Flight Of The Killer Bee

"You didn't have to do this, Gwen," Randy Robertson said to his girlfriend before taking another bite of his kitfo.

"Maybe not, but you always spoil me," Gwen Stacy said, a playful smile on her face. "That gives me the legal right to spoil you right back. How is it?"

"Delicious," Randy said, returning Gwen's smile. "You definitely picked the perfect place."

Gwen and Randy were dining at the House Of Menelik, an upscale restaurant that served some of the finest Ethiopian cuisine in New York. Named for the Ethiopian king that defeated an Italian attempt to colonize his country, the House of Menelik was popular with African-American intellectuals, entertainers and politicians, as well as foreign dignitaries from African countries. Randy particularly enjoyed the restaurant's ambience and decor, which spoke to Africa's rich cultural heritage.

"I have to ask, though," Randy said, "how did you get us a table here? It's pretty upscale, and…well, no offense, but…"

"None taken," Gwen said, touching his arm reassuringly. "I've been plugging Derrick Deja and Tom Ferguson's Better In The Dark podcast on Fire Hearts-Fire Passion," she continued, referring to her social media network, "and Tom asked if he could return the favor somehow. He knows one of the managers, so…"

Randy just smiled and finished off his kitfo. Derrick Deja and Tom Ferguson hosted an entertainment talk show and podcast at HABQ-FM, the radio station Randy worked at. They also produced and directed independent plays, and both Randy and Gwen had appeared in their works.

"It's kind of expensive here, though," Randy said when he finished eating. "Are you sure-"

"Of course I am," Gwen said, touching him reassuringly again. "You just do so much for me, it's the least I can do."

Randy's smile widened at that. For most of the time they'd been dating, Gwen had been strapped for cash. Randy sometimes had to pay for her when they went out, and she'd never been happy about it. Her career was picking up recently, and she had some money to spend.

And if Gwen wanted to spend it on him, who was he to argue?

SPIDER-WOMAN #105

FLIGHT OF THE KILLER BEE

I am you and you are me.

I am we and we are I.

I am everyone, and everyone is me.

They hate me for following my natural instincts, they hate you for following your natural instincts.

They hate all of us.

But we will return their favors in kind, myself and my kin, so intertwined and yet so distinct.

Even one of us can be fatal, and together we are a living nightmare.

I am Swarm.

You are Swarm.

We are Swarm.

"Three weeks?" Gwen asked her friend Liz Allan in surprise as they walked down the subway stairs. "You're not doing it on the Fourth of July weekend?"

"A lot of our relatives already have plans for the Fourth," Liz said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be fair to make them have to drop everything at the last minute."

Gwen had to admit that made sense. Still, she could hardly believe that it would all happen on July 10, in just under three weeks.

"So you're really going through with it, huh?" Gwen said.

"After everything Harry and I have been through, we deserve it," Liz said. "I know getting married is a big step, but I really think Harry and I are ready."

"I'm still your maid of honor, right?" Gwen said. "And I still get to help you with the planning."

"You practically did all the planning the first time," Liz pointed out. "And of course you're my maid of honor. The only thing I'm not sure is whether I should call you my fairy godmother or my guardian angel."

Gwen and Liz both fell silent at that, remembering the disaster that occurred about a month ago at Liz's first wedding ceremony. The flamethrowing supervillain Firebrand crashed the wedding and tried to forcibly abduct Liz. Gwen protected Liz in her costumed identity as the spectacular Spider-Woman, but several of Liz and Harry's relatives were killed before she could stop Firebrand. Gwen herself was seriously injured, and her ability to recover so quickly was one of the things that led to Liz discovering her secret identity.

"I may have a spider's powers, but I've also got a mother bear's instincts," Gwen said, her eyes flashing. "Anyone who threatens my loved ones lives to regret it. You've seen it yourself more than once."

Liz thought back to the battles Gwen fought as Spider-Woman against the likes of Tarot, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Firebrand, the Brothers Grimm and Jack O' Lantern.

