This is a short story I conceived a while ago and recently actually wrote.
—
Nobody knew his identity, but everyone in his city knew his backstory.
I was born an orphan. I never knew who my parents were. I spent my entire childhood living in the tunnels. And my experiences forged me into the person I am today.
I am Tunnel-Man. I fight in the tunnels. I fight on the streets. I fight to make our city safer. And despite how intense my fighting gets, I know one thing: I will never kill.
—
Two hustling city dwellers, Andrea and Jake, walked into their favorite local diner. Jake had been working as a night-shift security guard at consumer goods company Good Products, and in their five years as a couple, they would always meet here before Jake headed to work.
“Anything new to expect at work today? How’s it going in general?”
“Same-same. Nothing new,” he replied.
“I see. I’m glad it’s going well for you.”
“It really is. It’s going well for me … this is good for us!”
“Have you been hearing the news recently though? About Shelby Powers? Tunnel-Man is claiming she actually murdered the safety auditors for the new body soap?”
Shelby Powers was a top executive within the company, and Jake’s superior a few levels up. He had certainly heard the rumors.
“Look, Good Products’ products have been used by everyone for a long time, and they’ve never caused anyone any issues. There’s no reason she would need to do that now.”
“I’m just saying, we’re talking about Tunnel-Man himself on this. We should be careful about whether we’re on the right side.”
“Yes, I’ve thought about that. And while I’m grateful for all the hardened criminals he’s put away, everyone’s wrong eventually — even people as smart and deductive as him. I think he’s got this one wrong.”
“OK, babe. Just checking. Have a great night at work!” Andrea planted a kiss on Jake’s lips before he headed off.
—
Meanwhile, Tunnel-Man brooded in his headquarters, directly below the most iconic tower in the city. It was somehow one of the few places where none of his enemies thought to look.
He clicked furiously as his supercomputer whirred, running countless calculations and projections every second. He was sure there was a conspiracy lurking within Good Products, and he wouldn’t stop until he uncovered the full truth.
He suddenly freezed a frame. And there, he saw it. The smoking gun. It confirmed everything — Shelby Powers was indeed responsible for the auditors’ deaths. She had committed murder. And now, he would make her pay.
Rising from his seat, he moved immediately to his exercise rack. He would need to be in top physical shape to take her on. Then, once his regiment was complete, he would don his suit so that he could bring her to justice.
—
Jake had been on his shift for 20 minutes now, which had so far been uneventful. To pass the time, he had started to converse with his fellow night-time security guards.
“Do you think Tunnel-Man himself could show up?” one mused.
“Do you think Shelby Powers actually did it?” another asked.
“I’ll tell you what I told my girlfriend,” Jake replied. “Our products have worked well for everyone for a long time, so there’s no reason she would do that now.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” the other guard replied. “You haven’t been working here too long yet. In my time here, I have been in the room with a number of these people, and while some are clean, many are nasty. I wouldn’t immediately say it’s true, but I wouldn’t put it past them, either.”
“Then why haven’t we heard about any of their past crimes?”
“Good Products is powerful! You really think they couldn’t bury something if they wanted to?”
“I mean, we usually make good-quality stuff,” the other chimed in. “But if there’s ever a slip-up in the quality assurance, depending on who’s running things I’m not sure Good Products would own up to it. They could just try to bury it instead.”
Jake considered what they were saying. “Regardless, we can’t say for sure right now. And as for Tunnel-Man, he would have to know we’re just guards, who may not be in on it. He would have to show nuance in dealing with us, even if he turns out to be right.”
Suddenly, they spotted a figure in the distance. It took them a couple seconds to register who it was, as Tunnel-Man appeared ready to fight.
“Watch out!” they exclaimed.
The costumed crime fighter immediately threw a blade at the legs of one of the guards, causing them to fall and scream in pain.
“Wait, you can’t just kill all of us! Even if you’re right, you don’t even know if we’re in on it!”
“I never kill!” he declared in a low, gravelling voice, as he swung his blade in a smooth motion, slashing the legs of the other two guards. He then continued onward.
