Subterfuge

Chapter 3

Maggie backed up and stood against the door, steadying herself. For years she'd been dreaming about this, going over scenarios in her head, making up scenes in which she'd get the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Max Everhart. She'd never actually expected it to happen. Max was practically a celebrity, the whole city knowing him as the boy who'd created the Supernova—although there were dozens of different theories as to what the Supernova was and what exactly Max's role in it had been. Besides that, Max was the adopted son of Captain Chromium and the Dread Warden, two of the original Council members, who still held high sway over the community despite the fact that the Council was no longer an oligarchy. And he was the adopted brother of Adrian Everhart, who in addition to his own claims to fame as Sketch and the Sentinel, also happened to be dating Nova Artino, the former villain known as Nightmare. Despite her occasional interactions with Sketch and—ugh—Nova during her time as a Renegade, Maggie had never thought she'd have a chance of getting anywhere near that family.

But now she and Max were standing in the same small shop, barely ten feet away from each other.

Maggie slowly stepped forward, her mouth dry. Now that the moment was finally here, she had no idea what she was going to say. She'd always thought her first question for Max would be about what it had been like to wear Ace Anarchy's helmet, to have all the superpowers in the world pouring into him. But now... would maybe something like Hey, I'm Maggie be better?

Maggie crept over to the aisle Max was standing in, the shelves of which were primarily stocked with collectible figurines and valuable dinnerware. Max was examining a china dish, turning it from side to side. He placed it back on the shelf and picked up the next item, an elegant wine glass. What is he doing? she thought, watching him set the glass back down and pick something else up.

Maggie opened her mouth to ask him, but closed it just as quickly. What was she doing? He'd probably think she'd been spying on him or something. Why was she even trying to talk to him anyway? She should just go wait in line behind that stupid customer and sell her stupid items and get her stupid money.

But just as she was considering doing this, Max turned around and saw her. He did a little bit of a double take, then smiled. "Hi."

Maggie didn't have time to think, to run, to do anything. She could feel her cheeks getting hot as she floundered for something to say. "Um, I, uh, I—I—what's that you're holding?"

Max looked down at the object in his hand and furrowed his brow before looking back up at her. "A... bowl?"

Maggie's blush grew even deeper as she realized that it was indeed a pretty ordinary-looking china bowl, blue and white with a rim plated in silver.

"Oh," was all she could think of to say.

"You were a Renegade once, right?" Max asked, placing the bowl back on the shelf.

"Um, yeah," Maggie squeaked out, hating how she couldn't get her brain to form an intelligent sentence.

"Yeah... I remember seeing you a few times at Headquarters. But not anytime recently."

Maggie shook her head, reeling with shock over the fact that this conversation was taking place, and over what he'd just said. I remember seeing you a few times at Headquarters. Max remembered her! He remembered her! "I remember you too," she mumbled.

"What are you doing these days?" Max asked, as if they were old friends who'd lost touch over time, rather than people who'd never once actually spoken to one another.

Maggie didn't want to answer. How was she supposed to tell Max Everhart that she was living in an abandoned theater, buying necessities with money that came from stealing valuables from random passers-by, involved with a gang, and scheming and plotting to obtain the most valuable, dangerous object ever invented and become the world's next supervillain?