Nightfall descends on the Big Apple and the darkness that comes with it consumes the city. Her streets empty of respectable citizens, and become the playground of thugs and undesirables. When these lowlifes are no longer afraid of the law, who will control them?

. . . ? . . .

As the light fades in the city a young man awakens, he looks in the mirror and a weak boy looks back at him, a stranger. He picks up a length of black fabric and outstretches it in front of him, lining up the two holes with his eyes. He pulls it tight against his face ties the two ends behind his head like a bandana, before raising the hood from his cloak over it. He looks back in the mirror and breathes in deeply, pulling on his hard-knuckled gloves as he puffs out his chest. He feels empowered as he looks back in the mirror, and sees the symbol of hope, the angel of the night…

. . . ? . . .

As a group of thugs follow an innocent woman on 54th Street in midtown Manhattan, who will stop them from chasing her down? As criminals disguised as cops smash a young man's business to pieces for falling behind on protection payments, who will enforce the law? As crooked cops hold innocent men in their jail cells, to extort bail money from their families, who will free them?

. . . ? . . .

The people below look small from the roof of city hall. Mysterion stands there striking a pose, watching, listening, as his cape flaps in the wind. The silence of the city is tranquil, and the gentle wind caresses his ears with broadcasts of the city's secrets. It speaks to him, a woman screaming, midtown Manhattan. Mysterion springs to life, leaping to a neighboring rooftop; he stumbles as he lands, but quickly regains his balance and sprints towards his destination. He makes his way across the city with the speed of a cheetah, the stealth of a leopard and the strength of a lion. The wind delivers another yelp from the young woman, it is much louder this time he is close. He looks into an alleyway below and sees the woman, scrambling to her feet, and three men, despicable humans, leering at her, now creeping towards her. Mysterion leaps from the rooftop, he lands hard and his knees give way, but he is steadied as his knuckles are thrust into the ground, shattering the paving stone beneath. The pain surges through his body, his feet his knees, his fist, and it transforms into a power that rushes through him as he whips his head up to face these villains…

. . . ? . . .

*Robert noticed a dark figure looming in the shadows from his jail cell earlier in the night. Moments later the wall came crashing in and he was free*


At first I thought it was just a local hoodlum waiting to score his next petty crime or possibly even a straggler late to the organized crime party. But to my surprised it was a mysterious stranger fighting the good fight and freeing a young lonely prisoner of the man. Being caught in a triumphed up drug charge can get you locked in the slammer for a lot longer than a guy needs to be. Missing out on money making potential and generally putting a cramp in my day.

So I for one would like to thank this masked hero and hope to be seeing him again, or not seeing him rather, in future. Even if it only for a glimpse as he passes through freeing the wrongfully convicted.


*Takes one more look around before going to find the next 7-11 in need of being robbed*

Cassiopeia walked slowly up the empty street on her way home from a very long day at the HQ. She was dead tired and ready to get home and fall onto the bed, passing out from sheer exhaustion. As she turned the corner she saw some men walk out of the alley she had just passed and walk in her same direction. She tensed up instinctively, the grip on her purse tightening. She continued walking slowly, hearing their footsteps behind her, confirming that they had turned the corner as well.

She was trying to calculate in her mind a plan of action when she felt a hand on her arm. 'Shit!' she cursed to herself for letting them sneak up on her. She stopped and turned around slowly as three of them formed a circle around her. Her hand squeezed her purse tighter as she wondered if it would be possible to get to her gun and them before they could react. She decided it wouldn't be too smart. She looked at the man who had touched her, titled her head and spoke...

I'm sorry, but it's late and I'm tired, I don't think there is anything that I could help three competent men such as yourselves with... So if you'll excuse me...

She turned around and started to push through the circle. As she did one of them reached for her arm, grabbing it tightly. She shook loose and took off running, wishing like hell she hadn't worn her heels for the walk home. She fumbled with her purse, trying to get to her gun as she ran into what she thought was a side street, but ended up being a dead end alley. She skidded to a halt and just as she did, her heel broke and she stumbled, falling to the ground, crying out as she hit the hard bricks. When she hears their footsteps she turns around quickly, still on the ground, her mouth dropping open as the leader pulls out a knife. She begins scrambling backwards, her heart racing, when she hears a loud crunch. She looks behind her and sees a cloaked figure crouched down in her path. Before she even has a chance to wonder who he was or where he came from he was a blur before her eyes.

Cassiopeia can only look on as he grapples the man, then launches him over her head and into a drain pipe.

She hears a loud clang of metal, then looks back round at the fight to see a pair of legs wearing a trash can, before a roundhouse kick from her guardian angel sends the man flying into the wall unconscious. She stares at the masked man in awe until she sees the final thug lunge at him from behind. Her scream isn't quick enough as see watches the knife plunge deep into Mysterion's back. He stumbles backwards pulling the knife from his wound, and drops to one knee...

"Who are you!?" The thug asks...

The masked man stands back up and grits his teeth in anger, before delivering a crippling punch to the thug's chest sending him flying through the wall into a pile of bricks. Then he turns to face the frightened young lady...

"Are you okay Citizen? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine... But..." She points to his back where surely there must be a life threatening stab wound...

"Then my work here is done! The city needs my help. It cries for protection, and I will answer the call to save her."

She tries to stop him, but in flash... He is gone...

. . . ? . . .

As a quiet night comes to an end, the doormen of 'Reachers home of comedy' step to the side and let a trio of the local law enforcement inside. They stroll in, unnervingly eying the place up while the biggest of the three men casually dangles a baseball bat in one hand.

"Quite a nice place you've got here, but err, a little birdy tells me you ain't paying no protection on this place… So what's to stop someone coming in here and err, smashing this lovely place up Jack?"

"Officer… I heard this is a nice part of the city, I'm sure if there's any trouble my doormen are more than capable…"

Jack looks over at the entrance, and realization creeps over his face as he sees the two men on the door have 'gone for a break'. The biggest of the three men takes an almighty swing with the baseball bat, smashing Jack's empty glass into oblivion to make sure there was no confusion.

"I'm not paying any protection money, if that's what you're after, then you're wasting your time here, there is none… If there was I'd tell you to go fuck yourse…"

The rat like man interrupts and walks towards Jack in a menacing fashion.

"Jacky, Jacky boy! That's not the answer I'm looking for… Look, look… It seems we've got off on the wrong foot, so here's what's gonna happen… You're gonna go into that back room now and open that safe, you're gonna give me $5,000 and I'm gonna take my boys and go, you won't see us again until pay time next week. We're gonna walk out of here, your place isn't gonna be smashed to pieces, and we're not gonna have to pay a visit to your darling family tonigh…"

CRACK!

Rage surged through Jack's body at the sound of threats to his family; his fist was unstoppable and landed clean on the man's chin. In an instant the third man pulled out a revolver and was now holding jack at gunpoint, the big man with the baseball bat was now swinging wildly smashing tables and glasses, and the rat like man was picking himself up from the floor pulling a butterfly knife from his pocket. Jack dare not move while facing down the barrel of a gun, as the rat like man gripped his throat and pinned him to the wall he could do nothing. He pondered his future life as a blind man, as the knife was held millimeters from his right eye, and then the door burst open and everyone span round to see who had joined them…