She considered herself very, very lucky that she'd never gotten on Spider-Woman's bad side.

Philippe Bazin stared at the chessboard for over an hour before he made his move.

"Checkmate," he said before he finally moved his bishop and sealed his opponent's fate.

Bazin's lieutenant, his opponent in the game, swallowed hard as he realized he'd disappointed his boss.

"I recognize you tried to sacrifice the plum tree to save the peach tree," Bazin said, referring to one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems of classical Chinese warfare. "A respectable effort, albeit too hastily rushed."

"I have been studying them, though," the lieutenant said, feeling sweat beginning to pour down the front of his face. "Just as you-"

"And that's why I'm teaching you instead of reproaching you," Bazin said, stroking his beard. "Now you understand the approach we've taken with Crimewave."

The lieutenant nodded in understanding. Bazin was the head of New York's most powerful crime syndicate, known for finishing wars his rivals started. Bazin tried to apply military and political strategy to his operations. His vast library was filled with the works of writers like Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and Clausewitz, and he prided himself on how closely he'd studied them. He was applying those principles in his war with fellow mob boss Carl 'Crimewave' Wilkinson, a young shark who shared Bazin's ability to survive where other bosses had been wiped out.

Bazin recently decided it was time for him to become the sole boss of all New York's crime rackets, and moved to crush Crimewave. The war between them had been open and violent at first, with Crimewave sending the supervillain assassin Boomerang after one of Bazin's main lieutenants and Bazin sending gunmen to shoot up some of Crimewave's business fronts. The fighting had stalled after Spider-Woman interfered with both operations, and now Bazin was mostly on the defensive as Crimewave continued to attack his operations. There was grumbling among some of Bazin's lieutenants about why he didn't strike back, but none of them dared raise it with him.

"We can wait at leisure while the enemy labors, and then shut the door to catch the thief," Bazin said, reciting two of his favorite stratagems. "Let Crimewave overextend himself and when he does, we'll be ready to destroy him."

"What about Van Lunt?" the lieutenant asked, referring to Cornelius Van Lunt, New York's third and lowest-ranking crime lord.

"He doesn't matter," Bazin said, waving his hand dismissively. "Once Crimewave is dealt with, we can crush him like the fat bug he is." He gestured towards the door with his chin, indicating to the lieutenant that he had to leave.

The lieutenant did just that, but again he thought about how out of place everything seemed. He still couldn't understand why Bazin started this war when there was no clear gain. Bazin never started a mob war, believing in the importance of defeating one's enemies without fighting. The lieutenant previously thought of asking Bazin why he changed his strategy, but he was terrified of the consequences.

The doubt remained at the back of his mind all the same.

Entry #3:

I've decided to engage Karl Malus for the genetic side of things, and the Tinkerer for the engineering side. They're both freelancers, and used to procuring services for my particular class of criminal. Malus, especially, was intrigued by my long-term project. He isn't aware of anything like it having been done, but he relishes the challenge of trying to combine the finest traits from both sides. The Tinkerer, of course, was more than willing to provide the new flourishes to my accoutrements. He was also intrigued by the challenge posed by the mental conditioning equipment I'll need to complete my upcoming masterpiece.

I realize, of course, that Spider-Woman might perish at someone else's hands before I can begin my magnum opus. That would be unpleasant, but not strictly necessary for my true goal. I can, of course, ensure that she lives on as she was truly meant to be, instead of what she allowed herself to decay into.

I think of everything from Browning's Porphyria to Stevenson's The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Poe's The Black Cat. I admire the protagonists of all of them, and I believe I encompass all of their most admirable traits.

I think of Spider-Woman and the rage she inspires in me.

I scream in a rage, and then I burst out laughing.

I enjoy that laughter.

I enjoy it a lot.

Three weeks later…

Liz tried to make herself stop shaking, but she just couldn't help herself. She knew this should be one of the happiest days of her life, but she was a nervous wreck.

