Spider Gwen: Bushido FINALE: HEIR RETURNING (Patreon)

“Residents in Downtown Brooklyn and its surrounding areas have been coming to terms with the emotional aftermath of a full blown war that hit the Navy Docks yesterday. Local residents described to police a single gunman that they saw fleeing the scene on a motorcycle following the explosion of a large container ship.” said the news anchor as she was presenting aerial footage of the docks, as emergency services were still on scene. All of this was on TV in the interrogation room where Vladislav was held, cuffed to the table. As the news story went on, he wasn’t even willing to take a glance at it. Instead he simply stood still, his head lowered, looking down. On his right there was apparently a simple mirror, but in reality it was a 2 way mirror, with Spider Woman and Agent Cage looking at him from the other side in the room next to him.

“The sound of the explosion shook nearby homes as people ran for cover. Several citizens were injured in the panic as gunfire was exchanged between the lone gunman and an army of armed individuals guarding the ship.” continued the anchor before narrating about the incident at JFK Airport too, showing footage from the burning runway “With the death toll already over 150, police are still finding bodies. There have been no official denials concerning rumors that the dead were members of the Russian Bratva, and still no leads as to the cause of the massacre. I’m Karen Daniels, Daily Bugle. Back to you, Mr Jameson.”

After the report was over, Agent Specter entered the room and slowly walked along the wall towards the camera, discreetly turning it off in order to have a private talk with Vladislav. He wasn’t allowed to participate in the investigation due to the fact the Serbian was the one who assassinated his wife a while ago and also tried to kill him as well on orders of Tombstone and former FBI agent Jimmy Woo. However, he still wanted to have a talk with him and this was an occasion he didn’t want to miss out on.

“Well, I guess this is the moment you were waiting for. The man who caused you so much pain and grief is right in front of you, all tied up. I’m pretty sure deep inside, you want to use your claws and maul me to death, tear me apart and then eat me up. To be fair, I wouldn't blame you at all if you’d do it.” said Ivanovic, not raising his head at all.

On the other side of the glass, Spider Woman was a bit nervous and feeling uneasy, not knowing how Marc would react during his time in the same room with the same guy who assassinated his wife and tried to kill him too. She knew him as calm, calculated and difficult to annoy, but ever since his lizard transformation, extreme anger or stress might cause him to lose his temper as his lizard feral side could kick in and cloud his judgment, making him do something that he will regret later. This was something that was worrying her, his previous outburst at the docks frightened many there, including her, his still to be fully healed knuckle being a reminder of that incident.

She was standing near the glass, paying attention to his reaction, ready to intervene if something happened, but was certain that she would be unable to do much due to him being much stronger than her. It wasn’t like seeing Vlad being torn apart would be something that she wouldn’t enjoy. Deep down she did want to see Vlad suffer. If she'd been in Marc's… scales, she wouldn’t hesitate to have that chance. Images of Foswell crying and hugging Jeremy’s dead body flashed through her eyes for a moment as she was holding her right bicep so hard that the fabric of her suit felt like it was about to tear. It all came back to that moment when she saved Serghei, admitting that she should have killed Vlad when she had the chance. All of this could have been avoided, a sentiment that both she and the symbiote swirling inside her body agreed, but she couldn’t afford to have those thoughts, not now at least, as she had to be ready to jump in between Marc and Vlad if something happens. Is already bad enough that part of the public fears Marc due to his appearance, him mauling up Vlad and eating his guts out would only make things worse. But after a few tense seconds, much to her relief, she saw Marc was keeping his cool with ease, seeing his old personality manifesting.

“I’m not that type. I’m not going to sin more than I need to.” replied Marc before laying out a dossier on the table, containing mugshots of Dimitri, Vasily and several Bratva members who Vladislav killed yesterday “You managed to wipe the Russian mafia off the entire east coast on your own. I want to ask you: Was it worth it?”

“Considering what Dimitri has done to my cousin…yes. Push me around, hurt me, mess with me, insult me, injure me, go ahead. I don’t care, it’s fair game. But when he went after my cousin, kidnapped him, brutalized him and nearly killed him on his wedding day? That’s where I draw the goddamn line.”

