How to Date a Superhero Ch. 08

The science building at Gateway City University was usually a very busy place, so it felt strange to Travis to walk its halls and find it completely empty. Not that he expected anything else at five o'clock on a Tuesday morning. Rounding a corner and entering one of the many small labs provided for private study, he found Penny already waiting for him as she set up some vials and rubber tubing. She was wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants, a loose tee-shirt, and thick-rimmed glasses. Her skin was pale and her scattered hair was black. Travis briefly marveled at the completeness of her disguise; no one would ever suspect such a person to be Mega-Girl.

"Hey," Travis yawned, setting his backpack on a table.

Penny turned and smiled, "Hey." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Thanks for meeting me so early, you have no idea how much it means to me. After everything that's been going on, I'm so behind..."

"Glad to help," Travis shut the door to give them some privacy in case any other early-birds wandered by. He took off a light leather jacket, revealing a simple buttoned shirt beneath. His short, spiky, brown hair was just as messy as Penny's, but that was by design.

There was tension between them at first as they began working on their Chemistry Lab assignments, the type of tension two people experience after ending a sexual relationship and trying to remain friends, but eventually they fell into a rhythm by focusing on the lab assignments. They worked well together but held their conversation to the subject of chemistry and little else for the two hours they were together.

When they were nearly done, Penny was jotting down some final notes and noticed Travis kept glancing at her hand as he cleaned up the chemistry gear in a small stainless steel sink. "What do you keep looking at?" she asked, setting her pen down.

"Huh?" Travis glanced, "Oh, um. Your ring, I guess."

Penny lifted her right hand and wriggled the four fingers; a platinum ring encircled the middle, "You mean my image-transducer?"

Travis grabbed a towel to dry his hands, "Yeah. How does it work?"

She looked at it, "It surrounds me with a thin spectrographic ionization field, changing the way light reflects off me. Makes my hair dark, my skin pale -"

Travis nodded, "You told me when we um.... broke up."

Penny blushed, "Oh, right..."

Travis moved to sit next to her at the lab table, "I mean, how does it work? That's some pretty advanced stuff. Does it have a power source? Did you make it?"

"You know, I have no idea how it's powered," Penny studied the ring, "Dr. Prizm made it for me."

"The leader of the World League?" Travis sounded impressed as he referenced the world's premier team of super heroes, an international group based out of New York City.

"Yeah," Penny nodded, "He knew my father. They worked together on a government project, before I was born. Some sort of medical research, I guess. He's known about me and my powers ever since I was a kid. Mom knew him, trusted him, and told him about me after realizing I was special. We're actually pretty close. He was the one who convinced me I could be a hero; he even helped design my costume."

"That's so cool," Travis grinned.

His smile was infectious and Penny smiled back at him, "Yeah?"

"When I was a kid I wanted tobeDr. Prizm," Travis admitted, "I liked his costume and I thought it would be cool to be in the World League."

Penny laughed, "He wanted me to join the team."

"No shit? Dr. Prizm invited you to join the World League?"

Penny nodded, "Yeah, right after I started wearing the costume."

"Why didn't you?" Travis sounded amazed she would turn down such a prestigious offer.

Penny shrugged bonelessly, "I had already started school here and didn't want to transfer to New York. Plus, I didn't really know what I was doing or how well I'd fit with a team. I guess I just wanted to figure out how to be a hero on my own."

"Probably for the best," Travis poked a teasing elbow against her arm, "Those World League guys can't hold a candle to you."

Penny grinned broadly, "What are you talking about?"

"You're Mega-Girl!" Travis exclaimed, though not too loudly, "I bet you could beat the whole League in a fight. You're the toughest, most popular superhero of all time. You're probably even more famous than Commander Constitution."

Penny laughed, "Whatever! You realize there's a statue of Commander Constitution in Washington D.C. don't you?"

"So what?" Travis wasn't swayed, "Ishethe number one best-selling Halloween costume this year?"

"Wait, Mega-Girl costumes are the best-selling this year?" She pushed a wispy strand of hair out of her face, "That's so unfair! I can barely afford school books and some company is making a fortune off me."

"You should sue," Travis suggested jokingly.

"Oh yeah," Penny giggled and rolled her eyes, her tone turning sarcastic, "After I win in court I can tell them to make the check out to 'Mega-Girl'. I should have no problems cashing that one." She sighed, "I really hate having a secret identity sometimes."

