Axiom-man: City of Ruin (The Axiom-man Saga, Book 3)

By A.P. Fuchs

If only relationships were simple. While debating whether to reveal his secret identity to Valerie, Gabriel’s personal plans are put on hold when darkness descends upon the city, each building, street and alley covered in a strange black cloud akin to those from the Doorway of Darkness. Only these clouds didn’t descend from the sky. They came from a mysterious shadowy being known as Bleaken.

With the city under the tyrant’s control, pandemonium ensues and violence erupts on the streets. Screams, gunshots and sirens fill the air; fires are lit, blood is shed and people begin to die.

Axiom-man must navigate the darkness and put an end to Bleaken’s reign of terror before the entire city is destroyed under a veil of black clouds and violence.

Meanwhile, having grown closer as friends, Valerie races into the dark, trying to find Gabriel to make sure he’s safe, only to succumb to a band of madmen on the way that take her down a tunnel of torture and despair that threatens her sanity and soul. If she doesn’t escape, her fate will be sealed and she will meet an end worse than death.

With all hope lost and the city covered in a sea of black clouds, Axiom-man must learn what it takes to truly shine as a light in a dismal place and stand strong against the tides of darkness emanating from all sides.

The Axiom-man Saga is a cross-medium storyline, however the main story is in book form.

The Axiom-man Saga (listed in reading order):

The Axiom-man Saga (listed in reading order):

Axiom-man
Episode No. 0: First Night Out
Doorway of Darkness
Episode No. 1: The Dead Land
City of Ruin
Episode No. 2: Underground Crusade
Outlaw
Axiom-man Comics, Nos. 1-2

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coscom Entertainment
• Release date: Oct 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781927339206

A.P. Fuchs

A.P. Fuchs is a working writer and illustrator, and the author of more than forty books. He is most widely known for his superhero epic, The Axiom-man Saga, and his shoot 'em up zombie trilogy, Undead World.He's been an independent publisher since 2004 and has played every role in the publishing business, including-but not limited to-editor, book interior and cover designer, publisher, and marketer.His spectrum of work includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics, essays, and articles. He also writes a weekly newsletter called The Canister X Transmission, which you can subscribe to here.He can be found on most social networks sharing information.Join his Patreon journey for serial novels, essays, behind-the-scenes stuff, and more at www.patreon.com/apfuchsWriter and illustrator A.P. Fuchs makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, smack dab in the middle of North America.

Book preview

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AXIOM-MAN: CITY OF RUIN

by

A.P. Fuchs

Published by Coscom Entertainment at Smashwords.com

This book is also available as a paperback at your favorite online retailer like Amazon.com or through your local bookstore.

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The fiction in this book is just that: fiction. Names, characters, places and events either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead, or any known superheroes and/or supervillains is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-1-927339-20-6

Axiom-man and all other related characters are Trademark ™ and Copyright © 2012 by Adam P. Fuchs. All rights reserved.

Axiom-man: City of Ruin is Copyright © 2012 by Adam P. Fuchs. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce in whole or in part in any form or medium.

Published by Coscom Entertainment

www.coscomentertainment.com

Check out Axiom-man on the web at

www.axiom-man.com

Text set in Garamond; eBook Edition

Cover Art by Justin Shauf and Kyle Zajac

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For Dave Sim, who by example taught me to just do my own thing.

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Note from the Author

City of Ruin has been a long time coming. It’s been four long years since the last Axiom-man adventure, The Dead Land. Correction: the last book adventure. There have been a couple short stories in the meantime and some comics—Black Water, There’s Something Rotten Up North, and the Axiom-man comic book series respectively. I’m not going to list excuses as to why this book has taken so long to come to market, but in the end know that I’m never letting such an unreasonable delay happen again. My aim, as it was when I first started The Axiom-man Saga, was to do one full-length novel and one novella-length episode a year. At least that, if not more. Here’s to the future.

