DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mighty Med or any of it's characters. I only own my original characters of Mara Short/Noctura and my original villain character, and their backstories.
Enjoy the story!
~Mara's POV~
"Man, I'm getting really good at this!" Oliver exclaimed, making me look up to see him playing this demon slaying game on the TV. We were at The Domain, like always, just chilling. Kaz was looking at a display counter, while I was sitting on the couch with my phone.
"I should be a Demon Hunter in real life," Oliver continued. "That or a high school teacher."
"Go with Demon Hunter, they deal with fewer demons," Kaz retorted, making me snort in return. Oliver tossed him the Wii remote. Surprisingly, Kaz caught it without dropping it while Oliver walked back towards the couch while pulling out his phone (it dinged just now).
"Oh, no," He exclaimed, making me look over at him yet again. "It's my dad! He keeps asking where I go after school every day and I can't tell him about our jobs!" I watched as Oliver sat on the arm of the couch before I noticed Kaz with a hideous mask over his head. I snorted at the sight while Oliver just looked annoyed.
"Kaz!" He yelled.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Kaz said, rubbing the mask's cheek like he was trying to remove ketchup or something. I just giggled in response, though Oliver still seemed annoyed.
"This is serious," He said. "What am I going to tell my dad?"
"Just tell him you're hanging out here," Kaz said as he tossed the mask to the side after taking it off his head.
"He doesn't want me coming here," Oliver answered. "He thinks all this superhero stuff is a waste of time."
"Oh, and like what he does is so important," Kaz mocked as he went to start playing the game himself.
"He's a brain trauma researcher," Oliver deadpanned, making me look at Kaz with a smirk. Yeah, try to rebuke that.
"Look, just tell your dad you're hanging out at my house," Kaz returned after that, slicing a demon on the screen in the game.
"I can't. He also doesn't want me hanging out with you," Oliver said. "He thinks your reckless, out of control, and never take responsibility for your own actions." I sighed, visibly annoyed myself now. Oliver's dad was terrible at times. I met him about 5 years ago by this point. He seemed nice, but I think he didn't like me very much. Mainly because he kept saying that silver eyes are not a thing and that I must be lying by wearing colored contacts. Not true. So, I don't listen to him much.
"One time you go home with half of your head shaved, and suddenly I'm reckless!" Kaz retorted. "And I take responsibility for my actions." He then threw the Wii remote out of his hand as he was playing the game again and knocked over a Brain Matter action figure, which resulted in his head flying off.
"Wasn't me! He did it!" He said, pointing to Oliver.
"Kaz!" I yelled, making him sigh and walk over to the display area, picking up the stuff he knocked over.
"We could tell him we're at the park, just to get some fresh air," I said. "It is a nice day out, he might believe it."
"Good point," Oliver said, seeing the nice day out. "But, I think he'll know Kaz is around." He sighed, making me look over at Kaz, seeing him fixing the display counter. I know Oliver's dad was a bit strict...okay, a lot strict...but if Kaz makes Ollie and I happy, what's it to him? I grinned as I saw the frantic way Kaz was moving around, and I'm sure my adopted-brother saw it too.
"So, when are you going to ask him out?" He whispered to me, making me jump and look at Oliver. He chuckled at my response. "M, it's so obvious that you like him! The way you look at him is how I hope Skylar looks at me someday." He said that last bit dreamily, making me snort. But what he was asking stayed in my head.
"And you're okay with that?" I asked shocked. "Me having a major crush on our best friend?"
"Sure! I mean, if he's what makes you happy, then I'm happy. For both of you." I grinned at him, nodding my thanks for his approval before I looked back. Kaz was walking over with the Brain Matter action figure.
"You going to fix that? Or buy that?" I asked, a smirk on my face now as Oliver snorted at my comment. Kaz just looked at me with a smirk himself.
"I'm going to fix it," He said. "Besides, I can't afford it." He soon sat down next to me on the couch and got to work. Oliver ended up moving to the other arm of the couch afterward.
"Say, do you have any idea of who your birth parents could be, Mara?" Oliver asked me, making me look at him with wonder.
"I'm not sure," I said. "I haven't really thought about it. I mean, they had to be superheroes since I have powers. And-"
"-And they abandoned you when you were a baby," Kaz said. "No need to worry about them."
"Kaz!" Oliver yelled.
"It's fine, Ollie. Kaz has a point," I sighed. "But, what if they didn't have a choice? What if they were in danger and to protect me they had to give me up? I refuse to be mad at them if they had a good reason for doing what they did." I saw Kaz stop with the action figure for a moment, thinking of this possibility, before sighing in defeat.
"You have a point there," He returned, going back to the action figure.
"I always do," I smirked as I watched him finish fixing Brain Matter. But something didn't seem right.
"There," He began, "Brain Matter is good as new." He showed us the action figure. Yeah, something was clearly off.
"His head is on backwards," Oliver chuckled as I snorted at the sight.
"Then he's better than new," Kaz retorted. "He now has the power to see his own butt." I giggled, earning a smile from Kaz. Man, that smile made me melt every time! Part of me just wanted to grab his face and kiss him right here, right now. But, though Ollie gave the green light, I couldn't with my adopted-brother in the room. Plus...I don't know if Kaz feels the same way.
"Oliver, Kaz, Mara," Saved by the Gus...for once, "help us settle an argument." I looked at the small boy and Jordan standing beside him. "This snake looks poisonous, right?" He opened the white box in his hand, showing that it was empty.
"Gus, there's nothing in there," Oliver said, sitting down on the other side of me.
"Uh-oh, this is terrible!" Gus yelled. "Now we'll never be able to settle are argument."
"Uh...where were you guys before you got here?" I asked, fear in my voice.
"The park. Why?" Gus answered.
"Just curious," I looked at Oliver, and nodded, knowing we were never to go to the park until that snake was captured.
