Wheel Of Misfortune

Gwen Stacy felt a wonderful, soothing feeling pass through her as she opened her eyes. She felt a wonderful sensation pass through her as she regained awareness of her surroundings, a serene calmness that caressed her heart and left her mind at peace.

Glancing to either side, Gwen was happy to see that her friends Kitty Pryde and Liz Allan had also enjoyed the experience. The girls slowly got to their feet, stretching their limbs before moving to the side of the room where they had left their shoes and bags.

"This was a great idea, Gwen," Liz sighed in relief as she zipped up her boots. "I really wish I'd known about this sooner."

"I can't take credit for it," Gwen shook her head, as they began to leave the studio. "Dr. Temple was the one who suggested I try this meditation stuff."

"How long have you been needing to see her, Gwen?" Kitty asked in concern. Dr. Claire Temple was one of the counsellors Empire State University employed to help students cope with stress. Gwen had been seeing Dr. Temple in an attempt to try and deal with the pressure she was facing in trying to balance her schoolwork with her attempts to find work, her relationship with her boyfriend Randy Robertson, her superhero identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman, and everything in between.

Things had been especially stressful for Gwen over the last month. She had been forced to fight several of her old enemies as Spider-Woman, in between trying to somehow keep up with her studies. On top of that, Gwen had been preoccupied with the conflict between Randy and his parents over their dislike of her, and even moreso the injuries her cousin Jill Stacy had suffered in a grisly subway accident. The fact that midterm exams were just around the corner didn't help much either, and neither did the fact that Gwen had been putting in long hours with her study groups to try and prepare.

"For a while now," Gwen admitted with a sad smile. "How about you, though? How have you guys been coping with it all?"

"Game nights have been helping," Kitty replied, referring to the board game nights Gwen had been organizing with their circle of friends to try and help deal with the pressure.

"That's good," Gwen smiled. "How about you, Liz?"

To her surprise, Liz looked slightly guilty.

"It's been going pretty well," she admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

"Come on, it's fine," Gwen assured her. "Seeing you doing alright helps us too, you know?"

The girls giggled as they stepped out into Empire State University's quad.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN #92

WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE

Later that afternoon…

"I really appreciate your helping me with that last minute review," Gwen said to Tanis Johnson as they walked towards the lecture theatre.

"Don't worry about it, Gwen," Tanis assured her. "You weren't the only one to miss a couple of days," Tanis reminded her.

Gwen frowned at that, recalling how she had to take a couple of days off school after getting caught in a subway train accident that had left her cousin Jill Stacy seriously injured. She had later discovered that the accident had been caused by the supervillain Will O' the Wisp, who she'd fought several times in her superhero identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman. As Spider-Woman, Gwen had managed to defeat the Wisp, but his interference had led to several people being seriously hurt and killed, in addition to Jill's injuries.

The pain and suffering the Wisp had inflicted on his victims was the worst part of his crimes, of course. However, Gwen had also suffered academically from them. She had been struggling to improve her university grades, and had joined the study groups several of her classmates had been organizing for their courses. Unfortunately, tracking down the Wisp and missing school had forced Gwen to miss more than one study session, giving her one more reason to worry about her grades.

Now, Gwen and Tanis stepped into the lecture theatre where their Theatre History midterm exam was about to start. Hugging each other briefly for good luck, they split up, briefly greeting other members of their study group before sitting down at their desks.

Gwen rubbed her forehead as she contemplated the first question, trying to remember what Arlecchino inherited from the medieval passion plays.

She was on edge as she started, but she soon became more confident as everything she had covered from her study sessions started to come back to her.

Gwen was so absorbed in the exam, erasing several of her answers and filling them out again, that she didn't think to look at the clock. By the time she was satisfied with her answers, and stood up to hand her exam in to the professor, Gwen was surprised to see only four other students of the twenty-seven student class were still filling out their exams. Glancing up at the clock, she was surprised to see that there was just under three minutes left before time was up.

Shaking her head, Gwen gathered her schoolbag and left the lecture hall, hoping that she'd done alright.

Harry Osborn stared at the small box he held in his hand, hardly believing that he'd gone through with acquiring it.

The thought of the box, and what it contained, was staggering enough to him.

Now, he was forced to consider what he was going to do with it.

He found himself sweating with fear at the thought.

Harry knew where the fear came from, though. It was the natural nervousness that anyone could feel when they did something this drastic.

More than that, he also knew how fundamentally right this was, and how much he needed to do it.

Harry was scared, terrified even.

The idea of going through with it made him shake like a leaf.

But he also knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least try.

Several days later…

The rich, pleasant scent of lavender filled the air as Gwen lit the last scented candle. Breathing in deeply, Gwen set down the lighter and picked up her phone, checking to see that she'd set the correct playlist, before starting the music.

