Chapter 10

A red and blue blur flew over the side of the building and landed in front of me.

"So," said Spider-man, rising out of his crouch. "I saw you fighting Shocker down there."

I didn't want to talk to him. I needed to think. Three nights I'd spent chasing down every lead the Kingpin gave me. All of them gave me nothing except that they had been planning some way or other to get at something mum had: The Utsugi. Some were raids on warehouses mum had purchased. Some were planning attacks on mum herself. And some were scouts who were searching for wherever Dad or I had gotten to. I took care of those ones with gusto.

"I'm familiar with Ol' Quiltskin so I got kinda curious how you got his attention."

Spider-man's voice brought me back to reality. Had he been talking the entire time I spaced out?

"Quiltskin?" I said. "So he's not human?"

Spider-man waved a hand airily. "He is. He is. I was just messing around."

"Ah…"

"Are you human?" he asked, cocking his head. "Your moves looked… distinctly spidery."

Distinctly spidery. What did that even mean? "How long were you watching?"

"Long enough."

"And you just chose to sit back and watch?"

"…Okay, I only caught the tail-end of that," he admitted. "Who are you?"

"Kumo."

He seemed unsure how to continue for a while before he asked, "And what were you doing here Kumo?"

"Stopping them."

Spider-man hopped back onto an AC unit and stayed crouched on top of it. "Why?"

I got irritated. "That's not important right now."

I was being manipulated. A good portion of the guys I had taken down were planning things other than kidnapping. Maybe Fisk was telling the truth and this would discourage all active attempts at acquiring my father and me, or there was a larger game at play and this was only one move. I was blind and I didn't like it. I needed to regroup and think on my next move.

"I think it is important," he said.

This guy needed to get out of my way. "Convince me then."

He paused. "What?"

One freebie. "Convince me it's important or I'm leaving. You have ten seconds."

"It doesn't have to be this way," Spider-man said. "I can help you."

Help me. Right. Everyone was lining up to do just that.

He thought about the statement and amended it. "So long as you're on the right side of the law that is."

Which side of the law was I on? I had never considered the question.

Why does it even matter? No one's playing by the rules.

"Do you know who John Arthur is?" I asked.

"Yeah, Yukino Arthur's husband," he replied. "Or at least I'm assuming that's the John Arthur you're talking about."

I was not expecting him to know that. Maybe there was value in talking to him.

"That's the one," I confirmed. "Are you aware that he was hospitalized some time back?"

"I know that too."

Spider-man was surprisingly well-informed. It's almost like he was already…

Oh.

"You were investigating Yukino," I said. "It was in the news."

Spider-man shrugged. "Not my best work. I wasn't expecting to run into super-powered people."

Wait what?

"Super-powered people?"

Spider-man nodded. "Yup. She looked normal enough. No weird growths. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except she was stronger and faster than me."

"Who?" I asked.

Mum was in front of the desk, cleaving it in two with a single chop…

"It was a bit difficult to catch her name between the punches," Spider-man said. "Fighting and talking is hard you know."

Mum had super-powered people working for her…

I shook my head. Focus.

"Well if you know that much, this makes things simple," I said. "My priority is to prevent Mr. Arthur and his family from being hospitalized a second time."

Spider-man shifted slightly. "I see… You do know he's in a hospital as we speak right?"

The yellow ninja put his blade on Dad's neck…

"Yes." I tried not to snap at him. "You know what I mean."

Spider-man nodded. "Yes I do. So uhhhh… why are you interested in them, if you don't mind my asking?"

How about we stay on task. "I mind your asking."

"Hmmm… alright." He didn't seem upset by that. "So I'm guessing that's why you attacked that convoy earlier."

"It was one van," I pointed out.

"It was supposed to be a convoy. I dealt with one of the groups they were supposed to join up with."

"Oh…"

"You're new at this aren't you?" he asked.

I tensed immediately and said nothing.

