A Man out for Redemption: A Superhero Story Part 1

One

Christopher Vang. Known to his friends, of which he had few real ones, as Chris. Clad in a light grey suit, Chris was dressed for business. Hair spiked in the front, glasses shading his eyes, and a clean shaven face completed his appearance. His private plane circled his newest operation: North Dakota oil drilling. Vang was an entrepreneur. He had more than a little cash to fall back on, and a massive company, Vang Enterprises. Chris Vang was, in short, rich. The plane taxied out onto a small field of grass. Inside, Chris Vang surveyed his operation. He followed the snaking gravel road that cut through the countryside to his oil rigs. He turned to his bodyguard, Samuel.

“This is taking too long,” he said. Samuel sighed.

“Sir, this is necessary to your company’s future. You can’t ignore this.” Samuel stood up from his seat next to Chris. Chris turned away from him.

“The economy is crumbling, Samuel. I here it’s hard to get a job these days. You should hold on to yours.” Chris threw his newspaper down on the floor.

“Pick it up,” he said to Sam as he stood up from his own seat. Samuel reached down and picked up the paper as the plane rolled to a stop. Vang glanced at his watch, and nodded. Samuel picked up Chris’ Stuart Hughes. Vang slid his arms into the sleeves, and took out his favorite pair of Oakley’s, replacing his aviators.  He strode up to the planes’ exit, followed by Samuel. Chris tapped the cockpits’ door.

“Hold it down,” he said. Chris Vang exited his plane, his coat flapping out in front of him. He spread his arms, taking in his land, Samuel waiting patiently behind him. Vang walked down the retractable stairs slowly, Samuel in tow. An open-topped Jeep was driving towards them, a dust cloud billowing out from behind it. Chris surveyed the countryside, and sniffed. He grimaced.

“Samuel, what is that?” The bodyguard took a big, deep breathe.

“Country air, Sir.” Vang removed a diamond-studded handkerchief from his suit pocket.

“Smells terrible.” Samuel glanced around as the Jeep pulled up to the millionaire. A man in a dust covered vest stepped out, a hand outstretched.

“Wallace Moose, you must be Chris Vang! What do you think of North Dakota?” Chris placed his handkerchief into Wallace Mooses’ outstretched hand.

“Hate it,” Chris said, and swung himself up into the Jeep. Wallace glanced at Samuel, who shrugged, and got into the Jeep behind Chris. The driver of the Jeep started it again, and they started back towards the oil drills. Wallace turned around in the passenger seat of the car and smiled at Chris.

“Isn’t it great? The wind in your hair, the sun? Beautiful land!” Vang turned to Samuel.

“We must be careful to hire people with a slightly less jubilant personality in the future.” Samuel nodded and leaned back in his chair, his legs smashed against the seat in front of him. The Jeep rolled to a stop in the center of the compound. Vang stepped out of the car, and took off his sunglasses. He glanced around the buildings, and then tossed his glasses to Samuel, who caught them. Vang turned back to Wallace.

“Not bad, I’ll give you that. Tell me, how many barrels of oil have you obtained?” Wallace gestured for Chris to follow him. Chris nodded at Samuel, who got back in the Jeep. Wallace led Chris through a maze of trucks, trailer homes and oil equipment to a large, flat, low white building. Wallace pulled on the massive sliding door to the warehouse. It slid open, revealing several dozen barrels of oil. Chris Vang stepped into the warehouse, and ran a hand through his hair. Wallace rubbed his hands together.

“Is something wrong, Mr. Vang?” Chris turned on his heel to face Wallace and forced a fake smile.

“Yes, Wallace, there is. There’s not enough oil in this room.”  Wallace nodded.

“Sir, there’s a reason. An obstruction is blocking the drilling process.” Chris chuckled and ran his hand through his hair again.

“An obstruction, this’ll be good.” Wallace gulped.

“Chris, we did a radar scan on the oil field, there’s something down there, blocking the drills.” Vang began pacing.

