The Negative Man: Act 1

by Jeremy Croston

  The newest business listed was a comic book shop down on Salt Water Cove. Again, that place popped up. The Krummels had opened Krum’s Comics four months ago. They’d been citizens of the city for quite some time – Diana had been here fifteen years and Kim ten. Even though I was sure this was an empty trail, I couldn’t ignore the coincidence anymore.

  Nothing out of the ordinary came back on Kim. He worked for Pacific Choppers until he opened the store with his wife. There was a son listed who lived back east, and for all intents and purposes, he was just an average Joe.

  At first, the same thing came back on Diana. This was her second store, she had a comic book store eleven years ago, but it closed due to the economy. Whereas Kim had always lived somewhere on the west coast, Diana grew up in the middle of the country. Then a newspaper article changed it all – her name, well her maiden name, put her at the epicenter of a nuclear meltdown a number of years ago. This slice of information changed everything.

  As I looked deeper into this mysterious book store owner, certain things began to stand out that I never would’ve attached to super powers. When she was thirty, she survived a head-on collision where everyone else died. The doctors chalked it up to a miracle; I began to wonder if a metallic suit saved her.

  Another article, this time at thirty-four years old tells her apartment was broken into. The police apprehended the suspects, yet Diana was fine, even though there was evidence of gunshots being fired. The first responder to the scene was none other than Officer Harvey Grimes. I made the connection. For emphasis, I circled the article and spelled out Titan on the screen. Seeing it in front of me gave me a sense of pride at cracking the code.

  With this new information in hand, I had a chance to go end things once and for all. A sneak attack, at their home, would really put Titan in a bad spot. Maybe even threaten her husband Kim so she surrenders without a fight. With all these ideas running through my head, I was about to go and pay the Krummels a visit when a hacker’s message popped up on my screen. The screen name in the message was StabbtyBnny. ‘Who is this?’

  How the hell did someone break through my firewalls? I typed back, ‘You don’t want to know.’

  The next message came across very quickly. ‘I’ve been looking into this program for years. The government is hiding stuff from all of us.’

  ‘Who are you?’

  This time the hacker took a bit longer. I tried to trace the IP address from the message, but it was pining all over the world. This guy or gal was good. ‘A friend. If you’re looking into this, we have similar interests.’ My screen went back to the file on Rebecca Larsen and her involvement in the raid.

  Time was being wasted, but I found myself lulled into this conversation. ‘What interest do you have in a decades old government black program?’

  ‘Personal ones, that’s all I’ll say. I can’t pinpoint you and I know you can’t pinpoint me, but here is a token of my trust.’ An imbedded file was attached to the message. He sent one last message to me before disappearing. ‘Help me expose these people for what they are – traitors.’

  With the connection lost and the conversation box dead, the only thing I had left was the imbedded file he sent me. I downloaded it and it became clear this was a recording. There was only one thing left to do, hit play.

  “Hey sis it’s Betzy. I don’t know you’ll get this message in time; I just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The electron generator is going live later today, there’s just something that bugs me about it. General Bulger was walking by earlier with Ted along with some creepy guy named Dr. Cooper. I think I overheard this Cooper say they want to be able to weaponize this, depending on how the tests go today. I didn’t sign up for that kinda crap. I’m contracted until the end of the month, so when my time is up, I’m hoping to move back to South Terrace. Tell mom I said hi. Well, gotta go; they want me to start getting some systems along. Peace.”

  When the message ended, all I could think was this StabbtyBnny couldn’t have had any idea who he sent this too. This message from this Betzy showed that Cooper was involved long before I was even born. Not that I ever regretted my decision to take his life, but this just proved I did the world a whole lot of good by removing him from it.

  There was just one last thing of his out there. This Stormfall that The Dark Lion’s son had was Cooper’s final legacy. Once I destroyed the Wonderton line and the information he carried, nothing would be left of the villain Dr. Cooper. But before I could do that, I had to pay a lady a visit – it was time for the Titan to fall.

