07-19-2019, 07:04 AM
So, Peyton Rice thinks she won huh? The ‘Chairman’ of SCW thinks he got one over me? What a crock of horseshit… I’m Zero, the hero this company needs, the hero this company wants to forever spread the message of Giovanni Aries, and I never lose. Peyton might have fought well, and kept a hold of her little trinket, but the damage I had done would fester like a cancer within her. Her mind isn’t right, too dulled by a lost love, too racked with guilt for a death that was her fault. Meh, like I give a shit… she could rot as far as I was concerned, her allegiance to those that threaten us obvious. Once Giovanni and I had overthrown our evil overlords, Peyton Rice, just like those like her would perish in the flames. But anyway, I had my own problems…
PRESENT DAY
For the last three years, I had lived the life of a superhero, taking down criminals one dickhead at a time. Amberstone and I had done what we could for the city, but then he was kidnapped, probably by G.U.A.R.D and I had been left alone for the last six months. What do you mean I didn’t show that part of the story, it happened ok? Anyways, I found myself in EMERGE, and then the SCW, but no one believed the things I could do, harnessing the power of Lightening apparently not being possible. Anyway, with it being the biggest meeting of the criminal element of the year, Rise to Greatness, and the fact that EVERY one of my enemies would be there, I had been forced to take a medical examination to ensure I was able to ‘compete’. And that’s where I was now, with my balls cupped by a particularly hairy doctor, who looked very much like a modern day Thor.
Doctor: Now cough…
I do as I am told, and feeling the shrinkage as I do, the Doctor seeming satisfied.
Doctor: OK, pull up your trousers Elijah, and take a seat.
Of course, I wasn’t pulling up my trousers, because I had attended this examination with my super suit on. Well, this wouldn’t be as funny if it had just been Elijah, fourth wall people, fourth wall. Anyhoo, I pull up my suit and take a seat, even though I had developed a distaste for steel chairs thanks to Mr Starr.
Zero: So what’s the story Doc?
As if I didn’t know I was a fine physical specimen. The Doc though steeples his fingers in that Doctorly way, and looks over the rim of his glasses… because all Doctors wear glasses right.
Doctor: OK, so Elijah, I have to admit you are at the peak of fitness, your BMI, blood pressure and heart rate are all at exceptional levels.
Well derrrr…
Doctor: However, this is something that we need to discuss...
Zero: Look Doc, if it’s about the oversized…
Doctor: Some people do have different sized testicles Elijah, it’s nothing to worry about
Zero: Oh, so it must be the mole on the end of my…
Doctor: Again, nothing to concern me there, just a mole
Zero: Oh, so what’s up Doc?
I’d always wanted to say that.
Doctor: I have to say I am more than a little concerned about your mental state
Say what?
Zero: Mental state?
He looks my costume up and down, and then it clicks. He was a none-believer like many more before him, most of them now taking a loooong vacation in the smallest cells the state could get away with.
Doctor: For starters, the mask… why don’t you remove it so we can talk properly Elijah?
Sure, I sounded a little muffled, but we were talking properly.
Zero: And let the criminal element know who I am… no can do sunshine.
Doctor: But Elijah, surely you realize… you’re not really a ‘superhero’ and you don’t ‘really’ have super powers?
Zero: YES, I do.
The Doctor sits back in his chair, every nonchalant.
Doctor: OK Zero show me… show me how you ‘harness electricity’
I thought about it, just for a millisecond, frying this motherfucker’s pot plant for shits and giggles. But I don’t, of course I don’t. My powers were a gift, and not a circus act.
Zero: No
Doctor: I thought not… and why not huh?
Zero: Because I’m not having you sue me, or SCW when this whole office goes up in flames. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Doctor: Of course…
He writes some notes… the motherfucker was taking notes on me, maybe I’d fry his brain, or maybe not.
Zero: Look what’s this all about Doc? Did G.U.A.R.D send you? Do you know where Amberstone is?
Doctor: I do not know who these people are Elijah… are you certain they are not figments of your imagination?
After the wars I’d had, the things Amberstone and I had been through to save our city, I was being treated like I was some kind of crackpot.
Zero: Positive… you know what you should do Doc, you should speak to Giovanni, and he’d put you straight. He knows, just like I do, those that hide in the shadows, that unenlightened people like you do not see until it is too late and the damage done. Look at SCW, we have devils, angels, demons… and yet here you are, trying to discount one of only a few whose eyes are truly open. Open your eyes Doc, refuse to accept what you see as normal.
