Arc Angel (36 page)

“Bryce, c’mon, you have to sit up. I have your pills. Sit up.”

But Bryce Campion didn’t sit up. Because Bryce Campion was dead.

Chapter 26

Kate didn’t waste any time. The minute she’d ascertained that the artifact had indeed been removed from the museum, she ran next door. Straight to Tech Corp. Even before she pushed through the front door into the public lobby, the clang of an alarm made her pause. She called into dispatch.

“Dispatch, this is Detective O’Hara. I’m in front of the Tech Corp building, and I’m hearing an alarm. Can you let me know what’s coming in?”

“Sure thing, Detective. Let me see if we’ve gotten anything. Ah, here we go. It’s the fire alarm. 25
^th
floor. Fire department has been notified and is on its way.”

“Thanks.” Kate hung up and placed another call.

“Bill, I’m over at Tech Corp, and the fire alarm is going off. I have reason to believe there are people trapped inside, 25
^th
floor. I’m going in now, but get your ass over here as soon as you can.”

She didn’t wait for a response before hanging up and tucking her phone back in her pocket. She pulled her gun from its holster and headed across the gleaming tile floor to the stairwell next to the elevator bank.

Miranda must be here. Kate just hoped the fires were something Miranda had done, not something that had been done to her. She dashed up the stairs, keeping her gun at the ready. Every bit of Kate’s cop instinct told her that not only was Miranda here, but so were the artifact and the elusive Mr. Brown. And Kate would be ready for him.

She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the 25
^th
floor. The noise of the fire alarm reached a deafening volume. Kate pulled open the stairwell door and stepped onto the floor, gun held out in front, ready to shoot.

The hallway itself was deserted and drenched from the sprinkler system. What looked like a man’s arm extended from an open doorway halfway down the hall. She rushed across the soggy carpet to the office and announced her presence.

“Elder’s Grove PD. Nobody move!”

The command appeared to be completely unnecessary, since the only people she could see in the room were the three men lying unmoving on the floor. She dropped down next to the one spilling out of the doorway and checked his pulse. Faint, but still there. She stepped into the office and checked the other nearby man. Still alive.

She moved further into the room. The office looked like a hurricane had hit it. Hurricane Miranda, probably. Charred splotches, many still smoldering, covered the wall behind the desk, and the still-dripping sprinkler had drenched the entire place. Kate’s heart lurched as she saw a body, covered in harsh burns, smoldering behind the desk. She rushed over and crouched down to inspect it.

The elusive Mr. Brown, she presumed. And clutched in his hands was the artifact. Kate leaned closer, trying to catch the strange vibe she’d gotten the first time she’d seen the creepy thing. Nothing. It was just a stone again. She looked at the charred fingers wrapped around its sharp edges. Sure, she could see Miranda’s hand in this, but she had to wonder if the artifact had played its part as well. Whatever had happened with Mr. Brown had dispersed whatever power it had once contained. Relief washed over Kate. Everyone was safer without that damn thing sending out its creepy vibes. Now it could sit cold and dead in its case.

Kate stood and stepped over to the desk chair to check the third man. Same as the other two. She started to stand so she could call in her findings when she heard a rustle in the corner. Instantly she pivoted, gun cocked and ready.

“Elder’s Grove PD. Hands up where I can see them!”

The pale face of a man appeared, followed by his trembling raised hands.

“I-is she gone?”

“Gavin Brooks? Is that you?”

“D-detective O’Hara?”

“It’s me. Come on out of there.” She lowered her gun, but kept it unholstered and down at her side. She didn’t think the reporter was dangerous, but she wouldn’t exactly call him stable.

Brooks pulled himself up and clambered over a tripod and camera that had tipped onto its side.

“Thank god you’re here, Detective! You have to stop her! She was going crazy, setting things on fire, zapping people. I barely escaped with my life!”

“Slow down, Brooks. Just tell me what happened.”

