Dark Angel's Introductions

Dark Angels is my latest photography project featuring the models of the MET Photography Model Club and a few guests along the way. I have decided to take photos based upon the script that I have written for each character. Each angel has special powers that help them achieve their personal goals. Some angels defend the city and the people who live and visit it, other angels use their powers for personal gain. The angels do not sleep, but it has no affect on their day to day lives. They are still able to function just like you and I. The biggest difference lies in their ability to perform different tasks with their powers.

As of right now there are four angels with more on the way. The angels usually discover their powers by accident. It usually takes an incident of extreme duress to discover an ability. For example, someone being chased will want to fight, or run away. The person that fights will experience an increase in their strength and agility. Someone who is looking to run away will display increased amounts of speed. The first four characters are J-Goddess, Black Widow, Silly Rabbit and Atlas.

Each angel lives among us. They live, work, shop, travel and more just like the rest of us, as well as among us.
The first four angels are as follows:

1) Christine Miller, aka "J-Goddess". Christine is 36 years old and runs her own company. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Simmons Entertainment Manager Group. Her hobbies include rapping and modeling. She lives alone in the borough of Brooklyn. She possesses a Master's degree in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Her powers include flight and command of lightning and electricity.



2) Shaday Bennett, aka "Black Widow". Shaday is 25 years old and is a dancer, model, actress and a sales consultant for the Waterman Group. Shaday is a graduate from FIT High School. She has some college credits in film and theater with an emphasis on dance. Shaday's powers include high jumping capability (3 stories or 30 feet), exceptional speed and the ability to control light. She has a venom that paralyzes her subjects for up to ten minutes depending on the longevity of the bite. She has the ability to control the wind. She also has limited training in martial arts.



3) Leila Johnson, aka “Akina". Akina is 27 years old. She is currently employed with the City of New York as a court clerk in Brooklyn. Leila attends college part time and to supplement her income she is a hair stylist and makeup artist. Leila's hobbies include modeling and dancing. Leila has the limited ability to change her physical appearance and limited mind control. (If you are within ten feet of her she can use her ability of influence) She is incredibly strong. She also has a limited ability to read minds.

4) Jason “Jay” Robertson, aka "" is 22 years old. Jason is a private in the army. He is assigned to a specialized unit that is classified by the government. Jason has a martial arts background. (Third degree black belt) Jason controls water, fire and ice. He also has the ability to take long durations of pain and punishment.

Each angel has the ability to stay awake without requiring sleep. Each angels power(s) get stronger as they get older but they are still susceptible to be mortally wounded by bullets, sharp instruments, (Knives) and any other object capable of causing a fatal injury. Each angel must choose between upholding the law, or engaging in their own forms of justice. Once each angel has chosen a side, it is up to them to make the right choice, whatever that choice may be.

Dark Angels, Chapters 1 thru 9

Chapter 1
Shaday Bennett is a dancer. She recently auditioned for a play and did very well. It was an Off Broadway play that had the potential of being signed to a theater on Second Avenue. The only drawback was the rehearsals. Sometimes they would end at 9:30pm. At times she wouldn’t get home home until 11:30 or 11:45pm. When rehearsals were really running late she would get home as late as 1am.

The Whitlock Avenue train station in the Bronx is a dimly lit station surrounded by auto body shops that operate in the daytime. At night there are beautiful graffiti murals on the walls and garage doors. The Bruckner Expressway is just above this location. Although there is plenty of traffic on the expressway, there isn’t too much traffic underneath it. It is the perfect location for crime to take place. This isn’t a secret as the area has been brought up in neighborhood crime watch meetings, and is currently the subject of crime patterns recognized by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and the NYPD.

A patrol car will drive by every now and then but there are no other means of security in the area. There used to be security cameras posted at this location, but because they were being vandalized on a regular basis, no additional funds were spent on security cameras, or their repairs. In recent months, subway stations have been losing their token booth clerks and replaced with automated turnstiles and Metrocard machines. NYCTA wanted to close the station, but the community fought against it. If this station closed, the nearest subway station was approximately fifteen to twenty blocks away with no bus service.

It was the lesser, or greater of two evils, depending on your point of view. The criminals in the area grew smarter and learned the best times for their illegal activities. One such group were the serial rapists being sought out by J-Goddess. There are those that believe in divine intervention, others that believe in karma, some even believe in “just plain”, or “dumb luck”; whatever the situation was, on the night of Saturday May 1st, 2009, Shaday Bennett was working late at the theater because a critic was coming out to review the play on Tuesday. The rehearsal didn’t end until 11:45pm. It would have gone even later if the director didn’t finally say; “Ok everyone, great job, but that’s it, if we don’t have it by now, we never will!”

Shaday was living in the Bronx with one of her girlfriends (Michelle Locke) who was also an aspiring actress. She worked a 4 x 12 job as a waitress. On Friday’s and Saturday’s, she would work until 4am. The schedule worked out great because they would sometimes go to auditions together. Shaday still had her makeup on and decided not to change. When the actors were running late or behind schedule, it was faster, and saved time if they didn’t change. Shaday is a beautiful woman. When she is made up she is even more beautiful, stunning actually. When she’s not acting, rehearsing, singing or working her day job, she likes to model.

Shaday has photographed in the past, and was very good at it. Tonight just happens to be one of those nights. As she is walking toward the train, she gets the usual stares. A couple of guys make a comment or two, but she smiles, says thank you, and keeps walking. She is never rude. Her father taught her at a very young age that if someone compliments you it is better to say thank you and if nothing further needs to be said, go about your business. She has followed this and other advice that he has given to her over the years. She attributes much of her success to the advice that she learned from her father, Derrick Bennett.

Derrick Bennett was a proud man from the South. He was born in South Carolina, raised in North Carolina, and would eventually move to New York when he turned 21. He knew that if he was going to truly “make it”, he would have to move to a major city like New York City. He didn’t have any family in New York, and not too many friends. His brother David moved to New York six months later. The city was hiring for the Department of Sanitation. He took the exam and scored a 98. He was disappointed when he didn’t score a 100. That’s the kind of man that he was. He would instill that same quality in his children.

Derrick Bennett didn’t want to pick up garbage all of his life, he wanted to go college to get his Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. He graduated from college in four years earning his Bachelor’s degree. He received his Master’s degree three and a half years thereafter. He rose through the ranks of the Sanitation department to become Assistant Chief. Derrick was well liked and very respected. He was a good Christian, God fearing man who believed in hard work. He would find the love of his life while going to school.

Amelia Grayson was a hard working student who shared the same beliefs and values that he did. She wanted to be a school teacher with the Department of Education. They met while attending Lehman College. It didn’t take long for them to get engaged, and eventually married. They supported each other through school and did extremely well. They both received academic scholarships based on their scholastic achievements. They were a force to be reckoned with. They served their church, and worked in civic organizations in their community.

When Amelia became pregnant she wanted a girl. Derrick dreamed of having a son. They said that it wouldn’t matter what they had so long as the child was healthy. As fate would have it, they had fraternal twins. Shaday was born first followed by Samuel who came two minutes later. They had the perfect family. Everything was going well for the Bennett family. One day in the fall, Derrick was working an evening shift until 8pm. He realized that he didn’t have any money with him so he had to borrow twenty dollars from a colleague. “I will get this back to you tomorrow.”; “No problem, I know where you work!”; Sam said with a smile.

Derrick lived in St. Albans Queens. He would visit the Chase ATM by his house on his way home to get some money. It was about 8:40pm when Derrick visited the ATM on Linden Blvd. It was a beautiful evening. It was about 70 degrees. It was so nice that everyone who could be outside was doing so. The smell of BBQ filled the streets.

As Derrick placed his ATM card into the slot, he didn’t notice the person who followed him into the branch. Just as he was entering his security code, the same man that followed him into the branch produced a firearm and attempted to rob him. A struggle ensued and the perpetrator shot Derrick two times in the chest. The perp ran out of the branch with the gun still in his hand. Emergency personnel responded almost immediately. The perp was apprehended about five blocks from the scene after a brief foot chase by two members of the local precincts anti-crime unit. The perp tried to throw the gun away, but it was quickly recovered.

Derrick was rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition. The two gunshot wounds were too much for him to overcome. He passed away in the emergency room of Jamaica Hospital. Shaday and Samuel were 16 years old when their father passed away. Shaday remembers that day as if it were yesterday. Shaday was always “Daddy’s Little Girl”. She never denied it, nor shied away from the stereotype, in fact, she was very proud of it. Shaday loved her mother as well, but there is something about the bond between a father and daughter that is unique from other family bonds.

When Shaday came home from track practice that evening she was exhausted. Track practice was very long and tiring. She thought that it was strange that her mother didn’t greet her this afternoon as she did every school afternoon. “She probably just went to the store.” Shaday was too tired to look at her phone as she was leaving the school locker room. The bus was there and she didn’t feel like waiting for the next one. With everything she had left she sprinted for the bus. She was very fast. She took home several medals from the NYS Empire Games for Track and Field. There was even talk that she could try out for the NYS Olympic Time Trials in October.

She threw her book bag and running bag onto the floor and immediately went into the kitchen. She poured herself a cold glass of water and sighed with relief. After tapping her pocket to grab her cell phone, she realized that she left her cell phone in her book bag. Shaday walked back to the living room and grabbed her cell phone. “Seventeen missed calls?” she said. She looked at the phone and realized that her mother and brother called her several times as well as her cousin, her aunt and her pastor. It was as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. She started trembling and a cold shiver took over her body.

