“You…” Malcolm’s blood ran cold.
“Me,” said Multi. “And you. And… what was his name again? Brenden?”
Malcolm stiffened. From the speakers on either side of the screen came the sound of rough audio, probably obtained from a hidden recording device.
“The demon hit our car,” said Brenden’s voice. “We flipped over two, three times. I was stunned, but okay.”
“No!” shouted Malcolm. “Rose! Don’t listen!”
Rose was staring, mouth slightly agape. Malcolm tried to grab her shoulder. She let him, all of her attention focused on what was being said.
“Rose was already out of the car. Hope… was in the backseat. My daughter… Our daughter.”
“…What?” Rose was slowly shaking her head. “No...”
Malcolm felt her trembling under his hand. He wanted to do something, to smash the screen, or unplug the speakers. But it was already too late.
“I thought she was in her damn car seat,” Brenden’s voice said, over the speakers. “Just a little baby, didn’t even notice she wasn’t still under the blanket. I was dazed, and stupid, stupid, so fucking stupid. I pulled the carrier out and I was sprinting away. And then… Rose just lost it.”
“No!” shouted Rose. “No… no… no…”
She fell to her knees. Multi chuckled, and paused the audio.
“And then,” said Multi. “There was a struggle.”
The sound of Malcolm and Brenden fighting followed. It went on for a shorter amount of time than he remembered, but the bullet sounded the same. Rose had her face buried in her hands, sobs wrenching from her even as she tried to hold them in.
“Rose!” said Malcolm. “Listen to me, I–”
“You!” she screamed. “You lied! You… didn’t tell me?”
She let out a body shaking gasp and fell forward onto hands and knees. Malcolm ran to her side. She slapped his hand away as he tried to set it on her back.
“No!” she screamed. Tendrils of black swam under the pale purple skin of her face like dark veins. Her eyes darkened, pupils expanding to fill them. Her hair twisted, strands of shadow intermingling with darks locks.
“Rose!” shouted Malcolm. “You have to calm down!”
“My daughter!” she screamed. “My family!”
Footsteps approached from the surrounding darkness. Malcolm saw a group of three Multis inch forward, illuminated by the weak glow of the computer monitor. Rose lashed out at them with a shadow, ripping gaping holes in their chests.
Multi looked conflicted. Malcolm recognized that expression from his old boss.
This isn’t part of his plan. He doesn’t know what to do.
The dark shadows of the abandoned factory were gasoline to Rose’s spark. Malcolm could see her drawing the darkness to her. She let out wailing wordless screams and attacked anything that came close to her. She’d attack him, too. She’d kill him if he tried to help her.
“She’s losing it…” muttered Tapestry.
“We have to get out of here!” said Malcolm. “This isn’t a normal episode. She’s-”
Rose’s scream intensified, morphing into a sound that made Malcolm’s bones ache. She thrashed, putting a hole in one of the factories walls with her shadows and disintegrating a group of Multis.
The darkness was gathering into her like a pulsing, infinite black hole. Malcolm had to lean away from it to keep from being pulled in. He seized Tapestry by the waist, pushed forward with all the strength his legs had, and made an attempt to fly to safety.
Rose’s pull held him where he was for a terrifying moment, and then slowly, only through pushing his powers dangerously close to the limit, was Malcolm able to pull away. All of the Multis were busy making pathetic attempts at taking the spryte on, most of them dying in the process. Rose never stopped screaming.
Malcolm carried Tapestry free of the factory and kept going. The sunlight outside was a shock to his system, as though Rose’s episode was enough to steal the bright light of day. He watched as long spears of shadow burst up through the mostly destroyed factory and wondered just how far away that was from the truth.
“Let me down!” Tapestry struggled against him, elbowing and even grasping at his mask at one point.
“Relax!” said Malcolm, through gritted teeth. “And quit fighting!”
He didn’t want to leave just yet. He was still hoping that Rose would calm down and come to her senses. Was it even possible for her to, he wondered? After learning that she’d not only had a daughter, but also been responsible for her death?