Travis cupped his hand over hers on the lab table, "I know it's hard for you, but I'm glad I'm one of the four people who know. I can't tell you how cool it is to be Mega-Girl's lab partner."

A warm smile decorated Penny's face, "You're so sweet, Travis. But actually, five people know my identity."

Travis counted on one hand, "Me, Jordan, your mom, Dr. Prizm...?"

Penny cleared her throat and murmured, "You forgot Apollo."

"Oh," Travis' expression lost some of its mirth, "Right, of course."

She smiled uncomfortably amidst the moment of silence.

Travis realized he and Penny had somehow moved shoulder-to-shoulder, so close that they were touching. He slid his stool away from her and stood to begin gathering his books, "So, um, how's that going? You and Apollo?"

"Great," Penny nodded quickly, noticing the sudden distance Travis put between them and moved to gather her own things, sensing the earlier tension between them had returned, "Apollo's really great. How about you? Jordan said you were at the apartment on Friday night, after we ran into each other at the Burger Shack."

Travis froze for a moment, "She said that? What else did she say?"

Penny lifted a shoulder, "Nothing, really. Why? Did something happen?"

A soft red color suddenly filled Travis' cheeks, "Um..."

Penny's mouth parted and she sucked in a breath, covering her lips with a hand, "Oh wow, did you guys...? I mean, are you and Jordan...?"

Travis made a sheepish grin.

Penny laughed, "I can't believe she didn't tell me. You're such a jerk, Travis!"

Travis was still grinning, "What? Why am I a jerk?"

"Here I am feeling guilty about bringing up Apollo and you've already got a new girlfriend." She batted his shoulder playfully, "Plus, she's my roommate!"

Travis winced, "Are you sure it's not weird? I know what you said at the Burger Shack, but -"

"It's fine," she assured him, "I mean, it's alittleweird, but I'm happy for you. I love Jordan to death; she's the best person I know."

"Yeah," Travis agreed, "She's great."

"Just don't break her heart," Penny joked, "Or I'll throw you into orbit."

Striding through his base of operations, a secret facility located underground, Master Disaster wore his full costume. Made of Spandex, the left arm was brown, the right arm blue, the left leg was a reddish-orange, and the right leg was colored white. All the colors met into a chaotic pattern on his torso. Thick boots, heavy gauntlets, and a cape depending from his shoulders were all colored black, matching his mask which covered the entirety of his head except the mouth.

Punching a code into an access panel on the wall, he entered a large meeting chamber with an oval shaped table in the middle of the room. Master Disaster was the last to arrive and the table was already littered with other super-villains. Two-Fold sat in a leisurely slouch, two of his duplicate copies standing behind his chair, all three wearing matching trench coats. Cyclone sat next to him, wearing his black and silver spandex costume emblazoned with a tornado on his chest. Madam Venom sat alone, as no one else wanted to sit next to her and the slithering python draped over her shoulders. The armored Doctor Death was telling a joke to the Jester, who couldn't stop giggling. Next to them was Roman Killian, a notorious mercenary who claimed to be the best hand-to-hand fighter in the world despite the fact that he often killed with a gun. Finally, beyond the table against a concrete wall, was The Leviathan.

"Hello everyone, in case you weren't aware my name is Master Disaster."

The room quieted as Master Disaster moved to stand at the head of the table, "I asked you all to be here today because each of you has a unique set of skills that can help me fulfill an assassination contract. Now, normally I don't concern myself with something as mundane as murder..."

Roman Killian snorted.

"... but my client made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"Who iss thiss client?" Madam Venom asked in her slithering tone.

"My client wishes to remain anonymous," Master Disaster told her.

Two-Fold frowned, "I don't like not knowing who I'm working for."

"Nor do I," Doctor Death added.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with such trivial matters," Master Disaster chuckled, "In fact I can offer each of you ten million reasons not to be concerned."

"Whoa," Cyclone leaned forward, "You're offering everyone in this room ten million dollars to help you kill someone?"

"LEVIATHAN RICH!"

"Must be one helluva target," Roman Killian maintained his cool demeanor.

"You're correct," Master Disaster inclined his head towards Roman, "It will be the most difficult target any of you have ever faced. We're going to kill Mega-Girl."

The Jester erupted with laughter, though evidently he was the only one who got the joke.

"You're kidding," Two-Fold rubbed his shaved scalp, "Right?"

