by Leona Fox
“Is that was this is? Some way for you to end up dying a noble death?”
“I have no plans to die, but ultimately every hero must make the ultimate sacrifice. I'm well aware of the dangers and I can handle them.”
“No, you can't. I was aware of the dangers when I started working with the police but there are things that I've seen...things I've had to live with that I wouldn't want anyone else to go through. I've been stalked. I've been scared. I've had people swear to my face that they're going to hurt me and my friends. I've had those around me threatened and hurt.” As she said this she looked down at Scampy and her heart swelled as she remembered the time he had been poisoned.
“And somehow I've been fortunate enough to come out largely unscathed, but you don't have to do this. You don't have to put yourself through that. Go and live your life, whatever it is.”
“How could I live my life when every day I would know that I could have done something to make a difference? Could you? Could you give up helping the police and live a normal life? How would you feel if you woke up and read the newspaper and saw that somebody had been murdered, or kidnapped, or somewhere had been robbed? Could you just put the paper down and not do anything about it? I couldn't. I don't think you could either.”
“Think of the people after you then. You've obviously trained for this and you can handle yourself in a fight, but what of the people who see what you do and want to join in? The ones who aren't prepared? What if they get hurt? Have you thought about them?”
The Phenom chewed on his bottom lip and turned away from her. For a moment Ellen was afraid he was going to disappear into the night, and that she had pressed too hard. But he remained, and she just stared at the sea of purple that was his cape.
“I am not responsible for other people's actions. But more people should be active in fighting the good fight. If we had a hundred people patrolling the streets at night you think anyone would try to attack someone?”
“I think a hundred people walking about at night unsupervised is a recipe for disaster. You might be able to control yourself but others can't. Someone is going to cross the line. It might even be you. I can see it in your body language even now. You've read all the praise and you're thinking this is all too easy. It's probably a fantasy you have had for a long time and one day you just thought, 'Why not do it?' So you did, and now it's happening, and you're a hero to the people. But it's not always going to be easy. And you're not always going to be a hero.”
“You should have more faith in me. You're right, I have spent a long time thinking about this and it's not just a whim. But when I'm out here I feel alive. I feel like this is where I'm meant to be and nobody can take that away from me. When I rescued those people last night...It was like, for the first time, life made sense, and it's all so simple. All I had to do was help people.”
“Then help me help you. Come to the station with me and let's all work out a way that you can keep the streets safe and be supervised.”
“The police don't want to work with me,” The Phenom scoffed. “They just see me as some troublemaker.”
“I think they're just afraid you're going to get someone hurt, probably yourself. They want the same thing you do, to keep East Pender safe.”
“They want me off the streets. I'm not an idiot.”
“I never said you were.”
“You know, it's really rich, you coming to see me here. I know exactly what you're trying to do. You're just trying to fill me with doubt and scare me so I stop what I'm doing because you know I'll be more effective than the police. You're worried that I'm going to take all the glory away from them. I'm not in it for that. I just want to help people. I don't see what's so wrong about that?”
“It's more complicated than that,” Ellen said, striving to think of another way to put things to stop The Phenom from becoming so agitated.
“This isn't some comic book where everything is going to work out fine. There's nobody writing this story. All your actions have consequences, some that you have no hope of predicting. But if you want to do this properly then you need to come and talk to the police. Otherwise, you're acting against them and you really will be a vigilante.”
“And what, they'll arrest me? They'll take down the hero of East Pender? I'm sure that'll be good for publicity. They'll probably catch me in the act of breaking up a robbery and I'll be taken in with the rest of the thieves. I'm not going to let that happen and neither should you. I'm surprised, I really am. I thought, of all people, you would be on my side. I thought you'd understand.”
“I'm not taking sides.”
“Yes, you are. You help the police, but you don't wear a costume. You put yourself in danger. You said it yourself, even your loved ones have been threatened. Did you not think of that before you started working with the police? Was that not too high a price for you? I wear this mask so I can protect my identity. Nobody is going to find out who I am and I'm not going to stop what I'm doing because I am making a difference. The Phenom always has been my hero, ever since I first started reading comics. Now he can be a hero to other people as well.”
“All I ask is that you consider what I've said, think about the dangers of what you're doing and look at it rationally,” but before the last words were out of her mouth The Phenom was gone.
She watched his figure disappear into the shadows and heard footsteps getting farther and farther away until they were merely echoes in her mind. She sighed, for it was not going to be easy to sway The Phenom from his endeavor. He saw it as his ultimate purpose, much as she saw solving mysteries as hers.
“Stay safe,” she said in a small voice as she made her way home, hoping The Phenom would at least be more careful as he was on patrol.
After speaking to him she was sure of two things. First, that he was dedicated to his cause, and second, that he was younger than they all had suspected. The tone of his voice had changed as he spoke more emotionally. The deep-sounding voice had been put-on. He also had a naive and idealistic worldview, which didn't definitively mean that he was younger, but it made sense, especially when he took his inspiration from a comic book.
