Druid
04-15-2005, 01:42 AM
Part I
The cool air passed over his face. The chill bit at his face, a slight tingle of Jack Frost’s wintry touch, then it passed. He observed the passing of the people far below him, the steady flow of so many ants. It continued like this for awhile, how long he could not say. He was losing himself in thought when he saw the commotion. Twenty stories below there was a ripple in the crowd. He squinted, his eyes seeking the one that had disturbed the robot like movements of the crowd. There, he noted one black dot break away from the group, a little blur racing away from the frantic throng. If his features had been pleased before they weren’t now. A scowl crawled across his face and stuck. With a deep breath he leapt from the building. The cool breeze came back with a vengeance, what had been gentle nibbling before became a fierce gnashing of a million tiny teeth. Ignoring the air’s objection to his rapid descent he reached to his chest and pressed a button. There was a groan of opposition and then a roar as rockets on his feet fought with gravity to keep him from an early grave. He wobbled in the air and almost tipped over backwards, but another push of a button brought out a small pair of wings that balanced him. With his new gear he shot after the fleeing suspect.
The man had turned a corner and, content that no one had followed, paused to catch his breath and inspect his loot. He whirled around at the sound of the rockets and was in time to see the daunting spectacle of a man in black high tech armor touching earth, like a visitor from the sky. The crook let out a dismayed cry, “Your..You’re the Black Watch!” The hero looked up.
“And your about to be in a world of hurt.” He pushed another button and the wings disappeared into the suit. Black Watch he mused, how the world has changed since I adopted that name. He shook off his musings and stepped towards the cowering man. “What did you steal? A wallet, a purse, a-“
“Waaaah! Waaaaah!” The Black Watch’s questions were cut short by the cry of a child. The man face fell and he started to back away from the hero. The Black Watch was stunned, but only for a moment. He ground his teeth and clenched his fist tight in rage. He moved menacingly forward towards the man, each step carrying him closer to the scum in front of him. The scoundrel’s face was lit with fear, sweat dribbled down his face.
“Stay back man! Stay Back!” Without warning he reached one hand into his jacket and pulled out a small handgun. Before the Black Watch could react he reached behind himself and yanked a crying girl in front of him. “I was only gonna keep her a little while, have some fun. I would’ve been gentle…. I swear I would have been gentle!”
“You filthy piece of…” Black Watch’s sentence trailed off, he eyed the gun, looking for an opportunity. His foes face became more confident and he lost the spark of fear in his eyes.
“That’s right, you just stay there. You move and this girl gets a new hole in her pretty little head.” He gestured, pushing the gun harshly between the girl’s eyes. She began to squirm, screaming loudly for her mother. “I’ll put a big hole right here. And then..” The man’s eyes gained a new glaze, one that someone only gets when they are on the edge of sanity. “Then I’ll put a nice big one right between my eyes. Then I can join all of the others I’ve played with and…and we can all play together forever and ever. All day long. All it would take,” He moved the gun from the girls head to his, “is a single bullet right here.” Black Watch took his chance.
With all the strength he could muster he leapt at the man.
Bang! Just as the Black Watch slammed into the man the gun went off, spraying a fair amount of blood and brains against the wall the alley. Black Watch’s leap took him into the slumping body and together they tumbled in a grisly embrace. When they stopped Black Watch stood up, disgusted, and turned to see the girl with her hands over her ears starring at the mans corpse. Black Watch quickly walked over to her and took her in his arms.
“It will be all right honey. Let’s get you back to your mother.” He cradled the girl in his arms, her tears rolling down his neck as she hid her head in his shoulders. He carried the girl out of the alley and around the corner. There he stopped and, the girl still held in his arms, signaled the police through his suit. In a moment he heard the familiar moan of the sirens. He stood there whispering to the girl, comforting her, holding her. It was as the first police car pulled up and the frantic mother of the girl raced out of the still rolling car that the Black Watch remembered his own family. He remembered his wife and daughter at home. He looked at his hands and saw the blood of the man still on them. How am I going to tell her? Will she understand, will she think me as the monster? He questioned himself even as the girl’s mother rained thanks down upon him. Numb to the comments he walked back into the alley where the police investigators where studying the scene. He stood there and stared until he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He turned to see the police chief.
“You did what you had to do, John, you can’t save them all.” They both looked at the corpse. “Some of them aren’t even worth saving at all. This one had a rap sheet as long as your arm. All of them were…they all had something to do with children. It’s better this way.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Ben.. I’ve never been responsible for anyone’s death before. I’ve always been able to be the hero, to save the day and stop the criminals, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
“You didn’t do this, he killed himself!”
“But how do I know he would have shot had I not jumped?”
“If you hadn’t that girl probably wouldn’t be in her mother’s arms right now. No one will miss this scum bag. You did rig-“
“Yeah… I know. I did ‘Right’” He shook off the chief’s hand. “I’m going to go home. I don’t think I could stand to be out here anymore. But Jane.. how am I going to..”
“She’ll understand. She’s a good woman John. But don’t hold this in. It’ll tear you apart. Trust me I should know.”
“Your right…but I don’t think I’ll tell her tonight. Thanks Ben.” He clasped hands with the chief and then turned and disappeared into the night.A thought crossed his mind. I wasn’t upset about the man’s death… I was upset that I didn’t pull that damn trigger myself!