City of Ruin marks the end of an era for Axiom-man as after the next book—Episode 2 in the novella/episode part of the saga—his first year as a superhero will come to a close. It’s been a tough year for him: first getting powers without reason or assignment, then having to make decisions about what he was going to do with those powers. He found out he wasn’t alone on Earth in possessing these great abilities and also discovered the other supposed superhero, Redsaw, was actually a supervillain instead and that his own destiny was tied to Redsaw’s in more ways than one.

The worst of it was dealing with the aftermath of the opening of the Doorway of Darkness and how, as I’ve much touted since writing it, the Doorway is a major turning point in the series, the ramifications of which will serve as a backbone to the saga as a whole, this book being a good example of what opening the Doorway has done and how it’s affected some people. Likewise, the consequences of the Doorway opening was touched on in The Dead Land.

What I’m particularly proud of regarding the Axiom-man books and comics is that I think they do a good job of portraying a superhero without any experience and putting him in the real world. It has always been my assessment that if a superhero showed up on the world stage tomorrow morning, he/she would be busy dealing with regular day-to-day crises rather than suddenly being plunked into a fantastic adventure with a superpowered villain right off the hop, as Hollywood would have us believe. If anything, a certain period of time would pass where all this hero did was take care of regular crimes, and if a true villain—superpowered or otherwise—showed up, then things could escalate.

When creating villains—not all of them, but what I’ve presented so far—it’s important to not just have a bad guy who’s bad because he’s the bad guy. There needs to be a really good reason, and even then, that needs to be supported by a struggle. I’ve always been a fan of the reluctant villain, the one who knows what he is doing is wrong, even regrets his actions, but does it anyway because they are blinded by something they believe to be true or something they’re trying to bring to pass. I believe that was achieved in the past books with Redsaw, and succeeded here with Bleaken. However, I’ll leave that decision ultimately up to you.

What is important to note, though, is how far Axiom-man himself has come since first donning the tights and I hope that those steps forward are apparent here in City of Ruin and onward as the series continues.

Thank you, dear reader, for following Axiom-man and his story, whether in the books, comics or both. To get the whole storyline, reading both mediums will give that to you as it is a cross-medium narrative though you can also stick with just one, if that’s your thing.

Thank you, too, for your support over the years and enabling me to keep writing and publishing these stories. This is more than what any artist could ask for and I thank God for each and every one of you.

Best,

A.P. Fuchs

September 10, 2012

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Prologue

"I have something to tell you."

Even now, thinking back on that statement, Axiom-man winced inside. The idea seemed good at the time, telling Valerie how he felt about her. How Gabriel felt about her. There had been a chance it would work. She had asked him to Oscar Owen’s gala after all. Their evening together, though not entirely perfect, was perfect in comparison to how their relationship had been up until then. And after the ordeal with Redsaw and the Doorway of Darkness in the MTS Centre, there didn’t seem like there’d be any better time than to confess his feelings toward her. But several months ago, standing in front of the doors to Valerie’s apartment, he had never felt so much at a crossroads. Even more than when he had decided to dedicate his life to helping others as Axiom-man. If he had told her he loved her, and if she accepted it, maybe even reciprocated it over time, life would have transformed into everything he had ever wanted. Ever since he was a kid he longed for the day he would tell the girl he adored that he loved her and they’d live happily ever after. But as the years went by, and he saw more and more of life, he learned that very few lives really had happy endings and that many people just made do, not always with whoever they ended up marrying, but with their jobs, kids, hobbies—almost everything.

Life wasn’t that simple for him. Though there was the standard day job, parents and a sibling, everything was thrown for a spin the night the messenger visited him. Now, this was the path he was on and one he wasn’t so sure would be as straight and simple as other folks’.

That day outside Valerie’s apartment, meeting her as she came up to the door . . . . Even now, soaring through the winter air, Axiom-man could still clearly recall the look on her face, bright eyes and the beginning of a smile, as if she had been waiting for something. A face filled with hope. Instead, he had asked her if she had his ticket stub from Owen’s gala, something he could keep as a memento from their evening together. When she looked at him crossly, he recovered his statement by stating he wanted something to remember his first time out to such a fancy ball.

