"Quentin, just leave me alone!" Gwen's voice was loud and angry, catching Andi's attention before she'd even reached the door to their dorm.

"What is your problem? I just want to talk to you," someone replied. Definitely a guy who sounded a little too angry for Andi's liking.

"I don't want to talk to you! You shouldn't even be here. I actually knew Kate before West Coast started, but we should've been retconned after the run ended!"

"You're insane!"

"Quire, if you call me crazy again I swear I'm going to show you something that'll scar you for the rest of your publication history."

Andi really wished she'd gone straight to lunch instead of trying to drop her bag off at her dorm first. She listened to the shouting match unfolding in her dorm and decided to hang around to make sure her friend wouldn't need any help. Gwen had never brought any friends over and the first one being some angry guy set off a half dozen alarms.

"So all that time we spent together means nothing to you?" He sounded angrier, but his voice wavered slightly, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Like the realization hurt him.

"This isn't about you, Quentin! I don't even like that version of me! I never got to use my powers, they regressed me back to how I was acting before Cecil died… Kelly Thompson didn't know what to do with me! Trionna Farrell couldn't even be bothered to get my eye color right! My eyes aren't green, they're blue and I like them that way!" Andi could hear their footsteps, Gwen was awfully close to him, seemingly shouting in his face. "You and America and both Hawkeyes and Fuse all got your own character arcs. I never did! I was just comic relief!"

"I didn't see you as comic relief," he responded. He sounded sincere to Andi, but unfortunately Gwen was way too angry to care.

"No, you saw me as a damsel in distress half the time. You thought I was someone you needed to save from herself. You don't even know the first thing about me!" Andi doubted she'd be able to cut the tension even with adamantium claws.

"You were the only one who gave a damn about me! Sorry that I prioritized making sure you were okay over the actual Avenger on our team!"

Gwen sighed, and Andi could hear her pacing for a few moments before finally turning back to him. "Look. Quentin… I'm sorry. But I don't feel that way about you. We really weren't great for each other while we were Avengers anyway." She sounded softer, like she was trying to comfort him while still pressing her point.

"I don't think that at all. I actually cared about you. Do you know how hard that is for me to even admit?"

"I know. Not being a jerk goes against everything in your TVTropes file and your Wikia page. But if you haven't been retconned since our time as West Coast Avengers, then maybe all that growth you went through was good for something? People like you now, Quentin, you're not the angry kid starting riots anymore. You're a pretty cool character. In a stubborn, smarter-than-you kind of way." That sounded pretty sincere coming from Gwen.

"Well that was never in question."

"Don't ruin this, Quire."

"Can we… Can we still be friends? Or is this goodbye?" He spoke like he was walking on eggshells.

"Of course! I can come visit you at the… where are you now anyway?"

"I'm flying solo."

"Quentin. Promise me you'll get a team soon, okay? You're an X-Man. You guys work best as a group. I don't care if you join the Great Lakes Avengers, you gotta find some people you trust. And I'll come visit you whenever I have time, okay?"

"Sure thing, Poole. Where is Jeff by the way? You don't have him here with you do you?"

"No, I… I dropped him off with Wade. Deadpool, I mean. He's got way more longevity than me so I just wanted to make sure Jeff was safe." There was another long pause before Andi felt something tickling the back of her mind. She scratched the back of her head before her body shut down on her, unable to do anything but breathe.

"There's someone outside your door," Quentin warned, quickly moving towards the door.

"Huh," Gwen asked confusedly.

"Don't worry, I'll wipe them."

"Wait! Wait, wait. It's probably my roommate," Gwen sped past him, opening the door for Andi.

"The one you said I can't tell about the hero stuff?"

"No, my other roommate. Hi Andi, I'm so sorry about this! Let her go, please." Gwen wrapped an arm around her friend before Kid Omega released his control of her. Her body dropped, but Gwen was there to catch her, helping her back to her feet.

"Oh. She's cool I guess," he huffed, adjusting his glasses as he stood a little straighter. "Didn't realize you had a thing for gothic fashion."

