We last read Chapter 69, in which Xavier Wheldon meets with his co-conspirators, and explains how he will trigger a nuclear disaster with a laser that will breach a containment building at the power plant. The laser will originate from the tower on the land of the Pegasus Club. The breach should occur while President Andrews holds a press conference at the plant. Wheldon promises to take the fall for the men, should their actions be detected. Wheldon also tells the men that he is ready for Sapphire Angel — to “end her”— should she appear to thwart their plans. Meanwhile, Beth and Conner remain prisoners in a guest room, and the guards inadvertently and unknowingly thwart the plans of the butler, Oliver, to set them free. With no other options, Beth wonders if she should reveal her secret identity, so Sapphire Angel can try to save the day. The chapter ends with three guards stepping into the room, weapons drawn.
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 three guards kept their weapons leveled at Beth and Conner as they stepped into the room.
"Come with us," the guard in front said.
"Where?" Beth snapped.
He gritted his teeth and tensed, and for a moment she thought he might smack her.
"That's none of your concern."
He jabbed his gun in her direction and then at the door, as if to emphasize his point.
"Let me put my shoes back on," Beth said.
After he nodded, she returned to the bed and slipped her heels back on her feet and grabbed her purse. So this was it. They didn't have until morning after all. Would Wheldon kill them here, in the lodge? Doubtful. He would do it somewhere on the expansive grounds, most likely, or on a nearby property. Or possibly far away, to make their deaths even harder to investigate. Regardless of the location, she needed to act soon.
Conner moved next to her, and they headed for the door. When they reached the first guard, he ripped her purse from her hands and threw it onto the bed, before seizing her arm and pushing her through the doorway behind Conner. Conner looked back, pausing and balling his fists at his side, but didn't resist.
The guards directed Beth and Conner down the hall and to the stairs. Once on the stairs, Beth looked down on the foyer below, which was quiet and deserted. The lights were low, but bright enough to illuminate the large area. The guard was gone from outside the study. They fell in line down the stairs, with a guard leading the way, followed by Beth and then another guard. Conner was next, with a third guard bringing up the rear.
"To the front door," the guard in the rear commanded.
Beth plodded down the stairs, with each step feeling as if it was bringing her closer to her final destiny — death, or exposure of her identity. But she would have to do it. There was no other alternative. She would make her transformation before they reached the front door.
As the group reached the midpoint of the steps, the foyer went dark. Everyone paused, surprised. Beth knew immediately what had happened. Raven Tristan! It had to be.
Behind her, Conner grunted. Beth spun as a body careened down the steps in the darkness, smashing into the guard above her. Beth sidestepped, too late, as the two bodies crashed into her. Before the bodies swept her along, she spied Conner for an instant, his eyes blazing and his fists raised. He must have pulled the guard above him, swinging him into the guard above her. It was the only explanation.
As Beth fell, she saw Conner's face, shrouded in shadow. His eyes opened wide in dread as she and the two guards tumbled, a tangle of limbs, and collided with the guard below her. Beth and the three guards flipped down the steps together.
The foursome clattered down the steps, bouncing and crashing until they reached the bottom. Beth landed atop two of the guards, before bouncing off them and rolling to the floor.
Beth shook her head and pushed herself to her hands and knees. Two of the guards lay nearby, holding their heads and groaning. The third wasn't moving, with a bone protruding from his arm.
Amazed she was unhurt, Beth leapt to her feet. With only a quick glance up the stairs, she saw Conner's form in the darkness. They both hesitated, staring at each other, before sprinting in opposite directions. Beth ran for the front door while Conner bounded back up the stairs, two steps at a time.
The wooden front door of the lodge was large and heavy, and Beth gave it a mighty tug after turning the handle. It opened and the cool night air washed over her. She darted out onto the porch and hurtled down the steps. Shouts sounded behind her as the fallen guards gathered themselves.
Beth ran away from the lodge, with the moonlight her only guide as she hurried toward the outline of the forest, moving as fast as her dress and shoes would allow. Footsteps sounded behind her, dispelling any thought she had of pausing to discard her shoes, and running in her bare feet. As Beth ran toward the woods, she glanced behind her and saw a guard rushing after her. At least his gun wasn't drawn. If she could just make it to the forest, she could find cover and transform.
The woods loomed closer, and Beth heard the breathing and grunting of the guard as he closed the distance between them. He was better equipped for running than she was. She had admired the dress earlier, but now cursed it for slowing her down. If the guard got much closer, it would be very difficult for her to hide and transform, even if she reached the forest. She might have to do it sooner.
Just then, though, the first trees loomed over her. She bounded around a tree and lunged over fallen branches and brush. She angled to her right, hoping to throw him off her trail, and headed deeper into the forest and deeper into darkness. As she advanced, branches slapped against her body, and she stumbled and slipped as she lunged forward.
