We last read Chapter 14, in which Xavier Wheldon first learns of Sapphire Angel’s appearance at the shooting site, and her defeat of his shooters. He considers having Raven Tristan focus her efforts on the superheroine, but decides they need to deal with Beth Harper first. Wheldon has a video-conference with several other men, and we learn that Chief Biggins is working with or for the men, and that the men are involved in the disappearance of Bud Tanner, who Wheldon is forcing to do some sort of work. The goal of these men is currently a mystery.
This is the second story, so if you want to start from the very beginning, you can jump over to book 1, and begin with the Prologue of Sapphire Angel, Superheroine. Or to start at the beginning of book 2 (this story), click over to the Prologue of Power Play.
Thanks for reading!
"What can I do on my end to help?" Stanley asked Beth from across his desk.
"Can you dig up information on the police chief up there? Biggins is his name. The OCO investigator and I paid a visit to him, to find out more about the shooting, and he was anything but helpful. He was hiding something. He claimed the investigating officer was on vacation indefinitely, which is way too convenient. Sapphire Angel is paying a visit to his office after hours tonight, to dig around a bit."
"I'll see what I can find about him, but you need to be careful. You can't have Sapphire Angel run afoul of the police. Don't let anybody see you."
"I understand the risks. I need to take some chances, though. This deal is going through by the end of the month, barring any objections. I need to find out what's going on before time runs out."
"Beth, this started with your saving Bud Tanner, and now it sure sounds like you've appointed yourself the arbiter of whether the StarPrime purchase of Echo should go through."
"I know it's not my job, Stanley," Beth said, shaking her head and balling her fists at her side. "But... do you remember how John always said I rushed to help victims, even before I was Sapphire Angel?"
"Yes," Stanley said. "I think he used the term, 'butting in.'"
"Yes," she grimaced. "That's part of it. Maybe even the main part. But there's more to it. This will sound trite, but I can't let bullies or bad guys get away with things. People like Olivia Lockheed. Or her dad. I hesitated to use my powers once before in the past, and it ended up with John dead, and Ethan almost dead. So this is more than Bud Tanner, and more than the shooting, too. If Olivia Lockheed is looking to ramrod this deal, somebody needs to look out for what's right." Beth finished with a firm nod, and her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"And that someone would be you?"
"Yes!" Beth exclaimed, nearly rising out of her chair. "If I uncover wrongdoing, maybe Sapphire Angel can do something. Or at the very least, if there's a reason the Echo sale shouldn't go through, I can shine a light on it by writing about it. That would force the OCO and others to do their damn jobs. Uh, darn jobs."
Stanley sat back with a long sigh as Beth blushed at what, to her, were strong words.
"Beth," he began, "I admire your tenacity. I really do. And I admire how you protect others. But you also need to think about yourself. You can't make yourself the self-appointed protector of the world. That's a heavy burden, even for Sapphire Angel."
"If I don't do it, who will? In this case, nobody. At least not with Olivia Lockheed around."
"Then perhaps it just doesn't get done. Sometimes bad stuff happens. You can't stop it all."
"I know I can't. But this is something I can stop, if I find out it needs to be stopped. And maybe not even as Sapphire Angel, but as Beth. Aren't you curious about what is really going on? Why there was a shooting near the club? Why someone shot at Conner and I? Why someone tried to abduct Tanner? Why Biggins is hiding something about the shooting?"
"Yes, I am. It bothers me, too. But I'm more worried about you. Sapphire Angel and saving the world can't be your whole life. You need to live your life."
"Now you sound like Ethan."
"That's because we both worry about you. I just worry more because I know you're Sapphire Angel."
"I wish he knew," she grumbled.
"You're doing him a favor."
"I guess. But he would be great to talk to about it. A sounding board. I'll be seeing him tonight at a bar, before heading out as Sapphire Angel. I wish I could just whisper my secret in his ear."
Stanley shook his head and sighed.
"If you didn't let Sapphire Angel be your entire life, you wouldn't have to tell him. Live for yourself, not for Sapphire Angel. You haven't even been on a date since John died."
She always found it odd when he urged her to move on from his son. He was right, of course, but he would never understand how Sapphire Angel helped fill the void inside of her caused by John's death. Her alter ego offset his death by making her feel alive. Ethan might understand.
"I know, Stanley," she said, her voice soft. "And it won't be my whole life. But I can't drop this now. There's something big here, and I have to see it through to the end."
She and Stanley locked eyes, and an understanding passed between them. Beth Harper, newly minted writer for an online webzine, would be the de facto overseer of the StarPrime-Echo Energy deal.
Stanley gave a slow nod. "I'll do whatever I can to help. Now go meet your friends."
