Pacific Station Vigilante (Book 2): The Negative Man [Stormfall]

by Jeremy Croston

  Project Jericho 5 –

  14 Years Old

  The hallway we were traveling down was once an underground shipping breezeway, long before the government purchased the facility and turned it into a research lab for powered individuals. Jericho looked terrified, as to be expected of someone his age. I, on the other hand, was furious. My gut told me who was behind this blatant abuse.

  We kept going, no matter what awful noises we heard around us. Gun shots, screams, even people dying, self-preservation was the key. I wished that I’d be able to save all the innocent lives that were here, but I knew that was a fool’s hope. Right now, the only person I was in a position to save was the young man who was with me.

  “Jericho,” I stopped for a second to appraise the situation. “Up ahead is the exit to this facility. Once we make it outside, we need to keep going, okay? I know you’re tired son, but just leaving isn’t going to keep us safe.”

  If he was tired, he was hiding it well from me. “Dr. Staley, I can fight.”

  His abilities were rapidly developing, faster than even General Fisher could believe. I knew he could fight, but we were outnumbered and it was a losing proposition. “Use your talents to stay alive, not take life. Once we can find a safe spot, we’ll talk more about what to do.”

  He was reluctant but agreed. With time running short, we went back on the move. The noise seemed to be quieting, that is until we reached the exit doors. The entire place rocked as explosion after explosion began to go off. Cooper was destroying all the evidence.

  I tried to open the doors, but they were jammed. “C’mon…” The explosions were getting louder, closer.

  Jericho pushed me aside and reached up towards the ceiling. Sparks flew out of the old light fixtures that hung there and a blast of energy blew the doors off the hinges. Fresh air rushed into the musty old tunnel and the two of us ran outside as quickly as we could.

  We weren’t more than twenty feet away from the exit when the building began to collapse. Dust and debris went into the air and whoever was unfortunate enough to be stuck inside probably had very little chance of survival. It sickened me to think how many people just died needless deaths.

  Off in the distance was the perimeter fence that enclosed this research station. “That thing’s electrical, but for some reason I doubt that to be a problem.”

  He tried to smile, but the situation didn’t call for happiness. We ran over there and he was just about to do his thing when voices started yelling. “Stop there! The two of you on the ground now!”

  Three armed soldiers were running towards us, their automatic rifles ready to fire. My worst fear had come true. Jericho, he went from horrified kid to protector in an instant. Using the electricity from the fence, he didn’t even think twice and directed it towards the oncoming gunmen. They never knew what hit them as the burst fried them immediately.

  There was no time to go over what just happened, that for the first time in his life he had to kill someone. Instead, I grabbed him and went back towards the fence. The electricity seemed to no longer be a problem thanks to Jericho’s attack, so I went to work with my knife trying to cut us a hole. I couldn’t work fast enough.

  When I managed to make a gap big enough for us to get through, I pushed the stunned teenager through and followed behind. We ran off into the national park that was spread out beside the lab and waited. As night began to lift and dawn approached, only then with daylight to help us navigate did I decide it was safe to leave.

  “We’re going to have to lay low for the time being Jericho, but I promise we won’t forget what happened today.”

  Gone from his eyes was the childlike innocence, replaced with confusion and even fear. “I never want to feel this helpless again.”

  Project Jericho 6 –

  16 Years Old

  Pizza was an easy thing to pick up on the way home. It was quick and Jericho loved it. He was busy doing his homework when I entered the tiny apartment. “Food’s here.”

  “Did you get us pepperoni, dad?”

  I was no longer just Dr. Ellison Staley. To keep our cover secret from the government, I was Eli Staley and this was my son, Jericho. Fortunately, no one ever wrote down that the boy picked that name, so it made it easy to keep our cover. In the two years since the incident, I’d found a job teaching math at the local high school and Jericho had already enrolled in college. At sixteen, he was halfway through his junior year.

  The one thing I haven’t been able to get him to open up about is the night he killed those men chasing us. I feared that if he never confronted that, he might end up even more damaged than what was to be expected. I did what I could, but having lost contact with his mother and everything else; it was an uphill battle.

  My guilt also lay with the fact he didn’t blame me for anything. I wanted him to yell at me, tell me I failed him, but he always just said, you protected me. Why could he not see that I was part of the reason for his life? I was there just as Cooper and the generals were. No one forced me to do my job, but in the end, he never blamed me.

  “Hey dad, pizza’s getting cold.”

  “Oh, thank you. Sorry, long day at work.” I don’t know if he ever bought my excuses, but he never pressed me. “How’s the course load coming this semester?”

  He pulled out a book on computer engineering. “The professors try their best, but it’s not their fault they can’t keep up with me. I’m basically teaching myself at this point.”

  The kid was a technical wiz and a genius to boot. “Looking to graduate early?”

  “Nah, college keeps me entertained. Besides, I want to make sure we’re safe before I up and leave you.”

  That was an inside joke between us. It was always one of us saying ‘make sure we’re safe before’ and then what we really wanted to do. I knew though it was only a matter of time before Jericho grew his wings and wanted to explore. Especially with all the negative press powered people were getting lately on the east coast. I told him time and time again that things were different out west.

