Blood Obsidian

Issue 32

Whoso comes from the dark ... - Part 2

The night air stank, but it was the most beautiful air Caitlyn had ever breathed. Through a mask. The most beautiful air breathed through a mask. It tasted of freedom. Freedom and shawarma as she swung over the take-out place on 8th and Snyder. The method of moving through the city shown to her by Pho-Boy was a lot faster than fast-floating, and more fun. Making the suit expand out as a grapple reduced its coverage of her body, but the suit Kyle had allowed her to keep filled those thinner areas well.

She had improved the swinging, too. By adding momentum through her fast-floating, she could release at the top of the swing and glide some distance before needing to grapple and swing again. She'd like to see Pho-Boy do that! But, the need to make Kyle envious aside, this was more than a celebration of freedom. She had permission to return to school after the weekend and Aunt Mary had opened the cage, but Caitlyn would have broken her grounding for this.

Up ahead, she saw the towering edifice of Ald-Tech headquarters fast approaching and, there, she had an appointment with Raymond Alden. He didn't know that, of course, but what was life without a few surprises? At the appointed rendezvous, she dropped to the roof beside Kyle and felt a little aggrieved that he didn't even flinch.

"We may have to choose a different time." Kyle offered the monocular scope, but, with her suit fully healed, she had no need of it. "It looks like he has his daughter with him. We don't need to complicate ... damn it."

"We're only going to talk." Caitlyn had already jumped, turning to face Kyle in the air and sending out the piece of the suit to grapple without looking. He still didn't look impressed. "No complications, just conversations."

She had to admit it, but only to herself, that her judgement may be a little compromised by the excitement of finally being outside for the first time in days. Regardless of what he thought of her impetuousness, Kyle soon caught up with her, matching swings as the streets blurred past them, below. Caitlyn released her grapple, looped in the air and landed on top of the stretch limo as Raymond Alden prepared to get in the long, black car.

The goon in the suit, who looked as though his muscles were about to rip the seams, reached into his jacket for a weapon, only to fall to the ground in an instant as a small pellet of gas popped before his nose. The guard writhed, thrashing arms and legs at things only he could see, his nightmares coming alive before his eyes.

"Sorry about that, Ray-Ray. He'll be fine in, ooh, ten minutes? I'll say ten minutes, but he's a big guy, he could shrug that off before then, which is good, right?" At the other side of the limo, Kyle leaned over the hood. "Oh, you remember me, right? Pho-Boy? My buddy and I stopped Komedy from killing you April Fools' day? About two years ago? Good times. Anyway, my new bestie would like to ask a few questions. Take it away, partner. Partner?"

Caitlyn would have started talking, she had rehearsed the questions, anticipated some of the answers and had worked on several rebuttals. What she hadn't expected was how she would feel seeing Rayna Alden standing beside her father, dressed in the most amazing, single-shoulder cocktail dress that appeared to be made entirely of chromatic sequins. Words failed her as the only thought that stuck in her head was 'wow'.

"Wow!" Caitlyn cringed behind her mask. That was supposed to have been an internal thought, not external! "I mean, greetings rich citizens. I apologise for the circumstances, but I doubt you'd have superheroes on your waiting list for appointments."

She waited for the laugh, but none came. No laughs at all, not even from Kyle, who she now considered a traitor. Worst of all, Rayna had the most vicious look in her eyes and Caitlyn had to wonder if she had completely misunderstood the venom with which Rayna had spoken about her father. Meanwhile, Raymond Alden had dug into the internal pocket of his dinner jacket, taking out a cell phone.