I used to be one.

Vidya stared at him. Didn't people become immune to shock when they'd gotten too much of it? Hadn't she been surprised enough times to be able to take this in stride? Apparently not. All she managed to do was blink and ask, "What?"

"It's quite a story," David said under his breath.

Vidya got off the couch, grabbed an extra chair, dragged it across the table from him, and sat down. She leaned forward on her arms and waited expectantly, unwilling to let it go.

David fidgeted with a screwdriver, pressing the end of it against his finger so that when he pulled it away, there was a minus sign indented onto the skin. He was thinking it over, or he was stalling—Vidya couldn't tell. She just waited for the truth.

"A little over a year ago," he said finally, "I was an intern for Celestro's technology and research division. I spent time doing..." He gestured to all the projects. "Things like this, basically. When Ghost voiced her intention to quit, Juggernaut and Fox asked me to replace her."

Vidya frowned. It was Phase who'd replaced Ghost, and there had never been any mention of anyone else even being considered.

"I agreed to join the team," David continued. "They wanted to wait until Ghost's departure date to officially announce my addition, so everything was kept under wraps. I learned the ropes, went on missions, even had an alias—Callidus. I was a Marvel for a month and a half."

Vidya shifted in her seat warily. "What happened?"

"I...disagreed with the way things were. Asked too many questions, opposed their actions and ideologies. I kept calling things out to Juggernaut, and I think I got on his nerves." He laughed. "So he fired me. I was forcibly relocated to Missouri, and when Ghost left, they replaced her with Phase instead." David shrugged, there ya have it, and leaned back against his chair with a sigh. "Have they ever mentioned me?"

Vidya shook her head.

"Figures," he muttered. "I don't know what the official reason for firing me was, but I doubt it was the truth."

"What happened after?"

David raised an eyebrow. "After?" he repeated with a joyless smile. "Nothing. I was angry, I wanted to expose them somehow, tell people the truth, but I couldn't, and I didn't have a death wish. I let it all go and settled in Missouri, but I missed Los Angeles, so I came back, hoping things would be alright if I laid low."

Vidya looked down at her hands, wondering how she fit into the puzzle if his plan was to lay low. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would you want to be friends with me, when I work for the people—"

"—who shattered my view on heroism, made my life a temporary hell, and forcibly relocated me?" he finished.

He clearly intended for it to be a lighthearted jab, but it made her feel worse.

"You're not like them," he said quietly. "I admit it, I was wary when we first met in the alley. I was scared you'd rat me out, but since I didn't get smited by any of the Marvels, I figured that you didn't know who I was to them. Even still, I was afraid you'd be...like them. But Aisha wanted us to be friends, so I gave it a shot and you were great. You are great. I trust you, wholeheartedly." He paused. "And I'm sorry."

Vidya's head snapped up. "For what?"

"For not telling you any of this earlier." David shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. "You make jokes about the Marvels and Celestro sometimes, it's clear you didn't love them...but it was also clear to me that you were holding back. Maybe you were afraid your criticisms and fears were immature, maybe you just didn't want me and Aisha to know how you felt, I don't know, because I didn't ask. I should have. If you had known that I'd gone through the same thing, maybe you could've talked to me about it. Maybe I could've helped you feel less alone." He looked around his greenhouse, tapping a screwdriver against the table. "Do you know why I asked for your handprints? I didn't just do it so you could let yourself in when we hung out. I did it because I was so afraid that, one day, something might happen between you and Celestro. And if you suddenly needed a place to hide..."

"I could come here," Vidya finished.

"Yeah." David laughed. "I'm sorry it's taking me so damn long to set it up."

Vidya let out a breath, resting her head in her hands. Her worldview had already been shattered once when Emily's head burst into pieces, but now it was cracking again, tumbling toward complete and utter hopelessness. The horrible explanation she'd forced herself to ignore last night was now the only thing that made sense, and she couldn't push it away.

"You saw the pictures," she said quietly. "Do you think Juggernaut killed Speed?"

"Yes."

She took a shaky breath. "And Aisha?"

David looked down. "Yes."

How cruel was it, that a simple yes had the power to annihilate her spirit?

Vidya's face crumpled, and she stood up on wavering legs. "It's all them," she said, bending forward with her hands on her knees and staring at the floor. "It's all them, isn't it? If it's Juggernaut who killed Speed and Aisha, then Celestro must know, and what if..." She covered her mouth, eyes growing wide. "What if they're behind the murders?" She straightened with a gasp, fists clenched. "It's all a stupid publicity stunt, a giant joke! It's a way to get rid of people, to stir a little trouble, and then they'll just solve it themselves and come out as the good guys! Hell, why not just pin it all on Heat?"

David said nothing. He watched her lose it, lips pressed tightly together.

"Well, that's it." Vidya pulled out her pager and glared at it. "I freaking quit!"

