Chapter Text
Mayday Parker sat in fifth-period English as her teacher, Mr. Jacobs, assigned her class into pairs. He had surprised the class with an assignment to do a paper on an English classic and divided them up. Nobody liked being forced into pairs at random, especially when it was with someone you didn't know. May had so far not been paired up with anyone yet and it felt like everyone else had been.
“And Mayday, that leaves you with Logan.” Mr. Jacobs finished and May heard a few people chuckling to themselves.
“Who?” May popped an eyebrow, and Mr. Jacobs pointed to the back of the class. May looked back at the desk in the far corner nearest to the door. Slumped over in his seat was a boy in a brown leather jacket and messy brown hair. “The guy who’s always sleeping?”
“Yes, May.” Mr. Jacobs nodded. “You’re one of the best in this class and he is one of the worst. Frankly, Logan could use a good grade for once.” May sighed just before the bell rang. “Alright people, pick your classic and get it done.”
May wasn’t happy, but she could have had a worse partner. Then again she knew nothing about Logan Miles, nobody did. It seemed that all he did was sleep. In class or the hallways, he was always asleep. May had forgotten he even existed.
May was a petite but fit seventeen-year-old girl with long hair. For the most part, she looked just like her mom, but she inherited her father's brown hair and hazel eyes. She had A’s in classes like English and history but struggled in math and sciences. Her father was a world-renowned scientist, but May just didn’t have the mind for it just like her mother.
As the other students filed out of class, Logan remained asleep at his desk. May approached him and poked at his hunched-over form. “Hey, the bell rang.” He jolted awake, his brown eyes surrounded by dark rings. Physically he was much bigger than her. Logan could play football if he wanted to.
Logan yawned and stretched. “That time already?” He pulled back his sleeve to look at an old watch. It was an analog watch, something you would see on someone much older like her parents. Maybe it was a gift from his parents or grandparents?
“Mr. Jacobs assigned us as partners.” May informed him. “We have to do a paper on an English classic.” She watched him scratch his cheek. “I’m May Parker.” She held out her hand in the hope of building some kind of partnership.
“I know. Everyone knows who you are.” He made a dopey laugh before shaking her hand, his bigger hand encompassing her own. “Logan. When should we get started?”
“We should go to the library now and pick a book.” She watched him rub the back of his neck, his eyes drifting off somewhere behind her.
“I don’t read a lot.” His eyes focused back on her. “I’ll go with whatever you choose.”
“Okay.” She watched him rise, only now seeing how much taller he was next to her. It was probably at least a foot in difference. Logan didn’t have a bag or anything, just a notebook and a single pen. He followed her through the halls of Midtown High, shuffling his feet. Watching him, she was resigned to doing all the work for their paper.
They walked in silence down the halls to the library, May deciding to break the silence. “I was thinking about doing our report on The Beetle. I’ve been meaning to get to it for a while now.”
“Can’t say I know that one.” The sleepy boy blinked.
“I’m not surprised. It was published the same year as Dracula, which pushed it into obscurity.”
By the way his glazed eyes drifted around May was convinced that he wasn’t paying attention to her. “So it’s a horror story?”
“Yes.” She said, surprised that he was listening to her.
They entered the library, May quickly finding two copies of The Beetle. It wasn't a commonplace book, but it was on the list for Mr. Jacob's class. “All right, let’s get to work.” When she moved to find a table amongst the multitude of students studying, Logan stopped her.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“Sitting down.” She deadpanned.
“We can do it at my house.” He said before heading for the library door.
May felt her face flush a little at the way Logan phrased it. “Why, what’s wrong with the library?” She asked, catching up to him before he reached the door.
“I have to be home before my sister. I can’t leave her alone.” He didn’t break his stride as he left the library, May right behind him.
Logan made May think of her own sister. Mayday was the oldest of three siblings. Her younger sister, Annie, was a big ball of hyperactive energy, and four-month-old Benji was probably the most adorable baby in the world. She could understand a big brother wanting to be home for his sister. Though she hesitated, May followed him.
Leaving Midtown High, she noticed Logan wasn’t stopping by the parking lot for any car or even a bike. “Wait, hold up. You’re walking?”
