IN THIS LINE OF WORK, sacrifice means everything. For every soul saved, another is corrupted. A cost I have to willingly bear until it is someone else's turn to wear this mask. Only then will I be able to say my final farewell.
"What's up, Ines?" Uncle Alis sharp features that gave a rugged handsome, softened by his smile, snapping Ines from her internal thoughts.
"It's been a while, Tìo" she smiled, standing up to properly hug him before sitting back down on the park bench where she had been for the past hour, watching the ducks swim around in the pond.
"So, this is where you've been hanging out?"
"Yeah I'm having a tough day, week, month, life"
Her uncle chuckled, raising his thick eyebrows as he scratched his sharp jawline. His faint sun lines becoming more notable around his eyes and mouth,"That bad, huh? Well, we missed you at dinner last week." Ines sighed, having an idea of who he was referring to."Your boyfriend thinks your avoiding him,"
"Miles isn't my boyfriend" Ines corrected, "And I'm not avoiding him..I've just been busy. There's been a lot going on lately." With him being the Prowler and her being Spider-Woman in an elite force made it easy enough for her to go insane for all eternity.
He snorted in disbelief. "It can't be all that bad. You got that business degree and you're working in that sweet office. Place must be filled with some smart dudes and cool girls."
Ines chuckles, not wanting to mention that it was only a part time gig, "No, there's no one."
"Oh, don't tell me you don't got no game"
"I got game" Ines defended herself, "Just haven't found the one worth my time..." Her uncle gave her look. "Alright, alright, there is someone" Ines confessed. "Sorta, I don't know. He's just so intense and so serious all the time, but...damn his eyes. Ugh! It's annoying" Ines goes on, "But I know he doesn't see me that way." After all, he probably only viewed her as a reliable member of his elite force, always there when he called for her.
Her uncle laughed, adjusting the beanie over his bald ass head. "Nah, in that case I can't have no niece of mine out here making a fool of herself. You know the triangle method?"
Ines raised her eyebrow, "Should I know what that means?"
"Tomorrow or whenever you see him, you go right up to him and look him in the eyes, his mouth and eyes again. It's that slick trick y'all girls do with us"
Ines snorted, "You serious right now?"
"I'm telling you it's science. Works every time on us" Uncle Alis grinned. "Oh, and don't even get me started on the shoulder touch. If your guy does it, he definitely wants you"
"Okay, now your just making shit up" Ines snickered.
Just then the gizmo watch alerted her of a message. Ines nearly jumped at the vibration and pulled out her phone to play it off. "Is that him?"
Ines sighed, "Yeah, for work" she said, giving him a "I told you so" look.
"Don't worry about it, Ines. Work on those tricks and he gon' be on his knees begging for you"
Now that's something I would love to see
Ines playfully rolled her eyes and waved her uncle bye, soon teleporting to Earth-928, year 2099, swinging to Miguel's headquarters ready to be told what dimension to go to next. However, when she arrived he was nowhere to be found.
Seriously? Does he think I have all this free time?
Ines sighed, impatiently waiting in his headquarters, sensing time slow down. Eventually, she began to hang upside down, scrolling through her phone, waiting for something to happen. And when nothing did she began messing around with Miguel's devices, soon growing bored enough to look at the
Arachno-Humanoid Poly Verse or as she liked to say, the Spider's Map. It was a model that mapped out the nodes where the lines converged, conveying each and every Spider persons cannons.
Ines glanced around making sure no one was around before pulling up her own map, rewatching the memories of her life. Miguel was strict about them not looking at it on their own, but Ines couldn't help it if he was taking forever.
She leaned closer, carefully watching her younger self sit, listening intently to her mothers words as she scribbled against the white board, trying to tell explain her latest discoveries.
My mom wasn't really around growing up. And if she was she'd talk about her projects with Oscorp's Industries. I didn't mind. I really thought she was cool, trying to make a difference in this world.
