Hammer
Dammit.
Angela couldn't sleep.
What time is it? 12:30.
Why can't I sleep?
She'd collapsed in bed as soon as Dino left, waking up only briefly at nine-thirty to get a glass of water, get undressed, and crawl under the covers proper.
But now she was wired. Why?
And short of breath.
And her heart was pounding.
Was this a nightmare?
She sat up suddenly, flipping on the light by the bed. No, it didn't seem like a nightmare.
She grabbed the half-empty water glass by the bed. It shook violently, nearly spilling its contents before it reached her lips.
I must have forgotten my meds.
When did she last take them? Did she forget? With dinner... but she didn't have dinner.
Shoot.
Angela hauled herself out of bed, staggering toward the kitchen where she'd left the bottle. She really felt it now -- fluttering heartbeat, tightness in the chest, muscles quivering, dizziness -- had she forgotten lunch, too? No, she'd popped one in the restroom at Frederico's.
Angela had trouble getting the pill down. She thought about doubling up, but she remembered Dr. Ward telling her not to do that.
I better go back to see her; the anxiety seems to be getting worse, not better.
But would Dr. Ward even see her, after what happened the last time? Had Dr. Ward spoken to Noel about it? Or had Noel spoken to her?
No, going back would be too weird. She'd have to find somebody else. But how was she going to pay for it? Maybe Truman would... no, he was doing too much already, putting her up in this place, sticking with her case even when it got complicated...
No, she just had to buckle down and get serious about taking her meds right on time again. Then things would even out, and she'd be okay until she could get a new job, and then she could see somebody who could help her.
Hmm, maybe I should be asking employers about health benefits. See if they'll cover this kind of thing.
Like you have that luxury. You'll be lucky to find anything, with your lack of skills. Besides, employers don't exactly jump for joy at the prospect of hiring someone with mental problems.
It's not a mental problem. It's just temporary. Dr. Ward said so.
Angela stopped herself. She was pacing. If she kept this up, she'd wear a hole in the linoleum.
Especially in these shoes.
Angela noticed she was wearing her sexy little house slippers. What made her put those on? Weird. It was like even when she was messed up, subconsciously she had to have heels on.
Angela stopped to realize she wasn't wearing anything at all above the ankles.
God, I'm like some Skinemax floozy.
The still-buzzing girl shuffled back off to the bedroom, slipping out of her high-heeled slippers just before pulling her feet under the covers. She flipped back and forth a half-dozen times, sighing in frustration with each toss. Finally, she threw back the covers and sat up.
I hate feeling like this. I wish the meds would hurry up and start working. I need to calm down, or I'll never get to sleep. And I need my sleep, or I'll be a mess when I go looking for a job tomorrow.
Maybe you shouldn't look for a job tomorrow. Maybe you should look for a job tonight.
I can't go out like this. I shouldn't be going out at all.
The sapphires will calm you down.
No they won't, they'll just charge me up more.
They'll smooth you out. Help you focus.
What if it happens again? The drop-outs.
It won't. You just took your meds. You can feel them starting to kick in already.
What if it's the meds messing me up?
You were taking your meds that first night you went back to the club, remember? There was nothing wrong with you then.
I was taking them last night, too. God, I can't believe I let some homeless guy feel me up...
Don't act like you didn't enjoy it.
Exactly. The sapphires are trouble. I was lucky all he wanted was to cop a feel.
You still had juice. You could have fended him off if you had to.
If I'd wanted to.
Well, you came out of it all right. You should go back out to get your confidence back. Prove it was a fluke.
What if it wasn't?
It was. And if it wasn't, you should find out before things get any worse. Just go out for a little night air if you're worried about it. Not like you're gonna find any action anyway.
Dino was ready for action...
Calm down. You're not that kind of girl.
He doesn't know that.
Sure he does. Otherwise he would have thrown you down on the bed and fucked you senseless when he had the chance.
I'm not sure that would have been a bad thing.
Now you're just talking crazy.
Am I? I made Ricky do basically the same thing, night before last.
That's different. You have a relationship.
We used to.
Then why was he here?
I don't know.
And why did you sleep together?
Because I begged him to.
He wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to get back together with you.
No. He's different. He's... afraid of me.
Well then stop thinking about him. If Ricky can't appreciate you for who you are, then you need to find someone else who can. Maybe Dino. He's more mature, he's cute, he's rich, and he's interested.
I know, but...
It beats being alone.
I don't think the sapphires give me much choice.
Nonsense. Don't let one guy's hang-ups wreck you.
It's not "one guy." It's Ricky.
