“Hey,” he said.
“Where are you?” Tapestry demanded.
“I’m… at my place,” said Malcolm. “Why?”
“There’s a protest,” she said, quickly. “Right outside Savior’s hotel. A bunch of instigators stirred up fake outrage on social media, and hundreds came out for it. Most from Halter City.”
“Alright.” Malcolm frowned. “You sound really worried?”
“I have a bad feeling about this, Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “Get over to my place as soon as you can. Please… hurry.”
She hung up. Malcolm set his phone on the couch and started pulling on his jeans.
“Stay here,” said Rose. “Please.”
Malcolm’s frowned deepened. He looked at her carefully.
“You know something,” he said. “You’re trying to keep me here tonight for more than just fun.”
Rose hesitated, and then nodded.
“He’s going to kill you, Malcolm,” she said, softly.
“Rain Dancer?” Malcolm shook his head. “He can try, if he wants. I don’t think he’ll have an easy time of it.”
“Malcolm!” She stood up, grabbing his arm, naked and desperate. “I’m serious. He won’t hold back against you this time.”
Malcolm licked his lips.
“Is it really for my own safety that you’re trying to keep me here?” he asked. “Or to keep me from helping my friends?”
“You’ll notice that I’m not helping my friends, either,” pointed out Rose. “I couldn’t care less about Rain Dancer, but Shield Maiden, and Fantasy. They aren’t bad people.”
“Rose…” Malcolm sighed.
“Just listen to me,” said Rose. “If you’re here with me, you’ll be safer. I can convince Shield Maiden to talk to him. Trust me, Rain Dancer will listen to her. We can work something out.”
“I’m not afraid of him, Rose,” he said.
She looked at him as though he were a complete idiot.
“He only has one eye because of you,” she said. “He will kill you, if you’re on your own. I could even help hide you, Malcolm. Like you did for me. Once this is over, you’ll need that kind of protection.”
A cold chill ran down the back of Malcolm’s neck.
“Once what is over?” he asked.
Rose didn’t say anything. Malcolm pulled his arm back from her. She didn’t stop him.
“I’m going, Rose,” he said. “I’m not backing down.”
Rose nodded slowly.
“I won’t fight you,” she whispered. “Not this time. Please… stay safe.”
CHAPTER 33
Malcolm dressed quickly and headed out. He pushed his wind manipulation hard to get to Tapestry’s as quickly as he could, taking massive leaps that were as close to flying as he could get while still occasionally touching down.
Tapestry was at the door, in jeans and a leather jacket, the bulge of her gun visible under one arm. She was arguing with Melanie on the doorstep. Malcolm dropped down next to them, surprising them both.
“Malcolm!” cried Melanie. “Tell her she’s being crazy. This could turn into a riot! There’s nothing she can do. She isn’t like Savior, neither of you are. You won’t be safe there. You’ll just make yourselves into targets. This is stupid and ridiculous and, and…”
“Melanie,” said Malcolm. “This is part of our job. Savior is here in our city, helping us reorganize. We can’t leave him at the mercy of a mob.”
Tapestry nodded, looking pleased that Malcolm shared her point of view.
“We’ll be careful, Melanie,” she said. “This isn’t as dangerous as it might seem. Most of the protesters are peaceful, and the ones that aren’t are still wary of what champions can do.”
She gave Melanie a quick kiss on the forehead and nodded to Malcolm. The two of them climbed into her black BMW and Tapestry pulled onto the street.
“Morph is already there,” said Tapestry. “There isn’t much she can do to help, though. She’s flying overhead, watching the crowd.”
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “Give me the full details.”
“There was a shooting downtown,” said Tapestry. “Two people injured, one dead. All of the witnesses claim that they identified Savior as the gunman.”
Malcolm scowled.
“That makes no sense,” he said. “First off, Savior wouldn’t do something like that. But even if he was in the mood to be psychopathic… he can shoot energy blasts and tear people in half with his super strength.”
“Exactly,” said Tapestry. “I gave it some thought. Remember the illusion spryte from the casino?”
Malcolm nodded.
“Of course,” he said. “And let me guess: there was no video of the incident.”
“None,” said Tapestry. “It’s one of Rain Dancer’s plots to stir people up.”
“It looks like it worked.”
Tapestry had just turned the corner onto the block where Savior’s hotel was located. A crowd of people cut the street off completely, some waving signs, others chanting, a few trashing cars. Tapestry quickly turned around, parking the car in the street for a quick getaway, if needed.
A couple of police officers were in attendance, and had set up a small strip of yellow tape along the border of the hotel and the public sidewalk. Savior was standing just outside the hotel’s entrance, apparently attempting to calm the protesters down. Wax was at his side, with a deeply concerned expression on his face.
“Everybody, relax!” shouted Savior. “Please, just listen!”
His voice was drowned out by the crowd’s booing as he went on to make his next point. Malcolm could already tell that he and Tapestry would have no hope of pushing through the dense crowd.
“Here,” he said, putting an arm around her waist. “Hang onto me. I’m going to get us in next to him.”
Tapestry furrowed her brow at him for a moment, and then took hold of him, entwining one of her legs with his and pushing her chest against his shoulder.
It took a strong burst of wind to get them into the air. Malcolm felt Tapestry tense up against him as they flew over the crowd. He cushioned them as they came down, blowing a bit of dust and dirt into the faces of the nearest protesters. He offered a shrug of his shoulders as an apology, but it was returned by a number of glares from the crowd.
“Cutter,” said Savior. “Good timing. I’m just trying to have a civil conversation, here. It’s much more difficult than–”
An egg hit Savior in the side of his head. He frowned, keeping his reaction in check as he wiped bits of shell and a yolk out of his hair.
“Oh, come now!” shouted Savior. “That is just uncalled for. I’m a very important person. You don’t throw eggs at very important people!”
“Savior,” said Tapestry. “They aren’t going to leave. We should head into the hotel and wait this out.”
Somebody threw a rock, not at Savior, but at one of the hotel’s windows, smashing through it. Savior set his hands on his hips and glowered at the crowd. A woman stepped in a little closer, beyond the boundary the police had set up, holding her phone and either recording or livestreaming.
“Do you understand what the world would look like, if it wasn’t for me?” screamed Savior. He jabbed a finger at the woman, stepping in closer to her. “Go ahead and film! You all can film! Why don’t I give you something worth filming?”
“Savior!” Malcolm ran up behind, grabbing his shoulder and trying to pull him back toward the hotel. Savior knocked him aside as easily as someone might brush a fallen leaf off their shoulder.
Savior lifted his hand into the air. Neon blue energy condensed in his palm, and the air around him vibrated like the string of an instrument.
“I made a choice to protect you people!” he shouted. “Do you know what would happen if I decided to go off the rails?”
He released the energy into the air, and it streaked into the sky like a cruise missile made of searing blue light. The blast rose up, disappearing after a couple of seconds, and then the night sky exploded with intense light.