"Gus, we're not having an argument," Jordan said. "You're talking to yourself and I'm listening to a book on tape." To prove her point, she showed off one of her earbuds in her ears before going back to the book. Wait... before going back to LISTENING to the book.
Immediately, I saw Kaz stand up with wonder and a look of determination on his face. He must have been ignoring all of us. "I wonder why they stopped making Brain Matter comic books and movies. There hasn't been one in years."
"Oh, no," Oliver said, standing up as well. "I know that look. You're gonna search obsessively for the answer to a totally unimportant question."
"Yeah, even if it means abandoning your schoolwork, your friends," Jordan began, sniffing the air after a moment and scrunching her nose, "and you're already shaking commitment to showering." I giggled.
"Okay, A: everybody's already trying to answer the important questions," He said to Oliver before turning back to Jordan. "And B: I showered on Tuesday. A week ago Tuesday."
"I remember," Gus said. "You smelled great that day." I rolled my eyes as I stood up from the couch.
"Well, I could help you, Kaz," I said. "It might be easier to find out why when two eyes are searching at the same time." He looked at me, smiling now.
"Mara's with me!" He yelled with excitement.
"Why are you going to help him?" Jordan asked, crossing her arms.
"Because I'd like to know, too," I answered. "It seems odd that Brain Matter just up and disappeared for no apparent reason. And it's just hard to believe that the writer had major writer's block on the rest of his story for this long."
"See? She has the logic," Kaz said with a smirk. I giggled before hearing a buzz behind me. I looked at Oliver, seeing his phone in his hands again as he was looking at the screen.
"Excuse us for a moment," He said, pulling me and Kaz over to the counter to talk in private. "My dad just texted me 'where are you?'," He said, sighing in defeat. "Maybe I should just come clean and tell him about-" He stopped and looked to see if Gus and Jordan were listening before looking back at us. "-the thing."
"Oliver," I scolded.
"Alright, here's what you do," Kaz started, "you make up an after school activity, something that sounds productive so he'll get off your case, but so boring he won't ask for details." I gave Kaz a look of surprise.
"That's a pretty good idea, Kaz," Oliver said, just as surprised as me. "Where'd you come up with that?"
"Oh, in Alibi Club," Kaz answered, making me sigh in defeat. "And if anybody asks, that's where I am right now." I gave him a look, earning me his signature smirk before we headed back over to Gus and Jordan.
"Help settle another argument," Gus started, "how many times does the average person go to the bathroom? I say six." I rolled my eyes before grabbing my bag and opening it, making sure everything was still there.
"Well, as much fun as it is to settle an argument about bathroom regularities," I began, "I should head out. I have an errand to run."
"Okay. See you later?" Kaz asked with an assumption, making me giggle before patting his cheek and leaving. "That wasn't an answer!"
"That meant yes, Kaz," I heard Oliver explain.
~Kaz's POV~
The following day seemed not that productive. Though Mara made the time speed by. She was sitting at the counter doing some homework while I did my job away from school.
Ever since I found out about her powers, things had been pretty weird with us. Not weird as in a bad way, but weird as in a good way. I was seeing Mara in a whole different light. She was athletic, flexible, and most importantly powerful. She was also pretty strong and held her own very well for a 15-year-old superhero. I guess something about all that really left an impression on me.
I have to admit this to her someday. I have to admit that I have feelings for her and just ask her out one of these days. But then Oliver would feel like the third wheel every time we hung out afterward and it would be a train-wreck in trying to find good moments to be alone.
So I think this crush will just have to be that: a crush.
After a moment, Oliver showed up and put his backpack on the counter. I was standing there for a while and sniffed the air. Something fowl entered my nose and from the look on Mara's face, she smelled it, too.
"Oliver, you backpack stinks!" I exclaimed.
"I know," Oliver said, pulling out a pair of sneakers from inside. "Stop putting your gym shoes in here!" I looked at him with fake hurt.
"Where else am I gonna put them? In my backpack? They stink!" I exclaimed as I took them off the counter, getting a look from Mara. "What?"
"You could always, oh, I don't know, keep them in your gym locker," She said with an over-exaggerated smile on her face. I could tell she was teasing me.
"Again, they stink," I returned, as I walked over to a garbage bin and tossed them. I can always get new ones anyway.
"You know what else stinks, by the way?" Oliver stated, turning to me. "The advice you gave me about my dad."
"Oh! Why? What happened?" I asked as I went to check on one of the superheroes I was assigned.
"Oh, this should be good," I heard Mara speak, making me look over at her. She was leaning on the counter with her chin resting on the palm of her hand. I just rolled my eyes. Did she have to look adorable right now?
"Well, I know that he doesn't like the theater, so I told him I was in a play," Oliver explained.
"Oh, what play?" I asked.
"That's what he said," Oliver retorted. "And since I wasn't prepared for him to ask, I was like 'Um, Uh, Ah', so now he thinks that's the title of the play."
"What could a play titled 'Um, Um, Um' possibly be about?" I asked as I walked back over to the counter.
"That's what he said," I heard Mara snort, making me send her a look. She just kept smirking. "And since we're reading Frankenstein in English class, I told him it was about Frankenstein, but the monster says his name like 'um, uh, ah'," He did an impression of the monster before grabbing his bag and tossing it to the ground behind Mara at his station.
"Frankenstein? That's so played out!" I said. "Why would a bunch of high school kids want to go and see that?"
"That's what he said," Oliver mocked, earning another snort from Mara. "So I told him it was an updated version, set in the White House."
"Oh, that actually sounds good! I'd like to see that!" I said with a smile.
"That's what he said!"
"Oh, good grief," Mara said with a sigh.
"So, on Friday, he wants to go to a play that does not exist!" I just shrugged before looking back at the file I got from a nurse. "What am I going to do? He's gonna know I'm lying."