"What are you afraid of?" Doctor Death snorted, "She's just a girl."

Two-Fold rose towards the challenging words, "What are you, stupid? Don't you watch TV? That 'girl' took on Apollo!"

"And now sshe's dating him," Madam Venom hissed, "We would likely have to contend with him asss well."

"So what?" Cyclone pointed towards the twelve-foot monster at the back of the room, "We've got The Leviathan on our side!"

"NO ONE CAN STOP LEVIATHAN."

"Everyone calm down," Master Disaster lifted his gauntlet-covered hands, "Yes, Mega-Girl is a formidable opponent. Yes, we may have to contend with Apollo as well. But you must all trust me. I have aplan. In fact, it's already in motion. Thanks to our employer, we have a secret weapon that almost assures success."

Everyone in the room fell silent as Master Disaster paused for dramatic effect. They all knew his reputation as a genius and master planner and waited for him to clue them in.

Master Disaster grinned wickedly at their rapt attention, his mouth the only section of his face visible beneath his mask, "I know Mega-Girl's secret identity."

Free of afternoon classes, Mega-Girl soared high above the world and enjoyed the sounds of Gateway City as it went about its daily business. "Harbinger," she lifted a hand to her cellular earpiece, "Are you listening?"

I'm here, MG.

"What'cha doing?" she asked, in a good mood and feeling chatty amidst the uncommonly sunny and warm fall weather.

Homework, which is what you should be doing. The city's calm. Not a peep from the police bands all day. Even the bad guys must be out enjoying the nice weather.

"I hung out with our mutual friend this morning in lab," Mega-Girl teased as she flew over Byrne Park, "He got awful blushy and shy when I brought you up."

That's because all the boys are in love with me. I'm a super-sexy computer nerd in flannel pee-jays who solves crime in her precious spare time. What boy could possibly resist that? There should be a television show about me.

Mega-Girl laughed at her roommate's sarcasm.

How did it go being lab partners?

"It was weird," Mega-Girl admitted, making a high pass over the Warrens, "But only at first. By the time we were done I remembered all the reasons I wanted to date him."

There was a moment of silence through the cellular signal and Mega-Girl winced, realizing she shouldn't have said what she said. Travis and Jordan had only started dating and it was obvious Jordan had jealous suspicions that Travis wasn't over his prior relationship.

Jordan finally spoke in an apprehensive tone.

You sound like you're still into him.

"I'm not," Mega-Girl replied hastily, as though she were trying to convince herself as much as Jordan, "I swear. I'm with Apollo now."

I know, it's just tough to be the next girl a guy dates after he's been with a super-

Jordan's sentence was cut short and followed by a static-filled thumping sound.

"Harbinger?" Mega-Girl paused her flight mid-air and hovered, lifting a hand to her ear, "Harbinger, do you copy?"

A subtle click through her earpiece indicated the line had gone dead. Mega-Girl tried to re-establish the connection from her earpiece and waited a few moments to see if Jordan had been a klutz and accidently hung up, but no answer came. Mega-Girl quickly grew concerned that something was wrong and shot through the air like a blur of crimson. A thunderous boom echoed above the city as she broke the sound barrier, streaking towards her apartment.

"Jordan?" Mega-Girl called out less than a minute later, after crawling through her bedroom window.

She stepped into the apartment's hallway and didn't hear a sound, but Jordan's bedroom doorway was open.

"Jordan? Are you -?"

Mega-Girl stopped short in the doorway when she saw her roommate subdued by a costumed man. He was holding Jordan against his chest with one arm around her neck and the other pinning Jordan's arm to the small of her back. The man's costume was a mixture of black and grey with a full face mask and a scorpion symbol across his chest; Mega-Girl recognized him instantly from news reports, but had never before encountered the villain.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked in a gravelly voice.

"Deathstalker," Mega-Girl answered, remaining still and locking eyes with Jordan, who appeared deathly afraid.

"That's right," he growled, "And if you know that, you know I'll kill your sexy little friend here without a second thought if you so much as twitch."

Mega-Girl didn't doubt him. Deathstalker was responsible for the killings of countless innocents during his time as a costumed assassin. She knew he had superhuman speed and strength; enough to kill Jordan before Mega-Girl would be able to close the short distance between them.

"I have the proportionate strength and speed of a scorpion," Deathstalker bragged, as he always did to his victims, "I fought the Superb Six to a standstill! So you got no play, hero, except to do what I say."

