Chapter 10

Beast Boy and No Face resumed their walk down the deserted streets. Outside of a little sourness in his shoulder, Beast Boy was feeling physically fine from the encounter in the warehouse; emotionally, however, he was shaken. They were normal people, as far as he could tell, but what they had did…

"It is shocking to most normal people to see how humans react stripped of the trappings of society." No Face's voice intruded on Beast Boy's thoughts.

"That's why they need us," responded Beast Boy, "we protect them from the forces that would make them like that."

"Make them like that? Ha! You underestimate the lengths a person will go to survive. That is the true nature of humanity, they don't need to be made to do that, it is natural." No Face's voice reflected the cynicism of that statement. "Don't be so naïve, after all, you lived in the Congo area during the first part of the Congo Civil War. You saw what people were capable of."

"How do you know so much about me?" Beast Boy asked as uncomfortable memories assailed him. It was true, after his parent's died, he had been taken in by a local African bush tribe. However, at the start of the conflict, the rebel forces, looking for child soldiers, had raided his village. He had run into hiding, like he did when his parents went over the waterfall. The rebels had proceeded to ransack the village, killing all the men, raping women, and taking the children to add to their strength. He had returned to the village after the soldiers had left and saw the destruction. The village elder who had taken him in lay hacked to pieces on the floor of his hut, and he remembered at the time wondering who would do something so brutal to an old man.

"I have my ways." No Face once again intruded on Beast Boy's thoughts. "But I'm right, people are savage. Violence and hate are what come naturally. You saw it in Africa, and you saw it in the warehouse, people will do anything if they think it will help them. Parents will ignore love and eat their children, soldiers will destroy a defenseless village, hacking up everyone: man, woman, and child, old and young."

"So? Why did you show me this? I know this," asked Beast Boy.

"Yes, you do, at least. Most don't. However, in action, you are no different from them. The man who knows something and refuses to acknowledge it and the man who doesn't know are the same," No Face continued as he and Beast Boy began to climb a fire escape, "the society that exists today is built on this false belief in man. What you heroes and the police do is the equivalent of building a pretty container around a manure pile. You pretend that everything is ok, that the container is as pretty on the inside as the outside. It disgusts me. You cannot accept the basic human nature. All the talk of 'self-control' and 'basic good nature' disgust me. I am here to wipe that pathetic veneer off your precious society."

They had reached the roof, which gave a decent view of the city. Spreading his arms as if to encompass the city, No Face continued his speech, "Man is an animal, a savage. All that you, and your friends seek to do, is dress him up in pretty clothes, to put lipstick on a pig. You are not Titans, you are the last worshippers at the altar of delusion. The same goes for all of the heroes, and almost all the villains. You cannot accept human nature, it must be good, for if it isn't good, why bother? Even the villains, in their actions, never accept that human nature is, at its root, evil. That is why they seek to control everything; they cannot let things run their natural course because they believe in the sham that the natural course is good. Deep down, they believe that the people almost always will turn back to the heroes."

Turning to Beast Boy, No Face continued, framed by the smoke and glow of the burning city. "I have done what no other villain has, even Slade. I have thrown your city into utter chaos, not by some grand scheme with robots or magic, but by unleashing the beast of human nature. I have made your citizens revert back to their primal instincts. I have made its people face their reality, and the ones who survive will be the ones who are strong enough to handle that reality."

Beast Boy backed up a little and asked, "So why show me this? Do you think that I will join you; that I will become your lackey or something?"

"No, I do not want or need lackey's," No Face answered, "Beast Boy, I have shown you this because I believe that you will accept this, and, like me, embrace the darkness that is latent on you, in humanity. Jump in the dark abyss of human nature, and then you will transcend that nature. I am superman, not because of any superhuman strength, but because I have transcended human laws and morals," as he was saying this, No Face's voice rose in intensity, "you are beast and man, and you have seen, firsthand, the true nature of human nature. Unlike your friends, you regularly fight with your primal nature, you understand it better than them, and you can accept it. Stop closing your eyes to the darkness and embrace it!"

"Your mad!" "But you can't leave me."

Beast Boy stopped short. No Face was mad, but he just couldn't stop himself from listening to him. He once again felt the repulsive fascination with the maniac before him. He truly was looking into the face of darkness, the face of humanity, and it was just blank. "You can't possibly expect to get away with this. The Justice League, the army, everyone will track you down."

"And do what?" interrupted No Face, "No one is immortal, not even a superman. However, that does not mean that I intend for my legacy to die. Those who embrace the heart of darkness must also embrace the fact that death is inevitable, irresistible. But I will not go quietly; I will die, but my legacy will be the questions that will live on long after me. Even after my death, there will be people who ask, 'what caused a whole city to go insane?' They cannot ignore that fact that I tore the mask off human nature, and that fact will torture many people for a long time."

"So, am I a part of your legacy?" asked Beast Boy.

"Perhaps, if you accept what is in you. Beast Boy, every superhero can be a superman. Why do you insist on propping up this sham? Every superhero can transcend the morals of society, they have the ability, they have the power. You are the future, lead a new generation of supermen who have embraced the darkness. Once you do that, once you embrace it and transcend the petty confines of societal law and order, than remake society. I have remade this city to reflect humanity, to reflect the chaos within, I shall do no more because I choose to do no more," pausing, No Face turned to look at the city, "but you can choose to do whatever you want, to rule a city, a country, a continent, a world, with an iron fist. Become the arbiter of life and death for your subjects, make them strong, or, allow the whole world to plunge into the chaos. It doesn't matter, because you are a superman. Do you understand what I'm trying to do for you? I'm trying to make you understand that you no longer have to be part of a team that is subservient to the mundane whims of a façade, you no longer have to be puppets dancing on the strings of society, you can become the director of your own play."

Raising his hands in the air, No Face continued his rant, "Live your life without constraints, for this is it. Death is coming, and it is inevitable, so why should our one life be dictated by a farce? Are we to deny our true nature just because we are told? It is ridiculous, for if we are strong enough to accept the dark reality, then we should be allowed to transcend morality. We should be leading the sheep who believe in the milk of human kindness, not being constrained by their ignorance."

"But why did you kill criminals, don't they ignore the rules of society?" asked Beast Boy.

"The sum I killed aren't worthy to be supermen. They slink around and hide, because they are afraid. They are afraid that the 'law' will get them; they do not recognize that the law is the aberration, not them. However, I killed them because that was the way to bring about chaos. Shooting police bind people closer to the law, it arouses compassion in them and an anger at those who would dare attack their delusion. Shooting criminals, well, people almost welcome that, and it brings them closer to facing their true nature as violent animals. In addition, it had the effect of making the criminals more organized, and thus, more of a threat and distraction to you and the authorities."

With this, No Face turned around and just looked at Beast Boy. "So, now that you know, what will you choose? I have made myself clear. The question is, do you see, and, if you see, what will you do?" With that, No Face turned and walked down the fire escape. Beast Boy just sat on the roof. Shaking his head, he stood up and ran over to the ledge, but No Face was no where to be found. Still in shock at what No Face had said, Beast Boy sank down and considered what he believed.