For a moment Starlight checked if it was a mistake on her part. She hadn’t sent something during her bout of indecision had she? The blank white space on the screen apart from the single message bubble told her no.
Then that meant Mason had really reached out at the exact moment she wanted to speak to him. How that was even possible strained her sensibilities to the limit. There were coincidences and there was this.
However the most pressing issue obviously defaulted to why? Why did the monster Vought had created for themselves want to speak to her? A bout of fear gripped her, sinking into her chest and stomach as her heart beat harder.
“Hello Starlight. This is Mason. We just met, sort of.”
Her panic began to subside. No one with hostile intentions would start a message that way.
“First of all, I’d like to apologize. I know about The Deep and what he did to you. Again, I’m sorry. If it’s no trouble, I’d like to speak to you in person, not just about him but other things. Things I believe you might be interested in.
If you’re wondering why I chose you out of everyone else, it’s because you’re the only person who looked out of place in the meeting room. The others looked comfortable, relaxed, like Vought was their home. You didn’t. That tells me you’re a real hero, unlike them.
There’s more I’d like to say, but if that doesn’t interest you then maybe this will. A case is being built against The Deep. He’s going behind bars for a long time, but your contribution will help get you and all the other women the justice that is deserved. If you’re in, let me know the time and place and I’ll be there.”
At some point while she read the message, Starlight’s face brightened into a smile, a genuine one that reached her eyes and curved the edges of her lips.
Being called a hero by Mason certainly was the direct cause, however hearing the creep who preyed on her would be getting his comeuppance served as a nice boost.
Unable to help herself, she read the message from top to bottom over and over again.
She couldn’t help it. After weeks of being tossed and turned by the black and unfeeling waves of this sea she willingly stepped into, these few words of encouragement were like intense lights on the horizon.
They not only repelled the sense of worthlessness drowning her each day, they gave her hope of a way out. There was no way she was going to refuse the invitation. How else would she meet the source of said words?
She replied without hesitation, first of all thanking him for reaching out and then suggesting the time and place for the meeting. His response came swiftly. He was available and could meet right now.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one eager for a proper sitdown. Happier and excited like it was her first time experiencing such positive emotions, Starlight quickly stood up to change into mundane clothing.
She took off her wig while staring in the mirror and noted instantly how less impressive she looked. The wig and the costume almost went back on.
Was she really going to see Mason in her Annie persona? Wouldn’t Starlight be better?
If Starlight was nothing, then Annie didn’t even exist. The question then arose; what did Mason care about? In his message he called her a hero. She stared at the row of Starlight costumes hanging in the closet and lifted the wig.
These things didn’t make her a hero. Hell, the person she was agonizing over didn’t have a costume or name, yet he’d done more than she ever had in her long life of being a supe. And he’d only had his powers for a month.
Clearly, he didn’t put much stock in vain stuff like the things bothering her. If it was a Vought hero, then those worried would be well founded. They cared more about publicity than anything.
Scoffing at the brief bout of indecision over such a nonsensical topic, Starlight tossed the wig and continued to put on her normal clothes. If anything, this would be a test for Mason. His reaction would speak volumes and let her gauge him properly.
.
.
.
.
A bar was the chosen meeting spot, and Mason got there first.
After leaving Vought tower, he had a few hours to kill before any personal or work engagements.
Personal had to do with Lexi. She’d finally gone back to her apartment in Manhattan even though she didn’t seem too thrilled about it.
Apparently, her time with him in the woods which he assumed was a major inconvenience for her was actually an extended vacation for some reason.
On one hand, Mason was glad she’d taken his intrusion into her life so gracefully. On the other hand, this added another item to the list of things they needed to talk about. He only hoped that the conversation would go well.
With regards to work, there was something brewing on the “military superhero” front according to Mallory and Rayner. It was a ‘calm before the storm’ sort of thing, and they needed to be prepared before making any major moves.
For them, that meant gathering intel and operatives. For him, that meant putting his money where his mouth was to make a sample of the miracle armor.
The stuff he needed to do that would arrive today. Mallory had personally gone to make sure of it after they dealt with Neuman.
