5.13 – Secrets and revelations
Aurora was extremely excited!
She looked at the Midnight Avenger and Vanguard and couldn’t help squeeing inwardly! It was almost as though she was a big leaguer like them! She was surrounded by her heroes. One of their peers! Thinking like this, she couldn’t help feeling a little more energetic, ready for what would come next.
“What’s the next step?” Aurora asked. “We need to somehow prove that Mocha’s alive so Extensive can’t claim her. Not only that, we need to prove that she’s innocent of these crimes within twenty-four hours.
Vanguard mused and asked, “Do you two mind joining me someplace more private for a discussion?”
The Midnight Avenger quickly nodded. “I agree. Away from any prying ears.”
Vanguard smiled at Aurora and asked as he held out a hand, “Do you trust me?”
Without hesitation, Aurora took his hand. “Implicitly, sir.”
Vanguard nodded and said something cryptic, “Three for Acropolis,” these words were delivered in a flat tone and a moment after they were spoken, there was a tingling sensation that spread through the Midnight Avenger and Aurora’s bodies.
Just like that, they were somewhere ELSE.
Aurora gaped and looked around anxiously to try to orient herself. The Midnight Avenger, however, wasn’t phased by this change of setting. She looked and saw that there was an endless sky spreading in almost every direction. Walking to the edge of some sort of a platform with a Grecian building on it, Aurora saw that they were now over the ocean... somewhere.
Her eyebrows raised as she looked around and spun as a silly smile came over her face. He’d taken her HERE!
“Welcome to the Acropolis,” Vanguard said. It was just as he said. This was the secret mobile flying headquarters of Vanguard, the Acropolis.
Vanguard beamed at the angel. “We won’t be here for long, but in the future, if you’d like, I could arrange another visit. I want this place to remain semi-private, however. No parties.”
The Avenger walked over to Aurora’s side as he hooked fingers into his belt while he looked around. “This is only my second time visiting here,” the Avenger said and glanced at Aurora. “Only Bulwark and Dragonmage have been here, counting only those from the active team.”
Vanguard waved his hand dismissively. “Well, precedents aside, I want to tell you that if we can positively identify Mocha as being alive, I’ve already secured a work-release program for her. Just so long as you agree to keep an eye on her and that she agrees to wear a dampener or its equivalent for her power’s nature. Do you agree to these terms?”
Aurora nodded, thoughtful. “I agree, but we’ll certainly have to ask Mocha. She trusts me and I think she’ll recognize that this will give her the opportunity to live the life she’s always wanted. Thank you, sir.” Aurora grinned, excited that Vanguard had thought so deeply. It was an overwhelming honor that he’d taken the time to make these arrangements. “I will do everything I can to make sure she stays rehabilitated.”
“I know that you will,” Vanguard said with a fatherly smile. “You’re going to be one of our shining stars in a few years at this rate.” He closed the distance between them to gently clap her on her back. “You’ve already guessed the Avenger’s secret, he’s told me.” He eyed the Midnight Avenger whose face remained blank. “So you already know that you’ve been dealing with his protege and not the original Avenger. That man is over 100 years old at this point, so he doesn’t come out of retirement very often. But he didn’t want to take the chance of Mr. Mechanical possibly returning. We’re trusting you with this secret. No one else on the team knows, as far as I know.”
The Midnight Avenger pulled off his mask to reveal a handsome young man’s face. “Dirk Bradley.” He extended a hand to Aurora with a genuine smile. “Pleased to meet you.”
Vanguard laughed. “Dirk’s served with honors thanks to the Avenger’s technical and mystical experiences. Much of the original Avenger’s experience has been made available to him via certain methods, so you can rest assured that you’re not dealing with a green rookie.”
Dirk nodded and pulled his Mask on again. “Yeah, I happen to have a little experience in magical training and transference,” he said. “Anyway, I’m happy to tell you my secrets, Aurora.”
“Thank you.” Aurora smiled, overwhelmed that the Midnight Avenger had trusted her with his secret identity. It didn’t bother her in the least to see the face beneath the classic mask. It helped to humanize the iconic man. Certainly, not many people had the honor of knowing this about him.
Vanguard cleared his throat as he spoke, “Assuming that Mocha agrees, she’ll be placed with you, if you have the room to take her in. If not, we can try to find her another place. If worse comes to worst, she can stay in the HQ, but I think that’d make things difficult for her.”
The Avenger said, “We’ve already got her identity information ready to deploy. The old man wanted to be sure he handed it off to me before leaving town. He says you did some respectable work, rather than the flying and blasting many do. I’d almost say he smiled.”
Vanguard chuckled. “The Avenger never smiles. At any rate, do you want to take a moment to relax? I know that Mocha’s case isn’t the only thing that’s occupying your mind. Dynamech is working on your other case and Bombshell’s filling in for him at the clubhouse in regards to this mission, correct?”
Aurora nodded. “That’s exactly the situation, sir. Thank you for your trust and compliments.” She offered a little bow. “It really…” Tears flooded her eyes. “It really means a lot.” The angel wiped a tear away and looked up with a smile. “It’s touching that you trusted me with your civilian identity, M.A. It goes without saying that I’ll protect this information as jealously as the keeper of secrets does.”
“As for Mocha, yes. She can stay with me. There’s a vacant room.” Aurora thought about Quinn and the unoccupied office room. “Do you know where that is? I trust you both… a lot. More than anyone else in the world, except for Mistral. However…” She looked down with a sigh and chewed her lip as she considered the next possible step.
“I’m afraid that you won’t respect me in the same way if I shared my secret identity with you.”
“........”
There was a long period of silence before Vanguard broke it, “That’s always entirely up to you, Aurora. No pressure. Your word is good enough for me. I have a built-in lie detector.” He smiled and chuckled. “You’re always very earnest, and I respect that most about you.”
“Mine’s a bit more analog, but I agree.” The Midnight Avenger smiled. “I wanted to doubt you when Mistral took you to the headquarters. It was my belief that she was under the sway of the Black Angel and she’d either returned or her death was misreported in a scheme to destroy the Society, but as you spoke, I found no flaw in what you said. You spoke no untrue words, therefore, I had a great deal to consider. That’s why I’ve trusted you with a secret that few know.”
“I hope you don’t feel like we’re engaging in some kind of peer pressure tactic,” the Midnight Avenger said. “Trust me when I say the old man chewed my ear off when I just did that.” He patted his ear and winced.
“Thank you, sirs.” Aurora said softly. “I have a lot to consider.” She turned and looked off into the distance. This was a major decision for her. A very important moment in her life.