Legacy Project

Gwen Stacy shook her head in disgust as she walked down the hospital hallway. She knew that many of the patients here had suffered injuries at the hands of the costumed supervillains that infested New York City like a plague of rats. The patients were frequently collateral damage, people left clinging to life solely for the 'crime' of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Gwen had learned that the hard way in fighting crime as the spectacular Spider-Woman. While Gwen had been able to bring many costumed villains to justice, and save dozens of innocent lives at the same time, there had been many other people she couldn't save. She was going to visit one of them now, her boyfriend Randy Robertson, who'd been injured when two revenge-crazed supervillains had attacked the dinner party Gwen and Randy had attended.

As Spider-Woman, Gwen had been able to prevent the villains from hurting Liz Allan and Harry Osborn, their main targets. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to prevent Randy from being injured in the crossfire. He had been hospitalized since the day before, and Gwen hoped he was alright.

Gwen was glad she'd been able to protect the rest of her friends, she really was.

It was cold comfort when she approached Randy's hospital room, and felt a stab of guilt over Randy's injuries.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN #93

LEGACY PROJECT

Gwen stopped just outside Randy's hospital room as she saw the older couple approaching from the opposite direction. She recognized them as Randy's parents Isaiah and Louise Robertson, and she tensed up. Randy's parents had made very clear just how much they disliked Gwen, and she braced herself for their usual cold treatment.

Isaiah's and Louise's eyes widened as they saw Gwen, and they stopped just outside Randy's room as well. They stared at Gwen for several seconds, and she returned their stare, before Gwen spoke.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Robertson," Gwen said, bowing briefly. "It's good to see you again. Would you like some private time with Randy? I can come back later," she said.

Isaiah and Louise glanced at each other, before Louise spoke.

"Isaiah, honey, you go in first," Louise said to her husband. "I need to speak to Gwen first," she said, turning her gaze back to Gwen.

Nodding, Isaiah opened the door to Randy's room and walked in, closing it behind him. Gwen and Louise heard Randy greeting Isaiah, and looked at the door to Randy's room before looking back at each other.

Gwen bit her lip nervously, wondering what Louise was going to berate her for this time.

"It's good to see you here, Gwen," Louise said, as a grateful smile crossed her face.

Gwen's trepidation turned to surprise as she heard that.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Robertson," Gwen said as she smiled back, both pleased and confused by Louise's surprisingly warm reception.

"You and your other friends weren't hurt at this party, I hope?" Louise asked.

"A couple of us were, but we'll be alright," Gwen said, more surprised than ever at Louise's treatment.

"Good," Louise said, still wearing her pleasant smile.

"…Is that what you wanted to ask me, Mrs. Robertson?" Gwen asked tentatively, wondering why Louise wanted to talk to her before Randy, if that was all they were going to discuss.

Gwen and Louise both felt tension in the air again.

"…I wanted to apologize," Louise said, a trace of hesitation in her voice. "Isaiah and I have treated you really badly, and you deserved better."

Gwen tried to keep calm, but she couldn't keep an angry scowl from crossing her face briefly.

"I appreciate that," Gwen said, as a strain crept into her voice. "Some of the things you said…hurt," she said, the strain in her voice turning into a bitter tone.

"I know," Louise said, a hint of shame in her voice. "We were worried about Randy, but that doesn't excuse…" she trailed off.

"Hey, I understand," Gwen said. Reaching out, Gwen took Louise's hand in her own. "You're just worried about Randy…that's what good parents do, isn't it?" Gwen said with a smile.

"…Thank you," Louise said, returning Gwen's smile.

"Do you need some time with Randy?" Gwen asked. "I can come back later, if you like."

"I appreciate that," Louise said, as she turned towards the door to Randy's hospital room. "But it's good that you're here, child-Randy will be really happy to see you."

"Thank you," Gwen said, bowing in appreciation as she smiled. She turned to find someplace to sit down, while Louise entered Randy's hospital room.

Gwen felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her relationship with Randy wasn't the only time she'd had problems with a potential boyfriend's parents. When she had dated Ben Reilly, Ben's father Andrew had openly threatened to make Gwen's life miserable if she didn't stay away from Ben. Gwen hadn't even started a formal relationship with Ben, but Andrew's threats had killed any chance of it happening.

Louise and Isaiah's treatment of Gwen hadn't been much better. Aside from being painful for Gwen, it had also caused problems between Randy and his parents. Louise had forbidden Randy from bringing Gwen to a large Robertson family gathering, and Randy had responded by skipping the gathering to spend the day with Gwen.

