Even Heroes Fall

28. Violet

A familiar face. The face of someone Theodore and I had trusted for years. 

Archie.

Shock pulsed through me despite my imminent death. 'Y-you!' I gasped. I could barely speak but by then I had forgotten to struggle in my horror at discovering the true identity of Castlemain. 'We... trusted... you. You... killed him!'

'Your father had valuable information I needed and refused to give it to me,' Archie said, a touch of contrition in his voice despite the grip on my throat that was surely about to kill me. 'If he had just cooperated and you stayed away like I advised we wouldn't be there now.' He shook his head. 'No matter.' Then he went back to ignoring me and addressed Max coolly. 'Maximilian, it has been a long time,'

Max was looking at Archie with loathing on his face. They clearly knew each other. I couldn't remember if Max had mentioned that before, things were starting to blur in my mind. 

'Let her go, Castlemain.' 

'No.' His voice was cool, colder than I had ever heard Archie speak before. It was like I was hearing the real Archie for the first time ever. 'You have interfered in my plans long enough. Now I am going to teach you a lesson. You will choose one to die.'

'Choose?' Max echoed, he sounded like he didn't care but I could see the way his eyes kept darting to me that he was worried Archie would snap my neck. And I was sure Archie could see it too. 'You won't be able to kill the mayor from there. Even with your talents.' 

'Oh, my dear Max, I wasn't talking about the mayor,' said Archie with a dark chuckle. He nodded towards a couple of his gang who were now walking towards the centre of the room and where we were standing. Between them they dragged a young woman whose face I knew even under the dirt and dried blood.

It was Celia. 

Like Marshall she had bruises on her face and her lip was split from where someone had clearly punched her. Her usually golden blonde hair was matted and dirty, her hands tied together. Her eyes were ringed with red but she was looking at us with a clear expression of betrayal, as though this was somehow our fault. The men forced her to her knees and one of them pressed a gun to her temple.

I no longer felt the crush of Archie's hand at my throat. All I saw was the look on Celia's face, the same as when she'd seen me and Max standing together in the house and came to the wrong conclusion. And now here she was, Castlemain's captive as I had feared. She or I, or both of us, were going to die and the last thing she would think is that I betrayed her.

Archie was watching Max to see how he would react and his whole body tensed up when he realised Celia was the real hostage. 

'So, Max,' said Archie coldly, 'who will it be? Your ex-girlfriend or her best friend you have been sleeping with?' He gave me a little shake to prove his point making my vision blur again. 

I did not even have the strength to tell him he was wrong about me and Max, but I did notice Celia was not surprised to learn Max and I were the ones behind masks. I assumed that meant Archie had told her all our secrets after he had kidnapped her. She did not seem afraid of the gun at her head. Instead she watched us with loathing in her eyes. And I hated myself for it.

'Archie,' said Max slowly, as if Archie was a rabid dog about to make a move, 'this does not involve them. Let them go.'

'Choose,' Archie said. 'Or both will die!'

'Wait. What if... what if I could give you what you were looking for?' Max said hurriedly. 'The information about Meridian.'

I saw Archie pause and suddenly he seemed interested. 'You have it?'

'Well, not right now but-'

'What a shame,' Archie sneered, his interest gone. He nodded to the man with his gun and suddenly his grip on my throat tightened incredibly painfully and I knew that was the end for me. 'Then both will die-'

'No!' 

I was dimly aware of the crack of a gun going off as everything went black and I lost consciousness. But then the pressure around my throat was gone and for a second it was like I was floating in and out of light.

I could hear sounding and the sounds of crashing, of walls being torn down, crates being smashed but I was barely aware of what was happening. Then someone was saying my name and touching my face, shaking me gently, and I forced myself to open my eyes.

As my vision cleared slowly I saw Marshall looming over me, holding me in his arms as I lay on the hard concrete. I wondered vaguely if I was dead but then decided there was no reason for Marshall to be there if I was.

I opened my mouth to speak but my throat hurt so much I couldn't form a sound.

'Easy,' Marshall said gently to me despite the sounds of destruction from behind him, 'your throat is bruised, you need medical-'

I pushed him off me and sat up abruptly. I couldn't speak but I wanted to shout at him. As soon as I sat up I saw the source of the noise: Max and Archie were fighting each other, moving so fast I could barely keep up with their movements. They were punching and kicking and throwing each other all over the place, destroying everything in their way. I was alive. Which meant-

No.

I struggled to my feet even though Marshall was protesting loudly and everything seemed to spin for a moment when I finally stood. But I did not have time to think about that. I forced myself forward to where Celia had been and stopped abruptly. 

Her body lay motionless on the ground, long blonde hair streaked with blood covering her face. I closed my eyes but it was too late, the image was embedded into my brain. My body refused to move, as though my feet had been stuck in place. Guilt crashed over me like a heavy wave. This was all my fault. I could have saved her but I was so caught up in my own drama... and now it was too late. Too late. My best friend. Celia.

Archie and Max had crashed through one of the outer walls and sunlight streamed in. I could still hear them fighting so they must have continued outside. Into the power station streamed special forces, surrounding the remaining of Castlemain's men, and rounding up those who had previously been knocked unconscious. 

I was vaguely aware of Marshall talking to me and then putting his arm around me and propelling me away from Celia. I didn't want to leave her but I also had no strength to resist Marshall as he moved me. I found I had nothing inside me, I was an empty shell.

He was talking to paramedics and they were asking me questions about my neck and throat, then they forced me down into the back of the ambulance and started examining the damage. I became aware of Cutter in deep conversation with Marshall, casting glances my way the entire time, and of Sheila being cuffed and led away whilst she shouted insults at anyone who would listen. 

When they removed Celia's body and the trolley with the body bag rolled passed me I was instantly thrown back to a similar moment at the city hall when they had brought in the bag to remove Theodore's body. Thoughts rushed around my mind, if I had stopped Archie sooner then both of them might be alive now. 

I felt like I was in the backseat of someone else's body. I could not speak or move or even think straight. But there was one continuous thought that penetrated the fog of everything. 

When Marshall finally returned to my side, explaining that Cutter was not going to have me arrested again as the contract that made Justice "illegal" had mysteriously vanished, I tugged on his arm and pointed to the direction I had last seen Max and Archie.

'M-a-c-s,' I managed to croak out even though immediately I received a scolding from the paramedics for talking. 

Marshall shook his head and I thought he had not understood me at first but then he said to me very quietly, 'he and Castlemain have disappeared.'