The soft, relaxing Enya song began playing, as Gwen felt a wonderfully relaxing sensation flow through her body. Removing her fluffy pink bathrobe, Gwen lowered herself into the bubble bath, feeling the same wonderful sensation increase all the more.

In between studying for midterms and her fighting crime as Spider-Woman, Gwen had been running on fumes. Now that she had actually finished her exams, Gwen was completely burned out, looking forward to a well-earned rest during Spring Break.

While Gwen was exhausted from exams, and all the work she'd put into preparing for them, she was comforted by the realization that she'd probably done well on them. In every case, she'd completed the exam with less than ten minutes to spare, having continually reviewed many of her answers.

Gwen had used a candlelit bubble bath before to relieve her stress, and she found that it was working just as well as before. She lay floating in the tub for almost an hour, enjoying the blissful, relaxing feeling that filled her entire being.

I should probably cut this, Gwen realized as she sat up and brushed her long, thick hair back. Maybe down to the middle of my back? It's almost down past my waist now, and it's starting to get in the way…

Gwen suddenly burst out laughing as she realized that was probably the biggest problem in her life right now.

When was the last time I've been able to just relax like this? she wondered.

No schoolwork, no superheroing…just relaxing with Randy and my friends, maybe making a few videos…who knows?

What I do know, though, is that I needed this in the worst way, she concluded, before she unplugged the bathtub drain and stood up, reaching out for a towel.

"I do hope everything is to your satisfaction, my dear," Phineas Mason nodded as Laura Fortune looked over her new equipment up and down. "Everything fits well?"

"Definitely," Laura Fortune smirked as she twirled the staff in her hand and then spun on one foot. "Is there some place I could test it out?"

"Of course there is," Mason nodded, gesturing for Laura to follow him. "I have a practice gym set up for my clients to get a feel for their new equipment. It also gives me a chance to see it in practice, and determine if any last minute adjustments…"

Mason trailed off and sighed, realizing that Laura wasn't listening. Walking to the double doors, at the far end of his laboratory, he entered a passcode on the electronic lock next to them and nodded as they slid open.

The gym was filled with all kinds of exercise and training equipment, as well as a target range and a collection of practice dummies. Modeled after the gyms used by law enforcement agencies such as SHIELD and terrorist groups like HYDRA, Mason's gym was fully equipped for his customers' use.

Laura found that Mason had earned every penny she was paying him. The equipment he'd designed for her greatly enhanced her jumping power, and increased her reaction time so that she could dodge the bullets Mason shot at her even when she was standing still. A blow from her staff badly cracked the first practice dummy she attacked, and the staff's energy blast blew the second dummy to pieces.

"I take it you're satisfied?" Mason asked with a smile once Laura had finished her exercise.

"You bet I am," Laura smiled wickedly back at him. "Can I come back and do a bit more practicing?"

"Certainly, if you're willing to pay extra," Mason nodded, looking at Laura over his glasses. "Would I be right in assuming you have the financial-"

"Whatever it costs, I'm good for it," Laura cut him off.

Phineas Mason, alias the Tinkerer, merely shrugged and smiled.

"All the readouts appear normal," Dr. Karl Malus nodded in satisfaction as he closed the program. "With this final treatment, you will be able to shift between both forms as desired."

"All it'll take is an act of will, then?" Donny Callahan asked.

"No more than that," Dr. Malus assured him.

"Fine then, let's get it over with," Donny said coldly as he lay down on the platform. A panel in the ceiling opened above him, as an ominous-looking machine emerged and slowly began lowering itself toward him. Small slots opened up in its sides, out of which emerged several IV tubes, the kind used

Dr. Malus worked with cold, calm professionalism, threading the machine's IV tubes into several of Donny's veins. His expression was stony and silent, matching Donny's perfectly. Finally, Malus walked back to the computer on the counter, entering several commands into the system before ordering the computer to execute them.

The machine hanging above Donny flared to life, whirring as it began to pump. A weird-looking greenish liquid began flowing through the IV tubes, entering into Donny's body.

Dr. Malus's eyes widened as he considered his patient. This was usually the most painful part of the process for his patients, who frequently shrieked in agony from it. Alex O'Hirn, Mac Gargan and Elaine Coll, among his other patients, had all described it like having red-hot needles flowing through their circulatory systems.

And yet, Donny kept that same cold, stone-faced expression.

Donny might have felt the pain of Dr. Malus's treatments surging through his veins, but his thoughts were a million miles away.

And they brought him more pain than any chemical infusion ever could.

"What, am I supposed to be scared, Norman?" Mike Callahan scowled from across the table at Norman Osborn. "Is that it? Scared of you? You, who had to make deals with Silvermane to get a hand up?"

Norman Osborn's eyes flashed at the accusations of "Big Mike" Callahan, so nicknamed because of his reputation for being one of the shipping industry's 800-pound gorillas, and his reputation for throwing his weight around in business.

