The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  That seemed to be a loaded question judging by his reaction. “He dragged me into some shit back then. Some clown named The Crimson Mask was making life hard. Let’s call it a love/hate relationship.”

  “Wayne, this might be an out of left field question, but did John ever have any love life? And before you question me, I’ve heard rumors in Pacific Station of another super with abilities similar to his.”

  “Shit.” He put his head into his hand. “Did John ever know?”

  “He never mentioned a kid, so that’s why these rumors really sparked my interest. I figured this might be the place to find out.”

  Wayne took a seat and pulled out two shot glasses from his old metal desk. Grabbing a handle of whiskey from another cabinet, he poured us each one. “Need a little booze to tell this story.”

  I tossed mine back with him, the amber liquid burning my throat. “Phew, that’s good stuff.”

  He closed his eyes and let the burn do its thing. “This was almost twenty years ago, back when The Crimson Mask first made his appearance and I didn’t know John was a damn vigilante. My neighbor Moriah took an interest in him and the two of them fooled around for a bit.”

  He poured me another shot. “That seems to be the start of every great love story.”

  “Moriah was a foolish girl, but she believed in standing up and fighting. Before I knew it, she came to my door one night and said she was pregnant. By this time, I knew John was a super and was beside myself. How could he be so foolish, you know?”

  That was one thing I wasn’t willing to take a chance on. Heather and I both agreed bringing children into this life wasn’t a wise move. “I guess in the moment; consequences be damned huh?”

  “I gave him an ultimatum, I told him to either tell her the truth about himself or disappear from her life. I didn’t expect him to take the coward’s way out.” He slammed back some more whiskey. “A hero yes, but a piss poor man when he needed to be strong. Years later, when Kyle started to show these damn powers, I had to be the one to tell Moriah and pick up the pieces.”

  It was easy to see why this man was so bitter. “Where did he go?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “He stayed on here until The Crimson Mask was killed. Afterwards, he slunk around the shadows for a few years before going to Pacific Station and starting Wonder-Tech.” He closed the whiskey and put the glass back. “I’m surprised he stayed around as long as he did before taking up that stupid cape again. I thought maybe he was out of the game for good.”

  Wayne had given me a lot of information. A chance to look back into Wonderton’s life gave me so much to go on when it came to dealing with his son. “I won’t take up any more of your time. I thank you for being honest and candid with me.”

  “It’s my pleasure kid. If you find his son, if you’re even looking for him, tell him Uncle Wayne wishes he’d stay out of this life, just like he promised his mother.”

  Chapter 11

  Thursday Evening; Athena’s Greek Faire

  The security guard recommended a little Greek place within walking distance of Smart Logic after my meeting with Wayne. The soonest flight I could get back to Pacific Station wasn’t until nine-twenty, so I figured I’d try some local cuisine before heading home.

  The owner of Athena’s, Chris Pappas, was an intriguing man. He regaled me with stories from a time when North Terrace was being run over with supers. “They say lurking in the shadows is a nightmare from years past. Bullshit I say. People just getting all worked out because of that Negative Man down there where you’re from.”

  “What nightmare? I don’t even really remember any super that really ravaged the city?”

  He pointed up to a newspaper article framed on the wall. “The Crimson Mask – the guy was a damn menace. Greedy son of a bitch, probably robbed from dying relatives or something.”

  This had to be the same Crimson Mask Wayne mentioned. “Wasn’t he killed by another? At least that’s the rumors I’ve heard.”

  “Depending on the person you’re talking to, The Dark Lion used to live up here under the name Prowler. Him and old Crimson got into a big time fight up on the rooftops. Last image anyone who saw that spectacle will ever have is Prowler throwing the Hood off the top of a building. No one survives that kinda shit, man.”

  Between not telling Moriah about his abilities and tossing this Crimson Mask from a roof, it seemed old Mr. Lion had a rather dark side too. I saw glimpses of it right before his fall, but this? No, I wasn’t expecting all of this. “Did they ever recover the body of The Crimson Mask?”

