The Negative Man_Legends Can Die

by Jeremy Croston

  “I’ve been working alongside The Morning Lynx for months and had no freaking clue he was actually Kyle Wonderton” Parker said stoically. “Just goes to show how great a detective I am.”

  He didn’t look happy at the number of fugitives in the church. “I’m here because of the stuff I’ve heard and seen about Victory. I’ll keep this professional.”

  Kyle looked pretty nervous. “Hey man, secret identities are there for a reason. No need to beat yourself up over it.”

  He pretty much ignored him and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up. Father Reigart didn’t look pleased, but he kept quiet. Instead, “It was actually me who brought everyone together today. It is no secret that this city, no the country, is in grave danger,” Reigart said. It was impossible not to notice the gravity in his voice. “I think as Victory has shown, he goes to extreme measures to take care of things he considers problems.”

  “Not to mention he’s a super hiding in plain sight,” Becky tossed out there.

  “What are everyone’s opinions on how we take care of him then?”

  “Jericho, if you are insinuating…”

  Of course I was! It was time to stop baby stepping around the issue and confront it head on. “How can any of you be okay with him just ‘being taken into custody?’ The guy is a lunatic!” I felt my voice rising with each word I spoke. “I, for one, am perfectly fine with doing what has to be done. If anyone in this room opposes that, well I don’t honestly give a crap.”

  There were uncomfortable looks given by most, except Erin. “Jericho’s right. As the one guy who’s seen more than he ever wanted to, the guy’s a monster. Letting him live... Man, that’d be one giant mistake.”

  “That’s not how we do things.”

  “Your father would’ve killed him, Kyle.” I looked him dead in the eyes as I said it. “John knew the cost of keeping people safe. I find this high road nonsense amusing, but today’s not the day for it.”

  “Jericho, me and you need to talk.” Becky got up from the pew and walked forward. “Now.”

  It was weird taking orders from someone so young. However, I knew exactly what she wanted to discuss. The others watched with curious glances at what was transpiring. Even Kyle seemed to be out of the know, which was good. When we were far enough away, quietly, “Are you still planning on going through with your final plan?”

  “You mean where I eliminate myself to get rid of Victory, yes.” After the encounter with Heather the day before, it reinforced what I needed to do. Getting rid of Victory was the way to go. Plus, knowing the pain I’d caused her, she’d be better off once she was free without me around. “My mind remains steadfast.”

  “Then go along with whatever they want to do. When the time is right, Erin and I will help you.”

  “Have you spoken to him about this yet?”

  “No, you will. I see the look in his eye, he’ll go along with anything that gives him that peace.”

  There was a lot of wisdom in this young mind. Yes, all I needed to do was check my pride at the door and let the others think I was fine with Victory being arrested. Then, when the time was right, I’d do what was necessary, what the others couldn’t. It was always better to seek forgiveness than permission.

  I nodded my head in confirmation. “The deal is sealed, Miss Walker. I’ll play the good little soldier.”

  “Excellent.” She turned away, “Come on, let’s make this plan count.”

  As we approached again, the others still were a bit on edge. I downplayed it as best I could. “You’re a lucky man, Kyle. Your girlfriend has keen intellect and proved to me that there are better ways than to be openly defiant. I will relent, this time.”

  Erin looked like he might be ready to punch something, but, as we made eye contact, I tried my best to use nonverbal communication that we’d talk later. It either worked, or I just scared him quiet. Either way, that was for the best. Father Reigart looked at the two of us, questioning, but he ignored it. “With that settled, we can focus on restraining.”

  “Chief Woods will need to be informed of this.”

  “I understand, Detective Lattimore,” Reigart responded. “Thanks to Mr. Williams and an unknown benefactor, you’ll be able to give him plenty of evidence to support this and, God willing, be able to press charges.”

  There’d be charges for sure, just ones I’d be pressing into Victory as I watched him die. As Wade told the Father that everything he had would be printed off in just a moment, Rich leaned over. “This isn’t sitting well with you.”

