by Nathan Howe
If Mortal weren't alive, Spector would be free, controlling Cynosure. Giving Ashes a run for it as the most powerful Ardent in the world.
Instead, he rotted here trying to figure a way out. The world wasn't right. Wasn't fair.
This won't last, Spector vowed. He'd be free. He'd cause the mayhem he was born to. To raise up and be the most powerful Ardent ever born.
Epilogue
Invincible
Invincible sat in his office fatigued from the whole Spector Saga. If he ever spotted another Netherworld user again, it would be too soon. The paperwork piled on his desk. It was a battle that never ended. The worst part of the job. He missed the days of being out on the street patrolling with his partner Pixie. The paper dealing with Spector could wait. He had piles of reports from outside of Cynosure. The most disturbing of them coming from Lenience City.
Reports of a Robot killing one of his community’s family. He'd have gone to deal with it himself if the whole Netherworld hadn't sprung up on them so quickly. It incensed him that he hadn’t been able to go check on his people. Another reason to detest Spector and Netherworld users. Though he knew it wasn’t fair to place them all together, Chilling was different. But he was more of an anomaly than the norm.
His office intercom buzzed. His secretaries voice blurted through. “Lider has arrived.”
Invincible pressed his side of the system, “Send him in.”
A short brute of a man walked into the room. He carried himself with confidence. His hair buzzed short to disguise the effects of age, thinning hair and hints of gray. Invincible stood and walked around the desk to greet him, a handshake that transitioned into a hug. “It's been too long, old friend.”
Lider nodded. “It has. Lenience City keeps me busy. As I'm sure, the rest of the Hero Coalition and Cynosure does for you.”
“I'm sorry about Rowin's family,” Invincible said with sadness. It hurt to know members of his people were killed. “I would have visited him. But it got crazy here.”
“He understands.” Invincible tried to be there for all his Ardents working for the Hero Coalition. It burned him that he hadn't been able to attend the funeral for a family of one so devoted as Rowin. Invincible gestured to the chairs in front of the window. It was a breathtaking view. The city skyline, down past Djinn Park, which from here appeared to be a nice place to live.
“I've been reading the reports,” Invincible said sitting down next to Lider.
“They aren't good.”
“No. Ardents going missing. How many is it now? Eight?”
“Ten as of this morning. None of them working for the Coalition. Hell a few of them were downright evil people. But they shouldn't have just disappeared the way they did.”
“Not good. You have any ideas.”
Lider shifted in his seat and leaned forward. “I'm certain it's related to the robot that took out Rowin's family. Rumors of a pair of doctors working together to take out Ardents.” Lider sounded disgusted by it.
“Are you sure?” Invincible shifted in his chair anxiously.
“Just rumors at this point. Silver Hand is investigating it as well as Solar. But it feels right to me. These Ardents have vanished without a trace. And there have been spotting's of different robots and sightings of what people say are monsters.”
“You want me to transfer more?”
Lider nodded his head. “More eyes the better. Just make sure they are capable of protecting themselves.”
Invincible sat silent for a moment. He had thousands of members of the Hero Coalition that he could reroute to the city. “How many do you want?”
“Not too many. With Ardents being taken it would be best not to flood the city with more.”
“Agreed. One moment.”
He left the office. “Janice contact Broken and Mortal for me. Have them get here as soon as possible.”
Invincible spun around and walked back to his office. “I have two coming over now. We'll start with just two. If they don't provide enough support, I'll send more or show up myself.”
“Roger that.” Lider didn’t appear to mind the small number. Sometimes much less was more. Lider was also very good at covering his shock or disappointment.
A short time later Janice buzzed him. “Let them in.”
The door opened, and Mortal with Broken walked in. Both looked confused at being summoned to his office out of the blue. When they spotted Lider they glanced at each other, both shrugged. “This is Lider. He's the head of the Hero Coalition in Lenience City.”
Mortal nodded. “I've read the reports. I'm sorry.”
“Don't be,” Lider said.
“Ours?” Broken asked.
“For now,” Invincible said. “Go there, do whatever Lider says. He has many capable heroes under him. Assist them.”
“Will do,” Broken said.
The Butcher of Djinn Park
Steve's door thundered. “Just a second.” Sweat covered Steve's body. He was in the middle of his morning workout practicing with his swords. The door continued to shake as someone bombarded it. Stopping his workout Steve replaced the katana on his back, forming the tattoo again.
As Steve walked to the door, he grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat away. He patted his chest and face. He held the towel as the door creaked opened. His buddy Jack Steve's tattoo artist stood about to knock again.
“You have anything to do with this?” Jack asked holding a newspaper up in front of Steve's face. A giant headline covered the top half. Steve didn't bother to read. He shivered thinking about it. One of the most frightening cases he ever worked.
“I might, and you know it.”
Jack shrugged. “I wanted to make sure.”
“You have to tell me what the hell is going on.”
Steve groaned. “Jack. Do I have to tell you every story?”
