by Adam Oster
“Would you care for a full listing of my armaments?” D.A.W.N. offered.
“Yeah!” Ryan responded.
“No,” Jeff said loudly. “You two can figure that stuff out once we get there. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to come up with something. Meanwhile, I'll take care of Damon”
“Wait, are you trying to say you actually plan on keeping me in here while you're out fighting?” Ryan looked mad. “I came on this trip to see some action, not to be babysat by a computer.” Ryan looked to Buddy for support.
“Look, kid, he's right. We don't need a couple of youngsters getting killed just because I pissed off some super-powered freak ten years ago. Plus, you're the only one who really knows all this techie stuff. Figure out what Carl put in this lady-tank that can help us take out Damon.” As Buddy finished talked, they turned a corner and found Damon, covered in flames, floating above the wreckage that had at one point been Barber Street. D.A.W.N. stopped.
“We have arrived at our destination. Can I offer anyone a fresh hot towel before they disembark?”
Zero unbuckled his seat belt and jumped to his feet. Buddy felt all eyes on him.
“What?”
“Aren't you going to say it, chum?”
“Say what?”
“The battle cry!”
“What?”
“You used to have a catchphrase,” Alexa explained, “something you'd say right before going into battle. It was kind of a big deal.”
“Yeah, you know, like for good luck or whatever,” Ryan added.
Jeff also looked at Buddy as though he were expecting it, but trying to look like he wasn't.
“Okay,” Buddy said tentatively. “What was it?”
“It's hero time!” the group said in unison, including D.A.W.N.
“Alright,” Buddy said, clearing his throat. “It's, um, hero time.”
“Really?” Alexa asked.
“Yeah, is that it?” Ryan joined in.
“What? I said it.”
“Ah, but chum, there was no heart in it. Try again, but this time, heart!”
“It was pretty crappy, Buddy,” Jeff added. “It's more like this,” he continued, shifting his form into that of Buddy's. “It's hero time!” he screamed, jumping to the ladder and exiting the hatch. Zero shrugged, gave Buddy a sideways glance, and followed. He quickly peered back into the hatch and looked down at Buddy.
“Hey, you coming or what?”
Buddy contemplated the possible outcomes of his next decision. He knew he needed to get out of the vehicle and face his apparent arch-nemesis. Yet, he also knew he had absolutely no clue what this man was capable of or the limitations of his own abilities. He stared at the screen immediately in front of him and saw Damon had already turned to direct his attention at D.A.W.N.'s exterior. The second the hatch had been opened Buddy's options for turning back had completely disappeared.
Yet, he couldn't move. He stared at this embodiment of pure evil hidden within human form. This evil monstrosity of a man stared right through him even though Buddy knew he was still out of sight.
He thought back to a time when the only thing on his mind was how he wanted to get out of his sister's house. He remembered how happy he was to have the excuse of visiting the man he had saved in order to escape. It seemed so long ago since the world was so simple.
He thought about Maggie and saw her smiling face in his mind. Seeing her face made him think about the diner and how much it meant to her. He then came to the realization that Damon had no intentions of stopping at the diner. He was planning on destroying everything, Maggie included.
Buddy looked through the screen and saw his sister's restaurant was one of the only buildings in the area still standing. Damon had obviously left the destruction of this piece of architecture for Buddy to witness first hand. He knew he had to save that building in order to save the world. He knew he had to become the man everyone thought he was. He knew he had to finally give in and become Buddy Hero.
He unbuckled his belt, stood up, and looked at Zero, “I sure hope you know what I'm doing.”
“Chum, you're Buddy Hero, that's all I need to know,” he smiled and reached down to help Buddy up the ladder. The sound of destruction outside the vehicle was deafening. And louder than that was the voice of the man they had come to defeat.
“--know it's you Buddy Hero. You can't hide in there forever,” Damon taunted.
