Phantom of the Night - Part 3

Central Park Tower, one of the tallest buildings in New York City, as well as an excellent location to brut.  Two days passed since everything went down so Tyler started making a habit of coming here.  It was taller than the Empire State Building and let him take in more of the nightlife view.  Tonight, he was lying on the roof, not far from the beacon, and staring up at the night sky thinking about how to make up with Jennifer.

They hadn’t talked much since their argument about him lying to her; ending with him revealing his secret identity to her.  He had to think of something he could do that would make up for the lying and secret keeping.  The problem was, he wasn’t sure if she was still actually mad about all that or if she just had to process everything.  In the short term, it didn’t matter, they weren’t talking and he was even less focused than before.

Susie got his attention and said “So I’m guessing that you still haven’t talked to her.  Thank you, by the way, for dragging me into this.”

“I had to tell her everything.  It’s the only way I can salvage my relationship and that meant bringing you down with me.” Tyler said as a helicopter flew nearby.

“I understand why she’s upset because I would be if I had a boyfriend who did what you did.  I might be biased but I think you two will work it out.” She said, attempting to comfort him.

He sat up and said “What I need to do is focus on one thing at a time.  I can sort out my problems with my girlfriend another time.  First, I need to find Maria and figure out a plan with her.”

“Yes, because that's definitely not the attitude that got us into the situation.” Susie said, sarcasm was heavy in her voice.  After a moment of typing, she said “If that’s your plan then it doesn’t look like she’s out tonight.  That or she hasn’t taken the communicator with her.”

“Serene, push her communicator too deep.  In the meantime, I’ll start heading in the direction of her location.” Tyler said and looked toward the skyline.

Being up as high as he was, this was the best view anyone could ask for.  He could see clearly across the island of Manhattan and knew that’s what he worked to protect.  If he and Jennifer made up, he would have to show her a view like this.  He mentally prepared himself and ran toward the edge of the building.  After jumping off, because of the all-glass walls, he saw himself falling.  1,500 feet was high but he knew that the ground came faster than you would think.

At 900 feet, he stopped falling and used his boosters to start toward West Bronx.  After a minute or two, he heard Maria say “I hear you beeping at me.  I’ve been off the streets the last few nights.”

“Listen can you meet me somewhere to talk.  I need to go over some stuff with you.” Tyler said, still heading in her direction.

“I’ve been honest with you so far so I’ll just say it.  I know this communicator has a tracker in it so just come to my location.  I’ll meet you on the roof.” She said, then cutting off communication.

“That’s one less secret out of the bag.  How long do you think she’s known?” Susie asked.

“Don’t know but it’s something else I must apologize for.  If you see anything important come up let me know.” Tyler said, still paying close attention to his altitude meter.

It didn’t take long to get to the communicator's position and land on the building’s roof.  If this was where she lived, it seems like a nice, but not fancy, apartment building.  He was invisible when he landed and did a sweep of the area with the Ultraviolet scanner.  Maria was standing over by the building’s roof entrance, seemingly looking for him.  Once they spotted each other she became visible and revealed she wasn’t wearing her suit.

She was wearing a pair of jeans, and a plain t-shirt, and had her hair pulled back.  Walking over to him she said “My invisibility extends to whatever’s on me or whatever I’m holding.  You said you wanted to talk so take a seat.”

She gestured to a pair of chairs he hadn’t noticed before and sat down, becoming visible.  Once Maria was seated, he said “First off, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the tracker when I gave you that.  Secondly, I’ve talked with Detective Lin about what happened and the ECU seems willing to look past the whole matter.”

Maria took a moment to respond, seemingly studying his body language.  She leaned forward and said “You know that I trust you with who I am so I want our relationship to be crystal clear.  That communicator told me a lot more about you than I think you would’ve assumed.  First, after taking the casing off, I figured out it was made by a fabricator.  There aren’t many of those lying around so I was able to narrow in on Convergence Industries Lab facility.  From there I was able to work out who had access to tech such as your suit.  Long story short, it wasn’t hard for me to figure out who you are.”

Tyler didn’t react right away, if she figured it out it was the same way his grandfather had.  He continued to stay quiet so Maria continued to say “Listen, I’m not going to say anything, obviously.  I want our partnership to be built on honesty so, if I’m right, I would appreciate you telling me.”  She waited a dramatic moment and asked “You’re Tyler Smith, right?”