  “Do you think we’ll ever not be hunted by those covert guys? I mean it’s been two years, but I swear I still think I see them from time to time.”

  I knew it wasn’t his imagination. Cooper was still out there and I knew the man. He wouldn’t stop until he found us and killed Jericho. “One day we will be. Just know I’m doing everything I can from the inside to find a way for us to live normal lives again.”

  He smiled. “I’d really like to see my mom one day. I know it’s stupid and she probably doesn’t remember me –”

  “A mother never forgets.” No child deserves to think their mom forgot them. “I’m sure she’d be so happy to hear from you.” What I really meant was I was confident she’d be so happy to know you didn’t die that day.

  “Thanks dad. Well, I’m going to grab one more slice and finish this project. I have a few ideas in my head on how to power the hydraulics to make this work.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about, but that was par for the course. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

  Project Jericho 7 –

  18 Years Old

  Today was supposed to be a joyous day. Jericho had just graduated college with a double major in computer science and electrical engineering. Unfortunately, our identities were finally compromised. With a gun pointed at my head by a former friend and colleague, I was ready for this to end. “What are you waiting for, Cooper, pull the damn trigger.”

  Cooper seemed to hesitate. “Not until you tell me everything I need to know about that monster you’ve been raising. When he comes back, we need to know how to contain him.”

  Was he serious? “That’s never going to happen.” For emphasis, I spit on his shoes. “When he gets back, you’ll have to deal with the mess you’ve created.”

  Two armed soldiers moved forward. “If he’s not going to tell us, just kill him. We don’t want to be here when that thing arrives and is pissed off.”

  “Tha
t thing has a name, it’s Jericho.” They talked about him as if he was a disease. It made me sick to know I lived in such a world. “Maybe one of you two has the brass balls that Cooper doesn’t seem to possess.”

  Cooper hit me in the mouth with the butt of the pistol. “Ellison, I knew you were a sentimental fool, but this has gone too far. If you don’t help us, I’ll have your legacy branded as a traitor.” He seemed to think ruining the name of a dead man was sufficient motivation.

  It wasn’t. “You’ll rot in Hell for what you’ve done, Cooper. You think what you’ve done is to help this country? No, the only thing you’ve accomplished is to help incite fear and panic.” Whether they liked it or not, supers were here to stay. “You were so blinded by anger and hate that you unknowingly created an enemy out of a friend.”

  It hit him I wasn’t about to crack. He cocked the pistol and pointed it back at my head. “I’d do anything to protect my country from those abominations. Yeah, we might’ve opened Pandora’s Box, but we also have to shut it.” He couldn’t even look at me. “This is your last chance Ellison. Don’t make me do this.”

  I smiled, knowing my fate was resigned. “You’re right Cooper, we did open that box. But if you think you can shut it now, you’re sadly mistaken.” Closing my eyes, “I don’t regret a single thing I’ve done. When they write about this in years to come, I’ll be the hero and you’ll be the villain.”

  “Goodbye Ellison.” Those were the last words I heard before the gun went off. Then silence.

  **Jericho**

  I picked up our order and headed home. It was Taco Tuesday and my adopted dad gave me the green light to order as many as I wanted. Two dozen later, I was nearly there. As I opened the door to our building, I heard a gunshot. Panic hit me. “No, no, no!”

  Running as fast as I could, I got to our apartment to see the door was kicked open. In the middle of the living room, the greatest man I ever knew, Dr. Ellison Staley was dead. I dropped to my knees and cradled his head, crying. “Dad, no dad, please don’t be dead!”

  There was no denying the fact he was gone. His lifeless face looked surprisingly at peace. With blood all over the floor and me, I ran over to the window to see if I could spot his murderer. Across the street, getting into a black SUV was Dr. Leonard Cooper. He saw me from my window and smiled. With a roar, I shattered the glass between us with as much power as I could muster.

  Project Jericho 8 –

  20 Years Old

  “Much like you hunted me and Dr. Staley down, I’ve hunted you down, Cooper.” I enjoyed watching the man struggle against the rope binding him in place. He tried to muffle out a few words, but the rag stuffed in his mouth kept it shut. “I’ve got no reasons to listen to your lies.”

  It was night over Capital City. I enjoyed the night more than the day as the sun was too harsh and bright for my eyes. This was the perfect setting for the end of this saga. “I’ve judged you guilty, Cooper, guilty for the murder of my father Ellison Staley.” I gave him a punch to the gut. “Guilty for turning me into this monster, full of rage and hate.” Another punch to the gut.

  This close I could see how the years of trying to kill me had taken their toll. This was a man who looked at least ten years older than what he probably was. I hope he enjoyed every single year he lived; this was his last.

  “Got a letter today, saying I’ve been accepted to the Master’s program at National University. Pretty cool huh?” I pulled the letter of acceptance out and zapped it into ash. “What I realized is I need some me time, to really get to know what I’m capable of.”

  He struggled against the rag in his mouth, trying to speak. It sounded like some gibberish, ‘warm ball’ or whatever. I stuffed it back in even further. “Guilty people get no final words. Nope, the last thing you’ll remember is the rebirth of poor Jericho Staley into the man I was destined to become.”