Doctor: Elijah, Sienna Swann doesn’t really believe she is an Angel…
Ha… righto
Doctor: And the devil is nothing more than a moniker that Damien uses to strike fear into his opponents.
I cannot help but sigh at a seemingly intelligent man being so out of touch.
Doctor: You are no more a superhero than I am Elijah and ‘this’ is just a character that you play out on a television screen.
Zero: A character?
Doctor: That’s correct… yes.
If he’d seen me take three bullets to the chest in stopping an armed bank raid he’d change his tune. If he’d seen me stop a Nuclear reactor from leaking by sealing it with the power from my hands he wouldn’t be giving me this grief. If he saw the girls that threw themselves at me, just by thrusting my impressive bulge in their direction, he’d realize exactly how ‘super’ I was.
Doctor: So, due to my evaluation Elijah, I am afraid that I am going to have to withdraw you from competition indefinitely, and until at least a psychiatric evaluation has been undertaken.
Zero: Whoa there, cool those jets Drachawych lite. It’s Rise to Greatness coming up, pretty much the entire criminal underworld is going to be there. This is Giovanni’s…
Doctor: Another who could do with such an assessment…?
Zero: This is our big chance, you gotta believe me.
He starts to sign off on a document which I have no doubt will land on Sacha Drachawych’s desk, banning me from Rise to Greatness. This wasn’t fair…I had to be there, but not for me, for Giovanni and SCW.
Doctor: I’m afraid you are showing signs of bipolar, at the very least delusions of grandeur. It’s not safe for me to allow you to compete on those grounds. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.
He says it in a way that makes me want to punch his face in, but I had to be at Rise to Greatness, I HAD to be. I get to me feet and walk over to the open window
Doctor: What are you doing Elijah…?
I step up, and place one foot on the window ledge, putting the other over to join it.
Doctor: Elijah, please come down from there.
Zero: Why, you wanted proof Doc.
I look down, I must have been five stories up, an easy jump for someone like me. The Doctor gets up to his feet, holding out his hand
Doctor: Please, Elijah, let’s talk about this
So now he wanted a dialogue.
Doctor: My name…is ZERO.
Doctor: Please, get down
I look out over the city, my city, a smile on my face. Whilst I was around, the people could sleep easily, knowing that the ‘Zero’ was looking out for them. I didn’t need everyone to believe, I just needed enough. And with Giovanni and his followers, we had enough to stop the SCW from falling into the wrong hands
Doctor: Zero… please… come down from there.
If I didn’t have a mask on, he would have seen the smile on my face. He, like Crissy and like Peyton had been turned into a ‘believer’. I jump down, and land all agile like, slowly and dramatically turning to the Doc.
Zero: So…
He picks up the document and holds it in front of the shredder. With a little coaxing, the automatic shredder kicks in, the document gone forever.
Zero: Thank you Doc… now will that be all?
He was obviously still shaken, so in awe of being in the presence of a genuine God. I look out the window, teasing him, before heading to the door
Zero: Don’t worry, I’ll take the elevator like you mortals.
I shake it hand, it was only right and make my way out of the office. How could anyone question my sanity after all that I had done? I didn’t know, nor would I ever understand. All I knew was that with great power came… well you knew the rest. And there was no one in this universe that had the power I possessed… not even the long haired lout with the hammer.
/ZERO HOUR
TARGET: JAKE STARR
CRIME: DOUBLE AGENT???
MISSION: STILL SAVING THE SCW
“If there is one thing that is certain, no matter what God you believe in, it’s that they love a tryer. In school, we are told that we must never give up. We must work hard to succeed. We must always do our best to achieve our goals. This is the creed of our schools all over our City and beyond, a whole generation of children believing that if they follow this mantra, success will surely come. Well kids, I’m afraid that’s no less a story than the one your Mother reads to you before she tucks you in at night. Sometimes you’re best isn’t enough? Sometimes, working hard just doesn’t cut it. And that’s because of the criminal element, who will always succeed due to the lengths they are willing to go to, to hold good people back. The best example I can give of this children, the example you would do well NOT to follow… is our man of many faces, the ‘chairman’ Jake Starr.”