Speaking of the former congresswoman, Mason continued drinking his beer as she appeared alongside her father on the bar’s tv. It was a breaking news segment. How could it not be?
The CEO of the world’s premier superhero company and a random congresswoman had been exposed big time. Only, the latter wasn’t so random. She was the CEO’s daughter and a supe who moonlighted as his personal assassin.
Mason snorted and took another swig of his drink. He finally understood the “reality is stranger fiction” quote. Even Maya could not make this shit up if she stuck her head in a doorway and swung the door shut.
“I’m guessing that was your doing.”
One of the heat signatures he’d be tracking spoke up from his rear.
He turned around and saw Starlight, a stripped down to almost nothing version, wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans. She had that same nervous look from before, but it wasn’t as intense.
She wouldn’t jump in fright if someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder from behind.
There was also something different in her eyes, however even he couldn’t tell what. He peeled his eyes away from her and looked at the news, which now showed his livestream of Stan’s arrest.
“Yeah. You can say that. Starlight?” He made sure to keep his voice low.
“Please.” She stepped forward, removing one of the hands stuck in her pockets. “Call me Annie. Annie January."
He took the hand she offered and shook it. “Nice to meet you Annie. I’ve never met someone with a month surname.”
She chuckled and sat down when he offered the seat across from him. “Don’t get too excited. I wasn’t even born in January.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. An awkward silence ensued after that, but only for a little bit. On his end, his trouble was how to say what he wanted to say without coming off as weird.
For Annie, her problem was plain old courage.
When both finally opened their mouths to speak, they did so at the same time, prompting laughter and more awkward interruptions.
“You go first.” Mason held back.
“Thanks.” Annie tucked a few stray hairs back into her hoodie. “I don’t… ugh, how do I even say this.” She paused, took a deep animated breath and started again.
“Thank you.” She swallowed hard and nodded hard. “For getting the truth about Compound V out and for contacting me. It’s just… the past few weeks have been so hard…”
She paused again, seemingly struggling to get her words right. When she resumed, her tone had become drastically different. There were no visible tears, but Mason heard them all the same.
“When I saw the way you stood up to Mr. Edgar and The Seven… and when you called me a hero… I just… Thank you.” She wiped her tears before they could even form. “Thank you for that. For showing me a way out. Thank you for giving me hope.”
Suddenly on the receiving end of all this, Mason fought every impulse to widen his eyes in surprise and confusion. Because… where was all this coming from? He couldn’t recall doing anything close to what her intense reactions insinuated.
She looked at him like he’d saved her from certain death or something. Nevertheless, he acknowledged and accepted her words anyway. No need to rebuff her when she was clearly going through some stuff.
The mention of heavy stuff reminded him of the part he played in her plight or rather… didn’t play.
“You’re welcome.” He gazed at her hand for a split second, withholding the urge to grab it and comfort her. They weren’t that close. Moreover, she’d been sa’d not long ago.
“I’m really glad I could be of some help.”
In reality, he’d done jack shit. He’d known about what The Deep would do once she joined The Seven and did nothing to stop it. He had no excuses.
Between working on obtaining evidence of Compound V and Vought’s crimes while staying hidden all the while, the plan to contact and warn her about what would happen had fallen to the circumstance.
By the time he had gone deep in his memories for details and subsequently came up with a plan that would let him inform her of the impending abuse without coming off weird, a full day had passed after her inauguration.
As someone whose sister had suffered something along these lines, this was utterly unacceptable. He’d been so tunnel visioned on clearing his own name he’d lost sight of something so egregious.
That’s why when the chance to meet and talk to her finally presented itself, he apologized profusely and even requested a meeting so he could do it in person. However, now that it had finally happened, he was stuck.
How did he explain that he knew she was going to get sa’d but did nothing about it? Moreover, what explanation was he going to give for how he knew? Mallory already suspected he was a mind reader.
If he went blabbing about his real origins, she might forget that and think he was actually crazy.
“Mason?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about this friend of mine. She also got… you know. She was never the same after.”