She was trying to unlock her phone to bring up the missed calls. She wanted to unlock her phone to dial her mother, but at the same time she couldn't imagine why everyone was trying to call her. Just as she was about to unlock her phone, Samuel was dialing her phone. “Sis!” he yelled, “Daddy’s been shot! Daddy got shot!” He was hysterical on the phone. He was unconsolable when Michael took the phone from him. Michael was their older cousin who acted as their older brother. He was three years older than them but they all grew up together in the same neighborhood.

Michael lived two blocks away and they were over each others homes so much that they had clothing in each others houses. Michael was the son of David and Sonia Bennett, Derrick’s older brother. They were also twins. David came out first and never let Derrick forget it. He was the elder of the two and it was his responsibility to protect his baby brother. David was also a chief, but with the NYPD. He was the Assistant Chief of Patrol Borough Queens North. He has been with the department for over twenty-five years.

The Bennett brothers were inseparable. They grew up doing everything together. If one went to school, the other one followed. If one brother had a civil service job, the other one followed. When one went to college for a degree, the other was right behind him. “Sis, I’m on my way to pick you up, Uncle D was shot.” Shaday couldn't speak. She tried to talk but her tears kept getting in the way. “I’m leaving now!” Michael hung up the phone and raced to the house. When he opened the door he found Shaday lying unconscious on the floor. Michael believed that she fainted and might have hit her head as she was falling. He picked up his cell phone and called 911. An ambulance arrived and placed her inside. Michael rode with the ambulance to Jamaica Hospital.

The scene was chaotic. An emergency room is always crowded no matter what time of day it is. It seems that everyone is either in a car accident, or has done something out of the ordinary to end up in the emergency room. There were several police officers as well as sanitation personnel in the waiting room. Most of the vehicles were parked in front of the hospital. There were so many sanitation trucks and police cars at the hospital that traffic could barely get by. The news reports were now circulating about the shooting in the beautiful neighborhood of St. Alban’s Queens.

Michael Bennett was smart like his father. He realized the situation and flew into action. Shaday did land awkwardly striking her head on the floor. She was bleeding from her head injury and another cut sustained from the broken glass of water. Shaday suffered a mild concussion from her fall. She would eventually come around after almost an hour. It was almost better that she didn’t. As soon as she woke up she screamed for her father. “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” She was unconsolable by this point. Amelia came into the room to console her daughter. “Mommy! Where’s Daddy?! Where’s Daddy?! The scene was gut wrenching. Grown men were observed shaken to their core. The tears running down the faces of everyone inside and outside of the hospital was too much to bear.

Samuel was leaning on his mother for support. Amelia was a strong woman and knew that her family would be changed forever. She knew what had to be done. She has experienced death many times before. She had to be strong because her family needed her now more than ever. “Daddy has gone to be with the Lord. He is in a better place right now. He’s not suffering anymore.” A tear rolled down her face. David hugged his sister-in-law and said “Thank you.”The two of them had a very special bond. He loved his sister-in-law as much as anyone on this planet. He knew that he was going to have to be the rock for the family.

The killer, James Aaron Watson was a twenty-six year old, unemployed drug user who had many arrests and was down on his luck again. Before the drugs took over his life, James was a very good kid in the neighborhood who went to school, didn’t cause any problems, and finished high school. Unfortunately his life spiraled out of control once he graduated. He started hanging out with gang bangers and started committing crimes. It started off with him smoking marijuana and worked his way up to harder drugs. He went from stealing small items to burglary and robbery. He stopped caring after a while and became totally hard core. His arrests now included assaults with weapons, robberies with injuries and a couple of months ago a carjacking. He decided earlier that morning that if he wanted quick cash, he could get it from an ATM. All he had to do was follow someone into the bank as they were looking to withdraw some money. He knew that if he waited until after regular hours, there would be less people in the area.

James borrowed a gun from a friend. He could hold onto it as long as he needed it so long as he paid a “finders fee.” The gun that he used had six homicides and thirteen other shootings linked to it. This was a big arrest for Detective Reynolds of Homicide. The recovery of the firearm cleared six other cases in their command alone. James felt remorseful for what he did and decided to spare the family the additional grief of going through a long, drawn out criminal trial. He received a plea deal of twenty-five years to life imprisonment without the eligibility of parole.

At sentencing he apologized to the Bennett family and swore to make his time behind bars as productive as possible. Shaday was at the courtroom that day and stared intently at the man that took her father away. She was bitter and wanted to attack James, but thought about her father and thought better of it. “We must forgive those who are less fortunate than us.” he would always say. “Instead of being angry at a person for doing you wrong, you must find it in your heart to forgive them. If not, it will eat you up inside forever.” No truer words could have ever been spoken.

After the trial, Shaday wanted to graduate high school more than ever to make her father proud. She was on a mission go get the best grades possible. There was going to be nothing preventing her father from looking down upon her from heaven and smiling as his daughter was walking down the aisle at graduation. He was very proud of his children and he would be even more proud of her for forgiving the man that took him away to soon. Just because you could forgive someone doesn’t mean that you can easily forget. From the day that the sentencing phase of James Watson’s trial took place until now, there was a bitterness in Shaday’s heart that never went away. She was still a beautiful person overall, but you could always sense that she had a troubled spirit.

No one knew this better than her family. Everyone including Samuel kept an extra eye on her. They didn’t want to see her fail. Shaday would graduate from High School with honors. She made her family very proud. Samuel also graduated from high school with honors. He elected to go to college to continue pursuing his new dream of taking his father’s place with the Department of sanitation as a chief. By this time, Shaday was exploring her talents as a gifted singer and artist. She did very well in her school plays and musicals, as well as the recitals held at her church. She always auditioned for the lead parts and got them every single time. She was very talented.

Shaday would eventually move in with her current roommate because the transportation opportunities were better in the other boroughs. This change would help her acting career, but it would also lead up to one of the most unforgettable events of her life.

Shaday was coming home on the number 6 train from rehearsal. She had to take it to the Whitlock Avenue station, the very same station that was desolate and crime ridden. Normally she would have taken the number two train, but because of some much needed “track work” she was forced to take the number 6 train home. The train came right away and was moving well. As Shaday was about to depart from the train, she didn’t notice anyone else standing up to get off of the train with her. She shrugged it off and said; “I’ll be home soon.” Shaday exited the train and headed for the staircase that was located at the Westchester Avenue side of the platform. The station platform was pretty well lit for this particular evening. However, the staircase leading down to the street was poorly lit.

It was so poorly lit that she didn’t notice Jaime Rodriguez hiding behind the exit turnstile. Rodriguez grabbed her from behind, she jerked away now running toward the bottom of the staircase. She was halfway down the staircase when Thomas White and Nicholas Farrelli blocked the bottom of the staircase. Shaday stopped in the middle of the staircase horrified. She could see the silhouettes of the two men, but she couldn’t make out their faces.

Shaday started trembling, her knees were about to buckle, her eyes were burning, she started to scream. “No!!” A bright, white light illuminated the area causing the three men to drop to their knees. They were temporarily blinded. They tried to stand but the bright light caused an instant migraine. They clutched their heads in their hands begging for the pounding to stop. It was just enough time for her to get her bearings. She ran through her attackers and kept running. Too frightened to scream, she ran all the way to her apartment. Her apartment was almost nine blocks from the train station but it didn’t seem to matter. The fear, and her adrenaline gave her the strength to make it home.

After she arrived home, she ran into the bathroom and locked the door, she was still shaking, but now she was crying unconsolably again. The last time that she cried like this was at the funeral for her father. This was a terrible blow to her psyche, but this time she was able to do something about it. She would not be a victim like her father. Her father would be very proud of her.

Chapter 2


The three men who tried to rob Shaday were eventually caught while attempting to commit another sexual assault. Several women came forward to testify. It seemed as if the nightmare was going to finally be over, so we thought. There was a media frenzy at the 41st precinct. The suspects were brought in for all to see. DNA evidence put all three suspects at the scene of the crime. Further testing used from the DNA taken from one of the victims also matched the DNA of all three perpetrators. It seemed that everything was going well, almost too well.

Everyone wanted to be involved in the case. There would probably be a promotion, a choice of assignment and lots and lots of overtime. Detectives in the office were smart. They knew that if they worked together everyone could get a piece of the pie. The trial would take weeks, if not months to prepare. Everything was running smoothly until a very bad chain of events happened.

The District Attorney’s (DA’s) office needed some evidence for the case. They called up the detective squad and asked for Detective Williams (The lead detective assigned to the case) to bring the DNA evidence with the victims DNA down to the district attorney’s office for review. Usually the detective handling the case would be responsible for the transporting of physical evidence in a case. The chain of custody is very important in preserving the integrity of the evidence. This was a simple assignment that is done all of the time. It seemed like a no brainer.

Unfortunately, as fate would have it, Detective Williams was on vacation so another detective would have to bring the evidence to the district attorney’s office. Detective Ryan picked up the evidence and proceeded to the DA’s office. He went alone because everyone else was out handling a homicide case involving a child. As Detective Ryan was on his way to the DA’s office he stopped at a deli to pick up a sandwich. Ryan left the evidence in the car in the backseat in an envelope.

When Ryan exited the car he forgot to lock the door behind him. As fate would have it, a stranger walking by, noticed the envelope in the backseat, and proceded to become curious. The stranger opened the car door and removed the envelope. He thinks that he has stolen something of significant value. He runs around the corner. Ryan comes out of the deli and notices that the backseat door is partially opened and the envelope is missing.

Ryan is a seventeen year veteran on the force and knows his way around the streets as well as the job. He knows that the consequences for losing evidence are serious. He looks around the street and shouts; “Did anybody see anybody else in this car?!” One of the local store owners turns around to him and says; “The guys name is “Flacco.” “Flacco?”; Ryan asks. “Yes, he ran around the corner. Ryan gets a description of Flacco and he starts to run toward the alleyway.

