Slowly the door leading into the gymnasium opened as two men waked through. They had come from inside the school into the gymnasium and Spider-Woman could hear them talking. She recognised them as two teachers from the school, she didn't know their names but she definitely recognised them.
One of the teachers was a tall man with thin black hair while the other was a shorter man with relatively long blonde hair. She could hear them talking about sports as they walked into the gymnasium. It wasn't about school sports however, it was about professional baseball and how their favourite teams were doing in the season. One of them seemed happier than the other as their teams were having a varied season.
"My God what's that?" asked the shorter teacher as he pointed over to Spider-Woman. He was completely taken by shock as he saw the sixteen and a half foot tall superheroine standing a short distance away from him. Her hands were on her hips and she stood there looking forward and not moving a muscle. She stood as still as she could hoping that her ploy would work.
"It's just something that the art students have cooked up I bet," replied the taller teacher as they both looked towards Spider-Woman. He believed that she was some work of art by a group of students. "I don't see why anyone would want to make a statue of Spider-Woman since she's a wanted criminal."
"I know but I think some of students look up to her I think. I don't know why but they do." By now they had walked up to her and were looking up at her. Even her legs were longer than their entire bodies. "Wow for an art project I've gotta say it does look like the real deal." He then poked his finger into Spider-Woman's leg and could feel the flesh behind her clothing. He didn't think it was actual flesh and bone and just believed that it was some kind of material to make it feel more lifelike. "Feels reals as well. I've gotta admit that those kids have really outdone themselves with this."
"Too bad they couldn't make it of someone who is actually important." He didn't like Spider-Woman at all. "But I don't see why they would have to make it so damn big. Just a waste of time and effort."
"Waste of time maybe but definitely more dramatic than having an actual size statue of her." They didn't realise that Spider-Woman was in fact the real thing and was just trapped in an enlarged state. Being as still as a statue was not as easy as it looked and she even had an itch on her leg that she wanted to scratch but didn't want to risk since any movement would give her away. "Ok with being staring at art for too long, let's get this over with so we can get home and enjoy the weekend."
Spider-Woman had to wait some time for the two teachers to finish what they had come to do in the gymnasium. She would have liked to have turned to them and seen what they were doing but she didn't want to risk being spotted. She didn't want to cause them to panic and call the police.
It took several minutes for the teachers to finish what they were doing before they stepped out of the gymnasium. They glanced back at her just before they left and they still couldn't believe that art students would actually create a statue of her that was three times taller than the actual size. Since it wasn't their students they didn't much care about the whole thing anyway and just left so that they could go home and enjoy the rest of the weekend that they had.
As soon as Spider-Woman was sure that the teachers had gone she gave out a sigh and began to scratch the part of her leg that was irritating her. She had never had to stay that still for such a long period of time in her life and it she was relieved that she could finally move again. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if the teachers realised that she was the real thing. Most likely she thought that they would have panicked and fled. Police wouldn't have been too far behind them either.
It seemed that her acting classes she took as a child had paid off, she was just glad that she was able to give the teachers the slip. Unfortunately she did still have the primary problem of trying to figure out a way of reversing her growth. She admitted to herself that it would be fun to stay this size for a short while but after that it would become a curse. One thing that she did know was that she wasn't going to find the answer by staying in the gym for the rest of her life.
With some caution Spider-Woman crawled out through the same doors that she had used the previous night. Fortunately it was a sunny day so she didn't have to worry about getting cold or wet. She tried to think of the best place to start her search for the cure, the Avengers mansion was her best hope but also the riskiest. She didn't want to go there unless she had no other choice in the matter.
She thought that the best place to start was at the Science Museum where the robbery had taken place. She thought that most likely the cops would have gotten there first unless the robbery had not been reported yet. All she could do was hope that there was still something there that could help her not only find a way to shrink to normal but also help her catch those responsible for the crime.
Almost immediately Spider-Woman used her webbing to swing away from the high school and she began to make her way back to the science museum. If all this hadn't been happening to her on a day like this she would probably try to sunbathe. One problem that she did have was that all of her bikinis were now too small for her along with any footwear that she now possessed. She would also dread to think how much sun cream it would take to properly protect her from the sun's rays.
