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Fan Fiction: Short Stories
Chapter 4: Go Shadow Go
The next afternoon, Alanis Wattanabee sauntered into the somewhat familiar setting of The Big Mug. She knew she would most certainly be recognized if she just strolled in casually, so she wore a seemingly inconspicuous disguise: a bandana around her head, a bonnet covering the top and a robe-like, flowing blue dress. This was not the usual attire one wore into a bar, but it would have to do for now. Later, in The Shadow's Sanctum, The Shadow sat under a blue light, emitted from a large Victorian style lamp on his desk. Fully cloaked in black, he sat analyzing various reports that his agents had given him. As The Shadow continued looking over a few detailed documents, the green LED that indicated a transmission was coming through began flashing. He quickly responded by picking up the telephone receiver, then, pressing a button, he mumbled something. The wall disappeared, and as the broadcast came through the closed circuit television screen, The Shadow realized it was Alanis Wattanabee. "Report," The Shadow ordered with his signature hiss. "Yes sir, I've got something. I was at the bar and I overheard that the Zerrini gang has a meeting planned at some brothel on Bayard Street tonight," Alanis informed frantically. "Bayard Street you say? Hmm, let me see," The Shadow uttered swiveling in his chair. He quickly arose from his seat and darted toward a map on the far wall. Placing his hands over the giant sized plot of New York City, he quickly eyed Bayard Street. "Ah, yes… Bayard Street. I have it. Bayard Street is in Chinatown," The Shadow affirmed returning to the desk. "Boss, do you think the Mad Doctor will be there tonight?" "Doubtful agent, but we'll take what we can get," The Shadow declared. "When I was in the bar, they spotted me. Almost got me too, but I got out of there and hid in a nearby alley." "Good job agent, will that be all?" The Shadow inquired. "I have nothing further to report." "Fine… transmission out," The Shadow pronounced. With that, the closed circuit television disappeared and the wall assumed its normal position. The room returned to its usual dimness and The Shadow went back to work. It appeared The Shadow had some work to do tonight. This was the first major lead in the case, and as The Shadow already knew, this was all he needed to find the Mayor, for wherever Carlos Zerrini was, the Mad Doctor was not far behind. Soon after, a lone figure stalked invisibly down Bayard Street with only his silhouette present. It was The Shadow. The street was littered with various stores, family owned businesses and a few seedy joints. Haunting the street like a mysterious phantasm, he came upon a dark alleyway. His shadow melded with the darkness cast by the alley as he wandered inside. Suddenly the street was abandoned and The Shadow was gone. Meanwhile, on the upper floor of the brothel on Bayard Street, in the heart of Chinatown, Carlos Zerrini was at the head of a large table in the middle of a poker game with a few of his cronies. The brothel was dim and decorated in elegant Asian décor. The joint was crowded with various goons and the owner of the brothel, Madame Serena, and her beautiful Asian girls. "All right, game's over… so do we call this meeting to order or what boys?" Carlos shouted after downing the last of his beer. "Get me another drink," he ordered to a fair-skinned call girl in a yellow kimono, pointing in the direction of a wet bar that was located at the other end of the room. "All right boys, as you all know by now, we have run into a few problems. Martin Kreeger, one of our best, is dead. Our operations are being effected by a few nosey bar patrons whom I suspect are involved with The Shadow. Hell, we're still trying to rebuild from the last time he interfered. He crippled our operations by sending some of my best men to the chair. We were down, but not out. Now we're back and we've got a secret weapon: The Mad Doctor," Carlos Zerrini pronounced. "Hey Boss, how come we ain't never seen his face?" a goon in a yellow pinstriped suit spoke up, puffing a cigar. "Yeah Boss, he always hides his face," another goon declared. "Boys, the Mad Doctor is a very private man. You all can rest assured that everything is going as planned. Our temporary partnership with this guy has been great for our organization," Zerrini exclaimed. "Sure Boss, sure. But how much do we really know about this Mad Doctor? What is his plan? What if he tries somethin' funny? Like what if he double crosses you or any of us?" "Boys, you don't have to worry about any of that. The Mad Doctor plans on bumping off the Mayor after he gets the money he demanded. We'll all get an equal cut and then the Mad Doctor plans on skipping town and no one will suspect that the Zerrini gang had anything to do with the mayor's abduction. That will leave us sittin' pretty. Money buys power gentlemen. But, on the off chance that he would try some funny business, you boys know what to do. I've trained you well." Zerrini uttered loudly. "Well, say uh, Boss… what we gonna do about The Shadow?" a goon asked. "Yeah, what if he interferes… what do we do if he gets wise to our plan?" "Boys, your concerns are all relevant, but if The Shadow butts in to our operation any further, he'll get his. Besides, the Mad Doctor has plans for this wise guy if things get too out of hand," Zerrini guaranteed. The overconfident gangster began laughing as a few of his men joined his laughter. They all seemed just a bit too sure of themselves. Suddenly, like a bat out of hell, the skylight above shattered, causing the night sky to reveal itself in