"This won't protect them," he said.

"I am aware of that," I said. "I did this to buy them time. Give them some space to recover."

He seemed to realize something and he shifted again. "You're the ninja spider the police have been talking about…"

I hadn't exactly had access to a phone and an internet connection in a while. I didn't tend to watch TV either.

"I wouldn't know about that," I replied.

"Unless the Arthurs are planning on leaving New York this isn't going to do anything you know," he said.

So even Spider-man was telling me that unless mum gave up the Utsugi we could never live normal lives again? That these past three days have been for nothing? I felt frustration building up and I curled and uncurled my fists to distract myself from it.

There was no point staying here.

"Hey, wait-"

I jumped to the edge of the roof and dove off it. I heard Spider-man calling after me, even over the wind howling in my ears. I flipped and bounced off the wall, landing on another building on the opposite side of the street. I kept running.

Thankfully, Spider-man did not chase me.

xXx

Gwen swung up to the apartment she had rented out, opened the window and crawled in before she could be seen. It was a 4-story walk-up in Harlem, very far from Forest Hills where she went to school, but when you had Spider powers distance was hardly a problem. Besides, this was as cheap as it got in Manhattan. Well, unless you lived in a homeless shelter or something. She'd brought over enough money and found this landlord with help from Peter.

The landlord didn't ask questions. He was blunt but fair and seemed to have an interest in getting the kids off the streets, kids being some of the boys rolling around in gangs and getting into trouble. He didn't question her age too much. In return, Gwen did her best to stay out of trouble. It was highly illegal, but the man seemed to believe that she was just some kid Peter found somewhere and was trying to look out for.

She sighed and sat down on her lumpy old mattress as her costume morphed into actual clothing. She and Miles had spent all night looking for Kumo to no avail. She took out her phone and scrolled through the news report about Kumo taking down a van somewhere in the Lower East Side. As usual, some crazy had stayed behind long enough to take pictures.

Gwen scrolled through the shots seeing Kumo facing the van followed by another picture of the Shocker busting out of the van. Peter was studying Germa. Kumo was connected to them too somehow. She'd said Alex was family. Upon deducing that Kumo might be the ninja spider everyone was going on about, she'd contacted Peter and informed him who she might be. He'd said he would call if he saw her.

Gwen had chosen to spend the evening trying to track her down. Truth be told she had searched long after Miles went back home. She'd lied to him that she was calling it a night. He lived all the way in Brooklyn. He had no way to verify. She'd kept searching, until now.

Gwen checked her clock. 3am, it read. It was that part of the morning that still felt like evening. She lay back, wondering what she even expected from Kumo. It had been Miles idea and she'd leaped onto it so strongly. Kumo might be just as lost as she was and Alex was still in trouble.

She frowned at the thought and bounced her feet on the floor a few times. She'd met Kumo. She'd seemed like a calm individual. This bout of rapid crime fighting did not seem like something she'd do. She had to know something, even if it wasn't much. Gwen put the phone down and stared at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come to her today either it seemed. Oh well…

Around 6am she got back up to get ready for school. By 8 am she was at Mid-Town High. By Lunch time Peter called.

He'd met Kumo.

xXx

I sat in my apartment, fuming. I'd been angry since I got back. I'd bathed, eaten and tried to sleep on it but I couldn't. I stood up and paced up and down the living room.

For nothing! It was all for nothing!

There was despair too. There was no way to for us to ever live normally again. We would always be targets because of mum's ambitions. I was wired. That Quiltskin man who could take my punches. What if he had been sent after me before I got these powers? Then what? I still didn't know how he did it. Spider-man said he was human which meant it was some kind of trick? Or he had powers too?

Hours I spent churning the same thoughts over and over again, frustrating myself further and further, pacing the same length of floor. Eventually hunger and tiredness overtook me and I lay down on the floor to sleep.

When I woke up again the sun was starting to set. I sat up, observing it through the window.

