Humanitarian Purposes

Gwen Stacy was enjoying herself immensely. Eating Thanksgiving dinner with her family, she was especially thankful for how well almost everything seemed to be going in her life at the moment.

Her mother Helen, her cousin Jill and her Aunt Nancy were all happy and healthy, her acting and modeling work were picking up with new job offers from Jonathan Caesar and Desiree Vaughn-Pope, she was caught up on her homework at Empire State University, she was getting a lot of positive feedback from her social media efforts, and all of the many supervillains she'd fought in her superhero identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman were either in jail or otherwise no longer a threat.

It had been a long time since she'd been able to relax like this, surrounded by her family. To make things even better, her grandfather Stanley Lieber had been able to make it out for Thanksgiving, bringing with him his affable manner and loving warmth. The past year had been a very difficult one for Gwen, trying to balance the needs of her family and friends with her grades, her career and her responsibilities as a superheroine, and she was glad to finally have some time to unwind.

There was one large problem, though, one that still gave her a headache whenever she thought about it.

She was having problems with her boyfriend Randy Robertson, in large part due to the fact that his parents hated her. The insults hurt-a lot-but she wasn't comfortable talking about them to Randy. Gwen knew they were just looking out for him, and the last thing she wanted was to make him angry at his parents. As a result, she'd begged off joining him for his own family's Thanksgiving meal, saying that it should be a family-only event.

Unfortunately, Gwen had always been a bad liar, and Randy had pretty much figured it out for himself.

Now, neither of them was seeing each other for Thanksgiving at all-Randy hadn't been able to come to dinner because his family was going to some Harlem celebration that evening-and Gwen had ended up making him angry at his parents anyway.

Gwen managed to avoid thinking about it for most of the day, and she'd had a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, everything came back as she was getting ready for bed, and the tears flowed for several seconds before she managed to stop herself.

SPIDER-WOMAN  #83

"HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES"

"See, that's the thing," Randy explained to his cousin as they sat back down with their second helpings. "Jaleel White and Will Smith might have been playing characters that network TV viewers would be comfortable with, but that doesn't mean they didn't have important things to say."

"You really sure about that?" Jonas asked, after he'd swallowed a mouthful of turkey. "Doesn't it just entrench the problems that are already there? I mean, what's Middle America supposed to take away from that?"

"There's more than one way to challenge people," Randy smiled. "Groups like Public Enemy have their part to play, I'm not disputing that. When Carlton and Will get stopped by the police on Fresh Prince, or Laura gets ethnic slurs sprayed on her locker on Family Matters, a lot of people who are watching might not be expecting something like that. You catch them by surprise, force them to think about something that they weren't expecting. Sort of like the way jazz performers like Cab Calloway were rotoscoped into older cartoons, exposing a lot of people to their music in ways they wouldn't have expected."

Jonas frowned, not entirely convinced, before taking another bite of turkey. He thought Randy was too optimistic, but he let it go at that-they'd had these discussions several times already, and it was starting to get repetitive for both of them.

"Suit yourself," Jonas shrugged after he'd swallowed. "They still treating you right at HABQ-FM?" he asked, referring to the radio station where Randy was employed.

"Come on," Randy grinned. "Do you really think Tom Ferguson would steer me wrong?"

They both laughed at this.

"How come Gwen didn't come?" Jonas asked, more seriously this time. "I didn't see her for brunch, either."

"Her grandpa was coming in for dinner," Randy said defensively, "and she didn't want to intrude on our brunch, either. She thought it should be more of a family-only thing."

"And you let it go at that?" Jonas asked incredulously. "Dude, if she doesn't want to come to our-"

"It's not that," Randy said, more harshly than he intended. "Haven't you been hearing the way my parents talk about her? That's what they say about her when they don't just pretend she doesn't exist!"

"I…" Jonas trailed off.

"You think I enjoy seeing them do that?" Randy persisted.

"Hell no!" Jonas shook his head.

"But I know they're just doing what they think is right," Randy continued, frustration creeping into his voice. "I just don't know what to do!"

"Have you tried talking to them about it?" Jonas asked.

