Daniel Hazard's Story

Daniel was in the patient's lounge, stretched out on one of the sofas, one arm hanging off the edge, asleep, but not completely still. He tossed and turned and moaned and groaned. Then his eyes popped wide open and he got up in a jolt.

"Dr. Ruckus is up to his old tricks!" He stood up and moved towards the window, looking out into the gardens. "I have to stop him before--" He stopped as he took notice of his surroundings. His posture became more relaxed, the sound in his voice, less urgent. "I'm just an actor." He reminded himself. "I have no powers and the world is in no danger."

He began to move back to the sofa, at a much slower pace than he had left it. He constantly had to remind himself what was real and what wasn't, though it wasn't always easy. Daniel thought about the dream he had, how vivid it was. "It was just a dream." He told himself.

But what if it wasn't? Daniel approached the sofa, but couldn't get himself to sit. Instead he began to pace, accelerating his speed as his mind raced. The dream, it was far too vivid to be just a dream. But it must be a dream, he'd remind himself. Dr. Ruckus didn't exist, and neither did he, as he thought of himself as his character, Captain Splendid. He was a patient in this hospital, trying to get well, trying to live like a normal human being. But what if this was the dream? What if this was an illusion? Dr. Ruckus could've hypnotized him into believing himself to be an actor to get him out of the way. Madame Sinister could've set up this whole operation to convince him that he was an insane person. Dick Evil could've warped him into an alternate dimension where he was no longer a hero. Professor Demented could've altered the space time continuum so that he no longer was what he truly was. He was now convinced that the world he was living in was a lie, and that everyone around him was in on the ruse. He had no idea who to trust, and was convinced everyone was watching him. He could fight back, but he couldn't, not until he knew who the enemy was and how powerful they were. He had to escape.

He darted out the door and into the hall, running, trying to avoid the eyes, trying to find a place of peace where he can make sense of what was going on, and possibly transform into his alter ego without giving away his secret identity.

James was walking down the hallway, listening to the dull hum of indigo voices, voices which took on cool colors, voices that never seemed happy at all. They were hushed, and they were many. He wondered what it was like for those people, then. Were they ever happy in their lives? Had they ever fallen in love, like in the movies? The movies where they kiss in the rain and make hot cocoa and walk in the park when it's fall and the sound of the crunching of leaves always makes him jolt. Then his brother laughed and his mother and his father too.

His inanely deep thoughts were interrupting by the orange pitter-patter of footsteps. Perhaps running. They sounded urgent. He looked up from staring at the floor to see a familiar face. Not in a friendly way, but in a way where you see their faces all the time but don't really talk to them, like in school, or around the neighborhood, or on television and in magazines.

Television... now he remembered.

"Hey, guy!" he yelped, holding out his hands, gesturing for the other person to stop. 

Memories came flooding back. He and his younger brother loved watching Captain Splendid as kids. They always woke up early at Saturdays to watch it. They had it recorded on VHS.

"Are you alright?"

He had a lunchbox of Captain Splendid and he carried it around everywhere when he got it.

"Do you have an appointment with a doctor or something?"

He remembered being very disappointed when it was cancelled.

As Daniel ran through the halls, his path zig zagging from one wall to the other, he struggled with the idea of dual realities. On the one hand, he recognized this place as a hospital. But on the other, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was some sinister being having a hold on him.

As he came across another man, Daniel stopped his frantic running. As the man spoke, Daniel found that he could not hear a thing being said. It all came off as incoherent mumbling in his mind. But the mumbling came off his friendly, maybe even kind. The demeanor of the man appeared to be one of a helping hand. But all Daniel could think about was this unseen danger that surrounded him at every moment, and now this man may also be in danger.

"Citizen!" Daniel addressed him, straining his voice. "We must get out of here. We must find someplace safe. But I have no idea where I am. Can you lead me some place?" He had no idea where he had wanted to go, but had a feeling that this man might have a good idea.

James frowned slightly. So that's why he's in here, he thought. Turns out he's just like everyone else here. But he did not blame him. There must have been an explanation. He shuffled awkwardly, and tried to take the actor Daniel Hazard---the name was still fresh in his head--- to a place where he always felt safe.

"Now, I don't know if where we're going will help you---" he began, "---my doctor said that everyone has a different "quiet place"--- but the gardens help me. There's lots of plants and trees and sometimes there are butterflies, too. At night it gets really dark except for the moon. It's a great place to listen."

Daniel followed the man into the garden and looked around. "What have you done?" He asked, a sense of urgency in his voice. "Why did you bring me out here? It's too open. Enemies could get us from every angle. They could drop in from the sky. They could dig up from underground. They could be hiding in any of these trees, bushes, and shrubs. The plants themselves could be alive. We're in more danger here than ever." He started running back towards the door. "You're not trying to help me. You're trying to lead me into a trap. You're an agent of evil. I've got to get out of here."

"I knew you wouldn't feel safe here," he sighed, motioning for the other person to stop. "Calm down. You're not Captain Splendid. And besdies; we can't get out. Nobody gets out." He then pointed to the large fence topped with broken glass. "There is nobody in this garden but you and me." He was starting to sound more annoyed, but he was desperately trying to stay calm. "You are a goshdarn actor. Sorry. I'm not allowed to swear anymore."
His muscles were tensing up, and he did a little neck roll to calm himself down.

Daniel stopped with one hand at the door's handle leading back inside. He wanted to rush back in into safety, but stopped to hear the man's words. They didn't sound like the words of an evil man either. If they were, they'd be threatening music playing in the background. But something the man said resonated with him. "You are a goshdarn actor." As soon as he said this, memories whooshed back into his head. Memories of a man sitting with a doctor, being explained his situation. Life of his younger self, back stage of a television set, reading a script. A vision of a much younger self, in school, with friends. Reality began to seize control. "My name is Daniel Hazard." He whispered to himself. "I am just an actor." He reminded himself. "I have no super powers, and no body is out to get me." He said, in just the manner the doctors had advised him to.

He removed his hand from the door and turned to face the man. His demeanor was much less frantic and much more controlled. He looked around the garden, and smiled, actually finding it quite peaceful. He had very little recollection of what he had just gone through, but he knew that the man now standing in front of him had helped him through it.

"Sorry about that." He apologized. "I sometimes forget where I am and who I am. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble. I tend to get violent while in that state. I didn't punch anybody, did I?"

He smiled. "It's... It's okay." he said, half-laughing. He always tried to help the other patients around him, but this was the first time he had actually helped. His doctor had convinced him to stop, but he felt the old him surge a little inside. "And I don't think you... punched anybody. You were just running around the hall." He paused for a bit. "Why don't I show you around the garden for a bit?"

He loved the garden. It reminded him of his mother's garden. But that one didn't have trees. This one did. And his mother grew some vegetables. They would have pumpkins for Halloween, but the idea of going up to strangers and getting candy terrified him, so he always stayed at home to give out Snickers and Milk Duds. His mom always told him to eat his vegetables.

It made him sad that there were no vegetables in the garden. "They ought to put some spinach--- or carrots, maybe..." he blurted.