The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  I looked over, a bit concerned. “Static?”

  “I guess so.” She shook her hand. “That stung a little bit.”

  I watched carefully as she grabbed the fork again, but nothing happened. Maybe I was just overanalyzing things. I went back to the burrito and soon was lost in its deliciousness.

  The one thing we agreed on was not talking about either place of work. It was actually something John made me promise before I left for gl-O-bal, as he didn’t want anything to slip and put anyone in danger. Plus, it was nice not having to worry about Wonder-Tech for a bit. John and I had a secret meeting scheduled for very early Sunday morning for me to go over everything with him. That’d be enough for me.

  “So when’s your next appointment? I can take off and go with you if you’d like.”

  She pulled out her phone and scanned through her calendar. “Next Tuesday by the looks of it. If they give me a clean bill of health, then I’ll be officially done with Heights General.”

  Unlike me who skipped all of my doctor’s appointments (I didn’t trust them or really believe in them), Heather had been very punctual. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m sure you’re going crazy just sitting around all day at home.”

  “It was fun to begin, as there are a lot of smutty TV shows on during the day, but yeah, I’m ready to get back on with life.”

  I toasted her with my soda glass. “Give it a week or two, you’ll wish you were back to watching smutty daytime TV.”

  She returned the favor with her water cup. “I’ve been able to actually catch up a lot on The Negative Man coverage. Can you believe some stations are hailing him as a hero?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s all in people’s eyes. What is bad to some is heroic to others.”

  “Maybe, and trust me, I get that Massacre really messed up during The Aces hostage situation by killing those people, but to kill him in cold blood like that?”

  Wasn’t that what The Dark Lion was doing though? “Remember a few weeks ago when The Dark Lion killed off a bunch of thugs and the police chief hailed him a hero? Again, it just depends on the view of the people.”

  She tapped her finger against her glass. “You’re right. I mean I always respected The Dark Lion because of his stand against The Negative Man a few years back, but who was really right and who was wrong?”

  “I remember the last part of his reign, but what happened at the beginning to turn the city against him?”

  A lightbulb went off in her mind. “That all took place just as you moved here right?”

  “Yeah, but I was so focused on my studies, that I sorta ignored the news for a time.” I didn’t mean to sound as if I didn’t care, “Most of my classmates said it was the darkest time in the history of the city.”

  “Unlike The Aces, who steal, murder, and generally do whatever they want, The Negative Man was like one of those ‘I’m going to take over the world’ types. He attacked various points in the city, each time declaring he did it to show us how weak we were.”

  I rubbed my chin and took another drink. “A megalomaniac super human huh?”

  “I don’t know that I’d say that. Each of his attacks seemed so calculated and precise. He was like a skilled engineer or something when it came to disrupting the city.” Her voice contained no disdain for him, more like someone recounting a history book. “There were deaths of course; he wiped out a number of vigilantes that had taken up arms in Pacific Station.”

  Again, the west coast was much more super friendly than the east coast. That was one of the main reasons for the great divide between the two parts of the country. “Was that the turning point?”

  She went back to her phone and pulled up a website on the browser. “Check out this memorial page to the fallen supers.” I took her phone as she kept talking. “Pacific Station loves their vigilantes. The police force basically endorses them to do the hard jobs.”

  I recognized the names on the memorial page. “Devil’s advocate here, but what if all these heroes had done something like Massacre did? Do you think they’d still be worshipped?”

  “That’s an interesting question. In the legal field there’s a saying – time heals all wounds.”

  “Maybe that’s why some of these stations are now on The Negative Man bandwagon. Time healed the wound.”

  She snapped up a chip and dipped it into the salsa. “You’d make a fine lawyer Mr. Staley.”

  The conversation took a less serious turn as we began speculating about the upcoming baseball season. I had ties to my team back east, but was also a big Pacific Station fan, so I was telling Heather I was hopeful they’d both make it to the Series. “I can totally see Rollins having a break out year. He was really turning it on-”

  “Jericho…” Her skin was starting to go flush and pale. “I think something’s wrong.”

  I saw how hard she was gripping the table. “Do we need to get you to a doctor?”

  Sweat started forming at her hairline. “I don’t know. I really don’t feel all that well.”

  Getting up, “I can take you to the bathroom. Here, take my arm.” I offered her my left and she took it.

  We were on our way to the back of the restaurant when she stumbled a bit. A waitress that was nearby came over to see if we were okay. “Is there something wrong?”

  Phones began ringing everywhere. Both of ours had been left on the table due to rushing Heather over to the bathroom. I looked down and saw Heather’s eyes were white – no irises. The waitress saw this too and starting backing up. That’s when the explosions starting happening, everywhere.

  Chapter 26 –

  Wednesday Evening; Wonder-Tech Tower

  Heather was still out cold by the time I got to Wonder-Tech Tower. No one was here and I knew my access codes were still good. I punched in the number and got us inside quickly. News was already on the radio and they were calling it a super terrorist attack.

  There had been no survivors at The Big Burrito. Whatever happened to Heather turned everyone’s cell phones into little miniature bombs that all went off simultaneously. Knowing DL the way I did, it was a sure thing he was already on scene. I just hoped no one saw me leaving with Heather draped over my shoulder.

