Post by The New Breed Foundation on Mar 28, 2013 23:27:19 GMT -5
”If falsehood, like truth, had but one face, we would be more on equal terms. For we would consider the contrary of what the liar said to be certain. But the opposite of truth has a hundred thousand faces and an infinite field.” ~Michel Eyquem de Montaigne
”Am I lying to you if I tell you the same lie I tell myself?” ~Robert Brault
Mass Destruction 3 – Episode 3
True Lies and Crimes of Passion: a John Cable Fallacy
Jacksonville, Florida – Downtown
Empty Parking Lot Near JTA Bus Terminal
The incessant rains from earlier in the day have subsided, leaving the night air chilly and dotted with clouds. The pale moon hangs heavy in the sky, nearly full above the city's garish orange glow. As the scene fades downward among the tall buildings, we finally see a familiar parking lot. Not so many nights ago, a man took the life of one Charles Alden right here, in this very spot. Then though, the rains poured down heavily, and the night sky was laden with thick gray clouds...
Tonight was a different night. Tonight was not a night of pain and tragedy. Tonight was about triumph, and justice finding the damned. Tonight, was about turning the tide of a war that was far from over. Tonight was about doing something that was right, whether it was right or not...
Shortly after the cloud-covered sun sinks below the horizon, Sebastian's Black Dodge Durango pulls slowly into the empty lot and parks. After several minutes pass, the driver's door, and both passenger doors open as Sebastian, Owen, and Darina emerge into the cold, damp night. The three move towards the front of the truck, warily examining the shadows and the buildings all around them.
”Where is he?” Owen whispers,
”How the hell should I know? Where does a damned Super Hero hide at night in the city? For Christ's sake, man...” Sebastian barks back under his breath.
”He'll be here... “ Darina says flatly, refusing to give up hope on finding Charles' real killer.
After several more minutes of waiting and the stress of recent events fueling high anxieties all around, Owen finally shouts out like a raving lunatic to any casual observers... “Where the fuck are you? If you're here, hurry the hell up, and come on down! We have serious work to do, and...”
”There!” Darina shouts over him as she catches a glimpse of a single flashing LED bulb. Owen falls silent as the three reconvene near the front of the truck after drifting apart while waiting on their masked contact.
”What did you see?” Sebastian asks her hurriedly.
”He's on his way... I saw his Morse flashing from a few buildings over.” She says matter of factly as Sebastian and Owen exchange glances momentarily.
”You saw what, 'Rina?” Owen looks back towards her quizzically.
”Our masked hero seems to have a penchant for field toys is all. You know, Owen... I am pretty sure THIS is exactly why Sebastian never took YOU along as a Spotter?” she quips lightheartedly. ”Come on. We can meet him up there in that parking garage.” she says as she heads towards the ground floor doorway of a building nearby. Owen and Sebastian follow her up to the third floor, and as they come out of the stairwell, the Citizen is making his way towards them across the empty garage. He is once again in his red, white, and blue motif, and in full body armor.
”Glad you could make it. Do you have the file?” he says to them as they join up, cutting right to the chase.
”Here.” Sebastian says as he hands the manilla envelope over to the Citizen. “Now what about this video you said you had? Did you bring it?” he asks pointedly, not wanting to have his trust betrayed again when it seemed like there was no one else to turn to.
”I did. Come over here...” Citizen says as he makes his way over to the short wall overlooking the city below. He yanks a tactical bag off of his back, and pulls a notebook from a slender pouch, then sets the bag down on the wall. He presses a button and the notebooks flashes to life. He enters his security information, and then clicks through a few file folders before handing the notebook to Sebastian. ”This won't be easy... and you will have more questions than you have answers when you're done. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability, but here is what you've been looking for.”
Sebastian, Darina, and Owen crowd around the little screen, watching as Charles pulls Sebastian's Durango into the tiny lot downstairs and parks near a black sedan. The scene melts from them watching the event on the notebook in the parking garage to the parking lot that night as the clouds grew heavy overhead and Charles made his way around the Dodge towards the waiting sedan. After a few moments, the driver's door of the black car opens, and Johnathan Cable steps out into the night and heads across the darkened parking lot to meet him.
”I don't see the files Charles. Did you even bring them with you this time? I'm getting really tired of paying for...” John starts in on him harshly before Charles cuts him off.
”Yes... I brought the damned things.” Charles says, his emotions riding high, and his state of anxiousness plainly apparent.
”Well maybe you haven't noticed... it's going to be pouring rain soon, you idiot. You want to get the damned things so we can both get out of here, or what? John sneers at the young man who turns and goes back to the Durango, and pulls a lawyers file box out of the passenger rear door.
Charles makes his way quickly back towards the Beast and hands him the box as John sets it on the trunk of his car and checks his watch, scowling.
”Damnit... where is that bitch? I told her to be here already...” Cable mutters to himself.
”There a problem, John?” Charles asks hesitantly as he stands nearby.
”Nope... no problem... just it figures. When you need a job done, you usually end up doing it yourself, you know? It's really hard to find competent people these days... so when an important task just HAS to get done... I have always found it easier to do it myself than to rely on others to get the job nailed down.” John says as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts to make a call.
”Where the fuck are you? he says after moments of silence as Charles looks on. ”It's already... bitch, I told you... Just hurry the fuck up, huh? Can you manage THAT, at least?” he yells into the phone before hanging up and sliding his phone back into his pocket and turning towards Charles. ”Lawyers, huh? Always running on their own time, you know?” he chuckles as Charles moves a few pebbles around with his toe.
