“Why should you get all the fun?” In her hand was the latest Wonder-Tech phone, the Predator. Much like the name I came up for it, the phone was taking over the country, eating up the competition. All part of the plan mind you. “With this, I can easily eliminate any target we want.”
Heather’s power was very unique. When I attacked Wonder-Tech Tower as The Negative Man last year, I accidently hit her with a full blast of my power. By some reaction in her body and the fact my negative energy burst through a phone she was on, she gained the ability to make phones explode. Without her talent, I may have lost my fight against The Dark Lion.
Once we knew those morons identity, “Yes, you can blow them up if you choose to. I’ll make it my top priority in finding out who they are.”
An evil grin formed under those beautiful eyes. “You know how to sweet talk a girl Mr. Staley.”
I was about to take advantage of the situation when something from the news caught both of our attention. Brandon Howard, the featured news anchor, was talking about an armored vigilante. “In a story we saved until we could verify the source, it appears a new hero is taking the place of the fallen Dark Lion.”
The screen flashed away and in Brandon’s place was a full shot of this newest hero. Him, or her – no way to tell, was covered head to toe in a high tech, dark metal suit. From the shot, the hero could be seen floating off the ground thanks to rocket boosters in the legs. I wasn’t prepared for this – how did I not know?
The screen faded out and Brandon reappeared. “So far we have limited news about this hi-tech hero, but our source has told us they go by the name Titan. As we know more…”
I needed to find out who this source is. I walked over to the television, Heather looking on with curiosity. “What are you planning to do?”
“The city’s far too comfortable. It’s time I did what I do best.” I reached out and grabbed the cable line running into our house. I embraced my power and reached out across the city, finding the path that would bring me to my target.
I found him and I took over. “Brandon Howard, who is your source?”
I knew my distorted image was broadcasting live everywhere. It felt good to be in control once again. Brandon, for his part, pretty much shelled up as soon as I appeared on camera. “It’s him!”
“My patience is wearing thin. For every minute you don’t tell me who your source is, a random family will suffer.” This was no bluff. It would be easy to send arcs of electricity into televisions everywhere. The results from the attack would be severe. “Thirty seconds – do you want their blood on your hands?”
His skin turned ashen colored, his face breaking out in sweat. “I can’t tell you…” His voice was so low, it was barely audible.
He would, he was about to break. “Ten seconds and you become a murderer, Mr. Howard.”
At the sound of that, he cracked under the pressure. “Chief Grimes! All of our information on Titan has come from Grimes!”
I reigned back in all my power. “Now was that so hard? You’ve done well Mr. Howard. I return everyone to their regular programming.”
****
As quickly as I took over, I was back in our house out on Ocean View. Our place was nice, but modest in comparison to what John Wonderton called a home. The kitchen had nice upgrades for Heather and I insisted on a wood burning fire place. Plus I needed space to create a state of the art workshop for my alter-ego to use. Other than that, it was just a typical three bedroom, two bathroom home by the ocean.
So Grimes was up to something huh? How I would so enjoy having a heart to heart with him as The Negative Man. When I looked up from the cable line I’d just poured myself into, Heather was smiling and clapping. “Well done, that was played beautifully.”
“Men like Brandon Howard aren’t cut out for the front lines. You tell them their actions will cause death or destruction, they will fall.”
The doorbell rang, which I wasn’t prepared for. “That’s our pizza dear. I bet you’re very hungry now.”
The rest of the evening went as normal as a regular couple. We ate, we laughed, and we talked about work. We didn’t even bring up Grimes name again, yet it was in the back of my mind. After Heather went to bed, I found my way into my workshop. I could foresee this Titan becoming a problem rather quickly.
I looked over all of my equipment. I had my mask, which was my trademark. Along with it I used very simple grey body armor and rubber soled boots. I remember how intricate The Dark Lion’s suit was and I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous. After all, I created a good deal of it.
The one thing I wanted to do was create a better way to channel my energy. Sometimes, in the heat of battle, I would get so pumped that I’d end up using too much at one time. Against most opposition, this wasn’t a problem. What I learned in my fight against The Dark Lion was an equally skilled combatant might use that against me.
On my table was my newest project, the fusion gauntlet. This was near and dear to my heart because it used technology my mother discovered before I was born. She was a scientist and an engineer, working on an electron generator. From what little I was ever told, it blew up when she was pregnant with me and the energy released was absorbed into the womb. After years of digging, I finally found the notes that Dr. Staley kept – the notes that would be the key to unlocking my powers even further.
Ellison Staley was a great man, killed well before his time. Without his intervention in my younger years, who knows what may have happened to me. I flipped his notebook to one of the middle pages, on his theory of how the electron generator affected my cellular make up. The great thing about him was his attention to detail. With his theories and my mother’s research, my fusion gauntlet would make me the most powerful super the world’s ever seen.
I still had my Red Wolf tools that Owen Walker bought me when I took a job at gl-O-bal Labs. I really missed the crazy maniac. His plan to kill The Dark Lion and become the hero that saved the city from The Aces was rather brilliant, but unfortunately, there was a wild card. He was not fit for the leadership mantle Pacific Station needed. That role was destined for me.
