IN CASE YOU'RE JUST JOINING US: After dispatching the Scarlet Spider twice, Lodestone -- aka Andrea Costanzo -- finally managed to reach her son. Unfortunately, the reunion isn't quite what she expected it to be...

29

"Don't cry, honey," the woman with purple energy bleeding out of her eyes said. "Mommy's here now."

The little boy she was speaking to--Jimmy Costanzo--wasn't crying. Nor did he say a word or struggle in the woman's grip. He just looked away, across his debris-scattered bedroom toward the pile of construction paper, crayons, and markers that had been blown into the corner by this woman's arrival.

"Jimmy?" Lodestone said, shaking the boy just a little now, her smile fading. "It's mommy, honey. Your real mommy. Say something to me."

Jimmy craned his neck around further. He may have been honestly distracted before, but now he was deliberately ignoring her.

There was only one other person in the room, an elderly woman. She was shaken, and hadn't moved to take Jimmy back from Lodestone, but she hadn't retreated from her yet either. "Please," she said now. "Don't hurt him. He doesn't under--"

"Who are you?"

"I'm--I'm his caregiver. His nanny. My name's Lu--"

"Lucy!" Jimmy cried. He began struggling against Lodestone now, trying to wrench his arms free and run to the older woman. Lodestone glared daggers at her, and then released Jimmy with a grunt of disgust. The woman caught him as he barreled into her, cooed to him softly for a moment, then gently guided him back toward the strewn construction paper. The two of them began picking up the mess and, after a couple of seconds of this, it was almost as if Jimmy had forgotten the strangely-garbed woman was in the room.

Lodestone frowned--but her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar click of an automatic pistol from behind her. It fired in the next moment, but she effortlessly deflected the bullet, burying it in the ceiling rather than the back of her head.

"Paulo," she purred, turning to see her ex-husband standing in the newly-widened doorway. There were two more people behind him--a blonde and a bronze-skinned kid in a business suit. Lodestone didn't know either of them, and she didn't exactly care to know them. She tore the gun out of Paulo's hand, lifted him by the metal in his fillings, and slung him across the room. He hit the wall upside-down and stayed there as the metal frame of Jimmy's bed came apart and slammed down over him.

"You are going to tell me," she said, her welcoming smile turning into a snarl, "what the hell is wrong with my son!"

Behind her, Jimmy started to wail. She looked around, her head darting like a snake's, and saw that "Lucy" was struggling to keep the boy in place, to keep him from running toward his trapped father.

"He's... autistic," Paulo gasped. "He was diagnosed... after his second... birthday."

Lodestone didn't look at him. Her eyes were still fixed on Jimmy and his nanny. "Let him go," she said quietly. If the nanny heard, she didn't make any indication. She just kept wrestling with Jimmy.

"You... were already gone... by then," Paulo continued.

"Let him go," Lodestone repeated, eyes still fixed on Jimmy.

"If you hurt him... I'll--"

"Daaaadddddyyyyy!"

"I said, LET HIM GO!"

The floor erupted beneath Lucy the nanny, throwing her halfway up to the ceiling atop a pillar of metal pipes and electrical cabling before dropping her back to the ruined floor. Under Lodestone's command, a cable snaked out of the mass and snapped around Lucy's throat, lifting her into the air and flinging her across the room. The old woman hit the large window on the outside wall, the glass blew outward at the impact and, with a scream of terror, Lucy disappeared over the edge and out of sight.

"Now," Lodestone said, watching her son dart past her and run toward Paulo, "what were we talking about?"

30

The exec from CBNC was pulling on her arm, urging her to get the hell out of here, but Hope Maxwell wasn't ready to go just yet. The woman in green was paying no attention to them anyway, so Hope moved toward the shattered window, pulling out her phone as she moved. The old woman may have been able to find a handhold, or maybe she'd landed on a ledge. Slight chance, but Hope figured she'd better check anyway.

She hit MEMORY-6 on her phone's number pad.

"Mike. Hi baby, this is Hope. Yeah, I know you're at work, that's why I'm calling you. I'm at the Costanzo Gardens apartment building, and we've got a really badly-dressed woman making like Magneto up here, I think you'd better get your squad down..."

She trailed off. A figure in a red bodysuit and blue sweatshirt had landed on the windowsill, with one still-screaming nanny tossed over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you, Ms. Maxwell," the Scarlet Spider said. "It's raining dowagers." He set the older woman down and pushed her towards Hope. "Please see that she gets a good home."

