He almost tripped backward into the fire, rolling to the side at the last instant. Rose seemed to hover over the ground, rather than walking, as she approached them. Shield Maiden roughly pulled Malcolm further away from her. She lifted a hand, preparing to encase Rose in a shield bubble, more for their protection than for hers.
Rose let out a scream that sounded more animal than human and swiped at Shield Maiden with a shadow. The blow struck the spryte in the chest with the force of a club swung by a giant. Shield Maiden flew a dozen or so feet in the air and landed in a crumpled pile.
“Rose!” cried Malcolm. “Stop! It’s me and Shield Maiden! You know us!”
She did know us, once upon a time. Does she not remember?
Shadows shot forward, wrapping around Malcolm’s arms and legs and lifting him into the air. His stomach twisted in panic. Even back when he’d had his wind manipulation, Malcolm had been outmatched by Rose in terms of pure power.
“Rose!” He screamed as he felt her begin to pull, stretching his limbs like a curious child might torture a spider. “No!”
She hesitated, holding him where he was for a moment. Slowly, Rose drew him in closer, until she held Malcolm no more than a foot away from her.
“It’s me…” he managed. “Malcolm.”
There was no sign of recognition in her eyes.
“Your little pet champion,” he said, feeling his heart ache for the time when she’d used those words.
Rose furrowed her brow and blinked. Her shoulders relaxed, and she lowered Malcolm to the ground.
“You… Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Rose,” said Malcolm. “Rosalina. You’re a spryte, and a friend of mine.”
“Do you… know Brenden?” she asked.
The question struck Malcolm like a punch to the gut. Brenden had been her former fiancé, and the two of them had shared a life together up until the day that Rose had become a spryte.
“No,” said Malcolm. “It’s me. Malcolm. Your… friend.”
Rose slowly shook her head, her eyes showing no recognition.
She remembers Brenden… But not me?
It was a petty thing to take offense at, but Malcolm felt it taking grip of his heart and mind, regardless. He’d only known Rose for a couple of months. He was just a fling compared to what she’d shared with Brenden and her young daughter.
“My head hurts…” said Rose. “Why… where am I? What’s going on?”
“You’re having an episode.” Shield Maiden had recovered and made her way over to Rose. “Do you remember me, Rose? I’m a spryte, like you. And a friend.”
Rose frowned, but there was more awareness for Shield Maiden in her expression than there had been for Malcolm.
“I just… want to lie down,” said Rose.
“Exactly,” said Shield Maiden. “I’ll bring you to a place where you can lie down. A safe place, one that you used to call home.”
“Rose…” Malcolm felt selfish, but he was desperate for something, anything. “Do you remember Wind Runner? Do you remember fighting with him, and occasionally against him?”
He was smiling, though it was the opposite of how he felt on the inside. Rose glanced back over at him and shook her head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I… I’m so tired.”
“I’ll take you home, Rose,” said Shield Maiden. “You can ride on the back of my motorcycle.”
Malcolm felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest and stomach, intense enough to drop him to one knee. Only then did he notice the tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly and cleared his throat, feeling like a fool.
“Are you okay?” asked Shield Maiden.
He forced out a chuckle, angling his face so it was more in shadow than in the light.
“Fine,” he said. “Just… take care of Rose.”
“I’ll bring her back,” said Shield Maiden. “And I’ll stop by your hideout in a day or two to let you know how she’s doing. She might remember more, you know.”
Malcolm nodded, though he knew that she was only saying so for his sake. The time he’d shared with Rose was gone, not just lost to the past, but lost in her memory. It hurt more than he’d known anything could, more than being shot, more than being electrified.
He could accept her hating him, or him falling out of her favor. But it was different for her to not know him, not to recognize his face or recall any of the times they’d lain together in bed. The kisses they’d shared, and the lengths they’d gone to when it came to protecting each other, it was all gone.
It was like having his heart ripped out. And it made him feel more alone than he knew a person could be.
CHAPTER 12
It wasn’t until Shield Maiden and Rose were almost out of sight on the motorcycle that Malcolm stopped to consider how far away he was from Vanderbrook. The highway they’d traveled on had snaked back and forth through the landscape. He could walk straight back, but, but he still had at least a solid day and night of walking ahead of him.
I never told Shield Maiden that I lost my powers. She probably just assumed that I’d fly back.
She’d left the tent, at least, not wanting to take the time to pack up and risk Rose doing something volatile. Malcolm collapsed on the ground inside of it, his heart still aching, head still pounding as though he’d been struck in the temple.
He didn’t get any sleep, and after an hour or two of nothing but his own, depressing thoughts, he couldn’t take it anymore. Malcolm packed up the tent, the fire-starting kit, and the remaining rations into one of the loose saddle bags and tossed it over his shoulder like a knapsack.
He traveled for the rest of the night, keeping the highway in sight as much as he could. His feet were tired by the time the sun rose, but Malcolm only stopped to eat a light breakfast before continuing on. Each step was a distraction, a way of keeping his mind from centering in on the fact that he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do, and yet felt more dogged by despair than ever.
It was midafternoon by the time Vanderbrook came back into sight, and nearing sunset as he approached his hideout. Malcolm felt a strange, claustrophobic sensation as he undid the combination lock and lowered himself into the musty cellar. He was right back where he’d been a few days earlier, with nothing to show for it.
Things would get better, he told himself. He’d wake up the next day and spend the morning building new game traps. He’d settle back into the familiar rhythm of surviving in Vanderbrook and wait for news from Shield Maiden. It would only be a couple days, like she said, before she’d bring him news of Rose’s condition.
But will she ever remember what she’s forgotten? I doubt it…
The despair was thick in his dusty hideout, as though he’d submerged himself into it. Malcolm massaged his forehead, collapsed onto his mattress, and tried to sleep.
***
He managed it for a while. Until someone started pounded on his hatch, angry and demanding. Malcolm sat up. For a couple of seconds, he was completely still, listening and considering the best action to take.
The safest thing to do would be to ignore it, and go back to sleep. It didn’t sound like it was Shield Maiden, and he couldn’t imagine who else would be looking for him. He was curious, and after a few seconds, he stood to his feet, listening until he was sure whoever had been knocking was walking away. Malcolm then quickly climbed the ladder, pulled the lock off, and popped up to the ground above.
Tapestry stood in a shaft of moonlight, and she looked surprised to see him, even though she was the one who’d come looking. She wore her old leather jacket over a familiar white blouse, along with a black pair of jeans. Her blonde hair was shorter than Malcolm remembered it, or was it? She had it tied up into a neat, no nonsense bun.
She didn’t say anything. A dozen different questions cycled through Malcolm’s head, and he ended up picking none of them.
“You didn’t say goodbye to me when you left,” he said.
Tapestry slowly shook her head. “No. I didn’t.”
Her tone wasn’t angry, but there was a coldness to it that he’d never experienced from her before.
“So…” said Malcolm. “How have you been?”
He was surprised at how happy he was to see her. Now that the initial shock of her being there had passed, emotion and longing surged in his chest. He doubted it was the same for her, or if it was, she was far better at keeping it contained.
“Not bad,” said Tapestry. She glanced around at the ruined warehouse, and then at the hatch Malcolm had climbed out of. “I have it nicer than you do, in the town Melanie and I settled in.”
Malcolm smiled. “Melanie…” She was Tapestry’s great granddaughter, a regular firecracker of a teenager who’d been a burgeoning video game addict the last time Malcolm had seen her. “She’s doing well, then?”
“Well enough,” said Tapestry. “There are still small pockets of safety in the country, and we found one of them.”
“And how long do you think that will last for?” Malcolm couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice as he spoke.
Tapestry narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not stupid, Malcolm. That’s why I’m here.”
She didn’t elaborate further. Malcolm wondered if this was part of her way of getting revenge on him. No, he decided. It was simpler than that. He’d broken her trust in a way that could never be forgiven.
The “trick” he and Second Wind had played on Tapestry would have left emotional scars on any woman, and that wasn’t even considering how it had come to an end. He’d let Second Wind take his place, including when it came to his relationship with Tapestry. Then, after Second Wind’s initial disappearance, Malcolm had stepped back into his own shoes, going as far as to make love to her as the man she thought both of them were.
It was as painful as it was confusing. Malcolm wanted so badly to explain what had been going on his head and the events that had led up to it. But he couldn’t go that deep with Tapestry right away. He was lucky that she was even speaking to him at all.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I asked for Wind Runner,” said Tapestry. “You aren’t as discrete as you think you are, Malcolm. People know where you live.”
“Wind Runner…” he said, darkly. “That’s not who I am anymore.”
“Sure,” said Tapestry. “And I’m just Aubrey now.”
She lost her powers, too. I never stopped to give that as much thought as I should have.
“I would have thought that your focus would be on just protecting Melanie,” said Malcolm. “Even just coming to Vanderbrook is dangerous, let alone digging for information.”
She opened her jacket for him. Malcolm saw the curve of her breasts first, and then the holstered gun. It was encouraging, but still not enough to put him at ease. He’d had a gun too, and it hadn’t done much more than make him a more enticing target.
“I just came to find out about something,” said Tapestry. “I wanted to check in with some of my contacts here in town.”
“Contacts?” asked Malcolm. “Did you meet with Wax and the others while they were around? They came to see me a couple of days ago.”
Tapestry shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I haven’t worked with any other champions since I first left Vanderbrook.”
“Then why are you back?” asked Malcolm. “Do you realize the risk you’re taking setting foot in this town? It isn’t a safe place.”
Tapestry’s expression hardened.
“I know it isn’t safe,” she said. “But the rumor that I overheard makes coming here worth it. I would have gotten in touch with the others if I’d known ahead of time that they were going to be around. Maybe I still can. But my focus right now has to be on finding out if what I heard is true.”
“What’s the rumor?”
Tapestry licked her lips. She proceeded as though she hadn’t heard his question.
“Have you heard of anything unusual?” she asked. “Strange arrivals or departures from Vanderbrook, or Halter City?”
Her evasion was not lost on Malcolm. For whatever reason, she was holding back.
She’s the one keeping secrets, now.
“Your arrival is pretty strange,” said Malcolm. “Though you always were a bit of a weirdo.”
She didn’t smile. That hurt Malcolm more than the coldness in her voice, though he reminded himself that even the old Tapestry rarely smiled at his teasing.
“Keep your ears open, if you can,” said Tapestry. “If my information is accurate, this could be big.”
“What’s your information?” asked Malcolm. “It would help if you told me.”
She let him have the smile he’d been waiting for, but it wasn’t of the kind Malcolm liked.
“I don’t trust you like that anymore, Malcolm,” she said.
The refusal dug into a wound Malcolm had forgotten about, and he felt like he deserved it. Of course she didn’t trust him. He’d deceived her, lied to her, and then, through Second Wind, betrayed her in the worst way possible.
“Fine,” said Malcolm. “Well… I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” said Tapestry.
Her words stirred an old anger in him, a frustration with how she always managed to act like she was watching everything play out from on high, hoarding her many decades of accumulated experience.
“What are you doing here, Tapestry?” he snapped. “You came to check out an interesting rumor? But you won’t tell me what it is? I’m not feeling sorry for myself, I’m feeling sorry for you. Because you’re an idiot if you came all this way to investigate a rumor. You’re more likely to get yourself killed than to find out the truth.”
She didn’t react the way Malcolm wanted her to. There was no surge of emotion. He wanted her to get mad at him. It’s what the old Tapestry would have done. The woman he saw now, who stood in a thin shaft of moonlight in a ruined world, merely shook her head and looked disappointed.
“My house was raided,” said Tapestry. “My old house here in Vanderbrook, I mean. Can you put me up for the night?”
Malcolm blinked.
“Uh… sure?” he said, carefully. “I mean, are you sure?”
“I’m just asking for a spot on the floor to sleep, Malcolm,” she said.
“You can have my bed.”
“I don’t want your bed.”
Malcolm licked his lips and shrugged.
“Right,” he said. “Well, come on down, then.”
CHAPTER 13
Malcolm felt oddly self-conscious as Tapestry glanced around his hideout. The illumination from his LED flashlight made the colors look washed out, but even if the basement had been open to the sun, it still wouldn’t have impressed anyone.
“I have some extra blankets and pillows,” said Malcolm. He rummaged through the pile he kept in the corner and handed a few of each to her. “Uh, not much for food, but there’s water.”
“This is fine,” said Tapestry.
She found a spot near the ladder, all the way across the cellar from where Malcolm’s bed was, and spread out one of the blankets. It left no doubt in his mind that she had no interest in talking to him any further that night, but he still had things left to say.
“I’m sorry.” Malcolm licked his lips and considered what else he could add. “I understand if you can’t forgive me for all of the secrets I kept, and how badly I hurt you. But I hope eventually, we can be friends again.”
Tapestry didn’t react for a couple of seconds. Malcolm thought he was being ignored until she stood up and walked over to him. She came into his personal space, within a foot of where he stood, close enough to make the air between them prickle with potential.
“You’ve apologized to me so many times before,” she said. “It’s meaningless.”
She stood where she was for another moment, as though daring Malcolm to try something that might potentially ruin what little thread of friendship they had left. He was smart enough not to, and as soon as she’d stretched out on her blanket, he climbed into bed. Sleep did not come easy that night.
***
Tapestry wasn’t in the hideout when Malcolm woke up the next morning. He was surprised that she’d managed to climb the ladder and open the hatch without waking him up.
She’s probably gone off to investigate this mysterious rumor of hers.
Malcolm wasn’t about to make assumptions about whether she’d be coming back. He was hungry, and figured that if she did return, the least he could do was offer her a meal.
He sacrificed one of his old, tattered shirts for the sake of creating a few long pieces of makeshift string, and then converted an old pair of pants into a very simple fishing net. He walked through the outskirts of Vanderbrook and into the forest, back out to where he’d originally set up his now ruined traps.
It only took him a couple of minutes to build a new log trap, as he stumbled upon a spot perfect for it on the way to the brook. The fish were out in numbers, and Malcolm didn’t have to wait long before managing to scoop one out onto the grass with his pants-net. It almost managed to flop back into the water, but he gave it a quick stomp and finished it off.
He spent a few hours trapping, fishing, and gathering as much food as he could. Malcolm was surprised to notice how proficient he’d become at it over the months. He’d failed often enough to learn all of the pitfalls to avoid, and by early afternoon, he had a small feast of fish, squirrel meat, wild dandelions and onions.
He used his net to carry it all back, humming to himself quietly. In truth, Malcolm enjoyed having Tapestry back, as frosty to him as she might be, and as temporary as the situation might be. He had missed her far more deeply than he’d ever let himself admit.
His thoughts turned back to his last real intimate encounter with her. At the time, she’d thought that he was Second Wind, who at the time, had been posing as “Wind Runner”. It had felt confusing, illicit, and more than a little dirty to take his copy’s place in the bedroom, and at the end of it, Tapestry had said that she loved “him”.
She loved Second Wind. Not me. We are different people, even if we shared the same base memories.
Malcolm repeated the thought to himself several times, but it felt more like a hollow excuse, rather than the truth. It was an out, a way for him to easily discard any pesky, leftover feelings he might have for her. And his chest was burning with those sorts of feelings, his heart pounding with eagerness and desire at the prospect of sitting down with her and eating. He could at least give her a hug when she finally left to go back to her old life. Couldn’t he?
He winced and forced it all out of his mind. It wasn’t like that between him and Tapestry anymore. Hell, it wasn’t like that between him and Rose, either. He was alone, and it was better to accept that fact rather than get his hopes up for relationships that belonged to another world.
Malcolm started his fire as soon as he got back to his hideout. He let the fish cook on a hot rock, while slowly roasting both squirrels he’d snared over the fire. The smell of cooking meat jumpstarted his appetite, though it was a little less appealing after the fare in Underworld, and even the travel rations.
His mind continued to wander, and he continued to force his thoughts back into safe territory. He was just beginning to contemplate his own future when Tapestry arrived back, nearly sprinting across the warehouse’s concrete parking lot to reach him.
“We have to move!” she shouted. “Now!”
“Uh… It’s nice to see you, too,” said Malcolm, quirking an eyebrow.
“Look, I don’t have time to explain,” said Tapestry. “Do you trust me?”
Malcolm considered the question for longer than he’d realized he needed to.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Then come with me,” said Tapestry. “And bring any weapons you have.”
Malcolm smiled.
That should be easy enough, given that I don’t have any.
He did take the food, or at least the food that had already finished cooking, with him. He offered some to Tapestry as they jogged down the street. She politely declined, her nose scrunching up in a way that told Malcolm that she had not reached the point where squirrel had entered her normal diet.
Tapestry led him down an alleyway, and then over a fence into a small, abandoned parking lot. There were several wrecked cars on the far side of it, and nestled in between two of them was a dirty, heavily dinged BMW with military grade tires, metal lattice reinforced windows, and a club lock on the steering wheel.
“Wow,” said Malcolm. “I see you’ve gotten some upgrades.”
Tapestry smiled at him, her pride showing through her cold exterior.
“A few,” she said. “Get in. Quickly.”
Malcolm was tempted to make a quip about her bossiness, but bit it back. He climbed into the passenger seat next to her. Tapestry pulled out of the lot and onto the street, driving more slowly than Malcolm had expected.
It’s smart, given how many streets have been blocked by abandoned cars.
“Alright,” he said. “I think I deserve an explanation, now?”
Tapestry gave a slow nod.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with a few traders who regularly travel through Vanderbrook and other nearby towns,” she said. “One of them told me that they’ve made several deliveries to a hospital in Halter City.”
Malcolm frowned and shook his head.
“Halter City is Multi’s territory,” said Malcolm. “Though what use he’d have for a hospital is an open question.”
“That’s not all,” said Tapestry. “The guy told me about the hospital also said that on one of his trips inside, he had what he thought at the time was a hallucination. A vision of a strange, green portal in one of the rooms he was walking by.”
Malcolm blinked.
“Jade Portal?” he said, putting the pieces together. “She’s still alive. Rain Dancer didn’t kill her after all, and… Multi took her in?”
“Apparently,” said Tapestry. “Though she must be badly injured. Maybe paralyzed. Hence the hospital, and her not immediately taking off. Not exactly the easiest spryte to hold hostage.”
“Definitely not,” said Malcolm. “But I don’t understand. Why does this matter to us?”
Tapestry sighed.
“I keep forgetting how hard it is for young people to see the big picture,” she said.
“You are a young person. At least in body if not in mind. Now make with the explanation.”
Tapestry smiled again, though she caught herself more quickly this time.
“Jade Portal was the one who trapped Savior on Europa,” said Tapestry. “With her power, we can bring him back, if he’s still alive.”
Malcolm sat up a little straighter, running the idea over in his head. It could work.
“Of course,” he said. “She can make a portal to bring us onto the spaceship on the way to save him.”
“Exactly,” said Tapestry. “We find where the spacesuits are kept onboard, grab them, come back to Earth through the portal, and then have her transport us straight to Europa so we can bring Savior back immediately.”
She’s thought this through. This is a good plan.
