Villain of Crime: Chapter 2 – The Nature of Legitimate Justice

Chapter 2 – The Nature of Legitimate Justice

I meet Klinge, Lancetto, and Darcy at one of Lancetto’s private meeting locations where no one can hear, see, or spy on us in the guise of L’Obscurité. Klinge is uneasy to see me as always, while Darcy is elated, and Lancetto admires my dark appearance.

“Where’s Timeo?” Klinge asks.

“He has a meeting with the Chief of Police and Mayor Jeph today, so I’ll let him know what we discussed and decide during the meeting,” Lancetto says.

“He’s fine with making decisions without him?”

“I am his best friend, a brother to him that he completely agrees with, such as my choices in the latest game we’re playing.”

“He mostly agrees with me, and I’m sure he’d argue with you in whatever game you’re playing,” I correct.

Lancetto smiles and then says, “Let’s begin the meeting by going over our goals.”

“It’s to flush out and punish the scum in our city. What’s there to go over?” Klinge asks.

“The specifics,” Darcy says. “Specifics matter because they can inspire people to extremism like I have through my art and talks.”

“How am I supposed to be specific with my people? They’re simple, workers who want to get paid for honest work or to innovate with machines at most,” Klinge points out.

“Don’t forget that the simple desire for a living wage was what pushed your people to crime, lest you forget how we met and I pointed out the criminal dealings happening beneath your feet,” I say.

“Oh, that’s right,” Klinge says while rubbing his arms. “What do you suggest I do then? I’ve only been able to keep my people in line because of what you did. Cutting back on expansions so we can pay our workers more and allow for more comfortable and safer working conditions does only so much.”

“We know. Creating more opportunities for work for people who don’t want a job in a given field isn’t exactly the best solution,” Lancetto says. “I do know one solution that works. Praying helps.”

“It does?”

Lancetto gestures to me and says, “When you showed up to save me from traitors, I prayed, and you showed mercy on the others.”

“That’s right. I can temper my powers that way, so I can keep to my promise with the chief,” I say.

“Alright, I’m not much of a praying man, but I’ll try. That still doesn’t begin to solve the bigger problems we face.”

“Perhaps we can have collaborations together or a celebration for our workers,” Darcy suggests. “We can show them how much we appreciate them and love our city so that they wouldn’t have a reason to harm it. They should also have two or three paid days off, so they can have time for their families and rest. We may take a hit in funding, but the long-term effect will help.”

“That could work.”

“I like it,” Lancetto says. “I’ll arrange it to happen this month during the celebration of this city’s founding with my contacts and pay for the majority of it, while you two and Timeo can pay for their people. Is that fair?”

Klinge and Darcy agree on this, but Klinge adds that, “It just occurred to me, but they may expect such a celebration every year.”

“We’ll have a year to judge if it’s worth it to do it in this way. If crime and corruption are down, we’ll do it again. If not, we’ll evaluate it and change things up,” Lancetto says.

“What of our usual business operations? I know Darcy's field of expertise doesn’t exactly keep the town running, no offense, but I don’t think the city can go a day without farming, hospitals, or office businesses.”

“Whoever chooses to work will receive overtime. I’ll iron out the details with my people and let you know what they decide,” Lancetto says. “They may look at us like kids in their mid-twenties acting like seasoned adults, but I think they’ll mostly agree with our plan given that our efforts have reduced corruption in our fields.”

“Well, we have, but I think you’ve done the most, L’Obscurité,” Darcy says.

“Right. Him and Timeo,” Lancetto adds.

“Alright, alright, enough with the thanking. I prefer putting our plan into action rather than talking about it.”

“Right. Let’s get to work then.”

Klinge springs up and walks out of the room while Lancetto and Darcy hang back.

“I think that went well,” Lancetto says.

“We didn’t decide or clarify much,” I say.

“But it was something we had to meet and decide in secret about. It wasn’t wasted time.”

“I’m not saying it was. I’m still not used to how slow change can happen.”

“It’s the nature of legitimate business. Try not to let it bother you. It’s still your second year in the long game of being a hero, after all.”

“I’ll try. Thanks for your help.”

“Do I get thanks as well? I think we need to talk privately for a second,” Darcy suggests.

Lancetto looks at me, and I nod at him and say, “It’s okay. You have more work than all of us combined to do.”

“Alright,” Lancetto uneasily says and then walks out of the room.

Darcy looks at me with a smile on her face as she gets up, walks over to me, and puts her arms around me, as I expected.

“What do you want?” I ask, trying not to roll my eyes.

“Manifest your true face for me,” Darcy says. I do, and Darcy’s eyes light up as if there’s something special about my face. “Why don’t you turn your other eye into its natural brown color and skin back to its natural pale color? It’s a more attractive look.”

