Chapter 4: Motivations Unknown

Chapter 4: Motivations Unknown

“Is that all Sir?”

It had been a long day, and Sandra wasn't happy about this old man keeping her from Mom's beef stew at home.

Old Man: Just a few more things...

Sandra: OK sir, but we're closing in about 5 minutes, when you've decided, bring what you want up here but be quick if you can.

Old Man: …..

This was a regular occurrence here, customers forgetting that the staff have homes to go to, as soon as Sandra thought that though, around customer walked in, dinner was looking further and further away...

Sandra approached the new customer.

Sandra: Sir, we're closing a couple of minutes, do you know what you need?

“.....”

Sandra: Sir?

“....”

Sandra: *Thinking* Great, a weirdo, now of all times...

Sandra went back to the checkout, maybe the Old Man had got what he wanted.

Sure enough, he was there, waiting for her obviously, ironic in a way...

Sandra: You found what you wanted then, great, let me run this through for you...

Old Man: There is something else young lady...

Sandra: *Sigh* Yes s....

Suddenly the old man raised his walking stick, the top popping off, a gunshot flying past her head!

Sandra screamed, then froze in shock and surprise.

Sandra: Please! Don't hurt me!

Old Man: I won't, just so you open that register and give me the m....AGHH!!!

Suddenly the other man who walked in the store was there, he grabbed the walking stick gun, ripping it out of the Old Man's grip, then hitting him around the head with it, knocking him unconscious...

Sandra: Tha...thank you, he w...was, uh, thank you!

Man: “....”

The “hero” left the store, without saying a word...

*Elsewhere, Two hours later*

Solus & Rose arrived back at Marcus' apartment, after a relatively quiet night.

Rose: You know, for a real b*****d, you can be quite forgiving...

Solus: He was just scared Rose, I've told you before, we have to give criminals a chance to walk away, sometimes they choose to do so, and sometimes they don't.

Rose: What's stopping him from trying to mug the next freshman he comes across?

Solus: I don't think he'll be doing any more mugging anytime soon, I doubt he'll think of anything but that razor sharp dagger you had to his throat for a long time yet...

Rose: Heh, yeah, I suppose. Hey, mind if I stay here tonight?

Solus: Sure, but what about your apartment?

Rose: The heating's been broken for a few days now, the landlord isn't exactly in a hurry to get it fixed.

Solus: Fair enough, I'll speak to him tomorrow if you want.

Rose: Wait, you don't mean...

Solus: Ha ha, no, nothing like that, I can be very convincing, but I don't always have to use violence...

Rose: Oh OK, thanks, I'd appreciate it, mind if I grab something to eat?

Solus: Go right ahead, I'm going to have a shower.

*10 minutes later*

Rose is sitting on the couch watching TV.

Rose: Ugh, never anything on this time of night.

Rose casually flicked on CNN...

Rose: Ugh, I hate the new.... wait what?

News Anchor: Now, we have a rather unusual story of an attempted robbery that just occurred a couple of hours ago, an older gentleman was arrested tonight for the robbery, but the method was strange to say the least, let us now go to our man on the ground.

Reporter: Yes, I'm here with the sales assistant of this supermarket who was almost a victim of robbery, can you tell us what happened?

Sandra: We...well, it was near closing times, the man had been here a while, I went to serve him, but his walking stick suddenly turned into a gun which shot past my head, he demanded the money in the register, but this other man appeared and knocked him out, but he then just left without saying anything...

Reporter: Can you describe the man who saved you?

Sandra: Um, long black coat, shortish hair, he didn't say anything while he was here, and didn't really look at me, so that's about all I can say...

Reporter: Thank you Miss...

Reporter: Could this be the work of the rumoured vigilante called Solus that we've all been hearing about? Or, do we have a new hero here in New York City?

Rose: I'd say the second...

Solus: Second what?

Rose: You might be interested in this news story I just heard...

*Later*

Solus: Sounds rather backwards to me, an old man with a walking stick that turns into a gun robbing a store, who's then stopped by a mysterious saviour, I'd be more inclined to believe the reverse...

