I sat up and pushed my long dark hair out of my face. My body ached with a pain I hadn’t felt in so long. I looked up to the windows above to see the hint of morning dawning in the sky, only one star glimmered in the fading dark. With a resolute sigh, I slid out of my cot and onto my feet. Walking over to a set of drawers, I began to rummage around the contents until I found a small orange bottle full of white pills.

I popped the cap off with my teeth, before tilting my head back and shaking a couple of powdery medication into my mouth. I swallowed hard, and I shivered from the bitter taste.

I’ve really got to avoid further injury. I don’t think I can stomach taking these pills anymore. I thought to myself.

Stopping by my fridge, I grabbed myself a beer before taking up refuge at my desk. I popped open the drink and took a swig, before I turned on my computer. I sat back and watched as the multiple monitors came to life. When my home screen appeared, I immediately opened my news app to catch up on last night's events. Well, more so I was curious about the coverage of my little escapade. It didn’t take long for me to find the article, because the top headline read: No Bad Deed Goes Unpunished.

No Bad Deed Goes Unpunished

Late last night police were called in to investigate a violent interaction, which resulted in the death of eight. Among that eight was none other than notorious mob boss Sao Sung. While Sao has been the stuff of controversy in Victory City, most agree that death was not the answer. However, many have come forward to share their appreciation for his quote “long overdue punishment”.

While no one is fully aware of who is behind the attack, we have had several witnesses come forward to give their descriptions.

“Yeah the guy was huge. He was like seven feet tall. He wore all black armor, and he moved like a trained assassin. If you ask me, someone put a hit out on Sao. It was no secret that he had enemies.”

* Tony Piazza

“Like totally it had to be some sorta new supervillain. He had like insanely sharp teeth and dark red eyes. Whatever he was it wasn’t human.”

* Angela Smith

I told ya it was gonna happen! That damn crook sold his soul to the devil, and he drew his final straw. Ol’ satan sent one of his messengers to collect his reward.”

* Old man Johnson

Be it an assassin, a supervillain, or a demon, police are still investigating the matter. The League has also agreed to devote their resources to finding the perpetrator. At this time there has been no further comments on the tragic death of Sao Sung and his bodyguards.

It kind of agitated me that it was suggested that I could be a villain or even a demon. I couldn’t understand how anyone could still back a man as cruel as Sao, but my hands were now rid of him. At the end of the day he was no longer a threat to me. I could now go back to my quiet life and leave a mystery that will puzzle the city for years to come.

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, before taking another sip of my drink. I sat back in my chair and listened to the faint hum of the computer. Closing my eyes, I let my mind begin to wander. Scenes from the past began to do a play-by-play, and I found myself going down a rabbit hole of bad memories. Every day, I’d sit and do this to myself. I’d constantly remind myself of how I failed. How I let slip everything that mattered to me. I deserved the misery that I now suffer from, and I could still hear that haunting gun shot as if it were still happening. A dead body, a broken hero, and an irreparable action. Maybe Sao coming after me was just another reminder of the destruction I created, or was it a cleansing? I really wasn’t sure.

“WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!”

My eyes shot open at the sound of my computer alerting me that someone was either trying to break in or hack my system. I sat up and immediately knew what was going on. The screens of monitors were going haywire. All of sudden they went black, and light gray words began to run across the screens.

Hello Darrian Osiris.

“What the fuck?” I questioned out loud.

Just when I think I’ve rid myself of one pest another pops up. More words appeared on the screen.

I have finally found you, and I do believe I have something rather valuable to you.

I gave my screens a skeptical look, “What could anyone have that is valuable to me?”

As if we were having a face-to-face conversation, a new word appeared on the screen.

Information about your brother’s death.

“Okay? What information do you have for me?” I asked testing if they could hear me.

I won’t tell you now, but face to face. If you wish to know then you will go to 4110 Claren Ave in two hours. There you will receive more instructions. This is your one and only offer. If you don’t show up, I will have my answer, and I along with what I know will be gone forever.