The conversation about what happened in the last week or so continued in a surprisingly calm manner from both sides, something that Spider Woman found as a great relief. The last thing she wanted was to play peacekeeper or intervene to stop more bloodshed. Suddenly, her phone vibrated, notifying her that she received a text message. Opening it, she saw it was from the same unknown number that was calling her for the last few days, the sender talking like they knew her and saying they will be in town soon and can’t wait to see her again, something she found unnerving. For now, she put it aside and focused on the interrogation, as just like everyone else, she was surprised that Vladislav surrendered peacefully, but still kept her assumption on why he did it to herself.

“... So even though he survived, I am sure he will never forgive me. The bullet made his heart weak and thus, unable to conceive as it will be fatal for him. He won’t be able to form a family on his own and for that, he will never cease to hate me.”

“I see…” replied Specter, taking a deep breath. He did feel pity for Vladislav, something many would find strange considering what he has done “...Listen. I’m sure as hell I don’t approve of what you just did but to some extent I do understand the pain you are feeling. What happened to Serghei was a tragedy, something I wouldn't wish this on anybody, not even the ones who hurt me the most. But in the end, you are as well responsible for this. Your affiliations and the enemies you made didn’t just affect you, but also the ones you cared about. That’s the life of crime. Even though you tried to forget about Dimitri, he didn’t forget about you and that had consequences. And speaking about consequences, you will have to face them for your own crimes.”

“Tell me something, Agent Marc Specter, do you believe in God?” Vlad decided to interrupt as now, it seemed that it was his time to speak.

“Yes I do. Not only believe, but also try to follow His rules.”

“Do you really believe that our actions have the consequences that mold us in life? Or is it because God has a kick out of it without a care? Look at you, a psychopath murdered your wife, a… freak, from another dimension kidnapped you and your son, tortured you and turned you into a 2 ton abomination so he could enact some twisted revenge on your web brained friend. So tell me, Agent: what sort of actions did you do in your life that you deserved to have such a horrible fate?”

Marc remained silent as  this did touch a nerve on his end. Ever since he was hit with the bad news that there is no cure for the lizard mutagen and he will never be human again, he prayed several times and kept asking God what he did in order to deserve this. Every time he felt like he must have done something to be punished in such a way. Vlad kept making his challenging speech, the mercenary keeping a stern look at Marc, staring directly at his reptilian eyes without fear.

“Do you think that God cared when my country was invaded and submerged into a conflict that tore it apart? Do you think that He cared when a battalion one day decided to have some “Fire Practice” over my town because they thought that we were aiding the enemy faction? Do you think that God gives a f*ck about all the people I murdered, ESPECIALLY your wife, while I am here still breathing?”

For a moment, it seemed that Marc was about to pounce at him for the things he was saying, but the scowl in his face softened as he sighed deeply. It was like he was feeling nothing more than pity for him, but also now he was starting to understand better what made him have this cynical look on life.  “Even if you aren’t directly punished by the things you did, your Cousin is…”

Vlad’s defiant gaze soon faded as he looked down at the table, a hint of genuine sadness and grief washed over him after hearing the agent’s words. It seemed that this had indeed struck a nerve.

“Normally, I would say “Go to Hell’ Mister Ivanovic, but it seems to be that you are there already. So I won’t push any further. Good luck.”  and with that, Marc left the room, leaving Vlad alone as he was drowning in his sorrow, leaning back against the chair. In the other room, Spider Woman made a deep sigh of relief after all those tense moments were over, greeting Marc as he entered the room.

“Are you ok?” she asked as she saw Marc drinking some water directly from a 5 gallon plastic bottle that was near the water cooler.

“Yeah…Guess that’s that. It’s finally over. He’s in custody, all that needs to be done is to be sent to Europe to international court.” said Marc, looking at the glass, taking one last look at Vladislav before grabbing his tablet and heading towards the exit “Get some rest, kiddo. You earned it. Luke will get in contact with you once we start to make the moves against Martin Li.”

Gwen nodded as she headed for the exit, leaving as fast as she could before someone could see her in the facility. Thanks to Luke, who ordered most of the personnel to remain outside as the interrogation was conducted, there weren’t many cops that could have spotted her. This was a good thing, considering that she was still wanted as a criminal and after today’s ordeal, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with cops.

