A Gentle Man's Wrath: Chapter 2 – Mercy Giving Way to Justice

Chapter 2 – Mercy Giving Way to Justice

From atop one of the many tall buildings in Solis, I look down at the busy Sunny City of Tomorrow and consider my first targets, as if I’m having second thoughts about what I’m going to do. Not too long ago, I would’ve considered that this was too much. I would’ve left tasks like this to Luke, Titus, or Idelle, who were experienced with secretive work, or Mark, who would want the glory of it at the cost of getting in over his head. Now, I have nothing better to do. My prayers have led me to do this, so I consider it to be God’s will for me, even though it feels out of character, yet in character at the same time.

In reality, I’ve never cared about following the laws of the country exactly. A common saying in Poca Bellezza is to love your country, but not necessarily its government. The saying is inspired by one of the core values of our country, the Columbian Union, and how revolutions can be justified and the right course of action, no matter how much chaos they cause, as long as justice is served and true order is established. We also value God above all and see Him as the source of right, wrong, and all that defines the law; therefore, we don’t care about what the laws of men are unless they contradict what we know to be right and wrong. Right now, I don’t care if the country villainizes me for what I’m going to do. I only care about justice and its execution. Looking at the device, I consider my first target and am about to leap into action, until a superhuman I used to work with approaches me from behind and calls out to me to make herself known.

“John,” she says. “Think about what you’re doing before you act. Think about how it could affect your life and what it means for the country.”

“Who are you working for? My parents’ side or their enemies’?” I ask.

“You can handle this in a better way behind the scenes, and not make it into a mess.”

“I’d rather do this in broad daylight, so that what’s done in the dark is brought to the light. If you try to stop me, I won’t hold back. I won’t even care if I kill you. Stay out of my way.”

Leaping into action, I jump off the building I’m in and crash into a nearby skyscraper, a hero association, and start going after my targets. One after the other, they are either killed or knocked out in one hit. My device buzzes, reminding me to scan them or whatever is left of them to confirm their deaths and certain devices they’re associated with, if they have any. I’m not sure what the purpose of this is, but my parents had to have a point to it, so I do what it asks and move on. Before the building can be on alert, I’m gone.

I break the window, run down the side of the building, and leap off the side into the next one. No superhuman-proof wall, ceiling, or floor is an obstacle to me, nor is the security that guards the people I’m after. I break everything and everyone in my path, and the Will of God decides who dies and is spared through me. The alarm is raised in this building now, but I still take my time scanning and cleaning the building of targets before moving on. Superhumans, vigilantes, and law enforcement of all kinds know what I’m doing, and because of the nature of what I’m doing, a group of them descend on me, ready to take the glory and paycheck for bringing me in.

They read me my rights and try to talk to me out of continuing before I simply sprint away with my superhuman speed as if they weren’t speaking to me, to begin with. The location of my next targets is a park, a shopping district, and a recreation center all in one, and I get to work. I don’t even need to take a second look at my list of targets because my enhanced powers have given me the sense to pick out corrupted souls who are beyond the hope of mercy from a crowd. The sight of them disgusts me, and I could smell their rotting souls from blocks away. When I hit them, the parts of them that I hit turn to mush as if they’re made of soft snow or, rather, sludge. It makes sense since these people manipulate the common man, the poor, and children to suit their needs. I don’t care to read on the device to know the exact details, nor do I need to. My only care is that their a target marked by my God and parents, and that’s all that matters.

While I’ve been getting rid of my targets, the heroes, vigilantes, and law enforcement have been trying to stop me with little effect, like a swarm of wasps trying to sting a man who's wearing metallic body armor and trying to get rid of their nest. Fortunately for me, some of the people who claim to be part of their group are part of my target list and come to their unknowing deaths. My attackers call for more useless backup whose efforts do little to stop me.

“This guy’s a monster!” one of them says.

“Go to your homes. You’re wasting your time,” I say.

Speeding off again, I go from location to location, getting rid of targets who live in the richest skyscrapers to those who live in the lowest slums. My day’s long fight has probably put every hero, self-proclaimed vigilante, freelance hero, and cop on my tail. As I look around me from the top of the building I’m on, I see hundreds, maybe thousands of people heading towards me. The device buzzes and notes an incoming call with no caller ID besides a series of letters and numbers, probably a code name. I run away from my attackers and answer the call.