  Chapter 29 –

  Saturday Night; Wonder-Tech Tower

  **Kyle Wonderton**

  I waited until Mr. Staley left the building before risking entrance. He left in quite the hurry and set off down the street like a man determined. As soon as he was out of sight, I jumped from the rooftop across to the roof of Wonder-Tech Tower. I broke the lock and quickly placed the USB in my pocket into the security alarm. Jenkins did the rest and not a sound was heard.

  My dad’s old office was on the top floor, so it was just a quick run to his desk. The computer was still hot and the screen was still on when I got there. I plugged the USB into the port and Jenkins’ face appeared. “Holy crap, a real working computer! I never thought I’d get out of that old laptop.”

  We weren’t sure this was going to work. Becky came up with the plan to see if Jenkins could merge into a jump drive. The first attempt failed as his conscious was just too big of a file for it to handle. A few hundred dollars later, we finally had one that could contain everything. “I’m going to make sure I didn’t overlook anything in any of his files. If you can look on the computer and network, maybe Jericho didn’t delete all of my father’s old notes.”

  “You got it kid.”

  My first idea was for Jenkins to go out into the internet and do his thing. Apparently in the digital world, that would be like sending a small fish out into the ocean. He explained that he had no anchor point and once out on the worldwide web, his digital signature could get swept anywhere.

  So that’s where this plan came in. On a secure network in the building, he said it would be more like a calm pond. He could look around and not have to worry about losing himself or his access point. Becky was against the idea, but if my father had any information on either The Negative Man, or something that we could use so this whole Martial Law thing could end, it was worth it. I wasn’t about to watch my father’s city burn to the ground.

  I didn’t even get a chance to look in the first filing cabinet when Jenkins called me over. “Kyle, you need to see this.”

  On the screen was a bunch of different pages opened up. “What am I looking at?”

  “Jericho Staley’s latest browsing and search history. He was looking into a Rebecca Larsen with the PSPD and…” He stopped. “Oh no, this isn’t good.”

  The screen was still a jumbled mess and Jenkins wasn’t helping. “What’s not good?”

  One by one the different screens were organized on top of each other. “After doing a search on Larsen’s past, the next search terms in a secure government database were ‘Stormfall’ and ‘Project Jericho.’ Why would he be looking into The Stormfall?”

  “That’s my fault.” I remember my first mistake of dropping the file when I investigated the first time around. “He’s seen the file. What’s Project Jericho though?”

  The words appeared on the screen even with no typing on my end. “Without accessing the internet as a whole, nothing comes up on it. Strange that it contains his first name.”

  It was odd, but nothing I needed to concern myself with. “Anything else of value?”

  That screen minimized and a screen showed up with information about Diana Krummel, the comic book store lady. “I think this woman might be a powered person.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  A highlight came on the screen. “She was living in the Midwest at the time of the nuclear meltdowns. She was exposed to high levels of radiation du
e to the proximity.”

  No, I was around the woman and I know Becky did her mental magic on her. “That’s impossible.”

  He wasn’t done. “Judging by what he was looking at, it seems he may have correlated her as the police sanctioned vigilante Titan. There’s even an article on how she came in contact with Chief Grimes years ago.”

  When that article popped up, there was a big circle around it with poorly drawn letters that spelled out Titan there too. “Do you think Jericho is out to stop her?”

  “I don’t know, nothing here indicates that. The only other clue as to what he was working on is a voice file that was downloaded shortly before we got here.”

  Without hesitating, “Play it.”

  The clip appeared and Jenkins hit play –

  “Hey sis it’s Betzy. I don’t know you’ll get this message in time; I just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The electron generator is going live later today, there’s just something that bugs me about it. General Bulger was walking by earlier with Ted along with some creepy guy named Dr. Cooper. I think I overheard this Cooper say they want to be able to weaponize this, depending on how the tests go today. I didn’t sign up for that kinda crap. I’m contracted until the end of the month, so when my time is up, I’m hoping to move back to South Terrace. Tell mom I said hi. Well, gotta go; they want me to start getting some systems along. Peace.”

