The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  He avoided a sneak attack, something no one else would’ve been able to see coming. “Let them come. I’ll form a team to help me, surround myself with people who care about the well-being of Pacific Station just as I do.”

  “I’ve heard it all before, from all those supers I had to kill because they hid their true intentions behind good deeds.” The first thing I did when I came here was clear out the imposters. Killing those frauds had the repercussion of bringing The Dark Lion in. “I don’t think you’re any different.”

  “Ha, a murderer lecturing me on morals and ethics. Why don’t you give up and let me show you how well this city would respond to my methods?”

  I caught his punch with my hand, charging one last energy attack. “You truly believe all this, don’t you?”

  “I have to; it’s the only thing that makes the fight worth it.” The conviction in his words was unreal.

  With the blast ready, I made a choice. Blowing up the ground in-between us, I called off my fight with The Dark Lion. Falling out of sight below, I’d let the city think he won, that he chased me off. His belief was so strong that he needed a chance to prove to the world he could do what he promised. And to up the ante, I was going to help him.

  Chapter 32 –

  Sunday Night; Waves Park

  The sounds of a helicopter moved in over us. It took longer than I thought for the news people to get here, to broadcast this showdown to the people of this city. They arrived just in time to see me nearly blow the head off The Dark Lion with a blast of negative energy. “I haven’t just been sitting around these last two years playing your sidekick. I’ve learned a vast array of new tricks.”

  He rolled to the side, avoiding another attack and then pushed himself towards me with an outstretched arm. I formed a shield of energy around myself to stop the punch. I tried to kick him when he stopped, but he was just too damn fast. “You might have, but I know you both the villain and the man behind the mask. I can anticipate everything you do.”

  Just because I tried to help him achieve his goals, he claimed he knew me. It was time to see just how well he thought he did. Across the street was Bayside Stadium and they just recently added an electronic advertisement billboard over the parking lot. Reaching out to the amount of energy used to power the sign, I transferred my subconscious into the electrical particles floating inside.

  From my new vantage point, I could see the whole park, including my body that I left protected by an energy bubble. “This looks so familiar DL. This is exactly the same power I used to put Massacre out of his misery. Though to be honest, I didn’t have to use nearly as much of my mind as I will with you.”

  Static starting bubbling within the sign and I guided it to one central point. The air crackled and sizzled, the hairs on my body’s arm standing on edge. When I had a mass of negatively charged energy big enough to level a city blocked formed, I released it towards my target.

  The Dark Lion was smart. He started running through the park with the projectile following him. He couldn’t outrun pure energy for long and just when victory seemed to be in hand, he stunned me again with his abilities. He double jumped from the ground, to a tree, and pushed himself over the sphere I’d created. As he landed safely, well the energy tinged his cape, it dispersed into the section of wooded area he had led it towards. The trees took the brunt of the explosion, sending splinters throughout the park.

  I moved my conscious from the billboard back to my body. “How many more rabbits can you pull out of your hat DL?”

  He showed no fear approaching me again, knowing that attack took a lot of my built in energy. I needed a minute to recharge. “As many as it takes Jericho.” He pounced on me, letting loose haymaker and haymaker. “You go big, having a flair for the dramatic with these attacks when I only need my fists.”

  My mask absorbed a few blows, but for the most part I used my hands and forearms to fend them off. It would be a race between us; would my energy recharge in time or would he break through my defenses.

  Just as a right hook leveled my face, I put my right hand against his chest, blasting him away. Not before the damage had been done – his fist shattered my mask and slammed into my face. All the times I’ve been hit by The Dark Lion and nothing compared to the power behind that punch.

  He was in no better shape. From my good eye, I could see he was lying on the ground breathing hard. I dug my fingers into the ground, trying to get back to my feet. My orientation was messed up and I tumbled back over.

  “Face it Jericho, you’re in no condition to continue. Give up and I’ll show you mercy.”

  Seeing him barely sitting up, “You’re one to talk John. If I’m in no shape, then what are you in? You can’t defend yourself either.”

  A stare down formed, the resolve of both of us was being tested. I felt a surge of energy, the will not to give in to my fallen mentor, my old enemy. I knew for sure his way was wrong and come hell or high water, I wasn’t going to let him keep failing Pacific Station.

  The people needed a firm hand, one I could give them! “Ughhh!” Pushing through the pain in my face and the off kilter equilibrium, I rose.

  DL must’ve been having the same internal push. “You’re not the only one with a second wind.”

  “Déjà vu, isn’t it John? We’ve been at this impasse once before.” Looking at him standing across from me reminded me of the first time we met in Waves Park. “Last time I made the choice to give up to help you. I think it’s time you returned the favor.”

  He started laughing at me which spurted into a harsh cough. “So you’re going to try and guilt me into forfeiting my life? You really are something.”

  A sniper rifle fired, the round headed straight for me. I put up my shield just in time and the bullet disintegrated. “These people don’t respect you, they used you. What can you say you’ve accomplished since that fateful night?” Two more rounds were fired, neither even worth my attention.

  “Without me, this city would’ve been overrun with crime; The Aces would’ve taken over.”

