CHAPTER 36: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
As the morning sun arrives in Hillwood, the day comes to an official beginning for its occupants. Waking from a long night of sleep, much of it needed from their busy days preceding before, and some of it merely wanted for leisure or relaxation, the citizens of Hillwood all come to their feet to start a new day in one way or another; some early birds to the worm, others night owls to pick their prey later.
The city is a melting pot, and it boils intensely under the stress it has been put under. A military occupation has been put in place to keep peace, but it has not made the citizens feel safe from what is in their city. Both the dangerous crime boss 'Little' Nicky Russotti and the infamous supervillain the Freak are loose on the streets, at odds with each other, and the citizens of Hillwood are in the crossfire.
One individual caught in the crossfire is the young woman Phoebe Heyerdahl, known to the Hillwood Heroes as Lady Tetsu; the woman with the iron fists. Tonight, however, it seems that her days of being that hero are long past now, due to a severe injury she sustained hours ago.
Following an attempt to capture the Freak before he could escape, the Green Eye was interrupted by a shooter by the name of Keith, who accidentally fired off a round into Phoebe's spine, paralyzing her from the waist down. Laying in a hospital bed with a series of private doctors around her in the Hillwood Heroes' base, she undergoes the most intensive care she can get, but it will not be enough to repair the damage.
Looking upon his significant other as she rested in bed, Gerald Johannsen, known also as G-Funk, a sense of anger and regret came over him, blaming himself for her condition more than anyone. To his side is Arnold Shortman, also known as the Green Eye, trying to comfort his best friend as much as he can.
"Damn it. Damn it! I should've listened to her when she said she wanted to leave this damn town. I shouldn't have bothered with anything involving the Freak or 'Little' Nicky. I'm an idiot." Gerald said.
"Gerald, don't beat yourself up. You just did what you thought was best." Arnold said.
"And look where it got me. That crazy dude shot Phoebe, and, now, she'll never get up again. I should've beat that piece of shit senseless. Matter of fact, I'm gonna do that right now."
Gerald proceeded to make his way to Keith's holding place, but Arnold immediately put himself in front of him to prevent his friend from bringing him any harm.
"No, Gerald! How many times do I have to tell you that senseless violence is not the way?" Arnold asked.
"How many people have to get hurt before you realize that your Mr. Rogers approach doesn't work?! For god's sakes, Helga almost died in your arms, but you still didn't budge! How do you not want to beat the Freak into a damn pulp every waking moment you live, like I wanna beat this shithead senseless here and now?!" Gerald asked.
"You don't understand anything. Of course I want to get Curly, but he'll never learn anything from just fighting him. The only way you can help people is to give them every chance to take help."
"I don't wanna help this guy. I just wanna make him stop walking, so he can know what it's like to hurt someone like he did."
"Then you don't deserve to call yourself a hero."
"Fine with me."
"That means you don't belong on the Hillwood Heroes anymore, and you don't deserve your suit or weapons. Is that 'fine with you'?"
Gerald paused in his speech, stopping to think over his next answer. His pause lasted a good long minute; a silence eventually broken by Arnold with another point.
"As a Hillwood Hero, your goal is to help people. That's the number one priority. If you can't do that, if all you want to do is hurt people, then you're no better than the people we're supposed to be saving. You're supposed to be better than them, so we can teach them to be better. Violence only begets violence." Arnold said.
"So what if it does? He shot Phoebe in the spine, is that not violence to you? If it's violence, then doesn't it deserve a little violence back?" Gerald asked.
"Then you'd be continuing the cycle endlessly, and nothing changes."
"God, what is with you, Arnold? Why are you so obsessed with defending this guy? Why did we even bring him back here? The cops could've locked him up, and we'd be all the better for it. But, no, you had to bring him back here, right where he can laugh in my face for what he did. Is this your idea of a joke?!"
"I brought him here because I saw into his head, and he's just as a victim as Phoebe and everyone else Curly's hurt. I want to help him."
"You want to help him?! What's so different about this guy that you're willing to let him go for crippling Phoebe, my girlfriend and one of your best friends? Why him? What the hell could you possibly have seen in his head?!"