"Don't act like that. Quentin, this is Andi. Andi, this is Quintavius Quirinius Quire- Quentin for short- and he's very sorry for invading your mental privacy." She pushed the two of them closer together, hoping that Quentin's earlier mental manipulation wouldn't turn Andi off completely from one of the few people she could call a friend.

"Why does she need to know my full name," he asked pointedly, taking Andi's hand but not making eye contact with the woman.

"Because it sounds better when there's alliteration," Gwen sighed, sitting back down at her desk. At least the drama was over and she could go back to pretending to do homework.

"Kid Omega," Quentin said, finally making eye contact with Andi.

"Still deciding."

"Better pick fast or else the public will make one up for you. End up with some simpleton name like Iron Man." Quentin scoffed, as if it couldn't be any more simple that Iron Man's suit was made of a titanium-gold alloy.

"Yeah, I-"

"Keep her safe." The words bounced around inside Andi's brain as if whispered by a giant. She cocked an eyebrow at him confusedly, unable to actually respond. "I know she can handle herself, but… look, just keep her safe, okay?"

Andi nodded, eyes locked on Quentin's.

"Ooookay? Wait. Are you two having a psychic conversation without me? That's rude, you know!"

"It's so nice to see you, Gwen!" The door opened quickly, revealing a woman who made Andi's heart flutter. Her aesthetic was perfect, a long, regal, black dress smoothly contouring to her form. Her dark makeup contrasted beautifully against her pale skin… She looked like a work of art. Andi stood still for a few moments, her jaw falling open as she looked Gwen's friend up from head to toe.

"Sarah! I was so scared to reach out to you, I thought you'd been erased from continuity," Gwen said happily, practically jumping into the taller woman's arms.
"Oh, nonsense, love. I'd never be a supportive friend if I just up and disappeared every time I lost contact with someone for a few months," Sarah laughed, pressing a kiss to Gwen's forehead. Andi's heart was hammering in her chest so hard she was surprised neither of the women could hear it. "Now, let's see this Andi you've told me so much about."

Sarah set Gwen back down on her toes and took Andi's hand, shaking it with a smile on her face. "Gwen's talked so much about you, dear. She's more excited about your crossover than she was about her night with the Champions. Let's see." Sarah gently took Andi's chin in her hand and lifted her face up so she could look down into her violet eyes. Andi was positive that if anyone else had tried to touch her like that she'd have broken every bone in their arm, but… Sarah was okay.

"Ahhh, yes, her eyes do shine like fresh cut amethyst crystals. I might have to borrow one for my collection," Sarah smiled wide before pulling away. Her skin was soft and smooth, her nails painted the same soft brown as her eyes. She was the most stunning woman Andi had ever laid eyes on.

"You could have them both," Andi replied breathlessly, the words having left her mouth long before she was able to stop them. Gwen and Sarah laughed and Andi's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Please, come in, and welcome to my home, young ladies." Sarah curtsied respectfully and led them inside. She poured them both a drink from a pitcher of water, but when the liquid hit their cups it turned pitch black, flecked with specks of gold. It was ice cold in her hand and sparkled so beautifully Andi almost didn't want to drink it. They sat and drank for a few minutes, Sarah offering them seemingly normal cookies to eat with their weird magic drink.

"Now, you said I'd need my other half, hm," Sarah asked, turning curiously to Gwen once she'd finished her glass.

"Yeah. Andi's basically Hellspawn now and- ow!" Andi smacked her arm, angrily glaring at her.

"Oh, she wouldn't be the first Hellspawn at my door, silly. However I suppose she would be the first I wasn't… coercing to provide some service for me," her soft brown eyes fluttered behind long lashes and Andi couldn't care less about how ominous that disclaimer had been. Sarah laughed to herself for a moment before getting up and taking an odd looking headpiece out of a glass case. "Let's put the Eye on and take a closer look at you."

"Thanks so much for this, Sarah. You're the best," Gwen said gratefully.

"Oh, it's been too long since I've had a chance to wear the Eye… I should be thanking you." Sarah smiled sweetly before putting the headpiece on. She took a deep breath before looking around curiously, clenching her hands a few times as the eyes in her headpiece rotated around in their sockets. She cocked her head as she looked back at the young women before focusing exclusively on Andi.