I quickly grabbed a pen and a sticky note to hastily write down the address. As soon as I looked back at the screens, they returned to normal.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

My brain throbbed as I processed what just happened.

Someone else knows I’m alive and they know exactly where I’m at. Now the thing that was up in the air is if I can trust them or not. They could be telling the truth, or they could be leading me into a trap. Unfortunately, it’s a risk I have to take.

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“Ah what the hell,” I said, before getting up from my seat.

I quickly got dressed, and hopped on my bike. If I was going to make it in time I needed to beat the afternoon rush. I zoomed along the coast of the south sector. My plan was to get to the destination early, so I could scout the area. In doing so, maybe, just maybe I could catch wind of who’s on the other side of my screen. As I closed with the location, I realized it belonged to a cafe called: Relaxing By The Sea.

I pulled off right into a parking garage across the street. When I reached the top, I parked and pulled my helmet and placed it on the seat. Following that I slid on a pair of sunglasses, and a hat. When I reached the edge of the garage facing the cafe, I leaned against the railing and peered down at the people below. Immediately a small circle appeared and began targeting the various faces. If anyone below has ever been arrested or is a known villain then these glasses will pick up on it and give me a full detailed report. People came and went, and the time kept ticking along. I grew increasingly frustrated, because no one that popped in the system had committed anything worth noting. I checked the time on my phone.

Only five minutes to go.

With a heavy sigh, I made my way to the stairs and down the busy street below. With a quick dash, I crossed the street and entered the tiny cafe. All the while my glasses continued to scan for people in the League’s database. As I passed through the threshold, a variety of aromas filled my nostrils. The scent of coffee beans filled the air and combined with the sweet and greasy scent of pastries and breakfast. The smell of food distracted me, and my stomach knotted with hunger pangs. I swallowed hard as my mouth salivated, and decided to hop in line while I await further instructions. While I stood patiently in line, I managed to scan every face in the building before removing my sunglasses and placing them in the inner pocket of my leather jacket.

When the lady in front of me finished her order, I moved up to the register. The man behind the counter stood proud. He was tall and skinny with a long shaggy mane covered by a hat. He reached up and scratched his scraggly beard, while simultaneously flashing me a radiant grin.

“Good morning, sir. Can I interest you in some breakfast today?” he asked with all the enthusiasm in the world.

Looking briefly at the menu I responded, “Uh, yeah. Let me get a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, and a…” I trailed off for a moment as I ran through the list of drinks, “Just a small black coffee please.”

“A bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, and a small black coffee. Anything else?” he replied as tapped away on the register.

I shook my head, “No, thank you.”

“You got it, sir. That’ll be seven twenty-three.”

I pulled out a twenty and passed it to him.

When he began to dig into the register, I held up my hand and said, “Please keep the change.”

He looked at me shocked before saying, “Oh, thank you, sir. Your order will be out shortly.”

I nodded before stepping off to the side to wait for my order.

After a moment, the lady who ordered before me stepped beside me.

She didn’t look at me, but I could tell she was speaking to me, “This is for you.”

I peered down at her crossed arms and noticed a folded piece of paper clutched between her thumb and index. Without saying a word I took the piece of paper. Unfolding it, I read the contents within: Head to the pier and sit on the second bench.

I furrowed my brow and turned the paper to check for anything else. Nothing. There were no further instructions to be read. I looked up to speak to the lady who had passed me the note, but she was already exiting the cafe.

“Damn it,” I muttered.

“Bacon, egg, and cheese with a small black coffee.”

I raised my hand as I approached the counter, before taking the items and heading for the door. As soon as I stepped outside, I made an immediate right to make my way down the sidewalk toward the pier. The water splashed against the dock, and the old rickety wood groaned underneath my weight. Giving a faint nod to an elderly man fishing at the shallow end of the water, I casually made my way toward the bench described in the note. Taking a seat, I sipped my coffee and looked around the area. Besides the old man, the pier was completely empty, and the only other noise besides the waves crashing was a couple of teenagers splashing around on the beach below. I grew more confused by the moment, but instead of pondering who or what I needed to be looking for, I decided to enjoy my breakfast.

