Well, as you can probably tell from the new cover, shoutout to XcelltasticX for editing it, we have our winner for the roommate vote. Exact numbers are:
Gwen Stacy: 27
Matt Murdock: 15
Cindy Moon: 1
Norah Winters: 1
Yeah...Gwen won this by a landslide. It was actually pretty even for a bit there until the latest reviews just became a cavalcade of 'Gwen!' votes. I wonder if people were turned off due to the way Matt and Peter interacted in the rooftop? Who knows. Anyway, this means we'll get more romantic segments...well, maybe. Depends on the answer to the question at the bottom.
Side note - Found out a reader actually did make a tvtropes page for this. It's called: ThroughTheLookingGlassASpider-ManNoirAndSpider-GwenCrossover
It's pretty small right now, so if anyone wants to add I'd appreciate it :D
J Jonah Jameson: "You're here in Just the Facts with J. Jonah Jameson. Now my various listeners - brushheads they call themselves, though I don't know why - know about my opinion on Initiative program. I admire Captain America. Even if she makes some lapses in judgement, I and everyone else in my generation grew up with those stories.
But that's all they were: stories! Now we've got maniacs in bright costumes running around thinking the city is their playground! What do you think, caller?
Caller: "I mean, aren't they working with the police? It's not like they're vigilantes or anything."
J Jonah Jameson: Working with? Oh, is THAT what you call what they do?! All I see are a bunch of children in costumes doing the jobs trained professions spent years learning and leaving the police to clean up their messes! Is that what you call cooperation?!
Caller: Well, Spinerette saved me from a Supervillain-
J Jonah Jameson: And who do you think brought those maniacs here?! Crazy attracts crazy; that's basic math! A few years ago we had regular crime and now we've got a Nazi made of BEES terrorizing innocent people!"
Caller: But Spider-Woman stopped that guy-"
J Jonah Jameson: He came here because of Spider-Woman! They're in cahoots! And I know what some of you are thinking: the Initiative stopped the Skrull invasion. Well how do we know that they didn't bring them here in the first place?! Isn't it MIGHTY CONVENIENT that they arrived just when the camps started popping up all over our country? Coincidence, I think not!"
Caller: "Uh..."
J Jonah Jameson: "Speechless? I don't blame you. It's a scary thing to think about. Now, that's all the time we have. Remember, you can order my book, Spider-Woman: Threat or Menace, for 59.99 and- what is it, Jared?! I'm trying to...wait, did you just say Spider-Man's back in town?! Ugh, I gotta...I gotta lie down..."
Peter didn't answer her.
Gwen looked up at the ceiling with a tired scowl. He'd just looked away and said that he'd think about it. What the hell was there to think about? Even if she considered the idea that the guy was innocent - and that was godzilla sized fucking if - she absolutely couldn't accept the idea of the two of them sharing the same roof. If Evil Cindy came back on her hands and knees claiming she'd changed Gwen wouldn't have done anything but throw her back in her hole. Murderdock deserved no better, devil or no.
Webster jutted out of her shoulder and rubbed her head against her cheek, "Are you alright, Gwen?"
"Not really..." She rubbed her fingertip over Webster's head, her scowl being replaced by a worried frown, "It's just...I don't get it. Why the hell is he even considering this?"
"To save his friend. That's what he said, right?"
"Yeah, but..." She chewed on her lower lip. She didn't want to admit it, but even now she couldn't understand Peter's loyalty to the guy. The man was, to put it quite bluntly, a psychotic asshole. Those pictures he sent on that disastrous birthday party were apparently all too common and she still remembered him using the dead at the Times Square massacre as ammunition against her. She was grateful he saved Peter's life, but that's the only thing positive she felt about that murderer.
"Do you trust him?"
"Of course I do."
"Then trust he'll make the right decision."
"Easier said than done, Webs..." She turned to the right and curled in on herself. She wanted to go out and patrol to blow off some steam, but she knew she had to get up early tomorrow for classes. Psyche280 first thing in the morning and Ms. Gonzales was meticulous with attendance. Gwen didn't know why, though; wasn't like she cared if people actually paid attention. Maybe she just wanted an audience for her anti-Super rants.
Eventually she drifted off into a not so peaceful sleep and woke up to the sun shining through the window, "Time is it...?" She looked at her phone and frowned at the 8:17 that greeted her. Classes started at 9 and it'd take 15 minutes to walk to campus. Swinging over there was a no-go. Cap didn't want anyone catching on about her frequent haunts, or so she said.
She put on a pair of cargo shorts and sandals (Peter's shirt fit well enough) and walked out to an empty living room, "Gone already, MJ?" She sighed and took some chocolate from the fridge while she made toast. Despite being roommates she and MJ didn't talk much nowadays. It was gradual at first; so gradual she didn't notice until later that MJ was practically never at home.