"Marked with the hatred and rage of Mephisto himself," Terrible Eye placed a hand on Andi's chest, tracing the angles of the currently invisible pentagram in reverence. "... but you've struck no deal with him… someone else?" Her voice was soft, barely a whisper as she studied the Hell-Mark. Andi hardly breathed, cheeks flushed as Terrible Eye touched her. "Who did this to you, child?"

"It was an accident. My coach made the deal, but his… partner got it instead. Then it gave it to its clone to try to save him… and I ended up with the clone." Andi had never said it out loud before, but she really wished her life hadn't gotten so wildly complicated.

"Yes, it's passed through many souls before residing here… However it seems to be at home here. You've been using it?" Andi hesitated, not wanting to tell the woman the truth. She didn't want to paint herself with that kind of brush.

"Yeah, she uses it all the time. For Hellfire and stuff though, nothing too serious," Gwen rambled, already on her fourth cup of the starry liquid.

"Resurrection is certainly more serious than most would like to believe," Terrible Eye responded, finally pulling away from Andi.

"Resurrection? I haven't resurrected anybody," Andi said confusedly. She hadn't even known that that'd been an option.

"You've been to Hell." It wasn't a question, just something the Eye had observed on Andi's Hell-Mark.

"Yeah, a week ago now," Gwen explained.

"And you interacted with a soul there."

"Yeah," Andi asked, her heart dropping at the implication, already connecting dots that she hoped were wrong.

"And you allowed the soul an escape from its damnation."

"No I- we sealed it! We definitely sealed it," Andi pleaded, looking to Gwen to back her up.

"Not before the soul fled." Terrible Eye spoke confidently, as if there were no other option than the one she saw. Andi looked to Gwen for help, but she shrugged nonchalantly, bringing an eighth cup of the starry liquid to her lips.

"Your actions are written on your soul. Even those whose consequences you hadn't foreseen…"

"So what do I do? Am I-"

"Correct this mistake and I can easily remedy the more… unpleasant aspects of the Mark." She clasped Andi's hands in her own, trying to convey just how important it was to her soul to fix this.

"What do you mean?"

"She means we gotta kill Jack," Gwen explained, her eyes having gone completely black, hundreds of small, bright stars floating around inside of them. There was a depth to them- as if touching them would pull you in and leave you lost in that eternity held within.

"Return Jack to his agony, and I can calm the anger in your soul. I can cut the ties to the promise you never made. And you can keep all the power." Terrible Eye let go of Andi's hands and removed her headpiece, sighing softly as she returned to herself.

"Oh that's definitely an asspull," Gwen said in astonishment, shooting stars zipping past a small planet being held by an impossibly large being in a purple helmet.

"Um, Sarah? Is Gwen-"

"I've never seen anyone drink that much before… I'm not entirely sure what's happening to her," Sarah admitted, getting up from her seat by Andi to check on Gwen.

"Oh! So that's where that is," Gwen said softly, her eyes zooming in on a weird red mist that congealed like blood over an altar. Sarah placed a finger under Gwen's chin, lifting the younger woman's face to look up into her own as she tried to figure out what reaction her friend might be having.

"So what's the plan," Andi quietly whispered. Himawari had come back to the dorm from classes early but was thankfully fast asleep on her bunk. She was a sound sleeper, snuggled up to a godzilla plushie she was a little defensive over.

"We snatch him and kill him. He's just a regular guy, this shouldn't even be that hard," Gwen explained with a shrug, not even looking up from her homework to engage the conversation. "The only reason he was even a problem for Venom was because he was working with Crime Master."

"I mean finding him. He could be anywhere," Andi hissed. She wanted to get this done as fast as possible, but tracking bad guys wasn't exactly something she was good at. Gwen and her weird know-it-all powers were her best chance at ending this before it got out of control.

"He's a psychotic mercenary. Just follow the bodies. He's probably trying to lead us right to him. It's what he did with Agent Venom," Gwen explained with a shrug. She really didn't seem too invested in the conversation at all, but Andi was too wound up to be frustrated by it.