And if he cared about you, he'd support you. He'd get over his stupid little hang-up.
It's not a stupid little hang-up. It's a big deal. The sapphires scare *me* sometimes.
They should. It shows you respect their power. A power that shouldn't go wasted.
I know, but...
A power that can help you.
It can hurt me too.
Not if you're careful. You need them. And the world needs you. Or did you forget about the-
--Don't. I don't want to think about that.
It's never going to go away. Especially if you don't get back on the horse.
I know. But not yet. Maybe in a little while.
Nonsense. Suit up, it'll make you feel better.
But, interviews tomorrow...
Forget about that. You don't need a bunch of people telling you you're not qualified for anything. You've got a more important job than anything out there. You're a superheroine. You're good at it. You *love* it. It's what you're meant to do.
I know, but if it means I have to be alone...
What would your mom think if she knew you were a quitter?
Good point.
Besides, Dino would probably bust his zipper if he knew you were Sapphire.
Not like I'd tell him...
Angela took several deep breaths. She could feel the Xanax doing its thing, chilling her out, taking the edge off her frayed nerves. With each breath she felt better. More secure. More in control. More confident.
Angela couldn't let last night scare her off. She had to get a handle on her powers. She had to prove herself. She wasn't just a silly teenager. She was special. She was a superheroine.
Sapphire set down on top of an electrical tower. The high voltage lines below and to each side of her hummed with energy. She looked down the row of hundred-foot-high metal men, soldiers in single file, marching from the substation near downtown, past the waterfront ahead, through the industrial park where she was perched, behind her through older suburban neighborhoods, and finally over the east hills to the transformers beyond.
The towers made great perches over some of the most crime-stricken neighborhoods in the whole valley. As long as she didn't touch the wires. Sapphire doubted even her stones could protect her from half a million volts.
But it was the driver of the panel truck below that needed to be thinking about protection. It was hauling ass down the boulevard toward her. Three blocks back, a police cruiser had its light bar and siren in full-on wake-the-neighbors mode. Sapphire looked ahead, wondering if other police units were moving in to close off the panel truck's escape, but this late at night the streets were empty. The superheroine had to strain to see flashing lights of the next-nearest cruiser -- it had to be at least three miles away.
The box on wheels squealed as its driver yanked it around a corner, almost directly below Sapphire's tower. It went two blocks and then squealed again, ducking into an alley. The pursuit car was still a few seconds from the first turn.
Whatever the occupants of the truck had done to attract police attention, they were about to get away with it.
"Not on my watch."
Sapphire arced skyward, her silk chemise flapping a staccato rhythm against her thighs, sheer wing-sleeves billowing behind her. The girl looked down at the top of her arc, watching the van negotiate a final turn to escape the cruiser's pursuit. The cruiser blasted past the van's alley, lights blazing a trail away from the target.
As the stalwart superheroine began her descent, she saw a roll-up door open to swallow the panel truck and quickly close behind it.
Well, these boys are organized...
Sapphire slowed her descent as she approached the roof of the target warehouse, letting the hem of her chemise settle back down her thighs to reclaim her modesty before she touched down. Not that there was anyone up here to see her panties, but one of these days someone was going to get an eyeful...
Sapphire stepped to the skylight. It was one of those newer ones, a frosted white plastic bubble. Shoot. She wasn't going to see anything through this...
Wait, what's this? Latches around the base of the skylight's frame. A fire escape, maybe? The unlatching seemed to send a deafening echo careening off neighboring buildings, but a breathless moment put it in perspective: night down here somehow maintained a continuous cacophany of sound -- an all-night machine shop, an express shipping company, gourmet coffee company grinders, and other indecipherable rackets tittered above the everpresent hum of generators and compressors and refrigerators.
She lifted the skylight, praying it didn't squeak, tDougful that it didn't. It was on a hinge, flipping all the way over to lay upside-down on the roof.
As she carefully set it down the last inches, it slipped from her fingers to thud on the roof.
Shoot.
And she felt something soft slither down her shoulder and off her arm. Chemise strap.
Shoot.
The broken strap dangled off the side of her left breast. Annoying. Good thing the chemise had double straps. She reached up and carefully plucked the broken strap free; her breasts jiggled when it let go.
Maybe it wasn't very well made.
No, if it wasn't well made it would have popped on takeoff. It's just the sapphires getting a head start.
It was bad enough the sapphires got weaker the more fabric touched her skin -- anything more than the briefest flimsiest clothing and her abilities were compromised. And despite her natural modesty, she'd rather be provocative and strong than conservative and practically powerless. She was mostly used to the idea of running around outside in lingerie -- since people mostly never saw her.