These were all silly little thoughts that were going through her mind but it was helping her cope with what had happened to her. Some people would most likely have completely snapped and even gone insane or completely into despair. Spider-Woman's mind was still her own and she wasn't going to allow a growth spurt to dampen her life. She had always wanted to be a little taller but not like that.
Even when swinging through the city Spider-Woman found it easy to forget that she was a giant. From the height she was swinging at everything still pretty much looked the same. Even people looking at her from the ground wouldn't be able to tell her increased size immediately. It would only be when she was close to the ground that people would realise her true stature.
One thing that Spider-Woman was also glad to see that there wasn't that much happening in the city below her. Quite a lot of the time she would be swinging to get somewhere very fast but before she reached her destination something would happen to prevent her from reaching her destination in time. She was always happy to help those that were in need but she did admit to herself that it could get annoying.
She had been making good progress up until she heard a cry from a woman on the ground. As Spider-Woman looked down she saw a woman that had been pushed to the ground and a man running away from the scene. He was carrying a handbag that obviously didn't belong to him and it didn't take Spider-Woman too long to figure out that he had stolen the bag and was fleeing from the scene.
Spider-Woman quickly swinged her way towards the thief and rather than landing on the ground she landed on the side of a building that was right in the path of the thief. He hadn't spotted her there yet and she waited for him to pass underneath her until she shot a stream of webbing down at him. It completely took the thief by surprise when he felt too enlarged web streams strike his shoulders. Before he knew it he was pulled up into the air and he began to scream as Spider-Woman pulled him up into the air. Everything had happened so fast to the thief that he didn't know how to react. He never thought that she would stopped simply to prevent him from stealing a handbag. He thought that she would have been too busy to deal with such a petty crime but Spider-Woman never let a crime slip beneath her notice, no matter how minor it may be.
Within moments the thief was face to face with Spider-Woman. He had the typical appearance of a person who depended on an illegal substance and he looked at her in disbelief. He wasn't sure if what he was seeing was true or if he was hallucinating. He felt a sense of terror not just because he was dangling in the air but that Spider-Woman was three tines her normal size.
"I know it's a cute purse but that colour just doesn't suit you," said Spider-Woman as she lifted him up to her eye level. He was a good hundred feet off the ground since she was still clinging to the wall. All she could hear was the thief screaming and it did make her feel a little down since he was seeing her as a monster rather than a person. She still kept on a brave face however. "Can you scream a little louder? I don't think they can hear you on Mars." He still continued to scream and she was forced to web his mouth up but she made sure that his nostrils weren't covered so he could still breathe.
Many people on the ground looked up at her and a few of them could tell that she was a giant but many of them were afraid of her in general. Not because of her size but the fact that she was public enemy number one. They had all read how she had supposedly killed Peter Parker and how she was still wanted by police. Rather than reacting against her they had been informed not to engage her since they considered her to be dangerous.
With his mouth webbed up the thief dropped the handbag but Spider-Woman was able to shoot a web line down to it before it hit the ground. It prevented it from striking the ground and damaging anything inside. It hung a few feet off the ground and the victim carefully walked up to it and took it off its line. She too was in disbelief over what had happened and she didn't know whether to be thankful or terrified.
"I would love to stop and chat some more," said Spider-Woman as she began to web the thief up into a cocoon. Within moments he was completely wrapped up with webbing save for his face. "But I've got a busy day ahead of me and you know you can't keep a woman waiting around."
Spider-Woman then gently lowered the thief down to the ground. He tried to break free from his cocoon but it was impossible for him to do so. All he could do was struggle and he couldn't even shout thanks to the webbing covering his mouth. With him on the ground Spider-Woman swung away so that she could return to the Science Museum and the victim of the theft walked up to where the thief was lying. She was very frustrated with him and she gave him a kick in the gut for trying to rob her. The cocoon around his body protected him from feeling any pain but it was still a psychological victory for the victim and she had Spider-Woman to thank for it.
Spider-Woman carried on towards the Science Museum and she landed just outside of the side entrance that was not designed for visitors. Thankfully like the night before the place was empty but she knew that it would remain that way for too much longer so she had to work quickly before she was discovered. The last thing that she needed was people believing that she had committed another crime that she was completely innocent of. Her increased size made her seem to be the thief and she knew that she would have a very hard time explaining herself.
