Superheroine - Chapter 17
Fizzure Laboratories paid its scientists well. Or at least it paid its lead scientist well. As Stanley drove through Philip Gruden’s neighborhood, Sapphire Angel marveled at the beautiful homes on large, perfectly manicured plots of land. All the homes sat on one side of the road, across from a heavily wooded area.
She and Stanley had waited until sundown to set out for Gruden’s home, figuring she stood a better chance of success under the cover of darkness. The waiting had been hard, with both John and Dirk O’Shea’s fates hanging in the balance.
"It should be just ahead," Stanley said.
Sapphire Angel expected him to slow down before reaching the house, but he kept going at a normal speed as the home went by on their left. She took a moment to realize he was making a pass of the house to assess the situation. The heroine shook her head. She should have realized his intentions sooner.
After passing the far end of Gruden’s yard, they came upon another large home on their left, with a black SUV parked in the street out front. Stanley still did not slow.
"Did you notice that?" he asked.
"Notice what?"
"There are two men in that vehicle. They must have noticed our headlights, because they ducked down, but not before I saw them.”
Sapphire Angel flushed with embarrassment at not having noticed. Once again Stanley was one step ahead of her. His experience dwarfed hers.
“If they’re watching Gruden's house," she said, “that will make my job harder."
“Yes, it will," Stanley said. “I’ll double back once we’re out of sight, so we can keep an eye on them.”
“Who do you think they are?”
“Could be anything, really. Fizzure could have a security detail assigned to this guy.”
“Great,” Sapphire Angel muttered.
After the road curved to the left, Stanley turned off his headlights and made a quick U-turn. The car crept forward, stopping once the SUV came into view.
The costumed beauty didn’t speak, fidgeting impatiently in her seat. She was eager to get to work. Stanley reached into the backseat and came up with a briefcase that was twice as thick as any briefcase she had seen.
She remained silent as the older man punched on the briefcase’s keypad. He opened the briefcase, pulled out what appeared to be a large microphone, and started screwing it into a funnel-shaped device.
“What’s that?” Sapphire Angel asked.
“If we’re lucky, this will let me hear any conversations in the SUV, and we’ll learn what those two men are doing here.”
The blonde beauty allowed her mind to wander as she waited for Stanley to finish assembling his contraption. His surveillance would be helpful, but once again she wished he weren't here. Stanley may have learned to take care of himself over the years, but he was older now.
A swath of light from the driveway interrupted her thoughts. They could only see the end of the driveway from their vantage point, but moments later the source of light came into view as a car backed down the driveway.
“Stanley!” she hissed. He had been focused on getting his equipment ready, and jerked his head up.
As he looked up, the car backed out of the driveway and onto the road. Once in the road, it paused before heading forward, away from them. Two seconds later, the SUV started forward behind it. The headlights on the SUV never illuminated. She and Stanley exchanged glances.
Stanley put the car into gear and started off in pursuit of the two vehicles. If the lead car hadn’t been using its headlights, the SUV would have been hard to see. Instead, the SUV made a dark silhouette in the moonlit night. Stanley kept his headlights off, making for an odd procession of dark vehicles.
“What’s going on?” Sapphire Angel asked.
“My guess is Gruden is in the lead, with somebody following him. Maybe we’ll find out why,” Stanley said as they navigated to the end of the neighborhood. He followed the cars from a distance as they pulled out onto a rural road, separated by several car lengths. She wasn’t good with directions but knew the lead car was headed toward the Carlisle Pike, a busy thoroughfare filled with strip malls and other businesses. From there the driver could go anywhere.
When the lead car reached the Carlisle Pike, the traffic signal controlling the intersection was green, and it turned right onto the busy road. The SUV’s headlights came on as it also turned right. Stanley turned on his headlights and made it through the light just as it changed to yellow.
Now they were on a busy road. It allowed Stanley to get closer to the trailing vehicle without raising suspicions. Less than 100 yards after turning onto Carlisle Pike, the lead vehicle turned right into the parking lot of a Lexus dealership.