What do I do now?

I'd exhausted all the options I could think of. There was nothing left. Perhaps this was the part where I gave up, went over to the neighbouring apartment and let Aunt Amy know that I was back. Accept that my efforts meant nothing. Mum was in too deep. I stood up completely and headed for the door. I reached for the handle and froze.

There was one other way to turn things around. The only reason Dad and I were targets, was because Mum was the one who had what they wanted. I stepped away from the door.

There was still something I could do.

xXx

White Blossom hospital was an impossible place to miss. The building was tall, white and busy at all hours. A decent thirty floors meant that a lot of the upper level windows were pressurized and didn't open. Mr. John Arthur was on the tippy-top floor. Normally this would be annoying because it meant Gwen had to climb up to the roof and then work her way down without being seen. Or worse, change out her costume and find some believable explanation why she needed to see him. Instead she had the pleasure of going up to the roof, entering the elevator house and climbing down the shaft to the relevant floor.

The VIP floor was empty but Gwen stuck to the ceiling anyway out of habit. It took some searching but she found John Arthur's room. She glanced into the window and noted with some surprise that the man was awake. Gwen dropped to the ground and knocked on the door before walking in.

"Mr. Arthur," she greeted.

The man looked surprised to see her. "S-spider-woman."

He had a stutter now? Gwen found herself wondering just how badly he'd been hurt.

"I should've come to visit you sooner."

John twitched, an odd spasm. "It's f-fine."

No it wasn't. But she wouldn't argue with a bedridden man.

"What brings you?" he asked.

"Kumo," Gwen said, "She's my only lead. I think she might know where Alex is. She's been attacking criminals aggressively. I'm certain she's onto something." Gwen paused. "She said you and Alex were family. I was hoping you could point me in the right direction."

Mr. Arthur sighed. Gwen couldn't tell if he was sad, frustrated or relieved.

"I am g-glad you came," he said. "Kumo is… complicated."

Gwen cocked her head, knowing that he couldn't see her frown. "What's the problem?"

Mr. Arthur took a deep breath. He seemed to shake involuntarily.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked lifting a hand as if she could heal him by touch.

"I d-don't function quite the same way I used to," Mr. Arthur replied as he eased back into his bed. "Rehab is supposed to fix it. It is… slow."

"You'll get it."

"I hope so."

Mr. Arthur took another breath, seeming to steady himself. "You must stop Kumo."

xXx

I leaped off a wall toward another building. New York at night remained bright, people below going about their business.

"I'm done."

"Alex, she's your mother."

"I CAN'T. I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE!"

Dad paused when he saw the tears.

"I TRY AND TRY AND TRY and I can't…"

I was sobbing now. I couldn't stop.

I fell short of another leap but that was okay. I caught the street lamp beneath and flung myself back into the air and on the wall I was aiming for.

"Your mother only wants what is best for you, even if her way of expressing it is not the best."

"She doesn't care about me. She's just ticking boxes."

A child should go to school. A child should do well in school. A child should have food, clothes and housing. A child must work hard to get a good job. A child must be capable of caring for themselves by the time they are grown. There was no feeling. No connection. Only disdain once it became clear that among the things a child should be capable of, I couldn't do the most important things. Once my weaknesses were clear, she had no further interest in me.

I ran along the side of the sky scraper angling upwards as I went before leaping to the next building over.

It shouldn't hurt. It feels like I'm being stupid. One person doesn't care about you, boohoo. But I'm crying anyway.

"I understand," Dad said. With my head against his chest there's a comforting rumble as he speaks. "People need people. It is how we function. You're not being foolish. Rationally, it is inefficient and silly, but that's also people. Forgive your mother her flaws, Alex."

But I couldn't continue. I just couldn't. "I'm not good enough."

"No one is."

"You were good enough for her."

Dad hesitates and sighs, hugging me closer. "I can send you to Uncle Jerry. Remember him? They've got some space they're looking to rent. It's the closest to being on your own you can legally get."