"Good point… And he won't be expecting what I've got in store for him," Andi smirked. Maybe Gwen was right after all? She was worrying about nothing. Jack was just a guy and they had superpowers.

"What did you just say?" Gwen abruptly looked up from her work, glaring daggers into Andi's eyes.

"I said he won't be-"

"Don't say it again," Gwen hissed a little too loudly. They both looked over to Himawari who turned over on her side before falling back asleep.

"What's the problem," Andi whispered.

"That's what every vengeful hero says right before they find out that the bad guy is stronger than they expected!" Gwen seemed visibly upset for the first time Andi could remember.

"Gwen, you said it yourself. It's just Jack O'Lantern. He's just a regular guy."

Gwen thought for a long time before sighing, running her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, you're right. Or was I right? Let's just make a plan first," Gwen groaned, finally sliding down from her bunk to join her.

The murders had been easy to follow, but Himawari had been the first to bring it to their attention. News stories of bodies found with their heads hollowed out, candles burning through their eyeless sockets. Jack's calling card.

"Someone's gotta stop this creep. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been all over his case but he's been so erratic… Wait, why do you guys care so much," Himawari asked curiously.

"I just wanna make sure he isn't attacking college campuses or anything," Andi explained quickly.

"I'm just really into Halloween and I like his aesthetic- ow!"

Andi made sure to regularly ask their roommate about the case. A new one cropped up every night for days.

"How does he have the time to do all of that? He's gotta have some kind of scalp-opener or something, right," Gwen wondered aloud.

"Gwen," Andi hissed, swatting her friend.

"I'm just saying! It's not like you can just crack open a cold one with the gals."

He was taunting them, each murder scene Himawari described more gruesome than the last. A family clinging to each other as they watched tv. An old man, bent over a table with a candlestick in his ass. Young children posed over homework sheets on which they'd written letters begging for help on while wax dripped from their eyes onto the pages below. They desperately tried to find some link between the people, doing their best to guess who he'd try to attack next.

"Hey, how do you know so much about these cases," Gwen asked suspiciously after the fourth night. It was such an odd question Andi couldn't help but be confused.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm writing a report on this guy," Himawari explained, taking a sip of her protein shake. They were in the lounge working on homework, just having left the gym together.

"A report? Who writes reports on super-criminals," Gwen pressed. Andi sighed exasperatedly; for some reason Gwen had been on high alert around Himawari again and it was making her worried.

"Gwen, I'm a criminal science major," Himawari said pointedly.

"You're a… How didn't I know this," Gwen looked to Andi confusedly, but she only shook her head in disbelief.

"You never asked," they responded in unison.

Six days and six incidents passed before Andi started to grow numb to the gruesome scenes Himawari described. Just another case, another pile of bodies, another clue they couldn't figure out. Andi quickly grew to respect Himawari's resolve- someone who wanted to work in this field was stronger than most. On the same hand, she couldn't help but be frustrated with herself. How could she possibly expect to help anyone when she couldn't even track Jack O'Lantern?

"I got it!" Gwen was practically shouting as she raced through the library, excitedly running up to Andi and her pile of homework.

"Quiet," Andi hissed, gesturing to the several dozen other college students who'd turned to glare at them. Honestly, Andi wasn't even sure Gwen had an inside voice. "What happened?"

"It's not the people, it's the places. He's making a pentagram over Philadelphia," Gwen explained, showing Andi a map of Jack's attacks. Sure enough, each incident was a point on a map, all arranged into the shape of a star.

"But we're already over five instances," Andi said confusedly, checking the points on the map with the information she'd written down in her notes to make sure they all checked out.

"Yeah, but look. That fifth one- the south point- was where he'd left the bomb. I think he thought we'd figure it out by then and was trying to lead us into a trap," Gwen explained hastily, tapping the bottommost point of the map.

"So what? We're not smart enough for him," Andi asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"Who cares, he's not Screwball," Gwen shrugged.

"Who?"

"Never mind. Look, he's come around to make patterns inside the pentagram now. Look at the map," Gwen pointed at each of the marks that weren't part of the star shaped path he'd made.

"Gwen… that's not just a pentagram! That's my Hell-Mark," Andi realized, placing a hand on her chest.