"Of course I have," Randy frowned. "They won't listen to me."

"That's all?" Jonas asked. "You let them treat her like yesterday's garbage, and you won't say anything about it? How's that fair to her?"

Randy shifted his gaze away, unable to look Jonas in the eye.

"You've got to do something about this, man," Jonas told him, echoing Randy's own thoughts. "If Gwen means as much to you as you say she does, then you can't just let this go."

Jonas's words stayed with Randy the rest of the evening.

She's so pretty, with the way she walks and the way her hair sways…

Traveling all this distance, and she doesn't even know I'm following her.

Everywhere she goes, I'm there with her…

And I see again, just how pretty she is…

She doesn't think anyone could follow her in her car, but that's not really a problem.

I see how pretty she looks…

And when she walks into her apartment, I know it's feeding time.

I can feel the hunger.

Even for this city, this is sick, Detective Starr thought to herself as she took the report from the crime scene techs. Not enough that she has to die, they…

"So what is all this stuff?" she asked, peering at it through the clear evidence bag. "Steel wool? Hair? Some kind of new glue?"

"We're not sure," the technician replied, "but it looks almost like the same stuff we saw at the coroner's office," he continued. "You know, that stuff that was analyzed as some kind of spider webbing?"

"Are you sure about that?" Detective Starr asked. "I mean, does it look like Spider-Man or Spider-Woman would have done something like this? Since when did they turn into cannibals? And since when does their webbing last this long?"

"That's just what the evidence is showing," the technician shrugged. "The boys in the lab will probably be able to tell you more, but I'm probably like 90% sure that this is the same stuff we saw at the coroner's."

"Bloody hell," Detective Starr muttered to herself as she turned away. "Keep me posted, alright?"

The technician replied that he would, but Detective Starr didn't hear him.

It was all she could do not to retch in disgust.

Gwen was typing away intently at her computer when the phone rang, causing her to jump in surprise. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings before she reached out and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked in surprise.

"Happy Thanksgiving, sweetie," Randy's warm, rich voice came on the other end. "How are you holding up?"

"Busy," Gwen explained. "I've spent the last two days studying for finals. How about you?"

"What you just said," Randy replied with a chuckle. "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for not calling lately. I've been tied up with school and family stuff, but I wanted to let you know that I'll be free all next week. I thought I could make it up to you-how about I take you out for your birthday?"

Gwen had completely forgotten that her birthday was coming up on December 3. With everything else that had been going on, she hadn't even given it any thought.

"That'd be…great," she said, hesitating before she managed to get the last word out.

"Are you okay, Gwen?" Randy asked hesitantly.

"…Yeah, I-" Gwen tried to say. "I-"

"Here we go again," Randy interrupted her. "How many times do I have to tell you, girl? I know you're a bad liar, and I know you've got problems."

Gwen's mind raced, trying to think of what to say. She was shaking now, trying to think of how she could avoid saying anything about Randy's parents without lying to him.

They just care about him, she pointedly reminded herself. You don't need Randy getting mad at them, not when you've already hurt him so much!

"It's…" she trailed off.

"…Yeah, I thought so," Randy replied to her. "Gwen, you don't need to listen to what my parents are saying, and you don't need to blame yourself for all this!"

"What…how…" Gwen stammered, as her heart sank.

"How did I know how you're feeling?" Randy asked. "Give me a bit of credit-I know how you get with problems like this. Whatever problems my parents have, they're not your fault."

"Randy, please, I-" Gwen tried to stop him.

"No, Gwen," Randy said, more firmly this time. "You've put up with this long enough. I'm going to work things out with my parents-and if they can't accept you and me together, it's going to be their problem. I love them-you know I do-but I love you too."

"Randy…" Gwen began, unsure of what to say after that.

"I've gotta go, but I'll be in touch," Randy said, more jovially this time. "Take care, sweetie-and take of yourself, alright?" he continued, before hanging up.

As she hung up her phone, Gwen felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

I complain about the Stacy luck, she thought to herself, but I have the best boyfriend in the world, she realized.