She calmed down when Gwen put her hands on Liz's shoulders. Liz looked into the mirror and saw her anxious expression, but then she saw the reassuring smile on Gwen's face.

"You look absolutely stunning, Liz," Gwen assured her. Indeed, Liz looked gorgeous in her bridal gown, from her white veil to the dark red Manolo Blahnik shoes she'd borrowed from Gwen. Besides acting as Liz's maid of honor, she'd doubled as Liz's wedding planner, helping her pick out a dress, book a venue for the reception and send out the invitations, among other things.

"They're all still in jail, right?" Liz asked.

"All of them," Gwen said, referring to the supervillains Firebrand, the Squid and Ms. Fortune. The Squid and Ms. Fortune wanted to kill Harry in revenge for what his criminal father Norman Osborn did to their families. Gwen fought and defeated them all as Spider-Woman, and she'd confirmed they were all still in prison.

"How-" Liz started.

"I'm keeping in touch with Marie-Ange Colbert," Gwen said, "and she confirmed it all for me." Marie-Ange Colbert used to be another of Gwen's supervillain enemies, the magical conjurer Tarot. After Gwen defeated Tarot as Spider-Woman, she started regularly visiting Tarot, realizing that Tarot wasn't so much evil as she was upset and lonely. On her last visit, she asked Tarot about the other villains, and Tarot confirmed they were all still in prison.

"Now come on," Gwen said before Liz could reply. "I've got my costume in my tote bag, and you don't need to worry about that. You just go out there and do what you deserve to do. This is your day, Liz, and you're going to shine!"

They hugged one last time before getting into Liz's parents' car.

Gwen watched with pride as the preacher concluded the ceremony and Liz and Harry kissed. The ceremony had gone exactly as planned, and the air filled with applause and the sound of bells ringing as the newlyweds walked back down the aisle towards the church's front doors.

Gwen linked arms with Randy, who was serving as one of Harry's groomsmen, and he escorted her to his car. It was only a short drive to the banquet hall Harry reserved for the reception, and the reception was soon in full swing. Liz and Harry both wanted a small wedding party, and Gwen recognized most of the guests. They included Kitty Pryde and her boyfriend Bruce 'Kong' McFarlane, Gwen's cousin Jill Stacy and even Peter Parker and his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. Peter and Harry had drifted apart after they graduated from Midtown High, but Gwen was pleased to see that they'd apparently reconnected in the last few months.

The reception started with a delicious supper before continuing into a dance. A few of the partygoers split off to get something to drink or take a break. When Randy went off to talk to a couple of Liz's fellow medical students who were black, Gwen took the opportunity to catch up with some of her other friends. She briefly chatted with Peter, updating one another about their latest superhero exploits and checking in on each other's well-being. Gwen wished she could talk with Peter more often, as she felt an almost sibling-like bond with him due to their both having spider-powers. They knew they couldn't, though, as they didn't want to risk anyone learning their secret identities by wondering why they interacted so much.

Instead, Gwen took a moment to sit down with Harry, bringing him some water when he took a break from dancing. He beamed happily, but Gwen could see a hint of sadness in his eyes whenever he saw Liz with her parents. She had an idea of what was bothering him, and she knew he didn't deserve to be upset on his wedding day.

"Congratulations, Harry," Gwen said with a smile, hugging him when she sat down.

"Thanks, Gwen," Harry said, returning her smile.

"You okay?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah…" Harry said, although they both knew he was lying.

"No, you're not," Gwen said, shaking her head. "You wish your Mom could have been here, don't you?"

Harry's deflated expression told Gwen everything she needed to know. He didn't care that his abusive father Norman Osborn was a paraplegic vegetable, the result of his final criminal activity as the Green Goblin, but he'd never quite gotten over his mother's death when he was a child.

"I almost feel kind of jealous," Harry said, before taking a long drink of water. "I know I shouldn't, that I should be happy for Liz, but it-"

"That's natural, Harry," Gwen said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "If I ever get married, my father's never going to walk me down the aisle either. One thing I know, though, is that your Mom's probably watching you right now, and she's probably really proud of you. Even after everything you've been through, you kept at it. Now look at you. You've made Liz feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and you've got your whole life ahead of you. Even if your Mom's not here in person, she's always with you in spirit, isn't she?"