Zero jumped to the ground and landed next to Jeff, who had been trying to get Damon's attention. Buddy stuck his head out the opening and looked straight at the man who had called him out. A fireball whizzed past his ear and landed behind his head. In one swift movement, Buddy jumped out of the hatch and hit the ground. Buddy looked at Damon, a feeling of empowerment coming over him.
“Dominion, I order you to stop this act of destruction, or else prepare to face justice through the power of the Defenders.”
Damon laughed. “I see you have not lost your sense of humor, hero, even if you have lost your memory.”
“And you, Damon, still the same old sense of fashion, I see. Isn't that the same thing you wore last night? Walk of shame, I suppose.”
“Your jokes are pointless, Buddy Hero, as is everything else you do. I am already the victor here. You may as well lay down at my feet, for I have the power of God at my disposal and he has judged you to be condemned.”
“Forget about Buddy, Damon,” Jeff said, voice loud, but shaky, “What's the phrase, judge not, lest ye be judged yourself?” Buddy laughed at Jeff's banter as Jeff's body melted and reformed into the image of Damon. Buddy was really enjoying the back and forth they had going on. It was just like every comic book he had ever read.
Jeff then engulfed himself in flame and began rising into the air. Buddy watched with excitement. This was really happening. They were fighting the super-villain.
Damon looked at Jeff with disgust. “Blasphemy,” he screamed as he raised a finger and pointed it at his doppelganger. His finger erupted with a giant fireball, which landed directly into the chest of the imposter. The fake-Damon's body flew through the air until it was stopped by the side of a building. The body bounced and fell to the ground, re-forming into the image of Jeff as it fell.
“Behold, they will come upon you as wolves in sheep's clothing, but you shall know them by their actions.” Damon seemed annoyed with the distraction of Jeff and turned his attention back to Buddy. Buddy's excitement quickly faded. This was no comic book, this was life and death. This was real. “It is a disappointment that you do not remember me, Buddy Hero. Justice will not be as sweet since you are no longer aware of your crimes against God.”
“I don't need to remember your ugly mug to know that you're no good, Damon,” Buddy yelled. “This isn't justice, this is evil. Don't you realize this? You're destroying the lives of innocent people.”
“Innocent? 'Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute.' This has been foretold. You have been judged for eternity.”
“Cease this chatter, villain,” Zero yelled. “Or are you too scared to fight?” His body floated into the air.
“Zero. . . “ Buddy whispered as he grabbed Zero's leg.
The ground around Zero shook in his wake and several pieces of granite from the nearby destruction lifted into the air around him. With a wave of Zero's arms, the rubble flew away from him toward the floating, flaming man. The flames around Damon's body grew larger and melted the projectiles before they neared him. Damon laughed again.
“Oh Kid Zero, the ever faithful disciple of evil. Have you yet to understand? The evil which supports your power only serves to fuel mine. 'For corruption begets corruption', yet corruption can also destroy corruption and I am that destruction. Your reign is over--”
“Blah blah blah,” Zero interrupted. “Enough with the sermon.” He again waved his arms and sent Damon's body flying heavenward before sending him back to the ground at top speed. Damon continued talking as though he had never stopped.
“No longer shall the Lord allow such false gods as yourselves corrupt what he has made. He has given me my calling and the power to burn a fire that is not of this world. I am tasked with the destruction of this world and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh, I'll stop you,” Zero laughed. His arms waved again and a mountain of rubble flew high into the air and landed on top of the figure of Damon. The rocks soon melted around him and Damon's form reappeared.
“You certainly are tenacious, Kid Zero. Your time is nearing. But first. . .” Damon turned to the diner and raised his hands to the air.
Buddy recognized he could stand still no longer. He bent his knees so his body was as close to the ground as possible and leaped into the air toward Damon as Zero lifted many more pieces of debris into the air around him.
Buddy's body slammed against Damon and they both flew high into the air away from the battlefield. As they rose, Buddy saw the roofs of the city's tallest buildings. Just as he reached the apex of his jump, Damon wrestled free of Buddy's grip and hung in the air as Buddy's body began its plummet.
