FIREWEAVER | A Spiderverse Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Nine

They told her to take a break and recuperate, so Esme did. For like, two days.

She watched the sun rise and set two times before she finally grew tired of staying in her apartment talking to a holo agent and doing boring training tasks all by herself. She really considered an accomplishment she lasted that long.

Like seriously, when she asked LYLA if spider-man had any fun activities she could try, she didn't mean a training routine that was more stale than the home videos her great grandparents used. She had been thinking more on the lines of puzzles, painting, even taking up sewing classes.

"¡Es pura paja!" She had said as her holo agent made her do another sit up on the ceiling with a hundred pound weight.

All of it was just a repetitive cycle of exercises spider-man had somehow convinced himself to consider "fun". And after several hours of sweating profusely and feeling the ache in her limbs, she seriously doubted he even knew the meaning of the word. Still, it kept her occupied. Just not entertained.

Esme tried to go through all the decrypted files she had so called "access" to but none were helpful, at best she could make a few things in quantum physics and being able to travel to worlds that mirrored their own- dimensions that were parallel to theirs, branches of timelines that could be anything she imagined. It didn't fill her in on her situation, but instead fed a curiosity that demanded to be satisfied.

So here she was, on her little rebel outing. And okay, she didn't completely ignore Conchata's advice. She still took some time to try the 'meditations' Lyla had given her and tried a little bit of pouring her heart out to the wall, but it wasn't exactly ground breaking.

She was absolutely bored. So, today she decided to hit up Xina and go somewhere that always cheered her up. A club.

It wasn't all fun and games though- Esme had thought long and hard about the enemies she was facing and what other leads they could follow on Spectre- at least until the gala, and Xina said she knew a contact in the cyber-net that could help. A trusted source, for sure this time. Someone who knew all the inner workings of the dark web and had tabs on the comings and goings of prominent black market sellers.

Spectre wasn't a legitimate company, and with everything monopolized it would be difficult for them to purchase anything without companies such as Alchemax or Stark-Fujikawa noticing, so Xina's best bet was that they'd be purchasing things on the black market, and selling smaller projects to get resources.

So an hour after getting dolled up in a iridescent, green top and a black leather skirt, Esme stepped out of the cab and stood before the glimmering "Club Azule". The city practically swam in light, bathed by bright signs and neon projections.

It reminded her of back home in the entertainment district of New York. It had the same chatter and feeling in the air as back then, and it was a comforting presence. Finally, she was back in an environment she was familiar with.

"This is a popular spot in the city for tech junkies and party goers alike." Xina stepped beside her in her purple zebra patterned dress as the hover cab drove away. "My friend wanted to meet here because of the VR ports inside."

She looked hot, and Esme wondered if Xina had a boyfriend. And then Esme realized how surprisingly little she knew about her colleagues. She would have to amend that.

"He wants to meet in the virtual plane?"

"He thinks he's been tailed this past week, so he's paranoid we'll be overheard. Talking in a virtual world with an encrypted security will provide a more secure conversation, and he feels more comfortable being surrounded by people."