Solace Ch.27

— Darius Johnson —

I had stayed with Eve for about an hour longer and her mood had increased a lot before I left. Beyond being my girlfriend, Eve was also my partner when it came to our patrolling and heroic deeds, she and Mark helped me get things done, and I couldn’t have her down and out for too long.

She’d skip patrol tonight and pick back up tomorrow, but I wouldn’t.

Crime rates have shot up recently, and there is a new unknown group moving around in my city.

I highly doubt those two events are unrelated and both of them need to be regulated as soon as possible.

I blasted off from Eve’s place and toward my home.

I needed to grab my costume and talk to my dad.

If Adam Wilkins was like this because of him, then there wasn’t really much I could do. As harsh as my dad is, he doesn’t tend to kill or scare unless he finds it necessary or is dealing with an obstacle in his path that he’d rather destroy than move.

He must have found Eve’s dad more detrimental than I had previously thought. The worst I imagined he’d do was maybe grab the guy by the collar and threaten to whoop his ass, but judging by how fucked up Eve’s dad is, he definitely went further than that.

I landed in front of my house and made my way into the house.

As I walked in, I saw my mom, dad, and little brother all on the couch watching tv.

“Darius, baby, you’re back!” My mom stood up and made her way over to me. My eyes widened slightly in surprise with how she was approaching, and when she neared me, she pulled me into a hug and placed a kiss on my cheek. Being the loving son I was, I returned the hug, but didn’t forget how unusual this behavior was from her.

“Someone’s having a good night.” I observed as I looked down into her eyes and was met with a twinkle and a knowing smile.

“It’s more than just a good night!” She hummed and spun around to look at my father and little brother.

“Darius!” Omar grinned madly at me, and I raised a brow at how happy he was.

“Omar.” I smiled and stepped forward. “Are you going to be the one to tell me what’s got everyone so happy?”

“Mmm!” He stood up on the couch and placed his hands on his hips, as if he was mimicking Omni-Man, which made my father cringe and give him a light push, sending him on his stomach.

He pouted at my dad, Lucan’s firm gaze took away any protest the four-year-old boy had to give.

He stood back up and grinned at me, forgetting all that had just happened as he outstretched his arms.

“I’m gonna be an older brother!”

“…”

I stared at him with widened eyes, shock taking over my body as I spun to look at my mom, who was grinning so wide that it looked painful.

“Momma…” I breathed out and stepped closer to her.

“Third times the charm, am I right?!” My mom giggled, and I wasted no time scooping her up and lifting her in a tight hug.

“That’s amazing!” I shouted with excitement. The horrible things that were happening in the city completely left my mind as I basked in my mother’s warmth and good news.

“It is, isn’t it?” My father stood up with his own heartfelt smile. “Another child, another member of our family.”

I smiled at the man. Even if I was a bit upset at him, it didn’t change the fact that he was my father and I loved him too much to not show him that love at a time as great as this.

“Congratulations to you both.” I offered them a warm smile.

“What about me?!” Omar crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. “I’m gonna be an older brother!”

“And that’s wonderful, I’m happy for you, my baby boy.” Miranda giggled and wrapped her son in a tight hug.

“I’m not a baby!” He shouted but didn’t fight her embrace. He was a momma’s boy at heart.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived for four years or four hundred; you’ll always be my baby.” She whispered in his ear and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Mmm mmm!” Omar shook his head. “I won’t be your baby when you see how strong I become! I’m going to be the greatest Viltumite anyone has ever seen!”

“It’s Viltrumite, do not get it wrong again.” My father warned and Omar quickly nodded with a bead of sweat.

“Quit torturing the poor boy.” My mother gave my father a scolding look and it was his turn to nod.

“You’re right.” He agreed after a second before giving me a quick glance. “The boy is just so different from Darius, and not in a good way.”

“And it’s your job to teach him how to be a proper man.”

“A proper Viltrumite, yes you are right.” He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale, I could tell he was imagining my brother and I dressed in white, cutting our enemies down with our bare hands and bringing great pride and joy to him.

The Viltrumite dream, settle down with a nice human woman, have some nice Viltrumite kids, and watch them grow up to be proper adrenaline fueled Viltrumites.

If I’m lucky, I’ll live the same dream, but without the proper Viltrumite kids thing.

Suddenly, something popped back into my mind.

“Wait mom, you said the third times the charm, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!” I stared at her with narrowed eyes and she just giggled at my accusatory look.

“Exactly what I said, dear. Two sons haven’t been the most relaxing experience, and I’ve been praying to God Almighty that I am blessed with a daughter for once, hopefully, a normal one at that.”

Lucan gave his wife a narrowed eye look, but she challenged it with practiced ease, and after a couple of seconds, he backed off.

