Darkeye #3

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Darkeye #3
Hammerdown!

Written by Aaron Martel (Fan4)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

On a rooftop high above the streets of Braughton, California, stood the black clad figure who called himself Darkeye. It had been a slow night, not much criminal activity, and the superhero of the shadows was getting ready to call it a night. An early night.

Just as he was about to leap to an adjacent roof, thus starting his journey home, Darkeye was impeded by the sound of a ringing alarm originating a few blocks over from where he was. Darkeye instantly sprang into action, getting a running start and bounding into the air in a mighty leap that took him to another rooftop a full block from the ledge where he was first standing. One more impressive jump took him to the East Side jewelry district where he was now in view of where the alarm was sounding, a small locally owned jewelry store that specialized in the sale of imported diamonds. But what caught Darkeye’s attention was the fact that the security gate had a huge gaping hole in it and the front door to the shop was missing, entirely broken down. As if it had been smashed in by an extremely powerful person or animal.

Darkeye leaped down to the street and cautiously approached the jewelry store. Peering through the broken doorway, he saw to his amazement an enormously muscled man literally punching through a glass jewelry counter with his fist. The man wore a brown sweatshirt with the sleeves ripped off, exposing his gigantic arms. He was also wearing brown jeans, an orange belt, orange work boots, and a brown ski mask. He lifted his hand out of the smashed jewelry case and Darkeye saw that he was stealing a handful of diamond rings and necklaces, throwing them in a dirty, yellowed pillowcase. The man also wore brown leather fingerless gloves.

Darkeye had seen enough. He marched through the doorway and stood with his fists on his hips; a classic superhero pose. He then addressed the huge jewel thief in his booming, intimidating voice.

“Put those down right now,” Darkeye commanded.

The robber looked up at him. “Huh? What? Who’re you?”

“I’m Darkeye. And I told you to drop those jewels.”

The robber chuckled. “Yeah, right. Gonna make me, tough guy?”

The huge thief stood straight up, and Darkeye was shocked to see that the robber stood at least a good half-foot taller than him. And Darkeye was six-four.

“I won’t say it again,” Darkeye stated confidently. “Put those down.”

“Alright, now you pissed me off,” the robber spat, and he charged at Darkeye like an angry bear, dropping his pillowcase.

The big man moved with surprising speed, but Darkeye was able to dodge out of the way just in time, as the robber’s momentum carried him crashing through the doorway and out into the street. Darkeye quickly followed, and as the giant robber turned around, Darkeye struck the behemoth in the jaw with a solid right cross, intending to knock him out. Amazingly, the huge robber stood his ground and shrugged off the punch as if he barely felt it. So astounded was Darkeye at this, he was caught off guard as the robber scooped him up, hoisted him overhead, and easily tossed him into a line of metal trash cans with a loud SKRASH!

Shaking his head, Darkeye had no time to gather himself as the robber was upon him and stomped down hard on his left arm with an enormous orange boot. Darkeye let out a cry of pain and reacted by leaping to his feet, clutching at the giant in a weak attempt at a bear hug. The robber responded with a double fisted blow to Darkeye’s back, dropping the shadowed superhero to the ground in a heap. This was followed up with a pro wrestling-style leg drop that landed on Darkeye’s stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

Dazed and gasping, Darkeye feebly scrabbled away from his opponent to give himself a moment to regroup and plan his next move. But the robber wasn’t giving him any time to spare, lumbering over to him and preparing to pound him again. Mustering all his remaining energy, Darkeye lashed out in a final, devastating uppercut that under normal circumstances would drop an African water buffalo. The blow connected, and the robber staggered back a few steps, but the brief and brutal fight had taken too much out of Darkeye and thus his punch lacked its usual force. Darkeye wobbly stood in a martial arts defensive posture, but the big man’s next roundhouse smashed through Darkeye’s defenses and caught him flush on the nose, downing the valiant superhero hard again. He could not get back up.

