"It was good. I didn't think I would enjoy a western but it was very good," Mary said.
"I know you like dashing heroic men and suspenseful action. I thought you might like it," Silas paused and kissed Mary.
"If I like dashing heroic men so much then why am I with you?" she smiled and held Silas tighter.
"Hands up!" someone shouted from the cross alley. A man came out pointing a gun at Silas and Mary. "Give me all your money. And the lady's jewelry."
"Okay, just a second," they let go of each other and both began removing what the robber demanded. Silas could stop the robber but he couldn't see a good time to do it. "Here," Silas gave the robber what little money he had--about thirty dollars.
"The jewelry," the robber demanded again. He aimed the gun at Mary and Silas saw his opportunity. As Mary took off her necklace, wristlet, and engagement ring, Silas began waving his hand as discreetly as he could. He only got about halfway through his spell when the robber noticed the movement. "What are you doing?" he shouted. "Give me that," the robber forcefully grabbed the necklace and wristlet from Mary and then pulled the trigger to his gun.
Mary's eyes went wide and she slowly fell to the ground. The robber ran away. Silas grabbed Mary and gently cradled her. Silas could stop the bleeding. He could save her life. He at least thought he could. He couldn't move, he couldn't do anything as he watched the life drain from her.
Never again, Silas thought as he worked on his costume. He had been granted this gift of magical powers and it was time that he use it for good. A dark green top, red pants, a red cape, and a wide golden belt and Magic Man was born. He immediately made an impression on the police and the citizens of Chicago. Lowly criminals, gangsters, and other bad guys were brought to justice with the help of Magic Man.
Some though, weren't too keen on a superpowered good guy making it harder. "We need to lure him into a trap," Slicky Solomon said.
"How are we going to do that?" Antony Faustino asked.
Solomon and Faustino were two of the more notorious gangsters that hadn't been caught yet. They rarely talked or worked together but the need to stop Magic Man brought them together in order to formulate a plan.
"It can be something as simple as just luring him into a building, thinking that something is about to go down. Then we ambush him," Solomon said. "Magic Man isn't bulletproof. One shot to the head is all it will take."
"It's so simple, it just might work," Faustino grinned.
Solomon and Faustino sent several of their men out to a factory. The factory was known to have been watched by the police and Magic Man so Solomon didn't use it as much anymore. The men were there for just over an hour and then began making their way to one of Faustino's tenements near Lake Michigan. The tenement remained quiet for several minutes and then Magic Man appeared and landed gently on the roof.
Magic Man opened the door to the stairwell and slowly and quietly made his way down. After going down a couple of floors, he emerged onto a floor and slowly made his way through. It was deathly quiet but the men he saw come in here had to be somewhere. Suddenly, he felt something smash into the back of his head. Magic Man fell to the ground unconscious.
"How is he magic?" someone was asking as Magic Man came to. "Does he have a wand or...?"
"He's waking up," another said.
Magic Man awoke tied to a chair with his arms behind his back. Magic Man began waving his fingers around, the ends of the rope began to dance and untie. No one noticed what was going on.
"Okay, fellas," Solomon said "on my word, you can aim and shoot. Shoot him until there's nothing left to shoot."
The ropes around his wrists were untied and he had to plan this just right.
"Ready. Aim," Solomon sneered and Magic Man braced himself. "Fire!"
Magic Man, along with the chair, lifted into the air as the bullets peppered the area he once was. Magic Man broke free of his binds and then used his magic to heat up the guns to an unbearable temperature and then to start corralling all the gangsters.
The police arrested nearly two hundred from the Solomon and Faustino gang. He felt good about what had happened but the person who killed Mary was still out there. Magic Man would find him though. It was only a matter of time.
