World Domination

by Steve Beaulieu

Hawkshaw typed furiously on the laptop, then paused. “Do you two remember when Sharp Shooter disappeared? Never mind, I’ll tell you, it was four years ago. To be more exact, it was one month before the Black Razor showed up in Rockhaven.”

  Power House and Lightning were now standing behind Hawkshaw, all of them silently remembering how they had searched for months but had never found Sharp Shooter.

  “Okay Hawkshaw, you’re good, but how did you figure all of this out in a day and a half?” Power House asked.

  “Do you remember how all of you laughed when I started recording our battles against supervillains?” Hawkshaw asked.

  Power House and Lightning both chuckled, but stopped when Hawkshaw continued his explanation.

  “When I fought Black Razor, he said we killed his parents in the fight against Elephant Man. More specifically, the third and final fight where you, Power House, used a car to beat Elephant Man to death.”

  Power House quickly became angry and defended himself.

  “You know damn well I was justified in killing Elephant Man. He had just crushed a school bus filled with kids. I did what had to be done to stop that child killer from ever hurting anyone again.”

  “Maybe you felt justified in killing Elephant Man, but were you justified in killing the two people in the car you used to do it?” Hawkshaw asked.

  Silence hung in the room for a long moment before Hawkshaw went on.

  “I went back to the video of that fight and was able to pull the license plate from the car you picked up. By running that, I had everything I needed on Jonathan Goldman aka Black Razor. So now we know who we’re dealing with. We know why we’re dealing with him. We simply need to draw him out so we know where he is.”

  “But if he hates us and wants to kill us, then why waste time killing an entire gang or blowing up the police station? Why not just come after us like he did Sharp Shooter?” Lightning asked.

  “He killed the Stranglers because he knew it’d push his murder count past our limits, and we’d come to Rockhaven. He blew up the police station to make sure we’d stay here. He brought his prey to his own hunting ground and made sure we couldn’t leave. It’s exactly what I’d do in his place,” Hawkshaw answered. “I shouldn’t have to say this, but we’re not dealing with your typical crazy villain here. This is a manipulative, calculating killer who wants the Guardians dead and doesn’t care if he kills an entire city in the process.”

  Power House pointed toward the door. “Lightning, go as fast as you can to every TV and radio station within a ten-mile radius of Rockhaven. Have them to run this message from the Guardians of Earth: Tell Black Razor that we won’t stop and we won’t run. We’ll be waiting right here in this hotel to take him down hard.”

  “Hold on a second. Don’t say this hotel, we’ve already seen what this guy does in hotels. Make the message say that we’ll be waiting in the central city park,” Hawkshaw said.

  The door opened and shut so fast it was impossible to see. Power House flipped on the TV and waited for the broadcast. After five minutes went by, checking several channels, they began to worry. It should have only taken a few seconds for Lightning to reach the first TV stations. They both knew something was wrong, and Power House was the first one out the door.

  At the end of the hallway, they saw Lightning’s body lying in an awkward position. His decapitated head rested a good six feet closer in the middle of the hall. Power House was there in a flash, falling on his knees in a pool of blood.

  “Lightning! No!” he cried out.

  Hawkshaw immediately started processing the scene. He searched for clues and soon found them.

  “It was Black Razor. Look here,” Hawkshaw said.

  Power House slowly stood up and wiped his blood covered hands on his cape. He walked over to where Hawkshaw had indicated. There were fresh cuts in the wood on either side of the hallway, a little below eye level.

  “Black Razor must have used his power to create a razor wire across the hallway at neck level. Even if Lightning had seen it he wouldn’t have been able to stop in time. From what I’ve learned, Black Razor would’ve needed to be nearby to...” Hawkshaw said.

  He was cut off when Power House grabbed him and flew down the hallway at top speed. He held Hawkshaw under his arm like a bag.

  “No more talk! You’re going to show me where this scumbag lives. We’re not waiting for him to come to us, we’re taking the fight to him!” Power House said as he flew straight through the hotel wall and into the morning sky.