I punch my fist into the palm of my other gloved hand, and I raise an eyebrow, an eyebrow that isn’t visible of course due to the mask I wear, but believe me I raised it. If there was one thing I had learned about the citizens of SCW in the short time I was here, it was that the city was very forgiving, and didn’t have the longest of memories. I however had a very good memory… well I had a Blu-ray player of Jake Starr’s previous indiscretions anyway.
“Hi Jake… and ‘Chairee’ is it?”
I wave, there was nothing wrong with being polite, I wasn’t yet sure what side Jake was on… who actually could know that, the amount of times he’d changed his mind in the past. I wasn’t going to embarrass him unnecessarily, he may well turn into an asset after I’d put him in his place at Rise to Greatness and he realized his mistakes. That didn’t mean to say I wasn’t going to be truthful, facts after all were facts.
“I’m going to level with you Jake, when I joined the SCW, I compiled a dossier on each and every mover and shaker in this City. I built profiles, and then once done, I went through each and every person that I could come face to face with, making sure that no matter the situation I would always be ready. You got a profile too Jake, and this is where I have to be honest. Why?”
I hold out my hands, I could actually be pleading to him for an answer (I wasn’t, I couldn’t care less.)
“Why do you continue to do this to yourself?”
I tilt my head to one side, like a dog would do when trying to understand. I’m not calling myself a dog, I’m a fine looking specimen, just trying to explain. Anyway, I digress.
“I mean, referring to the dossier, you were once a big deal around these parts, some might say the top dog. You ruled the roost, you called the shots, and any other cliches you could come up with, I’ll leave those to you, you’re far better at them than I am. But Jake… I nearly called you Blake then, but I’m getting ahead of myself, that was nearly a DECADE ago. Owen Cruze had only just learned how to go to the toilet by himself, Sasha Drachawych was still using sanitary towels because her Dad told her that tampons meant she lost her virginity. Shit, the last time you were relevant Jake, CHBK was flunking his high school diploma. In case you’re not getting this Jake, it was a long, LONG time ago.
And that’s my biggest problem in all of this Jake. You see, everything that the criminal element wants this city to become, I am the biggest threat to that. I would have expected a Glory Braddock, or a Syren, or an Allistaire Allocco to come after me, so that they can have free reign on the grand prize. Heck, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if it had been Sienna Swann, or Chris Cannon, or the DISEASE that is commonly known as the ‘Street’s’. Those would all have been people who have claim right now. These are people that would look at me as a threat, not only to their rule, but to their very existence. But no, whoever the ‘Lizard King’ as Giovanni knows him as is, instead, I get you, the Blake Mason wannabe.”
That was the second time I’d dropped his name, I bet he was loving his name up in lights. It was the only way it ever would be.
“Do you know how stupid that is Mr Starr, sending you to do evils work? How pointless it is, that of all the sum parts of his Lizard Army, the King chose to send YOU. You’d probably be OK against a Kelcai Adamson, or a Konrad Raab… or an Owen Cruze. But me… Zero… you’re expected to stop ME? To put it simply, it’s like trying to use an Umbrella to shield you from a Nuclear Blast.”
I shrug my shoulders
“And you think a chair is going to help you? Bullets can’t stop me but a chair can? That’s your logic? All this points me in only one direction Jake Starr, that being your biggest problem isn’t physical… it’s all in your head. And all this indecision as to which side you are truly on… it makes me realize that our city would have been a lot better off if you Father had pulled out and jizzed whichever seed you came from all over your Mom’s ass cheeks.
And this is where I get confused Mr Starr, because I see no reason for this elaborate search you find yourself, and understand the real you, when to me and anyone else for that matter it is blatantly obvious.
One, does any sane individual carry a chair around with him everywhere he goes, name it, and readily admit it’s his best friend? I mean, that would be like claiming to have superpowers, or be a demon when a person obviously does not and isn’t.
Two, does a ‘good’ guy swing said chair and use it as a weapon, on anyone and everyone who stands in his way, including the guy served with protecting our city?
And three, does someone walk the ‘true’ path like I, by committing heinous acts and deceit? The answer to all these questions, is of course a resounding NO. YOU Jake Starr are not a good guy and never will be. You’ll never be a hero to the citizens like I am. No matter how you try to redeem yourself, nothing can erase the things that you have done in your life, and will surely do again when the mood takes you. We already have our ‘Lizard King’ maybe you are our ‘Chameleon’ because you Sir, have become a city wide joke. The problem for you Mr Starr, is your nemesis, that’s me by the way, I’m the only one not laughing.”