"Mom, we need to talk," Randy said as he came into the kitchen.

"Sure thing, baby," Louise Robinson smiled. "What's the problem?"

"It's Gwen," Randy said.

The smile disappeared from Louise's face.

"…What about her?" Louise asked, her voice taking on a much colder tone.

"You've really upset her with the way you've been treating her, and I've had enough," Randy said quietly. "You-"

"You're upset with the way we're treating her?" Louise asked incredulously. "What about the way she's been treating you? The way she's been stepping out on you-and don't tell me she didn't, because I saw it for myself!"

"They weren't dating," Randy explained to her. "We've been over this, remember? That guy was a friend of hers who was really in a bad way. She was helping him cope with his problems."

"…What kind of problems?" Louise asked suspiciously.

"Like I said before, it's none of our business!" Randy said in frustration. "It didn't have anything to do with me!"

"So what about the time you went to meet with her, and you came back in tears?" Louise demanded. "What could she have said to upset you that much? And that is my business," she said firmly.

Randy furrowed his brow, trying to determine exactly how to explain it. The Harlem community had suffered a serious bombing several weeks ago, and during a confrontation as Spider-Woman Gwen had learned that the bombing was orchestrated by Felicia Hardy as a way of hurting Randy for rejecting her. Randy had been devastated at the realization when Gwen had told him about it. He'd badgered her into it after she'd accidentally let slip that she'd learned the reason behind the bombings, even though she hadn't wanted to tell him. His reaction had been just what Gwen was afraid of, the grief nearly driving him crazy.

Louise and his father Isaiah had mistakenly assumed that Gwen had done something to upset him, given that he'd come back from a meeting with her. They'd been furious at that, but Randy hadn't been able to explain the truth without giving away Gwen's secret identity.

Now, though, he was facing the exact scenario he wanted to avoid. Randy didn't want to lie to his parents, but he couldn't reveal Gwen's secret either…

"It wasn't because of Gwen," he shook his head. "After I talked to her, I ended up finding out about the real reason why Harlem got bombed," he explained. "It was…" he began to choke.

Louise's jaw dropped in shock.

"It was…my fault," he continued. "I heard that bitch Felicia Hardy got her mob boyfriend to bomb the Harlem rally to get back at me for going out with Gwen instead of her. I…I almost lost it, Mom."

"Oh my God…" Louise breathed, hardly able to take it in. "Honey, why didn't you tell us?" she asked.

"How could I?" Randy asked, blinking back the tears that were coming into his eyes. "I was responsible for-"

"No you weren't," Louise said calmly, putting a finger on her son's lips. "This wasn't your fault. The only people responsible were Felicia Hardy and her gangster boyfriend. Did you tell the police, or anybody else?"

"I couldn't prove it," Randy shrugged. "The only person I was comfortable talking to about it was Gwen. She really helped me get through it."

Louise fell silent at that.

"That's one of the reasons I love her," Randy explained, wiping his eyes briefly. "She did the same thing for me that she did for that other guy," he continued. "The only difference is that she and the other guy were just friends. She loves me, just the way I do her," he finished.

Louise sat silently for several more moments, as she digested what Randy was telling her. She was struck by the emotion in his voice, as she realized just how deeply his feelings ran.

"I…have a lot to think about," she realized. "I don't know if I'm still that comfortable with her wanting to be a model or anything like that…but if you care about her that much, and she makes you happy, then…it's your decision. Whatever you choose, we'll support you," she continued.

"That means a lot to me," Randy smiled. "Thank you."

"You know your father and I only ever wanted you to be happy," Louise replied as she hugged him tightly.

"I know, Mom," Randy reassured her.

For the last two days, I've been by her side.

Everywhere she's been, I've been with her, going where she goes.

So beautiful…

So delicate…

So perfect…

Every time I look at her, I feel the hunger growing within me, like a living thing screaming to come out.

It will come.

I will come.

Our time together will come to an end, soon enough.

When it is feeding time.