“First, don’t call me Chris, only my friends call me that. Second, I don’t care if the cure to cancer is blocking the oil drills, I want it out of there and gone ten days ago. Get on it.” Chris headed toward the door of the warehouse, Wallace protesting behind him. Chris held up a hand to stop Wallace as he walked away.

“I don’t want to hear your voice. Get going.” Chris took out his phone and prepared to call Samuel when Wallace spoke.

“You don’t even care, do you? You don’t care what I think, what your bodyguard thinks, you don’t care what the world thinks! You only care about what you think, I hate you!” Vang stopped short. He slowly turned to face Wallace. He pursed his lips and whipped out a second pair of Oakleys.

“Deal with it,” he said, placing the glasses on his face. Chris spun around and strode away from Wallace Moose, back towards the Jeep.

 

 

“Really, that was uncalled for,” Chris said as he approached Samuel and the Jeep.

“It didn’t go well, sir?” Samuel asked, and Chris shook his head, pulling himself into the backseat of the Jeep.

“Just take me to my plane,” he said. Samuel nodded, and pulled himself up into the Jeep. He started the vehicle and pulled out of the compound. Samuel glanced at his boss in the rearview mirror, who was sulking with his arms crossed. Samuel wasn’t sure of what the man was thinking, but they probably weren’t happy thoughts. The Jeep pulled up to Vangs’ plane. Chris got out of the Jeep, and strode up to the extended boarding ramp. He walked purposefully up the stairs, and entered the plane, leaving Samuel to deal with the Jeep. Chris banged on the door to the cockpit and moved towards his seat in the plane. Samuel trotted up the stairs as they began retracting into the plane. Samuel sat in the seat across from Chris, who had his eyes closed.

“Sir?” Samuel asked. Vang held up his finger.

“Are we off the ground?” Samuel glanced out the window then looked back at Chris.

“Uh, yes sir. You have a three hour flight ahead of you-”

“Great, leave me alone till we get home. Go do whatever it is you do in your spare time. Go on.” Samuel leaned back in his chair and picked up his New American Bible. He opened to the book of Ephesians, and turned to the verses about kindness. He put on his reading glasses and began reading. Vang opened his eyes, and glanced at Samuel. He closed his eyes again.

“Samuel, what time is my party?” Without looking up, Samuel replied.

“Eleven o’clock, sir.” Vang relaxed his face muscles, like his most recent therapist had told him to do. The other one had been fired. Vang had been mildly disappointed when she left. She’d been much more attractive.

 
 

Three hours of mostly uneventful flight later, Chris Vangs’ company plane touched down at the airport landstrip. Chris had been nervously pacing the interior of the plane for the past half hour, despite the warnings and protesting of the pilot, and now sighed when he caught sight of the landing strip below.

“It’s about time,” he said, and sat down for the landing. He grabbed his newspaper, coat, and his cell phone as the plane taxied towards the end of the runway. As soon as the plane rolled to a stop, a throng of reporters ran out on the tarmac, followed by a handful of frantic security guards. Chris checked his hair in a mirror, patted down his coat and tapped the door to the cockpit. The planes’ door slid open, and Vang raised the newspaper. Several camera flashes, shouts, and screams stunned Chris, but only for a second. Using the newspaper to block his face, Christopher Vang pushed through the crowd with the help of Samuel and the airport security guards. One reporter was asking him how much longer he expected to bring in money, another how long his empire would last. Yet another what color his socks were, and another asking him to sponsor a hospital. One woman was screaming how much she loved him, some guy trying to rip away the newspaper. Chris just kept his head down and ignored them all, all the way up to his black Hummer. Samuel opened the door for him, and Chris climbed in. He threw the newspaper back at the reporters, and a crowd of college girls descended on it, desperate to have a piece of something belonging to Chris Vang. Samuel walked around to the drivers’ door, and got in. The security guards began clearing a path towards the highway, pushing civilians and reporters away from the Hummer. The vehicle roared to life, and drove off down the road. Some idiot tried to plant a kiss on the window and it smeared. Chris winced at his glass getting discolored. He took out his phone and checked his rates. Chris had personally designed an app that tracked his business’ profits, so he never had to rely on a board to update him constantly. Chris prefered to operate solo.

