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 45
“I’m kinda torn,” Lockheed purred in the heroine’s ear as she continued to touch her. “This costume is spectacular, but it’s getting in the way. Is a hero still a hero without a costume?”
“You’re crazy,” Sapphire Angel whispered between breaths, still shocked at her situation, and with barely the strength to speak. She had come here expecting to dictate terms, or at least to strike a deal. But now this woman, who was in awe of her, was manhandling her and about to strip her costume from her body. The superheroine was powerless to stop her.
The stunning turn of events spelled doom, in more ways than one. Lockheed had been the superheroine’s last chance to find the Savage Gang. With this last hope extinguished, Sapphire Angel could see the sands in the hourglass run out. The Savage Gang would overrun the city in a few days, when reinforcements arrived, just as it had done everywhere else. She had failed against the gang, and Lockheed would now subject her to this ultimate degradation, forcing her to relive nightmares which still haunted her.
“No, I’m not crazy,” Lockheed said, sighing in her ear. “I’m not the one who runs around in a sexy little costume. And I’ve got a reason for what I’m doing, besides wanting to tame the mighty Sapphire Angel. You see, I’ve got a hidden camera recording all of this.”
Sapphire Angel froze at those words. Lockheed leaned in, nibbled on her ear through her hair, and whispered, “I really do want to work with you. I’ll even let you know what I salvaged from the explosion at the gun shop. But you need to know who is in control — me! This guarantees it, and it lets me have a little fun with the girl everyone desires.”
Lockheed kept one hand inside Sapphire Angel's costume, cupping one breast as she withdrew the other hand. She moved the free hand across the smaller woman’s body, groping and caressing her stomach, chest, arms, and buttocks. The heroine writhed on her tiptoes, cringing with each touch, as short, feminine whimpers escaped from her mouth.
As Lockheed’s hand moved to the front of her skirt and slid lower, Sapphire Angel twisted, squirmed, and let a squeal of protest, but she couldn’t stop the woman. Revulsion rose in her as she dreaded what was to come next.
“Has anyone ever made you cum in this costume?” Lockheed breathed, as her hand paused. “Or are you pure, like this pristine white skirt?”
Sapphire Angel continued to squirm, but there was no way for her to escape Lockheed’s touch.
“Come on. I have a few more toys over on the bed for you, so we can find out, but maybe without the costume first,” the FBI woman murmured in Sapphire Angel's ear, and reached above the superheroine’s head. She unhooked Sapphire Angel's wrists from the hook in the doorframe, but kept her prisoner's wrists bound.
Sapphire Angel lowered her arms in front of her, thankful to escape the pressure on her shoulders. Lockheed didn’t give her time to recover, though, seizing the smaller woman by the shoulders and pushing her through the doorway, past the garment racks, and toward the bed.
Sapphire Angel stumbled as Lockheed steered her to what seemed like an inevitable fate. The heroine could barely stay on her feet, let alone resist. Lockheed had played her perfectly, even if she had been oblivious to the heroine’s underlying condition. The FBI woman would strip her, and then what? Lockheed had made clear what she intended to do. But even worse, she might recognize Sapphire Angel's true identity, once the protection of the necklace and costume was gone. This would give the FBI woman even more control over the superheroine than she expected. The ultimate control.
As she thought of such a humiliating and devastating outcome, Sapphire Angel set her jaw in determination. She reached deep inside, searching for a reservoir of strength. But first she needed to steady herself. She focused her eyes on the nearest bedpost to try to stop the room from spinning, as her march toward the ultimate humiliation continued. The room still swirled, but she centered her vision on the bedpost, blocking out all else.
Just as she felt Lockheed shift her grip and prepare to toss her onto the bed, Sapphire Angel swung around with bound hands, using the last remnants of her fading strength. The sudden resistance caught Lockheed off guard, and both fists connected with the side of the dominatrix’s head. For once, the fates were with Sapphire Angel. Even in her unsteady state, the captive superheroine struck Lockheed with enough force to send the woman stumbling backward into the garment racks, where she tripped and fell to the floor. On her way down, Lockheed grabbed a rack, pulling it over on top of her and knocking an adjacent rack to the ground. As she hit the ground, her head thudded into the base of the nearest rack.
Sapphire Angel didn’t wait to see if Lockheed recovered. The weakened heroine stumbled to the bedroom door, her eyes scanning the undulating floor. She spotted the glint of her necklace and reached down, praying she didn’t lose her balance. After one failed attempt, her fingers closed around the chain, grabbing it and pulling it up level with the top of her boot, before stuffing it as far down inside her boot as her bound wrists allowed. She rose and teetered toward the patio door, trying to keep it in sight like a captain trying to moor a ship in choppy waters. She feared Lockheed would be on her at any moment.