Arnold seemed to prepare himself to say something, but stopped himself mid-sentence. A train of thought subsequently ran through his mind, giving him a better idea to answer his friend's question. Following a deep sigh, he placed his mask back on his face, putting him back in the alter-ego of the Green Eye.
"I think it's better if he shares that part of the story for himself. Follow me." Green Eye said.
Placing his own mask on as well, Gerald, changing to his alter-ego of G-Funk, followed the Green Eye to the holding cell of Keith. Heading to a small jail cell installed in the base, the two superheroes entered Keith's cell, seeing the impetuous young man sitting on his bed in a fetal position.
"So, what do you guys want from me? Am I some kind of prisoner? Or do you guys just wanna screw around with me before you kill me?" Keith asked.
"We're not going to kill you, and you're not our prisoner. We held you here so the cops wouldn't take you." Green Eye said.
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?"
"You might have heard that I have certain powers that let me go into someone's mind and feel their emotions like they do. When I first saw you, I went into your mind. That's how I learned your name. I also learned what brought you to that church and why you wanted to kill Cur- The Freak."
Keith seemed to be both intrigued and concerned with this fact; looking extremely uncomfortable with this strange man having knowledge that he wished to be private.
"How much do you know?" Keith asked.
"A lot, and it wasn't pretty." Green Eye said.
"Then why are you here?"
"That girl you shot in the spine was his girlfriend. Right now, he wants nothing more than to paralyze you himself, but I'm not going to let him. Instead, I wanted you to talk to him and tell him why you did what you did."
"What for?"
"Call it a teaching opportunity."
"Well, if you know what I know, then you know I'm not all that comfortable talking about it."
"You don't have a choice, pal. You're stuck here with us, and you're stuck here with me. Either you start talking to me right now, or I'm gonna make you start tasting that concrete floor, regardless of what the Green Eye does or says to me." G-Funk said.
Mentally preparing himself to share a long and heartbreaking story, Keith took in a deep breath, letting it out to clear his mind. Still not completely comfortable on saying what he was about to say, his foot began rapidly tapping in place; a show of anxiety being physically let out.
"Okay, fine. I'll tell you who I am." Keith said.
When I was a kid, I grew up in a lower area of Hillwood. It wasn't a bad place or run-down; just a lower place. My parents were hardworking people, and they took care of me and my little sister. They were always busy at work, so it was mainly just me and her around the house.
If I wasn't at home or school, I was at the gym. I was a boxer in my school, and the best damn one there. I beat out this one guy who was the past record holder, and took the title all to myself. Just barely did him in before I passed out myself. My little baby sister was the one thing that kept me going all through that fight and every other; she was my number one fan.
One day, though, things got way tougher for the both of us. I was training on a punching bag one day when this cop came up to me with some bad news.
"There a problem, officer?" I asked.
"Are you Keith Moore?" The cop asked.
"Yeah."
"Sir, I regret to inform you that your parents are dead."
"What?"
"They both died in a car crash. I'm sorry."
After that, me and my little sister spent a lot of time in and out of foster homes, but, the second I turned 18, I was on my own. I didn't want to be separated from her, so, when I was out the door, she came right with me. I was her guardian from there on out; just the two of us against the world.
Only problem was trying to put a good roof over her head. I was in and out of a lot of jobs, but I couldn't ever hold any. I was always too big a fighter to play nice with people. I probably hold the world record of being both hired and fired on the same day. Heh. But, without a good source of income, I was forced to do what a lot of people needing money had to do.
I started pushing drugs for 'Big' Gino. It wasn't that hard a job for someone like me; he liked it when I roughed a few people up now and then when they didn't pony up the cash. I didn't like doing dirty things like that, but it kept my little sister fed and safe, so that was good enough for me.
She never asked me what kind of work I did, thank god. I just told her that it was a job that I did so she could have everything she needed and grow up to be a good girl, and I got to use my boxing skills to do it. She insisted that she saw me in action when I brought up boxing again, but I wouldn't let her.