Valerie tensed her eyes and pursed her lips, seemingly keeping at bay a whole slew of curse words. She dug in her purse and he thought that maybe she was looking for his ticket stub. Instead, she yanked out her keys and strode to the door in a huff, not once even looking his way. She tugged the door hard, went in, and left him outside to replay their exchange over and over in his mind all evening.

Days passed and What an idiot! became his mental mantra of how he felt about himself. But a week later, when he got home late one evening after stopping a series of car hijackings, he was greeted by Valerie’s number on the call display. He checked his voice mail. She had called and apologized for her rude behavior and wanted to get together the next evening for coffee. Axiom-man had shifted his powers off and tore down the front of his mask in no time, eager to give her a call, but it was already past 10:30 p.m. and he didn’t want to wake her if she happened to be asleep. He called her at the temporary Owen Tower office—set up in the interim while the tower itself was being constructed—during his lunch the next day and in spite of his expectations for her to do so, not once did Valerie bring up the way she treated him or her phone message other than to ask him if he did indeed want to get together that evening. He jumped on it in a flash and met up with her around 7:00.

Now, the memory of that night made Axiom-man kick on the speed and made the rush of icy air blowing against his mask more bearable.

Nothing huge had happened, just the two of them sitting across from each other at Second Cup on Graham Avenue, she with a cup of coffee, he with his tea, but the fact they were together out-and-about made it special. At first it was a little awkward. Just the two of them, no crowds, like at the gala, no fancy clothes or soft classical music in the background. For the first few minutes they sat across from each other, each seeming to see who would be the first to say, So? But when Valerie asked him how things were going at Dolla-card, they slipped into an hour bout of give-and-take, the questions starting off with their respective jobs than giving way to family and friends. Though he had been embarrassed to admit he didn’t have many friends, it didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, she said, Well, I suppose that could be a good thing. Too many friends would mean less time for other stuff. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure what she meant by that, but before he could give it further thought, she was asking him what area of the city he grew up in.

A gust of frigid wind blew at Axiom-man from the side. He descended his flight and frowned that even the T-shirt, shorts, and thick sweatsuit underneath his costume didn’t abate the cold that much.

Winnipeg winters are ridiculous, he thought. The weather guy said today was going to sit at -20C. Axiom-man could only imagine what it was really like up here with the wind. Still, the cold wasn’t too bad. As teenager-like as it was, thoughts of Valerie warmed him and he was more than willing to press on through the cold to go see her. She had wanted to meet with him—Gabriel—today for lunch. It would be their fourth noon-hour outing. Fortunately, he had the day off from work so was able to help out as Axiom-man in the morning, and with Redsaw having not shown his face since that night at the MTS Centre, all that he came up against that morning—a drunk guy causing a ruckus at a bar, a homeless man who had trailed a young woman for several city blocks and wouldn’t let up—had been easy. Even the mugging in an alley out by Polo Park didn’t take much effort—a couple of punches and a delivery of the crook to the police.

His heart beat quick and sure. After seeing Valerie roughly four days out of seven, he thought he’d be used to it by now, yet each time the thought of seeing her sent excitement through his bones and butterflies into his stomach. They weren’t dating. She had made that clear on their second outing, but neither did she make clear that she was seeking only friendship. All Axiom-man knew was he’d have to find out soon what her intentions were, if any, before he allowed himself to get too wrapped up in the idea of seeing her so much. He even forbade himself to see her as Axiom-man in the hopes that Gabriel Garrison would have the spotlight.

All in due time, he supposed.

Axiom-man banked toward downtown, looking forward to landing and donning his civilian clothes before meeting Valerie for lunch. He just hoped she wouldn’t notice he was wearing so many layers of clothing and ask him about it.

A minute later, as he approached the city skyline, the loud whoosh of a small passenger plane passed overhead and the stench of smoke filled the air.

It was going down.

* * * *

Valerie Vaughan stood just inside the doors that led into Winnipeg Square. She checked her watch. It was 12:03. Gabriel was supposed to meet her at noon.

