[July, 1988]
Standing atop a building, wearing her specialized designed tactical bodysuit, Jessica Drew observed the entrance to the building across the street.
Which she had been observing everyday for the past two months.
Due to the fact her actual target had been visiting the same building every day during this time period.
One Gregory Stark.
Whom her mentor Otto Vermis had instructed her to follow and ensare, or eliminate if the threat he posed to the safety of the world became too great.
As was the duty of their organization, Hydra.
To protect the world from those who would do it harm.
A mission Jessica took seriously.
(A/N: Please remember that at the moment Jessica is a brainwashed Hydra operatives similar to the Winter Soldier. Only she has a bit more free will)
Continuing to observe the building Jessica saw Gregory Stark leave it as usual.
And then once she was sure he was out of the immediate vicinity she decided it was time to begin her infiltration mission.
For during her two month surveillance period of Gregory and the building she had seen numerous trucks come and go. Delivering different kinds of equipment. Mostly scientific in nature.
And when using her Hydra contacts she discovered Gregory was in fact building himself a personal laboratory.
Telling her the time for being passive any longer was over.
For Jessica knew if Gregory was building a lab then it means he was likely going to re-create the Super-Soldier Serum he had helped develop at the former Hydra research facility in London.
Before doctor Leonard Williams showed his true colors and attempted to steal the serum for himself.
Resulting in his own death, the death of many innocent Hydra operatives, and also the destruction of the facility itself.
Save for a couple of survivors like Gregory.
Who Jessica had attempted to placate with her pheromones a couple of months earlier when she posed as the flight attendant on his private flight back to the United States.
But at the time her pheromones didn't work.
Which Jessica deduced it's because she was not using enough.
A mistake she would not make the next time.
Only there hasn't been a next time.
For ever since their encounter on Gregory return flight to the US it was as if fate was working against her.
Seeing as every time she tried to covertly get close to Gregory he always seems to slip through her grasp.
Leading Jessica to think Gregory might know she was after him.
But she immediately dismissed such thoughts after doing her own investigation and discovering a third party was interfering in her efforts to get close to the eldest son of Howard Stark.
The organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D.
Who Jessica knew was simply a corrupt organization looking to control the world from the shadows.
That's why a large part of her own organization had decided to infiltrate it and dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside out.
Unfortunately they were not the ones blocking her access to Gregory.
No, Jessica had discovered the interference from S.H.I.E.L.D. was at the behest of the organizations current director, The god mother of both Gregory and Anthony Stark, Margaret Peggy Carter.
Though from what Jessica could see it was all likely without Gregory knowledge.
As to why she and her superiors reasoned it was because of all their activity in regards to Gregory over the past few years, since his college days.
"We tripped to many warning bells and now we are paying the price." Jessica muttered to her. "Even so I won't allow that stop me." She said.
For even if she had to sacrifice her own life she would move forward to help Hydra achieve their righteous goals.
That's just how important she thought her organizations goals were.
So with that in mind she activated the portable signal jammer she was carrying, that would scramble all radio signals within a two mile area, and then jumped from the building she was standing on and glided over to the building she had been surveiling.
Landing on the side face her, and then sticking to it.
Since Jessica was not an ordinary person but an enhanced human, who possessed several superhuman abilities and traits related to arachnids or in simple terms, spiders.
Now using what she has dubbed as her wall-crawling ability Jessica made her way up the side of the building until she reached the roof.
She then headed over to the large air duct and expertly opened the grate covering it.
Once she did she slipped inside and then began making her way through the vents.
Careful not to trip any kind of physical alarm.
Given her signal jammer should be disabling any electronic ones.
Along with any surveillance.
Eventually Jessica chose an exit point and left the buildings ventilation system on the third floor.
She then began making her way through it.
Then she did the same with the second floor.
Following that she did the first floor.
Only to find nothing at all.
Leaving her only one place left check for Gregory self-built lab.
The basement.
Heading down there through the service stairs Jessica eventually found what she was looking for.
A fully built lab that looked ready for operation.
"I need to inform Otto and the others of this immediately." Jessica spoke.
She then got ready to leave.
Only as she did the lights in the room began rapidly flickering on and off and a high-pitched noise filled the air.
"Aghh!!!"
Leading Jessica to begin screaming in agony.
The pain so great she couldn't help but all to her knees and use her hands to cover her ears.
Only for the high -pithced noise to continue to assault her ears.
Eventually leading to Jessica becoming a curled up ball on the ground.
After this happened a figure entered the room, and without any problems walked right up to her.
They then hit Jessica with a powerful taser.
"Aghh!!!!"
Leading her screaming to become even worse.
Until eventually she passed completely out.
After she did the figure who had attacked her reached down and picked up her body.
Taking her out of the lab.
Where a few minutes later explosions began going off, engulfing everything in flames.
The same eventually becoming true for the rest of the building.
Which crumbled into nothing but dust and debris.
***
"Huh, what do you mean Arachne is dead?!"
Otto Vermis yelled into his phone.
Sitting in his personal office, somewhere at an undisclosed location.
"Just as I said sir." The voice on the other end replied. "When they began clearing what remained of the building Gregory Stark has been visiting, which Arachne derailed to us on her weekly reports, they found the charred remains of a female body. Where once we got a hold of some DNA confirmed it was indeed our operative Arachne."
"So Gregory Stark set her up to be killed?!" Otto accused.
"No sir. As well as we can tell this was likely S.H.I.E.L.D.'s doing. They were the ones who were blocking Arachne from approaching Gregory. And I guess they got their hands on enough intel to engage in this operation." The voice explained.
"And our people had no idea?!" Otto cried.
"No sir. Or as you know they might not have been given the Intel." The voice spoke.
Since Hydra again is not a United front.
There were many different factions within the organization, and at times they weren't above hurting each other to get ahead.
Otto had seen this numerous times.
'Still, for those bastards to take out Arachne. Such a highly cultivated and loyal enhanced operative gone just like that!' Otto angrily thought.
"Keep looking into this. Leave no stone unturned." Otto ordered.
"Of course Supreme Commander." The voice replied. "Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra." Otto replied.
He then ended the phone call and leaned back in his chair.
Still fuming at the loss of Jessica.
***
His hands behind his head Gregory wore a savage and shit-eating grin on his face as he heard Otto Vermis phone call end.
Given that Athena was now all up in his Hydra factions communication network.
Where she was slowly working her way into the others.
Gregory eventual end goal for her to be within the entire network one day so they can take down all of Hydra in one fell swoop.
Though he knew in that regard they would have to move slowly.
Lest they alert the likes of someone such as Arnim Zola.
Who Gregory was going to permanently unplug one day.
But that was for the future.
After Otto ended his call Gregory got up and headed over to the medical gurney where Jessica Drew was located.
Utterly and completely unconscious, due to a gas he had synthesized to be able to do so, being administered by an oxygen mask over her face, thanks to the Hydra data Athena had organized and compiled from the facility belonging to Otto's faction in London.
Who developed ways to both contain and kill Jessica should she start getting any funny ideas about her loyalty to the organization.
Not that Gregory was surprised to find this kind of thing.
Though he was glad he was able to get his hands on it.
For now he could bring Spider-Woman to his side.
And what a boon that would be.