Logan stopped and looked back at her. “Yeah.” He shrugged.
“I can get us a ride.” At his look of apprehension, she added. “It’s fine. Really. I take a cab every day.” She held up her wrist to look at her phone. The latest Web-Ware smartphone was a silver band you wore on your wrist that projected its interface. The Web-Ware X wouldn’t be on the market for another six months, but being the daughter of its creator had its benefits. She used her phone to order a self-driving car and after a few minutes, a grey Auto-Taxi pulled up. The driverless vehicle opened its doors for them to get inside. Logan still looked hesitant, but he climbed into the car, May following.
“Okay, where are we going?” Instead of answering, Logan put his home address on the screen on the dashboard. The doors closed and they were off. May watched Queens go by until they reached his neighborhood. “Huh, my dad grew up around here.”
“Yeah?” The car brought them to a small two-story house. Stepping out, May was able to get a good look at the house. It was drab grey, the wood porch was in desperate need of sanding, and the lawn was dead.
Logan walked up and sat down on the porch. Afraid of getting a splinter, May stayed standing. “It’s nice...” She tried to compliment his home, but he chuckled.
“I know you’re used to more fancy places.”
May blushed again, but this time it was from embarrassment. It wasn’t exactly a secret that May’s father was the owner of the fifth most successful tech company in the world, and the second in New York City. Everything in New York was pretty much owned by either Stark International, Oscorp, or Parker Industries. May herself practically grew up in the PI R&D lab.
Logan’s more humble abode wasn’t something she was used to. Most of the time her family lived in a penthouse in the city. Her father preferred their home in upstate New York, but her mother preferred to live in the city where she could more easily run her fashion empire. Between both her parents May lived quite well, though they made sure to hammer in a deep sense of humility into their daughter. May wasn’t the type to brag or throw money around. She tried not to throw money around.
Normally Logan walked home so today he was much earlier. May gave in and sat down, opting to start reading The Beetle, Logan joining her. He still looked like he could fall asleep at any moment. They read in silence and eventually, a bus showed up just down the street to let some middle school students off.
Logan’s little sister, May could tell it was her as she looked just like him, walked toward the house. She was probably in eighth grade and had long brown hair pulled back into a braid, with brown eyes. Unlike Logan, she looked well-rested. “You don’t have to wait for me every time.”
“I know.” Logan chuckled.
Then the girl’s eyes widened as they focused on May. “Did you actually bring a girl home?”
Logan shrugged. “It’s a school thing.”
“It’s about time!” She raised her voice. “My brother hasn’t had a friend in... ever. He’s never had a friend.”
Logan cleared his throat and introduced her. “Carmy, this is May.”
“Nice to meet you.” May gave a friendly wave.
“And this is my sister, Carmelita.”
Carmelita didn’t say anything and instead walked past them, unlocking and opening the door. “Well? Come on.”
“You heard the boss.” Logan said, and suddenly May questioned which was the older sibling. He stepped aside, politely inviting her into his home. The inside was sparsely decorated, with an old sofa, two chairs, and a coffee table in front of a television that had to be at least thirty years old. On the wall above the TV was an iron broadsword. They had no photos of friends or family, just plain sky-blue walls with several spots missing chips. There was a staircase on the left leading upstairs and May could see the kitchen from the doorway. She could hear the clang of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.
“Take whichever seat you want.” Logan said as he closed the door behind him and threw his notepad on a small table next to the door. May placed her school bag next to the table before taking a seat on the sofa, Logan sitting in the chair adjacent to her.
They spent the next twenty minutes reading in silence before a sweet smell hit May’s nose. “What is that? It smells really good.” She asked as she sniffed a medley of chocolate and cinnamon that started to make her mouth water.
“Cookies.” Logan said without looking up from The Beetle. “Carmelita is a great chef and an even better baker.” He turned a page. “Her school's bake sales make a quarter of their income from her alone. You’ll love ‘em.” He spoke matter-of-factly like it was guaranteed, and by the smell of it, he was right.