Eventually, she skipped school once and went looking for me to 'see me in action', and she got it. Some acid junkie wasn't paying what he owed me, and I had to rough him up a bit. That's when I found my baby sister looking at me, tears down her eyes and all.
It broke her heart and mine.
I tried to tell her that I was doing everything I could to make her happy, but she wasn't listening to me. She told me that I was doing horrible things, and was ashamed of me for the things I did. No matter how many times I tried to tell her I did what I did to take care of her, she wouldn't listen to me.
She just stopped talking to me after that. I deserved it. She went to school, ate whatever dinner I gave her, and went to bed. Only talked to me when she needed something, but was always reluctant to do that. But at least I was able to still take care of her and keep her safe.
Then came the Freak. He shot her in the head right on TV.
I was glued to my TV when that happened, and I cried on the floor for at least 3 hours straight. I tried so hard to build something good for my little sister, tried to make her see how I tried so hard for her as a big brother, but I never got that chance. She died hating me, and never had a chance to grow up.
"With 'Big' Gino dead, I didn't have any real job after that, and just sort of... drifted around the city for a good year. But when I saw that the Freak was back on his feet, I knew that this was my chance to kill that bastard once and for all. Maybe then Nancy would forgive me." Keith said.
The name of his sister and the circumstances of her death suddenly rung a bell with G-Funk, making him ask for confirmation to ensure the girl was who he thought she was.
"Wait... Your sister was Nancy Moore?" G-Funk asked.
"Yes. That little girl was my baby sister. And the Freak killed her... and I let him get away because I was an idiot. Just do whatever you want. I deserve whatever I get after what I did to your girl." Keith said.
G-Funk looked to the Green Eye for a guide on what to do, but he stepped back, leaving his friend to act on his own. With the choice left in his own hands, G-Funk knew not what to do, contemplating his options on what to do with the life of a man left in his hands, if what could be called of this man could be considered a life anymore.
Deep within his own thoughts, G-Funk searched desperately for an answer on what to do next. Moments ago, he was reaching out with anger and rage, more than ready to severely punish this man. Now, he has no heart to do so; taking pity on him after hearing his tale.
Soon, he gives no answer at all. Instead, all G-Funk could do was exit the cell, leaving the affair behind completely. Needless to say, Keith did not know what to make of his reaction, appearing extremely confused. The Green Eye, conversely, did not seem to be confused in the slightest; his empathic powers letting him know exactly what his friend felt.
"What just happened?" Keith asked.
"He's decided that you suffered enough. He just won't tell you that himself." Green Eye said.
"Then what are you going to do with me?"
"Well... It looks like Hillwood hasn't done you any good in your life, so maybe you could go with a change of scenery. Somewhere that you can start fresh. My cousin Arnie lives on a farm, someplace where you can hold a physical job and not have to deal with a lot of people. I'm thinking I might send you there. Sound good?"
"You're... I shoot one of your people, and you give me a job?"
"My job is to help people. The only alternatives are to send you to jail, or let you go back on the streets to make another mistake, neither of which would do you any good. If it's one of those you want, you're free to pick one, but I'd recommend my offer. What's it gonna be?"
The decision seemed all but obvious to both parties; even though Keith took his time to reply, the Green Eye saw the answer in his mind within an instant.
At the bedside of Phoebe Heyerdahl, Gerald, outside his alter-ego once again, continued to give her whatever support he still could. As a few light moans left her lips, she began to rise from her bed, waking at last from her sleep. The first thing in her eyes was Gerald, bringing her a sense of security in her waking moments.
"Pheebs. You okay?" Gerald asked.
"Mmph... I'm getting better, I guess." Phoebe said.
Pulling herself to sit up in bed, Phoebe realized she could not feel her legs, confirming the events of what had happened to her the night before. Running her hands over her legs, she could feel nothing in her limbs, rendering them completely useless. Unable to cope with the state of being left a cripple, she began to cry in grief, being immediately sent to the arms of Gerald for a sense of comfort.
Gerald did not try to say anything that could potentially worsen the situation; instead, he simply remained silent and allowed her to vent her anger and grief. Her fit of sorrow seemed to last an eternity in his arms, but only because he himself was hurting just as much as she was from this tragedy.
