Chapter Twenty
:: Max ::
His lips still tingled from the kiss. Max didn't remember a thing between the warehouse and suddenly having Phoebe kissing him, but the former he hoped was a nightmare. The latter he hoped would happen again.
Unfortunately, the nightmare portion seemed to be true. It was the only explanation of why he was standing in a lighthouse staring at three unhappy villains, each holding a bag which had to contain the needed parts to finish the weapon.
"I knew all along that you were not Louis DuBeau," Diego said coldly.
"Thundergirl," Roni said slowly, staring at Phoebe who, no surprise, had stepped forward to be shoulder to shoulder with him. Her eyes flicked over to Max. "And Thunderboy."
Max really disliked being called Thunderboy. He had this vision of being 70 and still being called Thunderboy. Unlike Phoebe who could easily go from Thundergirl to Thunderwoman, generations of Thundermen has taken all the cool names. With dad as Thunderman, there wasn't anywhere else to go.
That's why Max liked, though he'd never admit it, being called the Thundertwins. No one else in their family could claim that title. It was theirs.
"It seems like you have a little family secret," Tony grinned maliciously.
Max felt himself pale. Of all the things to fear, Max wasn't worried about an epic fight or even the functionality of the weapon.
He was terrified of what they'd do with the knowledge that he was deeply attracted to his sister.
Max quickly glanced at Phoebe. Still didn't look scared. She looked angry. As someone who had personally faced her wrath many times before, he knew things were about to get interesting. Her eyes narrowed.
"It won't work on me this time," she said. Before Max could piece together the statement, she stepped forward, sending a blast of freeze breath Diego's way. He dodged it and laughed.
"Maybe you should not have wasted all your breath on your brother," he taunted.
It was Max's turn to get angry. He lunged forward. He felt Diego's abilities at work as an illusion played at the corner of his mind. Max fought against it, tackled him, and they went down. Behind him, Max heard Roni scream.
Diego intensified his own skill. Max struggled to remind himself of his surroundings. The stark interior of the lighthouse gave way to the large hotel room back at the casino. The body pinned underneath him wasn't a Latin villain. It was Phoebe in all her naked glory, her hair fanning out all around her. She smiled and reached up for him and his heart practically exploded out of his chest. How many times had he dreamt this?
It took all his willpower to do what he did next. His eyes still taking her in, Max clenched his hand into a fist and brought it crashing down into her face. She blurred, leaving Diego in her place.
Diego howled in pain. Max landed another blow to his gut. The illusion completely faded. Max hit him directly with a freeze blast.
"Max!"
Max spun around just in time to see Phoebe pull Tony backwards and slam him to the ground. He had been a second away from stabbing Max with a small, sharp dagger. She hit him with her freeze breath. Roni was slumped against the wall, her head dangling at an unnatural angle. Phoebe's hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks in a sweaty mess. Her eyes were as large as saucers.
"I k-k-killed her," she said, her teeth beginning to chatter. They had never killed anyone before. Training had taught them that it would happen, but it couldn't prepare them.
"You didn't have a choice," Max said quietly.
Phoebe closed her eyes. Max wrapped his arm around her shoulders and lifted his watch to his mouth. It had been a surprisingly easy finale.
"He—"
"Not so fast."
At the same second that Maribela's voice filled the room, Max heard the sound of helicopter blades coming to a stop right outside. He knew that could mean only one of two things: a) the Hero League was ahead of his call or b)...
The blast that hit the lighthouse solidified Max's assumption.
Dark Mayhem.
Max knew they didn't have much time. Without a word needing to be spoken, Phoebe made the same telekinetic move Max did at the exact same time. Maribela shrieked as she went airborne, out the open door, and smacked down the winding stairwell. The scream stopped halfway down.
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Dark Mayhem boomed. "Strongdor, step over the body."
"We gotta go," Max said hurriedly.
"He's blocking the only way," Phoebe replied testily.
Max didn't answer. He knew he didn't have time to explain. Instead, he raced forward, picked up the incomplete weapon, and shoved it into her arms. Phoebe shook her head. "What—"
She didn't flinch as he lifted her off the ground with a simple flick of the wrist. As she hovered through the window, her mouth dropped open.
"It's like the volcano all over again," he said with a grin. She reached out her free arm.
"No, Max, stop! What about you?"
Max didn't answer. He concentrated solely on not dropping her as he lowered her down towards the rocky ground. Phoebe kicked out angrily, but she didn't stall the progress.
Max didn't fully breathe until he knew she was down on the ground. He swung a leg over the window ledge, hoping she'd be ready for him and simultaneously knowing she would.
"Not so fast, Max Thunderman."
Max paused in his escape, straddling the window ledge. Dark Mayhem hadn't changed since the last time Max had seen him. Neither had Strongdor. He stared around stupidly.
"Going so soon?"
Years ago, Max would have stumbled all over himself for the right words to say to the Master of Evil. Now he knew he was better than a villain's lackey. He was a superhero. He was an elite member of the Z Force.
"You should thank me for overthrowing the plot to overthrow you," he answered back smoothly. "These jokers said you were getting soft."
Dark Mayhem's eyes flashed. "Soft? I'm the world's best—"
"Master did say his stomach was getting flabby," Strongdor said.
"Shut up!"
Max wondered for a moment if he could take Dark Mayhem and Stupid-or down. The Hero League would lose their shit. Max wouldn't have to worry about an apartment. He'd have a mansion as big as Blobbin's…
The sight of the green sphere that grew from Mayhem's hands made Max's decision easy. He could play fling the sphere for hours or he could jump and call in the Hero League. Even as a cocky superhero, Max wasn't foolish.
He jumped.
It wasn't the first time Max had jumped without a safety net, but it was certainly the highest distance. As he drew nearer to the ground he began to flail. Maybe Phoebe couldn't see him or maybe she'd been caught by another villain…
Suddenly, his body lurched upward and slowed. His feet touched the ground gently.
The hand that grabbed a fistful of his shirt was not as gentle.
"Run," Phoebe commanded.
They took off together down the incline. Max didn't know where exactly they were headed, but he hoped there was a boat at the end. As the rocks slid from under their feet, Max saw someone approaching.
"Get down!" He hissed, yanking Phoebe back against him and then downward.
The two crouched down behind a thick overgrowth. Footsteps drew near and faded. Neither moved. The time allowed Max to replay the whole scene. He stared at the thorny branch that was barely an inch from his face.
"You were right," he finally whispered.
She shifted slightly. Both continued to look ahead. "About what?"
"About...us."
He heard her exhale. "I killed two people back there and all I can worry about now is what the other two might tell others. I feel like I would have killed them too if Dark Mayhem hadn't shown up."
"I was going to do the same thing. That's why," Max paused. "That's why it can't happen anymore."
"Exactly."
Neither said a word for several minutes. Max ran his hand through his hair and lifted his watch up once more.
"I won't regret it though," he said. "You're something special, Pheebs."
She didn't answer right away. When she did, her voice was tight.
"You are too, Max."
Max closed his eyes. They were suddenly wet. Ignoring the feeling, he tapped his screen to life. Just as he did, more footsteps drew near. He tapped the screen off again.
"I'm marching up there and telling Dark Mayhem myself."
"Evan…"
Max and Phoebe looked at each other in surprise.
"I'm sick of the Thundermans! I'm sick of being a chauffeur for heroes that think they're better than me! D. Tail and I've talked about this a lot and—"
"Shhh!"
The conversation ended and the footsteps faded away. Max tapped the screen again.
He had always known Evan was a jerk. The Hero League didn't need him, but the Villain League didn't need another jerk either.
"Hero League, come in Hero League…"