I have a lot of problems, Gwen realized, but when it comes to Randy, I'm the luckiest girl in the world, she smiled again.

When she walked into Randy's hospital room after his parents had left, Gwen was happy to see the look of cheer on Randy's face. She shuddered inwardly at the bandages on Randy's left arm, and the bandages she knew were under his hospital gown, meant to treat the injuries he'd suffered when the armored villainess Ms. Fortune had brutally struck him with her staff.

Gwen felt anger rising up within her as she thought of Ms. Fortune and her partner the Squid. The villains had attacked a dinner party Harry had thrown to ask Liz to marry him, apparently out for revenge against something Harry's father, the corrupt businessman and supervillain Norman Osborn, had done to someone the Squid called 'Big Mike'. Gwen didn't know who Big Mike was, and she didn't care, either. What she did know was that Harry had suffered as much as anyone at Norman Osborn's hands, and he and Liz weren't responsible for anything Norman might have done to anyone else.

"Hey there, kiddo," Randy said with a half-smile. "How are you holding up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Gwen said with a smile of her own. "Was anything broken at all?"

"No, I just got some really nasty bruises," Randy said, wincing. "I was lucky Ms. Fortune only hit me with a glancing blow."

Gwen frowned, not wanting to think about what would have happened if Ms. Fortune had hit him harder than that.

"Do you know how long you'll be here?" Gwen asked in concern.

"I just need a few days of bed rest," Randy said, "and then I should be good. How's the rest of the gang?"

"They haven't stopped by?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"Not yet," Randy said. "I take it they're still pretty shaken up. Was Jill hurt any more at all?" he said, referring to Gwen's cousin Jill, who still had a broken arm.

"No, Jill's okay, thank God," Gwen said. "I haven't talked to Ben," she said, referring to Ben Reilly, "but Kong and Kitty-"

"What about Harry and Liz?" Harry said, interrupting Gwen before she could finish. "Have you been looking after them?" he said, referring to Gwen watching over them as Spider-Woman.

"As much as I can," Gwen said, surprised at Randy's interruption, "but nothing's happened yet. And if anything does, I'll know," she said.

Gwen had marked Harry and Liz, along with many of her other friends and family, with special pheromones she could emit at will. The pheromones acted as a sort of tracking device, allowing Gwen to home in on them with her spider-senses. Sometimes her spider-senses activated by themselves, when the people she'd marked with her pheromones were in a situation that would be of particular interest to her, usually some kind of danger.

"I'm going to visit them after I leave," Gwen said, "and see what I can do to cheer them up. Harry looked like he was falling apart after he heard what that Squid guy said. I tried to call Kitty to see if she could join me, but-"

"-but she probably knows better than to show her face, after what she did," Randy said, an angry scowl crossing his face. "That little…" he said, before trailing off.

Gwen stared at Randy in astonishment. The look on Randy's face was just like the angry expression he'd worn in the aftermath of the Squid's and Ms. Fortune's attack. At the time, Gwen had assumed that Randy was angry over the villains' attacking them and their friends, but there was clearly more to it than that.

"…That little what, Randy?" Gwen asked, an edge in her voice. "She's our friend, isn't she?"

Randy didn't say anything as he continued to scowl.

"Well?" Gwen said.

Randy took a deep breath before he began to speak.

"She's a coward, Gwen," he said. "You could have used her help fighting those two psychos, and she ran like a goddamn squirrel. She didn't even try to help anyone else!"

"Kitty was scared, Randy," Gwen said. "Can you blame her for freaking out?"

"She used her powers to run away," Randy said. "When the hell has she used them for anything else?"

"You mean besides helping people escape from the wreckage of a subway train crash?" Gwen said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, one time," Randy said. "How many other times has she done it? Didn't she turn down the opportunity to join the X-Men, where she could have done some real good with her powers?"

"She was probably scared," Gwen said. "It's different with Kitty, Randy. I don't think she really has the drive to be a superhero. Once my powers started developing, I wanted to be a superhero. It wasn't for the right reasons at the time, but once I smartened up, I still wanted to keep doing it."

"No drive, huh?" Randy said, adjusting his pillow with his uninjured arm. "So she doesn't ever think of anyone else, or how she could help them? She can get away with not being a mutant when she doesn't want to be," Randy said, an angry light coming into his eyes.

Gwen was about to ask him what he meant, when she suddenly understood.

She wasn't sure what she could say in reply.

