Lady Superior (31 page)

He rolled off the hood of the car and fell to the concrete. Nursing his back, he rose and scurried away, putting cars between the two of them. “Wait,” he said. If it was meant to be a plea, his voicebox didn't translate the inflection. “I didn’t know. I see you now, though. You're the Maiden.”

Kristen touched her shoulder. Her hand came away bloody and she was struck by a wave of nausea. She tried to move the wounded arm. It seemed to be alright. She yelled over the car alarms. “Going to run away now?”

“The thought did cross my mind. But no. It’s started. Can you feel it?”

“The arrow you stuck in my arm? Uh, yeah. I felt that.”

The archer held his bow above his head where Kristen could see it. Slowly, he set it down on the trunk of a car and stepped forward, leaving it behind. He stopped, waited to gauge Kristen’s reaction, then continued when she didn’t leap at him. Reaching through the window of the smashed car, he jammed something into the steering column. The alarm went dead, but the flashing lights remained. “Maybe now you can focus. Do you feel the ground moving?”

Kristen held herself still. The concrete vibrated beneath her—it was slight, but it was there. The archer stepped away from the silenced car and approached the second wailing vehicle, his coat fluttering behind him in the strobing light. He held a slender spike in his hand in reverse grip; its steel caught the light. He reached inside the window and jammed the spike into the steering column. The second alarm died, too. In the quiet, Kristen could pick out the sound of trickling water in the distance. “What is that?” she asked. “The ring?”

“Yes.” His robotic voice was starting to irritate her. He cut the lights on the other car, too. While Kristen stood in the strobe, he was wreathed in shadow. “Maiden, if you of all people have come to stop her, I’ve picked the wrong side. I’ve seen your work.”

Kristen clamped her hand over her shoulder. “Delphi trying to destroy
fucking everything
wasn’t enough to tell you that?”

“Her plans don’t go that far. But you’re right. This isn’t the first time I’ve doubted her. Understand, we’ve lived in fear of what we are our entire lives. The Gifted hide in silence without training or protection while things beyond our understanding prey on us. Seems you hid better than most until now. Delphi promised us better lives than that. She said she could bring us out of the shadows and into the light. Look at us now.”

“Who’s
us
?”

“If we’re going to stop her, we don’t have time for that right now. If she’s started her work, she’s inside Seidel Tower.”

“Shit.” Kristen spat. “Inside? Gabby was right—we should’ve kept eyes on the place.”

“Delphi has been preparing for this opportunity for decades. She knew you were undermanned. A tracking spell was the most obvious way to find the ring. Heads up.”

A coin flickered in the light as it soared through the air. It hit the ground and rolled on its side, stopping at Kristen’s toes. She picked it up and held the coin to the light. The obverse bore the image of a woman reminiscent of Nenet. On the reverse was the image of a prowling tiger—or a jaguar, some sort of cat. “What is this?”

“An extremely well-preserved coin from the lost land of Mu. Something about the materials used in its creation makes it receptive to their magic. In other words, we spoofed the signal. I'm a distraction. If you want to stop Delphi, you need to go. Now.”

“I know what she is. If I kill her, she'll take someone else's body. She's a mind reader, too. If she finds out you let me go...”

“I'm not going back to her. You've already stepped into the light. If you stop her, you're taking another step toward helping all of us. She's seen my mind, but that won't do her any good. I don't have anyone she can hurt. The only people I care about can handle themselves.”

“The police probably have this place surrounded. Do you know a good way out of here?”

“I do. Follow me.”

Kristen jogged to his side, scooping her phone off the ground as she went. She peered at it in the darkness. Cracks in the glass caught the flashing lights behind them. She pressed the power button. Nothing happened. “Shit.”

“What's wrong?”

“You broke my phone.”

No phone, no way to get Bernice's messages, no way to find Emma.

He held out his hand. “Let me see it.”

Though suspicious, she handed it over. He popped it open, removed the battery, and threw it aside. Then he pulled out the SIM card and pocketed the shell. Pulling his own phone from his pocket, he switched the SIM cards and passed it over. “Good as new.”

