Chapter 15

? POV

I sat on an armchair re-wrapping my arm in fresh bandages as my accomplice paced nervously in front of me. "I can't believe you lost your phone. All of your information is there. You'll be outed for sure." my accomplice said, letting the panic set in. I shrugged and continued wrapping up my arm. My accomplice stopped pacing and gave me an odd look. "You are way too calm right now. Shouldn't you be a little bit worried?"

I looked up at my accomplice with calm smile. "Trust me, everything is handled."

"For your sake, I hope you're right."


It had been a few days since the last killing and people have been spending less time on the streets at night. It was weird how the city that never sleeps suddenly became so quiet. Vanessa was at the hospital working the graveyard shift. It was rare for her to get a moment of peace, so she hung around the nurse's station with a few other nurses. "This whole Lady Killer thing is terrifying. I can't even think about going outside without feeling like he's going to get me." a young, blonde haired nurse said.

"Haven't you been paying attention to the news Becca." a male nurse said. "The guy isn't going around grabbing girls off the street. He's being invited into these women's homes and that's where he kills them." he put his stethoscope around his pale neck as he spoke. He ran a hand through his short black hair.

"What news said that, Matt?" Becca cried.

"Mostly internet news sites." Matt answered with a small shrug.

"Well, you can't always trust those."

"It's the only info available." Clara, the nurse station secretary, said. "The police aren't really giving us anything."

"Well then that makes it worse." Becca whined. "You mean I can't invite people over for fear that I'll be inviting a killer in."

"I think it's a bit more complicated than that."

"What else is there?" Becca asked.

"Not sure." Matt said, with an amused glint in his hazel eyes. "But you can bet it's nothing good." he teased as he traced his finger along the back of her neck.

Becca gave a frightened yelp at the unexpected contact. She lightly swatted Matt's arm, while he and Clara laughed at her expense. "You guys suck." she whined.

Vanessa shook her head as she listened to the conversation. So, Matt has been going through internet sites too. she thought. He hasn't found the info I have, so maybe what I have is no good. "What do you think about all this, Vanessa." Becca asked.

"There isn't much for me to think about." she shrugged, deciding to keep any information she did know away from her co-workers. "I don't really invite people to my place all that often, so I don't really have to worry about that. All I can do is hope that the police find this guy soon."

"Do you think they'll catch this guy?" Matt said.

"Like I said, I can only hope."

The phone to the unit rang and Clara picked up. She was on for a couple of seconds before hanging up and turning to the three nurses. "Vanessa, the front desk called and said you have a visitor waiting for you."

"Oh really?" Vanessa said, wondering who it could be. "Becca, do you mind covering me for a bit?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks, I'll be right back." she hurried down to the main floor of the hospital, to the front desk. Michael was there looking exhausted. "Hey Mike, what's up?" she greeted with a short hug.

"Can we talk somewhere private? This is important."

"Sure." Vanessa led Mike to an empty break room. "What's going on?"

"We think we might have some evidence that could help us with this case."

Vanessa gave him her full attention. "Really? What is it?"

Michael reached into his bag and pulled out a plastic baggie with a cell phone in it. "It's most likely the culprit's, but it's not working. We tested the blood that was on it and it was only the victim's, so that didn't really help. Our only hope is that there is something on this phone." he handed the bag to Vanessa and continued. "But our guys couldn't figure out what was wrong. I convinced Henry to let me take a look at it before deeming it completely useless and when I say 'I'll take a look' I really mean..."

"Donnie." Vanessa finished.

"Yes, please."

"Getting desperate, are we?"

"You have no idea." he ran a hand over his bald head. "Obviously, you can't tell anyone about me getting you involved in an investigation like this.

Vanessa rolled her eyes at him. "Well duh, I think I know the drill by now." She fit the bag in the pocket of her scrubs. "I'm sure Don will gladly help."

"Thank you, V. I don't mean to bother you." Michael rubbed his tired eyes.

