After Jacques had left for work the very next day, Kim sat on the couch contemplating all the reasons why she shouldn't become a superhero, now that she had discovered her powers. "It's dangerous" came to mind. She hadn't exactly been trained for things like kickboxing and karate, only for housekeeping, flower arrangement, and other things that were pretty much useless unless Susie Homemaker the Supervillain attacked her. "Jacques would hate it", too, surfaced amidst the other thoughts. Her husband had ranted several times about how useless the female supers were, and remembering the incident with the fire extinguisher, she knew that her husband was a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, it would be frighteningly easy to become a superhero, too. Jacques was always leaving home and returning home like clockwork; his schedule was set and he had never strayed from it in the few years of their marriage. Kim assumed that he just completely underestimated her, so he always thought that she would just stay at home like a good wife. And a good wife she had been, for quite some time.
Another thought occurred to her: What did Jacques do when he wasn't at home? He never really told her in detail, only regaling her with tales of harrowing events, terrible villains, and dangerous situations that he got out of with flair. In short, he was a wholly narcissistic human being, and he only told her about his job when he felt like having his male ego stroked. What if…and the thought scared her. …he's been seeing someone behind my back? Why, I have absolutely no idea what he does when he's not with me, and that's more than half the day!
And so, the superhero named Stormicide was born not because she wanted to make the world better or protect Metroville, but simply because she wanted to spy on her husband without him knowing who she was. The name Stormicide she had simply made up off the top of her head, combining the word "storm" with the suffix "-cide", which she figured had something to do with killing. The name sounded cool enough, so it stuck.
Kim dug through Jacques's files, and found a small notebook where he kept a list of names and phone numbers. She thumbed over to the M section, where she saw the name Edna Mode. Quickly grabbing her telephone, she dialed the number and waited. "Hello?" a mousy voice said over the line.
"Ms. Edna?" Kim asked, unsure.
"Yes, yes, it is she. What is it that you want? Who is this?" the voice on the other end, whom Kim decided was Edna, sounded very agitated.
"I'm…Kim Dubois?" When the woman said nothing, Kim muttered "Gamma Jack's wife?"
There was laughter indicating recognition as the fashion designer twittered. "Oh! How splendid, darling! What is it your husband wants? He never calls me, you know. Thinks that your sewing is better. Pah!"
Kim could have sworn that the words were meant to be an insult, but did not know how to respond. "Actually…this is for me." She said after a pause.
There was a long, awkward silence before Edna replied, "I only design for superheroes, darling. For gods. No offence meant, of course."
The comment stung, and Kim struggled to maintain her composure despite feeling terribly underestimated again. "I…I am a super. I have powers."
"Really? Why wasn't I told of this before?" rather than sounding surprised, Edna only seemed wary, as if she was suspicious of what she was being told. When Kim didn't answer right away, Edna sighed. "Darling, why don't you just come over? We can discuss this woman-to-woman." She gave Kim the address to her estate, and after the two had hung up, she went to change.
It was a strange feeling, leaving the house like this. Sure, Kim went to buy groceries, visit friends occasionally, but despite this, the house still felt like a cage. Doing something completely behind her husband's back was refreshing. Kim brushed her long, dark brown hair that was halfway down her back and naturally wavy until it was sleek and free of tangles. Once she had gotten dressed, she went to the garage, got into her car, and drove to Edna's mansion.
--
"So let me get this straight, darling. You are a super. You have powers that you didn't even know about until yesterday when you…"
"Put out a fire." Kim interjected. "And yes…Jacques…Jack doesn't know about me."
"Interesting. So. You can emit or suck in any sort of gas from the air? I think a supersuit for you should probably be very resilient, with gas-storing capabilities." Edna was doodling away on a pad of paper, planning out the suit. "How will you be paying for this? Should I call Gamma Jack for you?"
"No!" The fashion designer looked rather aghast at Kim's rough answer. "I…I don't want him to know about it. I'll figure something out." She was told to pick up the supersuit in three days, and Edna told her that she should register with the NSA so that she could start getting assignments and have an actual job.
--
Kim had just hung up after a conversation with Agent Dicker when she heard the front door slam. "Kim? I'm home!"
Jacques. She got up from the couch, smoothing out her skirt. Kim was now officially registered as Stormicide, and the NSA had promised to not tell Gamma Jack anything about her true identity. She was to start combat lessons the next day. "H-hello dear!" she called out. Kim knew that she was a terrible liar, and hoped that her husband would be too tired to notice how nervous she was. "Are you hungry? I can whip something up for you in just a few minutes."
"Screw that, I'm taking you out to eat," he said, walking into the living room, loosening his tie and setting his jacket on the table.
"Jacques?" this was a surprise. The last time they had gone out to eat was the day after their first night together, and it seemed like merely an obligation to Jacques after taking her virginity, telling her about his powers, and moving her miles away from her parents all in one night. It had been terribly awkward, too, they had just sat in silence, picking at their expensive French food and both wishing that they were anywhere but where they were. "For what occasion?" They never ate out together no matter what the occasion, so it was a dumb question. It was probably just on a whim.
"Let me think, Kim. The kitchen freaking BURNED UP yesterday, so I'd think that you wouldn't want to be in it for a while. Sheesh, I was just thinking about your needs. Do you have to question everything I do?" he snapped.
"Are you angry with me? Because the last time I checked, I never questioned anything that you did." She said quietly, though her tone was a tad on the threatening side. The couple stared at each other for quite some time.
Jacques sighed. "All right. You know what? It's been a rough day. I'm tired, you're tired. Let's just drop it and go eat already, ok?" He had that tone that said Argue with me now and you'll feel my wrath.
Kim didn't particularly feel like arguing, either, so she merely shrugged and agreed. Avoiding another conflict sounded like a good idea. Of course, she was secretly surprised of the fact that he had thought of her at all, more so than his actually taking her out to eat. Jacques picked up her coat from the coat closet near the front door and helped her put it on. Apparently it was the day of good deeds from her husband. She was mentally angry with all housewives that took such things for granted. After Jacques put his jacket on, they both got into the car. Don't do this. She thought, watching Jacques as he backed out of the garage. Don't make me love you.