Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
VIOLENCE WARNING: The two stories in the Savage Gang saga, and especially the second story, involve a gang practicing extreme violence toward everyone — women, the elderly, the protagonist, etc. The stories contain mature sexual content and violence as well. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 18
The next morning, Beth sat in the kitchen at the home of Stanley and Betsy Devor, blowing on a cup of hot coffee. Betsy Devor flitted about, wiping counters, returning dishes and glasses to cabinets, and putting dishes in the dishwasher. Mrs. Devor was slender, with brown and grey hair pulled into a tight bun on her head. At first glance, she appeared to be in her late sixties, or older, because of her grey-streaked hair and the gentle, regal manner in which she carried herself. But her energy level, and the paucity of lines on her face, suggested she might be younger than she appeared.
"Are you sure I can't get you anything else?" Mrs. Devor asked, affection apparent in her voice. "Breakfast is important."
"No, thank you," Beth smiled. "I've already had a bite to eat this morning."
"Well, if you change your mind, don't be bashful. You know how Stanley is. He'll be in his office for a while, getting things just right."
"Yes, he will, Mrs. Devor," Beth said with a smile. "His cameras will be helpful when Sapphire Angel stakes out Chase Bentley's mansion tonight."
For a reason she wasn't sure, this woman was "Mrs. Devor" and her husband was just "Stanley." It had been that way from the beginning, when Beth had met them while dating their now-deceased son, John.
Mrs. Devor paused from wiping the counter and turned to face Beth. Lines of worry crossed her forehead, and she set her mouth in a thin line. After a moment, her shoulders sagged, and she spoke in a soft voice.
"It's a shame the police won't do more. I hate how you feel you have to put yourself in harm's way," she said, her voice cracking and her eyes tearing up.
"Awww..." Beth said, at a loss for words, and pulled a tissue from the box on the table and extended it toward Mrs. Devor. The sight of Mrs. Devor's emotions brought back memories of the last time Beth had seen her cry, fifteen months earlier at the funeral of her son, John. John had been Beth's boyfriend — practically her fiancé — but the incident that had given Beth her awesome powers had also killed John. Just the thought caused Beth to fight back tears of her own.
As Mrs. Devor dabbed at her eyes, Beth hardened her resolve to bring the Savage Gang to justice. It was a strange rationalization, but ever since John's death, Beth had felt a need to redeem herself — to prove herself worthy of the powers she gained when he died. Sapphire Angel was the outlet for those feelings.
Mrs. Devor took a deep breath, composing herself. "Now, now, I'm sorry. It's just hard seeing you put yourself at risk almost every day."
A pang of guilt stabbed at Beth. Was she being selfish? Was she living her dual life to ease her own conscience, while she caused pain to those around her? She bit her lip.
"It's going to be all right, Mrs. Devor," she said after a few moments. "Sapphire Angel has yet to find something she can't handle. I'm going to find this gang's home base, and take them out before they settle in the city."
Mrs. Devor reached across and took Beth's hand. "These men are vicious, Beth. You've seen the reports. I worry about you. Both about the danger, and about how you're doing. I forget sometimes I may have lost a son, but you lost someone you loved, too."
"Being Sapphire Angel helps me deal with it." Beth's voice was the one to crack this time, as she remembered John, and a different type of guilt stabbed at her. Although she would always love John, she had moved on and was in love again. Instead of Mrs. Devor resenting her, though, the woman seemed genuinely happy for her.
"Well, we're here for you, if you ever need anything. And I don't just mean gadgets for Sapphire Angel! We're here to listen, too, if you ever want to talk."
Beth tilted her head and gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you. I don't know if I could carry my secret alone, without you and Stanley, and Ethan and Conner. I just hate being a bother."
A stern look flashed across Mrs. Devor's face. "Beth! You are not a bother! We all made choices because of John's death. With the powers you received, you chose to become Sapphire Angel. With the settlement money we received, we chose to keep you as safe as humanly possible!"
The two women stopped their conversation at the sound of approaching footsteps. Beth looked up to see John's father, Stanley Devor, walk in, carrying a backpack. His unkempt hair shot everywhere, and his shirt was half tucked into his pants and half hanging out. His clothes had food and grease stains all over them. Beth fought to suppress a smile.
"I think we're all set," he remarked, his voice booming, as he plopped down next to Beth and set the bag on the floor at his feet. Even after all this time, Beth had a hard time associating his deep, powerful voice with his haphazard appearance.
Although Stanley Devor appeared frazzled and odd, he was a brilliant and capable ally. He spoke little about his past, but she had yet to see a problem he couldn't solve. Stanley was skilled with many gadgets and was an accomplished computer hacker.
He bent over and pulled a small round object, not much bigger than a marble, from the top of the sack. The object had a lens on one side, and a suction cup on the other.
"Pretty simple," he said. "Stick this suction cup onto a surface. It doesn't even have to be perfectly smooth. This lens rotates forty-two degrees in each direction. It has excellent low light performance, and a powerful zoom capability."