"Oh… maybe all Hell-Marks have those very specific patterns," Gwen offered sheepishly. Andi glared at her in response, seriously considering swatting her again.

"Sorry, sorry. Just trying to be optimistic." Gwen sighed, finally taking a seat next to her partner. "So he knows what a Hell-Mark is. Who cares? It's not like you've got any weaknesses that he could exploit," she explained with a shrug.

"Except holy water," Andi reminded her.

"Oh… oh yeah. Well, we can get Ronnie to make you a waterproof costume. You'll be fine-"

"My fire can't reach anything behind a cross." That was something she'd discovered on her own, her favorite pair of earrings having protected a lot of her possessions from an accidental burning during her early days with her Mark.

"Oh… well we'll just avoid any churches-"

"I can't step foot in any place of worship."

"Andi… you're killing me here," Gwen groaned exasperatedly.

"Gwen, even if he knows about Hell-Marks, he doesn't know anything about you... I trust you." Andi gently reached out and took her friend's hand, trying to give her some confidence before she started spiraling again.

"No pressure, right," Gwen chuckled.

"Well, it's only to redeem my soul, you know? No big deal."

"Okay. You ready for this," Andi asked, more for herself than for Gwenpool.

"Piece of cake," Gwenpool smiled nonchalantly. They entered the building quietly, a small apartment complex at the very center of the pentagram that they'd calculated represented one of the small designs in Andi's own Hell-Mark. The hallways were empty and quiet, but they knew something had to be off. The acrid smell of smoke poured under a door and Andi grabbed Gwenpool's wrist, calling her attention to it. "It's probably a trap," Gwenpool whispered.

"Should we try the window," Andi asked softly. They were only on the second floor, she'd probably be able to climb in if needed.

"No, that's what he wants," Gwenpool explained, leaning her shoulder against the door, waiting to see if any sound effects would come from within the room.

"So through," Andi asked.

"Through." Gwenpool nodded before backing away to let Andi take over. Andi allowed her Hell-Mark to blaze itself onto her chest, feeling the usual burst of strength rush through her body as she did so. "Wait, wait," Gwenpool hissed, tugging Andi's jacket.

"What?!"

"What's your name?" Gwenpool asked her, the seriousness in her voice conflicting with the ridiculousness of the question.

"What?"

"Your hero name! You still haven't-"

"Gwenpool, can we do this later," Andi hissed angrily. Gwenpool rolled her eyes and sighed, still holding on tightly to the back of Andi's leather jacket, ready to yank them both out of the panel in case some explosion followed the breach. Andi took a deep breath and kicked the door off its hinges.

Nothing followed.

"Come on," Andi tugged Gwenpool into the home, prepared for whatever grizzly sight she might see.

Any but one.

"Hey there, Andrea. Ya miss me?" Jack O'Lantern sat calmly at the dinner table, eating from a bowl of cereal. With the exhumed body of Andi's dead father as a dinner guest. He was slumped over on the chair, head lolling off to the side. Fire burned from behind his gouged out eye sockets. Jack's calling card was even more gruesome up close. Andi roared, Hellfire pouring from her body in waves that leapt to burn the walls around her. Gwenpool yelped, clinging closer to her to avoid the worst of the flames.

"I'M GONNA PUT YOU BACK IN THE FUCKING GROUND!" Andi's shout was accompanied by Hellfire that engulfed her entirely as she stormed towards the mercenary. Gwenpool was forced to take cover behind a wall, her eyes wide as she watched her friend reach power she had no idea she'd had.

"Yeah, there we go. There's that anger." Jack laughed and tossed flaming pumpkins at the pair. They missed by inches but exploded into a cloud of acidic gas when they hit the ground, eating through paint and concrete in seconds.

Andi took a deep breath and exhaled the most powerful jet of Hellfire she'd ever produced. It billowed in a tornado as it crossed the room, missing Jack as he leapt away by inches, and slammed into the wall behind where'd he'd been sitting. Bricks, paint and glass cracked and exploding, sending shrapnel everywhere as half the wall crumbled out onto the street below.