Kitty Pryde shook her head as she looked at the record of missed calls on her cell phone. Gwen, Jill, her cousin Ben Reilly and most of the rest of her friends had tried to call her several times, but she hadn't responded. She had been almost ill with the strain as she realized what she'd done, using her mutant phasing powers to flee while the Squid and Ms. Fortune attacked her baseline human friends.

Kitty hadn't even been thinking when she ran. She had panicked during the supervillains' attack, freezing up when Ms. Fortune had pointed an energy-blasting staff at her, and then running when Randy had knocked Ms. Fortune off balance. After that, Kitty had hidden by herself, unable to return to do anything for her friends.

Now, though, Kitty felt a crushing guilt. She'd left her friends to fend for themselves, when she could have at least helped them escape from the villains. When she, Gwen and Jill had been caught in that subway crash a few weeks ago, she had been able to use her phasing powers to help people trapped in the wreckage. Now, though, she couldn't even do that.

She recalled how the Acolytes of Magneto had tried to recruit her, and she'd turned them down out of disgust with their agenda. She'd also turned down the X-Men's offer to recruit her as well. While she'd sympathized with the X-Men's goals, she was terrified at the thought of getting into fights with evil mutants or other supervillains.

It's just not what I want to do with my life, Kitty thought to herself. I always wanted to be part of the theatre scene…a critic, a playwright, something like that!

But my friends… Kitty continued, recalling her cowardice.

She put her face in her hands, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

The first thing Laura Fortune felt when she woke up was a dull, pounding ache in her head and her ribs. Leaning up in bed and glancing around, Laura saw that she was still lying in the hospital bed she'd first woken up in after her fight with Spider-Woman. Laura had been badly hurt in that fight, as Spider-Woman hit her in the ribs with her own power staff and then struck her over the head with it.

Looking around her, Laura saw a middle-aged man with a thick layer of stubble and bottle-thick glasses standing over her.

"How are you feeling this morning, Laura?" Dr. Jonas Harrow said, before he glanced down at the medical app he was holding. "Any better?"

"A little," Laura said with a wince, rubbing her still-aching head. "How long do you think it will hurt?"

"Perhaps another day or two, and then you should be fine," Dr. Harrow said. "I noticed that your armor was a loss, though."

Laura cursed at the news. While her boyfriend Donny Callahan had paid the geneticist Dr. Karl Malus to be transformed into the Squid, Laura had hired the Tinkerer to construct her a suit of combat armor. The armor had cost a considerable amount of money, and Laura would probably have to shell out a lot for repairs.

Still, Laura knew she was fortunate that Donny had managed to escape with her from their battle with Spider-Woman. She was even luckier that Donny had taken her to Dr. Harrow, who was known in criminal circles for providing top-notch medical treatment to many criminals and their loved ones.

"Alright Doc, thanks," Laura said. "Any other tests you need to do?"

"No," Dr. Harrow said, shaking his head. "Your injuries were fairly straightforward," he said, glancing quickly at the readouts on the machines Laura was hooked up to before leaving the room.

Laura sat in silence for a few minutes after Dr. Harrow left. She seethed with anger, thinking about how easy it would have been for her and Donny to kill Harry Osborn and his girlfriend Liz if Spider-Woman hadn't interfered.

If I ever run into that web-slinging cunt again, Laura thought to herself, I'll make her regret she was ever-

Laura's train of thought was interrupted when she heard a commotion outside her room. She heard two voices, one of which she recognized as one of Dr. Harrow's nurses. The owner of the other voice came into the room right afterward carrying two plates of food. He was a smart-looking young man with a black brush cut and dull blue eyes, casually but handsomely dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans. Setting the plates of food down on a table next to Laura's bed, the young man pulled a chair up behind it and sat down. Laura returned the young man's wide smile as she took one of the plates, and they began eating.

"Another couple of days, and you're good?" Donny Callahan asked Laura.

"More or less," Laura said. "What did the Tinkerer say about my armor?"

"It's going to need a couple of days," Donny said. "I got him to make it more resistant this time."

"Goddammit," Laura said. "Osborn and his girlfriend know what we look like. If it wasn't for Spider-Woman-"

"Relax, Laura," Donny said. "Osborn and his girlfriend are going to be on the lookout for us, aren't they? Waiting for us to attack them again?"

"Yeah," Laura said, as a scowl crossed her face. "What are you so happy about?"

"Think about it, Laura," Donny said, as an evil smirk crossed his face. "Osborn and his girlfriend are going to be worried about themselves…"

Laura stared at him expectantly.

