Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

B2: Chapter 31 - Across the Pond - I

  "Grief is a curious thing: a single overwhelming sensation that can drive some to utter despair, yet act as the most powerful motivator for others. Never have I known a more versatile emotion, and never have I wanted more desperately to avoid the same. Though grief has pushed me to achieve great things, I would trade them all away in an instant if I could get back that which I lost.

  John, I'd take it all back, if only you could have come home."

  ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries

  Hailey saw the giant pillar of dust rising into the sky. Without a second thought, she dove for it.

  When she arrived in London—after a long, painful flight across the Atlantic—Hailey realized she hadn't a clue where Cornelius Malton might be, or even anything related to him. She'd been flying for so long, with her mind so singularly focused, that she'd completely forgotten to actually have a plan.

  So when she flew into London proper, with Big Ben and the giant ferris wheel and everything else she recognized from TV, Hailey just circled it for a while—taking in the sights, trying to think of what to do next. She tried her phone, but didn't get a signal, so she couldn't look up anything either.

  But then a building imploded, and Hailey's instincts kicked in. She'd want me to help.

  So Hailey swooped in, and found herself in the wreckage of yet another building. This time, at least, she remembered to keep the dust away from her, projecting a sort-of shield around herself composed of swirling wind. It interfered with her wings a bit, but at least she could breathe properly.

  To her surprise, though, there didn't seem to be a single person in the whole building. She flung pieces of debris out of her way, digging through the rubble, but the whole place looked deserted. Full of (now incredibly dusty) books and collapsed shelving, but devoid of human life.

  Far less devoid of humanity was the street outside, visible through the gaps in the half-wrecked exterior. As Hailey emerged from the rubble, she found herself facing down yet another crowd of gaping onlookers. Rescue crews and police pushed their way to the front, surrounding Hailey in a very wide semicircle. No one seemed willing to approach her.

  Hailey reached down instinctively to brush dust away from her clothes, but she realized she didn't have a single speck on her. Her shield had worked perfectly. Less exciting was her choice of outfit, as she was still wearing Jessica's favorite blue dress from the funeral. Hailey had only stopped once to rest on the whole flight from Tacoma, landing on a shipping barge somewhere in the middle of the ocean, and her mind hadn't settled once. She'd been so single-minded in her rage, she hadn't paid a single bit of attention to her appearance.

  At least it's a good-looking dress... Hailey clambered out of the wreckage into the center of the street, slipping on the cobblestone a little as she steadied herself. She murmured a spell and sent a wave of air down across the folds of the dress, neatly blowing away the dust around her.

  Maybe it because she'd shown some form of weakness, of being human, but the crowd lost their reluctance and mobbed forward. They still gave her a few inches of space, but soon enough she had microphones shoved into her face, questions shouted at her haphazard from the BBC reporters and police alike.

  Hailey didn't want any of it. She hadn't come here to land in the middle of a crowd again. As much as she enjoyed it normally, she couldn't find any joy today. She had to find a ruthless billionaire, and to do that, she needed some time to actually sit down and think, without the attention of the masses.