Akshay sighed as he sat at home, staring at his latest pages that needed to be inked already. He sighed because he was tired. Not in the sense that he was weary or that he wanted to go to sleep; he was tired of being pushed around. He was tired of always grabbing the short end of the stick, but being Mr. Nice Guy and having people bat him aside as if he was nothing more than a pile of dirty laundry. It was to the point that the young wordsmith was actually beginning to grow a little irritated with the world.

Things in his own, personal sphere were fine: the shop was doing well, Emerald was fantastic, and he had plenty of friends, loving family, and all the costumes that he could ever want! No, it was none of those things. His problem was being treated as if he were some weak individual that could be taken advantage of.

First Newman using his mutant powers against him at Comic-Con last year, then that bank robbery when he was nearly killed, then those slug twins that took over his mind, Gawain setting vampires loose upon him, and lastly, that incident at the movie premiere when that man attacked him for absolutely no reason. Nah, Akshay had had enough of all of it. There was so many people committing evil acts in the city and nobody was doing anything to stop them.

Well, except the police, lawyers, judges, X-Men, blah, blah, blah, but there were still other dangers out there! Very dangerous ones too!

No, Akshay was in tune with the streets (when he walked around listening to his iPod). He knew that they needed someone like him! Someone who could make a difference, however small. X-Men and all them were good but they were too big. They needed the little guy, someone like him who work alone, in the streets, always out there and making sure that people were not in danger. They would need a savior in the night!

(Well…at least until midnight. He needed to get his rest so that he could be a mild-mannered comic store owner during the day!)

The city needed someone. They needed…a hero…

Akshay had been contemplating it for awhile now. Though he was sure that if he told Emerald she would kill him, Akshay had never really been able to bury the thought. Really, what was to stop himself from becoming a superhero? He was a good guy, he knew how to defend himself to a minimal degree and his powers could even be used to fight if he needed them to. Nah, it was the perfect fit! He knew comics, he knew heroes, he knew that he had exactly what he needed in order to building up the perfect recipe for a superhero!

Akshay Malik…he would be a hero.

And what was the most important thin required for him to achieve this mad and insane idea? The perfect costume!

Just the thought of that made the wordsmith’s mouth water. Coooossssssttttttuuuuummee! (it had such a nice ring to it.) The man have a veritable treasure trove of costumes from many, many promotional days at the story, many of which were as real and close to their comics as he could get them so he should have no problem with theatricality and protection, right?

No, that was settled. What he needed though were the two most important things that any superhero could need…a name and a costume.

He could piece together any type of costume but it would not make sense if he didn’t have the power choice or mentality to carry it off. No. He needed to think and consider this carefully. He could not just run around, sporting a costume that did not match with his powers or the type of justice that he were bringing. That simply didn’t make sense.

Akshay pulled out his drawing pad, flipped through it until he came upon a blank sheet of paper and immediately plucked up his drawing pencils. This was not going to be some original character concept or more sheets for his latest issue of Slaagathor. No, this drawing was going to be about his destiny, about who he wanted to present himself as, and most importantly…how cool it will look.

Pencil freshly sharpened, a grin on his face, the man immediately set to work design…

Akshay sighed as he continued to start on a new body, a new form, and a new costume idea. He really did not think that it was going to be that hard. After all, the man had created superheroes and had costumes made for him all the time! Really, how hard can it be to just think up of a hero concept for one’s self? Maybe if his powers were not so lame (as he always complained about) he could actually think of a decent concept. But, alas, he was quickly coming up empty.

He sighed as he stared down at the page of costume ideas that he had come up with, (okay so maybe he was a little…LIBERAL…with his physique in the drawing but it was just a basic idea!). Ahem.

The problem he was having was that he both loved all the ideas and hated them at the same time. Sadly the man just had too much experience wearing costumes like this. He could not count the amount of times he had to wear capes during promotional days and, while they were awesome, the messed up thing was that they were always either too heavy or too light or got snagged or he tripped on them! It was just a mess. Unfortunately it was such a classic image of the hero that he didn’t know how he was going to get out of NOT creating a costume with a cape.

In the end though, after arguing with himself a lot, he decided. His costume was going to have a cape!!

The five minutes later he blacked out all the costume ideas with capes involved because it was just too much work. Besides, he couldn’t fly like Spectacular Man, nor could he glide or shroud himself in a cloak like the Flying Fox. No, taking out the cape was definitely going to be the best decision.

So, with no cape, that meant…just tights. He was going to need maneuverability, speed, and be able to keep the costume under his regular clothes. Yup, that meant tights.

He sighed as he relaxed back in his chair and looked out over his drawing table. It was littered with drawings, sketches, pencils and pens. He had the basic down…but what should his costume say? What should it actually pronounce? It was then, as his eyes drifted across the newspaper from last Sunday that he paused. Those black and white boxes, the jumble of words that would make up a crossword…

…He had his inspiration.

In the days that followed, Akshay was a whirlwind of secretive tasks as he collected the items he needed for his costume. After that night, Akshay had been inspired to draw the perfect costume that not only brought to light what he could do but also made the bold statement that he was there to enforce justice. No matter what, that was Akshay’s first and foremost task. He was going to stand up for the little guy, to fight back where nerds and people like him did not have the voice to do so.

And the costume would be perfect for it! It symbolized the mystery, the difficulty of the world, and the need to be smart to survive. It was all due to the fact that he saw the crossword puzzle in his Sunday edition of the New York Times.

