The Mercy in Punishment: Chapter 1 – Super Charity Worker

Chapter 1 – Super Charity Worker

I put on my mask, a face covering that includes my old mask that’s half white and black with angel wings at the end, make sure my armor is operating correctly again, and take a deep breath as I stand on the edge of a building. Stepping off, I let myself free-fall for a few seconds, then activate my wings and jetpacks. I glide past a cheering crowd, fly up, put on a show by performing tricks in the sky, and then safely land on a stage with Mayor Jeph and Deputy Mayor Tim.

Mayor Jeph on the mic says, “Everyone! Give Polina Yelizaveta a round of applause!”

The crowd cheers, and I humbly bow.

“Would you like to say a few words?”

“No, thank you. I wouldn’t want to keep everyone here from the festivities any longer,” I say.

“Come on. You’re one of our city’s greatest protectors. You deserve some time in the spotlight.”

The crowd cheers, agrees, and chants my name.

With no choice but to take the mic, I simply say, “I’ll only say a few things. I’m not that good of a public speaker. When L’Obscurité and Timeo Severe left Meridian in my hands and allies, I knew I couldn’t be like either of them. So, instead, I chose to be the me that God made me to be, that being a merciful protector, preferring to help the poor and downtrodden, including efforts to reform criminals and villains, many of whom are simply forcing their pain on others. Today, I humbly ask that you help me accomplish this goal of helping everyone by giving generously with time, talent, or donation, and together, we can bring our city to even greater heights. Thank you.”

I bow, and the crowd cheers and claps. Handing the mic back over to Jeph, I step off the staff and head to the private back area, where some of the security is. Looking at my reflection on the back side of my helmet, I make sure my red hair isn’t messed up from the flight, and nothing is on my face. My red eyes stare back at me, and I make sure that I keep a soft and welcoming smile on it, so that no one is afraid of approaching me. Raziel Emundato, my fellow apprentice of Timeo, walks in, taking off his hood and helmet with orange, red, and yellow eyes on it.

“That was some show, Polina,” Raziel says.

With his helmet off, he has a young, kind appearance, despite his orange, yellow, and red eyes. His blonde hair is light, and his orange, yellow, and crimson armor is like that of a modern medieval knight, with an accompanying cape and pauldrons, one that has his cross symbol on it and the other with the inscription, “Ego Te Absolvo”. On his back is his crimson scythe, which can light up with fire at a moment’s notice.

“It was nothing special from the usual that I do every time,” I say. “Why don’t you join in for once?”

“My guardian angel says not to use my power for show, and I’m hardly able to activate them on my own, so I’m not going to attempt it.”

“Right, right. How is it out there?”

“Lively and filled with joy. People are generously giving, and those in need of jobs are given on-the-spot interviews and work.”

“What about the Castigators?”

“You mean mainly Kane, Idelle, and Zandro? They sent their regards to me and said they can’t make it because they’re causing trouble somewhere in the country.”

“Pfft. I believe it. What I can’t believe is that he has multiple groups of Castigators across the country now.”

“God blesses the faithful with abundance.”

“Yeah, but Kane? I’m not trying to say he doesn’t deserve it, but still. What we’re doing here hasn’t given us the right to be a subsidiary of the Dominion like the Castigators, yet.”

“Yet, is the keyword. Even if we don’t grow as big as them, we still do good work here in Meridian. I wouldn’t mind keeping the peace here for the rest of my life, do you?”

“No, I wouldn’t mind it either.”

“Let’s go see the people. The mood out there will get even better with you around.”

I agree and walk around with Raziel, meeting fans, talking to people, and signing autographs. As apprentices of the dark hero, L’Obscurité, or Timeo Severe, as his closest friends and family know him, we have received a lot of attention from the people of Meridian for years of hard work, turning this city from one of the most dangerous in the world to one of the safest. Because of the overwhelming attention we get, we go to different groups along the street to draw their attention to their services, depending on the people I can see. My powers allow me to see why a person deserves mercy, no matter how far gone their soul may be from God. As such, I guide those in need of a specific service to the right provider.

For example, those who need to relax and are pushing themselves to be here are directed to the games, food, and drinks of the festival, and sometimes to the priests or psychiatrists for spiritual or worldly advice. I also bring their attention to the many jobs on offer, specifically bringing their attention to the Dominion of Mercy and Justice, the hero association Raziel and I work for, and our closest ally, the Coronamento Corporation. The line for the on-the-spot interview is so long that the people in the crowd ask if the job is worth it and if they should prefer getting the job that also provides them with powers or the one that doesn’t require them.

The questions are difficult to individually answer, so I instead tell them my story and how I chose my job. “I became a cop because I was inspired by Chief Raymond Ellory and his family’s history of bringing order to this city and taking care of it. Afterward, I was touched by L’Obscurité’s powers while on the job and got the powers I have now unintentionally through him. Because of that, I worked as both a cop and a hero at the same time. My family always said to pray before making any decision, even if that means praying in a split second, so ask God and yourself if you’re supposed to take this job or not. If not, I won’t be offended, but if you feel a call to protect others, then I suggest either joining the Dominion, becoming a cop, or whatever hero association you feel called to.”

Some people take a second to decide before either walking to other places or getting in line for the job at either the Coronamento Corporation or Dominion. Those remaining in the crowd seem to be more interested in talking to us and asking Raziel about his story. He isn’t sure about it, so I have to push him to do it.