"What-what are you going to do?" Hope asked, stepping backward as Lucy fell into her arms.

"Same thing I always do," he sighed. "Stop the bad guy from taking over the world."

31

"You're lying," Lodestone growled.

Jimmy Costanzo was crouching next to his father's inverted head. He was still bawling, but he was starting to taper off now. Being near his father, even when Paulo was pinned to a wall upside-down, was obviously calming for the boy.

"Why... would I lie?" Paulo demanded through gritted teeth. "Don't be... stupid, Andrea. The boy's autistic, that's all. What's the... matter? You don't... want him so much anymore?"

"You did this to him!" She clenched her fist, and Paulo groaned as the twisted metal holding him down collapsed further, crushing him into the wall. "One of your enemies did this to him! Shot him or hit him and now he's--"

"He's... autistic," Costanzo squeaked, stubbornly refusing to let the increased pressure shut him up. "That's all, Andrea. He's still--"

"Sorry to break this up, but I was supposed to be at work like an hour ago. And you wouldn't believe how mad my boss gets."

Something struck Lodestone in the small of the back. She began to turn, and was immediately whipped backward off her feet. She rocketed across the room and hit the far wall.

"Okay now, close your eyes and hold still for me. You might feel a slight sting."

She looked up, and saw the Scarlet Spider plummeting toward her from the ceiling, one fist cocked back. Instinctively, she raised a hand, seizing his metal utility belt with her powers and flinging it backwards, but instead of dragging the web-slinger along with it as it had before, back at the gallery, the belt popped open and shot into the ceiling, leaving Scarlet free to complete his drop.

He'd left his belt unbuckled, she realized, and the unexpected difference in weight had left her momentarily off-balance. She had less than half a second to take this all in before he landed on her, his feet planting themselves in her stomach and his fist coming down hard enough to drive her part of the way through the wall at her back.

"I really think you'd better stay down," Scarlet advised as Lodestone began to push herself up. "It might take a few shots, but you're nuts if you think I can't scramble your eggs right through that helmet if I have to."

Her head was spinning, but she was still conscious, still able to make him--

"I'm... I'm going to kill you..."

"Suit yourself."

Scarlet drew back his fist, but before he could drive it into her face again, an electrical cable snapped out of the mass Lodestone had already torn out of the floor, and wrapped around his neck. He was dragged backwards by it, struggling, and he might have been able to tear the line away from his throat if four more cables hadn't grabbed him by the extremities and pinioned his arms and legs out away from his body.

"On--urk--on second thought, maybe it's not really... my place to get in the middle... of your family disputes..."

Lodestone didn't reply. She was far, far beyond threats and repartee. All she'd wanted was her son, and this pest had cast himself in her path every step of the way. She was going to enjoy this...

She used her power to feel around in the pile of cable and piping, and a wide, malicious grin spread across her face as she found just what she was looking for. Lifting herself into the air by the metal in her armor, she pulled the object free.

A sixth cable emerged from the pile, this one discharging a fountain of sparks from its torn end. Scarlet wrenched at the bonds holding his arms and legs, but it was no good. He just wasn't strong enough to break free of her when he had her full attention.

"Last... chance... to give up," he squeaked as the line came closer. "I'm... about to break out... some kung-fu magic... and you don't want to be...on the receiving end..."

Lodestone sneered, and was about to drive the split power line straight through the web-slinger's chest, when another gunshot sounded. Something spanged off her armor, just above the back of her neck. She heard an electrostatic sizzle, and turned.

Leroy was propped up in the doorway, crude braces on his shattered leg and arm. His good hand was holding up his gun.

"Don't make me put the next one between your eyes, Andrea, paisana," he said. Remarkably, he sounded like he meant it.

Lodestone felt back over her shoulder, taking one of the cables that ran from her back to her helmet in her hand. The shielding on the cables was reinforced, obviously, but the bullet had clipped one of them open. That had been the origin of the sizzle she'd heard. But the connection was still intact, even though she could feel sparks tickling at her insulated gloves.

"You shouldn't have given me the warning shot, Leroy," she said, and pointed the sparking cable she'd intended for the Scarlet Spider at the injured man instead.

32

Ten seconds earlier.

