Friday, 11.32 PM
Downtown Los Angeles
I watched from my perch as the crowd thinned out below me. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of Mozart’s 38th Symphony looked like it had been a success. The patrons leaving the Music Center all looked quite happy.
But I wasn’t interested in them. The rich. The art lovers. The posers. None of them was worth more than a passing glance.
Except one.
Dean Mitchell was one of the last people out of the door, flanked by two men in suits. Bodyguards, of course. What kind of person has bodyguards at the symphony? A person with enemies. And who has more enemies than a drug lord? Besides a superhero, of course.
I trailed him as he walked down the street, running along the rooftop. I saw him reach for his cellphone, calling his chauffer, no doubt. That meant I had a limited window.
I sprang from the roof, and tackled the closest guard to the ground, before clubbing him across the head, knocking him unconscious. I was back on my feet in a moment, sweeping the second bodyguard’s leg and driving his head into the concrete.
I grabbed Mitchell and dragged him behind the building. I grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall. He started laughing.
“I wondered when I’d run into you.” He said, still laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, shoving him harder.
“Let me guess, you think that you can stop me?” He asked. Cocky bastard. All of twenty-five years old, thinks that being born rich makes him better than everyone else.
“You won’t be the first drug dealer I’ve taken down.” I replied.
“I have an edge on all those street-level pushers.” Mitchell said. It was more than just arrogance now. It was confidence. I paused for a moment, felt the doubt seeping in. What was he talking about? Did he just mean his money? His influence? Or was it something else? What if he had powers? What if he was stronger than I am? What if I couldn’t fight him.
“You feel it, don’t you?” He asked. He must have seen it in my face. “You’re doubting yourself, aren’t you?”
I shook my head, but I knew he could still see it. I could feel it. The fear creeping in. I couldn’t beat him. There was no way. He was unstoppable.
“Now let go of me.” He commanded.
I bowed my head and took a step back, Mitchell sneered at me.
“Grab him. The Shadow is coming for a ride with us.” He said.
I felt two sets of hands grab me around the arms. Big hands. Of course. These were his real bodyguards. Rock Steady Inc. I should have known. I was doomed.
They tossed me into the back of a limousine, where I curled up on the floor. The sense of fear and doubt was gradually being replaced by despair. I was going to die here tonight.
“Now, as you’ve no doubt realised, I’m a super.” Mitchell gloated. “That feeling in the pit of your stomach? Your sense of impending doom that has replaced your bravado? That was me.”
I stared up at him in terror, and he laughed again. I was getting tired of that laugh.
“I was a little younger than you when I discovered it. I was in high school, and I had been rejected by a girl for the first time. But nobody rejects Dean Mitchell. It was like the universe was aligning for me. My superpowers manifested that day. I could control peoples’ emotions. My life was easy before, but it got a lot easier. Everything I wanted, everything I needed, it was all mine for the taking.”
It all came together then. Pheromone control. Ben had told me one of the Hire A Hero kids had a power like it. I understood, but there was nothing I could do. He still had a hold on me.
“But I got bored. One can only have everything handed to them for so long. I needed something new. So I talked to a friend, who knew a guy who sold half of Hollywood their cocaine. I bought him out. His clients, his supply, everything. Cost me half my stock portfolio. I made it back in a month.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” I asked.
“Because I want you to understand just how much trouble you’re in. I want you to understand who I am. I want you to know the man that will finally end you.” Mitchell kicked at me and I flinched. There was that laugh again. “The unbeatable Shadow. You’ve got half of my dealers scared to leave their houses, you know that? The scum of this city quiver at the mere mention of your name. And here you are, lying at my feet. Like a dog.”
I felt the anger surge through my body. He was going to pay for that. I was going to take him down. I wasn’t just going to mess him up, I couldn’t just scare him. I had to get him put into Alcatraz. I had to make sure he paid for what he had done. Not just to me, to this city.
And that was when I noticed it. The fear was gone. I wasn’t crippled by despair. I was free.
“You won’t get away with it. It will all catch up to you.” I said.
“And how will that happen? I’ve got half the LAPD on my payroll, there is no paper trail, I’ve got it all funnelled out into other interests, and even if some idiot cop caught me, I’ve got my powers to send him on his merry way. I am unstoppable.”
He started laughing again. That was it. I lunged at him, but the Rock Steady guys restrained me.
“Oh, you’ve got some fight left in you, do you?” Mitchell asked. “I guess you need a stronger dose.”
I could feel the emotions fighting for control. The sadness, the fear and the doubt. All of it came rushing back. But only for a moment. My healing powers were counteracting it. It was like a virus, or an allergy. Looks like Mitchell was beatable afterall.
Now it was my turn to laugh. I’ll never forget the look on his face. That moment of doubt. Fear. For a few seconds, he knew what he’d done to me. That was all I needed for now.
I slipped free from the grip of the guards, and dove through the window. I rolled across two lanes of traffic, sprang to my feet, and ran as fast as I could.
Saturday, 12.53 AM
Miracle Mile
I dialled O’Hara’s number. Got the machine. No shock there. I left him a message. I told him that Mitchell was behind the drugs market in Los Angeles. I told him about his powers, and everything else he had said. I told him that I was immune.
I didn’t know what good it would do, but I knew I needed someone else working on this. Someone on the right side of the law. I knew I couldn’t take him down alone.
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