Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 68: Wasp's Nest

The Gloom Room A Go-Go bar and nightclub looked to Gwen like something out of an Austin Powers movie. Pictures of the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix competed for space on the walls with hula hoops, Nehru jackets and replica Andy Warhol paintings. All of the furniture was in dark green, orange, yellow and pink hues, colors that flowed together in vibrant patterns. Everything combined to give it a distinctively retro feel, albeit with a modern flavor that would appeal both to nostalgic boomers and younger, trendy hipsters.

Gwen herself conveyed a similar feeling with her attire. Like many other fashionable young women, she'd made good use of vintage clothing, and had come to the audition in a black-and-white patterned miniskirt and matching blouse, along with a pair of white go-go boots she'd bought from a vintage clothing store. Several of the other women who'd come hoping for jobs had come similarly dressed, and their expressions revealed their confidence.

Gwen was still slightly bemused by it all. Looking at photos of 1960s fashion, like the Swinging London and hippie movements, it seemed almost like another world, rather than merely another time. That said, she definitely respected the likes of Mary Quant for the daring innovations they'd made in fashion, innovations that continued to affect the fashion world down to today.

I wonder what people forty years from now will say about my generation, Gwen wondered, as she saw Jonathan Caesar emerge from a back room and come towards them.

Will they think that this era looked like another world, too?

SPIDER-WOMAN #68

"WASP'S NEST"

"Nice to see you all," Jonathan Caesar grinned as he looked approvingly at the girls. "In case you forgot, I'm Jonathan Caesar, one of the club's main investors. Is everybody ready?"

"We're a retro club, but we're looking for our staff to show the same youthful spirit the youth of the '60s did in their heyday," Caesar continued, once the girls had given their assent. "It was a time of optimism and change, the feeling that anything was possible. That's what why we're going to start by your showing me your dance moves. You all checked the YouTube video links we mailed you, right?"

Several of the girls looked discouraged, and when the time came for them to dance it was clear they hadn't practiced. Caesar politely but firmly told them that would be all, and that they didn't need to worry about being called again.

Gwen did well to hide her smile as her turn came. She had spent hours practicing the routines, and combined with her natural stage presence and dance talent she had the routine down cold. Several of the girls burst out in applause as she finished her dance, and Caesar was already typing furiously on his smartphone, an approving look on his face.

The next step involved Caesar asking the girls questions about the menu, something that most of them were better prepared for, including Gwen. After her experience working at the Empire State Coffee Shop, she knew how important it was to have the bar's menu memorized.

Finally, Caesar invited the remaining girls into the back room for a personalized chat one at a time.

"What makes you want to work here?" Caesar started out by asking Gwen.

"It seems like a really nice place," Gwen replied. "It's definitely got an interesting theme to it, and some really good music. It doesn't hurt that I love to dance, either," she finished with a wide smile.

"What's your favorite '60s band, and why?" Caesar followed up.

"The Beatles," Gwen explained, "just because of the sheer influence they had on the world of music. Their impact is still being felt today…"

Gwen was more indifferent than anything else to the music of the 1960s. However, she knew the advantages of learning about the place she planned to work for, and had made an effort to study some of the culture and music of the '60s.