“Uwah, but girls have cooties!” Omar looked absolutely affronted, and his childlike ignorance made both my mother and I burst out laughing.

“Yes, all girls have cooties, even your mother.” Miranda joked as she bent over and kissed Omar again, making him cringe and back away from her.

“UWAH!” Omar jumped onto his feet and moved as far away as his little legs could carry him. He didn’t stop at the edge of the room; he kept running up the stairs and to his own room, where we heard him slam the door.

“Don’t go slamming doors in my house!” My mom shouted after him as all the playfulness left her, and I was briefly reminded how strict she could be when you fucked up around her. As a kid I didn’t really have to experience it because I was smart enough to stay well-behaved.

I glanced at my father who was looking at my mother, and I shook my head. While I intended on talking to him about Eve’s dad tonight, I don’t want to ruin the mood for him or myself.

My mom is pregnant, that’s worth celebration, not the stress that would be born the moment I confronted her husband.

“Are you going out to patrol tonight?” My mom questioned as she made her way out of the living room and into the kitchen.

“Yeah.” I answered truthfully. “Crime rates are up, and apparently there’s new blood in the city.”

“New blood?” My mother put a hand to her chin in thought. “Good or bad?”

“Well considering crime rates skyrocketed around the same time their presence became known…”

“So bad.” Miranda nodded with a small frown. “Whoever they are, I want you to be careful.”

I smiled warmly at the woman and walked toward her. I stopped just behind her and wrapped my arms around her, giving her a tight hug. I couldn’t see her face from my place behind her, but I knew she was smiling. A soft, gentle hand reached back to touch my face, which only made me want to stay longer.

“I will.” I whispered with as much feeling and love as I could manage and she hummed at my words.

“Good, now go do your duty, before I change my mind and lock you in the house.” My mother threatened with a stern voice, but the warmth was still there.

I gave her a cheeky smile, only because she couldn’t see my face, and let go of her. I gave my father a nod, which he returned, before making my way upstairs to prepare for my night.

— Titan —

“Can we play again, Daddy?” The loud, excited voice of his daughter, Fiona, rang out for everyone in the penthouse to hear.

A soft smile, only reserved for the two women in his life, danced on his face.

“As many times as you want.” Titan placed his hand on his daughter’s head, making her giggle. “Be a dear and gather the dominos back up.”

“Mmm!” The little dark-skinned girl nodded and quickly began pulling all the dominos on the table toward her. Titan watches with no small amount of pride as Fiona flipped each domino face down and began shuffling them in preparation for a new game.

A soft hand was placed on his lap, and Titan’s brown eyes danced with mischief as they locked onto the form of his wife beside him.

“She takes after you, back in your younger days.” His wife, Vanessa smirked knowingly, and Titan’s smile grew.

“That she does.” Titan agreed with a reminscient smile. Once upon a time, he had been as loud, and brash as her—but he was also happy.

Then Machine Head came along, and fucked everything up.

That auto tune using fuck made everything bad, he made the city bad, and with enough time, he would have made the world bad.

Titan had been forced away from his steady life, doing small gigs to support his family, straight into a life of blind servitude.

As much as he hated to admit it, Machine Head had been his master, and he had been nothing more than an entertaining and fairly useful slave.

It was infuriating, and worse than that, it was detrimental to the life he had built.

Titan could never disobey, never go against orders, lest his wife and daughter face the consequences of his actions.

And if Vanessa and Fiona were ever taken from him…there would be no point in living.

A deep sigh escaped Titan as he looked at the side of his wife’s face, then around the penthouse, and finally at his daughter.

Those days were gone. Yet he wasn’t the same man he had once been.

He had grown colder, less affected by taking the lives of others, and much more dangerous.

Yet, he had regained his happiness.

His family was happy, never to struggle again for the rest of their lives if things went his way, and he’d ensure they did.

But now there was another problem, a group that was trying to claim what they hadn’t worked for, what they hadn’t suffered to attain, and Titan wouldn’t allow such a group to exist any longer.

“Daddy, take your dominos.” Fiona pouted, and Titan snapped back to reality.

“Ah, sorry princess.” He smiled softly at her, making her pout go away as he took his seven dominos in hand.

Isotope gave him a look, wondering if something was affecting him, but Titan just frowned. They’d talk about it later.

His family and right hand man played dominos for another hour or so before the elevator suddenly dinged.

All eyes turned to it, and Titan’s eyes narrowed a bit as the kid, the good to his bad, walked out with a nonchalant expression on his brown-skinned face.

“Hi Solace!” Fiona stood up and greeted with an excited grin.

Darius returned her grin with a small smile of his own. “Hey, Fiona, you look well.” His eyes drifted over to the table and noticed the dominos. “Did you have fun playing dominos?”

“Mmm! I gave Isotope six-love!”

