Heels and Heroes

Justice stood on his own when they reached the door. But he stopped in the doorway, a sudden thought snapping into place in his mind. “What happened to Howler?” he asked, turning to face his friend.



His expression turned smug. “She took him down. Knocked him out so the League could take him into custody. We have Violet, too.”



“Violet?” he muttered, but he’d already turned from his friend and headed down the hall.



“She was in league with Howler,” StrongArm explained. “TruthSeer questioned her earlier. Guess she decided she could make some easy money after she figured out Silencer’s identity. She saw her working in the pharmacy. Violet didn’t count on Howler actually wanting her to help him. She couldn’t figure a way out of it once she was roped in, so she went with it.”



Justice grunted and shook his head.



They reached Brenda’s room and though shadowed like every room in the hospital, it wasn’t really dark. Her bruised face and neck stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. One of her eyes was swollen and her lip was split.



Air escaped his chest in a haggard breath. It took every bit of his self-control to keep from groaning at the sight of her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And it wouldn’t have, if only he’d protected her like he should have.



He clenched his fists at his side to keep from hitting the hospital room wall. She wouldn’t be hurt if he hadn’t talked her into facing Howler in the first place. If he hadn’t convinced her of her power.



It was all his fault.



***



The sound of her mother’s voice roused Brenda from her drug-induced sleep, and for a moment she considered pretending to still be asleep. But her mom’s angry tone couldn’t be ignored, so she suppressed a sigh and opened her eyes.



Sunlight streamed in through the hospital room window, illuminating her mother and a doctor in a white coat. Mabel Booth’s finger was pointed squarely at the poor older gentleman’s chest. Her lips were drawn into a firm line.



“Mom,” Brenda said, her voice hoarse, “leave the doctor alone before you get yourself kicked out of the hospital.”



“Brenda! Thank goodness you’re awake.” Her mom hurried the two feet to Brenda’s bedside. Her swollen eyes lit up, and a stab of guilt ran through Brenda for making her worry enough to cry.



“Water?” Brenda asked, and was rewarded with a sip from a hospital cup. Though lukewarm, it slid down her throat, delicious and wet.



“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.



“Okay, I guess.” Brenda moved a bit in the bed, testing her muscles. “A little sore.”



“Oh, honey,” her mother began, and Brenda braced herself for the lecture that would follow, for the warning that she needed to be more careful. “We’re so proud of you,” she said instead.



“You’re what?” Brenda asked, flabbergasted.



“You took down a terrible villain. I’m so sorry we haven’t been more supportive. We should have known you had it in you, it’s just…we worry.” She smiled, practically glowing with pride.



Brenda stared at her, unable to form words. They were proud of her? Knew she had it in her? Since when?



But she couldn’t ask that, not when her mother looked so content. So instead she muttered, “Thanks.”



“Oh you woke up just in time. Your friend is giving a press conference about the whole thing.” Her mom reached over and grabbed a remote from the stand next to the bed. Pointing it at a small television mounted on the wall, she pressed a button and the TV flared to life.



A pretty brunette newswoman appeared on the screen with a perfect professional smile affixed to her face. She summarized the events of the day before, with a few key details left out. Details like Violet’s involvement and specifics about Howler’s apprehension. She also made no mention of why Howler had chosen Pranier Medical to hold hostage, other than to suppose it must have been because of the general high-class status of its patients. After a few minutes of discussion back and forth between her and the news anchor, the camera panned to a podium surrounded by reporters.



Justice’s serious face took up much of the screen when he stepped up to talk about what the reporters had dubbed the “Pranier Medical Attack.” Brenda grinned at the title and decided that creativity was perhaps not the first requirement of a reporter, for that particular network anyway. Face nearly untouched by the events of the previous day, save a small bruise that was mostly covered by his mask, he appeared every bit the heroic superhero Brenda knew him to be. But then Howler hadn’t needed to hit him, and he’d obviously avoided landing on his face.



After a few seconds the reporters quieted down and waited eagerly for Justice’s statement.



“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming. As you know, Pranier Medical was subject to an attack yesterday. While his reason for targeting Pranier is unknown, we can make the assumption that he was likely targeting its patients in general. We do not believe he had a specific mark in mind, unlike when he took the mayor hostage earlier in the week.” Justice’s face was expressionless, the area around his eyes covered with his mask, and his voice was steady.



