Gargoyleman: Broken Justice
Hard choices come when the world is falling apart
Too Big For This Square
Jayne is a little too big to fit in this comfy square… but that won’t stop him from trying
…Time for this week’s story…
Gargoyleman: Broken Justice
In Newmoon City, crime doesn’t sleep. The oppressive clouds bully the moon so it can, at best, peek in occasionally. Only Gargoyleman’s watchful eye can bring to light the city’s darkest inhabitants. Shining from the police station rooftop, a blue spotlight on the clouds above summons him and reminds criminals that he’s always on the prowl.
“Police Chief Jordan, I don’t have much time tonight,” Gargoyleman’s gravelly voice greeted from the shadows.
“Hello to you, too. The city is going crazy. Did something happen to get the whole criminal underworld riled up?” asked Chief Jordan. The middle-aged, highly decorated police chief received no response from Gargoyleman. “Fine, don’t tell me then, but my men are the ones out there cleaning up whatever mess your Justice Guild buddies made.”
“I know, Chief. Thank you.” Gargoyleman’s sincere gratitude caught the Chief off-guard, so he dialed it back.
“It’s alright, we’re just doing our jobs. I was hoping you’d know something, and wanted to give you this.” Chief Jordan handed Gargoyleman a manilla envelope. Dumping the contents into his gloved hand, Gargoyleman sifted through pictures of dead clowns.
“Cackling Clown is back.”
“Looks like it. Clowns all over the city are running scared and canceling their gigs. Kids parties are scrambling to find a magician or someone to fill in. As if the city wasn’t already in enough chaos,” Chef Jordan gesticulated as he spoke. He turned around to continue, but Gargoyleman had vanished.
With his zero-g belt, Gargoyleman ran up the sides of buildings and jumped across rooftops. He found a perch with a view to contemplate his next move. Of course, there was no time for contemplation. An explosion a few streets over alerted him to danger before the police knew it was happening. The caped vigilante rushed to investigate.
He arrived at the scene in time to intercept a gang of villains running out of a strip mall. With their faces behind masks, the smart ones scattered. Those who thought they outnumbered Gargoyleman were turned to rubble by his fists, which were left dripping in blood. The final step was to restrain the injured villains.
With echoing sirens closing in from down the street, Gargoyleman rushed inside to aid whoever he could. There were several people with minor injuries hiding behind bulky furniture, but he was grateful that nobody was seriously injured. That was, until he spotted a local bird-themed hero lying on the ground, his dark blue and teal suit covered in blood.
“Night Flight!” Gargoyleman rushed to evaluate his condition.
“Gargoyleman! You're alive! Oh, thank God.”
“Oh course I'm alive. Why would you think otherwise?”
“The villains… They said the Justice Guild is dead. I knew they had to be lying.”
“They weren’t lying. Villains attacked Justice Tower. As far as I know, only Paragon-Man and I survived. He’s healing back in my lair.”
Night Flight stared at Gargoyleman slack-jawed, then he rested his head on the pavement. After a brief silence, he took a deep breath and said, “I'm done.”
“I've seen you pull through from worse than this,” Gargoyleman assured him.
“I mean I’m done being a hero. This was supposed to be a simple grab and nab, but they showed up with so many villains. I couldn't fight them all off. I've felt things changing. Whatever is next, I don't want any part of it. The golden age of heroes is over.”
“What's a grab and nab?”
“We all knew you were above it all, but you really never knew?” Night Flight hacked and coughed, taking a moment to steady his breath.
“Carl, what are you talking about?” Gargoyleman asked sternly.
“It’s when you give some villains a way in to steal valuable stuff, then you nab ‘em for it. Everyone does it. It's the bread and butter of small-time heroes. How else would we make a living?”
Gargoyleman sat on the floor next to Night Flight, running the words through his head over and over until he could form words himself.
“That's an abuse of the system. We're supposed to be heroes. We're supposed to stop crime, not make more of it!”
“Yeah, I know.”
“What do you mean when you say, everyone?”
“Pretty much every Hero I know.”
“This can’t stand. We have to make things right. Are you willing to testify about this?”
“Seriously?”
“Let's keep this quiet. Tell Chief Jordan that you'll disclose everything to me and me alone. Say you're involved with an underground crime ring. You understand?”
“For you, I’ll testify. Just keep me safe.”
Night Flight was well cared for and would not be arrested until he turned himself in the way he and Gargoyleman planned.
All night, a shadow had loomed over Gargoyleman, and when he returned home, it was time to face that shadow. Paragon-man was awake when Gargoyleman returned to his lair. He thanked Gargoyleman for the rescue and tried to make playful banter, but Gargoyleman was particularly surly.
“Okay, what's bothering you?” Paragon-Man finally asked.
“Morpho’s attack on Justice Tower changed everything. My city is on fire, and I don't think I'll be getting any help from the Justice Guild after what happened. When you asked me to join, I wanted to keep tabs on the world’s most powerful heroes. I took my eye off crime, and now look where we are. I'm quitting the Justice Guild. You'll have to deal with Morpho on your own.”
“Woah, slow down, buddy. Let's not be hasty.”
“I've put a lot of thought into this. I'm out. Call me if the world is ending, but otherwise, goodnight,” Gargoyleman said sternly.
“Before I go, mind if I ask what happened to all that Cosmonium?”
“I harvested it. Just in case.”
“Of course you did.”
The two heroes shared a tense silence. Then, Paragon-man floated into the air and flew away. Gargoyleman tracked him by satellite and wondered if Paragon-man knew about the rampant abuses of power, and if Paragon-Man’s super-hearing had monitored his conversation with Night Fight.
Next Time
Sidekick V-Sides 3: Black Sheep