Mega-Girl's right fist balled at her side, unafraid. "What do you want?" she asked, trying to remain cool.

Deathstalker indicated Jordan's bed with a lift of his chin, "See that duffel bag? There's a pair of suppression cuffs inside. Put 'em on."

Mega-Girl glanced towards the zippered bag.

"MG, don't do it!" Jordan suddenly cried.

Deathstalker squeezed his arm tightly around Jordan's throat, causing her to suddenly cough and choke.

Suppression cuffs were invented by Mega-Girl's mentor, Dr. Prizm, for use at the Blockade super-max prison. They were somehow able to inhibit certain individuals' superhuman powers, depending on the source or origin of those powers, though Mega-Girl didn't know if they'd work on her. "If I put them on," she stepped slowly towards the bed, "You'll let her go?"

"She's a means to an end," Deathstalker watched Mega-Girl's movements carefully, "The bounty is on your head, not hers."

"Bounty?" Mega-Girl stalled, unzipping the duffel bag. Inside was a bulky pair of rigid hand-cuff-like restraints. She wanted to know how Deathstalker, a villain she had never before encountered or fought, found out where she lived. Mega-Girl hoped she could keep him talking and discover some answers before putting the cuffs on.

"Ten million," Deathstalker grunted.

"...don't do it..." Jordan spoke hoarsely, her voice affected by the chokehold around her neck, "...he'll just kill us both..."

Mega-Girl pulled the suppression cuffs out of the bag and gave Jordan a sympathetic look.

"Shut-up," Deathstalker growled.

"You're a coward," Jordan rasped.

"Shut-up!" Deathstalker repeated, growing angry.

Mega-Girl held out a pleading hand, "Calm down, don't hurt her. I'll put them on..."

"You could never beat Mega-Girl," Jordan declared defiantly, struggling against the villain, "She'd kick your ass."

"I said shut-up!" Deathstalker yelled, flexing his muscular arm. An audible snap filled the bedroom as Jordan's expression fell dark and her body limp.

Mega-Girl's eyes went wide through the holes on her mask. "NO!!!" she cried desperately when she realized Jordan's neck had been broken.

"Dumb fucking bitch," Deathstalker released his grip and let Jordan's lifeless body slump to the floor.

In an instant Mega-Girl's entire world collapsed. Jordan was Penny's roommate, closest confidante, and best friend; her only friend, really. As Harbinger, Jordan was Mega-Girl's partner – her eyes and ears. Jordan was there when Penny first donned the costume their freshman year and had been in Mega-Girl's ear every time she wore the costume after that. The whole point of the costume was to protect Jordan from the villains Mega-Girl had to face on an almost daily basis, but now a villain Mega-Girl barely knew had broken through that mask and callously murdered one of the people she loved most in the world. All rational emotion left her and was replaced by a burning desire for revenge; for vengeance.

She wanted blood.

"You animal!" Mega-Girl's scream was filled with anguish as she flew at Deathstalker, hurling her body against his and blasting them through the apartment wall.

Their bodies fell in a tangle three stories down to bounce off the hood of a parked car before rolling to the sidewalk outside the front of the apartment building. Several young students who had been walking nearby screamed out in alarm and fled away from the violence.

Deathstalker was the first to his feet and he grasped the car they landed on, reaching beneath to get a hold of its frame and straining to lift it into the air above his head. Mega-Girl was on her hands and knees when he smashed the vehicle down over her kneeling frame and engulfed her in the wreckage.

"I'm collecting that ten million," Deathstalker laughed, his voice like a sloshing bucket of nails, "Everyone says you're hot shit, but a little girl like you hasn't got a chance against Deathstalker – the deadliest scorpion in the world!"

The car lifted into the air causing Deathstalker to back-step cautiously. Mega-Girl appeared beneath, hefting it above outstretched arms as easily as a child lifts a helium filled balloon. "What can you press?" she asked through a grim visage, "Four, maybe five tons? It takes twenty times that for me to even break a sweat. Before killing my friend you boasted about fighting the Superb Six to a draw..."

She casually tossed the sedan back towards the street where it landed in a crunching pile of metal and broken glass. Mega-Girl cracked her knuckles, "I eat guys like the Superb Six for breakfast and I'm as afraid of scorpions as I am of ants."

"Oh shit," Deathstalker muttered before running, his enhanced speed allowing him to clear the block in seconds.