Harry brightened at that.

"Thanks Gwen, I really needed to hear that," he said, as she hugged him again. "I'm feeling-"

"OW!' Gwen said, crying out in pain as she felt a stinging pain tear into her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked in alarm, as several more people came running over.

"I…I got stung by a wasp!" Gwen said in shock, pointing upwards. Sure enough, a lone wasp was flying away. It seemed to come out of nowhere, stinging Gwen at random.

"I'm going to talk to the venue manager," Liz's father said, as several of the other wedding guests murmured to each other. "Do they have an infestation or something?"

Gwen didn't answer, wincing as Liz and some of her medical school colleagues treated her wasp sting. While she'd endured far worse injuries as Spider-Woman, it was still painful and was an unpleasant change to the mood.

The party gradually returned to normal, and Gwen's mood returned to normal with it, but the memory of the wasp sting stayed with her.

Pretty little flower, such easy prey.

It all comes naturally.

We play our role in the natural order.

She's both a flower and an insect.

They all are.

We pollinate flowers, and we consume our prey.

Helpless flies, hateful spiders.

They all answer to us sooner or later.

"You know, we should have come sooner," Gwen's mother Helen Lieber-Stacy said to her as they glanced around at all the Richmond Industries employees.

For the last couple of years, the New York branch of Richmond Industries had been organizing company barbecues in July to give its employees a chance to unwind and reward them for their hard work during the busy summer season. Gwen's Aunt Nancy Stacy was a manager at Richmond Industries, and she and her daughter Jill Stacy were usually the only members of the Stacy household who attended, but this year Helen and Gwen accepted Jill and Nancy's invitation to join them.

Gwen just laughed as she licked her ice cream. They'd had a lot of fun so far today, from the trivia contests to the lawn bowling to the games of horseshoes. The barbecued hamburgers and other food were delicious too, and Gwen appreciated the chance to relax. One of the only downsides was that Randy couldn't join her, as several of his relatives were in town and the family was attending a concert at the Apollo Theatre.

One thing that struck Gwen as curious was the number of people she'd heard complaining about being stung by bees or wasps. None of the stings had been fatal, but several people were annoyed by it. She didn't give it much thought, assuming it was just because it was summer.

The good mood of the barbecue's attendees changed as hundreds of bees and wasps started gathering in the sky above them. The hundreds soon turned into thousands, and people began muttering in alarm as the insects gathered into a massive swarm above them.

Gwen started as her spider-senses began blaring. One of her spider-powers was the ability to mark people with pheromones that she could use to track them. Her pheromones could also alert her when they were in a situation that was of particular interest to her, often a danger. She marked Helen, Nancy and Jill with her pheromones, and she realized they were all in serious trouble.

The attendees' muttering was soon drowned out by a loud buzzing sound as the insects grew in number, and seemed to form into a shape almost resembling a human head.

Gwen's blood ran cold as she recalled a similar situation from a year and more ago when Nancy needed her to bring a memory stick to Richmond Industries. The head-shaped swarm of insects began taking on a more distinct form, and Gwen cursed as she recalled her previous battle with the monster forming above them. Several Richmond employees also cried out in horror as they recalled the monster's previous attack too.

Helen was about to say something when she saw the look of alarm on Gwen's face.

"I don't have time to explain," Gwen said, as she turned to join the crowd of people already starting to run. "I just-"

"Go," was the only word Helen said as she started searching for Nancy and Jill.

Gwen ran frantically for a suitable hiding place where she could suit up.

She would have been happy to never battle the monster Swarm again, but her bad luck ran true to form.