After that, he sketched out the perfect costume, the image that would identify him and make him a superhero. All he had to do now was bring it to life. Now, Akshay had tons of costumes but he didn’t have some of the materials that he required. For example, he had the full body tights that were dark grey, but he needed to somehow work in the pattern that was on his sketchbook.

That is where the patience came in. Research into patches, paints, spray paints, dyes, everything that he could think of to get the desired effect fluttered about through his mind. Time after time he came up with nothing. But, after pumping one of his costume designers for promotion days (as subtly as possible of course), he managed to find a technique. A day off to grab his materials and, suddenly, the man went to work.

All good things eventually come to those who wait, or so he always believed. It took time but finally, after some careful work and a few too many mess ups, the wordsmith was on the right track. Within a couple days, the costume was complete.

He was ready to face his destiny.

Akshay never thought that he would be doing this. He was actually quite jittery, excited, and terrified all at the same time! The man had worn costumes out in public before but they were for events and people actually expected him to dress up! This was something completely different! He was joining a league of people that so very few have the guts to join. He was going to throw his life into the path of danger simply because he wanted to make a difference in the world. Akshay Malik…was going to be a vigilante / superhero!

Once he had returned from work, the young man had eaten a quick meal to provide him with enough energy for the night and quickly got ready. His costume that hung in his closet for a few days now was primed and ready and even Akshay himself was ready to embark on this journey. So, after he dressed in silence, the giddy hero wannabe, made it up to the roof of his apartment complex.

Silent footfalls carried him up the dark staircase until finally he had reached the roof access door. Taking a firm hold of the handle, breath shaking, he took on calming breath before he stepped out into the night air.

Behind the door, he left Akshay Malik, and stepped out onto the roof as… The Last Word!

The tights were snug, to say the least, but they still offered him some valuable range of motion. On top of that he wore the red sash not only because is secretly held his belt (really it was a Fanny pac) of utility items (cell phone, mini flash light, etc.) but just because it looked bitchin’ cool! Hey, what’s black, white, and red all over? The Last Word! His new sneakers had a little extra bounce to them and, of course, brand new tread so he would be slipping on his own two feet.

He sighed as he took a deep breath of the night air and grinned in a giddy-like manner. This was it. He was really going to do this. Pulling his mask from his belt, he slipped that on over his face (he needed to protect his identity after all) and put in his white contact lenses. It seemed like a lot of work, and the lenses burned a little, but he was dead set on doing this.

“Alright…criminal element,” he said boldly. “Prepare to hear…The Last Word!!” he bellowed and made for the edge of the roof. He then glanced over, grew dizzy and backed away.

Yeah…tomorrow he would officially start. From the ground…

From the Personal Logs of The Last Word…

Night….1!

After my initial failure in taking to the rooftops last night, I have decided instead today I would try a more direct approach of leaving out through the back door of my apartment. This proved to be infinitely better and far less terrifying than if I decided to leap roof tops (I think that I would need training to do that). Anyways this proved to be just a tad easier so I think I’m going to stick to just sneaking out the back door and parking my Ducati there so I can make a quick exit.

So far though, it seems as if my decision to be a vigilante is going to be…a little tougher than I first thought. I always see crime whenever I’m just so much as walking around outside but, for whatever reason, the night was actually pretty quiet! I like to believe that maybe word got out that there was a new superhero out in the night! Maybe it terrified all the would be criminals into taking the night off or something. Wouldn’t that be wild?

Anyways, so far the costume is doing well in hiding my identity (though I really think that next time I should double up to the tights or at least put on underwear…chaffing is SO not cool.) and no one seems to realize that it is me. After I left my apartment I patrolled through Central Park and nobody knew it was me!

Well…not that I ran into anyone I knew but…still! Even if they did know me…they wouldn’t have known me. This costume is totally original and awesome. Well I better head back. It is 12am and I have to open the store tomorrow. So…I shall continue patrol tomorrow!

--The Last Word (hehehe, as if I’d sign my REAL name)

From the Personal Logs of The Last Word…

Night….2!

Well…tonight was…a little more interesting. Sorry if my writing is not as elegant as it normally is but, you know, I’m injured. Let me get to that though!

First I had a hell of a time leaving the apartment! Mrs. Gunther from across the hall saw me sneaking out of my apartment in this get up and asked if I could help her carry her groceries up from her car. I have a city to save, woman! But…being a superhero, of course I obliged to help her (I only hope that nobody was getting murdered in the meanwhile!) Anyways an hour later, yes it took an hour since she has several cats and each of them requires a different kind of cat food, I finally set out on the road again.

Of course, out through the back door, the Word Cycle (my ducati) was waiting for me. I climbed out and immediately set out for the night! I decided that my best bet was going to be patrolling Central Park! Not only was it close and accessible to my bike, it was also a hotbed of vileness!

But again it was dead! Like, seriously, already on the news there are murders, drug deals, and everything going on here but no one was around! Couple of joggers looked at me funny and a few homeless people shouted words I care not to repeat here, but other than that…nothing! But, if that were true, well…how did injure myself, you might ask. Simple…little girl and her dad were trying to fetch their cat from out of one of the taller trees.

Seeing as they needed help, and it was already 11:30pm and I didn’t want the night to be a total bust, I boldly walked up to them and offered my services! And, well, after the man stopped swinging a branch at me and screaming to leave him and his daughter alone, I climbed the tree and retrieved their cat!

Sadly…Mr. Ravage is not an ironic name. That cat bit, scratched, and hissed all the way down until finally I handed him back over the little girl and her suspicious dad. Afterward I just went home. Those scratches hurt! I think I’m going to take an asprin and pour alcohol on the wounds so I don’t get an infection and have to chop my arm off…

--The Last Word