The Negative Man_Twilight Days

by Jeremy Croston

  “Stop right there,” I commanded.

  “As you wish,” he replied. His voice was odd, yet familiar in some way. I couldn’t place it.

  The four men behind me were looking towards me for direction. I sensed they were startled by this strange appearance. Whoever was at the other end of that dock, they were looking for one of us; probably me.

  I gestured for them to stay put. I took a few more steps closer. “I’m not sure if you know who—”

  “Jericho Staley, also known as The Negative Man. I know who you are.” It wasn’t said to be intimidating or threatening. It was a plainly stated fact. “I’ve waited for this chance for some time. It is an honor to be in your presence.”

  You know when someone is really putting on the show to win you over? That’s what this felt like. I ignored the complimentary bullshit and went straight in for the good stuff. “You know who I am; do I get the same courtesy?”

  “Names are truly very important. You can call me,” his voice trailed off. “Volkkenkrüger”

  The minute he spoke his name aloud, something eerie took over. He had to be a powered person. I dug deep to bring up as much Stormfall electricity as I had, only for him to say, “Stop.”

  “Stop? It doesn’t work like that.”

  Volkkenkrüger inched his way closer to me. “Let’s be honest, Jericho, shall we? You have no intentions of killing me because you’re curious about my knowledge. ‘How does he know me?’ you’re asking yourself this very moment.”

  He was right. I powered down, much to the protests of those behind me. “Jericho, what’re you doing?” Rich growled.

  “He knows who I am,” I muffled out of the side of my lip. Hopefully Rich understood. Turning back to the man in the devil mask, “Are you willing to tell me that information?”

  “All in due time, son.” I hated it when older people used that for those younger than them. Hell, I wasn’t even all that young and spry anymore. “Today, I just wanted to chat for a moment, see if you’re still the man you were when you killed Ronald Victory.”

  “Am I?”

  “You are so much more!” He broke his stoic nature, a bit of excitement fell into his tone. “Those who feared you were right, all along. There are those of us with powers, and then there is you. The nuclear bomb of super powered individuals.”

  That didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “I think we’ve said all that needs to be said.” Blue lightning began to dance in my hand. “If you don’t mind, me and my friends were just on our way out.”

  Volkkenkrüger appeased my request. He backed off the dock, his eyes following me behind that evil mask he wore. “I will leave you with one last piece of advice.”

  “Oh?”

  “The time for Penance is coming. Those you call friend will turn on you, forcing you to seek new allies, a new family if you will. The time will come where you’ll seek me out on your own, and I’ll be waiting.” He opened the SUV door. “I promise you that, Jericho.”

  Volkkenkrüger closed the door and the SUV took off, back into the night. With the looming threat gone, the rest of the guys broke free from their apprehension and rejoined me. “That was weird, dude.”

  I couldn’t agree more with Erin. “There was something about that guy that just didn’t feel right.”

  “His whole mannerisms and act were strange,” Rich agreed with.

  By this time, Wade had his tablet back online. “I hate to bring up anymore bad news, but two more cars just entered the wharf. The best course of action is to take cover.”

  After the surprise entrance of one oddball, I was in agreeance with Wade. We hurried off the exposed dock and took cover behind some shipping containers off to the west side. From our vantage point, we could see the two vehicles pull up; one was a pretty nice four-door sedan and the other was an older truck. The driver of the sedan stepped out first—it was Becky Walker.

  An older, much surer of herself Becky Walker, but I’d never forget the face of the girl that helped me get my hands on Ronald Victory.

  It was no shock when Kyle Wonderton stepped out of the truck. “According to Phil, surveillance showed them here just prior to our arrival.”

  “He’s the guy you wanted to see,” Rick pointed out.

  That he was. “We’re over here, Kyle.”

  The Morning Lynx and his sidekick spun around and found the five of us walking out of the shadows. The two groups each progressed until we met in the middle. I was comfortable with this meeting, but Kyle sure wasn’t. Beads of sweat began to form around his brow.

  He started off the same way everyone did. “You should be dead.”

  “I hear that a lot.”

  “Imagine our surprise when we dragged him out of the desert,” Rich relayed to my former adversary.

  Becky stepped forward and reached out her hand. “May I?”

  With her unique power, Becky Walker, or Wonderton perhaps, could reveal the truth behind a person just be simply making contact with them. As I had no hidden agenda, I lifted up my stump for her to touch. Ahh yes, pity; I’d expect nothing less from her.

  “Did it hurt?” she asked.

  “I don’t remember a lot from that final confrontation, honestly. What hurt the most was that he used Heather to try and save himself.” The loss of a loved one, a pain that never went away. “I tried to save her, but in the end, it was all for naught.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Jericho.” Kyle was actually expressing sympathy for me.

  “What’s happened has come and passed.” There was no reason to dwell on it further. “Am I trustworthy?” The question was posed more for Ms. Walker.

  She looked at me and back at Kyle. “He’s here for one thing; to stop President Whisnant from using some sort of secret weapon.”

  I knew Kyle would inquire more, but I wasn’t the one with all the information. “These fellas here, they’re the ones that you should interrogate. They’ve been pretty busy beavers since the last time we were all together.”

