“M!” Sonya chirped.
Marta gave her a pleased smile, “M to you too, how’d you sleep, all on your own?”
Sonya sat up and grinned before hopping off the bed with a flourish, “Better than I have in a long time!” She decred and struck a pose before raising her arm and frowning, “Marta? Shower free?” She asked.
“I finished about an ho,” Marta ughed.
“I’ll be back,” Sonya said quickly and fled to the restroom. As she walked iopped at the sink aated for a moment, resting her hand on the ter and remembering. She turned and looked at the mirror and saw her own smiling face looking back at her. There was a twinkle in her refles eye, she was still there, but… No mask. She sighed with relief, No mask. How long has it been since I’ve seen my own fa the mirror? She thought and looked herself over, cheg her jaw and running her fingers up her pale skinned face. Like a por doll.
A knock came to the door and she jumped. “Sonya? Do you need any help getting ready?”
Sonya looked up at her refle and grinned, “Nah, I’ve got it today!” She said merrily and made for the shower, casting one look back at herself, “Thanks again, I’m gd I t on you,” She said with a wink.
–
Marta sat on the bed in her gown and gnced down at her phone, smiling a little at the selfie that Barry sent her from his mission in the pacific. He was grinnio ear, wearing a silly poka-dot vacation shirt and his hair swept back. A couple of his boys were in the background with what looked like heavy duty stru equipment atop a rge boat. She tapped a quick message ba,
Sonya threw open the door and stepped out of the bathroom with a grin on her face. Vibrant pink lipstick just how she likes it, a little bit of eyeliner and some pink shading around the eyes. Her hair hung down straight, all the stress curls long gone. She’d even done up her nails, hands a. She cast a smug gri Marta who turo give her an appraising look, relief washing over her seeing her dear friend finally able to care for herself again. “Full battle paint!” Marta ughed, “Looking good,” She chuckled a her phone down, “Barry says hi and sends his best.”
Sonya gave Marta a coy grin, “Sexting, this early? Marta!” She teased.
Marta switched to her most offended frown as she shoved her phone a little bit more under herself, “Sonya! Get your mind out of the gutter!”
“’t put it anywhere else!” She ughed and walked by the television, hitting the button as she snatched up her clothes that Marta had id on the bed. She started throwing on her white shirt as the news came on, pulliie around her neck. Marta rolled her eyes and got to her feet, walking over and giving her a hand, “I do it!”
“You have never been able to tie a tie, good days or bad, Sonya ovna,” Marta quipped and got to work as Sonya huffed and puffed up her cheeks.
“We’re here at the Headquarters of the Pandora ittee at The Hague, hernds. In just a few hours the first session of the fully anized Pandora ittee will be held in this retly pleted building. As you see behihe promenade is beautiful and standing promily is a statue of the Hero of Vegas, Firestorm,” The reporter said and Marta gnced up to see Sonya smiling at the TV.
First time I’ve seen you smile first when he was mentioned in a long time too. She thought as the reporter moved on down the promenade.
“Representatives from every member nation of the United Nations will be in attendance as well as several representatives of the new Hero Support industry from across the world. First among them is Sonya ovna, the Voice of the Hero Movement and CEO of the ASTA Corporation. She is sted to deliver a speech about the first round of Aspiraraining Camps that have been underway worldwide since just over a month ago,” The reporter tinued.
“Still remember your speech?” Marta asked, gng up at the side of the woman’s head.
“Course I do,” Sonya said with a grin, “I’m gonna make a few adjustments, though. Fit the mood a bit better.”
“Just don’t do anything silly,” Marta warned.
Sonya cast a sidelong look at her and winked, “Me? Silly?”
Marta frowned, “Sonya, this is going to be iionally televised.”
“Exactly,” Sonya said with a nod as Marta finished buttoning up her shirt for her. Sonya gnced down and raised an eyebrow before shrugging and grabbing the rest of her stuff, plopping dowo Marta as the television tinued.