  Chris refilled my water and pulled out the guest chair. “No, that was the weird thing and why everyone now thinks he’s still out there. Course my theory is that because they were digging up the ground by the building Hood got tossed from, his body is buried somewhere over there. Nope, we’re never seeing him again.”

  Call me a super historian, but the stories of old really inspired me. I wish I would’ve been there to witness this fight. “I thank you for the gyro and the story, but I think it’s time for me to get to the airport.”

  “A pleasure to meet you Mr. Staley – have a safe trip back to Pacific Station.”

  After I settled up the bill, I pulled out MP Ness’s card and gave him a buzz. “Mr. Ness, its Jericho. I need a ride to the airport if you got time.”

  I didn’t even hang up the phone before his taxi pulled up to the restaurant. “I was in the neighborhood, dropping off another couple.”

  Pleased with how quickly he was able to get here, I sat back in my seat and closed the door. This trip to North Terrace had been more fruitful than I could’ve imagined. I closed my eyes for a bit, not really falling asleep, but resting until we got to the airport. Unfortunately, after driving for a bit, something felt wrong.

  I opened my eyes and we were in a rough section of town. “Umm, MP, where are we going?”

  “Ahh good you’re awake. I didn’t want to have to kill a sleeping man.” The friendly look was gone; no this was the look of a stone cold killer. “Chris told me when you stopped in his restaurant, couldn’t believe my luck.”

  Something wasn’t adding up. “Athena’s? What does that place have to do with anything?”

  He pulled the car over and turned off the engine. “You’re a dead man, so the details really don’t matter, but Chris is my uncle and he kept you busy long enough to let me get into position.”

  I tried to open the door but it was locked. “Just what are you planning-” A needle shot out of his arm and nearly took my head off. If I hadn’t been on high alert, instead of sticking out of the glass, it would’ve been in my skull. “You’re a super.”

  “Not just any super, but the most feared super of North Terrace, or well, at least I used to be. I might not get my revenge on the one who deserves it, but you’ll have to do Mr. Staley.” He lined up another shot, but I rolled out of the way. Seeing I had no other choice, I blasted the passenger side door off and exited the car.

  MP followed me. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but if you keep this up, you’re going to get hurt – really bad.” I reached out for potential electric sources to augment my own. “I don’t think an introduction is in order.”

  MP pulled out a red mask and put it on. “I have no intentions of letting you go. You’ve made a big mistake coming into my town.”

  I didn’t have my Negative Man gear, but I could still obscure myself. Using the power from a nearby electrical panel, I created a polarity barrier. “So you’re The Crimson Mask?”

  “And it seems mild and unassuming Jericho Staley is really The Negative Man. Pity I don’t play well with others.” He launched another volley of needles, but they were destroyed by the shield. “I especially like a challenge.”

  From out of his taxi, MP, or The Crimson Mask, had a slender build, perfect for fast movement and agility. But he wasn’t on the level that The Dark Lion was. From inside my shield, I formed a burst bal
l and threw it at him. He jumped out of the way, letting the ball engulf the taxi. As soon as the surge hit the gas tank, it blew up in a fiery mess.

  “I just paid that off.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t piss off the most powerful super of all time.”

  Even from behind his hood I could feel his arrogance. “I might have something to say about that.” Seeing how his distance attacks weren’t working, he changed up his tactics. Instead of one small spike, he created a longer one, about the size of a katana. “I’ve been honing my craft for years. My power might not be as flashy as yours, but it’s just as deadly.

  I prepared myself as he came forward and tried to engage me up close. His spike sword penetrated my shield, causing me to drop it and use an electrical flash to get out of the way. The bright light blinded me as much as it did him, so I was still in an off guard position. I hadn’t prepared for a fight and my lack of preparation was showing.