He sighed, Susie standing up and walking away for a moment, and took a deep breath.  He lifted the front of his helmet, and said “In truth, I might have lied to you about this but I’ve done enough of that lately.”

“If it’s any consolation, I only figured it out because I know what I’m looking for and I’ve been spending time with you.” Maria said and leaned back again.  She continued to study his features and said “I trust you and you trust the ECU.  If you think they’re willing to look past this then I join you in whatever crusade you want to start.”

“I like working with you, so thank you.  Now that we understand each other a little better, I’ll see you tomorrow on the streets.  I’m sure there’s some good the two of us can do.” Tyler said and put down the front of his helmet.

As he was flying away from the apartment building, Susie returned to her seat and said “We’re not having a good few days are we.”

“This was a good thing, I think.  I don’t like the idea that I can’t be completely honest with people.”

“Keep our circle tight.  Just the people that need to know is what I’m saying.” Susie said as he continued to fly back home.

The next day Tyler had work permission to be at The Lab all day even though it was a school day.  Brenda was also at The Lab working on the NRG report the two of them were doing.  They were working in in her workspace when his father, first knocked, walked in.  Seeing them working he offered to take them out to lunch.

After ordering their lunch Mr. Smith asked “So, Brenda, what is it you plan to do now that you’re almost done with school?”

“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure.  I would like to continue working at The Lab but I wouldn’t have any formal education.” She answered.

“The thing is, you two would be the first interns that do research-related work.  I’ve been talking it over with the oversight board and I think your experience, though limited, impresses them beyond a lack of education.” Mr. Smith said.

“Did you happen to talk about my staying on after high school?” Tyler asked.

“Your grandfather stepped in on that one.  He said that your continued research into Nano-Tech and NRG capabilities is worth the tradeoff.” Mr. Smith paused for a moment and added “I’m sure the same point will be made about yourself Miss Jones.  You’re a very serious person and I think that’ll help you out.”

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, Dr. Smith.  I don’t suppose I would get out of another interview though.”

“Importunity not.  If the oversight board thinks you two should be kept on you would have to go through an internal interview.  I wouldn’t worry about it though; I hear a senior member of Lab staff gives that one.” Mr. Smith said as their lunch arrived.

After they had lunch, Mr. Smith dropped Brenda back at The Lab but took Tyler to Central Park.  They entered by the Untermyer Fountain and started walking the path around Harlem Meer.  They didn’t talk for a while, just taking in the natural beauty of their surroundings.  After they walked along the lake, Tyler realized this was an old route he and his mother walked when she wanted to talk to him about something important; they were just doing it in reverse.

Looking over the lake, Mr. Smith said “I might not be the most observant parent but I can tell something’s been bothering you son.”

“Yeah, something has.  The short of it is that I wasn’t being completely open with Jennifer about work stuff.  That led to me lying about what had my mind occupied, her thinking I was cheating, and now we haven’t talked in a few days.” Tyler said, also looking across the lake.

“It’s never a good idea to lie to the people you care about but I guess you’re facing the consequences for that.  Any plans on how to fix the situation?”

“I’m not sure.  I need her to talk to me so I know where she’s at before I have any solid ideas.”

“In my experience, honesty is the best policy.  If not telling her what was going on started this mess then you need to be open with her.  Besides if she likes you, and I know she does, things will work out.” Mr. Smith said and stopped walking.  He looked at the rest of the path ahead and said “I’m going to head back to The Lab.  How you and your mother would walk this whole path and back is beyond me.”

“I’ll be back soon Dad.  Thanks for the talk.” Tyler said and continued walking.  After he knew he was alone, he pulled out his earbuds and said “Serene, I have an idea on how to be more open with Jennifer.  It’s going to require you to make a new user profile.”

After school, Jennifer was walking home thinking about how she didn’t see Tyler today.  She hadn’t seen Brenda now that she thought about it but they already had plans to meet up.  She still wasn’t sure how to process what Tyler had told her during their argument; she almost ran from The Lab once she came back to her senses.  Several factors made this decision hard; the main two being that he knew she was a big supporter of the Mirage and he managed to keep his secret for almost a year.

