Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Eric Stump awoke on a flimsy cot, stripped of his clothes and personal effects, and found a light blue hospital robe folded on the bed next to him. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but the pain in his chest brought back memories. The elevator. The man in black. The attack, with impossible speed and force. It was as if his attacker had summoned all of his body’s energy into the heel of his palm, and directed it into Eric’s chest, which now sported a large bruise. Eric didn't think anything was broken, but he couldn't be sure.
He pulled himself off of the cot with a grunt, before gasping as pain shot through his ribs. With slow, deliberate movements, he slipped into the hospital gown and examined his surroundings.
There was little to examine. He stood in a square, windowless room — a cell, really — about ten feet by ten feet, with three white walls and one wall made of steel bars. The bars held a door, also made of steel bars. Aside from the cot and the hospital gown, a metal toilet in the corner was the only other object in the room.
With nothing else to do, Eric sat on the edge of the bed and waited. He knew why he was here, and he thought he knew the identity of his captors. But he didn't know where they had taken him. He thought back to when this all had started and wondered what he could have done differently. Nothing. Or at least there was nothing he could have changed and still have been able to live with himself.
Several more minutes ticked by, until he heard footsteps approaching, and a moment later he saw two men at the door. As one of them unlocked and opened the door, Eric did not rise from the cot. Wherever he was, his captors would have taken steps to thwart any escape attempts. That didn't mean he wouldn't try at some point, but he needed more information about his surroundings first.
Two men entered the cell. The man to Eric's right was very tall, well over six feet, and looked to be straight out of a horror film, with a triangular-shaped tattoo around his right eye, cross-cropped hair, and a small goatee. He gave a menacing smile, revealing silver caps over his incisors that glinted in the dim light of the cell. The man's large muscles rippled under his black pants and black t-shirt.
The other man's muscle mass was similar, but he was at least six inches shorter. He had closely cropped red hair and a pale, freckled complexion.
"Come with us," the shorter man said in a husky voice.
Eric studied him, but didn't rise from the cot.
The men stared back at him, and the shorter man sighed.
"This is just like in the TV shows and movies," the man began. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. The easy way is that you come with us, walking on your own two legs. The hard way is that you come with us, but you can't walk because your legs are broken. Gregor, here, loves to hurt people, so don't give him an excuse."
The large man, Gregor, folded his hands together and cracked his knuckles. Eric frowned, but rose off of the cot. He was certain pain was in his future, but the longer he delayed it, the better.
After her breakfast with Conner, a quick phone to Stanley Devor was all it took to get Beth's travel arrangements booked. Stanley was the father of her late boyfriend, John Devor, and one of the few people who knew of her secret life as Sapphire Angel. He also bankrolled some of the superheroine's activities, thanks to a large financial settlement he received after John's death. Stanley and his wife, two of the most compassionate and empathetic people Beth knew, were like second parents to her.
More importantly, Stanley understood the burdens on her dual life more than anyone. Although he tried to talk her out of the trip, arguing that she needed a break, he didn't fight her on it. He not only booked the trip, but began researching her destination, so she would be prepared when she arrived. Stanley was well-equipped for the task, as he ran a boutique private investigation business, working for a high-priced clientele.
The sun was low in the sky as Beth's plane approached its destination. One moment the small aircraft was flying just above the snow-capped peaks, and the next moment the peaks had dropped away, revealing the open valley below. The pilot banked the plane and turned it onto a path perpendicular to the airport. Beth looked down, and even in the fading sunlight, could make out one other plane on the runway.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the pilot's voice came over the intercom, "we're going to be circling here for about 15 more minutes. That is Senator Chappelle's plane down there. The tower has told me he is saying a few words to reporters about his reelection campaign, plane-side. It will be a few minutes until they move his aircraft. Sorry for the delay."
She was anxious to be on the ground, where she could speak with Jack and Ross, who would be picking her up. Beth had been traveling for over six hours, between her drive to the Baltimore-Washington airport, a flight to Denver, and this connecting flight to Meachville. The flight had given her time — too much time — to ruminate over her failing relationship with Conner, and over the unanswered questions about her powers.
Beth distracted herself during the layover in Denver by downloading Stanley's information about Wynton, a town with an odd mix of artsy and blue collar. ArangoSoft, a software developer, was a big employer, but the company's best days were behind it and the number of employees had dwindled.
The rise of another company, WarTech, saved the town as ArangoSoft diminished. WarTech was a military subcontractor, known for its research and development division. With its one-thousand employees, the company was dwarfed in size by the behemoths of the industry, but it was on a hot streak, creating some of the most innovative weapons and defenses in the field. WarTech was now the biggest employer in the area, by far. A Wynton native had started the company, and it had skyrocketed in value.