But the way the sapphires ate away at whatever she wore like some kind of energy acid -- especially in places she'd most like to keep covered up -- it was downright annoying. Embarassing. Humiliating. And expensive. A new pair of panties every time out, and she was lucky to get eight hours wear out of anything else -- two nights, three nights max.
On the bright side, she saved money on laundry.
It sucked that the sapphires were starting in so quickly on tonight's outfit. It meant she wouldn't get a second night out of it. Since the fabric store was closed, she'd lost access to the cheap fabric and sewing machines that kept her in "uniforms" -- loose-fitting flouncy cropped camisole and matching skirt, actually just two one-foot-by-three-feet strips made into a loop, gathered and elasticized along one side. She'd destroyed the last pair the other night when she met Harold. [Shiver.] Fall fashions had made the loose-fitting flouncy camisole and skirt/slips that came closest to her hand-made items a scarce commodity, at least in sizes less than "Fantasia ballet dancer." She'd prefer something close-fitting -- something that wouldn't fly up at the slightest breeze or movement -- but closer to the skin meant lower energy and faster erosion, and she didn't like the idea of a bodysuit popping off all at once in the middle of a fight -- the occasional flash of butt or breast was a lesser evil. She didn't mind that her usual outfit concealed a bit of her shape and left just a little something to the imagination -- running around in something painted-on wasn't any different from being naked as far as she was concerned. Besides, the stones seemed to have a particular affinity for spandex, and just *try* finding anything form-fitting that didn't have the stuff.
Sapphire slipped a hand under the hem of her garment, turning her body to catch the light of nearby streetlamps. At least the material wasn't turning see-through yet. She might not get a second night out of it, but she'd be all right for tonight.
Damn, girl, just hike it up and let everybody see.
She quickly smoothed the chemise back down to her thighs.
As for her satin string bikini, there was no telling how long it would last. An image of endless rooftops littered with her fallen underwear flashed through her mind. Yeah, well, she had a ways to go for that.
She supposed the sapphires were designed to work without any clothes at all. Like that was ever gonna happen.
Well, if you don't find a source of income soon, it might.
Shut up. Get back to work.
The scarcely-dressed superheroine crouched next to the skylight and peered inside. The warehouse below was bathed in flourescent light. She heard the truck's doors opening and closing, and boots hustling over concrete, but they were apparently in another part of the warehouse.
Then, a loud metallic bang, like something dropped on the floor. And a rolling sound. Then another bang.
"Careful with that! It's flammable." A gruff, masculine voice.
Sapphire could barely hear the reply. "Shh. Relax. It's a sealed drum."
Footsteps and rolling, settling.
"Get the labels on."
"Got it. You get the license plate."
"Kill the lights," Gruff again. Seemed liked three of them.
Clack! The warehouse went dark. A weak cast of light swept across the floor from the far corner of the warehouse -- probably offices. Echoed footsteps eventually cast long shadows away from the light, and then the light squeezed away -- closed door.
Now, why would men be running from the police with flammable stuff in drums? They weren't supposed to have the stuff, obviously. Maybe they were drug manufacturers -- Sapphire had heard news stories about drug labs exploding before. Or maybe they were terrorists.
I should call the police, she thought. And tell them what? The van they were chasing tonight was at such-and-such address? What van? Did they even know what was inside? Well, she'd tell them. Flammable stuff in drums. Maybe they already knew. No, if that was the case they'd probably be combing the area, and -- she popped up a hundred feet or so in the air for a quick look -- they weren't, at least not yet.
Sapphire looked back down into the darkness. There was no telling how long these men would remain here. It probably wouldn't be long. What if the police didn't get here in time? For that matter, what if they did? Did they have cause to search the building? She didn't know. She'd heard the men below say something about labels. Even if the police did conduct a search, would they find anything?
She didn't know what the police could do. But she knew what she could do. She could slip in and take a look around, gather intel. And if she had to, she could handle three men.
Floating in like paper on a gentle breeze, Sapphire entered the warehouse, drifting to the corner behind the panel van before coming to a silent landing.
This must have been what they'd stolen.
A row of squat barrels and plastic containers -- smaller than the big metal drums they used as garbage cans in the park, but still [grunt!] too heavy for her to move around by herself. It was a little too dark to read the labels. She needed more light.
Over there. A side door. I bet if I open that I'll get enough light from the street.
A graceful whisper of rustling fabric marked her weightless crossing to the door.