He used to be the human entomology professor Buck Mitty, who'd become the supervillain Humbug to fund his bizarre experiments. Defeated and humiliated by the amazing Spider-Man, Mitty became a researcher for Richmond Industries when he was humiliated again by his boss Fritz Von Meyer for the strange potion he created on company time. The potion, meant to allow humans to communicate with bees and wasps, instead caused Mitty's consciousness to merge with theirs. They were as one, the insects' collective instincts combining with Mitty's conscious intelligence to form an entirely new, and deadly entity.

Now calling himself the Swarm, Mitty attacked Richmond Industries' New York office to get revenge against Von Meyer and the rest of his former coworkers. He'd been defeated by Spider-Woman, but his consciousness escaped with one single wasp. It took him a long time to recover from the effort of his battle with Spider-Woman and the pain he'd felt when his insects suffered, but now he'd recovered and found the perfect moment to strike.

All my old friends gathered in one place! Swarm said to the terrified humans as he unleashed his insect brethren on them, the insects' buzzing seeming to form his words. And so many of your loved ones! Now you can all die at once-just like my insect brothers do when you gas our homes! See how you like it!

SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT! Swarm screamed as the terrified humans cried out in pain and fear.

While she was suiting up as Spider-Woman, Gwen thought back to her previous encounter with Swarm. She tried to remember any potential weaknesses he had, and grew distinctly ill at ease when she recalled that she didn't exactly defeat him. She'd triggered part of the Richmond Industries' sprinkler system to down many of his insects, but even that wasn't enough until some Richmond workers triggered the entire system and used the building's firehoses.

Emerging from her hiding place, Spider-Woman thought about how she'd be able to stop Swarm. Recalling a previous battle she'd had with her cold-controlling enemy Blizzard, she covered herself with a layer of her webbing to shield her from the insects' stings as much as possible. It slowed her down somewhat, but she knew it couldn't be helped-she'd likely be stung to death without it.

She had an idea of how she might deal with Swarm, but it wasn't going to be easy.

Swinging back towards the park where the barbecue was happening, only her eyes and long black hair protruding from her web armor, Spider-Woman landed in the midst of the panicking humans. Spinning in place, she sprayed her webbing through the air, entangling a large portion of the insects in the area around her. The humans cried out in relief, but Spider-Woman ignored them as she slammed the ball of webbing, now filled with hundreds of wasps and spiders, into the ground. The insects buzzed in angered pain, and their buzzing became all the louder as Spider-Woman hit them with her sting blasts, killing dozens of insects with every shot.

Swarm's buzzing screams became all the louder as he felt the pain of his kin. He saw Spider-Woman through their eyes, and he flew into a mad rage as he recalled how her interference had prevented him from getting his revenge the first time. He focused more and more of his insects on her, drawing them away from the other humans.

The insects crowded around Spider-Woman, giving more and more of the other humans time to escape. She entangled more of them with her webbing and blasted others with her sting blasts, working frantically as the insects tore at her web armor. Some of their stings started to get through, causing her to cry out in pain, but she stubbornly kept up the pressure.

Finally, the pain became too much for Swarm. Half-mad with rage, his head flew at Spider-Woman, gathering in almost all the insects left in the park. Swarm's head swelled up to huge proportions, far too large for Spider-Woman's webs to entangle.

You think you're brave, don't you, you little bitch? Swarm said to Spider-Woman as his buzzing became louder than ever. Think you can help everyone get away? You're just going to be the first one I kill!

Spider-Woman fought back against the pain of the insect stings that had torn through her web armor. As Swarm's head lunged towards her, she gathered as much of her sting energy as she could and blasted Swarm head-on with a double shot. Her blast caught Swarm dead on, and his buzzing screams went from anger to shock and pain as he struggled to keep himself together. Spider-Woman resumed her original tactics, spinning around with her webbing and entangling Swarm's insects before smashing and blasting them to death. This time, she focused specifically on the insects that formed Swarm's head.

Soon, the buzzing began to diminish along with the number of insects in the park. Spider-Woman realized her original conclusion about Swarm, which she developed in her first fight with him, was correct. His head was the focus of his control, and the more it was damaged the less focus he had.