It was five minutes later that his little sister returned with a plate of cookies, placing it on the small coffee table between the TV and the sofa. The smell was intoxicating. “If I had known we were having a guest I wouldn’t have made you wait. Help yourself.”
“Uh, thank you.” May said, the girl standing there waiting for her to try the cookies. May took one and bit into it. It was probably the best cookie she had ever tasted and it must have shown as she melted in ecstasy. She had cookies that had cost $50 that didn’t taste this good.
Carmelita smiled smugly at the look on May’s face before turning to her brother. “I’ll be in my room.”
“Yup.” Logan gave a half-hearted wave. “Thanks for the cookies, sis.”
By the time May had finished her single cookie thirty whole minutes had passed in what felt like only seconds. “What?” She stared at the clock on her Web-Ware in disbelief. “What the hell is in those things?” She felt like she had been drugged and thrown in a river of chocolate.
“Love.” He said turning a page. “And a pound of butter.” Then closed the book, placed it on the table, took a cookie for himself, and bit into it. “I’m done.”
“What do you mean you’re done?” May was trying to re-find the page she was on, having lost it in chocolate bliss.
“I finished the first half, I’ll read the rest tomorrow.” He said between cookie bites.
“You’re half done already?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Yup.” He finally looked back up at her. “Want to see my forge?”
“Forge?” In the backyard, there was a stone forge that looked like it was straight out of a fantasy blacksmith shop. It was filled with coal and was placed directly under a tent. Next to it was a shoddy wooden tool shack. Logan opened the door to the shack. Inside was a tarp covering a pile of something that she couldn’t tell just from shape. Against the right wall was a table covered with tools, next to which was a pile of rusty metal scraps. Against the left wall was an assortment of swords like the one hanging above the television inside.
“You made all of these?” May asked with her amazement evident. She looked at the swords across the wall, running her hand along an edgeless blade.
“Yeah. Our aunt pays our bills so I sell these on Amazon and eBay so we could have extra money.” He explained before adding with a laugh. “Carmy goes through a lot of flour.”
“What’s under there?” May asked looking at the tarp behind him.
“Just extra scraps and such.” The way he said it made her think he was avoiding the question.
May didn’t press it any further. “Your aunt, huh? What about your parents?” She recalled how they had no pictures anywhere. No one else was home to meet his sister.
Logan shrugged. “They’ve been gone a long time. Our aunt pays our bills, but we don't get to see her because of work. It’s just us.”
“Oh...” May found herself staring at her black designer heels. Logan wasn’t just poor, he was an orphan who held the sole responsibility of taking care of his younger sister. She couldn't imagine living like this after spending her entire life in penthouses with two parents who loved her. She almost felt ashamed for having such an easy life.
“Don’t feel bad,” Logan said, making her look back up to him. “I didn't bring you here to make you feel guilty or anything.”
May’s face flushed again. Was she really so transparent? “I hope I didn’t make you feel bad for...” She pointed at her wrist. “You know.”
He chuckled. “No, no, not at all. If I got upset every time I saw someone who had more than me, I would never get anything done. Carmelita, she’s the only thing that matters. I do whatever I can for her.”
May almost teared up, instead she nodded and said: “You’re a good brother, Logan.”
“Well, I don't know about that.” He laughed.
May checked the time on her Web-Ware. “It’s getting late, I should probably get home.”
Logan nodded. “Yeah, see you in school tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you.” Before May left, Logan wrapped up some cookies and gave them to her. She took a good look at everything in their kitchen before May called another car to go home to Manhattan.
“You’re girlfriends pretty.” Carmelita said as Logan crouched by her bedside.
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Why not?”
“Because she didn’t know who I was until this afternoon.”
“You need more friends.”
Logan smiled and patted his sister's head. “Good night, Carmy.”
“Goodnight.” Carmelita pouted and lied down.
Logan tucked his sister in, turned the lights off, and closed the door. He waited a little while for his sister to fall asleep. He shut off any lights in the house that were still on and headed out the back door. In the shed, he took the tarp off his suit, a patched-together suit of armor covered in rust.