“I told you, Miranda James was here, and all of sudden she started zapping people and sparks were flying everywhere and then things were burning and…”

“Calm down. You’re not making any sense.” Except that he was. Damn. How could she get Miranda out of this? It was one thing not to bring her in when she was a suspect in a white collar crime like hacking, but assault, arson, potentially manslaughter if one of the guys on the carpet didn’t make it, or it turned out that Mr. Brown had indeed died from internal burns…? Kate was learning to bend, but she wasn’t ready to break.

“I know! I can show you! I filmed the whole thing.”

Double damn. A video of Miranda using her powers here would be the final nail in the coffin. Even Kate couldn’t protect her from such glaring evidence.

Kate hadn’t called in yet, but she knew Bill and the fire department would be here any minute. She didn’t have much time alone to figure out what her next move should be. Flipping on her radio, she hailed Bill.

“I’ve secured the 25
^th
floor. I need you to check out the rest of the building for stragglers. And I’m going to need medical up here.” She turned her head and spoke under her breath so she couldn’t be heard, “And we’ve got one fatality.”

Bill signaled understanding and signed off.

Kate was desperate to find Miranda, but knew she couldn’t let anyone else handle Gavin Brooks and his “evidence.” She just hoped Bill found Miranda and that she was unharmed.

Brooks hauled up the heavy camera and motioned Kate over. She forced herself to focus on the problem at hand.

“All I see is static.” She tried to keep the hope out of her voice.

“That must have happened when it got knocked over. I just need to rewind a few minutes. Okay, here.”

An image of the back of Miranda, seated in the chair on the near side of the desk flickered onto the screen. Mr. Brown sat across the desk. They seemed to be talking. Then a man, one of the three on the floor, walked up to her and then fell to the ground.

“See! She zapped him. Did you see it?”

Kate had seen the man fall, but hadn’t seen any tangible sign of zapping. She held her breath as the video continued.

Next, the two men near the door started to move forward. They too fell to the floor. Again, there was no tangible sign that Miranda had done anything. Why hadn’t the camera picked up the electricity?

The Miranda on the video turned and looked over at the camera and then… black. The screen went safely, blessedly black. And Mr. Brown had been untouched when the video stopped.

“Mr. Brooks, I’m not sure what you thought you saw, but from what I can see, that video doesn’t prove anything. I didn’t see Ms. James do a thing.”

The reporter looked back and forth between her face and the video screen and then began frantically punching buttons.

“I know it’s on there. Maybe I need to adjust the resolution, or fix the color or something. She did it! I swear to you, she did it!”

Kate surveyed the rest of the room while Brooks babbled. Was there anything else there that could prove Miranda’s involvement in the destruction?

She and Brooks saw it at the same time: another video tape, sticking out from underneath the chair Miranda had been sitting in earlier.

“Yes!” The reporter pounced on the tape, holding it up triumphantly. “This is my recording of Miranda James last night as she attacked two men in an old building. This will prove that crazy bitch has superpowers.”

Damn! Kate had forgotten that Brooks had a copy of the incriminating video. Even if it didn’t show the current scene, a judge and jury could easily put two and two together and see Miranda’s handiwork in this office.

Kate could hear footsteps and voices from the end of the hallway. Looked like the cavalry had arrived, at exactly the wrong time. Her heart sank.

Brooks popped the tape into his camera and pushed Play. But instead of the scene at the dry cleaners, this video sputtered into focus showing the interior of the Elder’s Grove Museum. The East Wing, to be specific.

“What? What’s going on here? This should be the tape of last night…” He fumbled with the camera, prepared to stop the tape.

“Wait a minute!” Kate held up her hand, and once again held her breath. Because this was definitely the East Wing of the museum, and a figure had just entered the scene, heading toward the exhibit room housing the artifact. And that figure was Gavin Brooks.

Kate checked the date stamp on the file, clearly visible in the bottom right corner of the screen: September 23, 10:42 p.m. Tonight.

Firefighters spilled into the room, bringing enough noise and chaos that she had to shout.

“Gavin Brooks, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, and robbery. You have the right to remain silent…”

Brooks began sputtering protests, but Kate tuned them out. What had she been thinking a few minutes ago? Video evidence is the hardest to beat? Looks like Brooks was in for a tough time of it.