For a while she didn't think anything of it. They had different schedules and they still hung out during break, so no big deal, right? Well, yeah, but that was before she saw Norah text MJ about a guy who made local headlines about getting off from a rape charge cause his dad knew some guy who could grease some palms. Even then she could've ignored it if the guy didn't show up the next day hanging from a post by his arms with a far too suspicious bleeding spot between his legs and the word 'RAPIST' carved into his chest.
The guy begged to be put in prison afterwards and that was the last she saw of him.
Gwen knew MJ had done it, and MJ knew that she knew. They never talked about it. Gwen tried, God knew she did, but every time she even got close to broaching the subject the redhead would suddenly clam up or make an excuse about work or a project. Wasp assured her that the symbiote couldn't take control and her physical state was stable. It didn't do much to calm her down.
"First MJ and now Peter. Why are my friends such a pain in the ass?" She munched on her toast bitterly as she made the short walk to campus. MJ'd been all too eager to offer to move out when she heard Peter was coming back. Gwen didn't tell Peter, but she had her own reservations on it even if she hoped some space might actually do them both some good.
Gwen made it to class just in time. She took her normal seat at the back and was already glazing off five minutes in, "Clearly these 'Gifted'-" Ms. Gonzales said it the same way someone would say an STD, "-received the luck of the draw. Which is all well and good. Sometimes people get lucky and sometimes they don't. But now, that clearly wasn't enough for them. They had to lord it over everyone."
"Oh my God, this is such bullshit..." Gwen muttered. The person next to her was too busy being asleep to comment.
"Don't be fooled into thinking that these so-called 'Superheroes' have your best interests in mind. They do not. It's clear by their behavior that they're motivated by a sense of entitlement and a desire to flaunt their new 'gifts'. Just look at the amount of colatteral damage they incur trying to 'save' us." Meaning her car, which Gwen stepped on when she was trying to stop a fucking Godzilla monster from destroying the entire city. But apparently that didn't matter, right?
She was suddenly reminded of Murderdock's lecture from before. People didn't want heroes. They just wanted to get through the day with the minimal amount of effort and get a cookie at the end of it. At the time she'd been content to ignore it, but people like Ms. Gonzales really made her doubt. She knew it was petty. After all, the rest of the city (apart from a few outspoken dicks) were appreciative about not being flattened by a giant space monster.
Still, having to listen to the old hag rant about how they were so selfish every couple of days pissed her off to no end.
Gwen pulled out her phone under the table and looked through tweeter. She-Hulk pushed her to make an account for Spider-Woman (she already had over 5 million followers), mostly to control any controversies/allow people to contact her easier and partially to make sure no one else tried any shit under her name. Wasp had made sure to set up her phone with router blockers to make sure no one could try anything either.
She wasn't dumb enough to log in to said account at school, but going in as Gwen Stacy shouldn't have mattered. She clicked the Spider-Woman account - FriendlyNeighborhoodSpiderWoman...hey, no one said she had to be creative - and glossed through some of the posts aimed at/about her.
It was the usual shit. A lot of people giving thanks for her continued patrols (take that, Ms. Gonzales), some people asking questions she had no plans of answering (no, she wasn't going to tweet out her measurements or the exact details on her powers) and at least one person who claimed he went out on a date with her (she'd just ignore that since it was the dozenth in two weeks).
And then she saw something that drew her attention.
SuperiorSpider: Hey, anyone heard Spider-Man's back in town?
ScarletSpider: no shit?
SuperiorSpider: Yeah. Friend has an older brother who's a police officer and they arrested like five guys who attacked a guy and tried to rape his girlfriend. Couple said Spider-Man saved them.
Blade: how'd they do know it's Spider-Man? could be one of the Spider Worshipers.
SuperiorSpider: *web . jpg * that's his web right?
ScarletSpider: dunno. think FriendlyNeighborhoodSpiderWoman knows?
GW: Didn't they break up?
MsAmerica: wut? lol no. whyd you think that?
GW: Guys leaves the city for like a year. You don't think they're still together?"
MsAmerica: pretty sure she'd say something if she broke up with her zombie bf.
ScarletSpider: JJAtHomes gonna flip when he hears.
SuperiorSpider: New podcast coming out tonight. Eagerly awaiting with popcorn to watch the meltdown :3
The posts devolved into more arguments on her relationship status along with some more stupid stuff. She logged out and went to Readthat to look for anything new. She-Hulk also insisted she do it at least one every couple of days at the minimum. In some ways some troll behind the computer could be worse than a Supervillain chucking bombs.
Personally Gwen didn't agree, but she had an hour to waste so screw it. She went to the Spideyspam thread and looked at the top posts.
