They waited behind an abandoned car across the street from the hospital, scoping the place out. If Tapestry hadn’t pointed it out to Malcolm as their destination, he wouldn’t have given it a second glance. The building looked unassuming, and perhaps that was a testament to how little thought Multi gave it in his grand scheme.
“So… what now?” asked Malcolm.
Tapestry shrugged. “Why are you asking me?”
“You’re the one with the plan,” he said.
“Alright,” said Tapestry. “Is there a way we can get in that’s not the front entrance?”
He frowned slightly.
“The roof seems like… an option,” said Malcolm.
Malcolm felt a flash of annoyance at the fact that he no longer had his wind manipulation, but there was another building close by. They’d have to jump between the two of them, but it just might work.
But assuming we can get in, we still have to find Jade Portal. And then…
The thought led him to another issue that he hadn’t considered, and wasn’t sure if Tapestry had, either.
“How do we get Jade Portal to work with us, anyway?” he asked.
“We remind her who killed Golden Joab,” said Tapestry. “I doubt she’s here by choice. And if that’s the case, I’m sure she’ll be willing to cooperate.”
“That’s a pretty big assumption to hinge your plan on,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry set her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“It’s my plan,” she said. “Either help me or don’t.”
“Fine,” said Malcolm. “I forgot how bossy you can be sometimes.”
Tapestry glowered at him.
The two of them waited for a few more minutes, confirming that there were no Multis waiting to pounce on them. Then, they headed for the adjacent building nearest to the hospital. It was an old parking garage, with a number of abandoned cars scattered haphazardly inside.
They moved swiftly, jogging up the sloping cement ramps until they’d reached the top. The jump between buildings that Malcolm had theorized looked a hell of a lot further than it had from the ground. The wind pushed at Malcolm’s back as he stood on top of the parking garage’s safety railing, staring across a rather intimidating gap.
“Are you… sure about this?” asked Tapestry.
Malcolm frowned. He glanced down at the five-story drop. Tapestry would have to make the jump, too, but if he went first, he could be there to grab her if she came up a few inches short.
“It’s the only way,” said Malcolm. He took a deep breath. It was a windy night, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the feel of the rushing air on his face, as though an old friend had just called him up for an adventure.
Malcolm leaned back on his heels, spotted the area on the hospital’s roof where he needed to land, and jumped. The wind batted at his clothing, and he felt it pushing at his back. Not because of anything he’d done, just of its own volition.
It was equal parts nostalgic and heart breaking. The moment seemed to stretch out for an eternity as he hung in the space between buildings. It was as close to flying as he would ever again approach.
He cleared the gap with inches to spare, only barely stumbling in the follow up steps. His heart was pounding in his chest, and a strange laugh escaped his throat. Malcolm turned to look back at Tapestry with a silly grin on his face.
“Wow,” he said. “Alright. Your turn.”
Tapestry nodded slowly, and pulled herself up onto the concrete safety partition like a condemned criminal approaching the gallows. She brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of her face, or at least tried to, as the wind seemed intent on pushing them back.
“Is there… anything I should know?” she asked, nervously. “Any tips on how to jump better?”
“You’ll be okay,” said Malcolm.
I hope…
He was beginning to question the sense in having Tapestry sneak in alongside him when she threw herself forward into a sudden, jerky leap. From the moment her body moved out into open air, Malcolm could tell that she was going to come up short.
There was a split second delay to his reaction, and he owed it to his subconscious mind’s assumption that of course, Tapestry would be okay. He was so used to seeing her recover from any wound, her body withstanding fire, bullets, and electricity, that her dying from a fall didn’t mesh with his concept of who she was.
But Tapestry was just like him. She had lost her powers. She was now a normal human, with a normal breaking point. And with wide eyes and flailing arms, she’d thrown herself into a jump that her legs weren’t strong enough to make.
Malcolm surged forward, leaning dangerously far out over a short concrete lip running around the edge of the hospital’s roof. Tapestry’s feet missed, but her upper body hit the concrete, and she managed to get an arm over, her nails digging for purchase on whatever they could find.
Which was Malcolm’s shoulder, protected only by the thin fabric of his clothing. He gritted his teeth, reaching his other hand around to her abdomen and pulling her up with all the strength he could summon. He fell backward onto the hospital’s roof, Tapestry crumpled atop him.
“…Oh my god,” she whispered. “When did… stuff like that… get so scary?”
“It’s always been scary,” said Malcolm. “We just had a higher tolerance for taking risks.”
She was straddling him, and turned her face so her eyes met his. Malcolm felt a surge of emotion as he felt her soft butt on his crotch. His heart was still pounding, and he wanted nothing more than to flip Tapestry underneath him, kiss her passionately, and–
“We’re wasting time,” said Tapestry, climbing to her feet. “Come on.”
CHAPTER 15
The door leading down to the next floor from the roof had been locked, but it was a simple mechanism. Malcolm was able to force it open by leaning his weight onto it and sneaking one of Tapestry’s old credit cards into the gap. They headed down a flight of stairs and into a building that seemed half abandoned.
There was only one nurse on the top floor, and she was asleep at her post. Most of the rooms Malcolm passed were empty, and the few patients he did see were either sleeping, comatose, or paralyzed.
At least I hope it’s one of those three…
It became clear that the hospital was either understaffed or running on a very thin margin. They passed by each room in sneaky silence, only glancing in for long enough to see if the patient inside was Jade Portal.
They found her on the third floor they checked. There was a nurse on that floor, and she was essentially doing her job, patrolling up and down the hallway. Malcolm and Tapestry waited in the stairway until she took a bathroom break, and then quickly hurried down the hall, checking room after room.
“Here!” hissed Tapestry, from outside a room with a closed door. “It’s her! She’s sleeping!”
Malcolm nodded and hurried over. They slipped through the door, closing it tightly behind them, and approached Jade’s bedside.
She looked frail, and it was clear from the machines around her that she was like many of the other patients they’d seen, paralyzed or in a coma. There was a pale green tinge to her skin, the telltale sign of a spryte. Malcolm was a little concerned that she didn’t react to their presence.
“Alright…” he said, glancing at Tapestry. “Now what do we do?”
Jade opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, focusing them, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. The rest of her body remained unmoving, frozen in place. Malcolm wondered if that was the result of the injuries Rain Dancer had dealt her, or perhaps a chemical cocktail Multi was forcing on her to keep her from escaping.