Sapphire carefully propped the door open. Maybe if there was an open door the police could come in without a warrant. Or at least they wouldn't have to waste time breaking it down if they had a warrant. One of these days she was going to have to bone up on police procedures...
The surreptitious superheroine hovered back toward the barrels, careful to touch down gently to keep her shoes from making a sound.
So what was in these things? The labels said Developer, Bleach, Fixer, Stabilizer.
Developer, like photography? Sounded innocent enough, which was the point. The men had whispered about putting labels on...
Sapphire scratched at the corner of the Developer label. The hurriedly-applied label peeled easily. She cringed as the tearing, pulling sound seemed amplified by the warehouse echo. She had to go slowly to keep the noise down; it was so frustrating! Finally, she had enough of the label pulled to see what it said underneath: Acetone - Flammable.
Wasn't that like paint thinner or something? Was there a market for that?
She worked on the Stabilizer label -- this was on a smaller plastic container: Hydriodic Acid?
Fixer -- Ephedrine? Wasn't that a diet drug?
This stuff must be used to make drugs. She looked around -- this place looked like an auto shop, not a drug lab. They probably made the drugs somewhere else. Whatever they made, these supplies would probably make a lot of it.
Now it was time to call the police. She headed for the door...
"Hey!" A harsh whisper as a bulky figure stepped from around the van. "You're not supposed to be here. How'd you get in?"
Best not to reveal her identity. "I- I saw the door was open. I thought I'd come in for a minute to warm up."
"Stupid whore, this ain't the Shelter. Come on, get out of here." He grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her toward the door.
"Hold on a sec," came the gruff voice from across the warehouse. She heard heavy boots jog toward them.
No, toward the chemicals.
Sapphire weakly squirmed, testing her captor's grip. She'd have to do something to get him to let go. A kick in the privates should do it. She only needed a couple of seconds to get out the door, then she could escape to the roof before they saw anything...
"Just as I thought," Gruff said from the corner. "Somebody's been snooping around. Bring her here."
Uh-oh. Time to make a break for it.
Sapphire pulled away, using the man's reactive tug on her wrist to snap her back around toward him -- raised foot first. She found her target, and the sapphire-fortified kick instantly slackened her foe.
"Get her!" Gruff yelled. He came charging at her.
Sapphire raised a hand, snapping it in his direction like an open-palmed punch. She heard the sheet metal side of the van plunk and crinkle as Gruff was shoved up against it. But in the semi-darkness it wasn't a clean shot -- just a glancing blow. He staggered, but kept coming.
Sapphire neatly juked out of the way of his clumsy grab -- he was expecting a stumbling-drunk prostitute, not a capable crimefighter.
But now he was between her and the doorway. Though he was little more than a backlit silhouette, she thought she saw a glint of light reflect off the teeth of a snarling smile. He thought he had her.
Well, yeah, except that I can fly, moron.
Sapphire began to rise up from the floor, her arms just beginning to fan out...
...when she felt a thick arm wrap around her, and a two-hundred-pound sack of meat slam up against her.
"I got her!" Yuck. Pizza breath. With anchovies. She hated anchovies.
Knees drew up and arms drew forward, letting the girl's weight hang from Pizza Breath's arm for a moment. Then, a four-limbed push off nothing but air sent the slight girl and meaty man flying backwards as if shot from a cannon.
KeRASH! The roll-up door made a horrible racket when they hit it. She thought they may have broken it the way it seemed to stretch and cave. Sapphire felt herself bounced forward as the man behind her fell limply to the ground. She hopped forward, getting clear of her most recent attacker should he recover.
She was free of encumbrance. The skylight was just a quick hop and zip away...
And then something happened. Somewhere in her mind she rationalized that once alerted to her purpose, if she simply fled the scene they would do the same. There would be nothing for the police to find when they came.
It was no longer about escaping. It was about subduing.
Two down, one to go. And he was heading right for her...
She quickly squared up and rose to meet him, instinctively taking a semi-crouch hover a foot off the floor. He was quick! He circled around, moving like a boxer, putting her with her back to the van before making his attack. Stutter-stepping right in front of her, she saw him bob his head through the semi-darkness, and then something came at her face lightning-fast: his fist.
And then she felt the Lessening -- that heart-stopping cold lurch of sudden distance from her sapphire energy.
The punch struck her on the temple, snapping her head back. A small strobe of blue-white light marked the impact.
Sapphire staggered back, stumbling, nearly losing her feet but for crashing against the side of the van. She thought she heard something skid across the concrete floor just as a wave of weakness washed through her. She knew that feeling. And it chilled her.
She'd lost her tiara.
And with it, any chance of defense or escape.