“You wanted my face, so here it is.”

“Ah, I see what you’re trying to say. You’re closer to your true self as L’Obscurité than Timeo Severe.”

“No, I-”

Darcy puts a finger on my lips and then retracts it.

“You’re more artistic than you think. We have to spend a day creating art together. The first time was so enlightening.”

“We’ll see.”

Darcy starts kissing my face, and I manage to stop her before she kisses my lips as I grab her face and hold it back.

“Always such a tease. Keep doing that. It only makes me want you more.”

“Tch. I don’t know why I humor you.”

“Maybe you share the same feelings for me that I have for you somewhere in that dark heart of yours. There’s also the fact that I can get information that others can’t, such as the fact that the warehouse you cleaned out with the chief had drugs to turn people into superhumans.”

“What?”

“Go to him and ask. He’ll tell you the same thing.”

I enter the shadows and speed off to my “meeting” with the mayor and chief. When I slip into their office, I find them already talking about crime and vigilantes like me.

“I’m close to finding out who L’Obscurité is. He was in that room last night. I’m sure of it,” Raymond says.

“Haha! I’m in this very room now,” I say while manifesting myself from the shadows, making the two men jump in their seats.

“This is a private meeting! What are you doing here?”

“I need to personally talk to the mayor and you about what we found yesterday.”

“Get an appointment next time.”

“It’s fine, Raymond. I’ve been curious to meet and talk to this infamous vigilante,” Jeph says.

“Mr. Mayor, I have to disagree. Vigilantes like him are why people look down on the cops as nothing more than an old institution.”

“I have nothing but respect for the police. Well, respect only for honorable officers such as yourself.”

“Oh, don’t kiss my ass now. I still don’t know what you’re playing at with this whole act.”

“It’s nothing more than me trying to help the city in the best way possible. I’m not hiding anything at all and have never done so.”

“He’s telling the truth, chief. Let’s give the man a chance.”

“You know what, sure. I’m doing it just to keep an eye on you. So, what do you want to talk about from yesterday?”

“I want to talk about how some of the drugs there were the kind that gave people superpowers.”

“How did you know that?”

“If I want to know something, nothing stops me from finding it out. Now, Mr. Mayor, Chief Raymond, may I humbly ask that you bring attention to this issue so that we can solve it as soon as possible.”

“You don’t get to decide who we go after. Who do you think you are to ask-”

“But Chief,” Jeph interrupts. “This is an issue that you’ve been wanting to bring to the forefront as well. Curbing the number of superhuman villains will make it easier for the police to do their job, so we won’t need to rely so heavily on heroes and vigilantes.”

“And you mean not relying on vigilantes like this guy? What do you call relying on men like him? He’s not even registered with any government-approved association.”

“It’s an acceptable compromise. Besides, he’s willing to work with us within the rules of the law, so he’s legit in my book. I’ll even sign him as one right now, if he’ll agree to our terms.”

“I will.”

“See, chief? Just like that, we have a powerful ally, and a problem of yours is solved.”

“Tch, whatever.”

“Chief. Raymond. It’s better to have allies than enemies, and if he steps out of line on our terms, you’ll have every legitimate excuse to go after him.”

“You’re right. Just give him the papers to sign already,” Raymond says while taking out a piece of gum and chewing it.

Mayor Jeph calls Deputy Mayor Tim over with the terms I am supposed to sign, and he comes over almost immediately. When entering the room, he looks at me with astonishment and asks if I could sign a paper for him since he’s a fan of mine.

Raymond scuffs at this and whispers to himself, “Where doesn’t this guy have fans?”

I sign the paper for Tim and take the papers I need to sign from here. Carefully reading them with my finger, I find that these terms make me a hero exclusive to this city. There’s not much to argue with, such as only killing when in mortal danger, taking most alive for the police, and not taking anything from the crime scene for myself, however, I do have to argue with dealing with crimes within the government, legitimate businesses, and hero associations since I need permission to pursue them. Thankfully, my powers change these terms without the mayor or chief noticing so that I can pursue criminals within legitimate institutions with due cause and proof. After some changes, I sign the papers, much to Jeph and Tim’s excitement and appreciation.

As for Raymond, he tepidly accepts this and leaves the room. In the blink of an eye, I catch up to him and let him know about the work I want to do with him today. Thanks to the information Darcy got for me, I tell him about an area where we can find the superhuman criminals and where the drug may be produced or stored.

“Okay. Let’s go get them, but you’re not flying me there like last time. We’re taking my car,” Raymond says.

“I’ll respect your wishes and keep to your shadow,” I say.