"Well, Oliver, when you're caught in a lie, there's only one thing to do," I said, getting a look from Mara. I think she knew where I was going with this.
"Tell the truth?" Oliver asked.
"Yes!" "No!" I exclaimed at the same time as Mara, making the black-haired girl look at me with wide, surprised eyes.
"Pile an even bigger lie on top of the first lie. My brother taught me that," I continued, ignoring Mara as I started walking over to another patient.
"The brother who's in jail?" Oliver asked, making me look at him with a confused grin.
"You'll have to be more specific," I returned, hearing a groan from Mara.
"You are no help, Kaz," She said, hopping off the chair and grabbing her bag.
"Yea," I returned as Oliver sighed.
"I really hate lying, but I can't tell my dad about Mighty Med," Oliver continued, seeming to ignore anything that was happening with me and Mara. "So, I guess I'll have to write and produce an entire school play by Friday, which means I can't work at Mighty Med, so my dad doesn't find out, I work at Mighty Med!"
"It's pretty funny when you think about it," I said as Mara walked up to us.
"No, it's not," She snapped.
"Well, it's pretty funny when I think about it," I then walked away as I heard Mara sigh in defeat.
"I'll do my best to help you, Ollie, but I also promised Kaz I'd help him with the Brain Matter search," She said.
"I appreciate it. Thanks a ton, Mara," Oliver returned before an alarm went off. I looked over at a nurse, seeing her shake her head as a sign saying it wasn't her or anything on her. I then looked over at Mara, seeing her pull out a phone I never saw before. It looked like a pre-paid smartphone, but with this bat logo on the back.
"Where'd that come from?" I asked with wonder as she hit a button, making the alarm stop.
"Horace gave it to me the other day," She answered. "He said it was to warn me whenever there was danger in the city, considering that I'm a superhero now."
"Wait, he's throwing you into the deep end already?! You just started out!" I yelled, furious to think Horace would do this.
"Kaz, hun," She said, looking at me with a smirk. "Do you not remember how I was with Megahertz?"
"Uh, from what I recall, he knocked you."
"I'll be fine," She retorted. "Look, all it's telling me is that it's a bank robbery. So, rest assured, Horace is sending me out on small missions." She smirked, telling me she was going to go, even if I told her not to. I swear, if she got hurt in this fight, I'd never forgive Horace.
"Just...be careful, Mara," I said, worry in my voice as she looked at me, her silver eyes piercing my brown ones.
"When am I not?" She said, smirking and winking at me before running off to change into her super suit. I watched her leave, sighing with the hope that she would return alive.
"You ever going to ask her out, Kaz?" I jumped with a start as I looked at Oliver. I thought he went off to see a patient already. Then it clicked with what he just asked.
"Wait, what?!" I yelled with surprise. "You know?!"
"Dude, it was clear when we first found this place that you had a small crush on her!" Oliver yelled back. "And just finding out that she's had powers this whole time has to have put that over the edge somewhat!" I sighed. There was really no denying his claims.
"I don't know, Oliver," I said. "I mean, yes, I have feelings for her. But I don't want to make you feel like you're the third wheel if I started dating her. Plus, she's your adopted-sister. That has to be a little weird, right?" Seeing the look of surprise on Oliver's face was all I needed to know that maybe asking Mara out would never happen. But what he said after is what made me second guess that.
"I get it," He said. "You want to make sure that I don't feel weird about it because she's technically my sister. I appreciate that." I grinned at him for understanding. "But, dude, sometimes the heart wants what it wants. I can see it in your eyes that your heart wants Mara. So, if dating her will make you happy...it'll make me happy."
I smiled at him as I closed the file in my hand. "Thanks, bud," I said, earning a nod from Oliver.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a play to write," And then he was gone.
~Mara's POV~
After I put on my costume (which fit perfectly, I might add), I was off to stop this bank robber. I flipped into the air, landing on the ground from the roof in front of the bank, my mask nice and secure on my face to keep my identity a secret.
This was it. No hostages, no police. Just Noctura on her first adventure to save this bank.
I took a deep breath as I hopped in through the broken window, making sure my heels didn't alert the criminals that I was there. I slowly walked in further, hearing the crunch of broken glass under my feet and hiding behind a wall quickly. Why did I say I was going to become a superhero? I'm such a scaredy-cat!
"Do it afraid," Was all I heard in my heart and head. Yeah, I could do this.
I looked around, seeing the criminals packing duffle bags with money, while some of the bankers were passed out on the floor. Okay, so there were people in here when the bank was getting robbed. But with them passed out, I didn't have to worry about them seeing me. This also meant that Mighty Max Prison didn't have to erase their memories of ever witnessing me. The only ones would be the criminals.
I took one last deep breath before walking out of my hiding spot. "I think you need the authorization to withdraw that money, gentlemen," I smirked, making them stop and look at me. But there was something that caught my eye. Theirs were completely black! Okay, so they were apart of the superpowered world. That explains why I was alerted about this bank robbery.
"Who are you?" The one with bright red hair asked dangerously.
"Not important," I returned. "I was alerted that a couple of people were robbing this bank. Had to see for myself."
"Now, you've made a big mistake doing that, honey," The one with long purple hair said.
"Oh, did I?" I said. "Because I beg to differ." I then screamed, letting the sonar rings escape my mouth and making them fall back some by my power. Once they were caught off guard and down for a bit, I stopped screaming and did a front flip into the area completely. I got into my fighting stance as they found their barings to get up.
"Now let's wing it," I then made a dozen little dark lights filter around me before pushing my hands forward and sending them out. They hit the two robbers quickly, but the red-haired guy got out of dodge. He then shot his own dark energy at me, making me do a back-flip back-tuck out of the way as it hit the spot I stood prier. I landed on my feet right as that same guy came at me.
I back-flipped out of the way of his on-coming punch before I kicked him in the stomach. He backed up as his purple-haired companion raced in as well. However...he had a knife. Great.