  The computer lab was still a mess, but this would suffice. I laid her down on one of the tables that was still standing and sat down myself. “Damnit not Heather…”

  “Ughh, my head.” I saw her arm move up and a hand being placed on her forehead. “I just had a terrible dream.”

  Rolling my chair over, “Hey, are you doing okay?”

  She shot up a lot quicker than she should have. I had to grab her to keep her from falling off the table. “What did I do?”

  She remembered what happened. Shit. It was probably too much to ask to not remember something that traumatic. “It wasn’t your fault. No one would’ve been able to guess that happened to you.”

  I doubted she heard me as the tears started. Sobbing soon followed and all I could do was just stand there silently, holding her close. Once she calmed down, she started to question where we were. “What is this place?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that one. “Just know this is a safe place to rest and recover from everything.”

  That wasn’t going to be good enough. “What I don’t need is secrets. Are you hiding something from me?”

  “Actually I am. There’s something you need to know about me before we can go any further.”

  Her eyes left me and went towards something behind me. I didn’t even have a chance to see what she was looking at before she yelled out, “You’re working with The Dark Lion!”

  What she’d seen was DL’s clawed gauntlet. It was almost as famous as his musty old cowl. “Yeah, I used to run what’s left of this lab.”

  The door behind us flew open. “Jericho! And Miss Adams?”

  Shit, DL. “I’m sorry but I had nowhere else to bring her. I needed to be able to keep her safe until I figured out what happened.”

  He kept his cow
l up and still had his goggles on, obscuring his face. “I see. So she was the one behind the unfortunate situation at The Big Burrito.”

  She dropped off the table, head down. “I understand if you need to arrest me.” Her voice was filled with fear and tears formed in her eyes again. “I never meant for that to happen. I don’t know why it did.”

  “I have no intentions of turning you into the police Miss Adams. Jericho has told me much about you and I know you would never do something like this maliciously.” She acknowledged him meekly. “That being said, until we can figure out what happened, you are a danger to the public.”

  “What do you think we should do?”

  He looked at her, deep in thought. “We need to observe first, in a controlled environment. Jericho,” he shifted to me, “you already have a task to do, so if you trust me in this, I can help Miss Adams out.”

  She wanted to know what I was up to, but I didn’t think it was the time. “You’re probably the best person to turn to.”

  “Speaking of that task, without a cell phone, you’ll need to get in contact with your informant. I suggest you do so quickly.” I didn’t want to leave Heather like this, but I wasn’t really in a position to say no. He was right; Spades would want to know what was going on. “Like I said, I’ll take care of her and explain as much as I can.”

  Looking over at Heather, “You going to be okay?”

  “If you’re doing important stuff for The Dark Lion, than you need to keep at it.” I gave her a hug and a kiss. “I’ll email you later and hopefully get access to a phone.”

  “I hope I do too.” One last kiss and then I slipped out the secret entrance. I was curious if and how he was going to tell her the lair was in the Wonder-Tech building. I know he was sneaky, so whatever he decided would work. I got back to my car and drove on over to the gl-O-bal Labs building.

  Security was there, but I flashed them my badge and said I had work to do in the B5 lab. The bigger or the two barely waved me by and I got to the elevator. When I got to my desk, I sent Owen an email to call me at my work phone.

  While I waited for a response, I went back to the elemental gun. I needed something to take my mind off what happened tonight. I knew she’d been putting on a strong face, but killing that many people would be something that haunted her for a long time. It took a great deal of self resolve to get over that.

  I was putting together a new wiring diagram when the phone rang. “Jericho, what have I told you about working late?”

  “I didn’t have a choice; I was at The Big Burrito tonight when everything happened.”

  The jovial tone dropped. “Is it true what they’re saying? Is there another super in town?”

  “I’ve mentioned my girlfriend Heather Adams to you right?”

  “The hot lawyer? Yes, I do remember her.”

  Ignoring his comment about Heather, “She was in the Wonder-Tech building when it went to hell. Something from that attack triggered something inside her. She has power.”

  “Stay there. We will talk about this in person.” The line went dead.

  I’d gotten lost in my work again, as a way to escape everything, losing track of time yet again. It didn’t seem like forty-five minutes had gone by when Owen showed up, but according to the clock, it had.

  He had a look of great concern on his face. “How much do you know of what happened tonight?”

  “Everything was going fine until she said she wasn’t feeling well. I was taking her back to the bathroom when she stumbled over and her eyes went white. At that point, every cell phone in the place blew up.” I can’t stress enough how lucky we were ours had been left on the table.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Just how is that possible? A power that turns phones into IEDs? That is dangerous stuff Jericho.”

  I was there, I didn’t need reminding. “In the wreckage, The Dark Lion swept in and took her. He told me to trust him to protect her.”

  “Actually that’s probably not the worst thing that could’ve happened.” Walker praising Wonderton? That was a new strategy. “He’s honorable and reasonable enough to see when someone is innocent.”