“Sam, how long till we get there?”

“About twenty minutes, sir. You’ll have plenty of time to make your entrance.” Chris allowed himself to smile, relishing in the aspect of his entry into the party.

“Tell me when we’re five minutes away. I have a call to make, shut up.” Chris tapped out a few keys on his phone, and a few seconds later, Miss Jacqueline Amber was on the line.  

“Hey, Amber. Enjoying yourself?” Amber's voice was like silk.

“Yes, I am, Chris, but it’s rude to miss your own birthday party.”

“Yeah, yeah, but it’s me, they’ll all wait. Hey, is there a cake? I told Amy to get cake.” Amy was Chris’ housekeeper. She typically completed the less-enjoyable duties in Chris’ life and cleaned his expansive manor.

“Yes, there’s cake. But I think I know something that tastes sweeter…”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Chris said. Ambers’ muffled laughter could be heard through the phone.

“Stop it, Chris, you’re playing with me!” Chris chuckled and resituated himself so he was comfortably leaning against the door of his Hummer.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Fine, then you don’t get any.” Chris tapped his finger against the window.

“Alright, alright. Hey, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Get my special treat ready.” More laughter.

“Oh it will be, Mr. Vang.” Chris smiled and hung up his phone. The Hummer rolled up to a stoplight. Chris was feeling a little bit more upbeat than usual, and was about to tell Samuel he could actually come to the party when he glanced out the window. Ten thugs, smoking around a trash can, had caught his eye. One of them noticed the Hummer, and pointed at it. Chris tensed, Samuel seemed unaware. The thugs all turned towards the Hummer, looking at it. One of them took a few steps towards it. Chris tapped Samuel on the shoulder.

“Drive, now.”

“But sir, the light-”

“I don’t care, drive.” The Hummer shot through the intersection, narrowly missing a black minivan and a silver Prius. Chris glanced behind him at the thugs. They had turned back towards their garbage can, smoking again. Chris collapsed back into his seat.

“Five minutes, sir,” Samuel said. Chris nodded, and pocketed his phone.

“Thanks Sam.” Chris spent the short remainder of the ride looking out the window in silence. When the Hummer rolled up to the dance hall Chris had rented for the night, Chris exited his vehicle.

“Park the car in that handicapped spot over there, then come and join me inside. Try not to get lost.” Chris slammed the door before Samuel could respond. Chris Vang planned his entrance.

 
 

Inside the Hall, Jacqueline Amber sipped elegantly from a crystal glass and admired the dancers on a stage erected in the center of the party.  All around her, several other party goers were doing the same. A buffet table ran along the sides of the room, adorned with drinks, elegant dishes, exotic foods, and savory appetizers and desserts. The party had a pristine, calm atmosphere about it. Amber was waiting for the silence to be broken.

“Good Evening, friends!” Amber turned in unison with several other partygoers to witness Chris Vangs’ entrance. Standing near the door with his arms outstretched, there stood Christopher Vang, billionaire, oil tycoon, and the guest of honor at tonight’s party.The band began belting out ‘Happy Birthday,’ joined in by the voices of the guests. Chris smiled and seemed to drink up the atmosphere that glorified him. Chris strode down the stairs and sauntered over to Amber, a smile still plastered on his face. The song ended, and Chris planted a vicious kiss on Amber's’ lips. The crowd laughed and cooed as Chris kissed Amber, Amber trying not to laugh the whole time. Chris backed up and grabbed Amber by the shoulders.

“You make the best treats,” he whispered.