ArangoSoft was still around, though, and had hired Jack and Ross as programmers after their graduation from college. They had moved to Colorado, eager for a new start and not deterred by the company's bleak outlook. Eric had followed them, putting his own programming skills to use as an independent contractor.
As Beth thought back to Stanley's report, the plane started its descent. By then, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains to the west. The descent was steep and fast, and minutes later the plane touched down, taxied, and rolled to a stop on the tarmac.
She watched as workers rolled a set of stairs to the side of the plane, and a few minutes later she and the ten other passengers disembarked. As Beth descended the stairs, the Colorado air bit through her clothes, and she pulled her long black overcoat tight around her.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, her bags already sat on a large cart. Beth remembered a flight to Florida just over a month ago, when she had hidden Sapphire Angel's costume in her luggage, worried she might not be able to perform her mysterious transformation and summon her costume onto her body if she were far from home.
Her decision ended in disaster, with an enemy discovering her costume. The enemy later captured and brutally interrogated Sapphire Angel, forcing her to confess her secrets. The heroine eventually turned the tables, and a week later she tested and confirmed the ability to transform far from home.
Beth retrieved her bags and made the short walk across the tarmac to a small hanger. The hanger felt like the inside of a small bus terminal, with aluminum walls and a metal roof, and large heaters hanging from the ceiling. A handful of metal benches sat in the middle of the room, looking like they'd been there for decades. On the bench closest to her, two young men perked up when they saw her.
"Beth!" they both exclaimed in unison and rose to their feet. Jack, the shorter of the two, stood to the right. He was of medium build, with straight black hair in a bowl cut, and wire-rimmed glasses. His face was stern, which she would have attributed to the circumstances if he didn't always look that way. He wasn't an unhappy fellow, but had a dry sense of humor and a serious outlook on life.
Ross stood at his side, with a big grin on his face. He was a few inches taller than Jack, and a bit more round, although not fat. Permanent dimples were set in his cheeks, and an unruly mop of blonde hair sat atop his head to complement his twinkling eyes.
They approached her, and the three of them embraced in a group hug.
When they separated, Beth said, "Thanks for picking me up, guys."
They both smiled and Jack replied, "We should thank you. You're the one who came all this way."
She eyed them as Jack spoke. Neither of them had changed a bit since graduation. Jack still looked like he took life much too seriously, and Ross appeared to be the exact opposite, with an energy bubbling up just under the surface. But the energy was subdued, and they both looked exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes.
"You guys look wiped out," she said. "Have you slept since I talked to Jack this morning?"
They both shook their heads, sticking their hands in their coat pockets and looking at the ground.
"If we don't find him, nobody will," Ross said, his voice low. "What you said about the first hours being so crucial stuck with us. We've been afraid to catch up on our sleep. We've been walking the streets of town, driving around, just looking everywhere. And Jack called Eric's stepsister. He's not there, and she didn't seem to care too much."
Beth nodded, regretting telling them about the importance of the first few hours. It was true, but hadn't done them any good. They wouldn't find Eric by looking around.
"My body is still on East Coast time," she said. "There's not much we can do tonight, so let's head back to your place and you can fill me in on all the details on the way, and then we can get some rest."
"Okay," Jack said. "We've changed the sheets on Eric's bed. You can sleep there."
He bit his lip and looked down, as if just saying the words reminded them all of Eric's disappearance. She vowed to herself she would do all she could to find him.
End of Chapter 7
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
(sigh) On one hand, the police wouldn’t do “Jack”-squat (no pun intended.....or was it?), so calling in Beth was the next best thing; it’s been made clear that she was particularly close to the trio during their college years. On the other hand..... POOR CONNER!!!!!! 😭
Another brief recap: ArangoSoft, tech company, Jack and Ross hired, not that big anymore, staff dwindling. WarTech grew instead in its place. Of course war catches peoples’ attention more than actual advancement. Very true, but also very tragic at the same time.
Senator Chappelle’s plane is currently on the runway, and he’s giving words about his re-election campaign. Maybe he’s one of the reasons why Mantis hates America, kind of like how Wheldon hated the President? Or maybe Mantis is a former ArangoSoft employee and he’s only pretending to work with WarTech in order to bring them down and make ArangoSoft well-known again.
Eric Stump’s been kidnapped and taken to be question by two men, one named Gregor. I assume no relation to MacGregor Lockheed. Then again, I could be wrong on that.
Also, neat reference to Raven Tristan near the middle of the chapter. Although.....after what she did at the end of the previous novel, I wouldn’t classify her as an outright “enemy” anymore. More like a very difficult ally.
Is there any way I can get the full novel? I’m worried I’m going to reach the last available chapter, and then forget everything that happened while waiting for the next one to be posted. The reason I was able to keep up with the last two novels was because everything was already posted and I could instantly move to the next chapter whenever I was done, without any delay. Soon, though.....it looks like I won’t be able to do that.