Chapter Text
Issue #3
Black Mamba stared at the door to the room where Spider-Woman and Hank Pym were being kept as prisoners.
“When I find Zemo he’d better give me some fucking answers! This is crazy!” She exclaimed.
Thudding footsteps sounded from down the hallway, and Black Mamba turned and saw that Zemo was approaching her, followed closely by Arnim Zola’s massive robotic body.
“I see you have discovered our guest.” Zemo stated, his hands folded behind his back as he calmly approached her. “Do not be alarmed. I assure you, the masked girl will not present a problem.”
“Okay, cool! But can you explain to me why you have her in the first place?”
“Electro was getting too impatient. He wouldn’t continue to serve us until we took care of his nemesis.” Zemo explained.
“And why haven’t you killed her already?!”
“In due time.” Arnim Zola said placatingly. “I believe that her genetics might provide some use to my experiments. Just imagine, an army of enhanced mutations with the abilities of this wall-crawling anomaly!”
“Oh please, there’s plenty of genetic freaks everywhere nowadays. My advice? Get rid of this one before she messes up whatever the plan is.” Black Mamba argued.
“Rest assured, she will be put down, but only after we have taken down the rest of the Avengers. I intend to execute them publicly, for all the world to see!” Zemo exclaimed, an excited edge to his voice.
Black Mamba just rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m just here to get rid of the Avengers. They get in my way too much. I don’t care about whatever world domination crap you’re trying to pull.”
The white eyes of Zemo’s mask practically bored through Black Mamba’s skull. She awkwardly looked away.
“Please follow us. There is something that we must show you.” Zemo coolly stated.
He and Zola moved past her. Black Mamba stared after them momentarily before running to catch up to them.
“Tony? What’s going on in there? Why won’t you open the door?” Tony heard none other than Steve Rogers call from the other side of his office door. “I talked to Pepper. She said you’ve been holed up in here all day!”
Tony sighed. He was staring at his reflection in the window. He was still wearing last night’s clothes. He hadn’t showered or fixed his hair or even shaved around his signature mustache. To sum it up, he looked like shit.
“Tony, please don’t make me break the doors down!” Steve warned.
“Cool your jets, cap!” Tony shouted back, spinning around in his chair and flipping a switch under his desk, which made the doors manually open.
Steve strutted in. He was out of costume, wearing blue jeans, brown combat boots, a button-up blue shirt, and a brown leather bomber jacket. “Tony, what’s the matter with you? I’ve been calling all day, we were supposed to have lunch together, remember?”
Tony leaned back in his chair while shifting his demeanor to look more upbeat. He forced a grin. “Sorry hon, guess I just got carried away with work. Won’t happen again.”
Steve scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “I talked to Pepper downstairs. She told me Nick Fury visited earlier. Care to tell me what’s going on?”
Tony almost let his smile slip. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it, Steve.”
Steve walked around the desk and leaned down, placing his hands on the arms of Tony’s chair. Tony’s shell cracked a little.
“I’m fine.”
“No you're not.”
“I am.”
“Tony…”
Tony pushed his chair back, and Steve let go. The chair rolled back a few inches before Tony stood up. He turned away from Steve, glaring out the window. He squeezed his eyes shut and scowled, before letting out a deep breath, attempting to ease the tension out of his body.
“Okay, so I’m not fine, Steve. S.H.I.E.L.D. is trying to take control of my company. They want to use my tech to make weapons. My tech!” Tony hung his head. “I already have too much blood on my hands.”
Steve moved to stand next to him, slinking his arm around Tony’s waist. Tony grinned a little, leaning in.
“Tony, I’m so sorry.” Steve consoled.
“Th-” Tony began before he was interrupted by someone opening the doors to his office.
Steve quickly moved away from Tony, putting a respectable distance between them. Tony gave an exasperated sigh. Pepper Pots walked into the office with a tall stack of files in her arms.
“Steve.” She said, nodding to him and smiling. “Thanks for knocking Tony out of whatever funk he’s been in!” She moved to Tony’s desk and unceremoniously dropped the files onto it. “Now he can do all the paperwork he skipped today. And yesterday. And the day before yesterday.”
“Really, Pepper?” Tony groaned.
“Don’t you ‘really Pepper’ me, Tony, you’re the company's CEO! I won’t do all of your work for you!”
Tony rubbed his forehead. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Pepper.”
“No problem, boss.” Pepper curtly replied. She turned to Steve and smiled. “Nice seeing you again, Steve! You should come here more often; Tony’s a lot easier to manage with you around.” She said teasingly.