Logan zipped up his jacket, put on his work gloves, and started putting the armor on, ending with his helmet. Now that he was dressed it was time to go out. Iron Man was his hero, and during the night Logan tried his best to emulate him. He patrolled his neighborhood on a one-man mission to keep Queens safe.
Logan walked up and down the streets to keep his sister and his neighbors safe. Night after night he did this for the last year and a half, and tonight was no different. Most nights he didn’t need to do anything, but sometimes there was someone who needed a beating. Though sometimes it was something more mundane, like a tire that needed changing, or a fence that needed mending. He didn’t mind fixing things around the neighborhood when they needed it.
It was a quiet night as Iron Man walked the streets of Queens.
“Dad, I need a thousand dollars.” May said as she ate dinner with her family.
Peter Parker almost spit up the bite of pizza he had just taken. “What, why?” Peter was a middle-aged man with brown hair that was starting to gray, hazel eyes, and the shadow of a beard he had been trying to grow.
“I want to buy someone a gift.” May shrugged. “Someone who could really use it.”
Peter took a long sip of water while he mulled it over. “Five hundred.”
“Eight hundred.” May shot back.
“Six hundred.”
“Seven hundred.”
“Deal.” Peter finished before asking. “Wait, what am I buying?”
“Well, Mr. Jacobs put us on assignments with each other.” May started.
“Uh-huh?” Her dad raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to get to the part where she needed money.
“And I was assigned to Logan Miles.”
“A boy!” Peter said, more alarm than a question.
May’s mom, Mary Jane spoke up next, putting her hand on Peter’s shoulder in a vain attempt to calm him down. “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned a Logan.”
May looked down at her pizza with slight embarrassment. She had told her family about everyone in her class, just about. She was at least on speaking turns with everyone in her class, save for one. “I forgot about Logan. He sleeps, basically all day. He took me to his house…”
“He took you to his house!!” Peter raised his voice, and May’s little sister giggled.
“May’s got a boyfriend.” Annie teased.
May stuck her tongue out at her sister. “He wanted to wait for his sister to get home. They don’t have anyone.”
“They don’t have parents?” Her mother asked, face turning into worry.
May shook her head and remembered the reluctant look on his face when she called them a cab. “Logan doesn’t really seem like the kind of person who accepts help.”
“They’re called men, dear.” Mary Jane smirked at her husband.
“Whoa, hey.” Peter put his hands up at the accusation. “I’m not like that.”
“You’re exactly like that.” May laughed, Annie joining her.
Peter looked to May's youngest sibling, Benji, who sat in his high chair happily eating Cheerios. “You need to grow up so I have some backup.”
May continued. “Anyway, his sister is a really good baker. I brought home some cookies she made.”
“They’re really good.” Annie added.
“Annie, did you just admit to sneaking a cookie before dinner?” Her mother accused.
“No.” Annie looked down, which she always did when lying. “They’re really good though.” She admitted.
“I was hoping to get her something nice. Their equipment is so old, like dad old.”
“Hey!” Peter said, offended.
May shrugged. “I thought I could say it’s an investment. She’s talented.”
Peter and Mary Jane exchanged looks before turning to her. Peter stroked his half-grown beard, which May hated, while Mary Jane answered her. “Alright, I’ll throw in another three hundred.”
“Really?” May raised an eyebrow. She was told she looked just like her dad when she did.
“What about the boy?” Peter put extra emphasis on “boy” like Logan was some other species. “What’s he like?”
May thought for a moment before shrugging. “I’m not really sure. He’s kind of hard to read, but it seems like he only cares about his sister. He’s not even online anywhere, except for Amazon. He makes swords.”
“He makes swords?”
“He makes swords.” May repeated with another shrug. “They’re pretty good.”
May watched her dad as his eyes drifted like he was focusing on something very far away. “You're going to Catholic school.”
“Dad, you know I’m not interested in dating right now.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He pointed at her. “Alright, alright. If you help one person...”
“You help them all.” May finished their family motto.
Peter sighed. “You‘re a good kid.”
May chuckled. “Not for much longer.” It was less than two months until May’s 18th birthday, but her dad still thought she was Annie’s age.
