Ex-Cape | Book 2 | Ex-Cape From A Small Town

by Wentzel, Daniel

  “Hey, metalhead, heads up!”

  Damselfly came out of the sky with a beautiful, headfirst dive. She had shrunk to the point that the stout screwdriver in her hand looked like a sword. She plummeted faster than seemed possible, aiming for Robodroid’s damaged neck.

  She’d done exactly what she was supposed to do as a hero. She'd caused a distraction at just the right moment to keep the villain from finishing off a vulnerable ally. In doing so, however, she’d also telegraphed her move.

  It was both horrifying and belittling. Robodroid swatted Damselfly out of the air. She crashed to the ground and Molly saw a flash of scarlet on the deep crimson of the girl’s outfit. She was bleeding after a blunt attack. Never a good sign. She looked down at Sean, who gave her a nod saying he was more or less unhurt. Molly dashed over to the fallen superhero.

  Robodroid took just a moment to assess the situation, then he sneered and took off into the sky. Molly could hear the turbines inside his body which gave him lift. Evidently, Sean had damaged him badly enough that their soundproofing was not functioning. Some police fired a shot or two, but they gave up quickly.

  Hustle arrived just in time to be too late. Molly knew this was one of the most galling things that could happen to the speedster.

  “Damsel!” he called out, seeing her on the ground next to Molly. “Kid, talk to me!”

  “I’m all right.”

  She absolutely was not. She’d grown to her normal size, apparently an instinctive thing when she was injured. Molly could see she’d scraped her cheek almost raw on the parking lot pavement. One eye was swollen shut, and Molly suspected she was only saying she was okay to get Hustle to stop shouting. The loud noise seemed to be painful.

  Sean got to his feet, staring into the sky with impotent rage on his face.

  “I can try to follow him. He has to land sometime.” Hustle offered.

  Sean shook his head. “He lost you before. He can do it again.”

  Damselfly tried to stand. “I might be able to — ah!”

  Molly caught the girl as she began to lose her balance. This head injury was bad, and Molly hoped Fathi and Wulfric would be there soon.

  “You’re not going to be able to reach him,” she told the girl.

  “I can.”

  The Aerialist hovered a few feet above the ground. He looked sheepish, as though ashamed that he hadn’t done more.

  “Sorry. I needed some kind of a weapon, and…” He trailed off. There was no real reason to continue. Everyone could see the stop sign he’d yanked out of the ground. The stout iron pole it was fixed to would make a potent weapon indeed.

  Suddenly a lot of guns were pointing his way.

  “Hold your fire!” Sean’s voice broke like a thunderclap over the scene. He jabbed his arm in the direction of the still retreating Robodroid. “That is the man who attacked the station!”

  Damselfly moaned in Molly’s arms at the sound, but it was better than more gunshots would have been.

  The Aerialist barely paid them any attention. His words were all for Molly. “I can still catch him. Tell Heather—” He swallowed. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

  Molly knew what he was trying to say. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard someone say their last words. “No! No! NO!”

  He was gone.

  She realized why Anthony had taken the name of The Aerialist. Not only could he fly, but he was good at it. His speed was incredible, as fast as Major Maximum had ever been. Robodroid saw him coming and tried to avoid him, but it was like watching a bus try to outmaneuver a dirt bike.

  The chase ended quickly. Robodroid dropped from the sky in a shower of sparks, a huge steel pole impaling him as he dropped like dead weight.

  An impact at that speed was too much for a man with no invulnerability. Tears filled Molly’s eyes as Anthony fell as well.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Hustle was gone in an instant, and he returned with The Aerialist in his arms. It was awkward, given that The Aerialist was a few inches taller than he was.

  “I caught him before he hit the ground, but I could only do so much.” Being accelerated horizontally at super speeds after a long vertical fall was only a little better than the impact. Molly fought to keep her expression neutral. The Aerialist looked atrocious. Both arms were dislocated, and probably shattered. He was clearly having difficulty breathing.