"Last time I checked, slander was still an offence in this country," Norman replied with an icy calm. "Are you going to continue making baseless accusations, or are we actually going to do something constructive here?"

"With a proposal like this?" Big Mike scoffed, waving his hand at the contract in front of him. "This is a fucking insult, Norman, and you know it."

"No, it isn't," Norman replied, with that continued icy calm, "and-"

"I'll regret not giving you preferential treatment," Big Mike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you already said that, Norman."

"And I mean what I say," Norman said with that same icy calm, his eyes flashing again.

"So do I," Big Mike replied, his voice rising. "I've taken down tougher guys than you, Osborn-and don't think I won't do the same thing to you, if you try and fuck with me!"

To Big Mike's surprise, Osborn remained calm and cold as ice as he stood up, turning and leaving Big Mike's office without a word.

Donny had admired his father for standing up to Osborn's threats, the way he had anyone else who threatened him.

Unfortunately, that was before Donny and Big Mike learned that Norman Osborn considered bluffing to be strictly for amateurs.

"The hell do you mean, the ship's impounded?" Big Mike thundered into the phone angrily. "Contraband? Are you shitting me?...You'd better fix this, Donovan, or I swear to God I'll have you strung up!" he continued, before hanging up.

"Son of a bitch!" Big Mike yelled, hurling his phone across the room.

"What is it now?" Donny asked Big Mike with concern.

"That's the third ship we've gotten impounded in Houston," Big Mike scowled. "All for bullshit reasons."

Donny frowned. That was the last thing they needed, particularly when the share price of Callahan Shipping's stock continuing to be so shaky. The impounding of many of Callahan Shipping's vessels was only the latest problem the company had faced in the last six months. One of Callahan Shipping's vice presidents had been killed in a brutal car accident, while another had been convicted of child pornography possession, derailing several aspects of the company's operations. The company received an environmental black eye when one of its major tankers crashed on Lake Erie, causing a major fuel spill. A rumor of an asset fire sale had been strenuously denied by the company, but investors had become nervous. Several customers had complained about finding their merchandise damaged when it arrived.

Now, Callahan Shipping's vessels were becoming impounded, apparently for failing to follow proper procedures and acquiring required permits.

Big Mike kept up a brave front, of course he did.

But he was so publicly associated with Callahan Shipping's fortunes, even personally appearing in the company's commercials, that the company's problems reflected on him too.

Donny had always admired his dad's ability to keep fighting, but Big Mike usually crushed his challenges before they became too big a threat.

Now, fighting a war on so many fronts at once was eating away at him.

Try as he might, Big Mike found that he couldn't win this fight.

I can't believe this, Donny shook his head. This is going to crush him-how could they force Dad to step down!

The young man only shook his head in disgust at Callahan Shipping's board of directors. Big Mike had built the company up from practically nothing, and now those assholes thought he should step aside as part of what they called a "re-branding initiative".

Fucking ingrates, Donny thought to himself as he approached the door to Big Mike's private office. They'll regret it when-

"Dad, I-Jesus, NO!" Donny screamed in horror as he walked into the room and saw Big Mike's corpse laid out on the ground in front of him. Big Mike's body held his favorite Navy revolver, the prize of his collection.

Donny was hardly aware of his screaming, or the rushing of other people coming to see what was going on.

All he knew was that Big Mike was dead.

Donny's life had nearly fallen apart after that. It was only his girlfriend Laura, sweet, beautiful Laura, that kept him from going insane.

Callahan Shipping was rebranded, and then sold, with Donny and his family getting a substantial payment for their shares when they were bought out.

But Donny hardly cared about the money. He cared about the man who'd ruined Big Mike-Norman Osborn. Osborn was the obvious suspect, of course-why else would Callahan Shipping suddenly start running into problems after Big Mike turned down Osborn's offer?

He couldn't prove anything, of course-but in his efforts to do so, he met a lot of other people that Osborn had fucked over.

People with resources, just like him.

The first few days of Spring Break were just what Gwen needed. After weeks of almost non-stop activity and pressure, Gwen had desperately wanted to unwind. Leaving her Spider-Woman costume securely locked in her closet, Gwen had spent the time meeting friends for coffee, going for walks in the park with Randy, watching movies on Hulu and simply lazing around the house. She was nearly broke, and hated the thought of Randy having to pick up the tab when she went out with him, or of having to borrow money from her friends or family. As a result, she had to restrict herself to low-cost activities, but she didn't mind at all.

Gwen was all the more surprised when she and many of her other friends got an e-mail from Harry Osborn one morning:

Hi everybody,

Now that we've survived midterms, I think we all deserve a reward for working so hard. That's why I want to treat everybody to dinner at the La Grenouille restaurant. Let me know if you can make it-I'd love to see you there!