Soon, Arnold entered the room, preparing to speak to his best friend and his girlfriend regarding the situation.
"Gerald. Phoebe." Arnold said.
"So, what'd you do about that Keith guy? Actually, no, don't answer that. I don't wanna know. I have a feeling I'm not going to like it." Gerald said.
"Fine. Just know that I do what I do to help people, no matter what."
"Yeah. Funny how that works out. Phoebe, who you've known for years, gets shot in the spine, you let the guy who did it go. Bet you even gave him a 'get out of jail free' card, too."
"Gerald, no, please, don't do this to-" Phoebe began to say.
"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not gonna say anything. I just want him to know that I don't like it."
"I'm sorry, Gerald. Phoebe's a victim of Curly, just like Keith is. He's the main priority from here on out. I assure you, I won't stop at anything, not unless I drop dead, that I'll do everything in my power to get Curly and stop him. I'll make sure that he'll wish he never started walking again." Arnold said.
Hearing the final words come out of his friend's mouth, an idea suddenly came to Gerald's mind, finding a solution to Phoebe's state of paralyzation.
"Wait a minute. It was because of your blood that the Freak's spine healed, right? It was your healing powers that fixed the damage?" Gerald asked.
Shocked to hear his best friend even entertain such an idea, Arnold instantly turned defensive against the idea, aiming to shut it down quickly.
"Oh, no. Gerald, don't tell me you're seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting." Arnold said.
"I am. If it was your super-blood that made the Freak walk, then it should work for Phoebe, too, right? Just a quick transfusion and she's back, right?" Gerald asked.
"That is absolutely out of the question, Gerald! I- I'm surprised that you would even think about that, after everything that's happened with more Spirit Masters. Don't you remember Rhonda going insane?"
"That was bringing someone back from the dead, man, we didn't know what was gonna happen. We know what it did to the Freak, and we know it'll work again here."
"It made him get all my powers, including some new ones that I don't know how to fight against, and he's on a killing spree now."
"Because he was crazy from the beginning. You and I know Phoebe, she won't go and do that."
"It's not just about who gets the powers, Gerald. It takes a lot of discipline and patience to use them right. With my powers, I'm tapped into every heart and mind in the city, something that would make a lot of other people go crazy. You almost become an entirely new person just to deal with it."
"Then you can teach her how. Whatever, I don't care, just fix her already!"
Phoebe began to tug on Gerald's clothes to stop his incessant arguing, not wanting her significant other and his best friend fighting over her behalf.
"Gerald, please, don't do this. I don't want him to give me that power." Phoebe said.
"Pheebs, he can fix you and you can walk again. I'm trying to get you the help you need." Gerald said.
"You're trying to get me something I don't want. Please, stop fighting with Arnold over this. You know why he can't just give his powers away like that. He already had it taken from him twice."
"So what? He just wants to keep all that power to himself and be a superman while the rest of us have to suffer?"
"Gerald, please! You're starting to make no sense. That's not who Arnold is, and you know that better than anyone."
"Look, all I want to do is not want to see you suffer, okay? Why should he do nothing when he has the ability to fix you like that? Why don't you want help?"
"Because it won't help her." Valiance said.
Chiming into the conversation, the white knight spoke his piece regarding the topic at hand, instantly gaining the attention of the others.
"Why not?" Gerald asked.
"When we first started using Arnold's blood on cadavers, they went insane and their bodies exploded. The doctors had to experiment with adding pharmaceuticals to keep them from exploding, but it was only blind luck that they found one so quickly that worked on Rhonda. Once they used it on Rhonda, I ordered all files and documents on the project destroyed. Rhonda also killed most of the scientists working on it, so we have no way of knowing exactly what they used to refine the formula or recreate it. If you try a pure transfusion, she dies. Very badly. Is that what you want?" Valiance asked.
Frustrated over not being able to help his significant other, Gerald let out a stifled grunt of frustration, pounding his fists against the hospital bed. Though Phoebe tried to hold his hand and stop him from leaving, he still walked off in anger, wishing to be alone to vent out the frustrations he had accumulated on this night.