The cool air passed over his face. The chill bit at his face, a slight tingle of Jack Frost’s wintry touch, then it passed. He observed the passing of the people far below him, the steady flow of so many ants. It continued like this for awhile, how long he could not say. He was losing himself in thought when he saw the commotion. Twenty stories below there was a ripple in the crowd. He squinted, his eyes seeking the one that had disturbed the robot like movements of the crowd. There, he noted one black dot break away from the group, a little blur racing away from the frantic throng. If his features had been pleased before they weren’t now. A scowl crawled across his face and stuck. With a deep breath he leapt from the building. The cool breeze came back with a vengeance, what had been gentle nibbling before became a fierce gnashing of a million tiny teeth. Ignoring the air’s objection to his rapid descent he reached to his chest and pressed a button. There was a groan of opposition and then a roar as rockets on his feet fought with gravity to keep him from an early grave. He wobbled in the air and almost tipped over backwards, but another push of a button brought out a small pair of wings that balanced him. With his new gear he shot after the fleeing suspect.
The man had turned a corner and, content that no one had followed, paused to catch his breath and inspect his loot. He whirled around at the sound of the rockets and was in time to see the daunting spectacle of a man in black high tech armor touching earth, like a visitor from the sky. The crook let out a dismayed cry, “Your..You’re the Black Watch!” The hero looked up.
“And your about to be in a world of hurt.” He pushed another button and the wings disappeared into the suit. Black Watch he mused, how the world has changed since I adopted that name. He shook off his musings and stepped towards the cowering man. “What did you steal? A wallet, a purse, a-“
“Waaaah! Waaaaah!” The Black Watch’s questions were cut short by the cry of a child. The man face fell and he started to back away from the hero. The Black Watch was stunned, but only for a moment. He ground his teeth and clenched his fist tight in rage. He moved menacingly forward towards the man, each step carrying him closer to the scum in front of him. The scoundrel’s face was lit with fear, sweat dribbled down his face.
“Stay back man! Stay Back!” Without warning he reached one hand into his jacket and pulled out a small handgun. Before the Black Watch could react he reached behind himself and yanked a crying girl in front of him. “I was only gonna keep her a little while, have some fun. I would’ve been gentle…. I swear I would have been gentle!”
“You filthy piece of…” Black Watch’s sentence trailed off, he eyed the gun, looking for an opportunity. His foes face became more confident and he lost the spark of fear in his eyes.
“That’s right, you just stay there. You move and this girl gets a new hole in her pretty little head.” He gestured, pushing the gun harshly between the girl’s eyes. She began to squirm, screaming loudly for her mother. “I’ll put a big hole right here. And then..” The man’s eyes gained a new glaze, one that someone only gets when they are on the edge of sanity. “Then I’ll put a nice big one right between my eyes. Then I can join all of the others I’ve played with and…and we can all play together forever and ever. All day long. All it would take,” He moved the gun from the girls head to his, “is a single bullet right here.” Black Watch took his chance.
With all the strength he could muster he leapt at the man.
Bang! Just as the Black Watch slammed into the man the gun went off, spraying a fair amount of blood and brains against the wall the alley. Black Watch’s leap took him into the slumping body and together they tumbled in a grisly embrace. When they stopped Black Watch stood up, disgusted, and turned to see the girl with her hands over her ears starring at the mans corpse. Black Watch quickly walked over to her and took her in his arms.
“It will be all right honey. Let’s get you back to your mother.” He cradled the girl in his arms, her tears rolling down his neck as she hid her head in his shoulders. He carried the girl out of the alley and around the corner. There he stopped and, the girl still held in his arms, signaled the police through his suit. In a moment he heard the familiar moan of the sirens. He stood there whispering to the girl, comforting her, holding her. It was as the first police car pulled up and the frantic mother of the girl raced out of the still rolling car that the Black Watch remembered his own family. He remembered his wife and daughter at home. He looked at his hands and saw the blood of the man still on them. How am I going to tell her? Will she understand, will she think me as the monster? He questioned himself even as the girl’s mother rained thanks down upon him. Numb to the comments he walked back into the alley where the police investigators where studying the scene. He stood there and stared until he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He turned to see the police chief.
“You did what you had to do, John, you can’t save them all.” They both looked at the corpse. “Some of them aren’t even worth saving at all. This one had a rap sheet as long as your arm. All of them were…they all had something to do with children. It’s better this way.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Ben.. I’ve never been responsible for anyone’s death before. I’ve always been able to be the hero, to save the day and stop the criminals, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
“You didn’t do this, he killed himself!”
“But how do I know he would have shot had I not jumped?”
“If you hadn’t that girl probably wouldn’t be in her mother’s arms right now. No one will miss this scum bag. You did rig-“
“Yeah… I know. I did ‘Right’” He shook off the chief’s hand. “I’m going to go home. I don’t think I could stand to be out here anymore. But Jane.. how am I going to..”
“She’ll understand. She’s a good woman John. But don’t hold this in. It’ll tear you apart. Trust me I should know.”
“Your right…but I don’t think I’ll tell her tonight. Thanks Ben.” He clasped hands with the chief and then turned and disappeared into the night.A thought crossed his mind. I wasn’t upset about the man’s death… I was upset that I didn’t pull that damn trigger myself!