There it was. She'd be at the topmost floor. Penthouse? Suite? My mind was not on semantics right now. I landed against the side of the building and began my sprint to the top.

"Here, let's go back inside."

"I can't face her again…"

"You won't. I will handle things from here."

I was not hopeful. Once I started going to school, after the first year or so, it became apparent that I would never amount to anything special. Mum had always been distant. Now she wasn't even trying to hide it.

I ran up jumped toward the railing above me, caught it and flipped myself over a good portion of the rooftop. I sailed over a swimming pool and landed before a pair of glass sliding doors that revealed a luxurious interior. I slid the door open easily, stepping into the living room. I looked around.

The kitchen was a large island setup on my right. There was a TV on the left where the living room really began and a nice dining table set in between the two. The wood was polished, high quality stuff. The end tables had glass and things on it. From the size of the place I wouldn't be surprised if Mum had the entire floor to herself.

Footsteps. Mum came through the door to her bed room dressed in a very simple black night gown that went to her knees. She paused in the hallway leading into the living room and leaned against it, watching me.

"You're the ninja spider everyone is making noise about," she noted, eyes studying me closely.

"I came about business," I said to her.

She didn't visibly react. "Speak."

"Your company is very successful now. Since you climbed this high only recently you've made literal millions for yourself with potential for far more. You could sell now and live comfortably for the rest of your life."

She snorted. "I take it Fisk sent you, since it was his rivals that you neutered. For a time anyway."

So the fat man did play me.

"Who I work for is irrelevant," I said. "The attacks can stop if you sell. Once your name is no longer associated with Germa, you can have peace and still keep your money."

Mum cocked her head, regarding me curiously. "Who are you?"

"Kumo."

"Ah… are you Japanese perhaps?"

I resisted the urge to shrug. I had to eliminate all my mannerisms lest I be recognized. The mask helped muffle my speech.

"That isn't important."

"Using contractions in formal business… you're young too," Mum continued. "Inexperienced."

"I think you're leaping to conclusions."

Mum smiled but there was no mirth in it. "I am. But I leap wisely."

I didn't respond. I couldn't let my tension show. I couldn't fight multiple organizations seeking whatever Mum had, but I could give them a reason not to target us anymore. If Mum sold the company, all those things would become someone else's problem. We could be safe.

Mum walked into the room, circling me slightly. I made sure to keep her in my sights. She went up to the island counter separating the kitchen from the living room and leaned on it.

"Frankly speaking Kumo, your offer is one that I have heard many, many times before," Mum said. "What makes you any different from any of the others I have turned down?"

I could reveal my face. But that would achieve nothing.

"Was your unknown origin supposed to convince me that you are not working for anyone?" Mum continued, amused.

"Your husband is in the hospital as we speak-"

"My husband can take care of himself."

"His injuries suggest otherwise."

"I will not repeat myself."

"And your daughter?"

Shouldn't have asked that. You know you shouldn't have-

Mum's smile faded. "She is not a concern."

I felt cold. Very cold. I shivered, but felt heat spreading throughout my skin. Like when you rub one of those hot balm ointments on your skin. The feeling spread.

She doesn't care.

"Not a concern," she said.

She will not stop.

I sucked in a breath, feeling my lungs rattle with the motion. Dread and anger and spite mixed together.

She doesn't care. It's us or her.

If I must choose…

Dad will hate me. I don't want him to hate me.

He'll understand.

He won't be happy.

If I must CHOOSE.

"I believe we are done here," Mum said, straightening up. "Never show yourself again or I will not let you walk away."

If she's not around what happens to the company?

"I wonder… How long can your company function without you?" I said it. I was really going through with it.

Mum smiled a very predatory smile. "How long indeed. I am surprised. You must be very confident in how much money you have, if you believe you can buy it up once I'm gone."