Spider-Woman sightings
Posted 8 months ago by CampbellSoupBoy
890 Comments Share Report
Spider-Woman fanart - NO NSFW TRASH
Posted 3 months ago by icantthinkofaname
497 Comments Share Report
New Spiders on the block: Spider-Girl appreciation thread
Posted 1 month ago by GenericSnowflake
87 Comments Share Report
Spectacular Spider-Woman #15 - Weekly Comic Discussion Thread
Posted 2 days ago by That_One_Guy
851 Comments Share Report
She scanned through the top posts. Nothing offensive so far, and apart from a few trolls, which was expected, it was all good. Gwen couldn't help but laugh under her breath when she saw people discussing this week's issue of the comic. Most of it was the usual stuff - pacing, plot, character design, the youzhe. So far it was selling pretty well and she got a decent kickback from her likeness being used.
The next hour was spent glancing through various sites while Ms. Gonzales continued to rant and rave. Gwen had no clue how she planned to grade them. Would probably just make them do a paper that counted for 90% of their grade or something.
Gwen heaved a sigh of relief as soon as class ended. Next class was the one with Prof Warren and that one she had no problems listening to. Sure, she wasn't that good with Biochem (or science in general) but he was good at explaining and never got on your case no matter how dumb the question was. As long as you were willing to learn he was willing to teach.
Gwen spent the next part of one and a half hours just taking notes and occasionally answering questions, "And you can see just how different genetics can be when exposed to even the most minor of stimuli." Prof Warren gestured to the video on the screen, "Any of you saw that Jude Law movie? Doesn't matter. Point is that in possibly just a few decades time gene splicing will be commonplace."
"What would that do?" A girl near the front asked.
"Anything, really. You can't get superpowers, of course, but imagine if you could adjust your intelligence, your appearance, your natural aptitude with a quick few combinations." The video ended, "Ah, but of course this is all framework currently. We'll all probably be long gone by the time the beginning trials even start."
Gwen kept her mouth shut. It probably wouldn't do to tell anyone that she knew Captain America's clone and that she herself was technically gene altered herself considering she and Webster were inseparable now.
Class ended on a reminder to study for next week's test. Gwen was almost out the door before she remembered yesterday's conversation, "Hey, Professor Warren?" She tightened her hold on the straps of her backpack when he turned to face her with a friendly smile. "You still do sit ins, right?"
"Of course. Know somebody?"
"Kinda..." It couldn't hurt to ask, could it? "I have this friend. He's really good at science - has been since we were kids - but he couldn't attend school till recently. I'm trying to convince him to attend ESU and he's got his doubts. I was kinda hoping that he could sit in on your class and..."
"And that'd convince him to attend here?" He finished. Gwen nodded and his smile widened, "Well, it's flattering that you consider my class good for this. I don't see why not. Just remember that I only allow two sit ins, but if this guy's as good as you claim then I'm sure that won't be a problem."
"That should be good. Thanks, sir!" He waved goodbye and Gwen made her way to The Bean, a bit lighter in step than before. Peter seemed a hard sell, but she knew him. Science was always something he enjoyed, messed up memories or no. He wouldn't have spent that first month reading through every science textbook she had if he wasn't the same nerd she always knew.
She was the first one to arrive. Gwen stepped inside and walked to the counter, "Hey, Eugene. Mocha caramel."
If there was someone she didn't expect when she first came here all those months ago, it was Eugene Patillio. Apparently he'd started attending ESU and worked at the coffee shop for extra pocket money. Or at least that was what she overheard. She didn't pry into it too much. The guy was nice, but unless he was in danger she really didn't think it was any of her business what he did with his time.
The owner definitely tried to take advantage. He'd promoted and advertised that he now had a bonafide hero working for him behind the counter. A few people got excited, but when they realized it was Frog-Man that deflated quickly. Didn't matter; guy still sold some coffee for the people that went.
Nevermind the fact that Eugene didn't pass the Initiative. Technically Peter and MJ didn't either so she didn't say anything.
"Sure." Eugene rang up the register, "That'll be 3.50."
She handed him a 5, "Keep the change."
'We should've gotten chocolate.'
'You ate this morning. Shush.'
She took a sip of the caramel-y goodness and sat outside in the shade after ordering the usual for the others to save some time. MJ was the next to arrive and seemed reluctant when Gwen patted the seat next to her on the table, "Hey, Gwen." She sat down across from her instead and sipped her own drink, some strawberry thing that was way too sweet for Gwen's taste, "How was the hell class?"
"Same as always." She shrugged one shoulder, "Did you come back last night?"
"Nah, went back home for a bit. Thought you'd want your privacy." MJ eyed the shirt she wore and Gwen suddenly felt self-conscious. It wasn't that loose on her, "Didn't want to be a third wheel, you know?"
"You wouldn't have been-"
"Oooh, someone looks like they got a good dicking."