Ryan is in great shape for a veteran of seventeen years. He eats right and works out several times a week. As he turns the corner to head down the alleyway, he sees a man fitting the description of Flacco. Simultaneously, Flacco sees Ryan running down the alleyway toward him. Flacco not realizing that Ryan is a New York City detective makes a run for it. It doesn’t take Ryan long to catch up with Flacco. Flacco is trying to protect the envelope as he is running. It’s difficult to run full speed while you are holding something.

Flacco falls to the ground and drops the envelope. Valuable DNA evidence is now sprawled all over the street. Ryan catches up to Flacco and picks him up off of the ground. Ryan slams him against the wall and identifies himself. Ryan calls for assistance telling the 911 operator that he is holding a suspect against the wall and he needs assistance. A call is made for backup and everyone working in the precinct shows up. Flacco, aka Daniel R. Martinez is placed under arrest and brought back to the precinct for processing.

Martinez has been arrested before for minor offenses, nothing serious. Flacco is charged with Petit Larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. In addition, Martinez is also charged with evidence tampering, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration. Ryan processed the arrest so fast that while he was taking Martinez to Central Booking, he was still able to bring the evidence to the district attorney’s office.

Assistant District Attorney Amy Fitzpatrick is the lead prosecutor in this case. Fitzpatrick is a no-nonsense prosecutor who has also taken a personal interest in this case. She sees Ryan and says; “Hey Ryan, thanks for dropping off the evidence package, any problems?” “Not a single one, here’s the evidence.” Ryan says. Great, thanks again. “I know that you guys are spread thin because of the homicide that took place earlier. “Yeah, that’s right, the victim was five years old. He was on his way to school when the shooting started.”

“Do we have a suspect?”; Fitzgerald asked. “No, we just know that the shooting involved an ongoing beef between the Bronx Best Boys and some guys that are trying to move in on their territory. The other homicide victim was Nathaniel Dixon, he was nineteen years old. “That sucks!” Fitzpatrick said. “People are going to be very upset when they found out that one of the victims of this shooting was only five years old. What are we going to tell their mothers?”

If Ryan would have told Fitzpatrick the truth about what happened earlier, they might have been able to prevent some of the damage that was about to take place. Sometimes life is funny. Flacco was a petit thief who hustled around his neighborhood for spare change. He would even fix a car for a buck or two. Flacco made a descent living doing odds and ends. He had a drinking problem. He wasn’t a drunk, but he did have at least one beer everyday. He was a happy drunk.

Today he thought that by getting some money for the envelope he would get enough money for the week. Flacco grew up on Webster Avenue. He had two best friends, Michael and Jaime. Michael went to school, graduated and secured a good job working as a mechanic. Jaime was just the opposite, always getting into trouble and getting progressively worse. He also started with petit larceny. He would steal candy from the local deli. When he got caught, his mother would beat him, but it didn’t do much to stop him. He could take the beatings so he kept stealing. He became very good at it. If he would have stayed in school he could have been a doctor.

Jaime went from stealing candy to stealing cars, from cars to armed robbery, from armed robbery to rape. Jaime had a long rap sheet. Jaime Rodriguez was now on trial for sexual assault and several rapes as a result of the DNA evidence that was provided by the DA’s office. It was an air tight case, so they thought. As things would go, Martinez does five days in jail and received five years probation with an additional 100 hours of community service.

Flacco was happy that the three strikes law wasn’t applied in his case. That could have meant ten years in prison upstate somewhere. He gets out of jail and tells everyone about his good fortune. “I could have been locked up for ten years, but I only got five days” Jaime laughs. “I learned my lesson that’s for sure.” Flacco learned his lesson about stealing, but not about being quiet.

Flacco is thirsty from talking so much. He needs a beer. No one is going to buy him a beer so he needs some money. Flacco goes into the Rite Aid store and removes a beer from the refrigerator. He remembers that he doesn’t have any money so he slips the beer into his pocket. Just as he’s about to walk out of the store, he’s stopped by the security guard on duty at the store. Flacco is placed under arrest for shoplifting.

Flacco goes through central booking and is sitting in a jail cell when the woman from legal aid (Lisa Wells) calls his name. “Daniel Martinez” she yells. “Yeah” he responds. “Please come to the front of the cell.” He walks to the front. She says; “I am just going to ask you some questions about your arrest and your arrest history.” “Ok” he says. “What’s your full name?” “Daniel Francisco Martinez.” “What’s your date of birth?” “11/20/79” “How old are you?” she asks. “34” “What were you charged with?” “Shoplifting and criminal possession of stolen property” he said.

“You’ve been arrested before. When you were arrested the last time, what were you charged with?” Ms. Wells asked. Petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. I stole a bag of evidence” he said. “What kind of evidence?” “I don’t know, it was an envelope inside of an envelope. It had DNA written on the outside of it.” “Really, do you remember anything else about the envelope?” “Yeah, it had the names of someone I grew up with, Jaime Rodriguez.” “Did you say Jaime Rodriguez?” “Yeah, we grew up together. We were best friends.”

“That’s weird” she said. “What’s weird?’” Daniel asks. “About a month ago, I interviewed a man named Jaime Rodriguez. He was arrested for that serial rape case in the news lately.” “Really, did he have a scar on the right side of his face?” he asked. “Yes, he said that he got cut in a fight.” “Yep, he got stabbed in the face for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It took over 200 stitches to close it.” “But how did you end up with his evidence envelope?” she asked.

“I was walking down Westchester Avenue by the subway and I wanted a beer. I didn’t have any money so I wanted to take something real quick to get a couple of dollars. I saw this envelope in the backseat of a car. I originally thought that it was a briefcase or portfolio. I knew that I could get some money for it, at least enough for some beer.” “Interesting” she said. Lisa knew that although this might be a coincidence, it was a game changer.

The ramifications behind this were too important to ignore. Lisa called her supervisor Dave Thompson. She told him everything that happened. Dave Thompson was another hard working, God fearing man who did everything by the book. He believed in the criminal justice system and would do whatever it took to preserve it. He contacted the supervisor on duty at the DA’s office night court division.

Simone Thomas was working the night shift for the Bronx DA’s office. “Thomas!” someone yelled. “Yeah!”, “You got a phone call on line 7!” “Ok” she replied.
Thomas: “Thomas here”
Thompson: “Hello Simone, it’s Dave, are you busy?”
Thomas: “I’m always busy. What’s up?”
Thompson: “It may be nothing, but we’ve got to talk.”
Thomas: “It sounds serious.”
Thompson: “It is.”
Thomas: Ok, how about 10 minutes in my office?”
Thompson: “Ok, I'll come right up.” Thomas hangs up the phone and thinks to herself; “I wonder what that was about.”

Thomas walks back to her office. The receptionist is in the front. “Liz, do me a favor please, hold all of my calls when Dave arrives. We’re going to be in a meeting.”
Liz: “Ok, no problem.”
Thompson arrives and knocks on the door leading to Thomas’s office.
Thomas: “Come in”
Thompson: “Good evening Simone”
Thomas: “Good evening Dave, now that that’s out of the way what’s up?” Thomas stands up to greet Dave.
Thompson: “You may want to sit down for this one.”
Thomas: “Ok, now I’m worried, what’s going on?”
Thompson: “Are you familiar with the serial rape case going on right now?”
Thomas: “Who isn’t? You would have to be in a coma, or sleeping under a rock not to know about this case.”

Thompson begins to tell the story about Flacco and the evidence bag and the possibilities that the evidence in this case could have been tampered with. Thomas has a worried look on her face. In law school they learned about cases that were dismissed because physical evidence was compromised. The cases would end up getting thrown out of court. It was a prosecutors worse nightmare. Now it could be happening right before her eyes.
Thomas: “Who else knows about this?”
Thompson: “Me, you and Lisa Wells”
Thomas: Do you have any idea what could happen to this case if the evidence has been tainted?”
Thompson: “Yes”
Thomas: “Oh my God!”
Thompson: “Yes”

On Friday June 11th, 2010 at approximately 12:30pm, Daniel Martinez aka “Flacco” was arrested for petit larceny. He was processed and put through the system over the weekend. On Monday June 14th, the front page of the local newspapers read; “Serial Rapist May Go Free!” The press swarmed the 41st precinct as well as the Bronx District Attorney’s office. Somehow news leaked out about where some of the victims lived. Daisy Morales was one of the victims whose address was leaked to reporters. She lived in an apartment in the Parkchester section of the Bronx.
Reporter: “What’s your reaction to the news?”
Morales: “Who are you and why are you here?”
2nd Reporter: “The three men accused of sexually assaulting you may be set free because of a technicality”, he said

Morales’s eyes welled up with tears. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She started trembling. Fear immediately gripped her. Her legs began to buckle as she almost fainted. “Call an ambulance!” someone yelled. “Get her a chair!” someone else yelled. Someone brought over a glass of water.
Morales: “I, I, I can’t believe it. What happened?!” she screamed. This seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind. Everyone who read the paper, listened to the radio or watched television on Monday all asked the same question.

After Dave Thompson told Simone Thomas what had happened, she called her supervisor . Her supervisor contacted Robert Matthew’s office. (The Bronx District Attorney) DA Matthew’s was on vacation on the West Coast visiting family when he received the phone call. Simultaneously a phone call was made to Ronald Greenberg. Ronald Greenberg was the legal aid attorney assigned to defend Jaime Rodriguez. It was a luck of the draw that he was up next in the rotation. It looked like he would be working on a plea deal for his client. He was facing 25 years to life without the eligibility of parole. All Jaime Rodriguez had to do was sign the paperwork.

