Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 77: Firing Offence

And that about does it for tonight, Gwen Stacy thought to herself as she saved the documents she was working on, closed the files and put the computer to sleep. I still need to review my notes for tomorrow's lecture, but I can do that before my first class...

Despite the long day of studying, Gwen found to her surprise that she wasn't nearly as drained as she might have been a couple of weeks ago. Many of the issues she might have had to deal with before, whether working at the Gloom Room A Go-Go, appearing in April Reese's independent film, socializing with her girlfriends, helping Randy with his guilt over Felicia Hardy organizing the Harlem bombing and keeping up with her schoolwork had all either been dealt with or were no longer nearly as much of a problem as they had been. Now, even with midterm exams happening next week, Gwen wasn't nearly as stressed as she might have otherwise been.

What should I do now? Gwen wondered, as she got up from her desk. Maybe I should go out on patrol? she wondered.

The sudden ache she felt in her stomach disabused her of that notion right away. As the spectacular Spider-Woman, Gwen frequently went out on patrol for criminals, but tonight she simply couldn't bring herself to do it. After everything she had been going through over the last month or so, Gwen badly needed a break.

Mom was right, Gwen realized. The Gloom Room's getting wrecked was a bad thing, especially with all the people who got hurt in it, but it actually gave me some more free time to take care of everything else I've been driving myself crazy with. Everybody from Uncle Ben to Mom to Randy have been telling me I need to take better care of myself...

...and I guess I'm not ready to get back to web-swinging just yet.

She felt guilty at that realization, but then she remembered that she had other responsibilities besides the ones she bore as a superheroine.

She also had responsibilities to herself.

SPIDER-WOMAN #77

"FIRING OFFENCE"

Alistair Darkholme, alias the Chameleon, alias the Rose, normally prided himself on his ability to keep his temper under control, displaying only those emotions that he wanted to show. However, he was finding it increasingly difficult to do so these days, given the precarious situation he found himself in.

His efforts to establish himself as a prominent crime lord in New York, filling the vacuum left by the demise of three of New York's five major players in the last few years, had started off well enough. Random acts of violence, combined with surreptitious efforts at more profitable criminal activity, had served him very well at first. He'd reaped enormous profits in a short time, profits that were camouflaged by his unpredictable acts.

That was something he'd specialized in for all the years he'd acted as a spy and saboteur, using his mutant shapeshifting powers and manipulation abilities to make people only see what he wanted them to. Having become tired of working for other employers, the Chameleon had decided to go into business for himself as a crime lord, using the techniques he had observed his employers use for his own gain. For a few months, everything had been firing on all cylinders. The Gloom Room A Go-Go had become a nostalgic hangout for many of New York's older movers and shakers, providing him with valuable intelligence; his costumed enforcer Scorpia had proven an effective and deadly weapon at almost every target he pointed her at; and able young lieutenants like Angelo Fortunato had proven to be very effective in fulfilling their assignments.

However, everything had soon begun to turn sour. Alistair had expected Crimewave and Philippe Bazin, the two remaining crime lords of New York, to strike back at him. That hadn't been as much of a problem on its own, and Alistair could deal with his rivals' retaliations. The much bigger problem had come in the form of the spectacular Spider-Woman, who had not only interfered with some of his schemes in her battles with Scorpia, but had also somehow managed to get her hands on a lot of very sensitive information about his syndicate, including important names and base locations. She had then provided that information to the Heroes For Hire and the New York Police Department, which had seriously undermined the Chameleon's position.