Pacific Station Vigilante (Book 2): The Negative Man [Stormfall] by Jeremy Croston Read Free Book Online Page B

destroy me.  At least it was a very well-constructed hypothesis on how to.  I got the feeling someone knew who I was and left this behind as a way to taunt me.  I looked out the window on to the city.  Any one of the people walking around had the knowledge to kill me.  Maybe I should’ve been scared, but the idea of death made me feel alive again.

Chapter 6 –
    Tuesday Night; St. James Cathedral
     
    “Jericho my son, this isn’t normal behavior.”
    Father Reigart wouldn’t understand of course, but he was my confidant.  And this night, I needed someone to speak with.  “I know it’s not normal Father, but the thrill is back, a zest for life.  There’s someone out there who willingly taunted me, who knows how to kill me.”
    I couldn’t tell if he chuckled or sighed, maybe a bit of both.  “You act is if you’re almost immortal.”
    “I am.”  Well that was a bit dramatic, but to date no one had been successful in ending my life.  “Can I die from old age?  Most likely, but the energy inside me protects me.  Even when I’m on the brink, the spark never dies.”
    There was no mistaking the gasp the kindly giant of a man gave this time.  “You’re telling me if I shot you in the head, you’d survive?”
    It was a valid question, one I couldn’t answer.  “I’ve been beaten up by supers, taken their full power and yet here I am today.  Most people thought Jericho Staley should’ve died after the beating The Aces laid on me last year.”
    “I had read about that.  They were barely able to revive you, were they not?”
    That was the same night I killed Deputy Mayor Martinez.  “That was a stretch, but yes, I wasn’t in the best of shape, yet I still was able to assassinate my target.”  By doing so, I was also able to hide my quick recovery.  The doctor’s assumed the attack that killed Martinez miraculously helped heal me.  “In the end, I was in no danger of dying, my powers made sure of it.”
    It was times like this where I knew the good Father was questioning his oath of silence.  He probably was wishing he could tell the police everything, yet due to his religion the oath stood firm.  It was sort of amusing to know I could share everything with no repercussions.  “Jericho, I know I’m bound by my ethics never to reveal what happens in confession, yet the more we talk, the more I worry about you.”
    “I’m not sure why you’re worried Father.  Worst case, The Negative Man dies and the city goes back to the hellhole it was before me.”
    He came close to the window dividing us.  There were wrinkles around his eyes, worry lines.  “I know you’re a good man, a good man who has chosen the wrong way of expressing it.  It’s not too late to seek change.”
    It was my turn to smile as my time with him was coming to an end.  “I’m not a good man Father, but thanks for lying to me.”
    ****
    Heather was out with a few people from Legal, maintaining her normal lifestyle.  Somehow, I found myself in Waves Park, standing in front of the memorial dedicated to The Dark Lion.  Hell if I could tell you why I came here, but something pulled me to this location.  I stood there, staring at the stone figure of my mentor.
    At the bottom of the memorial was a touching tribute to the man who died protecting this city from me.  Whoever had made this statue did an excellent job; everything from his cape to the goggles on his head was spot on.  It seemed fitting for us to meet again like this.
    “I don’t know that I believe in the afterlife John, but if there is one, I hope you’re at peace.”  There weren’t any clouds in the sky, yet off in the distance heat lightning danced across the black.  Maybe that was a signal from him.  “I’ll never regret my actions, especially against a foe as worthy to me as you were.”
    Across the park, another flash caught my eye.  This wasn’t heat lightning, yet it was producing a lot of light.  Curious, I ventured into the