Both Mary Jane and Gwen jumped at the sudden voice. Hand on her chest, Gwen looked up and glared at Betty while Glory facepalmed behind the bespectacled brunette, "I can't believe you actually said it..." Glory muttered.
"Hey, I call it like I see it." Betty shrugged without a care and sat next to Gwen, drinking her cheesecake shake, "We all saw how she excited she was when she heard short, dark and broody was coming back. Surprised she even came to school today. Figured she wouldn't be able to walk."
"Our resident future psychologist, ladies." Mary Jane rolled her eyes good naturedly at the brunette's grin, "You're clearly the best of us all, Betty."
"I know." Betty winked, "Still, I'm serious. Thought you and broody would've gone on a date or something."
"We're having some...issues." Gwen raised her straw up and down.
"Issues? Like, he couldn't get it up-"
"Not everything's about that, Betty," Glory sighed, "What's the problem, Gwen?"
"It's about our jobs...so it's kinda long."
"Ain't like we got anything better to do, Gwencent," MJ said.
So she told them everything...well, mostly. She left out the part of what they did after their reunion, though she got the feeling they all knew anyway; the shirt probably didn't help. Gwen couldn't stop herself from becoming more bitter and frustrated the longer she told the story. Would it have been too much to ask for them to have even a single day without things blowing up in their faces? She'd spent a year waiting for him and the first thing they had to deal with was Murderdock's bullshit. It was enough to make her scream.
Betty was the first to speak, "I don't get it. If this Murdock guy was was possessed by the devil, then isn't he innocent? What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is I have no clue if he is! I mean, what if he's just a bad man turned worse? I don't want Peter under the same roof as this guy!" She wouldn't want him under the same roof even if Murdock wasn't a smug, murdering prick. Anyone who dressed up like the damn devil after what happened to them definitely had a lot of screws loose, "I mean, I'm not crazy, right?"
"Definitely not," Glory said, "I'll admit I still have some doubts about the guy, but I wouldn't want him in danger or anything. I think you should try to convince him again when you see him."
"I'm not so sure..." MJ mumbled, "If this Murdock guy really wasn't in any control then maybe Tiger rooming with him'll do him some good? I mean, it couldn't hurt..." She looked down at her drink again. Gwen got the distinct feeling she wasn't thinking about Murderdock right now, "Didn't you always say people deserved a second chance? Especially if they couldn't control themselves."
She definitely wasn't talking about Murderdock.
"That's...That's different," Gwen said. It came out far weaker than she would've liked, "I mean, even if he is innocent why the fuck does Peter have to room with the guy? People like him don't just get to put their hands up and go 'it was just a prank, bro'." This wasn't going well, "So, MJ, anything you want to talk to us about?"
The redhead's eyes widened at the sudden shift in focus to her. Gwen knew that getting her to admit anything by herself wouldn't work, but with Glory and Betty here she might have a better shot. MJ's eyes darted to each of them in turn and she opened her mouth to answer.
"I got offered a modelling gig."
That...was not the answer she was expecting.
"Wait, seriously? When?" Glory asked.
"This morning." She pulled a card out of her jacket and put it on the table. Kingsley Enterprises, it said, "Thought the guy was just a creeper or a scam artist, but I checked the name. The company's legit and the guy was one of his agents. Apparently he hangs around campus sometimes looking for 'local talent' and he said I could 'go places'."
"Huh..." Gwen inspected the card. Definitely looked legit, "So...you taking it?"
"I...I'm not sure."
"Why not?" Glory asked, "Assuming this is real, it seems like a good deal. Can't be any worse than the movie job, right?" They all shuddered. MJ had regaled them all of the horror stories on entitled moms and flirty creepers she'd dealt with for the past month, "Besides, you could probably get some decent attention this way. Would probably help since we haven't done a gig in a while."
That was another thing MJ didn't like to talk about. The band had definitely fallen off on their list of priorities in recent months. Sure they still took some gigs here and there, but it could hardly be considered a focus. Gwen blamed that on the symbiote. Wasp told them that it'd still take a while - she couldn't place an exact time - for MJ's 'partner' to not be set off by the sounds coming from the stereos and instruments.
"It'd probably help pay for rent if I get a new place, I guess," MJ said eventually.
"Assuming Spider-Guy doesn't end up rooming with the ex-lawyer, ex-devil person who's currently running around dressed like a devil; which is pretty grim if you think about it," Betty chimed. Gwen scowled at her, "What? Just telling it like it is."
"Ugh, that's it, I'm done." She tossed her cup of coffee on a nearby trashcan. Well, getting to talk with MJ was a bust. She'd try again later.