Ben Reilly saw Leroy hobble into the doorway, with Lorena at his side. (Lorena was his landlord and the subject of occasional naughty dreams. Leroy was Paulo Costanzo's personal bodyguard. The two of them were brother and sister, a fact that Ben hadn't had nearly enough time to digest yet, thanks for asking.) He saw Leroy draw, saw him fire, and saw the bullet peel open one of the cable's on Lodestone's costume. He saw the sparks.

And then he felt his bonds loosen.

They were still tight, but not as much so as they had been. He was definitely hanging closer to the ground now. He might--might-- be able to break them, he thought ... but as Lodestone turned her attention on Leroy, and Scarlet got another look at that sparking cable, everything finally clicked.

The entire time he'd been fighting Lodestone, she had never put her feet on the ground unless Scarlet knocked her down. He hadn't given it much thought, just taking it as one of those weird super-villain affectations, but what if there was a practical reason for it? What if that armor was just too heavy to cart around on her back all the time?

And why would this Bazin guy have given her heavy armor? Why go cheap on that after spending so much money to put her in the suit and give her the powers? What if there was more than just armor in that metal shell?

What if it held a power source?

33

Leroy tossed his gun aside. It was likely to do him more harm than good now that Andrea was aware of his presence. He'd had his chance and he'd blown it.

Mr. Costanzo was looking at him from where he was pinned up against the wall. He shook his head minutely, but Leroy knew the man well enough to read everything he wanted to say in that gesture: This isn't our Andrea anymore. If we're gonna get outta here, you can't treat her like she can still be reasoned with.

Lorena was yanking on his arm, tipping him backwards, off-balance and hopefully out of the path of that power line that was jabbing through the air toward his chest, but it wasn't going to be fast enough. He was cooked, not by a hitman from a rival family, but by his own boss's ex-wife.

Fortunately for him, things began to happen very, very quickly at that moment.

There was a sound of tearing metal and snapping cables, and suddenly the Scarlet Spider was free, crossing the distance to Lodestone in two effortless leaps. Andrea heard this and, without turning, flung every loose bit of metal in the room, including that holding Paulo up against the wall, at the web-slinger.

He slipped through the barrage like it wasn't there, and by the time Lodestone decided maybe she'd better actually turn and look at the guy, he was already landing on her back.

"Nice try, lady," he said, taking the cables projecting from her costume in both hands, "but I got your number now. Your powers aren't magnetic at all. They're electromagnetic. So three guesses what happens when I remove the external charge."

"NO!"

"Some people just don't appreciate scientific curiosity," he sighed, and then he heaved. The cables popped loose in his hands, spitting out dual trails of electricity. A burst of purple energy exploded from the connection on Lodestone's back, blasting the two of them apart and sending the woman face-first into the floor.

"This," she muttered, pushing herself up, "this won't stop me." She rose to her feet, shaking with shock and the new weight of her armor. "I'm--I'm taking my son... and I'm--"

"Going to lay down and shut up," a new voice said, and Lorena Lefler punched Lodestone right in the face. She stumbled backwards, still on her feet, so Lorena hit her in the stomach and, as she was doubling over, capped her with a right cross. Lodestone fell first to one knee, and then simply collapsed forward onto the floor.

"That's for almost killing my brother," Lorena said, cracking her knuckles. "Bitch."

34

When the surge caused by the newly-broken circuit in Lodestone's armor blasted them apart, the Scarlet Spider was flung into the opposite wall, rebounding and landing hard on his tailbone on the ruined floor.

"Oooowww," he moaned, rubbing his aching backside as he got to his feet. Lorena was putting the finishing touches on this case, he saw. He made a mental note to never let her get that mad at him.

"Mr... uh, Spider?"

He turned, and found himself facing a young man, no older than him, with a lean face and well-tanned skin, and paradoxically wearing the stuffiest business suit he'd seen in a long while. Before Scarlet could dodge, the man had seized his hand and began pumping it furiously.

"Marty Crandall, pleased to meet you. I'm with CBNC."

"CB--?" Scarlet caught sight of Hope Maxwell over Marty's shoulder and nodded. "Right. CBNC."

"I just wanted you to know that your series just received the green light. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! The Matrix by way of Jackie Chan! The way you bounced on her back and just pulled her plug, I mean..." He paused for breath, and grinned like a schoolkid, giving Scarlet two big thumbs-up. "You're in!"