  “Thanks Captain Obvious.”

  “I don’t know what that girl told you to get you to back off, but this is for the best.” Was he trying to convince me or himself? “Think of this as your first step towards a less sinister lifestyle.”

  No, I thought of what they were trying to do as a way to neuter me. I can’t believe any of them would think reason and sensible thoughts could get me to back off. “This is a one shot deal. Let’s not kid ourselves, I am what I am. That’s all there is to it.”

  While the two of us had been chatting, Lattimore whistled impressively at what he was reading. “Chief Woods had been afraid to make a move thinking nothing would stick. This will change his mind.”

  “Good,” Reigart said as he clapped his hands together. “With that resolved, there’s just the question of how do we detain him?”

  “I think involving the cops would tip him off. Let’s keep this in house until I can slap the cuffs on him.”

  I had to ask. “Doesn’t that mean his detail team will see us as hostiles?” Apparently no one else but me thought of that. “Great, so we’ll have to deal with cops trying to kill us while protecting that pile of dog crap.”

  No one had any solutions. Yeah, if you told the police, chances are one of them would narc to Victory’s team and give him a heads up we were coming. But to go into this with them being blind, that was going to get messy.

  “It’s time someone puts on their thinking cap and comes up with an idea that doesn’t involve us having to harm police.” I tapped my foot impatiently. I’d been involved in a few police shootouts and they weren’t high on my bucket list to deal with again. “You were all so chatty before.”

  Wade turned his lap top around so every could see it. “According to the PSPD, this is the route the candidates will take to the debate tonight. Morales replacement will be coming from the south while Victory will be coming from the north.”

  Wade zoomed the picture in on the civic center where the event was taking place. “After the debate is over, both candidates will go to their holding areas until the crowd has dispersed. Knowing Victory will be in the northern area, we can then stage a false attack close by to draw out a majority of the police guarding him.”

  Lattimore added, “If someone were to show up with just a gun, that would require a swift response. All but two guards would go to contain the threat, leaving Victory relatively out in the open.”

  “Guys,” Kyle started slowly, “I’m on his detail, along with Lattimore. What if the two of us stayed behind? That would eliminate all civilian threats, correct?”

  It was a bloody ass miracle. They actually came up with a working plan. “Even without his detail, he’s still going to be dangerous. Heather will most likely be there and she’s rather explosive.”

  “And when you get close to Victory, he’ll use his powers on us.” Erin shuddered with the thought. “The closer you are, the harder it is to resist. The first time he breaks through your resistance, it’s all over. You’re his.”

  “How many people can he control at once?”

  Erin shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, dude. He doesn’t like to use his powers, as it makes him feel dirty, but it’s a nightmare when he does. Once he knows the trap has been set, he won’t hold back.”

  Even with the chips stacked like they were, this was it. “I suggest we all get our affairs in order. Let’s meet back here tonight at seven thirty. With the debate starting then, i
t’ll give us two hours to get into positions and finalize the rest of this crazy plan.”

  Everyone agreed to break for now. The general feeling as we all walked out and headed our own ways was something that would change the course of history was about to happen tonight. And if it was up to me, Victory would be dead and I’d be having the final laugh.

  Chapter 32 –

  Friday Night; Station Civic Center

  Erin and I were sitting in the black van parked outside of the civic center. The rest of the team was working on getting into position. Andy and Rich were going to be the gunmen, Wade was in the other van running logistics, and Becky was in the audience with Father Reigart. She’d sent out a group text to let us know that General Davy Whisnant was the replacement for Morales.

  All Erin could do was laugh. “Whisnant had his own agenda.”

  “Wasn’t he the guy helping you?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he gave me these.” He opened his coat and produced a case that had a vial in it. There were five empty slots. “This is the neuron blocker he had created to block Victory’s influence. It only works in short bursts, but I figure you’d be the one who’d need it.”

  It looked like an Epipen. “Do you just inject yourself with this?”

