Blood Obsidian

Issue 32

"Get it over with. You have ... thirty seconds before my entire security detail runs out of that building." He must have had a panic button on the phone. Returning the phone, he stood straight-backed, glaring at Caitlyn, at Blood Obsidian, his hands in his pockets. "Well? I don't have all night."

"We found Ald-Tech equipment, weapons and stuff, in the lair of the super-villain, Fiend, and we found out that you'd had break-ins at several of your facilities and we were wondering whether you could provide any details on what was stolen and whether you had recently fired anybody that may have known how to steal these things? It's really important." Caitlyn knew she should have taken a breath every so often there, and, perhaps, have broken up the questions. She had an excuse. Rayna was there, looking totally amazing. It put her off her game. "We'd appreciate any help."

"Look, Blood Obsidian, is it? You're new, and obviously young, so you don't know how this works, but I'll be happy to teach you." A hand came out of a pocket and pointed toward Pho-Boy, a diamond the size of a fingernail glinting from a cufflink. "This joker knows, but he's testing you. I will not give out any information about my business dealings. Not to our hard-working police, and certainly not to vigilantes."

"Aww, c'mon, Ray-Ray! For old time's sake?" Kyle moved around the other side of the limo, trailing a gauntleted hand along the paintwork, nonchalant and brash. "One name. You must know of one name that springs to mind? There must be, what, hundreds of people you've screwed over, but one name just came to mind, didn't it?"

Raymond Alden had a poker face that could beat the odds at any casino. His hand had returned to his pocket, his mouth had clamped shut and he allowed his gaze to pass from Pho-Boy and on to Caitlyn. Rayna, all this time, had never taken her gaze from Caitlyn. A hate-filled gaze that gnawed at Caitlyn's gut. Rayna had no way to know who was behind Blood Obsidian's mask, but she knew that it was the super before her that had helped cause the accident at the facility.

"You heard my father. And, rest assured, we will be informing the police of this harassment." Rayna's hand had clenched, but now it relaxed as she hooked her arm through her father's. "My father has some very powerful friends. You'd do well not to anger him."

"We're trying to help!" Caitlyn felt that that came out as a whine, instead of a commanding super-hero presence. "If someone gets hurt using technology stolen from you ..."

"Forget it, Blood Obsidian. He'd rather keep his secrets and pay people off if anything came back to Ald-Tech." Kyle raised his arm, ready to fire his grapple. "If Komedy comes calling again, give us a call. The number's 1-800-heroes4u. Twenty-four hour callout."

The sibilant hiss of the grapple firing told Caitlyn this pointless interview had come to an end. With one last look to Rayna, remembering the smiling, flirty girl from before, Caitlyn allowed herself to float upward. Once at a distance, she sent out the suit's version of the grapple and followed Pho-Boy up to the rooftops. They had wasted their time here and probably made an enemy. Perhaps two.

-+-

Raymond watched the two, so-called, heroes swing away into the night and then crouched down to check on the driver. The terrors created by the gas from Fear's sidekick had fallen away and the driver began to push himself to his feet, none the worse for his sudden affliction. Tomorrow, Raymond would fire the man, but tonight they had a gala to attend.

Inside the limo, he barely heard a word that Rayna said, though he could imagine. Since the incident, Rayna had complained often about the heroes that blighted the world and he couldn't blame her. They were as often the cause of problems as the solution, but they did have some benefits. Still, these two were right, he did have some ideas as to who had stolen all those experimental weapons, though he had not anticipated meeting the girl in her hero persona. Not so soon, at least. He took out his cell phone and ran through the contacts.

"Ditko. I need an update on that investigation we discussed. Yes, I am fully aware of the time. An update." As Stanley Ditko droned on in that annoying, insipid voice, Raymond listened intently. "And you are quite certain? Harlan Giordano? He's the only one? Very well, have our people hunt him down. I want my technology back before it brings the company into even more disrepute."

"Harlan Giordano? I remember that name." Rayna rested her head against his shoulder. "Didn't you fire him for performing live experiments? So, they were right. You do know who stole Ald-Tech equipment?"

"No. It's only a suspicion. I don't think it's him. Can't be, he's crazy, but not stupid." He patted his daughter's hand. "Why Blood Obsidian is interested, I'm not entirely certain. She may become a thorn in my side."

"She?" Her head lifted from his shoulder and he turned to her. So like her mother in so many ways. "You think that Blood Obsidian is a girl?"

"Just a hunch. Nothing more." He couldn't let Rayna know he had kept Caitlyn Carter under observation. Not yet. "Driver, are you still under the influence of that gas? Speed up! I want to get there before I'm supposed to give my speech, not after."

Raymond couldn't say anything about Blood Obsidian, or Caitlyn Carter. He had got what he wanted from her and that incredible Element that her suit was made from. Why, then, had he felt such rage at seeing her standing there before him. Were he a weaker man, he would have let that emotion slip. Were he a weaker man, he may even have acted on that rage.

-+-

High above that limo ...

"Harlan Giordano. We have a name." Kyle tapped at his ear, turning off the ear piece similar to the one given to her on the Bastion satellite. His grin could have lit up the night. "And that, my dear, is detectiving."

"That's not a word." Caitlyn held in the glee that she had created a brand new word. "So, that was the real reason we confronted Alden. Not to ask questions, but to plant a bug?"

"I needed you to act natural. How was I to know that 'natural' to you meant speaking in tongues?" He looked at her and the grin became a sly smile. "Someone likes someone. That's why you talked like an idiot. She is very pretty."

"Shut up." He was right, though. Rayna was very pretty. Beautiful, even. But that anger she held for Caitlyn's alter ego worried her. "So, we find Harlan Giordano before Alden does. It's time for this Fiend to be brought to justice."

Kyle nodded and Caitlyn felt oddly elated that she had said something really heroic sounding. Maybe she could make it as a hero, after all. If only Rayna didn't hate that hero, things would be looking a lot more rosy.