Sleeping for the next few hours in her bed, Gwen was having some relief, being in her world of dreams. It was one of the moments when she was having a peaceful sleep, not disturbed by either someone waking her up or experiencing any nightmares regarding her deceased best friend. The sensation of sinking in the soft mattress was so calming, she didn’t want the sleep to end too soon.

As the sun was starting to set, she woke up from her nap and was greeted with the smell of dinner emanating from the kitchen downstairs. Before leaving for his turn at night shift, Captain Stacy left her a little surprise in the form of her favorite dinner. Delighted by this treat, Gwen took a seat and began enjoying the food while listening to the radio on her phone.

“Thanks, dad. This is quite a pleasant treat.” she said to herself while savoring the carefully cooked steak and steamed vegetables, it was clear George really pulled out all the stops to make sure it came out perfect “After a week of corn dogs and junk food, this is quite a relief. Glad I can't gain weight.”

After the music playlist on the radio app had finished playing, the news started to play, this time being mostly aimed at foreign news. Among the general stories, one was more of interest from the anchor. It was related to a botched withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Kandahar that took place last month, one that resulted with many soldiers being killed by terrorist forces. The news was saying some of the names of the elite Desert Scorpion unit that was ambushed and decimated near Kabul, one name did catch Gwen’s attention, worrying her: Private Harry Osborn. A full year has passed since Harry and Gwen saw each other, back at Peter’s funeral and six months since the last letter from him before going completely silent. She was worried that something happened overseas, but always hoped it was just army policy, probably due to a more secret mission. Now, with this news story about his unit being decimated, she was starting to think if he will be among the ones returning home in a wooden coffin. That would devastate her, as she, along with Peter and Harry were best friends. But before the anchor could read the list of all the soldiers who got killed, her phone began to ring. Picking up, she saw it was Agent Cage, promptly answering it.

“Gwen! Suit up, we have a problem!”

“What? What happened?”

“Vladislav is gone! Someone ordered his release and now he is out of the country!” replied Cage, himself being completely in shock.

“WHAT?! How the f*ck this guy was able to walk away again?!”

“Someone came and ordered his release after we all left. Tried looking at the cameras to see who it was but they were all scrubbed clean. Good thing Marc put one hidden camera just in case something like this happened and we saw who ordered the release.”

“Ok, so who was it?”

“You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Here! I sent you the footage. Check your email.” replied Luke before she felt her phone vibrate to notify her about the video that came via email. Opening the file, she saw much to her shock that it was a SHIELD officer who went to the agents guarding Vladislav and ordered his release on national security reasons, then requested all video footage be erased before leaving with Ivanovic.

“What the-? That’s the same SHIELD lieutenant who escorted Fury and Hill back when I was at Janet after the Helicarrier sank in the ocean!”

“That’s why you must go to SHIELD HQ right now! Marc saw this and blew a fuse! The entire interrogation room is destroyed after his outburst. Now he’s going there right now to confront Fury! Go and try to calm him down before he does something he might regret!”

“F*ck, I’m on it!” quickly replied Gwen, stumbling with the bar stool while rushing upstairs. She knew his friend was feeling betrayed over this and a direct confrontation with Fury will likely turn deadly. Heading towards SHIELD’s temporary HQ was the first thing she could do, hoping to get there before Agent Specter does.

Some time later, things were also unraveling at the temporary SHIELD HQ in New Jersey. Pieces of the Helicarrier went through forensic examinations, including the hose that was supposed to keep Rita DeMara sedated and asleep. The results did show it was sabotage, something Nick Fury began to suspect but he needed proof to confirm his suspicions. Also, Murdoch’s takedown has uncovered some missing SHIELD tech and the connection with Murder INC convinced him that Vladisdlav Ivanovic was involved with DeMara. It looked like DeMara’s attacks on SHIELD warehouses were also cover ups for Murder INC stealing SHIELD tech and passing it to The Hand, reverse engineering their own weapons for their own use and eventual sale in the black market.

