by Leona Fox
Chapter 6
Ellen and Andy rushed back to the police station.
“What did you think of him?” Andy said.
“I think he's going to find it difficult to come to terms with the death of his best friend. I think The Phenom obviously meant a lot to him. The two of them must have worked hard to create the comic they were working on together. Probably thought they knew something nobody else did, like they had it all figured out. It must have made so much sense to them. You just put on a costume and go fight crime. The people in the pages of the comics make it look so easy. They just couldn't see the realities of the situation, see why it would fail.”
“Can't blame them, really. They're just kids. God, I remember the stuff my friends and I used to talk about. If we put half that stuff into action I don't know what would have happened. They actually had the guts to do it, though, gotta give it to them. They knew what they wanted to do, and they went out and did it. A lot of people would have failed to get that far. Maybe it would have been better if they had failed.”
Ellen squeezed his arm for comfort. He smiled at her in return, and they walked through the police station to where Iris was waiting for them. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she scanned the screen. It took Andy's cough to shake her from whatever it was that had caught her attention.
“You've got something for us?” he asked. He and Ellen walked around the table and leaned over Iris' shoulder, peering at the screen.
“Well, for a person with a secret identity he wasn't all that secure with his passwords. To log on to his laptop I only had to type in 'The Phenom99' and that gave me full access. I thought people were smarter than that. Anyway, I did a bit of digging around. Aside from the usual things you would find on a teenage boy’s laptop, I went through his email account and saw he was in regular correspondence with someone who goes by 'ComicsGod#1'. Now, this ComicsGod#1 and Stanley were having a very intense argument about all things comics-related. At first I put in a search for anything that had to do with The Phenom but their argument went in so many different directions I ended up reading most of it. I just was reading the rest when you came in. It's...it's interesting stuff when you think about it, but it's kinda surreal knowing he wrote this over the past few weeks and now he's dead.”
Iris swallowed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then rose from the seat and walked toward the door. Andy sank down into the empty seat and began scrolling while Ellen noticed that Iris looked pale. She went to stand by the young woman.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Iris seemed startled by her presence and smiled weakly, although it appeared on her face for only the briefest moment before disappearing.
“I'm fine. It's just...reading those emails...he seemed so full of life, and now...he's not. It was only the other day when I was thinking about The Phenom and whether I agreed with what he was doing. When I pictured him under the mask I never imagined he would be a boy that young. I mean...he's even younger than me! And I know it's stupid because I've come across things like this before, and I know I will again, and it shouldn't affect me this much, but I just can't seem to shake this weird feeling.”
“You don't have to apologize for anything. Being in this business, sometimes we are going to come across cases like these, and they're going to affect us in ways we might not expect. All we can do is focus on doing our jobs and getting to the bottom of the mystery. You did a good job finding those emails and looking through his laptop. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you. Go take a break, you've earned one,” Ellen said.
Iris smiled at her again. This time it was a little stronger and far less fleeting. The young officer's boots clipped against the floor as she walked away. Then the sound was silenced as she turned around.
“You know, back when I first started working here and Andy told me about you, I didn't really understand why he'd want to use a consultant. I never really trusted people who weren't proper police, but I was really wrong. I'm glad you're here Ellen, and I wish there was some way we could have worked with Stanley.”
“Thank you, Iris. I do as well,” Ellen said, and smiled as she watched the young woman walk off. With that, she turned back to Andy and leaned on the table beside him.
“You've gotta read some of this stuff,” Andy said.
The emails were long diatribes, more like essays, detailing various bits of comic minutia. They went back a while. Each topic was written in the title, then the two of them would debate back and forth until one of them conceded. Or, as was more common, they simply grew bored and had exhausted everything about the argument and wanted to move on. The most recent exchange was regarding the relationship between heroes and villains, and if a hero did indeed need a villain or not. Stanley suggested no, but ComicsGod#1 was adamant that a hero was nothing without a villain.
ComicsGod#1 writes:
I canNOT believe you even would suggest such a thing. In any comic where a hero fights normal people there is no struggle. EXTRAordinary people need EXTRAordinary threats, and you cannot tell me this won't come to pass. First, to make an entertaining story there has to be some kind of threat, and if the hero is just easily dispatching his foes there is no drama. There needs to be insurmountable odds for the hero to overcome. Otherwise, the story is, frankly, boring, as we've seen in so many failed comic runs. The fact is craziness sells, and the moment you make the hero powerful you have to bring in a powerful villain, and they have to get bigger and crazier. I'm not saying I agree with it, but audiences will get bored if you just have the same old people every week. Anyway, I've talked enough about that, and I hope you will accept my point there. You're not talking about something completely different. A hero in real life, in the real world? I'm sure there are a few people around the country who have done something similar, but it'll never catch on. Life is not like a comic book, my young friend, and do not delude yourself into thinking the two follow the same rules. In one of them death is just a plot device, in the other it is a grim finality. If someone did actually wear a costume and become a vigilante it only would end in tears, for even then a hero will need a villain. Dealing with petty criminals only will go so far. Eventually someone will rise up to challenge the hero and aim to bring about their downfall. The pattern has been a constant through human history. Good versus evil. Yin/Yang. When one rises up, so does the other. It is impossible. I can predict with absolute certainty that if one of these heroes existed in the real world, they soon would find themselves at odds with a similar foe, one who would push them to their very limits. I don't see how you could have it any other way.