He was on her in an instant, wrapping her up tightly in his arms, then throwing her back up against the van -- kaWhong! -- letting her bounce off before grabbing her wrists and jamming them both up into the small of her back. He drove her back into the van, his body weight crushing up against her, lifting her off her feet. Oh, God, it hurt! It felt like he was ripping her arms off!
"Quick! Get the zip ties!"
Sapphire kicked blindly, desperately, striking only glancing blows on her captor's shins. "Ow! Fuck!" He just lifted her higher until she squealed and went slack.
Without warning, she was dropped to the ground; her tiara-less sapphires did nothing to help her balance; she fell to one knee, feeling one arm held up high by the wrist. Gruff yanked back, spinning her around -- "let's have a look at you!" -- before shoving her back up against the truck.
One wrist was pinned to the side of the truck above her head, but her other hand was free. She smacked at his head.
"Ow! Bitch!" He quickly caught her other arm and it was now pinned as well. He leaned in close, closer than he had to from the way he was holding her. "What are you, undercover vice?" She tried to kick him, but he blocked with his leg, swinging it wide and pinning her lower thigh with his knee. All her weight was on her other foot; she was out of limbs to hit him with. He sneered as he put his forehead against hers, pushing her head back against the van.
He couldn't hold her like this forever...
...of course, with two recovered and angry partners, he didn't have to. What little light there was dimmed as they stepped close.
"Skip, bind her wrists over her head." Sapphire felt her arms pulled up overhead; sharp plastic zzzzzzipped tight. "Let's get her over to the crane."
The third, biggest man -- the one she'd used to dent the roll-up door -- grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She squirmed desperately, flailing and kicking and hitting, but couldn't get anything more than glancing blows because he kept jostling her. Still, faint blue flashes of sapphire energy marked those impacts she did manage on his back, and he clearly felt them, grunting angrily with each blow. "Keep that [ngh!] up, bitch, you'll get [ngh!] yours in a minute."
Sapphire was planted roughly on her feet. Before she could recover, she felt her wrists yanked upward, and she felt herself hung by them. Ow! Her shoulders still burned from the previous abuse; this only made it worse. Her feet were already dangling uselessly, but a rattling-chain sound lifted her a few inches higher, until she was eye-to-eye with Gruff.
She kicked to keep them away, twisting her body to try to keep them in view, but they surrounded her; one of them was always behind her. She kept feeling hands touching and grabbing.
"Stop it!" she squealed. "You're all in big trouble!"
That got a laugh out of Gruff.
She managed to get a lucky kick at Skip. "Ow! Fuck! Those spikes are sharp! We should tie her legs, too."
"No," Gruff ordered. "That'll make it harder to fuck her."
Sapphire felt a sudden chill. No. Not that. She flailed even more furiously.
"Ohh, look at her playing hard to get."
"Hey, Al, you think that's a good idea?"
"Doug! Get the lightswitch over there!" The big man complied; a single worklamp directly overhead lit Sapphire up like an actress on stage.
Or a suspect in interrogation.
"Where's her badge?"
"Maybe she's not a cop."
"See if it's clipped to her panties."
Someone grabbed a leg, holding it up to limit her movement. She still kicked wildly with the other leg, but eventually someone grabbed it too. Now she was held, legs spread, as if she were sitting in mid-air.
Gruff -- Al -- moved around behind her, hands feeling all around her thighs and groin, checking every edge of her underwear, taking his time and lingering in all the worst places. "No badge," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation.
"Who are you?" Skip yelled right in her face.
"Just a stupid whore who wandered too far off Fourth Street," Doug growled.
"No, more like a raver who took a wrong turn," Al guessed. "Is that it, sweetie?" he said with mock sensitivity. Then he smacked her hard on the ass.
"Ow," Al remarked, "that stings. You're quite the little hardbody, aren't you?" She felt him suddenly close, reaching around from behind to cup her breasts in his hands, giving them a rough squeeze. "Oooh, not *all* hard, I see."
Sapphire's squirming took on a greater urgency, but it was useless.
"Hey, where are those zip ties?"
"Bag's on the bench over there."
"Cool. Keep her still."
Sapphire's heart beat faster as she heard Al assemble several ties together. What was he planning?
"Gimme her ankle." She felt him yank her foot up against the back of her leg, toes pointing upward, knee pointing down. He reached between her legs to wrap the plastic restraint around her upper thigh, then back around her ankle. The ties would have cut into her skin had it not been for the ebbing forcefield her unfocused sapphires still provided. If only the gems could keep her from feeling her tormentors' lascivious groping...