  “The needle pops out when you take the cap off. I found the best place to do it was in your bicep. Once you take the injection, you have ten to fifteen minutes tops.”

  I put the vial in my pocket. “Thanks man. That’s all I’ll need to blow him to Hell. Once we’re in there, I need you to Titan out and get people to safety.”

  He laughed, harshly. “I should’ve known you’d never go along with the others.” Then it hit him. “That girl, Becky? She’s in on this, too.”

  “Yep.” The greatest part about this was her help. “Once Rich and Andy are spotted with their guns, she’s going to hit the fire alarm. That should clear this place out in a hurry.”

  All he could do was laugh and shake his head. “Look at the time. It’s time to get this party started.”

  ****

  It was pandemonium when Erin and I got to the back doors. People were flooding out of the civic center, half yelling, “Gun! Gun!” and the other half proclaiming there was a fire. No one even noticed good old Negative Man in the chaos.

  As we entered the back of the building, cops were running this way and that. Much to our surprise, we found Rich and Andy coming our way. “What the hell? Who pulled the fire alarm?” Rich questioned.

  Playing dumb, “I don’t know, but it works in our favor. You two, get the hell out of here. Erin and I got it from here.”

  They looked like they were about to bitch about it when two gun shots came from the opposite end of the hall. It was some weird looking dude in a suit. He wasn’t a good shot. As he marched towards us down the hall, he continued to miss tragically. As he stopped within range of us, I saw his press badge said ‘Miguel Cintron.’ He pointed the gun with a shaking hand at us. “You people, how dare you try to kill the next president of our great country!”

  Rich leveled his gun at Cintron. “Put the gun down, chief. No one here wants to hurt someone so pathetic.”

  The nervous twitching in his hand; this wasn’t going to end well for someone. Andy must’ve saw it too because the moment Cintron fired his gun one more time, Andy shot his. Cintron’s shot was way off target once more; Andy’s was not. The bald man fell over with a perfectly round hole in his forehead.

  Andy put the gun down. “Sorry, I know we said no casualties, but the guy was going to kill us.”

  “I know.” Rich looked at me one last time. “We’ve got you a clear path. Put this guy away, for good.”

  “I will.” The two of them knew their roles were over and headed back out towards the van where Wade was waiting. I hoped they got far away before the real show began.

  Erin and I stepped over the dead body of Cintron and followed the path back to the north holding area. The door was closed, but with gunshots actually being fired and the alarm still going off, no one was guarding it. “He’s on the other side of that door. You ready?”

  “I’ve never turned into that… thing on my own. I’ve only ever become the Titan when Victory commanded me to.”

  “Today that changes. Today, you embrace who you are. You’re not a Titan, that’s Victory’s thing. No man, you’re going to transform into Omega Rival.” I was proud of the name I came up with on the spot. “You and me, we finish this.”

  “Right.” He braced himself for the change. “Before we go, make sure you take the neuron blocker.”

  As Erin turned into his other side, I grabbed the vial from my pocket and popped the cap. A small needle popped out and I jabbed it into my bicep like instructed. The contents drained into me and I felt a bit nauseous at first. After a moment, by the time Erin was gone and the Omega Rival was standing there, that feeling was gone. “You ready?”

  “Affirmative.” Omega walked right up to the door and smashed it in with one punch.

  Screams came from the office and people flooded out. It must’ve been Victory’s team. We let them go, waiting for the dust from the destroyed drywall to settle. Once it did, we entered the room. Victory was standing there, smiling. Flanked on his left were Kyle and Parker and to his right was Heather. “I wondered when you two would show up.”

  “You know, it took a little longer than we thought, but we got here.” I felt all the energy I had flowing through me ready to go. “Okay guys, let’s end this.”

  Parker and Kyle didn’t move. “You thought your friends were going to help you?” His sneer only increased as he ran a hand down Heather’s cheek. “Or that maybe your girlfriend wouldn’t betray you?”

