Unmasked

Matt could feel Audrey’s grip on his arm tighten a little bit when he took her to the side of the city that wasn’t quite as nice as where they’d been before. There were quite a few drunks and drug addicts wandering around, plus several shady groups of people that could have possibly been gang members. Audrey was clinging to him with one hand, and the other one gripped her purse tightly in case anyone decided to make a move. Matt was sure they wouldn’t. Most of these people knew him, or knew of him. He’d lived around there his entire life. He led her to a small establishment with blacked out windows, but she stopped before going in.

“This place is just a dark hallway, Matt,” she said. “Don’t make me pepper spray you, because this was going really well so far.”

“I know this looks bad,” he chuckled. “Just trust me. You’ll love it.”

She gave him another skeptical look, but followed him in. Like she said, the hallways was dark, with just some faint flickering lights leading the way, but as they came near the end of the hallway, voices could be heard. Matt held one more door open for her, and watched as a surprised look replaced her skeptical one. The inside looked just like a 1950’s diner, cute waitresses in white caps included.

Matt took Audrey’s hand and took her to one of the booths with the shiny blue seats, watching her as she still stared at her surroundings. One of the waitresses came by and set down a couple of menus for them with a bright smile.

“Hey, Matt,” she said. “Dad was wondering when we’d see you again. Is this your girlfriend?”

Matt looked down at the menu, but he knew Audrey noticed him turn red.

“I’ll just take the usual,” he muttered. “Thanks, Marie.”

“I don’t know what his usual is, but I’ll have the same,” Audrey said, handing the menu back to her.

Marie took the menus and flounced off to the kitchen, while Audrey grinned at Matt’s embarrassment.

“So you know everyone here, huh?” she asked.

“I know the owner really well,” Matt explained. “I used to come here a lot as a kid. No matter how many times I moved, Jimmy’s was always here. He was one of my few consistent friends. He used to pay me in milkshakes to help him clean up after closing, when I was about thirteen or fourteen. That waitress is his daughter, Marie. She should be around sixteen or seventeen now. I taught her how to swim when she was a little kid. Jim gave me my first paycheck for it. Twenty-five dollars.”

“That’s really adorable,” Audrey said with an amused smile. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sweeter, you end up being good with kids, too.”

“Not really,” he smirked. “I guess it depends on the kid. There’s these three teenagers that hang out at Slice of Heaven, all the damn time. They get on my nerves. One of them tried to tip me with a cigarette. Just one, solo cigarette.”

“Do you smoke?” she asked.

“I’ve been clean for a little over a year now,” he said. “It was a habit I picked up when I was a teenager, and not one that I’ve ever been proud of.”

Marie returned at that moment, setting down two plates with a good looking burger and some perfectly crispy fries. She also set down two strawberry milkshakes.

“You guys are super cute,” Marie said, looking between them. “Anyways, Dad says the milkshakes are on the house. Enjoy!”

Matt watched Audrey’s eyes widen slightly in surprise at how big the burger was.

“This thing is huge,” she said. “What’s in here? Bacon, onion strings… are those almonds? It’s like they dumped everything they had onto one burger.”

“The point is not to look at it, or you’ll chicken out,” Matt laughed. “Close your eyes and take a bite. You’ve been on a streak of trusting me, so just try it. Besides, you can put Jim’s secret sauce on anything and it’ll be a masterpiece.”

Audrey did as he asked, closing her eyes and taking a bite. She seemed to light up immediately, eyes shooting open and nodding happily with her mouth full. Matt laughed, handing her a napkin. She had gone from chic and stylish to acting like a little kid in a candy store, and Matt had to admit that he could get used to a girl who could do both.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” he grinned. “By now, you should be able to trust me with these things.”

“I trust you with my life,” she said, crossing her heart.

“So how much of that do you think you can actually finish?” he asked.

“All of it,” she said, shrugging. “Don’t underestimate me, Matthew.”

“A little thing like you?” Matt smirked. “I would say you won’t be able to get more than half. Especially with a milkshake on a side.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” she said. “Are you willing to bet on it?”

“I am.”

“Fine, then. Let the games begin.”

Much to Matt’s dismay, she finished just about as quickly as he did, neatly patting the corners of her mouth with a napkin. He stared at her in disbelief as she dipped her last french fry into the milkshake. She didn’t look like she was even a little bit sick.

“What part of that tiny little body is packing that burger?” he asked, still shocked as they headed out and she still looked fine, like she just had a light salad.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Mattie,” she teased. “I don’t make bets unless I know I can win them. And I did. So you can stop being whiny about it, now.”

“Fine,” he chuckled. “What do I have to do?”

“Hm, I’ll figure something out,” she said, taking his hand. “I think I’ll just hold it over your head for a little while.”

“I don’t mind, as long as you keep me around for a while.”

They walked and talked for a little while, and Matt didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings until they got all too familiar. They were on the borderline of the downtown area and the residential neighborhoods, this one in particular standing out to him. He frowned and stopped, looking at a small house on the corner of the street.

“Hey, you okay?” Audrey asked.

“Uh, yeah,” he mumbled. “We should be heading back now. There isn’t much going on around here.”

“Do you know that house?” she asked, catching him looking.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Uh… I actually own it. But I haven’t stepped foot in it since I was eighteen. It’s probably dusty as hell.”

“You own the house, but you don’t live in it?”

When he looked at it, the only thing that flashed through his mind was the sound of sirens, screaming, and the bright lights of police cars blinding him. He blinked a few times, then shook his head and smiled at her.

“Let’s talk about something else,” he said, using her own words from when he’d asked about her parents.