I nod my head enthusiastically, the Chameleon… I liked that.
“You know why? I had my suspicions about you the moment you stepped foot back in our city. Where had you been, who had you been with? Those were the questions I asked myself. The flip flopping of sides, the good guy on minute bad guy the next routine, it could only ever lead me to one conclusion. This façade you have created for yourselves that has gotten you in favor with the citizens, MY citizens… YOU Mr Starr are a double agent, working for the criminal element and this ‘Lizard King’. YOU Mr Starr are the most dangerous criminal of all, and it has led me to a terrifying realization.”
I put on my most serious face, even though you can’t actually see it, it’s there I promise you.
“What if you’re not the only one? What if Blake Mason was the same, hiding in amongst good people and staying out of sight? What if the corruption has spread much deeper than Giovanni and I could imagine, further than even the two of us can handle. What if…”
I lower my head, not really believing I was saying this.
“What if… we are fighting a battle that we simply cannot win? And the true enemy is the one that hides in plain sight like you, never heard and never seen.”
Even now I was going through a list in my head, the people that could easily have been corrupted and we would never know. Manvel, Adonis… they had won trinkets when frankly they were undeserving, nobodies in the grand scheme of things that I thought didn’t serve a purpose. In showing their loyalty, had these trinkets been their rewards? Had I made a crucial mistake in overlooking their importance?
“And the answer to that Mr Starr is simple. Whether we can win or not is irrelevant, the SCW is the ONLY thing that matters. You might hear Sienna wax lyrical about this company, you’ll have definitely heard Owen Cruze banging the same old drum over and over again but there are only a few that truly care about this city, and Mr Starr, you are looking at one of them. And we fight regardless of the odds.”
I stand proudly, in defiance of those odds, my hands placed firmly on my hips, staring straight down the camera’s lens.
“Rise to Greatness will be watched by millions Mr Starr, all tuning in to see trinkets change hands, and pointless feuds come to an end. Never before will so many eyes be on our city, which still even now shines like a beacon of hope towards other cities such as EMERGE and the little known GCW. Corruption may be rife, but we are still the standard bearer, and as long as Giovanni and I are around, we forever will be. This is our chance to set an example, to all those like you hiding in the shadows and those in the public eye that we will NEVER stop serving the people, no matter the detriment to us. So congratulations, Mr Starr at Rise to Greatness YOU finally get your wish, you FINALLY become relevant. YOU will be our message not just to our city, but to the world. That hope can be found… if you look to Giovanni Aries and Zero.”
I stand and salute… I’m guessing that the scene is fading. Has it faded now? Is someone going to…
PRESENT DAY
For the last three years, I had lived the life of a superhero, taking down criminals one dickhead at a time. Amberstone and I had done what we could for the city, but then he was kidnapped, probably by G.U.A.R.D and I had been left alone for the last six months. What do you mean I didn’t show that part of the story, it happened ok? Anyways, I found myself in EMERGE, and then the SCW, but no one believed the things I could do, harnessing the power of Lightening apparently not being possible. Anyway, with it being the biggest meeting of the criminal element of the year, Rise to Greatness, and the fact that EVERY one of my enemies would be there, I had been forced to take a medical examination to ensure I was able to ‘compete’. And that’s where I was now, with my balls cupped by a particularly hairy doctor, who looked very much like a modern day Thor.
Doctor: Now cough…
I do as I am told, and feeling the shrinkage as I do, the Doctor seeming satisfied.
Doctor: OK, pull up your trousers Elijah, and take a seat.
Of course, I wasn’t pulling up my trousers, because I had attended this examination with my super suit on. Well, this wouldn’t be as funny if it had just been Elijah, fourth wall people, fourth wall. Anyhoo, I pull up my suit and take a seat, even though I had developed a distaste for steel chairs thanks to Mr Starr.
Zero: So what’s the story Doc?
As if I didn’t know I was a fine physical specimen. The Doc though steeples his fingers in that Doctorly way, and looks over the rim of his glasses… because all Doctors wear glasses right.
Doctor: OK, so Elijah, I have to admit you are at the peak of fitness, your BMI, blood pressure and heart rate are all at exceptional levels.
Well derrrr…
Doctor: However, this is something that we need to discuss...
Zero: Look Doc, if it’s about the oversized…
Doctor: Some people do have different sized testicles Elijah, it’s nothing to worry about
Zero: Oh, so it must be the mole on the end of my…
Doctor: Again, nothing to concern me there, just a mole
Zero: Oh, so what’s up Doc?