—
Jake laid in his hospital bed, as Andrea sat next to him. Her fingers twitched as she anxiously awaited the doctor’s prognosis. Finally, the doctor walked back in.
“How bad is it?” Andrea got up immediately to face him, as she feared the worst.
“Multiple fractures throughout his right leg,” he replied. “But it’s miraculous. He’ll walk again. He can take small steps a year from now, and after two years, he should be fully recovered. Given how bad the injury is, that’s incredible. Most people with this don’t walk ever again.”
Andrea breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with paperwork.”
While she waited for him to return, the small-screen hospital TV suddenly blared with a new announcement of Tunnel-Man’s recent activities.
“We are grateful to our city’s superhero for …”
She shut off the TV. Then, she clenched her fists in anger, as she thought about how she would make Tunnel-Man pay.
—
Tunnel-Man sightings, posted by his biggest fans!
Andrea clicked further.
Tunnel-Man’s fights, caught on camera!
She clicked the first video. As she watched, she intently analyzed every move Tunnel-Man made — every attack, block, and opponent’s response.
The first video ended. She played the second. Then the third.
She walked over to her punching bag. Letting out a ferocious scream, she whacked it. Then again. And again. As she trained more with it, she practiced Tunnel-Man’s moves — his strategies, tactics, and fighting style — and how she would respond to them.
Over days, weeks, and months, she trained and prepared. Finally, at the end of it all, she was ready to take him on.
Meanwhile, her friends had grown concerned about her, as she hadn’t spoken to anyone for a long time, which was uncharacteristic of her. They knew Jake had been injured and that she would need space and time to process it, but now they were getting worried. They didn’t think it was healthy for her to not confide in anyone. And they could guess who she was going to go up against, and they were apprehensive about her safety as well as any possible criminal consequences.
Finally, one of them broke into her house, only to catch her brooding and planning her next steps.
“Andrea!” she called.
Andrea barely turned. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy to hear her friend — she was — but it was just not important right now. She could reunite with her later.
“Hey,” she replied weakly, in a way that obviously indicated her mind was focused elsewhere.
“Listen … I can’t imagine what you’re going through. And we’re all praying for Jake. But this isn’t the right way. Attacking Tunnel-Man won’t help him heal faster. And think about if you end up branded as a criminal, locked up or worse. Then you wouldn’t even be able to spend time with Jake.”
“I don’t care,” Andrea replied. “Sure, Tunnel-Man has put many dangerous people away, and we’re all thankful for that. But that doesn’t give him the right to assault anyone’s henchmen or guards without any restraint or care for their situation, even if he’s right about their employer. For that, he needs to be brought to justice.”
With that, Andrea walked out, wearing a reinforced Kevlar suit, as she planned in her mind the trap she would set for Tunnel-Man. Her friend watched her go, fearing for her, while not having the heart to try and stop her.
—
Tunnel-Man had just reached the spot where he had received a report of an armed robbery. But as he looked around, he saw nothing. Suddenly, he realized what was happening.
It’s a trap!
He dove just in time to avoid getting struck by a thrown dagger. He whirled to meet a figure in Kevlar. She looked totally unfamiliar, not someone he had fought before.
A new villain, he thought.
As he fought her, he realized she was countering and copying his every move without fail. He tensed as he saw that none of his strikes were making much impact, and nothing he was doing was giving him an advantage he could press.
After a while, with both of them locked in a stalemate, and both their staminas seemingly inextinguishable, he sensed this fight wasn’t going to end in a victory for either of them. He needed to escape and regroup.
Finally, he saw an opportunity. He took it up, rolling away, as he fled the scene. As he retreated, he thought about this new villain who had just appeared, and how he would need to train even more vigorously to defeat her next time.
Andrea, also out of breath, needed her own moment to recover. As she did, she thought about what she would do next. Her mission wasn’t over. She resolved that she would train even harder for next time, and that time she would make sure she wouldn’t fail.