“This guy really planned his moves well, director. Even with Murdoch in custody and his properties searched, the FBI still didn’t manage to recover all of our tech.” said Maria Hill, showing Fury a list of what was recovered and handed back to SHIELD and what was still missing.

“This still doesn't add up. This guy couldn’t get this far without some help…” replied Fury, looking at the list and the evidence. Something was looking fishy to him.

“You suspect a mole in our ranks?”

“Is the only explanation… But who?”

Just then, the door on the other end of the room was kicked open and flew off its hinges, hitting the opposite wall with enough force to end up bent and out of shape. Through the opening, Agent Marc Specter came in, growling and completely enraged. He was seeing red and nothing seemed to stop his slow but constant advance towards Fury and Hill, not even Spider Woman, who shot some webs to his back and tried to stop him by pulling them with all her might, but it was useless as she was being dragged along. It was like trying to stop a brakeless train.

“Marc, please calm down! Remember what you read in The Bible every evening. Remember the part where it said: Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. In this case, VERY SLOW to become angry! Come on, calm down! Remember that part you told me before: Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil!” said Spider Woman as she still tried to pull him away. She thought appealing to his religious side might make him see ration and defuse this situation, but it was clear he was not in the mood for a spiritual debate “Please!!!” The scene  might have looked funny to look at, but not in these circumstances.

“Stay out of this, Gwen…” replied Marc in a low growl, as he saw Hill was already reaching for her gun. Fury however, was unfazed over his entrance, not even raising an eyebrow.

“Nick, you better explain why you ordered Vladislav Ivanovic’s release. fast! I can’t hold him much longer!!!”

“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t order his release. In fact, I was ready to request to talk with him!”

“Don’t lie, Fury! I recognized the SHIELD officer who ordered his release! Is the same guy that accompanied you and Hill back when you came to visit Janet after the Helicarrier went down!”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…are you telling me Lieutenant Pendrew is working with the Serbian? That is a dangerous accusation, Stacy. I hope you got solid evidence, otherwise- ”

“YOU WANT EVIDENCE, ASSHOLE? TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!” snapped Marc, throwing a USB drive at Nick, with the Director catching the flash drive mid-air. After seeing the incriminating video, he simply stood still at the main monitor, not saying anything for a minute, clearly upset over this clear case of treason by a high ranking SHIELD officer.

“Agent Hill… get on the line and tell Pendrew to move his British rear right here. Now!”

“That’s the problem, Director Fury: He’s been missing for days.” replied Maria Hill, opening up the personnel database and showing his folder having an “ERROR” message.

“What do you mean he’s missing? You don’t keep track of your agents or something?” asked Spider Woman, as she also was getting irate over the idea that the SHIELD mole vanished.

“He’s Head of Security, thus, capable of erasing his details from the database and going off the grid. Should have seen this coming….” replied Nick, irate himself after searching every folder, only to see Pendrew covered his tracks and scrubbed all his data. It was like he never existed.

“You let a snake slither in your agency for this long and only NOW YOU’RE FINDING OUT?!”  growled Marc, getting quite enraged and getting into a heated argument with Nick Fury, with Spider Woman getting in between them quite literally, mainly to stop Specter from the danger of potentially losing control, eventually resorting to begging him to calm down. It turned into chaos, as all three were pretty much entangled in this argument, not noticing Maria Hill simply leaving the headquarters, nobody knowing where she was going.

Half an hour later, in the underground parking lot of an apartment building far outside New York City, Pendrew was casually loading several bags of money in the trunk of his car, along with some documents and a phony passport. His plan was to go north in Canada and take several flights in order to lose his trail, along with leaving a fake digital trail all around the world to further confuse anyone trying to find him.

“Never thought I’d even consider you as a traitor, Thomas.” said a voice behind him. Turning around, Pendrew saw it was Agent Hill who came for him, with a pistol in her hand “Get on the ground.”

“Traitor? I did what’s best for SHIELD and everyone. You just don’t seem to realize it, Maria.” calmly replied Pendrew, looking her straight in the eye “How do you think i managed to get us all the pieces we needed to make Red Star operational? These aren’t pieces you can get by official means without some bureaucrat pencil neck sticking its nose. These can be supplied only via unorthodox means. Vladislav made it happen!”

