Jean was walking home on a dark street in a lonely section of town. She always left the 7-11 where she worked feeling depressed and drained. The roads and alleys that led home were so familiar now that she didnt even look as she picked her way through the garbage that littered the streets. Was this going to be how she spent the rest of her life?
Just another wage slave
Her fathers words rang in her head. Maybe thats what life had in store for her; a meaningless existance. Just another stupid convinience store clerk that was going no where in life. Her vision began to blur as here eyes filled with tears.
She was a twenty-something college dropout. The fighting at home drove her to run out on her family. She thought that was what she wanted. To be free. Now she couldn’t afford to go out drinking every night. Her good looks had gotten her nowhere. Now all they did was draw more weirdos into the store.
What are you going to do with yoursef?
Her father’s voice again.
“Shut up” she mumbled to herself “Just shut up!”
“What did you say little missy?”
She jumped back startled by the sudden intrusion. A large muscular man stood in front of her. He was a good foot taller than she, and looked like a solid fifty or sixty pounds heavier. His muscle bound frame blocked her passage down the narrow alley that was now coming into focus around her.
“Are you listening?” he sounded angry “Hey you” he gestured in her direction.
She froze. “What should I do?” the question rang in her head. Then her fathers words found her again.
It isn’t safe for you to go trapsing about all night alone.
The man stepped toward her. Jean stepped back.
“Hey Fred!” the man called behind him. “Look what we got here.”
Another slightly smaller man emerged from the shadows behind the larger guy. Fred moved forward with awkward steps. The shadows concealed the two mans faces from Jean. She started to panic, her heart beating hard in her chest.
“Well now. Isn’t she a pretty thing.” Fred took another step forward. “what are we gonna do about her Johnny?”
The larger man strode in front of his friend slowly. His steps were powerful and calculated. Johns face was almost visble in the dull moonlight. Jean was rooted to the ground.
“What should I do!? What should I do?” Her mind pushed, but her body wasn’t listening.
“Well why don’t we show her a good time. What do ya say?” She could almost make out a sneer on the big guys face.
“How ’bout it hun? Wanna have a good time?” The little man started towards her.
A scream caught in Jean’s throat. She turned to run, her body finally giving into her desperate pleas. As she spun around she felt her legs slip from under her. She landed face first in a muddy puddle.
“What am I going to do?!” Her mind grasped desperatley for something, anything. She floundered in the murky water trying to get up to run. It was too late.
As she began to regain ther footing, she turned and saw the two men looming over her.
“Looks like shes all wet.” the two men laughed hysterically at this comment. Jean’s heart fluttered in her chest, it felt like she was about to have a heart attack.
Just as the big guy leaned over to lift her off the ground, a red rose uncerimoniously smacked him square in the face.
“What the hell?” John stumbled backwards awkwardly yelling out in rage.
“What the hells wrong with you?”
“Something just hit me in the damn face!” John scrounged around on the ground producing the flower. “The fuck is this?! She threw a fucking rose at me!”
“Up here villians!” Both men and Jean looked up at the apartment building that loomed over them. All any of them ould make out, silloueted by the moonlight, was a dark figure with a cape that fluttered dramatically in the breeze.
John squinted up at the fire escape the figure was standing on. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I am your worst nightmare. I am the lonley hero of love, here to stop all those who would stand in the way of the innocent. I am Captain Tokyo! and in the name of great justice, I shall punish you!” The figure struck a dramatic pose. All three of them couldn’t believe it. Suddenly the two men broke out laughing.
“Lookit Johnny, its an honest to God fuckin super hero!”
“I think your a looong way from Tokyo there capin.” The two men were still laughing at the caped figure as it slid down the fire escape ladder, landing with a dull thud in the narrow alley.
Jean just prayed that this man just wasnt some crazy homeless person. “Oh please God, please let him help me.”
“Whats’a mattah Capin, can’t you fly?” the smaller man laughed even louder.
“This is your last chance to leave, before I am forced to take action.” Captain Tokyo now stood firmly between the two men and Jean.
“Hey now Mr. Tokyo, we was just tryin to have a lil fun.” The big man took a step forward.
Jean finally found the will to move again, she hauled herself shakily to her feet. Standing there in front of her, masked only slightly by the shadows stood one of the oddest sights she ever saw.
He was clad in all white. A long cape hung about his shoulders. As it blew irradicly in the cool breeze she caught glimpses of the rest of his costume. There was more white, a jacket and pants, even the shoes. The details were hard to make out in the darkness.
He turned toward her slightly, She could almost make out a slim white mask covering his eyes. Another breeze picked up and tossed the long headband that held his hair back, it danced hypnotically.
“Are you alright ma’am?” His voice sounded gentler now, but still calm and purposeful. All she could do was choke out a barley audible “Help”.
“Hey now freak, you beddah get the hell outta here befoh I do something your gonna regret.” The big man took a lurching step toward Jean.
Tokyo quickly put his hand out, resting the finger tips gently on the big mans chest. John stopped.
“This is your last chance.”
John exaimend the figure that stood before him. He smirked, the freak looked like he only weighed a hundred fifty pounds. “I’ll just tear you to peices you little…”
Before he could finish the thought his breath was knocked out of him. Tokyo, collapsed his knuckles swiftly, and with a quick twisting motion punched him hard in the chest. The big man couldn’t even stagger backwards before he heard a noise like some one dropping a watermellon, and then everything went black.
The capped figure stood over the now limp body of Jean’s would be attacker brandishing, what looked like a large wooden sword.
“Son of a bitch!”
She saw a glint of light as the little man whipped out a knife and approached her protector.
“Look out!” she tried to scream, but the words only echoed in her own mind.
It seemed as though her hero didn’t need the warning. The small man lunged. In one deft motion Tokyo stepped to the side and landed a firm blow to the back of his head. It sent him sprawling headfirst into a nearby dumpster. His body fell motionless to the ground.
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