Chapter
5 – Justice Outside the Law
I’m called in the middle of the night by Giovanni who says, “This is it. Humphrey’s higher-ups are playing their final hand at a police precinct where they’re holding hostages with those in the force who are on their side, the people you’ve arrested, and the remaining superhumans on their side. They’re trying to draw us out so they can get their revenge for what we did to them. If we don’t go there, the hostages will be killed, so I say we give them what they want, and don’t worry, your brother isn’t there.”
“I’ll be there in a second so we
can end this,” I say as I get dressed.
“I knew you would want a piece of
this action. Your other ex-cop friends will be here too. See you soon.”
Isabella asks me, “What was that?
Where are you going?”
I kiss her and say, “I’ll be back.
Going to take out some dirty cops.”
“What?”
I run out the door and head to the
police precinct that Giovanni texted me to be at. Sure enough, my friends who
were on the force such as Marco and Olimpia are there along with other superhumans
who are allied with Coronamento. To my surprise, Giovanni is actually here.
“What? Do you think I would just sit
out this momentous occasion?” he asks when I ask about him being here. “We
haven’t been given legal permission to rescue the hostages since anyone who
could is in there, so we’ll take their silence as consent to save them. There
can’t be any prisoners on this. Kill everyone besides the hostages. Got it?”
We agree with Giovanni and head in
guns blazing. This is it. This is the kind of justice I’ve always wanted to see
enacted with no flawed human laws holding me back and just straight justice
being handed out one bullet at a time. No lawyers giving these people an easy
way out nor a flawed prison system that gives them a light sentence. I don’t
have to worry about facing any consequences for this in the present or the
future. Renzo and my parents may complain about it later, but they’ll get over
it in time when they see how I’ve changed the city for the better. I’m now at
one of the most heavily protected places in the precinct, the chief’s office
where I find the assistant chief of police injecting himself with some enhancers.
“Huh. I figured someone within the
precinct was bringing it down. Should’ve guessed it was you,” I say. “What’s
your name again?”
“You don’t remember me, but I know
all about you, Salvatore,” the man says before turning into a red and white monster
with bulging muscles and a crooked face and attacking us.
My allies and I shoot at him while
tactically retreating. Our superhuman allies get involved and are beaten back
just as we are.
“Should I bother to remember? You’re
going to be dead soon anyway,” I say trying to distract the man.
“When you first joined the police,
I thought you would investigate who forced the friends of your family to kill
them, but you didn’t. Well, here’s your answer.”
“And? Do you want me to kill you
harder?”
I keep shooting and making the
assistant chief follow me as he continues to fight, throw away, and kill anyone
who gets in his way.
“I just thought it would hurt you
more knowing the one who is trying to kill you will go back to your family to
finish the job. Your brother’s been a pain in my side, so his death will be
especially gratifying for me.”
“What did we do to you to make you
hate us so much?”
“You constantly halted and ruined
our operations in the desolate area of the city. We would’ve restored it by
ourselves and made it a safe place for the poor and downtrodden if you hadn’t gotten
in our way!”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have tried
getting away with breaking the law and other wicked things you’ve done.”
“Ha! Come now, we both know that we
can’t get what we want without breaking a few laws and doing things that the
other side considers evil. You’re just another devil in my way!”
The fight is brought outside to the
back parking lot where there are others like him along with my allies who are
fighting alongside us. We’re now back-to-back and starting to lose people,
however, we start to gain the advantage when Giovanni comes in with backup
while wielding dual desert eagles. He’s able to take hits from our superhuman
enemies and even fight back with punches of his own.
“You didn’t think I would use some
of the enhancers for myself, did you?” Giovanni asks me when he looks at my surprised
expression. “A true leader leads from the front and puts his life on the line
for the cause he loves and fights for!”
With Giovanni and my allies’ help, the
superhuman enemies are eventually defeated mostly by their enhancements,
turning on them and making them either explode, shrivel up and die, or lose the
strength they had. The last few are huddled in a corner, one of which is the
assistant chief. They’re all unable to fight back and are bleeding with their
hands up.
“It’s funny, isn’t it?” the
assistant chief says. “I almost put your family to death and you’re about to
kill me and mine.”
“You know what’s funnier? That you
think I care about you going after me and my loved ones. I care more about the
larger issue of corruption in the world and the criminals inside and outside of
the government who get away with evil. That’s why I didn’t investigate that attempted
assassination, and you know what else is funny? I’m feeling thankful that you
did what you did because I wouldn’t be here without your help.”
“Whatever. We’re both devils at the
end of the day. I’ll see you in Hell.”
“No, you won’t because unlike you,
I’m doing the right thing.”
Giovanni comes up to me and says, “Do
you want to have the finishing touch? They did go after you and yours.”
“Nope. You can have it, boss. They’re
nothing more to me than sinners who need to face judgment.”
“Okay then.” Giovanni shoots the
assistant chief and three others he is with. “That was very big of you. I don’t
know if I’d do the same if I was in your position. You truly are a virtuous man,
Salvatore.”
“Thank you, sir. I trust that this
isn’t the end.”
“Not at all. I have many more
competitors and other groups I have to either eliminate or ‘convince’ to join me.”
“I’m all for it. Just point the way
and let’s get to work.”
Giovanni smiles at me and then
says, “There will always be more work to do. We’re still at the beginning of
our long crusade against evil. For now, rest and go back home to your family. I’ll
have your next target tomorrow.”
We all leave as the cleanup crew
comes to take care of the wounded and dead bodies. Giovanni soaks up the
attention of the media while I head back home, thankful for the job I have. I
can’t wait to see who I’ll be up against next in this lifelong quest of mine to
protect and punish.
The End
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