As expected there was no signs of the webbing that Spider-Woman used the previous night. Her webbing would dissolve after an hour so it couldn't remain behind or even be analysed. She could see holes in the wall where she had been unsuccessfully shot at the previous night. These were all clues that she didn't need. She needed to know where the thieves from the previous night had gotten to with the Van Dyne Particles. She saw it as her only means of shrinking back down and also preventing them from being used by the wrong hands. She didn't want the idea of there being giant people who could crush her like a spider. She could somewhat see the irony in it all.
Unfortunately as Spider-Woman continued to search the area it didn't give her any real signs to where the thieves could have escaped to. But one thing that she did was tyre tracks on the ground and it showed that they had left in a hurry. Unfortunately the tracks were nothing more than skid marks and it was unlikely that they would be able to lead her to anywhere.
Spider-Woman felt like she was banging her head against the wall as she was trying to figure out her next step. She hadn't learned much from searching the area and she knew that if she didn't move away soon she would most likely be spotted. This was something that she liked to avoid when she was normal size but now that she was a giant it made the need for secrecy that much more necessary.
Before she went to leave she felt vibration near her hip and she could also hear music. At first she didn't know what it was, with the confusion of everything that was happening she didn't realise that it was her phone ringing. She stood there dumbfounded for a few moments before she realised what was happening. She quickly took the phone out from her costume and when she picked it out she realised that it had not grown with her. She didn't know why this had happened since her costume had grown with her while her phone remained the same size. Out of the two she did prefer her costume to have grown so she wasn't complaining too much.
Spider-Woman looked at the screen of her phone and saw that it was Mary Jane Watson calling her. She also had a pair of headphones that she used to talk on her phone but they too had not grown with her and for now they would be of much use. She also had difficulty pressing the buttons because of her now enormous fingers. It took her all of her concentration to be able to press the answer button and then she brought the phone up to her ear. It almost seemed like a child's play thing to her and she had to keep reminding herself that she was living in a world that was too small for her.
"Hello," said Spider-Woman. She tried to sound cheerful so that it gave no hints of the situation that she was in.
"Hi Gwen I just called to tell you that we've been booked for a gig next weekend," replied Mary Jane on the other end of the phone. She like almost everyone else in the city had no idea that the drummer of her band was the infamous Spider-Woman. "I've written a new song which I want to debut there so tomorrow I'm getting the others together to try and make something of it."
"That's great MJ just give me the time and place and I'll be there." She knew that she would most likely be late but it was just a gesture.
"Hey Gwen you sound a little different." She could tell that there was something not quite right with Spider-Woman's voice. It was enough to rouse her curiosity and when her curiosity was roused almost nothing could stop it until she got what she was looking for. "Are you alright?"
"Sure I'm fine MJ. I've just been doing a lot of work and I might seem a little tired but believe me I'm fine."
"It's not that, you're voice just seems louder that's all."
"Oh sorry, sometimes I don't know the volume of my voice." This was a little excuse that she had to think up on the spot. She remembered seeing cartoons when she was younger and when some characters were enlarged their voices became very loud and deep. She didn't mind too much that her voice was louder but she would have hated it if it were deeper as well.
"Whatever just be there and don't be late. Felicia is going to be there as well with the Black Cats and I sure as hell don't want them to upstage us."
"Ok boss lady I've got the message. I'll see you when I see you." With that she tried to press the button to end the call but she was still having trouble due to her enlarged fingers. She tried several times to press the right button but each time her finger kept pushing a nearby button instead much to her announce. She was discovering a new disadvantage to her size and she thought that it wouldn't be the last either.
After almost a minute of trying Spider-Woman was finally able to press the right button to end the call but her problems were only getting bigger. Now she had a definite time limit before someone that she knew would realise that something was wrong. She definitely didn't want to go to the band practice at her current size, she admitted that it would be great publicity but overall it would be a lot more hassle than it was worth. She also still had the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she could grow even bigger. It was pretty difficult staying under the radar at this size but if she were to grow any bigger she would have nowhere else to go.
