The night sky slowly softened, growing lighter as the sun rose into the
sky. It was the start of another day in Boston and Nick Kelly sat and
watched it through the skylight of his Commonwealth Avenue loft
apartment. After last night’s activities as Argus sleep
totally
escaped him. Nick found himself replaying the events in his mind.
Nick had been out for a walk in order to learn the streets of Boston
before beginning his new job, when he came upon a group of mobsters
entering City Hall. Curiosity getting the better of him Nick decided to
follow them inside.
Once inside he saw Anton “The Shark” DeCarlo a
former
Keystone City Mob Boss who had fallen off the radar shortly before the
alien attack that turned him into Argus. Out of habit Nick was carrying
his Argus uniform with him and donned it in order to begin surveillance
on DeCarlo. That was when things began to get interesting.
One of DeCarlo’s men said “That the Eel had wanted
a regime
change” and then killed DeCarlo in cold blood. They were
about to
kill a janitor that had wandered into the area by accident, when Nick
as Argus had intervened and took them down.
Nick had caught the man who had killed DeCarlo and was about to
interrogate him when somebody shot him from a nearby rooftop. Even
though Nick had zeroed in on where the shot had been fired from and was
on top of the area instantly, the shooter was gone. However that was
not what had kept Nick awake, not in the least.
Despite fighting off the alien invasion and occasionally working
alongside the Flash to fight super human criminals, Nick found himself
becoming what he despised most. A soldier who had fought for so long
and for so hard that he had forgot what he was fighting for.
He had joined the Marine Corps to serve his country like his father and
brothers had to help protect his country. Nick went from the Marine
Corps to the CIA in order to protect and help liberate those who could
not fight for themselves.
It was there though that Nick believed that he began to change. In
black ops you cannot trust anybody and you begin to see everybody as an
enemy. Even when he left the CIA and went to work for the FBI it was
not to serve justice but to go undercover to avenge his father and
brother’s deaths at the hands of mob boss Antonio Torrelli.
As he was infiltrating Torrelli’s organization Nick had to
maintain his cover. This meant that he had to stand back and allow men
and in some cases women, who held no regard for human life, commit
murder and other despicable acts in order to build a case against a
bigger evil. In this case the evil being Antonio Torrelli.
Nick could not help but wonder sometimes if by doing that he was not on
some level as evil as Torrelli himself. If by blending in he was not on
some level condoning the actions of Torrelli and his men.
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by
and
do nothing,” Nick thought to himself.
Even when Venev killed Torrelli and his crew there was part of Nick
that had wished he had died with them. That he deserved to die after
standing by as he watched these heinous crimes.
“If I stood back and watched does that make me evil? Does
that
mean I wanted them to do what they did.” were the constant
nagging thoughts that Nick always had.
Nick thought he found new purpose as Argus and helping the
other
heroes defeat the aliens. That maybe this was a turning point in his
life.
Yet after that Nick shifted focus back to organized crime and even
though he teamed up with Flash on occasion, he still found himself in
the same world or underworld he had always been in.
There was one problem though before gaining powers and becoming Argus.
Before helping to save the world and teaming up with the Flash, Nick
had always been able to justify his actions with a “The ends
justify the means attitude”. That letting criminals kill each
other was ok, because in the long run it took them off the street. Now
however Nick was not so sure anymore.
The turning point for Nick was his final case as Argus in Keystone
City. He had information that Intergang was setting up operations in
Keystone and were flooding the streets with high tech plasma rifles.
Nick knew the damage those weapons could cause in the hands of the
street gangs that Intergang were targeting. After gathering information
from several informants Nick knew where Intergang’s first
shipment would be delivered and who would be buying them. Nick decided
on a preemptive strike.
The night of the delivery there were members of La Raza, The West
Sidaz, and The Iron Triad at the delivery site. All of them eager to
buy the shipment of weapons from the Intergang representatives that
were present at the site. That was when things went bloody.
All the gangs who had shown up to purchase the weapons each had their
own personal vendettas with each other and tensions quickly escalated
to a firefight with their new weapons.
Nick simply stood back and let the gangs murder each other. Then as the
smoke cleared he took out the Intergang representatives.
Afterwards Nick looked at all the broken dead bodies and even though
they were stone cold killers, something inside of him snapped. Even
though he was no longer in the FBI, he was still doing what he had done
before. Letting people kill each other so that he could take down the
bigger criminals.
“Evil still wins,” Nick thought to himself.
That was the reason he had taken Chris’s offer to move to
Boston
and join him in his Security company. That maybe a change in scenery
would change his attitude.
