We last read Chapter 56, in which Xavier Wheldon informs his coconspirators that he has neutralized both Beth Harper and Sapphire Angel and that the group’s “project” will be ready in time. Meanwhile, Raven Tristan begins having second thoughts about her interrogation of Sapphire Angel, worrying both that Sapphire Angel will come after her, and that Xavier Wheldon’s plans, whatever they are, will drag her down. She starts to form an idea to correct the situation.
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!
The moonlight cast a glow on the parking lot below Raven Tristan's apartment as she finished outlining her plan. The moon had spent the night coming in and out of the clouds, as if Mother Nature couldn't make up her mind. Tristan's spirits were equally erratic, alternating between despondent and hopeful as she spilled her thoughts onto the computer screen in front of her. She always functioned better when she put her thoughts in writing.
Really, her plan wasn't much of a plan at all. Her strategy centered on Sapphire Angel. Tristan had to convince the superheroine she could fix things — that Tristan could get her out of the bind Tristan had created, if Sapphire Angel left her alone. Then she had to get Sapphire Angel to turn her attention back to stopping Wheldon. In short, Tristan needed to turn back the clock. She needed to get this whole mess back to how it had been before she had given Wheldon the ability to control the heroine.
As Tristan considered the best way to set her plan into motion, an alarm chimed on her laptop. It came from the security monitoring software she had installed on the machine. She normally ignored the alarm, since it sounded frequently. Given her current worries, though, she clicked the icon to open the monitoring program.
A view of the dingy back stairwell of her apartment building filled her screen. Although it was a common stairwell available to all residents, Tristan had started monitoring it, along with the main entrance, once she became worried about Sapphire Angel. Her pulse quickened as she watched the screen and saw the heroine in her shimmering blue and white costume ascending the stairs.
Shit. This had happened much too quickly. Tristan watched as the petite young woman marched up the stairs with a purpose in her step, but with one hand on the railing. Tristan narrowed her eyes, studying the heroine with an understanding possessed by nobody else. Sapphire Angel wasn't at 100%. Her steps, authoritative at first blush, lacked the grace for which the heroine was so well known. An occasional grimace crossed her face, and her footfalls were forced. But she looked pissed, and Tristan doubted she was in the mood to ask questions.
Tristan had planned for her possible, but could have used more time to ensure her victory in their inevitable encounter. If Tristan lost, and had to plead her case from a position of weakness, the heroine would think Tristan was lying to save her own skin. She needed the woman to believe her, which meant Tristan had to win. Even then, though, would Sapphire Angel ever trust her?
Tristan tapped another key combination on her keyboard and waited until she heard a brief chirp near the door to her apartment. She nodded to herself and tapped another key, killing the lights. Tristan grabbed a small metal box, the size of a pack of cigarettes, and moved to the door of her home office. She peered out toward the entrance door and waited, wondering if her understanding of Sapphire Angel's vulnerabilities would prove true.
Moments later, she heard faint noises coming from the lock to her apartment door. If Tristan hadn't been listening for it, she never would have noticed. As it was, her pounding heart almost drowned out the sound.
Tristan flipped open the lid to the small box in her hands to reveal a button. She watched as the door opened a few inches, and Sapphire Angel's thin form came into view, slipping through the opening and pausing in the doorway. Even in the dim light of the darkened room, the girl radiated an aura, as her hair and the fabric of the costume gleamed in the dim light. Sapphire Angel inched forward, before easing the door closed behind her.
Just a bit further. Tristan tensed and waited.
The superheroine extended a slender, toned leg, stepping forward into the apartment. As her foot hit the floor, surprise crossed her face, and she looked down. She flexed one leg and extended the other, ready to hop to safety, just as Tristan pressed the button. Sapphire Angel's jaw tightened as a surge of electricity slammed through her, rising from a metal plate hidden under a small carpet. She teetered like an unbalanced statue, one foot raised in mid-step, as the surge cascaded through her body. Her face contorted in agony and she opened her mouth, but no sound came from her lips.
Tristan watched, hoping it was enough. The surge would have been enough to take down an elephant, yet Sapphire Angel remained on one leg, her face clenched in pain. Impossible. Seconds passed, until finally the costumed woman toppled forward, off the plate, and sagged to her knees. She teetered for a moment, head down, with her chin resting on her chest and her long hair hiding her face. Her arms hung at her side, unmoving. Tristan held her breath, until Sapphire Angel finally fell forward with a groan and collapsed onto her stomach.
The goth woman watched with awe, barely able to exhale. She had her again. Once again Tristan was captivated by the sight of the mighty heroine sprawled out on the ground, her arms and legs extended askew around her as she lay face down, her hair fanned about her head, and her skirt bunched up to reveal even more of her long legs.