It didn’t shake her trust in him completely but it made their relationship take a new form.  Besides, what would her father think if he found out Tyler was the Mirage.  It was a lot to consider and she needed someone to talk to about all this.  She smiled to herself because, she realized, that’s how Tyler and Susie must’ve been feeling since their mother died.  It was all a lot to consider and Brenda was a good voice of reason.

The two girls decided to meet at Marcus Garvey Park and then grab something to drink.  Walking toward the large pavilion area Jennifer saw Brenda standing by the Watchtower looking up at Harlem.  Getting closer, Jennifer called out “Looking at anything good?”

“Just the view, though I wish you could go up this watchtower.” Brenda said, pointing behind her.

“I’m sure the view would be nice.  Tell me about your day since you weren’t at school.” Jennifer said, pointing back the way she came.

They started walking back down the path as Brenda said “You don’t want to hear about that.  I spent the day writing up a report NRG to present with Tyler.”  She let the moment hang in the air before saying “So, because I’m friends with both you and him do I need to figure out which one I like more.”

Jennifer didn’t answer right away, looking for the right words.  After a moment, she said “I don’t think so.  We had a fight but we can, probably, work through it.”  They continued walking without Brenda saying anything.  Jennifer looked at her, found she was staring at her, and said “Okay, I get it, you can sense there’s more to the story.  He says he isn’t going behind my back and gave a good reason that’s explained everything.”

“I get the feeling it’s something you’re not going to share, something deeply personal.  Does it change the way you look at him?” Brenda asked as they left the park.

“Not really, if anything it explains a lot of what I haven’t been able to put my finger on.  I’m still upset with him and I need to know he won’t lie to me again.” Jennifer said.

“You want my option.  It sounds like you know how you feel so you should talk to him about that.  You might be mad with him but he should know where you’re at.”

“Thanks, I knew I could count on you.  Anyway, what’s this report you were talking about?” Jennifer said, as they crossed a crosswalk.

She resolved to talk to Tyler about how she was feeling and set up to talk with him in the evening.  Sunset was just settling in when he arrived at The Roost to find her sitting at a table.  There were two drinks already on the table and she seemed to be looking at something on her phone.  As he sat down, she put her phone away and looked at him intently.  At first, she didn’t say anything so he, awkwardly, drank from his cup.

“I want you to know that I’m still upset that you lied to me but I’m willing to talk about it.” Jennifer said, breaking the silence.

“Just to be clear here, do you mean about my lying who I had to call or about not telling you about my night activities?” Tyler asked, hoping he didn’t open a new can of worms.

“Both, but more that you didn’t think you could trust with your secret.  More importantly, I’m upset you’ve been putting yourself in harm’s way without thinking about the people who care about you.”

“I did think about how this would affect the people I care about.  I wanted to tell you early on but then my mother was shot because she took a bullet for me.  That’s when I decided it wasn’t safe for you to know.  I didn’t need you putting yourself in danger or getting into it.”

They were quiet for a minute, both taking a deep breath.  Collecting her thoughts, Jennifer said “Not that I’m asking you to, but can you stop if you had to?”

“At the beginning, maybe, but I can’t stop now.  I stumbled onto what The Order was up to and I must stop them.  The ECU can only do so much when they have agents like Ace; someone specifically designed to fight the Mirage.  I’m not saying I’m the only one who can do this but I can do it so I should.” Tyler explained, keeping his voice down.

“You know that I supported the need for your work before I knew it was you.  The difference is, now I know it’s you and I care about you a lot even though I’m mad at you.” She said taking one of his hands.

He took his hand back and said “I know, but I can’t just stop.  However, I keep getting advice on how to make things better between us being open communication.  So, I’m letting you into my world.  Look here.”

Tyler pulled out his phone and opened an app called Sandstorm.  It looked like a more complicated version of Discord with a lot of stuff working in the background.  Turning the phone to her he explained “This is my remote access to the server we use when doing hero work.  It has real-time GPS data of the team, any data connected to our work, and communication to anyone with server access.  Also, thanks to Convergence Industries backdoors, access to most of the city’s systems.”

“That’s a lot of information you have access to.  You handle all this data?” Jennifer asked, not exactly sure how much information that would be.

“My A.I., Serene, handles the information management.” He answered, like it didn’t even require a second thought.