Al repeated the treatment on her other leg. Now her feet were tied up behind her, reducing her legs to useless stumps.
"Now you don't have to hold her while I fuck her," Al sneered.
"Don't! Please! I- I just got lost! I won't tell anyone! I promise! Just let me go! Please! You don't want to do this!"
"Quiet!" Skip barked. "You want the cops to hear?"
"Of course she does, you moron." Al's eyebrow raised. "But I know how to shut her up."
Sapphire felt Al's hand run up her thigh to the side of her panties. "Tie-ons, how convenient." He tugged on the knot; she felt her underwear slacken, falling away to hang by the other side. A moment later, the other knot leg to and she felt nothing but cool air between her legs.
Al held up the garment, wadding it up into a ball. "Hmm, Slut's panties are too tiny to fill her mouth. Doug, gimme that shop towel over there."
Sapphire's shouts were soon muffled by the dusty-tasting rough cloth.
"I'll just keep these skivvies as a souvenir," Al said, stuffing them in his shirt pocket. "Now, let's get to it... Skip, lower her a little bit."
Sapphire twisted furiously, ignoring the lewd display her heaving breasts made, her only desire to somehow turn away from the man who was now unzipping his fly. This couldn't be happening...
He greased himself up with a little spit, spread her rudely, and forced his way inside.
Oh, it hurt!
He just stood there a minute, his fat prick like a rough log clawing at her insides. He held himself to her with his arms around her waist, hands down on her ass. He hissed in her ear. "Come on, baby, don't tell me you don't like it."
She answered him with a head-butt. Blue sparks flew at the impact.
"Ow!" Al staggered back, his shaft pulling out of her cruelly. "Motherf-- oh, that's it bitch, you're finished!" He lunged at her, but Doug knocked him away.
"Cut it out, Al. Don't wreck her for me an' Skip." Doug spun Sapphire around so her back was turned to him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled back.
"Now listen up, babe, be nice and this'll all be over soon. But if you keep being a bitch, we're just gonna have to throw you away. You don't want that, do you? You want your mommy to see you all busted up and pale in the park? Don't make us do that, baby. Just be nice. There's no point in struggling..." She felt his hands snake up underneath her chemise, his fingers circling her breasts; she shook her shoulders back and forth in a vain attempt to dodge his grip. "Hey! I said stop it!" She felt her nipples pinched hard; she stiffened but fell still.
"Now listen to me," Doug continued. "You're not going anywhere. The cops ain't coming. Skip's got a headset on their frequency." Doug raised his voice to address his partner. "Skip, tell Little Miss Raver where the cops are now."
"Somebody got shot at the party you were going to, and they're over there breaking it up."
"See? Nobody's coming to help you. You're here as long as we want you here. There's three of us, and one of you. We're bigger and stronger than you are. You're all tied up. You're *helpless*." To emphasize his point, he grabbed the front of her chemise and ripped the garment from her body.
Helpless. Sapphire was helpless. These three common criminals had caught a lucky break. They probably didn't even know who she was. God, she hoped they didn't.
This was the dark fantasy that tormented her. Teased her. Called to her. Had she let this happen?
No. She didn't want this. Not now. Being Sapphire -- victorious superheroine, not helpless victim -- it was all she had left. She couldn't fall to these men.
Doug spun her around, looking her in the eye. "So let's get to it." He called over his shoulder. "Al!"
"What?"
"This bitch is bone dry. Get the Vaseline out of the toolbox." Doug leaned in with a cruel sneer. "I think you'll like it up the ass better anyway."
Sapphire's muffled scream and frantic fishhook struggling just made them all laugh.
But then Doug suddenly stopped laughing. His face slackened, fading through momentary surprise into unfocused stupor. He slowly turned around as he collapsed.
There was something sticking out of the back of his head. Sapphire felt a warm wet jet of liquid spurt across her chest as Doug's body puddled below her.
And behind where Doug had stood a moment before, a massive shadowy figure. And a familiar voice.
"You will not hurt her again."
"What the fuck?!"
"Get him!"
The other two were on the intruder in a flash. The trio thumped and grunted and struggled and staggered away from where the helpless heroine hung, an undifferentiated mass of conflict changing shapes in the darkness. She saw it shrink lower to the ground; whoever the interloper was, they were subduing him.
Then an awesome roar rang the walls of the warehouse. The shape rose and split, one smaller piece breaking off and skidding away with a weak wail. The larger shape staggered back toward her, grunting and bellowing as it came back into the light. A huge angry bear of a man carried Al on his back, spinning before she could see a face, backpedaling, picking up speed, disappearing behind her just before a terrific crash of men and workbench and tools.
