The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  I motioned for her to come in and take a seat. “Yeah, John has me going over some schematics, but what’d you got there?” I pointed at the files.

  “Phil Jenkins gave these files to me to review.” Heather was our legal editor by the way. “I have some concerns, but before I go to Mr. Wonderton, I wanted to run them by you.”

  She handed me the files and gave me a few moments to look over them. “These are prototypes for the next gen of cell phones. What’s got you bothered about ‘em?”

  She pulled her phone out. I recognized it right away as the Mercury Five by gl-O-bal Labs. gl-O-bal’s owned and operated by Owen Walker, a true genius. John Wonderton’s a smart guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s more the shrewd and merciless business man type. Owen is one of those truly special men that come up with every design by himself.

  She handed me the phone. “Look closely at the Mercury Five and the design Jenkins is proposing.”

  As soon as Heather pointed it out, the similarities were uncanny. I won’t bore you with details, but suffice to say Jenkins wasn’t coming up with his own work. “John’s going to be pissed.”

  “Yes he is. He wants to beat gl-O-bal, but not like this.”

  I slid the phone back to her. “Obviously we need to tell him, but I’m guessing you don’t want to be present when I do?”

  She gave me that award winning smile. “He won’t bite your head off.”

  “True.” I sat there for a minute, letting her sweat it out a bit before answering. “I’ll take it to him, but you owe me in the future.”

  Heather winked before getting up. “I’m always good to pay back my debts.”

  I’m sure she was and as she walked out, I’m not going to lie – I totally watched her ass sway back and forth until she reached the elevator. She turned around and caught me, but seemed to enjoy that. Add in a small wave as the elevator closed, I could almost hear Mike’s head explode.

  I turned my attention back to the report on my screen. It confirmed what we figured out last night during the confrontation, Diamonds was immune to feeling pain. Not exactly a very useful super power, but he also called himself the diversion. That would make sense, use your weakest link to do so, knowing the chance of survival might not be that great.

  Bad Jericho. Don’t try to dissect their plans. This was DL’s problem not mine. My problem was going to be fixing Jenkins’ shitty work and get him to create something better. I looked down in disdain at the knock off prototype drawing when I noticed something very peculiar. On the display was a drawn up game of solitaire. I knew Jenkins was weird, but this was a bit over the top.

  I narrowed my eyes and looked even closer. The only card that was actually legible was the Ace of Clubs. Annoyed, I doubted that was a coincidence.

  Chapter 3 –

  Thursday Midmorning; John Wonderton’s Office

  I tossed the files on DL’s desk. “Jenkins is copying gl-O-bal’s tech. Heather from Legal figured it out. This prototype looks just like her Mercury Five phone.”

  John Wonderton, aka The Dark Lion, was a big man. Easily six foot five with a linebacker’s frame, the middle aged man looked at the papers and sighed. “Well then I guess I’ll just have to fire him. Is that what you want?”

  “Actually no, look at the prototype closer.”

  He squinted and held the paper close. “What am I looking for?”

  “The display, check out the phone’s display.”

  DL studied the paper, but it seemed to be missing him. “So he likes solitaire?”

  For a guy who was a powerful superhero vigilante, sometimes he was impossibly frustrating. “How do you miss the Ace of Clubs staring at you?”

  Boom, there it was. “You don’t think this is just a coincidence, do you Jericho?”

  “Makes all the sense in the world. Diamonds would’ve been easily able to steal the servers if Jenkins was in on it.”

  Seeing my viewpoint, “So you want us to keep him here, to figure out the end game?”

  “We know Diamonds was just a distraction, probably the weakest in the group. You never know, he might’ve sacrificed himself in his fight against you for a reason.”

  This logic made me think of the suicide bombers. You know death’s coming, but instead of fighting to stay alive, they embraced fate with open arms. “Maybe stealing the servers was just a curveball, get us to chase the bad pitch while they steal home.”

  I got a rare smile from the superhero. “Your baseball analogies suck.”

