Shadow-Man

16

I gave the prostitute that I had helped a burn phone with my number in it, and told her to let me know anything she can that would help me get her out of the situation she was in, and take Pip down. I was glad to know that there were people who were willing to help me. I would have tried to do it all myself anyway, but it was nice to know that I didn't have to. Morton and the woman, who I later found out was named May, wanted me to help them, and wanted to help me, and that was fantastic.

I began to keep my eye out for any sign of Pip's symbol anywhere I went, and I spent most nights as Shadow-Man running around one of the darker parts of the city, keeping my eyes out of any crime that I could find. I had texted Morton's burn phone, asking if everyone who worked for Pip had the tattoo on their wrists, and Morton had informed me that if they worked for Pip at all, then they had the symbol tattooed on their left wrists. This made it easy for me to figure out who to help, and who to just beat up. Every time I saw some crime going on, I would go and stop it, and check everyone who was involved for the tattoo. Pretty much no one had it, so I would just beat up the criminals, and help the victims. I was begining to think that I was at a dead end. That until I had more information, I couldn't do anything to take down Pip. Then something happened. Something really, really big.

I was at Steven's house, working out in the exercise room while Warren spotted me, when I heard the muffled sound of the doorbell above us. I placed the barbell back on it's rack, and sat up, looking at Warren in confusion. He and I had been making small talk a long time ago, and I was asking questions about the house, and he had informed me that people didn't ever come to the house unless they were invited over.

"Were you guys expecting someone?" I asked, wondering who could have been at the door. As far as I was aware, the only friend Steven had was Warren.

"No." Warren told me, looking confused as he left the room. I quickly followed him, more or less feeling protective. Warren and I both got upstairs and got to the door right as the person range the doorbell again.

Warren opened the door to a tall man with pale skin, and long dark hair. He had bright eyes, and an even brighter smile as he stepped inside and pulled Warren into a large hug. Warren shu the door behind the man, then hugged him back. I found myself staring. Not because there was just a random man who showed up and started hugging people. Not because Warren hugged this random man back and appeared to know him. But because this man was not random at all. I recognized him right away, and there was zero doubt in my mind that this man was Pip.

"Who's this?" Pip asked, pulling away from the hug and looking down at me. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that this was a friendly man who could do no harm.

"This is Steven's latest project, Tyler." Warren responded, looking at me with a smile. I looked back at him in confusion, and slight sadness. Project? Is that what I was? Is that all that I was to them?

"Where is Steven?" Pip asked.

"In the lab. Like always." Warren sighed. I couldn't believe it. Not only did Pip know Steven and Warren, but he also knew about the lab, and I had a bad feeling about Pip going down into the lab. Pip nodded as if he knew all to well that Steven was always in the lab, then walked over to the stairs to push the button on the banister. I pulled Warren back as he went to follow Pip. Warren didn't seem to know that the person he was just hugging was the person we were trying to destroy, and I figure it was better to keep it that way for a little while.

"Who is this?" I asked, pretending that nothing was wrong.

"Remember when you first got here and I gave you some clothes to work out in, and I told you that they were from someone else that Steven an I knew when he was your age?" Warren asked.