With that, Pepper left, closing the doors behind her. Steve turned worryingly to Tony.
“Tony, she doesn’t know about us, does she?” He asked.
Tony smiled, stepping over to Steve and placing his hands on the blonde’s arms. “Don’t freak out, capsicle, I haven’t told anybody.” He reassured. “I mean, she definitely suspects that we’re dating, but it’s not like she’s a homophobe or anything.”
Steve lowered his head. “I know. I’m just…not ready for anyone to know yet. Back in my day, gay men couldn’t exactly be open about it. I’ve started seeing a therapist and…”
“Steve!” Tony interrupted. He pulled the man into a hug. “It’s okay, I get it.” He pulled back. “You don’t have to explain to me. Take your time. Take all the time that you need.” He leaned in and gave Steve a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you tonight at Janet’s gala thing tonight. In the meantime, I better do all this paperwork before Pepper gets mad.”
Steve grinned, then turned to leave, but not before Tony gave him a light smack on his rear end.
Steve gave Tony a faux-outraged look as he made his way out of the room. “The Invincible Iron Man is afraid of his assistant?”
Tony grinned back at Steve. “Petrified.”
Wanda Maximoff was lying down on her bed, doomscrolling on her phone, while her TV played music from one of her Spotify playlists. She sighed, then was startled as a ghostly apparition flew up through the end of her bed, then hovered above her. It solidified into a red, green, and yellow figure, and Wanda excitedly realized who it was.
“Vis!” She joyfully exclaimed as she stood up.
Wanda jumped and was embraced by Vision, and the two of them hovered there for a moment, hugging, until Vision flew to the floor and set her down.
“How are you, Wanda?” Vision asked, smiling at her.
Wanda smiled back. “I’m great!” Her gaze focused on their lips. “Wow, your smile really improved!” She complimented.
Vision’s smile widened to an almost uncanny degree. “Thank you. I’ve been studying humans during my travels to perfect it!”
Wanda was unbothered by the strangeness of Vision’s expressions and pulled them into another hug. “I missed you.” She said.
Vision hugged her back. “I missed you too. I’m sorry was gone for so long, but I had to get a better understanding of the world, and where I fit in it.”
“And? How did it go?” Wanda asked curiously.
“I learned much.” Vision said as they gently sat down on the edge of Wanda’s bed. “I think I better understand you humans-”
“And mutants!” Wanda interrupted.
“...and mutants more than I did before. Traits are shared between you all, but their is so much variance in physicality, personality, and action. Worst of all…” Vision frowned. “I still find myself troubled by the concept of gender.”
Wanda chuckled. “Aren’t we all?”
“Apparently not.” Vision replied. “So many of you are dogmatic to the point of insanity around it. Many even reject their own kin because of it.” They stated, perplexed. “It’s absurd because, as far as I can tell, it’s all made up!”
Wanda sat closely next to Vision. “How about I get you some books about it?” She asked.
“That would be helpful.” Vision said gratefully. “When Ultron created me, he used brain scans of the hero known as Wonder Man for my mind. Upon learning more about him, I have found that we have many similarities, but…differences as well. Shouldn’t we be alike in every way?” Vision questioned.
Wanda was about to respond, but her door was flung open and Pietro walked in.
“Wanda, we must start getting ready for this godforsaken gala that Janet is making us attend! I…” Pietro stopped as he noticed the presence of Vision in the room, as well as how close they were sitting to his sister.
His eyes seemed to bulge a little, and he puffed up his chest, inhaling.
“Pietro! Why can’t you learn to knock?!” Wanda angrily said.
Pietro stared angrily at Vision, who blankly stared back.
“Vision. I see that you have returned.” Pietro stated, then turned to Wanda. “Sister, may I speak with you privately?”
Wanda huffed. “No, Pietro! I’m catching up with Vision right now! In fact, the two of us are going to get ready for the gala together as well. I’ll see you there.”
“But…!” Pietro began.
“I will see! You! There!” Wanda interrupted, before using her powers to fling her brother out of the room, and then slam the door. She turned to Vision.
“Your brother appears to harbor some sort of hostility toward me.” Vision stated.
Wanda groaned. “I know Vision. I’m sorry. Let’s worry about that later, though. For now, I want to get you ready for the gala!”
Vision looked down at their green and yellow body, as well as the yellow cape with the high collar that surrounded the back of Vision’s head. “Is my current appearance not acceptable for the gala?” They asked.
Wanda gave Vision a deadpanned look. “No.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure out an outfit for you!” Wanda excitedly said, grabbing Vision’s hands and pulling them up.
