The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  A voice chirped in my ear; it was Spades. “Diamonds, can you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear boss.”

  “Clubs online.”

  “As is Hearts.”

  “Very good gentlemen, let’s go. We have a party to attend.” The sound of a van turning on filled the comm. “Diamonds, what’s the best route?”

  Our location popped up on the map. Whether by design or they just forgot, I saw where The Aces base was, in the old packaging district on the outside of the city center. “Go south on Cooper Street. Go in the backside, using Sandy Beach, as there’s limited police activity there.”

  “Very good. Hearts, let go.”

  The was radio silence from everyone while they were driving. Doing as I promised, I made sure all the traffic lights fell into a pattern that was very favorable for my new teammates. What should’ve been a ten to fifteen minute drive ended up only taking eight.

  Hearts pulled into the back of City Hall where two regular uni’s were stationed. I was already on it, having broken into the city’s power grid and killed the lights to the back alley. In the darkness, I couldn’t see what happened, but Trelewicz responded with, “The officers are taken care of.”

  “Diamonds, we’re going inside. Switch to the security cameras to follow along.”

  I kept one monitor on the outside, focused on where the car was parked. The lights flicked back on bringing the escape vehicle back into view. The main monitor went inside, to the first camera and The Aces were walking in. No one was in the hallway, all the way to the next corridor. “You’re clear all the way in.” I double clicked on the open link, “Security system is offline.”

  “Well done Diamonds. You’re almost making Clubs look bad.”

  Spades jab only made Clubs chuckle. “Maybe I’m more cut out for field work.” Way to sound enthusiastic Jenkins. Someone might’ve bought it.

  The three of them walked slowly down the hall way. Unlike me who was dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, my fellow Aces were dressed in black body armor, each with two guns on them. One was located on the right hip and the other was an assault rifle strapped to their backs. The only real way to tell them apart was by their masks.

  When they reached the door leading to the next corridor, I switched views. This one must go to the main event area as three cops were walking around. They were pretty relaxed, as if not a care in the world. “You have three uni’s on the other side. They’re pretty relaxed and you should take them with no problem.”

  Clubs pulled something out of his one vest pocket. It looked almost like a phone. “Diamonds, do you see the joystick two consoles over?”

  Sure enough, there was one like an old gaming system. “Yeah, what about it?”

  On the screen he pointed to the small device in his hand. “This is a crawler, specially programmed to release sleeping gas in a small space. As soon as I activate it, it’ll be linked remotely to that joystick. Think you can get it in there?”

  “I’m insulted Clubs. I’ve been playing video games for years.”

  He tapped his head knowingly and dropped the device. It was active, and like controlling an old RC car, I guided the small creeper right to the perfect spot. “It’s in position.”

  “Wait for it…” Clubs wasn’t moving, but I knew he could insert his mind into pretty much anything with a computer chip.

  The creeper blinked twice before emitting a slow stream of gas into the room. It was barely noticeable, in fact the officers didn’t even realize until it was too late. One by one they began to fall over until all three were down and out.

  “Success…” Spades opened the door without a care in the world. “I think it’s time we introduced ourselves to those V.I.P.’s who are so eager to depart with their money, don’t you all agree?”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I just agreed with the rest of them. Each removed the large caliber gun off their back, ready for action.

  Hearts seemed to be especially ready to get the show on the road. Spades pointed to the door with two fingers, my signal to switch views and give a status update.

  I reviewed the room. “A few security officers, but not enough to cover how large the ballroom is. Grimes and a few other important people are there, but they aren’t combat ready. You’re all clear.”

  And with that, The Aces kicked open the door, their assault rifles ready for action.

  Chapter 17 –

  Wednesday Night; Undisclosed Location

  “Everyone stay calm and remove your valuables.”

  Spades voice came across clear in my ear piece. The measured tone of his voice was almost haunting. As I scanned from one security camera to another, “Three leo’s getting ready to storm the front door.”

  I switched back into the main room just in time to see Hearts run over to the door. As soon as the cops broke in, an invisible force pushed them back, flying right out of view. I flipped back to the street cam adjacent from the entrance just in time to see the three cops smash into their cruiser. One was obviously dead by the angle of his neck, the other two questionable.

  The City Hall doors slammed shut again, this time no one would get in. Hearts invisible force wasn’t anything the police could break through. The city’s wealthiest would be on their own until DL showed up.

  The heist inside was going well and The Aces were moving quickly. No one wanted to play the part of hero, and who could blame them? After witnessing your would-be rescuers tossed from a building like ragdolls, if anyone had the gumption to do it, that died along with the officer outside.

  I caught a shadow on the rear cam facing the backdoor. I saw the door had been pried open, flapping in the breezy evening. “Spades, I think he’s here.”

  Over the ear piece a cool laughter echoed. “Excellent. I think it is about time I made a much more personal acquaintance with my rival.”

  It dawned on me, Owen Walker saw himself as John Wonderton’s rival in the corporate field and now he knew he was The Dark Lion; their rivalry would extend to the super playing field. “He’s moving fast, I can barely keep track of his movements.”

