I Fell For My Nemesis

Avery huffed. "Why would I lie about that? I went to the ob/gyn less than a week ago. I'm not very far along and I'd rather not have a miscarriage while I'm stuck here. If I do, it's on you for refusing to help. I don't think you'd be able to live with that." 

"I need some sort of proof with a crazy claim like that. There is no way on earth you're a woman, let alone a pregnant one. You would say anything to get me to help you," Christian said scornfully. 

"Fine! Hear my real voice. See if you don't believe me then."

Avery wasn't the best imitator in the world. If she wanted to change her voice the best she could do was English with a Spanish accent because of all the time she had spent around the Cruzes. That should be enough to throw him off since she rarely spoke Spanish around him and always spoke English in her normal voice. 

She turned off the internal voice changer and prayed that this worked before adjusting her accent. "This is me. Do you believe me now?"

"You're…actually a woman," Christian said faintly. "I don't believe it."

"Well, you better. Because I don't know how long I've been stuck here and my baby needs to eat. Are you going to help me or not? I'd rather not be here all night."

"I have to help you now! But I don't know how to break through shackles. If I had ice powers or something I could freeze them off but I don't. The only person I know of like that isn't exactly easy to find." 

"And you can't think of any other options?" Avery asked desperately. 

"No. I'll see if I can find them but I make no guarantees. I'll need your location too. Do you even know where you are?"

"Uh…let me look up my coordinates. Hang on." She checked them on her helmet display then read them off once he said he had something to write on. 

Christian repeated them back to her to be sure he had them right and then sighed. "I'm not sure when I'll be there. If I can't find Frostine I'm going to have to improvise. Hang tight and call me back if they move you."

"Thank you," Avery whispered. 

"Whatever. Like you said, I do owe you. But don't ever ask me for a favor like this again. We'll officially be even once I get you out," he said firmly before hanging up. 

She sighed. How long would it be before he managed to find something to get her out with? 

She really didn't want to be stuck here all night. She had taken a gamble and had to pray it would pay off. She desperately hoped he would get here soon. She needed to get home by her allotted time. 

A terrible thought occurred to her. What was she going to tell Angelo? She hadn't managed to get the virus implanted and got herself caught to boot. He was never going to let this go. The failure of the mission hadn't been 100% her fault—Hunsacher had clearly been waiting for someone to break into his office—but she was going to have to explain how she escaped. Which would be an absolute nightmare. 

Avery would have smacked herself if her hands weren't bound. She was such an idiot!

She wasn't sure how long she waited but eventually she heard voices. And not the ones she was hoping to. They had to be the goons who kidnapped her. Just what she needed right now!

"Hello, Man in the Black Suit," one of them said menacingly. "You've caused an awful lot of trouble. Just wait until Mr. Hunsacher gets here to deal with you. You won't be causing any more." 

Avery's blood ran cold. Nolan Hunsacher was coming here?! She was completely screwed if that happened. If he found out the suit was nanotech he would be able to find who she was rather easily. All he would need to do was run some tests while she was immobilized and it would be all over. 

She was trying to come up with a snappy retort when the man who spoke and his partner were both suddenly knocked out. Tears came to her eyes when she saw that familiar yellow suit. 

Christian had come for her and brought help as promised. A brunette woman in a sparkling blue and white jumpsuit with a matching white mask was by his side and looked at her with a vague glimmer of curiosity. 

"So this is the infamous Nox."

"Frostine. I never thought I would have the pleasure of meeting you," Avery said in relief. "Thank you for coming!" 

"I have to say I wasn't expecting to get kidnapped by a former colleague tonight but Mercury explained the situation to me," Frostine said as she froze the shackles on Avery's wrists and ankles. 

They shattered a moment later and she flexed them to make sure everything was okay. She was actually free! She needed to get out of here so she could get Angelo to try and track this place down and erase any footage of her before Hunsacher arrived. 

The problem was that she had two superheroes standing between her and the way out. Frostine wasn't going to try and turn her over to the authorities, was she? 

Avery stood there awkwardly trying to figure out what to do but she needed to think fast. "Uh…thanks again for your help, Frostine. And to you for bringing her, Mercury. I need to get going so—"

"Not so fast. What were you doing that got you caught in the first place? The Nox I know never would have let that happen. Though I suppose there is your pregnancy as an excuse. Does the father of your baby know you're out jumping around committing crimes while carrying his child?" Christian asked with a scowl.

She almost gave into the hysterical laughter bubbling up inside of her. The father of her baby was standing right in front of her giving her a lecture without even realizing it. 

"That's really not any of your business, Mercury. I need to get out of here so do you mind?"

"I do mind! I spent hours flying around looking for Frostine or some sort of weapon to bust you out in the middle of the night so you owe me an explanation. What were you doing? And why on earth are you still doing it when you're pregnant?!

"You can't just drop a bomb on me like that and expect me not to have questions! I didn't even know you were a woman until today. That time you said you were flirting with me you were dead serious, weren't you?" Christian demanded. 

Frostine looked back and forth between the two of them with a detached sort of curiosity but said nothing. She took in what they were doing without feeling the need to get involved. 

Avery shrugged. She was surprised he remembered that.

"So what if I was? I thought you were funny. That's why I saved your life. Like you said, we're even now. I need to get out of here before Nolan Hunsacher shows up. I'm sure both of you have better things to do tonight so there's no need to bother with me."

"There is too! What's so important you would risk your baby's safety? Why are you after Nolan Hunsacher?"

"He took everything from me. He's done the same to a lot of people and needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else," Avery said in a hard voice. She turned to address Frostine. "I don't know what he told you or what you think of me but I hope you'll keep what you've seen and heard here to yourself."

"I have no reason to get involved," the ice hero said coolly. "Do what you will. I have people with much worse motives than you to deal with. Do take care of yourself, Mercury. I have business to get back to."

Christian gaped after her as she left before scowling and standing his ground. "This isn't over, Nox. You're going to tell me what you're up to or I'll—"

"You'll what? You can't do anything to me," Avery scoffed. 

At least not as Nox. The clock was ticking and she had to get out of here before she was in even deeper trouble. She jumped out of a window and he flew after her, grabbing her and dangling her by her underarms in midair. 

"Are you crazy?!" he shouted. "You're pregnant! What are you doing smashing through a window?"

"I don't have time for this! Let me go! You wouldn't seriously fight a pregnant woman, would you? Go home, Christian!" 

"Oh, now you're using my real name to get me to cooperate when I don't know yours?"

"So what if you don't know mine? That has nothing to do with this!" Avery insisted with growing frustration.