“Among the topics today will be rise of Supervilins and the widespread increase in vilin activity across the globe. Discussion will likely lean in the dire of the self-procimed First Supervilin, Ishtar, and her retionship to the growing number anized vilin groups. Notably the Darksiders who-” Sonya’s personal ph and they both gnced down at it with raised eyebrows.
Sonya snorted, “Fot to take my cyberic phone off silent,” She ughed and picked it up, “Charon! Darling! How are you? Sorry about that, busy night,” She tilted her head and leaned back a bit, “Oho? No dear, I’m not worried about them. Thank you though. Oh it’s no trouble, you were just adhering to the tract, I ’t fault you there. Thank you for the heads up again,” She ughed, “Oh you’re terrible, kisses!” She hung up a down. “Darksiders are using gear bought from Charon or rather, me, to ‘attack’ the Pandora Session today.”
Marta frowned, “Really? Aren’t they-”
“Stupid?” Sonya asked with a ugh, “I don’t know how some of them remember to breathe in the m,” Sonya said, “I-” Her ph again and she gri it, “Oh here we go, this is going to be good.”
“Chief Bruno!” Sonya answered, “Yes? I see,” Sonya was grinnio ear as Marta watched her friend put on the best serious act she could, “And what’s being done? Good. I expected nothing less from you all. Good work, thank you again, Chief,” She hung up the phone and tossed it down, “And that was the Chief of Security for the region, they already know,” Sonya snorted and burst into ughter, “Those idiots are going to owe me so much money!” She chortled and kicked her feet.
Marta shook her head, It’s good to have you back.
Sonya hopped up as the televisio going and grabbed her heels, “Several iional leaders have voiced their e at the attacks by the group whiunicates predominantly on message boards throughout the dark web.”
“They could at least i in a secure unications system, don’t you sell those to vilins?” Marta asked, gng at Sonya as she pulled her heels on and threaded the straps.
“Mm? Yeah,” Sonya said, gng up at the television, “Apparently they’re big on the whole message board thing, they’re a rogue offshoot of anroup that used to be pretty all right a decade ago, they got kicked out for being crazies and terrorists,” Sonya said.
“Why haven’t these people been rounded up already?” Marta asked.
Sonya shrugged, “Free speech? Teically only a pertage of these idiots actually do anything, just whine and talk about it,,” Sonya said and got to her feet, straightening herself up and grabbing her coat, throwing it on over her white shirt before striking a fresh pose, “How do I look?”
“Fabulous,” Marta said with a smile. After all her friend had been through, after the memories she’d been shown, after the struggle for the past year to get ba her feet, after everything. Seeing that glee and light was more refreshing than any balm. “Shall we go?” She asked.
“We shall!” Sonya decred and they made their way to the door.
–
Sonya held her head high as they walked through the grand atrium of the Pandora Headquarters and to the massive doors that lead to the ittee chamber. She shook hands with a few more people and even mao greet the French Representative who was blessedly free of Astaroth, now apanied by another young man who was far less skeevy in her opinion. As per the regution, the bodyguards would have to stay outside the room until the session was over.
Sonya snorted a little at that thought as she pat Marta on the arm a her at the door, walking doweps into the recessed room and towards the long desk where she would sit with others from the support industry. The ey of the leadership of the Hero Culture gathered in one room and the worst supervilin in the world is locked in there with them. Something funny about that, she snickered and skipped the st few steps before sweeping into her seat and crossing her legs.
Adam Frask approached her first, sitting dowo her and ining his head, “Miss ovna, you look lovely this m.”
She beamed at him, “Adam! Thank you dear, you’re looking roguishly handsome as ever.” She shook his hand and winked, “How are things with those fancy dolls of yours?”
He puffed out his lips and leaned back, “Hit a few snags, actually, wish I had your man Amos to help. The sed geion Fe Dolls are still years off unless we figure out what’s going wrong.”
She hummed a bit and tilted her head, “Let’s make a deal, let Amos pick up what he from their bodies, not their brains, and I’ll let you borrow him for a while. sider it a trade,” Sonya said and held out her hand again.