Kristine yawned as she took off her jacket and boots. Work had been tiring, as usual, but it was always worth it to see Steve again. She knew he had the hots for her, particularly given the way she'd caught him sneaking glances at her. It was funny-he could face down everybody from gun-toting thugs to costumed supervillains without fear, but the poor guy couldn't muster the nerve to ask her out.

I suppose I'd have to take the initiative, she realized, knowing that some men liked that, especially these days. She might have expected a cop to be more decisive about it, though.

Never mind, she realized. If Steve can't muster up the nerve to ask me out, then he's not the kind of guy I want to be dating, she thought to herself. I mean, if he's not able to muster up the nerve, then I'm not going to waste my time playing hard to get…

Sitting down with her smartphone, she opened up the Hulu service and began looking for something good to watch.

The creaking sound made her look up in surprise, glancing around for a few moments before she shrugged and went back to her smartphone.

Several minutes passed, before the crash.

Kristine jumped up in alarm, breathing hard as she reached over to the kitchen table and pulled a knife out of the drawer.

Now there were the scraping sounds.

Kristine held the knife out in front of her with one hand, while using the other to dial 911 on her smartphone.

Her eyes flickered towards the back room where the sounds were coming from and back down to her phone as she dialed frantically.

Her heart pounded as she kept her back to the wall, glancing from one direction to the other.

The 911 operator who responded to Kristine's call heard a frantic scream and a crash, before the line went dead.

Spider-Woman felt wonderful as she swung through the evening air. She knew she'd aced her Drama and Women's Studies finals, and she'd also had a terrific first day of her photoshoot with Desiree Vaughn-Pope earlier that day. Now, on an evening patrol in her new thermal costume, she felt like she was ready for anything.

The flashing police sirens near the apartment building caught her attention, and she swung down towards them. As she passed by one particular window, she saw that a group of crime scene technicians and police officers were processing the scene. Intrigued, Spider-Woman landed on the wall and crawled over to get a look through the window.

It was all she could do not to scream in horror at the sight she saw. The walls were splattered with blood, strewn from a corpse that looked as if it had been torn into with a chainsaw. The body was missing several large chunks of flesh, and even from her vantage point Spider-Woman could see the large, distinct teeth marks where someone-no, some thing-had bit into the corpse.

Turning away from the scene before any of the police spotted her, she climbed up to the roof, looking around as she tried to think. She could see several police officers patrolling the streets below, likely searching for the monstrosity, whatever it was. It likely hadn't gotten very far-apparently the woman who'd been killed had called them just before she died.

Finally, Spider-Woman shook her head. She wasn't a detective, and she had no idea how she could help track the monster, whatever it was, that had destroyed that poor woman. She could certainly help fight it, though, and she knew that the police officers would likely have a hard time on their own, whatever they were eventually coming up against.

I see the pretty little spider, looking for her prey.

She's trying to hunt, to make the hunter the hunted…

It's so cute, what she does.

She's so cute, what she does.

She avoided the police, and so did I.

We're so much alike.

I think I love her most of all.

I can wait, though.

Feeding time will come soon enough.

An hour passed, and then two, and the police began to disperse, suspecting that whatever had killed the woman was long gone.

Shaking her head, Spider-Woman swung away, intending to call it a night.

She went several blocks before she heard the loud snap as her webline was cut. Despite her surprise, she twisted around and landed on her feet. Holding up her hands, she looked around in alarm, anticipating an attack from any direction.

The skittering sound was her only warning before the sticky mass emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. Caught by surprise, Spider-Woman leapt out of the way, but her arm and leg were entangled, trapping her before she could escape. Charging a sting blast with her free hand, intending to blast herself free, Spider-Woman screamed as a wicked burst of pain cut across her back. She could feel blood trickling down her back, as she turned around to strike at whatever attacked her. She hit nothing but air, before feeling a burst of agony across her abdomen as it was slashed by something she could only barely see. Another sticky mass shot out, further entangling her.

Looking down, Spider-Woman saw that the mass glittered in the evening light, looking disturbingly like the same silvery threads she emitted as her spider-webbing.

It was then that she looked up into the face of the horror that attacked her.

