Every man is an island (story)
By
Ravenswing,
Posted on: 2008-10-15 08:27 in Multi-Media Fan Creations
Nice character piece. I liked it, and not just because Ni is in it. 
(He does seem alarmingly interested in her, and it's interesting to note that Ni has him a little confused.)
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
They call me 'hero'
"It's Shadowe! Stop him!" The cry from a Malta Group 'Gunslinger' - to Shadowe's mind, a too-cocky-by-half thug armed with some of the most amazing technological gizmos - alerted the rest of the group. Richard had been tracking this squad for an hour, and cursed the lapse in concentration that caused the light he had wrapped around himself to warp and shift, revealing his presence.
"Time to earn my pay," he muttered to himself. Today he was in his black leathers, not his full battlesuit, and lacked the sophisticated sensor arrays built into that costume. Not that it made much difference. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the group unlimbering a Bio-Energy Feedback Inducer - the dreaded 'Sap-gun' - and quickly focused his attention on the man.
A quick burst of energy flashed, brilliantly lighting up the dingy alleyway, and the Sapper flew away, out of the fight for a moment. Bullets whined, a pair of them punching into his left arm, leaving it hanging limply at his side. It would heal, but the trauma was minimal, so it would take an age. He flicked a hand as if swatting a fly, sending a rippling wave of energy at the group, who tumbled like like bowling pins, leaving only the Gunslinger still standing.
"Damn," he said, clearly. "Well, maybe I can pick up the spare." Just as a pair of pistols twirled in his opponent's hands, Shadowe launched an unstable sphere of energy.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gasping in shock, Shadowe felt the icy chill of cryo-rounds slam into his chest, felt his body going numb as ice began to form in a thick layer over his skin.
BOOM!
His attack struck the Gunslinger in the chest, launching him into the air, the blast filling the alley, and Shadowe was gratified to see the other mercenaries slump to the floor, the fight knocked out of them. Except the Sapper.
He struggled against the freezing agony that threatened to entomb him, somehow managing to send a stream of energy at the Sapper, then another at the Gunslinger, for good measure. Time. He needed time. The ice would thaw, and he would be able to break free, but right now it was still too strong...
Focusing his will, he sent a continuous stream of energy, flickering it from one target to the next, desperately trying to keep them down. With a crackling noise, the ice around him started to give way, and he redoubled his efforts, suddenly breaking free.
Faster than the eye could follow, he darted amongst the fallen men, quickly attaching prison-port tags to each of them, watching with satisfaction as they were swiftly extracted by the City's dedicated penal teleport network.
Ten more down. If he could work hard enough and fast enough, the Malta Group would learn that Peregrine Island was not a safe place.
* * * * *
They call me 'saviour'
Gazing across the table at the young woman opposite him, Richard Huntington sipped his coffee. The young woman, Marie, was one of several he currently had living at Huntington Manor - it was a very long story, and it had earned him the thanks of his girlfriend, Cassandra Zero - and she had dragged him out for an early morning drink and a chat. She was very enthusiastic and effusive in her praise for his assistance.
"You know, Doctor H, I can't thank you enough for helping us out. It's not as if you had to, and we kinda roped you into it without asking, but the rest of the girls and I are really grateful for all your help."
"It's nothing, my dear. The very least a gentleman can do, under the circumstances. And I'd like to thank you for your quick action on the Unity Plaza situation last week. That was more than I could hope for, you know."
She blushed, quite prettily, really, obviously unused to such praise, and he hid a smile behind another sip from his cup. "Yeah, well, Melissa sort of dragged us all into that. We just did what we could. They're your friends, and we didn't want those Malta scum - or those others - to hurt them. It just felt like the right thing to do."
Leaning forward, he set the mug down on the table, and smiled at her. "It was the right thing to do. And, to shut you up on something that I know has been discussed a bit in what you girls believe to be utter secrecy, it also constitutes a service to me, which means I don't want anyone offering me their life-savings to pay for rent at the Manor. I don't need the money, you do, and I consider us even."
It was a magnanimous gesture, entirely in keeping with his persona, and it was also the truth. He didn't need the money, and he only wanted to help. If he could put up a dozen homeless women, and if they were prepared to risk life and limb to protect his friends, then he felt that he got the better of the deal.
