New York City - 1942. America has been at war for a nearly a year. The rest of the world was fighting two years before that. But the cops of the NYPD have been fighting a different kind of war.
Every member of the police force was a part of the war on crime. But they were not alone. Helping them was the greatest detective-hero of all, the Shadow! Even though he had only been around for about a little less than two years, and he was a wanted vigilante, he had already made a huge dent in crime.
Currently it was night, and the Shadow was trailing a gang of drug dealers. They were casually walking down the streets of the dark city. The Shadow was right behind them, although they didn't know it, for he was using his special skills to cloud the dealers minds so they could not see him.
The group of four turned into a dark alley. The Shadow followed, watching. Three of the dealers appeared to be Chinese. The fourth - who appeared to be the youngest - looked American. It appeared that the dealers were dividing up the "goods."
"Okay, guys," one of them said. He looked slightly older and meaner than the rest. Maybe he was the leader. "You know where to sell. Joey, you stay here and wait for the big man."
The youngest of the group nodded his head. He couldn't have been more than twenty.
"Let's go!" the leader said. Then, three of them left, each going in a different direction. Joey looked around. He finally found a box in the corner and sat down.
The Shadow weighed his options. Should he go after one of the other three and see who the buyers are? Or should he stay and find out who the "big guy", the possible supplier, is? After a minute, he decided. No choice, really. Only one option. The Shadow waited another minute to make his next move, so as to use maximum effect.
"Joey!" he said, after Joey appeared comfortable, half asleep.
Joey sat up straight, looking around. "Huh?! Who said that?"
The Shadow laughed. "I did, Joey."
"Who are you? Where are you? I can't see you!"
"No man sees the Shadow."
"The Shadow!" Joey half-shouted, standing up. "I've read 'bout you! You the guy that can't be seen. A guy can only hear your voice!"
The Shadow changed topics. He needed the information fast. "Your friends left you, Joey."
"Th-they'll be back."
"Will they, Joey?"
"They gotta come back. I'm meeting the big guy. They need what he has!"
"Are you sure?"
"Wh-whacha mean?"
"What if meeting the big guy means death? Your friends sure left in a hurry."
"They had to make . . . transactions. They needed to do it fast, or the buyer would leave!" With that, Joey felt the pocket on his coat. The gun was still there. He began trying to determine where the Shadow was.
"Who is the 'big guy'?" the Shadow asked, fully aware of Joey's plan.
"I dunno. That's supplied on a need-to-know basis. And I don't need to know!" Joey began to shout. "Not yet!" He reached in his pocket, pulling out the gun. He checked to make sure it was loaded. It was.
The Shadow, knowing this beforehand began to move silently. He could tell that a car was approaching. He assumed it was "the big guy." He had two choices, keep out of the line of fire by moving behind Joey, or maneuver himself to take out the supplier.
"Well, Shadow," Joey said. "What are you gonna do now? I can follow your voice."
"Joey, do you want to live?"
"Yeah," Joey said, his voice starting to sound shaky.
"Then put the gun away before the "big guy" gets here, unless you want to explain why you're shooting at an empty alley."
Joey nodded his head and put the gun back in his pocket.
"Good. Now get back in the corner."
Joey sat back down on his box as a man began to walk down the alley. He kept himself hidden in the shadows, so even the Shadow couldn't see him. Two other men, dressed in plain black suits followed.
The man was of a normal build, about six feet tall. The Shadow could tell that he was wearing a suit. He was unable to discern its color, however, since the man remained in the shadows. When he began to speak, he spoke it a deep voice.
"Joey, that is your name?" the man asked.
Joey looked up. "Yes, sir."
"You have something for me."
"Yes, sir."
The man stared back at Joey for a minute. "Well, are you going to give it to me, or will I have to get it myself?"
Joey tensed up, and the Shadow concluded from his reaction that the man meant death. Joey reached into his coat, pulled a package from an inside pocket. It was wrapped in brown paper. The man ripped the paper off and examined the contents. He held up a small vial and shook it slightly. His lips formed a smile. He put the vial back, and picked up several items that looked like dog tags to the Shadow. But something seemed strange. This man didn't seem like a typical drug dealer. Something else seemed strange. The Shadow had suspected that because the other three were Chinese, that they were selling opium, but neither the vial nor the tags looked like opium.
