151: Spider-Woman Meets Maria Hill

Just as Gwen withdrew from the laboratory, a powerful shockwave erupted from within. A large cloud of dust and debris was thrown up, obscuring everyone's vision.

Through her special glasses, Gwen could barely make out a blue flash of light in the dust. Immediately afterwards, all movement in the lab went silent.

"Red Queen, what just happened?" Gwen asked.

"It appears that Green Goblin and the Emperor's battle was too intense, Miss Gwen. The aftermath has destroyed the entire laboratory," the AI responded.

"What was that blue light?" Gwen inquired.

"It seems to be some kind of space teleportation technology. Green Goblin and the Emperor are no longer present in the lab," Queen explained.

Hearing this, Gwen's expression changed and she rushed into the ruined laboratory. Just as Red Queen had said, the lab was a complete wreck, and there was no sign of the Emperor or Green Goblin.

"Can you locate where they are now?" Gwen asked urgently.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Gwen. It appears they are no longer on Earth," Queen stated.

Gwen was baffled. How could they have simply vanished into thin air?

"Inform me immediately if you uncover any information about Green Goblin and the Emperor's whereabouts," Gwen instructed.

Behind her, George coughed to get her attention. Seeing no movement in the lab, he and several officers had also entered.

Surveying the destroyed room, George asked, "Spider-Woman, what happened here?"

"It's clear the Emperor and Green Goblin are disappears," Gwen explained. "To be honest, I'm not even sure what occurred. It all happened so fast."

At that moment, the floor of the lab shook again. Excited shouts could be heard from another area.

"It's the transformed people!" Gwen realized. "With Green Goblin gone, his control over them seems to have been broken."

Originally forced to obey Green Goblin's commands, the monstrous transformations were now rampaging freely without his influence.

"Get ready, Chief George," Gwen said as she rushed off towards the commotion. She would handle these failed experiments herself.

George swiftly ordered his officers to form a defensive line, both to corral the creatures and prevent any from escaping Gwen's grasp.

But his assistance proved unnecessary. In short order, the dust settled and the noises died down as Gwen stood victorious amidst the fallen transformed beings.

"All done!" she announced.

Just then, Peter arrived carrying a suitcase of antidote vials. Seeing the aftermath, he couldn't help but gulp nervously.

As one of the researchers behind the enhancement formulas, Peter knew firsthand how dangerous even these failed transformations could be. Yet Spider-Woman had taken them down with ease.

Surveying the wrecked laboratory, Peter asked, "Uncle George, what about Norman Osborn? Is he okay?"

George sighed. "I'm afraid Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin. After his fight with the Emperor, he seems to have vanished along with him. We don't know if he escaped or was defeated."

Hearing Norman was the Goblin, Peter instinctively tightened his grip on the suitcase. "Let's focus on saving these people first," he said. "We can deal with everything else after."

Seeing Peter arrive, Gwen gave a friendly wave before telling George, "I better get going, Director." With that, she leapt out the window and swung away on her webs.

George just shook his head, already used to the superheroes' habit of rushing off.

"Start collecting all lab data and documenting the scene," he ordered his team.

Even without Norman, they could still build a solid case against him.

After leaving Osborn Industries, Gwen hurried via web slinging to her friend Andrew's apartment.

She wasn't even sure why she felt such an urgent need to see him and share the incredible events she'd witnessed. Perhaps she just wanted to talk it all through with someone she could trust.

As Gwen swung towards Andrew's home, Queen's voice came through her earpiece: "Miss Gwen, there's a robbery reported in Manhattan. A woman was accosted by a gang."

Without hesitation, Gwen responded, "Red Queen, give me the fastest route there!"

Weaving between the high-rises, she moved swift as the wind. Her speed couldn't match true flight, but it was close.

Soon, Gwen arrived at the alley where the crime was reported. Four or five thugs, all African-American, had surrounded a blonde white woman.

Gwen landed silently behind them.

"Hey fellas, this doesn't seem right," she said, announcing her presence.

The thugs whirled around in fright, faces paling at the sight of Spider-Woman. They quickly moved apart, releasing the woman.

The woman, who had appeared quite distressed before, now suddenly calmed on seeing Gwen. A feeling of wrongness washed over her.

"I'm guessing you're actually working together," Gwen deduced.

The woman reached up and peeled off a realistic latex mask, revealing her true face. Gwen recognized her - she had been with Nick Fury when he came to recruit Andrew.

If she remembered right, the woman's name was Maria Hill. Gwen immediately realized this whole scene had been a setup. The phony muggers were SHIELD agents too.

Hill stepped forward and introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you Spider-Woman. I'm Director Fury's right hand, Maria Hill."

Gwen had always been suspicious of SHIELD. Half-joking, she asked, "Did I interrupt some kind of roleplaying hobby of yours?"

Hill's expression soured. This operation had been her idea, a way to draw out Spider-Woman based on Fury's analysis of her crime-fighting patterns. But she wouldn't admit that now.

"We need your help," Hill stated, as one of the agents handed her a folder. She passed it to Gwen. "This is a matter of global security."

Sensing no ill intent from Hill thanks to her powers, Gwen accepted the file and skimmed its contents.

"I'll think about it," she said after a moment, before firing a spiderweb and swinging up out of the alley, leaving Hill and her agents behind.

As Spider-Woman vanished into the distance, one of the agents asked Hill, "Do you think that worked?"

"It should have," Hill mused.

"This could become a worldwide catastrophe. She wants to save innocent lives, especially on such a massive scale. The mission was a success."

With that, the SHIELD team departed, hoping Spider-Woman would agree to assist them.

To be continued...