  My eyes came back to me in time to see him create three smaller spikes in his off hand. He tossed the three of them like playing cards at me, but I tapped into the current above me to stop them. Thankfully this part of town had some pretty old and worn out power lines as it made it quite easy for me to gain access to even more power.

  He didn’t try to follow that up with any attack. “It seems we might be at an impasse. I wasn’t expecting to find The Negative Man and you clearly aren’t prepared for a fight. How about we come to an accord?”

  My eyes narrowed, what game was he playing? “What kind of agreement are we looking at?”

  “Well you inspired me. See I loved how you went into hiding, letting the people think you’re dead only to come back and kill their beloved hero.” I hope I didn’t ramble like this in my villain moments. “I thought I was happy in retirement, but I miss it. So what better way to come back than to announce I’m the baddest man alive?”

  And there we had it. “So you want a fight?”

  He clapped at my answer to the obvious. “Not just any fight, but a big time spectacle for all to see. When I kill you, and trust me I will, the world will have a new fear to face.”

  “No offense, but why do I want to take on The Dark Lion’s leftovers? If I remember the story your uncle Chris told me correctly, he tossed your sorry ass from a rooftop.”

  “Enough!!” He lashed out with a few more spikes, but they were easily fried. “If you don’t meet me tomorrow night on top of the Smart Logic building, I’ll expose your truth to the world.”

  Well we couldn’t have that. “If you want to die, so be it. Just remember, you had a better chance tonight than you will tomorrow.”

  He double jumped from a car roof to a nearby balcony. “Tomorrow night, don’t be late.”

  I stood there and watched him gracefully leave. Something was very off about this, perhaps an obvious trap. There wasn’t any other choice though, so I needed to get my equipment up here. Good thing Wonder-Tech had an excellent package delivery plan with the postal service.

  Chapter 12 –

  Friday Morning; Astoria Gardens Hotel

  “And you got a tracking number too?”

  “Jericho, I know what I’m doing.”

  This video chatting over the internet meant I couldn’t avoid skeptical looks or hide my own expressions. I never really cared for it. “I know you do, but I just want to make sure there’s no hitch to this plan. This guy is as dead as they come later.”

  She looked from our screen to her other monitor. “I can’t believe he’s been living off the grid for eighteen years. What the hell has he been doing?”

  “He’s been a cabbie of all career options.”

  Even with all my hacking into various databases and public records, information on MP Ness or The Crimson Mask was limited. Even worse, his cell phone was disabled, so Heather wasn’t able to track him or blow him into a million pieces. My only option was to meet him at the top of Smart Logic later tonight.

  “Jericho, what if you phased into their news network like you did here? Maybe you can throw him off his game with a preemptive assault?”

  The idea has crossed my mind. “I don’t want to spook him and risk my identity. We’re so close to finalizing our plans – I just need to take care of this the old fashioned way.”

  People were starting to meander into Wonder-Tech, so Heather had to go. “I’ll call you in a bit. Lay low until you have to go meet this Hood guy, okay?”

  “I will. This hotel you set me up in has quite the movie package with it.”

  **Kyle Wonderton**

  It’d been so easy to go into Mr. Staley’s office and find the folder I dropped. Becky distracted his assistant when I ran in to get it. Luck was on my side as it was on top of his desk, unopened. Considering the odd nature of the research inside, I wasn’t even worried that Mr. Staley read it or even understood it.

  My dad’s old house was boarded up, so I made camp in his garage. The estate was still tied up in litigation and as there were no records of him having a son, I felt it’d be impractical to go announce myself. What mattered was just being in his home, I got a sense of finally getting to know the man.

  It was my second night here when I found the trap door that led to a little military style bunker. There was a cot, computer and table, and some of his old gadgets waiting to be discovered. The one thing I was reluctant to touch was a pristine yellow hood/cape combination. I knew his cloak was his trademark and I didn’t feel worthy and even being around the symbol of The Dark Lion.