Isotope just looked away, utterly ashamed of the fate he had been forced to experience for the sake of his daughter’s happiness.

“Good job, I bet some day you’ll be good enough to show up your dad.” Solace grinned, taking pleasure in Isotopes displeasure.

“Mmm, thanks!” Fiona beamed, making the entire table smile softly at her.

“Vanessa, why don’t you and Fiona head to bed.” Titan looked to his wife who met his gaze for a moment before nodding.

“Come sweety.” Vanessa held out her hand as she stood up.

“But Mommy, I’m not tired.” Fiona whined.

“I know my baby girl, but your daddy and Solace have to talk without us, okay?”

“Is it about the bad guys?” Fiona frowned, and her mother just gave a small nod as she led them toward the bedrooms.

After several seconds of silence, Titan decided to address the hero.

“Didn’t expect you to be here tonight.” Titan raised a brow.

“I wasn’t gonna come initially, but i think those neighbors of ours have had enough alone time, wouldn’t you say?” Darius said with a hint of something Titan couldn’t place. He had his full hero attire on, minus his hood and mask, the latter he was holding in his hand.

“And you plan on doing that tonight?” The dark-skinned suit wearing man stood up and put his hands behind his back.

Darius, or Solace, had gone around a week without actually acting as a hero. Ever since he had told him about the new group, the kid had kept his distance from anything hero related.

Which while detrimental to the crime rate, was for the best. It’s never smart to throw your trump card in a battle when you know nothing about your enemies.

But now he was finally getting back into action, or rather a patrol to gather some information since Titan and his men had hardly learned anything about the new group in town.

“Of course, if you guys can’t figure anything out, I gotta step in. Hopefully by the end of the night we learn something beneficial.”

“That would be ideal, just try not to get yourself killed.” Titan said with a stern voice, and Darius snorted.

“Me…killed? You must have forgotten who I am.”

And with those words, the kid walked back toward the elevator and stepped in, letting it close to take him down and out of the building.

Titan dropped his head in his hands. As much as he hated to admit it, Solace was his key to keeping this city his. Without him, he’d be open to villains with stronger powers than him.

Sure he had more money than most of them, and a loyal gang that practically worshiped him for taking out Machine Head and replacing him, but that wouldn’t be enough for some of the bigger fish in this vast pond that is Earth.

“He’ll get the job done.” Isotope spoke up from his place across from Titan. His voice was filled with utter certainty.

“How can you be so sure?” Titan asked, unable to shake the fear of losing his happiness again.

Isotope pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. A lighter came out next as he let the fire catch the cig. He took a draw and let the smoke fill the air.

“We’ve known him for a couple years now, and contrary to being a kid, he has shown his worth, not only as an ally, and protector, but also a leader.” Isotope explained before taking another draw.

His eyes narrowed at Titan as he pulled the cigarette from his lips. “Ask yourself—when has ever let us down?”

— Darius Johnson (Solace) —

I stared down at the two groups of men gathered beneath me.

It was late, a bit past midnight, and I think I’ve finally found a branch of men that seem to have drifted away from the big tree that is the new group that recently entered the city.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern who was my target, and who could go unharmed.

There was a group of construction workers that were starting the preparations for a concrete foundation. Then there was a group of guys that were overseeing the workers project. The group was smoking cigs, drinking, and trying to enjoy the night. My eyes narrowed at the guns they had placed on the table some of them were sitting at.

Chances are they were trying to build another base here on the outskirts of town. Whether that be because they have orders from their higher ups, or because they decided to break away from their original group is unimportant. Either way they have the information that I want, and will have before the night is through.

I decided to stop wasting time and flew downward at maximum speed.

*BOOOOOOM*

I slammed my feet into the ground, making a cloud of dirt rise as shouts of confusion and shock rang out around me.

They couldn’t see shit, and neither could I, but the fact that most of them weren’t being quiet made my job a lot easier.

I flew toward the table I had seen earlier, and punched at one of the voices I was hearing.

My lips twitched upward underneath my mask as I felt my fist connect with one of their heads. I heard their body drop and immediately threw a punch at another.

The punches I was throwing weren’t lethal.

I could definitely kill these guys and get away with it, but there was genuinely no reason to do it right now.

Until I had more information, these men would be given the benefit of the doubt.

I continued attacking, and as the dirt cleared, I switched from my previously leisure pace to a more swift and precise approach.

I flew forward, kicking a guy in the gut and making him drop on his knees and throw up the food he had been eaten, then I launched toward another and uppercutted him a few feet into the air. I watched him drop with a smug smile.

Being a hero is a pain, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at all. Utterly manhandling those who were weaker than me was just so satisfying.

Within half a minute or so of my initial landing, all of the men were on the ground, knocked unconscious, with the exception of one guy who I had left standing.