All the best,

Harry.

Gwen blinked in surprise as she read the e-mail. The La Grenouille restaurant was an upscale fine dining French restaurant located near Manhattan's Garment District, renowned for the high class of its clients and its long, storied history. It wasn't usually the kind of place Gwen or her friends would have gone, particularly given that they were all college kids of limited means. Harry certainly had the money to fit in there, one of the only positive things he'd ever inherited from Norman Osborn, but he didn't like the high class scene himself.

That said, Gwen had always loved those kinds of high class establishments. She'd attended a few functions at places like that when she was younger and her father George Stacy had needed to keep up appearances, and she'd always fit right in. When she had gone to a function at the Plaza Hotel with Ben Reilly, who she'd dated before going steady with Randy, she'd enjoyed every minute…

…at least until the psychotic Jack O' Lantern, arguably the most dangerous enemy she'd ever fought as the spectacular Spider-Woman, had crashed the party to try and rob it.

Frowning, Gwen looked back at her closet, where she'd been keeping her Spider-Woman costume.

She was eager to meet her friends for supper, but she realized that, given the high-class clientele the La Grenouille attracted, it wouldn't hurt to take precautions.

"See, what did I tell you?" Gwen smiled at her cousin Jill, as she released Jill's hair. "Doesn't that look good?"

Jill only smiled back at the French braid Gwen had arranged her hair in. It helped distinguish her from Gwen, who simply left her own long hair loose. Their dresses contrasted as well, with Jill's bright gold outfit standing out compared to Gwen's more subdued aquamarine number. Jill's arm was still broken, and she'd needed Gwen's help to get dressed and prepared.

"I really appreciate this, Gwen," Jill smiled gratefully, hugging Gwen with her good arm. "You're sure it won't be a problem if I come with you and Randy?"

"Not at all," Gwen assured her. "We're just meeting as friends. I know a couple of other people are going stag, too."

Reassured, Jill posed for a selfie with Gwen before they hurried downstairs to wait for Randy, who was driving them to the restaurant. They waited less than ten minutes before the doorbell rang, indicating that Randy had arrived.

When Gwen opened the door to let Randy in, she found herself looking him up and down in a very approving way. Randy was dressed in a classy black-and-white argyle sweater and black dress pants, which contrasted wonderfully with his bright eyes and smile.

It was only when Gwen heard Jill giggling that she realized that she and Randy had both been ogling each other without realizing it. Glancing at Randy's face, Gwen only smiled as she saw his admiration.

"Boy, am I just the luckiest guy in the world or what?" Randy grinned, as his glance began shifting between Gwen and Jill. "Escorting two gorgeous women-it's enough to make a man believe in karma!" he laughed.

"Seriously, you think you're the lucky one?" Gwen shot back, enjoying the banter. "How often do you think we get escorts this hot?"

Gwen and Randy laughed and hugged that.

Standing off to the side, Jill just rolled her eyes in amused annoyance.

When Gwen, Randy and Jill had arrived at Le Grenouille, they had initially expected to have trouble getting in. Fortunately, all they'd had to do was announce that they were part of Harry Osborn's party, and they were immediately led to the private suite that Harry had reserved. Many of their old friends were there, including Harry, his girlfriend Liz Allan, Kitty Pryde and her boyfriend Bruce "Kong" McFarlane and Ben Reilly. It wasn't long before Gwen and the others had joined the group, and they were all chatting like old times.

Gwen was enjoying herself, and so were most of the others. However, after about an hour she noticed an increasing tension in Harry. Gwen saw a subtle strain in his voice, and saw that his hands were trembling. Although the room was a comfortable temperature, Gwen also saw a single bead of sweat on Harry's forehead. All the signs of repressed tension were easy for Gwen to recognize, given how often she had to keep her own stress and anger under control…

…and how often she'd been recognized anyway.

When Harry stood up to leave, saying that he needed to go to the bathroom, Gwen was quick to follow suit.

Laura could recognize the tension in Donny as they walked towards the restaurant. The waiter they'd bribed had confirmed that Harry and his party were there, and Laura and Donny were quick to respond.

Once they had paid Osborn's spawn back for what his old man had done, they would be able to go on with their lives.

Laura felt tense as well, anticipating the justice to come, and the joy she and Donny would experience afterward.

As Gwen expected, Harry hadn't gone anywhere near the washroom. He was standing off in a corner, partially concealed by the La Grenouille's impressive floral arrangements, where he was shaking badly.

"…Harry?" Gwen asked tentatively, moving some of the flowers aside as she came to join him.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin, as he was sweating profusely now.

"Gwen!" he exclaimed in alarm. "What…how did you…"

"I saw the worry you're dealing with," Gwen explained, "and I was wondering if anything is wrong. Is there anything we can help you with?"

"How did you now?" Harry asked her pointedly.