“Hello, Miss Williams.  I apologize for the interruption but this felt like a good moment to interject.” Serene said, and paused a moment.  Continued with “There’s a situation developing that will, likely, require your attention.  A patrol unit was called to a noise disturbance in Upper Harlem, on West 135^th Street, and discovered Order agents.  That was twenty minutes ago and, now the ECU has the whole block blocked off.  Reports suggest that Ace might be on the scene.”

Tyler and Jennifer shared a look and she said “Go and be safe.  We’ll continue this conversation later.”

“Okay, I’ll call you when I have time tonight.” Tyler said, grabbing his phone, and left.

On his way back home, he called Susie to start up her computer and be ready to help.  Their father didn’t seem to be home so he ran right upstairs and put on the ‘Hero Suit’; heading right out to the scene.  On the way, he contacted Maria and told her to meet him at the scene as well as giving her communicator access to Serene and Soothsayer.

He landed a block away from the scene and saw Maria climbing down a fire escape from a nearby building.  Approaching him, she said “Thanks for the access.  Makes traversing the city just a little bit easier.”

“One of your many new perks.  Come on, let’s go see how we can help.” Tyler said as they walked toward the line of cop cars.

The sun had fully set as they got closer to the cars and saw Detective Lin.  Another officer tapped her shoulder and pointed behind her, toward them, and she saw them.  Walking toward them she said “Afternoon you two.  I guess you heard about our situation.”

“Yes, we did detective.  What, exactly, is the situation?” Maria asked, taking a close look around.

Detective Lin started walking toward the line of dividers, saying “A couple officers first arrived on the scene because of noise.  That quickly devolved into an officer-down call and our arrival on the scene.  We got this whole area blocked off once it became apparent Ace was also at the scene.  Currently, we believe, we have them pinned down in that large apartment building.  That includes Ace.”

“We’ll check it out.  Just don’t have your guys shoot at us while we do our thing.” Tyler said and took a close look at the building.  Looking back at his partner, he said “Looks like there’s an open window you can go through.  I’ll go up to the top floor and get in through a window up there.”

“Before that, the place was undergoing serious remodeling so you don’t have to worry about residents.  The fact it was empty is likely why The Order was using it.” Detective Lin said.

Tyler looked back at the woman, and said “Be ready to do your thing while we’re in there.”

Maria took that as her cue and became invisible; Tyler doing the same and boosting up to the roof.  She confirmed that she was inside as he looked around the room he entered.  Nothing looked out of place so he left the apartment and saw three Order agents talking to each other.  He didn’t hear what they were talking about but sprang into action; becoming visible to fire blaster shots at them.  Two went down before they could even turn around and the third barely grabbed their NRG weapon.

Tyler knocked the weapon out of their hand and pinned them to the wall.  The agent raised their hands in the air and said “There’s only ten of us left.  Some got away before the ECU showed up.”

“Does the ten of you include you three and Ace?” Tyler demanded, keeping his voice low.

“Yes, he’s still here.  You got to believe me man.” The agent said.

He let the agent go but still stunned them.  Looking toward the staircase, he said “Phantom, there’s seven more agents in the building.  That includes Ace so be careful.”

“Make that five more agents.  More importantly, the first floor is clear so the ECU should be clear to enter.” Maria said.

“Already have that covered.  You guys focus on not letting Ace escape.” Susie said.

They both acknowledged and continued searching the place. Tyler didn’t have to search for long after going down to the third story.  He turned into the hallway and saw Ace talking to a projection of the Matriarch.  She didn’t look happy and he could guess why.  Before becoming visible, he fired a blaster at the projector and knocked it out of his hand, smashing onto the floor.

Ace looked in his direction and charged at him.  Tyler narrowly missed, became visible, and fired his grappling hook at his leg, catching it.  Ace fell face first but wasn’t down for long, quickly grabbing the grappling line and pulling on it.  He knocked Tyler off balance and fired a few shots at him, causing him to fall.  Before he could get up Ace lifted him up and tossed him through a doorway, breaking the door.

Someone was trying to get his attention, calling his real name, but he could focus on that.  Ace was just about to enter the room when something smacked him and he was out of the doorway.  Maria, suddenly, appeared and helped him to his feet, saying something about him being okay.  He could see she was focused so he had to be as well.  Ace was in the doorway again, lined up to fire at Maria, but he stepped in the way to take the hit.