It was a Sunday evening, so the business was closed. He wasn't there to buy a vehicle. The SUV also turned into the Lexus lot, but only after the lead car vanished around the back of the main building. The road sloped downward, so it afforded Stanley and Sapphire Angel a good view of the SUV leaving the road. Stanley made a quick turn into an adjacent Infiniti dealership.
After exiting the road, Stanley killed his headlights and drove around to the rear of the Infiniti building. The elevation was higher, and they looked down on the rear parking lot of the adjacent Lexus dealership. The lead car sat the rear of the lot, facing the building. A white SUV sat next to the car. The emblem of News 6, the news show of a local television station, adorned the side of the SUV.
What could he be doing? Sapphire Angel leaned forward, trying to get a better look. Stanley reached into the center console and handed her a pair of binoculars. He held another pair to his own eyes.
Sapphire Angel scanned the parking lot below. She inhaled sharply when she saw a man exit the TV station’s SUV. It was Ryan Addington, the reporter she had saved in the alley one night earlier. He held a video camera in one hand. Now things were really getting strange.
The driver of the lead car was out of his vehicle and walking toward the reporter. She recognized Philip Gruden immediately. He was of average build and height, with wavy brown hair. Wire-rimmed glasses sat atop his nose. He pointed to the camera, shook his head, and mouthed something inaudible. Sapphire Angel sensed movement to her left and pivoted the binoculars in that direction.
She had forgotten about the men in the SUV. Two figures made their way along the side of the building, toward Gruden and Addington. The lead man, stocky and wearing a skullcap, she recognized from the hospital. The other man was taller, with a thick brown beard. Their intentions were now clear, as they both held guns in their hands.
"Gotta go, Stanley," she said as she opened the door, springing from the vehicle.
She sprinted across the parking lot, closing the distance to the adjacent lot in seconds. The hum of traffic on the nearby road masked the sound of her footfalls on the pavement, but it also meant Gruden and Addington were oblivious to the two men approaching them. She had to reach them before the armed men.
As she closed the distance, she doubted she could make it in time. The men were creeping up to the edge of the back of the building, and could be in shooting distance. Should she yell and try to warn Gruden and Addington? No. The noise from traffic would drown out her voice, and she would only take away the element of surprise. The costumed heroine gritted her teeth, forcing her feet to move faster. The ground moved by in a blur.
Her eyes widened as the two men raised their weapons and took aim, pointing their firearms in Gruden’s direction. They were too far. She wasn’t going to make it in time.
But they didn’t fire, instead focusing their aim. But the shots could come at any moment. She had to act. Sapphire Angel launched herself through the air, surprising herself with the distance she covered, and the speed at which she covered it.
At the last moment she angled her body sideways. She collided with the two men, her torso striking the stocky man and her ankles striking the bearded man. It wasn't enough to do much damage, but it likely saved Gruden's life. Both men’s arms jerked upward just as their weapons fired.
After the impact, with the sound of their weapons still echoing through the air, Sapphire Angel careened off to the side and tumbled across the parking lot. As she rolled to a stop, she surveyed the effects of her attack. The stocky man with the skullcap was on the ground, climbing to his feet, while the bearded man had not even lost his footing. He leveled his gun at Sapphire Angel and pulled the trigger.
She winced, before feeling the slight tickle of the bullet bouncing off of her. The man looked down at his weapon in shock as Sapphire Angel charged. She swatted his gun arm away with one hand and drilled him in the face with a fist. Blood flew as bones shattered in his face. He crumbled. She spun and lashed out with a kick at the other man, who had regained his wits and was lunging for her.
His stomach met her foot, and he toppled over, wheezing. As the athletic woman prepared to finish him off, Gruden’s car flew by her, tires squealing. She gritted her teeth and swung an uppercut into her opponent’s jaw. More bones crunched as he flipped to the ground. The fight was over.
Sapphire Angel whirled and watched Gruden’s car disappear around the building. She balled her fists in frustration before glancing back into the parking lot. Ryan Addington stood near his car, holding his camera on his shoulder, and pointing it at her.
She glanced back at the attackers’ prone forms to verify they were still down. Their faces were bloody messes, causing the blue and white clad woman to cringe. She had underestimated her newfound strength.