"Ooooh, someone's gonna have to cool down," Jack laughed, whipping out his gun. Gwenpool tossed a knife at him, expecting to knock it out of his hand before he opened fire on them. Instead he raised the pistol up towards the ceiling and fired a single shot, hitting a sprinkler duct. The rest of the ducts activated in unison, spraying water everywhere. Andi looked around in confusion as the Hellfire surrounding her went out without so much as a puff of smoke. She tried to summon more, but the mist in the air smothered her every attempt.

"You've got no idea how many priests I had to kill to find one who'd make enough holy water for this," he giggled, kicking his feet up excitedly as he fired his gun wildly at them. Gwenpool jumped into action, throwing herself in front of Andi. In the heat of the moment she twitched the blade of her katana, deflecting the bullets back towards Jack- something she hadn't even realized she'd been able to do. Jack's pumpkin helmet smiled wide, flames growing taller as he watched her work. "You're the one who took her away from me. Oh it's gonna be fun sending you to hell," he laughed, ducking behind a couch to grab his broomstick.

"Not likely. You're not the main character," Gwenpool smirked before opening fire on the man. Jack turned on his broomstick, letting the fire from its engine burn the bullets out of the air before jumping on the machine and zooming towards them. He slammed into Gwenpool, grabbing her by the front of her costume before making a beeline for the giant hole in the wall before Andi was even able to react. He floated a few dozen feet above the city street and grabbed his knife from its pouch before trying to stab her in the stomach. Gwenpool blocked him for a few swipes with her katana before punching him in the helmet, creating a small dent in the front of the soft pumpkin.

"You bitch," he hissed indignantly before slamming her into the side of a building in hopes to stun her before dropping her. Gwenpool desperately clung to his broom, trying to climb back on until he stomped on her hand. She screamed as she slipped and fell, and Jack raced back to the apartment without even bothering to watch her hit the pavement. Flying back to the ruined home, he sped right towards Andi before jumping off his broom, sending the sharpened end flying towards her in an attempt to impale her. She barely managed to jump out of the way, having been distracted in her attempt to move her father's body out of the apartment. She glared at the man as he laughed menacingly, skipping towards her in excitement.

"Killed your friend. Maybe you'll see her next fall," he chuckled, twirling his knife around playfully. "Let's see how well of a fight you put up as I carve that Hell-Mark off your chest," he threatened, emphasizing his point with a few slashes of his blade in an attempt to intimidate her. Andi dropped into stance. She wasn't bulletproof- or knife proof- and hadn't been in too many fistfights. But she was stronger than him- she knew at least that much- and she wasn't going down without a fight. Dodging Jack's first slash at her, she planted her feet and punched him square in the gut. Her leather jacket caught the next slash and she countered with another punch, smashing the entire front of his already weakened helmet. Andi jumped back as he slashed wildly, clearing the area to give him enough time to take the smashed helmet off.

"Oh, hell," Andi hissed, nearly dropping her guard as she locked eyes with the man.

"Whatsa matter? Don't like your handiwork," Jack asked playfully. Every inch of his skin was covered in burns, twisted and cracked like old paper, his smile looked as if it'd split his face entirely. "Didn't get enough time to heal from your halitosis before I got out of Hell. It's fine though, I think I'm pretty." He fell into another laughing fit that was quickly interrupted by a loud whistle. Andi swung at him again, but this time he weaved out of the way and followed with a stab at her shoulder that pierced the leather and lodged the blade shallowly into her shoulder. She hissed in pain as a trio of demonic robots circled around her, clawing at her back, chest and face.

"Yowr vewwr pwetty!"

"Tha pwettiest pwumpkin in tha land." She tried to swat them away, but they were fast and stabbed and slashed at her with pitchforks and sharp claws. They cleared away nearly as quickly as they'd come, making room for Jack's fist. He punched her face, stunning her and leaving her open to a punch to the gut that he made sure she recognized as payback. The merc then grabbed his knife, pulling it out of her shoulder and she shouted in pain. He swept out her feet, knocking her to the ground before pressing his knee into her throat with one leg and stepping on the inside of her good arm with the other, locking it in place. Everything was a game to the man, and if she was done putting up a fight, he was gonna enjoy the last ounce of fun he had left.