Rose: I don't think that girl was lying, besides, they arrested the old man, I'd think they'd have the CCTV footage to prove it.

Solus: We both know first hand how crooked cops can be.

Rose: Yeah, but it seems kind of small time for Roycewitz, I think we should try and find out more.

Solus: Yeah, I suppose, but we're not going to beat this information out of someone, we'll have to be more subtle...

*Next Day, the Supermarket*

Solus & Rose stood outside, in their normal civilian clothing.

Rose: Strange they'd be open the next day after what happened last night.

Solus: Times are tough, everyone needs to make what money they can.

Rose: So what first?

Solus: I think we should find out about the victim, maybe she's remembered more about the guy that saved her.

Rose: How we going to do that? I doubt they'd tell us where she lives.

Solus: No, but they'll have a record of it for sure...

Solus & Rose entered the store, separating when they entered.

Rose approached one of the sales staff.

Rose: Hello, I'd like to speak to the manager.

Assistant: What's the problem.

Rose: Just get him, will you please?

Assistant: Err... OK Miss.

Solus watched from across the store...

Manager: Yes Miss, how can I help?

Rose: I bought a fryer from you the other week, let me put this simply, it practically blew up in my face!

Manager: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that...

Rose: I want my money back right now!

Manager: OK Miss, calm down, do you have it with you?

Rose: Of course I don't! I'm not touching that damn thing ever again!

Manager: Miss, if you don't...

Rose: What you talking about?! Are you deaf or something!

Manager: Miss, if you don't calm down, I'll have to ask you to leave...

Rose: Don't tell me to calm down!

Sure enough, Rose had got the attention of the whole store, giving Solus his opportunity...

Solus: Good girl Rose...

Solus sneaked into the staff area of the store, hoping to find the manager's office.

Solus: Hopefully no-one's on a lunch break, I'd rather not use this...

However though, Solus noticed a staff member sitting down at the nearby canteen, eating lunch...

Solus: I'm gonna have to be extra careful here.

Solus moved as quietly as possible, to the point that he wasn't even making a decibel of noise.

Getting to the managers office, Solus searched for the employee records, looking for one that matched the employee from the news report.

Solus: Found it, Sandra Hammond, West 117^th Street, Harlem...

Solus managed to sneak out of the staff area, back out to the store, where Rose was still arguing with the manager.

Solus went over to Rose.

Solus: Come on, stop that, I'm sorry, my Cousin has a short fuse, we'll be going now...

Solus & Rose left the store.

Rose: You'd better have got it, I like that store...

Solus: I got it, she lives in Harlem.

Rose: So what now then?

Solus: We'll have to go there tonight, this time in costume though.

Rose: Won't we scare her to death?

Solus: It's not us she has to worry about...

*Later that night, 117^th street, Harlem*

Sandra: I can't stop thinking about it Mom...

Sandra's Mother: Just get some sleep darling, you haven't slept since it happened, you'll feel better soon.

Sandra: OK Mom, goodnight.

Sandra's Mother: Goodnight darling, you have my number, I'll be with the neighbours next door if you need me.

Sandra turned off the light, laying in her bed.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of wind from her window, it had come open...

Sandra: Strange, I had it on the latch...

She got up to close it, and turned around to go back to bed, but there was a shadowy figure next to her door...

Sandra: Ah! Wh..who are you?!

“It's OK Miss, we're not here to hurt you...

Sandra: “We're?”

Behind her was Rose, who put her hand on her shoulder...

Sandra: Ar...are you the guy from the robbery?

“No, I am Solus...”

Sandra: Solus? The one they always talk about on the news?

Solus: Yes Miss, but introductions will have to be put to the side, we're here to ask you about the person who saved you in the robbery...

Sandra: I said everything I remembered to the reporters.

Rose: You were in shock, you might have forgotten something about him.

Sandra: I...I don't know...

Solus: Don't get stressed Miss, if there's nothing you can remember, it's perfectly alright, but this man might not be as noble as you think...

Sandra: Neither might you...

Solus: I'm not noble Miss, but I have no desire to see innocents hurt, I don't think you do either.

