Gwen was wired when she got home. She was ready to beat information out of James. Erica's cryptic warning about the man was still poking at her. Her Uncle Ben's kind eyes as he asked her to reconsider tonight also pricked at her. It didn't matter she was committed to this course of action. As soon as her dad left for his evening shift she was in her costume and went out her window. She was relieved to see James was keeping his shakedown appointments. She was pretty sure even if she webbed him up, he wasn't going to get arrested anytime soon. Two beat cops saw him and his goons and wished him a nice evening while he was shaking down a shopkeeper.
When he got to Mohammed's shop, she hopped down behind the group as they were about to go inside. She shoved one of his goons hard. And taunted them.
"Hey, how about you pay me to not beat you three to a pulp?"
James had a cocky look on his face until he saw who was talking. He bolted immediately. The goon she had shoved tried to tackle her. The other goon and James got out of her line of sight. She growled and punched the one who was trying to take her down. Then webbed him to the sidewalk. By the time she found James he was in a black sports car and was driving away. Spider-Woman swore and gave chase as best she could. It was hard in Queens because it lacked the tall buildings of Manhattan. Thankfully before she completely lost them, they got near those big buildings and Spider-Woman was able to give further chase. She shot a few webs at the car but between swinging at a high speed and his high speed she couldn't connect. The chase lasted forever; They eventually reached the Bronx. They got blocked in by a delivery truck and spun out.
James tried to shoot her but she weaved through the bullets with ease. James started running. His goon stood his ground and kept firing at Spider-Woman. She was forced to deal with him first she webbed him to the delivery truck and chased James down the alley he'd run into. He hit a T-junction and tried to get out of one of the side alleyways. Unfortunately for him Spider-Woman managed to get his foot with a web shot. He started swearing. He emptied his pistol in her direction. She blocked a few bullets with her bracers and dodged the rest. Finally, she had him. She rushed at him and slammed him into a brick wall. He howled in pain as the web snapped his ankle.
Spider-Woman grabbed the front of his leather jacket and slammed him into the wall again. He looked frightened. She glared at him through her mask.
"I think maybe its time you learned a lesson!"
She slammed him into the wall.
"Did you kill Helen Stacy?"
He didn't answer. He just stared at her with wide-eyed fear.
"Did you kill her? Yes or no!"
"Yes, but it was just business!"
She slammed him into the wall again. Just business? She thought. She punched him in the face then flicked her wrist webbing him to the wall. She wanted to crush the life from him. She paced opening and closing her fists. She had him on video saying he did it. If she killed him, she would be just as bad as he was. She would be the loose cannon her father said she was. She made a quiet frustrated growl. She held her fist up.
"Why did you kill her?"
"Her husband wasn't doing what we wanted. We warned him!"
Spider-Woman shook her fist at him. She was in the middle of a call to 911 when her spider sense started going haywire. She barely avoided a swipe with a claw that crackled with electricity. When she got a good look at her attacker, she realized he was wearing a mask too. He didn't say anything to her just made several attempts to strike her with his vicious looking claws. She was having real trouble avoiding him.
"Stop squirming!"
Spider-Woman's spider sense triggered again but she was too busy avoiding the wicked looking claws of the first assailant to find the other attacker. She found her legs and arms pinned by a high tensile strength pair of bolos fired from a specially modified launcher. The man behind it was Miles's uncle. He grinned as he lifted it up and leaned it on his shoulder.
"She's all wrapped up, let's do what we came here to do."
Spider-Woman struggled against the wire. She could feel it giving way but it would take her time to break it. The man with the claws pulled his mask off. She wasn't surprised to see it was no man at all and was actually Miles. He dragged his claw under James's chin.
"Fuck, Prowler, what are you doing? Get me out of this."
Miles sneered.
"Look at you all wrapped up in a bowtie. You know I told you if you show your white ass in my neighborhood again, I'd skin you alive. And here you are, in my neighborhood. My mom cries herself to sleep every night because of you."
James was trying to lean away from Miles.
"You said it yourself your dad was getting in the way."
Miles dragged his claw across the brick wall beside James's head.
"Yea, I also said, let my uncle and I handle him."
Miles lifted James's chin up with one of his claws and looked at his neck.
"My dad will kill you if you hurt me."
Miles laughed, the tone of it creeped Spider-Woman out. She felt the steel straining against her. A few of the strands had already snapped. It wouldn't be long now.
"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Spider-Woman is, she finally snapped and went too far. She's going to beat you to death. Just like all those news reports from the Daily Bugle said she would. I would rather skin you alive, make it last longer, but she wrapped this all up in a bow for us."