  • • •

  Black Razor peered from a supply closet at the opposite end of the hall. After waiting a few moments to be sure they didn’t come back, he exited the closet. He walked down the hallway to the suite being used by the Guardians. He casually strolled into the door left open by the two panicked superheroes. He checked out a nearby table and smiled when he saw pictures of himself strewn about. He noticed the notes on each photo where Hawkshaw was studying his stances and strikes. He stacked all the pictures up, then looked at the laptop next to them. He moved his finger across the touchpad and the blank screen turned on. The laptop was logged directly into the Guardian’s Universal database, and staring back at him was a picture of his driver’s license. He flipped through a few screens and could see the Guardians knew everything about him now.

  “Hawkshaw, you’re a tricky one,” Black Razor said.

  He closed the lid then looked around for something to carry everything in. He spotted a large bag sitting on one of the beds. He opened it and found it packed with street clothes, Power House’s formal superhero outfit he wore when meeting world leaders, and five thousand dollars in cash. He pulled everything out of the bag except the money, then stuffed the laptop and pictures inside. He noticed a bag full of tacos and tossed them in as well.

  He swept the room and found one of Hawkshaw’s combat belts in a nightstand. Black Razor put it on and the belt automatically sized itself to fit. There were compartments filled with capsules, tools and other items. He smiled under his black mask, zipped up the bag, then turned to go. On his way to the door, he noticed the mini-bar and opened it up. He cleaned out the small fridge and put everything in the bag. When he walked out of the room he noted Lightning’s body down the hall. An idea came to him that would further knock his opponents off balance. Hawkshaw wasn’t the only one who studied his enemies.

  • • •

  As the sun started to set, Power House flew back to the hotel carrying an angry Hawkshaw. They landed out front and walked through the large glass doors.

  “You’re out of control, Power House. Leveling Black Razor’s apartment building accomplished nothing and put citizens in danger,” Hawkshaw said angrily.

  “I’m through listening to you Hawkshaw. This guy cuts off Lightning’s head and tortured information out of Sharp Shooter—then did only God knows what to him. Enough is enough. I’ll put an end to him.”

  Hawkshaw stopped abruptly and grabbed Power House’s arm. There before them was a gruesome sight in the middle of the lobby— Lightning’s body, posed in a large leather chair, dressed in Power House’s formal outfit. Lightning’s head had been placed in his own dead hands.

  “Where’s all the hotel staff? Quick, search the hotel and let’s pray they’re still alive somewhere!” Hawkshaw ordered.

  Power House disappeared in a blink. Hawkshaw knew it’d only take five to six minutes for him to search the entire building. He inspected Lightning’s body and noticed a piece of paper hanging from the mouth of the lifeless head. He approached cautiously and removed the note, reading it aloud.

  “Dearest Hawkshaw, it was nice knowing you. Sincerely, Black Razor.”

  Instantly, he turned around toward the front doors to see Black Razor, wielding none other than Sharp Shooter’s magnificent sniper rifle. Before he could react the glass doors shattered inward. The high caliber, uranium oxide tipped bullet hit Hawkshaw square between the eyes, throwing him backward into Lightning’s corpse. The chair tumbled
over backward and Hawkshaw’s body continued on another five feet before coming to rest against the front desk.

  Black Razor knew the gunshot would draw Power House, so he tossed the deadly rifle and sprinted away. Power House would soon pay, but not before every other member of the Guardians of Earth died first. He smiled knowing he had taken care of the most dangerous of the Guardians by killing Hawkshaw. Only Lady Terra remained, and it was time to start the final phase of his plan for revenge.

  Power House heard the gunshot downstairs, and even though it’d been years since last hearing it, he knew that the shot came from Sharp Shooter’s rifle. He flew down the stairwell in a blaze, and came into the lobby only to see Hawkshaw’s body lying several feet away from the overturned chair and Lightning’s headless body. There was blood everywhere. He knew that Hawkshaw was gone. He screamed out in a rage that shook the entire building. Suddenly, a beeping noise went off on his wristband. He looked down to see an emergency summons beacon sent from Hawkshaw’s laptop to all Guardians. He tried to figure out why a summons beacon would be going off now. Then it came to him.

