THE RETRIBUTION REALITY

Not long after I donned the mask of Mysterion I became aware of a superhero named Jetboy, but of course I also knew his real name. Jared. Jared was fast, and agile, as I’m sure his hero name gave away. I first met him was when he and Mainframe were united against me in our great battle. When I frazzled Mainframe and took him out of the game forever, Jared wasn’t a huge fan of that. He took it very personally. It wasn’t personal, it was just business.

Jared started displayed certain symptoms quickly after Mainframe was laid to rest. But Jared wasn’t going through the seven stages of grief, although that would have been appropriate. Jared was showing symptoms of the four stages of VENGEANCE.

Stage One. Blame. Jared always believed the downfall of Mainframe was on me. And to a certain extent it was, but Mainframe’s downfall was as much down to his own blindness and inability to accept change. But Jared couldn’t see that because he was experiencing the first stage of this cruel, cruel disease.

Stage Two. Despondency. After the initial wave of blame, Jared went off the radar. I did not hear from or about him for several months. I thought he’d given up. I think he thought he’d given up too. I was able to put in place my plans for a better world, uninterrupted.

But that wasn’t to last.

Stage Three. Intense and pure, unadulterated anger. Jared came back with a bang. He was everywhere I was, all the time, always challenging me. Always looking for a fight. It was so EXHAUSTING dealing with his energy that I used all of my own to counter it. I could get nothing done other than nullify his threat. This lasted a short while. He became wilder and thinner, he started taking risks. His eyes lost the shine they’d had. This was the gateway into Stage Four.

THE FALL.

All his energy was consumed in chasing retribution for the death of his mentor. Much like the body uses fat stores to keep itself alive with lack of energy from food when starved, his mind started giving part of itself up to bridge the mental energy gaps he was leaving. He started losing himself. He developed such a severe tunnel vision that he did not realise he had become the thing he loathed. He was so caught up in making me face reprisal for my part in Mainframe’s death that he killed a civilian without second thought.

And that was only the start. Eventually there was no more of his mind to plug those gaps. He became abject, distant, disconnected. Now his mind was consumed as his energy was. They found him next to a tall building the next day, splattered on the pavement, no more left to give.

Vengeance had consumed him. Vengeance is unhealthy. It muddies the mind and makes you do crazy things that don’t make any sense. It blocks off the wider picture. Vengeance is a walking mistake waiting to happen.

And if you don’t let it go, Vengeance, you’ll be consumed too.