  “Don’t worry Diamonds, your work for the evening is over. Sit back and enjoy the show.” He signaled to Hearts and Clubs. “Finish collecting the loot and make sure the police don’t get in. I’ll take care of our special guest.”

  “Yes sir.” Even wearing a mask in the shape of a heart Trelewicz was a scary man.

  A little more mild mannered, “Of course.” Clubs was a company man, both professionally and under the mask.

  The door The Aces used to infiltrate the main hall burst open. Standing there in his old, faded yellow cape with his hood up was The Dark Lion. Over his face were the infrared goggles I personally designed. It was about damn time he started using them. His black body armor was covered in scars and stained blood. Everyone in the hall stopped for a moment, the appeal of his aura was overwhelming.

  The Dark Lion took two steps in and the door slammed shut behind him. I knew that stance; The Aces were the ones set up for no escape, not him. “Spades, it’s nice to finally meet the scum bag behind the operation.”

  “It’s funny, I could tell all these people just who you are and not think twice about it. Unfortunately you can’t do the same.”

  I saw his gloved hand itching with those long nails, ready to draw blood. “People don’t care about the face under the hood; they only care about what the man stands for. And you,” his finger shot up, causing Spades to flinch just for a split second, “stand for shit.”

  Spades brought up his automatic rifle. “Let’s see just how super those reflexes are.” He pulled the trigger, spraying bullets everywhere.

  To watch The Dark Lion is akin to watching the ballet. Movements aren’t wasted, grace is never compromised. To have his reflexes must be like watching the world in slow motion. Bullets flew by him, but none were ever close to touching his constantly twisting body.

  Bullets peppered the wall, sending pieces of drywall and wood
scattering. The more Spades tried to hit him, the less accurate he became and even hit a few of the hostages, killing them. This was the final straw for DL. Roaring across the room, he reached out and grabbed Spades by the neck, so fast The Aces boss never had a chance to dematerialize.

  DL broke his arm in two, sending the automatic weapon crashing to the ground, its deadly assault over. Spades screamed for mercy, but I knew there was none to be had. The look in DL’s eyes was fierce.

  Then Hell itself opened up as Massacre came stampeding in, sending Hearts tumbling into the hostages. The large man was stumbling around, obviously drunk. “I won’t be *hiccup* bullied by you assholes anymore!” He took a swing at the nearest target, but that happened to be a hostage. Fortunately his lethal attack missed, but only just so.

  DL let go of Spades and rushed Massacre. “Stop this at once! You’re in no condition to be here!”

  “No! I have every,” he belched rather loudly, “right to be here!”

  The Aces took this opportunity to retreat. With Spades in bad shape and Hearts power apparently not effective on Massacre, they decided to take the money and run. When they got back to the van, Spades, in a lot of pain gave me the command. “Keep watching this! I want to know what happens!”

  “Of course boss.” Even if he hadn’t given me the command, there was no way in hell I was pulling away. Massacre was borderline insane and DL could barely control him.

  Seeing The Aces had gotten away, “Massacre, you’re an embarrassment to the mask! How dare you come to a crime scene drunk!”

  He wobbled before turning his head in a herky-jerky motion towards DL. “No, you don’t get to tell me what to do no more!” He tried to charge DL, but the sober hero was able to avoid him with ease. Massacre ran a few more steps and fell down. His massive body crushed two hostages who hadn’t been able to get away in time.

  As Massacre and I looked on in both horror and shock, DL ran over to him and grabbed him by the back of the neck. “You took their lives…” His voice was so quiet, so eerie. “Of all the stupid things…”

  One of the hostages jumped up, “Massacre is a murderer!”

  “Kill him Dark Lion! He’s no good to this city.” Another joined in, sending the crowd into an angry buzz.

  DL hesitated, looking on at his old friend with a mixture of anger, pity, and disgust. Massacre, fear all over him, jumped up and pushed DL to the side. Sobering up quickly, he took off like a juggernaut, barreling through the side of City Hall and rushing out into the night.

  I looked on at the aftermath of the attack. People were dead, some killed by The Aces and two by Massacre. I looked back at where DL was standing in the middle of City Hall one last time before disconnecting. I didn’t move until I heard The Aces return.

  Hearts unlocked the door to let me out. “You did good tonight kid. I just wanted to tell you that.”

  I nodded at his praise, but my eyes were on Spades, who looked to be in a lot of pain. Clubs was standing beside him, trying to set his arm into a sling.

  The latest attempt failed because Spades couldn’t tolerate the pain. “Stop Clubs, we can’t do it here. Find me a doctor and quickly!”

  Clubs pulled out his phone and started doing his thing. I walked over to where Spades was laying on the ground. “What happened boss? Why couldn’t you go intangible?”

  “My power…” He huffed, short on breath from the broken arm. “It takes two seconds to activate. His reflexes were faster than my ability.”

  The more I learned about each of their abilities, the more I began to question their methods. “Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to go intangible from the start?”