Probably running late, she thought. Though she knew he had the day off today, they decided on the Square because it was close to the Owen Tower temp office. At first she didn’t think she’d be able to handle it, since the last time she was here for lunch had been with Joel, but the months that passed seemed to have somewhat healed the wound he left. She had ignored his calls and after a while, stopped listening to the messages he left on her voice mail explaining his actions and why he left her that night at the Screamer Eyes concert.

I’m sorry, she had said into the receiver in reply to his message, panic’s no excuse for leaving someone to die. Especially after all you said to me and how much I supposedly meant to you. If you love someone, you’re supposed to be willing to lay your life down for them, not snatch it up and run away.

For a short time she thought she was being too cold with him and that he deserved a second chance, but a second chance was what she had given him for the short time they were together again. Joel blew it, just like the first time, and he was the kind of guy she couldn’t let close to her heart again. Especially him. She couldn’t help herself but fall over her own two feet while he was around. Something about him stole her away, captivated her in a way she couldn’t quite put into words but only feel. And twice now she’d let him take hold of her.

Never again.

After a couple of months, Joel stopped calling. An email from him came a month after that, pleading just to talk to her. She sent him a message back, politely asking him not to contact her. She never heard from him after that.

Valerie checked her watch again. 12:06. She only had a half hour for lunch. Gabriel better hurry it up and get here otherwise she’d either be late getting back to work or would have to skip their lunch altogether and tell him why later.

For a moment her heart did a jump and she found herself grimacing. He knew he was supposed to be here. Gabriel wouldn’t miss lunch with her for the world. Maybe he got his days mixed up? The time?

No. He’s showed up early for every other time we’ve hung out. Today wouldn’t be any different. Come on, Garrison. Get a move on, she sung softly.

Her watch now read 12:08. Where is he?

She glanced down at her shoes then checked for him through the glass doors.

He’s probably busy, she said, and smiled.

* * * *

I’m in huge trouble, Axiom-man said as he flew off after the plane. There’s no way I can guide this thing down.

Even though his maximum lifting limit was around twelve hundred pounds since the surge he experienced during the bay fire set by Redsaw, it wouldn’t be near enough to grab hold of the plane and fly it to safety. Even getting close enough to do something to it was going to be a problem.

Pouring on the speed, Axiom-man flew after it as fast as he could and was close enough to see the small off-gray passenger plane still had one of its engines running. The other was clouded in dark, thick gray smoke. However, it appeared that the engine not ablaze wasn’t functioning or didn’t have enough power running through it to keep the plane aloft.

Hugging his shoulders close, making his body as straight as an arrow, Axiom-man sped after it, praying the pilots inside knew what to do in the case of an inevitable crash.

Far below, the city streets pumped with traffic. So far, no one seemed to have noticed the plane heading down at an angle toward them.

Cold, biting wind nipped at his chin through his mask. He lowered his head, making his body as aerodynamic as possible, any little thing he could do to gain speed.

The noise of cars below began to hang on the air, just beneath the loud whooshing of the flaming engine and the high-pitched wail of the falling plane.

From up here, it appeared the plane was on course for Winnipeg Airport, but at its current descent rate, there would be no way it’d make it in time.

Okay, think. There’s gotta be something you can do.

He couldn’t catch up to it and couldn’t grab hold of it and lower it down. There had to be something—

It’s worth a shot.

He scanned just past the plane, imagining a straight line stretching from its nose to the ground beyond. If the plane kept its current course and angle, it would—

The other engine exploded, taking a chunk of the wing with it. The plane banked sharply up and to the right then quickly tipped over to the left.

Axiom-man followed the smoke trail and, despite the circumstance, was happy the plane changed course slightly, in turn allowing him to move with the wind instead of it blowing in from the side.

Far up ahead, covered in a thick blanket of bright white snow, was a warehouse with a huge parking lot, beyond that, a few industrial buildings and a couple of traffic-filled streets.

The plane headed toward a warehouse, one that would be full of people this time of day. If only