I can’t imagine what she’s going through. And I can’t help her, either.
The roof of the factory buckled and fell inward. Malcolm bit his lower lip, hoping she’d be okay. Darkness swelled within, pulling what was left of the building into a dark, spherical vortex. A feminine figure hovered in the center of it.
The sphere suddenly lurched into the air, flying at speeds beyond anything Malcolm could have managed. It disappeared over the edge of the horizon in less than a couple of seconds. A crater sat where the factory had once been, and there were no signs of any Multis having survived the chaos.
CHAPTER 30
“Put me down, this instant!” cried Tapestry.
Malcolm scowled as she brought a fist down against his back. He was halfway tempted to see how high of a fall her regenerative abilities would let her recover from.
He landed in an old park in the center of an abandoned neighborhood, feeling drained by the experience. He was worried about Rose, more than he ever had been during any of her previous episodes and disappearances. He wasn’t sure if she’d come back to herself, this time.
“You… have so much to answer for!” demanded Tapestry. “Who are you? And what’s your relationship to Wind Runner?”
Malcolm barely even heard her. He was scanning the skies for any sign of Rose. How had she flown, inside that sphere? Was that an ability only available to her when deep within an episode?
“Answer me!” Tapestry lunged at him, her hand groping for the bottom of his mask. Malcolm spun out of the way.
“Your questions will have to wait,” he said. “If I see Wind Runner… I’ll send him back to you.”
Even as he said the words, they felt hollow and empty. If he saw Second Wind again, it was more likely that things would end as they’d ended with Brenden. That thought struck a raw note inside of Malcolm. How had all of his good intentions come to this?
He pushed back into the air before Tapestry could ask anything more, feeling a small twinge of guilt over how in the dark she was. It was easy to brood in Malcolm’s state of mind, but instead, he forced himself to hum his rock music and keep his mind on balancing his wind manipulation. It would let him stay in the air longer. It might let him find Rose.
He flew high, unconcerned by the clouds, and the chill of the thin air. He flew as high as he could while still keeping visibility on the ground below, and searched for Rose, like someone scanning a thick carpet for an inconspicuous lost earring.
She could be anywhere. And in the state she’s in… the only sure thing is destruction.
Malcolm flew slow circles around the town, pushing himself to the limit of how much flying he could do without snapping. Part of him wanted to flirt with the limit, and wondered what would happen if he did succumb to the temptation to turn into a demon.
He thought of his brother Danny, and of Rose. Of his fellow champion, Melt, who had snapped during combat, and later committed suicide. The memories weren’t things that Malcolm could let himself dwell on. At least not now.
During his first break from flying, Malcolm called the spryte phone out of desperation. Fantasy picked up. Malcolm’s words with her were brief, but enough to confirm that she hadn’t returned to their base yet. He knew that she wouldn’t have, and that it could be days, or even weeks, before she’d ever be in a state of mind to return.
He searched for hours. It was frustrating and pointless. He could either fly low
and slow, and make out detail, or high and fast, and settle for trying to spot areas of recent destruction. Each time he did, it was just Multi’s handiwork, or leftover damage from other, unrelated incidents.
The sky was dark by the time Malcolm finally gave up. He flew back to his hideout, landing on wobbly legs, half-sure that another minute in the air would be enough to make him cross over the line.
There was someone waiting for him next to the hatch leading below. Malcolm blinked and felt his heart sail as he stepped in close enough to see in the dim confines of the warehouse. It was her. And… she was naked.
“Rose!” Malcolm ran to her. He pulled off his mask and let it fall to the ground. He kissed her passionately, and felt Rose give a small, surprised squeal. He cupped her naked breasts in his hands, and pressed forward against her, his exhaustion giving way to fierce, sexual need.
She had her hand down his pants, stroking his hardness eagerly, a mischievous smile on her face as though she wanted him to take her right there in the dirty warehouse. Malcolm had so many questions, but they slid to the back of his mind in favor of the pleasure she offered.
