Blood Obsidian

Issue 34

Whoso comes from the dark ... - Part 4

It seemed like so long ago since she had crashed into this warehouse, saving Chief Watson, and going on to fight Vezzpa all the way to the Ald-Tech facility, but it really only was a few days ago. Caitlyn's life had become an insane roller-coaster ride that she knew she should get off, but craved one more scoot around the circuit. This life, these situations had become like a drug. Only this was a drug that could get other people killed for Caitlyn's thrill.

The police had gone through this place with a fine-toothed comb but, if she knew Kyle, if there was anything to find, he'd find it and, from what he had said on the phone, he had certainly found something. She dropped through the hole she had made the last time she had come to this warehouse and landed in a crouch, ready to fight, but she didn't need to. The only person there was Kyle. Eating ice cream.

"Slow. I would have thought ... wait." He pressed a finger to his ear and then nodded, grinning. "You stopped on the way to catch a purse snatcher. Apparently, the old lady is pretty certain you stole two dollars from her wallet. Shame on you."

Police alerts. Caitlyn had had to switch her notifications off but, apparently Kyle didn't mind the constant updates. Also, she couldn't believe that old lady called her a thief. As though catching the real thief wasn't enough. No-one appreciated decent people anymore. Kyle lifted his arm to catch a drip of ice cream onto his tongue.

"Well?" Aunt Mary had rescinded her grounding, but that didn't mean she wasn't expected home at a decent time. Caitlyn needed Kyle to rush. "What was so important?"

"Found the workshop." He ate the rest of the ice cream before doubling over, grabbing his forehead and wincing. "Argh! Brain freeze! My greatest enemy!"

He couldn't see, due to Caitlyn's mask, but she was performing an epic eye-roll at that moment. After a while, he straightened up and walked, gingerly, toward a corner of the warehouse. The last time she was here, Caitlyn hadn't taken much notice of the contents of the warehouse, but she had a vague idea that there were a stack of crates here, now all gone along with everything else, seized or impounded.

Moving to an air vent, Kyle flipped it open, reached in and pressed a button. Something began to hum, a distant sound that appeared to come closer and louder before something shook the floor of the warehouse. Cracks began to open on the floor, except they weren't cracks, as such, but lines. Lines that became gaps as two parts of the floor receded downward before peeling away from each other, revealing something that looked like a freight elevator. A hidden freight elevator.

"You know, villains have been around since, well, one of those big wars, the ones with the numbers, and I will never understand why they don't turn this kind of ingenuity to more positive things. Some of these people are genuine super-geniuses. I mean, this elevator was hidden so well, the cops didn't even know it was here? Genius." She stepped onto the elevator, knowing damned well there was not a chance in hell she wouldn't ever not take that step. "All I'm saying is, Weather Lord? Could have helped in the fight against climate change. Doctor Blood? Seriously made some of the most incredible advances in nano-robotics that could have revolutionised so many industries. Medicine, computing, games development. What does he do? He wires all his hideouts to explode, using thermite based accelerants, to wipe all his research from the face of the Earth upon his death. And that's only two of them!"

Kyle could do nothing but gape at her as she had ranted away like some mad woman, but this kind of thing really annoyed her. Especially losing all of Doc Blood's nano-robotics research. While in hospital, after Doc Blood's battle with Black Staff, she had seen the reports of multiple arson attacks throughout the city occurring at the exact same time. Later reports had confirmed it. Doctor Blood had a scorched Earth policy and that ground Caitlyn's gears.