The construction workers had fled, and I didn’t stop them. I highly doubt they were part of the gang, and instead just contracted for a job, and assaulting them would give my name a shaky record.

“Solace! What the hell do you want?! We didn’t do nothin’!” The man shouted with his hands up in surrender.

My feet touched down upon the ground and I stalked forward, eyeing him through the slits in my mask.

“Answers.” I said and his hands immediately went up, ready to defend himself.

I didn’t stop walking forward, and I could tell the closer I got, the more nervous he got.

“Arghhhh!” The man roared as he charged me, and I cringed as his fist slammed against my mask. My head didn’t even move from the impact.

He isn’t even superpowered, just a normal thug.

I don’t know whether I should be impressed by his bravery, or disappointed by his stupidity.

Either way, the end result remains the same.

I brought my fist up slowly and he watched it with fear before I very slowly brought it to his stomach.

He tried to take a step back, but the moment his body twitched, I one-inch-punched him in the gut, making him clench his stomach and drop down to the ground in agony.

I looked down at him with cold eyes and gave him a light kick which sent him from a kneeling position onto his back.

“Please, I got a wife, and kids too!” He shouted before falling into a fit of coughs from my first hit.

“I’m sure you do, and I’m also sure you want to get home to see them.” I nodded understandingly and dropped down to one knee to look at him eye to eye.

His eyes widened as they locked onto mine, dark brown eyes searching for mercy in my light brown.

It was there, mercy was an option, he simply needed to earn it.

“Your gang, who the hell are they?” I interrogated, placing a finger on his gut. He looked down at it and his heart rate sped up. “If you don’t answer, I’ll push down until my finger reaches your intestines. It’s a nice night for jump roping, don’t you think?”

“You’re a monster!” He shouted fearfully and I had to agree with his assessment.

Would I actually kill this guy if he didn’t give me what I wanted? No, he seemed like a good enough person—but he doesn’t know that. I’ve killed enough bad people for him to believe my words.

“Answer me.” I ordered, my finger pressing down a bit. A grunt escaped him as he took several deep breaths.

“O-Okay, Okay!” He shouted in surrender. “La Familia, that’s our name, I s-swear it!”

I narrowed my eyes. “And what do you want?”

“I-I don’t know man!”

My finger pushed deeper and he screamed out in pain.

“ARRGGHHHH! I-I really don’t know!” He quickly shouted out through gritted teeth. “A-All I know is that the Mexican Cartel and the Italian Mob that were scattered throughout Chicago joined forces to join La Familia! Please, that's all I know, I swear!”

I frowned down at him, but he couldn’t see it thanks to my mask.

“And which gang were you a part of?” I asked with curiosity. Sure he didn’t know anything about the new combined gangs plans, but he should know at least a little about his old gangs goals.

“Neither!” He shouted, putting his hands up in front of his face. “I'm from the Chi! I only joined them last week because they pay good, better than Titan does!”

I frowned at that, so he was a Chicago native but still decided to turn his back on his city and join up with the new kids on the block just because they filled his pockets a bit more.

I stood up, unsatisfied with this little visit, but it was good that I learned anything at all.

“You’re not gonna k-kill me?!” He questioned with rapidly blinking eyes. It was clear he was genuinely surprised.

“You’ve filled your side of the deal, so you get to live to see your wife and kids.” I shrugged as I turned my back to him. “But if I come across you again still working for this group, La Familia, I’ll rip out your throat.”

With those words, I flew up and away, my form disappearing deep in the night sky.

As I soared through the air, I flipped around so my face was looking up at the sky while my back faced the city beneath me.

Those guys were only the first branch of opps that I’ve run into tonight, and I learned a bit about them, enough to give Titan at least. Though it wouldn’t be much help.

Two powerful families had joined together to create one very powerful gang. At the very least they had the money to make them very powerful.

The question is how many superpowered humans they have. If they have enough, they could completely take this city, but considering their very slow methods of taking over the city, I doubt they have enough for me to worry about.

And even if they did, I could always get Eve, my dad, and Uncle Nolan to help out.

If they really wanted this city, they could take it from the strongest heroes in the world who all happened to live here.

I looked up at the stars in the sky and let out a sigh.

I wonder what Eve was doing right now, was she sleeping, or maybe she was doing homework?

Part of me wanted to call her up, or fly to her place and check, but a much larger part of me said that La Familia would become a much larger problem if I left them unchecked.

I’d have to learn more about them before proceeding with anything more reckless, but I want them out of my city as soon as possible.

Looks like I’ll be spending the rest of my night looking for answers.

— Chapter End —

Beta Readers: @Dragonboy1

Author’s Note: We’re getting close to canon, the characters are 16, and canon starts when Mark is 17. I still have a few things planned before we actually get there, but until then, I’ll keep those things my little secret.