Tower of Light (Under The Cowl Book #2)

CHAPTER 6

     Sitting heavy in the pocket of her hoodie, Jessica so badly wanted to ignore the vibration coming from her phone.

She knew she didn't need to look at the caller ID, although the cracked screen made it practically impossible to see who was calling anyway. Who else but Rosie? Rosie hadn't stopped checking in since Jessica checked herself out of the hospital against doctor's wishes. And it got even worse when she refused Rosie's offer to lend her a bed for a couple of days, weeks even.

Rosie meant well.

But shit, you'd think one person already suffering from extreme anxiety would know when a person needs their FUCKING space.

Jessica knew not to say that out loud, it would only worry Rosie and possibly hurt her feelings at the same time. They met in a survivor's group. One of her court mandated groups she's force to attention besides AA. So it's better to swipe the red phone icon on the screen instead.

"Hi."

Jessica jerked her head to the side and pulled her hood off from over her head. It was the woman who was with Michael John Carter when she woke up in a hospital room. On the tip of her tongue, Jessica can't quite remember this woman's name. She looked up at the wreckage that was Jessica's apartment decorated with rubble and yellow caution tape. "Are you following me?"

"Yes." The woman replied without any concern as to how her answer may sound. She turned to face Jessica and extended her hand. "My name is Mary Baston, Collector of the Fifty-Two."

Reluctant, Jessica shook the woman's hand. "I thought you were part of a group called the Legion of Superheroes?"

"That too, it's kind of a back and forth thing at the moment."

"Why are you following me?"

"My partner and I really need your help. We initially decided to give you a week of space, but since time is not really on our side we settled on three days."

"Does this have anything to do with the person who killed my partner and the rest of lantern corps, who you don't want to know about?"

"What makes you think I don't want you to know?"

"Because I grew up with a liar and bull shit is my second language."

"It does." Mary answered.

Jessica buried her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. She tightened them into fists and squeezed as hard as she could. "I don't know what it is you think I can do to help, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."

"I think that ring on your finger would beg to differ. Because from where I'm standing I'm sort of incline to believe that you're lying to me."

Jessica narrowed her eyes and brushed her fingers in her hair. "Now why would I care if someone from some strange made up group thinks?"

Mary shrugged with a smile. "You have a point. Why care? But perhaps if you humor me for a second we both could get what we want out of each other. Plus you owe us."

Jessica scoffed. "I don't owe you shit."

"While you were unconscious in your hospital room, we kept the cops out of your hair. Your record points toward what happened at your apartment as suspicious activity. They seemed pretty intent on nailing you for something."

Jessica looked over Mary's shoulder where her eyes ventured toward the corner of the street, pass the stop sign, and even further than that. Her history with the cops was not a pleasant one.

"You know, I didn't see it before, but now I do. How long have you been clean?"

"What?" Jessica asked, momentarily stunned by Mary's question. It was not a question she expected.

"I've been going off the assumption of your multiverse counterpart when I should have been thinking the opposite of who you are."

"What does that mean?" Jessica's eyes narrowed.

"You share a lot of her similarities except for a few things. Now you, the Jessica Cruz of this Dark Multiverse had fallen hard on narcotics and alcohol to forget her fears. In recovery now, but compared to the one that lives on the underside of this world, she did not. She hid in the four walls of her apartment instead of picking up the bottle. She's not entirely cured, but she manages, like you."

"If you think my problem can be cured with a little sunlight and social interaction, then you've never met an addict who suffers from depression and anxiety."

"That ring on your finger doesn't seem to believe in what you say out loud. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Just an observation."

"You must think I'm patient enough to stand here and listen to your story, a ridiculous story of my multiverse counterpart."

"You're not an agoraphobic. But you stayed locked up in your apartment for another reason. I don't care for what your drug of choice or what brand of alcohol you guzzled down your throat so you won't have to think about your past. I need the power of your lantern ring and person who knows how to properly use it."

Jessica paused for a moment, falling into the silence caused by Mary's words. "What do you know?" she then asked softly, afraid of asking the question too loudly in case anyone was to overhear.

Closing the distance between them with one step forward, Mary replied, "Did anyone else know about your addiction?"

The question gave Jessica slight paused while at the same time relief. "Guy, he knew."

"Not Baz?"

Jessica shook her head no. "We may have shared a power battery, but not much of anything else. How did you know? It wasn't on my chart at the hospital."

"I told you, I'm observant."

"Meaning, you followed me."

"I could have been more graceful. But no, as a Collector of the Fifty-Two we are provided with information on everyone in the vast multiverse on this side and the other."

"What exactly is a Collector?"

"Think of us as Inter-dimensional bounty hunters. We track down and arrest those who cross a breech into another earth illegally. We also keep try to make sure timelines go on undisturbed."

"Batman taught me a few things about being graceful. He was the only one who didn't judge my addiction nor questioned if I'm a functioning addict and not some neck scratching fiend."

"You said 'shared'? Are telling me that you know for sure that Baz is dead?"

"I know he's no longer a Green Lantern. I can feel that. We can only assume the rest since that's the only way a Green Lantern falls. But there is a problem."

"What problem?"

"I can't fully access the power of my ring, not since that night anyway. I'm guessing its needs time or something, because I can't even take my ring off my finger."

Mary's eyes narrowed. "Really? I think I know someone who can help."