by Daco
“Alexa! Stop, dear,” Gladys warned, but Alexa had already transformed into Electromancer.
In her crystalline voice, Electromancer said, “This is an outrage!”
“Please get control of yourself,” Gladys said. “Anger won’t solve anything, and there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Electromancer forced herself to calm down and transformed back to Alexa. “What is it, Gladys?”
Gladys steadied herself and took a deep breath. “Is it true that Sigfred was groping you at the golf course, dear?” She gave Alexa a knowing look.
But Alexa was still too worked up to respond. “I must go to Sigfred at once.”
“Because if it is true,” Gladys continued, ignoring Alexa’s reply, “then your uncle did the right thing.”
“You don’t understand Gladys. I ... I love him.”
Gladys’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but she remained silent, her face disbelieving.
“Where’s Sigfred?” Alexa demanded.
“Gone.”
“Gone where?”
“He didn’t say, just packed his bags and left. He could be anywhere. He always talked about going to Americana ...” Gladys shrugged. “I truly think Montgomery did the best thing for you, dear.”
Alexa shook her head, seething, on the verge of transforming again. “Oh. So it’s Montgomery now. Perhaps I’m not the only woman in this house who’s allowed herself to be groped.”
“Oh, Alexa. How could you speak to me like that?” Gladys asked, obviously stung by the harsh words.
Alexa felt a pang of guilt, but she also felt so tired of other people thinking they knew best and trying to make important life decisions for her. Sigfred was gone, and he was the only person in her life who didn’t try to control her.
“I’m going to go find him,” Alexa said.
“It’s impossible. He could be anywhere.”
“It’s not impossible for Electromancer.”
Alexa started for the door. When Gladys grabbed her arm, sparks began flying wildly from Alexa’s body. When Gladys didn’t let go, Alexa, with a Herculean effort, stopped the transformation.
“It’s not right,” Gladys said. “You shouldn’t use your powers to solve your personal problems.”
Alexa fixed a stony stare on Gladys. “How soon after my uncle sacked Sigfred did you become aware of it? We were only playing golf a few hours ago, and then my uncle came with me to The Mick.”
Gladys dropped her hand and said, “Sigfred told me right after he returned from the golf course.”
“But when did my uncle have time to ...” Then Alexa realized that Uncle Montgomery had been speaking to Sigfred alone when she’d gone to the women’s locker room to get her shoes. The sacking must have occurred then. “How could you, Gladys?”
Gladys lowered her eyes. “We were only trying to do what was best for you.”
Alexa felt betrayed. After all these years, how could Gladys go behind her back like this? Apparently, the only person she could truly trust was Sigfred, and he was gone. “You did the worst thing you could possibly do to me, Gladys.” The tone was in the crystalline voice of Electromancer. “And know this—I can use my powers however I want. Whenever I want. Wherever I want. They’re mine.” A horrible thought occurred to Alexa. “Gladys, did you tell my uncle that I’m Electromancer?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t.”
Alexa reached out and grabbed Gladys’s arm hard. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. On my life.” She looked down at her arm. “Alexa, you’re hurting me.”
Alexa looked at her own hand in horror and immediately released Gladys. All anger was gone. There was only remorse.
“Oh, Gladys, I’m sorry. I know you mean well. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine dear. And I’m sorry, too. You’re right. Sometimes I still think you’re a child, but I know you’re not. But whatever my feelings, I should’ve helped Sigfred, at least until everyone had a say.”
Now Alexa’s eyes filled with tears. “What I said before is true, you know. Servant or not, I love him, Gladys.”
Gladys nodded, and the two women embraced. Then Alexa stepped back and said, “Gladys, will you do me a favor?”
“Of course, dear. Anything.”
“When my uncle gets back, please tell him to come and see me here in the study. I don’t care how late it is.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all, Gladys. Thank you.”
• • •
An hour later, there was a knock on the study door, and Uncle Montgomery came in.