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “I’m onboard. But we still have to find a way to Jade Portal. If she’s in a hospital that Multi is in control of, it’s not going to be easy for us to get in.”
“I never said it was going to be easy,” said Tapestry. “But I doubt Multi will be expecting us. It’s been months since he’s had a serious confrontation with any champion. We might be able to catch him off guard.”
“This is Multi we’re talking about,” said Malcolm. “When has he ever not planned for a contingency?”
“People change,” said Tapestry. “Especially demons. I think he’s more arrogant now, than ever. And his main concern is… well, it’s not you or me.”
Malcolm went silent, sensing from the tone of Tapestry’s voice that she didn’t want to have that conversation now. Bringing up Second Wind would be tearing open old wounds for them both. How must it have felt for her to discover that the man she fell in love with was not only a copy of the original, but had also become a demon and decided to betray her?
“I’m going to park on the edge of Halter City,” she said, breaking the silence. “We’ll have to be on guard until we get to the hospital. If anyone sees us, our plan falls apart.”
“Got it,” said Malcolm. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 14
They waited in an alleyway until nightfall, crouched in the shadows. Halter City was patrolled by Multis and the only way they would remain undetected was by moving under the cover of darkness. They settled in behind a dumpster, ignoring the smell as best they could.
In many ways, Halter City had faired the chaos of the collapse better than Vanderbrook. The destruction overall was considerably less and more concentrated. A couple of blocks still had electricity, though the only people who lived in the apartments there were those who had somehow earned Multi’s favor.
There was even a modern, mostly functional economy in this section of town. Malcolm noticed a well-stocked bodega across the street from the alley and grasped at his growling stomach, afraid it would give their position away.
When dusk settled, they moved. It was easy to spot their enemy. Each Multi shared identical physical characteristics, and most of them carried rifles, or pistols. Malcolm and Tapestry would wait at the edge of one alleyway, watching until a Multi turned around a corner, and then they’d sprint across the street to their next hiding spot.
They waited behind an abandoned car across the street from the hospital, scoping the place out. If Tapestry hadn’t pointed it out to Malcolm as their destination, he wouldn’t have given it a second glance. The building looked unassuming, and perhaps that was a testament to how little thought Multi gave it in his grand scheme.
“So… what now?” asked Malcolm.
Tapestry shrugged. “Why are you asking me?”
“You’re the one with the plan,” he said.
“Alright,” said Tapestry. “Is there a way we can get in that’s not the front entrance?”
He frowned slightly.
“The roof seems like… an option,” said Malcolm.
Malcolm felt a flash of annoyance at the fact that he no longer had his wind manipulation, but there was another building close by. They’d have to jump between the two of them, but it just might work.
But assuming we can get in, we still have to find Jade Portal. And then…
The thought led him to another issue that he hadn’t considered, and wasn’t sure if Tapestry had, either.
“How do we get Jade Portal to work with us, anyway?” he asked.
“We remind her who killed Golden Joab,” said Tapestry. “I doubt she’s here by choice. And if that’s the case, I’m sure she’ll be willing to cooperate.”
“That’s a pretty big assumption to hinge your plan on,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry set her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“It’s my plan,” she said. “Either help me or don’t.”
“Fine,” said Malcolm. “I forgot how bossy you can be sometimes.”
Tapestry glowered at him.
The two of them waited for a few more minutes, confirming that there were no Multis waiting to pounce on them. Then, they headed for the adjacent building nearest to the hospital. It was an old parking garage, with a number of abandoned cars scattered haphazardly inside.
They moved swiftly, jogging up the sloping cement ramps until they’d reached the top. The jump between buildings that Malcolm had theorized looked a hell of a lot further than it had from the ground. The wind pushed at Malcolm’s back as he stood on top of the parking garage’s safety railing, staring across a rather intimidating gap.
“Are you… sure about this?” asked Tapestry.
Malcolm frowned. He glanced down at the five-story drop. Tapestry would have to make the jump, too, but if he went first, he could be there to grab her if she came up a few inches short.
“It’s the only way,” said Malcolm. He took a deep breath. It was a windy night, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the feel of the rushing air on his face, as though an old friend had just called him up for an adventure.
Malcolm leaned back on his heels, spotted the area on the hospital’s roof where he needed to land, and jumped. The wind batted at his clothing, and he felt it pushing at his back. Not because of anything he’d done, just of its own volition.
It was equal parts nostalgic and heart breaking. The moment seemed to stretch out for an eternity as he hung in the space between buildings. It was as close to flying as he would ever again approach.
He cleared the gap with inches to spare, only barely stumbling in the follow up steps. His heart was pounding in his chest, and a strange laugh escaped his throat. Malcolm turned to look back at Tapestry with a silly grin on his face.
“Wow,” he said. “Alright. Your turn.”
Tapestry nodded slowly, and pulled herself up onto the concrete safety partition like a condemned criminal approaching the gallows. She brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of her face, or at least tried to, as the wind seemed intent on pushing them back.
“Is there… anything I should know?” she asked, nervously. “Any tips on how to jump better?”
“You’ll be okay,” said Malcolm.
I hope…
He was beginning to question the sense in having Tapestry sneak in alongside him when she threw herself forward into a sudden, jerky leap. From the moment her body moved out into open air, Malcolm could tell that she was going to come up short.
There was a split second delay to his reaction, and he owed it to his subconscious mind’s assumption that of course, Tapestry would be okay. He was so used to seeing her recover from any wound, her body withstanding fire, bullets, and electricity, that her dying from a fall didn’t mesh with his concept of who she was.
But Tapestry was just like him. She had lost her powers. She was now a normal human, with a normal breaking point. And with wide eyes and flailing arms, she’d thrown herself into a jump that her legs weren’t strong enough to make.
Malcolm surged forward, leaning dangerously far out over a short concrete lip running around the edge of the hospital’s roof. Tapestry’s feet missed, but her upper body hit the concrete, and she managed to get an arm over, her nails digging for purchase on whatever they could find.
Which was Malcolm’s shoulder, protected only by the thin fabric of his clothing. He gritted his teeth, reaching his other hand around to her abdomen and pulling her up with all the strength he could summon. He fell backward onto the hospital’s roof, Tapestry crumpled atop him.
“…Oh my god,” she whispered. “When did… stuff like that… get so scary?”
“It’s always been scary,” said Malcolm. “We just had a higher tolerance for taking risks.”
She was straddling him, and turned her face so her eyes met his. Malcolm felt a surge of emotion as he felt her soft butt on his crotch. His heart was still pounding, and he wanted nothing more than to flip Tapestry underneath him, kiss her passionately, and–
“We’re wasting time,” said Tapestry, climbing to her feet. “Come on.”
CHAPTER 15
The door leading down to the next floor from the roof had been locked, but it was a simple mechanism. Malcolm was able to force it open by leaning his weight onto it and sneaking one of Tapestry’s old credit cards into the gap. They headed down a flight of stairs and into a building that seemed half abandoned.
There was only one nurse on the top floor, and she was asleep at her post. Most of the rooms Malcolm passed were empty, and the few patients he did see were either sleeping, comatose, or paralyzed.
At least I hope it’s one of those three…
It became clear that the hospital was either understaffed or running on a very thin margin. They passed by each room in sneaky silence, only glancing in for long enough to see if the patient inside was Jade Portal.
They found her on the third floor they checked. There was a nurse on that floor, and she was essentially doing her job, patrolling up and down the hallway. Malcolm and Tapestry waited in the stairway until she took a bathroom break, and then quickly hurried down the hall, checking room after room.
“Here!” hissed Tapestry, from outside a room with a closed door. “It’s her! She’s sleeping!”
Malcolm nodded and hurried over. They slipped through the door, closing it tightly behind them, and approached Jade’s bedside.
She looked frail, and it was clear from the machines around her that she was like many of the other patients they’d seen, paralyzed or in a coma. There was a pale green tinge to her skin, the telltale sign of a spryte. Malcolm was a little concerned that she didn’t react to their presence.
“Alright…” he said, glancing at Tapestry. “Now what do we do?”
Jade opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, focusing them, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. The rest of her body remained unmoving, frozen in place. Malcolm wondered if that was the result of the injuries Rain Dancer had dealt her, or perhaps a chemical cocktail Multi was forcing on her to keep her from escaping.
“Jade,” said Tapestry. “Do you remember us at all? We were the two champions who you encountered at the Hawktail Casino?”
She couldn’t answer them with words, but Malcolm thought he saw a gleam of recognition in her eyes. Tapestry nodded to Malcolm, giving him an expectant look. He gave a shrug and stepped forward.
“So, uh, I know we were never the best of friends, or anything,” said Malcolm. “But for the record, I’m the one who killed Rain Dancer. He was our common enemy.”
“We don’t have all night, Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “Just get to the point.”
Malcolm bit back a frustrated remark and continued.
“Look, we’re trying to rescue the champion that Rain Dancer forced you to imprison,” said Malcolm. “I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to what’s been going on in the world, but things have fallen off the deep end, and we need his help to fix things. And for that, we need your help.”
Jade Portal blinked. Whether it was a yes or a no, Malcolm had no idea.
“So… We need you to open a portal from here onto the spaceship, Jupiter III.” He frowned. “Uh… It’s somewhere in space?” He glanced over at Tapestry, suddenly realizing a massive flaw in their plan. “Tapestry, how is she going to know where exactly to make the portal lead to?”
“I have that covered,” said Tapestry.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it and smoothing out the creases. Malcolm realized that it was a news article about the ship, with photos of both its exterior and interior.
“That’s not going to tell her where it is right now, though,” he said.
“That’s not how her portals work,” said Tapestry. “Think about it. If that were the case, she’d have to account for both the Earth’s rotation and orbit every time she used her power, which I don’t think she’s doing.”
Malcolm shrugged.
“It seems like a big bet to make, given that she can’t speak to confirm it for us.”
Jade Portal blinked several times in quick succession.
That’s either a definite yes… or a definite no.
“That’s it, though, isn’t it?” asked Tapestry. “You use the concept of a place, rather than its absolute positioning? Blink once for yes.”
Jade hesitated, and then blinked once. Tapestry breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay,” she said. “Perfect. Jade, here is our plan. We need to get onto the ship, but just for a few minutes, so we can borrow the spacesuits. Then, we’ll come back here and–”
Heavy footsteps sounded from down the hall, along with shouting. Malcolm looked at the door, searching for a way to lock or bar it and finding nothing.
“We don’t have time,” he said. “We have to do this. Now.”
Jade needed no further encouragement. She stared at the article Tapestry had in her hand, and closed her eyes. A luminescent green portal burst into existence against the room’s wall, almost like someone had turned on a broken projector in a dark room, bright and psychedelic.
“If she’s off by even a hundred feet, we’ll be stepping through this portal to our deaths,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry smiled at him.
“I’ll go first, if you’re scared,” she said.
The footsteps were almost upon them. The two of them didn’t have time to trade barbs. Malcolm walked over to Tapestry, grabbed onto her hand, just in case, and stepped through the portal.
CHAPTER 16
The sensation was indescribable. It didn’t feel like anything painful, but the immediate shock of transitioning from one environment into another was similar to being roughly woken up from a dream. Malcolm’s stomach turned over as he somersaulted through the air, weightless and inside a dimly lit spacecraft.
Whoa… This is weird. And kind of spooky.
Tapestry followed, pushing through the portal with more force than he had and colliding into him as she emerged onto the other side. The green portal disappeared an instant after she’d made it all the way through.
Neither of them said anything. Malcolm supposed that Tapestry was having a similar reaction to his own, struggling with the dizzying and physically confusing sensation of weightlessness.
They were in a small room with a single table in the center. Four open, circular hatches led to other parts of the ship, and there were handholds along each wall to make movement easier. Malcolm noticed that the four chairs around the table all had what looked like seatbelts, most likely to keep the astronauts from floating off once they’d sat down.
“Tapestry…” Malcolm said, realizing it had been almost a minute since either of them had spoken. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… alive,” she said.
Malcolm tapped off the wall, turning himself to face the direction he’d last seen her in. Tapestry was floating upside down, in relation to him. Making eye contact with her made his head hurt, as though some part of his brain was trying to work facial recognition and failing due to their shifting relative perspectives.
“This was part of the plan,” said Malcolm. “We did it. We’re aboard the Jupiter III.”
“The portal closed behind us, Malcolm,” said Tapestry.
“Jade will open it again,” he replied, sounding surer than he felt. “In the meantime, we need to find those spacesuits.”
Anchoring himself against the wall with one hand, Malcolm took a slow survey of his immediate surroundings. The room they were in looked like it was designed as a general meeting space, which made sense. A single LED light was active overheard, though there were at least a half dozen that he could see that were either turned off or nonfunctional.
Tapestry looked worried, and also like she was about to throw up. Malcolm gently pushed himself off the wall and over to her, moving much faster than he’d anticipated. He caught another handhold next to her to steady himself, and then set a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “This is all part of the plan, remember?”
Tapestry took a deep breath.
“You’re right,” she said. “I just… don’t do enclosed spaces so well.”
Malcolm nodded.
“I know what you mean,” he said. “But we’ll be okay. It kind of reminds me of our old headquarters. At least, the ambience of it.”
“Kind of.” She smiled, probably more at the fact that he was trying to cheer her up than anything. Malcolm noticed that her animosity for him seemed to fade as soon as they were under pressure, and felt guilty for appreciating the change.
“Does the article you have contain a map of the ship, by any chance?” asked Malcolm.
Tapestry shook her head. “We’ll have to find the spacesuits on our own. I’m guessing they’d be near the airlock, or possibly the crew quarters.”
Malcolm frowned. “Speaking of which, where is the crew?”
The question hung in the air between them. Malcolm had heard only a few details about the sabotage that had befallen the Jupiter III, just enough to know that the ship wouldn’t be able to complete its mission. But this didn’t match up with what he’d been expecting.
He’d assumed that the astronauts aboard would either still be alive and just stranded on a damaged ship, or they’d all be dead, trapped inside a sarcophagus in space. But as far as he could tell, there was no trace of them whatsoever. No bodies, no blood, not even any signs of struggle.
“Maybe Multi had someone hack the ship,” suggested Tapestry. “Maybe he created a fake emergency, lured them into an airlock, and flushed them into deep space.”
“Maybe,” said Malcolm. “Or maybe he came through a portal, just like we did.”
“We’d see more traces of a violent confrontation if that was the case,” said Tapestry. She scowled, crossing her arms over her breasts. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Let’s just find the space suits and go from there,” said Malcolm.
He wanted to keep Tapestry’s mind off the fact that they’d arrived on the ship through a portal, and would need a return portal to stand any chance at getting home. He wanted to keep his own mind off it too, he realized.
Malcolm pulled himself along the handholds, moving through the circular connecting hallway toward what he assumed to be the front section. It led to the ship’s main command center, where the astronauts strapped themselves in and did the real work of the journey. There was window set into the front of the command center, smaller than Malcolm would have expected, but with a view that more than made up for it. He gasped as he stared out into space.
Jupiter loomed in the distance, at least four or five times the size of the Moon in the night sky on Earth. He could see the Great Red Spot staring back at him, like an incomprehensibly massive eye, watching the approach of their ship.
It made the hair on the back of Malcolm’s neck stand up straight. He guessed that they were a couple of days out from the planet, calculating that it was a six-month round trip, launched nearly three months earlier.
“Wow,” he said. He looked over his shoulder at Tapestry, who was making a concentrated effort to keep her gaze from the window.
“The spacesuits aren’t in here,” she said. “We have to keep looking.”
The next connecting hallway they went down ended with a series of four heavy hatches, two of them open, two of them closed. The open ones led to large storage rooms containing dozens of cryptically labeled supply crates. Malcolm glanced around, still not seeing what they’d come for. Tapestry’s anxiety was slowly beginning to infect him, too, but he did his best to shake it off.
Another hallway led to the crew’s sleeping area, which was an arrangement clearly designed with zero gravity in mind. Instead of beds, sleeping bags hung on tethers, with straps at the top to secure a person inside. Malcolm pictured what it would be like to sleep inside one, and it reminded him a bit of being a strand of seaweed, slowly swaying along with the current, tied down to the ocean bottom.
There was a hatch in the back of the sleeping area that led to a small exercise room, with a selection of different pieces of equipment. Some of them, like the stationary bike and elliptical, looked like anything else one might find back on Earth. Others were stranger, like a weird configuration of balls that Malcolm couldn’t guess at the proper usage of, and a long harness that would have made sense as a resistance line for squats, but was attached to the wall instead of the floor.
“Interesting,” said Malcolm. “I guess they really care about staying in shape.”
“They have to exercise to keep up muscle and bone density,” said Tapestry. “Weightlessness isn’t healthy for long periods of time. At least not if you’re planning on coming back to Earth.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. Malcolm put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
There was one more hatch in the back of the exercise area, and it led to a tiny chamber barely big enough for a single person. The lights were completely off inside, and Malcolm couldn’t guess what it was for.
The sensation of floating was incredibly distracting, and Malcolm almost lost his sense of direction as they drifted back toward the main chamber. He found himself comparing being weightless to his wind manipulation. However, although they were superficially similar, the two couldn’t have been more different. It was like comparing a sketch with a statue.
They went down the last connecting hallway and finally found what they were looking for. The spacesuits, along with a wide variety of tools, medical supplies, and repair parts, were in a small room with a sealed hatch on one end that Malcolm could only assume led to the airlock.
“Well, here we are,” said Malcolm. “This is what we came for.”
It took him a minute to figure out how to release the suit from the latch holding it and pull it down. He passed it Tapestry, and then pulled one down for himself.
“We should head back to the room we first came in through to wait,” he said.
Tapestry nodded, but didn’t meet his eye.
Getting the bulky suits through the cramped hallways was challenging, but they managed it. When they returned to the conference room, Malcolm sat down at the table and strapped himself into one of the chairs. Though he was securely fastened into an upright position, he still felt loose and uncomfortable, his body shifting in the zero-gravity environment.
Lacking any other option, the two of them waited for something to happen. Malcolm kept thinking he’d glimpsed the return portal out of the corner of his eye, but when he spun his gaze to find it, it was never there. Slowly, over the course of an hour, he came to the realization that there would probably be no portal back to Earth.
CHAPTER 17
“Multi discovered us,” said Tapestry. “That’s what the commotion was in the hospital, right before we left. We were fools to go through that portal when we did.”
Malcolm shrugged, an underwhelming gesture in zero gravity.
“What other choice did we have?” he asked. “Stay, and let Multi capture or kill us? It’s not like we have our powers anymore, Tapestry. We couldn’t have fought our way out.”
“We could have gotten Jade to open a portal to somewhere else,” she said. “Somewhere safe.”
Malcolm frowned at her. “When have you been the type for regrets?”
She looked at him, and he saw a heartbreaking amount of despair in her expression.
“Ever since I led us both into a death trap, billions of miles away from Earth, with no way back,” she said.
Malcolm shook his head.
