5 Chapter 5. The Lucky Spider

CHAPTER 5. THE LUCKY SPIDER

(Damien's POV)

'Actions have consequences.'

'You reap what you sow.'

'The universe always leaves a tab.'

Those were but the few phrases that resonated with my situation as I tried to suppress my frustration while looking over my bank statements.

"This is so not good." I cupped my forehead with my left palm, switched to rubbing my eyes, then proceeded to cupping both eyes due to the much cringe I was experiencing.

You probably saw it coming. 

I forgot about my debit card, and ended up making someone else's day. By the time I had gotten around to getting the card back, it was a whole debate on how I had generously told the waiter to tip himself.

"Greatest tip anyone has ever gotten here." The restaurant manager had defended his staff, and left me to walk out extremely disappointed and disheartened.

For an intern accountant, my bank statement practically laughed at "my" spending.

Apparently, the waiter had gone and bought a really expensive car, purchased a dozen tickets to a FREAKING THEATER?! He had himself signed up for several travel plans all year round - all paid for in full... and did some other ridiculous buys that made me wonder if he lacked any imagination. 

The waiter had basically gotten me somewhat broke within minutes, and I knew I would have to suffer for it.

Luckily, Marvel me had put up contingencies in place. There was an account dedicated to an emergency fund capable of enabling me to survive for the next three months, if spent well. And there was a savings account purposefully reserved to instill a sense of financial security.

But for a smart guy clever enough to make smart investments at a really young age, I was living a really mundane life working as an intern accountant at Osborne Industries. On the bright side, it was a paid internship that came with much respect and reverence from colleagues.

However, no matter how much I would appreciate a career change, I had to face my consequences and recover what I had lost in a matter of hours since taking full control of this Marvel life.

So, there I was, cursing my bank statements displayed on the work monitor as I prepared to balance some sheets. 

However, before I could actually get to the work I was supposed to do, I made a purchase for some fireproof material and some other stuff online, then got busy calculating without giving a damn about the consequences of spending a month's worth of the emergency fund.

---

The rest of the week was pretty dull. It was all math talk with the colleagues, and despite working on some pretty nerve-racking, life changing experiments that could also potentially doom us all, the scientists were no much fun either.

I had been a geek in both my lives, but interacting with my colleagues with a new sense of existence made it all feel like a whole other level of geeky-ness I wasn't capable of.

But however much I color my words to appear above all, honestly, I just felt like I didn't belong here at all. I couldn't keep up with the science talk, and my organization skills were falling way beyond the average.

I guess I was more used to an existence in which I always did the math in my mind, instead of showing the procedure on paper, than the existence in which I was clear and organized.

Thus, I found myself yearning for excitement within and beyond the work place.

Besides swinging around the neighborhood to do some good in a red hoodie (and pajamas), I finally got around to working on my spider suit. 

Sneaking around Osborne Industries' cameras and motion sensors was perhaps the most exciting thing I did during the first week as I made my way to the labs in search of equipment to improve my spider suit.

Using some pretty advanced tailoring equipment, I fabricated the fireproof material I had bought online into a spiderman-like suit. 

The hardest part was doing it while scientists engrossed themselves in their particular studies and research, but they weren't that agile, or flexible.

I figured how to operate the tailoring machine by observing how a scientist operated it to sew threads and took note on how they behaved under heat presses while modifying them in chemical treatment stations. 

3D printing technology in the labs allowed me to fabricate custom parts for the suits, including more flexible armor panels.

Of course, understanding that I was working for the Green Goblin, I made sure to sabotage most of the technology as stealthily as I could without the worry of losing my job when I was already at a low point.

I tinkered with the suit a little bit more, like catering for stealth and temperature regulation, before deciding it was enough.

Naturally, I skipped fabric testing and analysis, convinced that my suit didn't need to be that perfect, and instead proceeded to coloring.

In my life, green was always my lucky color, and creatively mixing it with the gold and black colors, the suit became pleasing to look at.

Obviously, I added a giant spider symbol on the chest area for recognition. 

And by the time the month's salary came in, I was convinced it was the most productive month I had had yet, until the Accounts Manager accused me of truancy and not completing my tasks in time.

However, she chose not to yell at me and instead gave me a warning, saying that she wouldn't be that lenient the next time I decided to leverage my status - whatever that meant.

She dismissed me, authoritatively reminding not to miss her birthday celebrations.

I'm sure if I looked into my mind, I would understand what exactly she meant by 'levaragin my status', but I was otherwise excited to finally, and officially, put on The Lucky Spider's suit!

---

Once again, I was standing before the long mirror on my closet door, with a full body reflection that was now more appealing to look at.

The official suit for the Lucky Spider was nothing short of impressive to look at. The primary color was gold, with green markings, color black highlighted the symbol on the chest, and somehow, I looked a bit leaner on the outside.

Despite being impressed, I was hardly awed by how cool I looked. It was awesome, I admit, but, it gave me a weird feeling that I was not accustomed to experiencing.

"Is this what responsibility feels like?" I wondered as I absorbed the image before me. "Since getting my spider powers, its been all fun and enjoyment; swinging above everyone, sticking on walls, and using the abilities to sneak around."

"Honestly, doing good was just a by-the-way thing since I'm a fan of Spiderman." The voice in my head had a serious tone to it. "But seeing myself in this suit makes me feel that it should be more serious than that."

I then got around to wondering what was my purpose, and why my spider powers had to be different and magic-oriented. However, everything that I thought up seemed to be cliched.

Genuinely playing hero felt basic, but I knew I'd enjoy swinging around and helping people out like their friendly neighborhood Lucky Spider.

Well, working to avert some of the biggest Marvel crisis' felt unnecessary, since everything always worked out in the end (mostly). Except changing a few minor things here and there, I was convinced that I didn't need to take up that unnecessary burden.

And after several other takes, I wasn't quite sure why my spider powers had to be different, and I decided that I'd keep on swinging until my purpose found me.

"Damien Dark. The Lucky Spider." I assumed several posses in front of the mirror, before a notification on my phone reminded me something important.

"Oh shit. I'm late for the boss's party!" I wrapped things up with my reflection.