I’d always wanted to say that.
Doctor: I have to say I am more than a little concerned about your mental state
Say what?
Zero: Mental state?
He looks my costume up and down, and then it clicks. He was a none-believer like many more before him, most of them now taking a loooong vacation in the smallest cells the state could get away with.
Doctor: For starters, the mask… why don’t you remove it so we can talk properly Elijah?
Sure, I sounded a little muffled, but we were talking properly.
Zero: And let the criminal element know who I am… no can do sunshine.
Doctor: But Elijah, surely you realize… you’re not really a ‘superhero’ and you don’t ‘really’ have super powers?
Zero: YES, I do.
The Doctor sits back in his chair, every nonchalant.
Doctor: OK Zero show me… show me how you ‘harness electricity’
I thought about it, just for a millisecond, frying this motherfucker’s pot plant for shits and giggles. But I don’t, of course I don’t. My powers were a gift, and not a circus act.
Zero: No
Doctor: I thought not… and why not huh?
Zero: Because I’m not having you sue me, or SCW when this whole office goes up in flames. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Doctor: Of course…
He writes some notes… the motherfucker was taking notes on me, maybe I’d fry his brain, or maybe not.
Zero: Look what’s this all about Doc? Did G.U.A.R.D send you? Do you know where Amberstone is?
Doctor: I do not know who these people are Elijah… are you certain they are not figments of your imagination?
After the wars I’d had, the things Amberstone and I had been through to save our city, I was being treated like I was some kind of crackpot.
Zero: Positive… you know what you should do Doc, you should speak to Giovanni, and he’d put you straight. He knows, just like I do, those that hide in the shadows, that unenlightened people like you do not see until it is too late and the damage done. Look at SCW, we have devils, angels, demons… and yet here you are, trying to discount one of only a few whose eyes are truly open. Open your eyes Doc, refuse to accept what you see as normal.
Doctor: Elijah, Sienna Swann doesn’t really believe she is an Angel…
Ha… righto
Doctor: And the devil is nothing more than a moniker that Damien uses to strike fear into his opponents.
I cannot help but sigh at a seemingly intelligent man being so out of touch.
Doctor: You are no more a superhero than I am Elijah and ‘this’ is just a character that you play out on a television screen.
Zero: A character?
Doctor: That’s correct… yes.
If he’d seen me take three bullets to the chest in stopping an armed bank raid he’d change his tune. If he’d seen me stop a Nuclear reactor from leaking by sealing it with the power from my hands he wouldn’t be giving me this grief. If he saw the girls that threw themselves at me, just by thrusting my impressive bulge in their direction, he’d realize exactly how ‘super’ I was.
Doctor: So, due to my evaluation Elijah, I am afraid that I am going to have to withdraw you from competition indefinitely, and until at least a psychiatric evaluation has been undertaken.
Zero: Whoa there, cool those jets Drachawych lite. It’s Rise to Greatness coming up, pretty much the entire criminal underworld is going to be there. This is Giovanni’s…
Doctor: Another who could do with such an assessment…?
Zero: This is our big chance, you gotta believe me.
He starts to sign off on a document which I have no doubt will land on Sacha Drachawych’s desk, banning me from Rise to Greatness. This wasn’t fair…I had to be there, but not for me, for Giovanni and SCW.
Doctor: I’m afraid you are showing signs of bipolar, at the very least delusions of grandeur. It’s not safe for me to allow you to compete on those grounds. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.
He says it in a way that makes me want to punch his face in, but I had to be at Rise to Greatness, I HAD to be. I get to me feet and walk over to the open window
Doctor: What are you doing Elijah…?
I step up, and place one foot on the window ledge, putting the other over to join it.
Doctor: Elijah, please come down from there.
Zero: Why, you wanted proof Doc.
I look down, I must have been five stories up, an easy jump for someone like me. The Doctor gets up to his feet, holding out his hand
Doctor: Please, Elijah, let’s talk about this
So now he wanted a dialogue.
Doctor: My name…is ZERO.
Doctor: Please, get down
I look out over the city, my city, a smile on my face. Whilst I was around, the people could sleep easily, knowing that the ‘Zero’ was looking out for them. I didn’t need everyone to believe, I just needed enough. And with Giovanni and his followers, we had enough to stop the SCW from falling into the wrong hands
Doctor: Zero… please… come down from there.