“First of all, we might still have a way back,” he said. “The fact that Jade hasn’t opened another portal doesn’t mean that she can’t. Just that she’s chosen not to.”
“Or that Multi’s killed her,” said Tapestry.
“Unlikely,” he said. “This isn’t the worst case scenario, remember? She could have opened up a portal for Multi and let him onto the ship to attack us, if she’d wanted.”
“And why doesn’t she?” asked Tapestry. “Who says she isn’t just waiting for more Multis to arrive on the scene so that she can do just that?”
“I do,” said Malcolm. “We trusted her to portal us here safely. That’s got to count for something.”
Tapestry looked like she was considering his logic, but her eyes remained dark. Malcolm had never seen her like this before. It was as though the hope had been burned out of her.
“This is all hypothetical,” she whispered. “It’s far more likely that Jade hasn’t opened a portal because she can’t. Because she’s dead. And so are we.”
“No, we aren’t,” said Malcolm. “We’re safe. At least for now.”
“Really?” Tapestry gestured to the LEDs, which seemed to be running on less than full power, resulting in the dim lighting conditions. “This doesn’t look like a ship in working condition to me, Malcolm.”
“Hey,” he said. “Don’t give up so easily.”
Despite his words, her cynicism was infectious. There wasn’t much either of them could actively do to improve their situation, and Tapestry was right. There was something wrong with the ship, and what chance did the two of them have of diagnosing it, let alone fixing it?
And even if the ship had been in pristine condition, what then? They weren’t astronauts. Working the instruments in the cockpit would be a guessing game.
If it’s a guessing game, then let’s go get lucky with a good guess.
“Come on,” said Malcolm. “If we’re stuck here anyway, let’s get familiar with all our options.”
He took Tapestry’s hand and pushed off in the direction of the hallway that led up to the command station. It was obvious which one was meant for the captain, given how it was oriented directly toward the observation window and had, by far, the most buttons and instruments on the panels on either side of it.
Malcolm settled himself into the seat, pulling the seatbelt across his stomach and chest, and then examined his surroundings. He’d been hoping for something obvious, perhaps a dimmer switch with “POWER” written beside it only turned up halfway. No such luck.
“Alright,” he said. His heart was pounding faster in his chest. What if he pressed the wrong button? He could damage the ship, and put them in even more dangerous circumstances…
“Don’t press anything,” said Tapestry. “Look, maybe… we passed by a manual, or something.”
“Maybe,” said Malcolm. “But I’m guessing the astronauts spent years learning the ins and outs of their roles.”
There was a red button. That was tempting. He let his finger hover over it, considering why a button might be colored red, and what that might imply it would do when pressed.
It probably shoots the lasers.
“Uh…” Malcolm scratched his head. “Hmm. Okay, here we go.”
He settled his finger onto a series of buttons labeled, helpfully, one, two, three, etc.
You wouldn’t need that many buttons labeled in sequence for something that could be potentially dangerous, right?
“I’m going to press one of them,” said Malcolm. “Okay?”
“Why are you asking me?” Malcolm could see Tapestry’s reflection in the observation window. She had her arms crossed, and was chewing on her lower lip.
“I just want to make sure you’re on board,” said Malcolm. “No pun intended.”
Tapestry didn’t say anything. Malcolm took her silence for assent, and pressed his finger down on the first of the labeled buttons. One of the monitors to the right of his chair turned on, but didn’t show anything except a black screen.
“Well, that’s encouraging,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry frowned. “How is that encouraging?”
“We’re still alive,” he said. “Nothing bad happened.”
He pressed the second button. Nothing happened. He pressed third, fourth, and then the fifth.
A bald man appeared on the screen. Malcolm furrowed his brow.
“Hello?” he called. “Hello? Can you hear us?”
There was a tiny webcam built into the top of the monitor. Malcolm waved his hand in front of it, trying to get the attention of the bald man on the other side.
“He’s not going to react right away,” said Tapestry.
“Why not?” asked Malcolm. “Do you think the webcam is off?”
“Malcolm,” said Tapestry, in the voice of a patient teacher. “We are billions of miles away from Earth, at the moment. So far away that there is a communications delay measured in minutes, rather than seconds.”
“How many minutes?”
Tapestry shrugged.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and find out,” she said.
CHAPTER 18
The two of them waited. Malcolm was hungry, and he started to wonder about some of the crates that had been labeled as food back in the storage room. He was about to pitch opening one of them to Tapestry when the bald man on the monitor reacted.
It was reminiscent of watching someone have a heart attack. The man pushed his chair back and brought a hand to his chest. Malcolm and Tapestry could hear him gasping in surprise. The man shook his head in disbelief, and then finally focused his attention back on his own webcam.
“How… is this possible?” he asked. “Is this some kind of prank?”
“It’s not a prank,” said Malcolm.
“He’s not going to hear you for another half hour,” said Tapestry. “Let me do the talking.” She floated over Malcolm in his seat and crouched beside him. “Hello, whoever is on the other end of this connection? My name is Aubrey Kennison, and this is Malcolm Caldwell. We’re both former members of the Champion Authority who were transported here by a spryte with teleportation abilities.”
She went on to explain what their original plan had been, pausing each time the man spoke so they could listen. It was surreal, a conversation where neither party was able to listen to the other in real time, but both were desperate to get information across.
“Don’t press anything else,” said the man, who’d introduced himself as Melvin. “Wait! No! Actually, press the fourth button from the left on the third row. It should look a bit like the space bar on a computer. Then press the button directly to the right of it twice.”
Malcolm glanced at Tapestry. She gave a small nod, as though giving him permission. He pressed the button sequence.
The LEDs lighting the ship switched to full power, and a new, gentle hum came from some newly activated machine.
“We have power,” said Malcolm. “Thanks, Melvin.”
“You’re in a very tricky situation,” said Melvin, his words still out of sync with the moment. “We don’t know how the crew was lost. Ground control doesn’t have feeds from the cameras outside of the cockpit, so I don’t know the current state of things. If their bodies are aboard, you will need to dispose of them”
“We haven’t seen any bodies,” said Tapestry, talking quickly as not to speak over Melvin as he continued.
“It will take time for me to run a full diagnostic of the ship,” said Melvin. “I’ll have to call in the rest of the ground control team. We were not expecting… We’d given up the mission. This is so impossible, but so wonderful. We might be able to accomplish this! The first manned mission to Europa!”
Tapestry frowned.
“We aren’t interested in completing the mission,” she said. “Look, please, we came here through a portal. There is a spryte in Halter City, at the Lady of Mercy Hospital. If you go there and find her, she can bring us back.”
Malcolm listened, but he could already tell from the excitement he saw on Melvin’s face that it would be a dead end.
He’s not going to do that. He’ll give us an excuse as to why it’s too dangerous.
The conversation continued in a confusing, delayed back and forth for close to two hours. By the end of it, Melvin had given them a list of things they should and shouldn’t do. At the top of the list was for the two of them to stay calm.
The ship’s features were more automated than Malcolm had expected. Melvin explained that it might actually be possible for them to fulfill the crew’s original mission if they were very attentive and listened to the instructions of the ground control team.
Tapestry fumed at Melvin’s refusal to even acknowledge her request to find Jade Portal. Malcolm tried to lighten the mood a little with his jokes, but she was clearly in no mood for them.
“That’s all I can do for you, for now,” said Melvin. “I have to meet with the rest of my team. It might take several hours for us to come up with a solidified plan for you. Don’t do anything in the mean time! Actually, perhaps it would be good for the two of you to get some rest. I know this is a lot to take in.”
The connection cut off. Tapestry made a noise and glared at the black monitor. Malcolm squeezed her shoulders from behind.
“Hey,” he said. “This is good. We’re making progress. At least now we have hope.”
“Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “We’re still days out from Jupiter, and that’s only the halfway point for this mission. If we don’t get a portal out of here, we’ll be stuck on this ship for more than three months.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so instead, he gave her an awkward, zero gravity hug.
“It will be okay,” Malcolm finally managed.
“For you,” said Tapestry. “What about Melanie?”
Malcolm scowled.
What about Rose? What’s she going to think if she starts remembering me, and I’m nowhere to be found?
“It’s not an ideal situation for either of us,” he said. “But we don’t have another choice right now. And I hate to rub it in… but this was your idea.”
Tapestry glared at him.
“Yes, I’m sure you hate to rub it in, don’t you?” she said.
Malcolm rolled his eyes as she floated down the connecting hallway. He took another look around the cockpit, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the extent of the controls, despite Melvin’s reassurance.
The interior of the spaceship felt very different with the power reengaged. Before, it had bordered on being creepy, given what little they knew of the crew’s disappearance and the poor lighting.
Now, there was a warm, almost soothing quality to it that Malcolm was sure had been an essential part of the original design. It felt like someone had merged a futuristic living habitat with an expensive hospital room, comfortable, but antiseptic.
The room they’d first entered when they’d flung themselves through the portal now felt more like a kitchen than a conference room. Malcolm noticed that the table had a latch on it. He lifted it open and found a variety of food packed neatly away.
He picked out some beef jerky sealed in airtight wrapping, and a pouch of some kind of juice with a straw attached to drink from. Tapestry had gone deeper into the ship. He figured she could probably use some time to herself.
He settled down into one of the seats, strapping himself in and carefully opening the packages. Crumbs and liquid droplets were not something he wanted to experience in zero gravity.
The food improved his mood almost instantly. Malcolm could see a path forward now. They would make it to Europa, find Savior, rescue him, and then return to Earth. Savior would be able to stand a chance against Second Wind. The Champion Authority would rise again.
And then, I’ll live happily ever after. It’s all so simple and straightforward… And it will never go that smoothly.
The spaceship suddenly felt confining to him. Which, he had to grant, it was. He and Tapestry were basically prisoners of their circumstances. They were in the same situation as men living aboard submarines, trapped in a small, unchanging vessel for months at a time.
He took a slow breath, forcing himself to stay calm. Malcolm had just finished eating his food when he heard Tapestry scream.
CHAPTER 19
Malcolm threw himself down the hallway, flying faster than it was safe to as he hurtled toward the origin of Tapestry’s scream. It had come from the direction of the exercise chamber. Malcolm noticed immediately as he entered that the hatch to the small chamber he’d seen before was now closed.
“Tapestry!” he shouted.
“I’m… okay,” she said. “I just… wasn’t expecting this.”
There was a switch next to the hatch. Malcolm pressed it, and the hatch opened. Tapestry was floating inside the tiny room, but what caught his attention wasn’t her, but the walls.
Each one, along with the ceiling, the floor, and even the back of the hatch, was covered with a high definition display. All of them were currently showcasing a park on Earth, grass, trees, and people walking around. The room was a simulation chamber, and Tapestry had apparently activated it by accident.
“Neat,” said Malcolm. “This must be for the crew’s entertainment.”
“That sounds about right,” said Tapestry. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“Maybe you should try it again after a month or two of staring at blank walls,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry slid out through the hatch, scowling as she went by him.
“You haven’t eaten yet,” said Malcolm. “Come on. I think you’ll be in a better mood once you have a full stomach.”
He showed her what he’d discovered under the table. Tapestry didn’t seem that enamored with the selection of food, though she eventually picked a few things out to nibble at.
While she ate, Malcolm’s curiosity got the better of him. He floated back to the simulation chamber, pausing outside briefly before slipping in. The screens activated as soon as he closed the hatch, plunging him into a darkness lit only by the blue menu on one of the screens in front of him. The options “Past”, “Present”, “Future”, and “Personal” stood in a neat little row.
Malcolm considered for a moment before selecting “Past”. The screens shifted, displaying rows of tiny thumbnails, like the viewing gallery for the camera on his old phone. He singled out one that was of a park and pressed it with a finger.
A park seems safe enough. Right?
All the screens shifted. Malcolm found himself in a wide open park, with green grass displayed by the screen underneath his feet and a deep blue sky smudged with cotton candy like clouds above. There was a large pond in front of him with a man and a woman pedaling a swan boat. They were holding hands and appeared to be very much in love. A family sat on a blanket to his left, with three children playing monkey in the middle with foam ball.
It brought a nostalgic ache to Malcolm’s heart. He’d played games like that with Danny and his friends, as a child. How long had it been? He didn’t even know if there were any safe parks left in the country, anymore.
The wind was blowing in the simulation, and he felt a little frustrated by the fact that he could see the grass swaying without being able to feel it. He suddenly wanted to be in the simulation, or rather, he wanted to make it real.
The simulation chamber, Malcolm realized, was there as much for motivation as it was for recreation. It was there to remind the astronauts of what the world had been like, and presumably, what it could be like again.
It didn’t motivate Malcolm, at least not during his first experience with it. It made him want to lie down in bed, and deepened the weight on his shoulders. Failing was not an option for him and Tapestry, and that opened them both up to so many desperate situations, and so much danger.
He left the simulation chamber in a daze, his eyes only slowly adjusting to the bright LED lights of the rest of the ship. He floated through the ship slowly, feeling half tempted to curl up into a little ball, or maybe crawl into one of the tethered sleeping bags he’d seen before.
Malcolm found Tapestry in the cockpit, sitting in the captain’s chair. She had a scowl on her face and was pressing the buttons that controlled the communication system, to no avail.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She made a noise and turned her scowl onto him.
“I need to get a message to Melanie,” said Tapestry. “So much has happened that I didn’t even stop to think about letting her know that I’m okay when we were talking to Melvin.”
“I think they closed the communications channel from their side,” said Malcolm. “You might have to wait until they get in touch with us.”
Tapestry glared at him.
“Don’t you have anyone back on Earth that you care enough about to check in with?” she asked.
Rose… If she even remembers me.
He shook his head, avoiding her gaze.
“No,” he said. “Not anymore.”
“Liar.” Tapestry’s fingers left the command console, and she turned her full attention onto him. “I know the truth, Malcolm. All of it.”
The tone of her voice let him know that it was finally time for them to have a certain conversation. One they’d both been avoiding since the start of their post collapse reunion. The shadow of Second Wind hung over them both. The shadow of Malcolm’s lies, mistakes, and deception.
“He told me,” said Tapestry. “Your copy. He explained everything on that night he confronted us in my house. His first night as a demon. He gave me… a detailed series of events. A timeline, practically, from when Rose first came into your life. Of how she’d been living in your apartment, and you’d been hiding her from me, right under my nose. Like I was just some kind of… idiot. Just your idiot partner who didn’t deserve any part of the truth.”
Malcolm felt his face burning with shame. It was only made more intense by the anger and hurt he could hear in Tapestry’s voice. He’d kept secrets from her for far too long. How could he expect she’d react to the truth?
“He told me that you loved her,” said Tapestry, in a quiet voice. “That you and her were… involved like that. And that it was more serious than what we…” She paused, and blinked her eyes several times. “Anyway, I know about it. So don’t waste your time making yourself sound like a fool with more lies.”
Malcolm hung his head. He didn’t have any defense for what he’d done, for what he’d kept from her.
“I’m sorry, Tapestry,” he said. “I wish… I’d done things differently.”
“I do, too.” For a moment, it seemed as though she’d leave it at that. But then Tapestry shook her head, and a cracked smile came across her face. “I don’t think you fully understand how much it hurt when… he betrayed me. The callousness of it. I’d actually fallen in love, with him. Your copy, Malcolm. Not you. And then…”
She closed her eyes and let out a small, bitter laugh.
“He didn’t stab me in the back,” she said. “He stabbed me in the heart, and twisted the blade. As though it wasn’t enough for him to turn into a demon and push me away… He had to explain it all to me, and make me aware of just how badly duped I’d been. It was a double betrayal, once by him… and once by you.”
“Tapestry…” Malcolm wanted to apologize again, and again, if he could. But he knew she wouldn’t let him. It wouldn’t do anything to solve her pain or change the past.
Tapestry waited, as though expecting more from him. Several seconds went by, and Malcolm realized that by saying nothing, he’d also done the wrong thing. He could already feel her pulling away from him, trudging up old emotions, and reminding herself of all the reasons why he couldn’t be trusted.
She gave up, both on the communications console and on him. He reached for her as she floated by him and through the connecting hallway. She slapped his hand away, not hard, but with enough deliberateness to be a solid rebuke.
CHAPTER 20
Malcolm spent several hours in the exercise room, trying to tamp down his emotions with exhaustion. The stationary bike worked about the same as it would have back on Earth, though it felt much floatier without gravity.
He found clean clothes for the both of them in one of the storage rooms. There was a small bathroom and shower, specially designed for the sealed environmental conditions of the ship, and he rinsed off his sweaty body before changing into one of the plain blue jumpsuits that composed the standard astronaut wardrobe.
Tapestry had already zipped herself into one of the sleeping bags and managed to fall asleep, or was at least very good at pretending. It was a bit unnerving to look at her. Her head peaked out from the top of the sleeping bag, but the rest of her was securely zipped in. It was like looking at a cross between a body bag and a balloon on a string.
Malcolm settled into one of the sleeping bags himself. He closed his eyes once he was zipped in. He thought about comforting memories from back on Earth. He thought about what Melvin might have to report to them and how things would change when they finally got Savior back to earth.
It took him far longer than expected to drift off. The lights on the ship were bright and omnipresent, and between the glare and his usual troubled thoughts, he slept fitfully.
When he awoke, Tapestry had already left her bag and was in another part of the ship. Malcolm took his time getting up, dreading having to talk to her after the discussion they’d had the night before.
But if Tapestry was holding a grudge against him, she was doing it on a backburner. She gave him a small smile as he floated into the meeting room, tossing a vacuum sealed granola bar in his direction.
“Melvin got in touch through the communications console,” she said. “I already sent him a message back letting him know I was about to wake you up.”
“And you let him know about Melanie?” asked Malcolm.
Tapestry’s smile widened slightly, and she nodded.
“It was close to an hour ago when I sent my message,” she said. “His response should reach us pretty soon.”
Malcolm nodded slowly, chewing his granola bar thoughtfully.
“We’re going to have our work cut out for us,” he said. “If we can’t rely on Jade for portals anymore, we’ll have to carry out this mission in the same way the original crew would have.”
“I know,” said Tapestry. “Think you’re up for it?”
Malcolm grinned at her.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
He ate quickly, and then followed Tapestry into the cockpit, trying not to admire the pleasant effect weightlessness had on her butt. A few minutes went by before a chime sounded, indicating an incoming message.
“Hello there,” said Melvin. “Amateur astronauts! We have a lot to cover today.”
It wasn’t just him in frame. Close to a dozen members of ground control were clustered around him, and the expressions on their faces spanned the spectrum, from hope, to anxiety, to disbelief. Melvin held a piece of paper in front of him, probably instructions given to him by the rest of his team.
“The good news is that the ship is almost entirely intact; the bad news is that there is at least one major repair that will need to be performed on the ship,” he said. “Now, this is going to get complicated, so keep this video message on hand for later review.”
Calling Melvin’s instructions complicated was a bit like calling a volcano “hot”. He went on and on, veering off occasionally into what seemed like pointless digressions until his ground control teammates prodded him back to his main point.
