him.

"Fancy meeting you here, of all people!" Polestar laughed triumphantly. "This'll just make the whole thing even better!" he chuckled, sending a shard of metal barbs flying in every direction, including at Spider-Woman.

Spraying her webbing in every direction to try and catch as many barbs as she could before they hit the beachgoers, Spider-Woman couldn't avoid being cut all over by the barbs Polestar had aimed specifically at her. Gritting her teeth in pain, she lunged at Polestar, ducking under the electrical bolt he fired at her. Unfortunately, Polestar was too fast for her to catch, flying into the air and then ripping a pair of large metal bars from the TV soundstage and sending them flying at Spider-Woman. The arachnid heroine dodged frantically, rolling under the bars and firing her sting blasts in retaliation. Polestar merely grinned and concentrated, generating a force field that absorbed her blasts and harmlessly neutralized them. He then gestured, pulling one of the metal bars he had thrown back in his direction until it smashed into Spider-Woman, who stood between them.

Stunned from the blow, Spider-Woman was initially helpless to react as Polestar wrapped the metal around her, and extended its inner lining into blades that cut her across the arms and torso. Screaming in pain, Spider-Woman flexed her muscles and broke free of the metal rod, before falling and landing heavily on the ground, her blood staining the sand as she tried to get up.

"See, I've been practicing with my powers," Polestar smirked as Spider-Woman struggled to her feet. "I learned a lot about force fields, reshaping metals, electrical bolts, stuff like that."

"You hear that?" Polestar laughed to the cameras, which were still filming the battle. "My name is Thomas Duffy! You hear me, Chucky, Katie, Ellen? Don't tell me you're not watching!"

Spider-Woman tried to lash out at Polestar with a punch while he was ranting, but he easily anticipated the move and leapt out of the way. Taking to the air again, he threw up his force field as it blocked the electrical blasts Spider-Woman fired at him, before shaping it into a rounded sphere.

"Nice try," Polestar grinned, "but that's not going to work. You really think I'm going to be beaten again by some kid half my age?"

Spider-Woman merely scowled in reply, before suddenly shooting her webs from both hands and catching Polestar's force field on both sides. Leaping into the air with superhuman speed, Spider-Woman whipped Polestar around and brutally slammed him into the ground before he could react. The shock of the blow sent Polestar reeling and forced him to drop his force field. He tried to get to his feet, but was stunned by a blast from Spider-Woman.

Before he could recover enough to fight back, Spider-Woman caught up to him and began pounding him mercilessly with her punches. Polestar tried to counter, but Spider-Woman delivered a vicious punch to the gut that left him doubled over in pain and then followed up with a haymaker that sent him flying to land flat on his back. She picked him up with one hand and cocked the other one into a fist, before Polestar raised his own hands in a tired surrender.

"What was this all about?" she demanded, flinging Polestar to the ground and wrapping him in webbing before stanching her own bleeding wounds.

"Never good enough," Polestar muttered. "I was never fucking good enough for any of them."

"What?" she demanded.

"No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, they always screwed me over. I was a disgrace, a loser, a moron."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Spider-Woman asked, not knowing what Polestar was talking about.

"They know who I am," Polestar grinned. "My parents…my siblings…my ex-wife…they'll know I did all this, and they'll never live it down. Poor old Tom Duffy, a robber and a killer…"

"You did all this just to humiliate your family?" Spider-Woman said in amazement. Her anger boiled over again, and a part of her wanted to give Polestar an even worse beating, but she knew that wouldn't accomplish anything. Turning away from him in disgust, she dropped Polestar into the sand, where he was gathered up by the approaching policemen. Paramedics had also arrived to begin treating the injuries of the beachgoers, many of whom were cheering and thanking her for saving them.

Wearily, Spider-Woman sat down and let one of the paramedics treat her, smiling in relief when she heard that no one had actually been killed in Polestar's rampage. Taking a few moments to sign some autographs while she rested, Spider-Woman took a deep breath and calm down.

She was sickened by the horror Polestar had wreaked on the beachgoers, but looking into their smiling, grateful faces made Spider-Woman feel a lot better.

Limping back to the rooms Harry had rented in her street clothes, Gwen was relieved to note that her cuts and bruises didn't stand out from the injuries most of the other beachgoers had suffered. Although she'd taken more punishment than the bystanders, her own inherent toughness had allowed her to weather it better so she looked no worse off than the bystanders and could easily pass as one of them.

To her surprise, she found everyone else already there, packing their bags. Giving a cry of relief, Kitty instantly caught Gwen in a tight hug as the others all exclaimed their worry.

"Thank God you're alright," Kong said, breathing heavily. "Was anyone killed?"

"No, thankfully," Gwen replied. "But where did you guys all go?"

"We ran for it when we saw those explosions and the screams," Liz explained, shame in her voice. "I know we should have tried to find you, but we just panicked."

"It's fine," Gwen assured them. "Besides, it was just pure chaos-I don't know if you would have been able to find me anyway. And what's with your packing your bags?"

"You saw the beach," Harry shook his head. "With all that blood and shrapnel, it'll take them weeks to clean up the beach. Just about everybody's leaving-they're actually sending a couple more ferries over to take all the beachgoers back. You weren't seriously thinking of staying, were you?"

"No, of course not," Gwen replied, slightly embarrassed. "But what are we going to do with the rest of our vacation? We still have five and a half days off! When are we going to get the chance to all be together again like this?"

"We could go camping," Kong offered. "I mean, I have a couple of tents and sleeping bags we could use!"

"I suppose we could," Kitty replied, "just as long as you promise to leave your guitar at home."

"Why's that?" Gwen asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Kitty shuddered.

(Next Issue: Rested and refreshed from her vacation, Gwen returns to New York to finish her modelling work with Roderick Kingsley, even as she tries to reconnect with Randy and Ben and begins auditions for The Wiz. Unfortunately, that's when the simmering tensions between the New York crime syndicates explode in a murderous gang war, with Spider-Woman caught in the middle when she tries to protect Harry and Liz's neighborhood from an attack by the mutant street gang known as the Nasty Boys! All this and more in Spider-Woman #24: Gangster's Paradise! Guest-starring the Amazing Spider-Man!)