  “Lady Terra! She has no clue what she’s walking into.”

  He looked back at his band and saw that the summons was coming from the central park. He flew as fast as his power would allow toward the park.

  • • •

  “Hawkshaw, where are you?” Lady Terra called out.

  She stood by a park bench in the middle of Rockhaven Central Park. On the bench was Hawkshaw’s laptop transmitting the emergency summons, but he was nowhere to be seen. She reached down and hit the end key to shut off the beacon. A violent explosion enveloped Lady Terra, throwing her into the air. She screamed as she landed awkwardly on her shoulder several yards away from the charred park bench. Blood trickled down her nose, her ears rang and she couldn’t move. She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, standing over her was the Black Razor holding a large, black broad sword.

  “You… you’re Razor… Black Raz—” Lady Terra mumbled weakly. “Wh…why?”

  Black Razor knelt beside her, the large sword disappearing then being replaced by a wicked looking dagger.

  “Because Lady Terra, you were there the day Power House murdered my parents and you did nothing to stop him. For that, you must pay with your life.”

  He raised the dagger and slashed down for the killing blow. Power House flew in faster than light and grabbed Black Razor’s wrist, lifting him several feet off the ground just before the blade made connection. Black Razor smiled underneath the mask even as Power House was crushing his arm.

  “At last I meet the man who murdered my parents. Guess what Power House?”

  Power House didn’t reply. His eyes were filled with an unholy raging fire. Suddenly, Lady Terra screamed out, then stopped. Power House jerked his head around to see a five-foot long blade protruding from Black Razor’s other hand into Lady Terra’s chest.

  “I can use my powers with both hands, now it’s your turn!” Black Razor yelled.

  He reformed the long sword into a knife, then jammed it into the side of Power House’s head, but the blade simply bounced off. Power House slowly looked back at the Black Razor.

  “Die!” Power House screamed.

  He threw Black Razor a hundred feet to the side, knocking over a large oak tree.

  Black Razor tasted blood and stood up just in time to be hit by Power House flying at full speed with both fists extended. He cartwheeled end over end backward until he landed near a swing set. He lay there a long moment hearing a thumping sound. At first, he thought it was in his head, then he realized they had finally come. He stood and pointed at the approaching helicopter.

  “Channel 9 Action News, Power House. I’ve been waiting for them to show up. Wave at the camera big boy, because the world is going to watch one of us die tonight.”

  Power House never stopped his approach and as he got into range he threw a vicious haymaker.

  “NO!” Black Razor screamed out.

  His body became encased in black flames, and a crackle of energy reverberated through the air. He moved quickly, catching Power House’s fist with both hands. Then, using the momentum from the punch flung him into a metal bar on the swing set. Black Razor pounced on the downed man, punching him over and over in the face with the raging black energy flowing around him.

  Power House took punch after punch but was finally able to shove Black Razor off and regained his feet. He kicked him hard in the head, then went to kick him again, but this time Black Razor grabbed his leg and dug his energy encased fingers into the skin, muscle, and bone. Power House screamed out and grabbed Black Razor by the neck, flinging him straight into the air. He looked down at his leg—ripped open. He felt pain like he’d never felt before. He tried to take a step but stumbled.

  “What did you do to me, you fiend?” Power House yelled out.

  There was a thud off to the left of Power House where Black Razor had fallen. He limped toward the villain when suddenly, a bright spotlight was on him. The news chopper above had illuminated the battleground and had cameras trained on him. He ignored them and struggled over to Black Razor. As he approached, Black Razor sprung from the ground and grabbed Power House by the throat and focused his energy.