Some of the ship’s solar panels were damaged and would need to be replaced. Melvin explained how this would entail one of them performing a spacewalk and doing the repair manually. Malcolm felt a prickle of nervous excitement at the prospect. Tapestry, on the other hand, looked as though she’d been given a death sentence.
“There’s much more to get you up to speed on than just repairing the panels,” said Melvin. “But this is, uh, how should I say, priority number one? It’s why the ship was running on reserve power when you first came aboard. If the solar panels aren’t repaired… most basic functions including CO2 scrubbing will fail within 48 hours.”
“Great,” muttered Malcolm. “A timed mission. Just what we needed.”
“Generally, this would involve the entire crew,” said Melvin. “It’s possible to do with just two astronauts. One should stay inside the ship and relay instructions. The other will… go outside the ship and perform the repairs as carefully as possible.”
Melvin’s tone was nervous and a little worried, which didn’t do wonders for Malcolm’s confidence in their ability to complete the task. Melvin went on to give specific explanations of where the replacement solar panels were located, how to detach the old ones, and how to connect power cables to them.
By the end of it, Malcolm was thoroughly overwhelmed. Melvin wished them good luck before ending the message, and instructed them to send an update to ground control as soon as the repairs were complete. Malcolm glanced over at Tapestry and raised an eyebrow.
“Well?” he said. “What do you think?”
She slowly shook her head.
“I think this is going to be a lot more difficult than it sounds,” said Tapestry.
Malcolm nodded. “I’ll do the space walk. The flying I used to do with my wind manipulation has given me a strong threshold for vertigo.”
It feels like it’s been an eternity since I last used it.
“Are you sure?” asked Tapestry. “Malcolm… I have a bad feeling about this.”
“One of us has to do it,” he replied. “And you’re more detail oriented then me. You’ll be more helpful giving me instructions.”
She slowly nodded, though she wore her concern openly on her face. She’d put her hair onto a pony tail instead of a bun that morning, and the end of it moved freely in zero gravity. Malcolm felt a sudden, unbidden urge to hug her, and he gave into it. Tapestry hugged him back.
“Hey,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll fix the ship, reach Europa, and rescue Savior.”
Tapestry sighed.
“This is so far outside the realm of how I imagined things going,” she said. “But I guess there is no turning back now, is there?”
“Is that a rhetorical question, or…?”
Tapestry flicked him in the shoulder.
“Do you need help getting into your spacesuit?” she asked.
“From you?” He grinned. “Of course.”
CHAPTER 21
Climbing into the bulky space suit was, in fact, a two-person process. It wasn’t a heavy as he’d imagined it would be, but it still felt a bit like putting himself into a futuristic version of medieval armor.
“I’ll be able to communicate with you through your ear piece,” said Tapestry. “It will be just like when we used those Bluetooth headsets as champions.”
“Yeah,” said Malcolm, with a slight eye roll. “Just like that.”
Tapestry frowned, carefully checking the seals on the suit. She had found a manual of shuttle procedures, and was carefully going down the list, making sure they didn’t make any stupid mistakes.
“Malcolm…” she said. “I’d understand if you backed out of doing this.”
“I wouldn’t,” he said. “This is our only chance, Tapestry. For rescuing Savior and for getting back to Earth. And it will be a piece of cake compared to facing off against a bank robbery, or a demon.”
She smiled, but it was more for show than genuine. The helmet was next, and Tapestry carefully pulled it into place over his head.
“Oh!” she said, remembering something. “You put the diaper on already, right?”
Malcolm was glad that the radiation protection of the helmet’s face shield obscured the color of his face from her.
“Yes, Tapestry,” he said. “I put the diaper on. But I cleared myself out already, so hopefully… it won’t be necessary.”
This is less glamorous than I imagined it, watching astronauts in historical footage.
“The manual says that there’s a safety line that you’ll need to connect to once you’re in the airlock,” said Tapestry. “Let me know once you’ve done that and I’ll initiate the opening sequence.”
Malcolm tried to nod, but the helmet made it impossible.
“Will do,” he said. “Alright, let’s get this started.”
He pulled himself into the airlock. The inner airlock door closed behind him with such solidity that Malcolm half expected it never to open again. He took a calming breath, keeping his emotions where he needed them.
Moving in the suit was about as difficult as he’d expected. The arms and legs were bulky and not really designed for quick movements. The hands had surprising mobility, but Malcolm still struggled for a minute while getting the safety line attached.
“Safety line connected,” he said to Tapestry, over the radio. “I’m ready for you to open the door.”
“Got it.”
He heard air whooshing past him and out into the vacuum as the airlock depressurized, and then nothing at all as the door leading out into empty, black space slid open. Well, it wasn’t entirely empty, Malcolm silently conceded.
Jupiter stood out against the abyss of stars like the angry god who it took its name from. Malcolm didn’t have to look at the planet to see it. They were nearing the end of the first half of the crew’s original journey, and Jupiter was larger than the moon, larger than the sun, larger than anything he’d seen in the night sky back on Earth.
He could see a couple of moons, one of them probably Europa, their destination, but they were like sparks in the light of a bonfire. It was the most majestic thing Malcolm had ever seen. It felt like Jupiter was challenging him, a massive hole just waiting to suck them in.
“Wind Runner?” said Tapestry, over the speaker in his helmet. “Are you okay? You’re just standing there.”
“I’m… taking in the scenery,” he said.
Terrifying. This is beyond terrifying.
Malcolm edged his way forward to the spaceship’s outer airlock door. The fact that he was weightless did not make pushing himself into the vast, empty void any easier. He could feel his heart racing in his chest and wondered what Tapestry must think, observing his vitals from back in the cockpit.
“The replacement solar panels are in the second outer storage locker,” said Tapestry. “There are handholds leading around the side of the ship to the left, so you don’t have to search. Malcolm, are you okay?”
No. Not even a little.
“Fine!” he said. “Just give me a second or two.”
The only way they would be able to make it back home to Earth was if the ship had enough power. And the only way it would get enough power was with working solar panels. It was not a matter of choice, and that, more than courage or changing his perspective on the situation, was what pushed Malcolm to leave the ship.
He grabbed the first handhold to the left of the airlock door and hung onto it for dear life. He double checked that the safety line was still attached properly, which it was. He tried not to look down at Jupiter below him, much like a climber with a fear of heights would avoid looking at the ground.
Slowly, Malcolm pulled himself along the path of handholds. His fear faded enough to be manageable as he realized that he could let go without immediately falling away from the ship. They were still moving through space, of course, but without anything affecting his movement separately from that of his vessel, it felt no different from being stationary.
Looking at the ship from an outside perspective instilled a different kind of humble fear into Malcolm. It was so much smaller from the outside than it looked from the inside. It was so much more vulnerable than he’d realized.
Worst of all was when Malcolm risked a glance away from Jupiter, in the direction they’d come from. Back toward Earth. He couldn’t see it, couldn’t even see a hint of it. The thought that he was far enough away to require a telescope to see humanity’s home planet made him feel like throwing up.
Which would be a terrible idea while wearing a helmet.
He made it to the storage lockers after a minute or two of careful climbing. They didn’t have locks on them that he could see, but each one did have a handle that needed to be twisted before the door could slide freely open. It was a frustrating experience in zero gravity, like trying to open a jar with a stubborn lid. Except that unlike a stuck jar, his future survival depended on getting it open, and his oxygen was limited.
When the door finally gave way and slid open, Malcolm breathed a sigh of relief. There was a motion activated LED light on the inside, which was a helpful touch, since he wasn’t sure how to activate his space suit’s head lamp.
“Alright,” he said. “Which ones are the solar panels?”
Tapestry instructed him more directly from that point forward. The panels were smaller than Malcolm had been expecting, small enough so that he could carry one in a single hand while pulling himself along the handholds with the other.
All of the installed panels were on a massive contraption that could be adjusted from inside the ship to keep it angled toward the sun. Malcolm immediately spotted the broken panels. A few of them were scored by black dust, which probably meant a small asteroid had been responsible for the damage.
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “I’m ready to get started.”
Tapestry explained how to pull the broken panels off and what to look for. She was calm, collected, and detail oriented. She was like an angel, whispering instructions into Malcolm’s ear and helping him keep his mind off the terrifying, uncaring reality of the openness of outer space.
It was difficult. Malcolm needed to first snap each broken panel free from its bracing, and then disconnect a cable, two tasks made difficult by the gloves of his suit. When the first panel came free, he moved at an awkward angle, losing his hold on the new solar panel and knocking it out of his reach.
“Go after it!” said Tapestry. “We can’t afford to lose many of those panels.”
“Uh…” Malcolm watched the panel as it slowly floated away. He took a deep breath, and pushed off from the outer surface of the spaceship.
He was moving away from Jupiter, but that only put him slightly more at ease. The safety line behind him seemed like a thin, insubstantial thing. His heart pounded harder in his chest with every meter of distance he put between himself and the ship.
He reached the solar panel before he got to the end of his line and turned to head back. The line didn’t even look like it was attached to the ship with how much slack it had let out. He managed to pull himself back toward the vessel with a single movement, a testament to how little energy it took to shift his direction in space.
Malcolm installed the first panel, and the second, and then the next five. There was only one broken panel left. He made the trip back toward the storage compartment slowly, feeling an enormous amount of relief at being near the end of the task.
“There’s some interference on the sensors,” said Tapestry. “I can’t tell from what. Be extra careful out there in the –”
Something struck Malcolm in the back with the force of a mean fastball. He gasped, praying that his suit would hold against whatever damage had been caused. He realized he’d let go of his handhold in surprise and turned to try to find it again.
Another bit of space debris struck him, pushing him away from the ship. Malcolm felt a surge of sudden, panicked survival instinct. He was going to be knocked loose. He was going to die.
No! I won’t die like this! I will survive, at any cost!
He gritted his teeth and took hold of his safety line. Something twisted inside of him, and he felt a sudden surge of energy unlike anything he’d experienced before. He’d heard of people pushing themselves to the limit in life or death situations and knew that he was right up against his.
He only saw the approaching chunk of space debris for an instant, long enough to guess that it was at least the size of a beach ball. In that moment, all Malcolm could think to do was to use his wind manipulation to stop it. His no longer functioning wind manipulation, which wouldn’t have worked in the vacuum of space, anyway. He called to it with every ounce of his will, and watched as it did nothing to stop the asteroid from striking him hard in the chest.
And then, everything went black.
CHAPTER 22
Malcolm groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was throbbing. Had he gotten jumped in the trading square again? Perhaps what was left of Bennett’s gang had found him and decided to take revenge for his attack on their leader…
His eyes focused, and days of his life snapped back into recent memory. He was in a spacesuit. Which meant that he was still in the middle of his spacewalk, repairing the ship’s solar panels.
Except the ship was nowhere in sight. And his safety line was no longer attached to anything. Malcolm felt terror surge through him at the implication.
“Tapestry!” he shouted. “Tapestry!”
There was no response. Malcolm twisted, spinning in a circle. He could see Jupiter behind him, and it seemed larger than it had been before. Of course. That made sense. An asteroid had knocked him loose from the ship, and it had been traveling in the direction of the nearest planet, pulled in by that immense well of gravity. Just like what was now happening to him.
This can’t be as bad as it seems. Tapestry must know where I am. She’s probably on her way to save me.
He spun around again, searching for the ship behind him. It wasn’t there, and though he saw several small pinpricks of light that might have been it, they might also have been stars.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “Tapestry! If you can hear me…”
If she can hear me… what? I don’t know where I am, and I can’t hear her.
There was a crack on the front of Malcolm’s helmet. He couldn’t hear if it was leaking oxygen or not, but it wasn’t a good sign. And if he was out of sight of the ship, it didn’t matter either way. But he couldn’t have been unconscious for that long. The ship had to still be nearby.
Malcolm drifted without purpose or destination. He tried to slow his breathing as much as he could, and conserve what oxygen he had left. It was something he could focus on, a tiny thing within his control.
Am I… going to make it?
The hopelessness of his situation crept up on him over the next few minutes. Any faith he had in saving himself or being rescued was fading like the sun over the horizon. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of when he’d first stood on the edge of the airlock. This was his worst nightmare. He was helpless, cast adrift into the void. A tiny, pathetic human in an infinite sea of nothing.
“Well…” he muttered. “That’s it, then.”
It’s over. I did my best.
He chuckled, and then felt despair seize him by the heart. A painful lump formed in his throat. He was ready for tears, but they never came. They would have been a pain to deal with in zero gravity, anyway.
Drifting.
Malcolm heard a faint, slightly ominous chiming noise, which he guessed was his life support system informing him that he was running dangerously low on oxygen. He didn’t know for sure, as the heads-up display was broken along with most of the rest of his electronics. He had no way of knowing how much longer he had to live.
I had a good run. I’m alright with this being the end.
He considered it, wondering if that was really the truth. Was there anyone back on Earth who would miss him? Perhaps Rose, but that was assuming that her memories of him ever came back. Maybe it was better for Malcolm to die in space, billions of miles away. He was the last person who knew the painful truth of her past. Perhaps if he died, it would die with him.
And Tapestry. She would mourn for him, sure. But she didn’t love him anymore, not how she once had. She was strong enough to keep moving forward and maybe even rescue Savior on her own. He’d fixed all but one of the solar panels. Surely that would be enough, if the ship only needed to use its electricity to support her.
“I did all that I could,” he muttered. “And I did a pretty damn good job.”
There was no response. Malcolm exhaled and was surprised when it came out shaky, verging on a sob. He’d never felt so alone before in his life. Even living in his hideout in the months after the collapse, scraping by on foraged food and fearing for his life, he’d at least occasionally been around other people.
Was this the fate he’d earned for himself? To drift through space, endlessly. To stare out the faceplate of his helmet at a planet a thousand times the size of Earth, knowing that it would be the last thing he’d ever see. He wouldn’t get to die fighting. He’d go out with a whimper instead of a bang.
The ominous chiming noise sounded again, twice this time. Malcolm wanted to close his eyes, but he was afraid of where his thoughts might take him if he did. He wished that he could see his friend’s faces one last time. Selfishly, he found himself wishing that they were there with him, so he wasn’t alone.
No. This is my fate and mine alone.
He turned his head to look at Jupiter, and it felt as though the planet was staring back at him, making eye contact. He was close enough now that he could see the massive storms that raged across the planet. He was close enough that he could feel them with his wind manipulation, even through what had to be thousands of miles of empty space.
My… wind manipulation?
Malcolm flinched in surprise. He could feel the wind on Jupiter with his powers. They’d finally returned to him, so long after he’d given up hope. And now, of all times, when it was already past the point of being helpful.
But was it past that point? He reached with his hand and slowly flexed the glove of the spacesuit. There had always been a limit to how far he could extend his powers out, but he’d never considered whether it was a static limit or something influenced by what filled the space between him and his target. There was nothing but empty space between him and Jupiter.
I have to give it a try.
Part of him was afraid to try, afraid of letting hope pull him up only to sink him further into a pit of despair and failure. Malcolm reminded himself that if he was going to die either way, then it didn’t matter in the end. He took a deep, calming breath, and focused.
It was so hard. His awareness of Jupiter’s atmosphere was a tenuous thing, like seeing vague outlines in a darkened room. He gritted his teeth and squeezed every muscle in his body in concentration. He called out to the winds of Jupiter, summoning them with all the concentrated will his powers would allow, and pulled.
The effect was tiny at first. Malcolm saw a small, distinct, orange bump rise upward on Jupiter’s atmosphere, like one of the bumps on a basketball. Slowly, it extended upward, the atmosphere pooling around the base of it as it formed into a thin pillar of hydrogen, ammonia, and methane. He called it toward him, urging it to his rescue, and watched it approach as a rushing stream of gas, cutting through space with a mind of its own.
Sweat trickled down Malcolm’s face. He didn’t know how long he’d been focusing for. At least several minutes had gone by, maybe close to an hour. The ominous chime was incessant now, his spacesuit’s life support system sharing in his panic.
The wind manipulated pillar of atmosphere reached him just as the chime became a screeching siren. Malcolm had only pulled up enough of it push him in the direction he needed to go, and already he could feel the vacuum of space sapping the gas out of his control. He pushed himself away from the planet, toward a light in the distance that he prayed was his ship.
Malcolm struggled to stay conscious. No matter how much he gasped for air, he couldn’t satisfy his lungs with the thinning levels of oxygen left in his suit. He could see it now. The ship was ahead of him. Black dots mottled his vision. He gave himself one final push with what little of Jupiter’s atmosphere he still had behind him, throwing himself into the airlock.
“Tapestry…” he muttered, voice weak.
He banged on the inner airlock door and hoped.
CHAPTER 23
The outer airlock door closed, and the airlock pressurized. Malcolm could breathe again, which told him that the crack in his helmet had probably been worse than he’d thought. He grinned like an idiot, feeling more pride in himself than he’d ever felt in his entire life.
As the inner airlock door opened, Tapestry slowly came into view on the other side. Her hair was messy, and the front of the astronaut jumpsuit she wore was stained with tears. She pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his suit, and let out a body shaking sob.
“Malcolm!” she cried. “Oh my god, Malcolm! I was so worried!”
“I’m okay,” he said. “And I was pretty worried too.”
“Oh Malcolm…” Tapestry pulled back, but only slightly. She let out a strangled laugh. “I can’t believe it. How… I had the sensors search the area for you. Where were you?”
Malcolm pulled her back into a hug, suddenly feeling like he needed to have her even closer. He was back, and she was there with him, and everything was right in the world. He felt like he could cry, too.
“It’s a long story,” he said. “And I don’t completely understand it, myself.”
He pulled his helmet off, determined to give her a kiss, even if it only found its way to her cheek. He grinned at Tapestry, and then frowned as he saw the confusion in her expression. Confusion which quickly shifted to horror, and then to total despair. She brought her hands to her mouth and shook her head.
“No…” Tapestry’s body shook with another silent sob. “No! Why…?”
Malcolm was stunned by her sudden shift.
“What?” he said. “What is it?”
“Again!” she screamed. “Not again… Why… What did I do to deserve this a second time?”
Malcolm gaped at her. He reached a hand out to set onto her shoulder. She pulled back as though it were the red-hot tip of a fire brand.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “I’m alive. You don’t have to –”
“Malcolm...” She wiped a hand across her eyes and put more distance between them. “Don’t come any closer!”
Her tone of voice triggered something inside of Malcolm. He looked down at his helmet, staring into his own reflection in the faceplate. What he saw there made his insides twist into a knot.
His skin was several shades darker than he remembered it being, with a hint of blue to its tone. A dozen or more small bumps ran around the crown of his skull in a circle. Malcolm crumpled, hanging where he was in zero gravity, but bending at the knees in an attempt to fall to them.
“Tapestry!” he cried. “Please, wait! I didn’t know!”
There was no response. He had no idea where she’d gone to on the ship.
I didn’t know. How did I not know?
He started after her, and then realized how it would seem if he confronted her and tried to make her understand. It was just the two of them aboard the ship. The circumstances couldn’t have been any more confining. Would they even stand a chance at making it back to Earth without Malcolm, now a demon, having an episode? Would he kill her if he did, a monster out of control, on a rampage that would be impossible to escape?