ThePhenom99 writes:
You're ignoring the points I'm making again!!! I'm not talking about the artistic merit of the works, I'm talking about actual facts and reality here. I'm trying to look at it from a logical viewpoint. You can't point to some mystical karmic balance as evidence. Just because someone decides to be a hero doesn't mean someone else is going to be a villain. I don't believe people are inherently that evil. All it takes is one man to stand up against injustice and others will follow. Surely setting a good example is all it will take for people to stand up and be counted? They could inspire others, just as all the heroes in the comics inspired us to become artists and creators and to talk about them.
Are you really that cynical that you don't believe a hero could succeed in the world? There's already too much crime and I don't see how the presence of one man would escalate that to such a degree. You're right in that life does not follow the same rules of fiction, so why are you applying those laws to life? In fiction the hero needs an adversary for the sake of drama, but in real life it's not like that. Crime as a concept is the only adversary that exists, and if people work together they can get rid of it. Villains are a plot device. If there was a Phenom in real life he would not suddenly have people out baying for blood. I choose to believe he would have people rallying to his cause, trying to help him fight the good fight. I know I would.
The res
t of the emails involved them rehashing the same points over and over again, talking past each other, then getting distracted in side arguments that cropped up. It would take a while to read through them all, but Ellen and Andy knew they had read enough. Whoever this ComicsGod#1 was, he was adamant that a hero needed a villain. Was it by chance that at the same time The Phenom did seem to run into trouble? If there was a villain in town, then hopefully their work would be done with the murder of The Phenom. But if they were playing the part, just as Stanley had been doing, then this may have only been the beginning of a crime spree.
“I'll get Iris on this. We need to find out who this person is and see if he actually was able to get down here,” Andy said, moving to find his young deputy.
“Give her a little time. This case has been hard on her. Why don't we go get a drink, and try relaxing a little? The case has been hard on you, too,” Ellen suggested as they walked through the police station.
“Yes, by the way, why were you going to a comic book store?” Andy asked.
Ellen was about to answer when they were interrupted by a newspaper reporter. As soon as he saw Andy emerge he rushed up to the police chief and flooded him with questions about The Phenom's death and if he thought the police could have done something more to protect the vigilante.
“I'd like to interview you so you could give your opinion about the vigilante and if there is anything you would do differently in case another costumed crusader appeared. I think the public would like to hear your views.”
Andy pushed past him and gruffly said, “No comment,” and he and Ellen were on their way out of the police station.
Ellen sensed Andy's mood had taken a dive. “Damn reporters. Why can't they just mind their own business? Don't they know we have a case to solve? It's not going to do Stanley any good if we release details of the case now. All it'll do is give information to his killer.”
Ellen led him away and the two of them were able to relax. It was often difficult in this line of work to separate the case from their personal lives, but somehow they managed it. When they were away from the station they slipped into being a couple. They didn't mention the case at all, even though it was in the back of their minds.
Excerpt from newspaper column:
I can hardly believe I am writing these words. The Phenom has died. Although he only has been with the town for the best part of a week, he has made a lasting impact on not just me, but the town as a whole. Ever since the first night he appeared I have noticed a change in the town's mood. People seemed friendlier and happier, and now I fear that with his death we shall be plunged back into what we were before. I urge you to remember The Phenom's example and the way he made us feel, and carry that forward with us for the rest of our lives.
I still do not know who he is. The police are not releasing that information, and I have to ask myself why? In my opinion, the police failed him. They should have given him support and protection; worked with him instead of trying to have a conversation with him. I have tried to get an interview with the police chief, but so far he has refused to speak with me. So I am forced to turn to this column to air my views.
I am fully behind The Phenom and whoever killed him needs to be brought to justice. If The Phenom were here I know he would not rest until the killer was found, and we must do the same. The police can do what they want, but they never will be like The Phenom. To them law enforcement is just a job, to The Phenom it was a passion, a duty, a destiny. They owe him in death more than they ever gave him in life, as do we all. It is our duty now to live up to the example The Phenom set, to carry forward the lessons he taught us. His reign as champion of East Pender was short-lived, but he never will be forgotten. I know many of you share my feelings in this matter. So let us rally around now and make sure nobody ever forgets the name of The Phenom.