Wrong. I don't care about the company, so long as you're not attached to it anymore. And if this is how it has to be…

I was committed now. No turning back.

I rushed at her as she lowered her body to counter.

xXx

Miles sat a few rooftops away from White Blossom hospital, waiting for Gwen to pop out. His feet, hanging over the edge of the building, swung idly as he waited. He didn't like trailing Gwen like this, but Gwen's general behavior had both he and Pete concerned. Gwen had come from a place where she'd had her life completely turned upside down in every way that mattered to a hero.

She'd fixed things as much as she could, sure, but she'd come here to start over. Do things right this time. But she'd suffered a lot and closed off. Now all of a sudden she was latched onto this one random kid? Going this far for that one kid? Pete was sure there was more to it and Miles was inclined to agree. So here he was, following her just in case.

Just in case of what, he still wasn't sure of.

xXx

She dodged my first blow and caught my hand. A quick twist of the wrist and I was free and already launching another. She ducked that and sank a fist between my ribs. That single blow knocked all the air out of me, and I went flying back into her kitchen counters. She leaped over the island counter after me. I swiped one of the cabinet doors open and dodged.

Mum landed and just stopped moving. I stayed a good distance away from her, wheezing slightly. I avoided clutching the spot where she hit me even though each throb of pain made me want to fold over and start crying.

Mum turned to stare at me completely unscathed by having a cabinet door slammed into her face.

"I see. You're one of those types…" she smirked.

I sank low and charged in again. Mum blocked my first kick with one of the lower cupboards, then closed it and kicked me back with the same leg. I stumbled and she was on me with a saucepan.

Wai-wha-!

I blocked it, then ducked as a frying pan from her other hand went sailing over my head. Just like that I found myself defending against kitchenware. Mum swung at me in a flurry of blows, backing me out from the kitchen area. As I reached the fridge, I ripped the door open to deter her advance. As mum came around the side I tossed food in her face and then kicked her as hard as I could. She flew backwards and went through the opposite wall.

I ran after her, feeling a tingle coming on-

[Metal! Flying!]

I ducked the sauce pan and the follow-up frying pan-

[Fist!]

A skull-rattling punch landed right on my jaw line and sent me flying back through the hole and into the fridge. My vision blurred as my head rang, vibrations travelling from my head all down my spine-

[Foot!]

I bucked sideways just as Mum put her foot through the fridge. I went low, spun and swung my feet at her balancing leg. Mum jumped up and then pushed off the fridge. I chased her, anticipating her landing as she flipped backwards and landed on her feet. I only got three blows off, all of which were blocked or dodged before she started attacking back.

Her hands and feet were barely visible blurs. I was reacting off anticipation more than sight. She backed me up all the way to the dining table where she went for a roundhouse. I leaped onto the table to avoid it. She followed it up with a sweep to the table legs. My new powers of balance allowed me to adjust to the unstable surface with an ease I'd never have been capable of before.

Undeterred, I attempted to kick flip the legless side of the table into her chin. Mum caught the edge and yanked downwards. I let myself be thrown off, landing behind her and planting a back kick in her back. The table tangled her up and she fell. Before I could capitalize she rolled to her feet and flicked the table up at me with her foot. I rolled under it and popped up only to be kicked back onto it.

Mum jumped up and came down with an axe kick. I rolled backwards and the table was obliterated. I popped to my feet, breathing heavily. My muscles ached and I was sweaty. My limbs ached too. Her attacks were just so heavy. She hadn't hit me that often had she? No she hadn't. And yet…

I sank to one knee involuntarily.

Mum was still on the remains of the table with an amused look on her face. "Regretting things?"

"Shut up," I hissed.

xXx

Gwen frowned. She hadn't known what to expect yes, but she hadn't quite expected that.

"Sorry?" she said.

"Kumo needs to be stopped."