"Not a chance, bud," I retorted before taking flight as he stumbled passed me. I then landed back on the ground, looking around to see what I could use to stop them. But the red-haired guy came at me again. I screamed, sending him flying back and then I kicked the other guy who was behind me in the stomach. Gotta love platform heels, right?
"Who are you two?" I asked.
"I'm Blade," The purple-haired guy said, a wicked smirk on his face. "And that is my colleague Blood." He gestured to the red-haired guy. "And you're about to die."
"I don't think so," I smirked as they both came running at me. I stared them down for a moment, before all of sudden, I slipped through the floor with my shadow ability. I heard them run into each other as I came out of the wall, hands on hip, and a smirk on my face.
"What the-!" Blood yelled with surprise. "How'd you-?!"
"Care to surrender now?" I asked, making Blade growl before sweeping his hand forward and sending a bunch of sharp glass shards at me. I dodged them the best I could, but one ended up getting stuck in my side. I yelped in pain as I grabbed the wound, starting to be very grateful that I chose black to be the color of my suit. Well, black and red, but still.
"You may have outsmarted us this time, girly," Blade began, making me look at him from the counter, "but don't be so cocky the next time we meet!"
"What makes you think we'll meet again?!" I spat at him.
"We work for The Queen," Blood said. "And we won't stop at nothing until she has complete rule of the world." And before I could ask what they meant, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. I stared on the spot they were in confused.
"The Queen?"
~Kaz's POV~
I tried talking to Horace about Brain Matter, but all he did was give me cryptic answers. He gave me a list of busy work and left. Skylar had offered to help me with this (only because she was bored) and I was glad she did. Mara was off being a superhero and Oliver was busy trying to write a play so his father didn't find out that he was lying. So any help was better than no help.
Skylar had suggested going through the records to see if there was anything about Brain Matter, and I have to say that was a good idea. So, we headed to the file room when I stopped and saw Mara, still dressed as Noctura, while laying on a gurney.
"Mara!" I raced over to her and ran around the bed, grabbing her free hand.
"I'm fine, Kaz," She said, a smile on her face.
"Just getting this shard of glass out of her side," The doctor helping her said. I sighed, grinning at her in the process.
"So? How was your first real fight as Noctura?" Skylar asked as she walked over.
"Awesome!" Mara exclaimed. "It felt nice being able to use my powers out in public after so long."
"I bet!"
Mara yelped with a wince as I looked at her, squeezing her hand to let her know that I'm right here. "There we go," The doctor said, showing off a small piece of glass with some blood on it. "Nothing major. You got away good on your first mission! From the looks of it, you don't even need stitches! Just a small bandage and you'll be fine."
"Thanks, doctor," Mara said as the doctor put the bandaid on her wound and patted her shoulder before leaving.
"I'm just glad you're okay," I said, making her look at me. "You have no idea how worried I was."
"Aw," She smiled as she sat up. "That's so sweet." I grinned at her. "But I'm fine. I actually had fun."
"That's good," Skylar said. "Though you're stopping crime, you should always still have some fun kicking butt."
"Agreed!" Mara yelled, giggling as I helped off the gurney. "So, what are you guys up to?"
"Brain Matter info," I said. "You still up to help?" Now that I got a better look at her, she actually looked good in her hero costume. And I hate to admit this, but it kind of made me like her even more.
"Sure!" She yelled. "Where are we heading?"
"To see if Brain Matter had a file here at Mighty Med," Skylar answered.
"Then let's go."
OOO
Skylar, Mara, and I walked back into the Rec Room (Mara was still in her hero costume) to talk to Horace about the Brain Matter mystery. We had found something in the archives.
"Hey!" I yelled to Horace. He had just finished with a patient.
"Oh, Mara! How was your first fight as a superhero?" He asked the black-haired girl beside me, kind of like how a father would his child.
"Awesome!" She exclaimed. "But that's not why I'm in this room with Kaz and Skylar." She then gestured to me.
"Skylar, Mara, and I have looked through the files for information about Brain Matter and we found this."
"Brain Matter checked into the hospital years ago, but never checked out," Skylar added on as Mara crossed her arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Horace said as he went to leave.
"If you don't tell me what it is," I began, stopping him from leaving, "I will...start beatboxing right now."
"He's just crazy enough to do it," Mara smirked. And when Horace didn't answer me, I started to beatbox, pretty poorly I might add.
"Okay! Okay, stop! I'll tell you!" Horace exclaimed, making me stop this insanity. "The Tale of Brain Matter is dark and macab...re. Because of him, something monstrous is hidden behind some door in Mighty Med." I heard Mara gulp in response to that. And she's a superhero now? "Whatever you do, do NOT open that door. It is the Door of Doom!"
"O-okay, that doesn't sound ominous," Mara spoke quietly.
"Now, we're having problems with the locks, so I need you to open every door in Mighty Med," He quickly added before heading towards the door to leave the Rec Room.
"But what about the Door of Doom?" I asked with wonder.
"Do NOT open the Door of Doom!" Horace yelled.
"But how will we know which door it is?" Skylar asked.
"I've said too much," And with that, our boss had left.
"Actually, you haven't!" I yelled after him, leaving me in a confused mess.
"Well, that went well," Mara said sarcastically.
~Oliver's POV~
I was able to get some help with making it seem like I wasn't lying to my dad. Though, Jordan was only helping out because she wanted to see me fail and Gus said he'd help as long as I brought sandwiches (which I may have said I worked at a sandwich shop). So that's what I did. I even got a script prepared somehow! Mara had texted, asking if I still needed any help. Even after her first mission as a superhero, she still wanted to help.
But I told her I had it under control and to just get some rest. She usually doesn't listen to that though, but something told me she was helping Kaz out anyway. I swear, they both need to just see that they like each other and go out already.
