The Black Shade…

/

The SS Tipton had been shaken by a violent attack. Someone had robbed the ship's vaults, where passengers kept the possessions that they didn't think were safe in their cabins; the vault was water-sealed, and retrievable if the ship sank. Most of the items in the vaults were of sentimental value, but there were the occasional riches. They had been stolen, but worse still, Kirby and Woody had been in the vault when the thief had been there, and the thief had been armed. The ship's surgeon and his two orderlies carried Woody and Kirby down to the medical bay; Zack, Cody, Bailey, London, Ms. Tutweiller, and Mr. Moesby watched as they were taken away.

"I can't believe this happened," Zack said

"It'll be OK," Cody said, "The surgeon will fix them up in no time. I've seen the man's work."

"But still…" Zack looked around, "I don't feel safe anymore."

Mr. Moesby looked at his watch.

"It's getting late," he noted, "Come, children, I'll walk you back to your cabins."

/

Later that night…

/

Ms. Tutweiller and Mr. Moesby sat in Moesby's living room, watching TV together. It was sort of a Friday night tradition for them, a quiet evening alone away from the kids and passengers. Ms. Tutweiller was engrossed in the film; it was a romantic comedy, one where a powerful successful woman tried to find a perfect husband. Moesby on the other hand, was in a state of deep thought. In a way, he was going over his life; his early years were a stark contrast to who he had become. Many people expected him to have gone to private schools, grown up in gated communities, and to have been a huge nerd at school. OK, the last one was somewhat true. But the thing was, Mr. Moesby had lived in a run-down community for most of his child and young adult years. The gangs ruled the block his family lived on…well, they used to.

/

When he was fourteen, Moesby was unpopular at school, and his home life wasn't great. He and his two friends who lived in his building read comic books together, and shared a mutual hatred of the gangs. Realizing the police weren't going to do anything, the three of them donned masks and fought the criminal element. Sam and Martin retired after they had pacified their street, but Moesby kept fighting, going to other gang-infested streets.

"Who knows where you can find a man!" the woman in the film exclaimed

"The Black Shade knows…" Moesby muttered

"What?" Ms. Tutweiller asked

"Nothing," Moesby smiled, "Just thinking back to my teen years."

Ms. Tutweiller thought for a moment.

"I can't really picture you as a teenager," she admitted

"I could show you, if you like…"

/

Moesby and Tutweiller walked to Moesby's closet; Moesby dug out a small suitcase.

"Don't go! I can change!" Ms. Tutweiller wailed

Moesby raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, every time a man takes out a suitcase…" Ms. Tutweiller muttered, "I feel like one of Pavlov's dogs."

Moesby opened the suitcase, and took out his old black overcoat. His father had left it when he…left. Also there was some comic books and a scrapbook.

"The Black Shade," Ms. Tutweiller read, "Is that a TV show, or…?"

She opened up the scrapbook, showing a newspaper clipping. It depicted a guy in a black overcoat, black scarf, and peaked hat standing over a bank robber.

"Wow," Ms. Tutweiller saw the guy's eyes, "Was that you?"

Moesby nodded.

"I was just thinking about it," he said, "It was something my friends and I did. Started out with us…"

He let out a laugh.

"…we escorted old ladies home safely," he continued, "Somehow it evolved into masks."

Moesby turned the page on his scrapbook, showing Ms. Tutweiller a picture of a guy wearing a red suit and tie with a domino mask.

"That's Sam Mahn," Moesby explained, "We called him 'Slam-Man', because of his punches."

He turned the page again, showing a guy wearing what appeared to be a motorcycle helmet and a green cape.

"Don't tell me…" Ms. Tutweiller said, "The masked rider."

"Close. The Riding Avenger," Moesby explained, "Martin Rainer. I think Martin's an accountant now."

"That is really amazing," Ms. Tutweiller said

Mr. Moesby yawned.

"Emma, I know how you like our date night, but I'm feeling kind of tired," Mr. Moesby said

"Oh, I don't mind," Ms. Tutweiller switched off the film, and took out the DVD, "My cats have wanted to see this movie for weeks."

/

Ms. Tutweiller left, leaving Mr. Moesby to his thoughts. He had seen a security guard and a student get attacked by the same kind of scum that had terrorized his neighborhood as a boy. He knew criminals; like lightning, they struck more than once. Moesby picked up the overcoat. Then put it back down. Then he picked it back up. He groaned loudly.

"What am I thinking?" he asked aloud, "I gave that life up long ago."

Moesby thought back to the day he had gotten his scholarship to the Tipton hotel school; he knew he couldn't live in high society and maintain The Black Shade. So, he gave it up, believing it to be for the best.

"No…yes…no…yes…no…" Mr. Moesby was caught in an internal conflict

/

The vault thief had not shown up the next day, but some people had been inspired by him. A man stood outside London and Bailey's room, attempting to hack the key-card lock. He had professional tools; as a matter of fact, he was on the ship so he could get away from a major bank-hacking job he had done in Monte Carlo. A quick stealing spree in London Tipton's room would pay for his girlfriend's her new car.

"Almost there…" he muttered

The light on the door turned green; he had done it.

"Jose Ibanez…" came a stern growl

Jose turned around, and faced a man behind him in a black overcoat. Well, that wasn't how Jose saw it. All he could see was a mass of blackness with a peaked hat and black piercing eyes. Jose panicked, and reached to his holster for a gun. But there wasn't a gun there.

"Looking for this?" The Black Shade asked

He smacked Jose's face with the gun he had swiped from the holster. Then he lifted up his cape, enveloping Jose in the darkness…

/

Officer Bates watched with his eyes wide open as The Black Shade strolled into his office, holding a terrified criminal.

"Sir, I caught this man attempting to break into the compartment shared by London Tipton and Bailey Picket…" The Black Shade spoke with a deep, throaty voice

"Is this the same man that attacked that kid and my lieutenant?" Bates asked, picking up the phone

Bates dialed the number for Interpol; he would need to get the guy air lifted off the ship as soon as possible.

"Afraid not," The Black Shade said, "He's a copycat criminal. If I see any more, I'll bring them to you."

The Black Shade turned around, and walked out of the room.

"Wait!" Officer Bates called, "Who are you?"

"A hero of justice, much like yourself…"

/