  Power House was stunned by the surprise attack and he struggled to breathe as the burning hands clenched around his throat. He began punching Black Razor in the ribs and stomach. There were loud cracks as ribs snapped under the mighty blows. Black Razor gave a mighty head butt to Power House, dazing him briefly; then squeezed harder. Power House felt his life slipping from him when suddenly, Black Razor released him.

  The battered men stood no more than a few feet from one another. Black Razor held his shattered ribs and tried to stay conscious.

  “You killed the only two people in the world that ever meant anything to me,” Black Razor said.

  He reached up and pulled the black mask from his head. Blood ran from his nose, mouth, and ears. One eye was swollen shut. He removed his gloves, then reached down and removed Hawkshaw’s combat belt.

  “You killed my dad, Robert Goldman, and my mom, Cheryl Goldman. Now you can go ahead and complete it by killing me, Jonathan Goldman,” Johnny said.

  Power House limped over and grabbed Johnny by the throat.

  “With pleasure you worthless, little piece of trash. You are nothing but a waste of humanity, and your parents deserved to die for spawning a vile person like you,” Power House spat.

  Then with a force more tremendous than a thousand pound bomb, Power House landed a punch that shook the city for miles around. He laughed maniacally as Johnny’s body went slack in death. He screamed and threw the defeated villain so hard that his body flew out of sight. Power House took several deep breaths and finally cleared the rage from his mind. It was over.

  “Are you proud of yourself?” a voice came from the darkness.

  Power House turned to see Hawkshaw walk from the shadows.

  “Hawkshaw? But…you were dead. He shot you with Sharp Shooter’s gun.”

  “When Sharp Shooter went missing four years ago I developed a new type of fabric for my suit that could stop uranium oxide tipped bullets. Since we never found Sharp Shooter or his rifle, I planned for the possibility that someone else would,” Hawkshaw explained. “Now answer the question. Are you proud of yourself, Power House?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean, Hawkshaw? I did what I had to do,” Power House answered.

  “Right. You did what you had to. Just like always.”

  “That’s right, and if you weren’t dead, then why’d you let Lady Terra walk into his trap and die? Why didn’t you help me out instead of slinking around in the shadows?”

  “Thomas Jefferson once said the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants,” Hawkshaw replied.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’ve been so far out of control that you’ve blurr
ed the line between patriot and tyrant. You’ve created your own rules, justified killing not only the bad guys but anyone else who got in the way. It had to end. Justice needed to be refreshed and Johnny Goldman has done just that.”

  “You’re twisted Hawkshaw, and besides, he didn’t kill me,” Power House said.

  “You are correct,” Hawkshaw said, then raised his hand and pointed.

  Power House turned to see a group of cameramen and reporters. Then he looked up at the news copter circling overhead. Hawkshaw leaned in close and whispered.

  “He didn’t kill you physically, but he killed your spirit and everything you ever stood for. Every single victory you ever won over the past twenty years is gone,” Hawkshaw said then continued after a short pause. “You are a dead man.”

  Hawkshaw walked away and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Power House behind with his head hung low and the curses of the gathering crowds.

  A Word from Phillip Hall

  Thank you for reading “The Black Razor.” I became an instant comic book geek in 1988 at the age of 11. My cousin took me to a comic book convention in Dallas, TX and purchased me The Punisher issues 22-28. I instantly fell in love with Frank Castle and his dark way of dealing with evil. He was unlike any other goodie two shoes hero I knew at the time and I couldn’t get enough.

  The idea for “The Black Razor” came to me in 1996. I had been collecting comics, manga, and anime for years but Frank Castle was still my absolute favorite. So it was natural to develop a dark character who had no issue with dispensing extreme justice. I loved the idea that a good guy can become bad and you needed a bad guy to make it right. Even though I had the concept and lots of notes I didn’t actually write it until over a decade later.

  I truly hope you enjoyed reading “Black Razor.” I am thankful for Steve Beaulieu believing in me and this story. Also I want to give a huge thank you to my brother Aaron Hall, who is truly an inspiration to me in all things writing.

  A SHORT WORD FROM THE PRESENTER