It was Sunday June 13th when his phone rang. “Hello” he answered. “Ron, it’s Jerry, you know that case that you’re working on, the Jaime Rodriguez serial rape case? “Yeah”, he said; “What about it?” “Well, you’re not going to believe this but...” Ron listened to Jerry Davis very intently as Jerry told him everything that has happened so far. It could have been shock, disbelief or a combination of both when he yelled; “Are you fucking kidding me!!” “No, now what?” Jerry asked.

District Attorney Amy Fitzpatrick was playing softball in Central Park. She was having a pretty good day so far. She got two hits in her softball game, and she was three outs from winning her fourth game in a row. Just as she was about to take the field her cell phone rang. It was Jackson Richardson, her colleague from her office who was assisting her on the case.

Fitzpatrick: “ADA Fitzpatrick, how may I help you?”
Richardson: “Amy?”
Richardson: “Where are you?
Fitzpatrick: “Where I am every Sunday morning, playing softball in Central Park. Why?
Richardson: “We need you to come to the office immediately.”
Fitzpatrick: “What’s wrong?”
Richardson: “It’s the Rodriguez case, the evidence might have been compromised.”
Fitzpatrick: “What the fuck are you talking about?’
Richardson: Whoever transported the evidence in the case dropped the ball. It appears that a petty thief named Daniel Martinez, a friend of Jaime Rodriguez, had the DNA evidence for your case.”
Fitzpatrick: “Daniel Martinez, Daniel Martinez, why do I know that name?’
Richardson: “It was Ryan’s case, a petit larceny case.”
Fitzpatrick: “What does that have to do with this case?”
Richardson: “Well, it appears that Martinez was in possession of the DNA evidence from the rape victims. This is the original reason why he was arrested.”
Fitzpatrick: “What are you talking about?”
Richardson: “Apparently when Ryan was bringing the evidence to your office, it was stolen by Martinez. Ryan got it back, but not before Martinez had it in an alley way for God knows how long.”

Amy Fitzpatrick was in shock. She dropped her glove and placed her hands in her face. Her teammates ran over after seeing her reaction.
Richardson: “Amy?, Amy?”

It was 1pm when Amy arrived to her bosses office. There were dozens of reporters. People were scrambling trying to get any information that they could. This was as bad as it could possibly get. The chain of evidence was compromised. A good defense lawyer could get this case dismissed by showing that the chain of custody was breached. When evidence has been taken out of police custody and is unaccounted for for any period of time, the validity of that evidence is now subject to scrutiny. Surely the evidence would be tossed out by the court, and the case would be dismissed.

Martinez took the envelope at approximately 12:00pm. He walked around the corner and carefully opened the envelope trying to see what was inside. When he opened the envelope, he saw several smaller plastic envelopes with names and serial numbers. There were women’s names on each of the bags. As he looked through them, one by one, he didn’t know what he was looking at. There was one more envelope, but unlike the other envelopes, there were three envelopes with the names of three men. The names were Thomas White 1/6/77, Nicholas Ferrelli 3/4/77 and Jaime Rodriguez 4/4/79. “Oh shit, is this Jaime?’

Daniel hid in the alleyway so that no one would see him. He didn’t wear a watch so he didn’t know what time it was. He was looking through the envelope so intently that he never heard Ryan round the corner until it was too late. Jaime tried to run with the envelope in his hand but it was too late. The foot pursuit didn’t last long. Jaime dropped the envelope and some of the evidence packages fell onto the floor. Daniel tripped and fell to the ground. Ryan was right on top of him after he hit the ground. Ryan yelled; “Police asshole!” Ryan grabbed Daniel and threw him against the wall and placed him under arrest.

Ryan walked back to the alleyway to make sure that all of the envelopes were there. Everything looked good so he radioed for assistance. Two police cars responded to help him take Martinez back to the station house. Daniel was processed for petit larceny.

It was a long week for the NYPD, the Bronx District Attorney’s office, and the victims of this case. A special hearing was scheduled at the Bronx Criminal Courthouse to determine what was going to happen to the evidence. Someone leaked out the story to the media. They also learned that a decision regarding the evidence was coming down any minute. Would the evidence be thrown out of court?

Some of the victims arrived to protest the dismissal of the evidence. Members of the Pine Group (An advocate group similar to the Innocence Project) also came to the courthouse to demonstrate their position. Several other activists groups arrived at the court house. There were domestic violence advocates, women’s rights and equality groups, PETA and everyone else that wanted to receive their fifteen minutes of fame. It turned into a media circus.

On Friday June 18th at 3:30pm, the ruling came down. All evidence against the three defendants was dismissed. The three defendants pending any additional evidence were going to be released from prison immediately. There simply was not enough evidence to hold the defendants. The victims could never identify their attackers because they were always grabbed from a position that prevented them from seeing their attackers. The men wore gloves and masks preventing a physical identification, or additional physical evidence from being obtained. There were never any witnesses based on the time of day and the physical location of the attacks.

Because the DNA evidence was the only evidence holding the accused, they were immediately released from prison. Rodriguez’s attorney was the first person to make a statement. In a nutshell he stated that the criminal justice system was a very fair system that he believed in. He felt that justice for his client had been done. An innocent man should never be incarcerated for something that he didn’t do.

This statement enraged the protestors who were present at the courthouse to support the victims. The victims at the courthouse were visibly stunned and couldn’t believe the courts decision. “How could this happen?!” one person shouted. “Where is their justice?!”; another person shouted. “Is it justice, or “Just us?!” a third person shouted.

There was one more person at the courthouse that went unnoticed. She was dressed in all black. There was nothing distinguishing about her. Her shades made it even easier for her to blend into the crowd. Shaday Bennett took the day off from work to be at the courthouse. She couldn’t sleep, not that she could sleep anyway, but this situation sure didn’t help matters any. Shaday has not slept a single day in 22 months. She dropped her head and started crying. “This will never happen again” she swore. Shaday Bennett walked away from the courthouse in disgust.

Shaday Bennet, like the city that she lives in, never sleeps. She walks the rooftops of Manhattan waiting for something to happen. It’s a quiet night, so quiet that she heads up to the Bronx. Every now and then she returns to the Whitlock Avenue train station to ensure that what happened to her several months ago would never happen again to anyone else. It’s been almost five months since the decision came down. It doesn’t take long for White, Ferrelli and Rodriguez to return to the scene of the crime.

It’s 1:55am on Saturday March 26th, 2011 when a woman gets off of the train by herself. She walks down the steps when she notices White and Ferrelli at the bottom of the staircase. She goes to turn around but Rodriguez is standing behind her smiling. She knows that she is in trouble so she tries to run past him. He grabs her as White and Ferrelli run up the stairs. Rodriguez covers her mouth preventing her from screaming. The three men try to drag her to an isolated portion of the train station. A gust of wind appears and causes everyone to fall down.

The gail force winds are too much for everyone. A figure dressed in all black appears. No one can make out her face because the lighting in the area was poor. “What the fuck is going on?!” White screams. The victim runs off. The men are temporarily distracted as they are now focused on the woman dressed in all black. “One gets away, and another one arrives, it doesn’t matter to me who gets it.” White says. “Damn right!” Farrelli says.

It’s dark, the station lights are dim, the florescent light bulbs desperately need to be changed. The smell of urine at the bottom of the staircase in the summer heat would normally be unbearable, but it is a constant reminder that what is happening is indeed very, very real. “Remember me?"; is spoken softly from her lips. The three men look at each other and yell, “What?” “Remember me?!” she says again. The three men are startled, but believe that they have the upper hand.

“It’s three against one!” Rodriguez yells. “We don’t know you!” “Really?” she says. “Yeah really! Ferrelli yells back. “Who the fuck are you?!” he asks. “You don’t remember me? Now I’m upset!” She opens her mouth and begins to sing, the men grab their ears as her voice begins to pierce their brains. They scream in agony but there is no one around to help them. She touches each one and they begin to lose their ability to move. Black Widow uses her venom to paralyze the three men. As they fall to the ground they begin to shake and cry. “All of those victims, all of those victims!”

Black Widow pulls out a knife. She takes it and licks it. This is going to be fun! Black Widow stabs each one in the heart with her knife. The pain is excruciating as the venom works its way through their bodies. Ferrelli goes into cardiac arrest and dies first, followed by White, then Rodriguez. They lay on the station floor with their eyes open and a look of horror and shock on their faces. Black Widow picks up her knife and disappears.

It’s several hours before the sun comes up, when it does, the bystanders scream in horror. The police are called and they arrive in droves. A crime scene is roped off and the word gets out. “It looks like she struck again” a sergeant says. “Yeah, it looks that way.” The Duty Captain says. The next day the front of the newspapers read “Serial Rapists Found Dead.”

Sergeant Christiansen goes back to his office to finish his paperwork. As he opens the door he is informed that he has a visitor. “There’s a woman sitting in your office who says that she knows you. She insists on waiting.” “I’m sure.” he says.

Miller: “Hello Donald”
Christiansen: “Hello Christine”
Miller: “It’s been a long time”
Christiansen: “Sure has”
Miller: “What’s going on?”
Christiansen: “You already know so why are you asking?”
Miller: “I just love to hear your voice”
Christiansen: “I’m sure, when are you going to stop her?”
Miller: “I’m working on it”
Christiansen: “We’ve got three more dead and counting, work faster!”
Miller: “Yes sir! What can you tell me?”
Christiansen: “Remember the three serial rapists that were freed about five months ago?”
Miller: “Yeah, what about them?”
Christiansen: “Congratulations, now you know who your three murder victims are!”