The man put the tags, or whatever they were back into the package, turned and walked began walking out of the alley. Before he reached the end, he turned back to the men who accompanied him and said, "Finish him."
Before the men had a chance to react, the Shadow spoke. "You don't want to do that."
The man turned around. "Who said that?"
The Shadow laughed, using his deep voice that sounded like it came from beyond the grave. He stopped, and said in a creepy voice, "I did."
"It's the Shadow, man! He tried to bust me!" Joey shouted.
"The Shadow, eh?" the man said. "Finish him too, boys."
The two men began to open fire while the "big guy" made his escape. The Shadow tried to follow him, but Joey anticipated the move and pulled his gun out quickly and fired where he thought the Shadow's foot might be. His hit was good, and the Shadow fell to the ground. The men heard that and began to fire at the site of the noise. By then, though, the Shadow had already jumped up to the fire escape about him, careful not to make too much noise.
The men, not seeing blood, nor hearing yelling, ceased firing and turned back to Joey. "Time's up, kid," one said before firing.
"No!" The Shadow yelled, as he jumped down from the fire escape, landing on the two gunmen, rendering them unconscious. He looked at Joey, who had blood rushing out of more openings than he could count. The Shadow didn't want to admit it, but there was no hope for Joey.
"I'm . . . sorry," Joey whispered. "You were . . . right." Joey began coughing for a few seconds. "Please, . . . stop him. Do it for . . . me." With that, Joey leaned his head back, and within a few seconds, was dead. The Shadow stood up. Suddenly, he heard a groan behind him. The Shadow turned around.
In a corner of the alley that everyone had ignored lay a man, dressed in a black and gold uniform. He appeared to be short. The man tried to stand up.
The Shadow ran over and tried to help the man to his feet. However, the man was too weak, and so settled with sitting on the ground.
"Are you hurt?" the Shadow asked.
The man looked up. His hair was in an unusual style. It came to two points; one on each side of his head. "Who are you?" he asked in a gruff voice, looking straight at the Shadow.
This startled the Shadow. "Can you see me?" he asked.
"No. I can smell ya."
Sirens were blaring in the distance. The Shadow turned back to the man. "I am The Shadow. Can you walk?"
"Yeah, gemme a minute." The man grabbed The Shadow's shoulder and stood up.
"You should climb up the fire escape until the police leave. Stay on the roof. I'll come for you when it is safe," the Shadow said. "What is your name?"
"People call me Weapon X," the man said as he jumped up on the ladder.
"You seem fine for someone who seemed so injured before."
"I heal fast, bub."
All this time, the sirens were getting louder and closer. As the Shadow turned to face the alley's opening, the sirens finally reached the alley. He could see two squad cars pull up. The drivers of each jumped out, but one jumped back in to radio. The officer in the passenger side of the first car jumped out, and the two officers ran in.
"Aw, man," the first said, looking at Joey. "This kid was wasted."
"His name is Joey," the Shadow said.
"The Shadow? Is that you?" the second officer asked.
"Yes. These two men were ordered to kill Joey," the Shadow said, pointing to the two gunmen.
"By who?" the first officer asked.
"I do not know the name of the man, nor can I give you a physical description, for he stayed so far in the shadows, that not even I could see him."
"Hmm," the first officer said. "I guess you're not such a bad guy after all. I don't know why you're wanted."
But the Shadow had already turned and left.The Shadow walked around the block, searching for a way to get back to Weapon X. After about ten minutes of searching, The Shadow finally found another fire escape that seemed to lead to the roof of the same building. He climbed up.
Sure enough, he had found the right fire escape. He saw Weapon X crouching, watching the police working under him. The Shadow approached silently.
"Ya finally made it up," Weapon X said, quietly.
The Shadow was startled at first, but then remembered what the man had said about his sense of smell.
"So, Shadow, any place we c'n go, so I can find out where I am and why I'm here?" Weapon X asked.
"Yes," The Shadow replied. "I have an apartment nearby. A safehouse that I use for emergencies. We shall go there."
Weapon X stood up and gestured to the fire escape that The Shadow had just come up. "After you."
"Very well," The Shadow said, turning and beginning to walk to the fire escape.
"One small favor?"
"Yes?" The Shadow asked, turning his head back to see Weapon X.
"Could ya turn visible, so I can see where we're goin'?"