  “We’ve got ambulances on the way,” Sean reported. “There’s a dozen injured cops in there, and a few don’t look too much better than he does.”

  Hustle nodded. “Robodroid’s about three-quarters of a mile away in a soybean field. He’s still sparking, so I couldn’t get near him. You’ll want to bring a fire truck with you when you go out there.”

  Sean grimaced. “Robodroid? We were fighting a robot?”

  “Don’t feel bad. I go toe to toe with him every other month, and I didn’t know he was behind this until I got Molly’s call.”

  Sean bobbed his head. So this was all it took to get these two working together.

  “Seargent Corbin, get a team together, and go find Robodroid. Get on the horn with the fire department, and then secure the area. I don’t want anyone going after him until we know he’s fully out of commission.”

  “Yes, sir.” Molly had seen the red-headed policewoman a few times before. She told herself one day she’d remember her name.

  Sean continued. “Everyone else, if you are not actively performing first aid, check in with the people who are and assist them in any way possible. I want an ETA on the ambulances, and I want to know who needs them the most.”

  A car horn sounded as Molly’s Chevrolet Cobalt appeared. They parked the car so as not to block an ambulance later, and then Wulfric and Fathi leapt out of the car.

  “Wulfric, over here.” Molly called. The Aerialist was clearly on his last legs, and Damselfly was not in the best shape either.

  He rushed over to them, and Molly’s heart leapt for joy when she saw the familiar flash of gold light leave his hands twice. The Aerialist gasped for breath, and when he slipped from Hustle’s grasp, he managed to stand on his own two feet.

  Fathi was not having the same amount of success.

  “Detective Cedar, isn’t this man a murder suspect?”

  Sean took two paces toward the trooper who was blocking Fathi’s path. His voice came out with barely controlled anger. “He’s here to help. Both of these men are. Let them through and do whatever they say.”

  “Sir, Lieutenant Kim would never—”

  “Lieutenant Kim is unconscious, Trooper. Now get out of this man’s way, or I will move you myself.”

  Considering most of the officers standing outside had just watched Sean nearly decapitate a robot by hitting it with a stick, it was no surprise that the trooper moved.

  Wulfric followed Fathi, and Molly was struck by how slowly he was moving.

  Sean turned away and stepped over to Molly, Hustle, Damselfly, and The Aerialist.

  “I want to thank you all for what you did here today. That having been said, it’s not going to be too long until someone decides to try to arrest you, so please do me a favor and vamoose.”

  “Am I all right to stay?” asked Molly. “I’m the ride for the two healers in your station.”

  “If you want.” Sean looked relieved. He clearly had business to tend to, but the prospect of seeing her when the job was done was a light at the end of the tunnel for him.

  Molly turned to her masked friends. “Thank you all. I’ll call you.”

  They said their goodbyes and made a hasty retreat. Once they’d left, Sean looked down at her. “You figured out The Aerialist’s identity and made friends with him, didn’t you?”

  “Yep.”

  “And since you’re part of the VAA, you can’t reveal that identity to me.”

  “Nope.”

  He sighed. “Molly Martin, you are the most infuriating woman I have ever wanted to kiss this badly.”

  “You’re not going to kiss
me in front of all these cops when you’ve got wounded men inside.” She reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “But you are going to kiss me soon, and I promise you, Sean, it’s going to be epic.”

  She texted her mother, making sure to explain that she was not in a position to talk with so many police around, but that she and Sean were unhurt. She shot off another text to Heather just saying “He’s on his way back.” If Anthony knew what was good for him, he’d head straight back to Heather rather than making any other stops.

  The ambulances arrived, then left. What would have been multiple cases of racing to the hospital before it was too late became several far less urgent trips to the hospital thanks to Wulfric and Fathi. Sean escorted the two warriors out to meet her in the parking lot.

  “You two look like death warmed over. Wulfric, do you need me to take you to a doctor?”

  He looked a few levels worse than Fathi. He was actively leaning against Sean as he walked.

