We last read Chapter 57, in which Sapphire Angel sneaks toward Raven Tristan’s apartment, but Tristan watches her approach through a video surveillance feed. Sapphire Angel steps onto a hidden shock plate, which stuns her, before Tristan grapples with her, hoping to subdue her so she can reason with the heroine. The chapter ends with Tristan reaching for Sapphire Angel’s 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!
As Tristan reached for the necklace, she leaned forward, altering her center of gravity. Sapphire Angel wasn't out of the fight yet, swinging her leg across her body and flipping Tristan to the floor. Tristan rolled, scrambling to her hands and knees, only to see an uppercut coming toward her face.
Sapphire Angel launched the blow from the floor, but her punch still drove Tristan through the air, flipping her over a sofa ten feet away. Tristan ended up on her back, looking at a ceiling coming in and out of focus above her. A moment later she was looking up at the face of an angel hovering above her. An unsteady, angry angel.
"Oh, shit... " Tristan murmured.
A gloved hand flashed down toward Tristan, seizing the front of her shirt and hoisting her to her feet. Sapphire Angel whipped Tristan sideways, pinning her against the wall with her feet dangling off the floor. The heroine glared at Tristan, her free hand reared back for a devastating blow. Tristan focused on the fist, accepting her fate. She said nothing.
"Even in my current condition, I could still break every bone in your face," Sapphire Angel said.
Tristan believed her. The heroine still appeared weak and unsteady, but there was strength in her grip and it was growing by the second. Tristan closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to come.
A moment later, though, she was flying through the air again, smacking into the opposite wall and crashing to the floor. Tristan's head lulled to the side and she groaned, as the room flickered black, came back, and then dissolved into a haze. A moment later she felt her wrists being pulled together in front of her and cinched together. She glanced down through hazy vision and saw a plastic zip tie around them. Her ankles were next, as Sapphire Angel bound them with a second zip tie.
She closed her eyes to steady the spinning room. When she opened them, Sapphire Angel stood above her, hands on hips, a glare across her beautiful features.
"Now we can talk," the superheroine hissed, her voice quivering with anger.
Tristan groaned and murmured, "Yes. I want to tell you everything."
Tristan's answer seemed to surprise Sapphire Angel, as she hesitated before speaking again.
"How long has Wheldon been after me?" the heroine asked.
"Depends on what you mean," Tristan answered through a dry mouth, clenching her eyes and forcing aside her dizziness. "In the beginning, it wasn't Sapphire Angel. Beth Harper was Wheldon's target. He wanted to get something to use against you as leverage, so you'd drop your story. It was only later he became worried about Sapphire Angel."
Sapphire Angel stared down at her and seemed to ponder this information. The room was coming into focus for Tristan. Now that she could better see Sapphire Angel, Tristan remembered just how beautiful the woman was, and why she had been so jealous of her. No wonder so many men lusted for her. She was petite, with a slender build and enticing, subtle curves. Her prominent cheekbones framed striking blue eyes. Her straight blonde hair shimmered in the light as it brushed against her shoulders.
The costume gave her an added aura. Tristan remembered Harper being a pretty thing, but in the costume, she was breathtaking. It wasn't just the way the material hugged her body, or the way the short skirt revealed her supermodel legs. Tristan couldn't put her finger on it, but she projected a radiance far beyond the gleam from her costume.
"When did you learn my identity?" Sapphire Angel asked, interrupting Tristan's gawking. She was studying Tristan almost as much as Tristan was studying her.
"In Florida," Tristan replied. "I got into your room and found the costume in your bag. But I wasn't sure of things until I tracked you to your garage. Even then — even now — there are still some doubts."
Sapphire Angel raised an eyebrow, surprise on her face. She nodded but didn't speak.
"I screwed up," Tristan said, "But we can undo this!"
The urgency in Tristan's voice bordered on panic. She knew Sapphire Angel well enough to know the heroine wouldn't physically harm her, but there were other ways to destroy someone. And Wheldon loomed out there as the biggest threat.
Sapphire Angel narrowed her eyes. "Undo this? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means we can set things back to how they were. Wheldon will never know Beth Harper is Sapphire Angel."
Sapphire Angel frowned. "Don't mess with me. You've already pushed me too far."
"But it's true!" Tristan protested. "I can fix this. I only used the metal plate because you wouldn't have believed me if you got to me first."