He frowned, noticing something strange. She was shorter than she should have been. Rose was already pulling his pants down and lowering herself to her knees. She ran her lips over his erection and began to suck in an uncharacteristically eager manner, lips and tongue focused and intent. Malcolm met her eyes, and felt the truth, along with his anger, hit him like a runaway bus.
“Fantasy,” he said.
She winked at him and slid his shaft out of her mouth. Rose’s naked form shifted, skin turning from purple to a soft gold, hair from black to fine blonde. She was still naked, and she’d always been a bombshell, but that was the last thing on his mind.
“It was Shield Maiden’s idea,” said Fantasy, slowly rising to her feet. “And I agreed with her. We needed to know for sure. Both who you were, and whether you had anything to do with Rose’s disappearance.”
Malcolm almost exploded at her, but managed to check his reaction in time to see the truth of her words.
I did have something to do with it. It’s my fault. I led her to Brenden, and then I kept secrets from her.
“For the record, we’d ruled out you being Wind Runner,” said Shield Maiden. “It’s … a little unbelievable to me. There’s footage of both of you together that we’ve seen on the news… Though I guess anyone could have been under the mask in those clips.”
Fantasy flashed a flirtatious smile. Malcolm glared at her.
“Well, you have your answer,” he said. “You know who I am now. Are we done here?”
“We care about her, too,” said Fantasy. “Both Shield Maiden and I. Keep us in the loop. We’ll help however we can.”
Malcolm gave a small nod, feeling betrayed by the deceit.
“You know…” said Fantasy. “Since I’m already here, and since I’m already… naked.”
She stepped in close to him again, kissing his neck, sliding one arm under her breasts to make them more prominent. Her nipples were large, and the tips were hard.
“You have an odd way of caring about your friends.” Malcolm turned his back to her and set about unlocking the hatch to his hideout. “You have my number. Call me if you hear anything.”
He didn’t look back as he climbed down the ladder.
CHAPTER 31
Malcolm was exhausted, but sleep eluded him that night, and for good reason. His throat felt like it had a lump in it. He couldn’t close his eyes without seeing Rose’s face, and hearing her screams as the audio recording of Brenden’s words played.
I caused her so much pain. I just wish… I could do the last few days over.
He knew that it wasn’t all his fault. Regardless of whether he’d told her immediately, or successfully hidden it from her, she would have found out eventually. Malcolm felt the lump in his throat tighten with empathy as he thought about the weight she carried.
His phone vibrated next to his bed. He picked it up immediately, his hopes high. He had a new text message from Tapestry, and it simply said that she needed to speak with him, immediately.
Malcolm sighed, debating with himself over just when constituted immediately. He was leaning his head back against his pillow when it suddenly struck him that he’d never given Tapestry his new phone number. There’d never been any reason to. Which meant that she found it through other means.
A cold chill ran through Malcolm. He got out of bed and rushed to pull his clothes on. He pulled on his mask a little reluctantly, unsure of whether it would serve him anymore to continue the charade of the Gifted Vigilante.
It’s just another secret for me to carry.
It was still early, and the sky overhead was a deep, dusky purple that reminded him of Rose. He flew across Vanderbrook in what felt like a single bound. He couldn’t help but savor the sensation of the wind on his clothes even as his thoughts were drawn back to his worries.
The lights were on in the living room of Tapestry’s house. Malcolm landed in her front yard, and considered his approach carefully. Just by showing up at Tapestry’s, he would be betraying that he knew where she lived. How much longer would it be before she connected the dots?
The front door opened before he’d reached the porch. A familiar voice, Malcolm’s own voice, came from within the house.
“Please, come inside,” said Second Wind. “We have so much to discuss.”
Malcolm’s confusion only lasted until he entered Tapestry’s living room, and saw what awaited him. Second Wind sat next to Tapestry on the couch. Tapestry was clad only in her nightgown, eyes red from crying, face set into a hopeless expression of despair and numb shock. And it was obvious, at a glance, why.