”Yeah... I never liked lawyers much. They're generally full of shit... but they aren't the only ones.” Charles says a bit snidely as he watches John from the corner of his eye.
”Oh yeah... what's that supposed to mean, anyway? You trying to say something?” John asks, his tone changing from aggravated to a cautionary threat almost. The tension between them then was electric.
Charles looks over at John near the trunk of his car as he slides out of his slick leather coat and lays it on the trunk next to eh box. ”Should I have a reason to imply something, John?” Charles asks, courage winning over the fear in his heart.
”If you have something to say, then just have out with it, boy? I have little patience for beating around the bush. Grow a set and speak up?” John taunts him as he unlocks the trunk, his eyes never leaving Charles as he stares intently at the young man, waiting to hear whatever asinine tidbit would fall from his lips.
”Well in that case... allow me to get straight to the point then.” Charles says as he gulps his fears back down.”See... I know a secret. It's a secret I shouldn't know, but you hired me to do a job, and I did it... So where are we in all this?”
John raises his eyebrow in Charles direction as he studies him carefully. He takes a couple of steps around the back of the car and towards Charles, who surprisingly, holds his ground... for now.”And what... uh... “secret”... would that be, now?”
”I know you aren't who you say you are, John. I know that you've been lying to us this whole time, and while I can't prove it yet... I will. I know a lot more than that too... and if anything happens to me, a lot more people are going to know about it.” he says, feigning confidence, yet oozing terror.
Just then, another black SUV pulls into the lot and parks on the far side of Johnathan's sedan. John looks at Charles with an intense fury, rage flaming behind his eyes, and moves back to the trunk of his car to grab the leather coat and the file box, and make his way to his lawyers truck. Charles leans against Cable's car and waits for him to finish with his lawyer so he can finally get the answers he wants.
Moments drift by as he stands there, and Charles closes his eyes, and drifts off as the smell of the coming rains remind him of another time. He smiles a bit, remembering a day when he was younger, playing in the rain with Darina. It was a happy day. One of the first for him in a long time... he'll never forget the way it felt to be a kid and play without worry for a change, or the way it felt to hear Owen and Sebastian laughing as they romped around in the puddles, slipping and sliding across the yard... it was...
CLICK...
Charles jumps, wrenched out of his day dream by the sound of the trunk clicking open as John returns to the car. His smile fades, and he is suddenly reminded of his treacherous position. He goes to make an excuse to leave with haste, but just then he hears a noise at the front of John's sedan and turns to see who is there.
“Who the...” Charles mutters before the dark haired woman raises a pistol in her hand, and points it straight at him.
”It's a shame you weren't more inclined to do things our way Charlie... you are REALLY good at your job. Bye now.” she says in a feisty, seductive tone. Charles ducks his head instinctively as he goes to turn and run, but John steps out from behind the car then, and swings a heavy ax handle level for Charles' face. With a sickening thud, the wood finds it mark, and Charles flops over backwards next to the sedan. He tries to roll over and get back to his feet, but John is just too fast, and too strong. The first blow would have finished the job, but just to be sure, John pulls the handle back once more, and drives it into the boy's skull for good measure.
The woman and John climb into their respective vehicles with haste, and quickly pull out of the parking lot as the scene shifts once more to SSP, Owen and Darina watching the notebook in the parking garage. Sebastian looks up from the screen in a flash of rage.
”You said it wasn't John! You told me, you son of a bitch... you said it wasn't Johnathan!” he screams at Citizen as he makes his way towards him quickly. ”How dare you fucking lie to me about Charles murderer?”
Sebastian screams as he takes a wild overhead swing with his right, but Citizen was expecting a reaction something like this... Citizen sidesteps with his left, easily dodging the blow, and grabs his wrist in his right hand, circling around to the right. Sebastian is yanked forward, and lunges to keep his feet under him, whirling around between the Citizen and Darina and Owen, cutting them off from each other as he yells at the masked man. Owen lunges at the Citizen, but he wrenches down on SSP's arm to hold them off with his human shield as a hostage.
”Sebastian... I didn't lie to you. I need you to calm down, and listen to me very carefully. I told you before, there are things going on here that are bigger than you or I, and they are far more reaching than I had expected them to be. Citizen says to Sebastian as he watches Owen and Darina trying to get opposite angles on him.
”I told you I had answers to your questions... and I would do my very best to answer them. I do, however, need you to ask them before bashing my brains in if this relationship is going to be very effective at all. Maybe we should talk in private for a while? I think I will be able to help you understand better if I show you something.” Citizen says as he backs towards the elevators with Sebastian's arm in a firmly gripped wrist lock.
”You aren't going anywhere with him you asshole!” Darina screams as she rushes towards them, flying over Sebastian feet first towards the Citizen. The Citizen ducks the kick, and spins left, wrapping one of Darina's legs in his left arm and spinning both her and Sebastian in a giant circle. As he comes around, the Citizen let's go of Darina's leg and using their momentum, tosses her at Owen. He catches her as the Citizen steps into the elevator with Sebastian and shouts back at them...”Be safe. Do not go home. Find a hotel... and ditch your phones. Meet Sebastian here in the morning. I'll take good care of him, I swear.”
As Darina and Owen race across the parking lot towards the elevators, the doors close on the Sebastian and the Citizen as the scene fades to black.
”Do not worry Sebastian. I am your friend. I will show you the truth, and it shall humble you. I will walk with you through your dark night, and be there in the light of the morning to see you home. I am the Citizen... and you are safe with me. Justice shall be done... I swear it.”