Spider-Man: Quality of Life #4

Aug 3

Aug 3 Spider-Man: Quality of Life #4

Quality of Life Part Four

The mercenary known as Yith has been hired to eliminate Curt Connors before he can reveal that her employers, Monanno, are responsible for his wife and son contracting cancer. She has just saved Spider-Man’s life in a battle against the Lizard but is now using her snake-like tail to strangle the Lizard to death. Spider-Man tries to get her to stop, but Yith refuses as killing Connors was what she was hired to do. When she refuses to comply, Spider-Man begins whipping a manhole cover around on a web-line, striking Yith in the face. The first blow hurts Yith to convince her to let go of the Lizard, who promptly flees up the side of a building to get away. Yith thinks that the creature is just going to go after her boss, Cliff Arless again, but after checking the time Spider-Man doesn’t think so. He believes that the creature is actually going to Sloan-Kettering Hospital as Curt Connors’ wife, Martha, is about to undergo a risky surgery that might save her life. At that moment, Curt Connors has returned to human form and has come to check on his son, Billy. He’s angered to hear his son is talking to Steve Holder, co-owner of Monanno. Curt if furious that he’d dare show his face. However, Steve explains that he wants to help because he knows what his partner, Cliff Arliss is trying to do.

By this time, Yith has reported back to Arliss who is furious to hear that she failed again. Yith reminds him, again, that he is not to raise his voice against her. She reminds him that she was hired to kill Connors, not Spider-Man, and promises him that she will complete this task by the end of the day. That’s when Cliff decides to renegotiate their contract, telling her that his partner, Steve Holder, also needs to die since he has been talking about settling with the Connors family and talking to the press. When Yith explains that this will double her fee, Arliss agrees. Back at the hospital, Steve Holder is talking to Curt in the waiting room, telling him that Monsanno will do everything to cover his medical expenses vowing they’ll make it right when he goes to the media with what he knows. That’s when Peter Parker comes to see how Martha and Billy are doing. That’s when the doctor operating on Martha comes out of surgery and tells Curt the bad news, his wife didn’t survive. She tells him that, on the bright side, at least they were able to learn about Billy’s contraction to save his life. Curt is deeply upset and tells the others that he wants to be alone with his son. However, instead of going up to Billy’s room, Curt leaves the hospital unaware that Yith is following him. Back in the waiting room, Peter and Steve decide to talk things through with Curt. Along the way, Holder explains his position on the situation. Admitting that Monanno is a for-profit organization and that there is nothing wrong with that so long as the business engaged in ethical business practices. He tells Peter that while he can’t say for certain that Monanno is responsible for Martha and Billy’s cancer diagnosis, it certainly looks possible and therefore is the company’s responsibility to make things right. When they finally arrive at Billy’s hospital room, they discover that Curt is not there.

By this point, Curt has arrived at the Monanno office and is taking the elevator up with Yith. She begins probing him with questions to find out his intentions. She appears very sympathetic especially when Curt tells her that his wife just died. When she asks what business he has with Cliff Arliss, all he’ll say is that it is going to be ugly and suggests that she leave. Once at the reception desk, Curt turns into the Lizard and forces his way into Cliff’s office. Before he can kill Arliss, Spider-Man arrives and webs the Lizard’s maw shut. Fleeing the office, Cliff runs into Yith and tells her to eliminate the Lizard now while the creature’s back is turned. However, Yith decides to wait and watch. Spider-Man struggles with the Lizard, trying to convince him that killing Cliff Arliss is not the way to deal with things, reminding him that he still has Billy to look after. Hearing Billy’s name causes the Lizard to break down and revert back into Curt Connors. Cliff Arliss orders Yith to kill Connors now. Yith, instead, tells Cliff that she’s never been in love and when he doesn’t get what she’s talking about, she decides that he never will and shoots Arless right between the eyes before leaving.