“I’m Hammerdown, punk,” the robber scoffed, kicking the fallen Darkeye in the head.

Darkeye lay there sprawled on the street with the sounds of police sirens filling his ears as the giant trudged away.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Great. Got my ass kicked for the first time as Darkeye. Just when you think you’re tough, there’s always someone tougher.

I stood in my East Side apartment on legs that felt like they were made of jelly. Somehow I’d made it back to my place without being spotted by anyone, an amazing feat considering my condition. I had lingered at the crime scene on a nearby rooftop, licking my wounds and watching Braughton’s finest doing their jobs. They’d turned off the jewelry store’s alarm and they were crawling all over the place. Some of them were literally scratching their heads, a standard police investigative maneuver. There was no sign of the big goon who monkey-stomped me so I’d assumed he’d gotten away. So I lit out for home. Hammerdown. Gimme a break. Where the Hell do you get orange work boots?

Standing in the middle of the living room, I concentrated and a bright white eye-shaped symbol appeared on my chest. The Darkeye Force “melted” into the eye and I stood revealed in my underwear, the eye’s brightness fading to a tattoo-like black. Me, Jack Randall, private investigator and master of boxer shorts.

I looked down at my arms. They were lined with black and blues. Terrific. I was sore all over my entire body, though it appeared that nothing was broken. Let me tell you, that Hammerdown was strong. As Darkeye, I have considerable super-strength; I can easily bench press a Buick. But that guy had to be stronger than me, and I was so cocky I didn’t believe it was possible. The way I’d been screwing up lately, you would’ve thought I had no business being a superhero.

I checked my answering machine for messages. There were two, from my girlfriend asking if I was still alive. I’d call her later. I staggered to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I had a frigging black eye. Will wonders never cease. I took a long hot shower and then I crashed on my couch wrapped in a towel. I was too tired and sore to make it to bed.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The next day I was sitting in my West Side PI office, bored out of my mind. I was wearing dark glasses to hide the black eye and trying to decide how to add to the décor of my office. It was a little too plain. Maybe it could use a TV or a jukebox. Maybe a dartboard. It was approaching noon and I was getting hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast and it was a pretty dead day for PI work so I decided to close the office early. I hopped into my ’03 Jetta and set out to go see my girlfriend.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Fashionsense was an East Side boutique that appealed to mostly upper crust women who in Braughton primarily resided on the East Side of the city. There were racks displaying the latest fashions for every conceivable female activity, and the prices ranged from the somewhat expensive to the obscenely gaudy. I went there to see the store’s owner, and when I walked in I was greeted at the checkout counter by April, one of the friendly and very good looking employees who worked there.

“Hey handsome,” April said. “Jill’s been crabbing about you.”

I flashed the half-million dollar smile, which was somewhat tempered by the fact that my face hurt like Hell. She tell you everything about us?”

“Everything,” April said.

“Well, look who’s decided to crawl out from his rock,” a sultry voice came from behind me. I turned around and there was Jill Carlisle.

She stood about five-ten, with long dark brown hair and deep, dark brown eyes. She had an unbelievable figure and she knew how to display it. She was drop-dead, absolutely gorgeous. If she sounds supermodel-esque, well, you’d be partly right. She did some modeling as a teenager and was being groomed for “super” status, but then she did something virtually unheard of in her field. She quit the business, invested her money wisely, went to college and got a business degree, and finally opened Fashionsense to cater to the wealthy women who didn’t want to drive down to L.A. to get the latest sundresses. After eight years the store was doing tremendously well, and Jill had made a name for herself as a savvy, successful businesswoman. Apparently rich women liked buying clothes from the ex-model with the dazzling smile and accommodating persona.

