Scherzo for a Dark Hero: Chapter 2 – A Dark Hero’s Love

Chapter 2 – A Dark Hero’s Love

Thanks to my powers, I’m able to meld with the light and dark and get back home in seconds. I take one look in the mirror at the entrance to make sure I’m all in order. My suit, dress shirt, dress pants, suede shoes, and tie are without a single piece of dirt on them. My brown eyes are darker than they usually are, with dark bits on the sides as if I’m wearing eyeliner, but that came with my increased power. My long black hair is untouched by my transformation and fast travel.

I then head in and go to the dining room where Darcy is sitting with our two children, my daughter Rouge, and my son, Gris. Gris is a year old, while my daughter is three months old. Rogue has my eyes, and Gris has Darcy’s, and they’re dressed in baby onesies. As for Darcy, she’s a beautiful as always with her blue eyes, white snake scarf, and pink dress. She looks at me expectantly with her eyes that draw me in, so I give her and our children a kiss and sit down to eat.

“How goes the hunt for the new villain, Timeo?” Darcy asks.

“Well enough. What information do you have for me to bring him to justice quicker?” I ask.

“Not now. Enjoy dinner with us. Gris and Rogue have been wanting you more and more ever since you’ve gone back to crime-fighting, not that I’m complaining. I know the importance of your God-given responsibility and have been having my contacts try to keep the criminals in check.”

“I know. I’ve come across many of your undercover agents while out on the field. My powers have evolved so that I can not only see into people’s souls, but their memories as well.”

“Do you know how this New Boss is controlling different avenues of crime, while also having a hands-off approach to it?”

“Through force, making contact with separate groups in private, or by being recommended by other groups.”

“How about how he keeps his identity secret from most, except those closest to him?”

“Some superhumans and loyal normal human upper mid-level criminals who constantly keep their ears to the streets.”

“What about the kinds of authorities he influences with his corruption or threats of violence?”

“Heroes, vigilantes, and the police, much to Raymond’s dismay.”

“You do know most of what my contacts know, but not everything.”

“Please. Indulge my need for information. Free me from my ignorance.”

“Oh, I’ll indulge you, alright.”

Darcy presses a button on her phone to activate the speakers in the dining room. She plays a slow dance song, walks over to me, grabs me by my tie, pulls me up, kisses me, and gets me to dance. I slow dance with her for a bit before pulling on her snake scarf.

“As much as I love this, I have evil to punish tonight. What am I missing that I need to know?” I ask.

“Can’t we dance a bit longer? What about spending the rest of the night together and leaving justice for tomorrow morning? I’m sure it can wait.”

“I know that you want a third child as soon as possible, but the lives of innocent people are at stake, and another second this villain lives is another second too long. We can save our romantic dealings for another night.”

“Such a tease. What you need to know is that people who know the inner dealings of the New Boss are at a club tonight, the one that Lancetto owns.”

“Does he know about it?”

“He does and he has both his own and my people keeping an eye on those people. It’s why I said it can wait.”

“But it’s not going to.”

I try to walk away, but Darcy grabs and pulls me in.

“You forgot to kiss me goodbye.”

I kiss her, and she gives one of her usual long kisses that leave lipstick stains on my face, and I have to pull away, so she doesn’t trap me in her embrace.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” I say before kissing our children on the forehead.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” Darcy says with a sly smile.

Looking into the mirror at the entrance of my house once again, I make sure that all of Darcy’s pink lipstick is off my face before heading to Lancetto’s club. I walk outside and text Lancetto to expect me soon. Within seconds, I arrive at the club, approaching it from a dark alley and stepping out into the busy streets of Meridian. Its blend of art deco, gothic, and modern architecture is always a sight to behold. Much of what was built here was constructed by the four powerful families: the Affare and Geben, Darcy’s family, the Travail, and mine, the Severe. The Geben family did the building, the Affare managed politics and religion, the Travail family oversaw and funded the arts, and mine educated, healed, and gave alms to the poor.

Even after hundreds of years, marks of the old city can be found around it and remind me of the legacy I’ve inherited and need to protect. The club that Lancetto runs is a legacy bar, at least two hundred years old, that is a place that’s used as an excuse for politicians and businessmen to meet up and make deals. There are other bars and ballrooms that his family owns that are also used as backdrops for meetings, but this place is the most casual that anyone can get into, and the cheapest to bring an entire organization into. Going into the club, I find people drinking, eating, and partying after another hard day’s work, casually talking about personal matters, or discussing work and future plans for their organization. I take the elevator to the tenth floor, where Lancetto is waiting for me, and the richer members of Meridian have their own party and meetings.

