Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 27: From The Ashes

This is the story of a girl,

Who cried a river and drowned the whole world...

-Nine Days

After her disastrous failure to stop Jack O'Lantern from killing her father George Stacy, the spectacular Spider-Woman had been left for dead by her crazed archenemy, beaten and bloodied by an enemy against whom she was hopelessly outclassed. Spider-Woman had managed to call the police and an ambulance, who took away George's body and began treating her injuries. It had been touch and go for several hours, as the paramedics found that Spider-Woman was even worse off than she'd thought. It was only because she was too weak to keep the paramedics from restraining her that Spider-Woman agreed to stay as long as she did, and they'd protested heatedly once she'd regained enough of her strength to webswing away.

She proceeded almost by instinct, web-slinging back to her apartment even as she tried to get the gruesome images out of her head. Once in her bedroom, Spider-Woman carefully took some of her street clothes and began ripping and scorching them, taking care to make the damage resemble her injuries. Checking her clock radio, she realized she only had a few minutes before Kitty came home from work, and hastily changed out of her tattered and burned costume and into her scorched and ripped street clothes.

Gwen Stacy's eyes became blue and her hair became blonde as she hid her costume and staggered out of her bedroom. The actions she had to take to keep up her secret identity were second nature to her now, instinct taking over whenever she needed it.

That instinct finally wore off, as Gwen simply collapsed on the couch, trying somehow to deal with the grief that was welling up inside her.

She tried.

And she failed.

SPIDER-WOMAN #27

"FROM THE ASHES"

How many days in a year?

She woke up with hope but she only found tears?

How many days disappear,

When you look in the mirror how do you choose?

Kitty Pryde gave a weary sigh as she stepped off the bus and entered her apartment building, glad to finally be home after a long day at work. Her mouth watering at the prospect of a good home-cooked meal, she hummed under her breath as she made her way upstairs and came to the door to her apartment. Glancing around and realizing she was alone, Kitty impishly grinned and used her phasing powers to pass through the locked door without opening it. While she didn't have any particular use for her mutant powers, she still had fun playing with them every now and again.

All her thoughts instantly vanished when she heard the quiet sobbing. Alarmed, Kitty ran into the apartment and gasped as she saw Gwen sitting on the couch with her head in her hands, weeping. That would have been unpleasant enough, but Kitty was horrified at Gwen's physical injuries. Beaten to within an inch of her life, Gwen looked even worse than she sounded, not seeming to notice Kitty as she continued crying.

"Oh my God!" Kitty exclaimed in horror, running forward as she sat down next to Gwen. Gently patting Gwen on the shoulder, Kitty began hugging her as she looked up, her eyes both red from crying and blackened from her physical injuries. "What happened, Gwen? What on Earth happened to you?"

The haunted, dead look in Gwen's eyes sent shivers down Kitty's spine. When she spoke, Gwen's voice was a hollow croak.

"I was caught in a supervillain attack," she mumbled. "I had to go to the hospital for treatment, and while I was there...I...heard..."

"...Gwen?" Kitty asked gently.

"My...father..." Gwen breathed. "He...was..."

She couldn't hold back the tears any more.