The music wasn't pounding like in some establishments, but the patrons still needed to speak in raised voices to hear one another. One raised seating area had been cleared, where a DJ stood behind his board, mixing tunes. The music bounced off bare walls, and rattled around metal scaffolding in the ceiling of the industrial-styled bar. By day this place was a popular restaurant, but by night it transformed into a downtown hotspot.
Beth would have preferred to be curled up with a good book, but she hadn't seen enough of Ethan lately, and needed to start getting out again. She scanned the crowed, spotting Ethan and a group of friends at a table near the center of the room. Or at least they were what passed for friends here in Harrisburg. She had yet to forge any close relationships, except with Ethan. Her secret double life limited her social opportunities.
She weaved through the crowd toward them. Many of the men in the bar watched her, like caged hunters eying their prey. She reached the table and sat in the chair at the end of the table, next to Ethan.
"Hey, you made it!" he said, grinning and raising his voice over the din.
Beth smiled and nodded. "I told you I was coming."
"Hey Beth," one of the other girls called out and waved. She was a tall, thin brunette, with big dimples.
"Hi, Kelly," Beth smiled back. The two other girls next to Kelly were engaged in a conversation and hadn't noticed Beth's arrival. By the looks of it, their conversation involved scoping out guys in the bar.
She followed their gaze and groaned. About ten yards away, Nick Hunt stood among the crowd. She had eaten lunch with him once, in his role as a source for one of her stories. She hadn't even considered it to be a date, but he had hounded her ever since, repeatedly asking her out. He noticed her before she could look away, smiled, and hurried right to her.
"Hey gorgeous," he said, raising his voice over the din. He opened his arms and bent down towards her for a hug. Beth hesitated, but stretched up toward him. As they got close, he moved to plant a kiss on her lips. She turned her head as they embraced, and the kiss landed on her cheek. She gave a feeble hug while he held her tightly. When he released her, she sank back into her seat and forced a smile.
"Can I get you a drink?" he inquired as he pointed to the bar.
"I'm good, thanks," Beth replied with a shake of her head.
"I've been here about 30 minutes," he offered.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Beth couldn't find words he wouldn't somehow twist into some sort of sign, as he always did.
"I was just catching up with these guys," Nick continued, gesturing over his shoulder toward his friends.
"Oh, I don't want to interrupt," Beth said.
Nick let out a laugh. "No, no, that's fine. I can catch up with them any time."
He looked at her, and she saw the desire in his eyes. She squirmed and glanced down at her hands, saying nothing.
"Do you want to go find another table and talk?" he asked.
"I'm not staying long, so I'd better not," she answered, taking a quick glance around for her friends. All of them except Ethan had moved to the other side of the bar, toward another group of guys. Ethan still sat to her right, but a pretty blond girl had claimed the other seat next to him, and they leaned toward each other in conversation.
Nick frowned and said, "You sure you don't want a drink?"
She bit off a sigh, before answering, "How about a Diet Coke?"
Without hesitation, he bounded to the bar and fought his way through the crowd. She turned, looking for an escape, but found none.
Quicker than expected, Nick returned with her drink and handed it to her. "Thanks," she said, and took a sip.
"You sure you've been doing okay?" he asked, showing concern in his eyes. She looked up, met his gaze, and nodded. She didn't doubt his concern, so she felt guilty about her brevity. But in the past, he always took innocent statements from her and interpreted them as romantic gestures. Perhaps if she hadn't met him shortly after John's death, she would have found him interesting, and his stalker-like tendencies would never have come to light.
"I'm fine. You?" she asked. His eyes lit up at her question.
"Doing okay. But I'd love to see more of you. We could go out again," he said, leaning in toward her.
"Nick, we've been through this. You're a great guy, but I'm just not ready yet." She should just tell him outright she wasn't interested in him, but Beth couldn't bring herself to reject him so harshly.
His shoulders sagged, and a pained expression crossed his face. "Okay. Just remember that I care about you."
"Thanks," she murmured, looking down.
"So, write any interesting stories lately?" he asked.
Beth was happy to turn the conversation away from his interest in her. She told him about a former addict turning over a new leaf and working with a family he previously robbed, helping their oldest son fight addiction.
Nick listened intently as she spoke, leaning forward, nodding, and asking questions. He was getting clingy again. She needed to end this talk soon, before it got worse. Ethan had finished speaking with the blond girl, so she needed to act fast before he turned his attention elsewhere.
"You always have such passion for helping the little guy," Nick said. "Where did it come from?"
She wanted to say, "It comes with the territory when someone possesses incredible powers and fights crime." Instead, she shrugged.