  “Never thought I’d hear you singing The Dark Lion’s praises.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Mercury 5 phone. “It’s good to know your opponents strengths and weaknesses. Now here, take this.” He placed the phone in my hand.

  “I’ll change the SIM card out and everything.”

  “Call me pragmatic, but I carry spares around just in case. That one already is clean.” The man was like an evil boy scout or something.

  I looked back at the gun. “This should be ready by weeks end.”

  “The gun is important, but make sure you take time for your lady friend. What’s the point of amassing wealth and power if you have no one to share it with right?” Owen was just full of surprises tonight. “I think that’s why The Negative Man failed the first time around.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was a loner; he had no one to share in the glory with. A man is always stronger when he has those he’s fighting for.” He pulled out a picture of a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, from his wallet. “This is my daughter, Becky. She’s the reason I do what I do.”

  Hell, I didn’t even know he had a kid. “Some may say you’re not exactly father of the year.”

  “Yes, but her bank account will always be full and she’ll become a woman in a city that’s not plagued as it is currently. The Pacific Station she’ll know will be a place of order and control.” He spoke with such belief.

  “How can you be so sure of yourself?”

  Still looking at the picture of his daughter, “People always take comfort in knowing someone strong will be out there to keep the order.”

  There wasn’t much to respond to, but I took a lot of his points with me. Having someone to fight for did make someone much more dangerous. But couldn’t the opposite be said too? Couldn’t that give the person a great weakness too? Only time would tell.

  Chapter 27 –

  Friday Evening; Pacific Station Police Department

  “We’re taking significant fire from the southeast entrance! All units respond!”

  I’d hacked into the PSPD’s communications from my post at The Ace Base and cringed. Spades somehow dug up an army of hired hands and was taking it to the police. I didn’t know what spurned this impromptu attack, but earlier today I received a text to be here and run the controls on an op.

  Grimes voice broke through again. “Damnit! We’re losing too many officers! We need backup!”

  “We’ve got ‘em on the run boys! Keep pressing!” Hearts, of course, was the one running towards the fire. Spades was good with hanging behind and letting the muscle of the group take the fight to the cops.

  He reached out with his hand and sent a shockwave of energy towards a row of desks. They flipped up into the air, revealing more cops. Exposed, all they could do is keep firing, but they eventually succumbed under the overwhelming odds.

  This was just so barbaric. To use such a crude display of force against human police officers seemed so unnecessary. The police hadn’t been able to do anything to stop The Aces, yet here we were, ransacking the station for fun. It was almost as if Spades felt the need to let Hearts off his leash and succumb to the rage that was always just under the surface. Hearts did a good job at hiding it, but if you looked closely, you could see the disdain always hidden beneath the smile.

  “Look chief, backups come!” I looked up to where the police officer was pointing. A group of masked individuals dropped in from the ceiling, halting the gunfire.

  The five figures stood up tall, each wearing an animal mask – Elephant, Tiger, Antelope, Rhino, and Crocodile. The Elephant seemed to be the leader as this ragtag posse and stepped up to Hearts. With a campy attempt at a threatening growl, “This ends you pieces of shit.”

  Hearts wasn’t about to stand down to these guys, whoever they were. “Just wh
o do you think you idiots are? The City Zoo?”

  Tiger tried to jump forward, but his comrades held him back, which may have saved his life. Elephant continued on. “We are a group of supers who are tired of living in the shadows. We’ve come together to help The Dark Lion take out thugs like you.” He jabbed Hearts in the chest, rather hard too.

  Spades and Clubs joined Hearts, confronting the new threat. Spades pushed Hearts to the side. “As you can see you’re completely outnumbered. Even with The Dark Lion eliminating my supply of henchmen, I can still find those willing to die for a good cause.”

  “What about you? Are the three of you masked punks willing to die too?” Tiger’s voice sounded oddly familiar to me.

  Spades didn’t even retort. “Before we eliminate you ‘heroes,’ what do you call yourselves? I’d like to know what the name of my opposition is.”

  Rhino, who didn’t come across as the brightest bulb, proudly stated, “We’re the Station Thugs Destroyers!”

  Even as he said it, his friends groaned. I couldn’t help but pull away from my comm because I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Hearts picked up on it too and didn’t bother to hide his amusement at the stupid name. “You’re the STD’s? Oh this is rich…”

  “That name isn’t universally agreed upon.” Nothing Elephant could say now would stop this from spreading like wildfire.

  Spades and Clubs weren’t nearly as amused as Hearts and each pulled out their assault rifles. “Hearts, if you’re done toying with the newcomers, we have a job to finish.”

  All hell broke loose. Hearts sent another wave of energy towards the Animal Brigade (I just couldn’t call them the STD’s), yet they were well prepared. Elephant used the unusual power of limb expansion and blocked the blast with his hands. Tiger’s fingers had three inch claws at the tips and he jumped up and raked Hearts mask with them. Four deep gauges broke up the red on the mask.

  Clubs was firing his rifle at Rhino, who charged at him. Each step Rhino took shook the floor, causing Clubs to miss with all his shots as the man rammed him with his shoulder. Clubs fell back at an odd angle into the wall and his mask broke into two, sliding off his face. “I’ve been compromised!”