“By selling SHIELD tech to him and The Hand? By sacrificing some of our colleagues and the Helicarrier? All of this for a weapons dealer?!”

“Collateral damage, Hill… that’s the price that I was willing to pay for getting my hands dirty, for the sake of SHIELD” replied Pendrew, getting closer to Hill, not afraid that she was armed. He considered she wouldn't shoot him, since they weren’t just colleagues, but also good friends.

“What about the thirty million dollars you just got paid, along with the ten million you got in the back of this car? I found the transfer that came through today in your offshore account.”

“Did you think I am that stupid to not have a back up plan? Nick will lock me up in the Cube and toss the keys in a hole and see me rot in a monitor for the rest of my life, even though I did what he didn’t dare to do to get the Red Star in function.  He 's weak, Maria. He didn’t have the guts to do what it needed to be done to get that project going…”

“...just get on the ground, Thomas.” Said Maria, visibly heartbroken over his friend’s treachery. However, Pendrew had no intention of surrendering, as he was looking at his trunk with the corner of his eye, seeing his gun was on top of his bags. Despite Hill’s repeat orders to get on the ground, he was slowly reaching for it. Eventually Hill got angry as the possibility that he would have to shoot him was increasing.

“GET ON THE F*CKING GROUND!” shouted Hill, but Pendrew still didn’t listen, quickly taking the gun and trying to point it at her, only to end up shot several times, falling on the ground next to his car, dead. Unusually shocked over the fact she had to kill someone who was her friend, Maria threw the gun away, as it wasn’t traceable back to her and fled the parking lot to avoid any witness seeing her. She then headed back to the jet stored a few blocks away. The SHIELD mole was now dead and the news will reach HQ shortly, but the damage he did was done. What kept bothering Agent Hill was what Pendrew said regarding Red Star and what he had to do in order to complete this important project.

Meanwhile, back in the city at the hospital in the Upper East Side, Spider Woman was climbing up the walls of the buildings in order to find the right room she was looking for. The reason for this: she wanted to check on two people and also the fact that she could get arrested if she went inside the hospital and the personal inside spot it here. One of them was Foswell. Fred got out of the last surgery days ago and was recovering well enough to be able to accept visitors. She was able to find the right window, and by her luck, it was slightly open, allowing her to go inside/ There, she found him being the only patient in the room. He was covered in  bandages from the cuts Mr Akuji cut him several times with the scalpel. His crippled leg however, was completely covered in a cast, a sign a lot of work was needed just to give it look somewhat normal. His toes were all black and blue from the bruises inflicted. Overall, he looked in a rough shape, but at least was alive.

“Hey. Thought I’d drop by to check up on you.” said Spider Woman, getting his attention, as he was looking forward to the wall in front of him, with a sad look on his face. She then took a seat next to his bed, hesitant to make eye contact with him, feeling a tremendous amount of shame over the situation “...how… how are you?”

“What do you think, kid? I got enough titanium in my leg that I wouldn't be able to go through an airport without setting off every alarm on a 5 mile radius. I will need a brace for life. Eventually a wheelchair. Lost whatever was left of my leg… and Jeremy…”

“I-I’m sorry.” replied Spider Woman, looking at the floor, her sense of shame increasing “Sorry about all.”

“My nephew’s no longer alive… all because of the bullshit he got himself into, just because he wanted to help you out…”

“I… didn’t know he was your nephew…”  she said, raising her head over this revelation. This subject hit Fred too, as she saw he was still staring up front to the wall, but this time a tear was falling off his face.

“When my brother died, Jeremy was just a kid. And alone. His mother left him already and he was about to be sent to an orphanage. That was something I couldn't let happen, so I called in a lot of favors to adopt him. Raised him like he was my child. Mentored him like he was my own. He was just like Franco… and that brought his downfall.”

“I-I told him to be careful. I’m sorry, I know it won’t bring him back and you are right to hate me…”

“I don’t hate you, you didn't force him into this. Is not like you tortured him to death. But I don’t want to work with you anymore. I had enough.” replied Foswell, looking at her with a serious and sad look. At this point Spider Woman made eye contact with him for the first time. She saw the pain in his soul and couldn’t blame him. That is why she also didn’t even think of talking him back into helping.