  Yeah, sports weren’t my thing, except baseball, hence the pretty bad analogy. I’d keep trying though until I got it. Computers, technology, those were my areas of expertise. That didn’t stop me from trying though. “My point is, we keep acting none the wiser and Mr. Clubs might lead us to real answers.”

  “The Negative Man…”

  The fact DL even said his name wasn’t a good sign. “We don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

  “He is; his presence hangs over Pacific Station like a black cloud.” He looked out his large window, which out of respect to me he put a darkened film over. “Can’t you feel his energy?”

  I felt energy alright, probably a nervous energy from DL. “There’s a threat in front of us we can deal with, The Aces. I wouldn’t worry about The Negative Man, not yet. And who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and another Ace will slip up with more info on him.”

  He stabbed the prototype file with his finger. “You’re right. Take this down to Research and get Jenkins to create another. While talking to him, see if you can get anything worthwhile too.”

  “You want me to interrogate him? That’s not smart.”

  He shook his head. “No, talk to him, nerd to nerd. When you guys get together, you can’t help but gush over the latest and greatest. He might slip up.”

  I doubted it, but I scooped up the files off his desk. “If he catches on to me, my death is on your hands…” He pushed me out of his office and closed the door. He didn’t even ask me about Diamonds blood analysis.

  On the elevator ride down, I tried to think of the best way to first tell Jenkins we were on to his copycat schematics, but also see if he’d spill any secrets. My mother, God rest her soul, always said I was pretty damn conniving when I wanted to be. The elevator door opened, the R&D Lab was buzzing. Between the lost servers and the usual deadlines, the lab coats were running in a frantic state.

  Jenkins was at his monitor towards the back. I shuffled between all the hub-bub and found a seat next to his desk. He didn’t look up but did acknowledge I was there. “Jericho.”

  “Jenkins.”

  It’s not that we were on bad terms, but nerds tended to try to stake claim to Alpha-nerd. I’m a computer guy with an extensive background in engineering and he’s an engineer with an extensive background in programming. There was a built in rivalry.

  His eyes were going a million different directions behind his glasses. “Something I can help or explain to you?”

  I put the file on his desk. “You can explain to Mr. Wonderton why this prototype looks exactly the same as the Mercury Five from gl-O-bal. He’s not happy.”

  “Caught that did he?” He stopped working and made eye contact. “Or did one of the legal bums figure it out?”

  “So, you did that on purpose?” Color me confused.

  He opened the file. “Of course I did! I work my ass off down here and everyone just takes credit without ever even coming to me! Do I ever get a good job? Or do they even come down to get an explanation?”

  Ahhh… “So you did this just to see how observant the legal team was? And to see if Mr. Wonderton even personally looked over everything?”

  “Exactly!” He popped out of his chair. “Tell me Jericho, was it you that noticed? As an intellectual peer, that would be most obvious.”

  “Yeah, Legal dropped it off with me to take on for approval. That’s when I noticed the design.” Was I lying? Yes. Was this my way in? Yes.

  Jenkins closed the file and droppe
d it in his trashcan. He pulled another file out of his desk and handed it to me. “This is the real prototype. So new that it wasn’t even in the servers yet.”

  This piqued my interest. I opened the file and was blown away. “Whoa, this is incredible!”

  Just from my initial quick glance, I could see Jenkins was taking the normal parameters and expanding them exponentially. The phone’s processor was going to be faster than anything on the market.

  I closed it and handed it back to him. “What’s the name of this top secret project?”

  “In a nod to my French heritage,” he looked as French as a guy named Wonderton, “I’m calling it Project Trefles. It sounds very fancy and expensive that way. The population won’t be able to resist.”

  Say it adds to my nerdiness, but I’m fluent in three different languages (not counting binary), including French. Trefles is their word for ‘clovers,’ which is also what they refer to the ‘clubs suit’ in cards. This just furthered my assumption.