Sapphire Angel staggered through the open patio door and gulped in the fresh night air, hoping to clear her head. With adrenaline pumping through her body, she barely noticed the drop in temperature, even in the absence of her necklace.
She saw her cylinder hanging where she had left it. She wobbled to it and grabbed for it. And missed. Even though it wasn’t moving, the device almost seemed to be trying to evade her, mocking her as her hand swung past it. She tried again, again missing. In her head, she imagined Lockheed recovering and coming toward her.
On the frantic third attempt, she caught the cylinder with one hand. Instead of griping it, she flung the cylinder away from her and held out her bound wrists, stretching her wrists as far apart as her bonds allowed. As the cylinder swung back toward her, its cable struck the rope between her wrists and looped around it, pulling taut.
She stole a look through the patio doors toward the bedroom, and saw Lockheed rubbing her head and extricating herself from the tangle of clothes and garment hangers. With dread rising in her, Sapphire Angel tugged on the cable, hoping it was secure around the rope binding her wrists. It held. She fumbled for the cylinder where it dangled from the rope, gripping it in her shaking hands. She reached her thumb for the end of the device, pressing the lowest button.
The cable went taught, and a moment later her body shot up through the night air. Sapphire Angel didn’t have the wherewithal in her current state to control her ascent, so she rocketed up toward the roof faster than she had ever ascended. If the rope around her wrists hadn’t been entwined with the cable, she would have lost her grip and fallen to the patio below. Instead, the cable pulled her along for the ride, bouncing her body against the side of the building like a ship buffeted by a storm.
When she reached the lip of the building, her momentum sent her rocketing over the edge and crashing down onto the surface of the roof. She didn’t have time to deactivate the cylinder, and it yanked her across the surface of the roof before smashing her into the thick pipe where the cable ended. Finally, she stopped.
It took her a moment to gather herself. She was in a helpless situation, laying on the roof, stretched out on her back with her wrists bound above her and pulled tight against the pipe. Her costume still hung loose from her chest, supported by her arms through the outfit’s armholes. She had to get moving. She didn’t think Lockheed had seen her ascend, but she couldn’t be sure. And the depowered heroine was starting to notice the cold.
Sapphire Angel sucked in a breath, before reaching out and fumbling for the cylinder. After she got her hands around the device, it took her five tries to press the sequence of buttons to detach the cable from the pipe. It released as if by magic, pulling clear not just of the pipe but of the rope around her wrists, retracting into the cylinder. She collapsed onto her back and groaned.
After taking a moment to collect herself, she took the cylinder and slid it into her boot. She stumbled to her feet and weaved toward the stairwell door. Her costume still hung loose and her necklace was stuffed in her boot, but she needed to get to safety before refastening the clasps or freeing her wrists. She reached the door, pulled it open, and started down the stairs, not bothering to lock the door behind her. Her knees felt like they were buckling with every step, but her head was clearing as the effects of the incense wore off, leaving only the dizziness from her concussion.
She didn’t pause when she reached Olivia Lockheed's floor, stumbling past it down the stairs. As she reached the next floor's landing, she heard the door above her open. She froze. Her condition was improving now that she was free of the incense, but in her current condition and without her necklace, she wouldn’t be able to handle Lockheed. The woman was fit and strong, and would overpower the superheroine again. Lockheed would carry her back to the room, strip her, and treat her like a plaything, gloating the entire time at her dominance over the invincible woman.
Footsteps clicked on the concrete floor above Sapphire Angel, like a gong announcing an approaching demon. She froze in the stairwell, holding her breath and leaning up against the wall to hide herself, in case someone leaned over the railing and looked down. Her entire body trembled with nervousness.
The footfalls continued, and Sapphire Angel's heart pounded. After a moment, she realized the steps weren’t getting closer, but were fading. A moment later she heard another door open — the door to the unlocked roof, most likely. The person had gone up, not down. The door closed.
Sapphire Angel waited a few seconds before opening the door on the landing and stepping into a deserted hallway, one level below Lockheed's room. She plodded down the corridor, glancing at doors until she found the door to a room for the hotel’s cleaning service.
Saying a silent prayer, she pushed the door open and found a small room filled with piles of towels and linens, but no people. She exhaled in relief, moved into the room, and shut the door behind her. Sapphire Angel looked at her bound wrists, wishing she wore her necklace so she could snap the rope.
Instead, Sapphire Angel retrieved the cylinder from her boot and fumbled with it, positioning it between her wrists. She pressed a button on the cylinder, and a short knife blade extended from the end. After a few seconds of hacking at the rope, her hands were free.