"Because I recognized the signs. I have a lot of practice with them, remember?" Gwen reminded him, smiling to break the tension.

Harry laughed nervously, recalling how he and Gwen had both suffered at the hands of their fathers.

"It's…it's just…nothing," Harry shook his head.

"Don't give me that," Gwen shook her head. "It's got to be something. Why else would you have had us come to a fancy place like this? Wouldn't the Blue Star or Papa Cicero's have done just as well?"

"Well…I…" Harry stammered, now more embarrassed than tense.

"It's something special, isn't it?" Gwen realized. "Something that needs an appropriate place to happen."

Harry swallowed hard, before he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he said, much of his tension gone. "I'm just afraid, that's all."

"Whatever it is, you know we're here for you," Gwen smiled at him reassuringly.

Harry nodded in reply.

"You ready to go back?" Gwen asked.

This time, Harry smiled.

"Let's go."

Harry's party soon finished supper, and ordered dessert, when Harry suddenly stood up. Clinking his wine glass with his knife, he quickly attracted everyone's attention.

"Thanks for coming tonight, everyone," Harry said, a broad smile crossing his face. "I really appreciate it. We've been kind of split up over the last few weeks, in between working and studying, so I thought that we deserved to see each other again once we took a break."

"You all mean the world to me, especially with everything that's happened over the last few years," Harry continued. "But one of you has gone above and beyond for me, someone I've come to love more than life itself," he continued, turning to Liz, who was sitting next to him.

"That's why…I…" Harry suddenly knelt down, as he reached into his pocket.

Gwen's jaw dropped, and her hand flew to cover it. She suddenly realized the source of Harry's tension, and what he was about to do.

Liz's jaws dropped even more than Gwen's, and her eyes widened in surprise, as Harry pulled a small box out of his pocket. Opening it up, he presented its contents to Liz. The rest of the party gasped as they saw the contents of the box, a golden ring with a large, glittering diamond.

"Elizabeth Lauren Allen, will you marry me?" Harry asked Liz.

The rest of the party stared intently at Harry and Liz, waiting for one of them to speak.

"I said once that you have the compassion of an angel," Harry continued. "Without you, I don't know what I would have done over the last while. But it's not just your compassion I love-it's that warm, vibrant energy you have, the passion you have for your goals, the fact that you'd move heaven and earth to accomplish what you want. All those things made me realize that I'm the luckiest man in the world. I want to return the favor somehow, to let you know I'll always be there for you. So, I ask again…will you marry me, Liz?"

Liz only stared at Harry, as his words slowly sunk in. Finally, a joyous expression crossed her face.

"Of course I will, Harry!" she exclaimed, pulling him to his feet and embracing him in a tight hug.

Harry's expression was just as joyous, returning Liz's hug twice over as the rest of the party began to cheer and applaud.

Harry's expression briefly met Gwen's as he and Liz turned.

Gwen winked encouragingly at him.

"Congratulations," she mouthed at Harry.

"Thank you," Harry mouthed back, before he and Liz released each other.

"Sounds like the party is really kicking," Laura commented to Donny as they walked through the La Grenouille towards the suite Harry's party had reserved.

"That just makes things all the more painful," Donny muttered as he quickened his pace. He was about to do more than that, as his skin seemed to take on a faint green tinge for a moment.

Laura quickly grabbed his arm, reminding him not to do it just yet.

"Osborn has to see it for himself."

Donny only smiled back, wondering where he'd have been all these years without Laura.

Harry, Liz and their friends were caught up in the moment, as their friends congratulated them. Gwen, Kitty and Jill were asking Liz questions about the wedding plans. Kong and Ben had begun teasing Harry about being tied down, while Randy watched it all with an amused smile.

They were all caught off guard as the door to the suite was flung open, and two people strode in. Harry and Liz's friends only stared askance at the intruders, while Harry and Liz briefly wondered where they recognized the new arrivals.

"This is a private party," Kong said sternly, folding his arms. "I think you have the wrong suite," he continued.

"Wait, hold on," Harry interrupted, putting his hand on Kong's shoulder and gently moving him aside. "You're Donny and Laura, right? It's alright, guys-Donny and Laura live in our building."

Donny and Laura suddenly burst out laughing, startling Harry, Liz and their friends.

"You really don't recognize us, do you Osborn?" Donny burst out laughing. "Your old man never told you about Big Mike?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Harry demanded, angered at the mention of his father. "That old bastard-"

"Too bad," Donny smirked. "Norman really should have told you."

Harry, Liz and their friends glanced nervously at one another, wondering what Donny was talking about.

"You've got a pretty nice setup, don't you?" Laura spoke up, glancing around the suite. "Saved enough of Daddy's blood money, huh?"

"Alright, that's it!" Kong exclaimed, stepping in front of Harry protectively. "I don't know what the hell you're going on about, but if you don't get out of here right now.

