Father Reigart had gathered us here for a memorial of sorts. It was just me and Becky, plus the three guys who helped him out while at Black Lagoon. It was a rather small service, short and sweet. When he ended it, “Jericho was a complicated man. It isn’t often you get to meet someone who was a complete paradox. To this day I couldn’t really tell you if he was good or evil. He just was Jericho.”
That was the perfect way to end it.
When Becky and I got back to our home, there was no place to escape the news. In fact, all we did was stay down in the basement and tinker with stuff that we really had no plans on ever using. Becky felt awful; she knew his plan beforehand and thought she’d be okay with how it played out. She wasn’t. She blamed herself for the circumstances around his death. “Kyle, if I had told you, he’d still be alive.”
“You can’t cast blame on yourself. He was ready to die. When someone reaches that point, it’s hard to stop them.”
This was going to be a tough one for us both to overcome, but we had to. We had to endure because the city would always need us. It would be a disservice to his memory if we failed Pacific Station after this bittersweet triumph.
“Kyle, you should see this,” Becky said.
Looking over at the television, there was a report of another body found by police that had been beaten beyond recognition. I’d forgotten about that with everything else going on.
“Weren’t you and Parker looking into murders like that with V.I.U.?” she asked.
We certainly had been. “I think it’s time we put an end to this serial killer once and for all.”
**General Davy Whisnant**
With Victory dead, it was time to close up the Dungeon Bay research facility. Dr. Presley wasn’t very happy with me when I came in and told him that the projects were being cancelled until further notice. “General, think of all the advances we’d been making!”
Presley had played his role well, acting as a sniveling henchman to Victory. I would need to make sure all of his fine work wasn’t wasted now that this facility was compromised due to the former defense secretary.
“I’m sorry, Presley, but this has too much of Victory’s taint on it right now to continue. It’ll be only a matter of time before someone finds out this place exists and they send a team in to clean it out.”
He began to shake his head nervously. “What about Adam Morales? To leave him in such a state would be unheard of.”
Ahh yes, Madame Vice President’s husband. “There’s nothing to be done for him. Find a safe place to lock him up. Once everything clears up, we’ll think of a better solution.”
“Mmm, kay.”
I could tell there was something else on his mind. I just stood there, politely smiling until he came out with it. “There was one last thing Secretary Victory was working on. What do you want me to do with those files?”
Of course, that was his concern; I was one step ahead as I should’ve been. “Clear those files off, permanently. I have it backed up on a USB drive safely secure.” Hearing that, a sigh of relief washed over him. “If all goes according to plan, in eight years we will be ready to go forward with the final protocol, Twilight Days.”
Kim Krummel
The old comic book shop was good and abandoned when I got there. Whatever had been forcing me to do Victory’s bidding no longer had influence on me. I was free from the torment, of his words worming their way into my mind. I could sit back and breathe.
I’d done horrible things, both before being caught up in Victory’s scheme and after. “Diana,” I cried out. “I’m so sorry that I turned into this… monster.”
There was no answer of course. My wife was dead, her suffering no longer causing her pain. My suffering – that wasn’t going away anytime soon. I slumped over a still taped up box of comics, the grief of everything that transpired since her passing overwhelming me.
Then, from the shadows of the backroom, a voice called me. “This might not be a church, but someone once told me that as a man of God, I could make confession count anywhere,” he said. “Even a truck, I believe.”
Looking up, “Father Reigart, how did you know?”
“That you’d come to the one place that was tied more deeply to your soul than anywhere else in this city?” Fair point. “Plus, I have a friend who has access to street cameras.”
“So you’ve been keeping tabs on me since it all went down?”
Father Reigart stepped out of the shadows and joined me behind the front counter. “Kim, we’ve been down this road before. Last time you turned me away,” he reminded me.
I hung my head in shame. “I didn’t know what else I could do.”
“It just so happens I have an idea of how you can repent your sins.” The father reached out with his hand and smiled. “My friend I told you about, he’s suffering, too. He just lost someone he considered a friend.”
Taking his hand and coming to my feet, “What does this have to do with me?”
“My friend, once his grief has run its course, he’s going to do great things for this city,” Reigart explained. “He has one partner, but I think there’s a spot at the table for another.”
“Father, I don’t know…”
“I think you’re under the impression I’m going to take no for an answer this time.” There was a sparkle in his eye. Father Reigart, even if he was just a man, was a powerful figure. “Come Kim, it’s time to leave the darkness and return to the light.”
It was clear that my only choice was to go with him. “This friend of yours, does he have a name?”
It paused for a moment, thinking to himself. “Yes, I think it’s safe to tell you here.” We stopped just shy of the exit, leading back out into the city. “My friend, you probably know him better as The Morning Lynx, but his real name is Kyle Wonderton.”