Damn you, you little… Swarm said, struggling to keep himself together. His buzzing was steadily growing weaker, and briefly cut out altogether when his head was small enough that Spider-Woman completely entangled it and slammed it on the ground.

Swarm's buzzing started up again, but then Spider-Woman blasted it with a double charged shot. Swarm's head shattered at that, and hundreds of insects fell dead while the rest scattered.

Kill…you…ki- Swarm said, before his voice vanished altogether.

The few people who hadn't scattered cheered Spider-Woman, but she hardly heard them. Shuddering at the pain wracking her body, she swung away to return to her hiding place, knowing she had to change back into her street clothes.

Her web armor kept her from being stung as badly as she was the first time she fought Swarm, but she still needed medical attention.

When Gwen returned in her street clothes, sick and exhausted from the insect stings she'd suffered, she gratefully accepted help from the paramedics who'd been called to help Swarm's victims. Glancing around weakly, she saw that the insects were gone, as if they'd never been there. Unfortunately, she also saw more than one corpse.

To her relief, though, Gwen also saw that Helen was completely unharmed, and Nancy and Jill were only stung once each.

As Gwen rested at the hospital she and several other barbecue attendees were taken to, she wondered if she'd truly destroyed Swarm. The thought wasn't a comforting one, and she wasn't thrilled about having to kill so many insects either. His voice had abruptly cut out, and she couldn't help but think that, as she'd killed so many of the insects Swarm was focused on, she may have destroyed him with it.

To her surprise, she didn't feel particularly guilty about any of it either. She knew that if she hadn't, all of the nearly one hundred and forty people at the barbecue probably would have been killed. As it was, she couldn't stop Swarm from killing eight people who died from their stings before the paramedics could treat them.

Grief at their deaths, exhaustion from the battle and happiness that her own family was still alive competed for space in Gwen's mind as she drifted off to sleep.

"What is it?" Phillip Bazin asked as his lieutenant stepped into his study. "I didn't send for you. What's the meaning of this interruption?"

"Because I don't understand our current course of action," the lieutenant said.

Bazin's eyes flared with rage, and the lieutenant realized he was likely a dead man. He had nothing left to lose, so he decided to ask the question that he'd been wanting to ask for weeks.

"Why are you attacking Crimewave when you told us that true strength lies in defeating the enemy without fighting?" the lieutenant blurted as Bazin stood up.

Bazin stood up and then paused, intrigue replacing his anger.

"…Explain," he said, gesturing for the lieutenant to sit down as he did the same.

Swallowing hard, his shirt stained by his sweating armpits, the lieutenant told Bazin about his confusion as to why Bazin decided to start a war out of nowhere. It all seemed out of character for Bazin, and particularly seemed to violate the spirit of Sun Tzu's teachings.

"This isn't like you at all," the lieutenant said. "Is this some sort of test for us?"

Bazin was about to scoff at the idea, pointing out that even he wouldn't do anything so convoluted, when the lieutenant's words finally sunk in. He had been acting grossly out of character for the last couple of weeks, taking actions he never would have if he'd stopped to think about it.

One of his trademarks was finishing wars but never starting them, so why was he acting so foolishly now?

Was something wrong with him?

Bazin didn't know, but he was determined to find out. Dr. Jonas Harrow was a medical doctor who catered to the criminal class, known both for his exceptional surgical skills and his impeccable discretion in keeping his criminal patients' problems confidential. If anyone could find something wrong with Bazin, whether it be technological controls or some sort of psychic or magical compulsion, it would be Harrow.

And if someone had done something to him, Bazin would make them wish they were never born.

(Next Issue: Gwen recovers from the injuries she suffered against Swarm, but she soon has a whole new set of problems to deal with when Joystick's exploits go viral online and she faces an online backlash. Worse is to come when Bazin discovers the truth behind the mob war he was manipulated into, and Spider-Woman fights for her life against Scorpia when he retaliates against the Chameleon! All this and more in Spider-Woman #106: The Art Of War!)