"You're not a bother, Mike. We've got your back. You can rely on us more. Why do you think we've been patrolling more than usual? To relieve some of the stress on the police. That way you can focus on the killer." Vanessa explained.

"I know, I know." he stated tiredly. "By the way, everyone at the station is grateful for the extra help in stopping the gang activity. Well... mostly everyone."

Vanessa crossed her arms. "I'm assuming these few people don't like vigilantes."

"'Don't like' is putting it mildly." Mike said. "They don't see what you're doing as helping. They see it as people serving justice in their own way and that is just not okay to them. It's almost like they're taking offense to what you're doing because you're doing their job for them."

"Oh well, I'm sure this isn't the first time."

"Oh no, absolutely not. This hate for vigilante justice has been going on for years."

Vanessa shrugged. "Whatever, we're still going to do it. Not just to help you guys, but to get some exercise. Now, did you find out anything else?"

"No." Mike said with a shake of his head.

"Not even street cam footage?"

"No, and that's the weird part."

"What do you mean?"

"I looked over the footage and there was nothing there. Not a single soul shows up on screen from any angle."

Vanessa raised a curious eyebrow. "How is that possible?" she wondered.

"It's possible someone tampered with the street cams. We're looking into it."

"And just in case, I'll have Don look too."

"Okay, thanks."

"Now, get outta here and get some sleep. You look like hell."

Mike gave a hearty laugh. "Gee thanks." he started to leave.

Vanessa stopped him. "Oh wait, I need to ask you something." he turned back to her. "Did your partner ever tell you to call us when we came by the station a few days ago?"

Michael shook his head. "No, he didn't, but he probably forgot." he shrugged. "The killer hit again that day, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that's fair."

"What did you need?"

"I just wanted to know if it was true that the killer is going after people who cheat." she asked.

"With the testimonies we've gotten from some of the victim's significant others, it's most likely the case. So far that's all I've been able to figure out." Mike sighed. "How did you find out about that?"

"Online article." Vanessa answered swiftly. "I questioned the validity of it, so I figured I'd ask you about it."

Michael rubbed the back of his neck. "No one should really know about that. I haven't confirmed it."

"Sorry." Vanessa apologized. "Will you get in trouble because of this?"

"Probably not. Unfortunately, leaks happen." he sighed again. "I'll worry about that later. For now, just see if Donnie can figure that out." he pointed to the damaged phone.

"Sure, no problem."

Mike left the break room and then the hospital while Vanessa headed back upstairs to her unit. She quickly ducked into the locker room, opened her locker and stuffed the phone in her bag before getting back to work.


When Vanessa got home that morning she immediately went to her husband in the lab. Xavier was sitting up on the cot while Don checked him over. "Any dizziness, headaches?"

"Not dizzy and only a slight headache." the teen answered honestly.

"Still showing signs of a concussion." he shook his head.

"But it's not that bad." Xavier whined. "If I have to spend another day doing nothing then I'm gonna lose it."

Don affectionately pat his son's head. "It's for your own safety."

"Listen to your father, sweetie." Vanessa said.

Xavier groaned and lied back down.

"Hey Donnie, I got something for you." she pulled out the plastic baggie that was holding the phone. Don took it from her and examined it. "It's the phone they found in the alley next to the apartment of the latest victim. Mike's guys can't seem to get it to work. He thought that maybe you could help."

Xavier quickly sat up in bed. "I'll do it." he volunteered.

Don and Vanessa both looked to their kid, quizzically. "What? I'm bored, I need to do something. If I can't train, then at least let me take care of this."

Don sighed. "Alright, alright, here you go." he handed the phone over. "Don't strain yourself. If the headache gets worse, then stop."

"I know, I know." Xavier waved them off and got to work.

Vanessa turned to Don. "In the meantime, why don't you check out the street cameras? There wasn't anything or anyone showing up on screen at the time of the murder."