Trying to give his own brand of comfort, Arnold kneeled down to Phoebe in her bed, holding her hand as she cried.
"It's okay, Phoebe. He just wants what's best for you. It's not your fault." Arnold said.
"No, Arnold. This is my fault. I told him that I wanted to get out of this city, and that I wanted us to have a life for ourselves, but I didn't fight hard enough for it. He wanted to stay to help you, and so did I, but it's left me like this. I'm a cripple. I know Gerald. He's not the kind who settles down for quiet, and he won't concern himself over someone weak like me. I did this to myself." Phoebe said.
"Phoebe, don't say that, you know that's not true. Gerald does love you. He's just angry. I would be, too, if I were in his place. Just give him some time."
"I've given him plenty of time, Arnold. How long do I have to wait? Until I'm dead?"
With nothing left to say, Arnold did not bother trying to make any more retorts. Instead, he only did what he could still think to do and do that could help:
Hold her hand and give her a shoulder to cry on.
Elsewhere within the city of Hillwood, as the morning sun continues to set into place, the First Baptist Church of Hillwood begins yet another day of construction to ready itself to open its doors at last. With a deadline just two days away from their scheduled opening date, there still laid much work to be completed, as well as final checks to be held to ensure all work was finished.
Usually, the children of the staff and clergy were grouped up and fed a sermon from Lila Sawyer. But, it seemed that Lila has been missing for the past two days, leaving a handful of children left in the care of her friend, Billie. Billie felt unsure of what to think of her friend's unexplained and sudden absence, but a chance to be around children again was an opportunity she did not let down.
Where Lila would give a more literal interpretation of the church's scripture and show more conservative values, Billie fashioned a lighter and compassionate viewing of the holy texts. Perhaps the only disagreement that laid between the two friends; she believed that children needed not a yoke of stricter religious guidelines, but instead the simple message of love and tolerance preached by their messiah.
"When people tried to stone Mary Magdalene for working on the sabbath, Jesus stood before them and he told them 'he who is without sin, cast the first stone'. Everyone in the crowd knew that they were sinners, and that none of them were in any place to judge her, so they did nothing." Billie said.
"But, Mrs. Billie, what does that mean?" A girl asked.
"We're all sinners from birth, sweetie, which means that none of us are without sin. We can't go judging other people on their sins when we know we're guilty of our own sins. It's god's place to judge, not ours."
"Well, I've never sinned before. I've never been bad to god or anybody else." A boy said.
"You ate more than 3 packs of crackers and you lied when you were asked about it yesterday, Sam. Is a lie a sin?"
"...Yes... but I apologized for it."
"You did, and it's good that you did, but a sin is still a sin. We're all still subject to making mistakes, and we can't judge people or push them down for their mistakes. What we can do is help people learn from their mistakes, and help them be better people and better servants to god."
Billie checked her watch for the time, seeing that break time arrived for the children, thus temporarily putting her sermon to an end.
"Oop, looks like it's just about time for a break. You kids go on and play while I take care of some grown-up things." Billie said.
Having other affairs to handle in the church, Billie temporarily left the children to play on their own, but not before taking a moment to speak with Joey, her son.
"Hey, big guy. You doing okay? You've been real quiet the past few days." Billie asked.
"I'm fine, mom." Joey said.
"You don't seem that fine, Joey. You've barely talked to me or anyone else, and you barely eat any of your dinner. Are you sure you're fine?"
"Yeah, mom. I'm okay. Really."
"Well... okay, if you say so. I just ask because I care about you. I love you, sweetheart. Go on and play now."
Billie gave her son a kiss on the head, subsequently departing to handle more affairs throughout the church, having one hand missing for many duties. Left on his own to play again, Joey walked over to the wall, deciding to sit alone by himself, not interacting with the other children at all.
Stuck in a train of juvenile thought regarding his own feelings of pain and pleasure, emotions given unto him at far too young an age to comprehend or place them, Joey was left with a newfound feeling without an outlet. His mind seemed to be a Pandora's Box of many evils swarming about it, with no sign of hope at the bottom.