* * * * *
They call me 'friend'
Sitting, invisible, on the balcony of his Galaxy City apartment, Richard watched Annette walk into one of the shops on the ground floor - first floor, as these Americans put it - of the building. She was a sweet child. Rather troubled, and desperately in need of someone to hold her and approve of her, and tell her that she was a good person who was doing the right thing. He'd tried, that terrifying day in the War Zone. And he was pretty sure he'd gotten through to her.
She might think he was just being nice, but he really did think she was a good person. She thought she was in the fight for revenge, for what the Rikti had done to her brother, but he had seen enough to know that she wasn't consumed by the desire for vengeance. Oh, it fuelled her will to fight, but it wasn't the be-all and end-all. It was the trigger, the spark that lit the fuse, and the first hints of the explosion of heroism were starting to show. Especially now that she was coming to terms with the identity that she had crafted, Nitoichi, who was her tool for battling the horrors that gripped her spirit.
He didn't entirely understand Nitoichi, to be honest. She was a brash, confident, abrupt and very direct persona. And she seemed utterly distinct inside Annette's mind. Others were trying to help her come to terms with that duality, and he was leaving well enough alone, just being there for her, should she need him.
"Be a good friend, Huntington. That's what she needs. Love her, protect her, comfort her and never ever hate what she is. That's what you need to do."
Even if a corner of his mind wanted more.
* * * * *
They call me 'lover'
He lay in the arms of the woman he loved. The hours of their tenderness, the sweet, slow, sensuous intimacy of their bodies, were over. She wasn't asleep, he knew, but she lay, cradled in his arms, and he softly stroked her white hair as it cascaded across his bare chest.
If he hadn't been overwhelmed by feelings of love and desire, her constant surprise would have been amusing. She seemed surprised that a "great lump" like her could stir passion in him. She seemed surprised that he wanted to spend hour after hour exploring her both physically and emotionally. She seemed surprised that even with her long absences - and they had been long - that he, a man rumoured to have a different lover every week, saved himself for her, only wanted her. She seemed surprised that he wanted to be with her, and that he wanted to have a family with her. She seemed surprised that she was willing to have a family with him.
And through each and every surprise, he whispered to her, "I love you." And that seemed to be the greatest surprise of all.
* * * * *
They call me all these things. I just wish I could believe them.
Right now, it's midday on Paragon City. I've got a lunch appointment with a woman who wants to take me to bed. I'm tempted to let her. I'm not going to, I guess, because Cassandra doesn't deserve that betrayal, and because Richard Huntington isn't a slave to his lust. Which doesn't stop it being quite tempting. But I'm stronger than that. I've made my decision, and Cassandra is my future, and it's a future I'm looking forward to.
I'm currently in orbit, catching some rays. Sunlight is rather pleasant, and it's peacful up here, even with having to dodge a satellite every once in a while. Down there, on the peaceful-looking world below me, billions of people are going about their lives, some important, some not, but each and every one of them has a sense of self that is an unassailable focus point for their humanity. I wish I had one. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not 'special'. That I'm not 'better'. That the greatest gift I can give to the human race is to protect the human race, but I can't do that if I think I'm better than them.
It's hard work, not becoming detatched. It would be so easy to live up here, and only go where my powers are needed. To use my powers as I see fit, to ensure that humankind lives the kind of life that I believe they should have. To start controlling them in subtle ways, to use my wealth and influence to bring about a utopian age of peace and prosperity where the guilty are dealt with swiftly and the innocent are nurtured and loved. I want to do this![i] I can, too. I can rule the world under an iron fist sheathed in velvet, and they would thank me for it... and the part of me that is still the English boy with a rich Daddy and wonderful Mummy and an annoying baby sister would finally die. Like I should have died the day of the accident.
But I'm selfish, really. I don't want to die. I want to pretend to be human for as long as I can. I quite like being Richard Huntington. So I spend my hours getting close to people, and helping people who can't help themselves. I try to be the hero, the saviour, the friend, the lover.
I hope I'm winning.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.