Lancetto is in the corner of the room, dressed to impress as always in a top hat, round glasses, a shawl, a long black coat, a red bow tie, a white dress shirt, pants, and shoes. He holds a walking stick in his hands with the head of a hawk on it, a symbol of his family. As I walk over, he smiles and stands up to hug me. Everyone else is surprised to see me, greets me, and wonders why I’m here, to which Lancetto tells them it’s for private business and that he and I need to talk for a bit by ourselves. They accept Lancetto’s explanation and walk away for the time being.

Sitting down with Lancetto, he orders over our favorite wines and then asks, “How’s the family, brother?”

“They’re doing well. Darcy is sly as always despite being the one who is always taking care of the kids,” I say.

“You know her, Timeo. She always has to have her hand in everyone’s affairs and know everything that goes on in Meridian. Motherhood hasn’t stopped her. In fact, I think it’s made her more active in wanting to make the city a better place.”

“It has and makes me want to do more as well.”

“So it’s true then? L’Obscurité is back?”

“He is and he’s going to instill a fear so deep into the city that criminals will always fear his presence and never get as comfortable as they are now.”

“That’s more relieving to hear than you think it is, at least to me. After your parents died, you seemed…less motivated to do anything. I feared that you would be like some of the other heroes who retired after a tragedy like the one you suffered.”

“God, Darcy, and my children have brought me back from my sadness. It no longer bothers me. Of course, you played no small part in motivating me to get back into the fight since you haven’t stopped. Have you even considered looking for a wife yet?”

“No, not yet. Maybe next year.”

“You said that last year. At this rate, I’ll have to kidnap you and bring you to a get-together where you can meet someone. Your parents would approve.”

“Haha! It wouldn’t surprise me if they helped you kidnap me. But seriously, I will find a wife sooner or later. Pray that I notice it when God gives me the opportunity because it’s either I do that or become a priest like some of the others in my family.”

The waiter brings Lancetto’s and my wines over. We make a toast and drink up.

“As much as I’d like to stay here sharing drinks and talking to you, I must get back to business,” I say.

“Of course. I can’t stand the fact that criminals use the businesses my family operates and give us their money. I wish I had a more tangible impact on crime like you do, rather than having to order people to find evidence and present it to Chief Raymond.”

“You do the best with what God gave you. Now, where are they?”

“They’re on the ninth floor, sitting at a table in the dead center of the room. My guards and Darcy’s contacts are watching them. As far as I know, they haven’t moved and are enjoying themselves thanks to the hospitality I’m showing them.”

“You’re a gracious host and an even better brother. Let’s make arrangements to hang out with one another.”

“Assuming that Darcy lets you off her leash.”

“It’s one of the wonders of having a wife like her. Speaking of which, I will help you find a woman who will be your wife. Count on it.”

Lancetto laughs, and I toast one more time with him.

“To divine justice,” he says.

After finishing my drink, I head down to the ninth floor and find my targets where Lancetto said they’d be. I’ve used my powers to shroud my appearance so that I look like an altered version of myself with different hair, eye color, voice, and body type. Once I look through the memories of my targets, I subtly adjust my appearance and voice to match someone they all know and trust.

Standing by the table, I ask, “You guys started the party without me?”

They finally notice me in their drunkenness, are excited to see me, make room for me to sit at the table, and offer me drinks. One of them mentions how they weren’t expecting me to show up because of how busy I am.

“I am still busy, but it is important to take a breather now and then. I think it was your wise words to do so, so I don’t burn out, right?”

“Ha! You’re right.”

I pretend to enjoy myself with these criminals, while taking as much as I need from their memories.

Once I have enough, I say, “Like I said, I’m still busy and we should get back to work.”

“Ah, always the killer of the party. Can’t we enjoy a bit more before we leave?”

“Yeah, what’s the rush? We run this city now,” another criminal adds.

“Our rule needs to be maintained, and that means keeping people in line. Come on. We can continue the party in one of our own locations.”

“Really?”

“What if the drinks are on me? I’ll even buy you your favorite pieces of human meat to enjoy yourselves with if that means you work where you’re meant to.”

“Ah, you know me too well! I’ll go, I’ll go.”

The rest agree to go with me, and we all get in one car that I drive to the location of one of the places that the New Boss could be. While driving, I mask my voice and let Raymond know the locations I found out about, something that he is grateful for, and will soon mobilize the police to raid. Yes, everything is going according to plan, and soon, the New Boss’s operations will topple over and be taken from under him as I come to him like a thief in the night.