“No!” shouted Malcolm. “No…”
He pulled off the space suit and flung its pieces wide. Running his hands through his hair, Malcolm considered his options and knew that he only had one that made any sense, if he truly cared about Tapestry.
The inner airlock door was still open. Malcolm floated back through it, resting his hands on his knees as he floated in the center of the space. He let himself spin to face back toward the rest of the ship.
“I’m in the airlock, Tapestry,” he called. “You know… what needs to happen.”
He remembered waking up in his spacesuit. It felt like days ago, rather than less than an hour. He’d thought that dying in space alone, away from his friends, was his worst nightmare. Malcolm almost laughed out loud at how wrong he’d been. This was so much worse. The horror he’d seen on Tapestry’s face was so much more painful.
The inner airlock door slowly slid closed. Malcolm nodded, glad that she had the courage to do what needed to be done. He knew there was a feed from the airlock to the cockpit, and he let his eyes scan the wall until he saw the camera.
“It’s okay,” he said. “This is my decision as much as it is yours, Tapestry. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I don’t want to hurt you.”
There was a strange irony to it. Malcolm had been one of the proponents of reform inside the Champion Authority. He’d wanted a different solution to the problem of demons and sprytes other than summary execution.
But this was different. He couldn’t take the risk of putting Tapestry in danger. Even if he managed to keep from hurting her, it was almost certain that if he had an episode, he’d damage the ship. And that was the same thing, in the end.
“Do it, Tapestry,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I let everyone down. I let you down.”
Malcolm closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and accepted his fate.
CHAPTER 24
Malcolm waited. His thoughts were suspended, not racing or reflecting on the events of his life, but empty, and almost meditative. He waited for his own death in full acceptance of it.
Minutes went by, long enough to pull him from his hollow reverie and make him realize that something was wrong. He heard an airlock door sliding, and realized with surprise that it was the inner door, the one behind him, leading back to the ship.
“Tapestry…” Malcolm slowly shook his head.
She can’t keep me alive. That’s not an option here.
Malcolm watched as she floated back toward him. He could tell that she’d been crying heavily, but it looked different than it would have back on Earth, tears floating free of her eyes and getting into her hair and on her forehead instead of leaving neat, downward trails.
She put her arms around him and let out a silent sob, her body shaking with it despite herself. Malcolm only hugged her back when he stopped to consider how cruel it would be for him not to.
“No…” he whispered. “Tapestry, I don’t want to hurt you. You know what you have to do.”
He felt her fingernails dig into his back slightly.
“You don’t want to hurt me?” she asked. She pulled and stared at him, anger clear in her eyes. “But you’d force me to make this decision? You idiot!”
Malcolm bowed his head. What other options did they have? He wasn’t himself anymore. He was a monster, and all it would take was his first lapse of control to jeopardize them both. Having him onboard the ship now was like sheltering a ticking time bomb.
“You would have done it back on Earth, if I’d turned,” said Malcolm. “Wouldn’t you have?”
He asked the question before giving it any really thought, and immediately wished that he hadn’t. He saw Tapestry’s thoughts going back to when Second Wind had turned into a demon and showed up at her house. He’d never gotten a chance to ask her for the full story of what had happened before he’d shown up.
“I… can’t lose you,” whispered Tapestry. “Not again.”
Her eyes met his, and Malcolm didn’t see any of the disgust and horror from before left in them. Instead, there was recognition, as though her mind was closing the gap between Malcolm the champion and whatever he was now. Seeing her working so hard to accept him healed a part of him he hadn’t realized was damaged.
“Tapestry…” He smiled at her, and suddenly felt his own overwhelming urge to cry.
Keep it together, Malcolm. Focus on the situation.
“We have to come up with a plan, then,” he continued. “This is… such a huge risk you’re taking. We have to come up with a way to ensure that at the very least, I’m not a danger to you.”
“Your focus activity,” said Tapestry. “The rock and roll music you love so much. I’ll see if ground control can email some of it to us.”
Malcolm smiled at her choice of words, but also at how committed she was to seeing her decision through. She was still Tapestry, and even if she was about to do something risky, she had too much wisdom to not approach it from the best angle.
“Lock me in one of the storage rooms,” said Malcolm. “Those doors are also airtight. That way, if something happens…”
If I have an episode…
“No,” said Tapestry. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“Tapestry…”
“I’m in charge, Malcolm,” she said, sharply. “That’s the first thing we need to be totally clear on. You’ve forfeited any claim of authority you might have had on the ship when…” She trailed off, unsure of her words. “When the accident happened. I have a clear head and will be the one calling the shots from here forward.”
Malcolm couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, you certainly haven’t gotten any less bossy,” he said.
A small smiled crept onto Tapestry’s lips, though Malcolm could tell she was trying to suppress it. She was still floating close to him, and hesitantly, she extended a hand toward his face.
“Was it… painful?” she asked.
Malcolm shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “When I got hit, I lost consciousness. I woke up in the middle of space, not knowing where the ship was, with no communications. And apparently, I’d already turned.”
Tapestry winced in sympathy.
“And your powers…?”
Malcolm smiled.
“They’re back,” he said. “And stronger than ever.”
A sudden urge called out to him. He wanted to show her, or rather, he wanted to show off. He had more power at the tips of his fingers than he’d ever imagined possible. How amazing would it be to give Tapestry a demonstration, to show her that they weren’t powerless against their enemies anymore?
He forced it down, seeing it for what it was. But it took willpower to keep contained, and Malcolm felt a dark suspicion that it would be impossible to keep under control forever.
“Are there any other changes I should know about?” asked Tapestry.
“Such as…?”
Malcolm saw her blush slightly, but couldn’t guess at what the cause of it was. She didn’t elaborate further on her question.
“Well, I guess we should continue on, then,” she said. “With the mission. I think it’s better if I deal with ground control alone now, just so we don’t have to do too much explaining.”
“There’s a good chance they’ve already seen me over one of the camera feeds,” said Malcolm.
Tapestry shook her head.
“Only the one in the cockpit is a constant feed back to Earth,” she said. “I asked about that.”
“Well… alright,” said Malcolm. “I agree. I’ll stay in the background and let you be the brave captain of the ship.”
Tapestry gave him a look of feigned frustration, but the smile behind it was real.
“Malcolm…” she said. She looked as though she had something else to add, but stopped herself.
“This is weird for me, too,” said Malcolm. “But I promise you, Tapestry. I’m going to keep myself in line. Even if it kills me.”
CHAPTER 25
The next few hours passed by in a surreal blur. Malcolm found himself avoiding Tapestry, his own worries about what might happen outweighing his feelings for her.
He spent several minutes in the ship’s cramped bathroom, floating in front of a mirror and barely recognizing the face staring back at him. He still looked like himself when it came to the basic features, but at a glance, all Malcolm saw was monster. It wasn’t until he looked for the details, the lines of his chin and cheekbones, that he saw himself.
He was a little surprised that he didn’t look like Second Wind had as a monster. His copy’s skin had gone pale white, while Malcolm was now more of a faint blue. If not for the bumps along his skull, he might have been able to pass for normal under the right lighting conditions.
True to Tapestry’s word, she had the ground control team send up a playlist of Malcolm’s favorite 90s rock songs. Hearing Blink-182 and Nirvana playing through the ship’s speakers only made the entire situation seem even stranger. He kept expecting himself to wake up at any second.
It’s not a dream, though. I know it isn’t.
“There’s food out here, if you aren’t too scared to be in the same room as me,” called Tapestry.
Malcolm couldn’t keep from smiling as he headed toward the common room. A part of him was still caught on how she’d reacted when she’d first seen him as a demon, and how much of her reaction he’d shared with his own feelings.
It felt wrong for her to accept him. It felt like he was watching her go against long held beliefs and convictions, and in doing so, burning a piece of who she was. He was the catalyst for that, and the guilt Malcolm felt was real, justified or not.
“Space food isn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be,” said Tapestry. “Though obviously, it pales in comparison to what I could cook with a proper kitchen.”
“Of course,” said Malcolm.
She frowned at him, sensing his conflict, and shook her head.
“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” she said.
“I’m not.”
“Then quit feeling sorry for me,” said Tapestry. “Whatever it is you’re feeling, get rid of it. We still have a mission to accomplish, and I won’t have you distracted.”
Malcolm shrugged. He ripped open a vacuum sealed plastic bag of dried vegetable chips.
“I’ll try,” he said.
Tapestry watched him for a couple of seconds. She looked concerned and worried. Malcolm wanted to yell at her, to make her understand that he didn’t deserve her sympathy anymore. He was a demon, dangerous, uncontrolled, and out of place.
He found it odd that he could have such a thought, as a demon. It was one of many oddities he’d noticed about his transformation. As far as Malcolm could tell, he wasn’t suffering any major memory loss. And unless it had happened while he was unconscious in the suit, he hadn’t suffered a breakout episode in the same way many other monsters did.
Second Wind turned into a sociopath when he became a demon and tried to destroy the world. Why am I not being pulled down that same path?
Malcolm wondered if it was because of the circumstances, or his personality, or perhaps a combination of both. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he’d lost his abilities, and gone from essentially being a human at baseline directly into demonhood. He was still wondering when Tapestry reached a finger out and poked him in the cheek.
“Quit doing that,” she said.
“Doing what?”
“Thinking so much.” She sighed. “What we need to be doing right now is moving forward. Not getting stuck on the details of our less than perfect situation.”
They ate their food in silence after that. Malcolm wasn’t sure what time it was, or if that even mattered in space, but he was tired, and so was Tapestry. He hesitated after the meal instead of following her into the crew quarters, wondering if he should find somewhere else to sleep. Tapestry came to confront him at the edge of the connecting hatch.
“You’re such a boy,” she said.
Malcolm shook his head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You don’t even have a clue.” She folded her arms, her eyes appraising him flatly. “Don’t you think I’d be able to tell if there was something fundamentally wrong, or broken in you, now that you’re a… demon?”
Malcolm felt his face flush at her words.
“Actually, I don’t think that,” said Malcolm. “And I don’t think it’s fair to assume that just because I’m controlled and collected right now, I’m always going to be!”
He felt anger rising in his chest, but it wasn’t for her, or even himself. It was vague and open, anger at the world. Anger at fate.
“And it isn’t about whether I’m broken or not,” said Malcolm. “It’s about what I’m putting you through. And all the ways I can imagine accidentally making you suffer, because of what I am now.”
Tapestry floated over to him. Her eyes never left his as she moved. Malcolm was suddenly aware of her again. He’d forced himself not to be after coming back in through the airlock, but he could see her now. Her body, her face. He could feel her emotions. He knew that she was going to kiss him.
And she did. Malcolm let her melt her body into his, and kissed her back. It was such a strange sensation in zero gravity, familiar but new. And along with it came a rush of emotion, none of them new, but all of them stronger than he remembered.
Is this what Rose felt when she kissed me? Are deeper emotions just part of being a monster?
If they were, Tapestry was also sharing in them. She had a stunned look in her eyes as their kiss ended. Malcolm realized that one of his hands had drifted to grope at her butt, and the other held her securely by the waist, as though he was planning to rip her jumpsuit to shreds, rather than taking it off her properly.
Tapestry blushed. Her eyes took on a curious quality, and she reached out to his face with her hands, her fingers tracing along the bumps on his skull.
“Do they hurt?” she whispered.
“No,” said Malcolm. “They don’t feel like anything.”
Tapestry floated up a couple of inches and planted a kiss along his crown. Malcolm took the opportunity to slide the zipper of her jumpsuit down a couple of inches, revealing the cleavage of her breasts.
He let his lips glide along her neck, and Tapestry let out a soft sigh. They kissed again, passion building as their bodies pulled together, grinding into each other. Malcolm unzipped Tapestry further and discovered that bras weren’t mandatory in space. He ran his thumb over one of her pink nipples. Tapestry shivered, her cheeks turning red.
A sudden rush of emotion clouded Malcolm’s senses. He kissed Tapestry again, pressing himself hungrily against her. He felt Tapestry opening herself to him, relenting in the face of his hot, sexual aggression. He slid her jumpsuit down further, pulling his own off, along with his boxers.
And then, his head bumped into the ceiling. Malcolm grimaced and rubbed the point of contact, temporarily distracted from the eroticism of the moment. Tapestry looked like she was holding back laughter.
“It might be tricky, if we’re both free floating,” she said. Malcolm watched as she pushed off from the ceiling, floating naked through the room and over to one of the tethered sleeping bags. “Care to join me?”
She slid into the bag, and Malcolm rushed to follow her. It was a tight fit, but that only served to reignite the fire of lust burning inside of him. Tapestry tightened the draw string, locking them both in, and within seconds, Malcolm was sliding the tip of his shaft into her.
“Oh…” moaned Tapestry. “Oh god!”
There was a dirty, guilty quality to her voice, as though she couldn’t believe what she was doing. Malcolm understood it on more than one level. She’d sworn herself off him after all the lies and deceit, and she also still held the values of the Champion Authority, her conviction in fighting against demons and sprytes.
Now a demon is fucking her. And not just any demon.
Malcolm felt his need urging him forward, but there was more to the encounter than just primal instincts. Tapestry was offering more than just her naked body to him. She was offering him absolution, in a sense. A second chance at proving that he was someone worth believing in.
The bag held them in place as Malcolm pushed into her, punctuating each rough thrust with a soft kiss. Tapestry barely had room to wrap her legs around him. It was a strange sensation, having her in that position, but not needing to support her weight. It let Malcolm take his time, and focus on what he was doing.
He let his hands trace over the contours of her breasts, grinding his shaft forward to stimulate her as much as possible. Tapestry was breathing heavily, soft gasps occasionally stealing past her lips. He kissed her neck, inhaling her scent as he enjoyed every inch of her body.
They were both moving, swaying back and forth in the bag like a wind sock wavering in a breeze. Tapestry was no longer making any attempt to control her moans. Malcolm groped at her breasts and kissed her deeply, pulling back right as they both reached their limits.
In that moment of shared ecstasy, Tapestry forced him to hold her gaze. He tried to glance away, feeling suddenly ashamed at the way he’d pushed so far forward back into sexual territory. Tapestry cupped her cheek in her hands and made him look at her.
She has me. For her, I’ll keep myself from ever losing control.
CHAPTER 26
Certain aspects of sex in space weren’t glamorous. The interesting positions raised by the possibility of zero gravity were counterbalanced by the annoyance of dealing with the reality of moisture and fluids. Malcolm and Tapestry abandoned the bag they’d been sharing in the ship’s washing machine within the bathroom after discovering that particular reality.
They slept in separate sleeping bags, though they drifted close by each other. It was the most restful sleep Malcolm had experienced in months.
Tapestry announced to him the next morning that the ship was nearing position for the Europa landing. She told him that ground control had decided that only one of them should take the lander down, even though the mission had originally planned for two to be inside the small moon craft.
“I’ll do it,” said Malcolm. “I’ve already experienced being inside a spacesuit once. It just makes more sense.”
He expected Tapestry to protest, but instead, she nodded in agreement.
“I think so too.” She frowned, looking worried. “Just… be careful. The last time you went outside the ship…”
I came back as a demon.
“Yeah, I think that can only happen once,” he said, with a smile. “Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve burned through my supply of bad luck for the mission.”
The only thing they had left to wait on was for the tiny orbital probes Tapestry had released at ground control’s behest to find Savior’s exact location. The moon was large, but small enough for the task to not be quite as daunting as it had originally sounded. Within a couple of hours, Tapestry informed him that they’d found what appeared to be Savior near one of Europa’s equatorial regions.
“And he’s still alive?” asked Malcolm, voicing the fear that he was sure Tapestry also shared.
“There’s no way to tell,” said Tapestry. “He’s just a dot on the sensors to the orbital probes.”
“Well, we can at least hope,” said Malcolm. “This is Savior we’re talking about.”
He thought back to the time he’d spent with the leader of the Champion Authority. Savior had been immune to essentially everything. Malcolm smiled a little as he thought about how that immunity had also seemed to extend to Savior’s public persona, his social and political gaffes never doing more than entertaining anyone who witnessed them.
Another hour went by before the orbital probes returned with confirmation of Savior’s location, and then it took another two for the ship to orbit around into position. Tapestry busied herself in the cockpit, poring over ground control’s instructions. When it was time, Malcolm heard her voice over the intercom.
“We have to do it now, Malcolm,” she said. “Get a space suit on and get yourself into the lander.”
Still as bossy as ever.
He picked a different suit than the damaged one he’d worn during his spacewalk. Tapestry came into the back of the ship to help him put it on, which he appreciated. Pulling the helmet in place triggered a sudden anxiety in him, fear leftover from what he’d felt while floating aimlessly through the void.
“You can do this,” said Tapestry. “I’ll still be within quick radio contact. All you need to do is ride the lander down, find Savior, and ride it back up. He should be within sight of wherever you touch down.”
“Got it.”
He climbed into the lander, which was attached to the side of the airlock. Tapestry sealed the door behind him using the controls in the cockpit. It was a cramped vessel, with a battery of controls that Malcolm didn’t know the function of and a small, circular viewport that looked out over Europa and Jupiter.
The view was breath taking, but not just for its beauty. The blackness of space meant something new to him after what he’d been though in his spacewalk. His palms began to sweat, and his heart fluttered with panic. It was the opposite of claustrophobia, a deep, not so irrational fear of being lost to the immensity of open space.
“Malcolm?” asked Tapestry. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he lied. “Can you see my heart rate?”
“I can see all your vitals,” she said. “I’m closing the door to the airlock and depressurizing it, as launch procedure dictates. You’ll be detaching shortly.”
Malcolm nodded, though of course, Tapestry couldn’t see the movement. He barely listened as she went through several other protocols, too distracted by what he could see outside the viewport. It felt as though he was preparing to face his own death.
Nothing will go wrong this time. I won’t even be in space, just on Europa and in the lander.
“Are you ready Malcolm?” asked Tapestry, over the speaker in his helmet.
“More than ready,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Alright. Good luck.”
There was the noise of a lock releasing, and then the lander was moving freely, falling away from the main ship. Messages streamed across one of the screens on the control console to his side. Tapestry had explained to him that most of the landing was automated, so there was very little for him to do when it came to “flying” the lander.
It fell toward Europa at a swift rate, the moon growing brighter and bigger as he approached its grand visage from space. He hadn’t been on the ship during its launch from Earth, so he’d never gotten a chance to see his own planet like this, a chance to really appreciate the scale of it.
Europa was huge, a moon, but also a world. The idea of finding a single man on its surface suddenly seemed like a ludicrous task. Malcolm tried to push the thought away, knowing that it was the worst possible time for him to be having such doubts.
Tiny rockets in the feet of the lander ignited as it began to pick up real speed, slowing his descent. The gravity was less than Earth’s, less than Luna, even, but still enough to make gliding down necessary.
