CHAPTER 75
I FLIPPED OVER almost immediately. Tucked my head so when my back slammed into the glass, the back of my head did not. One small favor.
The rope stopped moving. Due to the way I was hanging I could see that White had stepped on it. So, as long as he didn’t move, I was good. This moment’s definition of damning with faint praise.
I was now upside-down, with my purse trying to strangle me because of course it had slipped over my arm and now was only holding on because my chin was acting like a ledge. But not for long. Gravity was a bitch, we were rarely on close terms, and she was all about reminding me that my lower half was heavier than my upper half. My body slid around. Now I was right side up and about to have my right arm wrenched out of the socket, though my purse was now longer trying to fall off. No, now it was just hanging around my neck like the heaviest albatross necklace in the world. My music changed to “Hold On” by Smash Mouth. If only I could.
My wrist was wrapped up in the rope, which was good, because my fingers couldn’t stay closed since the rope was cutting off circulation. I could feel the stationary rope—I was lying on it, meaning it was at my back. And of course, it was more on my right side than my left, meaning I was going to have to twist to grab it. Somehow.
I was too far up to let go willingly and not expect that I’d cause the entire rig to go down when I hit. However, as my wrist started to slide slowly through the rope, realized I didn’t have a choice.
Someone’s feet were right by my head. White was coming down like he’d spent his entire life vacationing in the Alps. He had hold of both sides of the sliding rope. He got relatively even with me. “Hang on, Missus Martini. This is going to take split-second timing.”
“I have no choice other than to hang, Mister White. I also have no control over when the rope loosens enough and I plummet to my and everyone else’s death, but I give it no more than three seconds.” Realized that the only reason the rope was still holding me up was because White was keeping it taut enough that I couldn’t slip. Yet.
White didn’t comment. Instead he let go of the sliding rope with his left hand, grabbed the stationary rope, let go with his right hand, and wrapped his right arm around me just as the rope loosened enough on my wrist that my arm fell down. Then we were sliding down the window, but White was controlling it, not gravity. Hyperspeed and White’s über awesomeness for the win.
Saw him make the Grimace Face when he managed to stop us before we smashed into the rig. Siler grabbed me and put me down at hyperspeed, then grabbed White, while Abigail and Mahin grabbed me.
“Well, that was bracing,” White said once we were all together.
“You continue to rock above all others, Mister White.” Made sure my shoulder, elbow, and wrist were still in their respective sockets, while White did the same. Moved my purse back into its proper cross-body position as I checked inside. Everything, snoozing Poofs included, was in there just as if nothing had happened. Clearly riding via an Algar Portal was the way to go. Filed requesting a Personal Portal Pod on my To-Do List for later.
“Of all your plans, I hate this one the most,” Mahin said.
“Give it time. I’m sure we’ll do something much worse sooner than anyone would like.”
“Hold on to the railings,” Siler said, as he went to the control box. We started down, the window washing rig shaking all the way because that’s how it had to be in my world, apparently, my soundtrack now going to “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” by Huey Lewis and the News.
The windows on the Sky Lobby level, and probably all the levels that weren’t observation decks, were mirrored on the outside, so everyone inside didn’t broil daily. Therefore, it was close to impossible to see inside. Did my best, but all I got was that there weren’t people clustered around the window, so either no one had noticed our acrobatics or there were no people on this floor in this area.
The wind was really unpleasant as we went down. Wasn’t sure if it was because we were so high up or because of the haboob Lowe had created or both. Decided it didn’t matter. Was glad I still had my hair up in the banana clip. The clip was a trooper, too, considering everything it had been through with me today.
Reached the next floor down. The restaurant did indeed have the same mirroring, so we couldn’t see in. Siler stopped us so that, once we cut the glass, anyone could safely step out onto the rig, to use the term “safely” loosely.
“Bigger cut now,” he said. “Gas masks on first, though.”
