The Marvels

Ep. 29 | Did I?

"So I had this crazy idea."

Vidya raised both eyebrows warily. Amber was sitting on the ground, blowing her nose. She didn't handle colds well: pills made her gag, liquid medicine made her gag, her nose turned into Niagara Falls, and her eyes ached, which meant she couldn't even enjoy TV on the school days she missed. She was doing better today than yesterday, but Niagara was still falling, and the garbage can couldn't keep up.

"I was thinking about Halloween," Amber continued, sticking a tissue into both nostrils and letting it hang there. "Wouldn't it be hilarious if you went as a balloon?"

Vidya sighed.

"Think about it!" Amber was cackling now. "You could float around with a rope tied around your waist, and I'd be the little girl holding on to it!"

"Little girl?" Vidya questioned. "Pennywise suits you better."

"Excuse me," Amber screeched loudly, the tissue flopping up as she spoke. "Do I look like a clown?"

"YES!"

But it wasn't Vidya who said it, it was Teddy, calling out from downstairs. Amber responded by pounding her fist on the floor.

"So," she said, sniffing. "I was kidding about the balloon. We don't wanna go around exposing you, or me."

Vidya just smiled. It was a cute idea, but come Halloween, they would be on opposite sides of the country, and she didn't want to think about that just yet. "Do you think you're going to school tomorrow?"

"If I can fall asleep at a reasonable time, maybe." Amber reached for the cough medicine, made a face, and swallowed a pill.

Vidya stood, shouldering her backpack. She still had some homework, a date with Jonah, and active call time to take care of, and hopefully, that would all go smoothly. "I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Byeee," Amber said, her voice all nasally, and she winked suggestively. "Have fun on your date!"

Vidya shook her head. "Shut up."
_______________________

"They're meeting here?" Lady Marvel muttered.

The barn in front of her was actually kind of nice and not at all decrepit, but it was still a million times less classy than where she would expect the elite members of AMS to gather. Any of the state's extravagant hotels seemed more likely, but River had given cryptic hints about Eagle Eye's involvement with the secretive organization, and the deceased hero happened to be the new owner of this random property, so the situation made enough sense to be worth something.

AMS itself wasn't high up on the list of immediate concerns, but their ties to Eagle Eye meant that there was an alternate explanation for her death that couldn't be ruled out. Because was it the super-killer who'd gotten to her, or did AMS see a chance to get rid of an underperforming asset and kill her knowing that the blame would naturally fall on the perpetrator everyone was already looking for? They were clever enough to try, but they were humble enough to know that not everyone would fall for it, not right away, and that would explain their need for a meeting.

Lady Marvel walked around the building, putting her ear against the wall in several places. She heard nothing, but the barn could be bustling with noise that didn't make it through sound-proof walls. All the windows were boarded up, and there were no entrances other than the front and back doors, both locked. There would be no eavesdropping or sneaking in undetected: she'd have to barge in, incapacitate, and interrogate them afterward.

Lady Marvel prepared herself for a hailing of bullets, knives, and panicked curses in several languages and accents. It was the panic that annoyed her more than the attacks; she could ignore getting shot at, but having someone scream Ma che cazzo! in her ear was distracting. She took a deep breath and then ran through the door, the wood splintering inwards.