Eight compound eyes, glowing a hideous combination of blood red and ice blue, stared back at her from above a mouth filled with pointed, needlelike teeth and a pair of huge, curving fangs, one at each side of its mouth. The thing was humanlike in shape, with four arms and four legs ending in long, pointed claws. Eight long, spiderlike legs grew out of its back, reaching almost to the ground. Its entire body was covered in a mass of silvery-gray strands, with occasional patches that exposed the pale skin underneath. Threads of the strands connected to the sticky mess that entrapped her, connected to its hands.

Spider-Woman shuddered at the sight of the nightmarish thing, but she only resumed her struggling, trying to break free.

The thing smiled at her, which only made her shudder and struggle all the harder.

"Wh…what…are…" Spider-Woman gasped, barely able to get the words out of her mouth for sheer revulsion.

"What, you don't remember me, baby-girl?" the creature rasped. "That night a little while ago, in the drug lab that caught fire? The knife with your blood on it?"

Spider-Woman began shaking all over, as she thought back to that horrible night in the drug lab. She'd been trying to stop a man from trying to rob the place, and he'd gotten splattered with some chemicals that had caught fire. He'd also cut himself with his dirty knife...

…a knife with her blood on it?

"How…how did…" Spider-Woman stammered.

"Oh, I've got a thing for trophies," the creature hissed. "True crime scenes, superhero fights, little relics like that. One of my favorites was that bloody knife that Super Sabre guy cut you with. Don't you remember? I don't know what it was, but something about your blood and those chemicals…I mean, you could expect to see some weird shit go down, but damn…"

Spider-Woman was shaking worse than ever, her blood running cold at the realization of what had happened.

"You know, I was really freaked out at first, what with the way I exploded out of my old skin," the creature rasped in a matter-of-fact tone. "I nearly went crazy with what happened to me, and the way I needed to feed…but then I learned everything I could do. And I love it…almost as much as I love you!"

"You…that poor girl….you did that…" Spider-Woman muttered as she continued struggling.

"What can I say? I was hungry, and I knew she could fill me up," the creature leered. "Just like the other girls…hell, just like you."

Spider-Woman's throat tightened as she continued struggling, too repulsed to speak.

"You and me though, baby-girl, we're special. We've got something going on," he continued. "See, when I was with all the others, they never knew about it. I cherished them, but I knew in the end it was only ever going to be a short-term thing. You though, baby-girl, I want you to know. Everywhere you're going, I'm going to be there with you. Everything you do, I'm going to be doing it with you. We're going to be together…right up until it's feeding time," the creature continued.

"I wouldn't do this for anyone, else, baby-girl," the creature leered once again. "Just my way of saying thank you. None of this would be possible without you, so you get the special treatment."

"I've got to go now, but I just want you to remember-you're the reason I am who I am. Tendril loves you, baby-girl," the thing finished, before it turned and swung away.

Spider-Woman struggled again for nearly an hour, until the creature's webbing began to dissolve and she managed to free herself.

She felt sick, but she wasn't sure what horrified her more.

The fact that the creature would be trying to follow her?

The fact that it had murdered that young woman she'd seen earlier tonight, and God knows how many others?

Or the fact that she was responsible for it?

"Happy birthday, sweetie!" Nancy Stacy grinned, hugging Gwen tightly as she, Gwen's cousin Jill, and her mother Helen Lieber-Stacy celebrated Gwen's twenty-first birthday.

Gwen smiled widely as she returned the hug, and gratefully accepted the hugs from Jill and Helen before they sat down to have some birthday cake.

It was a testament to Gwen's acting skills that she was able to keep up the smiling, happy countenance, and to avoid the urge she felt to charge out of the house and begin patrolling as Spider-Woman.

Gwen even managed to avoid shuddering as the memory of Tendril and all of the things he said to her kept passing through her mind.

She thought of the five women-she'd taken the time to research Tendril's activities-and the gruesome fates that Tendril had subjected them to.

She thought of the fact that it was her dried blood on his knife that had turned him into the ghoulish thing he had become, the realization that she was responsible for what had happened.

Most of all, she thought of what he'd told her.

Always watching, always with me, Gwen thought to herself.