  “Some water and a great deal of rest are called for, but I will be all right eventually.”

  “I’ve never seen you look this drained.”

  He smiled at her. “It has been a while since I have been, but I’m doing what I’m here on this earth to do, liebchen. Do not worry.”

  She helped him into the back seat of her car. “I’ll worry all I want. You can barely stand.”

  “Well, that’s true. I never really got a chance to recover my strength fully after helping Officer Baxter. I imagine he could have been called legally dead by the time I got to him. That always drains me, bringing back someone so far gone.”

  Fathi had gotten in on the other side. “Rest now. For both of us.”

  Molly shut the door and turned to Sean.

  “Take care of those two. They need it. The, uh, other thing we were talking about can wait.”

  “The epic part, maybe.” Molly pulled him down to her. “Life is too short to skip this completely.”

  The kiss was deep and satisfying for all that it was too short for her mood. She found she couldn’t quite let him go yet.

  “Sean, I’m going to tell Hustle that it’s over between him and me. I want us to be a real, honest to goodness us. Does that work for you?”

  He didn’t answer her in words. Molly tried to focus on the kiss, and she mostly succeeded in blocking out the distractions.

  Like the other task she’d just figured out she needed to take care of.

  ✽✽✽

  Heather and Lydia had cemented a great friendship. Waiting together for someone you care about to return from danger could do that.

  Molly left Wulfric and Fathi in the car and walked into La Belle Dame. She didn’t say a word, but went straight to her mother and embraced Lydia. She’d never had a chance to do this as Etherya. Had it been an option, she wondered if she still would have quit.

  Lydia did not reproach her or tell her how terrifying it had been to know her daughter was in that kind of danger. Still, the hug lasted a long time, and her mother’s grip was unimaginably tight.

  “All right. I left the boys in the car, so we should get them home, but I do need two things before we go. Heather, will you ring me up for that scarf?”

  “No.” It was pretty clear Heather had no intention of letting go of Anthony. Having nearly died, he held her tightly against his chest, and they both seemed perfectly content with the arrangement.

  “Fair enough. I do need one thing from you, Anthony. On the night of the debate, I don’t suppose you saw who shot Matt Nelson?”

  “No ma’am, sorry.”

  “That’s all right,” Molly replied.

  She already knew who had.

  ✽✽✽

  She called Sandra an hour later and filled her in on what had happened. Sandra advised her not to spread the information that she’d summoned Hustle, Damselfly, and The Aerialist, but so long as Molly stuck to the argument that she’d alerted them in case they could be of assistance with potential injuries (as Wulfric and Fathi had been) she’d probably be in reasonable legal shape if anyone did question her actions.

  Molly then filled Sandra in on the other matter, at least as much as she could without revealing anyone’s identity.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Sandra blew out a long breath. “There’s not really any legal advice I can offer. You already know what you can and can’t do. Just be careful.”

  She called Frank and thanked him. Then she set a date with him for the weekend. She knew she’d be breaking up with him on that date. They’d broken up dozens of times, but this would be different, and she knew it.

  The next call was to Beth who assured her she was fine. Molly made sure to find out which motel they were at and promised to swing by for a visit before the girl left.

  Molly left her mother preparing a thick soup for Fathi and Wulfric when they awoke. She promised to return with some additional vegetables after running her errand.

  The motel had doors leading out from each of the rooms. Molly knocked and waited.

  “Oh!” Beth smiled. “I didn’t realize you meant you’d be visiting this soon. Come in.”

  Molly couldn’t return the smile. “This one’s not exactly a social call.”

  The room was sparse, and Molly didn’t envy the family for being cooped up here. Hunter stood behind one of the beds. Molly locked eyes with him.

  “Do you want to have this conversation here, or shall we step outside?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Here then.” Molly looked at Beth, her sister, and her cousin. She wished Hunter had just accepted what was going to happen instead of making her do this in front of the kids. “When I asked you why I should believe that you didn’t kill Matt Nelson, you told me you had too much to lose if you went to prison.” She indicated the three minors in the room.