“I-I understand. I won’t bother you again.”

“I’m sure you won’t. I’m closing down the club for good. Once I am out of the hospital, I will leave New York and go South. I lost everything and this city now has nothing but painful memories for me.”

“I see...” replied Spider Woman, as she got up and gave Frederick one last look before walking to the window “Goodbye Foswell, … I wish you the best of luck” After a nod from Foswell, she turned around and jumped out from the window, knowing her somewhat friendship with him was over and this was the last time she would see him again, but it was for the best. If this would mean a fresh start for him, at least he won’t have to look over his shoulder anymore.

After that, she was now looking for the room Serghei was located in. She wanted to check on him as well, feeling sorry for how things turned out, as he was an innocent victim caught in his cousin’s wars. The one saving grace was that he survived the attack that was intended to kill Vladislav, but one stray bullet managed to hit him.

“Jeez, these hospitals are the same: a literal maze…”  she mumbled while jumping and crawling around the windows, occasionally peeking in order to confirm where Serghei was. However, after snooping around for an hour… and giving some patiences a good scare by seeing her crawling around the windows, she was able to find Serghei’s room, seeing him laying on his bed with some equipment near him, probably for monitoring his heart condition. Despite all that, he seemed to look quite comfy as he was enjoying an ice cream and watching some TV.

Spider Woman got closer to the window and knocked it up a little bit in order to get his attention. He did notice her, as he got a bit too by seeing the Spider Woman all of a sudden, but calmed down and half opened the window by using a remote controller that was in his bed.

“Hi. Good to see you pulled through.” said Spider Woman as she went inside the room, glad that she didn’t have to crawl around the building anymore.

“I didn’t expect you to come and visit. I appreciate it.” said Serghei, visibly weakened due to the painkillers administered through his arm, but still happy and in good spirits regardless.

For a few minutes, Spider Woman and Serghei had a nice talk over what happened, the heroine getting a clearer picture of what happened at the wedding up to the point Serghei passed out the moment he got shot in the chest. She was quite saddened, due to how the happiest day of his life ended for him but also impressed over Vladislav’s behavior during the wedding. She always took him as someone who never had any emotions, a soulless shell whose only purpose in life was to kill, maim and create chaos on demand. Trying to imagine him as someone shy looking and formal in a wedding suit didn’t fit quite well inside her imagination.

Moments later, Serghei’s phone began to ring, displaying an unknown number. Knowing who it was, he answered the phone, not surprised who was at the other end. Spider Woman also decided not to say anything, not to tip off Vladislav that she was in the room.

“Serghei, how are you feeling?”

“I’m good, much better now. How about you? Didn’t hear from you the entire week. Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you? How’s married life?” asked Vladislav, obviously trying to avoid the sensitive subject of his cousin being in hospital, but Serghei knew that.

“It’s ok, hard to be happy when your wedding goes the way ours did, but hey, the bed is comfy and the Ice Cream is tasty, and also free! Cousin, look… don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry at you.”

“There’s no one else to blame, Serghei. It’s my fault for breaking my rule of “no loose ends”. It’s my fault because I got close to you and now you cannot be a father. I shouldn't get close to anyone. I have chosen this path, and it is a journey I must do alone, all the way to my eventual grave.” replied Vladislav in his confession. Spider Woman couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she was hearing the conversation. Hearing him not just acknowledging the consequences of his choices but also expressing regret was something she would have bet her life that it wouldn’t happen.

“Don’t say that… You should stay close to Alexandra and me. We’re your family. Don't forget that. And there is still good news: Alexandra is pregnant. She was before we got married, was something we were going to announce at the wedding reception. They’re twins! We were thinking about giving one of them your name too! They… they need an uncle, you know? An uncle that must leave this life behind and stay alive for his nephews. ”

For a few seconds, it seemed like the call was interrupted, as Vladislav didn’t respond but then an inaudible sound could be heard from him. Spider Woman however could assume that this bit of news actually touched him, as she could hear he was somewhat getting emotional.