  “Jericho’s right, kid.” Rich reached out his hand towards Becky. “I got a pretty good idea how your power works. This might save a lot of time.”

  “Can you interpret two people at a time?” Wade asked, as he stuck his hand out, too.

  Becky grabbed both. “We’ll see.”

  As she did her thing, Kyle stepped in closer to me. “This is a bit off topic, but I do have a question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  He seemed stunned at my compliance. “Okay then; have you heard of a powered person named Volkkenkrüger?”

  That was ironic. Part of me wondered if it was some sort of joke or test. “Yeah, I have—why?”

  “You have?” He skipped right over my question. There was something desperate about the whole situation I hadn’t picked up on when he asked the question. “What can you tell me about him?”

  “Considering I met him about ten minutes before you got here, not much.”

  “He was here?” He asked the question so loud that Becky’s concentration was broken. “Volkkenkrüger? Are you sure?”

  “You don’t really forget a man wearing a devil’s mask, speaking in riddles.”

  “Yeah dude, he freaked me out,” Erin added.

  “Becky,” Kyle said, seriously. “We’ll continue this later. I think we need to get back to Wonderton Estate, quickly.”

  “If Volkkenkrüger is nearby…”

  He waved her off. “Jericho, Erin, Rich—you’re riding with me. Wade and Andy, you go with Becky.”

  “Wait a second,” I cut him off. “Just why are you giving us orders?”

  “Volkkenkrüger isn’t to be trifled with. I’ll tell you everything.” Even as he said it, I looked at him skeptically. “I promise; everything, once we get back to safety.”

  “Let’s listen to the kid, Jericho.” Rich, always trying to be the voice of reason.

  “Okay,” I agreed. Even though I didn’t care for how things transpired, there was something about Vol
kkenkrüger that hit me deep. If Kyle could tell me more, I’d have to step aside and let him lead the situation.

  Chapter 4 –

  Wednesday Morning, Wonderton Estate

  My old buddy Phil Jenkins was sitting on the table beside me, in a laptop. I’d never get over that entire situation of how he came to be in such a state. “Looking good, Phil.”

  “Considering the hardware I’m using is so out-of-date, I can’t even gain access to system updates anymore, I’m still lucky to be considered useful.” He was right about that; the laptop had seen better days.

  The rest of my group was sitting around, going over the information that Kyle had and in return, telling him their story. That was all fine and well, I just didn’t need to be a part of it. Jenkins was the man with the information I needed, according to Becky. So, while the rest of them sat around and worried about President Davy Whisnant and his aspirations, I wanted to know more about this Volkkenkrüger.

  I plugged in a set of headphones, so our conversation would be strictly between us. “Becky said you were the one with the news on this Volkkenkrüger. What can you tell me, Phil?”

  His face whisked away, replaced with all the notes he’d been compiling since this man’s name first surfaced. “He has three acolytes if you will; Fate, Destiny, and Providence. The detective you worked with during the Victory fiasco, Parker Lattimore, was actually Providence. Why he infiltrated Kyle’s operation is still an ongoing mystery.”

  Fate, Destiny, and Providence, what a unique group. “Who are the two others?”

  “We don’t know. The original Fate killed himself in a confrontation a few years back, but we get the idea that the role is a revolving door. They aren’t names, Jericho, they are titles.”

  Hmmm, that made sense, sort of like The Aces. “Chances are this Volkkenkrüger is like Owen Walker, always looking for new recruits to join him in his quest. Still, there’s something about the man that just hit me as familiar.”

  “I don’t know how,” Phil replied. “By my knowledge he was a prisoner of war almost seven decades ago, pumped full of chemicals during his stay. Kurt Volkan died according to his records, but it’s the closest match we have.”

  Everything Phil was telling me matched up with the files downloaded on to his hard drive. It was a fascinating read about a man that was basically written off as a casualty of a needless war. I got that feeling as we talked; he’d been a nobody that had been transformed into a somebody. Maybe that’s where the familiarity came from, I’d once been in similar shoes.

  “Thanks for the update, Phil.”

  “Anytime Jericho.”

  I pulled the headphones off and saw everyone was still talking about the events, except Becky. She noticed that I was no longer tied up and sat beside me. “Find what you were looking for?”

  “No, but I think there’s a path to take. One I’m going to take alone, if that’s not going to cause an international incident.”

  Kyle glanced over, but didn’t interrupt. Something must’ve been said between the two of them that the rest of us weren’t privy to. “The world’s a different place today. Be careful out there, okay?”

  She was showing me compassion again. Becky had always been a unique individual. “I won’t burn the city down, I promise.”

  “I wasn’t talking about that. However, we do appreciate the sentiment.”

  “Rich has my cell number if you need me. If I find anything out on my own, I’ll contact you through him.”

  She smiled. “Is that your way of making sure we keep them safe?”

  I just smiled in return. “I’ll catch up with you all soon.”

  Erin looked as if he wanted to say something, but I patted his back on my way out. “You stay out of trouble, let me be the one to find it.”

  “I got your back, bro. Whenever you need it.”