“The way you say it makes it weird. Just get there by yourself, and I’ll meet you there.”

I do as Raymond says and get to the first warehouse in a matter of minutes. While waiting for him, I scout the area and find that all the houses on the block are connected on the inside. Some of the houses aren’t even homes and are just pseudo storage areas or labs where drugs are being made, weapons are being tested, and degenerate partying is happening. There are people living in a few of these houses, but they have to share cramped and dirty living conditions with barely enough food to feed them. Tch, and most people say that the rich are cruel. I’m tempted to clear out the criminals here, but I restrain myself not to spoil the goodwill I’ve just created and wait a good ten minutes for Raymond to arrive. When he does, he looks around at the houses and the area.

Knowing what he’s thinking, I tell him, “I didn’t do anything yet except scout the warehouse and houses.”

“And?”

“I’d suggest backup, but since you’re with me, you don’t need it.”

“Are there that many of them? It looks like a normal middle-class block to me.”

“It’s actually one connected building. Even though there are normal and innocent people among the criminals, there are a lot to deal with.”

“Maybe I should call backup then.”

“If you do, they may want to escape. Let them think we’re in over our heads so we can get as many of them as possible.”

“Tch,” Raymond says as he sighs and then spits out his gum into a wrapper. “I hope your confidence isn’t misplaced.”

“Haha, it isn’t. To demonstrate it, let’s kick the beehive, shall we?”

“We should no-”

I laugh loud enough for the entire block to hear me, tell them I know what evil deeds they’re up to, and challenge them to fight us. Raymond takes cover behind a car with his revolver out and looking around for trouble. Sure enough, a hail of gunfire comes from the windows, all of which is directed at me. Once the dust settles, I laugh, envelop the area in darkness, bring the criminals out of their houses, and put them on the streets where they are twisted and broken, but not killed. I silently pray for them while using my powers, and just as Lancetto said, not even the worst of them is killed.

Outside, Raymond is holding his own against the criminals that go after him, so I lend support to him when needed and keep an eye on him while working my way through the houses. A few minutes later, the superhumans come out and start attacking us. Some of them melt or die instantly, or slowly and painfully as a result of trying the drug for the first time, but some can use their powers of super strength, endurance, and speed instantly. At the same time, it didn’t take long for me to take away their powers with a single touch. Most go back to normal, while others unfortunately die from the sudden change and aftereffects of the drug. One victim of the change is a young boy who tries taking the drug, thinking that I’m some sort of villain, and dies, bleeding through his skin.

Raymond catches me, stunned, looking over this boy, and after explaining what happened, he says, “It happens when people think you’re the bad guy.”

“Yeah…”

“Hey, are you alright? This can’t be the worst thing you’ve seen.”

“No, but the deaths of innocents are haunting to witness.”

Raymond looks at me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go and make sure no one else ends up like this.”

Keeping my mind on the task at hand, I keep fighting and punishing people for their sins to get the thought of the dead boy out of my head. The battle ends soon after, so I search the area over and over again until I’m sure that no criminal is left resisting arrest before I undo my barrier of darkness. I tell Raymond the area is clear, and he calls in backup to lock up the criminals and take the drugs and weapons back to the station. Meanwhile, I can’t help but look at the innocent people who are being arrested for aiding in the criminal activity here and brought in for questioning.

“I hope that they won’t face serious jail time,” I say.

“You wanted to punish criminals, right? This is what it looks like,” Raymond says while taking out a piece of gum to chew on. “Not every one of them is completely selfish. Some are just desperate people who don’t know what to do or are forced to help those who are evil. If you have friends in the courts, now’s the time to call in a few favors.”

“I’ll try to. There should be new laws being passed so that people like these are given minor punishments and allowed to enter normal society so they aren’t denied jobs and a new beginning.”

“Let’s hope they have the effect they’re designed for. Not every good-intentioned law or action necessarily has good results.”

I grunt and look down at the ground as I reflect on what happened today.

“You did good, kid. Keep your head up.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“You can try to mask your voice as much as you can, but your actions tell me your age. I’ll find out sooner or later who you really are.”

I grunt and then say, “Farewell for now, Chief Raymond. There’s more to be done.”

“Ain’t that the truth. See you later, kid.”

While going back to my normal life, I can’t help but think about what happened today and ways to prevent it. I’m not so naïve to think that I can completely avoid the tragic deaths of the innocent, but at the same time. There has to be a way to mostly prevent it. At the same time, I don’t think that’ll happen until years down the line. It’s just like Lancetto said. It’s the nature of legitimate business, and this is only my second year. For now, I try not to let the weight of present tragedies and the possibility of future tragedy bother me and keep my head high, as Raymond said. We did the best we could.