Agatha had become inconsolable. Even though it was silly, somewhere inside of her, she still clung to the notion that heroes could do anything. Dynaguy's death had dealt her a harsh blow, bringing her back to reality in a flash. She felt miserable, thinking that Crescentia had a personal grudge against her, because the woman had beaten her down, targeted her exclusively. The nickname "Sunshine" seemed to be only a further personal jab meant to beat Agatha down. Crescentia had to have orchestrated Dynaguy's death somehow. The Disaster Duke had never appeared in Metroville before, and it seemed all too premeditated. Most supervillains in the past hadn't aimed to kill.
With a week before the new moon, the so-called "goddess of the sun" had been reduced to sitting in her apartment on the couch eating chocolate and watching TV. Soap operas had, all of a sudden, become very interesting, though she had to wonder at how the people on the shows could be so preoccupied with such negligible problems. Things like who was dating who, who had sex with who…to Agatha, it all seemed so pointless. Finally becoming frustrated with the superficial characters, she threw her box of chocolates at the TV and turned it off.
Normal people would probably been fired from their jobs already, given how many "sick leaves" Agatha had taken. Simon, however, wasn't exactly as strict with her, so she hadn't even bothered to tell him that she would be staying at home. If she ever decided to return to work, there would be a large stack of paperwork waiting for her there, and that thought was just another reason why she didn't want to leave her apartment.
The phone rang, and at first, Agatha didn't really feel like picking up. Finally, curiosity won over her depression, and she answered it after about six rings. "Apogee? It's Stormicide."
"How…how did you get this number?" Agatha asked, shocked with a dash of annoyed.
"I got it from The Phylange. It seems that nobody's been able to get a hold of you lately, so—"
"If you hadn't noticed, I'm not doing so hot right now," Agatha snapped, interrupting her friend. She wondered how much weight she had put on since she started her strict Hershey's diet. …well, it'd only been one day, so maybe only one or two pounds, she hoped. She had to smile at the fact that even when she was down in the dumps, a silly thing like her weight still meant something to her.
"Doing this won't bring him back." Stormicide's words were like a slap in the face, and they snapped Agatha out of wherever she had been. "Look…can we get together? Talk face to face? I think it'd be good for you."
"Sans masks." Agatha amended. There was a pause on the other end of the line. In fact, the only reason Agatha was agreeing to getting out of her apartment at all was because it was a fellow female super asking. Had even Gazerbeam asked her to come out now, she doubted that she would have obliged.
"Why?" the other super finally asked.
"I have learned…" Agatha hesitated, working the words over in her mind. "I have learned that heroes are weak, fragile creatures. I want you to see me as I am…without any pretenses."
Stormicide laughed. "All right, then, you've got a deal. Let's meet up at L'Château. My treat. I'll be the brunette with the fur coat and…?"
Despite everything, Agatha was starting to feel better. Odd that just a silly phone call and an arrangement to rendezvous could have such an effect. She giggled into the phone, smiling like she hadn't at all that day. "I'll be the blonde with the box of chocolates." She said, eying the unopened box of Hershey's Chocolate on the other side of the room.
--
Agatha arrived at L'Château quickly enough. It struck her as odd that Stormicide would want to meet at such an expensive French restaurant, and even odder that she'd have a fur coat. Just what did she do in her private life to make so much money? Agatha sat down at a table for two, and scanned the menu for something less than $40, but found nothing.
Within a few minutes, she heard the distinct sound of high heels against marble, and couldn't help but turn her head. Agatha instantly recognized Stormicide—a beautiful brunette. She was tall, with long, sleek hair, a wonderful body, and almost a regal look about her. Her "fur coat" was simply a light jacket with a fur trim. Stormicide's face brightened when she saw Agatha sitting at the table with the box of chocolates, and she quickly sat down. Agatha handed her the chocolates, and hoped that the waiters wouldn't think the wrong thing. She reached her hand across the table to shake hands with Stormicide. "Hello there. My name is Agatha Somer."
Her brunette friend smiled warmly. "I'm Kimberly Dubois. 'Kim' for short,"
"Oh, so you're French! Is that why we're at this restaurant?" Agatha asked. She instantly regretted it, because Kim's face darkened for a few moments.
"Ah, no. I'm not French. My husband is, though." She laughed nervously. Agatha was shocked. She hadn't known that Stormicide was married. Of course, the private lives of the supers were rarely discussed, so any number of them could already be married and she would never know about it. "He's a rather affluent businessman, and I'm just a housewife." She added, sensing Agatha's next question. "I'm a full-time super, though!" she joked.
"No worries. I'm a secretary, so my situation isn't much better." Agatha smiled reassuringly. The two laughed forced laughs for a few more moments. The waiter came, and they both placed their orders. After some silence, Agatha impatiently cut to the chase. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Kim paused. "Well, it wasn't so much that I wanted to talk to you as I just wanted you to get out of your apartment for a little while. All that moping around doesn't do any good."
"You sound like my mother," Agatha sighed.
"Do I? That's ironic. Married for almost five years and I don't have any children. Jac—my husband's too busy." Agatha got the feeling that Kim was hiding something important, but didn't feel like pressing the matter.
"Well, somebody died, Kim. You can't tell me that that's not important," she said, feeling a great need to justify herself.
"Look, Aggy. Nobody thinks it's your fault. We think that Crescentia may be a little unhinged, and based on what Gazerbeam's told us, she seems to have particular interest in hurting you most of all. But Dynaguy…his death was not your fault." Kim told her, her voice assuming soothing tones.
It was strange how Stormicide could always tell what needed to be said, and then say it. People had often told Agatha that she lacked tact. She knew it to be true, and it didn't really bother her. She didn't have a great way with words, and could admit it. And now, Stormicide had said the one thing that Agatha most needed to hear—that she had had no fault. "You know…I think I knew that. I'm not that stupid." Agatha said slowly. Kim straightened up, looking Agatha in the eye to show that she was listening. "I just…I just needed to hear it from somebody."
"I'm glad…that you feel better." Kim smiled. The waiter came by with their food, and the two women ate quietly in companionable silence.
As they finished their meal and Kim was paying the check, Agatha remembered something. "Kim? Can I ask you one question?"
"Sure, just shoot," Kim grinned.
"Why were you and Gamma Jack…why were you two sitting like that at the Superwoman? You didn't look like you were enjoying each other's company too much." She asked.
Kim looked up, as if trying to remember the circumstances, then closed her eyes and shrugged and sighed at the same time. "Me and Jack…we have a…very complicated history. I learned something important about him last night, and he…he figured something out about me." She stood up from her chair. "But that's my story." She smiled kindly.
"How does the story end?" Agatha asked.
"Who knows? Who knows how any story will end, but the gods?" she started to walk off, then stopped and turned around, as if she had just come upon a thought. "But you know? I think, as heroes, we're lucky because we're different. Our stories…they never really end. They continue to be told, and we will never die, in that way. Dynaguy—he will always be remembered."
As Kim waved goodbye and left, Agatha repeated her words to herself: "Dynaguy will never die." She folded up her lap napkin, and headed for the Thrilling Three Towers.