Chris Infantino was a former FBI agent and was the closest thing Nick
had to a friend. He had been Nick’s handler when Nick was
undercover and his prime source of information when Nick became Argus.
Chris was older a veteran FBI agent and he always encouraged Nick to
try and develop a personal life. Chris was divorced with no children
and at the time all he had was his job. He felt a kinship with Nick
because like himself Nick was also alone and Chris also knew that he
did not want Nick to end up like him.
He was the only one who knew Nick’s dual identity and the
only
person who Nick trusted. Nick smiled as he remembered the last words
Chris said to him on the phone when he offered him the job.
“Careful Nick if you come here and take this job, you might
make
friends or get heaven forbid a real life,” Chris had told him.
Nick rose from the reclining chair he had been sitting in and walked
over to the coffee table in the corner of the room. Picking up the
shell casing from last night’s crime scene, Nick shifted his
focus back to DeCarlo’s murder and the assassination of the
“The Shark’s” killer, while he was trying
to
interrogate him.
Nick used his vision powers to examine the shell casing again and still
found nothing unique in the metallurgy to make it stand out. However
there was one thing that made it stand out from regular ammunition. It
was twenty-two long caliber ammunition standard for high powered
rifles, but it had been coated with micro thin polymer.
This meaning it had been modified to hold nitroglycerine or some other
explosive charge in the tip. It was not the type of round normally used
by mob Hitmen; meaning that whoever this Eel was he had a high powered
Mercenary on his payroll.
“Why have a Mechanic kill DeCarlo and then have a Mercenary
take
out the Mechanic?. Why not just have the Mercenary kill DeCarlo
outright. It does not add up,” Nick thought to himself.
The ear piercing buzz of the alarm clock in the next room snapped Nick
from his thoughts. Nick walked into the bedroom and turned off the
clock. Nick saw that it was seven AM and he had an appointment to meet
Chris at a diner near South Station.
After a hot shower and a quick breakfast Nick headed out the door for
his meeting. Nick took the subway to South Station and made his way
through the sea of morning commuters. Once outside the station Nick
then walked across the street to a small coffee shop known as the
Boston Diner, where Chris had said to meet him.
The bell on the old worn wooden door clanged as Nick walked inside. The
diner was small with four tables at one end for patrons, and there was
long old fashioned lunch counter. The walls were decorated with
pictures of local sports heroes and politicians.
There were two people sitting at one end of the counter: a middle-aged
man and woman being waited on by a young beautiful woman, who was their
waitress. She had long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and a smile
that conveyed a sense of warmth, of caring. At the other end of the
counter sat a man, large heavyset with a black suit.
The man was digging into what had to be the largest platter of Bacon
and Eggs that Nick had ever seen. The man paused to loudly drink his
coffee as Nick sat down next to him.
“I don’t suppose you ever considered having fruit
and
cereal,” Nick said nonchalantly.
The man turned and shot Nick an intimidating glare but then quickly
smiled and placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder. The man was
Chris
Infantino and Nick returned the smile.
“What’s that crack supposed to be mean,”
Chris said.
“It means that with all that cholesterol on the plate, my
arteries are hardening as I watch you eat it,” Nick replied.
“Good to see you kid,” Chris said as he let a laugh.
“You too,” Nick replied.
Just then the waitress walked over placed a cup in front of Nick. The
waitress reached behind her and grabbed a pot of coffee off of the
burner. The waitress looked down and gave Nick the heart warming smile
that had grabbed Nick’s attention when he walked in the door.
“Coffee sir?” the waitress asked.
“Yes please,” Nick replied.
“Rose this is my friend Nick…Nick this is
Rose,”
Chris interjected.
“Nice to meet you Nick,” Rose said sweetly.
“Thanks, you too,” Nick replied slightly
uncomfortable.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what you
want,” Rose said as she turned and walked into the kitchen.
“I take it you eat here a lot?” Nick asked Chris.
“Yes, every morning… Best breakfast in
town,” Chris
said as he finished his eggs.
“Chris, you want me to put your breakfast on your
tab?”
Rose called out from the kitchen.
“If you would please, Rose,” Chris said.
“Tell your friend Nick to order whatever he wants…
It’s on the house,” Rose added.
“Rose and her father Victor own this place. They bought it a
few
years after they moved here from Columbia. They are good people and
they do a good business and I think she likes you,” Chris
said
with a chuckle.
“She seems nice and… What’s that
supposed to
mean?” Nick shot back.
“That means if you only knew what a good looking guy you
are,” Chris said.