With both Wonder-Tech and gl-O-bal under my control, I had access to the most brilliant minds on the west coast. With my cell phones being distributed all over the country and Heather’s powers becoming even more precise, no one would stand in my way.
I looked over my latest circuitry work leading into the gauntlet. By hardwiring these into my arm for a pure connection, my hope was to have pinpoint control of the flow of energy leaving my hands. I put it on my right hand, pushing the sharp electrode into my forearm. A small static charge escaped; I may’ve needed a new grounding wire.
Even so, it was time to run the test. I reached my hand towards one of the homemade targets I had stationed around the room. I focused on the picture of the elephant and funneled my energy towards my hand. As it left me and entered the gauntlet, I felt the circuits hold off a majority of the power and a small concentrated blast of electricity escaped from the mechanism on the palm.
The picture of the elephant fell to the ground, burning up as it went. The gauntlet was smoking, but the test was a success. “Get ready world, Pacific Station is just the first to fall.”
Chapter 3 –
Monday Night; Krum’s Comics and Games
**Mystery Man**
This was the place I had written down, a comic book store. I walked in and the blonde lady behind the counter addressed me with a warm greeting. “Welcome to Krum’s, anything in particular you’re looking for?”
There was a lot to take in, comics from all over the years and cool trinkets, but I wasn’t here for the merchandise. “A friend told me to stop by. Said the gaming was out of this world.”
Without even missing a beat, “You’ll want to join my husband Kim in the back. They’re just getting set up now.”
There was a black door at the back of the store, so I took that as where I was supposed to go. When I opened the door, it made a w
eird sound, almost as if the building was getting ready to take off. Suspicious of a trap, my paranoia fell when I saw a group of eight people sitting around a table. By the looks of them, they were probably just like me.
A shorter guy stood up and reached out with his hand. “Hi there, I’m Kim. You must be the new guy Crocodile told us about. She told me you were a bit of a tricky one.”
Huh, so she told them to expect me. The weird SVIS lady in the odd mask gave me two options when she caught me a few nights ago. Show up here, learn something, and help or spend a night or two in jail for trespassing and criminal mischief. I had no intentions of going to jail and having people discover who I was. So that left me with this unappealing option. I saw no point in it, but this was my own fault for getting caught and worse, letting her see me use my unique traits.
I wasn’t used to being in a group setting; I’m not a people person. “Yeah, she said to try this place out, you know because I’m different. I hope I’m not wrong for trusting her.”
Kim showed me to an open chair and started the meeting. “Welcome one and all for coming. As you know, my wife Diana and I aren’t blessed with your abilities, but we’ve been affected by him.” He acknowledged me. “We don’t ask for names or what your powers are, but we do want to know why you’re here.”
The group turned to me, waiting to hear my reasons. “The Negative Man killed my father. I know it’s not some large scale tragedy, but he took away something very important.”
Two seats over, a red headed man took a turn. “The bastard killed my child a few years back when he screwed with the city’s power company. A surge of electricity fried my boy through his ventilator.” His eyes were turning red, grief setting in. “It doesn’t have to be large scale to be a good reason.”
A hand touched my shoulder. It was a young girl, maybe fifteen years old and she looked angry. “He killed my dad too, but people don’t really mourn his loss.”
I recognized another tortured soul. “Why do you say that?”
Kim answered. “This brave young lady is Becky Walker. Her father was Spades, leader of The Aces.” As soon as he said it, I recognized her father in her face. “She’s suffered more than any of us though. Some say she should be held accountable for the terrible things her father did.”
A child hidden in the shadow of their father. This girl and I had a lot more in common than she knew. “The sins of the father should never be cast down on their kids.”
“It sounds like you know from experience.”
Her eyes probed mine for answers, but now wasn’t the time to announce my true identity. It was one I was still carving out for myself. “I do, but that’s about all I feel comfortable with saying tonight.”
It looked as if she wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily when Kim’s wife Diana burst into the meeting. “Turn the television on quick. We all need to see this.”
Kim grabbed the remote and did as his wife asked. He flipped two channels and stopped as soon as he saw the inverted picture of the man we all wanted dead. His soulless face had taken over the screen, taunting someone mercilessly. “My patience is wearing thin. For every minute you don’t tell me who your source is, a random family will suffer.”
His voice was calculating, cold. Whoever was in the crosshairs, I genuinely felt bad for them. His taunts didn’t stop there. “Thirty seconds – do you want their blood on your hands?”
I jumped out of my seat. This bastard was going to start killing random people! “We have to stop him!”
Diana looked down to the floor, saddened by reality. “We can’t, at least not yet. That’s why we meet here.”
The conversation on the television continued. “Ten seconds and you become a murderer Mr. Howard.”
My God! Whoever he was threatening just needed to tell him what he wanted. How could they let a family die? Finally, “Chief Grimes! All of our information on Titan has come from Grimes!”
