Unmasked

"Being seen at a company social gathering together? You may as well just call yourselves a boring old married couple right now."

Nichelle lay draped across Audrey's bed, watching as Audrey shoved clothes around on their racks in search of a dress.

"It's the annual fundraiser gala," Audrey said. "Everyone brings a date to that. It's not exactly boring old married couple material."

"Denial isn't a good look for you, honey. Why are you raiding your closet anyway? Let's just go shopping."

"Not all of us enjoy shopping as much as you do."

"Come on Audrey, I'm bored. Please? Please please please-"

"All right!" Audrey laughed. "You're like a little kid sometimes, I swear."

Audrey let Nichelle drag her all over North Hartsville shopping complex and try on what felt like a hundred dresses and pairs of shoes. Audrey's feet felt numb by the time they settled on something, and she was relieved to go home and sprawl ungracefully across her bed in a pair of sweatpants that always made Nichelle scowl.

The annual gala was still two days away and Matt had to work late for the next couple of nights, so Audrey found herself staying up late answering work emails and reading up on the latest innovations with safes. They still hadn't made one she wasn't confident she could crack.

She was startled out of her detailed research when her cell phone went off, impossibly loud in her otherwise quiet apartment. Jekyll and Hyde lifted their heads from where they were curled on their palatial cat bed, blinking irritably at her.

"Sorry," Audrey told them, answering the phone when she saw that it was Nichelle.

"What's up, Shelle?"

"I just got a really weird message to deliver to you...from Fade."

"Fade?" Audrey frowned. "What the hell does Fade want with me?"

"Well technically it's what he wants with Phantasma. He wanted 'Madame Mystic' to let 'Phantasma' know he'd like to meet up with her. Says he has a proposition for you."

Audrey leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. Fade was a fellow villain, with the ability to more or less turn into a shadow. He didn't turn invisible, exactly, but he could get pretty close, and slip through small spaces and solid surfaces, if they weren't too thick. He was a slippery bastard, to be sure. Audrey had never encountered him before, and couldn't imagine why he'd want to see her.

"Did he give you a time and place?" she asked finally.

"Affirmative. But be careful, Audrey. I have a bad feeling."

Nichelle's bad feelings weren't to be taken lightly, but Audrey's curiosity was piqued. So she donned her Phantasma garb and slunk into a particularly seedy part of downtown to meet Fade. She remained on high alert, aware that this could be some kind of trap. For extra precaution, she had a Glock stashed in her coat pocket. Superpowers or not, sometimes the more old fashioned methods worked just fine.

"Fade," she called out. "I'm here. You better be alone or I'm going to send you out of here in a body bag."

"There's no need for threats." Fade melted out of the shadows against the alley wall, his gray mask seeming to curl and shimmer at the edges as if it were made of mist.

"You'll forgive me if I don't just take your word on that," Audrey replied. "What do you want?"

"Myself and a few other esteemed and noteworthy 'villains' have come up with a plan. To take over North Hartsville from IHC authority."

Audrey arched an eyebrow. "That's what you're shooting for? Control of North Hartsville?"

"Tsk, my dear. We do not think that small. The ultimate goal is to branch out and destroy the IHC entirely. Raze them to the ground."

"I see. And what do you want me for?"

"You'd be a most valuable asset to the cause. As one ghost to another, I must say I've admired your work. You could help us wipe out the sniveling IHC hacks once and for all. Tear them apart from the inside out."

Audrey remained quiet, considering for several long moments. Her intention had always been to work alone; she wasn't much of a team player. But taking the legs out from under the IHC would be a triumph. The idea sent a small thrill through her, making her fingers tingle with the desire to lash out at something. Preferably a smug "hero's" face.

But she didn't know how trustworthy Fade was, or who else he might be working with. This could all be a ruse. She tossed the pigtails of her violet wig.

"I'll think about it," she said finally. Fade shrugged, seeming unsurprised by the answer.

"As you wish. We have some time before we strike. You can contact me via Madame Mystic when you decide to join us."

"If," Audrey corrected as he blended with the shadows again. She caught a flicker of a grin, reminding her of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Audrey returned home full of questions and restless energy. She wanted to know what Fade and the others, whoever they were, were up to. The desire to join them and take down the IHC was so strong it made her chest ache. But she was loathe to put trust in anyone else, least of all someone like Fade, whom she had never even met before tonight.

Fade's proposal was still weighing heavily on her mind as she woke up on the morning of the hospital gala. She awoke to Nichelle's insistent banging at the front door, and her friend burst into the apartment like a whirlwind. She practically threw clothes at Audrey while she was trying to make coffee. Then Audrey found herself whisked off to the salon to have her nails and makeup done.

It was hard to focus on Nichelle's gossip when she kept hearing Fade's voice in the back of her mind, even when she put on her black dress and Nichelle let out a triumphant squeak of approval. The dress was simple; made of supple fabric that clung to her like a second skin, with an open back and a fairly modest slit up each side. But it was exquisitely tailored and coupled with the red heels Nichelle had insisted upon and the dramatic red lipstick, Audrey did look rather striking.

The company limo came to pick her up, and she directed the driver to Matt's apartment; shooting a text to Matt to let him know she was on her way. She had wanted to take him shopping for a suit to wear for the occasion, but Nichelle had intervened and insisted on taking him instead. Something about it being bad luck for Audrey to see it before the event since this was to be their first real outing as a couple.

Audrey thought that seemed ridiculous, since tuxes all looked pretty much the same. But she didn't dare mention that to Nichelle for fear of a fashion lecture. Matt was waiting for them outside his building, his hands stuffed into the pocket of the long coat he was wearing. Audrey opened the door and waved him inside when he looked hesitant.

"Your friend Nichelle isn't here is she?" he asked. Audrey laughed, feeling her unease and indecision about Fade subside.

"She'll be at the event, but she's not riding with us," she assured him.

"Good. I felt like I'd just endured some kind of intensive training after going shopping with her. Never make me do that again."

Audrey smirked, adjusting the bow tie around his neck. "Nichelle is intense, but she knows fashion."

They rolled up in front of the Plaza and Matt looked nervous all over again. Audrey tugged him from the limo, leading him up the front steps. Inside the lobby, their coats were taken and Audrey smoothed the front of her dress. Matt looked slightly slack-jawed and she tapped him on the nose.

"If you don't blink your eyes might shrivel right out of your face," she teased. She forced his hands away from his pockets, holding them instead.

"I told you Nichelle knows how to dress someone up," she said, appraising him. "You look like a movie star. Or a secret agent."

That earned her a smile and the tension eased out of his shoulders. Audrey leaned up to give him a quick kiss, then linked her arm through his and went to join the party.