But then Sapphire Angel moaned and one of her arms felt along the ground, as if looking for a solid surface to ground her in reality. Tristan snapped to attention. The jolt would have killed a normal person, yet Sapphire Angel wasn't even unconscious. What was she made of?
In a panic, Tristan darted toward the fallen heroine, reaching her just as she turned onto her side, her back to Tristan. As Sapphire Angel pushed one arm underneath her body, trying to raise herself. Tristan dove to her knees and reached for the back of the superheroine's neck, fumbling for the necklace.
Sapphire Angel twisted, blindly throwing an elbow behind her. She connected with Tristan's chest, sending the larger woman onto her backside. As Tristan righted herself, Sapphire Angel lurched to her knees, almost falling again.
"We need to talk!" Tristan exclaimed. Both women started to climb to their feet.
"After... I take care... of you," the heroine said, her voice uneven. She held a gloved hand to the side of her head and blinked several times, like she was shaking out cobwebs. She stumbled as she rose to her full height, and there was a slight sway to her body as she waved an arm to her side for balance. Sapphire Angel was in bad shape, but she was standing, after receiving an overwhelming surge of electricity. Perhaps Tristan didn't know her as well as she thought.
"I don't want to fight you!" Tristan said. "Listen to me, please!"
Sapphire Angel ignored her and took an unsteady step forward, once again holding out an arm for balance.
"Please!" Tristan repeated. "I didn't want to hurt you again, but I didn't have a choice. You wouldn't have listened to me!"
"You're right," the superheroine said. "I'm... not listening. Until you're down. Then... you'll tell me everything."
"You have to listen now!" Tristan replied, urgency in her voice. "You're in no shape to fight me. That jolt jumbled your synapses. It caused massive contractions of your muscles. That means you're slow and weak right now. Probably weaker than me. So stand down and listen to me!"
"Not... a chance," Sapphire Angel said, her jaw set. The heroine swayed on her feet, but a fierce determination burned in her eyes.
With a muttered curse, Tristan's exploded forward, launching herself at the blond girl. Sapphire Angel's eyes widened, and she pivoted, but in her disoriented condition she was too slow. Tristan crashed into her, slamming the heroine backward. Tristan heard a wheeze as she landed atop the smaller woman and drove the breath from her lungs. As Tristan straddled the blond girl, she wrestled with her, reaching for her wrists and going for the pin. All the while, she kept one eye on the heroine's necklace. Tristan needed to end this fight now, while Sapphire Angel was still weak and disoriented.
She underestimated the superheroine, though. Sapphire Angel fought back, twisting and turning underneath her. The two women thrashed about on the ground, with Tristan trying to corral her opponent's wrists, and the weakened superheroine struggling to avoid being pinned.
Panic filled Tristan as she sensed the girl's strength and vitality growing with every passing moment. Sapphire Angel was healing faster than expected. Every second that passed tipped the scale back in the heroine's favor, and soon Tristan would stand no chance against her amazing might. Desperate, Tristan pulled one hand away, reared back, and swung a crushing blow to the side of the costumed woman's face.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, Sapphire Angel would have shrugged off the blow. But these weren't normal circumstances. The heroine was weak and dazed from the trap, and was only three days removed from the destructive effects of a brutal interrogation. She slackened underneath Tristan, her head lolling to the side and her arms going limp. Tristan seized her wrists, slamming them to the ground and pinning them above the girl's head. Sapphire Angel let out a brief whimper as she squirmed underneath her adversary.
"Gotcha!" Tristan said, breathing heavily.
Tristan sat atop the heroine's trim waist, bending in so she could pin Sapphire Angel's wrists down with one hand. She needed her other hand to finish this fight.
Their faces were close, and Tristan saw a mix of emotion in the girl's brilliant blue eyes. Disbelief, panic, despair, and utter dread — the look of a heroine who, just a week earlier, thought herself to be invincible, but now faced the devastating realization she was going to lose again, to the same person who had already destroyed her once.
Those eyes grew wider as Tristan extended a hand toward her necklace.
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!
I appreciate any comments or email.
I LOVE this Cliff-Hanger stuff! Always keeps me motivated to read on! Also, wow, Sapphire was brutal here…..she wanted Tristan DOWN. Then again….the woman did expose her secret, so I can kind of see why. It was also cool how she managed to bounce back from the electric trap, but it clearly did quite the number on her; it was the reason why her speech was a bit “broken” at times (containing lots of ellipses “….”), after all.
Let’s se where this goes!
I HATE this Cliff-Hanger stuff! I hope Beth is at least starting to learn she’s overly confident in herself and that she’s got to start thinking ahead. I used to train Young Sailors and Junior Officers. This part of her personality reminds of some of them! The suspense is killing me!