More details of Europa’s surface began to come into view. It was a massive sheet of ice, with cracks in places, and thermal vents releasing vapor in others. Though the lander was descending toward a flat, open plain, Malcolm still felt fear prickle his neck as he imagined what would happen if he accidentally landed in one of the cracks.
Scientists had long theorized that underneath Europa’s ice could exist an entire ocean of life. Malcolm was looking for life on top of it, for a single living organism to bring back to Earth. And he desperately hoped that he’d be able to find him.
CHAPTER 27
The lander bounced on the ice as it touched down. Malcolm could hear Tapestry’s voice in his ear, though she was muttering to herself more than speaking to him. She read from a checklist, asking him for info on a dozen different stats from the command display before sounding satisfied that the landing had gone off without a hitch.
“Malcolm?” she called, over the speaker. “Are you ready?”
“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.
“Once the lander depressurizes and opens its door, it stays open until you come back with Savior,” she said. “There’s no point in pressurizing it with nobody inside. This will make it easier when it comes time for you to leave, but it also means that the oxygen in your suit is all you have to breathe for the entire search.”
Malcolm took a calming breath, trying and failing to keep his thoughts away from the last time he’d been in his suit, reliant on a tiny supply of oxygen.
“Let’s just get this over with,” he said. “This is what needs to be done. I’ll go out there and do it.”
“Good,” said Tapestry. “Good luck. And… please come back alive. The spaceship is lonely without you.”
She said the last sentence in a flirtatious tone, and Malcolm had to admit, it helped cheer him up.
“I will,” he said.
Tapestry depressurized the lander’s compartment and opened the door leading outside. Malcolm made his way to the edge, where a small, metal staircase had unfolded to make it easier for him to climb down.
“I feel like I should say something,” said Malcolm. “And I need to make these words count, don’t I? First man on Europa…”
“Savior was the first man on Europa,” said Tapestry. “Don’t waste time.”
“You are the queen of wet blankets.”
He hopped down from the lander, not feeling the need to take the stairs. His stomach lurched as he slowly descended. The sensation was strange, and the light tug of gravity was noticeable, but nowhere near the strength of Earth’s. When he landed, he felt the slick ice beneath his feet.
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “Where am I headed?”
“He should be to the northeast,” said Tapestry. “There is a compass built into the heads up display in your helmet.”
Malcolm grunted his acknowledgement and set off. It made more sense for him to take wide, leaping steps. He briefly pushed his awareness out to see if there was enough of an atmosphere on Europa for him to use his wind manipulation, but the air was just too thin for it to work.
He was on the side of the moon facing the sun, and there was plenty of light to see by. Still, Malcolm didn’t see Savior right away, as the cracks in the ice made visibility difficult. He moved slowly, checking in with Tapestry and the compass to make sure he was still on course. He was beginning to think that the probes had been wrong when he finally spotted him.
The body of a man in his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair and a clean-shaven face, lay prone on the ice. Malcolm’s heart sank as he drew closer and noticed the bluish tone to the man’s skin. Savior was dead, and the disappointment Malcolm felt made him question every decision he’d made over the past few days.
“I found him, Tapestry.” The tone of his voice as he spoke the words said more than the actual words. Tapestry let out a discouraged sigh and said nothing.
Malcolm drew closer to Savior’s body, part of him denying the truth of what he was seeing. With his powers, Savior should technically have been able to survive Europa’s harsh cold and thin atmosphere indefinitely. Of course, he’d have to use them constantly in order to do it. Malcolm wondered if the strain of attempting such a feat for months on end had grown to be too much for him.
He frowned, noticing that there were scratches on the ice next to Savior’s body. Scratches that formed letters, and sentences. Some of it had been covered by a thin layer of windblown ice shards, but Malcolm brushed it aside, revealing Savior’s last message to the world.
“Worst. Vacation. Ever. Send me to a tropical planet next time, preferably one with those tasty drinks with the tiny umbrellas. I did try to hold on, for what it’s worth. It wasn’t the strain that got to me, but the boredom. In the end, the one-person Savior couldn’t save was himself. How ironic.
Please don’t let the people give up without me. I die in peace only because I have hope that the world is strong enough to go on.
Dennis “Savior” Mathers”
The words contained enough of Savior’s quirky sense of humor to make the reality of his death all the more real. Malcolm let out a slow, shaky sigh, wishing that he’d held on for just a little longer. He wondered if maybe Savior deserved some rest, even if he only found it in death.
“Worst vacation ever,” he muttered. “Tapestry, Savior scratched his last words into the ice. I don’t want them to be lost after we leave. Can you take a photo of my visual feed from the ship?”
He waited a couple of seconds. She didn’t respond.
“Tapestry?”
Still no response. Malcolm felt panic slowly spreading through his body.
“Malcolm!” she suddenly shouted. “She opened the portal again! Multi came through, and–”
The connection cut off as quickly as it had opened. It felt as though the cold of Europa’s atmosphere was seeping in through his suit as icy dread gripped Malcolm’s heart. He turned and started sprinting, as much as he could in the light gravity, back toward the lander.
It took off without him before he’d made it a dozen steps. Malcolm stared at it in shock as the rockets accelerated the tiny craft hundreds of feet into the air, out of his reach, and then out of the moon’s atmosphere.
“Tapestry!” he shouted. “The lander! I… I’m stuck here.”
Again, there was no response. Malcolm felt familiar emotions of despair and hopelessness crashing over him. He’d been in this situation before and made it out alive. He could do it again.
He put all his willpower into gathering what little air Europa had into a stream that he could control with his wind manipulation. It felt like trying to drink water from the air on a humid day. There just wasn’t enough of an atmosphere on the moon for him to make it work.
He reached out toward Jupiter, but it wasn’t in sight, and Malcolm suspected that if he waited for Europa to rotate around far enough for it to be visible, it would already be too late. And that was assuming that he could pull off the herculean feat of coopting a planet’s wind from a massive distance a second time.
None of the other moons of Jupiter with atmospheres were in sight, either. Europa was the furthest out of Jupiter’s primary moons, meaning they were all on its night side, along with the planet itself.
Malcolm’s frustration manifested itself in the form of a headache and a tirade of obscenities. He swore into the inside of his helmet, hoping the communications line was still open, given that most of his vulgarity was in the form of threats directed at Multi.
Slowly, Malcolm made his way back over to Savior’s body. The dead man had his eyes open, and there was a slight smile on his face. It comforted Malcolm a little to know that he’d been at peace when he died. He sensed that he wouldn’t be afforded the same privilege.
“Damn it,” he muttered. “What would you do, Savior?”
He reached out and took Savior’s hand into his glove. It was like taking hold of an ice statue, and it was cold enough to penetrate Malcolm’s suit. He felt an odd prickling sensation and jerked his hand back, wondering if frostbite could set in so rapidly.
Wait a second… I know that feeling. Did I just… absorb his powers?
CHAPTER 28
Malcolm searched his awareness, hope burgeoning in him and then deflating in the span of a second. He had absorbed Savior’s powers once before, back when he’d first met the leader of the Champion Authority. And now, as had happened then, he couldn’t figure out how to make Savior’s abilities work.
And though he’d never attempted it before, Malcolm was reasonably certain that absorbing powers from dead bodies wasn’t something he was capable of, let alone doing it through his gloves. Or was it? How much had becoming a monster enhanced his abilities?
He examined Savior more closely, going so far as to push a finger out against his face. He was definitely dead, and frozen all the way through.
It didn’t matter. He was familiar enough with the sensation to know that he had, in fact, absorbed the man’s powers. Perhaps his mimicry had grown stronger since he’d become a demon. That had been the case with Second Wind, and the cause behind him losing his powers six months earlier, during their last confrontation.
The only thing that matters now is whether I can get back to the ship.
Malcolm took a deep breath. The only thing he knew for certain about Savior’s powers was that he’d only been able to use one at a time. He had five in total: flight, invulnerability, super strength, energy blasts, and offensive illusions. Malcolm lingered as he considered each of them, trying to find the mental switch to trigger each one, and failing.
“I need to fly!” he muttered. “God damn it! I need to get back to the ship!”
He tensed his muscles and squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating harder than he ever had before in his life. For an instant, he felt it. Not the full arsenal of Savior’s powers, but the potential for flight. He was aware of it for long enough to know that it would work. Savior’s flight utilized a different mechanism than his own wind manipulation. He could use it to leave Europa, and with his space suit, it wouldn’t matter that Malcolm could only use a single power at a time.
Focus. Don’t think about Tapestry. Don’t think about Rose, back on Earth. Focus.
It was a process of concentration, like trying to do advanced math in his head, except more abstract, and more of a full body process. Drops of sweat beaded on Malcolm’s forehead. His fingers cramped up, followed by the muscles in his jaw.
In that moment, Malcolm understood Savior better than he ever had before. Savior’s distracted nature and odd sense of humor had both been a result of the intense focus he needed to maintain in order to use his powers as freely as he had.
Malcolm was grunting with the exertion of it. His vision wavered, and he accidentally bit the tip of his tongue. The diaper that he’d been forced to wear underneath his spacesuit, blessedly, remained unsoiled. Malcolm was reeling from the exertion, on the verge of giving up, when he finally lifted into the air.
He gasped as he rose up a few feet above the surface of Europa and the floodgates opened. Much like pushing a snowball down a hill, the act of concentrating became easier once he’d gotten over that first hurdle. It still wasn’t easy, by any means, but Malcolm had enough momentum to push himself upward, escaping Europa’s light gravity and hurtling upward after his ship.
He wished he could feel the wind through his hair, but of course, the moon had no wind, and Malcolm was in a spacesuit. He focused his thoughts on what he needed to do, noting that the euphoric pull of overusing his powers was still as present as ever.
The lights of the spaceship were visible in the sky even on the dayside of Europa. Malcolm flew toward the vessel as fast as he could, determined to recapture it. He was tense, fearing that Multi might have already harmed Tapestry, but forced himself to maintain focused on the task at hand.
Flying through space, outside of Europa’s gravity, felt much the same as flying anywhere else. Malcolm was relieved by that, but it also made Savior’s death that much more tragic. It was clear to Malcolm why he couldn’t use more than one of his powers at once, given how much concentration they took to activate. But if he’d been able to, he would have made it back to Earth without trouble.
The ship grew larger in the distance. Malcolm flew faster, not willing to allow Tapestry to be in danger for even a second longer than necessary. He slowed his pace in time to draw even with the orbiting craft, and then on a hunch, made his way around to the viewing port in the cockpit.
The lighting inside the ship, combined with the darkness of space outside, made it easy for him to see through the thick, radiation shielded glass. Multi held Tapestry at gunpoint just beyond the hallway that led to the central chamber. There were at least three Multis on the ship, but another detail jumped out at Malcolm and almost made him grin with excitement.
The portal they’d used to come through to the ship was still open. Malcolm decided in an instant what he needed to do, and committed himself to doing it immediately rather than exploring alternatives.
He took a deep breath and summoned his power. Yes, he could feel Savior’s other powers, the ones that he used less often than his flight. Malcolm’s teeth began grinding together as he tried to form an energy blast.
A sudden cramp took hold in his stomach, as though a few of his internal organs were trying to make a jail break. Malcolm kept his mouth closed, fearing the horrors of what could happen if he left it open in the confinement of his spacesuit. He stretched his hand out and kept forming the blast.
His head was pounding now, his vision flickering and threatening to fade to black in time with the pulsing pain. The blast formed over his palm outside the suit, a quivering, bright blue ball of energy. As soon as it reached a viable size, the body load ceased abruptly, making him gasp at the contrast. Several of the Multis perked their heads up within the ship.
So… They’re listening to my audio feed.
“Quick poll,” Malcolm said into the silence of his helmet. “Raise your hand if you believe in karma.”
He slammed the energy blast into the ship’s viewport. It shattered into thousands of tiny, jagged pieces, all of which flew by him like bits of shrapnel as the inside of the ship depressurized. Several cut large gashes into his spacesuit. Malcolm ignored it, knowing he wouldn’t need the suit for much longer.
Tapestry and the Multis had been knocked off their feet by the sudden shift of air. Malcolm didn’t stop to fight any of them. He couldn’t have, even if he’d wanted to. The effort of switching from building the energy blast back to flight mode felt like trying to switch between dancing and juggling while sick with the flu.
He had just enough focus to scoop a surprised looking Tapestry up over his shoulder and hurl himself through the green portal while the Multis were still floundering in confusion.
CHAPTER 29
They landed in a familiar hospital room on the other side of the portal. Malcolm’s legs buckled beneath him as soon as they hit the ground, his body reacting to the reintroduction with Earth’s gravity. Tapestry fell beside him, alternating between coughing and taking heaving, gasping breaths.
There were two more Multis in the room, and one of them had already pulled out a pistol. Malcolm flung himself down, shielding Tapestry with his body. Gunshots ripped through the hospital room. He glanced over his shoulder to see that though the bullets had missed him, they’d struck Jade Portal, who was still confined to her hospital bed.
The sound of her flat lining filled the room. Malcolm glared at the Multi with the gun, raising a hand and flinging the man back with a burst of wind manipulation. His pistol went spinning across the floor. Several nurses rushed into the room, hesitating at the strange sight of Malcolm in his bulky, futuristic space suit. He helped Tapestry to her feet and pulled her out into the hallway.
The Multi who had opened fire was reaching to pick up his gun. Malcolm summoned the wind again, this time throwing him violently to the ground and knocking him unconscious. He heard footsteps and turned to see the second Multi slowly approaching them, hands outstretched.
He still looked similar enough to the boss Malcolm remembered that it caught him off guard. Multi was fully bald now, his misshapen head easily visible, but he was still recognizable. It was something about his eyes, which seemed to constantly analyze and assess, rather than just look.
“It’s you,” said the Multi.
“Yes, it’s me,” said Malcolm. He pulled off his helmet and slowly stood up. He grimaced to himself has he stood, still readjusting to the gravitational pull on his body. Multi’s eyes went wide when he saw his face, and only then did Malcolm remember something he’d nearly forgotten.
Right. I’m a demon now. I’ll be getting a lot of that.
A slow smile spread across Multi’s face. He reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
“Can we talk for a bit?” he asked.
“Talk?” Tapestry took a step forward. “How many times have you tried to kill us, Multi? And you expect us to talk to you? Why would we even consider it?”
Multi looked as though he was barely even listening to her. He’d obviously directed the question at Malcolm, who was in the process of stripping off the bulky spacesuit, tossing pieces of it to the floor, heedless of what happened to them now.
“You can talk,” said Malcolm. “But the only thing I’m interested in hearing from you is where to find him.”
“Your copy, you mean?” Multi grinned. “The mighty Zeus. Yes… I suspect you won’t have to look far to find him. In fact, it’s more likely that he’ll find you. He’ll come looking for you as soon as I tell him about this.”
Malcolm nodded slowly, returning Multi’s grin with a smile of his own.
“Good,” said Malcolm. “That will save me time.”
He tapped Tapestry on the shoulder and started down the hallway.
“You didn’t rescue Savior,” said Multi. “Even as a demon, I don’t see how you’d stand a chance against him. Not after what he’s become.”
Malcolm contemplated showing off a little before deciding that it would be counterproductive. Multi wasn’t a threat to them anymore, but he could be, if he passed on knowledge of Malcolm’s new strength on to Second Wind.
“I’ll take my chances,” said Malcolm.
Multi laughed. “This is like poetry,” he said. “What’s the point of you even fighting him? You’re the same, both of you. Why does it matter who lives and who dies? You’ll go on to make the same choices, and have the same effect on the world.”
“We aren’t the same,” said Malcolm, after a moment’s hesitation. “We were once. And I don’t know what happened to him to change him. But…”
He frowned, lacking the words to explain how he felt about his renegade copy. It was something he’d tried to avoid thinking about for a long time. How could Second Wind have committed all of those atrocities? He’d wiped cities off the map and murdered innocents as though the value of human life meant nothing to him.
He shared all of Malcolm’s memories sans the better part of a year they’d been apart. What could have changed Second Wind, changed Malcolm so much to turn him into a monster in the truest sense of the word?
Do I want to know the answer to that question? Maybe finding the truth would do the same thing to me…
“Ask him,” said Multi. “When he comes to kill you, please, ask him why. See what he says.”
There was something about Multi’s tone of voice that made the hair on Malcolm’s arms stand up straight. He avoided Multi’s gaze, wondering if it was safe for them to leave him and his unconscious copy there in the hospital. Multi would have more copies, elsewhere, Malcolm decided. It changed nothing if he killed these two, or let them live.
“You should prepare yourself, Multi,” said Malcolm. “The day of reckoning has finally come. It’s time to set things right.”
“You both have that ridiculous dramatic streak,” said Multi. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see you two fight to the death. He’ll win, of course. You’re throwing your life away.”
Malcolm glanced at the demon who’d once been his boss and mentor. He’d been Malcolm’s enemy for far longer than he’d ever been his friend. But now, what was he? A simple demon, his powers far outclassed by Malcolm and Second Wind.
A sudden thought came to Malcolm. He walked over to Multi slowly. Multi didn’t flinch back in time as Malcolm reached out and took hold of his hand. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.
“What… are you doing?” asked Multi.
“Testing something.” Malcolm concentrated on his power mimicry. That wasn’t the right term for it anymore. It had grown since he’d become a demon, turned into something more like power leeching.
Multi let out a gasp as Malcolm absorbed his power. He wasn’t doing it because he wanted Multi’s power. He’d already learned his lesson from using it once. And, given that Multi’s secondary copies were unable to use the copying power themselves, there was little real need for him to take any action against that particular Multi. All Malcolm wanted was to see if his suspicions were correct about what would happen.
Multi’s face paled, and the bumps on his skull dissolved into his skin instantly. The red tone that his skin had held as a demon faded to the slight tan he’d had as a normal man, and even the faint freckles on his cheeks became visible again.
I can turn people back to normal…
“Oh my god…” Tapestry came up beside Malcolm and squeezed. “Malcolm… Do you know what this means?”
He nodded slowly.
“I do,” he said. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This won’t mean anything until I’ve dealt with him.”
Second Wind. Malcolm considered the fact that his copy had that same power. A fight between them might come down to who could get a bare hand onto the other’s skin first. Or perhaps it could even be done through clothing, as Malcolm had absorbed Savior’s power through the spacesuit.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”
CHAPTER 30
It was the middle of the night outside. Malcolm would have been surprised if his experience on the spaceship hadn’t been so traumatizing to his circadian rhythm. He carried Tapestry in his arms as he flew, first intending to bring them both back to his hideout. She elbowed him in the ribs after only a couple of seconds and pointed out that her car was still in Halter City.
He dropped down beside it and set her back on her feet. Tapestry was looking at him strangely, as though seeing him in the dark, back on Earth, was a different experience than seeing him in the sterile, surreal environment of the spaceship.
Seeing that I’m a demon. It’s real for her, now.
“Second Wind is going to come for me,” said Malcolm. “I’m going to need all the help I can get. Do you have a way of getting in touch with the other champions?”
Tapestry nodded.
“It might take me some time,” she said.
“That’s fine,” said Malcolm. “Better late than never.”