“So are you done eating Mister Matchmaker?” Nick
said
sarcastically.
“Yes I am, so your not getting anything,” Chris
replied.
“No I already ate,” Nick said quickly.
“Your loss,” Chris said with a smirk.
“I know but it does not mean I won’t be
back,” said
Nick as he waved to Rose.
“It seems my boy is learning,” Chris said with a
teasing
drawl as he rose from the counter.
“Rose I will see you tomorrow… Come on Romeo
I’ll
show you our office,” Chris yelled out as pulled a still
smiling
Nick towards the door.
“Adios amigo and see you tomorrow, carino,” Rose
called
back still smiling at Nick.
Once outside Nick and Chris began to walk back toward South Station. It
was morning the sun was out and the sky was clear blue. However it was
still bitter cold out. While the other people on the street were
bundled up and trying to protect themselves from the chill, Nick and
Chris being the mid-western boys that they were walked on normally.
Nick and Chris walked on silently past South Station toward the Federal
Reserve Bank. Nick found himself scanning the area and studying the
location. He memorized every single detail so he could find his way
both normally and as Argus.
“So, you going to tell me about last night now or do you want
to
wait until we get in the office?” Chris said breaking the
silence.
“Inside the office,” Nick snapped back.
“Your call,” Chris replied.
Once inside the lobby Chris and Nick walked over to the gift store and
newsstand inside the lobby. A small old man working behind the counter
stopped what he was doing and began gathering up local newspapers
placing them on the counter in front of Chris.
“Top of the morning to ya, Chris… I got ya the
Boston
Globe, The Boston Herald, The New York Times and the New York
Post,” the man said.
“Thanks Shamus… Here you go and keep the
change,”
said Chris as he gathered up the papers and left a twenty-dollar bill
on the counter.
“So how did you do on the Patriots game?” Shamus
asked.
“I won the squares at the pub last night five hundred
dollars,” Chris replied.
“Good for you… Who’s your friend,
Chris?”
Shamus asked.
“Sorry. Shamus this is my friend Nick. He is going to be
working
with me,” Chris said.
“Nice to meet you, Nick,” Shamus said as he
extended his
hand.
“You too, sir,” Nick said as he shook
Shamus’s hand.
“You can call me Shamus, son,” Shamus replied with
a smile.
“Shamus it is then,” Nick said.
“Come on let’s go see the office. See you tomorrow,
Shamus,” Chris said gesturing toward the door.
“Good to meet you,” Nick said as he followed Chris
out the
door.
“Take care boys,” Shamus said as he turned and
began
working on stocking the shelves.
Chris and Nick walked over to the elevators at the far corner of the
lobby. The sound of the bell as the elevator door opened echoing
throughout the large lobby. The two men stepped inside the elevator and
once the door closed Chris pressed the button for the fourteenth floor.
“So, we work at the Federal Reserve Bank. I thought you had
your
own company?” Nick asked with a grin.
“No, genius, the bank itself is on the other side of the
building
and into the sub basement. The rest of the building is all offices.
Although the Federal Reserve is one of our clients,” Chris
said.
The elevator opened and Chris and Nick walked across the hall to their
office door. The door was frosted glass and read “INFANTINO
SECURITY COMPANY”. Chris opened it and the two men walked
inside.
Inside the office was neat and functional with two blue sofas in one
corner, a flat screen television on the wall playing a cable news
channel and several lush plants. There were filing cabinets along the
walls and a desk in the center of the room.
There was a hallway off to the right that lead to two other doors,
which Nick assumed, were offices.
“Nice office… Who decorated, the American Dentist
Association?” Nick said.
“Bite me,” Chris said simply.
A young attractive woman with blond hair and an eyebrow piercing looked
up from the computer terminal. She waved casually to Chris and Nick as
they stood in the center of the room.
“Morning Meghan… This is Nick, my new
partner,”
Chris said.
“What’s up,” Meghan said turning back to
the computer
screen.
“Oh and a Mister Ellis called from Boston Scientific he needs
to
talk about the quote on the alarm system you gave him. Ms. Callister
from Raytheon called needs some background checked on a new
employee,” Meghan added.
“Thanks,” Chris added as he and Nick headed into
one of the
two offices.
Once inside Nick was amazed by what he saw. While the outer office was
rather plain the inside was extravagant. There was a large mahogany
desk and state of the art Wayne Tech computer of to the side of the
room. There were two leather chairs in front of the desk and a large
screen television in the corner.
“Very nice, Chris. You have done alright for
yourself,”
Nick said.