“I try my hardest,” Amber laughed. Chris spun around to address the rest of the party.
    “Gentlemen! Ladies! Moochers I didn’t invite but showed up anyway!” Several people laughed while others looked sheepishly down at their drinks.

“I’d like to thank you for coming to my party! Please enjoy the drinks, food, dancers, whatever. Have a great time, everyone!” He paused, then pantomimed scolding with his finger. “And try not to break anything.”

The crowd clapped, and went back to their prior-to-Chris’-entrance activities. Chris turned back to Amber.

“Secretly, I hate all of them.” Amber put a hand on her chest.

“Not me, Christopher!” Chris laughed and kissed her again.

“Not in the slightest,” he whispered. He motioned for Amber to follow him, and Amber laughed.

“You’re persistent, Chris!” Chris grabbed Amber's’ arm, and the two weaved their way through the crowd. Chris approached a door near the back of the room.

“What’s through there?” Amber asked. Chris turned back to her.

“My treat,” he said. Suddenly, a woman with light brown hair flew straight into Chris, knocking him off balance. Samuel, who had somehow materialized behind Chris as he often did, caught Chris before he could fall. The same was not true for the woman, who fell onto the hall floor, nearly knocking over a table full of drinks. Chris nodded to Samuel in thanks, and stood back up. Amber stood there with her mouth open, in shock of what had happened, and the woman raised her head.

“Amy! I thought I told you too stop running into me.” Chris talked down at the woman. Amy smiled a crooked half-smile, and held up a hand. After a moment of awkward stillness, Chris grunted at the motionless Samuel, who sprang into action, grasping Amy’s outstretched hand and pulling her up. She brushed off her skirt and smiled at Amber, who still had her mouth open.

“Hello, Miss Amber. Enjoying your evening?” Before she could speak, Chris did.

“Amber, you should close your mouth, it’s not attractive. I prefer it puckered, and soft.” Chris kissed Amber for the third time, much to the embarrassment of Samuel and Amy. Chris and Amber probably would have kept at it had Samuel not cleared his throat. Chris broke away from Amber and smoothed his own outfit. Amber blushed and looked away.

“Right, Amy. Why did you tear across the party room to knock into me?” Amy frowned, as if trying to remember. Then, her face brightened.

“Oh yes, I wanted to congratulate you on a smashing entrance!” Vang smiled and turned towards Amber, who had stopped blushing.

“Yes, I smashed it pretty hard, didn’t I?” Amber smiled at him, and Chris returned the smile. Amy looked in between the two, a different look on her face. Samuel, the sole observer of Miss Amy Ella, couldn’t place her emotions. Jealous, confused, troubled, and in love. Samuel was never much of a social person, but he knew that Chris was intentionally being rude. He stepped in.

“There must’ve been more to it than that, Miss Amy,” Samuel said with a smile. Chris shot him a disapproving look, but Amy gave him a grateful look that made up for the dollars Samuel was sure to be docked on his next paycheck.

“Yes, there’s an associate from the company on the line for you. Mr. Wallace Moose.” Chris groaned, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Sorry, Amber,” he said, stroking her cheek. “Save my treat for me.” Amber smiled coyly at Chris.

“Don’t you worry, Christopher Vang, I’ll keep it nice and hot for you.” Chris smiled half-heartedly and watched Amber leave, her exquisite dress swaying after her. Chris smiled again, then turned to Amy, clad in a simple black dress. Despite himself, Chris admitted that she looked good.

“The call, Miss Amy?” Amy nodded, and pointed off in the direction of the phone. Samuel went off to follow his boss through the crowd, but Amy lay a hand on his chest, stopping him.

“Thank you, Samuel,” Amy said, looking Samuel in the eye. Samuel flashed his genuine, kind smile.

“You’re welcome, Miss Amy. I’ll make sure it doesn't happen again.” Amy smiled and lowered her arm, and Samuel followed Chris through the crowd of party-goers.

 
 Hello, All! There are about 62 more WRITTEN pages of this story (still in the process) so if you're interested, let me know!!