“Not every.” Jack grinned and blushed. “Only the cool ones like this. I know part of it. At least I think I do.”
“You do. Come in. You hungry? About to head over to Ricky's Diner.”
Jack's stomach rumbled. “You'll tell me the story over breakfast.”
“Yeah.”
“Great.” Jack stepped into the small office that Steve called home.
“Give me five minutes.” Steve rushed to the personal area of the room. It wasn't much, but it held a small bedroom and bathroom. He showered in record time. Steve didn't even bother to dry his hair, not like it wouldn't take long to dry, naturally being so short. Once dressed in his signature outfit a black trench coat with no shirt since it allowed access to his tattoos. His jeans had seen better days this pair so faded they were nearly white. “Ready. Let's go.”
Ricky's Diner sat in the northern part of the park, nothing more than a small restaurant. Home of the best eggs and bacon in the city. They walked over enjoying the shimmering morning sun poking his head through the hazy gray clouds. The lingering scents of the rough night wafted up over. Steve crinkled his nose as they passed a few people that lay curled on the ground.
Steve tried his best to get out and soak up vitamin D., But recently he had slacked. The weeks after the attack he spent working in the park doing his part to help clean up after the damage that Spector had caused. He spent that time with Jack and Heldonhaft.
The number of people that helped restored some of Steve's faith. Even after the violation of their homes that Spector caused. He wished it hadn't taken such a tragic event to do it. But still, it helped him recover from the attack. He did his best to help defend the city, especially Djinn Park from the Netherworld creatures.
As they entered the diner, Ricky greeted them. “Steve. It's about time you showed up. I worried you left.”
A smile crossed Steve's face. “I could never leave here.”
“Not voluntarily but so many have gone. With the attack and ...”
Steve knew all too well. Jack and Steve sat in a corner both far enough away from others as not to disturb them. Steve started at the beginning.
> A week after the Specter’s attack I stood in the center of the park with Heldonhaft. We spent the last few hours cleaning the park with hundreds of others. A woman in tears approached me. She was short, petite, with long blonde hair. “Are you?” She paused. “Uh. Are you Steve?”
The private investigator took over for a second, and I examined her before asking. I didn't want to own up to being me in case this was a dangerous Ardent. After scrutinizing her, she seemed innocent enough. “I am.”
“My brother is missing.” Her eyes were bloodshot along with heavy bags. She had been crying. Tears rolled down her cheek.
“I'm so sorry. We lost a lot of good people to the attack.”
“No.” She wiped away the tears. “Not to the event.”
“Ma'am, are you sure? A lot of people disappeared during the assault. We haven't found them all yet.”
Heldonhaft nodded. “We might not ever. The Netherworld can do odd things to people.”
“He made it through the attack.”
“Did you talk to him after? See him. A voice mail?” Steve questioned.
“No,” she growled. “But I know he did. He was alive two days ago. And now he's not.”
Steve peered into her eyes. There was little doubt there the certainty he had been alive after the event. “I believe you. Can you come to my office tomorrow morning? Bring me anything you can about your brother.”
She nodded. “Thank you.” She wiped her face again and left us.
Once gone Heldonhaft turned to me. “You shouldn't have done that.”
“Why?”
“Steve. He died in the attack. Plain and simple. It's been a week. We are still finding bodies. Parts of bodies. Across the city.”
“Maybe just maybe she's right. Someone should try.”
Heldonhaft sighed. “Okay. Just remember I told you so.”
“Seriously?” Jack leaned forward. “He didn't want you to help her.”
Steve nodded. He took a sip of coffee. Black the way he liked it. Whiskey would help it. “He worried I'd give her false hope.”
The clanging of pots and pans rattled through the diner A few more people entered, and the one waitress working went about doing back and forth between Steve and them. It was a pleasant morning.
“Yeah, I get that.” Jack shrugged. He shifted his own cup of coffee. It was almost full. He'd been too engrossed in the story and had forgotten about it. It stopped steaming a while ago. Unlike Steve, he poured a copious amount of sugar into it. He needed it to keep him awake in the morning. Jack was more of a night person. “But still.”
“Well, he was right. Just not how he thought.”
The next morning I sat at my desk smoking my cigar waiting for the young lady to arrive, unsure why I did this. I wanted to help. Aspired to give hope, bring change to Djinn Park. But part of me worried that Heldonhaft was right. At eight o'clock sharp a knock sounded on the door.
She smiled at me as I opened the door. It was evident that she was thankful that I agreed to help her. “Come in ma'am.”
“Thank you, for seeing me..”
I gestured to my desk I had taken to keeping clear. It was my first step in keeping Djinn Park safe. Showing I could keep my own things clean and organized. Made a better impression on others. Plus if I couldn't change how could I expect the park too? Or Hero Coalition? “You're welcome, Mara. I hope I can help. But I worry that I will just be wasting your time.”
She sat in my old beat up chair in front of my desk. I've had it since I started my business. It had been an attempt to look professional. It didn't last, and I let the chair fall into despair. She had several folders stuffed to the brim with papers spilling out with her. “I brought a bunch of paperwork.”