Rose: You sure it was the first time you'd seen that man?

Sandra: Um,,, now I think about it, I might have seen him a couple of other times, at the diner a couple of blocks away from where I work, I go for lunch sometimes with my boyfriend...

Solus: Thank you Miss, sorry for keeping from your sleep. *to Rose* Let's go...

Rose left out of the window, Solus behind her.

Sandra: Wait, are you really as violent as they say you are, that you kill any criminal you find?

Solus: Only if they aren't able to mend their ways Miss...

*Back at Marcus' apartment*

Rose: Well, that didn't tell us much.

Solus: Not really, we now know this guy has been in the city for while, that he wasn't just some travelling vigilante..

Rose: What do you have in mind?

Solus: Maybe we should check out the diner, see if anyone there knows about it.

Rose: I'll go there now, I'll see you tomorrow.

Solus: See you, let me know if you find anything OK?

Rose traveled across to the diner, but it had police tape all over it.

Rose: What the hell happened here?

On the door was a CLOSED INDEFINITELY sign, next to a newspaper article...

“At 8:35 pm Tuesday night, there was a gruesome robbery, two staff members at Croft's Diner were murdered by an armed robber, who is still at large after killing the two aforementioned staff members, NYPD are appealing for any information.

Rose: That was about 20 minutes before the attempted robbery at the supermarket, wait.

There was a nearby CCTV camera, Rose climbed up to it.

Rose: Camera number 4423...

Arriving back at her apartment, Rose first was met with warmth from the heating...

Rose: Heh, guess Solus was convincing after all...

Rose then grabbed her laptop, hacking into the city's CCTV system, looking at the footage from the diner at the time of the murders.

Rose: Wait, that's him...

The camera footage should a man with a long black coat walking out of the diner, but almost like he was in a trance, he was armed with a shotgun that he dropped.

Rose: So he murdered those people at the diner, only to stop a robbery at the supermarket 20 minutes later, I'd better tell Solus about this...

*Marcus Apartment*

Solus laid in his bed, but couldn't get the thought of this seeming new hero out of his head, if anything, it proved that was he was doing was working to a degree, even if he didn't intend to do so, someone else being around to deal with criminals was always a bonus.

It's just that he didn't trust anyone to be able to deal with criminals the way they should, the new person left the old man alive, something he admits he wouldn't have done himself, even though he always wanted to give criminals a chance, he would have to make some exceptions, for example a senior citizen who felt the need to rob a supermarket and threaten a teenage girl.

*Knock on door*

Solus: Must be Rose...

Solus opened the door.

Solus: You found something alread...AGH!!!

Solus was hit in the chest by a baseball bat, it knocked him to the floor, before he had a chance to get up, his assailant mounted him, and he was unusually skilled, Solus blocked many of his punches, but some were connecting.

Solus managed to escape, and threw the assailant against the wall, throwing punches to his torso, however he suddenly threw Solus to the ground again with some kind of judo skill, this time though Solus was ready, throwing a kick to his groin, but this only slowed him down, Solus then rolled along the floor, managing to grab one of his swords, but the assailant partly blocked it, throwing the sword into the wall, Solus had prepared for this though, and had managed to cut him badly, Solus then connected with a sharp kick to the midsection, again slowing him down but not causing any pain it seems...

“Solus!”

Rose had showed up, and she had her daggers out, she stood next to Solus in a fighting stance, the assailant then retreated out the window...

Rose: You OK?

Solus: I'm fine, what the hell was that, we need to go after him.

Rose: Not yet, you're hurt.

Solus: I'll heal, I've been hurt way worse.

Rose: Still, best not to go after him right away.

Solus: Why the hell did he decide to attack me?

Rose: He must know who you are.

Solus: How the hell would he know that?

Rose: I don't know, but that's not what matters anymore, I need to tell you something anyway.

Solus: What?

Rose: I found out more about our hero, and I'm pretty sure that was just him.

Solus: Why the hell would he attack me then?

Rose: I don't think he's as heroic as I thought, I think he also killed two people at a diner, literally 20 minutes before he stopped the robbery at the supermarket, it makes no sense.