"…so who's to say they're the ones we go after next?" Donny said.

Laura returned his smile.

Harry Osborn looked like a dead man walking. White as a ghost, he walked around as if in a fog, staring straight ahead and not seeming to notice anyone. He didn't leave the apartment he shared with Liz Allan, or answer his phone or e-mail, and he barely seemed to acknowledge Liz's presence.

When they'd first got home, Liz had left Harry alone, thinking he'd needed some time to himself. By the next day, though, when Harry continued to be almost catatonic, Liz realized she had to do something.

After a lunch he'd barely eaten, Harry sat down on the couch, putting his face in his hands. He might have sat like that for the rest of the day if Liz hadn't sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

Harry suddenly started and turned to look at Liz. His eyes were bloodshot, and seemed unable to focus on Liz.

"…Liz?" Harry finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Harry, you can't blame yourself for this," Liz said, staring intently into his eyes. "You're not responsible for anything Norman might have done."

Harry didn't reply. Instead, he just turned away from Liz to stare straight ahead.

"You're just as much of a victim of Norman Osborn's bullshit as those two sickos are," Liz said. "More than that, even. Don't listen to them!"

Finally, Harry turned to look back at Liz.

"…Even if I'm not," Harry said, "you know they'll come after me again. And if it's not them, it's going to be someone else Norman hurt."

"So?" Liz said. "Whatever they do-"

"-is going to hurt someone sooner or later," Harry said. "That's why I can't…"

"Can't what?" Liz said, feeling her blood start to run cold.

"…I can't marry you," Harry said. "How can I put you in danger when-"

"Damn it Harry, that's bullshit and you know it!" Liz said, her voice rising. "We're not married now, and those sickos came after us anyway!"

"Even if we're not, they'll still keep coming after us," Harry said. "That's why I-"

"Don't you dare," Liz said, interrupting Harry before he could finish.

"…Don't what?" Harry said in surprise.

"Don't you even think of telling me to leave," Liz said. "You think, after everything we've already been through together, I'm going to leave? How can you even say that?"

"But the Squid and-" Harry said.

"I don't care," Liz said, "and that's final. I am not letting two random freaks control my life, and neither will you. So come on," she said, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him to his feet. "We have a lot of planning to do, and we'd better get started."

"…Planning?" Harry asked in confusion.

"For the wedding, of course!" Liz said, smiling as if it was obvious. "I already told you I'd marry you, so we need to get to work. Come on, let's go!" she said, pulling Harry back towards the kitchen table. When they sat down, Liz opened up her laptop and took it out of sleep mode.

"The first thing we need to do is pick a venue," Liz said, as she opened her computer's Excel program. "Did you want something big, or more low-key?"

"Low key," Harry said before he realized what he was doing. "I don't mind a fancy party every now and again, but we shouldn't overdo it."

Harry suddenly stopped, blinking in surprise as he realized what he just said.

Liz was delighted to see the color return to Harry's cheeks, as a wide smile crossed his face.

"Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?" he asked.

"Maybe," Liz said, "but I always like hearing it again," she said with a smirk, as she reached out to caress his cheek.

That should about do it, Gwen nodded in satisfaction at the web video she was editing on her computer. This one should really be worth it-if anyone knows about the value of work/life balance, it's me, she continued with a smile.

Gwen was so intent on her video that she jumped in surprise at the sound of her smartphone ringing. Picking up her phone, she was surprised to see that Kitty Pryde was the one calling her.

"Hi Kitty," Gwen said with a smile. "What's up?"

There was silence on the other end.

"…Kitty?" Gwen said a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Gwen…but I need…" Kitty said.

"What's wrong, Kitty?" Gwen asked in alarm. She wondered if the Squid and Ms. Fortune had attacked Kitty, but then she realized her spider-senses hadn't been triggered.

"I just need to talk to someone, and when you helped me before..." Kitty trailed off.

"Of course," Gwen said. "Whatever you need, Kitty. What's wrong?"

"Do you remember everything that happened at Harry's dinner party?" Kitty said.

"Yeah, what about it?" Gwen said.

"I ran like a coward, that's what," Kitty said. "I just feel so guilty about it."

"Why would you feel guilty?" Gwen said.

"Because I could have helped our friends with my powers, and I just ran and hid," Kitty said. "I could have done something, but I didn't."

Gwen wasn't sure what to say. Her first instinct was to reassure Kitty that she'd run and hid too, but that was a blatant lie. As Spider-Woman, she'd managed to fend off the Squid and Ms. Fortune, likely saving the lives of all her friends in the process.