And better to have Tapestry as far away from what was about to happen as he could possibly send her. He kept a neutral expression on his face, hating himself for the deceit, but knowing that it was necessary. He had to face Second Wind alone.
“I’ll see what I can do,” said Tapestry.
“Good. Meet me at our old base when you find them.”
“I will.” Tapestry stared at him, her emotions showing through her serious and resolved expression. “Malcolm… I don’t know how they’ll react to what’s happened to you.”
“Well, then we’ll be in the same boat,” he said, forcing his shoulders into a shrug. “I’m still trying to react to it, myself.”
Tapestry nodded, still hesitating instead of getting into her car.
“After this, I’m going to have to go back to my old life,” she said.
Malcolm nodded, hearing the unspoken implication.
She can’t bring a demon into her world. Even if it’s me.
“Tapestry,” he said. “I understand.”
He wondered if he truly did understand, or if he was just saying the words to assuage her guilt. Malcolm had loved Rose, knowing that she was a spryte. He’d risked everything for her, and never judged her for something that hadn’t been her choice. But was it fair for him to expect the same from Tapestry?
“You should go,” said Malcolm. “Drive safe.”
He took off into flight before she could say anything more, opting to use his wind manipulation for lift, rather than Savior’s more complicated powers.
Despite his turbulent emotions, he was still able to find a deep pleasure in the feeling of the wind against his face. He wished all of life and all of the world could be that simple. But it wasn’t, and as much as he wanted to take his time in the air, he knew he needed to rush back to his hideout.
Malcolm landed outside the warehouse and immediately knew something was wrong. There was someone waiting for him. He’d gone as fast as he physically could, and yet still, Second Wind must have beaten him there. He gritted his teeth and felt for Savior’s powers as he faced off against the shadowed figure in the corner of the warehouse.
“…Malcolm.”
Rose stepped forward, close enough for him to make out the details of her silhouette, and know without a doubt that it was her. It was her… and she’d said his name.
“Rose…”
For a moment, he stood where he was, unsure of whether to rush forward to her, or let her come to him. It was like encountering a baby deer that seemed unafraid of humans. He smiled at the notion of comparing Rose to, of all things, a baby deer.
“You remember me?” Malcolm asked.
“I do,” said Rose. “I remember just about everything. Including… Brenden. And… what happened between the two of you.”
Malcolm felt himself tense up as he thought back to Rose’s former fiancé, who’d come to Vanderbrook intent on killing both her and himself. It was his way of getting retribution for the accidental death of their child at Rose’s hands.
She didn’t mention her daughter, Hope. Maybe she doesn’t remember that. Or maybe it’s just too painful.
“Are you okay?” asked Rose. “I didn’t mean to catch you off guard.”
Malcolm chuckled, knowing that there was so much he needed to explain to her, in so little time.
“There’s something you should know,” he said, slowly. He took a couple steps to the side, until his foot bumped into one of the little flashlights he kept in the warehouse in case of emergency. “I’ll explain how it happened when I have the time, I promise.”
He picked up the flashlight and used it to illuminate his face. He closed his eyes, waiting for a gasp, a shocked cry, or a desperate denial. It never came. Instead, Rose walked over to him, her arms folded across her chest pensively.
“Hmm…” she said. “Well, at least you’re blue instead of some weird color. Green would have made you look like a lizard.”
“Rose…” He turned the flashlight off and glared at her, though the expression was useless in the dark.
“Malcolm.” She brought her hand up to his cheek. “We have so much to talk about. Why don’t you invite me down into your cozy little hideout?”
So much to talk about, and so little time…
His heart twisted, and he hated himself and his situation for the necessity of the words he was about to say.
“I don’t have time,” he said. “Second Wind is on his way here. Rose, I need you to go contact Shield Maiden and Fantasy. I need you to see if they’ll help me fight against him.”
Rose didn’t say anything. Even in the dark, Malcolm could read the expression on her face. She was better at spotting his lies than Tapestry was, and perhaps that’s why things had gone so differently between them.
“I’ll go,” said Rose, quietly. “But not without a kiss.”
Her voice wavered as she spoke the words. Malcolm felt a part of his heart dying inside his chest. He stepped toward her, and in an instant, she was against him. He pressed his lips against hers, and for a moment, all was forgotten.
It had been so long. Malcolm had almost forgotten what kissing her was like. Rose was full of so much passion and emotion, and her body melded against his as though it had been made to match it. They kissed over and over again, each one deepening. Rose’s tongue pressed into his mouth and he responded with his own.
Malcolm took a slow breath as their lips finally parted. Rose leaned her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel hot tears against his neck, and suddenly the ache in his heart felt almost unbearable.
“If we were different people,” whispered Rose, “in different circumstances. A different world. We’d still… love each other. Wouldn’t we?”
“Rose…”
Stop it. Please stop, Rose.
“Malcolm,” she said. “Is this the last time I’m ever going to see you?”
He clutched her to him, wishing he could keep her there and never let go. Why hadn’t she just accepted his lie? Why hadn’t she believed him, like Tapestry had? Did she mean to tear down his resolve, or was it just a side effect of the intensity of what she felt for him?
“We’ll make it through this,” he lied. “And we’ll see each other again. I promise.”
He heard her let out a stifled sob, and then the wall of her composure broke. She pressed her face into his shoulder and wept.
“I don’t know how much time we have.” Malcolm forced his hands to push her back and away from him. “Go let Shield Maiden and Fantasy know that I need their help.”
Rose nodded slowly. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands.
“I’ll go,” she said. “I understand.”
There was so much more that Malcolm had to say to her. But he knew that if he uttered even a single word more than he already had, his determination would break and buckle, like a sand castle washed away by a wave. He looked away from her, listening as her footsteps disappeared out of the warehouse, and only turned back when he was absolutely sure that she was gone.
CHAPTER 31
The first thing Malcolm did was to find a pair of gloves amongst the clutter of his lair. He was still wearing one of the astronaut jumpsuits he’d found aboard the spaceship, and with his hands covered, there was very little skin left exposed.
It was a small thing, but it would keep Second Wind from being able to steal Malcolm’s powers. Or at least, that was what he hoped. He thought back to how he’d acquired Savior’s abilities and wondered if Second Wind’s power absorption was similarly overcharged.
I’ll just have to be on guard.
The basement hideout had become his home over the months. It was odd to consider that this might be the last time he’d ever see it. The thought also led him back to Tapestry and Rose, and how much it would hurt them if he died.
The same was true for the pain it would cause him to lose them, and that was why he’d sent them away. Malcolm had a vague, nagging sensation that told him that Tapestry and Rose absolutely must not be there for the fight between him and Second Wind.
He had time to spare, and found himself wishing he had some food in the hideout. A slow smile spread across Malcolm’s face as he thought about how many months he’d spent caring about little else, barely scraping by. It almost felt like that time belonged to someone else, a substitute who’d been treading water as best as they could in his absence.
But now, he was back. Malcolm climbed up the ladder and waited just outside the warehouse, arms folded across his chest. He didn’t have to wait long.
Second Wind appeared in the night sky like a bird of prey, circling overhead several times before dive-bombing toward the ground. Malcolm felt the wind as his copy dropped, making note of the fact that Second Wind still used his original power for flight.
Malcolm reminded himself that there was no telling how powerful Second Wind had grown since he’d last seen him. He knew that Second Wind had Tapestry’s regenerative abilities, which alone would make him nearly impossible to kill through most traditional methods. And on top of regeneration, knowing his copy’s personality, and of course, his own personality, Malcolm was sure that Second Wind would have picked up at least a few other abilities in the time since.
Savior’s powers would be useful in a fight. Malcolm only wished that he’d had more time to practice with them before being thrust into combat. He silently felt for them at the edge of his awareness, flight, energy blasts, super strength, invulnerability, and illusions. He’d only be able to use one at a time, and the intense concentration required was exhausting, but he certainly wasn’t helpless.
Malcolm’s eyes focused on Second Wind as he landed. His copy wore a white and gold suit of stretchy latex, complete with a red cape and an emblem of a bird on the front. He wore a crown on his head, which sank down to rest on the demon bumps on his skull. His skin was almost chalk white, completely different from the blue tone Malcolm had taken on, and he wondered at that.
It’s just another sign of how much we’ve changed. We weren’t the same person, and in the end, we aren’t the same demon, either.
“So,” said Malcolm, calling out to him. “Are you here to kill me?”
It was a joke, but not really. Second Wind had asked him the same question when he’d first discovered that Malcolm had survived the battle against Rain Dancer. How differently would events have played out if Malcolm had decided to kill him in his apartment on that day? How many millions of people would still be alive?
Second Wind smiled, and in that expression, Malcolm saw so much of himself. He had more of an emotional reaction than he’d been expecting, sadness and shame pairing off in his heart. It was like looking into the mirror after having done something terrible.
“We have such a great sense of humor,” said Second Wind. “But I can’t leave you hanging, can I? That question deserves an answer.”
He went silent. Malcolm knew that regardless of anything, Second Wind would try to draw the encounter out for as long as possible. Multi had passed the info on that Malcolm was a threat again, but he didn’t show up here solely to kill him. There would be more to it than that. At least, there would have been for him, if the roles were reversed.
“No,” Second Wind finally finished. “I already spared your life once. It would be such a waste to kill you if I didn’t have to.”
“Sick,” said Malcolm. “I guess now the question is whether I waited here for you so that I could kill you?”
Second Wind feigned laughter.
“Shhh…” said Malcolm. “I’m thinking about it. Give me a nice, dramatic pause.”
“Of course.”
The two of them stood there in silence, staring at each other. Second Wind let it go on for almost a minute before he spoke again.
“So…” he said. “Tapestry and Rose? How are they?”
“They both died,” said Malcolm. “In an earthquake. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. A very hard time for me when it happened.”
“If you’re just going to be an ass, maybe we should skip right to trying to kill each other,” said Second Wind. “My time is precious.”
Malcolm rolled his eyes.
“Of course it is,” he said. “You’re the mighty Zeus now. How could I have forgotten?”
Second Wind nodded as though Malcolm had given him a glowing compliment.
“Exactly,” said Second Wind. “And I see you’ve also taken the leap into demonhood. It’s a little surprising that you’re blue instead of white. I guess we really have changed from who we started out as.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” said Malcolm.
The banter was effortless. It was hard for Malcolm to equate it with all he knew Second Wind had done. New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Los Angeles… the list of cities he’d wiped off the planet went on and on. Second Wind had more blood on his hands than any other single human who’d ever lived.
Does Second Wind have the blood on his hands? Or do I, for being the one to create him?
“If you have a question, feel free to ask it,” said Second Wind. “I recognize that expression on your face all too well.”
Malcolm took a slow breath, forcing down anger that lacked any real direction.
“Why?” he asked. “You’ve killed so many people. How can you think that it’s okay? How could you? I don’t understand.”
Second Wind nodded, as though confirming that the question was one that deserved an answer. “The only reason you don’t understand is because you don’t have a full picture of what’s going on,” he said. “We’re the same. We’re both Malcolm Caldwell. Rather than trying to kill each other pointlessly… Why don’t you let me show you, and help you understand?”
Malcolm wanted to say no. He wanted to grit his teeth, dive into his anger, and kick off the fight to end all fights. He wanted vengeance for all of the people his copy has killed, and whatever absolution of guilt he could find in making sure his mistake came to an end, there and then.
But he also wanted to know what cards Second Wind was holding. He needed to know, needed to see for himself if there was a justification for all the death and destruction. Was it all pointless? Was there some misguided greater plan that had led Second Wind onto the path he was on?
Malcolm hoped that there was. Because the idea that someone who was, in almost every sense of the word, him, could kill so indiscriminately made him sick to his stomach.
“Alright,” said Malcolm. “Show me whatever it is you want to show me.”
CHAPTER 32
Second Wind immediately took to the air. Malcolm leapt after him, pushing himself into flight across the night sky with his wind manipulation. He followed his copy north, though it was hard to know exactly what direction they were headed without being able to see the details of the landscape below.
Malcolm was the one who set the pace. He was still suspicious of Second Wind, and wondered if the flight was just a ruse to get him using his powers to a degree that would draw out his euphoria and body load.
It’s possible. But of course, it would affect him in almost the same way.
It was clear, however, that Second Wind really was interested in leading him somewhere. He slowed to match Malcolm’s speed, never getting more than a few hundred feet in front, always making sure he stayed in sight.
If Second Wind wanted to lead him into a trap, Malcolm was almost certainly flying to his death. It was possible that his copy was careful enough to have decided that Malcolm would take more than just his powers to defeat. Perhaps Second Wind was leading him toward a place where Multi could assist him in the fight, or other demons and sprytes allied with him? There was no way for him to know.
Malcolm didn’t trust Second Wind, and he wondered what that said about himself. His primary reason for letting his copy lead him off into the night was to change the location of the fight. If they’d stayed by his hideout for much longer, Rose and Tapestry would have shown up with “reinforcements”. It would have put all of them at risk, and he wasn’t interested in letting that happen.
He followed Second Wind for a long time, and despite himself, he did end up increasing his speed until the two of them were moving faster than a commercial plane. There weren’t many birds at their current height, thankfully, but they did have to swerve around a few flocks.
They flew for over an hour. Dawn was breaking as they finally descended. Malcolm had no idea where they were, but judged from the angle of the sun that they’d continued on a northern trajectory for the duration, placing them somewhere in Canada.
He saw a small, recently constructed town in the middle of the dense, northern forest. Nobody was awake yet, and Second Wind landed in the middle of what could have been a town square. He smiled as Malcolm landed next to him, looking proud of himself.
“And here we are,” said Second Wind. “Welcome to Olympus.”
“Olympus…” Malcolm muttered. The door to one of the houses, more of a log cabin, really, opened. A man dressed in a heavy sweater, jeans, and work boots walked outside, waving to Second Wind. In his wake followed a tiny, pint sized spryte, maybe six or seven years of age.
“Glen,” said Second Wind, nodding to the man. “Good to see you. We didn’t wake you, did we?”
“Oh, heavens no,” said Glen. “That was Chelsea’s doing. She’s desperate to check on the strawberries. Says that she doesn’t want the Palmer twins to eat the ripe ones before she’s had her pick.”
Second Wind smiled at the little spryte in Glen’s wake. She showed no fear of either of them, despite the fact that they were both demons, and Malcolm was still a stranger to her.
“Will you save me one?” asked Second Wind.
The girl smiled at him, her cheeks reddening slightly. She nodded enthusiastically, and then walked after the man as he headed toward the town’s gardens.
More people, demons, and sprytes began to leave their houses, some of them carrying tools, some of them carrying laundry. The town appeared to be newly constructed with no infrastructure beyond the one road. It didn’t seem to have electricity, running water, or any other modern conveniences.
What is this place?
“Everyone is equal here,” said Second Wind. “Everything is shared. This is what the world could be, if more people would open their eyes.”
Malcolm shrugged.
“How is this any different from what Rain Dancer did?” asked Malcolm. “You built a commune. Am I supposed to be impressed?”
Second Wind’s expression darkened slightly.
“Use your imagination,” he said. “Picture living in a world where all people, humans, demons, and sprytes were on equal footing.”
“That would be great,” said Malcolm. “But people would still be people. What happens when there is a dispute here in your little town? You’re the one who settles it, right? But the only reason people listen to you is because you have the most power. It’s not like you’ve cracked the code to make a utopia.”
“That sort of thinking is why the old world needs to be broken down,” said Second Wind. “People can be good on their own, if given the chance. And so can sprytes and demons.”
Malcolm felt a headache coming on. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly.
“You think I’m crazy,” said Second Wind. “There’s a certain irony to that, given how much of our personality we share.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” said Malcolm. “But I do think you’re engaging in some serious wishful thinking.”
“Really?” asked Second Wind. “You’re still blinded by what the champions told you, then. Still operating under the assumption that every demon and spryte is a single outburst away from mass murder?”
This, coming from the ultimate mass murderer.
“What I think,” said Malcolm, “is that you have it backwards. Everything you talk about destroying, communities, governments, the ‘old world’, it was all designed with the purpose of keeping humans well behaved.”
“So you think the normal people will cause trouble, then?” asked Second Wind. “You think they’ll be the ones to worry about?”
“You’re missing my point,” said Malcolm. “We’re all ‘normal people’ now. You’ve proven that with this little town. You’re a normal person, Second Wind. And you are the one these people are most under threat from. You’re the one that everyone is afraid of, and for good reason.”
“They aren’t afraid of me!” snapped Second Wind. Several of the townspeople turned to look in his direction at the sound of his raised voice, but true to his words, none of them looked scared.
“You’re the only one here who gets to do whatever they want,” said Malcolm. “How is this more stable than what existed before? Sure, Savior was powerful, but the champions would have held him accountable if he’d attempted even a fraction of what you’ve done.”
“What I’ve done is built the foundation for a better world,” said Second Wind. “You of all people should be able to see that.”
Malcolm shook his head. Second Wind glowered at him and glanced around again. He seemed to be making an effort to keep himself calm.
“Look,” continued Second Wind. “Take a couple of hours and just… see what I’ve done here. Can you give me the benefit of the doubt for that long?”
Could Malcolm give him that? He wasn’t sure. What he was sure of, however, was that he didn’t want to fight in the middle of a town filled with innocents. He slowly nodded his head, and Second Wind let out a small sigh.
“Thank you,” said Second Wind. “I know how difficult this all must be for you. All that I ask is that you set any misgivings you might have about my methods aside and just look at the results.”
“I think the results of all that you’ve done go a lot further than this little forest town,” said Malcolm. He bit back another, more biting remark, and walked away from Second Wind.
CHAPTER 33
Malcolm’s copy made no move to follow him, though he suspected that if he tried to take flight, Second Wind would probably stop him. He walked along the town’s dirt road, looking at the various buildings and structures.
Though Olympus clearly hadn’t been constructed using advanced building methods, there was an elegant simplicity to the town. Malcolm realized that what he was looking at was a community built by superpowers.
The ground was unnaturally level, and most of the buildings were constructed on foundations made not of cement, but hardened magma, summoned from the depths of the Earth. Even the logs that composed the walls of the houses looked to fit into each other with an unusual amount of precision, as though the trees had been coaxed into growing in a shape conducive for building.
Malcolm made his way to the gardens, spotting the little spryte girl he’d seen before in the middle of a patch of strawberry plants. The berries were bigger than any he’d ever seen before, easily the size of his fists. The little girl’s face was smudged with red juice and black seeds, and she grinned as Malcolm’s eyes met hers.
“What’s your name?” asked the girl.
Malcolm hesitated for a moment before answering.
“It’s Malcolm,” he said. “What’s yours?”
“Chelsea.” She gave him a speculative frown. “That’s Zeus’s name too, you know. His real name.”
“Is it?” Malcolm chuckled. “Well, I guess lots of people have the name Malcolm. It’s a pretty common name.”
“I forgot my name,” said Chelsea. “I knew it when I was little, but then I forgot it when my skin changed color.”
