Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
"News? What news, Stanley?" Beth asked, oblivious to the car's surroundings.
"As Conner may have mentioned, I've been poking around WarTech's network, thanks to the device you planted and some of my hacking skills. One section of the network was a bit harder to access, but I got in. They have a server with a trove of data on you. I'm... sorry about what they put you through, Beth."
"It's okay, Stanley," Beth replied, her voice a whisper. "I think I was unconscious for most of it. Go on."
"I considered deleting all of it, but that might alert them to the intrusion. In case we need my access later, I took a page from Raven Tristan's playbook, and altered the data instead. Well, not all of it. Just the stuff they could use to identify you. Like photos of you unconscious, without, uh, your costume. I made slight alterations to your face in those, and also tweaked other data, like results from your bloodwork."
"Thanks," Beth murmured.
"They also back up their data to remote facilities in Ohio and Texas. I'm working on getting into those servers. They left the encryption key for the backup servers on the local network, so I should finish soon. Their security actually was good, compared to what I've seen, but that part was a rookie mistake."
"Good or not, I think their IT director will be looking for a new job, if they ever find out about the breach," Conner said.
"My goal is to make sure they never find out. I do this sort of thing often, and can cover my tracks pretty well. Even the most hardened networks contain the kind of unreported flaws that nobody besides the NSA knows about. Well, aside from me, too. But there are still a few pieces of evidence that could catch their attention. I wiped the USB device, but it's still hanging off the back of that computer. And I cranked the temperature on the lab's storage units as high as they go, to cook whatever is in there. That could raise their suspicions. Maybe, maybe not. Hopefully, it's after the contents go bad."
"Thanks, Stanley," Beth replied, feeling a small modicum of relief. "You never cease to amaze me."
"I can't be sure I got everything," he said. "They might keep some items off the network. But you need to rest. We can figure out our next move later."
They ended the call, and Beth stared out the car window, trying to process recent events. The shock and humiliation was almost too much to handle. Sapphire Angel, on the run and hiding. Conner said nothing as she tried to come to grips with a new reality. She turned to him, her jaw set.
"So you got what you want," she said, unable to conceal the bitterness in her voice. "You barely had time to digest that I'm Sapphire Angel, and it's over."
Conner's face grew tight. "I didn't want it to end like this. I wanted it to be your choice."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not. Yes, I thought this was too dangerous, even with all your powers. But do you really think I wanted something like this to happen? Hell, no. Honestly, there was a part of me that loved the idea of being the one guy in the world dating Sapphire Angel."
"Well, now you're stuck with an ordinary girlfriend again. You had your moment of glory."
"Just stop it," he said. "Nothing has changed. It's just like it was two days ago, before I knew. And now you can live a safe life, and we can enjoy a normal relationship."
"Yep, you're glad this happened. You don't even care that they probably have Eric."
Conner looked sideways at her and shook his head, but said nothing. They drove in silence for several minutes until the lights of a town grew closer.
"What next?" Beth asked. "We're at a dead end."
"After we find a place to stay, we regroup."
"Regroup how? There's nothing more we can do. They beat Sapphire Angel. Ended her. Ended me. Without my powers, we don't stand a chance. Eric is doomed."
"That doesn't sound like the woman I know. That woman is the most determined person I've ever met."
"Well, things have changed," she mumbled. "I don't know where we go from here without Sapphire Angel. They have Eric. Plus something is going down tomorrow morning, and we have no way to find out what, or even to stop it."
"Something's going down? How do you know?"
"I overheard their lead scientist talking to Devlin, the CEO, on a radio. Devlin was bringing someone he called 'the buyer' to WarTech. He said they'd be there by the afternoon or evening tomorrow." Beth left out that the buyer wanted to purchase Sapphire Angel, too. Conner was angry enough.
"We'll come up with something," Conner said, but he didn't sound convinced.
As he spoke, buildings sprang up around them. The road looked like a road on the outskirts of many towns in America, with fast-food restaurants, stores, and gas stations. Ahead of them they saw the illuminated signs for two hotels.
"How will we come up with something? It's just us. The police won't do anything. Sapphire Angel is done. I'll never be able to save Eric, or find out what's going on."
"We'll think about it. For now, you need rest after what they put you through. We'll check into the hotel up here with the fullest parking lot. The WarTech goons won't be able to pick out my rental car, even if they are looking for us up here. I can pay with cash. While you rest, I'll meet Ross and Jack and get our luggage."