“Gladys said you wanted to see me. I’m hoping you’ve reconsidered and signed the papers. It is only temporary, Alexa. I’m an old man. You’ll be able to get your house in order and take control when you’re more prepared.”
“Oh, we’re way past that, Uncle Montgomery. I just want to tell you that I forbid you to terminate the services of my employees. I want Sigfred to return immediately.”
“It’s too late for that. I’ve arranged for his employment abroad.”
“Well, that’s just too bloody bad. He’s my butler and will remain so.”
“You sound like a petulant child, like a spoiled little rich girl throwing a fit to get her way. You’re incapable of making a rational decision.” He folded his arms and glared at her.
“Here’s a rational decision, Uncle Montgomery.” She lifted her chin, hands on her hips. “I’ve decided that you’re to leave this house by noon tomorrow.”
“You’re throwing me out of the Manchester home? I’m a Manchester.”
“As you, yourself told me, Grandfather determined that it would be my father’s, not yours. I have a feeling that the reasons go far deeper than primogeniture.”
Her uncle’s visage darkened, and he clenched his fists. His eyes emitted lethal venom, the glare so violent that she was ready to transform if necessary. When there was a knock at the door, they both stood down.
Gladys entered. “There’s a note for you, Alexa. It seems that it was left on the stoop. I didn’t see anyone around.”
Gladys handed Alexa the note. After Alexa read it, she and Gladys exchanged a look. Gladys walked over and turned on the television. There was Momo on the screen, hiding behind his silly gold mask again.
“Most extraordinary,” Uncle Montgomery said. “What—?”
Alexa put her finger to her lips to shush him.
“Alexa Manchester, you had fair warning,” Momo said. “Now terror will rain down upon Kensington City. Say goodbye to your river, your Sugar Express Train Depot, your precious Mick. The first strike will be at Big Benny. Tick tock, tick tock. Such a pity. I do love that old clock. And the city wasn’t bad either, not barbaric like The Big Apple or The City of Angels, which deserved to go down.”
His tone changed from glib to fierce. “You have until midnight tomorrow to give me what I want, and if you don’t, then say goodbye to your beloved city. Everyone will believe Alexa Manchester is responsible for the destruction of Kensington City. After that, I will destroy the rest of the world’s energy plants one by one until you comply with my demands. If you go to the authorities, I’ll take the cities out all at once. You know very well that I can do it!” The screen went blank and then switched to some cheesy sitcom.
Alexa powered down the television monitor.
“Who was that?” Uncle Montgomery said. “What was that?”
Gladys and Alexa explained as quickly as possible, leaving out the fact that Alexa was Electromancer. Her uncle could only shake his head.
“Now you see why it’s not so simple to manage my life,” Alexa said. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to retire for the night.”
“And do nothing?” Uncle Montgomery asked. “Not call the authorities?”
“The authorities have been looking for Momo,” she said. “They didn’t find him after the attack on The Big Apple, and they didn’t find him after the attack on The City of Angels. Th
ey won’t find him now.”
“You heard the man’s threat, Alexa,” he said. “I’m sure your father would not have allowed personal pride to interfere with preventing world disaster. If the authorities can’t help, what choice do you have? Give Momo what he wants. You can’t just ignore him.”
“I don’t intend to,” Alexa said. “But I’m not giving in to a terrorist.” She shook her head. “In light of what you’ve seen, Uncle Monty, you may stay if you so choose, for the time being.”
“You must stay,” Gladys said.
“No, I’ll abide by my niece’s wishes,” Uncle Montgomery said. “There were things said that cannot be taken back. As I said, I’m an old-fashioned man who believes that young people should respect their elders. I’ll take a suite at the Ritzzy Carl in midtown. I won’t wait until tomorrow to go. I’ll leave tonight. If there’s anything I can do to help, well, you know where to find me.”
