Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Mantis stood unmoving in front of the desk as Sapphire Angel stepped into the room. She moved her hands to her hips and looked between Mantis and Nassar, cocking her head and giving a playful smile.
"Something tells me you two aren't here to plan your next ski trip," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Behind her bravado, she tensed her muscles, waiting for Mantis to move, and remembering their first two encounters.
Nassar took a step back, looking to Mantis. The black-clad man said nothing, but took a half step toward the superheroine as he sank into a fighting posture, hands in front of him.
"You don't have an elevator to help you this time," Sapphire Angel said with a smirk. "You remember how our other two fights went without that, don't you?"
Mantis waited, saying nothing.
Sapphire Angel sighed. "There is something appealing about the strong, silent type," she said. "But I don't have time for this."
The costumed heroine moved into action, closing the distance in a leap. She feinted with a nod in one direction as she landed, causing Mantis to bob to his left, where her open palm met him, driving into his chest and flipping over the desk. She leapt onto the desktop, and as Mantis sprang to his feet, she drove a kick at his head.
Mantis twisted and avoided the full effect of the kick, which grazed his temple. He stumbled into the wall behind the desk, as Sapphire Angel leapt to his side and seized his arm with both hands. His free arm whipped down, twisting and pivoting, as a short rope shot from his shirt sleeve, twirling around Sapphire Angel's gloved wrists in an impossible pattern.
The heroine gasped in surprise, just as Mantis blew a powdery substance in her face. Sapphire Angel coughed as the room swayed, and out of instinct, she gave Mantis a kick, pushing him away from her. He kept his hold on the rope, and his backward momentum pulled the strand tight around the surprised woman's wrists. He tugged, sending her stumbling toward him, and he met her with a kick into her stomach.
As Sapphire Angel grunted and bent forward at the waist, Mantis leapt leapt behind her, raising his end of the rope high and looping it around the heroine's throat. He pulled from behind her, drawing the rope taut around her neck and pulling her bound wrists up into a prayer-like position against her chest. The rope pulled her body against him as he held tight.
Sapphire Angel, dizzy from the powder, pulled her arms away from her chest, but gagged and realized she was only pulling the noose tighter around her throat. She attempted to pull her wrists apart, with the same effect. Somehow the skilled man had entwined her wrists and throat in such a way she would choke herself with any attempt to get free.
The bound heroine wheezed, gasping for air and trying to steady her vision, as Mantis grunted from behind her, pulling tight. The two stumbled as if dancing, bumping into the desk and the wall as they fought for control, back and forth, until Mantis steadied himself with his back against the wall, his body close to Sapphire Angel. As the noose tightened, the room spun and she lost track of time. She spotted the blurry form of Amal Nassar standing in front of the door, eyes wide in amazement.
At even strength she could have thrown the man off with ease, but she couldn't use her full strength to get free without choking herself. She inched her arms higher and tried to slide her fingers between the rope and her throat, but it was too tight and she was out of oxygen. Her vision was going in an out — vivid color to black, and back again. Panic welled up at the thought of losing to Mantis. Again.
She felt Mantis against her back, his heart thumping, just before he gave a violent tug on the rope. Sapphire Angel gagged as the rope bit deeper into her skin. She pulled her arms down and back in desperation, momentarily choking herself, but driving an elbow past her torso and into Mantis's abdomen.
He grunted behind her, and she drove back with her legs, crushing him between her body and the wall. She whipped her head back, guessing as to his position, and was rewarded with a crack across the back of her skull as she connected with his face. She lunged forward, and the rope pulled free from his grasp. The dazed heroine took in a deep, wheezing gasp as precious oxygen filled her lungs.
As she spun to face her attacker, she pulled her wrists apart, snapping the rope and freeing her hands. Mantis stood before her, a line of blood running from one of his nostrils. Sapphire Angel lashed out with a fist, and despite her hazy vision, connected with his face and sent him back into the wall again. As she came in with more blows, he raised his hands, parrying.
The ordeal had dulled her senses and slowed her movements, equalizing the opponents. But like their fight in the hotel, when she had held back, she broke through his defenses and connected every few seconds. If not for the effects of the choking and of the powder, she would have ended the fight after just a few blows. Even so, within seconds his other nostril trailed blood, and he panted.
Just when it looked like he couldn't last any longer, he somersaulted to the right, between the opening where the desk approached the wall. She turned as he darted away from her, determined not to let him escape this time. He flipped a wooden chair toward her as she came after him, slowing her down as she hopped over it.
He reached the door, and it registered to her that Nassar was gone. The terrorist must have fled the room when she turned the tide of the battle against Mantis. As she sprinted toward Mantis, trying to close the distance before he could open the door, he spun toward her and his hand flicked out.
Too late, she saw the spinning rope, with small balls on the end, flying toward her. It was a bolas, yet another trick up this man's sleeve, to use against a superior opponent. The rope hit her legs just below her knees, twirling around them and tightening, and sending her tumbling forward onto the floor. She hit the ground with a grunt, and as she spun to a seating position, Mantis smashed the sole of his boot into her face.