  “So?” Hunter replied skeptically.

  “It’s a good argument for what it’s worth, but it falls apart quickly when you realize you were dying.”

  If it had just been Molly in the room, he probably could have held his stoic face. It broke when he caught the confusion in Beth’s expression. She couldn’t believe it of her brother, and he hated being such a disappointment to her.

  Molly continued, any trace of doubt gone. “I hadn’t realized how far gone you were, but I’m guessing you did. You had just a couple of seconds where you knew you were a dead man, and given that, the best thing you could do for your family was to end the life of the man who was threatening them.”

  “Hunter?”

  He ignored Beth, or maybe he couldn’t bear to look at her. “You can’t prove anything.”

  “No, I can’t. Given the confusion involved and the presence of all the people in masks who were there, this has too much reasonable doubt to ever go to trial. And if anyone other than Detective Sergeant Sean Cedar were the lead investigator on your case, you’d have gotten away with it free and clear.”

  “You’re saying he can prove I did it?”

  “No, but he also won’t let this go. Right now he’s dealing with the aftermath of an attack on the station. That’s providing a distraction, and I imagine you’ve got a few days before he fully realizes that The Aerialist isn’t the one who killed Matt Nelson, and that the only prints on the murder weapon are yours. Like I say, he’s not going to be able to prove anything, but he will keep trying. And the more he investigates, the more likely he is to find out about Beth’s identity, your connection to Damselfly, and all the rest of it. Matt Nelson pieced together this information. Sean can too.”

  “Hunter, look at me! This is crazy. Tell her you didn’t do it!”

  He tried. Molly saw him inhale with the lie on his lips. When he couldn’t make it come out, the silence did not last long. Beth let out a pained squeak that wanted to be a scream. Her sister sobbed. Their cousin didn’t react at all. He just stared at a point a few feet in front of him. Molly suspected that on some level, the boy ha
d already known somehow.

  “You four have a lot to talk about. Take my advice or don’t. I certainly understand if you choose to hate the messenger, but I’ll say again what I told you in the hospital. Your best bet is to turn yourself in. There’s enough reason on the surface for you to have killed Matt Nelson that no one’s going to dig deeper. You were dying, and you had reason to believe he killed your parents. Everything else can be swept under a rug without anyone realizing there’s a rug there in the first place. Your call, though.”

  As Molly turned to leave, she shot another look at Beth. She knew on some level, the girl would end up blaming her for what amounted to the destruction of her family. She hadn’t been Beth’s friend for long, but she would still miss that friendship.

  Epilogue

  This is a good thing, she told herself.

  It was the eighth time she’d said that in the past fifteen minutes.

  Brandy took another picture. She was using an actual camera, which Molly hadn’t been sure existed anymore in the wake of everyone having a camera in their phone. Lydia beamed from behind the sign. With both hands, she pointed at the “Sold” sign which now sat atop the “For Sale” sign.

  Buster pulled a little on his leash. Molly couldn’t blame him. Her mother’s new home had been Buster’s old home for years before his owner passed away. She had no doubt she’d be sharing custody of her pekingese.

  “I don’t think she has the keys yet, buddy. She hasn’t finished all the paperwork. You’re stuck at my place for a few more days at least.”

  Buster, just happy to have someone paying attention to him, wagged his pom-pom tail.

  “So, Mom says we get to meet your new boyfriend too?” Candy grinned, happy for an excuse to dish about boys. Molly was glad some things hadn’t changed.

  “In a while. He’s in a meeting with his lieutenant, and it might run long.”

  Kim had taken a couple of weeks of recovery time, which put Sean in charge of way more than he should have been. Molly hadn’t seen that much of her boyfriend, and neither of them were happy about that. He had managed to get tomorrow off, a bit of a minor miracle, but Lieutenant Kim had no problems with making Sean work late the day before Thanksgiving.