He raised his eyebrows and rubbed his , “How long?”
“Let’s say, on-and-off six months, I ’t lose him too, you know. He es by on occasion and helps your boys work out the issues and then es home,” Sonya offered.
Adam grinned, “Deal,” He said and shook her hand, “We’ll talk more ter.”
She smirked, “Of course!” Brent was the o arrive, desding the steps and casting Sonya a small frumpy look, she raised her eyebrows at him as they stared one another down before she brandished a winning smile, “Brent.”
“Sonya.”
She pressed her lips together, “I was a little hard on you st night,” She said and tilted her head, “I’m sorry about that. It’s been a long couple of weeks.”
He paused and blinked, staring at her in surprise, “Uh, thank you,” He said and cleared his throat, “I shouldn’t have been so hostile about your ability. It must e in handy.”
“It really does,” Sonya said with a ugh, “Thank you, dear. Truce?”
He shrugged aled into his seat a bit more fortably, “Truce,” He agreed and they shook hands. He crossed his arms afterward and g the Chairman who was talking to a few representatives before things got underway, “How is Madame Rouge doing?”
“Oh she’s wonderful, a bit tough but that’s to be expected from a woman like her. She’s got her eyes on one of my endorsees, been on top of him stantly to improve his ability. Fiere for such a property dy,” Sonya ented.
Brent chuckled, “Certainly, she es from a big manufacturing family. Money, but hard people,” He said with a nod, looking thoughtful for a moment, “She was going to take over the family business before the fsh and developed her abilities. Terrifying powers. I’ve never seen hounds behave themselves until her.”
Sonya raised an eyebrow, “I’ve only seen it once before, a very etric friend,” She admitted, thinking of Charon.
“You’ll have to introduce me, those kinds of abilities are rare and valuable. Monsters make quite the useful odity if maintained and turned on their own,” He said as he turo face the raised podium where the Chairman was making his final preparations.
I know how you feel about monsters, she thought, smuggling them through Russia st year. It’s a shame you’re just a jerk and not an evil man. I really want to kick you around for it. Oh well, such is life.
She turned as well a her hands in her p, smiling at the Chairman as the microphone came on. “Wele, Leaders and Representatives of our new Heroic Age. Today marks the first annual meeting of the Pandora ittee. As is right and proper I want to thank those who made today possible. The people of various nations who came together to build this building, the nations that sighe Pandora Accord, and the people who helped start the movement as a whole,” He gave a small nod in Sonya’s dire. Sonya waved at him before settling in.
His eyes swept the room, “All national representatives are present, this ittee alshe presence of the eighteen heads of the various support anizations from across the globe. They are here representing the is of the guilds they sponsor and the anizations that make what we do possible. Acc to our charter, they are here in a capacity to provide advid submit proposals only.” He said aloud, “With that, may the first Grand Pandora ittee begin.”
There was a round of appuse as he stood there, nodding to everyone in turn before he cleared his throat, “Our first order of business as agreed in our charter is the discussion of exigent threats to humanity and society as a whole and the decration of the ten most wanted vilins in the world,” He paused, “Of course, it goes without saying that a special pce has been reserved for the spot of publiemy number one, separate from the top ten,” He said grimly.
There was a chorus of murmurs throughout the room and Sonya leaned back to enjoy the show. Behind the Chairman a s slid down and flickered to life before revealing footage of her eye opening as and her dest in a n of light. The images flickered and were grainy. It was clear to everyone who it was, though. The image shifted to an artist's rendition of herself in her full regalia a.
“We have no close up images of the Supervilin, Ishtar,” The Chairman said gravely, “We do have this image based on all descriptions provided,” He cleared his throat, “For the crimes of High Viliny, Murder, Terrorism, anized Crime, Supp Vilin Activity, and others listed above me,” He recited, reading from the prompt, “With this ittee’s approval, I hereby decre the Vilin Ishtar Publiemy Number One, and the most wanted person on this p we call Earth, may I hear the Ayes?”
The resounding approval was deafening.
Sonya just smiled as she added her own private, “Aye.”