Then, there was only ragged breathing. Sapphire tried desperately to spin around, but felt a steadying hand on her waist. A meaty canvas-covered claw of an arm wrapped around her, hoisting her up; she felt her arms slacken, falling sore and useless in front of her.
She felt hot breath on the back of her neck as her wrists were grabbed. The bright flicker of a knifeblade caught her eye, and the zip tie snapped open. A big meaty hand clamped her shoulder to bid her still as the cold blade slid carefully along her thigh, turning outward and sawing once, twice, three times before her leg was released; now the other shoulder was held fast as the knife freed her other leg. She fell back into the body of her rescuer, looking up into his face as he leaned over her.
Harold?
Suddenly she felt his weight crush forward on top of her, rolling slightly to one side before hitting the cement floor. A sickening Thump! shook through him into her. She managed to look up, past Harold's mountainous shoulder to the bastard standing over him, a wrench held high, ready to strike another blow.
Harold started to roll off her, but she was still mostly trapped under him. She kicked at Al with her free foot, striking a glancing blow to his hip. This made him hesitate; from his grimace she could tell she'd hurt him. Sapphire remembered her forcefield made her body hard as steel when striking another object -- or when being struck.
Al disregarded her, focusing again on what he saw as the greater threat. The wrench started down toward Harold's head...
"No!" she screamed, throwing her body on top of the barely-risen Harold.
She felt the wrench hammer against her shoulder; a bright blue strobe lit the warehouse for an instant. There was little pain from the impact, not that adrenaline would have allowed her to feel any. Sapphire felt Harold rise beneath her, slowly but steadily, trying to push her off to one side. But she was his human shield, and clung to him fiercely. Another wrench-blow struck her back as the pair rose together; again the warehouse became bathed in an instant of blue daylight. She felt Harold plant himself firmly as another blow struck her side; Al was trying to hit Harold around her.
Harold's huge hand reached around, grabbing Sapphire by the waist as if to hold her to him. She felt him raise his left arm as if preparing to strike the attacker behind them. He was going to turn. He was trying to protect her. She shouted "No!" to stop him, let go of him to fall between him and the man who was beating them, trying to keep herself as a shield. But Harold's grip was like a harness she couldn't escape. She felt herself spun around him as he turned with unexpected quickness, feeling the muscles in his back tense and flex and uncoil even through the layers of ragged clothing. And she felt more than heard his furious roar.
"Rrrrrraaah!"
Harold's back filled her field of vision, but she felt through his body the terrific impact of his first against their attacker. There was a sickening thump, then the clatter of the fallen wrench and the staggering footsteps of the other man. Harold let her go now, and she landed with surprising stability on her own two feet. She moved to get around Harold, to throw herself between the two combatants before something really bad happened, but Harold's arm swept out and held her back. "Go! Run!" he ordered.
She saw Al, his face bloodied but still standing, a look of rage building as he sized up his opponent. She saw his eyes dart to his right for an instant...
...and she saw movement to her left. Skip. Charging at Harold from behind.
Sapphire screamed, launching herself at the the second man, balling her fists in fury. He tried to dodge her, but she opened her arms wide, hooking him with one arm. His greater momentum spun her around him, but it knocked him off target and he stumbled and fell to the ground, with her on top of him. She scrambled up his body, trying to get an arm wrapped around his neck, but he threw her off, sending her skidding across the floor.
Harold repeated his order. "Run! I will hold!" He turned and glared. She got to her feet, looking past him at Al and Skip with worry. But Harold disregarded them, instead taking a meanacing step toward her. "Now!" he barked. Skip leaped at him from a crouch, wrapping himself around the big man's waist, trying to wrestle him to the ground, but Harold stood his ground, reaching down and grabbing a handful of Skip's shirt and lifting, then pounding downward. Skip held on, but weakly.
"GO!" Harold bellowed.
"Let me help," Sapphire said breathlessly.
"NO!"
Sapphire could see that Harold was determined to see her leave, even if it meant letting these two men take unanswered shots at him. She began to retreat toward the van and the open door beyond. She stopped when she saw Harold lurch forward -- Al had jumped him from behind, holding on with one arm while hammering his fist into Harold's face with the other. Sapphire hesitated, taking a step back toward Harold -- she had to help him! -- but he only took another step, screaming through Al's beating, "Go! Now!" Harold reached up and behind him, trying to rip Al off his back. Sapphire turned and ran.
Didn't Harold know she could still help him? She couldn't be hurt like he could. If only she had her...