Then she realized she needed more information.

"What happened?" Gwen asked. "Did you panic? There's nothing wrong with that," she said.

"It was partly that," Kitty said, "but more than that, I was scared. I've always been scared!"

"Scared of what?" Gwen said.

"Of fighting," Kitty said. "Of having to use my mutant powers. Every time I think about it, I freak out."

Gwen thought on that for a few seconds.

"That's why you didn't join the X-Men, isn't it?" Gwen said.

"Yeah, it is," Kitty said. "It's just not what I want to do with my life."

"So who says you have to?" Gwen asked. "Why don't-" she said, suddenly stopping as she recalled her conversation with Randy from the day before.

"I saw the way your boyfriend was glaring at me," Kitty said, "and I don't blame him. He's probably told you about some of the shit black people deal with, right? It's not always the same thing, but with mutants…"

"I get what you're saying," Gwen said, now thinking about what both Kitty and Randy had told her. "Did you ever consider joining the X-Men, even if it was just temporary? Or maybe doing rescue work with your powers?"

"No, it's not what I want," Kitty said. "It's not what I've ever wanted! So I get some mutant powers, does that mean I don't have any choice in what I'm going to do with my life? I don't get to have a say, or what?"

Gwen wasn't sure what to say.

"I…" she trailed off.

"I don't know what to do, Gwen," Kitty said. "Do you know, or…"

Once again, Gwen was at a loss for words. She had actively chosen to use her spider-powers once they'd developed, and she didn't intend to stop anytime soon.

"I wish I knew what to say, Kitty," Gwen finally said. "Did you want me to try to talk to Randy?"

"No, it's fine," Kitty said. "I just needed someone to talk to."

"I'm glad I could help," Gwen said, "but you can't go beating yourself up for this all the time. That won't do you any good, no matter what else happens. Believe me, I know."

"Thanks, Gwen," Kitty said. "Talk to you soon?"

"You know it," Gwen said, before she and Kitty hung up.

Putting down her phone, Gwen thought about her conversations with Randy and Kitty.

She could sympathize with Kitty not wanting to use her powers, especially not if it meant committing herself to a lifestyle she didn't want in the first place. Fighting crime as Spider-Woman had caused Gwen all kinds of problems, but it had been her choice. On the other hand, if Kitty tried to force herself to become a superhero with her phasing powers, Gwen could see her panicking or freezing up. That would be a disaster for any of Kitty's teammates, and for any innocent bystanders Kitty might be trying to help.

On the other hand, she'd seen the passion Randy displayed with the work he'd done for the black community, most notably the films and other social media he'd participated in. He'd explained to Gwen how important it was for him to do his part, and that he had a responsibility to give back to the community after the way it had helped him with his problems over the years.

So what's the solution? Gwen wondered.

Gwen thought about it for the rest of the evening, but she couldn't find an answer.

Two days later…

Bruce "Kong" McFarlane lived up to his name. In contrast to his girlfriend, the diminutive Kitty Pryde, Bruce was nearly seven feet tall and two hundred and sixty pounds of muscle. He had made good use of his size and strength, whether tearing up the football field for both Midtown High and Empire State University, or in protecting his friends from violent thugs.

This evening, Kong was on his way home from practice, his adrenaline still pumping as he considered his plans for the night. He was walking through Central Park, taking a shortcut to reach home more quickly, and appreciating the solitude the park often offered.

First I Skype Harry and Liz, Kong thought to himself. I hope they're up to talking-I wish I could have stopped in to see them in person, he continued with a frown. Then I've got to look over my notes for when classes resume tomorrow. Nothing's going to be too complicated anyway-we're probably going to start on the next unit in Physics, and then-

Kong was startled from his reverie as an energy blast flashed in front of him, striking the ground and blowing a large hole in the sidewalk in front of him. Looking around in alarm, Kong tried to find the source of the blast. Kong couldn't see anyone else around him, but that wasn't surprising with the often thick shrubbery the park boasted. Slowly, he took a step forward around the hole in the sidewalk, on his guard again.

Kong was glancing to his right when he heard the slithering sound coming from his left. Whirling around to face the sound, he was confronted with four long, snakelike tentacles flying towards him. Before Kong could react, each of the tentacles seized one of his limbs, lifting him into the air as the tentacles' owner stepped out from behind a bush.

The creature was colored a ghastly olive green, with slimy, rubbery skin. Along with its four tentacles, the creature also had humanlike arms and legs decorated with long patterns of gold marks, which resembled similar marks along its chest. Its eyes were human, as was the nose between them, but it had a long, sharp beak where its mouth should have been.