  “And in that mission you became just like the murders you claimed to want to stop.” This was the real reason for my anger. “Your way was supposed to be better than mine, but no, you couldn’t stop yourself from digging into the darkness.” If that was the path I was going to walk, I was going to do it as the reaper, not the lowly sidekick.

  “This is all about ego isn’t it? You can’t stand that someone else could succeed using your methods.” A twisted grin flashed under the cowl. “Did I call you sidekick too much Jericho? Did I hurt your poor insignificant feelings?”

  I lashed out with my left hand, sending a wave of electrons with the intent to kill at him. He ducked just in time, missing the deadly blow. “It was never about my ego! I gave up two years of my life to follow you, to see if the path in the light was better than the path in the shadows.” My rage began boiling, the air around me started to vibrate. “No, what disappoints me is you gave up, you stopped trying just when we were about to make a damn difference!”

  He sensed something major was coming. “I picked the path that was necessary. I’m sorry that in your mind I let you down.”

  “You didn’t let me down; you just showed me that I was right.” Blue energy formed above both of my hands. “And if my way’s the right way, then I’ll be the one doing it, not you.” I pointed both hands at him, knowing this attack would be the one that put The Dark Lion down for good.

  Just the vibrations from the supercharged particles should’ve ripped him away, yet he shifted so fast it looked like a blur against the dark night. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed he went intangible like Spades was able to do. “Your speed… it increased?”

  When he stopped moving back and forth, he looked just as amazed as I did. “I did it…”

  “What did you do?”

  Whipping his infrared goggles on to the ground, “I tapped into my potential and with it, a way to defeat you once and for all.” He flashe
d again, this time towards me. My eyes couldn’t even blink in the time it took for him to reach my neck and grab it. “I should thank you; you super charged the elements around me allowed me to get the right feel.”

  I felt my throat being crushed. “You…kill…me, you’ll…be…no…better.”

  “I’m killing The Negative Man and with him, all the bad memories.” With his offhand, he gestured at the spot I blew up earlier with the giant ball of energy. “In the future, I might petition the city to build a statue to honor you, as without you, nothing would be possible.”

  His grip was getting tighter. His arms were longer than mine, so I couldn’t even reach his body to shock him. As the gasping became louder and more pronounced, I pulled my last trick. With my left hand, I placed in on the pocket where my cell phone was and gave a small burst into it. This was my last chance, a plea to the one person who said they understood me.

  A split second later, The Dark Lion’s cell phone began ringing on him. I heard it and if he did, he ignored it. He was putting all his force into choking me. Then on the third ring, it blew up. When he released me and air began filling back up in my lungs, I shielded myself the best I could by using the energy expended by the small blast.

  I came away relatively unscathed, just the damage done by DL to my voice box. The same couldn’t be said for him. His left leg was gone and he laid there, convulsing in shock. I felt sick to my stomach seeing him like this. No matter, this was a way to an end; I needn’t be held back by compassion now.

  With enough power for one final attack, “I’m sorry old friend. You won’t suffer anymore.” I released the attack into his chest, and the convulsing stopped. The Dark Lion was dead.

  Chapter 33 –

  Monday Morning; Wonder-Tech Tower

  Even with losing my mask, the identity of The Negative Man was still a secret. The news was buzzing on DL’s death and the ramifications that it’d have on the city. I had a plan, but it wasn’t time to release it on to the world. No, at this moment, I wasn’t in the mood.

  I drank all night, not in celebration, but in sadness. Killing The Dark Lion – no John Wonderton brought me no joy. The only reason I won the battle was because of Heather. I was lucky that I’d been able to manipulate the cell waves to get the message to her. She’d been watching the battle on TV and with the knowledge I was in trouble, had been able to use her power to blow up John’s phone. It took a great deal of focus and strength from her, but she’d saved my life.

  I called her once I safely reached my apartment and told her I was okay. She asked to come over, but I said not tonight, it might be suspicious if she was spotted walking around. Truth be told, I just wanted to be alone. Two years ago, if I’d been successful in killing him, I would’ve been thrilled. Damn feelings and respect! Each time I closed my eyes to rest, I saw John’s face staring back at me. I eventually gave up the idea and just sat there.

  At eleven a.m., I got a call from Wonder-Tech requesting my presence. That struck me as odd, as it was gl-O-bal I’d been expecting to call with the recent power vacuum. Either way, I got dressed and went in. Everyone was dressed in black and paid me no mind. I got into the elevator and went to Legal, the department that called me.

  Heather was waiting for me and unlike everyone else, seemed very pleased. “Mr. Staley, a pleasure to see you this morning.”

  “You seem awfully chipper with everything going on.”

  She didn’t answer and I followed her over to the boardroom on the floor. Inside was most of the Legal team. I didn’t know, or even really care, what most of their names were. In the center was an older man, John’s head lawyer Marvin St. Clair. He stood as I entered and the rest of the lackeys did too.

  This was odd. “Morning everyone.”

  Marvin took a seat and opened a folder. “Mr. Staley, as you probably are well aware by this time, John Wonderton is dead.” Oh I knew that alright. “He was the masked vigilante The Dark Lion and he died in duty, murdered by The Negative Man.”