"I appreciate you guys helping me," I said as I carried in a tray of sandwiches up to the stage. "Gus, here are the sandwiches you asked for...which were free, and not 5.99 each because I work at a sandwich shop." I mentally sighed at saying that. If Mara was here, she'd probably being saying 'oh, good grief' right about now.
"Gross! I don't want these," Gus said, making me look at him weirdly. "There's mayo on them!"
"What? You carry around gallons of mayo," You had to be there. He asked for sandwiches and then had me hold a giant gallon bottle of mayo. Yeah, I don't know why I asked him for help now that I think about it.
"Not to EAT," Gus retorted, making me sigh in frustration.
"I have a comment about the script," Jordan said, walking over to me. "There's a point where watching your friends fail is no longer delightful and instead becomes just...FANTASTIC!" I just looked annoyed. Why'd I ask her for help as well?! "Oh, let me congratulate you on how truly awful this script is."
"Well, it doesn't have to be good. It just has to convince my father that it's an actual play," I retorted. "Now, in the first scene I, President Frankenstein, bring Gus, my hideous Vice President creature to life." I started explaining what was happening, like a director. Maybe that's what I could be when I grow up.
"Now, I want the atmosphere to be scary," I continued on.
"You want scary?" Gus asked. "Two words: use dry ice to make fog."
"It is scary that you think that was two words," I said. "But I would love fog all over the stage."
"Done," Gus said. "I know a guy, let's call him "Louie", who can get dry ice."
"Everybody knows a guy who can get dry ice. Anyone can get it," Jordan stated.
"Nu-hu. I know a guy, let's call him "Ira", who CAN'T get dry ice. But since we need dry ice, I will NOT be calling Ira today," Gus returned, making me sigh as my phone beeped. I pulled it out of my back pocket to see what it was (as Jordan and Gus walked away), and it turned out to be a text message from Mara. I opened it and saw a photo of her in her superhero costume. She must have had Kaz take it since Skylar was with her in the shot. Both girls were smiling at the camera.
The text read: 'I could get used to this costume'.
I chuckled as I texted back, saying that she looked awesome, and then put my phone away. I had a play to direct.
~Mara's POV~
We tiptoed into a room together, me, Kaz, and Skylar, trying to figure out which door could be the Door of Doom. I do NOT want to find out what's behind that door.
Kaz sighs in frustration. "I'm so conflicted," He said. "I'm dying to find out what happened to Brain Matter, but I don't want to die finding out what happened to Brain Matter."
"You and me both," I said, sighing in return.
"What if we open the Door of Doom?" Skylar asked as a clattering sound entered the air and the lights turned off. Kaz squealed as I yelped as I lost sight of where I was. Now we were in the dark.
"I wish I would have done Item One on Horace's list, "change the light bulbs"!"
"I wish you would have, too," I stated. "Mainly because I can't see diddly squat!"
"Your eyes should adjust shortly," Kaz said.
"Uh, no they won't," I returned. "Remember the pitch-black cafeteria when we first found Mighty Med?" He looked at me...I think. "It took me a few tries to find your hand!"
"Wait, so what you're saying, is that-" Skylar trailed off.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "I have the legit eyesight of a bat!"
"Well, the hero name makes sense now," Kaz retorted, making me glare in the direction that I hoped he was in, until I felt his hand take mine. And now I was grateful that he didn't change the light bulbs because he would have seen my bright red face. "Here, I'll guide you. My eyes have already adjusted to the darkness. So, just keep holding my hand."
"O-okay."
We started walking forward from what I'm thinking, heading towards a door. And this was something I knew was right because I could see a red light coming from an unknown place. I may have bat-like eyesight, but I can see tremendously well during the day and when lights are on. So, I know I saw a light coming from what I sure hope was a door.
We walked further towards it and Kaz opened it with his free hand. But he soon screamed and hid us by the side of the door. He was up against the wall as he had me against his chest. I looked at him for a moment, which he didn't seem to realize what he did until Skylar spoke.
"Oh, relax! They're just selling Super Scout Cookies," She said, making me look to see two girls who looked identical to each other, same outfits and all, standing there. "I'll take boxes of Mutant Mints." They then held up two boxes of what Skylar ordered.
Kaz blushed for a moment from what I could tell as he looked back a the twin girls, seeing the boxes in their hands. "Those don't have coconut, right? Because I hate coconut." The twin girls hissed at him, making him scream as he came back to look at me.
"She said mint," I returned, making him chuckle nervously.
"Right."
OOO
We walked further down the hall, me still holding onto Kaz's hand since the lights were still out. There was another lit up door that Kaz opened with his free hand...making us all scream as we saw an elderly superhero getting a sponge bath from a nurse. We immediately closed it and I was back in darkness again.
"I really wish I could see right now," I sighed.
"Same here," I heard Skylar. "Calderans have bad eyesight as well. But I can still see pretty decently right now."
"Alright, well I have that...plus 100!" I yelled, hearing Kaz snort beside me as we continued to walk.
OOO
We checked every door by this point, and none of them unleashed a monstrous being. I was starting to think that Horace was just messing with us.
"It's the door we haven't opened," Kaz said afraid. I could tell he was scared because he was squeezing my hand. Not too tightly, thank God, but it still hurt. "It's gotta be the Door of Doom."
"Stop being such a baby!" Skylar yelled as I heard rush forward and open the door. She screamed in terror. "My eyes!" She turned around and covered her eyes. What the heck?
"Hey! A little privacy please?!" Alan shut the door after that. Wait...Alan?
"What was he doing?" I asked with wonder.
"Clipping his toenails," Skylar said disgustedly. I have to say, even I gagged a bit and I didn't even see him!
~Oliver's POV~
I heard applause behind me as I sat in the desk chair on stage. I'm shocked the principal aloud us to put on this play in the school. It made this lie go by smoothly. Boy, was that going to be a "spoke too soon" moment.