"That's odd."

"Yeah, it is." she looked between her husband and her son. "While the two of you are working. I'm gonna get some sleep."


Amber waited at a lunch table for Logan to arrive. He had called her last night and asked to meet up to discuss another get together between him and Kylie. "Hey Amber." he greeted.

"Hey, there you are." Amber said with a smile. She looked down and noticed Logan's arm wrapped in white bandages. "What did you do to your arm?"

Logan looked down at it as well, as if he just noticed it. He pulled down the sleeve of his shirt to cover it up. "Oh, I stupidly leaned on a stove... and I didn't notice it was on." he said sheepishly. He quickly waved his hand, dismissing the issue. "Anyway, enough about that. Let's talk about Kylie."

Amber giggled. "Alright, alright, what do you want to know?"

"Well, first is she willing to meet up again?" Logan asked.

"She doesn't really want to, in all honesty." she shrugged. "She's really only doing this because I asked."

"I do appreciate it... so, you've known her a long time, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, since I was about eight years old. We immediately clicked as kids and have been friends ever since."

"Cool, what is she like?" he asked, interested.

"Well, she's a bit of an introvert like me. She prefers to stay inside and watch movies or TV. She can be pretty overprotective of me and her family, which is why she won't show herself to you." Amber explained.

"She only goes out to beat up random gang members."

"Sort of. I'll let her explain that... if she wants to." she said. "Anyway, she agreed to meet tonight. Same time, same place."

"Awesome."


Later that night, Kylie and Amber waited in Amber's room until Logan arrived.

"Where has your mom been lately? I feel like I haven't seen her in a while." Kylie asked.

"She's been teaching night school classes, so she's been coming home later than usual."

"So you're home alone a lot more?"

"Yeah, and I don't really like it." Amber shuddered. "Especially now."

Kylie noticed the shudder and sat down next to her best friend. "What's going on now?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I just feel like someone has been watching me when I leave school." another shudder ran through her. "I might just be paranoid, but I just can't help this feeling."

"You haven't been walking home alone, have you?" Kylie asked, nervously.

"No, Logan's been walking with me." she then waved it off, dismissing the issue. "It's probably nothing. Don't worry about it." she changed the subject. "So, fair warning, Logan may be asking you a bunch of pretty personal questions."

"Oh, great." Kylie facepalmed.

"Don't worry, all you have to do is keep it vague remember... if you want to, that is."

"I don't really have a choice. I can't let him know about me or my family."

"I know, but Logan's a good guy. If you want to trust him, I think you can." Amber stated firmly.

Kylie thought about this for a while. Amber is her best friend, so if she could trust anyone it would be her, but Kylie still felt like she needed to make that decision for herself. "Look, I get it okay. You trust him, but this" she pointed to her face. "is a completely different issue. He thinks I'm just a vigilante human. He doesn't know I'm a mutant."

"Once he gets to know you..."

"I'd rather not take that chance."

Amber sighed. "Okay."

Kylie eyed her friend. The door bell rang and Amber got up to answer. "That's probably him." she looked as Kylie headed toward the window. She went downstairs and opened the door revealing a slightly less formal looking Logan and in his hand he held another yellow rose. "Really?" Amber asked referring to the rose.

"What? She liked it last time." Logan shrugged. "She's here?"

"Yeah, come on." she quickly led him upstairs. As expected, Kylie was already gone, waiting up on the roof. The open window was a dead giveaway. They both climbed out to the fire escape and up to the roof. Amber held out her hand for the rose. "I'll give it to her." He handed it over to her and she walked over to the storage shed. Kylie stood in her usual position, leaning up against the shed with her arms crossed. "Here ya go."

"Another one?"

"Yep, good luck. Remember, keep it vague."

"Right."

Amber walked away, leaving her two friends alone. Logan stepped forward toward the shed. "Don't even think about it. Stay right where you are."