He said he'd always be with me…until it was feeding time.

Together forever, he said, she knew.

Gwen had good reason to be proud of her acting skills that evening.

Two days later…

Spider-Woman could feel him watching her as she swung across the night sky. She didn't know where he had been lurking during the day, or how he managed to find her, but she knew he was coming.

Oh, she knew.

That was why she had swung into Central Park, just like the past two nights, knowing that there would be fewer bystanders for Tendril to threaten. It wasn't the ideal place for a fight, as there were plenty of places for Tendril to hide-and she knew how good he was at hiding-but she didn't dare let Tendril confront her in a place where there were too many people around. Spider-Woman could only imagine what the monster might do if there were enough people around, and she didn't want to know if she would be right.

Stalking through the trees, Spider-Woman could feel him more strongly than ever. When the first burst of silvery strands came streaking out of the bushes towards Spider-Woman, she immediately backflipped out of the way, always one step ahead of the webbing bursts as they followed her path. That wasn't what alarmed Spider-Woman-she only began to worry when she realized the webbing bursts were directing her towards the bushes.

Finally spinning sideways out of the webbing's path, Spider-Woman swung around and fired her sting blasts at the bushes. A large mass of silvery strands emerged, blocking the sting blasts, and Spider-Woman came forward, expecting Tendril to spring out from behind the barrier of threads.

Spider-Woman only managed to spin around at the last moment to see Tendril coming up behind her, all sixteen of his limbs moving in a grotesque harmony. Webbing extended from all of his arms as he entangled her once again, drawing her back towards him in a twisted embrace.

"Did you really think I'd play hard to get, baby-girl?" Tendril leered. "Come on-I've been looking forward to this moment all day. Do you know how long I was waiting for the foreplay to start?"

Spider-Woman didn't answer, struggling uselessly in Tendril's webbing as he drew her up to him. Finally, she fell limp, giving up her resistance as she did.

"I think I love you," Tendril hissed, as he drew Spider-Woman in closer. "That's why I-"

Spider-Woman's hands suddenly sprang up, blasting Tendril in the face at point-blank range. When she had fallen limp, Tendril had not only relaxed his grip on her, he'd relaxed his guard.

Just as Spider-Woman knew he would.

Tendril stumbled back, screaming in agony as his webbing recoiled from Spider-Woman. Flexing her spider-strength, Spider-Woman broke free and pressed the attack, blasting Tendril again and striking with a series of vicious punches and kicks. Spider-Woman could feel all the old anger rising up again, the sheer revulsion she felt for the monster and everything he'd done increasing the strength of her blows.

Spider-Woman hadn't expected to finish Tendril with the first round of blows, but she was caught off guard by the speed with which he recovered. Springing back towards Spider-Woman, Tendril lashed out at her with his wickedly clawed arms, causing Spider-Woman to leap back. Unfortunately, that maneuver was just a feint, as the long, spiderlike legs protruding from Tendril's back sprang forward, tearing into Spider-Woman's limbs and torso.

Crying out in pain, Spider-Woman landed awkwardly on the ground, rolling frantically to avoid Tendril's stabbing spider legs. She kept rolling as the legs thudded into the ground one after another, before springing to her feet and spraying her webbing to entangle them. As Tendril fell, thrown off balance by Spider-Woman pulling on his legs, she struck him with another sting blast and hit him in the face with a spinning kick. Tendril retaliated by releasing another stream of threads at Spider-Woman, entangling her arms, and dragging her forward.

They stood in a stalemate for several minutes, struggling against one another with their incredible superhuman strength, before Tendril began dragging Spider-Woman forward. Suddenly twisting around, he let fly, tossing Spider-Woman back into a nearby tree. Releasing her briefly as she bounced off the tree and crashed to the ground, Tendril caught her again and slammed her into the ground before dragging her forward. Finally, he pulled her up into a standing position, tightening his grip on her as he stared at her intently.

"That wasn't nice, baby-girl," Tendril rasped, an angry light in each of his eight eyes. "See, I don't like it when you try to break up with me. We have something special, and now you're just blowing me off like some kind of meaningless fling? Or do I have to teach you a lesson-why did you have to go and make me do that?"