“Uh, you wound me.” Peter put his hands to his chest as if she had shot him. May rolled her eyes at her father's corniness. You wouldn’t know he was a CEO by the way he acted with his family. He was as goofy of a dad as they came, but May loved him for it.
After dinner, and saying goodnight to her little brother and sister, May retired to her room and got to shopping. A good standing mixer costs around seven hundred, so May decided on that and a few smaller items. Some new baking trays, and utensils like whisks and spatulas. She put Carmelita’s name on the shipping address and checked out. Feeling satisfied, May turned in for the night.
Thunk thunk thunk. Mrs. Henderson’s mailbox had loosened again. The screws were old and getting stripped, they needed to be replaced. Iron Man was doing just that. Taking out the old screws, replacing them with new ones, and making sure the post was firm in the ground. When he was satisfied that the mailbox was secured he decided to move on.
Iron Man put on his helmet, which he needed to take off to see the screws, and looked up at the sky. Dawn was starting to break in the horizon meaning he was going to be late again. He booked it towards home, the heavy armor wasn’t the easiest to move in, but he could make decent time when he needed to. It had been an uneventful night, a boring night, but at least it gave him a good workout.
A boring night was a good night. Nothing bad happening meant nobody got hurt. At least until a truck hit him. It felt like a truck at least. When he turned a corner a fist slammed into him and launched him off his feet, sending him crashing into a parked red car. He lay stunned as the car alarm threatened to wake up the Gracia family. The armor covering his chest had a big square dent in it the size of a license plate and he could feel bruises growing all over.
“Was that it?” Iron Man looked up to see a figure in a purple leather jacket standing there. He couldn’t make out any details about them, he was probably concussed, though they did wear a black ski mask. Around their right arm was a big metal glove with a rectangular plate covering up the knuckles. “You’re barely a threat for someone to pay this much.”
Iron Man didn’t have many weapons, he couldn't afford the materials required to make them. Though he did have one at the moment. His arms felt heavy as he dragged them together, using his right hand to slide back a plate on his left forearm. Underneath was a rig he made with a metal pipe and a cheap cigarette lighter you’d find at any gas station. At the end of the pipe was a fuse which lit with a flick of the lighter.
Aiming with his fingers, Iron Man launched a firework from his homemade mortar at the masked stranger. Taken off guard, the stranger was knocked off of their feet as the rocket exploded, hitting them in the chest. Iron Man saw their ski mask lit a blaze. They struggled to rip the mask off, throwing it away from them. The stranger scrambled to their feet and ran. They no doubt had burns to treat.
Iron Man didn’t get a good look at them, but he did see black or dark brown hair tied back into a fishtail braid. With great difficulty, he pulled himself to his feet. He had to get home. He didn’t have the time or the strength to think about anything else. Just a desire to see his sister off to school.
Stumbling his way home, Logan left his armor back in the shed and went inside. The smell of cinnamon hit him immediately as he walked into the kitchen. Carmelita was there, emptying a tray onto a plate.
“Hey, I made cinnamon buns.” She turned and placed the plate on the table, then looked at him. Her eyes widened. “What happened?”
“What happened?” He echoed, sitting down.
“You’re covered in bruises!” She touched his cheek and a jolt of pain ripped across his face.
Logan grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away. “I’m fine. You need to go to school.”
Carmelita stared at him, she could always see right through him. “You're so stupid.”
“Yeah, but I love you.” He poked her on the nose.
“Eat.” She demanded and pushed the plate toward him. “Will you at least go to a hospital?”
“I will.” He took a cinnamon bun and smiled at her. “Thank you.” Logan ate, took his sister to the school bus, and took himself to the free clinic in downtown Queens.
May woke up at 5am every day. She did stretches, got dressed, brushed her long hair two hundred times, ate breakfast, and brushed her teeth. She headed out the door and took a car to school. She had to get there early for cheerleading practice. The team practiced as much as they could until 7am when school began. It was a small team of six, three of whom May had been friends with before high school.
The pyramid was the team's most difficult pose, solely because May herself could never get the balancing right. She always stumbled on Felicity’s shoulders. May nailed every other maneuver they did, but she always screwed up the blasted pyramid. Her spot was in the second row with Davida.
