Super

37 - Good Pep Talk, Hawkeye

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." 

– Phil Jackson

Annie's P.O.V.

"Fortunately, Mark Ashat, son of Nobel prize winner Dounia Ashat, escaped mere hours after Bolt's alleged murder–"

"Murder!" Gold Thrush screeched at my T.V. "It wasn't murder! He tried to kill us! The death penalty is still legal in some states and they're calling the death of a super villain murder." 

Before I could open my mouth to comfort Gold Thrush about how much crime rates had gone down since the introduction of supers to the United States and how there was no way he'd actually get charged for murder, we were interrupted by a wide-eyed anchor who kept frantically checking her notes as if she couldn't believe what she was reading. 

"Breaking news!" The reporter squeaked as soon as she realised she was live. "Iron Web, a super native to Canada, was spotted in New York City the other day along with several other supers, all notable for their diversity–"

"Diversity?" Gold frowned back at my T.V.

I shushed him and turned anxiously back to the T.V.

"Death Ray (Wisconsin), Peak (California), Cyclone (Oklahoma), and other notorious super villains were spotted convening with Iron Web near Times Square earlier this morning. With them were supers previously noted for their good acts, too, including Splurge (Massachusetts), famous for her rescue of eleven children from the school shooting in Boston earlier this month and Dinero (Spain), famous for preventing seven bank robberies last year. Have these superheroes turned rogue and joined the villains' side? And why are there suddenly so many supers in New York City when there was such a paucity just a few months ago–" 

I switched off the T.V. before Gold Thrush's jaw could drop any lower. The two of us were alone in my living room, taking a day off – until now, anyway. 

"This is bad," Gold muttered, "this is really, really bad!"

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered, rolling my eyes. 

"Why are they all in New York? The president isn't even here!"

"Obsidian probably wants to take us out before he moves in on the president," I said nervously. "Without you guys, the other supers would lose a lot of confidence. They'd be scattered. He probably wants you and Electro and Mist and all the rest gone."

Gold Thrush's face turned bone white as he stammered out some sort of excuse and flew out of the window so fast, I was surprised the window panes didn't splinter. Sighing, I sunk further into the couch and pulled out my phone to text Dresden. 

Did you hear?

It took a few minutes before he replied, but I couldn't practically hear the snark in his response as I read:

Hear what? I have ears, Annie, but you'll have to be more specific -.-

I threw down my phone in frustration. Knowing Dresden, he probably would have been more serious if he had actually heard. For the first time in a long time, I finally had the apartment to myself. On the rare occasions the supers weren't convened here, my parents were home and vice versa. For once, it was just me. 

Grabbing the pillow next to me, I buried my face in it and screamed.

I screamed until my throat was raw and my head throbbed from the pressure.