  Smiling, “Would you like me to take this to Mr. Wonderton for approval or does it need more time?”

  Jenkins was itching to get this project out to the open, you could see it in his eyes. He refrained though, for whatever reason. “Not yet, I’d like some more time to work on this.”

  “I don’t know what you could do to make this even better, but I’m excited to see.”

  His eyes lit up at the praise of a fellow tech head. “Between me and you, gl-O-bal Labs’ Owen Walker has reached out to me, wanting to know more about this.”

  “How does Walker know about this?” I asked the question quietly, like I was excited to hear more.

  Picking up on my enthusiasm, “He read my thesis on cellular acceleration a number of years ago and we’ve remained in contact ever since. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loyal to Wonder-Tech, but having a friend like Walker’s nothing to sneeze at.”

  DL was going to have a heart attack. “I’d keep that between us okay? I don’t think the big guy or Legal would be thrilled with that association.”

  Jenkins nodded and I got up. As I was getting ready to leave, “I thought you were just Wonderton’s yes man. I think I was wrong about you Jericho.”

  “I appreciate that Jenkins. Maybe one night after work we can grab a beer.”

  He looked down and typed out a quick text. An answer came back almost immediately. “Yeah, we definitely should do that.”

  Chapter 4 –

  Thursday Evening; Johnny Mulligan’s

  The rest of the day went by uneventfully. I sent DL an email to his encrypted account detailing my conversation with Jenkins. He responded later with the thumbs up to continue my investigation. For the time being, he’d stay out of my way. When the five o’clock alarm sounded, instead of going home like all the rest of the smarter people I worked with, I went to the secret floor. DL was going to patrol the streets tonight.

  My work station had just about every piece of tech one could think of. Police scanners, three of the fastest computers you could find, and a whole workshop with tools and materials. Before I got to checking on any hot leads, I went over to the workshop to refine a few of DL’s weapons.

  His primary weapon was his Lion Glove. Each model had three inch titanium nails on the ends for maximum gripping and pain. Plus in a pinch, they could be used as projectiles. His other equipment included his goggles, which gave off the yellow glow and also acted as body heat scanners, a chainmail mesh underlay, and of course the trademark dark yellow hooded cowl. Over time, the yellow had basically faded into this weird dark grayish yellow mixture. Combined that with the black body suit he wore, that’s how our oh-so-smart press came up with The Dark Lion.

  I noticed two of the nails on the left glove were in bad shape, so I went about pulling them out to refine and sharpen. I’d just finished the reinstallation when DL walked down. PJ Douglas was with him, but he was better known as that idiot Massacre. A very stout man, he used his bulletproof head and incredible strength to cause mayhem. Unfortunately, he usually ruined just about everything while trying to save it.

  DL picked up the gloves and inspected my work. “Looking good Jericho. You’re technical ability is growing by leaps and bounds every day.”

  A rare compliment, I’d better just take it. “Thanks DL. I’m going to do some research to see if we can find a better metal to use for the claws.”

  He put the glove back down and gave me an odd look. “Why don’t you take tonight off? PJ and I can handle things, if we’re needed.”

  I hadn’t had a night off in about two weeks. “Are you sure?”

  He sat down at the computer station. “Yeah, you’ve been working too hard and I’ve noticed you look a bit haggard. Between the pale complexion and the bloodshot eyes, maybe I need to start giving you more time off.”

  Not waiting around for him to change his mind, I picked up my bag. “Well, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. See you tomorrow.”

  I walked out and PJ gave me a weird smile/wave combination. I didn’t know nor did I want to know. I didn’t stop until I got to my car and hit the road. Ten minutes later I was home and relaxing on my couch. I turned the TV on, forgetting it was still on the boring news channel. The anchors were still discussing what Chief Grimes said this morning to that Geri Paisley. I really wish they’d find something new to talk about.