For now all Spider-Woman could do was websling away and try and think of a plan of action. She still needed vital information that she didn't yet have and she was still concerned about what happened to the thieves. Rather than just aimlessly web swinging around the city she decided to make her way to the top of one of the skyscrapers so that she had time to properly think things through. At least in her mind on the roof no one could really see her and it gave her time to think without fear of being spotted.
When Spider-Woman reached the roof of the skyscraper she sat down with her legs crossed with her head in her hand. She was thinking about the whole event over and over again, she was considering where the thieves could have gone with the canister of Van Dyne Particles. She was also beginning to be a few deductions in her head. From experience she knew that the thieves were most likely not working independently and were in fact working for someone else. It was true that the Van Dyne Particles were worth some money but if the thieves wanted easy money they would have robbed cash and even other items in the museum that were of greater value.
Spider-Woman figured out that she didn't just have to find the thieves but also whoever hired them to do the job. Finding a way back to her normal size was going to have to be her secondary goal, she knew what could happen if the Van Dyne Particles were used in the wrong hands and there could be too much damage done before anyone else could stop them. The only thing that she couldn't figure out was exactly who had hired them and what their ultimate goal was with the Van Dyne Particles. There was one person that she did consider contacting but it would be a great risk, the person was known to be a shady character and was not to be trusted. Unfortunately at this point Spider-Woman was between a rock and a hard place so she had very few options. She looked down towards the ground and shot a stream of webbing from her web shooters. She began to swing down towards the ground and then move towards the destination that she had decided. She didn't know how things were going to go down over the next few minutes but it could be the difference between finding those responsible for the theft or allowing them to escape yet again.
Meanwhile at the warehouse at the docks Doctor Rita DeMara had already begun work on the Van Dyne Particles that she had been received. She felt like a kid who was opening a new toy on Christmas Day. Rita had been waiting for this opportunity for some time and she wanted to show once and for all that she was the more intelligent scientist between her and Doctor Janet Van Dyne.
Ever since her rival discovered the secret of size manipulation Rita's career had been a downward spiral. At one point she had been considered to be one of the greatest young minds on the planet. Now she was what in celebrity business call a wash up, she was desperate to regain the respect that she once had and was more than willing to do whatever it took to achieve her goals. One of these goals was to ruin her rival Doctor Janet Van Dyne and prove to the world that she was the most intelligent one of the pair.
More or less ever since Rita received her ill gained Van Dyne Particles she began to reverse engineer them so that she could create her own with some added tweaks. She would then show it to the world and she thought that it would restore her respect as a scientist. For any other scientist it would have taken days, maybe even weeks but for Rita and her knowledge in the science of size manipulation she was finding the work very easy.
Rita had been trying to get her hands on a sample of Van Dyne Particles for some time but all of her attempts to seize some had failed. Every canister of the Van Dyne Particles were either owned by Doctor Van Dyne herself or in the protective custody of the government. The canister that had popped up at the Science Museum was only going to be there for a very short amount of time so the window of opportunity to steal it was very small. Rather than performing the act herself she had hired an advanced team of thieves to steal it for her and she thought that it had been worth every penny.
She had been awake throughout the night working on her version of the Van Dyne Particles and already she had made a lot of progress. Despite the fact that the sample she received was a weaker version it still gave her everything that she needed to create her own. She didn't make a carbon copy of the original Van Dyne Particles and instead added what she saw to be improvements. She couldn't think of why her rival had not added the improvements before her but she just took it that Doctor Van Dyne was inferior to her.
What Rita didn't realise that Doctor Van Dyne hadn't added these improvements because they would make the compound very unstable. She had discovered manipulating the Van Dyne Particles in the manner that Rita was made them very unstable and more importantly very dangerous. Although it would make them more effective Doctor Van Dyne chose not to make these so called improvements for safety reasons.
Rita had no worries about these safety concerns and went on regardless of any consequences. She was too wrapped up proving herself the better scientist and having her revenge that she failed to see what her manipulations were doing to the compound itself. All she cared about was improvements and not safety. Despite her vast intelligence she seemed to lack common sense.