“Oh, this is your office. Mine is next door,” Chris
replied.
“Wow, thanks and what exactly is it we do again?”
Nick
asked.
“We are a full service contractor of security services. We
design
security systems for businesses, perform background checks, do private
investigation work… Basically a little of
everything,”
Chris answered.
“So where do I fit in with this?” Nick said knowing
what
Chris would say next.
“Well, as my partner you will be handling the investigation
work
and the occasional bodyguard job,” Chris said.
“As Nick Kelly or as Argus,” Nick said with as a
sigh.
“Well I am sure there are going to be times where Argus is
going
to be able to get into places that Nick Kelly
can’t,” Chris
replied with a smile.
“Chris, I am not sure if that is a good idea. I
mean… I am
not even sure if I want to continue being Argus,” Nick said
as he
sat down in one of the chairs.
Chris placed his hands behind his back and paced around the room for a
second. His head was bowed and Nick could tell by the look on his face
that Chris was about to give him one of those fatherly lectures. That
strangely Nick both hated and admired at the same time.
“I know you told me on the phone that you were afraid of
forgetting why you were an agent and later Argus, but Nick let me ask
you a question. Why do you think I had you meet me at the diner? Why do
you think I introduced you to Rose and Shamus, even Meghan?”
Chris asked.
“You were being nice,” Nick said wryly.
“Lose the sarcasm and listen carefully. The reason Rose and
her
father Victor came here from Columbia was to escape a cartel boss. You
see Victor, a good man decided to testify in a trial about a murder
that he saw the boss commit. The boss bombed Victor’s house
in
retaliation and his wife- Victor’s mother was
killed,”
Chris said.
“Shamus, the newspaper guy used to own a store in South
Boston.
He sold newspapers, lottery tickets; groceries even had a lunch counter
in there. Some mook named Kevin O’Malley- a lieutenant for
Whitey
Bulger tried to extort money from Shamus. Shamus tried to stand up to
him but O’Malley firebombed his store. Shamus lost everything
in
the fire and O’Malley never was arrested,” Chris
added.
“Meghan, despite her obvious lack of social grace is a good
kid.
She got lost for awhile. Ran away from an abusive home, got caught up
in drugs and prostitution. She managed to escape that life and get into
a rehab program. Meghan came here to work as a temp and I offered her a
full time job,” Chris said.
“Nick you can’t keep blaming yourself for what you
did when
you were undercover. You also sure as hell can’t keep
questioning
yourself about your actions during the weapons sale in Keystone. From a
tactical standpoint it made perfect sense,” Chris continued.
“Nick I am telling you this because if you really are worried
about becoming what you despise and keep questioning if you are evil or
not then there is only one thing you can do. Get in the world and
interact with people. Try to make some friends. I introduced you to
Rose, Shamus and Meghan to remind you that these are the people you
need to be fighting for. The good people, the ones who need a
protector, one who can go places that the system
can’t,”
Chris concluded.
“So I am assuming you already know about last
night,” Nick
said as he reclined in the leather chair.
“Yes, I do. It made the morning news. So I have to ask, are
you
going to stay conflicted are you going to use that ‘guardian
of a
thousand eyes’ that I know you can be,” Chris said
as he
sat down in the chair next to Nick.
“I ever tell you I hate it when you’re
right,” Nick
said.
“Benefits of age and wisdom kid. Ain’t it a
bitch?”
Chris replied with a smile.
“So what can you tell me about Anton “The
Shark”
DeCarlo and somebody named Eel?” Nick asked.
“Well after Ol’ Whitey’s disappearance in
95, DeCarlo
stepped in and filled the power vacuum. Eel, whose real name is Edward
Madden, has been a behind the scenes player in organized crime for the
last twenty years. He got his nickname because nobody has been able to
catch him. He supplied all the crews with weapons and legal help. Then
a year ago he decided to completely take over all the organized crime
families and began killing off bosses, Mafia, La Raza, Troika, and
Triad, it did not matter. Last nights’ assassination of
DeCarlo
was the last step for him,” Chris continued.
“Rumor has it he has a mercenary known as Gunhawk working for
him. The reason he had the guy you were interrogating, Collin Hanley
take out DeCarlo was because Collin was DeCarlo’s second.
Then
Eel had Gunhawk take out Collin so that he could take control of the
crew completely,” Chris finished.
“So tell me about Gunhawk,” Nick said.