Vision smiled again.
“Welcome to the Baxter Building! Sorry, but we don’t have time for a tour!” Jackie Storm exclaimed as she ran through the famed building with Mary Jane Watson hot on her heels.
“That’s fine, I was never really a Fantastic Four fan.” MJ replied.
“Ouch. I’ll try not to let that get to me.” Jackie said, feigning hurt
Jackie slid to a stop in front of Reed Richards’ massive lab door, then reached over to a panel and tapped a few buttons. The door slid open, and Jackie stepped inside. MJ nervously stayed behind, staring, bewildered, at the contents of the lab, filled with all kinds of miraculous technology. Jackie looked back and, seeing MJ’s nervousness, rolled her eyes and grabbed MJ by the arm, tugging her into the room.
“Reed? Where are you?” Jackie called as she walked around the room, searching for the scientist.
“I’m up here, Jackie!” Responded Reed.
Jackie looked above her and found Reed’s torso stretched all over the ceiling, almost knotted in a few places. One arm stretched down to the ground and began typing on a keyboard near Jackie and MJ while Reed intensely observed the top of some giant machine that almost reached the full height of the room. His other arm was fiddling with a piece of the machine using a multitool set.
“Flame on!” Jackie shouted before shooting off the ground in her fiery form to reach Reed’s level.
MJ watched them converse in what seemed to be a one-sided conversation, with Jackie animatedly talking and Reed staying focused on his work. He finally turned his attention to Jackie, alarmed, then looked down, his eyes landing on MJ. Suddenly, his arm stopped typing and retracted back to his body. He then retracted his torso, twisting and turning all over the room until it reached his legs, which had been hidden behind the large machine. Finally back to normal proportions, he walked from behind the machine and ran over to MJ. Jackie landed next to her, extinguishing her flames.
“So, Spider-Woman is missing?” Reed asked MJ, getting straight to the point.
“Uh…” MJ stuttered, suddenly feeling the pressure of standing face-to-face with the smartest man on the planet.”I think so. My friend Petra-”
Reed raised his hand, stopping MJ. “Jackie already explained all that. Let’s get to work on finding her, then.”
With that, Reed moved past her and Jackie, dashing over to one of the many computers in the room. Jackie and MJ followed. Reed jumped into a seat in front of the screen and began furiously typing, his fingers stretching out over the board to allow for even greater speed.
“I’m accessing private and public security camera footage from all over Manhattan. I have an algorithm pouring through everything that will show us all footage of Spider-Woman. Jackie said your friend Petra is missing as well. Do you have any recent pictures of her?” Reed asked.
“Yes!” MJ responded, pulling her phone out of her pocket and bringing up the gallery. She then turned the screen to show Reed. “I took this about a week ago.”
It was a selfie of her and Petra sitting on the couch in May’s living room. MJ was smiling at the camera, holding the phone, while Petra was intensely focused on something offscreen and appeared to be playing furiously with a PS3 controller, completely unaware that a photo was being taken. Reed grabbed the phone and briefly held it before some kind of scanning device, before handing it back to MJ.
Jackie looked over MJ’s shoulder at the photo, then laughed. “That’s kinda cute!”
“So who gave you all the access to New York’s cameras?” MJ asked curiously.
Reed froze. “Nobody…don’t, uh, tell anybody about this, okay?” He nervously requested.
MJ nodded, and Reed breathed a sigh of relief. “I could get in a lot of trouble for that one. Anyways, my algorithm works fast, but with how many cameras there are in New York, it’ll still take a while for it to find anything. Jackie, why don’t you take, er, what was your name again?” Reed asked, staring at MJ.
“MJ.” Said MJ.
“I see. Well then, Jackie, why don’t you take MJ somewhere else where she can relax while we wait?”
“Oh, I’m fine, I wanna be here when-” MJ began before she was cut off by Jackie grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away from Reed.
“C’mon,” Jackie whispered, “he usually likes to work alone unless there’s another genius in the room.”
“Oh.”
The girls quickly moved out of the lab, and Jackie closed the door. After leading MJ to a living room area, Jackie just…stood there next to a large couch. She crossed her arms and seemed to fidget with her fingers anxiously as if she were in deep thought. MJ felt anxious too.
“Um,” MJ began, snapping Jackie out of it, “I just wanted to thank you again for doing this. The cop we talked to didn’t care, which in hindsight shouldn’t be surprising. I wasn’t sure how else I could find Petra.”
