I Fell For My Nemesis

Avery sighed. "Someone tipped us off that Hunsacher had something huge going on that he was hiding in a secret room in Hunsacher Inc. HQ. And boy, did he! As if practically owning the United States isn't enough he's looking into how to chemically induce mind control.

"That's why the labs had to go. It was where the research was being conducted. We had to destroy all traces of it so he couldn't go forward with his plans. All we want is to dismantle his empire and protect everyone.

"And that factory? It was a sweatshop taking advantage of refugees. We rescued them and got them somewhere safe where Hunsacher couldn't exploit them anymore. We aren't the bad guys, Christian. We really aren't. Can you understand that?"

"If you aren't the bad guys why are you so convinced that the father of your child will reject you?" Christian asked.

"Because he thinks like you," Avery said ironically. "He would never tolerate anything illegal no matter how well-intentioned. And I've lied to him a lot to keep my secret. He would never forgive me."

"You seem awfully positive about that."

"I can take anything but him leaving me. I can't risk it. He's the only thing that has made me truly happy since my world fell apart and if I lose him I'll fall apart all over again. What good will I be able to do for anyone then?"

Christian looked her straight in the eye even though he wasn't aware that was what he was doing because of her helmet. "Avery."

The sound of her name shocked her to her very core. He knew? He knew and he wasn't screaming at her and calling her a traitor? How had he figured it out?!

===

Christian had a hard time sleeping without Avery. Tonight was no exception. He was lying in bed alone with his thoughts when his phone kept persistently ringing. An unknown number. He answered it rather tetchily and was shocked to discover that it was Nox.

Finding out not only that he was a she but that she was pregnant was horrifying. It made sense. It made so much sense! Those comments about date night and flirting were somehow both more and less creepy than he had thought.

She hadn't thought of him as a friend at all, had she? She had been interested in him! No wonder she had saved his life. No wonder she territorially called him "my hero" when fighting against Circus Freak and afterward. It all made so much sense now.

The real question was why. Why had his archnemesis had a crush on him? What could he have possibly done to inspire that when they were fighting?!

Thoughts like this tormented him as he flew around desperately hoping Frostine was out tonight. If she wasn't he didn't know how he was going to get those shackles off of Nox. Who had been interested in him but was now pregnant less than a year after he retired. She had certainly moved on fast. Or gotten unlucky.

Christian flew around for ages before he managed to find her. She and Delta were in the middle of putting out a giant fire in an apartment building when he swooped in and grabbed her out of nowhere.

"Sorry, Frostine, but this is a matter of life and death," he explained. "I need your powers for a little while."

Frostine didn't even try to fight back. "I thought you were retired."

"I am. But someone I owe my life to is in danger and you're the only one who can help her."

"Someone you owe your life to? You aren't talking about your old nemesis, are you? Delta passed on your message. I can't think of who else it would be. You truly wish for me to save a villain?"

"She's not all bad," Christian admitted begrudgingly. "You know she doesn't hurt people and steals insulin to give it to diabetics in need. She saved me too even though she didn't have a reason to. I can't let her baby die."

"Her baby?"

"Apparently, she's pregnant."

"And a woman. I distinctly recall you referred to her as 'he' the last time we spoke. And that you were rather frustrated with her. I take it your opinion has changed," Frostine said sagely.

"If anything I'm more frustrated. I don't get her but I have to help her. I don't have any other choice."

"Do you intend to turn her in once you've saved her?"

"I can't. She…she knows my secret identity. We made a deal where she lets me live my life in peace in return for me not reporting her to any other heroes or the person she's truly after. So you can't turn her in either, okay? I only came to you because I have no other choice."

"I told you before that people's motivations are more complicated than they appear. It seems you finally believe me," Frostine remarked.

Christian let out a heavy sigh. Much more complicated. Nox had liked him. She probably didn't anymore but she had still turned to him for help in her hour of need. That was seriously problematic.

"She's about as complicated as they come."

"I look forward to meeting her."

They arrived at the coordinates Nox had given him not long after and Frostine froze a window and shattered it so they could enter. They wandered around for a while looking for the exact spot Nox was being held before they heard someone speaking. That had to be whoever had taken her.

Sure enough, there were two thugs and Nox shackled to a chair that was bolted to the floor. He and Frostine struck in tandem and knocked them out.

"So this is the infamous Nox," Frostine said with the tiniest hint of curiosity in her tone.

"Frostine. I never thought I would have the pleasure of meeting you. Thank you for coming!" Nox said graciously.

"I have to say I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped by a former colleague tonight but Mercury explained the situation to me."

Frostine froze and shattered the shackles and Nox seemed relieved to be free before hesitating at the sight of both of them. She seemed to think they were going to stop her from escaping.

Christian couldn't rat her out but he did have a lot of questions. He wasn't going to let her weasel out of answering them properly like last time. Not after he had been dragged out of bed for this.

He tried questioning her and she dodged as usual. Frostine surprised him by leaving after saying she wouldn't get involved with Nox. He would have thought she would at least try to take a known villain down but she had more pressing matters to deal with.

That left him alone with his former archnemesis, who confused him more than ever. He was still trying to think of a way to get her to spill the beans when she jumped out of the window like a crazy person.

She was pregnant! Did she not care about that at all?

Christian snatched her out of the air to prevent her from hurting herself or her child by jumping around and suddenly Nox stopped arguing with him and spoke to someone in Spanish as if she was on the phone.

When she had spoken without the voice changer earlier she had sounded like a native Spanish speaker. Like Angelo's aunts. She had to be calling someone else who spoke Spanish. But who? He couldn't recall any other times she called someone in the middle of a fight.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Again, none of your business."

"How many people are behind you? What are you all trying to do?" he pressed.

"Let me go, Mercury! I'll fight you. I swear I will, baby or no baby. I don't owe you anything. I saved you and you saved me. We're even."

She sounded awfully defensive and he couldn't blame her. He had given her a hard time every other time they met. But he wasn't going to get the answers he wanted by being inflexible. He needed to try and see things her way.

"Nox, I want to understand," Christian said earnestly.

She seemed shocked but eventually agreed on the condition that he set her down. He wanted answers about why she had acted the way she had around him but figured he needed to start with someone easier to soften her up. Why she was out to get Nolan Hunsacher seemed as good a place as any.

She didn't reveal everything but was more open than she had been last time. She explained that someone needed to stop him in order to keep people safe. She was fighting the kind of villain who worked from the shadows rather than out in the open like Christian was used to.

She said earlier that he had taken everything from her. Who had he killed? And if the situation was so serious why hadn't she ever contacted the authorities? Why become a vigilante?

"Then why don't you leave it to the heroes to stop him? Why take things upon yourself?" Christian asked.

Nox made a disparaging noise. "Like heroes would be willing to do what needs to be done to stop him. This is beyond what heroes do. Only someone like me who cares too much and has nothing to lose could even try."

"You have something to lose now. Or have you already forgotten you dragged me out of bed for your baby's sake? You can't keep this up while you're pregnant. And what about the father? You don't seem like someone who has nothing to lose."

This was his segue.. His chance to find out more about Nox the woman as opposed to Nox the villain.