“Gunhawk: no real name known but he has been on the FBI and
Interpol’s radar for the last few years. He is a firearms
expert
and marksman beyond comprehension. Gunhawk has performed wetwork for
mob bosses and terrorist organizations all over the world,”
Chris
replied.
“So, wonder what the Eel’s next move will
be?” Nick
asked as he rose from his chair.
“Well I would be willing to guess the next target for Gunhawk
would be City Councilman Paul Grady,” Chris answered.
“Grady… I heard that name last night. DeCarlo
mentioned it
before he was killed,” Nick said.
“Right, from what I have heard Grady was in on some major
scam
with DeCarlo. Makes sense that he would be a loose end Eel would want
tied up,” Chris replied.
“So where might I find the good Councilman?” Nick
said with
a grin.
“Well, there is a fund raising party tonight for Governor
Patrick
at the World Trade Center tonight. All the politicians will be there.
Lots of high ceilings and alcoves, good place to take out
Grady,”
Chris replied.
“Well, guess I better get my formal attire,” Nick
said as
he walked toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Chris asked with a slight
laugh.
“Home to get some sleep. I have to go to a party
tonight,”
Nick replied.
Pausing at the door Nick turned and looked at Chris, who was reclining
in the chair. His hands were behind his head and he was smiling broadly,
“Chris, thanks for the info and thanks for reminding me why I
fight,” Nick said before leaving.
“Anytime kid,” Chris said as he continued to
recline in the
chair. His smile growing wider with the realization that he was helping
a friend find his path.
Later that night Argus slid from a zip line to the roof of the main
building of the World Trade Center. Moving quickly and quietly across
the roof Argus used his vision powers to avoid the photo lasers that
crisscrossed the roof and to a skylight.
Pulling out a glass cutter Argus cut a hole in the glass skylight and
then reached inside and unlocked it. Argus chose to enter through the
office side of the building. It was after hours and the abundance of
shadows made it easier for Argus to stay invisible and watch the party.
Argus moved down a long hallway and into a mezzanine that overlooked
the Grand Ballroom where the party was being held. He took an
observation spot in an area next to the elevators that was dark. It was
perfect for him to stay invisible and have an unobstructed view of the
party below.
On the floor of the ballroom there were tables filled with people of
all ages, wearing the latest in high priced formal wear, with even more
people on the dance floor enjoying the music of a local rock band known
as “The Dreaming”.
Off to the right of the Ballroom was a makeshift bar and what appeared
to be a reception line. Before beginning his surveillance Argus had
memorized newspaper pictures of the local and state politicians. He
could see Senator Ted Kennedy, Governor Duval Patrick, Congressman Bill
Delahunt and Senator John Kerry shaking hands with the people that came
through. Argus continued to study the people coming through the
reception line when he found who he was looking for- City Councilman
Paul Grady.
Grady was tall and thin wearing a black suit that made him look like a
crayon. Even though he was the target and by all indications very
corrupt, Argus could not help but find Grady’s perma press
smile
irritating. There was a part of him that wanted to let this Gunhawk
take him out but he knew that would be wrong.
“Nobody deserves to die, even this wannabe weasel,”
Argus
kept telling himself.
Then Argus saw with his vision powers what he was looking for; a laser
beam coming from a mezzanine on the other side of the ballroom, and
zeroed in on the back of Grady’s head. There was no red dot
on
Grady’s head so Argus knew it was modified to be in the high
ultraviolet spectrum. This meant that Gunhawk was here and was waiting
for his moment to strike. It also meant that Argus only had seconds to
act.
Firing a grapnel from his gauntlet Argus moved to the lighting catwalk
over the ballroom. Argus stayed invisible in the shadows as he moved to
the opposite mezzanine.
Argus reached the other side of the mezzanine and found Gunhawk
crouched down in a sniper position over the mezzanine railing with a
modified TS 130 Sniper Rifle. Gunhawk was a large man heavily muscled
wearing a Kevlar bodysuit that was cammo green in color with gold
gloves and boots. His mask was green with goggles across the front. The
belt of Gunhawk’s costume contained ammunition pouches and
there
were sidearms in strapped holsters on either leg. Argus could see
Gunhawk’s trigger hand begin to contract; he was ready to
take
his shot.
“Goodbye, Councilman,” Gunhawk said out loud.
Argus pounced on Gunhawk grabbing him by the belt and the back of the
neck and flinging him against the wall behind him. The rifle that
Gunhawk was holding discharged but the shot struck the ceiling
shattering a light that sprayed glass dust down on the ballroom. The
sound of the shot echoed like thunder through the ballroom causing the
party goers to all scatter to the corners of the ballroom.
