“Something I need to know about?” the vigilante asked. He wore his mask and adventuring garb, which was the least of the things that seemed different about him. As Harold Grant, he was a dashing and somewhat approachable figure — but as The Darkling, he exuded danger and his voice was much deeper.
Samantha glanced at him and suppressed a shiver. “Lazarus has a sophisticated monitoring system set up — if an alert goes out on either the police or fire department radio bands, we know about it.”
“Impressive.”
Eun quickly returned, slightly out of breath. “Huge fire was reported over at the Lovecraft but they’re saying it’s completely under control. Multiple corpses were found in the room 317.”
“That was Scratch’s,” The Darkling murmured.
Ignoring the interruption, Eun said, “We also just got a call from John McBurney — he says that the mayor needs to see you immediately. He says it’s a major emergency.”
McBurney was the personal aide to Mayor Rainsford Byles, one of the few good men in the Sovereign political machine. Byles offered assistance to the city’s defenders when he could, sometimes at great personal risk to himself.
“Tell him we’re on our way,” Lazarus said. Turning to The Darkling, he added, “Would you mind going with Morgan to check out the scene at the Lovecraft? There may be something useful that they left behind — some clue as to what their next plans may be. I’m also curious if Doctor Satan set this fire to hide his tracks or if something else occurred.”
The Darkling nodded, moving quickly to the door. He brushed past Eun without a word, forcing Morgan to hurry to keep up. “We’ll take my car,” he said, hurriedly taking the stairs toward the street.
“Fine,” Morgan said, “But when we’re there, let me handle things. The authorities know me.”
“You’re free to do what you wish. I’ll focus my investigations in my own way.” The Darkling glanced at Morgan, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s agree not to get in each other’s way.”
Morgan frowned but murmured an agreement. Truth be told, he didn’t want The Darkling spooking the local cops or firefighters. Even the guys who weren’t on the take were jumpy about the cloak and mask crowd — and The Darkling’s creepy act would only make that worse.
“Whatever you say, boss,” Morgan replied.
Lazarus, Eun and Samantha were led into the mayor’s office, where they found Sovereign’s highest elected official puffing away on a cigar and staring out the window, a pensive expression on his face. He seemed to relax slightly as he turned to face them, shaking hands with both Lazarus and Eun before giving Samantha a fatherly hug.
His narrow gray eyes refused to give any indication as to what was troubling him but his body language suggested that he was more tense than usual. A former professional polo player who had retired just a few years before his switch to politics, Rainsford Byles had a nervous habit of tensing his broad shoulders, which he was doing now.
After everyone had taken their seats and the mayor’s secretary had closed the door, Lazarus asked, “What’s the nature of the emergency, Mr. Mayor?”
“Call me Rainsford,” Byles said with a tired grin. They went through this little song and dance every time they got together. Turning to Samantha, he said, “I saw your father the other day. He said you should call him more often.”
“If I called him every hour, it still wouldn’t be enough,” Samantha said, placing her hands over her crossed knees.
“Fathers and their daughters,” Byles said with a shrug.
Lazarus spoke up in a businesslike fashion. “Your call mentioned an emergency, Mr. Mayor?”
“Yes, you’re right — we have more pressing business.” Byles picked up his cigar and tapped it against the ashtray. “I received a package shortly before I called you.” He gestured to a nearby table, upon which was sitting a partially unwrapped parcel.
Lazarus stood up and approached the box, peering inside. His normally impassive face twisted at the awful sight that lay within — it was a pigeon, one that had been horribly crushed by some powerful grip. Lying beside it was a handwritten note that read:
LAZARUS: YOUR AGENT MAY HAVE STOLEN MY PRETTY LITTLE BIRD BUT SHE’LL NEVER FLY FREE. BRING HER TO ERNST HILL AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OR THE MAYOR DIES.
The reference to Ernst Hill caught everyone’s attention. One of the highest points in the city, it overlooked the Sovereign Cemetery and was most notorious for having been the site of a terrible gang rape several decades past. The crime had been so terrible that the details were still whispered of as warnings to young women. Though not everyone knew the final horror: that the teenage girl had been impregnated and had carried the baby to term. Upon seeing its face, however, she went mad, claiming that in its eyes were the eyes of her attackers. Shortly thereafter, she’d committed suicide and the baby had been placed into foster care.
“Strange,” Lazarus murmured.
“You can say that again,” the mayor answered. He took a last drag on his cigar before stamping it out. “Who sent it? Why send it to me if it was a message for you? And who’s this ‘pretty little bird’ they’re talking about?”
Lazarus passed the note to Samantha, who read it quickly before handing it to Eun. “It was sent by a man who calls himself Doctor Satan.”
The mayor’s eyes opened wide. “Good lord! I’ve heard of that lunatic! They say he poisoned the water supply in El Paso last fall — killed nearly thirty people, some of them children!”
Lazarus nodded, adding, “He sent the note here because he wants you to know about the threat. He enjoys causing fear and he thinks this is a good way to do that.”
“Well, he’s crazy if he thinks I’m going to be paralyzed with terror!” Byles stood up and adjusted his tie. “We’ll have every officer in the city surrounding Ernst Hill — if the jackal shows his face, we’ll throw him behind bars before he knows what’s happening!”
“I wouldn’t recommend that,’ Lazarus said. “This man and his allies have abilities that your men couldn’t deal with. They’d just be victims waiting to happen. My people will handle him.”
“And what do you want me to do? Just sit at home and twiddle my thumbs?” The expression on the mayor’s face made it clear that he hated to be shoved to the sidelines.
Lazarus looked over at Eun. “I’ll leave someone with you to protect you, though you’re welcome to have your officers there, as well.”
Eun rose quickly from his chair. “Chief! Don’t do this! I want to be there when we take Satan down!”
“Someone needs to stay with the mayor,” Lazarus countered. “No matter who I task with that duty, they’re going to be disappointed.”
“But I’m a fighter! You need me for this.”
“We’re all fighters,” Samantha pointed out.
“That’s easy for you to say — you’re getting to go!”
Lazarus held up a hand and both of his friends fell silent. “For all we know, this is a feint. We send the majority of our forces to Ernst Hill and then Doctor Satan arrives to grab the mayor. I have a feeling that you’re not going to miss out on any action.”
Eun sighed but said nothing in reply. He could tell from the look on Samantha’s face that she wasn’t going to say a word to help his case, especially if it meant that she might be put on guard duty instead.
Turning back to the mayor, Lazarus said, “I want you to remain here this evening. City Hall is far more defensible than your house would be — plus, we don’t want to put your family at risk. We’ll make it very clear to the papers that you’re working all night on some important piece of legislation. It will reinforce the image they have of you as a hard worker.”