“Congratulations, Serghei. You’ll make a good father. See you soon and get well.” replied Vladislav before abruptly hanging up. Serghei sighed, but he had a hopeful and happy expression at hearing his cousin after all this. Spider Woman on the other hand was laying against the wall with her arms crossed. There was a hard emotional struggle inside her head: on one hand, she was happy for Serghei, especially the fact that he will become a father after all. On the other hand, Vlad was still free. Despite this display of true affection for his cousin and what was left of his family, she couldn’t bring himself to forgive all the things he did, especially after what happened to Foswell and Marc’s wife.

“Errr… Are you ok?” Serghei asked as he looked a bit concerned at the webslinger who went silent for like a whole minute.

“Y-yeah… I am ok…” she said before standing up from the wall and heading towards the window “Get well Serghei… and congratulations.” she forced a smile before she leaped out of the window, leaving Serghei a bit puzzled, but still happy at Spider Woman’s gesture to visit him, truth be told… it was better to leave before she said something that would sour Serghei’s happiness, the man has suffered enough already…

As the evening came, a cheerful atmosphere was in the Parker residence next door, as Gwen was playing a game bridge, with Gwen and Aunt May as one pair and George with Uncle Ben the other. It was refreshing for her to reconnect with Peter’s adoptive parents. She did manage to tell the Parkers the same story she told Liz regarding her new look and much to her relief, it worked and now she could stop hiding from them every time she tried to get out of the house.

“We win again, George. Guess we had good cards for the last two rounds.” said Ben as he began to mix up the cards again.

“We’ll win next round, Ben. Just watch.” replied Gwen, as she took a sip from her coffee mug and enjoyed some cake Aunt May made that morning. It was tasty and enough to make her feel fuzzy and good inside, even the symbiote enjoyed it, mainly due to the sugar from the chocolate glazing.

“Let’s not be competitive. Afterall, we’re playing to have some fun. Long time has passed since my last game of bridge.” said May as she poured herself some coffee as well “You know Gwen, I could make an eye patch that would look really good if you want. I still have my skills with the sewing machine and  think I could help you hide that injury.”

“Thanks May, a pirate look is in fashion right now, with Pirates of the Caribbean still being the talk of town, but not sure I will go that path. A simple hairstyle adjustment will do the trick for now.” replied Gwen, giving a smile and on instinct covered her scar with a bit of her hair. It was nice that May offered some help in hiding that mark on her face, but for now, she was trying to deal with it on her own.

The game went for another hour, until someone began to ring the doorbell. Upon May’s request, Gwen went to answer the door. Opening it, she was in for quite a surprise: standing in front of her, in army uniform was Harry Osborn, Norman’s son, heir of Oscorp and the third friend of her trio.

“Gwen! Didn’t expect to see you here, thought you were asleep.” said Harry, a bit nervous over running into his friend right now. He was expecting to meet the Parkers first and then reconnect with Gwen the next day “Did you get my message? I tried calling you from the Middle East after I lost my phone when enemy forces attacked the base.”

Gwen simply stood there shocked and also finally having that question regarding those calls answered. She thought it was some random caller but in fact it was Harry who tried contacting her. The message as well was from him. She thought he died in the attack on Desert Scorpion Unit, but now her fears were put to bed, as he was standing in front of her.

“One year, Harry? One whole freaking year without a word from you!?” asked Gwen with some noticeable anger in her voice, as she finally could stop worrying about her friend.

“Gwen, I’m sorry. It’s just I-”

“Shut up. Just shut up.” replied Gwen, embracing him, happy he was alive and well, getting embraced by Harry in return. Right now, she didn’t care if it was late in the evening or it was too chilly for her wardrobe that consisted of a t-shirt and short jeans, all she cared about was her reunion with a friend she thought was gone as well.

THE END

created by me and https://www.deviantart.com/snarkymofo

well this is it. The final chapter of the current arc. And that concluded Bushido. But fear not. This is not the end of this series... yet. Next one will take longer to make as it's even bigger. Thank you everyone who liked and supported this. More SG content (and other stuffs) will be  posted in the meantime, some being Patreon exclusives.

previous chapter https://www.patreon.com/posts/spider-gwen-12-90010018