Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (Book 4)
Savage Vengeance (Book 5 - this story)
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 20
Wayne Steele’s business empire occupied several buildings scattered about the city, with his IT department housed in an office building in the south end of the downtown. The tall stone structure overlooked a tree-filled courtyard next to a well-lit main road. Stone’s footprint took up half of the first floor, with two other businesses inhabiting the rest of the level.
Sapphire Angel had entered the building through a side entrance off a quiet street, using one of Stanley’s devices to make quick work of the door. Inside the silent building, she crept down a dark access hallway, easing one of her supermodel legs forward, pausing to listen, and extending the other leg. Her senses were alive. She wouldn’t be distracted and caught by surprise tonight, like she had with the car thieves.
As she tiptoed forward, her short white skirt shifted and brushed against her slender thighs. She felt powerful and strong, as she always did when wearing her tight costume, which caressed her lithe body with its vibrant fabric. The iconic outfit reminded her of who she was. A superheroine.
Her earlier doubts had faded with a simple realization — she was unbeatable. Her recent victories over the gang had helped her appreciate just how indestructible she was. And she was the same heroine who had been on the verge of defeating Maximus Savage before he slipped away.
But still the words nagged at her. You’re a fraud. You’re not worthy. Those doubts no longer had anything to do with her ability. They arose anew because of her suspicion that Stanley was hiding something from her. Hiding something about her origins and powers. Why was he doing it? She couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he possessed information — information that would show she wasn’t worthy of her tremendous power.
Her power was unrivaled, but it had been given to her for no discernible reason. Why her? She had done nothing to deserve it. Would someone else with these powers be more capable? Achieve even more good? Not let Savage escape? That escape, perhaps, was the root of her horrible dreams, and the root of her doubts. Tonight was her chance to rectify her failing. To end her nightmares. To end the gang. To prove herself worthy of her abilities.
She gave a determined nod of her head, causing her silken hair to shift about her face. It was time to focus.
These halls reminded her of the halls of the Office of Corporate Oversight, where Conner worked. A pang of longing filled her heart at thoughts of her boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend. She shook her head and gritted her teeth. Focus! There would be time for self-pity after she had driven the gang from her city. She was getting too distracted by unimportant thoughts.
She passed a door on her left and another on her right — the two other businesses — and spotted her destination ahead. The rear entrance to Steele’s IT suite consisted of a steel door with a deadbolt, and a keypad mounted on the wall next to the door.
Sapphire Angel tested the door to confirm it was locked, before pulling a small metal cylinder from her boot — the same cylinder she had used as a weapon during the fight at the rally. She put one end of the cylinder up to the deadbolt, pressed a button near the base, and waited. The cylinder whirred and a moment later, the lock made an audible click. She returned the cylinder to her boot and pressed the handle to open the door. She crept in and eased the door closed behind her before locking the deadbolt.
Sapphire Angel scanned the wall and found the alarm panel, pulling out her cylinder again. According to Stanley, the alarm couldn’t be disabled remotely, but he had programmed her cylinder to handle it.
As she studied the panel, though, she frowned. A green light shone from the device, signifying that the system wasn’t armed. A realization hit her. She spun and froze, peering through dim light provided by wall sconces. Someone else might be in the building. Perhaps Savage himself.
She saw and heard nothing. She imagined Stanley’s voice in her head. Turn back. Leave. You might not have the element of surprise.
Sapphire Angel shook her head. No. There might not be another chance to take down the gang leader, if in fact he was here. And he had no way of knowing she was coming, so she could still surprise him. She couldn't pass up this chance to correct her failing at the rally. If he was here.
The steel door stood to her left, and a dark hallway stretched to her right, ending at a door fifteen feet away. Halfway to the door, another corridor branched off to the left.
She tiptoed down the hall and tried the door at the end. It was unlocked. Peering inside, she eyed an office. The desk was clear, and hooks marred naked walls, as if someone had removed any personal effects. The impersonal nature of the place made sense. Hammer had hidden away his employees and their families, and wouldn’t want to make it any easier for Savage to identify them.
The costumed heroine stepped back out into the hall and backtracked to the other hallway. It stretched ahead, passing small offices on each side before ending in another door. The doors to the offices were open, so she glanced into each one as she passed, seeing they were like the first office, with bare walls and no personal effects. She stopped at the closed door at the end of the hallway.
This was it. She readied herself, taking a deep breath before easing the door open. The door opened onto a ten-foot wide landing, looking out over a sprawling room. The landing ringed the room, with three steps leading down into a large, sunken area containing sofas, chairs, and a few desks. Two pedestals stood at the top of the steps in front of her, on either side, with a decorative bust atop each one — former governors, perhaps. The front door was across the room, opposite the heroine.
In the sunken area, a handful of candles flickered atop a few of the desks and provided the room’s only illumination. Lit candles. That was the first sign she wasn’t alone.
The second sign was the muscular figure looming among the desks, bent over a computer keyboard. His back was to her and he stared at a computer monitor. Maximus Savage. Without him even turning toward her, she knew, deep in her core, that it was him. He had beaten her here.
The man’s shoulders tensed, as if he sensed her. A moment later, he rose to his full height and turned toward the superheroine. Somehow, he looked even bigger than during their first encounter. His musculature made a mockery of his body armor, as his body seemed more stout than any synthetic material. His mismatched eyes gleamed at her, appearing devilish through the red eyeholes of his mask. A malicious grin spread across his face. He was ready.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (Book 4)
Savage Vengeance (Book 5 - this story)
.....This definitely can't be it, right? No way we're about to already face off against Savage with >60 chapters remaining. There's so many ways I could imagine this action scene going: she could defeat him and take him to jail, only for him to reveal that he still has reach and influence on the Savage Gang even from behind bars, he could prevail over her and bring her to Augustus Bell so Bell can have his "respect", only for Sapphire to stage a breakout of some kind, Sapphire could utterly wreck Savage and make up for her performance last time (somehow I doubt this, though)......dang.
Or Sapphire's allies, the FBI, and Steele & the Justice Seekers could all show up just when Savage has Sapphire on the ropes, and just fill him full of lead until the next morning or something. Can't believe Savage fell for the lure, though.....but knowing him, he definitely has backup waiting somewhere around the chamber; it wouldn't be like him to face Sapphire completely on his own unless he wanted to preserve his pride or something else along those lines.
I get that there's obviously a fantasy element to it with Sapphire and her superpowers, but I feel like those voices in her head and those constantly-repeating lines can hit home for people with low self-esteem. Those who think they have nothing to offer the world simply because they don't have enough confidence in themselves. Sure, confidence can go a long way.....but people have to get it first. It's kind of why I'm hoping this upcoming confrontation DOES go in Sapphire's favor, so she can at least start the process of pushing said voices out of her mind. But, seeing as we still have quite a ways to go, I'm guessing that won't be the case.
Let's get it on!