Triple Threat

Chapter 4

"Where am I?" the blue figure asked.

"You just came through some weird light blob into an abandoned warehouse no one's used in over twenty years," she said. "Which brings me back to my first question."

"They just built this place a couple years ago. How could it possibly have been abandoned for that long?"

Anarchid huffed. This was probably just another wannabe vigilante pulling some fake bust. Though whatever technology they had used to make the light appear, she had to commend them. It was better than anything she had seen a citizen pull off so far.

"Listen normie, I know the whole vigilante lifestyle seems cool, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. You should go home and sleep it off before I report you to the actual police."

"What?"

She crossed her arms. "You're dressed up in a costume that looks like something my grandma would have played with when she was a kid, and you're trespassing."

"I'm telling you, there's no way this place is condemned," They said. "And I don't even know how I got here."

"So you what, just appeared here?"

"I don't know," they said."

Anarchid sighed. If they wouldn't listen to her, she'd just have to show them. "Why don't we take a walk?"

She turned and exited the building again, not waiting for the figure to follow. They trailed behind her, and followed even when Anarchid climbed onto the roof of the building. They looked out over the city, and Blue, as she had temporarily dubbed the figure, sat in shocked silence.

After a minute, Blue spoke up again. "This isn't my city, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently you were right about the warehouse, I can see the signs posted on the fence from here," they said. "And all these massive buildings, and the cars going by, and even that billboard over there with the weird flashing colors?"

"Have they not seen L.A. before?" she wondered.

"This technology doesn't exist where I'm from."

"What, are you from some alien planet?" she asked.

"It's 1993, this kinda stuff shouldn't be possible."

Anarchid was taken aback. "It's... not the 90's. It's 2025.

Blue turned to look back at her. "That's ridiculous."

"I'm afraid it's not," she showed Blue her phone. It read 2025 clearly across her lock screen. At this point, she was less annoyed and more worried. "Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to walk you home?"

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" Blue yelled. "I'm not tired either. I'm just... confused."

She sighed. "You got a name, kid?"

"It's Swimming Spider," they said.

"Not even gonna give me a citizen name, huh?"

"I can't just go around revealing my identity to random people I met in an old warehouse," they countered.

"You really do think you're a vigilante, don't you?" she asked.

"I am!" Swimming Spider said defensively. "At least, I am where I'm from."

"Okay then, Swimming Spider. I don't know why, maybe I'm just tired too, but I'm inclined to believe you," Anarchid said. "Why don't you tell me what you remember before being here."

"I was on my patrol, minding my business, when I spotted a weird purple light coming from this warehouse. When I got close it sort of... engulfed me. Next thing I knew, I was here."

Anarchid sat down next to Swimming Spider and stared out over Los Angeles. She had seen the light too, so they couldn't be lying about that part. She didn't want to leave them here, especially after she had been so accusatory just a few minutes ago.

She thought back to her first day on the job. She remembered how the news, the police, the whole city called her crazy. How could she blame them? This short weirdo in a green suit showed up out of nowhere, swinging around on sticky webbing and eavesdropping on police scanners.

It wasn't easy for them to grasp the idea of an actual superhero, and she remembered being upset that no one believed her. Swimming Spider must be feeling the same way.

"Do you have somewhere you can go for the night?" she asked.

"Why?"

"I'm not just leaving you here, you're obviously confused. "

"So are you gonna help me then?" they asked.

"If you really are who you say you are."

"You don't think I'm crazy?"

"Oh no," Anarchid laughed. "I definitely do. But hey, you think I am too, I know."

She couldn't be sure, but something told her that Swimming Spider was smiling under their mask.

"Obviously we can't reveal our identities to each other. We both know, even if we don't believe each other, that we're vigilantes, and that would be dangerous," she said. "Which means I can't show you where I live, or really offer you anything to be more comfortable."

Swimming Spider laid down on a sturdier portion of the roof. "I'm used to it. I'll just stay here for the night."

Anarchid felt bad about just leaving them there, but she didn't have a choice. She took off her hoodie and threw it to them. "At least use this as a pillow," she said.

"Why are you suddenly helping me?"

Honestly, she didn't really know. It just didn't feel right to leave them alone.

"I can't stand by and watch someone that far from home struggle to find their way around a completely new city. It's dangerous. I'm gonna help you figure out what happened, even if it's against my better judgment."

"Thank you."

"Don't sweat it," she said. "Get some sleep, and whatever you do, stay here. I'll be back tomorrow night."

She started to swing away when Swimming Spider shouted back at her. "What do I call you?"

"Anarchid!" she yelled back.

On the way home, she realized just how cold the fog was without a coat on. She slightly regretted leaving her hoodie behind, but Swimming Spider needed it more than she did.

She landed in her bedroom, this time locking the window behind her. She changed back into her PJs and checked her phone. It was almost two. She threw herself into bed and laid there for a while.

A thought crossed her mind just as she was about to fall asleep, and it was going to keep her up for the rest of the night.

"It's a time portal. They really are from the 90s, aren't they?"

*****

Author's Note: This chapter is really short since the next one is pretty long, sorry that the pacing is a little wonky. It was a good chance to play around with just a ton of dialogue. I hope you guys still enjoy this chapter! I promise more significant stuff than just a confusingly set up conversation will happen in the next one. - Raevynn