Classes went by pretty easily for the next few hours and soon enough she was free to patrol and forget the stress of the day. That was pretty normal too - a few muggings, two attempted kidnappings, and new Supervillain...well, she said new, but really it was just the same guy in a new costume. Apparently Walrus decided to switch to Sea Lion for more 'brand recognition'.
Didn't help much. She still left him hanging and blubbering for the cops. If there was one thing she loved about being an Avenger, it was that she could be sure these guys were going to jail. She'd even checked in on a few trials here and there.
She also passed by White Rabbit and Frog-Man having a 'duel' and left them to it. The two were arch-enemies at this point and it would've been rude to cut in.
'Can we pass by the shop?' Webster asked in her best good girl voice. She knew it all too well; it was the same voice she used when she first asked her dad for a drumset.
'You're hungry again? I just ate before we left campus!' Despite her words she was already swinging the familiar way. Still, she really needed to talk to Webster about its eating habits. You'd think they were eating for three instead of two.
She shifted back into her casuals and bought a truckload of white chocolate (Webster's favorite) before making her way back home. It was the weekend tomorrow, which meant it was time for her daily visit back home.
Jessica opened the door a few seconds after she knocked, "Sorry, didn't order diabetes. Think you'll want the house a couple of blocks down."
"Very funny, Jess." Gwen rolled her eyes and side-stepped the older woman. She set the bundle of chocolate on the kitchen table and kissed her cooking dad on the cheek, "Mmm, smells delish!"
"Burgers." Her dad smiled up at her. Even with being confined to a wheelchair it didn't stop him from keeping the house spick and span. He'd even joked about becoming a house husband, which Jessica always scoffed at. He was already walking a bit; he just got tired easier.
"Great." Gwen grinned. The baby monitor was quiet, "I'm gonna go check on Helena."
Gwen made her way upstairs to the new room and her chest warmed at the sight of the baby playing with the Spider-Man tsum tsum doll. Gwen was reluctant to part with it at first, but for Helena it was love at first sight and she couldn't refuse. She went with it everywhere. One time they forgot it during a park trip and she did not let them hear the end of it.
The baby looked up at her arrival and laughed, "Hey, little sis." Gwen grinned back and picked her up carefully. No matter how bad her day was seeing her dad, Jess and Helena always brightened it up, "Whatcha been doing?"
The baby babbled back excitedly. Gwen wiped the spit from her chin and kept her close. She definitely shared a lot from both her parents with Jess' dark hair and pale skin but her dad's blue eyes.
"Man, you wouldn't believe the day I've had. You're so lucky you get to just sit here and play." She sat down on a nearby chair and rocked her gently. Helena curled up to Gwen's chest and pawed at her face, "You know, I told Peter about you. You know him, right? You never go anywhere without him." Gwen snagged the tsum tsum with a line of webbing and pulled it to them. Helena laughed and grabbed at the doll.
They still had no idea if she had any powers; wasn't like there was a universal test for it. Captain America said they should just take a wait and see approach, which was fine with them. They'd love her either way.
Webster jutted out of her shoulder and Helena immediately grabbed for her, though she came up short due to the doll taking up her arms, "Hello." Webster nuzzled against the baby's cheek left cheek. She'd taken to Helena just as quickly as the rest of them, which really only made sense. Webster was family at this point so Helena was as much her sister as Gwen's.
"Come on, 'Lena, let's go down and keep dad company."
"The best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time~ One with a collar...turtleneck~"
"Do you have to do that?" Felicia threw Cindy a dirty look, which she responded to with a grin. The two of them were sitting side by side on a very expensive sports car - Felicia's personal vehicle, which she'd 'oh so graciously' decided was worth bringing out considering Cindy
"Yep, and you don't get to complain. I spent 3000 bucks for your services." 3000 bucks of her own money, mind you. Granted she was fine with spending money, but doing it to do a job they hadn't even equipped her properly for grinded her gears something fierce. Last she checked police officers didn't have to pay for their standard issue guns.
Truth be told that wasn't the only reason. Sure, she was annoyed about the steep price, but really she just needed something to distract herself. Even now over a year later she still had issues with confined spaces. Not enough to start hyperventilating, but enough that she felt an uncomfortable prickling in her skin. Back then the best way she dealt with it by filling the space with noise. It was a common coping mechanism, or so her therapist said.
The fact that it was annoying Felicia was just a welcome bonus.
"If I knew you'd be this grating then I would've upped the price to 5000."
"Good to know. Just for that I'm singing the Krusty Krab pizza song." Felicia groaned and Cindy sang loud and off-key.
According to Felicia's contacts this spot had a large amount of sudden disappearances so they pulled all the files on Gifted in the area and found only a single on within a few miles radius. One Zacharcy Braun, a recent high school graduate. According to his file he could glow in the dark...and that was it. No one considered him dangerous or noteworthy enough to look twice at.
Still, it was the only lead they had so here they were.