She understood right away, giving his hand a light squeeze as they started in the opposite direction.



It wasn’t often that Melanie made all the members of her IHC chapter meet, mostly because it was nearly impossible to get them all together. They all had lives of their own, and only the older heroes bothered to listen. Things had gotten slightly better since Melanie got appointed, though. She looked dainty on the outside, but no one messed with Lady Sterling. When she wanted everyone to meet, they met.

Everyone had gathered in one of city halls conference rooms, and when Matt showed up, it looked like some kind of high school classroom. The mature older members sat at the head of the table, rolling their eyes at the others as they flicked pens at each other and giggled their heads off. Matt was surprised that the nation trusted their lives with these immature freaks of nature.

He slipped into a seat next to the first familiar face he saw, which belonged to a man just a little older than him. His name was Felix Beldad, but he was better known to the public as Carbon. He had the ability to shapeshift into any animal, with larger size and extra strength. He seemed to be watching the pen wars from afar, giving Matt a nod in greeting when he sat down.

“Long time,” Matt said. “I haven’t seen you since your wedding. How’s Lena?”

“She’s good,” Felix told him. “We’ve been busy with the new baby. I felt kind of bad leaving her, but this didn’t sound like it was an optional meeting.”

“It’s going to be a joke, just like the rest of them are,” Matt shrugged.

Felix was about to respond when Melanie stood up, setting her files and notebooks down on the table loudly enough to get everyone’s attention. Once everyone had quieted down, she flashed them that winning smile she was so famous for.

“Thank you all for taking time out of your day to come here,” she started. “I know some of you have come a long way, so I will try to keep this short and informative as possible. As you all know, the IHC has been… slightly different recently. It’s beginning to drift apart, as opposed to when we-”

She was interrupted when the door slammed open, and a larger figure entered. Even Melanie went silent as Jasper Wellard entered the room, his scarred face twisted into an eternal glare. He sat down at the head with the rest of the seniority, since they seemed to be the only ones who weren’t nervous around him. Melanie rarely cracked, but Matt could see the mild concern in her eyes. She cleared her throat, glancing over at him.

“Matt, could you… close the door please?”

He did as she asked, rolling around in the wheeled chair to get to and from the door. Melanie looked down at her papers, then back at everyone else, regaining her composure as she continued what she was saying.

“As I was saying, this particular chapter of the IHC has been getting a little too loose,” she continued. “We’ve had some issues recently, and the crime has been getting out of control. Thalia Sumner is in the hospital. Eddie Hernandez has gone missing.”

“Phantasma has beaten Matt’s ass more than a few times,” one girl pointed out, giving Matt a sly grin.

He glared at her, leaning forward on the table.

“Who even are you?” he asked. “Christine, right? Isn’t your power something along the lines of talking to spiders? Like, you can’t even control them? You can just politely ask them to please help, and maybe they’ll help out.”

“Watch your tongue, Cryogen,” she snapped. “I can make your life a living nightmare.”

“I’d like to see you try!”

“Let it go, Elsa! I’ll shove one of your own icicles up your icy ass!”

“Knock it off!” Melanie shouted, glaring at both of them. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. It’s not okay. We’re fighting each other, and that’s making us weaker.”

Matt and Christine gave each other one last glare before leaning back in their seats. Matt caught Jasper giving him a look that was almost threatening. Like he was trying to see whether or not Matt was actually any kind of threat.

“Anyways,” Melanie said, after a deep breath, “I’ve brought you all here to discuss a slight change in authority. Until now, the IHC has been completely under our own control. However, I’ve decided that for the good of the citizens, we need more control. From now on, I’ll be working alongside hand-picked members of city hall. They will help with the politics, as well as which situations will need you and which won’t. This means no more listening to police scanners, no more dropping into fights without permission, and no more picking and choosing when you’re going to do your job. With that said, I’d like to introduce you all to my colleague, and our management from the side of city hall, Victor Helsing.”

A man in a fine-tailored suit that had been sitting beside Melanie stood up, greeting everyone in the sort of way that could only come from a true politician. He seemed like a great guy, but somehow, everyone knew not to trust him completely. Not that they had a choice.

“I can see the doubt in your eyes,” Victor said, with a soft chuckle. “I hope you will all learn you can trust me. My father, the mayor, has worked a long time with the IHC. We’ve had many previous successes, and I am excited to bring order and justice back to our city.”

Matt noticed Jasper give a slight smirk at the mention of the current mayor. He was the first to stand and leave, before Melanie even had finished her sentence in dismissing them. As everyone filed out of the conference room, he noticed Melanie linger back, speaking in a hushed tone to Victor. He said something to her, and Matt could have sworn he saw Melanie blush. He waited just outside the door until they both left, catching Melanie before she was gone.

“Are you sleeping with the mayor’s son?” he asked.

“What?” Melanie frowned, startled. “Matt, come on. Don’t be an idiot.”

“I see it in your eyes,” he said. “You’re fooling around with the President Ken doll over there.”

“My personal life is none of your concern,” she snapped.

“I thought you said you were seeing someone,” Matt said. “You totally lied about it to sound like you were back in a committed situation, didn’t you?”

She rolled her eyes and brushed past him. He knew he wasn’t going to get a real answer from her. She would never admit something that would make her look like a fool. He started on his way out too, feeling his phone buzz in his pocket. Seeing a text from Audrey put the smile back on his face.

What are you doing tonight? I have some really nice wine, but it would be a shame to drink it alone.

Matt was sure he had a lot to do that night. However, these days, he was finding it very easy to just drop everything to go have a glass of wine with a girl he’d really grown fond of.