I nodded. “ I noticed.”
Her arms shook as hs opened up the folders. She nervously placed several pieces of paper on the desk. “I have a theory.”
“Okay.” I wasn't a fan of people and their conjectures. Most of the time people weren't close. It took training to figure these things out. To connect things most of the time, I wasted time following individuals' hunches.
I strode around the desk to get a better view of the pages she laid out. Several newspapers were intermixed with the printed pages. Some of the pages were list she made, and others articles and police reports. They contained numerous names, with dates next to them. With photos intermixed. Lots of little notes covered different pages. The writings so small I couldn't make it out. “You're going to tell me what this is?”
“Yes.” She fiddled with the pages. “Uh.” She pulled a sheet with the list of names on them. She tapped the last one on the right. “That's my brother. Danny. And he is the most recent person to go missing. Every person on this list has gone missing.”
Each name on the catalog had a date next to them Danny's date was three days ago, the one above it a few days prior. It continued on like that every few weeks for years. The first name on the list was close to ten years ago. “This is a lot of people. Are you sure they are connected?”
“Perhaps not all. But most.” She resented the comment. “Have you ever heard of the Butcher?”
I rolled my eyes. “Please, he's an urban legend.”
The first time I came across that name was close to six years ago. Several people said this killer operated in and around the park. People here one day and gone the next. Never seen again.
I had investigated. Found nothing. The people I did find, the Withering took. Many of the names were unsolved missing person cases. I had talked to the Cynosure PD about. They had nothing.
The last time I tried to find these people it ate me up. Took months of my life. It sent me to a dark, scary place. I told myself that never again search for the Butcher. I drank away my life with the images of the people missing. Picturing what could have happened. The case worried me over the years. I had trouble moving on. The thought I failed the people here.
Mara frowned. “He is no urban legend. I'm certain.”
Her voice firm. She said it with so much conviction that I almost believed her. “I've researched into him before. Found nothing. Most of the people I investigated were taken by the Withering.”
She fiddled with the papers. “I've done a lot of inquiries too. Most of these are not Withering related. My list used to be much longer.”
“Okay.” I wasn't as sure. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“I don't have the access you do. The connections you do. I want to know who killed my brother. Who killed these people?”
I sighed. “I'll look into it,” I said against my better judgment.
She leaned over to me and gave me a hug. “Thank you.”
“I'm not promising anything.”
Mara nodded. “I understand.”
“I'll go through these papers and see if I can find any leads on any of these. Starting with your brother.”
“Please tell me if you need anything else from me.”
“I will.” I wrapped up the conversation. I needed to get started on this. Time was of the essence. I walked her out. Once the door was closed, I let out a breath that I was holding. I paced around my office wondering what I just got myself into. Panic crept in. My anxiety almost got the best of me.
The pages on my desk kept calling to me. I hated investigating serial killers, I've seen things that I can never unsee. If I have caught one it might be worth it but, I've never been close. They pages started to burn in the back of my head. If I could find him, I could save lots of lives, and it would be good for my business. With the only thing on my mind was the papers I poured over them starting with her brother.
I did a quick internet search. Danny lived across town in the entertainment district, the eastern part of the city. He was thirty years old, and it appeared he and Mara were twins. I searched and found a few social media pages that had sporadic updates, none in the last week, that didn't help. I hoped it showed he was around after the attack. It helped me find a few of his friends. A few more
searches resulted in the locations of them. The best invention ever for a PI was the internet. It sped up my job. Much better than trying to create a potion.
I left and jumped in my old beat up car, a ten-year-old two-seater convertible. It had over two hundred thousand miles on it, but it still purred like the day I got it. I don't use it much these days, most of the places I go I can walk.
I had three locations to go, and of course, they didn't live in the same part of Cynosure. They covered several of the five districts. Two of them south of downtown, one in midtown, the other across the river east, and the third one, west of downtown. And of course none of those remotely close to Djinn park which was on the border of the industrial district in the north part of Cynosure. I wanted to avoid downtown and the island all together even if it meant driving more miles. It would be quicker.
Thirty minutes later I arrived at the first one on the southeast part of town. It was an improvement over the industrial district and especially Djinn Park. But still not the best part of the city. Most of the houses at least had all their windows and yards that didn't belong in a jungle. They fit together in the cookie cutter layout of the area. Almost all of them the same.
I parked in front of the house. Even though it was midday, it appeared to me that someone was home. I knocked on the door. A half minute later a short, robust man with olive skin opened the door, “Who the fuck are you?” The man appeared to be who I was looking for, Billy, the picture I had matched.
“Steve,” I pulled out a card and handed it to him. “I'm a private Investigator. I was asked to look into the disappearance of Danny.”
“Let me guess his twin.”
I nodded. “Yeah. She's certain he was killed by the Butcher.”
Billy exhaled. His shoulders sagged “The more I think about it. She'd been on this for days now. She might be right.”