All the equipment that Rita was using was of her own creation and it had taken her a lot of time and money to build her underground laboratory. She had gained all of this money through inheritance and she had used the last of it paying off the thieves. If she was successful with the Van Dyne Particles she thought that all the money that she had spent would be gained back with a lot in addition. If she failed then not only would her reputation be restored but also her fortune.
The warehouse that she owned once belonged to her father but she had picked it up in the inheritance. She had been told by her father's lawyers that selling it off would have been the best course of action but she had seen its usefulness as a base of operations and so instead decided to keep it for herself. It had cost her some money to renovate the basement and make it fit to be her laboratory.
At times Rita didn't leave the warehouse for any reason and it could be days, maybe even weeks before she saw sunlight again. She had given her life for science and he opportunity for revenge. She would soon be reaping the fruits of her labour but it could spell much woe for both the city and the will. She was too blind to see the mistakes she was making and soon she will have what she wanted but not in the way that she intended. For now no one knew what she was up to or even know how to stop her.
A few miles away outside an establishment that wasn't exactly the finest in the city stood a man who was smoking a cigarette. His line of work saw him on the wrong side of a prison cell door on more than one occasion. He was a weasel of a man wearing a brown leather jacket and matching hat. Underneath this coat he wore suit top and tie with matching trousers. His shoes alone was worth a small fortune and he was known to be an associate to the organised crime rings in the city. Although he claimed to be a legit business man everyone knew that he was crooked. His name was Frederick Foswell and for the moment he didn't have a fear in the world.
Just then Frederick heard a small thumping sound on the ground and it was almost like nothing that he had ever heard before. He was standing in an alley and he didn't see anyone come but as he turned and he could only see a giant pair of legs at first. He had to look up so that he could see the upper body and head of Spider-Woman. He dropped his cigarette but it was not out of fear but rather of shock. He couldn't speak for the moment as he found himself face to face with the towering heroine. They had had a few altercations in the past but he knew that she could do anything to him.
"My Spider-Woman how you've grown," said Fredericks not hinting any fear towards her. Most crooks would have turned and run by now. "Since I'm not currently wanted by police or partaking in any form of supposed organised crime I guess that you're here for something else. Maybe a potion that says 'Drink Me'."
"You're right Fred I'm not here beat the tar out of you although I could probably think of a thousand reasons why I should." She squatted down so that she didn't seem so tall and also so that she was at a more comfortable level. "I know you're a man who holds a lot of information. Information that you quietly used to get yourself out of prison." She didn't like the fact that she was having to interact with him but she knew that she had very little choice in the matter.
"That I do. How I attain this information is none of your concern." With confidence he took another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up. "May I ask what information that you're looking for and I see how I can make it worth my while."
"Last night there was a theft of Van Dyne Particles from the Science Museum. I was hoping that you know who was responsible for the theft."
"Well that does explain your little growth spurt my dear and I do admit that I like my women tall." There was a sick smile on his face which angered Spider-Woman in more ways than she would like to show.
"Knock it off or else you'll see first-hand what it feels to have my enlarged foot go right through your teeth."
"Fair enough, I was only making a compliment." He sniggered a little and it only made her feel nervous. "You wouldn't believe that this is your lucky day. I know who was responsible for the thefts and I'll even give you the information for free." He paused for a moment so that he could have a puff of his cigarette. "I don't know who hired them but the group that you're after call themselves 'The Merry Men.' Their thieves for hire and they're damned good at their work. I know where you'll most likely find one of these Merry Men. His name is Roman Montague and you'll find him outside the Winking Frog bar down near the docks. If he's been paid recently he'll probably be buying drinks for people there. You should ask him to buy you one as well."
"And why are you telling me all of this for free?" she ignored his last comment and concentrated on what was important.
"Let's just say that the Merry Men and I have had our disagreements in the past and that I would like to see them taken down a peg or two. Heck if I didn't just give you the information that you wanted I would have paid you for taking them down. Now why don't you run along like a good giant superheroine and take down the bad guys?"
"For now I will." She stood up to her full height and shot a line of webbing to a nearby building. "I would tell you to stay out of trouble but we both know what will happen there. Thanks for the information."
With that Spider-Woman swung away as Frederick stood there and watched. He was more terrified than he had liked to admit but he was just glad that she was gone. He had more business to take care of and very little time to do it in.