The momentum of Argus’s throw caused Gunhawk to crash against
the
wall back first shattering the sheetrock and sending Gunhawk into the
room behind it. Gunhawk rose to his feet quickly to find Argus standing
in front of the opening he created.
“I am sorry, but this party is invitation only,”
Argus
quipped.
“Well, here is my invitation, engraved and especially for
you,” Gunhawk replied as he drew his pistols and opened fire
on
Argus.
Argus leaped into the air to avoid the barrage of bullets and took to
the shadows. Gunhawk came back into the mezzanine, his guns held out
wide as he scanned the area for Argus.
Circling around to Gunhawk’s left; Argus struck grabbing his
hand
and wrenching his wrist so that he dropped the gun. Argus kicked the
other gun from Gunhawk’s right hand and the two began to
struggle.
Gunhawk surprised Argus by doubling him over with a knee the stomach.
Argus could feel the color draining from his face and the breath left
his body in a single rush. As he struggled to get his breath, Gunhawk
grabbed Argus by the hair and drove a knee into his face sending him
staggering back. Following up his surprise offensive Gunhawk nailed
Argus with a crescent kick to the jaw that drove him against the
railing of the mezzanine. Argus however quickly regained his balance
and readied himself for Gunhawk’s next attack.
As Gunhawk charged in on him, Argus bent his knees and leaned forward
catching Gunhawk in a bear hug. Then in a series of movements too fast
for the eye to follow, Argus spun on his heels and threw Gunhawk into
one of the building’s pillars with a powerful belly to belly
suplex. Gunhawk struck the pillar back first and landed in a heap on
the floor.
Argus landed on his back from using the suplex but quickly kipped up to
his feet and went to move in on Gunhawk. Argus was cautious moving in
on him he was not expecting Gunhawk to be such an accomplished fighter.
Gunhawk himself was rising to his feet slowly not sure what to expect
next.
“Well, I got to give it to you, for a guy called Gunhawk you
are
a pretty good fighter,” Argus said with a smile.
“So, you know my name and I don’t know yours.
That’s
so not fair,” Gunhawk replied.
“I am called Argus and I only know you by reputation but I
have
to admit, like I said, I was not expecting you to be a good fighter AND
a marksman,” Argus said.
“Well, I believe that one should always diversify their
talents,” Gunhawk said with a smile.
“I don’t suppose you want to tell me about your
current
employer, the Eel?” Argus asked.
“Well, I could but it’s not like you will be able
to use it
for anything, since you will be dead in a moment,” Gunhawk
said
coyly.
In a flash of light Gunhawk disappeared. Argus scanned the area but
there was no sign of Gunhawk until a second flash of light occurred
behind him. Argus turned and found Gunhawk drawing down on him with a
large plasma rifle.
“Like I said, one should always diversify their talents. Like
having teleportation equipment handy for getting out of tight spots and
pocket dimensions for storing extra weapons,” Gunhawk said as
he
opened fire on Argus.
Argus performed a series of backflips the allowed him to narrowly avoid
the first three crimson energy blasts from Gunhawk’s rifle.
Gunhawk however had a plan as his first barrage maneuvered Argus
against the railing of the mezzanine. Gunhawk fired two more times. The
first shot shattered the railing behind Argus and the second shot
struck Argus in the chest driving him off the edge of the mezzanine and
falling to the floor below.
Argus could feel the heat from the energy blast melting the fabric of
his costume and melting it to his flesh. He was in freefall and could
not find anything to stop himself. Argus crashed into one of the
ballroom tables like a rock. He could feel the wood splinter and the
pointy edges dig into his back as the table exploded. Argus bounced off
the floor from the impact and flew through the powdery shards of the
broken glass of the drinks that were on the table. Argus ended up on
his stomach next to the remains of the table.
“UUhhhhhh… Thank God for healing
factors,” Argus
groaned.
Argus regained his compose and could feel the tingling sensation of his
healing factor fixing his torn flesh. It would be a few hours before he
was fully functional again, but he would be fixed up enough to continue
the fight in a few more seconds. Argus continued to lay still knowing
that Gunhawk would want to check on him first and make sure he was dead.
Argus could hear the screams of the horrified onlookers as they headed
for the exits. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Councilmen
Grady running towards the door.
“Good, no innocent bystanders to worry about and I will be
able
to talk to Mister Grady later,” Argus thought as he continued
to
play possum.
A flash of light a few feet away from him brought a smile to
Argus’s face. He was right. Gunhawk was going to check on
him.
Argus continued to lay still as he heard Gunhawk walk towards him.