Jackie turned her head to look back at MJ. “It’s not a big deal.” She looked down as if she was contemplating something, then fully turned around to face MJ. “So…Petra and Spider-Woman, huh? How long have they known each other?”
“Oh! Uh, I’m not sure…I guess they must have known each other before Spider-Woman got her powers?” MJ replied. “Petra’s been taking photos of her since Spider-Woman started doing her whole superhero thing.”
“Interesting. Would you say that they’re close to each other?” Jackie questioned.
MJ shrugged while forcing herself to look nonchalant as she made up another answer. “I don’t know, Petra didn’t even tell me this stuff until we had been dating for a couple of months.”
She was lying, of course. She had known Petra was Spider-Woman since before she and Petra were even friends, way back when Petra was first starting out and MJ had spied her crawling out of her window.
Jackie looked surprised at this revelation. “Whoa, I didn’t know you and Petra are a couple! Petra never even mentioned that she had a girlfriend!”
MJ snorted. “She doesn’t. We broke up while we were still in high school.”
“Oh.” Jackie responded.
She almost looked relieved, but MJ chose not to read into it. She was probably just misreading her. After all, why would Jackie care about Petra’s love life? After all she had heard from Petra about the heroine and from her own interactions with her, MJ assumed that the Human Torch was into Spider-Woman. She didn’t know how to feel about that yet.
“Oh, by the way,” Jackie said, “I’ve seen Petra walking around campus a lot with this backpack that looks really pretty, and I was wondering where she got it from. It’s the pink one with a daisy printed on it.”
That’s kind of a weird thing to bring up right now. MJ thought. “Oh, that daisy was handpainted by me, it wasn’t printed.”
“Really?” Jackie asked. The surprise in her voice didn’t sound genuine. “I could have sworn I saw another person wearing a backpack that looked just like it!” She moved to sit down on the couch, then gestured for MJ to do the same.
“Weird. Must have been some kind of coincidence.” MJ said dismissively.
“Yeah.” Jackie agreed. “Hey, is there anything you wanna watch while we wait?”
Zemo and Zola lead Black Mamba into a dark lab room, filled with all sorts of technical machinery. A large metal chair with arm and leg restraints took up the center of the room. Wires and machines were cluttered all around it, and some kind of helmet was above it, left dangling in the air by thick, twisting wires that ran to the ceiling. In front of the seat was a large, blank screen.
“What is this?” Black Mamba asked.
Zemo turned around to face her. “You are absolutely crucial to our plans, Mamba. Without you, we will not be able to last long against the Avengers. Especially Captain Marvel. A woman with her kind of power is…hard to contain.”
“And that’s where you come in!” Zola excitedly announced. “Your control of the strange negative energy known as the Darkforce, which you use to suffocate your enemies, could be used for so much more!”
“Me?” Black Mamba questioned. “Not to shit talk myself here, but I can hardly control the Darkforce when I access it. And you guys expect me to use it to take down Captain Marvel?”
“Not with your current capabilities!” Zola responded. “But we can enhance them and give you far more control over the Darkforce than you could imagine! All we have to do,” Zola said as he leaned in close and tapped Black Mamba’s head with his large robotic finger, “is make a few adjustments up here.”
Black Mamba quickly stepped away from him. “What?! You seriously think I’m gonna just let you mess with my head?! We just met! You must be cra-”
There was a loud zap, and Black Mamba screamed before falling onto the ground, stunned. Behind her was Zemo, holding a cattle prod.
“Apologies,” he coolly said, “but I’m afraid you are, as I told you, integral to the plan. You have no say in the matter.”
Before Black Mamba could recover, she was picked up and tossed onto the metal chair by Zola, who then strapped her in. Her senses started to return to her as the helmet above was slowly lowered onto her head.
“No! Let me out! Stop!” She screamed.
It was no use. The helmet was fixed onto her head, and everything went white.
Hank jolted awake as the door slid open. On the other side stood the Enchantress, who frowned at him.
“Hello, Pym.” She said dryly.
“You!” Spider-Woman shouted from her side of the small room. “I just want you to know that when I get out of here, I am so kicking your pompous ass all the way back to Asgard!”
“Shush, bug,” Enchantress responded, using her magic to shock Spider-Woman. “The adults are talking.” She turned back to Hank. “Follow.”
Hank didn’t get a say as he was suddenly levitated into the air and then pulled out of the room by Enchantress. She walked with Hank in tow until they reached another room, where he found himself being unceremoniously dropped onto a chair. The door slammed shut. He tried to stand but was forced to sit back down by a massive hand. He looked back and saw that it was the Executioner. He hadn’t even seen him when he was brought into the room.
