Malcolm scowled. He might be able to use his wind manipulation to deflect some of the bullets, but the darkness made that all the more difficult. He found himself wishing that he still had Danny’s power. Being able to use thermal imaging had been helpful, and he could have used it to see the Multis in the shadows.
“That’s what power is,” said Multi. “And it’s the only thing that really matters anymore. The world isn’t like it used to be. The agenda set out for the future will not be voted on, not by the people, not by politicians pulling together for some purpose. It will be set by the sword, and enforced through overwhelming power.”
He took a long drag on his cigarette.
“I mean the three of you no harm,” said Multi. “I’m not a killer. Join me. Take all the time you need to consider my offer. I’m not an evil man, one of the demons that terrorizes the world for entertainment. I’m the one who will keep that sort of monster in check.”
“No,” said Tapestry. “And you are a monster. You knew what my answer would be. And you knew the only way to get me to hear you out was to lure me into a trap. Now that I’ve refused, as expected, you can kill me without feeling bad about it.”
“You aren’t the only one here,” said Multi. He raised an eyebrow in the direction of Malcolm and Rose.
“Forget it,” Malcolm said, gruffly. “I’m not about to ally myself with you.”
Multi’s gaze focused on Rose, who’d been quiet for the entire encounter.
“And what of you, Rose?” he asked. “I held off on asking because I was under the impression that I already had an alliance with you and the other sprytes.”
Rose smiled coldly at him.
“I think I can speak for all of us when I say that any agreement we might have had is void,” said Rose. “We don’t associate with suicide bombers.”
Multi shrugged.
“I can’t argue with that logic,” he said, grinning. “But what I can do is let a few secrets out of the bag. Let’s start with the most interesting one, shall we?”
Multi’s smile set Malcolm on edge. He glanced over at Tapestry, and then toward Rose. The way Multi’s attention remained focused directly on him told him enough. He felt his heart sinking into the depths of despair.
“Remember when I found you on the bus, Mr. Vigilante?” asked Multi. “Did you ever stop to wonder just what I was doing there? Why I took interest in you, but didn’t attack?”
“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.