CHAPTER THREE

Steel needed a course of action. Wandering about the area searching for the killer was too dangerous and also quite useless. That woman was far too lethal to be treated like an ordinary human being, and every action had to be carefully planned.

He mulled over their encounter and tried to find a weak spot in her reactions, but he couldn't find any. Viper didn't panic over his attack, she never uttered a word and immediately defended herself with increasingly deadly weapons, as if to assess her opponent's strength. She probably was more concerned about the lute than her own safety, and didn't hesitate to destroy her hiding place in order to protect it.

He spoke aloud to Jet.

"When she fled from the burning apartment, Viper played her lute. Does that mean that she can move out of place, and not only out of time?"

Jet agreed.

"You're right! If she had moved out of time only, she had to come back to the same place, that is the apartment. But we rematerialized in a different town, and that means that she did the same. But we are in our own time, so she just moved somewhere, and not sometime, else."

"I think she just has to play a contemporary song, and that takes her to a different place along the same timeline. Could very well be the place where the song was originally composed."

"The powers of that device are outstanding. It cannot be allowed to exist any longer. We must destroy it at any cost."

Steel looked at her with a questioning expression in his grey eyes.

"Do you mean at the cost of our partners' lives?"

Looking straight ahead, she answered him.

"If need be."

Steel moved right in front of Jet and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Sorry, I cannot allow that."

She protested.

"Do you realize this is the same situation I went through when I sacrificed that human's life to save yours? Only we are talking about the lives of many people this time. The authority will never accept your decision if we have to choose between destroying that blasted lute and saving our partners."

"I take full responsibility for the outcomes of this assignment. You see, I am positive that the existence of that device and our partners' lives are directly connected. If we destroy it, we will also cancel all the consequences of its owner's actions."

She asked: "What if you're wrong?"

He smiled. "The Jet I used to know was much more optimistic."

She could not resist smiling back.

"The Jet you used to know is a bit more experienced, now. But if you find a way to save our partners and successfully conclude our assignment, I will be glad to comply with your decisions."

"Good. What do you suggest we should try next?"

"What if we fight her with your freezing powers?"

"Mmm, it might work, but I need Lead to insulate me. I don't want to be completely helpless should my powers be ineffective."

"Fine. I'll help you summon him."

The two agents concentrated and sent a mental call to their fellow operator, who promptly appeared after a few minutes.

"Steel, Jet, it's nice to see you both."

The giant's face was not as jolly and smiling as usual.

"I heard what happened to Sapphire and Radium. I grieve with you."

Jet did not hide her pain, and although Steel did his best to pretend he was not suffering at the loss of his partner, Lead saw right through his mask of coldness; he put a comforting hand on the agent's tense shoulder. For once, Steel did not frown at his friend and accepted his sympathy by slightly relaxing his muscles.

Steel briefed Lead on the situation and on their next move; the big operator agreed with their plan.

"Very well, Steel. I will insulate you while you try to freeze that woman, but in case you fail I want to lay my hands on her."

Steel warned his friend: "Just be careful, Lead. She's heavily armed, and although a bullet cannot hurt you, she has many other weapons that might seriously damage you, not to mention the fact that she's as sneaky as a real Viper, and equally deadly."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The three operators sat down and prepared themselves for a long wait.

ooo

Jet knew that Lead loved to eat, so she decided to kill time cooking something for him, while Steel was silently standing in front of a window, arms crossed, looking outside and not moving a muscle. When the meal was ready, she and Lead ate in the kitchen, leaving their colleague alone with his thoughts in the living room.

The food was good and Lead commented, smiling happily:

"This is very tasty, Jet. You're as good a cook as Sapphire, and believe me, it's a big compliment I'm paying you."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Lead. I know that Sapphire is very good at cooking and that she loves doing that for you. After all, Steel is far too sober to enjoy such a human activity."

Lead commented while happily munching a particularly tasty dish.

"Don't underestimate our friend's capability to enjoy human activities."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing more than what I just said: Steel can be very human in his reactions, sometimes, although he would never care to admit that, not even to himself."

"Especially when Sapphire is involved, is that what you're trying to tell me?" she asked.

The glimmer in Lead's eyes was an unmistakable reply.

Jet continued the conversation while busying herself with pots and pans.

"I'm sure that you, like everybody else, have speculated about the reasons why Steel and I were switched with Sapphire and Radium."

"We work in a relatively small community, and word spreads very quickly. Much has been said about what happened back then, but only those who were closest to the two of you really understood the situation. Once you find out what Steel is hiding behind that mask of callousness he likes to wear, it's difficult not to care for him, isn't it?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Jet sat in front of Lead and looked straight into his gentle black eyes.

"Sapphire loves him, doesn't she?"