The Cast:
Jericho Staley – The Negative Man
Kyle Wonderton – The Morning Lynx
Becky Walker – Partner; The Morning Lynx
Father Michael Reigart – Priest; St. James
Heather Adams – Detonate
Erin Cieslik – Armageddon
Wilson Fetts – StabbtyBnny
Rich Shock – Inmate; Black Lagoon
Wade Williams – Inmate; Black Lagoon
Andrew Harrison – Inmate; Black Lagoon
Frosty – Inmate; Black Lagoon
Brandon Porterhouse – Warden; Black Lagoon
Parker Lattimore – Detective; PSPD
Brad Woods – PSPD Police Chief
General Davy Whisnant – Army
Ronald Victory – Secretary of Defense
Miguel Cintron – Victory’s Chief of Staff
Dr. Jeremiah Presley – Head of Dungeon Bay
Winter Balefire – Wraith
Christopher Pappas – Blade
Kim Krummel – Abaddon
Zed Wilson – Amalgamate
Angela Morales – Vice President
Adam Morales – Husband; Angela Morales
Holly Hasset – Reporter
Eight Years Later…
**Erin Cieslik**
It was the middle of the night and this place in the foothills gave me the chills. To make matters worse, we were running on a tight deadline, according to Father Reigart back in Pacific Station. We had ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops. “Dudes, are you sure about this?”
“If Wade says this is the spot, then this is the spot,” Rich answered me. I had no reason not to trust any of their instincts. After the shenanigans we’d gotten ourselves into, this was just another spot. “Erin, you go on up first. It might be better that way.”
Shit no it wouldn’t be better! Just because I had the powers didn’t mean I always wanted to be the guy to rush in first. Looking at the structure, “I know the trail’s led here, but seriously? I don’t see the point.”
Andy, in his over the top accent, “The lad’s scared, boys!” That was great coming from the guy who nearly shit himself two years ago when we
ended up down in the old research facility in Dungeon Bay. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Maybe he was right. I started jumping in place, loosening my arms and trying to psych myself up. “Yeah, I got this.” Before I could change my mind, I started walking towards what one might call ‘a cabin.’ I called it a sorry excuse for a residence. The place was in such disarray that one good, stiff breeze would probably blow it away.
I saw a faint light coming through the grimy window that faced the dirt road. I didn’t see any movement inside, but something in the back of my mind told me he was here. There was something about the air as I got close that felt very charged.
When I reached the door, I was polite and knocked. The door creaked open under just the slightest of touches. I peeked just my head in. “Hello, is anyone home?”
A gruff voice answered, “Go away.”
Looking back at the crew, “I’ve found him.”
I ventured into the dark room myself and saw the outline of a man lying on the couch. I dropped in to the chair that was beside it. As my eyes adjusted to the candle light from the mantle, I could see the man was underfed, looking a bit on the old side with the crazy, unkempt beard, and was missing the lower half of his right arm. He must’ve caught me staring at the stump, the souvenir of a battle that had cost him so much more. “What the hell are you doing here, Erin?”
“Me and the guys, well we’ve stumbled across some pretty bad stuff in our travels. When Wade hacked into a black site government server that suggested you might be alive, we took it upon ourselves to find you. The world needs you, man.”
He half coughed, half laughed. “The last thing the world needs is this broken shell. There are better people for you to go bother.” He turned back over. “Leave me alone, Erin.”
It was time to put all the cards on the table, starting with the ace I held. “I hate to break this to you, but you either come with us or the next people to arrive won’t be friends. Just like we found you, there are other agents hot on our heels trying to take you in.” He turned around quickly, his eyes gripped with anger, flashes of immense power crackled through the room, making my arm hair stand on end.
“And they’ll be here any minute, Jericho.”
The Adventure Continues…
As always, the story doesn’t end at the last page of the book. This fall, there will be two eight part specials to be hosted on my blog, http://ragnarokonice.wordpress.com. The first, The Negative Man: Dungeon Bay, will detail the adventures of Erin Cieslik and the Black Lagoon gang as they end up taking a job that will eventually lead them back to Jericho.
The second story, The Negative Man: Retribution, will follow The Morning Lynx as he deals with the loss of a rival/friend and the rise of a new super hell bent on taking The Negative Man’s place in the villainous hierarchy. Look for these stories to begin on Thursday, September 7th, 2017.
All of this will lead to the final chapter of the story – The Negative Man: Twilight Days, to be released in 2018.
-Jeremy
About Us –
Bolt Publishing is an independent publishing house located in Orlando, Florida. Our mission is to bring quality books to our readers that lead to many different worlds.
Be sure to check out our website for upcoming events and book releases. You can find us at:
http://boltbookspub.wix.com/home
If you would like to email us or reach out to the author himself, our email address is:
[email protected]
Thank you for reading The Negative Man: Legends Can Die and be on the lookout for more from the Pacific Station Vigilante world.
-Stephanie (Owner, Bolt Publishing)
More Reading –
Bolt Publishing Library:
Ragnarok on Ice:
Power Play: Act 1 Svartalfheim
Penalty Kill: Act 2 Midgard
Game Over: Act 3 Yggdrasil
Hat Trick: A Ragnarok on Ice Story
Pacific Station Vigilante:
The Negative Man: City of Chaos
The Negative Man: Stormfall
The Negative Man: Prelude to Chaos
The Negative Man: Legends Can Die
Angela Morales:
Beyond the Stars: The Lost Child
Everett Parker:
Split Decision: The Story of Oliver Callahan
Jack Crosby:
Demons in D.C.
In The Nyx of Time
One Last Thing:
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I appreciate your time and effort in doing so. I would love to hear from you and hear feedback about my work. I encourage you to write a review on Amazon to help other readers, as well as me. Again, thank you for being an awesome reader!
Warm regards,
Jeremy Croston
[email protected]
Legends Can Die Page 21