Cindy sipped her coffee lazily and looked out through the rain soaked window. They'd been parked here for a couple of hours now. Zach had an apartment on the first floor of the building across the street and, fortunately, had a habit of leaving his window blinds up. Unfortunately he also had a habit of going around shirtless and playing air guitar like he was in front of an audience. Wasn't like there was even much of a show; she was pretty sure she had more muscles than him.
"Is this really what we're going to be doing for the entire night?" Felicia groused.
"You don't like it I can always get my money back. Cash, preferably. Less likely to leave a trail." She held out her hand and grinned smugly.
Felicia swatted it away, "I thought you hero types would be less petty."
"You don't know me very well, then."
"Point." The cat burglar (heh) let out a small breath, "Fine then. A question: what made you take this assignment? The Avengers weren't good enough?"
"It's actually been pretty slow recently." Cindy reclined in her seat, "After we took out H.Y.D.R.A and S.H.I.E.L.D went underground there haven't been any 'Avengers Assemble!' level crap they need us for. The whole Asgardian thing is more for diplomats than us." Though she did come with as an escort at one point. She was not disappointed - Thor's abs were worth more than the price of admission.
"Still, why here? I can't imagine this is much more thrilling."
"Because I can do good here." Cindy shrugged, "I'll whine and moan that it's so annoying, but I can change things even just a bit. Gwen and the others can't be everywhere at once, so why not help the police so they can do things without us having to hold their hand? If that means sitting on a car with a far too expensive partner then that's what it takes."
"...I'll never understand you hero types. Always to eager to throw your time and effort to something you'll never be thanked for."
"It's called thinking about your fellow man, Feli. You should try it sometime."
Her response was cut off by the sudden tingle of Cindy's spin-sense. Cindy's attention snapped back to their unknowing protectee only to see him get swallowed by a sudden circle of glowing black smoke. He was gone.
"Step on it!"
"Where are we going?!"
"Street in front of us!" Her sixth sense was guiding her. Cindy lowered the window and and stuck half her body out, ignoring the rain that pelted her. She raised her gun and took aim. This was more than probable cause.
Just as she hoped, the glowing smoke appeared above them and she saw Zach struggling in mid-air. Just barely she made out a misshapen figure in a black cloak hovering above him.
Cindy fired. The figure turned around and she saw eerily pale skin and blonde hair that contrasted heavily against the surrounding darkness. A woman.
She disappeared just before the bullet hit and took Zach with her, "Turn left!" Cindy screamed. Felicia muttered a curse in French and followed her instructions. The figure appeared again, briefly hovering through the air. She was teleporting, Cindy noted dumbly, though only short bursts at a time. Still, she was slowly but surely gaining speed. She needed to stop this.
"Floor it!" Cindy sreamed again.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Felicia shouted back, "I go any faster and we'll cause a pile up!"
"Then just do it for a few seconds!"
Another curse came and went. Cindy pulled up her scarf and waited till she got close enough. The figure disappeared again and re-appeared in front of the entrance to an alley, "Now!" Without any other warning, Cindy jumped out of the window and swung towards her. The woman's glowing eyes widened just before Cindy tackled her chest mid-air, making sure to avoid the swirling black smoke that emanated from the cloak.
They fell. Cindy webbed the screaming Zach to the wall just before she and the cloaked woman impacted against the ground. She took the brunt of the fall, though she'd taken worse before, "You're under arrest for attempted kidnapping!" God, did that feel weird to say. The woman struggled and Cindy pinned her arms to the ground and jumped to avoid the smoke again.
"You don't get it-"
"That's what they all say." Cindy ducked the barrage of smoke again as the woman phased through the webbing, "Huh, did not see that coming."
"We're trying to save him!" The woman screamed. There was an odd reverb in her voice.
...Wait, did she say we?
Her question was answered when her spin-sense blared loud and proud. Cindy jumped from the wall to avoid the six inch daggers of light, "Woah!" She twisted mid-fall and her spin-sense screamed again.
This time she wasn't able to avoid the last projectile. The light dagger stabbed her right side and Cindy fell to the ground in a heap. It wasn't painful; at least not in the way a normal knife to the side was. It felt more numb than anything and she suddenly found it hard to mode said side. Cindy coughed and looked up to see a dark skinned man helping up the woman in the cloak.
"Dagger, we have to go!" His voice had a different reverb to the woman. Almost melodious in a way.
"But-"
"We tried!"
They disappeared in another flash of glowing smoke. Cindy raised her left hand and tried to web them but it only met air, "Shit...!" She stayed pinned to the ground for almost a minute before Felicia finally made her way to her, "Took you long enough..."
"I was stopped by the police. They didn't appreciate our little joyride." She knelt down and eyed the dagger at her side, "That looks nasty. No blood, though."