Lead's smile disappeared. "Honestly, Jet, I have no idea. I don't know Sapphire half as well as I know Steel, and she can be very difficult to read, sometimes. Despite her openness, she can hide her feelings very well. But I do know Steel, and I'm sure that he could not live without her anymore. If this assignment fails, our mutual friend is bound to go through hell."

They both fell silent, and Jet let Lead finish his meal without speaking anymore, trying to accept his painful words.

ooo

A couple of hours later Jet tensed again, and promptly warned her colleagues that the lute had been activated again.

Steel asked: "Where is it?"

"We are not as close this time: it's in a house opposite this building."

"Let's go."

They moved toward the door, but disappeared before reaching it, only to rematerialize at the front door of a small house.

Steel tried the lock, but it was open, so they all went inside.

The hall led to a large open space with a living room, a dining table and a kitchen. Another music stand was set right in the middle of the room. Without hesitations, Jet approached it to read the score, but Steel warned her.

"Wait! There's something wrong."

She turned and looked at him, surprised.

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but it all seems a bit too easy."

"Everything is just like the last time."

"Precisely. Don't you think she should have taken some precautions this time?"

Before Jet had a chance to reply, the killer appeared from another room and, without warning, started shooting at the three operators with a small but powerful machine gun. All hell broke loose, bullets were flying everywhere. Lead yelled out.

"Steel, Jet! Stay behind me!"

He was trying to shield his fellow agents with his body that was immune to the cluster of deadly lead, but they were both hit. Before Steel could lower his body temperature to absolute zero, he went down, holding his leg. Jet was sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, motionless.

Although he fiercely wanted to attack the killer, Lead had no choice but to protect his friends instead. He picked up both of them from the floor as if they were weightless, and teleported them back to safety.

As soon as they rematerialized in their apartment, Lead gently lay them down on the floor and hastily teleported back to the killer's house, but the place was empty. He rapidly searched every room, but Viper had already fled.

Lead went back to the apartment to tend to his friends. The sight was appalling; Steel was holding Jet's limp body in his lap, trying desperately to revive her. His leg was bleeding, but he didn't seem to care. He was calling her with a shaky voice.

"Jet? Please answer me."

Lead knelt in front of them and looked at her injuries. She was bleeding profusely from half a dozen bullet wounds, most of them on her torso. A thin trickle of blood was slowly running from the corner of her mouth. Steel caressed her short hair and softly talked in her mind.

Jet, hold on, we will take care of you. Can you hear me? Jet!

The woman slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, and finally focused on Steel's worried face. She tried to speak, but the effort made her cough, and more blood ran from her mouth. Steel pleaded.

"Don't speak. Save your breath."

But Jet stubbornly tried to talk. After a few more coughs, she finally managed to utter a few words.

"Steel. Don't... leave.. me."

He softly stroked her face.

"Of course I won't leave you. I'll hold you until you're completely healed. Soon your elemental powers will mend your injuries."

But they both knew that her wounds were too serious; Jet was dying.

She spoke again, raising a trembling hand to caress his cheek.

"I wish... I had a second chance. I wish I... could make you... love me."

A teardrop started to slowly run down his face.

"Oh, but you did, Jet. A long time ago."

She managed a weak smile, but then her hand fell limply on the side and her eyes closed. Steel called her.

"Jet! Please, stay with me! JET!"

Lead murmured in a quiet voice.

"She's gone, Steel."

Steel hugged her tight, and did not bother to hide his pain. He had lost both of his two partners in less than twenty four hours, two of the most important women in his life. He felt devastated, but he knew that it was not the time to grieve. He still had a chance to save them all, if only he could stop that deadly woman.

Jet's body dematerialized, and he found himself holding empty air. Only when he tried to stand, he realized that he had been hit. His wounded leg gave and he fell heavily back on the floor. Lead said,

"Easy, Steel. You should stop the bleeding and give your body a chance to heal before trying to fight back."

Steel looked up at his friend and said, in a cold voice: "We must stop that killer, Lead, at any cost."

"Yes. Tell me what you want me to do."

Steel talked while trying to plug the bleeding wound in his leg.

"You called me by my name back in the house. That means that now she knows who I am, and she will undoubtedly try to erase me from history."

Lead was mortified.

"Oh no! Steel, I'm sorry. I doomed you."

But Steel reassured him.

"No, Lead, you doomed her. I know she will go back to the year steel was discovered and try to kill the person who first mixed iron with carbon. We will be there, waiting for her. She will not be expecting us and will not set up any more traps. I will freeze her and you will insulate me."

"What if you fail?"

"In that case, I will be erased from the time continuum, and you will have to fight her alone. Do whatever you deem necessary to stop her."

Lead nodded, and his resolute expression reassured Steel.