Miller has a stunned look on her face. She has an idea who did this but she has to be sure.
Miller: “How do you know it was Black Widow?”
Christiansen: “She left a calling card with blood. The details weren’t released to the press.”
Miller: “So what do you want me to do?”
Christiansen: “Go stop her, and make sure that this doesn’t happen again! The last thing that this city needs is a vigilante on its hands!”

Christiansen: “One more thing, I have a friend that’s a photographer. I know that you want to get your side of the story to the pres. He’s a good guy and he can be trusted. Call this number and set up a time and place to meet. Let me know how it goes.”

She takes the number from him, but she does so very reluctantly. Christine has her trust issues. With the exception of RJ, she can count the amount of close friends that she has on one hand. She stares at the card for a minute and says; “Okay, I’ll set something up and get back to you after it’s done.”







Chapter 3

J-Goddess left the precinct and went home. She had a lot to think about. She knew the situation, she knew who was responsible, she knew what had to be done. J-Goddess is no angel, but she knows that the killing of three people no matter how bad could not be tolerated under any circumstances. The city wouldn’t stand for it. Vigilante killings cannot be justified, period! You can’t take the law into your own hands.

The same thoughts would repeat over and over in her head. It was now 12:30 in the morning. “I have to end this once and for all”; she thought.” J-Goddess puts on her costume and heads uptown. It’s one thing to protect the city from crime, it’s a totally different thing to go up against somebody else with extraordinary powers like yourself.

The city was now being divided into two main groups. The first group of people represented the justice system. Despite some of its flaws, this was the system created to govern our society. They felt that the actions taken against the three defendants killed by Black Widow were unjust, harsh and totally unnecessary. “If we let everyone take the law into their own hands, what kind of society would we become?” This seemed to be the consensus from everyone on this side of the fence.

The second group of people felt that the current system of justice has let society down and needed to be changed. There were too many criminals getting away with their crimes and not enough justice for the victims. “Don’t get us wrong, we strongly believe in a justice system, just not the one that we have right now. When three violent offenders can simply walk out of the courtroom as free men based on a BS technicality, what does that say about our criminal justice system? Where is the justice for the victims? What kind of message does that send?”

As I said, these were the two main groups. There were also several “sub” groups that also had their own opinions. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; it’s in the Bible! If a man shall steal, then cut off his hand!” There were also opinions like this one; “The system should re-try these defendants.”

Every newspaper around the city had an op-ed piece about this case. Evening news shows and cable network news programs also discussed the topic ad nauseam. Vigilantism is good for the media. Newspapers and air time were both selling out fast. The topic spilled over into the stock market. Media stocks were showing profits of 6% since the three murders took place. There was a strange “buzz’ around the city that has never been experienced before. The air was also filled with a lot of tension. Local citizens were on edge. Something had to be done, and tonight was going to be the night.

Summers in New York City (NYC) are amazing. This is truly the city that never sleeps. If the weather is beautiful, the City of New York will never close. With all fairness, the city never closes anyway. There is always a twenty-four hour grocery store open. The subway system operates twenty-four hours a day. There are ATM machines located on almost every block in Manhattan that operate twenty-four hours a day. Nightclubs stay open until 4am. There are only a few cities in America that stay open until 4am and NYC is one of them.

The Average temperatures in the summertime range between 65 and 75 degrees at night. Tonight’s temperature is a balmy 70 degrees outside. On this particular evening the humidity was down. There was even a nice, slight breeze blowing by. Some people set up BBQ grills outside of their apartment buildings. People were throwing back cold beers while grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. It was Thursday August 2nd at about 1am in the morning. Taxi cabs and delivery trucks were making their usual rounds before the rest of the city woke up for a beautiful day.

J-Goddess had been patrolling the streets for weeks looking for a sign of Black Widow, but nothing. There were some arrests here and there that could possibly raise a flag or two, but nothing out of the ordinary. Black Widow was now developing a flare for the dramatic. She was now leaving “calling cards” at the crime scenes. For instance, when Christiansen mentioned that Black Widow left a calling card, she was now leaving clues and other items for the police to find. She wanted the public to know who was responsible for the city’s recent wave of vigilantism.

The bloody knife that she left didn’t have any fingerprints on it but there was a note on top of Rodriguez’s body that read; “And justice for all of their victims!” The Commissioner did not want this released to the press for fears of copycats and martyrdom. All J-Goddess could think about was stopping her before she could commit any more carnage. Black Widow just didn’t kill the three assailants. She took her time causing lots and lots of pain. This was according to the medical examiners report.

“If you look at the way the lacerations were made, you could see that each cut was done slowly, and deliberately. There was a method to the way that she was lunging at each victim. This attack had to last for about fifteen or twenty minutes.” according to Dr. Walker.

It had to be fate or divine intervention. Whatever it was, J-Goddess was that much more grateful. On Broadway and 95th Street at the Symphony Space, a gala was held there to raise money for Operation Smile. (Operation Smile is a charity that raises money for children in poor countries who need cleft and palette surgeries to repair facial deformities, visit operationsmile.org for more information.

Hundreds of people gathered for this event. The news and press coverage for this event was nothing short of phenomenal. The gala let out at around 11pm. The evening was so nice, and people were in very good spirits. No one wanted to go home. The one or two restaurants in the vicinity of the event that were still open were filled to capacity. If you wanted to get something to eat you had to walk a few blocks down to find the next available restaurant without a thirty minute wait.

By the time it was all said and done, no one was going to get home before 1am at the earliest. Patricia Hartley attended the gala. She would post on Facebook that this was one of the most memorable evenings of her life. She looked amazing in her designer dress. She and a few of her girlfriends decided to grab something to eat. By the time that they were finished eating, it was 1:40am in the morning.

Two of Patricia’s friends decided to hail a cab since they were traveling to the Co-Op City section of the Bronx. It was too late to take the subway since they lived in a double carfare zone. Patricia’s other two friends did take the subway since it was a straight run on the #3 train to Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. Patricia drove her Honda into the city, and was fortunate enough to find a parking spot after 7pm.

There are only two parking spots on Broadway at this time and thanks to some very careful planning, she was able to get one of the spots. “Yes!!” she thought after pulling into the first available spot. “No parking garage tonight.” she thought. Her carefully, thought out plan would end up saving her about $45.00 which could be better spent on some Pamela Quinzi shoes that she had her eyes on.

As Patricia started to walk back to her car she was being followed. (Unbeknownst to her) As she was reaching for her car keys in her purse, a man grabbed her purse and ran up Broadway. Patricia screamed and she began to chase him. She quickly realized that she had on heels and immediately took them off and continued to chase him. She was still chasing him while screaming for help. The perpetrator was about a half a block ahead of her still running on Broadway and 97th Street.

As luck would have it, two men walking up the street saw what was going on and tried to assist Patricia. “He stole my purse!!” she yelled. Another woman who was walking up Broadway sees the commotion and immediately calls 911. A man working in the corner store also gives chase to the suspect. Suddenly, a strong wind appears. “Well, well well!” she yells. The perp is stunned as is the rest of the group giving pursuit. Everyone comes to a dead stop.

“That purse doesn’t suit you, it’s not your color!” There are sirens in the background as the police are on their way. Black Widow lifts the perpetrator in the air while taking the purse back. “I believe that this belongs to you” she says to Patricia. Patricia still stunned says “Thank you!” “I will handle this!” Black Widow says.

Black Widow flies away with the perpetrator and heads uptown toward Grants tomb. She drops the man in the grass by General Grants statue. The perp is crying and screaming, “Please don’t hurt me!” “You just stole that woman’s purse! What do you think I should do with you?” she replies. “I wasn’t going to hurt her, I just needed some money for food. I’m homeless and I’m very hungry. Please don’t hurt me!”

“You need to learn a lesson about stealing!”; she says.
“I’ve learned my lesson, I’m sorry!”; he says.
“You’re only sorry because you got caught!”; she yells back. Black Widow summons the winds and begins to raise him in the air again. She has him about twenty-five feet off of the ground when a lightning bolt strikes her in the back. The man falls out of the air. Black Widow simultaneously falls to the ground as well. “That’s enough!” J-Goddess yells. “You’ve got him, this is a police matter now.” J-Goddess says.

Black Widow is groggy from the lightning strike. She turns around to see J-Goddess standing besides her. “You!! she exclaims. “You have a lot to answer for”; J-Goddess says. “Who are you to lecture me?!” How dare you! All you do is preach about law and order, what about justice?!”; Black Widow says. “That’s what the courts are for!”; J-Goddess screams back. Black Widow summons a tornado to hail J-Goddess to the other side of the park.

The perpetrator is on the ground and he is petrified. He tries to escape, but he trips over some rocks and falls. He rolled his ankle and now he’s having trouble regaining his footing. As he tries to stand up again he immediately falls to the ground and shouts in anguish; “Aaghh!” Black Widow walks over to him to finish what she started. Just as she is about to use her powers again, a second lightning bolt just misses her. Black Widow moves out of the way just in time. “You just don’t quit do you?”; “No I don’t!”; J-Goddess responds.

J-Goddess sends another blast of lightning towards Black Widow, it misses. Black Widow lets out a burst of light temporarily blinding J-Goddess. Black Widow summons a gust of air and hurls the nearby garbage cans at her striking her. J-Goddess is able to block the first two but the third garbage can hits her in the side. J-Goddess goes down grabbing her side in excruciating pain. J-Goddess is in a lot of pain and is very slow to get back onto her feet.