“There’s nothing anyone can do,” Alexa said. “I have to handle this on my own. Good-bye, Uncle Montgomery.”
“Your response is irrational, narcissistic, even paranoid,” Uncle Montgomery said. “It only confirms my belief that you are unstable.”
Alexa fled the room. Once she was in the foyer and out of sight, in a flash, she transformed. Nanoseconds later, she was soaring over Kensington City. Big Benny was ticking and intact. Would it be tomorrow?
She zoomed over her city, with its beautiful hills and rivers, and realized what she must do. Alexa finally had a plan—and she’d need some help to complete it.
Decision made, she touched down almost instantaneously on the stoop of Sigfred’s flat—or what had been his flat. She was Alexa again. She raised her hand to knock.
Chapter 19
On a moonless night ...
Sigfred stood on the corner near the stairwell leading down to the subway, concealed in eerie shadows cast by grimy street lamps. His hard stare and deep frown—almost a scowl—made him resemble one of The Momaxita hit men who’d happily accept jobs that no one else would take on. With a dispassion as cold as the night air, he regarded the silhouette of a lone figure standing on his doorstep. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. There shouldn’t have been anyone standing there. No one knew about this place. Not even his employers. Almost casually, he slid a hand inside his windbreaker and felt the handle of his Heckler & Koch USP semiautomatic—precise, capable of hitting a small target from long range. He drew the gun from his pocket and got ready to fire.
The person began knocking, waited, and knocked again, this time frantically. The street was deserted, so even from a hundred yards away, he could hear the echo of the fist striking against the door. He kept his gun trained in the direction of the person and started forward, while keeping an eye out for other intruders who might be lurking.
The person knocked three more times and then immediately peered into the window. Nothing to see there—Sigfred always kept his shades drawn and the blackout curtains closed when he was away. He had secrets to protect.
There was a screeching, and Sigfred raised his gun, ready to fire. It took him a moment to determine the source of the noise—a sewer rat as big as a Jack Russell terrier scurrying out of a storm drain and heading who knew where. For one brief, irrational moment, Sigfred thought of shooting the rat, actually aimed in its direction and started to squeeze the trigger, but backed off on the pressure before he fired. A chill ran down his spine—what had gotten into him?
He turned back to the interloper, who was still trying to see into the window. Suddenly, there was a burst of light. How could he have failed to recognize Alexa Manchester? She transformed into Electromancer, then into a thin thread of electrical energy, and shot through the keyhole. It all happened so fast that the image of Electromancer imprinted itself on his retinas only after she was already inside. A light went on in the flat, and the silhouette of the person now inside was petite, delicate—Alexa again.
“No!” he shouted aloud, and the word echoed down the street and startled the huge rat, which was devouring what looked like leftover fish and chips that someone had dropped outside a garbage bin. The rat scampered back into the sewer.
Sigfred sprinted back to his flat and onto the stoop, his house keys in hand. But he hesitated before unlocking the door, pondering whether he should go inside. Perhaps he should leave. That would spare them both the pain that was inevitably in store for them.
That choice was taken away from him when the front door opened a crack.
A bewildered Alexa stood gaping at him, her beautiful lips parted in surprise. She was wearing one of his dress shirts, which fell to mid-thigh, and nothing else.
He glanced at her legs. “Were you standing on my front porch without—?”
Though it was dimly lit inside, he could see her cheeks flush scarlet. “I came here as Electromancer, but somehow I felt your presence and transformed back into Alexa. I could’ve prevented it, but I let it happen. It’s dark, and the street is deserted, so I didn’t think anyone would see me. I wanted to be Alexa at that moment, clothing or not. But when I heard a noise ...” She smiled.
He couldn’t help but smile back.
“My uncle said you’d left the country,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“That’s what he wanted. It’s not what I wanted.”
She lowered her eyes. “Sigfred, what are you doing with that gun? Please put it away.”