Buddy screamed at Damon as the fiery figure lifted his hands to the air. Buddy felt more helpless than ever before, unable to redirect himself, only falling. The ground came to meet him quickly and no matter how much he tried he couldn't twist his body to change position.
He hit the ground in a stupendous belly flop. He felt the ground bend beneath him as it gave way to form a Buddy-sized hole in the asphalt. As quickly as Buddy landed, he jumped to his feet to perform the jump again, heading toward the lighted figure above. He leaped into the air and found himself in the company of an assortment of objects filling the sky. Thousands of boulder-sized flaming meteors were headed to the area he had been only seconds prior.
Buddy flew toward Damon at high speed and prayed that damaging him would somehow cause the rocks to stop falling. Rage filled his mind as he watched the first impacts with the ground occur at his sister's business.
Time seemed to slow as he sped through the air. He received a bird's eye view of the final destruction of Barber Street and all he could do was watch as it melted away.
He skin felt hot with rage. Damon's form neared and Buddy screamed. The two heavenly bodies collided and began their descent to the ground.
Buddy held tight to Damon, ensuring this time he would not escape. Damon responded by laughing maniacally. The ground neared quickly and Buddy rolled their bodies to ensure Damon would be the first to make impact.
“It's no use, I am--” Damon became engulfed in a blue light and disappeared right as Buddy crashed into the ground. He stood quickly, searching for his foe.
The world spun around him as he straightened his body. His legs gave way, as did Buddy, once again, to the comfort of unconsciousness.
CHAPTER 20
“--the executioner!” I laugh loudly. I open my eyes to see I am no longer being held by my enemy or heading for impact, but am, instead, suspended in water. It is dark, impossibly dark. Yet, I can see my immediate surroundings by the light emanating from my still flaming body. However, there is nothing there for me to see. I taste salt water.
Is this merely a dream? Had I only dreamed I was about to complete the purging I had been tasked with? I look around, hoping to find a sign of which direction will lead me back to land. The pressure of the water against my body threatens to pull me deeper and promises to crush my skull. I close my eyes and ask for assistance, knowing my prayer will be answered.
Thousands of dark creatures appear and surround me. They look to me, awaiting my command. I gesture to them to rescue me from my watery prison.
As I rest in the arms of my tiny, featureless servants, I give thanks for the attack on my pride, knowing the humility I am facing will only serve to assist me in completing my task.
I know I have been tested, and I know I have come through the test judged righteous.
*******
Buddy awoke to find himself once again in the small room he had been placed in for recovery from the the chair device. He got out of bed and went to the gray door. As he placed his hand on the doorknob, a voice rang out through the room. Buddy jumped.
“Buddy! Thank God you're awake!” D.A.W.N. spoke excitedly.
“Jeez, D.A.W.N., you've got to quit doing that, seriously.”
“Sorry, Buddy. I'm glad to see you're up and about already. You had me pretty scared there.”
“What happened? Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, everyone came out fine. Jeff is a little banged up, but he should recover, even without his eyebrows.” D.A.W.N. chuckled.
“And Damon?” Buddy asked, feeling he already knew the answer.
“He's been detained for the time being.” Buddy shivered as he remembered the cold darkness.
“I feel there's a lot of stuff no one's telling me about my history with Damon. There must be some reason he hates me as much as he does, right?”
“Don't worry yourself about it Buddy. He's not entirely sane. It's nothing you should take personally.”
“It's already beyond that, D.A.W.N. The guy's trying to kill me, and destroy the world for whatever he thinks I've done. The least I can do is try to understand why.”
“Oh, Buddy, are you really certain you want to re-live that part of your life? You struggled to deal with the events that led to Damon's break-down. You're much better off not remembering it.”
“So, he does have a reason to hate me so much, an actual, legitimate reason?”
D.A.W.N. was silent.
“Come on D.A.W.N., I deserve to know.”