  What I did enjoy were the old pair of infrared goggles and gloves with metal strips over the knuckles. I put them on from time to time just to get the feel for each object. Every time I suited up, I felt less like a pretender and more like a vigilante. Maybe it was time to start trying to do more, before my inevitable demise.

  Above I heard footsteps on the concrete. Only one person knew I was here and I think I might’ve regretted telling her. I opened the latch to the trap door and pushed it open. “Hey Becky.”

  “Kyle, what’re you doing underground?”

  I moved out of the way and let her come down. “Whoa.”

  It made me smile a little with pride that she seemed impressed the moment she saw my dad’s old hideaway. “I’m learning about where I came from. My dad was an incredible guy.”

  “I wish I could say the same for mine.” Yeah I guess when your dad was one of the most wanted men in history that kinda hurts. “There’s a ton of cool stuff in here.”

  I took a seat on the cot while she rummaged through some of the older gadgets I hadn’t bothered with. Most looked to have been taken apart for spare parts, but Becky was keen on a few. “Do you mind if I take these with me? I might be able to salvage them.”

  By them, I didn’t really know what she meant. It all looked like pieces and parts to me. “Yeah, go for it.”

  As she scavenged the rest of my secret base, I went back over to the computer and my research. With Dr. Cooper’s notes back, I was eager to run some more simulations on this program I picked up. Trusting that Becky wouldn’t use her powers again on me, I felt free to conjecture in the silence.

  “This cloak is in perfect condition.” I turned around to see my guest marveling so closely at my most treasured possession. “When I see this, I see a symbol of hope.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She picked it up on the wall rack and I gasped. Before I could even stop her or say something, she draped it over me. “Looks good on you.”

  I quickly scrambled to take it off. “No, I’m never going to wear that. I’m not worthy of taking his place. Don’t ever touch it again.”

  Even at my harsh reaction, she pressed the issue. “Some people might say there’s no such thing as coincidence. Others don’t believe in fate. However, research has told us there are a small percentage of people that believe everything is predetermined. I can’t say one way or another, but something’s brought you here and given you all these tools. It’d be a shame to see them go to waste.”

/>   **Jericho Staley**

  When I got the box back up to my room, I was happy to see everything I’d need for my fight with The Crimson Mask was here. Heather even included my prototype fusion gauntlet. How sweet of her.

  I still had time to tinker around before I needed to leave. At the bottom of the box was a love note (I’ll spare you the details) and my travel tool kit. With everything here, I immediately went to work on the gauntlet. My mind was clear and my focus was stronger than ever. I couldn’t wait to test my abilities on this new opponent.

  I’d worked well into the afternoon and evening getting the circuitry right and the power levels to their optimum wattage. Pleased with the outcome, my only regret was not being able to try it out before meeting The Crimson Mask. I really didn’t want to rack up an even bigger bill here at the hotel. At three-sixty a night, I felt I was already being robbed.

  I ordered a quick meal from room service, called Heather one last time, and then started getting ready. As night fell, a buzz fell over the city as I stood on the balcony. It was almost as if the people down below felt something coming, but couldn’t quite place their finger on it. Soon, they wouldn’t have to worry. The Negative Man always makes an entrance.

  As the last piece of the sun disappeared under the horizon, I geared up and began taking my time to get to Smart Logic. My plan was to make him wait just a few extra minutes, maybe twerk him that I’d show up on my own time schedule and not his. Besides, traveling in the big city was quite easy – when no one’s looking for you, they don’t even notice you.

  My target was sticking out like a sore thumb on the rooftop with his trademark covering his head. He was looking down over on the street level, waiting for me. It was time to get this party started.

  Across the street from Smart Logic was a chain electronics store. In the store front was a huge display of televisions, the perfect place for all to see me. I closed my eyes and sent my electronic signature towards all the power supplying the storefront display.