"I wasn't going to try to look this time." he stated quickly when he realized what she was talking about. "I just wanted to stand closer so I could hear you better." he sat down near the shed.

Kylie sniffed the flower and spoke. "What do you want me to talk about?"

"I just want to know about you."

"There isn't much to tell." Kylie shrugged.

Logan wracked his brain for something to talk about. He was interested in this mystery girl, but he didn't want to scare her off by asking too many questions. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Oh, so you are in high school. What school do you go to?"

"... I'm home schooled." she stated simply.

"What do you normally do for fun?"

"Is this going somewhere?" Kylie asked, annoyed.

Logan, sensing her annoyance, spoke up. "I just wanted to get to know you better. That's all. I swear, I'm not trying to be too intrusive."

"Why do you need to know about me?" Kylie asked, calming herself down.

"You saved my life. Wouldn't you like to get to know the person that saved you?"

She would, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. "You don't know. Anything I say could be a lie. I could be a danger to you and you'd never know."

"You're Amber's friend. I trust her and I know her. She doesn't hang out with dangerous people." he ran a hand through his brown hair."And you don't know me either. I could be a danger to you."

Kylie thought for a second. "Well, I also trust her."

"See, we're in the same boat."

"That and I watched you get your ass kicked by Purple Dragons, so you seem harmless to me."

Logan laughed out loud. "They are just no threat to you, huh."

"No, not really."

"Where did you learn to fight like that anyway? Fighting in the shadows, almost like..."

"A ninja." Kylie finished.

"Yeah." he said happily. Kylie could hear the giddiness in his voice and smiled. "It was so cool. It was like you barely broke a sweat." The compliments he was dishing out kind of took her by surprise, but she didn't let it show... "I just think you're amazing." ...until he said that and she immediately started blushing.

She cleared her throat. "As flattering as that is, it's still best if you don't know about me."

Logan paused. "Well, I still want to talk to you... if that's okay. And maybe even meet face to face." he said, hopefully. "Someday."

Kylie thought about it for a minute. He seemed pretty trustworthy, but she still didn't know anything about him. "...Maybe."

"If you feel like you can't trust me with your identity then how about I start by telling you about me. Will that make you feel better?"

"...Maybe."

"Try it out. What have you got to lose?"

"My trust in people and my safety." she said honestly, but to Logan she was just as cryptic as ever. Making her even more intriguing to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. I'd better go."

"Okay, can I talk to you again?"

Kylie chuckled. "...Maybe."

Logan laughed a little at that. "I look forward to it." he said a little huskier than normal. That didn't go unnoticed. He stood and went back to the fire escape. He climbed back in through Amber's window with a huge smile on his face.

"That was fast. How'd it go?" Amber asked.

"Better than last time. She actually did more talking."

"Really?"

"Yeah, maybe next time she'll open up to me more. We even talked about meeting face to face."

Amber didn't bother to hide her shock. "Really?" she repeated.

"Yep."

"She actually said she would reveal herself to you?" she questioned.

"Well no, I just casually brought it up and she said maybe. Which isn't a no."

"And it's not a yes either. I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

"I get it. She likes her privacy and if she doesn't want to show herself, then that's her decision and I'll respect it." he grinned. "But until I get an actual no, I'm not gonna stop trying."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Get outta here." she said jokingly, pointing to her door.

"Okay, okay." he walked out, leaving her alone.

Seconds later, after the front door closed, Kylie climbed through the window. "I heard you did a bit more talking tonight."

"Yeah, it wasn't much though." Kylie shrugged, twirling the rose between her fingers.

"So are you planning on letting him see you?" Amber asked curiously.

Kylie smirked. "...Maybe."

"Oh come on, Kylie. Tell me."

"I don't know. We'll see. I still don't know much about him, remember . I'm not gonna risk anything right now."

"Alright, but can you at least tell me ahead of time if you're going to do it?'

Kylie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, yeah whatever. I'm out." she climbed back out the window and headed for home.


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