"That's great... er, Marty. But you see, Ms. Maxwell and I actually still have some things to hammer out in regards to the show, and--"

"Consider them hammered. Whatever you want, you just name it and Hope will take care of it." Scarlet looked over Marty's shoulder and, as he'd expected, the look on Hope's face indicated she didn't care for this declaration. But she didn't protest either.

"We have to talk about you hiring Roman Leftridge to redesign my costume without asking me first," he said, directing this at Hope.

"I just thought that you could use a new look. I mean, seriously..."

Marty was shooting her a look. Hope sighed and shut up.

35

"You look like hell."

"I feel it," Leroy said, wincing as he tilted his neck to look. Paulo Costanzo was standing over him. There was a cut over his eye, where the shattered lens of his sunglasses had slashed him, and his suit was rumpled, but otherwise he looked none the worse for wear. One hand was resting on young Jimmy's shoulder.

"Who's this?" Paulo asked, tilting his chin at Lorena.

"My sister," Leroy replied simply.

Paulo's eyes lit up. "I've heard a lot about you."

"I'll bet you have," Lorena replied. Her voice was like ice. Paulo changed the subject.

"We'd better get you an ambulance."

"Got one waiting... downstairs," Leroy said. "Somebody'll just have to... untie the paramedics." Before his boss could ask what the hell he was talking about, he looked towards Lodestone. "What about her?"

Paulo looked at his ex-wife, then down at his son. When he looked up, he was all business, and that surprised Leroy. Paulo usually made an effort to keep this side of himself out of his son's sight. But, he supposed that was probably a moot point by now.

"It was up to me, I'd put a bullet in her face right now, but that wouldn't be such a good idea in front of all these witnesses, no?"

"No, I guess it wouldn't."

"But she better watch her ass once she gets to whatever prison they're gonna put her in." Paulo shrugged his shoulders, flattening his jacket with his hands and continuing to ignore Lorena's icy stare. "That's all I'm sayin'."

36
- Epilogue -

"Duck your head, ma'am," the SWAT cop said, pushing Andrea's head down as he aimed her at the interior of the armored vehicle.

The truck would take her to the nearest holding facility capable of containing metahumans, pending a trial. That would be followed, most likely, by a trip to the Vault. The closest prison fitted against meta-abilities was Ryker's Island in New York. It was going to be a long trip. Andrea looked at the neutralizer cuffs on her hands. They'd already determined that she was harmless without an external power source, but nobody was taking any chances by putting her in normal cuffs, not when they had to transport her in a metal vehicle.

The doors slammed shut, and the cop directed her towards a bench. She started to sit down, then paused and instead turned back to the closed doors. She saw the cop hitch a breath and put a hand to the gun on his hip, but she wasn't going to make a break for it. She couldn't. Without her power, she was nothing.

She pressed her face to the four-inch thick glass in one of the doors, looking out at the street. The Scarlet Spider was waving as he hopped onto the top of a police car in preparation for swinging off, ignoring two officers below him shouting for him to get down. The blonde chippie who'd arrived with Paulo -- the TV woman -- was waving back to him. Leroy was being loaded into the ambulance he'd hijacked to get here while another officer read him his rights. He wouldn't go to jail for threatening the medics and making off with their ambulance of course, Andrea knew better, but that situation would make things interesting for Paulo's lawyers over the next couple months.

The SWAT cop had his hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am, please sit down."

Paulo and Jimmy were standing on the sidewalk, watching as Lucy the nanny was helped into the ambulance behind Leroy. Paulo didn't even look in Andrea's direction, but Jimmy...

Jimmy turned, and looked right at her.

Andrea put her hand to the glass, tears in her wide-open eyes. "I love you," she mouthed.

Jimmy looked away, distracted by the sight of the Scarlet Spider finally leaping from the car and swinging off toward the harbor. The truck chose that moment to lurch forward, and the man behind Andrea told her that if she didn't put her butt on the bench, he was going to put her there himself.

Jimmy wouldn't look at her, dazzled as he was by the figure of the departing superhero. And Andrea Costanzo, his mother, put her forehead against the glass and wept.

Letters concerning this issue can be sent directly to me at RussLee74@comcast.net, posted to the Marvel 2000 mailing list (you can join at Yahoogroups), or on the M2K message board, accessible from the M2K main page.

Story © 2003, Russ Anderson. Most characters presented are property of Marvel Entertainment Group.