"So... " he began, his voice trailing off as he occasionally looked at her. "Any chance you want to get out of here, maybe go grab a slice of pizza, so we can talk?"
"I— Nick, I really need to talk to Ethan about a few things. Sorry."
"No problem," he answered, looking crestfallen and wearing a forced smile. He stood still, as if waiting for her to say more. When she didn't, he gave a feeble wave goodbye before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
"I am so sorry," Ethan said when she turned to him.
"You don't need to be my protector," she said, resting a hand on his arm.
"I know, but I shouldn't have let you there by yourself. He can get creepy."
"He's mostly harmless. I'm just upset he sucked up all my time here. I need to get going."
"Already?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm beat. I need to get to bed."
A look of guilt crossed Ethan's face, which sent stabs of her own guilt through Beth. She had lied to him again. Beth held out a reassuring hand.
"Ethan, it's okay," she said, leaning over for a hug. After a few moments she pulled back and lowered her voice as she gestured with her eyes toward the blond woman, who stood with some of her friends a few feet away. "Talk to her again. Please. She's pretty. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
He nodded in contemplation as Beth waved and stepped away. As Beth passed the blond woman, Beth leaned in toward her.
"He's awesome," Beth said, gesturing back toward Ethan, before turning away and heading for the door. It was time for Sapphire Angel to get to work.
As the music of the bar pounded, Raven Tristan watched Harper from the corner. She had noticed the blond girl's discomfort during her conversation with the unknown man. He had an obvious interest in her. As several other men cast admiring gazes toward Harper, Tristan cursed the fates for her own dumpy body.
After Harper extricated herself from the unknown man and talked for a few minutes with Ethan Moore, she headed for the door, pausing briefly to say a few words to another pretty woman. Tristan waited a few moments before exiting the bar in time to see Harper entering the parking garage across the street. Tristan headed in the other direction, rounding the corner and approaching her car, parked on a side street. Once behind the wheel, she looked at her watch, giving Harper enough time to find her car.
After four minutes passed, Tristan started her car and pulled away from the curb up to the stoplight. The light turned green, and she turned back onto the main street, passing the bar. She slowed and pulled off to the left, in front of a fire hydrant. Twenty seconds later Harper's vehicle pulled out of the garage. Tristan eased back out into traffic, allowing a car to get between her and Harper. The pursuit was on.
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1) Yep, she is immune to bullets. It does take a special person, even one with powers, to put his/her own life on the back burner to help others. It can be an overused trope (the whole "hero struggling with normal life"), but I think the reason it is a trope is because that is exactly what would happen to someone who would use powers to help others. Think of the strain on law enforcement, and how that can affect their lives.
2) One hard part of a story like this with a "conventionally attractive hero," or any movie or TV show with the "beautiful people," is that it creates an unrealistic portrayal of the world. I think the vast, vast majority of the world is closer to Raven, you, and me. And I think we all look at others and have our own flaws reflected back at us, because we use those other people as a standard. I read something once that talked about a study, where they looked at people who were self-conscious about a condition or their appearance (which is pretty much everyone), and found that the person in question was always much more aware of their own perceived shortcomings than people around them. That's not to say that things aren't real or are invisible, but the gist of it was that we're all so self-conscious of our own issues, that we're not too aware or concerned of things with others. And my own personal observation is it can make someone else more relatable, real, and interesting. I once had periodic issues with acne when I was younger, and in a weird irony, I always did much better with the opposite sex when I thought I looked like terrible. It was almost like people appreciate the genuineness, or something. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
1) I absolutely love the scene between Stanley and Beth at the beginning. Both of them raise very solid points; Beth does need to look out for herself and not get into too much trouble, but at the same time, she legitimately does have the power---both as herself and as Sapphire Angel---to help people who can’t defend themselves and to expose/combat the bad guys at every turn to make sure they don’t get away with anything. Heroes serve, defend, and protect; it’s what they do. If someone has powers and/or a high position, but decides to either not use them---or use them for evil---it’s a very tragic and heartbreaking waste. Besides, she’s immune to bullets (unless I’m missing something), so it’s not like she’ll have a huge chance of getting hurt, anyway.
2) The brief section where Raven stares at Beth and “curse[s] the fates for her [Raven’s] dumpy body” actually hit a little too close to home for me. As someone who doesn’t exactly look “normal” (I’ve got severe eczema and have constant itchy red patches all over my skin; I mostly use long-sleeve shirts and jeans), it’s easy to look at someone who has it easy and go “why couldn’t I have been made to be attractive like them”? In those cases, it’s easy to see them as “beautiful” and yourself as “ugly”, and it can be a really difficult thing to deal with. So yes, even though she’s on MacGregor’s side, the real-life insecurity implications are laid out perfectly.