Donny and Laura interrupted Kong's threat with another burst of laughter.

Before anyone could react, Laura twisted at her necklace, causing to flash brightly. Her handbag suddenly seemed to come to live, turning a bright red and black as it began to engulf her. The leather of the handbag suddenly revealed itself to be a flexible metal, encasing Laura in a form-fitting suit of red and black armor. The lower-part of the armor's torso, as well as the upper arms and thighs, were all a menacing black in color. The upper part of the armor's torso, as well as its gloves and boots, were all a gruesome crimson, as was the helmet and the hateful-looking facemask covering Laura's head. Laura suddenly flexed her arm, and a thin rod popped out of a compartment in one of her gauntlets. The rod landed in Laura's hand, before extending into a long staff that crackled with electrical energy.

Laura's transformation was bizarre, but Donny's was horrific. His skin turned a ghastly olive green, even as it took on a slimy, rubbery texture. Holes began tearing in the sides and back of his jacket, as four long green tentacles ripped through them. The tentacles lashed out, smashing the suite's dining table to pieces, as Harry and his friends cried out in horror. Donny only leered, horrifying Harry and his friends even more, as Donny's mouth had become a long, sharp-looking beak. His clothes had torn from the transformation, revealing a pattern of gold marks down his chest and his human arms and legs.

Donny and Laura laughed out loud at the horrified looks on the faces of Harry and his guests.

"Ever stop to think about how many people Norman Osborn hurt?" the squidlike creature that had once been Donny Callahan hissed at Harry. "How many people he ruined to make himself rich? Ever think about how much payback he had coming?"

"Donny, please, for the love of God…" Harry began.

"That's the Squid to you," the former Donny Callahan spat at Harry.

"Laura…" Liz tried to plead, looking at the now-armored woman.

"It's Fortune, honey," Laura smirked behind her facemask. "Ms. Fortune. I rather like the pun."

Harry, Liz and their friends were so fixated on Donny and Laura that none of them noticed Gwen slipping out of the room, her tote bag in her hand, as soon as Donny and Laura had begun laughing. A waiter quickly approached Gwen, but she managed to send him away by telling him to call the police, as the intruders were attacking her friends. From there, Gwen had managed to slip into a nearby washroom, concealed behind many of the La Grenouille's floral arrangements.

Slipping into one of the stalls, she webbed it shut before pulling her Spider-Woman costume out of her tote bag.

I knew, I just knew, there was going to be trouble! Gwen cursed to herself, working as quickly as she could to remove her cumbersome dress without ripping it.

Hours of practice quickly changing clothes paid off for Gwen, as she completed the change.

Sometimes I hate being right, Spider-Woman thought as she raced back towards the dining suite where she'd left her friends, hoping to God she'd be in time.

Harry and his friends tried to run, but the Squid immediately lashed out with his tentacles. Three of the tentacles immediately snatched up Liz, Kong and Ben, while a fourth whipped towards Kitty. Kitty instinctively activated her mutant phasing powers, and the tentacle passed right through her. Instead, the Squid's fourth tentacle settled on Randy, pulling him up to join the other victims.

Kitty and Jill tried to run, but then Ms. Fortune pointed her staff at them. A bolt of white energy flew out of the staff, blasting a long scorch mark into the floor in front of Kitty and Jill, forcing them to stop short.

"Back there with Harry," Ms. Fortune ordered Kitty and Jill, gesturing with her staff. The girls reluctantly complied, joining an angry-looking Harry.

"Let them go!" Harry demanded, clenching his fists in anger. "They don't have anything to do with this!"

"Did I have anything to do with Osborn ruining Big Mike's life?" the Squid hissed back, his eyes narrowing. "Did any of the loved ones of the people Osborn fucked over have anything to do with your old man's sick power games? Fuck no! But they suffered anyway! It's about goddamn time you learned what it feels like!" the Squid continued, his voice rising.

The monstrous creature began to tighten his grip on Harry's friends, causing them to cry out in pain. Their anguished cries blended with the cruel laughter of the Squid and Ms. Fortune, as Harry, Jill and Kitty watched helplessly.

Suddenly, a pair of green energy bolts shot into the Squid from behind, causing him to cry out in pain. Reeling from the blast, he loosened his grip on his prisoners. A series of silvery-gray strands came in from behind him and stuck to his tentacles, before violently pulling them back. The Squid was forced to release his grip on his prisoners altogether, as he and Ms. Fortune whirled to see who was attacking them.

They glared hatefully at the red and gold costume of the spectacular Spider-Woman, whose hands glowed with the green energy of her sting blasts. Spider-Woman only returned their stare, tensed as she was ready to attack.

