Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 34: An Offer You Can't Refuse

Detective Jason Phillip Macendale of the New York City Police Department's Superhuman Activities Unit rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked over the report the police lab technicians had given him. The person who had written that note wasn't very smart-the fingerprint evidence alone was going to be enough for a search warrant, and somehow Detective Macendale doubted that the idiot would have thought to get rid of all the cut-up magazines.

What interested Macendale about this case wasn't so much the crime itself but the circumstances surrounding it. The notorious mass-murdering supervillain known as Jack O'Lantern, the maniac behind the rise of the new supervillain crime cartel that called itself the Tomorrow Legion, had recently been exposed as the Hammer Labs scientist Steven Mark Levins. His niece was a young mutant college student named Kitty Pryde, whose mutant origins and relation to her murderous uncle had been given public exposure by the Daily Globe.

Anti-mutant bigotry combined with the grief felt by many of Jack O'Lantern's victims, and one of them had placed a threatening letter in Kitty's mailbox. Formed by letters cut and pasted from a magazine, the letter had noted that "payback was a bitch", and that they were "watching" her. Needless to say, Kitty had been extremely upset, something for which Macendale couldn't blame her.

While something like this would normally be handled by the Hate Crimes Unit, it had been transferred to Superhuman Activities because it involved a super-powered mutant. That was the sad state of mutant affairs these days, Macendale realized. For all the very real progress the X-Men had made in building support for mutant rights, mutants still had a hard time getting fair treatment from the police when they were the victims of hate crimes, and mutant bigotry remained very popular in many circles, with pundits being widely applauded for the bullshit they spewed.

I may be a dirty cop, but even I have some fucking standards, Macendale thought, rubbing his eyes in disgust.

That was what pissed him off about the anti-mutant bigots, though.

Macendale knew full well he was a very bad man, but the bigots spewed hate while claiming to care for their country and communities.

Their self-righteous crap made him want to blow their goddamn heads off.

SPIDER-WOMAN #34

"AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE"

Gwen Stacy kept protectively close to Kitty Pryde as they walked home from school, constantly looking around at the passersby. Fortunately, many seemed content to ignore the two girls, although she got the occasional angry look and even one shout, although no one seemed to make a move to bother them. Kitty did her best to keep up a brave front, although Gwen had noticed she visibly flinched whenever she caught an angry glare or shout.

Leading her into their apartment building, Gwen got between Kitty and the mailbox and glanced through it without giving Kitty a chance to look at it. From there, the two girls headed upstairs to their apartment, where they sat down to prepare an afternoon snack. They ate in silence for several moments, before Gwen spoke up.

"…So, what time is Kong coming by?" Gwen asked.

Kitty didn't reply at first.

"…Kitty?" Gwen persisted.

"…We're not going out," Kitty finally muttered.

"What?" Gwen asked incredulously. "But you've been waiting for this date all week! Did Kong have to cancel?"

"…No," Kitty mumbled.

"Then why?" Gwen asked.

"Why do you think?" Kitty spat back with an angry scowl. "Because people stare and yell at me in the streets! Because my uncle ruined my goddamn life! Because I'm a fucking freak!" she continued, her voice rising to an angry scream before she burst into tears.