Second Wind had done it. His skin was pale white and ghostly, like fresh ash from a dead fire. He’d shaved off all of his hair, which made the regular, rough bumps along the crown of his skull that much more pronounced. He was a demon, and he was grinning at Malcolm, savoring his reaction like fine wine.
“You’re a fucking idiot,” said Malcolm. “How could you be so fucking stupid?”
“The polite thing to do would be to say hello,” said Second Wind. “Ask me how I’m doing. Make small talk. Warm up the room, before jumping straight to questioning my decisions.”
“Your decision?” asked Malcolm. “Your mistake, you mean. Your foolish, idiotic, mistake!”
He gritted his teeth. There was something else about Second Wind’s demeanor that unnerved him almost as much as his copy’s radically altered appearance. He seemed to be in control, relaxed, even. He seemed to have his faculties about him, which was rare for a demon, but virtually unheard of in one that had just turned.
“Not a mistake,” said Second Wind. “A decision. One that I came to after a lot of careful thought and planning.”
It was only then that Malcolm noticed Second Wind’s wrist. His grey metal champion stabilizer had been removed, and replaced with a black band similar to the stabilizer, but wider, it extended over half of his forearm.
“It’s Multi’s design,” said Second Wind. “That’s part of where I’ve been recently. Testing this little doohickey. He still calls it a stabilizer, and the name is actually appropriate. No bomb or tracking device, just an emotional control system. To let me think and feel as I should, and take full advantage of my new abilities.”
He stood up and took a few steps toward Malcolm.
“I think it’s time that we end with all the secrets. For everyone’s sake. Don’t you?”
Malcolm glared at him. He could see the confidence in Second Wind’s eyes. He had no idea what sort of tricks his copy might have up his sleeve, now that he’d gone over to the metaphorical dark side.
“Tapestry…” said Malcolm. “I’m sorry.”
He pulled off his mask. Tapestry’s reaction was muted. She blinked a couple of times and slowly shook her head in disbelief. Malcolm felt his heart breaking as he looked at her, but there was also a weight that slid off hi
s shoulders. He was finally giving up the lies, and it felt right, if also painful.
“I… can’t handle this,” she said.
Second Wind laughed.
“Why don’t I answer a few of the questions I’m sure you have?” he offered. “He was the original. Created me right before the incident that destroyed Rain Dancer, expecting to die.”
“Stop it,” said Malcolm. “This is cruel.”
“Oh no, I think keeping this from her was cruel,” said Second Wind. “See, Tapestry, for the past few weeks it’s mostly been me. The one that courted you properly, that was me. The one that didn’t work so hard to push you away, also me. The one that you had sex with most recently, however…”
Tapestry clamped her hands over her mouth and slowly shook her head. Her eyes filled with horror and disgust… and tears.
“I thought you might react like that!” said Second Wind. “I know, it’s messed up, isn’t it? Good thing you can tell us apart now.”
Second Wind’s grin was an evil thing. Malcolm took a step in Tapestry’s direction. She immediately held up her hand, warning him to stay back as though warding off a rabid animal.
“No…” whispered Tapestry. “How… could you do something like this? I thought… I thought I was in love. Now I don’t even know with who, or… what.”
“I know,” said Second Wind. “Oh, how well I know your pain. Identity… existence. It’s a complicated thing. But since we have so much more to discuss, I’m going to leave this conversation for the two of you to finish later.”
Malcolm felt emotion surging in his chest, anger and frustration. It was for Second Wind as much as it was for himself. There was no real distinction between the two of them, as far as his feelings were concerned. Second Wind was just the long fermenting crust of one of his most profound mistakes.
“I think what we need to discuss now,” Malcolm said, carefully, “goes beyond words.”
He lunged forward, pulling the taser from the cargo pocket of his pants and stabbing it toward Second Wind. It was a surprise attack, but one he’d used before. Despite that, Malcolm expected it to work, and at least in execution, it almost did.
Wind Runner: The Complete Collection Page 68