"You know, this was a lot easier than I expected it to be," he taunted, easily swatting away a punch she'd thrown. "You really should've rethought the whole superhero thing. Or brought a gun. Guns can fire even if they're wet," he laughed as he readied his knife. He traced it along her cheek and jawbone, cutting through her mask and drawing her blood. Andi kept struggling, but it was like all her strength meant nothing with the way he had her pinned to the ground.

She couldn't muscle him off, she couldn't breathe any fire, she couldn't call for any demons to help… she glared up at him, seeing her own masked face in the blade of his knife. She wasn't afraid to die. She was only upset she wouldn't be able to take him with her.

"Thanks for the tip," Gwenpool shouted, opening fire on the man. The bullets struck him in the back, knocking him off balance. Andi took the opportunity to punch him in the crotch, sending him sliding off of her while Gwenpool emptied her smg into his back to give her time to crawl away.

"He said he'd killed you," Andi said, quickly taking a stance next to her partner.

"He just threw me off his broom. No points for being lazy." Gwenpool chuckled, a wide grin on her face as she-

BANG

Gwenpool screamed in pain and fell to her knees, doubling over as she clutched her stomach. Her white costume grew red with blood as it poured from her wound, staining her gloved fingers, before collecting in a puddle on the floor. Jack laughed, pulling the trigger a few more times but no more bullets were fired from his gun, a hollow click sounding each time he pulled the trigger.

"Oh, ain't that a shame," he sighed, holding his hand out for his broomstick as it came flying through the room. Gwenpool grabbed onto her partner and slid out of the panel, dropping them into a panel a few pages in the future.

"Gwenpool, come on, we almost have him," Andi screamed, looking around as she tried to find out where her partner had teleported them to. They seemed to be in an alley about a block away from the building. She wanted to run back to finish him off, but she couldn't leave Gwenpool alone like this.

"ANDI HE JUST SHOT ME!" Gwenpool pressed down on the wound. It was a hole right underneath her ribs that felt like it was on fire. Blood was pouring out of her faster and faster, dripping into the puddle at her feet.

"Gwen, I gotta-"

"Andi, he shot me," she emphasized, her face growing paler as she spoke.

"Heroes get shot all the time, I can just-"

"Not me! The bad guys always miss me! Andi, you don't understand, this isn't a comedic genre deconstruction like the rest of my comics anymore, this is a real comic book with consequences! He'll kill us!"

"You should listen to your partner, Andrea. You can die." Jack was hovering above them, his demonic robots in tow. In seconds, dozens of pumpkin heads were raining down on them. There was no way either of them would be able to run out of the alley in time to avoid the acidic gas. Andi readied herself for what she was sure would be the end, but Gwenpool spoke a mile a minute.

"IknowyouthinkTerribleEyeishotandwecantalkaboutthatwheneveryouwantifyouwantmetohookyouupwithanyofmyformerteammatesoranyotherherothat'stotallyfineI'lldomybesttobethemostamazingwingmanontheplanetyoujustgottatrustme!" The pumpkins struck a large, pink bubble that had appeared above them, filled with Gwenpool's dialogue. They exploded in a puff of green gas that ate away at the borders of the bubble, but never breached the barrier it created.

"What the hell-"

"Do it now, fire!" Gwenpool shouted, practically shoving her partner into action. Andi took a deep breath and summoned an enormous jet of Hellfire that lit up the night sky like the Fourth of July. Jack wasn't fast enough to dodge it entirely, the flames striking the engine of his broom and sending the man spiraling out of control.

"Round two? Round two!" Jack laughed as he steered his broom away from the pair. Andi kept desperately launching more jets of Hellfire that missed more terribly the further away he got. With Jack finally out of range, Andi growled and sunk back to her knees to comfort Gwen.

"We gotta get you to a hospital," she said quickly, pulling her mask off and pushing it against the hole in Gwen's abdomen. She had to try to stop the bleeding before Gwen passed out. No way she'd be able to deal with Jack on her own if she lost her partner.

"You really don't know anything about heroes, do you? Just hand me my phone, I'll call Night Nurse."