Black Widow is smiling confidently and leaps toward her. Black Widow strikes her in the face repeatedly. “This is too easy, I thought that you were stronger than this!”; she says. Black Widow rises to the air about thirty feet off of the ground. She is about to summons a tornado when J-Goddess leaps to her feet and summons a blast of lightning. This blast is so strong and powerful that it knocks Black Widow out of the sky. Black Widow falls to the ground and lands awkwardly. She’s not moving.

J-Goddess walks over to the man on the ground and asks him “Are you alright?” He quickly asks a question of his own; “Are you alright?” “Yes, I’m fine”; she responds. J-Goddess immediately checks on Black Widow by trying to take her pulse. She cannot find a pulse. “I will call for an ambulance” she says. “How did this start anyway?”; she asks. The man tells her the truth. J-Goddess hands him ten dollars. The man graciously takes the money from her and says; “I am sorry for taking her purse. I never stole anything before but I was so hungry, I’m sorry!” “I know”; she replies.

J-Goddess quickly flies away. The man quickly limps away from the park. There are sirens in the background and the last thing he needs is explaining to the police how this happened. The ambulance arrives just as J-Goddess is now out of the park.

“Central, we have one female black with multiple burns. It looks like someone tried to set her on fire.” The Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) rush her into the ambulance and proceed to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Columbia Presbyterian is known for their excellent emergency care for burn victims. “She’s got a pulse but it is extremely weak!” he yells over the radio. “I don’t know if she’s going to make it!”

The ambulance takes off with lights and sirens in the background. Black Widow is quickly removed from the ambulance and rushed to the emergency room. (ER) “Can someone tell me what happened here?!” Dr. Rogers asks. “She was just brought in from Grants Tomb. Apparently someone tried to set her on fire.” says Nurse Jones. “No, a fire didn’t cause these burns, these burns are from an electrical source. Were there any lightning strikes in the area?”; he asks. “No, none that I’m aware of. There’s not a cloud in the sky this evening.” she said. “Then what the hell happened here?!”; Dr. Rogers asks.

Black Widow’s left arm, right side rib cage and left leg were badly burned. She also received a concussion as a result of the fall. Black Widow has apparently fallen into a coma. The doctors have more questions than answers. None of these questions can, or will be answered before the sun comes up. The medical staff rushes to the other side of the room as a little boy has just been brought into the ER in cardiac arrest.

Black Widow has been written up as “Jane Doe” because she has no identification, a few dollars and a locked cell phone. She will spend the next several hours here as she is not going any where any time soon. The nurse who had her personal belongings quickly placed them in a bag and put them in the dresser drawer besides the bed in the ER.

Anthony Crespo is the hospital staff worker instructed to move Jane Doe upstairs to provide space in the ER. He is instructed to place her personal belongings in the hospital room drawer and immediately report back to the ER to assist the overnight crew. The hospital is short staffed this evening, and the ER is quickly filling up. “Her cell phone is locked and she only has about seventeen dollars on her. if it goes missing I’ll reimburse her.” The staff chuckles and rushes to save the little boy who was just brought in.Chapter 4

NEW YORK CITY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2011, 6:30PM. THE BROOKLYN DINER IS LOCATED ON 57TH STREET & 8TH AVENUE IN MANHATTAN. I AM MEETING WITH J-GODDESS, THE NEW SUPERHERO/VIGILANTE THAT IS MAKING NYC A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE. I'M A REPORTER FOR THE COURIER. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM A WOMAN THAT CLAIMED THAT SHE WAS THE SUPERHERO/VIGILANTE THAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT. SHE SAID THAT SHE HAS A FASCINATING STORY TO TELL. SHE SAYS THAT SHE IS THE REASON THAT CRIME IS GOING DOWN AND SHE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW WHO SHE IS AND WHY SHE IS DOING IT. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE IS CRAZY OR IF THIS IS THE REAL THING. IF I'M RIGHT, I HAVE THE STORY OF THE YEAR, IF I'M WRONG, I HAVE JUST WASTED AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON WITH A POTENTIAL LUNATIC WHO MAY KILL ME. THIS IS OUR FIRST MEETING SO I HAVE TO PLAY IT SMART. SHE RECOGNIZES ME FROM MY PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE NEWSPAPER. SHE IS TALL, ABOUT 5'9, DRESSED IN ALL BLACK AND WEARING SUNGLASSES. SHE INTRODUCES HERSELF AND I INVITE HER TO SIT DOWN. I ASK HER IF SHE WOULD LIKE SOMETHING TO EAT OR DRINK AND SHE GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTS. AFTER HER DRINK ARRIVES I ASK HER WHY SHE CHOSE ME TO TELL HER STORY. SHE EXPLAINS THAT WE HAVE A MUTUAL FRIEND THAT SAYS THAT I HAVE A FLAIR FOR THE UNUSUAL AND THAT I WOULD HANDLE HER STORY WITH GREAT CARE. SHE'S RIGHT.

ME: Christine?
J-GODDESS: Yes, hello. Thanks for meeting me.


ME: You're very welcome. How’s Don?
J-GODDESS: He’s good. He’s also the reason why I’m here. He told me that you could help me with my “image problem”.


ME: And what makes you think that you have an image problem? (J-Goddess reaches into her bag and pulls out a scrapbook filled with newspaper article cutouts describing the recent vigilante attacks)
J-GODDESS: This is what I’m talking about. There is someone else out there getting credit for my work while I am getting the criticism for being a vigilante. I am not a vigilante. I don’t take the law into my own hands!




ME: Okay, why don’t you tell me your side of the story and let me be the judge. Start from the beginning as early as you want to go.
J-GODDESS: In the beginning I couldn't sleep. I thought that I wasn't feeling well. Maybe I just had too many things on my mind. I used to get about 5 hours of sleep a night, then 4, then 2, then none. It didn't seem to have an effect on me at all. I felt as if I had slept 8 hours a day. I went to work, I exercised, I hung out with my girls. Nothing changed except that I couldn't sleep. I went to my doctor and he prescribed sleeping pills but I didn't want to take them. I have never used drugs and I only drink occasionally. I have never been drunk. The thought of narcotics in my system frightens me. I never want to feel that I am not in control. Needless to say I never took the sleeping pills, I just stayed awake. It's been seven months now. The last time that I slept over 5 hours was back in the summertime. August I believe. I don't miss it though. One good thing about not sleeping is not having to worry about nightmares.


ME: So what is the hardest thing that you're going through right now?
J-GODDESS: Protecting my identity. When I do hang out with my family and friends, I have to fake sleep, or lie by telling them that I am having trouble sleeping. When I blame it on my job they say that I am working too hard and I should take a vacation. I never want to lie to my family, but it's really not a lie because I'm not sleeping. I guess that's why I patrol at night. This backs up my cover while working in the entertainment industry. I try to look after the patrons leaving the clubs after 2am. What's the old saying? Nothing good can happen at a club after 2am. (J-Goddess laughs slightly to herself with a sinister grin) Since I've been patrolling the streets at night I have stopped about ten robberies and six assaults. I feel good about myself and what I'm doing. "With great power comes great responsibility; as Spiderman used to say."

ME: So when did you realize that there was something different about you? I'm referring to your powers.
J-GODDESS: Hmm, that's a good question. I was out running one night. I was in the park. It was late. I saw a hole in the ground and I jumped over it. The funny part is is that when I jumped I kept going. I was in the air. I was floating. I kept rising. I thought that I was dreaming. I hit my head on a tree branch. I just stood there. When I thought about going back down to the ground, away I went. I was back on the ground. I ran home and of course I couldn't go back to sleep. It was one of the longest nights of my life. Was I awake? Was I dreaming? Was I going out of my mind?

ME: What else could you do?
J-GODDESS: I have the ability to control lighting and electricity.

ME: How did you find this out?
J-GODDESS: I was outside in a storm. I was going home when I was struck by a bolt of lightning. It appeared as though it went right through me. People thought that I got struck but nothing happened. They thought that they were seeing things. They kept asking me; "Are you alright?" "Did you get struck by the lightning bolt?" I told them "No". The good thing for me was that people were trying to get out of the storm so there were only a few people around.

ME: You said that you can control lightning and electricity, how do you control electricity?
J-GODDESS: After the lightning strike I had a feeling that being struck by lightning was not an accident. I went to an outlet in my living room and unscrewed the plate cover. I knew that if I touched a few of the wires I would get a shock, at least that's what I thought. I touched the wires and I felt a surge of power run through my body. It almost tickled. I remember laughing. The power surged in my apartment. The lights and all of the appliances that were on flickered uncontrollably. I never did find out whether or not it affected the other apartments in my building.

ME: Well, you said that you can control it. How do you control electricity?
J-GODDESS: I conducted an experiment. I removed the outlet cover in the kitchen and placed my fingers on the wires. I simultaneously held my mixer in the other hand without having it plugged in. I was able to turn on the mixer and operate it while still keeping my fingers on the wires. This was too good to be true, but I had to know more. I drove my car upstate to the Catskill mountains one day during a thunderstorm. As I drove upstate I drove to an open area. I walked outside of my car and raised my hands toward the sky. As I did this, a bolt of lightning struck me. I was able to ground the lightning. I wanted to know what else I could do with it so I pointed at a tree. I channeled the lightning through my body toward the tree. I destroyed several limbs off of the tree.

ME: Impressive!
J-GODDESS: Yes, very! I wanted to know what else I could do. Could I touch water while channeling the lightning? Could I do the same with electricity? Could I store it and use it for later? How much current can I control? I still don't know the extent of my abilities but I try to do as much as I can to learn about them.

ME: What next?
J-GODDESS: I don't know. I'm taking things one step at a time, one day at a time.

