Wraith

Tycoon Chapter Four

Chapter Four

When the first rays of the sun started to peek in at her window Olive gave up on sleep and got up. She stood at her window for a moment and looked out at the sleeping city, allowing the view to relax her somewhat. I might have failed Andrew, but I won't fail them, she promised silently. She turned back to her room and started to get ready for the day. And that means I need to find out what is going on with Shadow; and what that note meant. She paused to consider.

I think I need to visit Snake and Warbeck again just to see if I can rule him out after all. But the Penitentiary won't be open to visitors for another few hours. Olive considered waiting in her room until then, but the idea filled her with distaste. I've been here too long. I need to go somewhere that I can clear my head.

Ten minutes later Wraith made one final leap and came to rest on Steelman's outstretched arm. She'd left a note so that her Dad wouldn't be concerned and the swift trip over the roofs had given her a sense of freedom. Now she shifted to make herself comfortable and leaned back against the statue's head. From her vantage point she could see the city come slowly to life. It gave her a sense of peace to think that no matter what the Captain thought of her; no matter what had happened to her brother, life carried on.

"I might not have saved him," she murmured at last. "But I still have the chance to help all these people." Wraith listened for a while to the city, not focusing in on any one voice but hearing the whole. Gradually the unhappy frown under her mask relaxed and she sighed softly. "I was wrong to think that I could give this up, and Dad was right. Helping those who can't defend themselves is a fundamental part of who a User is." She straightened up and stretched.

That being said, it's time to figure out what I can about Shadow. I need to go into Warbeck with a plan. Wraith considered for a moment and then began itemizing what she wanted to know on her fingertips. First of all, I want to know what Snake knows about Shadow. They look the same; that can't be a coincidence. Either he is a part of Snake – like a really see-through copy; or Snake has a brother or a cousin who looks virtually the same. I suppose it's possible that Shadow has just copied Snake's face if he has a similar talent; but if they are nothing to do with each other, why pick Snake to mimic? No, I think Shadow must either be Snake or his brother or a close relative. If he is somehow a new type of copy, then how has Snake managed to get him out of Warbeck?

Wraith shook her head. Whatever or whoever he is, I need to find out what Snake knows. She lifted another finger, trying to use the physical action to help her remember her questions later. Secondly, I want to know if Snake has any idea why Shadow would be trying to steal that message. If they're relatives he might not know the answer, but if Shadow is a copy then I want to know what he is up to. She lifted a third finger. And then there is the message itself. Even if he has no idea who Shadow is, maybe I can get Snake to hazard a guess what the message means. He is an Abuser after all, and he's been in the world of the talented for a lot longer than I have. The 'Horde' sounds like the sort of name an Abuser might have, so there is a chance he'll know something.

Once again Wraith sighed. She felt a little bit guilty asking an Abuser for knowledge rather than waiting to see what the Captain would come up with or going to see one of her other User friends. "Donner probably knows, but I don't know where he lives. I should have gone to him last night." She stood and stretched, ready to head to Warbeck. "But the tone of the message was urgent. I get the impression that there isn't a lot of time before 'he', whoever he is, turns up." She crouched slightly and then froze before making the first leap.

Something had flickered in her peripheral vision. She waited, still as the figure on which she stood, as the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. Something or someone was watching her. After a moment, her patience was rewarded with another flicker of movement. Wraith instantly focused on the spot. For a second, she could see nothing unusual, and then suddenly she was looking at Shadow as he took another step along the roof toward her.