Her skin was pale green, almost the same color as her eyes. She reached down toward another strawberry plant, and all of the berries seemed to lean in the direction of her fingers.
“How do you know your name is Chelsea, then?” asked Malcolm, in a teasing voice. “What if it’s really Gertrude? Or Petunia!”
“It’s not!” giggled the girl. “My papa told me my name was Chelsea. He told me over and over again until I believed him. It wasn’t fun back then. I always had to hide.”
“Back before you came here,” said Malcolm. “It must have been very tough for you.”
Being a child spryte, back when the Champion Authority hunted monsters indiscriminately. I used to be a part of that, even though I never had to go after any little girls.
Malcolm felt uncertainty settling onto his shoulders, heavy and obnoxious, like water soaking into his clothes. He sighed and slowly shook his head. Chelsea seemed to notice his shift in mood.
“Do you want a strawberry?” she asked.
“I would love one,” said Malcolm.
She picked one of the massive berries and passed it to him. It took Malcolm several bites to eat it, and the juices dribbled onto his fingers.
“Did you like it?” asked Chelsea.
“It’s the tastiest thing I’ve eaten in a long time,” said Malcolm.
The weight of choices to come hung on his shoulders as he walked back through the town. The Champion Authority, for all its faults, had held to its convictions. Monsters were a black and white issue, and emotion never entered into the equation.
Of course, Savior used to issue pardons like it was going out of style.
It would never be that simple for Malcolm. He couldn’t see sprytes and demons in that kind of light. He smiled, realizing he was thinking about the issue without really taking the fact that he was one of them into account. Was he a monster, deserving of execution?
No, he wasn’t. But some monsters were. Malcolm found his mind wandering. He thought about his brother Danny, and all the people he’d killed before he’d gotten control of himself and made a real attempt at living a peaceful life. Was Second Wind any different from Danny?
The question veered to close to his own blind spots. He might as well have asked whether he, himself, was deserving of absolution for any of the terrible things he’d done. The lies he’d told to Tapestry. The truths he’d kept from Rose. Malcolm was the last person who had any right to plan about what Second Wind’s fate should be. And yet, at the same time, he was the only person with the power to hand down judgement.
He kept walking, heading out of the town and through several large clearings nearby. He wanted to put space between himself and little Chelsea, and her father, and all of the truly innocent people and their peaceful lives. They were happy little hostages, even if they didn’t know it, and regardless of Second Wind’s intention.
Malcolm had put nearly a mile between himself and Olympus when his copy finally caught up with him. Second Wind fell from the air, landing directly in Malcolm’s path. He was still wearing his costume, and rather than seeming regal, or even ridiculous, now it just looked sad to Malcolm. A desperate attempt at dressing up like a hero. A distraction from his own blood soaked hands, soiled so deeply that nothing could ever wash them clean.
“You aren’t convinced,” said Second Wind. “I can see it in your expression. I hope it’s just because you’re me, rather than both of us being so easy to read.”
Malcolm didn’t smile.
“I’ll give you a chance to surrender,” he said. “Second Wind. Malcolm.” It felt so strange using his own name to address his copy, but what other name was there for him, underneath?
Second Wind laughed, but it sounded forced and bitter.
“Great minds think alike,” said Second Wind. “I came to offer you that same chance. Give me your hand. Let me take your powers from you, and I’ll allow you to live a peaceful life here in Olympus. This doesn’t have to be a duel to the death.”
Malcolm considered the offer, or rather, the opportunity. If they both clasped hands, which one of them would manage to steal the other’s powers first? Perhaps he could overwhelm Second Wind, or surprise him somehow, and defeat him without a fight.
No. I’ve only used my power absorption like that a handful of times. He wouldn’t make that offer unless he was sure he had the advantage.
“No,” said Malcolm. “You’ve killed too many people.”
Second Wind glared at him. “Then why come here with me? Why bother seeing what I had to show you at all? Were you just angling for another advantage? That doesn’t seem like us.”
“I wanted to believe…” said Malcolm. “You don’t get it, do you? Everything you’ve done is as much on me as it is on you. I created you. I am responsible for you.”
Second Wind flashed an icy smile. “Even now, you still hang onto that. As though the fact that you were the original means anything. It’s a little insulting, you know.”
The wind whistled through the trees in the distance. Birds sang their hearts out, oblivious to what was about to happen.
“We both knew it would come to this,” said Malcolm.
Second Wind nodded.
“True enough,” he said. “It has been a long time coming.”
CHAPTER 34
Malcolm stared across the field at Second Wind, feeling for his powers at the edge of his awareness. He didn’t want to make the first move, and for good reason. There was danger in going first, especially against an opponent who was already aware of his weaknesses.
He’d developed a battle plan on the flight to Olympus, and had then thrown it out after more consideration. With Savior’s invulnerability, Malcolm had hoped that he could just wait out any attack Second Wind made against him, slowly tire him out, and then find a way to kill him that would overwhelm his regeneration.
The flaw with that plan was that Second Wind could always fight with stealing his powers in mind, rather than causing damage. And if that happened, the fight was over. Both of them would be looking for an opportunity to strip the other of their abilities, and both of them would have to be on guard for it. It took too much concentration for Malcolm to focus on holding his invulnerability, and required him to sacrifice too much flexibility and responsiveness.
Second Wind finally took the initiative. He charged toward Malcolm, his eyes filled with a determined, killing edge. Six green arms sprouted from his torso, appearing like a cross between jungle vines and Rose’s shadow tendrils. Malcolm dodged back, barely moving out of their reach, concentrating as he focused on manifesting one of Savior’s energy blasts.
He’d only seen Savior use his energy blasts once before, and was unsure how exactly to do it himself, but the blast he had generated in space had given him an idea of how to create them efficiently. Malcolm pushed his energy into his palm using a method similar to how he’d focused Danny’s fire ability, and saw a sphere that looked a little like a small, blue star coalescing into his hand.
Second Wind hesitated. Malcolm launched his attack, pushing the energy blast forward and watching as it took off on its own momentum. It missed Second Wind by less than a foot, striking a tree at the edge of the clearing behind him and releasing a shockwave on impact that made Malcolm’s eardrums reverberate with pain.
He was already concentrating on forming another one when Second Wind struck out with a counter. The green tentacle arms shot out toward Malcolm, and Second Wind now held a sword made of pure white light in his right hand, which he brought down in an overhead cut.
The sword extended outward, stretching to be at least ten feet longer than it had been originally. It missed Malcolm by a hair, and sliced into the ground beside him as effortlessly as a hot knife sliding through butter. Malcolm leapt backward, anticipating Second Wind as he reversed the strike into another pass.
He hit the ground hard and slid across the grass, launching a second energy blast just as he came to a stop. This time, he aimed for the spot beneath Second Wind’s feet instead of at him. The blast only took a split second to cross the distance between them, but it was enough time for Second Wind to take to the air and dodge out of the way of the heart of the blast.
The ground underneath Malcolm began to shake wildly. He stood and lifted a few feet in the air. What he expected was an earthquake, and because of that, he was off guard when the Earth split open beneath him and hot, orange magma exploded up into the air. Malcolm concentrated and switched to Savior’s invulnerability power as hot, molten metal splashed across one of his arms. It didn’t hurt, and other than burning off one of his gloves and half of his jumpsuit, it left no mark on his flesh.
Damn. That might not have done damage to me, but now part of my skin is exposed. I have to keep him at a distance.
Malcolm looked down at the ground beneath him and saw hell on Earth. The burst of magma had become a pit a dozen feet across in diameter. The grass and trees nearest to the intense source of heat were already catching fire. It was some type of volcanic or geothermal manipulation, and it was scary. Malcolm had never been able to adequately picture just how Second Wind had destroyed all of those cities until that very instant.
“You can’t win against me,” called Second Wind. “You will lose, Malcolm. Give up your powers, and I’ll let you live.”
“Take them from me,” said Malcolm. “If you can.”
They were both in the air. Second Wind flew at him in a burst of movement, the green arms flailing around him, making it hard to tell where his body was. His white energy sword swung in a vicious downward arc, but Malcolm flew out of the way, countering with another energy blast that went wide of its intended target.
Malcolm had a headache, and it was getting worse by the minute. Using Savior’s powers along with his own wind manipulation was like doing calculus in his head while reciting poetry. The focus it took pushed him to his absolute limit, and he could tell from the way Second Wind was pressing on the attack that it was obvious to his opponent, as well.
He lost sight of Second Wind for an instant, and felt the green tentacles close around his arms as he was attacked from behind. Malcolm let out a shout of surprise and called forth Savior’s super strength, twisting and flinging Second Wind away from him a split second before his hand could reach out and steal his powers.
Second Wind didn’t manage to slow himself with his wind manipulation before hitting the trees. In some ways, that worked to his advantage, forcing Malcolm to go into the forest after him. The magma pool still flowed hot in the center of the clearing, and fire was spreading across the grass and trees, threatening to engulf the entire area.
Malcolm dropped back to the ground as he entered the trees, listening for sounds of movement amidst the crackle of the fire spreading across the forest behind him. Between the canopy of the branches and the smoke, it was almost as dark as night, and hard to see much beyond a few feet.
He took a step forward and then froze, his instincts screaming to him that something was off. Malcolm dropped to one knee on reflex, and Second Wind’s white energy sword missed his head by only a few inches, cutting through the trees on either side of him.
Channeling super strength, Malcolm caught one of the tree trunks as it fell and hurled it toward his right, where Second Wind had been hiding in wait for him. He was rewarded with a surprised cry of pain, and immediately began preparing an energy blast to follow up with.
Second Wind retreated back into the air, recognizing where his advantage lay. Malcolm launched his energy blast in pursuit, the largest one he’d managed yet. It missed Second Wind, but exploded close enough to batter him with the shock wave.
Malcolm took flight, hoping he could slam into his copy and end the fight, then and there. He took the risk, and paid for it. Second Wind’s disorientation was a feint, and he swung his energy sword in a surprise strike that took Malcolm completely off guard.
He pushed himself back, but the tip of the bright weapon cut a gash in his shoulder. Second Wind reversed his swing, trying to sever Malcolm’s arm with it. Malcolm put more distance between them, holding a hand over his wound and feeling hot blood underneath his fingers.
The longer this fight goes on for, the more the advantage tips toward him. I need to end this.
Malcolm cut off his wind manipulation, letting himself fall back toward the magma pit for a few seconds. Second Wind hesitated, anticipating some kind of trick, as he should have. At the last second, Malcolm flew back into the trees, settling into a spot in the forest where the smoke was heaviest.
Immediately, he began forming an energy blast, keeping it oriented behind his body and hiding as much of its glow as he could. He poured his strength into it, building it up into a larger sphere than any he’d tried before.
“You’re not the hiding type,” called Second Wind. “I know you’re up to something.”
“Why don’t you stick your head into the trees and find out what?” shouted Malcolm.
He worded the comment as carefully as he could, knowing that Second Wind’s logic would flow similarly to his own. Second Wind would interpret his taunt as reverse psychology, a way for Malcolm to buy himself some time off his opponent’s fear of walking into a trap. And that was exactly what Malcolm wanted him to think.
Second Wind didn’t waste any time in pursuing him, flying through the trees at full speed with his wind manipulation. Malcolm knew exactly how that would affect his momentum, and how hard it would be for his copy to dodge or turn on a dime at a moment’s notice. He waited until Second Wind’s silhouette became visible, and then launched an energy blast the size of a yoga ball directly at his chest.
The attack hit Second Wind exactly as Malcolm had intended it to, instantly vaporizing one of his arms and a significant portion of his torso. Second Wind dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap, his injuries beyond what any regular human could endure.
Unfortunately, Second Wind was not a regular human. Malcolm pressed forward on the attack, knowing that it was possible for his copy to use Tapestry’s regeneration power to recover over time. He didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
Second Wind was on his feet by the time Malcolm was in range to finish him off. Malcolm could see muscles and tendons stitching across the space of his massive wound, healing so fast that it was like watching a time lapse video of months of recovery.
“Nice try,” said Second Wind. He took advantage of Malcolm’s surprise, lashing out with his energy sword and slicing a painful gash into his hip. Malcolm felt his heart sinking as he realized how hopeless of a fight he’d gotten himself into.
He doesn’t have to focus like I do to use his powers. I can’t match him.
“It’s past the point of me letting you give up,” said Second Wind. “Sorry, but one of us has to die, and it’s going to be you.”
CHAPTER 35
Malcolm fought off a growing sense of dread as he considered his options. He couldn’t kill Second Wind outright, at least not with anything less than an attack that destroyed his entire body. That might be possible with an energy blast, but it would require time for him to build it up, and even then, he’d still have to get lucky enough to hit Second Wind with it full on a second time.
I need to keep him distracted, and try to surprise him somehow.
“This is a pointless fight,” said Malcolm. “Neither of us can kill the other.”
Second Wind smiled and shook his head.
“We both know how Savior’s powers work,” said Second Wind. “If you drop your guard, I most definitely can kill you.”
He lunged forward, slashing wildly with his energy sword. Malcolm focused his invulnerability power, but let it drop after the first few strikes to push himself out of range of Second Wind’s hands with his wind manipulation. He paid for it with another cut, this time across his back, like a clean lash from a whip.
“See?” said Second Wind, triumphantly.
“That doesn’t make it any less pointless,” said Malcolm.
“On the contrary,” said Second Wind. “I think this is the only fight between any two beings on this planet worth having. This will decide everything.”
“This will decide nothing,” said Malcolm. “This is all about you, your ego, and the blood on your hands. Killing me won’t change the mistakes you’ve made.”
Second Wind glared at him.
“And what about your mistakes?” he asked.
What about you? That’s a mistake I’m currently trying to resolve.
The two of them clashed again in a flurry of attacks and feints. Malcolm didn’t dare move in close enough to expose himself to Second Wind’s green tentacles, fearing that if he got grabbed, the fight would be over as soon as Second Wind laid a bare hand on him.
Instead, he dodged Second Wind’s sword as best as he could, launching energy blast after energy blast and hoping for a lucky shot. The blood loss was beginning to affect him, and his injuries slowed his movements.
They rose into the air, falling into a pattern of circling around each other, occasionally charging together for quick exchanges of furious attacks. Even though their abilities were different, they fought on the same rhythm, drawing from the same instincts, waiting for each other to make the mistake that would determine the fight.
Malcolm was the one who made it. He attempted a super strength enhanced kick, keeping his eyes on Second Wind’s tentacle arms and waiting until they were relaxed. He landed the kick, but forgot about the range of Second Wind’s sword, and didn’t react in time to trigger his invulnerability.
The sword went through his stomach, slightly off center. It was the type of injury that stopped time, stretching his pain and despair out into an eternity of torment. Second Wind’s eyes flashed with triumph, and then, curiously, a deep sadness.
Malcolm gasped for air, reaching one hand down to where the energy sword had entered his torso, and one hand back to where it had exited. He felt like an insect, speared through by a needle onto a card bound for a collection. He felt pain, so much pain. It hurt more than anything he’d ever experienced.
“I’m sorry,” said Second Wind. “It shouldn’t have come to this.”
Second Wind pulled the sword loose. Malcolm fell from the sky the instant he did, as though the energy sword had been the only thing holding him aloft. He had just enough sense of mind to cushion his own fall, though he knew it made no difference. The blood loss would kill him in minutes, and he couldn’t summon the concentration to use Savior’s invulnerability power.
He landed on the grass a few feet away from the magma pool. It had sunken down a dozen feet through the dirt, like a sinkhole with a volcanic surprise at the bottom. Malcolm groaned. The pain was too much. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to die. He just wanted it to be over.
“I’ll make it quick,” said Second Wind. “I’m sorry that you had to suffer through this.”
Malcolm forced his neck to lift his head up. His vision was spinning, and his eyes wouldn’t focus properly.
“You…” he managed to say. “Why…?”
It wasn’t a question that applied solely to that moment. There was so much about all that Second Wind had done that didn’t make sense to him. How had his copy gone from sharing his memories and experience, from being a champion, to being an agent of murder and destruction?
And then why had he come back from that to build the peaceful little town he seemed so proud of? It scared Malcolm to consider the possibility that Second Wind, like so many demons and sprytes before him, had just lost control. Made mistakes that had wiped cities off the map, along with millions of innocent people.
Maybe I’m supposed to die here, rather than live on as a demon. Maybe I would have lost control, just like he did.
“Goodbye,” said Second Wind. “You are right, you know. In what you’re thinking. I lost sight of myself, and caused so much more harm than good.”
Malcolm wondered for a moment if Second Wind had pulled himself back from the brink. Could he close his eyes, and die a peaceful death, hoping that his copy would find the light and bring peace to the world?
Second Wind’s eyes met his, and it seemed as though he was considering the same possibility. The energy sword in his hand, hovering inches from Malcolm’s neck, was answer enough. He would always harbor that strange, inexplicable evil inside of him.
Malcolm stared into Second Wind’s eyes and suddenly remembered the last of Savior’s powers. The one he’d very nearly forgotten about. With all the strength he had left in his dying body, he focused on triggering Savior’s offensive illusion ability.
He’d only seen Savior use it once before, but that single demonstration had been enough. The ability pulled forth a person’s worst fears and made them into reality, trapping them in a waking nightmare for a short amount of time.
Malcolm gritted his teeth. It was hard to keep focus on what he was supposed to be doing. The pain was overwhelming. The only leeway he was given came from Second Wind’s hesitation in killing him, those precious seconds of eye contact they held.
And then, he did it. The illusions triggered. Second Wind’s pupils dilated, and his face suddenly shook with horror. The energy sword disappeared from his hand, and he fell back into a sitting position.
“You!” he cried. “No! What did you just do!”
Second Wind stood up and spun around in a circle. Malcolm clutched at his stomach, trying to focus on Savior’s invulnerability to buy himself a few more minutes of life. Second Wind was looking around frantically, seeing and experiencing whatever it was he feared most.
“It’s me!” cried Second Wind. “It’s Malcolm! Why… It shouldn’t matter! Tapestry! Rose!”
Second Wind let out a body shaking sob. Malcolm didn’t want to guess at what he was seeing.
“Kill him…” Second Wind’s voice came out in a sob. “Not me. I’m just as much him as he is…”
Malcolm wondered what would have happened if he’d let Tapestry and Rose stay for his confrontation with Second Wind instead of sending them off. Would he be on the ground, bleeding to death, if he’d managed to set his own fears aside and accept their help?
So be it. If I had to sacrifice my life to keep them safe, it was the right choice to make.
“Please…” muttered Second Wind. “I didn’t mean to. Don’t look at me like that…”
Malcolm stumbled to a crouch, knowing that the illusion would eventually start to fade. He had to let go of his bleeding stomach to make a grab at Second Wind. Even distracted, his copy was still stronger than he was in his injured state.
Second Wind snarled and got a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, reacting on instinct in lieu of accurate visual information. Malcolm felt something leave him in a sudden rush. For a moment, he thought that it was the rest of his blood, splashing out of him. Then, he realized that he couldn’t feel any of his powers anymore.