by Madam Marvelous
#26130
Part One: Power Lunch
I picked at my plate of enchiladas Verdes as I sat at the
table nearest to the observation window that looked out at the small blue
marble I called home. I never expect to be aboard the BADGE Stellar Arena,
fighting in League War 12 as the world below us, and the people like us on it,
struggled. I felt as if we were in hiding, afraid of what could happen rather
than facing the growing threat and fighting it like I would an opponent during
a battle round.
And I wasn’t alone in that thought. I could hear other
heroes talking around me, concerned about what was happening to their friends,
families, and the other Morphon-enhanced people who were being gathered by the
World Corps for “questioning”. If they wanted to question people, why not do it
over the phone or on Zoom like normal people? Going door-to-door and insisting
people leave their homes and go with them to undisclosed locations wasn’t questioning.
It was kidnapping.
I felt as slimy as the green sauce covering the rolled flour
tortillas on my lunch plate. If my parents hadn’t insisted I come up here to fight,
I wouldn’t have come.
Yeah, that’s right. My parents made me go to league war.
They said I couldn’t not go and let my league down, but I knew the truth. There
were plenty of stories on the news about the anti-morphonic weapons the World Corps
had. I’d seen them use them in Washington D.C. against the three invaders who
attacked the city, claiming to be heroes. My parents were afraid of one of
those weapons being used on me, so getting me off the planet would keep me
safe.
Well, as safe as anyone could be when going into three
rounds of battle against other powered heroes. I don’t think anyone going into
a fight with Midgardsormr, or any number of other combatants currently fighting
in matches, as safe.
“Great last round, Mad Marv,” Wyldfyre said as he approached
my table. “You guys were one of the ten leagues that didn’t lose a match. Why couldn’t
you all fight like that while I was on the team.”
I huffed at his insinuation. “Hey! That’s not fair. We fought
just as hard when you were—”
He raised his hand up as he smirked in response to my
reaction. “Just busting your chops. Why is everyone so serious all the sudden?
Do you mind if I sit here with you? Me and a buddy, actually. He’s meeting me
here for lunch.”
“That’s fine,” I said, placing my napkin over my food and
standing up from my seat. “I’m done anyways.”
“Hold on a minute,” Wyldfyre said as he sat opposite of me. “We
wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
I cocked my head as I settled back into my chair. “Me? Really?
Why?”
“Hold your horses until he gets here. It’s better if he
explains.” Wyldfyre picked up a skewer full of chicken, pineapple and veggies
coated with a sticky glaze. He took a bite and closed his eyes while smiling
happily. “Ummmm. Just like Mom used to make.”
I watched him devour two such skewers before Starmaster walked
up to the table. “Sorry I’m late. I had a meeting with some of the Avengers51
about next round. We’re going up against the SOB Hunter/Killer league next
round. We’re hopeful for a good match.”
“Which means you plan on grinding their faces into the floor,
right?” Wyldfyre said as Starmaster slid into the seat beside him. “Did you see
who we were going up against?”
“The A Team,” Starmaster replied.
“We just beat them in Round One,” I said, wanting to be part
of the conversation. “They weren’t giving us their A game. How did you do last
round, Wyldfyre?”
“Hardy, har, har, har,” Wyldfyre sneered at me playfully. “You
know we lost to the BORG. I’m sure Ace had a good laugh at our expense. We were
this close to overtaking them in the last hour but couldn’t get past the defensive
wins we gave them earlier in the day.”
Wyldfyre moved from the Star Force: Junior League this LW to
join L.U.S.H., or the Legion of Unusual Super Heroes, as part of our combined efforts
to play the numbers game and get better divisional placement. The plan worked well
in some ways. We had managed to slide into the sweet spot where we wouldn’t
have to face PAIN or Suffering, but we potentially might have had to face one another.
With them losing Round One, fortunately it wouldn’t be an issue going forward. Emboldened
by that, I batted my eyes at Wyldfyre. “We’ll take them down in Round Two for
you. We won’t have any problem bringing on the heat.”
Starmaster chuckled as Wyldfyre nearly choked on a piece of
pineapple he had been chewing. After coughing into his napkin a few times, he
cleared his throat and took a drink from his bottle of beer. “I deserved that
one. I’m glad you’re getting better at your banter, Marv. A memorable hero
needs snappy comebacks. Look at Slayer B.A.S. Her zingers are top notch. And
Hanzo. He could teach a Masterclass on witty repartee.”
Bits of food disappeared in small portions from Starmaster’s
plate. I looked at him and could see his chin move as he chewed beneath his mask.
Having a secret identity of my own to protect, I understood his need to hide
his identity, but couldn’t imagine teleporting my lunch into my mouth to avoid having
my face seen. Being a shapeshifter definitely had its advantages. “What did you
want to talk to me about?”
“Do you have any plans between rounds?” Starmaster asked.
“I want to watch some of Midgardsormr’s matches and hoped to
talk to him one-on-one if he has time. We had a scheduling hiccup for visiting the
WMD training area he invited the league to. We were trying to get everyone’s
schedules aligned to go, but the rapid call we got from Director Nova didn’t
give us a chance to take advantage of his invitation. He’s a bit miffed at
Infinite Tempest—”
“Midgardsormr doesn’t get miffed,” Wyldfyre said while
rubbing his jaw tenderly. “He gets physical.”
I winced at the comment. “He’s always been nice to me. Ever
since my first league war, he’s been a great friend and mentor.”
“Not everyone has managed to stay on his good side,”
Starmaster said flatly. “If you can manage to stay there, you probably have the
greatest power of any of us.”
Wyldfyre nodded. I couldn’t help but laugh at the rare
sincere look on his face.
“Well, after I do that and answer some questions he had
about the celebration bash after Round 3, I should have some free time, unless
he wants to train for a bit. I should be available by this evening,” I said,
continuing my answer to my original line of thought.
Starmaster held up a finger for a moment before finishing
his mouthful. “I’m sure you know about what is going up on Earth below us with
the World Corp. BADGE is doing its best to handle the situation, but I… we and
a few others... need to do something to help the situation.”
I sat up straighter in my chair. “What do you need? I want
to help do whatever I can.”
to be continued...
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