"And you think I would believe if your little electrocution trap had worked? What is it with you and electricity, anyway? You're lucky I'm not the kind of person to just snap your neck."
"I know you're not. And I'm sorry. I just learned from the... questioning at the garage, that electricity had at least some effect on you. That plate at the door was the one piece of equipment I could get on short notice. I just wanted to talk to you, though."
"So you knew I was coming?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I probably understand you better than anyone. So, yes, I had a strong hunch you'd be coming."
Tristan's comment earned her a glare from Sapphire Angel, who said nothing.
"But I'm telling the truth," Tristan continued. "We need to talk if you want to undo everything."
"You expect me to trust you want to help me, after everything you've done? If you know me so well, you know I'm not that dumb."
"It's not to help you. At least not mostly. It's to help me. Wheldon is about to do something big. I don't know what, but it will be nasty. And he will drag me down with him. If I make things right for you, you can stop him."
"You're worried about going down with him, but you don't even know what he's up to?"
"Yes, I am. You don't understand him like I do. And with the people he's talking to — important people — you can bet his plans are big. You suspect it, too, because you wouldn't be after him otherwise."
Sapphire Angel paused, staring at Tristan for several seconds. "Let's say I agree with you about Wheldon. Why should I assume you can undo what you did? That seems like a fairy tale."
Tristan took a deep breath. "Wheldon got all of his information about you from me. He only saw photos of you when you weren't wearing your necklace. I took video of your confession, but never showed it to him. All I need to do is tell him I made a mistake."
Sapphire Angel frowned again. "A mistake? You're kidding, right? Beth Harper was dressed up in Sapphire Angel's costume by mistake?"
"Yes!" Tristan exclaimed. "Well, not by mistake. I can figure something out. You have no idea what a mind fuck your powers have on people, when it comes to your identity! It won't take much to sway him. Maybe I'll tell him I was convinced you were Sapphire Angel, so I put a costume on you to make my case. I could tell him I found it in your apartment and have since learned it wasn't yours — maybe you're friends with Sapphire Angel. Or maybe I found Sapphire Angel's hideout and took you to it. Or maybe I doctored the photos. Or commissioned a costume myself."
Sapphire Angel's frown deepened. She wasn't buying it.
"The important thing," Tristan implored, "is that I'll tell him I've since learned I was wrong. I'll tell him I possess concrete evidence I was wrong. I could say I saw the two of you together, or I saw Beth Harper when Sapphire Angel was spotted somewhere else."
"This is a joke, right?" Sapphire Angel asked. "You do realize he confronted me, don't you? With a photo of my costume, which I presume he got from you. He's now got one of my costumes hanging in his trophy case, thanks to you."
Tristan frowned. "Did you admit anything to him?"
She saw Sapphire Angel ponder the question and shake her head. "No, I didn't. But I didn't deny it either. Well, I did at first, but then I just sat there. I was too stunned by the whole thing."
"We can make this work. If I still have doubts, with everything that I know, can you imagine what doubts he has? I could tell him that you and Sapphire Angel are friends, and you didn't protest too hard because you were trying to protect her."
Sapphire Angel sighed. "This sounds absolutely ridiculous. Like wishful thinking. Just because we want him to believe this, doesn't mean he will. What makes you think there's even a remote chance he'll buy it?"
"I know the effect this identity thing has on people. It is massively powerful, even when things should be obvious. I know it better than you do, Sapphire Angel."
Sapphire Angel raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, but these are my powers. I think I know them better than you do."
"Not this one," Tristan said. "You've never seen it from the other side. I have. Even after I found your costume, I had doubts. Even after I had you chained to that car, I had a few lingering doubts. It wasn't until you confessed everything that the doubts went away — mostly. Before that, it wouldn't have taken much to change my mind. Even now, there's a faint hint of doubt. And that's in the face of the glaringly obvious. Hell, we're having a conversation about your identity, and still I'm only ninety-five percent sure about things."
Sapphire Angel frowned, but said nothing.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Tristan asked. "It's no crazier than your identity being secret in the first place. You don't even wear a mask, and your own family doesn't know Sapphire Angel and Beth Harper are the same person. Doesn't that seem odd to you?"
"Yes, it does," Sapphire Angel murmured.
"You should figure out what that's all about, by the way," Tristan said, giving the heroine a lecturing look. "When I questioned you, you said you didn't really understand your powers. I get it with the super strength and quickness. They could be a physical side effect of that experiment you mentioned, as crazy as it sounds. But the whole identity thing seems a little overly convenient to be a coincidence, don't you think? Why the hell would that have happened? Why haven't you dug into that?"
