Saving Her Billionaire Vigilante

Eleven: Ransom Tanager

Eleven:

Ransom Tanager

    As soon as I saw what was in the storage shed Piper went to, I headed directly there as fast as I could. When I got there, Oliver and Piper were still there. Going through the rest of the shed, I could imagine. To my surprise, the door was halfway open. I snuck inside. The cage that Oliver and Piper had come across had been ripped open. Piper was nowhere to be seen, and Oliver was on the floor bleeding.

    The thing that had gotten out----the EVO-----must have taken her and done god knows what. “Oliver!” I called. “Oliver!” Oliver coughed, and blood came from her mouth. It dribbled down onto his shirt. I heard him groaning something.

    “Piperrrrrrr,” he groaned, “Pip! It took her! The thing took her.”

    “What thing?” I had to pretend I didn’t know what was going on. If Oliver found out what I was doing, I could only imagine what he would think. He also knew people that could make my life difficult for me to follow through with my mission.

    “There was a girl with wings,” said Oliver, “she was part angel, part demon. She had super-strength. She tore out of the cage the moment that we came in. She took Piper, and she flew out of here.”

    I picked him up, and I carried a bleeding Oliver out of the storage shed. I didn’t bother to look. I would have to do that later. But I did make a point of shutting the door, after I shoved Oliver into my car. I drove him to the hospital, taking him into the ER, and leaving him on the chair.

    If it hadn’t been for Piper missing, I would have stayed. But I had no idea what powers the EVO had. Which meant that I had no idea if Piper was alive or dead. I needed Piper to be alive. Especially if she was an EVO too.

    I went back to the mansion. Kathleen Kore was still there. Still tied up. I’d had her held hostage for days. To track the EVOs, I needed her help. Because she was the only one who knew how many there were.

    I went to the West side of the mansion, running to where Kathleen Kore was. She was muttering nonsense words to herself. “Where is she?” I demanded.

    Kathleen laughed. “Where is who?”

    “Where is Piper?!” I roared.

    She smiled at me. “Your little Pipsqueak went snooping, didn’t she? It’s about time that she did. She can try to deny it all that she wants, but she is exactly like her parents. She’s got a curious nature. Of course, she was going to find the first EVO. I’m only surprised she hasn’t realized that she’s one yet.”

    “Hypothetically, let’s say I entertained the idea that Piper was an EVO. What kind of powers would she have?”  

    She laughed. “Do you really think I would tell you? No, I’d want to give that girl a fighting chance.”

    “You’re doing this to play with me.”

    “Of course,” she said, “what makes you think that I would want to help the man who kidnapped me and held me against my will?”

    “Because,” I said, “if you do this for me, I will untie you. With the express knowledge that you are still a prisoner in this house, and I will shoot you if you try to run. Or my butler will, and he’s a much better shot than I am.”

    “I suppose I’ll have to behave,” she said, “knowing that you could blow me up at any point.”

    I scowled. “Are you going to tell me what power Piper has or not?”

    “Well, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

    “I don’t understand,” I said.

    “You start fires. Explosions. She can put them out.”

    “What do you mean?” I asked.

    “Didn’t you ever think it strange that your parents pushed you together so much? Especially when she was two years younger than you?”

    “It was for the good of the company,” I insisted.

    “It was for the good of you both,” said Kathleen, “Piper can absorb powers. Any power another EVO has, she can take them away.”

    “What happens when she absorbs them? Does she get them?”

    “Well, sometimes they resurfaced, depending on what they were. But depending on the EVO, the powers might go away.”

    “And Piper?”

    “She remained unhurt,” said Kathleen, “as you can tell, since she’s still alive. Her parents had been consistently testing on her from the time that she was a small child. She was kept around you because she helped keep your powers at bay. Think of her as a fuse.”

    “What about what was in the cage at the storage facility?” I asked.

    “It was a girl. Half human, half eagle.”

    “Eagle?” I stared at her incredulously. “You can’t be serious. They were using animals, too?”

    “Anything that could be weaponized,” she replied, “I’d hurry, Bombtastic. That eagle hasn’t been fed in days. You’ll be lucky if you even find the bones of your little Pipsqueak.”

    I glared at her and ran from the room.

    In my training room, I kept a suit that I’d specially designed. It was black and orange, with flames up and down the sleeves. If anyone found out I was connected to the EVOS, I would lose everything. So, I had to keep my identity a secret. It would be even worse if they found out I was one of them.

    To help me find and track down the EVOS, I’d created a secret identity. I called myself Bombtastic. Not the most original name, but it reminded me of who and what I was. Once dressed in my uniform, I went to the garage. I walked to one of the walls and entered in a password revealing a second, secret garage I’d added on a few years back. One to keep all of the things I used tracking the EVOS and keeping the city safe.

    I had a black and orange Bugatti, one that I didn’t use anywhere except when I was on missions. I’d made it so that it shot flames out the back, put guns on the hood of the car that were carefully hidden, and a harpoon on the top that could be shot with the right button. I’d done the alterations myself.

    I sped towards Crescent City. I didn’t know where Piper was. Nor did I have any idea how to find her. But I knew that I would. One way or another.