One2's Arc

Chapter 6 of 8

The next night, One2 went under the block. Beno's guns cracked at the front barrels. Ladybug's women screamed and pushed the corners. One2 crawled up through the service tunnel, into the dark of Vane's fancy building. Gold doors gleamed above him. Marble shone under his gray hands. The plan was working. Vane looked outward, and One2 came up behind. Then the floor lights snapped on. Marcus Vane stood at the top of the stairs, all in black, pistol low in one hand. He did not run. He did not shout. His red eyes found One2 and held. A gold watch flashed on his wrist. "There he is," Vane said. "The dead man they warned me about." He was calm, and calm men are the worst kind. He had known One2 would come from below. One2 climbed toward him. His fingers reached for Vane's chest, ready to tear the soul loose the way he had torn the runner's. Vane's other hand came up. It held a small glass jar. Inside crawled a bright yellow ant, slick and glossy, its body shining like wet oil. Vane threw the jar at One2's feet. Glass burst. The ant scrambled onto One2's leg and bit. Cold ran up through the corpse. One2's soul-hand went dead. He reached for Vane again and felt nothing pull. The power was gone. His fingers grabbed only cloth. Vane stepped back, smiling. "A runner told me a soul-stealer was coming," Vane said. "So I paid for the cure. That little bug eats what makes you the devil." He raised the pistol now. "You're just a corpse again." One2 was still strong. He swung. His fist smashed the marble rail and cracked it wide. Vane fired. The bullet punched One2's shoulder and spun him sideways. Down the front, Beno's guns were slowing. One2 heard men shouting. His allies would not hold if they saw him fail. He could not steal the soul. But his arms still worked. One2 lunged, seized Vane by the jacket, and hurled him down the stairs. Vane hit the marble hard. His pistol slid away. One2 came down after him, gray hands closing on Vane's throat, and squeezed until the block boss went limp. Marcus Vane was dead. But it took no soul-stealing to do it. Any strong hand could have. One2 stood over the body in the empty hall. The ant still gripped his leg. He crushed it flat. It made no difference. His soul-hand stayed dead and cold. He flexed his fingers and felt no pull, no hum, nothing. Beno and Ladybug pushed in through the front, guns hot. They saw Vane dead on the marble and grinned. But they did not know the truth yet. One2 had won the block. And he had lost the one power that made them fear him.