ME: Ok, what are you trying to do?
J-GODDESS: I want to help the police department. I want to capture bad guys. I want to make a difference.

ME: You want to be a vigilante.
J-GODDESS: No! That's not what I'm doing! I'm not taking the law into my own hands. I believe in our criminal justice system. It's just that the police and the fire departments are over worked. They can't be everywhere.

ME: Neither can you.
J-GODDESS: I know, but just think about the bad guys that I have put behind bars.

ME: That's exactly what I'm thinking about. You are not legally authorized to capture criminals.
J-GODDESS: I'm making citizens arrests.

ME: Yes, but you are potentially putting real cases in jeopardy.
J-GODDESS: I'm willing to take that chance.

ME: There's no way that I'm going to be able to talk you out of this so what do you want from me?
J-GODDESS: I want you to tell the world my side of the story. I want the world to get to know me.

ME: You want to be accepted.
J-GODDESS: Exactly!

ME: That may not happen, especially right away.
J-GODDESS: I know, but I have to try.

ME: Ok, I will bring it to my editor. We are going to have to establish some ground rules. If you don't want law enforcement digging around too much then we will have to limit our contact with one another.
J-GODDESS: I agree. If anyone finds out that I am only speaking to you then your life and career could be in jeopardy.

ME: In the meantime I will think of something that will get the ball rolling.
J-GODDESS: Great. I have a burner phone. I'm going to give you the number. I want you to purchase one as well. If I need to reach you or vice versa, we can call each other using the burner phones

ME: We should also create new email accounts and only use internet cafes to reach out to each other. We can also go through our mutual friend, but I want to keep him out of this as much as possible. He has a career and a family to feed.
J-GODDESS: There's an internet cafe by my house that's open 24 hours a day. Later on this evening I will create a new account. By the time that you contact me, everything will be set up. You can text me with the information and I will respond.

ME: Sounds good.
J-GODDESS: Thanks for meeting me and thanks again for lunch. I look forward to working with you.

J-GODDESS LEAVES THE DINER. I WANT TO FOLLOW HER BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S A BAD IDEA. IF SHE IS GOING TO TRUST ME, THEN I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT SHE WILL CONTACT ME LIKE SHE SAID SHE WOULD. THIS IS GOING TO BE THE STORY OF MY CAREER. THE NEWS MEDIA HAS BEEN BUZZING ABOUT COSTUMED CHARACTERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW BUT THERE REALLY HASN'T BEEN ANY PROOF. PEOPLE WITH CELL PHONES AND TABLETS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET GOOD, QUALITY PHOTOS. EVEN IF THEY COULD, WHO WOULD BELIEVE THEM? I DON'T EVEN HAVE PROOF THAT SHE IS WHO SHE SAYS SHE IS. NEXT TIME WE TALK I'LL GET SOME PROOF.


Chapter 5



When Black Widow was brought into the ER of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan it was 2:35am. After a little boy was brought into the ER at 2:57am, the priority was now saving the life of a five year old boy brought into the hospital in cardiac arrest. It’s 3:33am. It’s quiet on this floor because everyone is asleep. There are only two nurses working the graveyard shift during the tour because everyone else is either sick, or on vacation, after all it is the summertime. Black Widow wakes up and she is very, very angry.

Black Widow sits up; “Where am I?” she asks herself. She remembers the events from earlier leading up to this point. The robber on Broadway, the chase up Broadway, the fight in the park with J-Goddess. After that, everything else is just a blank. She looks in the dresser drawer to find her cell phone. The screen is cracked and it’s not functioning properly. The electricity provided too much voltage. Her phone is now a paper weight. She is able to sneak out of her room to the nurses station. One nurse is at lunch while the other nurse is making her rounds. She knows that she doesn’t have much time.

Black Widow unlocks the nurses cell phone and calls for help. “Hey, I can’t talk long. I’m at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, I took the nurses phone, I will explain everything when you get here. Room 705 on the seventh floor, East Wing. Bring me a change of clothes, some money and a cell phone.” She quickly hangs up the phone.

She walks back to the door and peaks outside. She quickly returns the cell phone back to the nurses station. She is lucky as the nurses station is to the immediate right of room 705, the room that she is assigned to. The elevators are to the left. In fifteen minutes the elevator doors open. Two men exit the elevator and walk across the corridor. It’s Micheal and Samuel. They find room 705 and quickly give Shaday everything that she asked for.

No one has come to check on her since she was admitted. This makes it even easier to sneak out. Things would have gone a lot smoother if it wasn’t for all of her injuries. They call for the elevator and it is still on the 7th floor. Leaving the hospital is now that much easier. “I was worried sick about you? Are you okay?” Samuel asks. “I’ve been better” she responds. “Thanks for picking me up” she says. “You never have to thank us, that’s what family is for. What the hell happened?” Michael asks. “Do you remember J-Goddess?” she asks. “Yeah, what about her?” “Now you know who’s responsible for this.” she says.

The elevator makes it down to the first floor. Shaday is able to pull off her gown and slip into the change of clothes that she has before the elevator makes it to the second floor. The three walk of them walk out of the hospital right past the security officer who wishes them a good evening. “Do me a favor, both of you, find out as much about J-Goddess as you can. I need as much information about her as possible. I don’t care what it costs. She’s going to pay for what she did to me tonight!” “No problem, we’re on it.” Michael says. Shaday Bennett is a smart woman. She knows that if she is going to get her revenge, she has to lay low for a while, a long while.



Chapter 6

Shaday Bennett has been maintaining a low profile. She has been concentrating on work, school and acting. She is making quite the name for herself both on the job, and with her acting skills and voice. Things are going well in her life. She is happy, but there is still one thing nagging at her. The past two years seem like a blur. J-Goddess has developed a good reputation with the police department and city politicians thanks to Sergeant Christiansen and myself. She has been working diligently to get “connected”.

The outside world does not know about Christine Miller’s alter ego and she would prefer to keep it that way. Only a select, chosen few know about her other identity. Christine is also living a very good life. Every now and then she reflects back on that night at Grant’s Tomb. She regrets killing Black Widow even though it was self defense. However, a body was never found though. There were no newspaper or television news articles about the incident. There was only one lone witness who now works for Christine.

After that evening three years ago, Christine took a good, hard look at the homeless crisis in the city and decided to do something about it. First she went back to Broadway to find the homeless man that she gave the ten dollars to. His name was Ralph Jackson. Ralph was twenty-nine years old when he fell on hard times. Ralph was a high school graduate who did not excel in school. He graduated high school with an 81 grade point average, but was never one for school.

Ralph was good with his hands. He is an excellent mechanic who also possesses good carpenter skills as well. He moved from job to job. He was working in a garage in the Bronx for a few years when it was sold to someone else. The new owner wanted to build a supermarket. He was laid off and couldn’t find work for a while. It wasn’t long before he lost his apartment. He would then move in with his grandmother. This lasted for a little while but then his grandmother became ill. His grandmother developed Alzheimer’s Disease. She would eventually wind up in a nursing home.

His grandmother lived in the Rosedale Garden Apartments which is a complex in the New York City Housing Authority. (NYCHA) His grandmother insisted on putting his name on the lease but he “never got around to it.” He was always “too busy.” When the notice came in the mail informing him that he would have to vacate the apartment, this caused a striking blow to his self esteem and manhood. Never one to beg, he did everything that he could to survive. He took to the streets and lived in a tent in Central Park.

His rational was that if rich people were tossing out food and items that they no longer needed, he could either use them, or sell them. This plan worked for a while until several doormen in the neighborhood thought that he was looking to steal from the people who lived here. They contacted the local precinct and they evicted him from the area and told him to never return. After that he survived by sleeping in the parks after dark. It was almost a year to the day when J-Goddess saw him rummaging through garbage cans. “Remember me?” she asked. “Yes, thank you again for the money that you gave me.” he said. I made it last for three days, it wasn’t easy, but I did it.

The two began to talk. She would eventually take him to a restaurant for something to eat. He was very grateful. He was telling her his story when he finally broke down and started crying at the table. “I, I just want a chance. I’m sorry for crying but I don’t have any family left in the city. My mother passed away when I was 18 years old. She got to see me walk down the aisle in June before she passed away. She had breast cancer. She didn’t want me to worry so she never said anything. She just wanted me to finish high school like she did and go to college. I never met my father so I went to live with my grandmother.”

“My family is originally from South Carolina and I don’t really know them that well. We visited once or twice when I was very young. I was about six or seven. I lived with my grandmother until she passed. After she passed I started living on the streets.” Christine felt sorry for him. Out of no where she said; “I live alone, I don’t have any children, and I have a three bedroom apartment. I have never done anything like this before so you better not make me regret it.”

“I owe you my life, that woman, or thing would have killed me. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, I was just hungry. I was desperate. If I knew where that woman lived I would apologize, honestly.” Christine took him by the hand and said; “Ok, then it’s settled, you’re moving in with me.” Christine paid for the check and took Ralph and his belongings home with her. Ralph didn’t have much. After salvaging what he could, he threw out the rest. Ralph had very few possessions. The only things that could be salvaged were his tent, a flashlight, a hoody, a jacket and two pairs of jeans. He also had a backpack that he carried everything in.

She let him take a shower. She bought him a razor so that he could shave. She took him to the local barbershop in her neighborhood. She took him shopping for some clothes. “Look” he said. I appreciate everything that you’re doing for me but I have pride. I’m old school, I have to earn my keep.” Christine responded by saying; “You most certainly will earn your keep while you're here. I have some loose cabinet doors that need to be fixed, and some walls that can use some painting.” “I’m a very good painter.” he said.