“You're right, you do deserve to know. I just can't help but wish you didn't.” A screen slid down from the ceiling, flickering to life. “Just remember, this only tells you how Damon saw things, not how they really played out. You were a really good guy, Buddy, even though--”
“D.A.W.N., I get it. Just play the video.”
Images on the screen came into focus and Buddy saw Damon Memphis standing in a church, speaking from behind a pulpit. This was not the over-confident destroyer he had been face-to-face with earlier in the day. This was a defeated man, a sad man. This miniature minister looked as though the burdens of the entire world had been placed upon his shoulders. Seated within the seats of the church were only a handful of people. The sound slowly filled the room as D.A.W.N. raised the volume.
“--tragedy. Although these so-called defenders may have saved that bank from getting robbed, at what cost were we forced to pay for the salvation of our finances?”
“As many of you all know, my wife was among those on the bus destroyed by our city's protectors. Her death was not quick, as many who have suffered a similar fate. The bus became submerged beneath the lake slowly. Our saviors did not come to her aid as she no doubt screamed out for them with her fellow passengers. They were too busy saving our money to hear her pleas for help.”
“Her death, although mourned by those responsible, is being considered nothing more than collateral damage in the war against crime. We are told that we are safe, that we are saved, yet we find ourselves needing to watch the skies for danger. Danger caused by these self-appointed gods, who could, at any moment, be in the heat of battle overhead. Are they not responsible for the debris that rains down upon us? And can we truly consider ourselves saved if we must live in such fear?”
“Would God bless such men with extra-ordinary abilities if he knew they would destroy the innocent with the wicked? Of course not. Would God allow those he has blessed with such amazing power to be worshiped in His place? They consider themselves our saviors, yet salvation comes only through one path. The path of the one true God. The one true God, who is now considered by the masses to be second rate, as he does not come to earth performing the miracles that those such as Buddy Hero will perform for you.”
“Look around you. Our church is empty. It is not empty due to a lack of people, but due to the false idols these super-powered humans have become. It is our duty to remind our
fellow man that there is another path, a righteous path, that we must all follow. This path does not involve spandex clothing or catchy names, but that of true concern for our fellow man.”
The image cut out and the screen went blank.
“I'm just loading up a new clip. That sermon kinda goes on for a while, figured I'd just get you the basic info.”
As D.A.W.N. finished speaking, the video and sound returned. Damon was once again standing behind the pulpit. This time, however, he was a man with purpose glinting in his eyes. He looked empowered. He looked angry. And the people seemed to have noticed, as the room was now filled. The room was so full, people were forced to stand in the aisles due to a lack of seating.
“Buddy Hero and his ilk have refused to hear our words. No longer shall we allow these men and women to prance around in their garish costumes, parading as prostitutes in the town square. They have placed themselves above reproach, above God, and they shall be punished.”
“Just as God spoke against the Philistines in Ezekiel 25:17, he will,” Damon held up his Bible in front of his face as though he were reading from it, although obviously speaking from memory, “'execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know I am the LORD.' The time is now, good people, to strike out. We must make it known we will not accept this blasphemy any longer. We must do the work of our LORD.” The congregation erupted into cheers and the screen went blank once again.
“Just one more clip, Buddy,” D.A.W.N. said.
The screen came back to life, showing Damon on the steps of the court house. He was standing behind a podium covered in microphones. He was dressed in a black uniform with a giant red D placed across the chest.
“--that's why I have called this press conference today. Our politicians have continued to refuse to hear the words of the people. There are now over 500,000 souls dedicated to the cause of stopping these so-called heroes from their continued destruction. Yet people like Mayor Stephens continue to express their love and appreciation for their atrocious activities.”
“We shall no longer allow our protest to be passive. God has commanded me to be his sword and has given me the power to destroy the evil Buddy Hero once and for all.” Damon burst into flames and rose above the steps. He called out, “Buddy Hero, come and face your judgment!”