"Yeah. Pull it out."
Felicia shrugged, "If that's what you want."
The younger woman grabbed the dagger and pulled it out without much fanfare. Cindy breathed a sigh of relief as feeling returned to her side and she stood. Her spin-sense was quiet; they were long gone by now, "Damn it..." At least Zach was alright. He was muttering to himself and looking up at the sky. First thing they needed to do was get him a shirt.
The dagger dissipated into light and left no trace. So much for clues.
"I'm guessing this isn't the end of it?"
"Ya think?" Cindy rolled her eyes, "Come on. I gotta file a report."
"Pieces of shit!"
It was nice not having to feel guilty sometimes. Growing up in the Kitchen, she knew it was hard and sometimes you had to do some nasty stuff to survive. A dad who robbed to get money for his son's surgery, kids who sold drugs so they wouldn't starve and, yeah, moms who prostituted themselves to make sure their kids got decent educations. She'd seen it all.
For a while she felt bad putting on a mask. She grew up in those same streets, so what made her think she was better than them? Was it cause she was a freak now? Did that mean she could suddenly start judging? She'd limited her vigilante sprees at times. She was pretty damn sure you couldn't justify rape or being a fucking serial killer.
And then there were these fucks.
Lana punched the closest bastard in a suit right in his jaw. He flew through the air, spun around twice and then impacted against the side of the cargo container. Gabriel came to her with some info - meeting at the docks exchanging 'hot products'. Apparently he got it from the USB drive he managed to yank before that bastard Murdock, ugh, saved him.
She only found out later that the 'hot products' were people.
"Watch out, Striker!" Spider-Girl landed behind her and kicked a guy's arm right before he could shotgun her back. She knew her new suit could take a beating - thank you, Melvin Potter - but she still didn't want to test her luck.
"Thanks!" Lana blasted the guy in the face while Anya was suddenly covered in an off-blue carapace. Anya's powers were weird. From what she told her before, she was a 'Hunter'. Ignoring the mystical bullcrap, it basically meant she had magic tattoos that gave her powers...for a while. Sometimes it was a few hours, sometimes it was just a few minutes. Anya told her she also had to choose which to bring with her. Apparently magic ink wasn't cheap and she only had so much skin to paint over.
Anya raises her arm and charges to a group of guys with machine guns. The bullets bounce off the blue shell and she plows through them like a fucking juggernaut, "Nice one!" Lana takes care of the stragglers and Anya shifts out of the carapace to start webbing at the dazed gunmen. It's nice, having someone like Anya to watch her back. She could definitely get used to it.
Soon enough all two dozen wastes of human skin are caught and tied up. Anya called the police while Lana picked up the duffle bag full of money. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, at least. The price for trading a life. She's almost tempted to take some for herself (not that she needs it with her Initiative stipend) or, failing, that, tossing the damn thing in the river so no one could have it.
They'd already let all of the victims out. All of them were foreigners, likely tricked or forced into this shitshow. The bastards were transporting them through cargo containers. That's what they were to them - cargo, something to be sold and pawned off while they counted their money.
She passed by one of the more far off containers before she heard it, "Ayudame por favor..." Lana's eyes widened and she rushed to the locked opening of the cargo container. Everyone in the containers had screamed and cried when the shooting started. They didn't notice this one because it'd been so quiet.
Lana smelled it before she opened the container. She wrenched the doors back and almost vomited when the smell hit her in full force. She'd seen dead bodies before, but that was always before the rot set in. Now she saw piles of people all laying on top of one another. No injuries, and most of them still had their eyes open even as their bodies lay still. They must've cooked alive inside.
And then she saw it.
A hand weakly struggling under a large pile. Without even thinking about it, Lana charged through the rotting bodies, jumped and pulled the girl's warm hand up, "I've got you..." She carried her in her arms and rushed out, eyes tearing up from the smell. The girl was young, maybe 14 or 15, wearing a stained tanktop and shorts and her dark hair tied in a loose braid.
The girl whispered, "Salvame."
Save me.
"I am..." Anya reached her and her eyes widened when she saw the younger girl's state. Lana's blood boiled. These pieces of shit didn't deserve a four walls and two meals a day. They should've been the one baking in that damn cargo container, "I gotta take her to the hospital. Stay here."
Lana left without hearing the other girl's response. The weak teenager in her arms shifted and whispered one final word before drifting off.
"Aracely..."
Gwen was in the middle of the third chapter of her science book when she heard a knock on the door.
"MJ, you lost the keys?" The redhead never knocked; even when it led to a few accidents with bath towels and misplaced underwear. Gwen never bothered to tell her off; she never knocked either. Gwen stood up from the couch and padded to the door, "We really need to start keeping track of-"
It wasn't MJ.