"I suppose I could do so. I have enough on to conceal my real identity."
In an instant, Weapon X could see the Shadow, but no one else could.
The two heroes arrived at an apartment in a modest neighborhood. Weapon X figured that the neighborhood was home to many middle-class families. The apartment owned by the Shadow had to be a cover, for he didn't seem the type to live here.
It was still night, but seemed to Weapon X, it seemed as if the sky was getting lighter. He knew it was because of the increase in street lights, but he couldn't help but marvel at the optical illusion.
The Shadow walked up to the door of the building and inserted a key into the lock. The whole building looked different than the rest. Weapon X figured that the Shadow owned the entire building, so his secrets wouldn't be found out. While the secret agent was studying the neighborhood, the Shadow had gotten in.
"Weapon X!" he called.
Weapon X, who had been looking at a nearby building, turned his head and walked into the building. When he was inside, he saw a flight of stairs.
"Do we go up?" he asked.
"Yes," said the Shadow.
They walked up two flights of stairs and entered a small room. It had a hardwood floor. The walls were white, but mostly undecorated. On the side opposite where Weapon X stood, was a window looking out on the city. There was a mantle and fireplace on the far left of the room. In the middle of the room, there sat a chair, a desk, and a sofa. The Shadow walked over to the chair and sat down to begin writing something at his desk. Weapon X sat on the sofa and examined the apartment.
"Nice place you have here, bub," he said.
"Thanks," said the Shadow, still working.
"So, are we goin' to swap stories? I assume we're goin' t' be partners for a while," Weapon X said.
The Shadow looked up sharply. "Why do you think that?"
"Well, I figure that I was sent to that alley for a reason. I guess it was so I could work with you."
"You don't know how you got to that alley?"
Weapon X shook his head. "Last thing I remember was fighting some guys in a factory. Then, boom, I'm lying in an alley."
"How long were you lying there?"
"Well, I was lying in that alley before th' druggies came in."
"So, you heard everything that went on?"
"Yup," said Weapon X. He paused for a moment, as if to think what to say next. "I kept quiet, 'cause I knew that as soon as I said somethin', your whole deal would fall through. By the way, where exactly am I?"
"You are in New York City," the Shadow said, then paused. "Do you have another name?"
"I think I am also called Logan." "You're not sure?""Conditioning for a mission. I'm still not over it."
"Logan, then."
"Yes."
"Do you have any special abilities?" the Shadow asked.
"I've been trained by the Canadian Secret Service for a top secret project, which I cannot explain here. I also have these." He popped out a set of metallic claws from his forearms.
"Are those real?"
"Nah. These are just a slip-on pair. I kinda like them."
The Shadow looked down at his notes again.
"So how long have ya been tracking those druggies?" Weapon X asked.
"I have been tracking various members of the group for about two months. But tonight was the first time I had seen the supplier," the Shadow replied.
"Ya know, I don't think that the drugs are really what th' guy is about. As I was lyin' there, I was pickin' up all o' yer scents. The supplier as you call him seemed familiar."
"Scents?"
"Yeah, I seem to have an enhanced sense of smell. If I smell someone, I can recognize them for a long while."
"And you recognized the supplier?"
"I may have had dealings with him. I still can't rightly remember who, though," Weapon X replied.
The Shadow was writing all of this down. He was almost finished when Logan spoke up again.
"So, what are yer powers?"
The Shadow shook his head barely looked up from his notes. "I have special mental powers. I can cloud anyone's mind so they can't see me. I also read minds."
Both men were silent for a while, each wondering what to do next. Logan was the first to do something. He stood up and walked to the window and looked out. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.
"I will go out to conduct some business and do some more investigating.
"And me?"
"You will stay here until I contact you."
"Hey, bub, I'm not the type of guy to just sit around and do nothin'," Logan said, spinning around and pointing a finger at the Shadow.
"Fair enough. You are free to do whatever, but take this." He pulled something out from his desk and tossed it to Logan as he stood up.
"What's this?"
"It's a ring," the Shadow replied from the doorway. "When the stone lights up, that means I need you. Meet back here when you are called." With that, he left Logan alone in the apartment.
Next issue: The conclusion of the Shadow's adventure with Weapon X. Who is the mysterious boss that is responsible for Joey's death? And, how exactly will Logan get along with the Shadow? Find out in The Shadow #12!