Chapter 245
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Dick Tracy was uneasy about rescuing people from Hell. He had always believed in law and order. He also figured that these people were in Hell because of their bad actions. Still, he also realized that he himself was not perfect, he wasn't corrupt or racist, but he also wasn't the biggest believer in civil rights for criminals. He has done things that could easily be considered police brutality, and this was probably why he wasn't raptured up to Heaven. And Dick Tracy had made exceptions to his rule against going soft. His adopted son, who eventually took the name Dick Tracy jr, had lived on the streets and been a thief. The kid didn't have much choice, being raised by a bum, and so Tracy took him in and showed him the ropes of the criminal justice system. And now, Dick Tracy decided to talk with two others. Lamont Cranston, better known as the Shadow, and Britt Reid, also known as the Green Hornet. During this meeting Cranston brought his beloved Margo Lane. Reid brought his sidekick Kato.
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Tracy: So I understand you were a criminal in your world.
Reid: I assumed the identity of a criminal, made it easier to infiltrate the underworld. Even when I brought down criminal syndicates, the other crooks still didn't realize I was a vigilantie.
Tracy: But wasn't it harder to bring them down without the resources of the police department.
Reid: Yes, but it made it easier to protect my loved ones.
Lamont: Fair enough, that was one reason I kept my identity such a secret. Plus I had the resources to do this all on my own.
Tracy: I wouldn't know about that part. Also, how did you make yourself invisible?
Lamont: Specifically, I had the power to cloud men's minds so that they could not see me. It took awhile, years of training. It's the kind of ability that modern science forgot about, just wrote it off as superstition. One of the downsides to progress, aggogance.
Tracy: Don't knock technology, I had some great gadgets, like the two way wrist radio. Really helped me out on cases. I understand you were a druglord before you were the Shadow.
Lamont: I'm afraid that's accurate. I served in, what was suppossed to be, the war to end all wars. I saw a lot of death and destruction, and my hands were far from clean. I embraced the darkness, became the most feared druglord in Asia.
Kato: It's unusual for someone who's not asian to rise to power in their criminal underworld.
Lamont: I doubt it happenned again. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, a group of mystic monks tried to redeem me. Because I knew exactly what evil lurks in the hearts of men, I could help fight Evil.
Tracy: Yeah, maybe my hardliner attitude did limit my understanding of the criminal mind. We go to Hell, we will run into old enemies.
Lamont: Yeah, but there are people there who deserve a second chance. I don;t deny there are people who belong there, Hitler, Stalin, Bernie Madoff. But do you really believe that minor thieves, like your son was, deserve to suffer for all eternity?
Tracy: No, I do not. Okay, I'll help you all save people from Hell.