“Well I may not have gotten my target tonight, but at least I
can
finally put the killing of a costumed hero on my resume,”
Gunhawk
said pointing his rifle at Argus.
“Well you’re not the only one whose talents are
diversified,” Argus said as he sprang to his feet and hit
Gunhawk
with a diving tackle. Gunhawk dropped his rifle as Argus drove his
shoulder into Gunhawk’s stomach.
The momentum of Argus’s tackle drove Gunhawk to the floor
with a
thud. Argus let his momentum carry him into a forward roll bringing him
to his feet. Their first exchange showed Argus that he could not take
Gunhawk lightly as a fighter, so this time Argus mounted a devastating
offensive.
Argus hit Gunhawk with a right hook to the kidney that caused Gunhawk
to fold into a v shape. A second right hook to the temple sent Gunhawk
careening to the floor. Gunhawk rose to his feet but an overhand left
to the nose from Argus shattered Gunhawk’s goggles and sent
him
back towards the other banquet tables.
Gunhawk tried to fight back and threw an awkward punch at Argus. Argus
grabbed his arm by the wrist and doubled Gunhawk over with three snap
kicks to the midsection. Argus then grabbed Gunhawk by the belt buckle
and the throat and lifted him into the air and sent him crashing into a
nearby table with a thunderous press slam. The table all but exploded
as it was broken in half. Gunhawk lay still letting out a long groan
meaning that he was alive but finished.
“As much as I would love for you to get up, I think you
should
stay down,” Argus said with a smile.
Just then the ballroom flooded with state troopers and Boston Police
all with their weapons drawn on Argus and Gunhawk. Argus placed his
hands in the air to show he was not a threat.
“Freeze! You are under arrest!” one of the officers
yelled.
“Believe it or not, I am not the bad guy, he is,”
Argus
said nodding toward Gunhawk’s unconscious body.
“Still, stay right there,” the officer yelled.
“I really am not the bad guy. You also might want to talk to
this
guy and I think Interpol and the FBI might want a word with him
too,” Argus quipped as he leapt into the air towards the
Mezzanine.
The officers were stunned as Argus leapt toward the Mezzanine. They did
not know what to do for they had never seen a super human being before.
“I moved out of Gotham to get away from this
stuff,” one of
the officers said.
Argus grabbed the edge of the Mezzanine in mid air and flipped up to
the floor. Before the officers could get there Argus had vanished.
Later that night at his South Boston home Councilman Paul Grady walked
into his darkened study and poured himself a drink from a decanter of
scotch on his redwood bar. He was confused about the night’s
events at the World Trade Center but knew in his heart that somebody
wanted him dead.
“I have got plenty of money stashed. I can leave town like
Whitey
did,” Grady thought to himself.
Sitting in his leather chair, Grady took a long sip from the glass,
when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Grady was startled and sprang to
his feet turning on the lamp next to the table.
Grady’s eyes grew wide with fear as he saw Argus standing
behind
the chair staring at him with contempt.
Grady began to sweat and his eyes grew wide with fear. He began to head
towards the desk in the corner to get the gun he kept in the drawer.
However Argus grabbed Grady by the back of the shirt and flung him back
into the chair.
“Who are you?” Grady screamed in fear.
“My name is Argus and you are going to tell me about your
dealing
with Anton DeCarlo and the Eel, now or very soon from now,”
Argus
said as he grabbed Grady by the throat.
“Ok! I’ll talk…” Grady gurgled.
The next day Nick walked into his new office to officially begin work.
Meghan looked up at him from her desk as he came in the door. Her hair
was now pink and gold and she was wearing a “Papa
Roach”
T-Shirt. Meghan let out a sigh like she was bored and greeted Nick.
“Chris told me the he wants to see you as soon as you come
in,” Meghan said.
“Thanks and nice hair. Please pick a color- any
color,”
Nick said.
“Why, are you color blind?” Meghan said
sarcastically.
“No, just not sure if the multi-colored hair is
professional,” Nick said in response.
“Well, it’s funny one could say the same about you,
Mister
Rockstar,” Meghan replied.
Nick looked down at his long black coat, DeGeneration X t-shirt and
jeans and smiled. He had to admit Chris was right. Meghan was good.
“Yeah, they probably could,” Nick said with a smile
as he
headed toward Chris’s office. Meghan smiled and turned her
attention back toward the computer screen.
Nick entered Chris’s office and took a seat on the leather
sofa
in Chris’s office. Chris looked up from the paperwork on his
desk
and shook his head in amusement. He had never known Nick as being
subtle and in fact it was part of his charm.