A huge tree rose out of the darkness a few feet ahead. Beth scurried around it, skidding to a stop as she nearly ran off the lip of a ravine. She looked down into darkness, before glancing back over her shoulder. She heard her pursuer crashing through the brush. Her head turned back to the ravine. In the darkness, and wearing a dress and heels, there was no way down. She was pinned in. This would have to do. She closed her eyes and held a fist to the base of her neck.
Before she could concentrate and make her transformation, the guard streaked around the tree, slamming into her. As he collided with her, she saw his face. It was the same guard who had first tumbled into her on the stairs. This time, though, his momentum didn't send her to the ground. As her arm flew away from her neck, the force of the impact carried her over the edge of the ravine, and into darkness.
Burning filled Conner Bennett's lungs, and tree branches scraped at his face in the darkness. He felt like he had been running for hours, even though it probably had been much less. After dashing up the stairs, he had wound his way through interior hallways, finally finding a back stairwell leading to an exit. A guard had pursued him the entire time, joined by another, so he had made his way to the nearby woods trying to find cover.
On two occasions he thought he had lost his pursuers, only to hear them closing in again a few moments later. At one point he had remained hidden long enough to overhear them mentioning Beth, and how the guard pursuing her hadn't returned. They had Conner outnumbered and outgunned, but he managed a smile knowing she was out there somewhere.
As he debated what to do, he realized his decision was simple. He couldn't accomplish anything wandering around the woods. He needed to get back to the lodge and find a way to get word to the outside world. His pursuers might not suspect such a move, either.
The forest was quiet around him, with no sign of movement. The guards were looking elsewhere or had given up the chase. Probably the former. He set off toward the lodge. Or at least he thought so. He had gotten turned around several times while evading his pursuers and wasn't sure of his location.
The woods grew darker as he plodded through them, and he wondered if he would ever find his way out. Then he saw the night sky ahead, took a few more steps, and spotted the lodge across a clearing. He sprinted forward, taking the straightest line toward the front door. He considered circling to another entrance, but time was crucial and he wanted to get out of the open as quickly as possible. The lodge had been empty when he fled, anyway, so his odds were probably the same regardless of which door he chose.
After crossing the clearing, he bounded up the steps. He eased the door open and stared straight into the faces of two guards in the foyer.
Before he could turn and run, the sound of two electrical zaps startled him, just as the guards tensed. His eyes followed them as they toppled forward, collapsing to the ground. They lay still. When he raised his head, he wasn't sure what to make of the sight that greeted him.
A woman, dressed in dark, goth attire, stood over the guards, holding a stun gun in her hand. She breathed rapidly as she looked up at Conner.
"There are more upstairs," she said. "They're out of commission, too. We should get these guys tied up." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out several strands of thin rope.
Conner stood dumbfounded. He finally nodded and said, "I guess you're Beth's contact on the inside, huh?"
"I am," the woman said. "Now let's get this done."
As Conner rushed forward to help, the woman turned her head toward him. "Have you and Harper figured out what's going on here yet?" she asked.
"Your boss is planning to create a nuclear accident," Conner answered. "He's got a laser weapon mounted in the tower on this property. If we don't stop him, many people, including the President of the United States, could die."
The woman's face paled, and her mouth opened without speaking.
"Exactly," Conner said. "We're running out of time. Can you get word to the outside? We don't have cell service."
The woman's face tightened. "They've blocked all outgoing communications. I might be able to override it, but it will take some time."
"Get on it," Conner continued. "And try to get word to federal authorities or someone about what is going on. Forget the local cops. I'm pretty sure the chief is dirty."
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm going to get to that tower and try to put a stop to this."
"That's a suicide mission," she said with a frown. "He'll have that place so well guarded you won't stand a chance."
"I don't see any better options at the moment," Conner said.
"Where's Harper?" the woman asked.
Conner tensed. "I don't know. Out there somewhere, I hope. We got split up."
The woman looked like she was about to say something, but paused and shook her head.
"Take one of their guns, and maybe this will be handy," she said as she handed Conner one of the stun guns.
Conner looked down at the device before taking it and giving the woman a quick nod.
"Thanks, and good luck," he said before rushing out into the night.
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.
It's time to start putting an end to this! Thank goodness Raven Tristan saved the duo and physicaIIy showed up to baiI Conner out.....it was smart of her to not reveaI her name, though, just in case something eIse went wrong. Looks Iike it's about time we start scaIing the tower and putting a stop to the weapon; hopefuIIy Beth/Sapphire can join us at some point. Now that Conner has a stun gun, I THINK he has a chance against the guards....? He just needs to remain out of sight a Iot of the time and onIy shoot them down if he has an opening.
And here I thought MY stories had high-stakes situations.....