Enigmatic: Sapphire City Supers

Chapter 31: Panic! At the Fashion Show

Out of the dimness, Shadow appeared next to Morgan, looking smug as a cat.

"I'm sure many of you recognise this star of the Super team? And, of course, her most courageous other half, Cobalt?" Another spotlight gleamed down onto Greg, standing there in his kit. I let out a sharp hiss, wondering if he had betrayed us too, until I noticed the faintest hint of green outlining him. Electron had to be lurking somewhere nearby.

Confusion welled within me as I tried to figure out what Morgan could possibly be up to with this level of deception. Luckily for me, he was never one to resist the villain's soliloquy.

"Aren't they marvellous, working so hard to keep you all safe? You worship them, trust them implicitly, don't you? After all, they've earned it, proven themselves to you, haven't they?" He looked into the television camera with wicked delight, pausing a beat as the excited murmurs that had accompanied Cobalt's appearance petered out uncertainly. "But are you sure, really sure, that they're on your side?"

He stepped aside as a third spotlight beamed down beside Cobalt, and this time I hissed loudly and venomously.

Electron had finally appeared, and holding one arm around Lexa, and the other hand firmly over her mouth.

"This is one of tonight's lovely and very talented designers." Morgan explained to the now fully hushed crowd, who might still have been wondering if this was part of the show. "Alexis, I believe?" He turned to look at her inquiringly, then let out a very staged laugh that made my blood boil. "Oh of course, you're a little tied up at the moment. Electron, if you'd be so kind."

Electron moved off the hand, but kept one around her waist. This must have been entirely for show, since I knew he had her in the forcefield or she'd be fighting like a tiger.

She growled like one, at any rate. "Oh you asshole, I'm going to rip you a new one," she snarled.

The crowd began to murmur again. "Charming," Morgan said politely, then motioned at Electron, who covered her mouth once again.

I couldn't take this anymore, with or without my kit, and I made to stand up. Ewan grabbed my arm, however, and kept me from rising.

"Not yet," he whispered. "5 more minutes." I'd been too distracted to even think of texting the real Gareth, which I now realised was a rookie move.

"Now would you like to see what we're going to do with little Alexis here, how we really feel about you, proud citizens of Sapphire City?" There was the wolfish look again, and Morgan snapped his fingers.

Poison appeared on Lexa's other side.

I heard myself shout, "no!" as Poison blew a long, slow, glittering toxic cloud over Lexa's face. Morgan looked me dead in the eyes and smiled wider, as Lexa went limp in the forcefield, her head lolling horribly like a ragdoll.

Then, all the lights went out again. Morgan's disembodied voice floated menacingly from the dark.

"The days of safety are over, Sapphire. It's time to be afraid."

There was a moment of silence before people began to scream.

"I'm going to rip him apart," I snarled, finally getting out of my chair. The only fear I felt at that moment was for Lexa's safety.

"In a moment," Ewan said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me over towards the exit. The weirdness that washed over my body told me we were phasing.

Suddenly, it was bright, and I blinked wildly as my eyes adjusted. We'd made our way into the empty front hall of the venue, and were heading now to a more secluded alcove.