James looked truly frightened now. Miles punched him across the face. Blood flew from James's lips. Apparently, his suit gave him enhanced strength. He started to beat James. Breaking bones with almost every hit. His uncle watched on. He was smiling the whole time. Spider-Woman got her bindings loose enough she was able to get a webshooter free to aim at Aaron. She flicked her wrist and he was stuck to a wall. She screamed and burst out of the cables then ripped the ones off her legs.
Miles stopped hitting James when he realized she was free. He lunged at her; She parried his claw strike with her bracer. Strangely even with two super strong people clashing there was no sound when his claw struck her bracer. She threw a haymaker punch. Miles obviously wasn't expecting her to be as strong as she was because he just went for her throat with his claws. Her fist struck his cheek and he went down. He rolled away then lunged towards her again. He unleashed a flurry of attacks she managed to avoid most of them but one found purchase on her abdomen but his claws couldn't pierce the ballistic fiber her costume was made out of. He punched downwards after realizing his claws were doing nothing to her. He managed to connect with her face and she stumbled backwards. It hurt more than the bullet she'd been hit with did.
She kicked backwards and did another flip to get distance. Miles tried to close the gap but now that she had a chance, she launched a web that tangled his legs and he stumbled she launched herself at him. Her knee caught him in the chest. She heard the creaking of metal. Smoke started to pour out of his chest. Sparks followed. The electricity that crackled on his claws dissipated. She grabbed the twisted metal of his smashed exoskeleton and threw him in the air. She launched webs from both wrists, and he found himself pinned to a wall. He struggled and cursed at her, he screamed at her.
"Why didn't you let me finish? You wanted him dead too!"
Spider-Woman shook her head.
"Then I'd be as bad as him. He needs to face justice."
Miles let loose a mocking laugh.
"Justice? Do you even know what you're talking about bitch?"
"I have a recorded confession. He's going to jail for the rest of his life. The police can't ignore that, neither can the DA."
Miles shook his head in disbelief.
"Now I know you're a white girl under that mask. His dad is rich and powerful. Your evidence is going to disappear and he's going to walk. Fucking amateur. There is no justice. He killed my father in broad daylight. You think anyone did shit? Black cop dies? No one cares. Where is the justice in that?"
Spider-Woman shook her head.
"We have to try."
She picked up her fallen flip phone. The 911 operator was still there.
"Hello, yes, I'm back. This is Spider-Woman. I need ambulance and police at E 150 street and Courtlandt Avenue."
She left the connection open and webbed the phone to a wall. She looked at James. He was alive but he was so beaten up he was barely recognizable. She rubbed the side of her face she was pretty sure her cheekbone was broken. As she left the alley, she saw a car she recognized. It was her Uncle Ben's car. He was slumped over the steering wheel. She rushed over to the car and opened the door. She could see blood running down his lips. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she pulled him from the car. She had his head in her lap. He was blinking up at her. She could hear him wheezing. She didn't know much about medicine, but it sounded like he was shot in the lung.
"I'm so sorry Uncle Ben."
His eyes softened.
"Gwen?"
She was facing away from the crowd and pulled her mask up so he could see her face. Her tears dropped on his cheek.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. Uncle Ben."
His voice was barely a whisper as he struggled to speak to her.
"You're doing exactly what I taught you. Using your gifts to make the world better. Don't ever apologize for that. Don't ever stop. Don't ever stop. Tell your Aunt May, I lov-"
He stopped breathing. She saw the light leave his kind blue eyes. Gwen let out a wail and held his head to her chest. She was rocking him when she heard a familiar voice shout from behind her.
"Step away from him and put your hands up Spider-Woman."
She reached up and pulled her mask down. She stood up and put her hands up. She turned around. Her father was there with two other uniformed officers. Each had a pistol pointed at her. She shook her head.
"Please don't do this."
Her father put his gun into its holster and pulled out his cuffs.
"Spider-Woman, you're under arrest for the murder of Ben Parker and attempted murder of James Wilson Fisk, anything you say can and will-"
Spider-Woman flicked her wrists and her father and one of the officers were pinned to cars. She blocked a bullet from the last one and then webbed her as well. She did not have it in her to quip at the moment. Not after Uncle Ben. She shot out webs and yanked herself on top of a building.
She was planning on going home but she found herself on the roof of the house neighboring her Aunt May's home. Her father arrived shortly after she did. She watched as he told her aunt the news. Watched as her Aunt May fell to her knees wailing and sobbing. Watched as her father kneeled beside her lending her comfort. Then she watched as her father told Peter. Her heart ached. She wanted to go down and comfort them. She touched her face which she knew would be one big bruise for a few hours. She hung her head as she jumped to another roof and moved towards her apartment. She crawled into her room through her window and threw her mask aside.
