Real Life Superhero ‘Phoenix Jones’ to Release New Book

Real life superhero and "Rain City Superhero Movement" leader Phoenix Jones, in the wake of some changes and difficulties in his personal life, will be releasing his memoirs a little ahead of schedule. Phoenix Jones hopes to have his book out in the next six months. Take a sneak peak at the preface, "Phoenix Jones - Year One."

Exclusive to his fans, Phoenix Jones has released this short, unedited preview. Please note: Phoenix Jones usually types in all caps (like one would see in a comic book) but opted not to for this excerpt.

Its pretty fare to say that watchmen was one of my biggest influences in become a masked adventurer. In the book my favorite character Hollis Mason (niteowl) is figuring out how to start his book. He goes to a his local grocery store and asks a women names Denice (check that name) a published author and a cashier how she knows were to start her books. She tells him if it's an autobiography you should start with the saddest thing you can remember to get the audiences sympathy on your side after that it's a walk. Many times when I'm faced with hard decisions while fighting crime I ask what would Hollis do. So faced with the daunting task of writing this book I knew he would share Denice's advice with me.
The saddest thing I can think of is the name Nicole. Not only did I fail her but never before had I realized just how dangerous my life choices had been. I started off on a routine patrol of pioneer square a local hangout and club district of Seattle. I have been fighting crime for about 2 years at this point and a lot of people recognize me and my team when we are walking around. There are the usual questions like "can I get a photo" statements like "your awesome" or "go fuck yourself snitch" I'm a professional so I do t let it bother or excite me. We have broken up into two teams. My team has ghost, grappler midnight jack and myself. Team two has pitch black, el cabbalero and captain karma. I am having a hard time reaching them on the radio at first this does not bother me because some of our radios were literally kids toy radios spray painted to look cool. Another three minuets goes by and I start to get worried because they have still not checked in. I hear a scream from a women and a yell from a man in the direction of the missing team and take off as fast as my feet can carry me. It does not take long to reach my team who are standing on the side walk talking with a group of women who were clearly not in danger. I asked captain karma to see we're his radio was and he removed it from his pocket were he clearly could not hear it if I was trying to call him. I give him a firm talking to and explain this choice to be a superhero is life and death not a joke. I have constantly wondered why I felt the need to say that at this very point. We have had radio mess ups before and always stop and talk to people but tonight was different. The air was thinker, tension was higher, I think deep inside somewhere I knew tonight would change my life.
BANG BANG BANG
There is nothing quite like he sound of gun fire. It's unmistakeable it sends every hair on your body standing straight up. I turn excited to catch the man responsible, i have had plenty of time to think about getting shot and already made peace with the fact that it might happen again. There is no hesitation I start shouting commands "team 1 team 2 follow me" I reach the end of the street and see 4 people across the street 2 ducking 1 running and one walking pretty calmly and maybe taking on a phone ?
I have to make quick decisions there is a gunman on the lose and I need to find the shooter. It's only been maybe a second but I feel an overwhelming sense of danger not knowing were the shooter is. I rule out the person on the phone and assume he is calling the 911, I assume if your ducking and looking around you are not the shooter and finally the man running has something metallic in his hands. It looks like a 38 silver revolver my brain takes off processing everything it can see.
(one of my favorite songs by atmosphere called that type of gun a poor mans machete, it has six to eight bullets depending on brand, its a revolver so you can't keep one in the chamber, heard three shots could have up to five or as little as 3 shots left, he is running toward a corner can't let him get there first never chase a shooter into a blind corner batman year one) my thoughts are interrupted by my eyes catching the first person I saw on the cell phone fall to the ground. I instantly knew he was hit the way he fell was like nothing I had ever seen before. There is only one way you can fall with that kind of disregard for your landing again I hear my own voice screaming Commands
(MAN DOWN MAN DOWN)
I'm hoping that our team medic will hear me and start heading the victims way. I'm firing on all cylinders over powered by a sense of duty to the man shot. I catch a cruiser pulling up on my side I yell " hey follow me the shooter went this way" the cop and I start to run together when I here him say "hold up" I felt relived. I was afraid of my natural reaction. My body was chasing this murderer but my mind was undecided. my focus lapses and tunnel vision disappears turning to the cop I ask "why" " we have to wait for back up we can't just go chasing armed gunmen alone" I'm paraphrasing but the point is the same. In my mind I know this is why I'm whatever I am because Peoples lives are more important than following rules. I start running again but the gap in time it took to process the officers request was just enough to loosen the grip I had on the situation and The gunman slipped right through my fingers.
I raced back to were I saw the man fall down from the gun shot and that's when I saw her. A young beautiful women in her twenty's named nicole. She was clutching her throat as blood seeped through her fingers.
Our eyes connected only for a brief second as she scanned the horizon looking for help. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out.
Officer Hill ran over to her and started chest compressions. The ambulance was down the street on its way here. the scene was swarming with cops and I collapsed to a seated position stunned. I stared at the rhythmic pumping of the CPR and the endless sea of blue and red lights.
"Get up, you have to tell them about the shooter get up. "
The voice in my head grew louder I flagged down the first cop I saw and explained what had happened I also told him I was shooting video and maybe had it I tape. He ordered me to stay on scene, I quickly and in the rudest fashion I have ever given an order Instructed my team to search the area by car and call 911 if the see anything and not to engage the shooter. My crew sprinted for their cars and again I was alone surrounded by people.
a sense of helplessness crept over my body. I found my self sitting on the curb watching the paramedics slide her body on to a gurney and carry her into the back of the ambulance. I could not move I just sat there tears uncontrollably running down my face watching the police take statements and the fire trucks drive up and wash the blood from the side walk.
Eventually all the police had left and people started walking by again. Going on with their day completely unaware of the tragedy that happened right beneath their feet. I wished I could be one of those people, wished I could go back to the world I lived in three hours ago.
I finally collected myself enough to drive home. I crawled into bed with purple and cried myself to sleep. I have been an athlete my whole life and the one thing I've learned is you don't always win. Memories of success always fade but lose seems to drive all really successful people.
A therapist told me children normally personalize tragedy. Things they witnessed but could not stop. It's their brains only choice because there coping mechanism's are not fully developed. I guess dressing up in a bulletproof super-suit and taking off into the night to stop bad guys is not the most "grown up" thing to do. So it should be no surprise when I tell you Nicole was my failure my fault.
For the next two weeks every station on tv showed pictures of her and her family. Begging the shooter to turn himself in and police vowing to catch the culprit but in my heart I knew the only chance to catch him was over. I knew no matter what next time I would keep running. - Phoenix Jones: Year One