I turned in the chair, having this wicked smirk on my face to portray my character. "They called me "mad" when I created a monster who would have tie-breaking vote in the senate," I started my lines, getting up from the chair and walking towards Gus on the silver table. "Now, before being one heartbeat away from the Presidency, I must give it-" I trailed off as Jordan popped up and gave me two brushes that we decided to use as defibrillators. "-a heartbeat!"
Of course, this is where I said I would be speaking too soon. Gus's phone went off and he sat up, looking at the text he just got.
"I've gotta go. My dad has a meeting and he needs his suit back," He said, making me stare in disbelief.
"Um, I can't do the play without you," I said through gritted teeth. "The monster's in every scene."
"Try improv. People love improv."
"People hate improv!"
"I know. It's the worst!" Gus eventually got off the bed and headed off stage. Great.
"My monster," I started, thinking of ways to save this. "I-it's alive! – And has to run some errands!" I hate myself sometimes.
~Kaz's POV~
We finally made it back to the Rec Room and I think Mara could see again. Mainly because the lights in here were still on. So, no more holding her hand which sort of bummed me out. I should just ask her out already.
"Oh! Such sweet sight!" I heard her exclaim, making me chuckle at her.
"You should invest in night vision goggles," Skylar said. "That way, if your opponent finds that you can't see at all in the dark, you'll have a surprise up your sleeve."
"You got a point there," She returned, thinking this over.
"Well," I started, "we opened every door in the hospital. No Door of Doom and no Brain Matter."
"Maybe Horace was just testing us," Skylar said.
"Yeah. Maybe there is no Door of Doom," Mara added as I opened up the freezer...and screamed.
"What's wrong?!" Skylar asked as I reached into the freezer and pulled out an empty box.
"We're out of tofu-pops!" I said, earning a sigh of relief from Mara.
"That almost made do my Sonar Scream, Kaz!" She yelled. I groaned with disappointment before noticing something else in the freezer.
"That's weird," I began, "who put a Brain Matter figurine in the freezer?" I reached in and pulled it out. "Oh, wow. This thing's really heavy." I placed it on the ground and went to look for something else to eat when this buzzing sound entered my ears. I looked down and shut the freezer door as I backed up with Mara and Skylar.
"It's glowing!" Skylar said.
"What's going on?" Mara asked with fear. I swear, she should really get over her fear problem if she's going to continue being a superhero.
The figurine started growing bigger and bigger until he was the size of a normal human man. Wait...that's it!
"I can't believe this!" I stated. "It's the real Brain Matter. What happened to you?" I went to walk forward, but Mara put her arm out in front of me. I looked at her in confusion.
"The last thing I remember," Brain Matter began, making me look at him once more, "I was conducting an experiment on myself. Something went terribly wrong, but I can't remember what."
All of a sudden, he started gasping for air as he squirmed around. Skylar, Mara, and I all started walking backward away from Brain Matter. Mara still had her arm out in front of me. Okay, maybe she's slowly getting over her fear problem.
Before I knew it, however, Brain Matter had turned into this hideous monster with gray skin and his clothes were torn. He almost looked like a giant zombie.
"Now I remember!" He yelled in a deep voice as he tipped a table with one arm while Skylar and I went for the door to run. But Mara didn't move. I looked at her as she hopped over the table he threw and did a back-flip, hitting him in the face with her heeled boot.
"Mara, come on!" I yelled, making her rush over to me as Horace raced in with Alan.
"What did you do?!" He yelled. "I told you not to open the Door of Doom!"
"Why didn't you just tell me not to open the freezer?!" I yelled in a panic.
"Because I know. If I said, "Kaz, don't open the freezer", the first thing you'd do is open the freezer!"
"He opened it anyway!" Mara yelled. We looked at the monster as he hit another table, making it disappear into ashes.
"Um, guys-" Skylar began, "he can pulverize things."
"Everyone, up here!" Horace said as he led us to the training stage (that's what I'm still calling it). "Huddle together!" I grabbed Mara and pulled her close to me, holding her to my chest as Horace lifted up his hands. "Force-field Activate!" We were eventually surrounded by this big blue force-field with the back wall behind us turning red.
"What's happening?!" I yelled, still holding Mara to protect her. You know, I'm finding more opportunities to hold Mara more. Score! "Brain Matter was a hero! How'd he become this monster?!" Speaking of the hero turned zombie, he banging his fists on the force-field wall.
"You're like a dog with a bone," Horace said. "Just let it go."
"Horace, just tell us!" Mara yelled. "If you don't, Noctura just might have to use her Sonar Scream on you!"
"Okay! Okay, fine. Fine. I'll tell you," Horace agreed. Thank you, Mara! "Brain Matter was a brilliant scientist and crime fighter, who invented his own weapons. Miracles of technology that made him a hero to be reckoned with. But Brain Matter grew envious of superheroes who didn't have to rely on weapons. So, he developed a serum that would give him his own superpowers. I had heard the rumors so I went to investigate, but I was too late."
"Wait!" I interrupted. "This happened in the 1970s?"
"No, this was fives years ago," Horace said. "I just had a very outdated sense of style." I heard Mara sigh in defeat as she clung to my shirt. "Anyway, Brain Matter made a miscalculation with the serum, and turned into a hideous violent beast with an insatiable appetite for human brains." I heard Mara squeak at hearing that. "By freezing the monster, we were able to neutralize and shrink him. We stored him here until we could develop a cure."
"If he is so dangerous, why would you keep him in a regular freezer?" Skylar asked the obvious question.
"He was hidden behind the tofu-pops," Horace said. "Who would eat a tofu-pop?"
Another bang from the monster made Mara yelp and hide her face in my chest. I looked at her, seeing how scared she was. You know what, I guess it is sometimes brave to be scared. If she was extremely brave right now...I don't know. I can't bear the thought of her fighting this Brain Matter monster, and not surviving.