So much for the banana clip. And our goggles. Which I realized hadn’t shown us anything once we got here. “Kozlow is definitely in the building.” Took off the banana clip and my goggles and dropped both into my purse. “We may be going into poisoned gas,” I whispered to the Poofs. “Take precautions and all that.”
“How do you know?” Abigail asked.
“Our goggles aren’t showing us anything. I don’t even have infrared. Someone’s affecting them in some way. I assume it’s Kozlow using his power, such as it is.”
“Then it’s amplified by something,” Mahin said. “Because Russell’s powers are not strong at all.”
“It didn’t affect our communications,” Abigail pointed out.
“Possibly because they wanted to hear what we were saying,” Siler said. He handed me his goggles. Put them and everyone else’s into the rolling purse.
The gas masks covered our faces and heads pretty fully. If I hadn’t known who I was with, I wouldn’t have recognized any of us. But we could talk and hear each other, so that was good. I also got to hear “I Saved the World Today” by The Eurythmics, which was nice.
White and Siler started glass cutting. Waited until they were about halfway through, then figured it was time for the rest of us to get prepped. “Mahin, get dust up here. Abby, get ready to start shielding. And can you feel anyone?”
“Yeah. Kitty, I’m freaking out! I don’t know if I can do this.”
That meant the people inside were still alive and likely panicking, so good news and bad news. Meaning Jeff was being attacked by poisoned gas and a haboob of emotions at the same time. We had to hurry, but there was nothing we could do to speed this up, since shooting at the windows would only cause more panic.
Got as near to the window as I could and tried to look in. Saw no one or a lot of someones. Couldn’t be sure. Had to focus on getting Abigail to calm down. My music changed to Linda Ronstadt’s “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
“Take a deep breath and think of Naomi.”
“What the hell? You want me to remember how my sister died? How is that going to help me?” Abigail sounded ready to lose it.
“No. I want you to think about her as if she’s alive and out there somewhere, watching over you.” Because she was. Maybe Abigail hadn’t realized how she’d gotten all her powers back and received all of Naomi’s, too. “Think of your sister and let the calmness that was part of her personality calm you, too. She’s protecting you, I know she is.”
“Deep breaths,” Mahin said. “In with the good air, out with the bad air.”
Abigail nodded. Saw her chest moving as if she was at least doing what Mahin had said.
“The dead watch over us, Abigail,” White said over his shoulder. “Your sister, your brother, all your family before you are with you now, helping you to succeed.”
Finally saw her shoulders relax. White may have retired, but once a Pontifex always a Pontifex apparently. “You’re right, Uncle Richard. The dead watch over us.” She pulled herself up straight. “And we avenge our dead. I’m good, you guys. And thanks.”
“Almost there,” Siler said. “Has anyone been keeping track of time?”
Looked at Mr. Watch. It was 8:30. Had no idea what time it had been when we’d started down to the window washing rig. “No, because that would have been smart. I have no idea how long before the floater creates.”
“We’ll handle it,” White said calmly. “I assume we’ll have to help people to the gate, Missus Martini.”
“You, me, and Nightcrawler. Mahin and Abby need to concentrate on their powers and stay out of the way of said powers and the gate both.” Plus, the girls were barely holding it together as it was. Tossing them into the poisonous gas-filled room might make them feel more secure than the window washing rig, or it might send them over the edge.
“Get those powers revved right now,” Siler said. “Mahin, we need to open as soon as you have your dust devil up here.”
She put her hands out. A mini dust devil flew up to us. “It will be larger the moment the entryway opens.”
“Then ready in three . . .” Siler said, as he and White started to lean against the large-person-sized doorway they’d cut out. “Two . . .” Picked up the rolling purse and flung it over my other shoulder. Grabbed the back of their pants, just in case. “One.”
The men pushed hard and the glass moved inward. So did the three of us. “Jump,” White said calmly as my music changed to Flo Rida’s “Jump” and the “door” broke free of the window and shoved inwards. The three of us jumped as ordered. The men were on the floor.
I was, naturally, on the edge. And my two purses were heavy and pulling me backwards.
Always the way.