The image of The Negative Man started to fade away. “Now was that so hard? You’ve done well Mr. Howard. I return everyone to their regular programming.” With that, he was gone, just like he hadn’t even been there.
The news anchor, Brandon Howard, sat there shaking. Kim turned the television off, sparing us from having to watch the man have a nervous breakdown for all to see. “The bastard knows no end. Pacific Station has cowered to him enough.”
An older man to my left shook his head. “Kim, what can we do? If the police and their special vigilante squad can’t take him down, how can we?”
As much as he wanted to give us hope, “That’s something we all need to work on. Together we’re stronger as a unit than we are as individuals.” This latest episode by The Negative Man seemed to have taken the wind out of him. “I think that’s enough for tonight. Feel free to grab some tacos and soda out front.”
****
I joined the small crowd moving out to the front. I had no plans to mingle anymore when a hand grabbed mine. It was Becky Walker again. “You know me, so how come I can’t know you?”
Even though I was only eighteen, I felt as if I’d been through so much more than anyone. Yet, this girl, younger than me, intimidated me. “With names comes power. If I told you who I was, you’d be able to control me if you wanted.”
“That’s rather cryptic.” She hadn’t let go of my hand. In fact, she dragged me over to the table where the tacos were. “How about this? You just tell me how you know Crocodile?”
This was almost as bad, but I felt something inside telling me to give in. “She caught me trying to break into Wonder-Tech Tower. I thought I was a goner, but she told me to come here instead. If I did and keep my nose clean, no one would ever need to know.”
We both took a bite of taco at the same time. Me, trying to keep the awkwardness to a minimum and her thinking of her next question. “Why would you want to break in there?”
“I have my reasons.” Damn, these tacos were good. I grabbed another, not sure where my next meal would come from. “I thought there might be some answers to my questions locked away in there.”
“Well if you really want to get in, you came to the right place.” She came a bit closer, as if she was about to drop a huge secret. “I know Jericho Staley well. With the right encouragement from me, he’d let the two of us in.”
Huh, could this be a coincidence? Did Crocodile know Becky Walker came to these groups? “He bought out gl-O-bal Labs right?”
She seemed to be more interested in the cup of soda than answering me. “Yeah, not that I wanted to sell, but I didn’t want to be associated with that place after everything.”
“Plus it looks as if you’re a bit young to run a tech enterprise.”
She clicked me on the forehead. “I might be fifteen but I’m not stupid. My father made sure of that.”
Well I wasn’t about to let this golden opportunity get away from me. “So, you think you can get us in? I’d really appreciate it.”
“Tell you what…” She dragged me away from everyone else. “I need a really good reason to sneak you in. So, you let me in on your secret identity and I’ll really think it over.”
Names had power. The question was did I want to get into Wonder-Tech that badly I’d be willing to tell someone who I was? Or perhaps there was another way. No, lying was never the answer. So against my better judgement, “I’m Kyle Wonderton, John Wonderton’s son.”
Her eyes dropped away from me. She knew who my father really was. “My dad knew who John Wonderton really was.” She said it in disgust, like what her dad had done was the most deplorable act possible. “And so the legacy of The Dark Lion continues…”
Chapter 4 –
Tuesday Morning; Wonder-Tech Tower
I was reading over a file that came up from the R&D lab. It was the newest report stating the processing speed of the Predator cell phone with customer favorability. Based on my calculations, once we had fifty-one percent of the market, Heather would be able to use our network to trace everybody thr
ough their cell phone communications. There wouldn’t be a target that I wouldn’t be able to reach across this nation.
The Predator was sitting at forty-four percent with a favorability rating of ninety-seven. With one last ad campaign, I’d be able to initiate the next phase. In the meantime, I had other, more personal work to do here. It was time to look into the SVIS goons and get to the bottom of Titan.
I’d start with the animal control problem first. None of them must have been using my cell phones or else Heather would’ve known. Knowing that Mike Blackfield was one, I decided it was time to look more into my old friend and see where his life intercepted others. A quick internet search brought up a number of hits, including his obituary. Part of me was curious how Heather spun his death, but a greater part didn’t really care, not anymore. So instead, I found his old social media profiles.
Blackfield was the definition of boring. Other than an obsession with a comic book store down on Salt Water Cove and a Wednesday night bowling team, there was hardly anything that stuck out. Well, a comic book shop would be a dumb place to start, so I looked more at the bowling team photo. Apparently it was a mixed league and the team had three men and two girls. Why didn’t I do this sooner? “Ha, this is almost too easy.”
My success was disturbed by my office line. “Hey Collete,” I had hired a new secretary, “what’s up?”
The older lady was brisk and efficient, just the way a good business should be. “Miss Walker and a friend would like to tour the facility. Is that okay?”
Becky Walker, the prodigal daughter of Spades. When I bought gl-O-bal out, I promised her I would take good care of the business. If she wanted to take a look around every so often, I didn’t care. “Yeah, give them visitor passes and let everyone know to be very cordial to our guests.”
The Negative Man: Act 1 Page 25