Her tiara. It was here somewhere. She fell to her knees when she reached the truck, looking all around underneath it. Where was it?
There, by the far back tire. Rather than run around, she simply shoved herself forward beneath the truck, sliding a bit on the smooth cement, one hand outstretched, groping for her tiara. Got it! She rolled over on her back, jamming the thing on top of her head, shifting it until it caught her mussed hair. Her sapphires blipped a bright blue light as they reconnected with her, jolting her body with a beat of pure power.
The superheroine shot out from under the truck, rolling over in a reverse somersault to come to her feet. An instant later she was airborne.
The air split with the scream of a banshee. All three men froze as a bolt of blue fury descended upon them.
Sapphire landed just short of the struggle. Al had an arm around Harold's neck, choking him from behind; Skip was to one side, winding up for a blow with a length of pipe in his hand. A sharp blast knocked the pipe loose from Skip's hands. She stepped forward, into the great shadow Harold cast, her left hand coiled in front of her. She let loose a viscious full-body backhand, striking the stunned Skip in the shoulder; bones cracked as he went airborne, and more bones cracked as he landed twenty feet away.
Harold's eyes bulged; his voice gurgled. Sapphire saw him begin to waver under the weight of the man on his back and the lack of oxygen. She threw a focused force-blast directly at Al's head; she saw it snap back, but the aggressor recovered and refused to relent his grip.
The superheroine rose in the air, hovering directly in front of and above them. Harold's eyes were unfocused, but Al's locked to hers in disbelief.
"Release him," she said with icy resolve, "or I'll *really* hurt you." She drew one foot up slowly, indicating the next blow would not come from her hand.
Whether it was the fact that this small girl had just leaped across the warehouse and thrown his partner twenty feet with a backhanded slap, or the fact that she was now suspended in mid-air ready to kick him in the head, Al released his hold and slid down Harold's broad back. Harold, less out of it than he seemed, reached behind as he fell back, grabbing Al by the leg and hauling him to the ground. Al squirmed like a muddy pig as Harold got to his knees and crawled up the length of Al's body to look the smaller man in the eye.
"You will NOT... [gasp] hurt her... [gasp] again!"
Sapphire saw him wind up his fist. "Harold, no!" But she was too late. The first came down across Al's cheek, and Al stopped struggling.
Sapphire landed in a crouch next to her rescuer. "Are you all right?"
"I am okay." He was still gasping for breath, and his face was bloodied, but he was alert. "They are not." He looked over toward Doug.
Sapphire saw Doug laying very still. Something was sticking out of the back of his head. She rushed to him with a single leap. A dark pool of blood was spreading over the floor; she nearly stepped in it.
She looked at the thing in the back of Doug's head, though it made her stomach turn to do so.
It was a hammer.
"Oh my God, Harold..."
She leaned in close. Doug wasn't breathing. She moved to put her hand on his neck...
"Don't!" Harold yelled. "Don't touch him!" He lumbered toward her.
"Harold, what did you do?"
"He hurt you." He kneeled down, pulling her away from Doug's body.
"God, Harold, you killed him!"
"He was going to kill you."
"No, Harold, he-"
Harold put a hand on her cheek and turned her to fave him. "Yes. I saw it."
The look in his eyes scared her.
He looked away, as if ashamed of what she'd seen in him. "You have to go now." He went to the ceiling post near the upended workbench. There was a phone. She saw him dial 911. "Ambulance," he said, then let the phone dangle.
"No," she reasoned. "I'll call Miguel. It was an accident. He'll help straighten this out." She remembered his admonition against telling anyone that he was working with her. But this was important. He'd understand that.
"No," Harold said, his voice frighteningly firm. "They will lock you up. I did this to protect you. You have more to do."
Once again, Sapphire got the fleeting feeling that Harold's words had profound meaning. That he was not just a simpleton. But then it was gone, and he wore that same tragically-dull expression.
"Harold, I can't-"
"GO!" He stormed right up to her and gave her a mighty shove in the chest; she hovered back several feet to regain her footing. His hostility stunned her. "GO!" He pushed her again.
"Harold, stop it. They'll arrest you. I have to tell them what happened."
Her resistance only made him angrier. It was almost as if... as if she was denying his life's purpose by staying. "GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!"
"Okay," she said softly, backing away. "I'll go."
She floated slowly toward the ceiling, stopping short of the skylight to look down at the sad simple man below.
"Don't worry. I will be okay," he called up to her, his voice reassuring. "Go. Please."
She heard sirens in the distance.
And with a heavy heart, Sapphire disappeared into the night.