If I didn’t have a mask on, he would have seen the smile on my face. He, like Crissy and like Peyton had been turned into a ‘believer’. I jump down, and land all agile like, slowly and dramatically turning to the Doc.
Zero: So…
He picks up the document and holds it in front of the shredder. With a little coaxing, the automatic shredder kicks in, the document gone forever.
Zero: Thank you Doc… now will that be all?
He was obviously still shaken, so in awe of being in the presence of a genuine God. I look out the window, teasing him, before heading to the door
Zero: Don’t worry, I’ll take the elevator like you mortals.
I shake it hand, it was only right and make my way out of the office. How could anyone question my sanity after all that I had done? I didn’t know, nor would I ever understand. All I knew was that with great power came… well you knew the rest. And there was no one in this universe that had the power I possessed… not even the long haired lout with the hammer.
/ZERO HOUR
TARGET: JAKE STARR
CRIME: DOUBLE AGENT???
MISSION: STILL SAVING THE SCW
“If there is one thing that is certain, no matter what God you believe in, it’s that they love a tryer. In school, we are told that we must never give up. We must work hard to succeed. We must always do our best to achieve our goals. This is the creed of our schools all over our City and beyond, a whole generation of children believing that if they follow this mantra, success will surely come. Well kids, I’m afraid that’s no less a story than the one your Mother reads to you before she tucks you in at night. Sometimes you’re best isn’t enough? Sometimes, working hard just doesn’t cut it. And that’s because of the criminal element, who will always succeed due to the lengths they are willing to go to, to hold good people back. The best example I can give of this children, the example you would do well NOT to follow… is our man of many faces, the ‘chairman’ Jake Starr.”
I punch my fist into the palm of my other gloved hand, and I raise an eyebrow, an eyebrow that isn’t visible of course due to the mask I wear, but believe me I raised it. If there was one thing I had learned about the citizens of SCW in the short time I was here, it was that the city was very forgiving, and didn’t have the longest of memories. I however had a very good memory… well I had a Blu-ray player of Jake Starr’s previous indiscretions anyway.
“Hi Jake… and ‘Chairee’ is it?”
I wave, there was nothing wrong with being polite, I wasn’t yet sure what side Jake was on… who actually could know that, the amount of times he’d changed his mind in the past. I wasn’t going to embarrass him unnecessarily, he may well turn into an asset after I’d put him in his place at Rise to Greatness and he realized his mistakes. That didn’t mean to say I wasn’t going to be truthful, facts after all were facts.
“I’m going to level with you Jake, when I joined the SCW, I compiled a dossier on each and every mover and shaker in this City. I built profiles, and then once done, I went through each and every person that I could come face to face with, making sure that no matter the situation I would always be ready. You got a profile too Jake, and this is where I have to be honest. Why?”
I hold out my hands, I could actually be pleading to him for an answer (I wasn’t, I couldn’t care less.)
“Why do you continue to do this to yourself?”
I tilt my head to one side, like a dog would do when trying to understand. I’m not calling myself a dog, I’m a fine looking specimen, just trying to explain. Anyway, I digress.
“I mean, referring to the dossier, you were once a big deal around these parts, some might say the top dog. You ruled the roost, you called the shots, and any other cliches you could come up with, I’ll leave those to you, you’re far better at them than I am. But Jake… I nearly called you Blake then, but I’m getting ahead of myself, that was nearly a DECADE ago. Owen Cruze had only just learned how to go to the toilet by himself, Sasha Drachawych was still using sanitary towels because her Dad told her that tampons meant she lost her virginity. Shit, the last time you were relevant Jake, CHBK was flunking his high school diploma. In case you’re not getting this Jake, it was a long, LONG time ago.
And that’s my biggest problem in all of this Jake. You see, everything that the criminal element wants this city to become, I am the biggest threat to that. I would have expected a Glory Braddock, or a Syren, or an Allistaire Allocco to come after me, so that they can have free reign on the grand prize. Heck, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if it had been Sienna Swann, or Chris Cannon, or the DISEASE that is commonly known as the ‘Street’s’. Those would all have been people who have claim right now. These are people that would look at me as a threat, not only to their rule, but to their very existence. But no, whoever the ‘Lizard King’ as Giovanni knows him as is, instead, I get you, the Blake Mason wannabe.”
That was the second time I’d dropped his name, I bet he was loving his name up in lights. It was the only way it ever would be.