Maria became invisible again as Ace entered the room.  Tyler electrified his suit and punched him in the chest twice.  The moment of shock was enough time for Maria to jump onto his back, become visible, and put her staff under his chin.  He tried to throw her off a couple times, only succussing at the last attempt.  She didn’t stumble when landing, jumping right back into action using her staff to strike his side.

Their fight lasted long enough that ECU officers showed up in the hallway and started to enter the room.  The officers drew their guns as Ace dived for the window and flew away, getting away again.  The officers then lowered their weapons after looking amongst themselves and the two vigilantes.  They started walking out of the apartment building, watching the activity around them, and found Detective Lin waiting for them.

She was leaning against her police cruiser, arms crossed, and said “Good job in there.  I want to show you two something.”

She indicated they should get in her cruiser so they did.  Maria looked like she was still unsure of the matter but Tyler trusted the detective.  She stopped at a hospital that wasn’t far from the crime scene.  Getting out of the car, she said “I want you two to trust me and come inside without being invisible.”

Tyler trusted her and Maria must’ve followed his lead, staying visible, as they entered through a back door.  They were led through a series of halls, finally stopping at the top floor, to a hospital room.  Detective Lin pointed at the door and said “Inside is Officer Marshal Park.  He’s the man you broke the leg of when you thought there were enemies Phantom.  We all make mistakes in our line of work but I wanted you to know we have your back at the ECU, even if it’s against policy.  I’m working what magic I can but, for now, you trust us and we trust you.”

“Of course, detective; I’m starting to see that.  Is he going to be okay?” Maria asked.

“In our line of work, we have some of the finest insurance we can get.  Generous donations from privet citizens also help.  I’m going to check up on him, you two can go now if you want.”

Maria started walking away and turned invisible.  Tyler thanked her and followed his partner.  Apparently, she found a way onto the roof of the building and he found her looking out over the city.  Without turning around, she said “I hope she understands I’m trying to trust her.  I would find it hard to trust me if I was in her position.”

Walking up next to her, and opening his helmet, he said “I first encountered her at my worst.  It was just after my mother died and I was going at this whole hero thing from the wrong angle.  She approached me like a friend and I haven’t forgotten that.  I think that first encounter shaped our relationship a lot more than either one of us realizes.”

“Listen, I’m glad you decided to look for your phantom of the night.  I feel I made a good friend out of this.  If I come across anything interesting  I’ll tell you.  For now, I’m going to hit the streets and I look forward to seeing you again.” Maria said, turned invisible, and went off running toward the next rooftop.

Putting down the front of his helmet, he asked “Soothsayer, is there anything happening I need to worry about?”

“A dispatcher is talking about a minor car chase about ten blocks from you.” Susie said.

“Let’s get going then.” Tyler exclaimed and boosted toward the car chaise.

Elsewhere, at an Order base.  Ace had just returned to the Matriarch and Alpha.  He was describing his encounter with the two heroes when the Matriarch cut him off.  Glaring at him, she said “This is unacceptable work; you’re supposed to be my Ace.”

Alpha looked between them and said “With all due respect ma’am, it’s not his fault we keep losing supplies and intelligence.”

“You’re quite right Alpha; he’s trying his best but that Mirage just keeps showing up.” The Matriarch said and turned to walk around the room.  Pressing a few buttons on the table, she continued with “We can’t work nearly as effectively since the Mirage started snooping around.  We need to get ahead of him so I think it’s time to advance Operation Titianpoint.”

“Ma’am, we don’t have everything ready for Titianpoint yet.” Alpha said.

“Then get them ready.” The Matriarch commanded and the two left the room.  Turning back to the table, she said “Axel, darling, Operation Titianpoint is being moved up.  Do you have any suggestions?’

“The end of May, Ma’am.  Two weeks from now, to be more precise.” A male voice said.

The Matriarch smiled, patting the table saying “Make it so than darling.  Keep this on a need-to-know basis, Priority One members, only.”

“Suggestion, Ma’am, Priority One members do not include the Agent.  I would recommend including her in this plan.” Axel said.

“I will take that into consideration but, for now, Priority One members only.” The Matriarch said and turned off the table.