I sat in the calm of the night, shrouded in its protective shroud of darkness. I tapped the side of my mask, activating the comm link with Alexander. "All clear," I asked. "All clear, Specter. Give em' hell," replied the calm voice of Alexander, who scanned the entry route into the gang's hideout. I pulled my hood lower over my face and pulled out my grappling hook. "With pleasure," I said before shooting the grappling hook at the building across from the rooftop I was upon.
The grappling hook snagged onto a ledge and I leapt off the rooftop. The crisp, cool air of the night blew against my mask as I swung across to the other building. I hit the wall, harder than I expected but I braced for impact. I activated the retracting mechanism on my grappling gun, having it pull me slowly up towards the ledge. I reached for the ledge above me and pulled myself up. I retracted my hook and put it back onto my utility belt. I cracked the knuckles on my right hand and began to walk across the roof to the door leading downwards.
According to the schematics of the building, the gang only occupied the top 3 floors going down from the rooftop. Before opening the door, I pulled out my pistol and a 9mm magazine. I checked the magazine, seeing the bullets I paused for a moment.
Do I want to become a killer, simply to avenge my parents? They took everything away from me, they killed mom and dad and the police did nothing. This is my job now. But who am I to decide who lives and who dies? I'm no God or being of any power even.
Internally conflicted, I made a decision in the moment. I tucked the 9mm magazine into the back of my utility belt and instead, pulled out a non-lethal stunner magazine. I loaded it into my SIG Pro 2022 and released the safety on the pistol. I flicked on the laser sight and then loaded the smoke pellet launched on the side of the gun. I grabbed my collapsible bo staff from my side and extended the upper half, activating the stunner on the end.
I took a deep breath in and reached for the door handle. I opened the door and crept down the flight of stairs leading to the first floor. If Alex's information was correct then their should be a room to my direct right after reaching the floor. Four hostiles should be in the room, all armed but the security system is also in that room. Neutralize the hostiles, disable security. That's the game plan.
I reached the end of the stairs and activated the X-Ray mode on my mask. I looked at the wall and saw that 3 of the 4 hostiles were playing a game of cards, none facing the entrance to the room. The fourth hostile was sitting at an array of monitors. I assumed that he was in charge of security and the other 3 were his bodyguard. Pretty crappy guards in my opinion, I thought to myself, But all the better for me. I slowly crept to the door of the room.
Wow, these idiots are something else. Leaving the door cracked open for me? This is too good to be true. I looked down the hall, noticing the nearest room with light coming from it was at the very end of the hall. Perfect, God just wants me to rain down justice. Turning my attention back to the door beside me, I switched my mask from X-Ray to Thermal. I aimed my pistol around the partially opened door and fired a smoke pellet. Rushing straight into action, I fired three rounds at the guy sitting at the computer before he could set off any alarms. While firing I swung at the head of the nearest guy, which conveniently seemed to be the biggest.
Both dropped to the ground, shaking from the stun rounds and from the stun staff to the head. The other two guns reached for their guns but they were too slow to get up. I rolled over the table and pistol whipped on in the back of the head as he stooped down for his gun. The other managed to grab his gun and aim at me, as the smoke was clearing up. I ducked and dove for his legs, praying he wouldn't get a shot out first. I heard something hit the ground where I had just been as I made contact with the guy's legs. I fell backwards and I climbed on top of him. I swung my staff across his face from left to right, the butted him in the head with the end of the staff.
His head fell loosely to the side. Slightly worried I may have killed him, I checked his pulse. Relieved to find it still there I quickly went around the room, knocking unconscious the remaining few that happened not to be and restraining them all. I walked over to the monitors and sat in the chair. I tapped the side of my mask, reactivating the comm link to Alex for the next bit of the plan.
"Alright Alex, I'm in," I said into the comm, plugging in the USB in the computer tower to the side. "Ok Specter, I'll activate it but you need to move fast," Alex warned me, for the hundredth time. "I know Alex, trust me. It was my idea," I said, rising from the chair, I began to walk out the room. I moved down the hall, silently and quickly, rolling past the occupied room. I got to the stairwell leading to the floor below when Alex's voice came in, "Ready?"
"Yeah, do it," I replied, beginning to sprint down the stairs. The plan was to incapacitate everyone on the remaining floors with the sabotaged water sprinkler fire system. Instead of water we managed to redirect the system to a storage of sleeping gas, which will be released through Alex's control of the security system. The stairwells are the only place where the gas won't be released so while I'm here I'm safe, even though I have a built in gas mask on my mask. The sleeping gas isn't the most potent lasting only about 15 minutes but that should be enough time for the police to arrive.
"Go, go, go," came Alex's voice, throwing me out of my thoughts. I snapped out of my thoughts and rushed back into action. I sprinted down the hall and went down the final flight of steps. It felt as though this particular set was longer than the rest as well as the hall seeming to be longer. I finally reached the floor where my target was.
Perfect, you're still conscious, I thought as I walked over to the man with his breathing mask over his face, held tight. His back was facing me and he was staring out over the window. I made no effort to be silent and took the leisure of unloading the remained 10 bullets into his 2 unconscious and rather, intimidating bodyguards. 5 in each of them wasn't enough to do any actual harm aside from maybe a mark and a really bad headache but it was enough to keep them down until I was gone already.
"So have you come to kill me? Who hired you?," the man said, not turning to look towards me. I took off my mask as the gas had lifted for the most part.