"This doesn't concern you, sweetie," Ms. Fortune said warningly, the tip of her staff glowing with white energy. "You've got one chance to get lost, or-"

Spider-Woman's reply was the green sting blast she shot at Ms. Fortune, forcing the armored killer to flip out of the way. The Squid whipped his tentacles at Spider-Woman, and she quickly turned back to meet them. Spider-Woman entangled the Squid's tentacles with her webbing, but the monstrous villain merely flexed his arms, easily tearing the webbing apart.

Spider-Woman charged in past the Squid's tentacles, raising her fists to punch him, when he raised his human-shaped arms in front of him. Holes opened in his palms, releasing a wave of black inkish ooze that splattered Spider-Woman, covering the eye lenses of her mask. Blinded by the Squid's ink, Spider-Woman stopped short, only for one of the Squid's tentacles to wrap around her waist. The Squid turned around, flinging Spider-Woman to crash into the far wall.

Crying out in pain from the collision, Spider-Woman came to her feet, trying to wipe her mask's eye lenses clean. She managed to clear some of her vision, but not before Ms. Fortune struck her with an energy blast and knocked her flat on her back.

Her body throbbing with pain, still half-blind from the Squid's attack, Spider-Woman rolled along the ground to avoid the tentacles she could hear the Squid swinging down at her.

As Spider-Woman rolled, she frantically tried to think of what to do, even as she listened intently for what her friends were doing.

Kitty Pryde felt as though her heart would tear its way out of her chest, given how hard it was beating. She tried desperately to keep her growing panic under control, as she glanced around at her friends. While she had used her phasing powers to help evacuate people before, this was the first time that she had been directly caught in a superhuman battle.

Looking around her quickly, she grabbed the first person she saw, who happened to be Gwen's cousin Jill, and started to run. Grabbing Jill by her good arm and extending her phasing powers to the other girl, Kitty pulled Jill through the tentacles towards the wall that divided the suite from the main dining area.

Unfortunately, Ms. Fortune stepped into their path. Raising her staff menacingly, she charged up another energy blast.

Kitty froze up in terror, inadvertently releasing her grip on Jill. She began to shake violently, unable to move.

Ms. Fortune smiled wickedly behind her mask as she prepared to release her blast. However, she was suddenly knocked off balance, her energy blast flying wildly to strike the ceiling, as Randy tackled her.

"What are you waiting for?" Randy demanded. "For the love of God, move!"

Jill needed no further prompting, continuing her run and making it to the door. Kitty, however, remained frozen in place.

"Come on, we-" Randy said, before crying out in pain as a blow from Ms. Fortune's staff knocked him off his feet.

Kitty suddenly began to run, dashing for the wall separating the dining suite from the main area, and phasing right through it. She was vaguely aware of her screaming to call the police, but she kept running until she could hide behind a nearby flower display.

Slumping down in exhaustion, Kitty tried desperately to catch her breath, before convincing herself that she needed to go back and help her friends.

Kitty kept telling herself that, but despite all her efforts, she simply couldn't move.

Springing up from the ground, Spider-Woman had decided to repeat the Squid's tactics. Shooting a double blast of webbing at his face, Spider-Woman covered the Squid's eyes, blinding him completely. He began flailing wildly with his tentacles, but Spider-Woman had anticipated that, grabbing two of them with her webbing. Gritting her teeth with the effort, Spider-Woman spun around and flung the Squid into the far wall, where he crashed and slumped against the wall.

Whirling around at Randy's shout, she saw Ms. Fortune walking towards a prone Randy, raising her staff menacingly. Shouting in anger, Spider-Woman shot a double sting blast at Ms. Fortune, blasting her staff and knocking her to the ground. Randy managed to get to his hands and knees, slowly crawling away as Spider-Woman charged at Ms. Fortune.

Ms. Fortune pointed her staff at Spider-Woman, charging up an energy blast, but Spider-Woman merely sprayed her webbing at the staff. Yanking hard with her webbing, Spider-Woman pulled Ms. Fortune off balance, causing her staff to fly out of her hands. Spider-Woman quickly caught the staff as she ran forward, swinging it hard at Ms. Fortune. A loud clang sounded as the staff slammed into Ms. Fortune's ribs, cracking her armor and causing her to cry out in pain. As Ms. Fortune stumbled, Spider-Woman swung her staff again, this time bringing it down on Ms. Fortune's head.

As Ms. Fortune slumped to the ground, stunned from the beating Spider-Woman had given her, she spun around to look at the Squid. He had recovered from being slammed into the wall, and was now lashing out at Liz, Harry, Kong and Ben. The four friends had been crawling towards the door leading back to the main part of the restaurant, but the Squid had heard them. Ripping Spider-Woman's webbing off his face with his tentacles, the Squid then reached out to try and grab them. Spider-Woman caught his tentacles with her webbing, however, forcing him to break the webbing apart. This left him vulnerable to a sting blast that knocked him to his knees.