  The fear in his eyes powered me. I brought my hands up, all the negative energy inside me filling them with blue-white electricity. “Goodbye Cooper. Where you’re going, you won’t be able to apologize to Ellison.” I brought my hands up to his temple and fried the man. My anger raged on until his head exploded, leaving no doubt that Dr. Leonard Cooper was no longer a threat to me. His lifeless body hung there like a first place trophy.

  I walked over and picked up my bags. I had a train early in the morning to catch to head out west. It was time to start a new beginning.

  End of Transcription

  Your Featured Story:

  The Negative Man:

  Stormfall

  Chapter 1 –

  Monday Night; St. James Cathedral

  “Forgive me father, for I have sinned.”

  I was sitting in the confessional, the smell of the wood filling my senses. A year ago, this would’ve been the last place on Earth you would’ve found me, but times change. People change. Pacific Station was on the verge of a rebirth – so why was I in a confessional? That’s a good question.

  I looked over at the slot; still unopened. I knew Father Reigart was on the other side, making me wait patiently. He was the reason I was here. He came to the city just after the death of The Dark Lion and took over this old parish. Originally I was investigating rumors that he might be a super. Apparently in his last city, he picked up a car to save a little boy and that got people talking.

  Upon further investigation, he was just an ordinary human; a very large and powerful one. Easily six foot four and probably close to two hundred and eighty pounds, Father Reigart was a moving mountain. Some claimed he may have been a descendant of the old Norse berserkers but he was also a gentle soul. So no, he was no super, just a person who over time I came to trust.

  The sound of wood scraping against wood told me he was ready to talk. “Jericho my son, what brings you here tonight?”

  I cut through the small talk and right to the heart of the matter. “Did you hear about Robert Mozenberg?”

  “The land developer who just died in a home fire?” There was no shock in his voice. “I figured ‘he’ might’ve had something to do with it.”

  Oh yeah, he knows I’m The Negative Man. He’s very intuitive, which works both for and against him. When he put two and two together, I was tempted to kill him to keep him silent. However, there was something about the guy that just struck me as an ally. So here we are today. “The man was a pervert. He kidnapped under aged girls and did horrible things.”

  There was a pause, followed by a sigh. “I know you think by using him, you think you’re doing good for this city.” I felt an admonishment coming. “Jericho, you could do so much good without resorting to violence and murder.”

  For the first time this session I made eye contact with the man on the other side. His gentle brown eyes and full beard were visible. “John thought the same way you did, at first. He thought we could restore Pacific Station by staying on the right side of the line.” I didn’t like talking about my old enemy, friend, and mentor much. “Then it became too much for him. He fell too, as you know.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t the one who was destined to be the hero? Have you ever thought that if you let The Negative Man fade into obscurity and re-invented yourself that you might become the hero of the tale?”

  Chuckling, “It’s too late for that, but thanks for thinking the best of me.”

  I leaned back against the wall, knowing our session was almost to an end. “How’s Heather doing? Have her tendencies started to fade?”

  Over the past year, one of the biggest changes had been to Heather. She still was the sweet caring girl I fell for hard as John Wonderton’s sidekick, but a dark side was rearing its ugly head. “She’s doing okay. I think her sporadic visits with you have helped.”

  “I worry for her, because unlike you, she was not born with this gift. It came as a shock to her system and the fallouts could be very severe.” At first I didn’t believe his warnings, but over time I saw it firsthand. “I hope we can keep her on the right track before something terrible happens.�
�

  “You and I both, Father.” With that, I left the confessional and the church.

  ****

  I walked out of the church and on to the dimly lit street. I had no fear, for this was my city. Crime was at an all-time low in Pacific Station and not because of our police department. The Negative Man punished those who stepped out of line and the fear amongst the criminal underworld was thick.

  My main problem these days was that lunatic Chief Grimes and the ‘crack’ squad he enlisted to eliminate my alter-ego. The SVIS, how their antics both amused me and made me sick to my stomach. Those stupid masked vigilantes, all they did was cause mayhem and panic where ever they went. The city would be better off without them, that’s for sure.

  I just haven’t been able to bring myself to do that yet. As unlike me as it sounds, I’m just not motivated to wipe them out. None of them can challenge me the way he did. They aren’t worth my time or my effort. So for now, they are like lizards in the garden – an annoyance.

  I loved walking at night, with the cool breeze coming off the ocean. The peaceful quiet of my city was a stark contrast to my hectic days. Wonder-Tech was still riding high and with my recent acquisition of gl-O-bal, I would soon become the industry leader in all things tech related. And with that distinction, the final part of my grand plan for making this country great again could come to fruition.

  “Hey Mister, that’s a nice watch. I think I should take it from you before it attracts trouble.”

  Was I seriously being mugged? The guy interested in my watch stepped out of the side alley and faced me. He looked like a goof. “It is a nice watch, but I think I can take care of it myself.”

  His face twitched a bit at my reply. No taller than me with perfectly combed hair, I wondered what threat he could pose me. “That’s a damn shame, because trouble’s a lot closer than you think.”