The Conductor {Black Lightning}{Wattys2018}

Ch. 16: Don't Fight With Your Boss

Eugene did not, in fact,  kill Mr. Pierce.

After the threat of murder, Two-Bits immediately revealed that he had sent Mr. Pierce to a Green Light warehouse that re-stocked every Thursday. Mr. Pierce was at the Green Light warehouse just like Two-Bits had said he would be. He wasn't trying to hide it either. Eugene saw his glowing, neon suit from blocks away.

After locating him, she hid at the base of the building he was perched on. From her hiding spot under the threshold's overhead covering, she heard him conversing with someone even though no one else was there.

"Damn, Gambi, you've been holding out on me," said Mr. Pierce. "If I knew you could give me x-ray vision, I'd have come out of retirement years ago."

Eugene inhaled sharply. So Gambi was Black Lightning's sidekick and he had probably made that new high-tech suit too. She knew he was a suit tailor, but she didn't think that extended to super suits. And not only that, he had somehow given Mr. Pierce x-ray vision.

"I see everything," Mr. Pierce continued.

.Eugene flattened her back against the wall in an attempt to hide more. Although, he sounded more amazed than smug or sinister, so he probably hadn't seen her yet.

"From the looks of things here, this Green Light is bigger than the One Hundred. I mean, no street gang is this organized. Professional drivers, temperature controlled eighteen wheelers, and a warehouse that looks like it's being guarded by special ops."

He was probably right about Green Light being bigger than the One Hundred. Not only was there Lady Eve's cartel, there was the ASA. Eugene didn't have too much information on them, but they were the ones who had discovered her powers, experimented on them, and connected her to the One Hundred. She wouldn't have been surprised if they had something to do with Green Light too.

"Alright, I'm gonna follow this truck," said Mr. Pierce. "See what I can find."

Eugene positioned her canes as she prepared to follow him. But before either of them moved, a booming explosion sounded off in the distance.

"I don't know. It was close by Sounded like an explosion," Mr. Pierce told Gambi. Another explosion rang in the air. "I'm gonna check that out." After a moment's pause, he indignantly added, "The explosions could be connected to what we're looking for. Plus, people could be hurt."

Eugene doubted the explosions were connected to Green Light. But Green Light had been known to give people super strength, so maybe someone had gotten high and went on a rampage.

As he leaped off the building, Eugene dashed after him, using the wind to help her glide along at his pace. She couldn't go too high, though. Eventually, someone would notice that her feet weren't really touching the ground and she couldn't risk Mr. Pierce seeing her until she was ready.

The source of the explosion ended up being the Ruby Red Lipstick Bar. Whoever caused the explosion had left gaping craters in the ground and Eugene had an idea about the culprit was. The Ruby Red Lipstick was a lesbian bar. There was only one lesbian she knew capable of leaving craters that deep in the ground.

But she could deal with Anissa's problems later. She was there to handle Black Lightning. Although, in a way, that was related to Anissa too. It was her dad who Eugene had been sent to kill.

"Can you tap into the cameras in my location?" Mr. Pierce asked Gambi from is spot on a ramp behind the main entrance.

Dammit. Eugene had forgotten about the cameras. She'd have to fry those when she was done.

"Okay, I'm going back to the factory. See if I can find anything."

Not wanting him to leave, Eugene partially lifted her hand off one cane and sucked the electricity out of his suit. Now was the time.