He looked at his hand as if it belonged to someone else. “This is a rough neighborhood. And that Momo character ...” He put the gun back into his windbreaker. “You should’ve been more careful.”
“I can take care of myself,” she said. “I’m sure you know that electricity can move faster than a bullet.”
“Only if you know that the bullet is coming.”
“I’m here to tell you that Uncle Montgomery has left the mansion. At my request. I don’t suppose you’ll come back to me?”
He was confused. What was she actually offering? A job or a life together. He decided not to make assumptions. “I can’t do that. I have another job.”
“Sigfred, I didn’t mean ...” She looked flustered but then composed herself.
Maybe they were both being cautious, he thought.
“Now that I’ve seen the gun you carry, I’m not surprised that you have another job,” she continued. She opened the door wider, reached out, and took his hand. “I didn’t mean to be rude. Let me invite you into your own flat.”
He stepped inside. In her presence, he felt as if his place was shabby and unworthy—the threadbare sofa, the frayed easy chair, the old lumpy Murphy bed, the dirty dishes piled up in the sink. It wasn’t because she was rich. It was her physical beauty, her kindness, her willingness to sacrifice everything to save a world that flung unwarranted accusations at her. Royalty like Alexa Manchester shouldn’t be subjected to his inferior apartment. He tried to banish these thoughts, tried to stop thinking like a servant. He wanted to be with her forever, but how was that possible? There were so many complications.
She went on to tell him about her uncle’s attempt to get her to sign over control of the Manchester holdings, of Montgomery’s threat to have her committed, of Gladys’s role in allowing Sigfred to be terminated without Alexa’s knowledge.
“Gladys was infatuated by your uncle,” Sigfred said. “He does have a way with the ladies. I saw him with Della Dowdy, and he’s a real charmer. So please forgive Gladys.”
“I already have. But there’s something else, Sigfred. Another message from Momo came last night. He threatened to attack Kensington City—our city—if I don’t comply with his demands by midnight tomorrow. He’s going to start with Big Benny, and then, who knows?”
Sigfred moved close and took her hands in his. “Electromancer will stop him. As always.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure of that anymore. I heard it in Momo’s voice. Something is different this time.”
“I know it’s difficult being Electromancer. Th
e responsibility. The loneliness. The fear. The frustration of not being able to go back to the life you had before.”
“It’s not as hard as being Alexa Manchester.” They were still holding hands, and without letting go, she led him to the sofa. When they sat down, she turned to him. “I’ve been so privileged—wealth, the best education, the best of everything.” Her cheeks flushed rosy. “Loyal servants—even when I don’t deserve them.” She looked coyly at him. “So, who am I to complain? Yet where has it gotten me? Too many people think I’ve orchestrated all the outages and attacks. Why?”
“Because we live in a cynical, dangerous society. It blinds us. Sometimes we fail to perceive the good that is right there before us.”
“I broke it off with Bobby Baumgartner. You were right. People should always follow their hearts. I’m here because I followed mine tonight.”
He leaned over and kissed her as he caressed her cheek with his hand. She melted into him. Her body felt electric, and not because she was a superhero, but because she was quintessentially human—quintessentially Alexa.
When she drew back, breathing deeply and her chest heaving, she said, “We’ve kissed before, and it was wonderful, but that was ...” She’d been smiling, but now her expression became solemn. “Who are you, Sigfred?”
“Alexa, you know who I am. I was your father’s butler and after that your butler—your humble servant.”
“That’s not the whole truth, is it? I could use a dose of the truth right now.” She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Please, Sigfred.”
It was his turn to take a deep breath. What he was about to tell her was a clear violation of his sworn oath. To reveal it would be a crime against the Commonwealth. But looking into her eyes—those sad, plaintive, beautiful eyes—he had no choice but to tell it.
“You recall that before I began working for your father, I was in the employ of Lord Wilkinson Wintersworth?”
“You were his valet.”