What laid to his side, however, was a potential playmate in the form of a girl named Amanda, walking up to Joey in prospects of sharing playtime together.
"Hey, Joey. You wanna play racecars?" Amanda asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure." Joey said.
Amanda handed Joey a racecar of his own; while she played with her car enthusiastically, moving her car back and forth on the ground, Joey only barely touched at his car. The thoughts in his mind continued to circle round and round, making him unable to focus on anything else in the present.
Since Lila first touched him, there was a new craving in his body for another release; another desire to play this new game that she taught him. Though he never sought to share these feelings with anyone else, the prospect of this new playmate gave him an idea to help release these feelings without the 'help' of Lila.
"Hey, Joey, you're not doing anything. C'mon, make your car go fast like me." Amanda said.
"I want to play something else." Joey said.
"Oh, okay. How about army soldiers?"
"No. I know another game we can play."
"Really? Which game?"
"It's a special game I learned. It's for a boy and girl to play together."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Come closer."
Amanda complied with Joey's request, sitting herself closer to him. While sticking his hand down his own pants, Joey put a hand down Amanda's as well, reaching for a place not meant for him to touch. The sensation given with his touch brought alarm to Amanda, leaving her unsure what to make of the 'play' they were engaged in.
"Joey, what are you doing?" Amanda asked.
"This is how you play. It's supposed to feel good." Joey said.
As the activity continued between the two children, both under the severe misunderstanding that their actions were mere play, Billie stepped back in the room to check on the children, having completed her other work. Coming back with a friendly smile to the children once again, this smile would soon dissipate once she saw what her own son was doing.
"Hi, kids, everyone having fun with-" Billie began to say.
Upon looking on her son touching his friend in an inappropriate way, Billie's eyes went wide and her mouth nearly fell to the ground.
"JOEY! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?!" Billie shouted.
Hearing his mother give such a disapproving yell, Joey instantly snatched his hands out from Amanda's pants and his own; frozen in a state of fear. Billie's loud reaction caused some heads to turn their way, none quick to notice the action between the children right away.
Avoiding having any eyes look their way, Billie grabbed Joey and brought him outside the church, seeking to get to the bottom of this issue.
"Joey, do you have any idea what you were doing?" Billie asked.
"I... I was just playing with Amanda, mom." Joey said.
"That is not playing, Joey. That's not something you should be doing at all at your age."
"But it was just a game."
"No, Joey, that is not a game. It is not something you should have done. That is just... Oh, god, Joey, why would you do that?!"
"I'm... I'm sorry, mommy, I was just trying to play a game. I didn't know I was doing anything wrong."
Joey began crying in regret of his actions, not understanding the real consequences of his deeds. Not wanting to make her son cry and suffer over his misunderstandings, Billie gave him a hug, feeling her own regret over making her son feel terrible. She dried his tears and gave him a light rub on shoulders, making him finally stop crying.
"I'm sorry, baby. I just... I overreacted. You didn't really know you were doing anything wrong. But I need you to tell me where you learned this 'game' from." Billie said.
"I... I don't know." Joey said.
"I think you do know, Joey. This isn't something you just learn from nowhere. Someone taught you this, didn't they?"
"I'm not allowed to talk about it. I promised to keep it a secret."
"No, Joey, this isn't something you keep secret. The person that did this to you, they're not your friend, and they did something wrong to you."
"But she is my friend."
"And who is 'she'?"
"I can't say, mom."
"Joey, listen to me. I'm your mommy. You can tell me anything. I'll never hurt you, I'll never do anything to make you hurt, and I'll never let anyone else hurt you. You need to tell your mommy who did this to you. What this person did was wrong, and they need to go to jail for it. Tell me now, who taught you these games?"
Joey's mind began to turn its gears quicker and quicker; contemplating whether or not he should say the name of the person who had been taking advantage of him. His own innocent instincts told him to keep the secret from this person he trusted, his love and trust of his mother told him to speak the truth at last, and his mind, set in the middle of this opposing views, could not bring himself to make a decision.
Though much courage was mustered up to do so, Joey soon made the choice to speak up, finally saying her name.
"Miss Lila." Joey said.