Solus: Maybe he was trying to make up for killing those two people at the diner.

Rose: So he had a change of heart that quick?

Solus: I'd think it was his first time killing someone.

Rose: What difference does that make?

Solus: To us, none, he still deserves to die, and we're going to make sure he does, but to him, I guess he felt that saving one life might make up for his own crimes.

Rose: But we don't have any idea where to look.

Solus: I managed to cut him pretty badly, we can follow the blood trail, at least until he bandages himself.

*Later*

Solus & Rose had followed the blood trail to a roof about a mile away, but the assailant was nowhere to be found.

Rose: Solus, this is hopeless, he must have bandaged himself.

Solus: Stay here, I'm going to get a better aerial view.

Rose: What?

Solus then flew into the air, about 80 or so feet above Rose.

Rose: Anything?

Solus: Nothing yet, wait there...

Solus flew off, out of Rose's sight.

Rose: Where is he going?

Rose waited for a few minutes, but Solus didn't return.

Rose: Oh man...

Rose then ran off in the direction Solus went, while she couldn't fly, her parkour skills ensured she moved faster than even someone driving at street level would be able to move.

*Several miles away*

Solus: Why do I get this feeling?

The thought had suddenly occurred to Solus that the Assailant was heading back to the diner, where the original murder took place.

Solus then made his way to the diner, and sure enough, the Assailant was there, standing in front of the building.

Solus sneaked up behind him, but the Assailant swung his arm around, Solus blocked it, but the Assailant then kicked Solus in the gut, to which Solus backflip kicked him to the ground, Solus lander on his feet, but the Assailant was already running.

Solus then flew up, giving chase, but the Assailant was fast, enough to stay ahead, above though, Solus noticed Rose, sprinting her way across the rooftops, as they neared an alleyway, Rose made her way down, and managed to jump on top of the Assailant, stabbing him in the side, the Assailant ignored it, punching Rose to the ground, before running again.

Solus: Rose! You OK?!

Rose: Never mind me, go on, I'll catch up!

The chase went on for another few minutes, the Assailant for some reason almost running in a circle, but never getting any slower than a full sprint, like he wasn't getting tired at all...

They chased him to the supermarket where he had helped Sandra, where he just stopped.

Rose: You've nowhere to run now.

Solus: Be careful Rose, this man is dangerous.

Rose: Only when he has the element of surprise.

Assailant: …...

Solus drew one of his Desert Eagles, pointing it at the assailant’s legs, shooting both of them, but he didn't even react.

Rose: We had to come across a superpowered one eventually...

Assailant: A power beyond either of you.

Solus: Don't be sure of that.

Assailant: Let me demonstrate.

Suddenly the assailant moved unnaturally fast, grabbing Rose, who drew a knife, but too late to stop the assailant from take ahold of her.

Solus: What do you want?

Assailant: What makes you think I want anything?

Solus: How did you know where to find me?

Assailant: I know more about you than anyone else...Marcus...

Solus: What?

Suddenly, Rose slipped another knife from the bottom of her boot, stabbing the assailant in the knee, severing the ligaments, forcibly dropping him to one knee, which Solus then quickly drew one of his guns, shooting the assailant in the heart...

Rose then recovered, regaining her balance.

Solus: You OK?

Rose: Yeah, I'm fine.

Solus: Good job.

Rose: Wait, he's still alive.

The assailant was slumped up against the wall, but still breathing.

Solus & Rose walked over to him.

Assailant: Who, who are you?

Solus: What?

Assailant: *cough* Where am I?!

Rose: You don't remember trying to kill us, killing those people?

Assailant: Kill, I...I didn't kill anyone, I don't even know who you are!

Solus: What do you remember?

Assailant: Noth....

The assailant finally died.

Rose: What the hell was that?

Solus: I have no idea...

***Elsewhere***

“Mind control, amazing...”

“....I have showed you the ability you can possess with my support, now you must use it to your advantage.”

A smile came across Detective Roycewitz's face...

Roycewitz: “Not to sound corny, but it will be done...”