It was a profile that made sense; a kid who read comics that had such a strict sense of right and wrong, then looked out at the world and saw so many shades of gray. It wasn't surprising that one of them would put on a costume and live out the adventures of a fictional character, trying to shape the world into something better. But experience had taught Ellen that this was going to end in only one way. She was determined to find The Phenom’s secret identity before he got himself or someone else hurt.
Chapter 4
During the next few days, stories of The Phenom's prowess spread through the town like wildfire. Every day there was some new tale of his heroism, although each day Ellen was worried it finally would be the day when she would hear of The Phenom's downfall. It seemed, however, that for the moment fortune did indeed favor the bold. The local newspaper championed him as well, and the journalist who covered his stories wrote with effusive praise about the new hero. His deeds were said to be inspirational and he was a true champion of the people.
Excerpt from newspaper article. Headline – 'The Phenom Returns'
Another night brought another series of tales from East Pender's newest hero. Over the past few days I have been chronicling his adventures in this column and relaying details of his adventures to you, my dear readers. I had been thinking that behind the mask there was just a man, but now I am not so sure, for the feats performed by The Phenom are incredible. Night after night, he goes out while the rest of us are sleeping and patrols the streets, keeping us safe from those who would seek to do us harm. Last night a brawl almost started between a group of drunken men who just had left a bar, but The Phenom was on hand to stop them.
I don't know who he is, and goodness knows, I've been trying to spread the word to get an interview with him. But The Phenom has my gratitude, and I'm sure the gratitude of everyone in East Pender. Why are
we so lucky to have this protector watching over us? I do not know, but I hope he does not have any plans to leave. We need The Phenom. That much is clear.
Following up on my earlier article, I tried getting in touch with the police again, but they declined to comment on The Phenom's activities. Although I have sources that say the chief of police is unhappy with The Phenom. Is it mere jealousy that drives our police department? Are they envious of the way The Phenom has entered our hearts? It would not surprise me if that were the case and Phenom, if you are reading this, I would urge you to ignore the police. You have proven yourself to me as a man of righteous conduct and I trust you with the safety of the town. If I ever saw you on the street I would tip my hat to you and thank you for everything you have done. I hope you continue to do it. But that's enough of my opinion. I was fortunate enough to sit down with one of the people The Phenom saved. I have not used her name as she wishes to remain anonymous, but here is her account of the night when a masked man came to her aid.
'I was just walking home after a few drinks with friends. You hear about these things all the time in the city, and that you shouldn't go home by yourself at night, but here in East Pender I never thought anything like this could happen. It's so different from the city and I guess part of me just wanted to rebel. I'm in my twenties now, you know. I'm only here visiting my folks and I didn't want to be treated like a little girl anymore. I can make my own way home. That's what I thought anyway. I was a little drunk, maybe more than a little, and I just was singing to myself as I walked down the sidewalk, thinking about some guy I had been on a few dates with back in college. Then I heard a noise and I just thought it was a fox or something, but then I saw a shadow and I tried turning around but it was too late. Some guy had his hand over my mouth, stopping me from screaming. I bit down hard and he yelled in pain. As he reeled back he pushed me to the ground and I lost my balance. I tried crawling away. There were so many things going through my mind at that point, but all I knew was I had to run, that I was in danger.
I wasn't quick enough. He swore at me and grabbed my leg, dragging me back toward him. I cried out, hoping against hope that somebody would hear, but deep in my heart I knew that something horrible was going to happen. All I could do was close my eyes and pray that it would be over soon. I felt sick as his hand ran up my leg and then...then it was gone. I heard some grunts and a scuffle, but I didn't dare look up in case this was all some sick game. I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole, or to wake up and realize that it was a dream. Then I felt another hand on me, but this time it was different. It was gentle and reassuring.
'It's okay now,' he said. He helped me up, two gloved hands supported my body as it trembled with fear and I looked at his costume. It's funny, really. I was never into comics and I always thought superhero costumes just looked stupid. But when I saw him standing in front of me, I just wanted to give him a hug and thank him for saving me. I looked behind him. The man who had attacked me was laying on the ground, unconscious.
Since The Phenom had appeared I'd heard a lot of people complain about him, saying he shouldn't take the law into his own hands. I've never been a violent person myself, but if he hadn't been there I don't know how I could have coped with what would have happened. He was there at the right time, and he made me feel safe when I would have been most vulnerable. I thanked him then, but I want to thank him again now because everyone deserves to know what kind of a man he is. He's a hero, not just to me, but to everyone. When I go back to college in the city I'm going to wish that he was there, too, and I'm going to tell them all about him.'
And there are similar accounts from the other people he has saved. It speaks for itself, really. What are your thoughts on The Phenom? Do you think he should have all this responsibility himself? What do you think the police should do? Please write in with your comments and I'll publish them during the coming days because, whatever your thoughts on The Phenom are, this is a story that isn't going to go away anytime soon.