***

“No. No no no no no. Bryce! No!” Tears streamed down Miranda’s face as she leaned over Bryce’s body. She shook him by the shoulders, as if he just wasn’t paying attention. He had to pay attention. Had to wake up. What was she going to do without him?

Even though she’d only known him for a few days, Miranda couldn’t imagine her life without him. Here she’d spent all this time worrying about losing herself, when the real danger was losing Bryce. She’d wanted everything to go back to the way things used to be, with her alone in her apartment. And now it looked like she’d gotten her wish. She’d go back to status quo: alone.

And it was all her fault. Mr. Brown had been after her, for her powers. It had nothing to do with Bryce. If she’d never met him, he’d still be safe, still be alive. The guilt bowed her head until it rested on Bryce’s still warm chest, now silent.

She sat back upright as if she’d been burned.

No. No, this wasn’t it. This wasn’t the end. She would not let Bryce suffer for her problems.

She knew what she needed to do.

She opened herself up to Arc Angel for what she knew would be the final time.

Save him.

HE’S DEAD.

But you can save him. I know you can. You can use the power to restart his heart, like a defibrillator or something.

Arc Angel was silent for a moment.

You’re a superhero, for god’s sake! This is what you do! Save people!

I AM NOT A SUPERHERO. I AM A GODDESS.

Tears streamed from Miranda’s eyes.

I don’t give a damn what you are. I love that man, and you have to save him!

Arc Angel remained silent, as if thinking it over. Finally, when Miranda had almost given up hope, she answered.

ALL RIGHT. I WILL SAVE HIM.

If Miranda could have fallen over in relief, she would have. As it was, she didn’t dare twitch in case she disturbed Arc Angel.

She placed her right hand over Bryce heart and closed her eyes.

She analyzed the muscle deep under her hand. She found the spot she was looking for and sent a short pulse. The heart twitched under the shock, but then settled back into immobility. She tried again, using a slightly larger blast. Again, Bryce’s heart jumped and then stilled. Arc Angel pulled her hand away.

THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO.

Try again! You have to save him.

She sighed, but replaced her hand on his chest. She sent one more blast into the heart. It jumped and twitched and pulsed and beat. And kept beating.

HE LIVES.

Oh thank god.

Miranda wept with relief. It had been worth it. Bryce would live.

SOMETHING IS STILL NOT RIGHT.

What? Oh, his heart. Right. He has WPW and Ebstein’s Anomaly. It’s an electrical—

I CAN FIX IT. IF YOU WISH.

It took Miranda a second to process what Arc Angel had just said.

Yes! Yes, please, fix him.

She refocused on Bryce’s heart, searching for the root of the problem. There. Right there. The extra conduction fiber between the top right atrium and the bottom left ventricle. If she could reverse the energy through the fiber, it would override the abnormal pattern. But it was millimeters away from the regular pathway; she’d have to be incredibly careful to be sure they didn’t touch and she didn’t damage the other fiber.

IT WILL BE DANGEROUS.

It might kill him?

FOR US.

Oh, right. Dr. Harris said something about it potentially draining me. Er, us.

Miranda paused to think through the situation.

I’ve already made my decision. You know as well as I do that I’m not coming back, regardless. You’re the one with something at risk now.

I AM HERE TO PROTECT THE STONE.

We did that. We took out Mr. Brown. Now the Stone can go back to the museum and, unless we try to steal it again, it should be secure there. It’s safe. But Bryce isn’t. Not yet. If you think you can help him, you have to.

It was Arc Angel’s turn to pause.

I WILL HELP HIM. HE WAS THE CONDUIT. HE BROUGHT ME TO THIS REALITY. IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO BE MERCIFUL.

Miranda sagged with relief.

IT WILL BE DIFFICULT AND WILL TAKE MANY MINUTES. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. TO US.

I don’t care. Do whatever you have to.

THEN BE VERY STILL.

She closed her eyes again and kept her palm on Bryce’s chest. And sat. And continued to sit. Miranda wanted to scream and shout and pound on the walls until she realized that Arc Angel had begun doing some kind of meditation. She calmed her breathing and even her own heart-rate until they were almost undetectable.