the privacy of their meeting. The mobsters and women serving them all froze momentarily. "What the hell was that?" Zerrini cried out. A few moments of silence went by as everyone in the room stared up at the broken skylight. Suddenly a demented, sinister laughter overcame the room. Each of the call girls that were catering to the goons, hurried out of the room from fear that the wrecked skylight could escalate into something more serious. The laughter continued, getting louder and louder with each passing moment. Suddenly Zerrini and his men stared at each other with the realization that they knew what the laughter was and where it was coming from. "We know that laugh, don't we boys?" Zerrini exclaimed, pointing up as if to signal to his men to attack the ceiling. From out of nothing came a terrible, black-cloaked figure. The weird avenger of evil known as The Shadow dropped through the skylight, landing in the center of the room with his trademark automatics drawn. "Ha ha ha ha ha, the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. The Shadow Knows," declared The Shadow, just before blasting away at the blank walls for sake of intimidation. "What the hell are you waiting for? Blast him boys," Zerrini ordered furiously to his now heavily armed men. As the men aimed, ready to fire, the eerie black figure of The Shadow stood directly before them. Suddenly he disappeared from view. As quickly as he had entered, The Shadow was gone, as if abducted by the dimness of the room. With The Shadow's stunning evasiveness came more laughter. Louder and louder the evil-sounding laugh became as the men blindly fired at the walls, the floor and the ceiling. "His shadow you idiots, shoot his shadow," Zerrini demanded to his men. Suddenly, the members of the Zerrini gang began concentrating their gunfire on The Shadow's ever-present silhouette. The gunfire continued lividly until each of the goons noticed an eerie sight causing them to cease their fire. From out of the silhouette positioned on the wall, came the actual Shadow. Each goon was poised and ready to take the intangible master of darkness down, but was too slow, for as soon as he came out of the wall, he swiftly stirred from side to side. His automatic pistols began blazing with the greatest of fury, taking out one goon after another, before any of them could fire another shot. Amidst the gunfire, The Shadow realized that all of Zerrini's men had been taken down by his powerful .45 automatics. He stopped firing. The Shadow scanned the room, seeing nothing but bodies scattered across the floor. He quickly turned his attention to Carlos Zerrini, who was now headed out the door. "Come back here," The Shadow demanded, immediately giving chase. Zerrini fled down the stairs to the first floor and out of the place, as the confused call girls and Madame Serena looked on. Then suddenly a mysterious, shady outline swooped down the stairs and out the entrance of the place, as if chasing the poor gangster. Once outside, Zerrini ran into a dark alleyway just behind the brothel and hid, breathing heavily. Blending in with the darkness, The Shadow quickly discovered the poor man nervously looking around with his revolver drawn. "Ha, ha, ha, ha…You cannot hide from The Shadow Carlos Zerrini," the master of darkness proclaimed cloaked in invisibility. "Where the hell are you," Zerrini screamed in fear, waving his gun. "You and your men abducted the Mayor and have been involved in various smuggling rings. It's time for your reign as king of the underworld to end Carlos," the Shadow announced, still unseen. "Tell me, where is the Mad Doctor?" "Oh no, Shadow, you got my men, you ain't gettin' me. If I tell you where he is I'm a dead man." Without warning The Shadow became visible and attacked Zerrini, throwing him against the wall of the narrow alleyway, causing his firearm to fly into the dark blackness of the alley. "I've already heard most of your plan from the rooftops of the brothel… But if you won't inform me willingly, then gaze into my girasol ring…Tell me all." The mystical opal in The Shadow's ring began to glow in several different colors. Zerrini tried hard not to look, but couldn't help to stare as the mystical powers of The Shadow's ring captivated him. "I can't tell you, I can't," Zerrini exclaimed, "But I must…" he finished in a trance-like voice, as the glowing ring subdued him. "The Mad Doctor is out on an old road, on the outskirts of the city. 325 Delanoe Drive, out past Brooklyn. There is an old manor, and he is holding the Mayor there. The city is still working on collecting money for his ransom… When the Mad Doctor gets the money, he will dispose of the Mayor and leave town." "Is that all?" The Shadow inquired with a terrible hiss, gripping Zerrini's shirt with a gloved hand. "Yes, that is the whole plan," Zerrini continued, still in the deep trance. "You're finished Zerrini. Your men are finished. It's over." Without warning, The Shadow grabbed the poor gangster and threw him further into the darkness of the alley. From out of the alley he walked, his silhouette clutching the asphalt of the street. He then approached a car parked at the side of the street, with bright headlights: a bright yellow taxicab that appeared brand-new. Opening the door, he uttered, "The Sanctum Moe… Hurry." As soon as The Shadow was secure inside the vehicle, Moe Shrevnitz pushed the pedal to the floorboard and sped away. |
© copyright 2003 - Present
The Shadow: Master of Darkness
The Shadow is copyrighted by Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc. Disclaimer
The Shadow: Master of Darkness
The Shadow is copyrighted by Advance Magazine Publishers, Inc. Disclaimer