So keeping her protected in my arms I guess is okay...wink, wink.
"The force-field is stretched too thin trying to protect all of us," Horace stated.
"We need to figure out a way to freeze him!" Skylar yelled. "Do you have some kind of freezing chamber in this hospital?"
"Do we have some kind of freezing chamber in this hospital?" Horace mocked, before growing serious again. "No." I had hope. "But we have a Freezing Ray in the E.R."
"Alright, let me think," I started, keeping a hold on Mara for a moment longer. I knew what had to do, and I'm pretty sure the girl clinging to me would not like this idea one bit. "Oh! I got it, okay. Horace, let me out and I will lure him to the Freezing Ray."
"What?!" Mara yelled, looking up at me again.
"He'll rip you apart!" Horace exclaimed. "I can't let you do that!"
"Let him! Let him!" Alan finally yelled.
"Alan!" Mara yelled at him.
"Kaz, are you sure about this?" Horace asked. I could feel Mara's gaze on me and I could see a small tear in the corner of her own eye. I so badly wanted to say no and that I was only kidding, for Mara's sake. But I had to do this. I had to protect those heroes I've grown to love like a family. I had to protect Mara.
"I'm never sure of anything I do," I stated. "Why would I start now?"
"Kaz, no!" Mara yelled, making me look at her. "I can't lose you!"
"Hey! You won't lose me! Have I ever let you down?" I smirked at her.
"No! It's mainly Ollie you let down!" She returned. "But this is different, Kaz! You have no powers and if that monster gets you, you're done for!"
"There's no other choice!" I yelled as I looked into her eyes, seeing the sparkle of fear in them as I heard the force-field open a small square door for me to step out of.
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Skylar asked as Mara went strangely quiet all of a sudden.
"When Brain Matter worked in his lab, he always listened to Mozart, and he hated to be disturbed" I explained. "The one thing that disturbed him most was-" I trailed off before racing out of the force-field and standing in one place. Though I felt someone beside me. I looked over to see Mara standing there, in a fighting stance as she glared at Brain Matter.
"Mara, what are you-?"
"I'm not letting you do this alone," She said, smirking up at me (I was like an inch or two taller than her). "I'll always have your back. I grinned at her before looking over at the monster again.
"Hey, Brain Matter," The monster looked at me before I started to beatbox, earning a growl from Brain Matter. "It w-whoa!" I quickly ran out of the room as I heard Mara scream. I turned around to see the sonar rings leaving her pink painted lips and hit the monster. He fell down before she raced over to me and we ran out to the E.R.
"Man, you have power!" I yelled impressed.
"Less talking, more running!" She yelled back as I heard a roar behind us. Yeah, probably would be best to just run and not talk.
We ran into the E.R, with the monster now behind us, as an alarm was blaring through the air. Everyone started to run away as I ran around different counters and beds, trying to keep myself away from the monster. I noticed Mara had flipped up onto a counter and took to the sky, flying around as she tried to slow the monster down with her shadowy orbs of light. I bet that's how she usually got to places before us when we were younger.
I saw Horace had rushed over to the Freezing Ray. "Horace! Is the Freezing Ray ready!?"
"Oh, no! We're out of dry ice!" He yelled.
"Help! Do something!" I yelled in fear. Horace tried to use his powers on the monster, which seemed to have been working for a moment but ended up badly. The monster deflected the powers back to Horace and knocking the man out.
"Hey, Brain Matter!" Mara yelled as she dived down and punched Brain Matter away from me as she landed in front of me. She got into her fighting stance, staring dangerously at the monster. "Let's wing it." The monster roared as he went to touch her, most likely to pulverize her before she tumbled forward and stood back up behind the monster.
She turned back around and sent a shadow towards him with a stomp of her foot. But the monster just went right through it before smacking Mara away and making her hit the wall, hard. I could even feel her head bouncing off the wall before she hit the floor, unconscious.
"Mara!" I was about to run over to her when the monster targeted me again. "Don't eat my brains! Okay, I'm sorry about beatboxing! Would—do you want to hear some Mozart?" The monster nodded his head, making me even more scared than earlier. "I don't know any Mozart!" I quickly raced out of the secret door and left the hospital.
And I could hear the monster of Brain Matter right behind me.
~Oliver's POV~
"So, for my next improv, I'm an astronaut in a sporting goods store acting in the style of Shakespeare," I said, trying not to sound too disappointed by all this. I started walking like an astronaut while imitating the radio sound they usually have.
"Me thinks our jogging outfit be-ith overpriced." I made the radio noise again. "Roger that, Houston." I looked over at Jordan, seeing her smirking and leaning against one of the walls on stage. "Jordan, help me out here."
"Are you kidding? You're doing horrible," She said before fanning her face. "Oh, tears. Actual tears of joy."
Thank God Gus showed back up after a while, but this time wearing a frilly red suit that looked to be for a woman.
"I had to give my dad his suit back. But I got one from my mom," He said. That explains it. At least he came back.
"At last!" I continued. "My monster has returned!" And of course, Kaz had to rush in at that exact moment. "What are doing here? I'm in the middle of my play."
"Monster...beat boxing...Mozart," He panted out. Man, he needed to exercise!
"He already did that improv," Jordan said from the side yet again.
"Chased me...all the way from Mighty Med," Kaz continued. I almost freaked when he said Mighty Med, but I'm pretty sure everyone will just think this is part of the show...hopefully. "Lost him." That's when a roar was heard off in the back of the stage, making us jump and stare in fear.
"AAH! DIDN'T LOSE HIM!" He yelled as he turned around, as we tried to stay away from the beast. "That's Brain Matter. He accidentally turned himself into a brain-eating monster." The monster then flipped the desk that I was sitting at earlier.
"Do something!" It was then that some rings of sonar hit the monster and made him stumble forward. I looked over to see a hero back-flip onto the stage before getting into a fighting stance. "M...I mean, Noctura!"