“It’ll be fine. I have your back,” I say to him.

Raziel reluctantly accepts and breathes in and out before sharing his story. “I lost my family in a fire. After, I found a new family in a Catholic orphanage, but lost that to a group of criminals. I tried becoming a cop and then a zealous vigilante to get justice for them, but I only ended up hurting others and being touched by L’Obscurité’s dark powers. From there, my guardian angel spoke clearly to me of God’s purpose for me and the flames and scythe I now wield. I have nothing more to add to Polina’s advice, other than what I’ve learned in life: appreciate everything you have and everyone around you. It is all a gift from God that can be taken away at a moment’s notice, and even when that happens, remember that there’s more to this life than the here and now, and that God always loves you.”

The crowd and those who heard Raziel’s story, who stopped to hear it, are silent for a moment. They then clap and disperse.

“See? I’m not that good at telling stories.”

“They clapped for you, and I think you told your story well. I’m hardly much of a storyteller, too, and since I’m usually put on the spot to tell my story, I can sometimes get things mixed up, unintentionally wrong, and forget important details. Speaking of telling stories, the mayor will be hosting a spotlight for the business owners and charities here to tell theirs. Let’s listen to them. Maybe we’ll get some pointers, so we can tell our stories better next time.”

“Sure.”

Raziel and I go back to the stage and stand around it as security. While looking out for trouble, I listen to the stories of the people behind me. I hear stories of people from those who are rich and poor, their inspirations for starting their business, why they continue to help others, and their pitch to ask others to help them. Among the many speakers are ex-criminals and redeemed villains that I, along with others in the Dominion, helped rehabilitate. They speak of our help and how they wish to make amends and be better people, either through the same programs they went through or the businesses and charities that they’ve started.

It's rejuvenating to hear the stories of the redeemed, as it acts as a reminder that I’m helping to make a difference in the world, that no effort has been in vain, and that I’m saving souls from sin and damnation. A gunshot then rings out, ending the fun and festivities in an instant. Mayor Jeph is shot in the head, as well as Deputy Mayor Tim, as he just registers what’s happening. Everything seems muted and in slow motion now. The police and members of the Dominion yell at the panicking crowds and try to find the shooter. I try to help them, but I feel like I’m wading through sand and that my voice can’t escape my throat.

Raziel looks at me, his eyes wide, as if he's saying something in a panic, his words muted by the chaos around us and whatever is affecting me. The only thing I can clearly hear is the sound of more shots hitting people, ranging from the speakers from the charities and businesses to heroes and police, and random civilians. Seeing where the shots are coming from, I point to Raziel the direction, and he sprouts wings of fire and flies off to stop the shooter. It’s then that things go from bad to worse as cybernetic men start appearing from out of the crowd, under the ground, out of the buildings, and the top of rooftops to fight the heroes and police without a care for injuring and killing civilians in the process. Meanwhile, I still feel like I’m moving in slow motion and struggling to say anything as I seemingly lag behind everyone.

“You feeling helpless, don’t you?” I hear a young girl’s voice say in my head.

“Who are you and why are you doing this?” I ask.

“Who I am, you’ll learn soon enough. As for why, I know you can find the answer for yourself. Just look at the people attacking you.”

“I see…I see that they’ve all been wronged by the people who were meant to help them. Many of them are ex-soldiers, cops, heroes, vigilantes, redeemed villains, reformed criminals, and social workers. I’m sorry that they never got paid what they were owed, were taken advantage of, and were forgotten, but that doesn’t excuse their actions.”

“We’re not asking for sympathy. We want justice, not in the same way the Castigators obtain justice, but the way we want it by taking it for ourselves and punishing everyone involved from top to bottom.” I try looking in the crowd for the source of the voice while using my psychological power to calm down our attackers. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s no use looking for me because I’m watching you from afar. We don’t want to kill you. Not yet, at least. This is simply a message, and we want you to hear us. The Neglected will be ignored no longer.”

The flow of time returns to normal, and nothing is muted anymore. Using my psychological power, I ask our attackers if this is really what they want to do—if hurting innocent people and taking justice into their own hands is the right choice. Many struggle against me, others are slowed down, and some are unbothered by my words. Their responses force me to further exert my mental powers to either make the attackers unconscious or cause them to bleed internally, compromise their heart or brain. I also use my sword, which emerges from my armor, and a pistol by my side to injure or kill, depending on who I’m facing.

The chaos ends shortly after, but it feels like it went on for hours because of what happened when time slowed in my mind. Using my earpiece, I call Raziel to see if he’s fine and got the sniper.

He soon flies over to me and says, “The sniper got away. Instead of them, I found dozens of cybernetic people and robots with the pictures of people on them.”

I explain to Raziel what happened to me, and add that, “We’re dealing with people who are jaded and possibly being manipulated by others to do horrible things they wouldn’t otherwise do.”

“We’d best take care of them now so that no one else gets roped into their cause and events like this don’t happen again.”

“You’re right. Let’s get to it.”

Before heading out, Raziel and I go to the bodies of Jeph and Tim, who are both being taken care of by paramedics, say sorry, and offer a short prayer for them and everyone else who was hurt or killed in this tragedy. With our goodbyes said, we nod towards one another and get to work finding out everything we can about the Neglected and everyone associated with them.