"I'm no assassin, just a boy seeking revenge for his parents," I replied, evenly, not allowing my slowly resurfacing anger to be let loose.
"Your parents, huh," he asked inquisitively. Finally he turned to face me and the look of disbelief across his face was almost amusing. Almost.
"You're a damn kid, this has to be bullshit! No kid could get past my gang," he said, anger now overtaking his demeanor.
"Do you know who I am," I asked him setting my mask on a table as I began to walk towards him.
"It doesn't matter who the fuck you are. You're a punk ass kid who's about to die," he pulled the pistol from his pocket and pointed it at me.
"Shoot," I replied evenly, still walking towards him. He hesitated but recovered quickly. He pulled the trigger. To his surprise, the bullet fired and hit me square in the chest. My movements were unfaltered and I raised my own pistol and fired. Unlike his bullet, which was a sabotaged magazine full of blanks, mine hit him and sent of a shock throughout his body.
He fell to the ground shaking. I grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him back to his feet. Fully extending my bo staff, I smashed one end into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Before he could recover I smacked the pistol from his hands, reversing the swing back at his face. It struck his jaw and sent him to back to the ground.
The satisfaction at hitting him was overwhelming and soon I lost control for a moment. Jumping on top of the fallen gang leader and punching him, left to right to left to right. I punched him for roughly a minute before I regained control. I stopped mid punch and looked down at him. His face was bloodied, his breathing was heavy, blood was streaming down his face from his cheek, mouth and other small cuts from my fists.
I stood up and picked up the staff and pistol that I dropped. I walked over the my mask and put it back on. The man pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at me. "So you're not going to finish me off kid? Just gonna kick my ass then leave," he said, spitting blood out of his mouth. "You're a waste of bullets. I've provided the police with enough information to put you and your lackeys away for life," I replied, putting my mask back on and readjusting my hood.
"Ya know kid, I think I might actually remember killing your parents," he said, now getting to his feet. I froze, the thoughts of mom and dad beginning to creep back into my head. The look of their bodies in the casket. The hot tears that ran down my face when I heard the news. The feeling of dread and disbelief when they both died. I felt the hot tears run down my face and my body start to shake as my rage boiled my blood. Shakily, I reached for the magazine of 9mm bullets and loaded in place of the non-lethal rounds.
Without saying a word I cocked back the pistol and turned towards him. "Yeah I do remember, your daddy was workin' the night shift when my boys came through and snuffed em'. Then ya mom. Boy oh boy was she a piece. If only I could've hit it but no she made one of my men have to shot her," the man was pouring himself a cup of whiskey, smirking all the while.
"You.. will.. DIE," I rushed across the room with the speed of a track star and smashed my bow staff into his stomach. I spun around and backhanded him with the butt of the pistol. I shot off a round into his leg and dug my heel into the bullet wound. He cried out in pain but I ignored it, rage overtaking my senses. I stomped on his chest, eventually feeling something cracked beneath the weight of my stomps. I activated the taser on my staff and threw it down onto his chest.
His breathing became heavy with the shock racing through his body and all the pain he was experiencing. I deactivated the taser and took it off his chest. Kneeling down, I brought the pistol beneath his chin, I leaned close to his face. "You took everything away from me and you will pay for your sins," I said, rage slowing my words. "Then do it," he said through raspy, strained heavy breaths. I tightened my grip on my pistol and pushed it harder against his chin.
I saw flashing red, blue and white lights outside the window. What am I doing I need to get out of here. Retaking control of my actions and emotions to some extent, I drew the pistol away from his chin and stood. I retracted my bo staff and put it back in my holster. I activated the safety on my pistol and put it away in its holster as well.
I took out the folded documents I'd had in a box shaped holder on my utility belt, and set them on a table. The documents contained information that would put the whole gang behind bars for a long time, if not life. "You're scared to kill," the man, laughed, which came out more like a painful series of exhales rather than laughing. Ignoring his idiocy, I walked to the window and kicked through it. "Pathetic, given the chance to kill me I would've put a whole clip in my head. You don't deserve revenge, your parents died in vain," he spat at me and laid back down, obviously still in pain.
I paused for a moment while climbing through the window. "You know nothing. My parents supported justice, not meaningless killing. I have avenged them by putting you and your gang behind bars," I said, looking back at him. "From here on out, I will become Specter, the ghost of the night and protector of Jump City," I said to him, though it was more of a pledge to myself. He stared at me, a mix of confusion and amusement on his face. Before he could reply I shot my grappling gun across to the nearest building and leapt from the window, swinging across.
As I swung out I heard the sound of heavy footsteps and shouting. Just in time, I thought to myself. I reached the rooftop and knelt on the edge, overlooking the city. This is my home and I will protect it. I will carry this responsibility and become a hero. Damn do I sound cliche or what? I laughed to myself. I tapped the comm link and Alex's voice came in, hinted with a worried tone.
"Did everything go according to plan," he asked.
"Yeah, everything's good, though... " I paused.
"Though what," more worry hinted into Alex's voice. "I didn't kill him," I said after a brief moment. I heard a sigh of relief come from Alex, "Alright that's good. Come on back home though, I got dinner ready," he said, all the worry leaving his voice, replaced by the familiar and comforting warmness.
"On my way," I replied, shooting my grappling gun to the next roof and making my way back home. Unknown to me, lurking in the shadows was a boy who had seen everything that had occurred. Silently nodding his head in approval he vanished into the night.