I am hoping to expand these articles, the interviews, and all of your comments into a book. If you have anything else you would like to share about The Phenom, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Chapter 7
After a short break Iris returned to Stanley's laptop and looked through the rest of the emails. As a fellow comics fan herself she was well-versed in most of the arguments they were having, and she found herself wanting to type out a reply and take on the baton that Stanley had dropped. The more she read from Stanley the more she wished she had been able to know him before he had been killed. Her interest in comics always had been something of a guilty pleasure as she grew up in a time when comics had not been marketed to girls; she had just been fortunate enough to have a father who allowed her to explore her own interests.
When she thought about Stanley she wondered if there were any circumstances in which she would have donned a costume and taken to prowling the streets. In some ways she was envious. Although she was a police officer, which always had been her dream, it wasn't the same as putting on a costume and cape and becoming a figure was larger than life. Still, if it ended in death then she wasn't too envious. Although she never would never say it to Andy's face, she did find she agreed with the reporter who accused the police of not doing enough, but given her interest in comics she recognized she was biased.
Either way, there was a hollow feeling in her gut as she thought about Stanley and the life that he wasn't going to be able to lead. He had risked everything to be a hero and ultimately it had cost him everything. One of the things she loved about the comics was how they endured and how the characters always triumphed no matter how challenging the odds. This was simply a stark reminder that real life wasn't like the comics, and she couldn't always count on the good guys winning. She had to do her job and hope everybody else around her did theirs, and if fortune was in their favor they would be able to emerge victorious.
So, she hardened her heart and tried pushing away the feelings of dread that were rising through her stomach as she went back to work, searching through various pages and forums to try finding the real identity behind ComicsGod#1. It turned out he was a prolific poster on various forums and chat sites, but it took her a little while actually to link those profiles to his real identity. When she did, she let Andy know immediately, then went to meet her friend Emily to get a break from the case. She walked out into the golden sunshine and took a moment to close her eyes. She let the warmth of the day wash over her, inhaling deeply, trying not to think about the fact this would be a sensation that Stanley never would experience again.
“I find it hard to believe someone would travel all the way from the city just to stop someone from being a hero,” Andy said, his hands gripping tightly on the wheel as the car sped down the freeway, engine roaring like a tiger on the prowl.
The radio played some soft pop music in the background; neither of them knew the artist, but it only was there for some ambient noise. The car was a little too warm for comfort, so Ellen had turned up the AC and was enjoying the feeling of the temperature dropping. She noticed goosebumps on Andy's arm, though. They always had had different tolerances to temperature changes.
“You don't know what these people are like. They love talking about the small details of things. To them these fictional characters are more important than the world around them. They invest so much time and energy in these mythical worlds that emotions run high. They're not just stories,” Ellen said.
“I guess I don't really understand that mindset. Surely they must know that it's all just make-believe. Don't they have real lives to occupy their time? I can think of a hundred things I'd rather do than argue over some comic book that was published forty years ago.”
“That's the thing, these stories are a way for them to escape their lives. Generally, these people are loners or outsiders. They're introverts who find it difficult to connect with people in the real world. And there's nothing wrong with that. People have been using stories to escape life since the dawn of man. Stories always have been a part of our culture and history, just look at cave paintings.”
“I get that, but you can't tell me
this hasn't gone too far.”
“Well, obviously, if Stanley did die because of an internet argument then, yes, it has gone too far. But I was in the comic book store the other day. I figured if The Phenom was going to be anywhere I'd find him there. Anyway, they were having a debate and it was so passionate. At least they are involved in something. I'd take that over being apathetic about the world any day.”
“Yes, about that, why didn't you tell me you had gone to the store?”
“I didn't really find anything of interest. They were more interested in talking about comics than they were about talking to me. And some of them didn't even like the fact that there was someone running around as The Phenom. They thought it was an insult to the character.”
“I'd have thought that was pertinent information. Could any of them have killed him?”
Ellen shook her head. “Unlikely. Most of them were in no physical condition to do so, and I think they were more interested in the bluster rather than actually taking action. I think a lot of them were stuck in a sort of limbo, so wrapped up in this culture they had created for themselves that their real lives passed them by.”
“Until Stanley decided to blur fiction and reality.”
“Yes...and about him...I have another confession to make,” Ellen said, looking a little guilty. Andy raised an eyebrow.
“Go on,” he said.
Ellen took a deep breath. “The night after The Phenom first appeared I went to where he was patrolling and pretended I needed help so he would come to me. I wanted to talk with him, one on one, to see if I could get through to him and convince him about the dangers of what he was doing.”
“You what?!” Andy said, momentarily taking his eyes off the road.
“Why didn't you tell me about this? You had no idea what kind of person he was, not to mention that you went behind my back. You should have told me what you were planning. Then we could have set a trap, or you should have made a citizen’s arrest.”