“What do you want?” Hank asked, making sure not to express any fear on his face.
“Just wait.” Enchantress said, annoyed. She was clearly bored. “We aren’t ready yet.”
They waited for a few more minutes until the door’s handle began to turn slowly. Hank watched as the door opened, and Zemo stepped in. He could hear the agonizing screams of a woman, though he didn’t know who, emanating from somewhere else in the building. Zemo was unfazed.
“I apologize for my lateness, Enchantress. I was occupied with other important matters.” He said without emotion.
The distant scream reached a horrifying crescendo and then began to die down. Zemo cocked his head to the side at that.
“Ah, I believe it has now been taken care of.” Zemo said, then shut the door. “Now, let’s get down to business.” Zemo pulled up a chair next to the door, moving it before Hank. He sat down.
“What do you want from me?” Hank asked, looking darkly at Zemo.
Hank could see Zemo grin behind his fabric mask.
“Where does Captain America live outside Avengers Mansion?” Zemo bluntly responded.
Hank’s eyes widened. “I don’t know, and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Hm. I figured you wouldn’t give the information freely, but I felt I should give you the courtesy of asking first. Enchantress.” Zemo requested.
He got out of the chair and allowed Enchantress to take his place sitting before Hank.
She leaned forward and looked deep into Hank’s eyes, her own glowing an unnatural green. “No mortal man can resist my commands. You will answer Zemo.”
Hank tried to turn his head away but found his eyes locked on hers. The back of his head screamed at him to resist, kick at her, run away, fight back, to do anything, but his body didn’t listen. His pupils dilated and he relaxed into his seat.
“Answer me, fallen Avenger. Where is Captain America’s residence?”
Petra rested against the wall as she recovered from the magical attack that Enchantress had inflicted on her.
She sighed.
She had no idea how long she had been held captive here, but she felt like it was somewhere around three days. Four? Or had it been two? All she could think about was her Aunt May and MJ. What were they up to? Were they handling her disappearance well?
Probably not. Petra thought.
Another person came to mind. Petra realized she hadn’t spent any time with Jackie lately. Well, not as Spider-Woman. Jackie and Petra had frequently seen each other out of costume on campus, but Jackie couldn’t stand Petra.
I hope Jackie doesn’t think I’ve been trying to avoid her or something. Petra thought. The last time I spoke to her as Spider-Woman, I was freaking out over Daredevil’s identity being revealed to his friends! I was kinda rude to her, I think. Gee, I haven’t been much of a good friend to her at all, have I? I hope I see her again. I hope I see everyone again!
The door slid open, and the blinding light made Petra flinch for a moment before her eyes adjusted, and she got a better look at the figure in the doorway.
“Electro.” She stated nonchalantly. “You here to take me out for my bathroom break? Cause it’s been a while and I, like, really need to go. Like, yesterday.”
Electro gritted his teeth and then grinned.”Oho, I’ve been waiting for this for a loooong time Spider-brat.” He pounded his fists together, producing an electric shock that temporarily brightened the room. “You ruined my life you bitch!”
Petra rolled her eyes behind her mask. “Aw c’mon Max, it was never anything personal! That’s just how it is, you know? You’re the bad guy, I’m the good guy, you break the law, and I stop you! It’s not like I hate you or anything (even though you are a total psycho with a really unpleasant personality)!” Electro grimaced, and Petra shrugged. “You know what? For what it’s worth, I’m totally sorry!” Petra said sarcastically.
Electro growled, then unceremoniously grabbed Petra by the collar of her costume and lifted her up, causing her to groan. She was really sore from being attacked by Enchantress earlier and felt too drained to fight back.
“I’m gonna kill you, and I’m gonna take my sweet time with it!” Electro declared while drawing back a fist and charging it up.
Is this really how it finally happens? Petra thought. Aw, darn. I always thought it would be Doc Ock who finally got me.
“Alright,” Petra responded, “but can I make a last request?”
Electro sighed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“Do me a favor and leave this place a nasty review for me on Airbnb? Worst. Vacation. Ever! I was under the impression I wouldn’t be sharing this place with a roommate, and the room looks nothing like the pictures! The login for my account is-” Petra was cut off by Electro screaming out of annoyance.
“Alright, ya got one last quip in, bug!” Electro shouted. “Now I’m gonna squash you!”
Petra closed her eyes and turned her head away, trying to steel herself as Electro moved to end her.
“Electro, stop!” Someone firmly commanded from behind the villain.