“So how did it go?” Chris asked.
“Well, after I asked him nicely, Grady is now at Police
Headquarters talking about his business deal with the dear departed
Anton “The Shark” DeCarlo and what he knows about
the Eel.
Any word on Gunhawk?” Nick said.
“The Police took Gunhawk into custody and turned him over to
the
Feds. According to some friends from the Bureau, between them and
Interpol, he is going to be behind bars for the next three millennia.
How about the Eel?” Chris replied.
“Far from over, however I am sure I will get my shot at him
shortly. This is far from over,” Nick said.
Meghan knocked and stuck her head into the office. “Sorry to
interrupt but Chris, your financial backer is on line two”.
“Thanks, Meghan,” Chris replied as Nick rose from
the sofa
and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Chris asked.
“To get something to eat,” Nick replied as he left
the room.
Chris knew where Nick was heading and smiled. He loved Nick like a son
and wanted more than anything to see him have a personal life. Chris
then took a deep breath and answered the phone. It was time for his
weekly conversation with the person who had invested in his company.
“Good morning, Mister Wayne,” Chris said as he
picked up
the receiver.
Nick walked into the Boston Diner and took a seat at the counter. It
was lunch time and the place was packed with people. Still, Rose came
over to wait on him with the same heartwarming smile she had the other
day. Rose placed a coffee cup in front of Nick and filled it.
“Hola. Como Estas,” Nick said.
“Bien, Gracias y tu,” Rose replied her smile
growing
broader.
“Tu hablar espanol muy bien,” Rose said.
“UN Pocco,” Nick said with a smile.
“So what brings you back here,” Rose said switching
back to
English.
“The food and I was hoping to make some new
friends,” Nick
said with a smile.
“So, do you want coffee?” Rose said.
“Yes, please and a menu,” Nick said as Rose turned
and
picked up the pot of coffee behind her.
“Oh and I would like a new friend too,” Nick said
with a
chuckle.
“I think you already have one,” Rose said with a
laugh as
she filled Nick’s coffee cup.
“Please tell me that would be you,” Nick said
looking at
the menu.
“That would be me… carino,” Rose replied
with a
smile.
Nick ordered his food and his Rose headed toward the kitchen to put in
to be prepared. Nick looked over and saw a copy of the Boston Herald on
the counter. He reached over and grabbed it. Scanning the headlines
Nick smiled. The front headline read “NEW HERO IN
TOWN”.
Nick smiled and kept reading.
Epilogue
– A Warehouse on
Boston’s Waterfront.
Eel Madden fixed his tie and checked himself out in wall length mirror.
A tall man with a bald head and cold blue eyes, Eel had an angular face
that was creased with wrinkles and scars.
Eel looked almost demonic as he straightened out his red business suit.
Even though he was now a behind the scenes player, Eel had started off
as a hitman for the Central City Mafia. So he still gave off an aura of
danger. Eel turned as he heard a door open, a smile coming over his
face.
Gunhawk walked into the center of the warehouse and the two men shook
hands. Eel reached into his pocket and pulled out a manila envelope and
handed it to Gunhawk. Gunhawk’s smile grew wide as he opened
the
envelope and inspected the bundle of cash inside of it, before putting
it inside his belt pouch.
“I heard you had some trouble last night,” Eel said
nonchalantly.
“Yes. Some costumed hero type named Argus interfered. I did
not
think there were any of those in Boston,” Gunhawk said.
“So how did you escape?” Eel asked quizzically.
“Well they took my guns but they did not realize my
teleportation
controls were inside my gloves. So when they put me in the holding cell
I simply teleported out,” Gunhawk said.
“Councilman Grady?” Eel said.
“In protective custody. I guess he is getting ready to talk
to
the D.A. Do not worry. I will get him before he can say anything, and
this costumed clown Argus too,” Gunhawk replied.
“It’s okay. I will take care of it,” Eel
said as a
.38 Caliber Pistol dropped from his shirt and into his hand. Eel then
pointed it at Gunhawk and fired hitting him right between the eyes.
There was a fine mist of blood covering Gunhawk’s head as he
collapsed to the ground dead in a heap.
“Sometimes you have to do things yourself,” Eel
said.
To
be continued…
Next
Issue: Argus
settles in to a new life in Boston, but finds
that retirement is not in his future plans as he learns more about the
mysterious Eel and the Boston Underworld! Be here for Part 3,
the
conclusion
of 'New
Hero in Town!' by Eric Nyman.
