The Accidental Construction Superhero

Chapter 8: A Friend Called Maya

Maya’s home was a little cramped, but the vibe was cozy. It is filled with racks of papers, books, and maps pinned to the wall with articles and has a yellowish hue due to her old-school lights, making her room cozy and aesthetic. Dave hesitantly sat on her couch; Maya poured tea and served. “British blend,” she said. “Pretend we are some posh spies like Mr. Holmes.” Dave took in the aroma and said, “Thanks, you have been a lot of help to me for the last couple of days. I will repay the debt someday,” Dave said in a thankful voice. “I hope so,” Maya whispered, smiling without Dave noticing. 

Maya handed him a few photographs, yellowed and torn with age. “I took this photo 10 years ago. You see the light in the sky?” Dave notices, “There’s a crack in the sky.” “I thought I was going mad; I felt things I could not share with outsiders. And my parents didn’t believe me.” 

Dave's heart thumped; he recognized the tentacles. It was the same one that touched his forehead that night.” Dave asked her, “How many times have you seen it?” “Multiple times after it grabbed me with its arm once, in the cities far and near.” Her voice started to crack, and her eyes watered. “Nobody believed in me; they thought I was mad. After that I stopped sharing things with anyone, trying to figure it out all alone.” Dave put his hands over Maya's arms, saying gently, “You are not alone anymore; we will figure it out together.” 

“When was the last time you saw it?” Dave asked patiently.  “Almost a week ago,” Maya replied.

Astounded, Dave said, “So that was not a dream at all. It was all freaking real.” Maya asked, “What?” 

“That light with tentacles appeared over the sky near my house, and it touched my forehead with its arm. After that I remember nothing. I woke up the next morning straight.” Dave murmured. “That means that is how you got your powers.” “I see.” Maya shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe,” Dave replied. 

Later that night they sat through the whole night sorting out files and reports and looking at videos of powered men that Maya got access to due to a past incident. They talked over, smiled together, and had conversations of past times and felt comfortable in each other's company. 

Dave skipped his work the next day, as he knew he would be paid by the bureau. 

After a night full of research, they went to visit a collapsed old building the next night. Maya had tracked the light in that particular place before. She pulled out her scanner “We are getting something on the radar. Dave, keep digging.” Dave keeps clearing out the rubble with his bare hands. After a few minutes of sweaty work, he finds something. “Maya, something is just beneath me. I can feel it. Let me take that out. ” “Hurry up, I don’t want that government bitch to find this out.” Dave smiles and says, “Are you a little jealous of her? seen you can’t stand her a bit.” “Are you for real? Why would I be jealous of that shit of a person?” Maya told Dave in a quite angry demeanor. “I don’t know, maybe her looks. She had a great figure we saw on that rainy day,” Dave said mockingly. “You haven’t seen mine,” Maya replied sharply and then regretted it and felt a little bit shy after that. “I don’t mean anything li—” she said. “Relax. Don't get a headache about it.” Dave pulls out a stone with some symbol on it. “What is this symbol?” Dave said. “I have seen this before, I think. Don’t remember where.” 

Suddenly Maya shouts, “Look out, Dave!!” 

A flying motorcycle went just above his head. It was Argus. Dave said, “Step back, Maya. He is also a powerful man, more of a maniac. The government tried running tests on him before but couldn't confine him. He fled from the lab by using a small knife. Nobody knew how he pulled that off.”

“I don’t want you; I want the stone and the girl dead. Stay away, and I’ll let you live.” Argus shouted in a murderous way. 

“Sorry, she is under my protection now. Can't let you have her.” Dave spoke straight to him. 

“Okay then, let’s begin.”

Argus came lunging at Dave with a sharp sword he took out from his back. Dave quickly grabs stones and big chunks of rubble and throws them at him. Argus dodges a few of them but gets hit by one of them in his left arm. In pain he stops for a microsecond and changes direction towards Maya. “I’m going to kill you, you sweet little lollipop.” Seeing that Dave picked up a big piece of stone slab and threw it between Maya and Argus and shouted, “Maya, run.” 

Maya ran fast but could not run faster than Argus’s target. Argus, knowing that she would reach Dave before him, reached a pocket in the costume of his knee and threw them at Maya.  3 of the sharp shuriken-like objects chased Maya like they were alive. Dave came in between two of them, and they hit his arm. One of the sharp objects hit straight to Maya's back. She fell down and bled from her back, coloring her beautiful white T-shirt red. Dave looked at Maya and then looked back at Argus in anger to finish him off and saw Argus had already gone far.

Before fleeing the scenario, Argus says, “Our world is going to change forever, and you don’t want to be on the losing side.”

Argus flees, and Dave looks at Maya, crawling on the ground, and he shouts, “Maya, let me take you to the hospital.” 

Maya stops him, “Wait, Dave. you need to know something.” Maya herself pulls out the dagger stuck behind her. Blood came gushing after. Dave panics. “Maya, you will die.” 

Soon after that a green aura came from her wound. Dave looked at that astonished. “What is hapopening to you?” After a few seconds, Maya stood up. Her wounds healed. Dave stood there in shock and asked, “Are you a metahuman or a powered person, or whatever that is?”

“Yes,” says Maya, looking gently at Dave’s astounded face.