She chucked it to the floor. It bounced and skidded and landed on its back, unharmed. Vidya made an angry noise at the back of her throat and raised her foot to stomp on it until it was in a million little pieces, but then she froze. The dark screen stared back at her.

"David," she said, lowering herself to a crouch. "You said you wanted to expose them, but you couldn't? Well..." She picked up the pager delicately and turned around, suddenly calm. "Now, you can. You have me, an insider they'll never suspect. I can get you whatever you need. We can expose them."

David blinked. "What? I'm sorry—expose who, and, and for what, exactly?"

"Look, I think Celestro's behind the murders, but I don't know that for sure." Vidya shook her head. "What I do know is that Juggernaut killed Speed and Aisha, and that's enough to mean something. We can get proof, proof that he has laser eyes and that he killed them, and who knows—in the process, we might find out for sure if Celestro's behind it all. We can expose Juggernaut, and we can expose all of them for the horrible shit they've done. People deserve to know, they need to know that the heroes they trust to protect them are making everything worse."

David stared at her, taken aback. "That's..."

"Listen," she implored, her voice cracking. "I stayed at this job because I believed that the good outweighed the bad, but I don't believe that anymore. They're hurting people, and not just criminals, but innocent people who did nothing wrong other than live in a society that makes it impossible for anyone with a heart to become a hero." Vidya choked back a sob and swallowed the painful lump in her throat, resorting to a whisper. "They killed our friend. I can't stand by. I need to do something, and even if it all leads to nothing, at least I'll know that I tried."

David took a deep breath. "You really want to do this?" he mumbled.

Vidya looked him in the eye, more assertive than she had ever felt in her entire life. "I have to."

David bit his lip, shaking his head, but he held out his hand. "Alright." He smiled. "We're doing this."
__________________

Phase thought he would be early. The meeting was at eight, and it was only seven forty-five, and he figured he'd just sit there until it was time. But when he walked in, the Marvels were already present, except for Frostbite. It was weird; he could always count on Flamethrower and-or Echo to be late, but they were here. It must be a boring night.

The moment he sat down, the meeting room doors closed, and everyone turned toward him simultaneously.

He glanced at Frostbite's empty chair. "Shouldn't we wait for her?"

"This isn't a team meeting," Juggernaut said, standing up. "I actually wanted to talk to you."

Huh. Was he getting fired? He always thought Flamethrower would want the glory of telling him that; even if Juggernaut tried to get to him first, she would find a way. Probably by screaming it in his head with cruel laughter...which she would've done by now, so that meant he wasn't getting fired.

Although, that might've been a better alternative to whatever was happening here. They'd straightened their chairs and taken their eyes off him, except for Juggernaut.

"Did you know that we considered another candidate when looking for Ghost's replacement?" he asked.

"I figured you would've." Phase shrugged. "But I don't know who."

"It was an intern. David Yang. He didn't have any superpowers or experience, but he was a great inventor. He joined on a month and a half trial run. It didn't go very well, and he..." Juggernaut trailed off and cleared his throat. "He did something bad, so he was kicked off and relocated."

"What did he do?" Phase asked.

The others immediately snapped their heads toward Juggernaut to stare at him curiously, except for Lady Marvel, who kept reading the newspaper with a resigned look on her face as if she already knew what the answer—or lack thereof—would be.

Juggernaut narrowed his eyes. "That's not important," he said evenly.

Phase tried to keep his mouth shut. Juggernaut wanted them to know it was something bad...but he wouldn't say what it actually was? That raised some red flags.

"And until further notice," Juggernaut snapped, glaring at the rest of the team, "that's the last we're discussing of Callidus. I'm serious."

Everyone nodded.

"That's it."

Phase stayed seated as everyone left. Flamethrower gave him a look, but he ignored her and watched Juggernaut walk to the window behind his chair and look down at the street. The doors closed again, leaving the two of them inside.

"Questions, Phase?" Juggernaut asked. He didn't turn around. Phase was going to have to settle for talking to his reflection, even though it was focused on something far away.

"I've been on the team for a year," Phase said. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"I didn't want to tell you," Juggernaut said, shrugging with his hands clasped behind his back, "but we kept slipping up and mentioning last time around you, so I figured it was best I tell you the truth before you jump to conclusions on your own."

Phase had never even bothered coming up with a conclusion. He'd assumed last time was unimportant, or else he would've been told, right? Even now, he didn't understand why it was something he needed to know, especially since the truth only created more questions, and Juggernaut clearly wasn't going to answer them. Judging by the team's reaction, they didn't know the whole story, either.

"Well..." Phase stood up to go, uneasy. Did he trust his leader? He did. Wholeheartedly.

But those red flags weren't going down anytime soon.

"Thanks," Phase said finally.

Juggernaut just nodded, silent.

This is not an appropriate chapter for this, but I have to share this accurate meme. I'd say it portrays their personalities well :)