Gwen blinked and looked up at Peter's sheepish expression. He looked...better than when he left last night, "Hey, Gwen..." She looked down and found him holding a deluxe size pizza out with both hands like a peace offering, "Could I come in?"
"Uh, sure. No prob."
He set the pizza (her favorite, bacon and cheese) and they sat next to one another without a word or a single slice touched. Webster looked up from her spot on the table briefly before it took her pile of chocolate and slithered to their room to give them some privacy.
"So..."
"There was..."
Silence again. Gwen hated it. Hadn't they been through this before? Stuttering and dancing around each other because they couldn't talk like normal fucking people. Not this time."
"Did you think about it?"
"Yeah..." Peter nodded.
"And...?"
"I'm...I'm staying with you." Her eyes widened and she couldn't say anything. She hadn't misheard him, right? "You're right. I can work with Matt, but more than that...I can't be sure. I'll talk to Page, see if I can work out another deal and-"
That was as far as she got before she leapt across the small space between them and pinned him down with a kiss. She was laughing, she realized idly, laughing and crying in so much relief at his answer. He wasn't going to stay with that murderous bastard and she wouldn't have to stay up at night worrying if he'd get his neck cut while he was sleeping.
The pizza was cold by the time they actually got around to eating it, but neither of them cared. Gwen dug into her slice and leaned against the end of the couch with her feet on Peter's lap as they watched some mindless sitcom on TV. She loved this. Maybe neither of them were normal, but they both deserved a chance to just relax with each other.
The episode ended and the door opened again. MJ stepped in and paused when she saw them, "Uh...hey, Tiger," she said awkwardly, "Didn't think I'd be intruding. I should go-"
"No, it's fine. There's enough pizza here for all three of us," Peter said with a smile.
Gwen was quick to join, "Yeah. The more the merrier!" She gestured to the empty space on Peter's other side. It was obvious MJ was reluctant, but she wasn't going to pass this up. If Glory and Betty couldn't work then Peter was her next choice.
"Uh...alright, sure." MJ sat and Gwen handed her a slice of pizza. Something told her this was gonna be a long night.
Pretty slow chapter, at least for Noir and Gwen. Lana and Cindy, meanwhile, are actually getting to their stories because they aren't too busy making googly eyes at other people. I'll focus on Gwen and Noir's plots in the next chapter.
Anyway, like I said above Gwen won the vote so now these two lovebirds are rooming together. What about MJ, though? Well, that's where the next question comes in.
Questions:
1. Should I have MJ stay in the apartment with Gwen and Peter or have her move out on her own? The former reduces the romance since MJ will be more present but it'll also allow more Peter and MJ interactions; especially given her anti-hero slant. I know a lot of readers liked when Peter helped her out at first before she got taken to Wasp, so that might appeal. If you want more romance then MJ moves out.
2. What do you guys want for the next chapter? I can do something plot based but I'm also thinking of writing another chapter for the true hero this story needs and deserves, Frog-Man. Depends if you guys want to see awesome amazingness or something boring about Noir's continuing war against the Hand remnants.
Review Answers:
Davidashton2099 - Something tells me Felicia isn't gonna be a fan...
Raymond49090rc - Depends on how much his actions were purely due to possession.
Brave2000 - Romance or MJ therapy? You decide :P
KillerQueen312 - Matt reforms regardless. All that changes is if he spends his free time with Peter.
Jormundgardner - Matt's not smug; he's just cheerful! :D
SpiderGod766 - The issue with Peter are that: 1. They aren't sure if he really even counts as 65-Peter and 2. Harry was the one who dug up the serum and gave it to SILK. If he hadn't done that the serum would've started and ended with 65-Peter's death.
NeverendingZero - He'd help the guy stop villains, but if he goes after heroes Noir would kill him. Tragedy is no excuse to murder innocents. As for Matt, the issue of culpability is a running theme and it's hard to say whether he was under mind control, coercion etc etc.
MagicMagician - Thanks :) Hope you keep reviewing.
Spidergwen - Doom if they room together? Why?
I win gg - Please refrain from spamming the review thread and antagonizing other reviewers.
EpicSpicyLemon and Guest - That's what's happening. The difference is that we miss some Peter/Matt scenes since Peter won't be in the apartment anymore.
Deathtowaterbottles - Unnatural how? Also, what do you dislike about Gwen period? Constructive criticism is always appreciated :) As for Miles Warren...eh, he seemed fine in this chapter.
RedHood001 - Well, Gwen won :P Hope this works for you.
Guest 2 - Why doesn't Peter use his science skills? Simple; he's too focused on the street stuff. Wasp offered him a job and he refused because he said he belonged in the grime and underbelly. Matt even said in the last chapter that, despite all it's done to them, both he and Peter consider Hell's Kitchen home.
Roxasdualwielder - It's not that effective all the time.