Sapphire Angel's flew onto her back, and her head crashed into the ground. She groaned and started to rise, determined not to let him escape.
Except Mantis wasn't trying to escape. As she rose from her back, Mantis straddled her and swung a haymaker, connecting with her jaw. The punch flipped her onto the side, and she felt her attacker behind her, reaching for her arms. She felt a rope at her wrists again, as he tried to bind her. She realized what he was trying to do — with her legs already bound, he was going for her wrists, trying to hogtie her.
Sapphire Angel heaved her arms apart, foiling his efforts, and swung blindly with a fist. It connected, sending Mantis tumbling off her. The heroine ripped the bolas from her legs and sprang to her feet as Mantis stood. Her vision was clearer now, and she dashed forward, raining punches down upon him. He stood no chance, and within seconds she was rocking his head back and forth. After three such blows, she drove up with an uppercut, catching him under the jaw and lifting him a foot into the air. His eyes went blank, his knees gave way, and he collapsed to the floor.
The heroine took a deep breath before crouching at the side of her fallen opponent, confirming he was unconscious. Finally, on the third try, she had done it. She had taken him down. His tricks hadn't turned the tables or let him slip away.
While she would have liked to question him, she didn't have time to wait for him to revive. She needed to find Eric. Using her zip ties, and the same rope he had tried to use against her, Sapphire Angel bound Mantis, securing his wrists and ankles, and tying him to the legs of the sofa. She didn't like the idea of leaving him here, but there was no other choice.
Sapphire Angel glanced out the window, looking across an open expanse of grass to the WarTech office building, lit up by spotlights surrounding it. That meant she was in the southeast corner of the Penthouse. If the elevator was in the center of the floor, as it had been on the lower level, she had covered less than half of this floor.
After confirming the absence of a computer in which to place Stanley's gadget, the heroine retraced her steps. She double-checked the bonds of Mantis and the guards in the outer room, before reaching the elevator lobby. She moved to the other door and listened for a moment before easing it open. A hallway stretched before her, turning to the left about a dozen yards ahead, with two doors about ten feet apart along the wall to her left.
Sapphire Angel hurried to the first door, and, after putting her ear to it, opened it. A small kitchenette lay beyond the door, with a table, counter, sink, and microwave oven. She closed the door and moved to the next door, once again listening before opening it. A storeroom lay beyond, filled with boxes, crates, computer monitors and keyboards, and other odds and ends. But again she saw no computer to which she could attach the USB device. And again she didn't spot Eric.
She closed the door and continued down the hallway, turning at the bend and spying a door ahead of her. This one was metal, with a large handle on it. Sapphire Angel jogged to the door and put her head to it, listening.
Muffled voices came from the other side. She couldn't be sure, but one of them sounded like Mark Devlin. If Devlin were here, perhaps Eric was nearby. It was time to find out.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Woohoo! Time to check Mantis off the list.....maybe. Though.....he’ll probably get free in time to join the final fight, knowing him. I’ve read about Sapphire Angel frequently taking on multiple opponents at the same time, but while part of me was hoping she’d fight both Nassar and Mantis at the same time---taking out two birds with one stone, per se---there’s still the fact that although there was only two people this time.....one of them was Mantis. But I also realize Nassar hasn’t fought Sapphire as much as Mantis has, and thus Mantis is more experienced. Using powder, rope, and a bolas, though.....definitely didn’t see those coming! The powder, maybe, because we used a gas to neutralize Sapphire in the elevator, but.....dang. Mantis is a tricky one. Feels SO good to have him out of the way after the elevator fight that resulted in Sapphire being left at Mantis and Valik’s mercy (or lack thereof).
I don’t know whether Nassar was being a coward or being smart by leaving Mantis behind to deal with Sapphire. Mantis is already a tough dude as is; I could’ve probably seen Sapphire devoting her attention and focus to Mantis while Nassar could have struck with decisive blows every now and then without getting too involved. Or he could’ve thrown stuff at her. But we all know Sapphire’s a force to be reckoned with if you don’t manage to get the drop on her. Wonder if Valik will suffer a similar fate for how he treated Sapphire; he does have a son, though, so he needs to still be around for him in some capacity. Still waiting on that Noctecite and how it’s going to be used.....something tells me it’s going to stop Sapphire’s assault in its tracks. But Mantis already tried that with the rope and the bolas, and we all saw how that went.
We could’ve also dealt with Nassar, but didn’t. And with Mantis out of the way, we now have Amal Nassar, Mark Devlin, Roy Valik, Richard Turner, Steve Hains, Gregor, and Senator Chappelle......Sapphire better watch out for Valik, though. If it took her three tries to get past the “brawn”......what about the “brains”? I don’t recall if Valik has any physical fighting ability, but his intellect is nigh-unmatched, except for Stanley’s and (maybe) Conner’s, at least somewhat.
Let’s rock and roll! 🎉🎉🎉