Felicity, Mila, and Tracy formed the bottom of the pyramid. May stood with Davida and they backflipped onto the girl's shoulders. May stumbled, of course, but Davida and Felicity steadied her. Finally, Cassie flipped and leaped on top of them. May almost dropped her, again. Cassie was the smallest and the lightest so she crowned the top of their pyramid. She was relieved that nobody hit the floor this time.
“That was pretty decent.” Cheer Captain Tracy, said when they wrapped up practice. She was a senior who was grooming them so one could replace her after she graduated. May didn’t want the responsibility, she wasn’t even sure if she still wanted to be on the team. “Parker, keep working on that balance.”
“Every day, Tracy.” May put on a smile, trying not to think about quitting. They hit the showers, May dressing in a yellow blouse and white skirt, and were ready to go to class by seven.
“Something on your mind?” Cassie approached her on their way to calculus. May had known Cassie Lang since they were children. She was shorter than May, with green eyes, and had recently started dyeing her hair blond. “You have that look again.”
“What look?” May asked.
“Like you're somewhere else. You keep having it the last few practices.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Uh-huh.” Cassie wasn’t buying it.
“Alright, alright.” May stopped walking, and Cassie joined her. “I don't know if I want to be a cheerleader anymore.”
“What, really?” Cassie looked at her in disbelief. “But you’ve worked so hard at it.”
“And that’s why. It takes up too much time. I’d rather be spending my time on something else.”
“Is this because you didn’t get the part in the winter play?” Cassie always knew how to see right through her. Or maybe she really was transparent.
“It's not like I’m going to quit tomorrow. I don’t know, Cassie.” May shrugged and sighed. “I guess I don’t what I want to do.”
“Well,” Cassie put her hand on her arm. “I know you’ll figure it out, May.”
May smiled. “Thanks, Cassie.” Somehow Cassie always made her feel better, even if it was only a few words of encouragement.
When class started, May noticed that Logan was absent. She thought maybe they were in different classes for math, but the empty desk in the back told her otherwise. Logan wasn’t there for social studies or history either, and May was beginning to get worried.
Logan showed up in time for English, and his face had bruises around his right eye and his hairline. Their classmates murmured about it the whole class. The quiet kid who slept all day showed up during the last class covered in bruises. It was a topic ripe for the rumor mill.
“What happened to you?” May pulled him aside after class.
“I was hit by a car.” Logan shrugged as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
“You were hit by a car?” She repeated with skepticism. “And you’re not in a hospital?”
“It’s not that bad. I went to the free clinic, and got an x-ray, they watched me for a couple of hours and said I could go home.”
“Then why aren’t you home?” May was almost appalled by Logan’s lack of self-concern.
Logan gave another casual shrug. “We have an assignment.”
“Th- wha-what?” May stammered. “The book can wait, you’re hurt!”
“You sound like my sister.” He turned and started walking down the hall, the other students were mostly cleared out.
May ran after him. “What were you doing? For real? You were not hit by a car.”
“I was hit by a car.” He insisted. May didn’t know him very well, but she knew he was lying about this. Why was he lying?
“I'm not letting this go.” She stubbornly kept pace with him as they walked shoulder to shoulder.
“It’s not like you really care.” For once Logan’s voice wasn’t one of exhausted indifference. There was a hint of something, anger, bitterness, or maybe just annoyance.
May stopped walking. “Why wouldn’t I care?”
Logan stopped too, but he didn’t look at her. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“But you did.”
“No one cares about me. I don’t expect you to either.” When he started walking again, May hesitated before following him.
“Don’t be so quick to dismiss me.”
“I wasn't…”
“Is it so crazy to think that two strangers could care about each other?”
“Yes.” May didn’t like how quickly he answered.
“Fine.” She grumbled. “We still have to finish the book.”
“That’s the plan.” They awkwardly stood waiting for a car May ordered. She wanted to say something, anything but didn’t know where to start.
Then Logan asked. “Did I scare you?”
May glanced at him and admitted. “Yes.”