  Funny that a man I killed so long ago was now one of my biggest allies. This proved the world worked in funny ways. I shook hands with Rich, Andy, and Wade before heading out. I was two steps from the top and the outside air when Kyle called out. “If he found you once, he’ll find you again.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

  I opened the door and allowed the cool ocean air to fill my lungs. I was home.

  ****

  The Alameda Apartment Complex was abandoned. That was okay in my book; I could provide my own electricity. As I stepped into my old dwelling, not much had changed. The outdated furniture was mostly intact and the appliances were all accounted for. I turned on the kitchen faucet and cold water came out. Not bad. I’d dealt with worse.

  It was fitting to use this as my new base of operations. With both Whisnant and this Volkkenkrüger on the move, familiarity would be a good place to breathe and think. I should’ve been more concerned with the president getting his hands on tech that mimicked my powers, but the only thing going through my mind was Volkkenkrüger.

  I hated a mystery and he was one.

  I sat down on the couch and thought about our first encounter. A man like that, it was easy to tell he liked the finer things in life. Volkkenkrüger would not be in a slummy area like this; he’d been in a spot where he could see everything. He was the lord and we were his servants, that’s the kind of man he was.

  There was a knock on my door. It was so surprising that I didn’t even have time to be alarmed. It opened and in walked a visitor. “Hello,” called out a female’s voice.

  “One more step and your dead.”

  The door shut and my new guest took off her hat. Dark, raven colored hair fell down past her shoulders. She was tall, almost my height, and had a look that screamed Mediterranean to her. The stunning features she sported honed in on me.

  “Jericho, he said you’d come here and he was right.”

  My good hand held a bundle of Stormfall energy, waiting to find its mark. “You have ten seconds. Go.”

  She wasn’t at all frightened of me. “My name is Constance Eubank, but you may call me Destiny.”

  Volkkenkrüger… “So, the ‘he’ you mentioned was your boss?”

  “Yes, he was concerned about you after the meeting didn’t finish as planned.”

  The Stormfall crept back into my, but my concern for this new visitor had not. “So, you’re here on his behalf today?”

  “No, nothing like that,” she said.

  I looked deep into her blue eyes. There was a reason she didn’t fear me; she was a powered person, too. “What can you do?” I asked.

  “Nothing as powerful as you, trust me. I can simply,” and she disappeared. Not a trace of her in sight. “And then reappear at will.” And just like that, she was back again, in the exact same spot.

  My analytical mind went to work right away. “You can’t move when you vanish, can you?”

  She shook her head no. “I’m stuck in one place for however long I decide to stay invisible. It’s perfect for spying and such, but has no real practical use in combat.”

  “Are you corporeal? If I shot lightning at you, would it have missed?”

  “Yes,” she said, excitement buzzing. “My body is no longer on this plane, it is safe when I am gone.”

  That was very interesting. It was a way to avoid detection as well as stay safe. “Your mind is still here, correct? You must have a way to know when it is safe to come back.”

  “It is. That would be a foolish power if I couldn’t pick and choose when I came back.”

  Destiny was beginning to charm me, that much I knew. I was also content with allowing it to happen. Much like her boss, there was something comforting about her. I was playing a very dangerous game, but then again, I was The Negative Man. It was them also playing a very deadly game.

  Still, the time was ripe to get another answer. “Volkkenkrüger wants something with me. Can you share the secret?”

  She looked around for a moment, as if really playing up the secret angle. There wasn’t anyone within miles of us. “He wants you to take your rightful place in our hi
erarchy, to take up the mantle of Fate. It is an honor not given lightly.”

  No, I doubted it was. “I’ve been gone for eight years, hidden from the world. Why would he want a shell of a man to join his cause?”

  “The man I see in front of me isn’t a shell—no, he’s battle-tested and a survivor. Volkkenkrüger sees that and more in you.”

  “Take me to him,” I requested of her.

  “It would be my pleasure. We weren’t sure if you’d come so easily.” She held out her arm, as if wanting me to link mine in.

  The way it matched up, my stump of an arm was the one to weave into hers. “Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”

  Destiny flashed her smile again. “There’s nothing to fear with being curious about Volkkenkrüger. He’s a great man.”

  I wasn’t talking about my curiosity, though. “That was a warning for you and your interest in me.”

  She didn’t say anything word, but her smile never faded. As we left the apartment complex, a black SUV was waiting for us. I opened the door and allowed her to enter first, followed by me. Once situated, Destiny called upfront to the driver. “Take us home. The lost sheep has returned.”

  It was an interesting choice of words that made me truly wonder what was next to come.

  Chapter 5-

  Wednesday Morning; Skyline Tower

  This was new. The large steel construct that the car stopped in front of certainly hadn’t been here during my previous stay in Pacific Station. It was easily seventy to eighty stories tall and stuck out like a giant finger pointing up to the heavens. Nothing surrounded it for miles; once we entered the plaza, we were in a world far from civilization. Or so it felt.

  Destiny climbed out first. I was still rather dumbstruck at the sight of this tower. Chromes, silvers, and gun-metals weaved around each other to give it a very distinct look. It was modern, but almost to the point of ominous. The beautiful woman let me have a moment to take it all in.