  As soon as I picked up the remote to turn the channel, static hit the TV. As it cleared up, there was a white outline against a blacked screen. Static leapt from the figure like white lightning, with a pair of red eyes gazing into the homes of Pacific Station. It was a no brainer who he was.

  “Just because you can’t see me, doesn’t mean I can’t see you. Pacific Station, you’re time is coming to an end. Never forget The Negative Man is always just outside your sight!”

  As quickly as it came, the image left. When the anchors came back into view, they were freaking out. “Martha, it’s true! He’s still alive!”

  “I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes! Sydney, what do you think this means?”

  As they began to conjecture, my phone rang. Of course DL would be freaking out about this, probably rightfully so. So when I grabbed my phone to answer, “I know I saw it!”

  “How did you know that’s what I was calling about?”

  A woman’s voice? “Heather?”

  “Yeah, who were you expecting?”

  Thank the lord I hadn’t answered the phone in a way to tip her off to who John Wonderton really was. “I figured it was Jenkins. We sort of bonded over me calling him a copyright thief.”

  She laughed rather loudly into the receiver. “Can’t say I saw that coming. Anyways, what’re you doing right now?”

  “Watching the news people freak out and talking to you.”

  “You know where Johnny Mulligan’s is don’t you?”

  It was only the most famous bar in the city. “Yeah, down on Eastwood and Crestfallen.”

  “Meet me there in a half hour.”

  Before I could even respond, she hung up. I guess I was going to Johnny Mulligan’s. Looking down, I was still in my work business casual and figured this wouldn’t cut it. I pillaged my closet for a pair of nice jeans and a nice black button down. I dug out my only pair of black boots to wear as well. They could use some polish, but they’d have to do as is.

  In the car ride back into the city center, every radio station was talking about The Negative Man’s return from the abyss. One radio host even speculated that The Negative Man never truly left, that he assimilated into the city. Great, that would strike up paranoia. Next we’d be hearing about neighbors murdering each other because they were convinced the other was The Negative Man.

  When I got to Johnny Mulligan’s, the place was almost empty. I parked my car and headed in. It was weird seeing such a big place void of the normal masses. On the plus side it made Heather very easy to spot.

  She had traded in her scandalous work attire for something even more reve
aling. The skirt was about a half an inch shorter, showing off even more of her gorgeous toned legs, her heels were probably another inch taller, and the blouse she was wearing barely kept the girls at bay.

  She was sipping something pink out of her straw as I approached. “Anyone sitting here?”

  She shifted over a bit and allowed me to take a seat on the barstool. “I’m glad you came out Jericho.”

  “You hung up before I even had a chance to say yes or no. Not that I would’ve said no…”

  “What’re you drinking?”

  I looked up at the beer and picked a fancy import beer. She flagged down the bartender and placed my order for me. Tuning back, “So, what’re your thoughts on The Negative Man coming back?”

  To be honest, I didn’t care that’s the topic she brought up. I didn’t know what else to say to this incredibly sexy woman. “He’s an evil villain. Chances are he’s been hiding in plain sight, watching us get complacent.”

  “Oh so you could be The Negative Man?” She said it in such a mocking way that my feelings actually got hurt. Why couldn’t I be a super villain?

  I tried to laugh it off. “Hey you never know! I’m pretty scary!”

  She laughed at my joke, which was very nice. “You’re cute Jericho, in that geeky, yet smart and sexy way. In all seriousness though, do you think it’s safe to stay here?”

  “Yeah, why not? All major cities have their issues, whether it’d be just regular old human gangs or another villain trying to take over. At least we have The Dark Lion here.”

  The bartender brought my beer and a refill for Heather. “Between me and you Jericho, The Dark Lion and the other vigilantes worry me just as much. I can’t believe old Grimes gave him the green flag to just go around murdering people just because they think they’re evil.”

  I took a long slow drink of my expensive beer. “Grimes is just doing what he thinks will make people like me and you safe. Do I always agree with the vigilantes and their actions? No I don’t. On the flip side, I really do think they’re trying to keep us safe.”