“Uh, thanks.” She tucked the phone away. Her next stepped splashed water up her leg. She shook the moisture off, hopping after him. “Where's the water coming from?”

“The shaking is forcing groundwater through cracks in the structure.”

Kristen listened to the trickling water. It was getting louder, and the shaking grew worse, no longer a subtle vibration. “Liquefaction, right?”

“A similar process, but no. If we don't stop her before liquefaction begins, we've lost.”

“Then we need to be running, not walking.”

“You're bleeding.”

The reminder brought the nausea roaring back, but she played it off. “I'm fine. I make sure to bleed at least once per month.”

“Wow. Did not expect something like that from a superhero.”

“I've been a woman for twenty-five years. I've been a superhero for a few weeks. I don't have that wholesome righteousness thing down yet. Let's go.”

They took off at a run, Kristen relying on the sound of his footsteps for direction in the darkness. She called out. “The people you're talking about. Gifted, right? What's your gift? Creepy robot voice?”

“No, not creepy robot voice.”

“Then what?”

He stopped running. Kristen stopped, too. She peered at him in the pitch black—where she thought he was, anyway. “Why did we stop?”

The sound of his footfalls returned, more distant than they were. “I didn't. Silence is my gift.”

“Neat.” Kristen jogged to catch up. “Now tell me about Delphi.”

“We don’t have a lot of a time.”

“Walk and talk. Tell me what you can.”

He led her to a service stairwell, which opened into a service tunnel. “She recruits the Gifted with promises. For some, all it takes is a promise of power. For others, a better life—a better world. There are good people who follow her. Bad people, too. Somehow, she maintains harmony. I suspect being the only person trying to support the Gifted at all helps with that.”

“I’ve heard she can hop bodies. Is that true?”

“Yes. She’s done it once since I met her.”

“If I kill her…what happens to me? Do I become Delphi or something?”

“No. Not unless you submit to her will. Her vessels are volunteers. They’re women who believe in what she does so completely, they’re willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure her continued existence. I get the impression they know far more about her goals and intentions than I do.”

“Why only women?”

“Personal preference, I suspect. If forced, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could take a man’s body. But when she has gifted, female volunteers…”

“Is there a way I can prevent her from…passing on?”

“On short notice? Kill her and everyone who follows her. I’d rather you didn’t do that. It’d be better if you could convince her followers she isn’t worth the sacrifice. But for now, stopping her will be enough.”

They bypassed East Plaza in its entirety, reaching a heavy steel door Kristen estimated was at least a block from where she’d started. “You'll exit here,” the archer explained, “but if the cops are on their game, they might be watching it. Should be less of them, though. They might not be inclined to pick a fight.”

Light filtered in through gaps around the door, casting beams through dust thrown into the air by Delphi's worsening quake. Kristen prayed silently to whomever cared to listen, thanking them for the ring's long windup. She wasn't a believer, but given everything else she'd seen in a few short days, she wondered if she should be. “I'll play nice if they do. You aren't coming?”

“I'm going back. I need to clean up my arrows. And your blood.”

Kristen winced. “I need to stop letting that stuff lay around.”

“I agree. Good luck. I don't honestly know how many of us are there with her.”

Away from the parking garage, the combined stench of exhaust, gasoline, and motor oil had lifted. Standing beside the archer, she smelled aftershave. “You smell nice for a robo-asshole who shot me.”

“Do you want to save the city or not? Get moving.”

“I was saying thank you.”

The archer walked back down the hallway. “You're welcome.”

Kristen waited until he was sufficiently concealed in shadows and shoved the door open. She heard a lock snap, but it didn't slow her down. Sunlight flooded in and she shielded her eyes. Shouts of alarm rose in an instant along with the shuffling of boots.

“Get on the ground!” Other voices echoed the command. She took her hand from her eyes and strode forward instead.

“I'm the Maiden,” she shouted at them. “There's no bomb! I handled it.”

Utter incoherence erupted and she couldn't blame them; no police force or military in the world had training to deal with someone like her. They took positions behind their cruisers, which formed a barricade around the building, and leveled their weapons. She wasn’t sure where she’d come out, but it wasn’t East Plaza.