His shoulders sagged and he groaned, before dropping Petra. She landed on her knees and then looked curiously behind him. Zemo was approaching, with Enchantress and Executioner behind him, and a very out-of-it-looking Hank Pym between them.
“Jesus Christ, dude!” Electro exclaimed angrily, turning to Zemo. “What is it with you?! She’s been ruining my life for years now, and you won’t let me get my justice!” He complained.
Zemo shook his head. “Worry not. You will have your moment to strike the killing blow. But that moment will come once we have brought down the entire Avengers! The whole world will watch as their fallen heroes are executed, and a new era will be ushered in!” Zemo pulled Electro to the side as Enchantress shoved Hank into the closet.
She didn’t bother to restrain him.
“Just think,” Zemo continued, “you will demonstrate to everyone your true might! When the world sees you finally destroy your enemy, nobody will ever dare get in your way again!”
Electro nodded. “Yeah…yeah, I think I’m picking up what you’re putting down! None of the other guys in the Sinister Six will ever give me shit again once they see me kill her! I’ll do by myself what all six of us failed to do together!”
“I, for one, think we should just kill all of them immediately.” Enchantress dryly butted in.
She snapped her fingers and Petra was suddenly shoved back into the closet-like room by the Executioner. The irony of that was certainly not lost on her.
“Except for Thor, of course.” Enchantress said casually. “I’ll finally get him away from Midgard and have him all to myself! We’ll live happily ever after!”
The Executioner grimaced, but, as always, didn’t say anything.
“Damn,” Petra whispered at him, “you’re getting cucked by Thor!” She taunted.
The Executioner grunted angrily as he turned his gaze on her. He gripped his ax. Alarmed, the Enchantress used her magic to close the door, plunging Petra and Hank back into darkness. Petra sighed, then moved to sit back against the wall. She turned over to Hank and finally noticed that he hadn’t been restrained. He was just standing there, staring blankly into the darkness.
Did…did they forget? Petra thought hopefully.
She tentatively leaned her head against the door to see if she could hear if they were still outside. She didn’t hear anything, so they must have walked away. Turning back to Hank, Petra began to speak in hushed tones.
“Dude! I can’t believe they forgot to tie you up! Alright, let’s see if you can get me out of here!” She excitedly said.
Her excitement simmered down when she realized that Hank wasn’t at all listening to her. He just continued to stare ahead.
“Hank?” Petra questioned. “Hank?!”
Janet stood in Avengers Mansion’s ballroom, dressed in a fancy dress of her own design made to match the shade of yellow on her costume, with little black stripes periodically gracing the fabric. Her eyes scanned the scene, ensuring every little detail was in order. Monica Rambeau walked up from behind. She was in a strapless white dress that almost mirrored her costume, and was wearing a smaller version of her mask. She looked Janet over.
“Damn, you clean up nice!” She complimented.
Janet smiled and did a little spin, showing off her dress. “Thanks! You too!” She glanced over the room again.
Monica gave her an amused look. “Chill out, everything in here looks perfect! You’re gonna explode from all the stress if you don’t stop!”
Janet playfully hung her head. “I know, I know! I just want this all to go off without a hitch. Ever since I was announced as the new leader of the Avengers, the public’s been pretty critical of me. This is my chance to change that.” She looked around the room. “And where are the others? The guests are going to start arriving soon!”
Janet was about to storm off to search for them but was held back by Monica.
“Settle down!” She began to lead Janet to the buffet section. “Maybe some food will calm you down.”
Janet protested, but it was to no avail, and she went along with it.
Jackie and MJ both anxiously sat on the couch in the Fantastic Four’s living room. Some crappy soap opera was playing, but neither of them were paying any attention.
Jackie sighed. “So, you and Petra used to date, huh?”
MJ startled. “Uh…yep.” She replied awkwardly.
“Why’d you two break up?” Jackie questioned.
MJ froze, then rubbed her arm. “Um. Sorry. I really don’t wanna talk about that right now.”
Jackie blanched. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry!”
MJ gave her a small smile. “It’s fine, just, are you usually this…intrusive?”
Jackie shook her head. “No, sorry, I’m not usually like this! I guess I’m just…trying to understand Petra better, I guess? I’ll shut up now.”
MJ gave her a confused look, then turned her attention to the TV. After another couple of minutes of waiting in awkward silence, Reed finally walked into the room and announced that he was done. Both of them sprang out of their seats and ran after him.
“Petra’s last sighting was a few hours before Spider-Woman’s.” Reed explained. “The last footage we have was of her walking into an alley by herself. She never came back out. I didn’t see any signs that other people were in that alley, though, and you can go search it for any clues. Spider-Woman, on the other hand, is a lot more interesting.”