Kong felt his blood run cold. The creature holding him in its grip was the Squid, the monstrosity that had attacked Harry's dinner party four days ago. Kong recalled all the problems Spider-Woman had in fighting the Squid all too well, and he shuddered to think of what the Squid could to do him.

Kong heard a woman's laugh to his side, and looked in that direction. The woman coming towards him was clad in a form-fitting suit of red and black body armor, and carried a long staff whose tips glowed menacingly. Kong recognized her as Ms. Fortune, the Squid's boyfriend and the one who'd viciously beaten Randy.

"You knew this was coming sooner or later, didn't you?" the Squid said, a frightening leer seeming to cross his face. "You deserve this almost as much as Osborn and his little skank do."

"They never did anything to you!" Kong said, his voice rising angrily. "You sick bastards-"

Kong never finished his sentence, forced to scream in pain as the Squid twisted his limbs. Kong fell limp, unable to resist as the Squid wrapped his tentacles around Kong's waist. The Squid lowered Kong to ground level as Ms. Fortune came up, brandishing her glowing staff.

"You've got a lot of nerve calling us sick," Ms. Fortune said, as she raised her staff. "If you weren't so caught up in your own bullshit, you'd realize that this isn't revenge. It's justice."

Kong passed out after less a minute.

When Spider-Woman found Kong several minutes later, alerted by her spider-senses and the pheromones she'd marked him with, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved he was alive, or horrified at what the Squid and Ms. Fortune had done to him.

Two hours later…

Gwen shook her head as she walked down the hallway towards Kong's hospital room. As Spider-Woman, she'd called the paramedics with Kong's phone, and waited with him until the ambulance had arrived. She'd swung home after that, changing back into her street clothes and responding to the frantic call that Kitty made to her phone. Now, Gwen had hurried to the hospital, dressed in her street clothes but carrying her Spider-Woman outfit in her tote bag.

Gwen still felt numb from the injuries she'd seen Kong suffer from, seeming like she was in a daze as she approached Kong's hospital room. The door to Kong's room was closed to safeguard the McFarlane family's privacy, but Gwen didn't notice at first. Her immediate attention was focused on Kitty, who sat slumped in a chair next to Kong's door. Kitty was ashen pale, not moving at all as Gwen approached. She stared at the ceiling, and Gwen shuddered at the dead look in her eyes.

Sitting down in an empty chair next to Kitty's, Gwen touched her on the shoulder.

"…Kitty?" Gwen said in a soft voice.

Kitty jumped at Gwen's touch, looking from side to side in alarm before meeting Gwen's glance.

"…Oh…Gwen," Kitty said, breathing heavily as she grasped her chest.

"I'm sorry," Gwen apologized. "Did I startle you?"

"It's…just…" Kitty said, shaking her head. "Everything with Kong, and…"

"What happened to him?" Gwen asked. After seeing Kong's injuries as Spider-Woman, she had a good guess as to what Kong had been through, but she needed to know for sure.

"…It was them again, Gwen," Kitty finally said. "The police said it was the…"

Gwen grasped Kitty's hand, encouraging her to continue.

"The Squid and Ms. Fortune," Kitty said, before putting her face in her free hand.

"I should have done something before," Kitty said, her voice falling to a whisper. "Maybe if I had, then Kong…" she continued, tears forming in her eyes.

Gwen put her arm around Kitty's shoulders, whispering reassurances into her ear.

"This isn't your fault, Kitty," Gwen assured her. "I know that, and you know that. That's just what the Squid and Ms. Fortune want us to think…"

Gwen kept a calm façade for Kitty's sake, but she was boiling with rage on the inside.

It wasn't enough to go after us as a group, was it? Gwen thought to herself. Now you have to target us when we never even knew old Norman? All that, just to torture a guy who suffered as much at Norman's hands as you ever did?

Is this what it takes? Gwen continued.

Fine then, she thought. Come after me, come after any of the rest of us.

I'll show you a whole new world of hurt, she finished, as her eyes flashed with anger.

(Next Issue: Enraged at the assaults on her loved ones, Spider-Woman sets out to hunt down the Squid and Ms. Fortune and make them pay. Unfortunately, her focus on protecting her friends threatens the progress she has made in keeping up with her schoolwork, even as she tries to somehow reconcile the anger and frustrations of both Randy and Kitty. All this and more in Spider-Woman #94: Poor Misfortunate Souls!)