Masks

Chapter XIV: The Black Circle

Knowledge is not power. 

A man ignorant of all moral teachings may go about his business with absolute liberty. A man with knowledge of morality, on the other hand, finds himself restricted severely.  Freedom, it seems, does not exist in the conscious mind.

With Harvey dead, Ashley could just walk away. The criminals thought they’d found their man; they wouldn’t come looking for her. She could burn the costume and continue with her life, clean of this whole disaster. 

Ashley knew, though, that this could never happen. She knew too much to just drop the case. She knew who the criminals were, what they were doing, and where they were based. With the police force corrupt, she couldn’t pass this knowledge on without endangering herself and others. Besides, she wouldn’t know who to trust. Not any more.

The knowledge was her burden to bear, and she had to act on it. If she didn’t, the secret threatened to undermine her from within, and could ultimately destroy her. Ashley’s conscience burned, like an itch she couldn’t scratch. The knowledge had trapped her here. Knowledge is not power, she saw. Ignorance is bliss.

She wouldn’t burn the costume. Instead, Ashley would wear it, one last time. One last night behind the mask. Rather than hiding her identity, she would reveal theirs. Ashley wouldn’t burn the costume. She would burn those who had tried so hard to destroy it.

She couldn’t do it alone. Thankfully, when it came to fire, she knew exactly who to ask for help.

Reaching the Moth hadn’t been easy. With the police still out in force, and the gangs having made it clear exactly what happened to vigilantes they found, he’d wisely chosen to lie low. Unlike Harvey, he’d been successful. Nobody knew his true identity, and so there was no chance of hunting him down. One man, in a city of millions. Even the Post had been stumped.

If an army of thugs, detectives and journalists can’t find someone, they may as well not exist. Ashley knew that she would be foolish to expect to succeed where all others had failed. Gregson had used all the powers within, above and below the law in his search for the Moth, and he had gone home empty handed. At this rate of return, Ashley would go home with less than she set out with. She could never find the Moth, and it would be foolish to try.

Nevertheless, she possessed something which Gregson did not: honest intentions. Ashley did not wish to hurt the Moth, or to expose him. She only wanted to help. Whilst Ashley couldn’t find him, she didn’t have to. He could find her. All she had to do was advertise.

The scene at the Gutter alone was sure to make the papers. With so many lowly-paid employees desperate for extra cash, any bit of excitement was immediately reported, and Ashley had sent an e-mail of her own to make sure. That should get his attention. The Moth may have been keeping his head down, but he wouldn't have closed his eyes. He'd be watching, waiting for the coast to be clear.

Ashley knew that, with Gregson controlling both sides of the law, it would never be. Not until he was stopped. The Moth needed that, and he needed her information to do it. He had to help her. If he didn't, he'd be in hiding forever. 

She just had to make him realise that.

Her first stop was Diogenes, a local coffee shop. Ashley needed some time to think, a strong tea, and yesterday's paper. Diogenes provided them all.  Quiet, and out of the way, this shop was her escape. She often came here, when the stresses of the Gutter became too much. Recently, this coping mechanism had been replaced with dressing up and chasing people, but right now that wasn't an option. Patience was key.

Ashley ordered her tea (black, two sugars), and settled down with the paper. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. In their coverage of yesterday's arson, the Mail had been kind. They'd printed the note left behind in full. This suited the Moth, spreading his message of hope and fear to victims and criminals respectively. It also suited Ashley. She seemed to be the only one who hadn't read it, but she desperately needed to.