Evil Genius (Part 1)

OK, so here we go. I won't usually post introductions, but wanted to this first time because the Prologue is a bit on the darker side. Just keep in mind that it's going to be a comedy (albeit a dark comedy) so please view the violence to follow in the comic book style that is is intended.

Prologue
Two Years Ago
“Repent! Repent sinners for the end of the world is near!”

The preacher stood in the middle of the park with one hand on the bullhorn and the other on his Bible. He turned slowly from side to side to engage the people as they walked towards and then away from him. A few paused to listen and every once in a while one stayed to argue, but most just ignored him and walked on by.

“The day of reckoning is at hand, children of God. Do not be lost when the time comes. Jesus loves you, but if you turn your back on him today, he will not recognize you when you stand before him in judgement.”

It had been a pretty slow day, thought the preacher. He wasn’t sure that thus far he had saved anyone. This only spurred him on harder, though. He decided that what was needed was the power of God’s words, rather than his own. He began to quote scripture.

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night”

Yes this was better, thought the preacher. He always felt the power flowing through him when he recited the Book of Revelations.

“And I stood upon the sand, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

Now the preacher could see that he had caught someone’s attention. A man of average build in perhaps his mid to late 50s had paused directly in front of him and was listening intently. This was good; men of his age frequently began to confront their own mortality for the first time. They were ripe for salvation. This really gave the preacher momentum.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.”

Now more than a few people had paused, though whether it was the power of the word or the theatrics of the performance that held their attention is anyone’s guess. And still the middle-aged man stood directly in front of him, his eyes locked intently on the preacher and a small smile beginning to appear on his lips. ‘This man is ready to be saved, and with my help God will save him this day’, the preacher thought as he returned the man’s smile. But he was not ready to abandon the rest of his audience, now that he finally had one.

“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. And they were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Now he put down the bullhorn and amped up the performance, shouting as loud as he could and thumping the bible for emphasis.

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And every deed of every man was recorded in the books, and each was judged according to their work. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And any who’s name was not found in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.”

The preacher paused reverently to allow the words to sink in a moment. Then he looked up at his audience, which numbered only a dozen at the most. In his mind, though, he was speaking to thousands, and they were hanging on his every word. Just as he was about to speak again, the man in front of him put his arm on his shoulder.

“And is your name written in the Book of Life?” he asked.

The preacher beamed as he answered. “God has saved me from death. I am one with Jesus and we shall live forever.”

The man nodded and then turned to face the rest of the crowd.

“This man speaks the truth. The day of reckoning is close at hand. And all of you will be judged!” The man said. The preacher continued to beam; he had reached this man, and he had been saved. Praise Jesus! All at once the man turned back to look at the preacher and suddenly the preacher felt as though his whole body had been submerged in ice water. The man was smiling broadly, but there was no joy in that smile. The man turned again to face the crowd.

“But retribution does not come from God. Oh no, my friends. It comes from me!”

A deep silence now descended on the crowd. Even those that had heard nothing of the preacher’s sermon could sense that something wasn’t quite right, and paused to find out what it was. The preacher was shaking now; he had been unprepared for this sudden outburst of blasphemy. He was searching for the words to use to decry him, when the man turned to face him again. The preacher now understood why the smile had froze him. It wasn’t a lack of joy. It was pure evil.

“And you, sir, are not in my book.”

The blade came out quickly. Impossibly quick, for a man that age. The preacher could not even identify it as a knife before it disappeared into one side of his neck and reappeared on the other.
Now the silence was deafening. People stood in shock, searching their minds for another explanation of what they had just witnessed. Some thinking that it was an elaborate magic stunt; others thinking they were in the midst of some terrible nightmare and that they would wake momentarily. All eyes were fixated on the preacher, who stood with the same look of shock on his face. He took one small step forward and as he did so his head came loose from his body and fell to the ground.

And with that the spell was broken. One woman’s piercing scream gave rise to fifty more, as people began to slowly back away from the grizzly scene before losing all composure and just running and scattering in all directions. And in the middle of the mayhem that he had created, the man stood silently with his eyes closed and breathed deeply. With his arms extended and his palms and face pointing skyward, he basked in the terror that he had created. Every scream was music to his ears, and his every thought centered on how, very soon now, he would be the cause of hundreds of millions of screams just like this. When at last he heard the first of the sirens approaching, he sighed and pulled himself out of his daydream. He had nothing to fear from the police, and indeed the incident with the preacher had only whetted his appetite for blood. He could stay and make a bloody mockery out of the local law enforcement. But there was so much work to be done, and that would only be a distraction. Soon enough, he told himself. The time for blood will come soon enough.

And with that most pleasant thought in his head, Dr. Ivan Destructo smiled and slowly began to walk away. This was shaping up to be a very good day.