He reached into the bag again and pulled out a thin device containing a screen the size of a smartphone screen. "You can control the rotation with this, using this dial," he explained as he leaned over to show Beth the device. "This button at the top will take you to a split screen view, showing all the cameras at once. Just tap on the image you want to zoom in on. It has a range of about one hundred yards."
"Seems easy enough," Beth said with a nod.
"Oh, and this memory card will hold a few days' worth of footage. Battery life on one charge will be about ten hours. That should cover it. I hope it is enough."
"It will be plenty. I can't thank you enough."
Mr. Devor pulled an iPad from his bag. "I've loaded some satellite views of the property on here, in the usual app. I included some other photos to give you an overview of the place. I even located some of the building plans on the server of the general contractor who built the home."
Beth shook her head, grinning. This wasn't the first time Stanley had obtained hard-to-acquire information.
"I don't know how to thank you," Beth said, shaking her head.
Stanley stood, handing the backpack to Beth. "You can thank me by not thanking me! You're the one honoring my son by doing the dangerous stuff. I just spend some money I wouldn't know what to do with, anyway."
Beth took the backpack, stood, and placed it on her chair. She stepped over to Stanley and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
"I need to get to work, so I should head out. I'll let you know how it goes tonight. If I'm lucky, I'll not only stop them, but I'll also learn where their base is."
"Wasn't there something you wanted to discuss with Stanley, while we were away?" Mrs. Devor asked.
"Uhhh... " Beth stammered. She had wanted to ask him about her origins, and whether the name "Altor Unitas" sounded familiar to Stanley. After a mercenary had captured her — as Sapphire Angel — in Colorado, a scientist had questioned her about the name. Now, though, she needed to focus on the Savage Gang, even if Conner's lecturing words sounded in her mind. If I had to guess, I think you're almost happy the gang is here. It lets you put off finding out about yourself.
"I don't remember," she said. "So it couldn't have been important."
Mrs. Devor frowned, as if she didn't believe Beth, but Stanley seemed oblivious, looking past Beth with a faraway gaze.
Beth turned, walking toward the front door as Stanley and Mrs. Devor followed.
"Something tells me we might hear something on the news first," Stanley said.
"We'll see," Beth replied with a smile, before turning to open the door.
"Be safe tonight!" Mrs. Devor called out as Beth stepped outside.
Forward to Chapter 19 (link works after Chapter 19 goes live)
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
I want someone in my life who’s as caring and nurturing as Mrs. Devor. Despite her being John’s mother and Stanley’s wife, she reminds me more of a hospitable grandmother more than anything. I had thought that since Stanley was more directly involved this time around, that we might be getting a mention of John again sometime soon. And oh boy, I was not disappointed. I get that Beth feels the need to prove herself---that her gaining powers in the same incident that killed John was not a mistake---but will she ever reach a point where she thinks she’s proved herself enough? Or is that just some kind of never-ending drive to stay on the noble path and remain a hero for as long as possible? To honor John’s memory in everything she does? Either way, I can’t deny that Beth’s motivation for her heroism is touching.
Stanley continuing his role as “Mission Control” as per usual. His prowess with technology reminds me of someone in high school who used to be classmates with me. They knew so much about technology that they even surpassed the IT Department themselves! If a random student knew more about iPads, iPhones, and laptops than our ACTUAL technology team......that says a lot about the technology team. For the record, they barely ever responded to the students’ Help Tickets. 🤣
But at any rate, he (Stanley) is proving to be an amazing asset in this investigation. Hopefully with his help, we can gain more dirt on the Savage Gang either before, during, and/or after their attempted hit on Chase Bentley. If they try to, and are stopped by Sapphire Angel, that would make for an awesome action scene.....but only time will tell, I guess.
Loss.....I tell you, man, it is SUCH a touchy subject to deal with. Some people take it well, using that trauma as a motivator to do good and help others (e.g., Beth Harper/Sapphire Angel in your universe and Carla Rosenblood/Nightclaw in mine), while others are completely ruined by it and are determined to ruin other peoples’ lives as a result. John’s death pushed Beth to want to constantly prove herself, while Martha’s death firmly stuck Carla on the path of a superhero. I heard somewhere once that “we never truly understand death until it hits someone close to us”. And I don’t think truer words could ever have been spoken. Here, though, I believe you handled John’s death perfectly and weaved it into the story for several novels to great effect. It was all the way back in the first novel, but it still weighs heavy even now, both in and out of universe.
It may be getting too deep into fantasy rather than realism, but I wish there was a way for John’s spirit to visit her, like in a dream, a vision, a hallucination, etc. I get that she’s moved on, but I bet it’d give her a good push to have him show up and say “I’m proud of you” or something to that effect.
Now, let’s get going! Chase Bentley’s an actor; his mansion better look like it was ripped from the front cover of a magazine!