Gwen cocked her head. "Sure she's a bit gung ho, but I'm sure she's got a good reason for it. She's kinda sloppy but we all were at first-"

Mr. Arthur frowned. "You mistake my meaning. I suppose I do not blame you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure your confusion stems from your interactions with her. I'm sure she appeared calm, even friendly to a degree. Those things are true… to a point."

"Doesn't that go for everyone?"

"Indeed it does, and when Kumo reaches a certain point, she ceases to be reasonable. It is much like a switch. I have watched the news reports, seen her in action. I know she will not listen to reason."

"I've never gotten an impression like that from her," Gwen said, making a supreme effort not to ask if he was sure.

"You wouldn't," Mr. Arthur said flatly. "I understand your reluctance to take my word for it but this is important. If you go in blind, you will only make things worse."

He seemed agitated, body twitching more and more frequently, but it didn't show in his speech at all.

"I just don't think Kumo would do anything to hurt Alex," Gwen confessed. "Attacking her mum sounds extreme, even if they aren't on good terms."

Mr. Arthur sighed. "There is background that you lack. She can and she will, especially because of Alex's feelings."

That sounded… complicated.

"Alright. Where do I need to go?"

"The address is…"

xXx

We went back and forth in the middle of a wrecked living room. A simple melee. No unnecessary leaping around, no furniture to shake things up and create openings with. Just us and our hands and feet. The dull impact of flesh against flesh, bone against bone. Every now and then one of us would take control of the offense driving the other back and even landing a hit or three, but always we would turn things back around and repay the damage taken.

"I think I have seen enough."

[Fist!]

Even as my senses warned me it was coming her fist was already buried in my guts. I heaved as I was sent flying backwards. I smashed through the glass doors to the balcony, sailed over the pool and landed hard against the railing at the very edge of the roof. The pain was worse than when I fought the Quiltskin guy. This time I felt a terrifying numbness spreading down my legs.

No, no!

I tried to move my feet and was relieved to find that my toes twitched. Barely. I wasn't paralyzed then but now…

"I wondered who you were…" Mum said as she walked onto the balcony.

I grabbed at the railing to help me stand up, but it had bent beneath me when I hit it. I could only drag myself away.

Mum walked up to me and crouched next to me. What was she on about? Why was she being so quiet? Why did she look so thoughtful?

"I tolerate you, Yukiko," she said, switching to Japanese.

My 'house name', on the Japanese side. She knows.

"At the behest of your father I have remained silent," she continued.

I stuck to English. "I have no idea what you're-"

"If you honestly expect me to believe that you must be desperate. Do you fear me that much?"

"I don't."

"But you play silly games with me," mum responded, flicking my forehead.

My head snapped back with the blow. I was too dazed to lift my head back up to look at her. I felt her grip on the front of my outfit and she lifted me to her face.

"To think that you would go so far as to attack me," she said, traces of a sneer on her face.

"You're putting us in danger…" I wheezed. "What option… do I have?"

"Ah there it is again."

There was what? "I don't-"

Mum glared at me. "Even when I wash my hands of you, you continue to be a burden."

I froze. A burden. She actually came out and said it…

"Is your father not enough for you?" she said. "I thought I left you in capable hands. But here you are determined to continue ruining my dreams."

Is this… was this always…?

"Ruining your dreams…?"

Mum stood up. "Yes."

I felt anger again. "So you think this is an okay position for us to be in?!"

"That is your problem now."

How could she say that?

"I am not obligated to care for you, Yukiko. I could have gotten rid of you in any number of ways, before and after your birth," she said. "I owe you nothing. Anything that I give you stems from my goodwill and nothing more."

I knew that. I knew that and still…

"That's not right…" I whispered. I felt that. Strongly. From somewhere I couldn't quite justify, or explain.

"And who determined that?" Mum sneered. "I will admit that on your own, your chances of survival are small but your father is willing to sink his time and resources into you in the name of love. You have everything you need."

That wasn't… That didn't make any sense… It…

I found myself staring at her. What am I doing?