I’d met Jill while I was on the Braughton police force, saving her life from a convicted rapist who’d cornered her by her car. After I apprehended the scumbag, Jill was so grateful she offered me a monetary reward, obviously attracted to my rugged good looks and roguish charm. When I turned her down she asked me to lunch, and I would have had to be either paralyzed or dead to refuse that. We hit it off, and long story short, started to see each other. And I know, Jack and Jill, ha-ha. She was as incredible a person as she was attractive and she proved to be exceptionally loyal, staying by me even after my accident. Though skeptical, she supported my decision to leave the force and become a private investigator; however, she didn’t know about my nighttime activities as Darkeye. I mean, how do you tell your girlfriend you’re a superhero commonly known as the “night guy”?

She looked quizzically at me. “What’s with the shades?” She took them off my face, her eyes opening wide. “My God, what happened?”

“You should see the other truck,” I said.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Part of the job. I’m really fine.”

“Is this why you haven’t called or stopped by?” Jill asked.

“Mmm hmm.” I nodded. “So, think you can get free for lunch? I’ve got the day off.”

Jill looked toward April, who was nodding furiously behind the counter.

“Sure! Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Dawn and I can handle this,” April said.

“You sure? Okay, thanks, April,” Jill said smiling, tossing the master keys to April. Then to me, “Well, looks like I’m all yours.”

“Awww yeah,” I said.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The lunch was good. We were eating at a swanky East Side bistro. I had sirloin tips with a Molson Golden and Jill had a Caesar salad and red wine. Jill only ate half her salad. She always ate only half of her meals. I eyed the salad, but continued to focus on our conversation.

“So this Chaste guy’s just gone?” Jill asked. I was giving her the details of my previous case: a doctor who disappeared after his wife was shot dead by the Sanducci mob. I left the parts out about my being Darkeye during the case.

“Yeah,” I said, and took a swig of the Molson. “But I fulfilled my obligations, and I got paid for it.”

“It’s really bothering you, isn’t it?” Jill asked.

“The woman who hired me is dead,” I said, looking at her. “I guess it affected me more than I thought.”

“Jack,” Jill said, “you’re a good man. You didn’t intend for that woman to get killed. You didn’t pull the trigger. There was nothing you could do.”

“I know,” I said. “Intellectually, I know. And I’ll get over it.”

“You know what really attracts me to you, Jack? What really gets me?”

I looked at her.

“You’re a tough guy. A really tough guy. I’ve seen you hurt people, badly. But you don’t take pleasure in the fact that you can hurt people; it comes with the territory of your work. You know your actions have consequences. You have a big heart, Jack. You care.”

“You better not tell anybody that,” I snorted, squirming in my seat. “And what about you? Your heart’s just as big. Look at all those rich old biddies you’ve prevented from walking around naked.”

Jill’s eyes glittered. “I saw a need, and I filled it.”

I emptied my bottle of Molson. “You sure did. So how about you?”

“What?”

“You got any needs you need filled?” I smirked.

She gave me the look that could launch a thousand aircraft carriers. “Well, I am feeling kind of needy…”

I whipped around and flagged down the nearest waiter. “Check, please!”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Down in the furnished basement of a West Side Laundromat was a large table commonly found in any boardroom across America. Seated at the table were five men of obvious Italian descent, each with hard, stern looks on their faces. At the head of the table was an older man, clearly the one in charge of the group. This was Don Rollo Sanducci, the head of the Sanducci family, the West Side’s prominent crime organization. The others at the table were the captains of the “family”: Freddie Sanducci, Otto Sanducci, Anthony Barzone, and Spike Bandelli. This soundproofed room was where the family held its meetings and conducted its business.

“…takin’ out the gangbangers, it’s crazy,” Freddie complained. Freddie was Rollo’s son and first in line to take over as head of the family.

“On our own turf! Pop, whatta we gonna do about dis?” Otto, Freddie’s tempestuous younger brother, chimed in.

“At first I thought it was some ninja shit, now Spike’s sayin’ there really is a ‘night guy’?” Freddie whined. “We gotta take care of our own.”

