Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Tension rippled through Mark Devlin's face as Don Lanigan, the owner of Lanigan's Bar, strode into the CEO's office. Lanigan looked around the massive office, soaking in the leather furniture and the dark mahogany walls. Devlin sat behind an enormous desk in front of a bank of windows, as Vernon Clark, the middle-aged detective from the Wynton Police Department, sat in one of the two chairs opposite him.
Lanigan had called Devlin after the catastrophe at the bar, but had trouble verbalizing what he had seen. Devlin had summoned him here to get a full report.
"Come in, Don," Devlin said, standing and gesturing toward the empty chair. "Have a seat."
Lanigan walked forward, looking out of place in the grand office. He reached the leather chair and sank into it. Devlin leaned forward and spoke.
"So it sounds like Vernon's plan didn't exactly go off without a hitch," the CEO of WarTech said, shooting a glare at the detective. "Tell me what happened, Don."
Lanigan nodded.
"It went downhill pretty much from the beginning," Lanigan began. "Sapphire Angel came in and made her way to the bar. A few seconds later, all hell broke loose."
"Keep going," Devin instructed, his voice patient.
"The men came forward, but she moved faster. It was incredible. I've never seen someone so fast. She was on the guys before they knew what hit them. I can't even give you a blow-by-blow, because it happened so quick. She was just a blur, and they kept dropping. I've never seen anything like it."
"Those were some of our best guys," Clark said. "You mean to tell me they didn't even put up a fight?"
"Not really. There were only two times it looked like they might get her. One guy tackled her. She's a little thing, and he slammed her down onto a table. Split the thing in half. With her size, she should have been down for the count. But she was up and pulverizing guys a few seconds later."
"And what was the other time?" Devlin asked.
"The other time was when I smashed a baseball bat on the back of her head, when she didn't know I was hiding behind the bar. She was out of it for a few seconds. I thought we had her. They slammed her down on the bar and handcuffed her to the rail. A couple of the guys pinned down her legs. But that didn't last long. She snapped the rail like it was a twig, flipped herself off the bar, and beat the snot out of those guys. It was all over at that point, which was when I got out of there and called you."
Devlin rocked back in his chair, resting his chin on his fists.
"So tell me," he asked, "was her quickness the main problem? Was there anything else about her that stood out?"
Lanigan shook his head. "Everything about her stood out. She was strong, agile, you name it. She threw some of those guys around like they weighed nothing. Everything you've heard about her is true. She's unstoppable."
"So it seems, so it seems," Devlin murmured, his voice trailing off.
"Mr. Devlin," Clark said, a quiver of trepidation in his voice. "I want to help, but that fight decimated my ranks. I really have nothing else to offer."
Clark winced as he spoke, as if he were expecting an explosion from Devlin. Instead, Devlin glanced at him with a thin smile.
"That's okay, Vern. I should ream you a new asshole for talking me into letting you handle our superheroine problem. But I thought we could take her down, too. I should have gone with my first instinct, which was to wait and see if Sapphire Angel follows any trails back to us, or is just searching blindly. So we're going to back off and see if she connects any dots. Based on what Don just described, and based on her track record, it makes no sense to antagonize her."
"And if she connects the dots?" Clark asked.
"By then I hope my man will be ready. The bastard plans like nobody I've met. But if he is ready, Sapphire Angel won't know what hit her."
Socrates Chappelle hung up the phone and winced, as if in pain. He wasn't sure what was the bigger problem — the news from the phone call, or the latest polls. His opponent had closed the gap to within the margin of error and possessed all the momentum. Now, Devlin had filled Chappelle in about Sapphire Angel. Why was the superheroine here in Wynton? Had she somehow gotten wind of their activities? No. It wasn't possible.
A well-dressed man appeared in the doorway, interrupting the senator's thoughts. The African American man looked younger than his age, with not a hint of grey in his hair, and nary a wrinkle on his skin. As always, he wore a neatly-pressed suit and a conservative tie.
Lucas Rutherford had been his campaign manager for the last three elections, and Chappelle felt lucky to have him. Chappelle had earned an upset victory in his first campaign, and his last two election wins hadn't been close, thanks in no small part to Rutherford.
"Tell me you have some good news for me, Lucas."
