The Marvels

Ep. 11 | New Heroes and Pathetic Villains

Vidya tore her eyes away from the sky. She wanted to believe Juggernaut was kidding, but why would he be? Who would lie to her, the businesswoman in charge of a mega-corporation, or the literal superhero? As much faith as she had in Fox, she knew it was Juggernaut who was honest about her 'mission'.

But why did he let it happen?

With the action over, the crowd was starting to disperse. The few that remained were speaking with Fox, and although some people not-so-subtly eyed Frostbite with interest, no one approached her. She guessed that Fox told them not to bother her, or that there was some clause stopping them from crowding a superhero who was still a minor. Whatever it was, she was grateful to be able to slip away.

She needed to get her stuff from the meeting room before going home. Flying would be too quick; she wanted time to think, so she slipped into an alley and onto a back street so she wouldn't have to see anyone on her walk to headquarters. It was a recently gained privilege to be able to walk through these shadowy, empty lots by herself without fear of harm—she was now capable of fighting back. Superpowers were changing her life in small ways she didn't consider until confronted with them.

It was for the better, wasn't it?

Vidya stuffed her hands into her pockets, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The Marvels, Celestro...she never wanted perfection, but this wasn't what she was expecting. Fox was a liar, Juggernaut didn't trust the company, Flamethrower was a far cry from the noble hero she was on the news, and everything was just so off.

What else have they lied about?

"Forget it," Vidya murmured, shaking her head. She didn't need to agree with everything they did.

She took out her phone, curious. The internet was already flooded with videos of her and Heat, and all the headlines were along the lines of Frostbite makes her first save! It made her queasy. The 'beginning' followed heroes forever; no one ever stopped talking about Juggernaut's lab accident, or the story of Phase falling through the floor. No one would ever stop talking about Frostbite's beginning as a hero, her fight with Heat, and she would have to suffer quietly knowing it was a lie.

She tried to look on the bright side. His escape might've been staged, but it was her own talent that defeated Heat. That had to count for something.

The sun dipped completely below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness. Apartment windows offered some hazy light, and it was enough for her to see where she was going. Vidya felt calmer now, gliding through the evening with no one watching or cheering or asking questions.

There was a loud crash.

Vidya stopped in her tracks. Just when she thought she'd imagined it, there was another loud noise, far ahead of her. She started jogging, following the sound, trying to figure out what it could be. Dirt piled up at the tips of her shoes as she skidded to a stop in a clearing, coming face-to-face with a giant tarantula.

Wait...what?

Vidya rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. It was still there: a ten-foot-tall, eight-legged, hairy, multi-eyed spider. There was white webbing covering the clearing, and the spider itself pounded its legs against a building like it was angry, sending some brick crumbling.

She supposed that in a world where an accident could turn a human indestructible and where watching someone turn invisible was normal, a giant tarantula in LA at night shouldn't be all that surprising.

Vidya's hands went cold as she thought it through. There was no need to kill it, although just what they were going to do with it afterward, she had no clue. Freezing its legs to the ground should be enough to keep it in place until animal control—if they were whose problem this was—got here.