  When it finished up, none of it made sense. I heard Dr. Cooper’s name mentioned, the same man who wrote the research for defeating a powered threat. “Jenkins, this just doesn’t add up. We’re missing some pieces to this puzzle.”

  He disappeared into the computer without so much as an explanation. I sat there, in the rather comfortable chair, and waited. We needed to get a move on, as I wasn’t sure if and when Mr. Staley would come back. I highly doubt he’d be okay with some random kid breaking into his office. “Phil, whatever you’re doing, we need to hurry. I still need to find…”

  His face popped back up. “I’m afraid to show you this Kyle.”

  “Show me what?”

  “This.”

  Again, he disappeared and in his place was an email chain from almost a year ago that was sent from a Heather Adams to Jericho Staley:

  ****

  ‘I still can’t believe you killed Mike Blackfield like that. It sends chills up my spine. HA’

  ‘Heather, I told you not to talk about that stuff on the company email. My firewalls are secure, but you can never be too safe. JS’

  ‘You’re HIM for crying out loud! With ‘you know who’ long gone, I don’t see the need to hide. HA.’

  ‘I’m not hiding, but building a legitimate front. You’ll see my plans soon enough. JS’

  ‘I hope so, I’m bored. Why don’t you put on the NM mask tonight and we can create some chaos. HA’

  ‘No more, you’ve said too much. I’ll call you after work. JS’

  ****

  My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. “Becky vouched for him, said he was a good guy.”

  The email chain disappeared and Jenkins was back. “I’m sorry kid, I didn’t see this one coming either. I knew Jericho well and had no idea he was really The Negative Man.”

  As the words The Negative Man echoed out of the speakers and into my ears, confusion was replaced with vengeance. “He killed my father.” I turned around and kicked a side table, knocking down some pictures and other knick knacks. “THAT BASTARD KILLED MY DAD!”

  “Kyle, calm down. We need to get out of here and regroup okay? Nothing good ever comes from confronting someone in this kinda state.”

  I pulled the USB out of the computer and Jenkins disappeared back into the portable device. I knew who The Negative Man was and he was going to finally get his for what he did to my dad, a true hero! I began tearing apart his office, in a fit of rage. Wanton destruction felt good, but I needed more. It was time to put my dad’s cape on and honor his memory once and for all.

  Chapter 30 –

  Saturday Night; Krum’s Comics and Games

  Their house had been empty so my next stop was their store. I kicked the locked door down and it too was empty. Or was it? I heard a soft sound coming from behind the cash register. I walked over and looked down. Sitting there with a look of resignation on his face was Kim Krummel, Diana’s husband.

  His empty eyes looked up at me. “She’s not here Negative Man. She’s long gone by now.”

  I’d gone home and suited up. The polarity accelerator was strapped to my chest, but not lowered to its final position. Power was building in the electron gauntlet. Heather had wanted to come with me tonight, but I had made the decision it was too dangerous. Against my better judgment, I used just a touch of my power to knock her out. She’d be pissed later when all of this was over. At least I’d know she was safe.

  Kim looked like he was in a daze. “You know why I’m here then?”

  “You figured it out, that my wife is Titan.” He stood up to look at me. “I can’t say I’m surprised, I warned Diana this day would come.”

  “What’s her connection to Grimes? Does it have to do with the break-in he responded to?”

  He gave a soft, dead laugh. “She had just moved to Pacific Station when that happened. He saw what she truly was and kept that information in his back pocket. When you killed The Dark Lion, he called that one in. When she refused, he told her if she didn’t hunt you down, he’d kill me.”

  Kim was telling me the truth. Grimes would use whatever tactical advantage he could. “Where are they now?”