Spider-Woman's sting blasts wracked the Squid's body with pain, but they weren't enough to stop him. Dr. Karl Malus had explained to him that a squid was actually a surprisingly good choice for someone who wanted to be imbued with animal-based superpowers. Squids had no bones, or even many vulnerable organs, which made them much more resistant to injury than many other animals, and the Squid had the same trait. While he was more than ready for another fight with Spider-Woman, he heard the sound of police officers in the main dining hall outside, converging on the scene. To make matters worse, Ms. Fortune was unconscious, her armor badly damaged.

The Squid's tentacles snaked out again, but not at Spider-Woman, Harry or their friends. Instead, one of them wrapped around Ms. Fortune's prone body and pulled her back towards him. Two more of his tentacles began throwing debris at Harry and his friends, forcing Spider-Woman to protect them with a web barrier. The Squid's last tentacle caught Ms. Fortune's staff and swung it at the dining suite's window. The window shattered in two blows, as the Squid hastened towards it. Gathering Ms. Fortune and her staff in his human arms, the Squid used his tentacles to climb out the window and up the side of the building.

Spider-Woman had been tearing away the web barrier she'd used to shield Harry and the rest of their friends while the Squid was escaping. By the time she got to the window, intending to pursue him, he was already gone.

Cursing herself for letting the villains get away, Spider-Woman ran back into the main dining hall. Hiding behind the floral displays she had used to reach the bathroom the first time she'd needed to change costume, Spider-Woman repeated her movements. She managed to reach the bathroom without anyone seeing her, and hastily changed back into her regular clothes.

Gwen emerged from the bathroom, running back towards the dining suite. Looking around worriedly for her friends, Gwen was relieved to see that most of them were unharmed. Jill and Kitty were standing off to one side talking to some of the police officers, while paramedics were examining Harry and the rest of their friends.

Gwen looked at her friends with mixed emotions. She was immensely relieved to see that most of her friends were unhurt. Unfortunately, she felt like she'd been punched in the gut when she saw the paramedics examining the injuries Randy had suffered from Ms. Fortune hitting him with her staff. Then she felt like she'd gotten punched again when she saw the pained, despondent looks on her friends' faces.

Ben, Kong, Liz and Jill all looked sorely shaken, and that pained Gwen enough by itself.

Kitty had buried her face in her hands, and the tears streaming down her face made Gwen feel even worse.

Gwen was stunned and disturbed by the livid, angry look on Randy's face. She could only sympathize, assuming that Randy was angry at the way the Squid and Ms. Fortune had threatened their friends.

Harry's expression pained Gwen most of all. He sat slumped against the wall, deathly pale and staring vacantly into space.

Ignoring the paramedics and police officers trying to get her attention, Gwen pushed past them and sat down next to Harry.

"…Harry?" she asked tentatively.

Gwen had to repeat herself twice before Harry finally turned to regard her.

"…Gwen…?" he croaked, barely able to get the word out.

"This wasn't your fault, Harry," Gwen insisted, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"But…they said…" Harry said quietly, before trailing off.

"To hell with whatever they said," Gwen waved away the concern, putting more force in her voice. "People assumed I was to blame for my father's crimes, too. Some crazy supervillain tried to kill my family, remember?" she continued, referring to her last confrontation with the hired killer Constrictor. "And what about Kitty and Ben? Are they responsible for everything Jack O' Lantern did?" she asked, managing not to shudder at the reminder of the deadliest supervillain she'd ever fought as Spider-Woman. "No, they aren't! We don't feel guilty about it, and you shouldn't either. You're just as much a victim of Norman Osborn as those two psychos ever were."

Harry shook his head and didn't seem convinced.

"You're not alone in this, Harry," Gwen reminded him, drawing him in for a hug. "You helped us get through all that, and we'll help you too," she assured him.

Harry smiled weakly at that, and he began breathing more slowly from it.

Gwen continued to feel a mix of relief that her friends were mostly unharmed, and dismay at the physical and mental pain they had to endure.

At the back of her mind, though, Gwen seethed with rage at the Squid and Ms. Fortune.

You both forfeited any right you had to sympathy the moment you started going after Harry, Gwen thought to herself. I know you'll probably try to come after Harry or our other friends again.

Gwen's eyes flared at that.

Go ahead, she thought.

We'll see just how tough you both are against someone who can actually fight back!

(Next Issue: As Spider-Woman, Gwen sets out to try and bring the Squid and Ms. Fortune to justice for threatening her friends. Unfortunately, she finds that she has a more immediate problem when an infuriated Randy tries to confront Kitty for what he considers her cowardice in not using her mutant powers to try to protect their friends. Meanwhile, Liz and Harry find themselves reconsidering their initial plans to marry, as Harry wonders if Liz will truly be safe with him. All this and more in Spider-Woman #93: Legacy Project!)