Decision time. She could stay and talk to Addington, which meant he’d get at least a few more seconds of video footage of her, or she could turn and leave, and learn nothing about the purpose of his meeting with Gruden.
Her curiosity won out. She strode purposely toward Addington, her heels sounding on the pavement. When she was a few feet away, she planted her hands on her hips and spoke.
"If you want to speak with me, you need to lower the camera.”
Addington pulled his eye from the viewfinder and looked at her, awe written across his face. He hesitated for a few seconds before pointing the camera at the ground. He had at least a minute of footage. She needed to hope the necklace continued to conceal her identity.
"So, we meet again," Addington said. The look of fascination had not left his face. Sapphire Angel couldn't blame him. It was not everyday someone talked to a seemingly invincible girl in a shimmering costume.
"Yes, we meet again,” she replied. “What was the meeting with Gruden all about?”
"I wish I knew. He was just about to tell me. But then those guys showed up,” he said, gesturing to the men on the ground. “And then you showed up and saved our asses.”
“You want me to believe you have no idea why Gruden was here?” she said, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes. “I’m sure you don’t agree to meet with everyone who asks.”
“He contacted me saying he had a big story for me, involving his employer. He said it would show corruption that would make national news. That's all he said. He wouldn’t tell me more over the phone."
Sapphire Angel studied him for a moment and decided he had no reason to lie to her. That meant, though, that he had no useful information for her. And as long as Addington was here, she couldn’t question the attackers. Perhaps if she left, he would leave too. She could then return and talk to the two men.
The young heroine gave Addington a nod, turned, and sprinted for the far side of the building, away from where Stanley had parked. She couldn’t let him see her head back to Stanley's vehicle. For all she knew, Stanley wasn't there, as he may have given chase to Gruden.
"Wait!" She heard Addington’s voice behind her. “It’s my turn to ask questions!"
She continued running. He might have questions, but she was not ready to answer them.
Sapphire Angel watched from the darkness beyond the edge of the parking lot as Addington rushed back to his car, camera in hand. He glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious men on the ground before getting into his car and speeding back toward Carlisle Pike. She didn’t blame him for wanting to vacate the area before the men awoke.
The passing of his vehicle must have awoken the men. They stirred and stumbled to their feet, grabbing one another for support. As they started around the building, both men held hands to their broken faces. Sapphire Angel rushed toward them.
She heard sirens as she approached the building. Addington must have called the police. She hesitated a moment. The sirens sounded close, but she might have enough time to reach the two men. But she’d never have enough time to question them.
With a sigh of frustration, the costumed woman turned on her heel and sprinted toward the small hill separating the two car dealerships. She saw Stanley’s car parked there and hurried to it. After she reached the car and climbed in, Stanley immediately drove away. They were heading back down Carlisle Pike when three police cars went by, lights flashing, heading toward the Lexus dealership.
“Did you follow Gruden?” she asked.
“I tried. But by the time I got onto Carlisle Pike, he had too much of a head start, and I lost him. How did you make out? I got back in time to see you talking to the news guy.”
She told Stanley about her conversation with Addington, and how the attackers slipped away before she could question them.
“I don’t know if the police grabbed them, though,” she said.
“I can find that out pretty easily, all I need — “
The ringing of his phone interrupted Stanley. He tapped a button on his steering wheel to answer.
“Hi Betsy, what’s up?”
Angst filled Mrs. Devor’s voice as it came over the speakers.
“Stanley, you need to come to the hospital right away.”
Sapphire Angel saw Stanley grip the wheel tighter.
“What’s going on, Betsy?”
“Just get here, Stanley. John is not doing well.”
The young woman clenched her eyes shut. She had pushed John’s condition from her mind for the evening. Mrs. Devors’ call brought her back to reality.
“We’re on our way,” he said and ended the call.
He looked over at Sapphire Angel and their eyes met. She could see his pain and wanted to reach over and hug him. But there was no time.
“I’ll change in the back seat,” she said, knowing she could trust Stanley not to watch.
After she climbed into the back seat and started her transformation, Stanley sped off into the night.