They entered the parking lot of a Comfort Inn and found a spot near the entrance. Beth waited in the car while Conner went inside to get a room, since she couldn't walk into the hotel lobby wearing only a shirt. The thought just reinforced the humiliating turn of events.
Conner returned and drove the car around to the back of the hotel, near a rear entrance to the building. He used a key card to enter and led her into a hallway, and to a door just a few yards inside. He used the card to open the door, and they entered a hotel room with a single queen bed.
"You get some rest," he said. "This will be good for you. Look at it as an opportunity — your first sleep without the weight of the world on you as Sapphire Angel."
Raw emotion flared inside of Beth. "This is not an opportunity!" she snapped, her voice raised. "But I couldn't expect you to understand."
"Hey, relax. I didn't mean it like that."
"Yes, you did. Like I said, you're glad this happened."
"How can I convince you? I never wanted them to take your things. I wanted it to be your choice."
"They took more than just a necklace and costume from me. They took part of me, Conner. You don't get it."
"Maybe I don't," he murmured.
"Just go and get our luggage from Ross and Jack," she said with a dismissive wave of the hand.
Conner hesitated before giving a nod. "I'll find us some food, too, and scout out the area."
He walked to the closet, finding a white bathrobe. He took it from the hanger and held it out to her.
"Can you wear this, so I, uh, can have the shirt back? I'll get the luggage now, but it might seem weird if I walk around in a t-shirt."
Beth started to object before letting out a sigh.
"Turn around, and then you can go," she said.
Conner turned to face away from her as Beth unbuttoned and removed the shirt. She tossed it across Conner's shoulder and snatched the bathrobe from his grip. She stalked away to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A few moments later, after hearing the door to the room close, she balled her fists at her side and blinked back tears. She knew she wasn't being fair to Conner. How could he understand that being Sapphire Angel was more than just putting on a costume and getting powers? It was a persona that was both separate and part of her at the same time. She was Sapphire Angel.
Beth hung the bathrobe from a hook on the door and turned the handle on the shower faucet. After testing the temperature, she stepped in, barely feeling the water run over her body. Five minutes later, she was in bed. Thoughts swirled about her mind, but her exhaustion won out. Within seconds she fell asleep.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Ahhhh, crud. I legitimately thought things were looking up after Beth let Conner in on her secret, but it looks like they’re at each other yet again. At the same time, though......I kind of get it, you know? If we’re speaking realistically---as much as we could be, anyway---being a superhero and having to keep that identity from select people can be a difficult task. Discerning who to tell and who not to tell, for fear that things may become more complicated, is a complex process indeed.
“Stanley Devor, Tech Genius”. Has a certain ring to it. But seriously, though, the guy’s amazing with technology and databases. WarTech’s going to be in for it if/when they ever uncover all the stuff he did. And WarTech (more specifically Devlin) did promise that Nassar and Azari were going to get Sapphire Angel......but now all they have is her costume. Wonder how that’s going to go over with their buyers. Would the costume alone be enough to placate them, or is Nassar going to be all like “ARRGGGHHH YOU PROMISED ME SAPPHIRE ANGEL AND SHE’S NOT HERE SO I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR SPINAL COLUMN OUT OF YOUR BUTT WHILE YOU’RE ON FIRE” or something similar to that. Could you imagine if that’s how Devlin goes down?
If I had to guess, this situation, combined with the pyrrhic escape from the WarTech facility, is basically the novel’s “darkest hour”. Where things are at their bleakest and things (presumably) couldn’t get any worse. It can only go up from here, though, right? ......Right?!
So for now it looks like they’ll be staying at a Comfort Inn. I hear those hotels have really good air conditioning; fills the whole room in seconds. But like.....what can we even do? Conner and Beth are at a hotel, Jack and Ross are still in the process of getting the heck out of dodge, and WarTech has Beth’s necklace and costume. I notice that this novel and the previous ones have a heck of a lot of villains. Second one had Xavier Wheldon, Olivia Lockheed, MacGregor Lockheed, Chief Biggins, Jake Rockford, Mark Bishop, and Raven Tristan. This one had.....(deep breath) Mark Devlin, Roy Valik, Mantis, Amal Nassar, Majid Azari, Richard Turner, Gregor......(faints)
I think I covered this in a previous comment, but personally, dealing with so many characters all at once is definitely something I wouldn’t have been able to do, and I admire your story for doing it so well. If it were me, I would have surely forgotten one or two of the characters, and have to go back and write them in later. But that’s how we overcome all hard tasks, right? By just practicing!
If I had to infer, the next chapter will probably start at WarTech. Either that, or with Jack and Ross’s whereabouts.