Chapter
2 – The Intricate and Shadowy
I tap away at my computer in my
office. It’s getting dark, and about time I headed back to John’s house to
rest, but I still need to finish a few things, so I stay. Grabbing a bottle of
wine, I pour myself a glass and look out at Poca Bellezza, and the happy people
in it, finishing up their daily business and being with their family and
friends. John expects me to be five steps ahead, and yet, I didn’t know about a
cabal of ex-villains in our own backyard, protecting the surrounding area from
people who remind them of their past. Since they’re trustworthy and honest
about their confession, giving themselves up to us and helping the Dominion,
they’ve become an invaluable ally and source of information to cover our blind
spot underneath our noses. I know that the Dominion is just starting, and you
can’t prevent every mistake and cover every blind spot, but I still feel like I
failed John and the people here.
Unlike my home city of Meridian,
Poca Bellezza is a gentle place, a sort of Heaven on Earth, a place that I wish
I could relax and live a simple life in with my family, like John did, but
that’s not the life meant for me. I’m a hero, protector of the innocent and
repentant, and punisher of the guilty. Without realizing it, I look at my hand
and see that I’ve crushed my glass of wine, spilling it on the floor. My powers
may not naturally show in my normal form, but they prevent me from experiencing
much pain and dying. After cleaning up the mess I’ve made, I pray for peace of
heart and direction for my next move, as I need God’s help as I always do.
People say that I’m a master negotiator and planner, but when you can read
people’s memories like I can, it’s an easy thing to do, nothing to be full of
myself about.
The phone on my desk rings. Seeing
that it’s John, I pick it up to hear his usual joyous tone of voice. “Timeo!
Are you coming back to my house soon? My parents and I are making dinner soon,
and we won’t eat without you.”
“I just have some work I need to
finish. You can start eating without me if I don’t make it back in time, John,”
I say.
“Nah, we’re a family now, so we all
have to eat together, since we don’t want you to work alone. Get done as soon
as you can because we’re making mom’s famous steak and eggs.”
“Okay. I will.”
Hanging up, I shut down my computer
and transform into my dark hero form. Becoming one with the light and dark, I
travel faster than the speed of light to one of my new contacts, one of the
ex-villains. In the tunnels underneath one of the many towns between Solis and
Poca Bellezza, he works on his suit and its attached weapons that we gave to
him.
“Sorry to interrupt, but has the
suit and its weapons been serving you well?” I ask, startling the man.
“Yes, it has. Thank you again for
arranging the deal with Timeo, but please, let your presence be known next time.
You scared me out of my body for a second there,” the man says.
“My apologies, but I’m in a rush.
What’s the latest rumor about the criminals and villains you’ve been keeping
track of?”
“They’re being more careful about
their continued activities.”
“They haven’t stopped in the
slightest?”
“Not at all. Not with their
targets, you, John Elio, and Timeo Severe, being so close within their grasp.”
“No weapon they have can kill or
incapacitate us.”
“They don’t need to do anything to
you. It’s your allies and supporters that they’re after, and Dominion, as a
whole.”
“What are they planning?”
“A joint attack on Poca Bellezza,
sweep the Dominion’s entire operation from under its feet, and make it look
incompetent. From there, I don’t know what their plans are, besides trying to
ruin not only you and shut down the Dominion, but also John Elio, you, and
Timeo, hoping that you won’t get as big as you are again.”
“Then I’ll bring their ruin to them
first by getting rid of the traitors and spies within the Dominion, Poca
Bellezza, and Solis.”
“If you could pick out from my
memory the information you needed, why bother having this conversation with
me?”
“To show my trust in you and that
you’re not the horrible person you think you are.”
“I guess there’s no point in
disagreeing with you. You don’t just get over your sins, especially when they
involve trading children as if they were commodities.”
“You’re right, but if it’s
punishment that you desire, a test to gauge your worth, then you may have it.
Survive it, and you’ll have your proof that you’re a good person.”
My dark powers touch the man, and maggots
start crawling out of the man’s eyes, mouth, hands, arms, and body.
“Heh. This may be a weird thing to
say, but thank you.”
I leave the man to his penance, praying
he survives it. Traveling faster than I usually do to the places seen in the
man’s memories, I search the area like a rabid predator on the hunt. Peering
into their memories, I pick out my targets and take them into the shadows with me
as I take one after the other. Through their memories, I piece together their
sinister plot and find the location of more of their conspirators. They were
going to set off a series of explosions around the Dominion office and Poca
Bellezza and then allow the villains and criminals they know to plunder both
places and kill or kidnap whoever they wished.
Interestingly, I find in their
memories that they’re connected to bad actors in the government, rival hero
associations, and the police force, something I need to investigate further. For
now, I go into Solis, the Sunny City of Tomorrow, and another place full of
traitors and people who don’t even deserve the simple jobs they have. To think
these people are upper-ranked members of society or basic, normal people you’d
pass by on the street is astonishing to me. They all sold their souls to a
malicious plan because they hate the God, Church, and faith that John and I follow,
and the evil they are trying to set in motion is justified because of their perverted
ideology. Hopefully, through the Dominion, John, and I, groups like this will
be erased from the Earth, and people will be able to live in harmony through
one truth.
With all the conspirators in my possession,
I go back to the underground base of ex-villains and bring them to a woman whom
I can trust with them. When they manifest from the shadows, their bodies are
combined into one mangle of writhing bodies that share a singular mouth. My contact
finishes smoking her cigarette and looks at the horror as if looking at work
that is being given to her, as I explain my reason for bringing them to her.
“So, why are you trusting me with
them rather than bringing them to the authorities?” she asks.
“You know that what’s done in private
is more impactful than what’s done in public. You’re also numb to seeing
tortured people and how to push them into doing what you want,” I explain. “Assuming
these filth, repent from their sins, they’ll return to normal, and may need a
final push, so they can expose the people they know, people with deep ties into
the institutions meant to serve the public.”
“I see, and if they die?”
“Bury them in a forgotten place,
burn them to ash, or leave them as food for maggots and creatures who feed on
the dead. I don’t care which.”
“Heh. You’re starting to make me a
believer in your God, L’Obscurité. I’ll make sure they do what you want.”
“Thank you, and I’ll make sure your
friends receive credit for your help as well.”
I leave the woman and secretly
check up on the man I previously talked to. Thankfully, he’s fine and currently
thanking God over and over again as he gives his heart to Him for the first
time in his life, a beautiful sight to see. With that done, I finally head back
to John’s house, just as they are putting dinner on the table.
“You made it, Timeo!” John excitedly
says.
“Yeah. Sorry, I couldn’t make it in
time to help make dinner,” I say as I sit down with them.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s
eat!”
After eating, John and I spend the
rest of the night enjoying drinks on his porch. I drink my usual glass of red
wine, while he drinks a beer.
“What kind of trouble did you get
into?” he asks me.
“Hmm? What do you mean?” I ask.
“Were you bringing criminals to
justice? If you were doing basic office work, you would’ve been home earlier.”
“Heh, how perceptive of you. Yes, I
was bringing criminals to justice. You’ll see the fruits of my work soon.”
“I don’t need any confirmation that
you did the right thing. I know you did. Just let me know if you ever need my
help with it.”
“Of course. I let you take the reins
last time, didn’t I?”
“You did. I’m just reminding you that
we’re a team, brothers in arms.”
“Heh, we are, brother.”
We clink our drinks together as we
sit in peace, a peace that is deepened by my knowing that John’s hometown and
Solis are safe from its enemies, at least for now.
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