“John! Are you insane?! Just what in Hell do you think you’re doing?!” the voice on the call says.

It sounds like the man I met yesterday, but his voice is heavily distorted, so I’m not entirely sure.

“What my parents and you wanted me to do.”

“We didn’t want you to go about in this way! You’re causing too much damage and making this too public! The PR is going to be a nightmare for you. You’ll never live a normal life again as things are.”

“I don’t care as long as justice is done and my family is safe.”

“You should be worrying about the safety of the people in Solis. You’ve created an opportunity for the villains and criminals who have their eyes on Solis, an opening to steal and establish themselves, thanks to you having the majority of the city’s protectors after you.”

“Some of them are my targets, so I’d say it’s a good thing, so I don’t need to search for them. Thanks for letting me know.”

I hang up on the agent and let my sense of justice lead me to my next targets. I stop dozens of robberies, neighborhood takeovers, assassinations of officials and public figures, kidnappings, and more before being met by an entire entourage of villains who swarm me. Again, they’re nothing but annoying insects to me, so I treat them as such, beating them down and ending the lives of those that deserve it. My rage reaches a boiling point, forcing me to scream so loud that a bright light bursts forth from me, enveloping the area around me and turning all the villains to ash. By the time the city’s protectors catch up to me, they hesitate to attack.

“Come on, guys! He’s right there!” one of them says.

“Yeah, but have you seen what he’s done?”

“We can’t even keep up with him!”

“He’s beyond human!”

“What chance do we stand against him?”

“If we all attack him at once, we can beat him!”

“Yeah, but we might not all come out alive.”

“Did you see how he wiped out all those villains in an instant?”

“The glory and payout ain’t worth it. I’m out.”

“I’m not going to risk my life to even attempt to scratch a monster like him!”

The city’s protectors start to either leave, charge at me, or watch to see what happens from the sidelines. Just like the others who challenged me, whoever chooses to fight me falls without much effort from me. Seeing that their allies have fallen, the rest of the protectors either leave or hesitate to do anything.

I bow my head in respect to them and say, “I understand why you are attacking me, respect your decision to do so, and I have no hard feelings toward any of you, but if you keep pursuing me, you will fail. Trust me when I say my goals are righteous, even though I can’t guarantee you'll see why. So, please, leave me alone, or I will put you down.”

The remaining protectors leave, not even bothering to take their allies with them to receive medical attention. Looking in the sky and ground, I see that the ashes of all the villains I killed have finally stopped falling, leaving a macabre layer of black ash on the ground. I take the injured protectors to a nearby hospital, leave them in the care of the doctors, who are terrified of me, and go back up to the rooftops to look at the remainder of my list in peace. There aren’t many people left, and it’s only the early afternoon. I started my hunt in the morning, and there’s still time in the day to get more done, but then again, I’m not the least bit tired. In fact, I feel like I’ve done nothing more than take the normal human equivalent of a warm-up jog in the morning.

The powers that I have that completely turn me white and overcharge my abilities haven’t ever lasted this long, so I assume God needs me to still be this overly powerful to accomplish my tasks. Another strange thing is the silence and the lack of things happening around me. I expect to be ambushed or shot any second, but nothing happens. Going to one of the busiest centers in the city, I see that barely anyone is here, and the people who are here are rushing to get to their destination. On the many screens in the area, I see the news reporting all the death and destruction I’ve caused, my defeating of multiple hero and villain groups by myself, and the hero associations coming up with a plan to bring my streak of terror to an end, either through negotiations or force.

The public is advised to keep their distance from me and report sightings to authorities so they can track my movements to inform everyone else to stay out of my way. Those who are looking around for me see me watching the news from rooftops and flee in terror. My life truly won’t be the same after today, but I don’t mind. I have no regrets about what I’ve done because I know I am justified. My family’s and town’s safety will be protected, and those opposing my blood relatives will face justice for their crimes. Now, all that’s left are the final touches, and as for my future as a fugitive, I’ll worry about that once I’m done.

The world has never been my permanent home, so I can’t say I mind too much. I've always been an opponent of it as an agent of my God, an enemy to be feared, especially now that I’m no longer holding back or playing nice.