  “I don’t know. When she transforms into that thing, it’s like she’s no longer the same person. Titan has a mind of its own, it’s not my wife!” More to himself than me, “She was even able to fool Becky’s super senses.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about, nor did I care. This really put a damper on things. I was left in an awkward spot, to let this man continue to live or to kill him and put him out of his misery. Heather no doubt would want him dead, yet Father Reigart’s words wormed into my mind. I saw a visage of the big, bearded man telling me to spare a life.

  With nothing left to do here, “Tonight is a very lucky night Mr. Krummel, you get to live.”

  “Will you spare my wife?”

  I said nothing until I got to the door. “I make no promises.”

  Back on the streets, my phone rang. At first I thought Heather had woken up faster than I imagined and was ready for that conversation. Instead, it was a secure line from inside Wonder-Tech Tower. “Hello?”

  “Jericho Staley, or do you prefer The Negative Man?”

  I bit my lip, drawing blood. “How do you know who I am?”

  “Meet me at the top of Wonder-Tech Tower now or else.” The line went dead.

  I rushed into the closest power line and made my way to my building. I flew out of the line on to the roof to see a figure standing there in a yellow cloak. “So you figured out who killed your dad, did you?”

  The kid didn’t move, fury locked every joint in his body. “They called you a stable force for the city, the one who could build Pacific Station back up. Little did they know you were the wolf in sheep’s wool.”

  I really wanted to know who this kid was. “You know me, it seems only fair I should see your face.”

  He dropped his hood and took off the orange tinged goggles. It was the kid who followed Becky Walker around. “My name is Kyle Wonderton, son of John Wonderton. Tonight you die.”

  Just like before, he rushed at me as fast as he could. Knowing his attack pattern, I was ready this time and phased into the power lines before he ever had a chance to hit me with that Stormfall attack. He went through the open air where I’d been, coming to a stop close to the edge of the building. When he turned around, I was there and grabbed him like a child.

  Dangling him over the roof, “I could kill you right here, just like that. In fact, I already spared your pathetic life once.” I spun around and tossed him to the rooftop. “Before you die, let me drop som
e hard knowledge on you about dear old daddy.”

  “Don’t you sa-”

  “Shut up.” I zapped him in the chest to knock the wind out of him. “Your hero was much less a hero and more of a bad guy like me. He killed without care, he broke the laws, yet because it was against criminals, no one cared.”

  He tried to talk back but I hit him again. “And don’t even get me started on what your uncle Wayne Motts told me. Did you know John Wonderton knew your mom was pregnant and ran? Instead of telling her the truth about himself, he ran away like a chicken.”

  I saw tears in the boy’s eyes. “You don’t get to judge people. You’re as evil and vile as they come!”

  Throwing my hands into the air, “It’s all about perspective young Kyle. Believe it or not, I want this city to succeed. I want a place that’s safe and orderly for everyone.” Here I was, preaching like a typical villain. “When people see my final plan, they’ll appreciate it.”

  A snort came from the kid, who wasn’t as down and out as I thought. Unexpectedly, he jumped up and connected with a right hook to my ribs. As I doubled over, he delivered a heel kick to my head and then a knee to my chest. He was very fast.

  I just had been doing this a lot longer. His next punch was caught in midair by the hand wearing the fusion gauntlet. Using the juice I had built up, I slammed him on to the rooftop, effectively ending his attack. He looked broken, but still as defiant as ever.

  Spitting, “Come on tough guy, just kill me already. Or are you afraid I might have more left in me to give?”

  “The only thing you have left to give is more bones to be broken.” Even that may have been questionable given how bad he was contorted. “You lost, admit defeat.”

  “Never!” He pushed himself up one more time and attacked. The attack was in slow motion compared to his earlier offering and I sidestepped him. With his momentum carrying him off towards the edge of the rooftop, I gave him an extra push. His body went flying off Wonder-Tech Tower and into the night. Another lion had been slayed.