Showcase, Showdown

"Any sign of Hobgoblin?"

"Nope. Haven't seen anything," Gwen reported back to Emily. Gwen was stationed on a rooftop overlooking the show. She was feeling uneasy -- the show was well-guarded, and there were plenty of lookouts and contingencies in place -- but she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Hobgoblin had to have some sort of ace in the hole. "What's going on with the show?"

"The crowd's starting to file in -- X'ara's going to be hitting the catwalk in about an hour. I think it's safe to assume that Kingsley's not going to pass up that opportunity."

"That's good to know," Gwen agreed. "How is X'ara right now?"

"Nervous, but she's determined to smoke Hobgoblin out. MJ & Jean are keeping her calm," Emily informed Gwen. "Meanwhile, Donna & Kori are keeping an eye outside her dressing room."

"And how about you? Where are you right now?" Gwen asked.

"I'm out back, supervising some of our staff," Emily replied. "I do have a business to run here."

"Let's just hope this doesn't turn into a PR nightmare," Gwen muttered.

"Well, we're as prepared as we can possibly be. You've got that antidote for Kingsley's Goblin juice. I've got a bunch of clients who happen to be superheroes. All things considered, we're in good shape... by the way, I've sent one of my clients to help you -- another set of eyes. You might know her -- Trish Walker, aka Hellcat..."

"...I know the name. I deal with a lot of attractive catsuit wearing ladies... it feels kinda cliché at this point..."

"It's because people like cats," Trish answered, walking up beside Gwen, having just leapt onto the roof from the adjacent building. "Too bad spiders don't have the same mainstream appeal."

"Eh, don't take my comment the wrong way -- there are a weirdly high number of spider people out there too," Gwen pointed out, looking over the costumed redhead. "And I like the cat-women I've met. It's just that there are certain animals I feel are under-represented in the superhero world. Like the ostrich. Or the llama."

"MJ told me you have a... unique sense of humor," Trish chuckled. "I'm Hellcat. Or Trish. Or Patsy. Whatever works for you."

"Gotcha. Welp, since we're in costume I might as well call you Hellcat right now," Gwen answered. "Ghost-Spider here -- so, any word on Hobgoblin?"

Trish shook her head. "Not yet. But I'm feeling pretty confident right now -- we've got plenty of firepower on our side, and it sounds like he's really lost his grip on reality. I think we can use that to... our... advantage..."

Trish trailed off and pointed off into the distance. Gwen turned to see the Hobgoblin barrelling towards the venue on his glider... and, unfortunately, he'd brought company.

Next Chapter: The New Sinister Six!