Even Heroes Fall

Chapter Twenty-Six - Ghoul

You don't have your super-suit on underneath there?

Violet's question echoes in my head as I carefully unwrap the parcel that arrived for me at my basement hideout whilst I was out. The new suit has finally arrived. This one consists of black trousers and a matching jacket with a strip of white down the side from my underarm to the hem. The jacket is hooded and the matching mask is white. It was made by an anonymous designer who assured me via our emails that despite its lightweight appearance the Dyneema fabric was incredibly durable. I remove my ripped and ruined smart suit and put on the new supersuit. When I look in the mirror I see a real hero, not someone pretending.

Castlemain's direct attack on Devereux's funeral was an annoyance but did not surprise me. With Devereux and Barker dead it made sense that Castlemain's next port of call would be Devereux's wife. Too bad he failed to anticipate the intervention of Ghoul and Justice. We are also lucky Castlemain himself did not show up considering the file he is after was with us the whole time.

Still looking in the mirror I take a breath.

Meridian.

Now it makes sense why the name seemed so familiar. Now I understand why Castlemain wants that file so badly. It is the key to his past... to our past. Just when I am dwelling on how I can get the file off Violet before she reads too much of it, my phone rings, and it is her.

'Are you OK?'

'Yes, fine!' She sounds breathless. 'Miranda has been assigned protection, and I am in the process of convincing them I don't need it too.'

'Might be better for you,' I mutter. The thought of having to worry about her whilst I face off against Castlemain fills me with worry. And then promptly another thought crashes into that one - I am worried about Violet. When was the last time I cared about someone this much? Before I can even dwell on that she speaks again-

'I can't, Max. Marshall is missing.'

I allow her words to sink in, staring at the peeling paint on the wall of my basement. Still breathless as though she was running somewhere, Violet explains to me briefly what happened at the crematorium after SCO19 and Cutter showed up. Reed's location does not concern me nearly as much as Violet's life being at risk. And the whereabouts of the USB file.

'Does he have the file?' I interrupt her mid-sentence.

'The file?' She sounds taken aback. 'Is that really all you care about?'

'Honestly, yes.'

Silence. I can easily guess she is angry at me. But if she ever comes to learn the full contents of the USB stick she will understand my concern over it.

'No,' she finally replies.

I assume this means she still has it. 'Good. Keep it safe whilst I figure out-'

'I know what I am doing, Max!' she shouts down the phone, her anger exploding into my ear. I wince and drag the phone from my ear at her raised voice, and then all I hear is the dial tone.

'Fine!' I shout at the empty room, my own anger getting the better of me as I kick over a chair. I look down at my phone to call her back, then freeze. There is a text already waiting for me from the last person I expected to hear from.

We need to talk, meet me at Barking Power station at four pm, Celia

I know I don't have time to care about this but Violet would care. And it does not escape my attention that Celia's choice of meeting spot is a bit off brand from her. Normally she prefers boujie cocktail bars in Shoreditch or independent coffee shops in Chelsea with their own roastery out the back. Barking Power Station immediately sounds like a trap. However I feel obligated to let Violet know but when I try to call her she does not pick up. I forward her the text and add my own message -

Probably a trap but I am going anyway.