"I don't know," the superheroine said. "I mean, I sort of tried. But where do I start? Wikipedia? And it's not like I have a lot of free time. This dual life thing has been a little crazy."
Tristan could see how the question troubled the heroine, as if she knew there were deeper secrets to her powers, unknown even to her.
"The point is," Tristan said, "there is a serious mind fuck going on with that necklace, even when someone isn't around it. That's why this will work. Well, that and one other reason."
"What other reason?"
"I have a ton of influence with Wheldon. He didn’t even believe you were Sapphire Angel when I first showed him the evidence. It was only when I insisted. It was kind of like me putting my finger on the scale, to tip it in that direction. Now I just need to put my finger on the other side of the scale. I can use the photos on the tablet I gave him. I can remotely access them and change them, depending on the story I give him. I'll make them look less authentic, but not too obvious. Something he'd only see if I point it out to him. I’ll insist I missed them the first time, and that now I’m sure I was wrong about you.”
Sapphire Angel was nodding and chewing on her lip. "I'm not completely sold on the idea, but it might work...," she said, her voice trailing off. "What's in it for you? Just me stopping Wheldon?"
Tristan laughed, drawing a sharp stare from Sapphire Angel.
"Sorry. But I thought that would be obvious. You let me go and leave me alone. I won't breathe your secret to anyone. I was never in this for the fame. And, yes, you stop Wheldon, which helps me. Well, maybe. He might get busted, but if you stop him from doing anything bad, before he does it, maybe people won't be too interested in digging too deep and I can slip into anonymity."
"And how do I know I can believe you?" the heroine asked. "You don't exactly instill trust in people."
"Because I have something to lose, too. If I spill the beans about your secret, you have no incentive to leave me alone. I have plenty of dirty laundry of my own. Anyway, do you have a choice? Unless you're going to kill me, you have to trust I won't tell anyone. And I know you're not the killing type. So let's call it a draw."
Sapphire Angel paced around Tristan for close to a minute, turning back and forth. Occasionally she paused, hands on her hips, and stared down at the goth woman.
"Okay," the heroine finally said. "Make this happen. I'm sure you know how to get in touch with me, so let me know how you make out. But double cross me, and you'll end up behind bars."
"Remember, you have to stop Wheldon."
"From what?" Sapphire Angel asked her. "You're sure you have no idea?"
"I really don't. Just that it's something big. There's lots of chatter going on, and some of his bigwig friends are going to a gala at his lodge tomorrow night. The one you, as Beth, were invited to. I think something is going to happen tomorrow night."
Sapphire Angel stopped her pacing.
Tristan continued and said, "Why do you think he wanted you and Conner Bennett at his lodge? Because he likes you? If it was just Beth Harper, then maybe, yeah, as sport for some of his friends. But he wants both of you there so he can keep you under his thumb, and out of the way. Something important is happening there. So it's good you'll be there, with nothing hanging over your head. If I can make this work."
Sapphire Angel pulled a cylindrical device from her boot and tapped a button on it twice. A small blade extended from the end, which she used to cut Tristan's bonds.
"Get up and get to work on convincing Wheldon you were wrong about me."
Tristan pushed herself up, groaning at the pain in her head. She put a hand to the side of her face, closed her eyes, and groaned again.
"Okay, I will. I'll text you my number so — " she started to say, but stopped. Sapphire Angel was gone. Tristan took a deep breath and stood. It was time to try to undo the damage she had wrought.
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.
Ugh…..that was SO satisfying after the multi-chapter interrogation sequence earlier. Looks like Sapphire Angel and Raven are now…..”collaborating”……? Kind of…..? If there was ever a definition of “teeth-clenched teamwork”, it’d have to be this. Then again…..it’s probably more like blackmailing than cooperation. Let’s hope she can turn this around…..that “doubt aura” around the necklace is really working wonders, isn’t it?
Well I got that wrong! I thought she'd get the necklace. They'd talk, Beth would become empathetic, kind and sweet Beth, they'd work out a plan, and Tristan would give back the necklace. Didn't count on the "I'm going to give you a real once over" Sapphire Angel. I guess I'M pretty naïve! Glad the tables finally turned. Didn't see this coming. I give up. I'm not going to try and guess any more. I'll just go with the ride!!!!!