They finally stopped in front of a monitor, where the screen was paused on footage of Spider-Woman swinging. She was a good distance away from the camera. Reed grabbed a remote and pressed the unpause button, allowing the footage to play. Jackie and MJ watched as Spider-Woman abruptly let go of her web and twisted in the air, narrowly avoiding a bolt of electricity. They watched as Electro began to fight her. The fight came to a quick end as a woman in green appeared out of thin air along with a man in a purple body suit. Spider-Woman was brought down to a rooftop, and soon after, all of them disappeared in a puff of green smoke. MJ gasped, and Jackie watched on with concern as the footage came to an end.
“The man that first attacked her is a dangerous criminal known as Electro. I had to look him up.” Reed began to explain. “Apparently, he’s fought Spider-Woman on numerous occasions. I recognized the other two immediately, though. The woman is an Asgardian exile known as the Enchantress, and the man in purple is Baron Zemo, the descendent of a Nazi war criminal. Why they’re all working together, though, I have no idea. But it can’t be any good.” Reed turned to MJ and Jackie. “I’m sorry, but that’s all that I have. I don’t know where they went, or if either Petra or Spider-Woman are alright. I’m sure Petra’s disappearance is connected to Spider-Woman’s somehow, though. The timeframes are too close to each other to be a coincidence.”
MJ looked at the floor, visibly deflating. Jackie looked between her and the paused footage. She narrowed her eyes. “Well? What are we gonna do, then?” She asked Reed.
Reed shrugged. “I’ll contact the Avengers. They’ve dealt with both Zemo and the Enchantress several times in the past. I’m sure they’ll have some leads.”
Jackie bristled. “That’s it?! Let’s go out and save them! What if Spider-Woman or Petra are hurt? They need us!”
Reed looked her in the eyes. “I know, Jackie, but we don’t have anything else to go on! Enchantress could have taken them anywhere with her teleportation abilities! They could be in Beijing or Paris or on an entirely different plane of existence for all I know, and currently, I have no way of tracking them!” He sat down on a stool, then sighed. “Believe me, Jackie, I’ll do everything I can to try and help. But that’s going to take time. I need to understand how Enchantress’s so-called ‘magic’ works to see if I can get any readings.”
Jackie let out a frustrated groan. MJ stayed silent, still staring at the floor. The door to the lab opened, and in strutted Susan Storm, wearing a sky-blue dress, matching earrings, and stunning makeup.
“Alright, Reed, lab times up, it’s time for us to go to Jan’s gala!” She happily announced.
She stopped when she noticed MJ. She then looked at Jackie and Reed, whom she noticed were still in costume. Even worse, Reed, as always when he spent too much time in the lab, looked seriously unkempt, with a five-o-clock shadow and messy hair. He sent her a nervous smile.
“Er, uh.” He tugged at his suit’s collar. “Sorry?” He weakly said.
Suddenly, Susan looked pissed, and she let out a long, angry exhale. “I told both of you a week ago that the gala was tonight! I even reminded you this morning at breakfast! What the hell!” She exclaimed, throwing up her arms in frustration. Her eyes stared like lasers into Reed’s.
“Hey, least I remembered t’ get ready! Check it out, I got the best custom suit money can buy!” Ben Grimm said as he stomped into the lab.
His face sported a wide grin as he carried little Franklin Richards in his arms. He was wearing a large, tailor-made black suit that made to fit his huge rocky body.
“Sorry, sis!” Jackie interrupted, sparing Reed from Susan’s wrath. “I distracted him. Spider-Woman and someone I know from college went missing, and Reed was helping me find them!”
“Spider-Woman is missing? I’m so sorry to hear that!” Susan responded, immediately calming down. She looked over to MJ. “And who is this?”
“She’s a friend of the other person who went missing.” Jackie quickly explained.
“Hey, I don’t wanna interrupt, but the babysitter is waitin’ for us to let her in.” Ben said.
Susan sent him a confused look. “Really? Why does she need to be let in?”
Reed stood up. “I’ll dress in the Fantasticar. Let’s go.” He said as he approached Susan. He gave her a quick kiss. “Sorry, honey.”
Susan smiled at him, then moved out of the way and shoved him forward. “Go get your suit. And hurry!”
Reed ran off. Susan looked at Jackie. “Are you coming?”
Jackie shook her head. “No, sorry. I wanna keep looking for Spider-Woman. Have fun, though!”