A feeling like ice water, trickled down my spine.

"My request is simple Yukiko," Mum said, leaning closer, "Leave me alone."

But it wasn't that simple. Because we were connected. And people would use that. That was why I was here. That was why I was here… right?

What have I been doing then…? All this time? What was the meaning of it all?

"Why would you give birth to a child you don't even want?" It took me a second to realize I had said that out loud.

"A better question would be," Mum answered, "why didn't I get to give birth to a child I would want?'"

My whole body felt cold now. I felt… frozen almost. I couldn't feel the rest of me at all. There was just her face and the words and the distance between myself and the world.

If there was never a place for me here… why am I here at all?

Mum looked up and frowned. She picked up my mask, shoved it on my head and covered up my face. Then she stood up and stepped back from me.

What is she doing?

A few moments later I heard a series of thwip noises, a loud whoosh and a small thump. Spider-woman had just landed on the balcony railing.

"Spider-woman," Mum said smiling again. "Good of you to come. I was wondering how I was going to get this intruder off my roof."

Spider-woman looked between Mum and I visibly confused, even through the mask. She didn't know what she walked in on. She didn't know what had happened.

"So you actually fought…" she said.

So she did know what was going on? Huh.

Mum cocked her head. "Sorry?"

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Arthur," Spider-woman replied. "I'll just get the 'intruder' out of your hair. That won't be a problem will it?"

"Not at all."

Spider-woman squatted next to me. "Hey, you okay?"

What was happening? It felt like the world had suddenly gone on this tangent that I was completely unprepared for.

Spider-woman waved a hand in my face and shook me slightly. "Hey, Kumo. It's me."

She felt at my neck and sighed. "Alright come on…"

She pulled one of my arms around her neck and shot a web line out.

xXx

Gwen didn't travel far, Kumo didn't look too good from what she could tell. She swung a few buildings away, aiming for one of the shorter ones she could find and laid Kumo down against one of the AC systems.

She looked awful, now that Gwen was looking at her. Pieces of her outfit were ripped, exposing dark skin and bruised muscles. Some of those bruises had split open and were openly bleeding. Her breaths were tight, rattling things that suggested some damage to her ribs too.

"Kumo… I need you to talk to me," Gwen said. "I don't really… I don't know where to take you or anything and I…. I need your input. Anything you can tell me?"

Kumo didn't respond but her breathing seemed to slow down and steady.

"I know this is a bad time but I can't help you if you don't say anything-"

"Leave me alone…"

The statement sounded hollow and cracked, with a hint of something in her tone that…

Oh God she's crying…

"I don't think I can do that Kumo," Gwen said. "Not until I can at least drop you off somewhere safe. You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to-"

"Go away…"

"I can't leave you like this," Gwen answered, and it was true. She'd suffered similar injuries often enough that she could see that Kumo wouldn't be moving under her own power for a good while. Not when they were that severe. Kumo'd be out here all night and well into the day and even then she was at a good risk of falling to her death on her way home.

Mr. Arthur had not accounted for Kumo being this injured. His plan had been to simply get her to stop her attack and go home.

"Leave me…"

"Kumo, you're repeating yourself."

Kumo wasn't being cooperative but Gwen didn't really have anywhere she could drop Kumo off even if she knocked the darker girl out. Gwen sighed and turned away from Kumo to think.

Pete's going to be busy right about now. But Miles…

It was worth a try.

She had her suit spit out her phone and dialed the number, moving away from Kumo as she did so.

"Hey Miles."

"What's up, Gwen?"

"Do you have anywhere I can drop someone off for a bit?"

He was silent for a second as he thought. "Well there's this old warehouse a few blocks away from my place…"

Gwen took note of the directions and said, "Alright. Thanks a lot."

"No problem."

Gwen turned to Kumo and said, "Here, I've got somewhere I can take you now."

Kumo didn't respond.