  Shit! Victory had gotten to Kyle and Parker! The cop pulled his gun and pointed it at me. Kyle, in full Morning Lynx gear prepared himself to fight. “Sorry, Jericho. Today, these are all my constituents and they don’t want to disappoint their future leader.”

  That’s when all hell broke loose. Parker began firing shot after shot at us, only to be intercepted by Erin. Kyle engaged me and, no longer being held back by his own conscious, the improvements he’d made since our last true fight were on display. Both his fighting style and control over his abilities were off the charts better than the kid I fought on the CW Poseidon. John would’ve been very proud.

  I had been upgraded myself, thanks to the blast from the Stormfall. Instead of forming a dome force field around myself, I manipulated the energy to create almost a second suit. This gave me the ability to fight back. Kyle was so much faster, but his blows were absorbed by the shield, whereas mine were doing damage. I didn’t want to kill the kid; I just needed him beaten enough where I could get to Victory.

  Erin had Parker up over his head and threw him into Victory behind all of us. The detective looked to be out cold and Victory was too busy trying to get the body off of himself to pay attention to me. Seeing the opening, I clocked Kyle hard on the head, knocking his hood off. The punch wobbled him and he swung a few times, wildly, before one last blow from me to the chin ended his night. With the two of them out, “Erin, get them out of here!”

  The former Titan grabbed Parker and Kyle with one hand and slung them over his shoulder. He rocketed out of the room, leaving just Victory, Heather, and myself.

  Victory dusted himself off. “This is very fitting, Jericho. Oh, how I’ve come to enjoy knowing I was going to kill you, once you were determined to be of no use to me.”

  “I might die today, but so will you.” I powered up my gauntlet, ready for a new strike I’d prepared in secret just for him. As the energy formed a claw around the copper, “My legend will live on. Will yours?”

  I struck forward, all my hate and rage ready to be unleashed with this. As I got closer, someone pushed Victory out of the way and took the blow instead. My hand ripped through her chest, the lifeless eyes of Heather looking up at me as she fell limp on my arm. “No…”

  What just happened wasn’t supposed to have. When Victor
y’s hold over her was broken, she was supposed to run from the room as the Stormfall energy I used built to the point I couldn’t control it, blowing me and what remained of Victory up. She’d be able to have a normal life, free of me and all the bad omens that came along as baggage.

  Instead, his control over her was so great that Heather’s free will never came back. My instincts told me he used most of his power on her, knowing how close to home it would hit if Heather ever came face to face with me. He had bent and twisted her mind into the perfect little subordinate. The bastard had done his homework.

  Like a firewall security program, she’d been programmed to protect Victory at all costs, even her own life. Overwhelming pain, sadness, and hate filled me. It was a dangerous cocktail of emotion that fueled the only play I had left.

  “It’s a shame I had to waste such a unique super on something so trivial.” He straightened his tie casually.

  He had no idea what my end game had been. The neuron blocker had done its job, protecting me from any attacks on my independence. There was no way for him to stop me. The massive amount of Stormfall energy inside me was primed and ready to go, the copper gauntlet acting as the focal point. As he walked around, I embraced Heather one last time. I even whispered how much I loved her into her ear, hoping she heard me on the other side. “I’ll see you soon. Rest easy, my love.”

  “Yes, hug her cold, dead body,” he shot at me, arrogantly. “You’re right about one thing; you’ll soon be joining her,” he said as he pointed his gun at my head.

  With as much vindication as I could bring up, “Joke’s on you, asshole.” And with that, I let the Stormfall energy go. I was okay with this ending.

  “See you in Hell.”

  Epilogue –

  Sunday Morning; Waves Park

  **Kyle Wonderton**

  Lattimore assured me that even though no body was found, there was no possible way that Jericho survived the blast that leveled the building. Of course he didn’t, that was never the plan. He went into that fight knowing his end objective was to die. It was just a shame that Heather had been killed, too. I wondered if she died before or after the explosion. There just weren’t enough pieces to put together what truly happened.