Bringing Spider-Woman in closer, Tendril opened his mouth wide, only to recoil again in pain as Spider-Woman smashed her head into his. The sickening crunch of Tendril's teeth breaking was drowned out by the sound of the monster's screaming, and the howling he made as Spider-Woman used all of her strength to tear free of his webbing. Recoiling in agony from having the webbing torn out of his skin, Tendril was all but helpless as Spider-Woman viciously beat him once again, striking him over and over before hitting him in the face at point blank range with a double sting blast. As Spider-Woman continued to beat him, Tendril's screams became fainter and fainter, until he collapsed altogether, his cries fading to a dull whimper.

The sight of Spider-Woman dragging the beaten and unconscious Tendril through the evening streets caught a great deal of attention even before she reached the nearest precinct. It wasn't long before she was surrounded by a group of police officers, none of whom seemed very pleased to see her.

"What the hell is that…thing supposed to be?" the lead detective asked, pointing at the nightmarish Tendril, now tangled up in Spider-Woman's webbing. "Some kind of pet?"

Expecting a smart remark, the detective was surprised when Spider-Woman only shook her head and sighed.

"This is the thing that hurt all of those women," she said quietly, "and he nearly tried to do the same thing to me. He calls himself Tendril, but his real name's River Verys. Judging by the way the police reacted the last time I met him, it sounds like you know him pretty well."

"Who the hell do you think you're kidding, honey?" the detective scoffed. "River Verys died last…Jesus hell," he realized.

"What's wrong, Mark?" one of his officers asked.

"I remember the report Bert filed," the detective shook his head. "Verys took a bath in some weird designer drug chemicals before we took him to the hospital…"

The police officers stood silently as the implications dawned on them. Over the last ten years, the New York Police Department had become all too familiar with what were often the results of freak scientific accidents.

"Call DeWolff's people," Mark said, turning to his people. "Tell them to get their asses out here now. And get them to bring two sets of those special power-dampening restraints," he ordered. "And I don't want this freakshow moving an inch until they arrive," he turned back to the still-unconscious Tendril.

Mark's officers hastened to carry out his orders, several of them lining up to hold Tendril at gunpoint. The freakshow wasn't his concern at the moment, though-after twenty years as a cop, Mark had become skilled at reading people. As Spider-Woman yielded control over the creature to the police, Mark had seen just how troubled she was. As she turned to swing away, Mark reached out and caught her on the shoulder.

Turning around, she looked back at him in surprise.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, taking note of her trembling hands.

She really is a kid, Mark realized, as he got a closer look at her. She's probably not even Melissa's age, he thought, as an image of his cherished daughter passed through his mind.

That was when he was hit by the full implications of what Spider-Woman had just told him about her and River Verys.

The two tears, one from each eye, that streaked down her face told him everything he needed to know.

As Mark struggled to think of what to say to her, Spider-Woman turned around and sprang away, webswinging into the night before he could react.

The next day…

Once again, it took all of Gwen's acting skills to keep the smile on her face as she thought about Tendril and his victims.

Always watching you, baby-girl, Tendril had said.

How many times did you think that with the other women? Gwen wondered to herself.

How many times did you say you loved them, you sick bastard?

The images of what Tendril had done flashed through her mind again, before she shook her head.

Don't remember them like that, she thought to herself. That's what Tendril would want.

Remember them for who they really were-women with bright potential, women who had passions and goals, women who lived and loved…

…Women who can finally find peace, because of the justice you found for them.

A smile crossed Gwen's face at that.

(Next Issue: The twenty-first year of Gwen's life starts on a high note, as she gets ready to appear in Jonathan Caesar's new independent film and gets a job for the holidays. Unfortunately, new problems take root as the mysterious Francis Fanon plans revenge on Spider-Woman with the help of several of her old enemies. Meanwhile, Donald Gill prepares to confront Ray-Ray, the violent thug terrorizing his old neighborhood, in a vicious street fight! All this and more in Spider-Woman #84: Street Rules!)