Susan nodded, then quickly embraced Jackie in a hug, before walking off, Ben Grimm and Franklin Richards in tow. As they left the room, Franklin looked back while in Ben’s arms and, spotting MJ, smiled and pointed.
“Red!” He babbled, pointing to her hair.
Jackie giggled, then looked at MJ. “I think that’s his favorite color.”
MJ smiled and stroked a strand of her hair.
“Let’s follow them out.” Jackie said, walking away. “We can go search the alley where Petra was last seen!”
MJ and Jackie followed the rest of the FF out onto the roof, where the wind was blowing somewhat strongly. A brown-haired girl in casual clothing was standing near the door for the roof, shivering a little.
“Y’know ya can just phase yourself in, right Kitty?” Ben said.
The brown-haired girl shook her head. “Last time I did that, my powers made your security system go haywire! It singed part of my hair! Besides, I haven’t been waiting too long, I was dropped off by the X-Jet only a couple minutes ago.” She explained as she took Franklin from Ben’s arms. She gave him a big smile. “Hiya Franklin!” She said excitedly. “Ready to have fun with your Aunt Kitty tonight?”
Franklin laughed, and Kitty moved them into the door frame, stepping around Jackie and MJ.
“Hi, Jackie.” She greeted, before giving MJ a brief curious look.
“Hey, Kitty.” Jackie responded.
“Hey, aren’t you the girl whose house got burned down during that fight with Magneto?” Kitty asked MJ.
MJ suddenly recognized Kitty as one of the X-Men who had been there during that horrible afternoon. She sighed sadly. “Yeah. But the house wasn’t totally ruined, at least. My Aunt and I will be able to live in it again in maybe another month.”
Kitty sucked in her breath. “Wow, I’m so sorry about that.” She then waved to the others. “Have a nice night! I’ll have him in bed by 7:30!”
“Thank you, Kitty!” Reed responded as she closed the door to the roof. He pressed a button on a remote, which made part of the rooftop open up.
The Fantasticar floated upward, its engine roaring, and Ben, Susan, and Reed all jumped inside. Jackie and MJ waved to them as they flew off.
Janet stood in the mansion’s foyer, greeting the well-dressed guests that were pouring in. Paparazzi were lined up on either side of the door outside and the flashes of their cameras were nearly blinding. Numerous congressmen had already arrived, and the city council was just walking in. Janet couldn't stand politicians. She at least hoped that the mayor would be too busy to come. She hated that guy.
“Jan! How are you?” Susan Storm shouted as she ran up to Janet and pulled her into a nice hug.
Cameras flashed in their direction.
“Sue! Oh, it’s so nice to see you! Honestly, I’ve been doing a lot better!” Janet responded.
The rest of the Fantastic Four minus one caught up to Susan, and they broke apart from their hug.
“Janet, good to see you!” Reed greeted warmly, patting her on the shoulder.
Ben pushed past Reed excitedly. “Are ya kiddin’? It’s GREAT to see ya kiddo!” He said as he abruptly picked Janet up in a large, yet somehow gentle, hug. “We’re all happy t’ see how good you’ve been doin’ since ya split with that dirtbag-”
Ben was cut off as Susan lightly jabbed him in the side, shooting him a disapproving look. Ben put Janet back down and rubbed his head, nervous.
“Er, sorry, Jan. Got carried away.” He apologized.
Janet smiled. “You’re fine, Ben!” She turned to all of them. “By the way, where’s Jackie?”
Susan’s smile dimmed, and she leaned in close to Janet’s ear and whispered. “She’s off helping someone look for her friend who went missing. Spider-Woman’s missing too. They think it’s connected somehow.”
Janet pulled back and looked at Susan, alarmed. “Gosh, that’s awful!”
Susan looked around to make sure nobody was listening. “Reed told me that he found footage of Baron Zemo, Enchantress, and a more small-time villain called Electro kidnapping Spider-Woman.”
“Spider-Woman? She's pretty small fry when it comes to superheroes. What would Zemo and Enchantress want with her?”
Susan shrugged. “I know that Zemo and Enchantress have given you guys a lot of trouble in the past, so I’d keep an eye out.” She warned. “Sorry to bring the mood down. I figured you should know.”
Janet nodded appreciatively, then stepped back. “Good to know, I’ll tell the others.” She waved them forward. “In the meantime, why don’t you guys go enjoy the party?”
They nodded to her, then walked off. Janet sagged a little.
“Ugh, why do I get the feeling this is gonna have something to do with us?” Janet bemoaned, before switching to a more cheery persona and greeting the next round of guests that came flooding in.