Almost twenty months have gone by and Ralph still lives there. He got a job at the homeless shelter in the neighborhood. There is no one better qualified than someone who has experienced homelessness firsthand. Over these last twenty months Ralph and Christine have become very, very close. They know each others secrets and they have grown very fond of each other, but they are too afraid to do anything about it. They don’t want to ruin their relationship.

The sexual tension between the two of them is enough to drive anyone crazy. They never reveal their feelings for each other. They accompany each other to special events, but it is strictly platonic. They look great together. She cooks, he does the dishes and takes out the trash without having to be asked. He remembers the little things which is the reason why she loves him. Ralph is very loyal and grateful for the opportunities that she has given to him. Her new found connections are the reason he got the job at the homeless shelter. He will never leave Christine’s side unless she wants him to. That will never happen.
Since the encounter of Black Widow and J-Goddess, several other people with “extraordinary abilities” have appeared in the city. It’s hard to keep track of how many there are, whose side that they are on, and what exactly their powers are. Christine and Shaday are intelligent women. They see the writing on the wall. They clearly understand that the world has changed and is constantly changing everyday. There will be a time very soon when those who have extraordinary powers, and those who have “political power” will have to choose sides.

Christine still believes in the current criminal justice system and will do everything in her power to keep it alive and functioning properly. Shaday still believes that the best justice is still “retribution and vengeance.” Each one has aligned themselves with a specified group of friends. They share the same beliefs so it’s easy for them to get along. Occasionally there is a rift between everyone, but for the most part everyone is just trying to make it to tomorrow.

Chapter 7
Every now and then, an incident takes place. This incident is more likely to occur after a condenscending remark is made, or an inappropriate comment is overheard. It can even happen after an unwanted stare is followed up by some unwanted comments. These "incidents" usually occur more frequently after a bad day. They happen even more frequently if it was preceded by a bad day at work. Today was one of those days. After months of laying low, and maintaining a low profile, Black Widow's days of keeping a low profile were just about over. Shaday was set in her routine. She went to work, then to casting calls, and still more casting calls. She was very predictable.

"Hey, is that her?" a man asks. "How am I supposed to know? Why don't you walk up to her and ask her?", the friend says. "Very funny! I just might do that."; the first man replies. "Yeah, go ahead if you want to get the shit beat out of you!" his friend replies. "No thank you!" Shaday hears the exchange. She's very angry right now. She hasn't been this angry since the night at the hospital. She is really angry with herself more than the two men exchanging a few words about her.

Ever since her defeat at the hands of J-Goddess, Shaday just wanted to get on with her life. Life has a very funny way of throwing a curveball at you when you least expect it. Jason Robertson would spend the last several months hating Black Widow. He listened to all of the propaganga in the news, and on the radio. He thought that she was everything that they made her out to be. He never knew about the great home that she grew up in. He never knew about the father who raised her to be a good, wholesome, Christian woman. He also didn't know about that one night at the train station that changed everything.

As reports of her fight with J-Goddess surfaced, he thought that his hate would finally be satisfied. He knew that if she were dead, then maybe he could move on to the next chapter of his life. Jay wanted to make sure that the job was finished. Jay was able to access the hospital computers admission reports. He discovered that Shaday was taken up to the ICU unit located on the The 7th floor. He knew what had to be done. He also knew that he didn't have much time to do it. As he snuck around the corner, not too many people would notice him. Especially at 3:30 in the morning.

The two nurses on duty at the time never heard Jay get off of the elevator. The sounds coming from their cell phones provided just enough noise for him to get around the corner. As he entered the corridor, he could see the names that were written on the outside of each patients room.
Jay managed to locate her room as soon as he rounded the corner. Room 705 was the third door on the right. As he was considereing all of the ways to end her life, an unexpected thing happened. Jay was feeling completely overwhelming with guilt. Jay originally headed to the floor to finish what J-Goddess started, but as he snuck around the corner, everything changed. The heart is a funny thing. It wants what it wants when it wants it.

At first glance, he saw her lying there completely still. She almost looked like she was dead. The scene was too much for even him to bear. He turned around and began weeping uncontrolably. He knew at this point that he loved Shaday. He immediately left her room and walked to the end of the corridor. He was so caught up in his own grief that he never stayed long enough to see her wake up off of the bed. He also didn't hear her make an outgoing phone call to Samuel and Michael.

Jay was completely devastated. He thought that she was gone forever. It didn't take very long for Samuel and Michael to get Shaday out of the hospital. The three of them made their escape from the hospital. It takes some time, but Jay finally pulls it together and manages to make his way to his feet. As he walks back towards Shaday's room, he is completely caught off guard by the empty bed in room 705. He sees the hospital gown and the sheets on the floor. "Where did she go?!"; is is first question. He makes his way to the nurses station. "Excuse me, where is the patient from room 705?" One of the nurses replied; "She is supposed to be sleeping in her room, who are you?" "She's not there!"; he shouts. "Call security!"; she yells.

Jay realizes that the situation has taken a turn for the worst and he realizes that he better not be there when the police arrive. As Jay heads for the elevators, the second nurse screams "Stop!! Jay ignores her and rushes down the staircase. He gets off on the fifth floor to summons one of the elevators from a different corridor. He makes it out of the bulding and makes his way back to his car.

From that moment on, Jay realized that he was given an opportunity. A very unique, and special opportunity. He promised himself from that moment on, he would stop chasing Shaday to hurt her. Instead he would tell her how he really feels. It would be months before he would see her again. All that he could do was reflect upon the last time that they saw each other.

One evening during the summer, Jay and his teammates received a tip that Black Widow was going to be at Grand Central Station. The plan was to bring her in alive with as little damage as possible. Black Widow was supposed to take a train to Washington DC at 11pm. The team would arrive at Grand Central at 10pm.

It was about 10:40pm when Black Widow walked through the westside entrance. As soon as she was spotted, the call went over the radio. Mercenary was the first to respond, then Jay, and then the General. Apolonia never had the opportunity to truly join the fight as she was knocked unconscious by Black Widow. The problem with Grand Central Station was the amount of people that would be inside of the terminal. It was a warm summer evening and everyone in New York seemed to be at Grand Central this evening. The General gave strict orders for the team to use hand to hand combat, no powers. Unfortunately, Black Widow didn't care about the civilians in the train station. As far as Black Widow was concerned, she did nothing wrong. She was suddenly being attacked by at least four people. Black Widow justified her actions to herself, but the world had a different reaction. Black Widow was labeled as public enemy number one. Her face was posterized on every billboard in the city. A large reward was offered for her capture, dead or alive. For Jay it seemed like a simple assignment. Find Black Widow, bring her back to headquarters and move on to the next target.

Jay fell in love with Black Widow at first sight. He always knew that there was something about her, but he could never put his finger on it. He was always torn about his feelings for her. He knew that he was supposed to hunt her, yet every time that she ascaped he was always relieved. He knew that this made no sense whatsoever, however, a heart knows what it wants, when it wants it. Chapter 8 Four months later, Jay was going to a party. One of his acting friends inviting him. She convinced him that he needed to "get out and meet someone." Jay listened. It was this one act that would change the rest of his life forever. When they arrived at the party, it was love at first sight. As soon as Jay walked through the door, there she was, Shaday Bennett. She was the most beautiful person in the room. When she saw him, she started walking right towards him. She felt the same thing that he did. They never said a word. That first kiss said it all. They talked, they danced, and they kissed again. From that moment on, they were inseparable. Jay and Shaday would start dating. They would share everything with each other, including their deepest secrets. Shaday revealed that she was Black Widow. Jay did not take this very well, but he knew that if there was any way for them to have a future, they would have to be toally honest with each other. Jay would share hs own secret. He told her that he was Atlas. He told her everything about their missions. He told her why he and his team were hunting her. They screamed at each other, they yelled at each other, they cried, they laughed, they hugged and then they embraced.

Several months would go by as their relationship grew stronger. They decided that it was best to keep their relationship a secret. Afterall, what would the general say? What would Michael and Samuel say? What would Jay's temamates say? The strain of keeping their relationship a secret was beginning to take its toll on both of them. After many long nights, and many difficult conversations, the two of them decided to go public with their relationship. Jay would resign from his unit. Shaday would become estranged from Samuel and Micheal. They just couldn't understand how she could love someone who tried to kill her. Jay would get a new job in the private sector as a professional driver for a wealthy family. The pay was very good, the hours were reasonable, and it enabled him to spend more time with Shaday.

"We should get married." Jay said. The comment was completely out of left field. Shaday knew what she heard, but she wanted to hear it again."What did you say?"; she asked. "You heard me, I think that we should get married." We've waited long enough. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I don't want to wait any more. I love you." Shaday took a step back. She was truly stunned. "I love you too" she replied. "But what if they come after us?", she asked. "Then we will fight them together." Four months later, Shaday and Jay publically announced their engagement.

Two days before the wedding, Jay and Shaday held a wedding rehearsal in DUMBO.

Sunday August 17th, 2014, the wedding of Shaday Miller and Jay Robertson was about to take place in Times Square. Jay invited his immediate friends and family. Shaday invited her mother. Samuel and Micheal didn't want to attend the wedding. It was a glorious day, but at the same time, it was also a very sad day. After years of fighting and running, a new chapter was going to finally begin. Chapter 9 In New York City it gets very hot, especially in August. On the 17th day of August, this was no exception. Despite the hot temperatures outside, there were nothing but smiles across the faces on everyone in attendance. At 5pm, the wedding of Shaday Miller and Jay Robertson was about to take place in Times Square. "After many nights, and many fights, I now pronounce you man and wife!" The pastor made the declaration in front of hundreds of people in Times Square.