  He tried to smile at my question, but it came off as more like a wince. “I can only hold that form for two minutes, or else bad things begin to happen. I wanted to wait until I had no choice before I started the countdown.”

  So I was right, he did have a time limit on his power. It was a lot shorter of a window than I figured though. “Massacre killed two people after you guys escaped. Stumbled forward and his girth crushed them.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing. Clubs looked up, “Massacre killed innocents?” He couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice.

  “Sure as day. He charged The Dark Lion and when he missed, fell over. It was quite obvious he was drunk.”

  A genuine smile appeared on Spades face. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted that to happen!” He tried to pump his fist, but his broken arm put a stop to that. After a moment to get his composure, “The city will turn on him you know? The Dark Lion will have no choice to hunt down Massacre. How great is this?”

  Inside, beneath the vile for what happened tonight, the question that had recently started to eat at me came roaring back to the forefront. I needed to talk to DL and quickly.

  Chapter 18 –

  Thursday Early Morning; Wonderton Estate

  It was either very late or really early depending on your view of time. After being dismissed by Spades, I went back to my apartment first to make sure no one was tracking me. I did a quick search of my body and found no bugs or devices on me. Leaving my mask, phone, and car, I hoofed it on foot to John Wonderton’s home.

  The mansion was huge, a good six miles from my small apartment complex. After about two miles of walking, I hailed a cab and got a ride to a diner less than a mile from his house. I ducked into the diner though, ordered a coffee, again unsure if anyone was following me.

  With cup in hand, I left and made the walk in the shadows until I reached the front gate. Cold and agitated, I buzzed the alarm over and over again until I got an answer on the screen. His face shifted from aggressive to surprise. “Jericho?”

  “Let me in. We need to talk.”

  The screen went back and the gates opened. I quickly hurried in, not stopping until I got to the front door which was already open. John was standing there, still in his DL battle armor without the faded yellow cape and cowl. It looked like he hadn’t been home long before I showed up.

  He ushered me in, closing the door behind me. “Where were you tonight? I expected to see you with The Aces.”

  “Much like I do for you, I was running the show from behind a computer desk. I saw everything.”

  His face darkened. “You saw what Massacre did then?”

  “He showed up drunk, ruined the operation, and to tops things off killed hostages!” The whole night’s worth of emotions began flooding into me. Maybe because of a glitch in the electric, but the lights in the house flickered for an instant. It was appropriate. “He’s become a danger to everyone, including himself. We need to bring him in.”

  John poked me in the chest, hard. “You worry about The Aces. I’ll take care of PJ.”

  That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. “You just proved tonight that you can take The Aces whenever you want! You broke Spades arm like it was nothing. Massacre is the bigger threat.”

  “Jericho, you’ve been a good friend and an invaluable help to me these past few years, but remember your place.” The look of disgust was evident. “I got lucky tonight with Spades and he got away. He won’t make the same mistake again.”

  “Spades is Owen Walker.”

  “What?” That stopped his rant. “The same Walker that owns gl-O-bal Labs?”

  “The very same. His personal bodyguard and assistant Jeff Trelewicz is Hearts. In conjunction with their powers, they have a whole lab filled with the latest tech, some of it not even patented yet.”

  I don’t think John had gotten over the fact Owen Walker was Spades just yet. “All these years, I wondered why he seemed so distant, so aloof.”

  “Now that he knows you’re The Dark Lion, this is personal to him. You’re his rival, both in his public persona and in his super dealings.” That wasn’t the point of this. “With this information, we can hit him where-”

  “Stop Jericho. We have a plan and we’re not going to deviate from it. You’re in tight with The Aces and I want you to keep
doing that.”

  Why wouldn’t he listen to me? “I get it’s been a bad night for you, but it’s time to listen to reason. We have a surefire way to end this, once and for all.”

  His energy was fading. “I shouldn’t have to explain my end game to you. Let me remind you who the vigilante is and who the sidekick is.”

  I stared daggers at him. “Fine. I’ll finish this John,” I tried to keep my voice even, “but this is it. When The Aces are out of the game, you’re on your own.”

  I didn’t give him a chance to respond, I stormed out and slammed the door behind me. The sun was starting to crack over the horizon and I power walked all the way back to the diner. The morning crowd was beginning to shuffle in, so I grabbed another coffee and waited. I ended up sitting in the tiny booth for another two hours, drinking coffee and eventually ordering something to eat.

  When my phone said seven in the morning, I shot Heather a quick text, asking for her to come over and pick me up. Two minutes later, I got a response saying of course and asking if everything was okay. I wasn’t sure what to tell her, but I knew today was not a day I’d be going to work.

  When she pulled up, I paid my tab and got in the car. “Jericho, you look like shit. Were you partying all night?”

  “The guys stayed over a bit, but John and I had some words this morning. I think today looks like a beach day.”

  Her dash thermometer said forty-six degrees. “Not quite the weather to go enjoy the sun and sand I’d say.”

  Obviously I wasn’t going to tell her the truth. “I work too hard and for too little to constantly put up with his arrogance and ‘my way or the highway’ philosophy. Let’s see how he does without me for a few days.”