  I’d turned the news off well before this information had been made public obviously. I tried to act a bit shocked. “I can’t believe it. You never think of your boss as a super powered vigilante, you know?”

  “Well, you’ll need to work out the shock because he knew he was in a battle of life or death. On Saturday evening, he had me re-write his will.” He placed the stack of papers on the table. “Most of it does not pertain to you, but one major factor does. He’s turned over sole control of Wonder-Tech to you.”

  I went from trying to fake surprise to showing the real deal. “He did what?”

  “As of this morning, Wonder-Tech and all of its properties are yours.” He slid the paper down and one of the lawyers handed it to me.

  I read that declaration at least five times. In his last act, before he knew I was The Negative Man, he gave me his legacy. “What does this mean going forward?”

  “As soon as you sign that, you will be the CEO of Wonder-Tech.” Everyone sitting at that table, except for Heather, looked extremely nervous. “This will become your legacy.”

  Heather handed me a pen. “Go ahead Mr. Staley, sign the paper.”

  With her prodding, I put my name on the declaration and slid it back.

  ****

  Sitting in the office that belonged to John was incredibly weird. Time and time again I’d come here in the hopes of helping him change the city his way. Starting tomorrow, his way was gone and my way would be the new source of power. My first order of business would be to rebuild the secret lab just on the other side of the wall. It had been a source of invaluable information.

  I heard a knock on my door. It was Mike Blackfield, the guy I used to share a floor with in IT. “Hey man, are the rumors true?”

  Something strange hit me about his voice. “Yeah, turns out I’m the new CEO of Wonder-Tech.”

  He walked over and gave me a high five. “Sucks about John though, being The Dark Lion and all. I can’t believe he got offed by The Negative Man.”

  “Yeah.” There was something wrong here. Where had I heard this voice before, outside of work? “I guess we will soon see what he has instore for Pacific Station.”

  His eyes darkened. “Unless someone gets to him first. You can’t take out a city’s hero and not expect repercussions.”

  An animal’s mask appeared in my head, one of a Tiger. I walked around the room and clicked the door, locking it. “I think we need to have a quick talk Mike.”

  He looked on at me nervously. “What’s going on Jericho?”

  “I know you’re the guy behind the tiger mask, one of the new SVIS task force members, right?”

  He backed up, bumping against the locked door. “How do you know that?”

  I snapped my fingers, electricity sparking. “Because I too have a secret.” I took my time advancing to him, beginning to remember the joy I got out of ending the lives of imitator supers. “I’m The Negative Man.” I pushed the energy into his chest with my left hand while I covered his mouth with my right. I ratcheted up the intensity until Tiger was dead, a hole burned into his chest. He didn’t deserve the same mercy that was reserved for John.

  I picked up his dead body and tossed it into one of the chairs reserved for guests. I considered it my first trophy in this new era for Pacific Station. I intercommed down to Legal, “Miss Adams, would you mind coming up here? I need some help understanding this one document.”

  “Of course Mr. Staley.”

  When she got there, she smiled at the dead body of Blackfield sitting there. “That guy always creeped me out, leering at me.”

  “Turns out he was a minor super that was part of the new task force Chief Grimes formed.” One down and four more to go there. “I need you to go to his house and find the tiger mask. We’re going to use him as our first example.”

  Maybe it was the connection I created when I attacked Wonder-Tech, but I could see more of my own personality rising in her. “Oh, I can’t wait to see what you have planned. The mor
e this city fears you, the more it will stay in line.”

  “Pacific Station is broken, some of it caused by me, but mostly because no one has grabbed control.” I walked over to the window and looked out. The sadness of the city, with its hero dead loomed large. Makeshift memorials were popping up for The Dark Lion outside of Wonder-Tech. “We let the people grieve the loss today, but soon they will forget about him. A new force will rise in his place and they will come to respect him. And he will give them reason to believe again.”

  Epilogue –

  Wednesday Night; Ocean Memorial Gardens

  John Wonderton’s funeral was well attended, almost everyone there to mourn The Dark Lion, but not the man himself. I was there for the man, not the cape. “I’m sorry it happened like this John. Believe it or not, you were my friend.”

  People had left cards and notes on his freshly dug grave. The headstone hadn’t arrived yet, but it would be there soon. Wonder-Tech ordered the largest and most elaborate one we could. He deserved nothing less.

  Draped over his mahogany casket was the yellow cape and cowl. The stained, ripped and dull fabric had a radiance of power in it. It would be my personal secret mission to make sure no one ever stained the legacy of the man. Call it a weakness, but I considered it my duty.

  I bent down on one knee, not used to wearing a suit and having a tie to contend with, and put my hands on the casket. I said a small prayer, hoping that John would be able to rest in peace. “The city is in my hands and I will fulfill my promises. You may not have liked my methods, but the peace and order I bring, that you would respect.”

  With one last look at The Dark Lion, I got up and left. Heather was waiting for me at the edge of the grounds and we had work to do. It was time to start fulfilling my duties.