Blood Obsidian

Issue 12

Fear response - Part 6

Pictures, videos, descriptions. Nothing did the man justice. He floated before Caitlyn, his white cloak rippling in the wind. The white uniform, with the golden, diagonal slash across the upper part of one side of his chest, stood in contrast to his smooth, flawless black skin. He gave her a warm smile, holding out a huge hand connected to an arm with perfect musculature, and Caitlyn could do nothing but smile back. Not that he could see through the blank, black mask of her suit.

"If you will, Miss, I'll carry Fear for now." He wrapped his arm around the waist of the man he had called 'Fear' and, with his other hand, invited her down, back to the building. "Let's talk a little closer to the ground, shall we?"

He flew. Not like Caitlyn's fast-floating, but could actually fly. She knew this, but the awe-inspiring figure moved at the same pace as her until they reached the building once again, their feet touching down upon the concrete floor at much the same moment. To Caitlyn's horror, the vision of perfection released Fear, brushing dust from the murderer's shoulder. Caitlyn began to move, but the god-like man raised a hand to stop her, that smile never leaving his handsome face.

"What are you doing? You can't just let him go! He killed my best friend!" She tried to push the man's hand aside, but she may as well have tried to move a mountain. Infuriated, she turned on him. "You're Principle! It's your job to stop people like him!"

"I can assure you, Fear has never killed a single soul." Without looking, Principle waved a hand to the side. "He used subterfuge and trickery, nothing more. Your friend is quite safe and unharmed."

"Oh. My. God!" Alaina's voice and Caitlyn almost cried again as she turned to see her friend skipping toward them, clapping her hands. "Best. Day. Ever! Hey, Cai ..."

She stopped as Principle looked toward her, a playful scowl upon his face, holding up a finger to his mouth and making a 'shush' sound. That finger moved to his ear, tapping it as he moved his eyes to look to the skies beyond the open sides of the building. He looked toward Fear and Fear nodded before moving away like a shadow creeping along with the movement of the Sun.

"A surveillance drone. Commercially made, modified, but I can't tell by whom. No fingerprints anywhere on the surface or inside." He looked back down toward Caitlyn and gave her that genuine, effective smile. "Someone is watching. Fear will deal with it. Now, Miss, how high can you fly?"

"She can't fly. At least, not yet. We're working on it. She sort of ... floats. Fast. Um ... Mr Principle, sir?" He turned his beatific gaze toward Alaina and Caitlyn saw her legs wobble. "Can I have your autograph? A selfie?"

"Later, Miss Allen. Right now, you're friend and I need to talk in private. If you don't mind?" His politeness wasn't an act. Not one bit of it. He returned his gaze to Caitlyn. "Would you care to join me, Miss?"

He rose into the air, giving Alaina a wink, and waited for Caitlyn to float up from the floor too. Leading the way, Principle flew at a fraction of his normal speed, out from the side of the building and up and Caitlyn could do nothing but follow him. She glanced over her shoulder toward the waving Alaina and only now did relief flood through her that her friend was alive.

She had blood, or something that looked like blood, covering her clothes and throat, but, other than that, she looked perfectly fine. Subterfuge and trickery, Principle had said, meaning that everything that had happened was also a trick. A trap set up by Principle? By Bastion, the super-team, or by the hand of the man called 'Fear' alone?

Lost in her own thoughts, she realised that she had lagged behind and Principle waited for her to catch up before looking upward and continuing to rise. Higher and higher and Caitlyn refused to look down. Not until they passed through a cloud and Caitlyn couldn't help herself but laugh. Even through Black Staff's suit, she could tell passing through the cloud felt like walking through fine rain, not fog, and, as they passed through the cloud to the other side, Principle came to a halt, turning to face her.