“I'm sorry.”
“You should be.” Logan had started reading on the car ride to his home. May didn’t know how people could read in the car, it made her feel sick. The silence gave her time to think. May didn’t know why she cared so much that Logan was lying to her. It wasn’t like they had talked before yesterday. She also didn't have any bad experiences with being lied to either. Logan had just seemed so honest before, but he clearly had something to hide.
“You came back?” Carmelita said to May as she walked up to the house.
“That’s right.” May smiled at her. “Now I know where to go for the best cookies in town.”
“Best in the whole state, you mean.” The girl corrected as she unlocked the door.
“It’s true. She has a plaque.” Logan added.
May was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on The Beetle. Logan was ahead of her and by the look of it, he would be finished soon. After finishing making them another batch of cookies, his sister sat on the couch next to May. The girl kept glancing over at Logan’s bruises while pretending to watch the muted TV. She was worried for her brother and he was acting like nothing was wrong.
The news was on, and the anchor, Jenna Williams, was silently talking about a car in Queens that had been totaled last night. The strange thing was that it was destroyed from the curb side of the car, not the street side. May glanced at Logan’s bruises herself, maybe he wasn’t hit by a car. Maybe he crashed into the car. Carmelita nervously chewed her fingernail at the news until it finally changed stories to the stock market report.
“Hey Carmelita,” May leaned in, giving the girl a knowing smile. “You think you could leave Logan and me alone for a little while?”
Carmelita returned her smile. “I have homework to do anyway.” Logan looked at them confused as Carmelita got up and headed for the stairs. May felt bad for basically lying to the girl. While she didn’t tell a lie, she did lead her to think what May wanted her to. Using her imagination against her.
With his sister gone, May leaned back in her chair. “How old are you, Logan? Seventeen, eighteen?”
“Seventeen.” He said after a short pause.
“Me too. I’ll be eighteen in a little over a month. You and I, we’re old enough to remember the age of Marvels. We used to see superheroes flying in the skies above Manhattan.” May and Logan kept eye contact, neither one giving away their thoughts. “Our brothers and sisters, they don’t know what the world was like back then. God, that makes me sound old. We grew up in the aftermath of the War, I saw Iron Man and Thor fly over the city with arrested supervillains in hand. They made me feel safe. They made you feel safe.” Logan still hadn’t reacted.
“Then one by one they retired or moved on or had died in the War. The villains were gone, then the heroes. No one has seen Tony Stark in public since we were kids. Thor went back to his home in the sky, and we all know what happened to Captain America–”
“What are you trying to say, May?” Logan interrupted.
“I think you think the same way I do. The world still needs heroes. I’m asking if you’re trying to be a superhero.” May felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She loved superheroes and always had, but had never admitted it out loud. Looking at Logan, her classmate, she could just feel that he did as well.
Logan finally blinked. “I’m not. And if I was, why does it matter to you?”
May leaned forward again. “Superheros saved my life. Well, they saved everyone's life. I mean, they saved my life personally. I’ve never told anyone outside my family, but I was born during the War. In the middle of it. My mom and dad, they knew Spider-Man. My dad put himself through college by taking pictures of him. They became friends. So when the War broke out, they took my mom. While my dad was stuck in the subways on the other side of the city, my mom was kidnapped by villains trying to kill Spider-Man. My mom, she went into labor while they fought above her.
“My first memory is being cradled by Scarlet Spider.” May paused and took a deep breath. “Venom died saving me. The biggest monster New York had ever seen died for me. And honestly, that idea haunts me. My parents knew Spider-Man, sure, but Scarlet Spider and Venom. Who was I to them? I love heroes, and I believe in heroes, and I know you do too.”
Logan wiped his hand down his face. “I’m sorry you went through that, and yes, I do believe in heroes too. But that doesn’t mean I am or want to be one.”
“You’re going to make me do it, aren’t you?” May raised her eyebrow.
“Do what?” Logan asked.
May didn’t say another word. Instead she stood and marched into the kitchen, out the back door, and right up to Logan’s tool shed. Logan rushed out behind her. May went right to the tarp covering up Logan’s scrap metal.