Brenda frowned at the screen. She hadn’t really expected him to tell the press Howler targeted Pranier Medical to lure her in—he was no doubt trying to protect her secret identity—but she also hadn’t thought he’d outright lie.



Justice’s voice pulled her from her thoughts as he answered a question she missed from a reporter. “A team of superheroes led by myself and StrongArm took down Howler late yesterday afternoon. A superhero named Silencer was key in the takedown, due to her unusual power to turn off her hearing and block sonic waves from affecting her person.”



The rest of the interview faded into a game of reporters posing questions, which Justice promptly danced around without actually answering. The press never mentioned Brenda’s alter ego, and her stomach dropped. She shouldn’t be disappointed. She wasn’t a publicity-seeking lunkhead after all. But it hurt to not receive even a passing interest from the reporters after her first takedown.



“Can you turn it off, please?” Brenda said to her mom, who frowned at the screen.



Her mother clicked off the set and smiled at her daughter, though it didn’t touch her eyes. “Let’s see if we can’t get you checked out of here, shall we?”



After an hour of getting forms finalized and instructions from the doctor to stay off her feet for a few days, Brenda and her mother hit the road.



“Paul and your dad are waiting for us at the house.”



“Mom, I don’t want or need to stay with you. I’m fine,” she protested. Her mom glanced at her and she glimpsed an extra brightness in her eyes.



“Okay, fine,” Brenda said, unable to face the idea of her mother crying over her twice in one day. “But only until tomorrow.”



Her mom relaxed and nodded.



The look of worry on her father’s face didn’t surprise Brenda, but Paul’s red-rimmed eyes did. Her brother pulled her into a tight, but careful, hug as soon as she cleared the doorway and held her until she hugged him back.



He loosened his grip and stepped away so he could see her face. “Brenda, I’m sorry I didn’t take this seriously before. I should have been out there with you, not sitting on my butt enjoying my vacation.”



“Don’t worry about it, Paul. We got the villain, that’s all that matters.”



He shook his head. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”



“Let’s not forget I also kicked some ass.” She grinned.



“I won’t be forgetting that anytime soon.” He laughed and stepped aside so her father could give her a quick hug, too.



The newspaper sat on the kitchen table, so Brenda grabbed it to read while her mom warmed up some leftovers. Her stomach rumbled at the scent of roast and potatoes, and she smiled to herself. She would wait until tomorrow to talk to Justice. For now, being in her family’s care felt pretty darn good.



Pictures of Howler, Justice, and StrongArm covered the front page of the newspaper. She read through the article, and got nearly to the end of the story before she realized she gripped the paper so tightly her hands hurt.



It was all Justice, all StrongArm. No mention of her, of Char. No hint in the whole damn thing that someone other than Justice might have helped save the day.



She found her purse where she’d dropped it on the couch and yanked out her cell phone. No missed calls. No warnings or explanations from Justice. Nothing.



She flipped the phone open and found him in her contact lists, and then snapped it shut. No. This wasn’t a conversation she could have over the phone.



***



Justice threw the newspaper onto the table and cursed. He’d done his best to keep the reporters in the dark about Howler’s obsession with Silencer, knowing she wouldn’t like the speculation that might come with that information. But he had credited her as the main reason they’d been able to take down Howler. He should have known when the reporter blinked in confusion when he’d explained Silencer’s power that she might not think it impressive enough to mention in the article.



As if they could have taken down Howler without it or her.



Banging at the front door pulled him from his thoughts. The figure framed through the glass was familiar, and his stomach dropped.



Brenda didn’t say anything, but shoved past him to pace in the space between his dining room table and the back of the couch. He winced at the sight of her still-bruised face. The pink tinge to her skin and the hard line of her mouth made it clear she’d seen the article.



“How are you?” he blurted out, unable to stand her angry silence any longer.



“How am I?” she asked, voice tense. But she didn’t answer the question. Instead, she glared at him, jaw muscles twitching.



“Look, Brenda, I’m sorry. I know the article—”



“What? Didn’t credit anyone except you for taking down Howler? Of course you know about it! You were the source of the damn story!” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, some of the anger had drained from her expression. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t something you would do on purpose. I know that.” She nodded as if convincing herself as she spoke. “I should have given you a chance to explain. It’s just, after everything….”