“Do you know how stupid that is Mr Starr, sending you to do evils work? How pointless it is, that of all the sum parts of his Lizard Army, the King chose to send YOU. You’d probably be OK against a Kelcai Adamson, or a Konrad Raab… or an Owen Cruze. But me… Zero… you’re expected to stop ME? To put it simply, it’s like trying to use an Umbrella to shield you from a Nuclear Blast.”
I shrug my shoulders
“And you think a chair is going to help you? Bullets can’t stop me but a chair can? That’s your logic? All this points me in only one direction Jake Starr, that being your biggest problem isn’t physical… it’s all in your head. And all this indecision as to which side you are truly on… it makes me realize that our city would have been a lot better off if you Father had pulled out and jizzed whichever seed you came from all over your Mom’s ass cheeks.
And this is where I get confused Mr Starr, because I see no reason for this elaborate search you find yourself, and understand the real you, when to me and anyone else for that matter it is blatantly obvious.
One, does any sane individual carry a chair around with him everywhere he goes, name it, and readily admit it’s his best friend? I mean, that would be like claiming to have superpowers, or be a demon when a person obviously does not and isn’t.
Two, does a ‘good’ guy swing said chair and use it as a weapon, on anyone and everyone who stands in his way, including the guy served with protecting our city?
And three, does someone walk the ‘true’ path like I, by committing heinous acts and deceit? The answer to all these questions, is of course a resounding NO. YOU Jake Starr are not a good guy and never will be. You’ll never be a hero to the citizens like I am. No matter how you try to redeem yourself, nothing can erase the things that you have done in your life, and will surely do again when the mood takes you. We already have our ‘Lizard King’ maybe you are our ‘Chameleon’ because you Sir, have become a city wide joke. The problem for you Mr Starr, is your nemesis, that’s me by the way, I’m the only one not laughing.”
I nod my head enthusiastically, the Chameleon… I liked that.
“You know why? I had my suspicions about you the moment you stepped foot back in our city. Where had you been, who had you been with? Those were the questions I asked myself. The flip flopping of sides, the good guy on minute bad guy the next routine, it could only ever lead me to one conclusion. This façade you have created for yourselves that has gotten you in favor with the citizens, MY citizens… YOU Mr Starr are a double agent, working for the criminal element and this ‘Lizard King’. YOU Mr Starr are the most dangerous criminal of all, and it has led me to a terrifying realization.”
I put on my most serious face, even though you can’t actually see it, it’s there I promise you.
“What if you’re not the only one? What if Blake Mason was the same, hiding in amongst good people and staying out of sight? What if the corruption has spread much deeper than Giovanni and I could imagine, further than even the two of us can handle. What if…”
I lower my head, not really believing I was saying this.
“What if… we are fighting a battle that we simply cannot win? And the true enemy is the one that hides in plain sight like you, never heard and never seen.”
Even now I was going through a list in my head, the people that could easily have been corrupted and we would never know. Manvel, Adonis… they had won trinkets when frankly they were undeserving, nobodies in the grand scheme of things that I thought didn’t serve a purpose. In showing their loyalty, had these trinkets been their rewards? Had I made a crucial mistake in overlooking their importance?
“And the answer to that Mr Starr is simple. Whether we can win or not is irrelevant, the SCW is the ONLY thing that matters. You might hear Sienna wax lyrical about this company, you’ll have definitely heard Owen Cruze banging the same old drum over and over again but there are only a few that truly care about this city, and Mr Starr, you are looking at one of them. And we fight regardless of the odds.”
I stand proudly, in defiance of those odds, my hands placed firmly on my hips, staring straight down the camera’s lens.
“Rise to Greatness will be watched by millions Mr Starr, all tuning in to see trinkets change hands, and pointless feuds come to an end. Never before will so many eyes be on our city, which still even now shines like a beacon of hope towards other cities such as EMERGE and the little known GCW. Corruption may be rife, but we are still the standard bearer, and as long as Giovanni and I are around, we forever will be. This is our chance to set an example, to all those like you hiding in the shadows and those in the public eye that we will NEVER stop serving the people, no matter the detriment to us. So congratulations, Mr Starr at Rise to Greatness YOU finally get your wish, you FINALLY become relevant. YOU will be our message not just to our city, but to the world. That hope can be found… if you look to Giovanni Aries and Zero.”
I stand and salute… I’m guessing that the scene is fading. Has it faded now? Is someone going to…