“Get it together!” she yelled. “I handled it in there. It's done. But there's something worse, and I'm the only person who can deal with it. Point your guns somewhere else.”

“Go.” She recognized that voice. One word was enough. Chief Tillman, tall and slender, stood behind the barricade. “If you're talking about the shaking, then go. I want to talk you, but it can wait.”

“If I can’t stop this, it’s going to be bad. I’m going to do my best, but get people to safety. I’ve been told this city wasn’t built to withstand an earthquake.”

“Is that what this is?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to stop an earthquake?”

“If I do, will that get you off my ass?”

“I’m just doing my job.”

“Uh, where am I right now?”

“North Jackson.”

Kristen glanced around to get her bearings—east of East Plaza, she decided. “Thanks. Oh, and tell everyone to stop calling me Maiden. I’m Lady Superior.”

Setting a course in her mind, she shot Chief Tillman a jaunty salute and took off at a sprint.

She’d only gone a block when her comm crackled in her ear. Cole’s voice came first. “I’m not throwing blame. I’m just saying we need a plan right-
fucking
-now. Both of your rookies are down and we still don’t know where we’re going.”

Still running, Kristen tapped her earpiece. “Seidel Tower. I’m on my way.”

“Kristen?” Jane’s voice, shrill and frazzled.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Did you go deaf for the last twenty minutes or what?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Todd went dark. Is he with you?”

Fear crawled up her spine again, but still she ran. “No. Fill me in. What happened?”

Gabby cut in. “Hold up. Seidel Tower you said?”

“Yeah.”

“I told you, Jane. I fucking told you.”

Jane. “Shut up. It doesn’t even make sense. She’s trying to bring the building down. Why would she—oh. Oh, shit.”

Cole. “She’s a bodysnatcher. She doesn’t care if she dies. She’ll become someone else.”

Kristen kept running. Trying to talk at the same time, she was running short on breath. She tore through the streets of downtown, the ground increasingly stable, water seeping through cracks in the concrete. “Sounds about right. The guy I ran into—he started out talking like some kind of zealot. Wouldn’t surprise me if she has followers just waiting to become Delphi or whatever. Now what happened to Todd?”

Jane brought her voice down to a soothing tone. “We don’t know. Maybe nothing. He went dark.”

“I went dark, too. I’m sure he’s fine.”

She meant it. Given Todd’s ability, she couldn’t think of anything that could tie him down. If they tried anything less than shooting him in the back, he could blink from any trouble.

The ground jerked sideways, and Kristen stumbled. She threw her arms out to catch her balance. One foot caught the heel of the other and pitched her forward. She hit the concrete and rolled, trying to get back up on her feet. The ground jerked in the other direction and she sprawled onto her back. Looking skyward in a daze, she saw the city sway back and forth. As she lay still, the wailing sirens were deafening, made worse by countless screams of panic. There was something else, too—a reverberating, bestial howl. Kristen jerked herself upright, rolled to her belly, and pushed herself off the ground. She turned a circle, seeing the people running, screaming, crying—confused and clueless.

Jane was right. No one had any idea what to do in an earthquake. Kristen couldn’t remember earthquake drills from childhood; tornado drills were driven into her psyche like a nail into a board, but an earthquake? Nothing. Her eyes flicked up and down the street, trying to formulate a plan. Could she do anything here? Could she try to herd them all into safety?

She shook her head. No. Stopping Delphi was the only way to help.

Kristen set her feet and ran. She pushed herself harder and harder, the run and the beating sun causing sweat to run off of her in rivers. The salt stung her eyes, but she pushed on, through streets and across the river, across concrete and worn cream brick, leaping curbs and cars, twisting, dodging, and juking through the panicked crowds like a breakaway running back. Broken glass rained down from above. Kristen leapt aside on instinct—an air conditioning unit smashed onto the ground beside her—and she kept running, even as the streets flooded with water.

Seidel Tower came into view. Kristen charged the building head on and set her shoulder. She slammed herself into the thick oak doors, which exploded into splinters. Pain coursed through her bloody shoulder on impact, but she swallowed it down and let momentum carry her in. She slid to a stop inside. Casting her gaze around the room, she caught sight of someone ahead, but for only a moment.