Revelations Pt. II: Resolution

The phone buzzed. Pieces of my old web-shooters as well as part for the new designs of web-shooters I was trying to develop as well were just all strewn about the table. It had been a while since I had used these old gadgets and a few upgrades and refinements should help out until I can finish making the new web-shooters. After that, I'll scrap the old one for parts and make a second pair of my best web-shooters to dates, at least if all my plans fell through and I had all the design flaws all worked out. Then there was the equipment Daystar had left behind. A few upgrades and refinements as well as adding my own personal touch to the OS and setting as well as the armor and stinger should help make it more suited for my fighting style as well as maybe enhance it.

Depends if I can-.

The phone buzzed again.

Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Can't believe I got distracted.

I ran a hand over my face before grabbing the phone and began tapping on the screen. I needed to take more breaks. How long have I been sitting here? That did not matter right now. Kore answered my letter.

By firing a strange text.

What did she want? Did she even know? How? What? Was this a game right now? I understood she was maybe still upset, which she probably was, but, if she was treating this as a game or revenge or whatever this was, I had no clue. Why did I think this? Easy. This sounded very coy or sarcastic. Maybe it was my imagination, but I don't put it past Kore exactly.

That or I am reading too much into this. It did not matter. My response would have been the same either way.

[Cassidy: Hey Kore]

Starting out strong.

[Cassidy: i'm not Mettle. i don't have that kind of money]

Opening myself up to a jab there, but who cares?

[Cassidy: i only got $7.84]

I would leave it there and see how Kore would respond or not at all. Either way, it would give me an idea of what I was dealing with, who I was dealing with.

No response back. I glanced at the screen, waiting before tossing it back aside and begin to work on my equipment again. Maybe if I tried changing the pressure a bit and cycle the nozzles, I could create a new web-pattern to further enhance the effectiveness of-.

Another buzz from my phone. What was it this time? Another text, apparently. Two in fact, as another popped after I had finished reading the first.

"Wendy's? Dave's Double? I guess she should be glad she's got a healing factor."

I began typing back.

[Cassidy: depends. we going to millennium wendy's or new york wendy's?]

I sent the text and left it at that before setting the phone down, getting up to figure out what piece of clothing I had that was still clean and presentable enough for Wendy's of all places.

I tapped my foot on the pavement as I sat on the bench, not sparing a glance to Kore as I gazed at passersby walking. Inside of my coat I rubbed the red mask, waiting for something to happen. I did not have to wait long as Kore posed her question. I took a breath. How would I go about this? Could I go about this? That thing was not in my head anymore.

Come on, Cassidy. You're Spider-Bite. You're brave and can own up to your mistakes. Just take it slow and steady.

I shook my head from side to side, "It wasn't just you. I could . . . "

I sighed before looking down at my knees as I kept rubbing the fabric of the scarlet mask between my fingers as I laid my other arm across my knees. My posture had me lying back comfortably against the bench with my legs a little stretch out. The posture of my neck and head had both bent, gazing at my knees. A tenseness would not leave my shoulders.

"Nevermind. You weren't the first. Not exactly last. Close though."

I'm saying too much. I just need to answer the question and keep quiet. I spared the occassional glance to the street across. What I would not give for a Spider-Bite related emergency right now.

"Thanks for forgiving me, Kore, but the other guy with the jokes is the loud one. I'm just me."

Even out here, in New York, there was no way I was saying the codename when it would not take much to put two-and-two together.I stopped rubbing my mask and just held it as I turned my eyes from my legs to Kore, sitting up a little straighter this time. Maybe she would notice my eye color was no longer the mellow hazel it used to be. A dynamic blue rested there instead. I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Everything about me was cranked up to an eleven when I had the suit. The bravado. The power. The . . . everything. And, eventually, so was the anger. Right now, you just got a guy trying to make ends meet."

I gestured to the air, shrugging all the while. Not like I was going to mention I died or that I lost the NanoSym. A friend. Now all I have left to remind me of it is, well, something that was better left unsaid. Better left forgotten, if it ever could be.

"Make what you will of that. I can't exactly afford to have fun."

I glanced at the cheeseburger and then back at Kore, casually lifting an eyebrow with a ghost of smile making its one and only appearance before vanishing.

"A bit more literally than figurative."

"Pay my rent."

The answer was instantaneous. No mirth or sarcasm around it. Although, to be fair, that might not what be Kore meant when she posed the question. Although, if I had to make a joke to offset a bleak response, I might say something along the lines of:

"Maybe get Psi a room somewhere."

Was that even a joke? More like an offhand response. Kore did not even know who Psi was. At least, not the name the psychic kid went by. Well, that might spark a bit of confusion for the demon hunter if she somehow failed to put two and two together. Either way, I shook my head as I ran my hand over the lower half of my face.

"Um, kidding. Maybe . . . I don't know. I really don't know. Let's see here."

I shrugged.

"I still have no clue. Kick your butt at Mario Kart? Get my little sis something nice? A movie? Cook something?"

Get something for Aster? Better not mention that to Kore right now.

"I'm not sure. Never had a moment to really do any of that in a while. I mean, we could play ball or something like that, but you'd probably teleport across the court or put bugs in my mouth, heh."

That small smile came back a second time, staying for a little longer.