Gwen heard her father come home. He called out to her. She leaned on her locked bedroom door and didn't answer him. He made a few phone calls trying to find her. He even called Flash. She closed her eyes and hugged herself. Tears were running down her cheeks. She'd been responsible for Uncle Ben's death, and she couldn't tell anyone. Couldn't talk to anyone. She heard her father pacing as he ran out of people to contact to find her. Then his phone rang.
He answered it. She heard relief in his voice. Then his tone changed when he heard the man on the other side of the line address him as Captain Stacy. She didn't recognize his voice.
"Captain Stacy. Are you aware of what happened to my boy tonight?"
Her father's breathing quickened.
"I had nothing to do with that Wilson. It was Spider-Woman."
The man spoke again.
"You interfered with my business; Your wife paid the price. Now your daughter will pay the price for this."
"Don't do this."
"It is already done, Captain Stacy. Perhaps the next time someone tells you if their son is ever hurt or arrested, you'll suffer for it, you'll listen. I hear you're getting married soon. Perhaps your next wife and children will be better cared for."
Gwen heard the line go dead. Her father was obviously panicking, he tried calling all of her friends again. She closed her eyes and pulled on her mask. She'd have to deal with this. She had a name, but she had no idea where to find him. She crawled out of her window and then into their living room window. Her father was trying her cell phone again. She could hear it vibrating in her room. He saw her and froze for a few seconds then he drew his gun. She held up her hands.
"I'm not here to hurt you, but I will web you up if I need too."
He kept his gun pointed at her.
"Stop right there, Spider-Woman."
She flicked her wrist, and a web struck his gun, and she yanked pulling it to her.
"Let's start again. Wilson Fisk just threatened your daughter. Tell me where he is, and I'll deal with him."
Her father was staring at his firearm.
"Why are you helping us?"
"In exchange for her skilled labor, your daughter asked me to keep the both of you safe, and to track down her mother's killer. I'm just keeping my promise. Now where can I find Wilson Fisk?"
Her father still seemed hesitant.
"What are you going to do to him? Is he going to end up like his son?"
She shook her head.
"That was Captain Morales's son, I stopped him from killing that monster. I don't kill people."
Her father closed his eyes.
"Where is my daughter?"
"You'll just have to trust that she is safe for the time being. Once Fisk is dealt with, she'll come home."
He sighed heavily.
"His office is at the Tate building. Top floor. He'll have armed guards."
She didn't say another word. She just slipped through the window and headed to her next target. Her father had been right. There were armed guards. She didn't worry about them. She went straight for his office and smashed her way through the window. Webbing Fisk to his desk. He was a mountain of a man, and she could see her web was straining to hold him. She flicked her wrist again before he could call for help he found his mouth covered with a web.
"No, talking, you're going to listen."
He looked at her. She could see hatred burning in his eyes.
"The 12th Precinct, Captain Stacy and his family are off limits. Do you understand? I left your son alive but if anything happens to them, I'll come back to finish the job. Then I'll come for you. I will burn your world down around you."
She walked to the desk and looked at a picture, there was a young girl and her mother in it. He started to struggle harder against her web. She picked up the framed photograph.
"Your wife and daughter? I promise you if anything happens to George, Gwen, Erica or the rest of their families, I'll kill your wife in front of your daughter. Then when you think it's over, I'll kill your daughter in front of you."
She reached out and ripped the web from his mouth. She held the picture in front of him. She prayed he would never call her bluff.
"Do you understand, Mr. Fisk?"
He growled at her.
"Do you know who I am? Do you know who you're threatening? You're starting a war you can't win."
Spider-Woman nodded.
"I know exactly who you are. Your problem is you don't know who you're dealing with, tubby. Let me fill you in. I'm a nightmare for people like you. I have access to advanced military tech. I have superpowers. And lastly you don't know who I am behind this mask. You will never know when I'm going to strike. If it's going to be me, or a drone that is going to just erase you as you walk down the street."
He struggled and more strands of her webbing broke. She wondered if he had superpowers of his own. He snarled.
"I am going to kill you."
Spider-Woman shook her head. She tapped the picture.
"You can try. Now do you understand?"
He glared at her, his voice had a dangerous edge to it when he responded.
"Yes. Damn it."
She placed the picture down on his desk.
"When those webs dissolve, you're going to call off the hit on Gwen Stacy, then you're going to call Captain Stacy back. You're going to apologize and you're going to tell him his family is safe. Or I will be back."
He started shouting for his guards. Spider-Woman lept through the broken window. And vanished into the night.