"Hey! You're okay!" Kaz yelled with relief.
"Yeah," She said, irritated. "Next time, check to see if I'm actually out cold before you run away from a monster!"
"Will do!"
She quickly made a couple of shadows go after the monster, but he just used that power against Mara, sending it in a wave to make her fall back. And the monster went towards her.
"The only way to stop him is to freeze him," Kaz said. I looked around before noticing the coffin with smoke piling out of it.
"We can push him into the dry ice!" I yelled. "And I think I know how to do it! The love of Brain Matter's life was his lab assistant, the brilliant, but homely, Colleen Mackenzie."
"Oh, that's right! He's been searching for her ever since she disappeared on that foggy night."
"We need a Colleen Mackenzie!" I yelled.
"Jordan!" Kaz yelled as we looked at her, seeing the smile and laughter painted on her face.
"Not homely enough," I said, getting Kaz agreeing with me. "But Gus is! Gus, go stand by the coffin."
"If I had a dollar every time I heard that..." He said before walking over to the coffin.
"Oh, no. The monster has Noctura," Kaz said, making me look over to see that the monster did have Mara in his grasp.
"Let me go!"
"This play just keeps getting worse and worse," I heard Jordan behind me. "This is the best day ever."
"Hey, Brain Matter! Brain Matter!" Kaz yelled, getting the monster's attention. "Look, look! Hey, it's Colleen." Mara looked on with confusion, but didn't try to ask what we were doing. I think she was just glad that Kaz stepped in to save her rather than run for the hills. "She's returned to you."
Instantly, the monster dropped Mara as he slowly started walking towards Gus. Kaz and I slowly walked around the table that we were staying by, while Brain Matter reached out to Gus. It was kind of sad that we were tricking him like this, but it's what needed to be done. When he got close enough to the coffin, Kaz and I ran up and pushed him. He fell inside and hit the dry ice. A green glow and electricity sparked up from inside as we quickly grabbed the lid and threw it on top.
Eventually, the green glow coming from inside disappeared and I chanced a look by lifting the lid ever so slightly.
"It worked!" I yelled as I looked at Kaz.
"Yes!" He exclaimed as we high-fived each other while everyone was applauding out in the audience. I actually forgot we were doing a play. But as I hoped, they all thought everything that just happened was part of the play. I was so glad to hear that.
"Noctura!" I looked over at Kaz ran up to Mara and helped her stand up. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," She said, smiling at him. "Thanks for the save."
"Anytime," He smiled back at her as he pulled her over to us and we all bowed to the crowd.
"So, does this monster guy go to our school?" Jordan asked. "He's totally my type."
"Uh, no," I began. "He's a co-worker of mine...and he's taken."
"What about you, girly?" Gus said as he gave Mara this little wink. She looked confused for a moment before she looked at her outfit, stared in surprise, and giggled nervously as she looked back up.
"I'm afraid I'm taken, too. Sorry, love," She said, faking a British accent. That wasn't a bad accent, I'll grant her that. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She then ran off the stage and out the door. I think she forgot she was wearing her costume still.
~Mara's POV~
I ran into the girl's restroom with my spare outfit that I always keep in my locker (they were mainly for after I got out of gym. I always wanted to look fresh after that class). I can't believe I left Mighty Med to come to school in my superhero form. No wonder Kaz and Oliver were calling me Noctura the whole time on stage.
I quickly threw on the lilac purple cap-sleeved turtleneck top and a pair of skinny jeans (that weren't ripped, thank God). I had taken off the thigh-high boots and replaced them with a pair of brown leather ankle boots and I took off the gloves for my hero form. I soon took the mask off as well and threw all those items in the bag I had my spare clothes in.
I looked over my makeup, seeing that even after all day, my cat-eye eyeliner was still perfect. I grinned as I took some lip-gloss (red-tinted) and applied it to my lips. I fluffed up my hair, my way of trying to make it look neat and not tossled from a fight before I headed out of the restroom to see Kaz walking down the stairs.
"Hey, Kaz!" I called, rushing up to him. He looked up from the phone in his hands and smiled as hugged me.
"I'm so glad your okay," He said into my ear, making me smile as we pulled away.
"Same for you," I said. "But promise me, you won't do anything like that again."
"I'll do my best," He said as Oliver walked over, a cooler in his hand. I guess that's where he put Brain Matter, with some ice no doubt.
"So," He began, "turns out my dad never even showed up." I looked at him with remorse. "And this is so typical. I worked for minutes and minutes on that play. Probably had to work late again."
"Huh, that's what he said. He just called," Kaz said, making me look at him. That's when I noticed that Kaz had Oliver's phone.
"Why do you have my phone?" Oliver asked.
"That's what he said," Kaz returned, making me stare in surprise. "Anyway, I told him that the play went so well, that the school wants to do an encore performance."
"What? He's gonna wanna come!"
"That's what he said!" Kaz said again, making me snort this time. Oh, boy.
"So, now I have to do this all over again?! I cannot believe you did this!" Oliver yelled.
"Hey, save your energy. You have a performance tomorrow." Oliver started to freak after a while and then he raced off, most likely to find Gus and Jordan for help again.
"His father never called, did he?" I asked, smirking up at Kaz.
"Nope," He returned.
"You know he's going to kill you once he finds out you tricked him, right?"
"Yep," He looked at me, a smirk on his face as well.
"You going to tell him you tricked him?"
"Yeah. But later," He said, turning completely towards me. "Right now, I think we have an appointment for you at Mighty Med to check your head."
"My head is fine," I said.
"I heard it bounce off the wall back in Mighty Med! If anything, you could have a concussion!" I rolled my eyes, trying to think of something. But I do have to admit, my head did feel a bit fuzzy right now. So I guess a quick look wouldn't hurt.
"Alright, fine," I said. "Let's go."