Ines smiled, watching her dad arrive home. He and uncle Alis looked a lot a like. Ines recalled many of their family members joking at parties how her dad appeared to be the youngest out of the two, and you couldn't really blame them. He was on the shorter and had a more youthful rounder face with a slightly broader nose. The only features the two of them shared were their piercing rich auburn angular eyes that crinkled at the corner, as well as their thick, dark brows that added an intensity to their gaze. "Oh, is that my princess?" Her dads voice echoed across the room, not bothering to change out of his uniform to greet his daughter.
He was captain of NYPD for 10 years. He was tough on the outside, but when it came down to family, it was his greatest weakness.
Ines heart grew heavy, turning to the next nodes on her web. There was a sense of dread watching this. It was as if she was reliving this moment of her mother attacking her with those metallic arms, turning her once wild halo of curls into a devilish tangle. The coldness in her honey comb eyes that once radiated excitement pooled with agony sent a shiver down her daughters spine.
And the worst part was...she knew it was me the whole time.
Ines shuddered, lowering her eyes as the next node showed her gripping onto her fathers lifeless form, tears streaming down her face realizing that in that moment she had been too late to save him. He had sacrificed himself to protect her against his wife and she had been too blinded by rage to even stop to think.
I let my emotions get the best of me.
Ines sighed, turning to the next part of this damn algorithm. She swallowed her saliva. The attack on City Hall, orchestrated by Martin Li. A man who was consumed by his own desire for revenge.
It was all still fresh in her mind unable to forget the day filled with clouds of smoke and chaos. Men in masks surrounding her, using their weapons to draw electricity from her body to use against her. And even as she fought, Martin Li managed to use Osborns bio weapon. It's poison nearly wiped Brooklyn out completely. It almost cost her life to retrieve the anti serum.
Ines watched herself, fight with all her might to beat time. Her Spider-suit all bloodied up and torn from her battle against Martin Li. Her body limped, racing to attach the anti serum to the tubes of the machine when she was quickly stopped.
Jefferson Davis lied on the hospital bed, his eyelids half-open as he reached out to her. Her hands had frozen against the machine, shocked to hear him call out her name. She knelt down, lowering her mask feeling a sense of shame wash over her as he held onto her hand tightly with his NYPD badge in between their palms.
"Look out for him" he wheezed. "Miles needs someone he can count on. Can I trust you to be there for him?"
It was at that moment Ines felt a lump in her throat remembering the realization of what Mr.Davis was asking her. She and Miles had been childhood friends, but now she had a responsibility to him beyond friendship.
And it was within that one second of deciding, his heart flatlined.
"What are you doing here?" Miguel demanded, bringing Ines back to reality. She wasn't too surprised to hear him. She sensed him a second ago, but she was in too much pain to even care.
"Taking a trip down memory lane" her voice barely above a whisper.
"That's not what this is for" Miguel scolded, his tone harsh.
"I know" Ines whispered, watching the last moments of that particular memory. "... I guess I picked that habit from you" Ines finally stepped back and swiped out of the Spider Map, locking eyes with Miguel.
Miguel raised his eyebrow, quickly realizing what she meant. He too had a habit of revisiting old memories, especially those of his daughter before she disappeared, but he couldn't let himself get distracted from the task at hand. And he saw that same distraction in Ines.
"You're too caught up on that boy from your dimension" Miguel said, remaining cold and distant, "It's interfering with your missions."
Ines jaw nearly dropped in disbelief. It was the first time she was hearing about this. "I do my missions just fine." Ines retorted, her voice rising in anger. "Have I not done everything you asked of me?"
"Ines, being a hero is a sacrifice." Miguel's expression hardened. "That's what you signed up for. If you can't handle it, and give me your all, maybe you don't belong here"
Ines bristled at his words feeling a sense of betrayal. She had done everything, no questions asked, and now he was threatening her when she had worked hard to be apart of his team. Was this why he had called her down? Because of her attachment to Miles? A moment of silence passed, with Ines's heart racing in her ears. She took a deep breath, desperately trying to hold back any anger and sadness that threatened to break her composure.
"I won't disappoint you again," she said, keeping her head held up high, "You have my word."