"I do, Socrates. Sapphire Angel would like to meet you."
Chappelle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She knew. He recalled the phone call with Devlin. The CEO said he planned to leave the superheroine alone, unless she started connecting dots.
The senator saw those dots strung together in his mind, and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. He should never have gotten involved with Devlin. He did so because his reelection might depend on it. Not only would he make a handsome profit from WarTech's deal, but a healthy company would boost the state's economy, which would help his own political fate. But if the superheroine discovered their plans, it would all come to ruin. Could she really know?
A moment later he dismissed the thought with a slight shake of the head. She couldn't know. Not yet. She wouldn't meet him just to level accusations against him. At worst, she had some clues pointing in his direction. More likely, she wanted his help, since he was well-connected.
"Very interesting, Lucas," he said, wiping his sleeve across his forehead. Perhaps he might use this to his advantage. "Very interesting. How did this request come about?"
"Through someone on your security detail," Rutherford replied. "Somehow Sapphire Angel has been in touch with her. Socrates, this is quite an opportunity." His voice rose in excitement as he spoke.
"You're considering how this will play in the polls, I take it?"
"Of course. She's the biggest star in the universe right now. Just to be seen with her would be a huge bump."
"So you want me to meet with her?"
"Yes," Rutherford replied. "I'll make sure we get lots of mileage out of this. There will be cameras there, so the whole world will realize you hobnob with Sapphire Angel."
Chapelle nodded. The bump in the polls would be nice. But finding out what the superheroine knew would be even more important.
"Make it happen, Lucas."
Beth stared at Eric's email to Senator Chappelle for the hundredth time. She had been hoping for more when she had waited for Stanley to send it. Neither she, Ross, or Jack could make much out of the message.
Senator Chappelle,
As one of your constituents, I would like a chance to sit down with you concerning the Enigma Project, an important matter of grave concern. My cell phone number is in my signature at the end of this email.
The letter ended with Eric's signature, which included his name, email address, and telephone number. The message header indicated Eric had sent it four days earlier, which was the day prior to his disappearance.
Beth, Ross, and Jack had sat on the sofa for over an hour, pondering the message and unable to figure out what could have caused Eric such concern. They spoke back and forth, going in circles, and Beth didn't notice when the when the text came through on the phone she used for Sapphire Angel's messages. In order to be discreet, she kept the phone tucked away in a hidden pocket in her bag, with sounds and vibrations muted.
When she finally walked back to her room, she closed the door behind her and went straight to her bag. After unlocking the phone, she saw a message on the screen from Officer Jennings.
Sapphire Angel — The Senator can meet you tonight at 8:00, at his downtown office, if you can make it.
Beth glanced at the time on her phone. 4:00. That gave her a few hours to think through what she wanted to accomplish, and come up with an excuse to slip away from Ross and Jack. She bent over the phone and keyed in her response.
I’ll be there.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
WeII......tartar sauce.
So CIark and Lanigan are indeed with DevIin.....I mean, I kind of got that suspicion aIready, but it was nice that this aII confirmed it and made it cIear. I think that Mantis is the one whom DevIin is taIking about at the end of the first section.....either that, or it couId be some other character we havent met yet. I get the feeIing Mantis is Iike.....his secret weapon or something. Then again, it was aIready estabIished that he isn't entireIy aIigned with WarTech either, so there's that. There's stiII room for him to turn against DevIin in the future; wonder what wiII happen there! He has so many peopIe on his side, though.....himseIf, Mantis, Vernon CIark, Don Lanigan, Richard Turner, Senator ChappeIIe, Lucas Rutherford.....
Speaking of ChappeIIe, him aIso being invoIved with DevIin took me a IittIe bit by surprise. After being introduced to a terribIe senator Iast time, I wasn't going into this with high hopes on THIS one either. Sounds Iike he wants to use this as an opportunity to both boost his standings and aIso interrogate Sapphire.....hopefuIIy she can hoId her own. If there were no repercussions, I wouId just have her instantIy beating up anyone who showed her the first signs of hostiIity, but that wouId have consequences. This is why I am not in charge of the story. Corrupt poIiticians, man..... xD
Time to get ready for a meeting with ChappeIIe, though! Maybe he can teII us more about this Enigma project.