She tossed the rope onto the floor, before easing herself into a crouch and pulling her necklace from her boot. She rose, placing her hands behind her neck and fastening the necklace. As strength and steadiness flowed back through her body, she moved her fingers to the clasps of her costume and refastened them at the back of her neck. After a quick sigh, she held an unsteady hand up to the base of her neck, over her necklace, and closed her eyes. As she concentrated, a flash of light surrounded her. When the light subsided, Sapphire Angel was gone and Beth Harper stood in the room.
Beth balled her fists at her side and shook her head as humiliation settled in. She had just transformed to her normal guise to seek safety, fleeing out of her supposedly invincible superheroine persona. But now was not the time for despair. She wasn’t out of the proverbial frying pan yet. If Olivia Lockheed found her now, she might view Beth as a nice consolation prize, even if she didn't connect the dots between Beth and Sapphire Angel.
Beth slung her bag over her shoulder, moved to the door, and pushed it open a few inches. She saw a middle-aged man moving down the hall in the opposite direction. She waited while he stopped in front of a door, fumbled in his pocket, and slid his room key card into the lock.
After he stepped into his room, Beth teetered into the hallway, heading away from the stairs. She stayed near the wall, reaching a hand out for balance, even though her symptoms were better than they had been just a few minutes ago. The incense had packed a wallop, although it hadn't seemed to affect Lockheed. Of course, Lockheed wasn’t suffering from a major concussion.
As the bank of elevators came into view, images of Olivia Lockheed invaded Beth’s thoughts. Conner had dated Lockheed. Did he know of the woman’s secret life? Doubtful. Conner hadn’t known Beth’s secret until Beth had told him. Perhaps her boyfriend wasn’t the most observant man in the world.
Beth stepped up to the elevators and pressed the button. Seconds later, she was descending toward the lobby. Moments after that, she was stumbling toward the hotel’s front doors and hailing a cab for the ride home, her face still flushed with shame.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! That was an escape sequence if I’ve ever seen it. Lockheed’s a freaking creep, dude......what’s worse is that I’m 99.9% sure we haven’t seen the last of her, either in this selection OR the next one. Lockheed might have something resembling a collaboration going on with Beth, but I think this encounter just made any chances of a Lockheed/Sapphire Angel cooperation get shot to bits. Which is a shame, ‘cause the two of them could’ve really used each other. Sapphire could’ve used Lockheed’s ties to the FBI and her access to several bits of evidence, and Lockheed could’ve used Sapphire as a brilliant asset (not sexually) by using her brawn/fighting skill if the duo ever needed to rough someone up for information or intercept one of the Savage Gang’s missions. I get that Sapphire usually tries to avoid having to deal with too much excessive exposure, but I thought it might’ve helped them (at least a little) if they were to try and get together in a relatively “public” area (so Lockheed would be discouraged from doing anything to her) and talked things out.....maybe this whole sequence wouldn’t have needed to happen in that case. It’s clear that it’s mostly Lockheed ruining everything, but Sapphire just blowing her off with snide remarks instead of going “Who hurt you?” or something like that isn’t exactly helping, either. It’s weird, though, because they made this whole issue about Beth needing to continue as Sapphire because of her immense empathy......but she can’t see what Lockheed’s going through? I seriously don’t blame her, though; if I were at the mercy (or lack thereof) of someone like Lockheed.....let’s just say I wouldn’t have stopped at knocking her into the racks if I managed to escape.
Speaking of that, I had a VERY oppressive, overbearing dean of students during my time in high school, and let’s just say that he was basically a child-friendly version of Lockheed, but on steroids. FAT steroids; literally and figuratively. If you thought the past was terrible, with people of color being held as slaves, oh boy. High school was like having the students be held as slaves BY a person of color. It was THAT bad. It was like race-swapped bondage. He wasn’t nearly as bad (he definitely didn’t violate any of the students), but he was like.....no. If you were one minute late to anything, you’d get penalized for “tardiness”.....even if the doors were locked and you physically couldn’t get to your class on time because you had to go around. He would embarrass you in front of the entire cafeteria if he found out you did something wrong during lunch. You didn’t get lunch if you didn’t pay (unless you brought your own), and if you breached any of the school’s guidelines in the slightest of ways, he would (ahem) “call you into [his] office”, at which point you’d likely never be seen again for the rest of the day. Needless to say......thank goodness I got out of there. Currently in college and living a great life!
Lockheed was already spiteful and obsessed with Sapphire to begin with.....I wonder how much more she’d hate her if she exposed Lockheed’s secret life to Conner and further estranged him from her. That might ruin Lockheed’s collaboration with Beth as well, but......I don’t know. If I were Beth, I’d keep all of that a secret until the case with the Savage Gang is officially closed, THEN bust her to Conner once I no longer have any use for her. And then I’d laugh horrendously, like a bootleg Saturday morning cartoon villain.
Where can we even go to continue our adventures against the Savage Gang now? Not to mention that Sapphire’s made yet another threat apart from them.....guess we’ll see in a moment!