I bit down into the delectable biscuit and chewed slowly, enjoying the combinations of flavors. Then the strangest thing happened. I began to hear a ring coming from underneath the bench, which sounded like a cellphone. I leaned forward to check below for the source, but I didn’t see anything. I heard the ring again, so I slid out of my seat to check the bottom of the bench. There sat a small gray flip phone taped to the bottom of the rusted metal. I reached forward and plucked the device from its resting place. Flipping it open, I pressed the green phone button to answer the incoming call.

“Hello?” I asked.

The voice that came through was heavily distorted, “Darrian Osiris. We speak again.”

“Who the hell is this?” I asked my patience growing thin, “I’m growing tired of these games. Show yourself now or I’m gone.”

They just laugh, “You’re in no position to be making demands. Now if you wish to retrieve the information, then you will make your way to the location where your downward spiral began. Come unarmed. You have exactly thirty minutes and I will be watching.”

With that the line went dead. Gritting my teeth, I dropped the phone and stomped on it, leaving behind a mess of electrical components.

I made haste back to the parking garage. When I reached my bike, I quickly pulled on my helmet and brought my bike to life. If I wasn’t wrong about where this mystery person wanted to meet, I needed to hurry. My back tire squealed as I revved the engine and spun my bike in a hundred eighty degrees, before speeding my way through the brick structure. After several close calls and several angry yells, I exited the garage and began heading to where it all began. Images began flashing through my mind. Gunshots, screams, an explosion, and Amber. That night is what ultimately began the descent of the Silver Angel. I screamed out in anger as I picked up speed, zig zagging between cars.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist, and began to grow increasingly frustrated. The time was ticking, and this game had gone on for too long. I made a right down rubble filled street. Remnants of the tragic incident that had taken place. Up ahead on the left sat a crumbling warehouse. I came to a screeching halt in the gravel lot adjacent to the warehouse.

I ripped my helmet off and dropped in on the rocks below and darted for the dilapidated building. Sliding through a small hole in the fence, I ran up to where a door used to be and entered the darkness within, the only light coming from the small holes in the walls and roof.

I squinted looking around for any signs of life.

When nothing stood out I called out into the emptiness, “Where are you!? I played your game! I did what you asked! Now give me what I came for!”

My voice echoed in the metal architecture, then settled into silence. Just when I lost hope, I heard faint footsteps. I strained my eyes to see who the perpetrator was, but all I could make out was a silhouette. Gritting my teeth, I began to charge toward the shadowy figure, but halted as I heard a gun cock.

“Take one more step and I will be forced to end you,” the distorted voice from earlier rang out.

I quickly held my hands up, “Alright, you win. Please just give me the information about my brother and I’ll be on my way.”

The figure moved closer, stepping into the light to reveal a masked face.

The robotic voice filled the musty air once more, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

I groaned in frustration, “And why not?”

“Because it’s all up here,” with their free hand they reached up and tapped the side of their head.

I rolled my eyes, “Of course because nothing can ever be that simple,” I let out an aggravated sigh before speaking again, “What do I have to do to get what I came for?”

The mystery figure let out a snort and said, “I thought you’d never ask. If you want what I know then answer me one question.”

I gave the person a skeptical look, “Okay…what’s your question?”

“What do you intend to do with what I know?” They asked before taking another step forward, still holding me at gunpoint.

“I figured that was obvious. I’ll find those who had a hand in his death and avenge him.” I said coldly.

The person nodded, “Very well then I will tell you what I know.”

With that the figure lowered the gun, and reached up and removed the mask, revealing soft features, silver eyes, and long ashy gray hair. My jaw dropped and both confusion and excitement flooded my mind.

Letting out a soft whisper, I closed the distance and hugged the slender female in front of me, “Lexi.”