“It’s those Fachini bastards,” Anthony offered. The Fachinis were the main East Side mob and the principal rivals of the Sanduccis. Currently there was an uneasy peace between the two families.

Don Rollo nodded while his captains squabbled among themselves, letting the information sink in. Finally, he had enough. “Alright, let’s get it straight here,” Rollo spoke. The others became silent.

“The West Side gangs are gettin’ whacked one by one an’ the ones who ain’t haven’t been earnin’ like they should. Spike runs into the night guy an’ gets his ass handed to ‘im.”

Spike opened his mouth but decided not to say anything.

“So now we got some night guy movin’ in on our turf an’ thinkin’ he’s gonna take over our business? Are you @#$%in’ kiddin’ me?”

Rollo stood up and pounded his fist on the table. “This is BULLSHIT! This family been runnin’ things for fifty years! Did we fold when times got lean? Did we roll over when those Fachini @#$%s came up from L.A. thinkin’ they were gonna take over our city? NO! And this night guy-”

“Dark Guy,” Spike said quietly.

Rollo glared at him. “What?”

“He said his name is Dark Guy,” Spike sputtered.

“Dark Guy, night guy- I don’t give a @#$% what he is! I want him GONE! Do whatcha gotta do an’ get this bastard! No Dark Guy @#$%stick is gonna run on the West Side! Do I make myself clear?”

The other four muttered in agreement.

“Good!” Don Rollo Sanducci thundered. “Next thing I hear about ‘Dark Guy’ is his head’s missing!”

“Hey Boss,” Anthony Barzone put forth. “I might know about someone could take care of dis problem.”

Rollo looked at his captain for a moment. “Alright, Anthony. Let’s hear it.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

I woke up in my bed and looked at the clock. 11:30 PM. Jill stirred next to me. I glanced over at my naked girlfriend and wondered again how someone who looked like that could possibly want to be with a lug like me. I wasn’t feeling sleepy anymore so I got out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts. I shuffled to my fridge and opened it. All the beer was gone. I got a cup from the cabinet and filled it with water from the tap, slugging it down and filling it up again.

I walked to my window and opened it, letting the cool night breeze in the apartment. A huge, fat yellow moon was rising above the Braughton skyline. I felt a tinge of guilt, like I should have been out there. Darkeye takes a night off. Hell, superheroes need loving, too.

I felt a pair of slender arms wrap around my waist as Jill embraced me from behind. She was wearing her robe that she kept at my place and she rested her head on my shoulder.

“You okay?” Jill said.

“Yeah, babe,” I replied. “Just feeling the night air. Couldn’t sleep.”

“It does feel nice… Jack, is there something you’re not telling me?”

My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You just… you’ve been acting weird lately,” Jill said.

I thought about telling her right then. Guess what, babe? Since I came back from the accident I discovered I have these strange shadow powers and now at night I prowl the streets as Darkeye, superhero of the shadows.

“I’m really okay, I’m just still pretty sore,” I said. “You should go back to bed.”

Jill’s hand reached into my shorts. “You know, I’m really not that tired anymore,” she purred.

About an hour later we fell asleep again.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The man who called himself Hammerdown banged into his dingy West Side apartment, throwing his lightly filled pillowcase on the floor and plopping his huge form on a beat-up couch. He sighed heavily and spat on the floor, pulling off his ski mask and leather gloves to reveal a bald pate, cocoa-brown skin, and clear blue eyes. He grabbed a remote and turned on the television, which was showing an all night news program.

He thought about getting something to eat and drink but he didn’t feel like getting off the couch. He stared at the screen, his eyes glazing over, as the news anchor droned on about the latest government procedure to cure malaria in flying squirrels and other such blah, blah, blah.

Then his eyes opened wide as if something had just occurred to him. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a scrap of paper with a telephone number scrawled on it. He stared at the paper for a moment, and then with a great effort he lifted himself off the couch and plodded over to the apartment’s sole telephone.

The end