“....Oh. I’m so sorry. What… happened?” She asked before recoiling and shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. It’s okay. I’m not the one who had to go through that. Yeah, so it was a bunch of frat boys. They drugged her at a party and… have you ever wanted to kill someone so bad you can’t think or sit still?“
Finding herself on the receiving end of this random left turn question and stare, Annie was not at all afraid or agitated, much to her own shock.
She was deathly calm as she recalled the day she stood up to that asshole, that slight pushback causing his bravado and nonchalance to buckle and reveal his true colors as a useless, pathetic coward.
“A little bit, yeah.” She met Mason’s eyes and nodded. “But I couldn’t hold on to it. I wanted to though. Holding on to that intense hatred, as hard as it was, was like holding a piece of burning coal close to my chest in the middle of a blizzard. The warmth kept me going…”
“But it hurt at the same time.”
“Big time. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate that asshole, but I won’t sacrifice what little of me I have left just so I can feel great about hating him. Do you get what I’m saying? I feel like that was confusing.”
“I do.” Mason smiled, nodding. “When I found out Neuman was the head popper I felt the same way.”
“That must’ve been hard. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. It was.” He nodded before breaking out into a short laugh. “Know what got me out of it? I asked myself, ‘what would Superman do?’”
Annie’s face lit up and she leaned back. “Ohhh my god. You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“I remember now. Back in DC you called Homelander Superman and Maeve Wonder Woman. You had me so scared for you. You must love the classics.”
“Uhh… anyone in this business who doesn’t is suspect. Have you seen the kind of heroes we have running around?”
Mason immediately noticed he’d misspoken when his guest got quiet and despondent. Putting her down wasn’t why he called her here.
‘Time for damage control.’
“I’m not trying to put you down. In fact, the reason I told you all that stuff about the frat boys and Neuman was the opposite. Almost every supe I’ve seen is nothing close to an actual hero. Now you can blame that on Vought and the culture surrounding supes, but I got my powers not long ago. I didn’t grow up like this, yet just last night I almost committed murder because I felt it was my right.”
“But…”
“No buts.” He shook his head. “It was wrong. You know, I thought I was better because I wasn’t like other supes. Revenge was my excuse, not drugs or carelessness. But then I saw you. You got your powers as a baby. You grew up in this stuff, yet you always looked bothered around members of The Seven. You looked human.”
Struggling to accept what she’d just heard, Annie clutched her beer and gripped it tight. Her shoulder sagged as she choked out a laugh. “I… I’m flattered but… I’m not who you think I am. Believe me.”
There was a hiss as she uncorked her beer and threw her head back. She took a long, uninterrupted swig, causing her hoodie to slide off. She set the bottle down and didn’t bother to cover herself.
“I know you said I’m a hero, and I really appreciate it, but I’m really not. If you knew the real me…”
“Okay. Fine. I believe you. What are you going to do then?” Mason interlocked both hands together and leaned in.
“What?”
“You said you’re not a hero. The question I’m asking is, do you want to be?”
That immediately got Annie thinking. Did she want to be a hero? Much to her surprise, it was an instant and resounding yes. Despite the psychological beatdowns she’d suffered in recent times, Starlight, as hollowed out as that persona had become, remained a core part of her identity.
Her mother may have played a role in developing this lifelong dream, but it was still a worthy one. Saving people when they needed help was worth it. Saving that girl from her would-be rapists the other day in that alley was the most fulfilling thing she’d ever done.
“Yes. I want to be a hero.”
Mason smiled and crossed his arms, that gesture prompting a question from her.
“Wait. Why are you asking? Is this the thing you wanted to speak about?”
“Not completely.” He opened another bottle. “I asked because I want to be a hero too. Problem is, what does that even look like? It can’t just be doing the opposite of what Vought does. I refuse to let those tumors of society influence me or the decisions I make.”
Annie nodded absentmindedly before she paused suddenly, her eyes lighting up.
“What would Superman do?”
Mason smirked and pointed his index at her. “Now you get it.”
He brought his bottle forward and she did too. They clinked them together before sharing a smile as they threw their heads back and took individual swigs.