Andy strode into the cafe looking as though a storm cloud was above his head. Ellen played the role of the supportive girlfriend well, taking a break to sit with him and comfort him.
“I've got HQ breathing down my neck. They don't want some masked vigilante running amok around town, but I don't have the manpower to hunt him down. He seems to be sticking mostly to the rooftops, and he knows we're after him. Plus, there's more than one person in my department who actually sympathizes with him, and I don't think their heart is in the search at all. I don't know...maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. The people love him. If I locked him up it would be a PR nightmare.”
“Is that all you care about? The PR?” Ellen asked.
“Of course not,” Andy scowled. She hadn't seen him in such a bad mood for a long time. It didn't suit him.
“The longer this goes on the harder it is to pull him in, but we both know that something bad is going to happen. He can't keep on like this.”
“I know,” Ellen said.
She hadn't told Andy that she actually had met The Phenom because she didn't think it would do any good. Andy would be mad at her for not making a citizen's arrest, and right now she didn't want to be the focus of his ire.
“I'm trying to find out who he is. I figure if we can approach him when he's not wearing the mask we might actually stand a chance at convincing him that what he's doing is dangerous.”
“I just don't get it, Ellen. Why is everyone so quick to get behind him?”
“Because he offers them a symbol to rally behind. He's saved them. He's giving his own time to patrol the streets. This isn't a job to him, it's more like a calling and he's only one man. One man against impossible odds. Everyone likes an underdog story, especially when the person behind the mask can be anyone they want him to be.
“The women he rescued probably all think he's a handsome adventurer. The men he's rescued probably see themselves in him. He's more than just a man in a mask, he's an idea, and those can be very attractive. But in time the attention on him will fade. People will grow bored of him. Right now he thinks what he's doing is some crusade.”
“And when will the crusade end?”
“You know he won't end unless he's stopped.”
“What do you really think about this?” Andy asked. The question took Ellen by surprise.
“I've heard opinions from just about everyone else in this town, but you have remained suspiciously quiet. It's not like you to not share your opinion on a subject. Do you think that what he's doing is right?” Ellen took a moment to contemplate her thoughts as she knew that she wouldn't be able to get away from this without answering Andy's question.
“I'm not sure if right is the correct word. Legally, he's in the wrong. There's no doubt about that, and I still worry about his safety and the safety of others.”
“But...” Andy said.
“But...I understand why he's doing it. I can see why people admire him for what he's doing and, in a way, I admire him as well. He had a goal and he's doing everything he can to work toward it. I'm not saying I condone his actions, but I'm not sure I can entirely condemn them either. There are better ways he could have gone about it, but I find it hard to vilify a man who is just trying to help people.”
Andy nodded and Ellen could tell that wasn't exactly the answer he wanted to hear, but whatever disagreement they would have would pass over time.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I guess,” he said grumpily. “I'd better get back; I have a lot of work to do.”
“I'll see you later,” she said, feeling hollow as she felt she had let him down. But just before he left he turned around and told her he loved her, and her mind was set at ease again.
Ellen knew she had to work quickly because Andy was right, the longer this went on the greater the chance somebody would get hurt. It was difficult to know where to begin looking for the man behind the mask. She didn't quite fancy going through every male resident of East Pender in the hope that she would recogn
ize him, but there was one place she never had been to before that could prove profitable.
The main streets of East Pender ran around in a wide circle and had all manner of quirky stores dotted around them. Ellen was familiar with many of them, but some of them simply didn't pique her interest, and the comic book store was one of them. She had walked past it many times. It was a wide shop with windows filled with comic books and action figures. Had the store been there when she was a little girl she would have begged her parents to take her in, for she would have been seduced by the bright colors and striking poses. Yet now she was filled with trepidation as she was not sure what to expect when she entered.
For some reason she had assumed the store would be dark, and was surprised when she opened the door and walked into a bright, open room. To her left was the counter where a long-haired man nodded to her. He had pockmarked skin and a tight T-shirt hung over his rotund frame. It was at least a size too small. Before her stood tables, upon which sat what must have been hundreds of comics. There were reading areas, and a few people were sitting on beanbags and chairs. Some of them were in their mid-thirties, while others were younger. She noticed she was the only woman in the store.
Tentatively stepping into the store she flicked through the comics, trying to find The Phenom. She only looked through with one eye, though. The other she kept on the people in the store, and noticed that some of them eyed her suspiciously. There were some men who shared the physique of the man at the counter, and they easily were discounted as possible Phenoms. But some were prime candidates, although she could not simply walk up to them and ask them. She hoped that one of them would stand up and walk across the store so she could compare their gait and posture with what she had seen of The Phenom in person, but they all remained sitting. There were two teenage boys sitting together. One leaned over and whispered to the other, but Ellen could not hear what he said.