“What am I going to find under here?”
“Tetanus.”
“Oh? Did you have that ready, or did you think of that just now?” May put her hands on the tarp.
“What do you think you’re going to find?” Logan asked. “Why does it matter to you anyway?”
May paused at that. She didn’t have an answer other than what she had already given, but why was this important to her? May felt like her life was changing by the day. First, she wanted to quit cheerleading, now she was obsessed with making Logan admit he wanted to be a superhero. Was it the remains of puberty, or was something else going on inside of her?
“I don’t know, Logan.” May’s shoulders relaxed and she released the tarp. “Don’t you ever feel like something is missing? That you should be more than what you are?” She exhaled. “Someone died to give me life. I guess, I feel like I should be doing something more with it. Or maybe I’m just being the self-centered rich girl people think I am.”
Logan stepped closer to her. “Carmelita was robbed on her way back from school once. I wasn’t here when she got a black eye and an empty wallet. Since then I’ve felt like I should be more.” May looked back into his eyes. “I... I always wanted to be like Iron Man. He didn’t have powers, just his mind and yet he protected people. I always wanted to help people. So, I try.”
He crouched down and reached under the tarp, pulling out what looked like a bucket, patched together with mismatched metal. He turned it around showing her two dark eye holes and a recessed mouth carved into it.
“I’m no superhero, May.” Logan put the helmet on, his brown eyes barely visible behind it. “I just try to keep my neighborhood safe.”
Mayday reached up and put her hand on the helmet. “That sounds like a superhero to me.”
Nobody at Midtown High noticed that Meena Rameda had called out sick that day. She spent the day at the hospital being treated for third-degree burns on the left side of her face and second-degree burns on her chest. Her favorite leather jacket had saved most of her from the fire, but her cheap ski mask had gone up quickly. She just managed to rip it off of her, but it left a nasty burn on her cheek and neck.
The pain had been agonizing until the emergency room doctor, finally, gave Meena a morphine shot. Fireworks were illegal in New York, so she couldn’t tell them what had set her on fire without casting suspicion on herself. Meena made up a story about a chemical accident, science was her first love after all. She hadn’t thought it was a very convincing lie, but luckily the doctor was sleep-deprived enough in the early morning to not think twice about it.
As night fell, Meena’s parents had left her in her hospital room. The doctors wanted to keep her overnight for observation in case of infection, and there was talk of giving her a skin graft in the morning. Meena tried to sleep, but the pain and rage kept her wide awake. She should have never taken the job that put her here, even for the $200,000 she was promised. She should have ignored the man who wanted her to use her invention against someone running around in a metal trash can.
The door to her room opened. Meena was expecting the CNA had returned to take her blood pressure for the thousandth time. Instead, she was met by a man she had talked to only once before. He was tall, wore an all black suit with a silver brooch in the shape of a T pinned to the lapel, and his face was covered with an orange metal mask.
“You poor thing,” The man spoke in an English accent. “That must hurt terribly.”
“He set me on fire! Of course, it hurts!” Meena bit back. She was in no mood to talk about her failure and injury.
“We will take care of your bill, and your payment.” He handed Meena a check from his jacket pocket. Meena took it, $200,000 just as she was promised. “You did well.”
Meena tore her eyes away from the check. “But I–”
“You did enough. Your vibration gauntlets are of great interest to us, and we would like to extend our partnership. We may have need of you in the future, but for now, we are content with financing your work.”
“I don’t understand. Who was that guy in the tin can? Why did you pay me to attack him?”
“The world is going through a great change, Ms. Rameda. We all need to be ready for it, and your work is important to us.”
Meena peered into the eye holes of the orange mask. She could just barely make out the glimmer of life from his eyes hidden behind the orange metal. “I want a full ride through college. Anyone I want.”
“Done.” The man said without hesitation. “Just remember, Ms. Rameda. The Titanium Man rewards his friends generously. So, should we come calling, the Shocker would do well to answer. Now, try to get some rest. The body heals best when asleep.”
With that, the man in the orange mask left as mysteriously as he arrived, leaving Meena wondering just what she had signed up for.