The night was damp, water dripping from gutters into the small street. All the houses had their windows and doors barred and locked. A young woman peered out from between her shutters at the house next door.

She jumped, as a shot was fired.

A man walked out the front door, and she caught a glimpse of a silver revolver being tucked under the coat of his tuxedo. He rearranged his cloak, and brushed off his top hat before putting it on. It seemed he was talking to himself. He then seemed to realize he was being watched, and turned to look straight at her window.

She fell back with a gasp. His face wasn’t his face at all.

A white mask with a smile.

---

The pub in which Artemis sat was loud and smelly and humid. People fought frequently in this kind of the place. He leaned slightly against the bar, checking to see if his gun was still there. The soft clunk against the bar and comfortable weight eased his worry. Of course the damn thing wouldn’t have fallen out; he knew how to use it, and how to holster it, so that it wouldn’t fall out. Artemis hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, as he was avoiding a brawl tonight.

A glance at his feet made sure his bag went untouched. That would be a far worse thing to loose.

The dark haired man up looked to see who had just sat next to him, turning back to his pint after seeing that it was police officer. The man probably just got off duty. The only reason they ever came to this part of town was to drink. It was pointless to call the police for help, as they wouldn’t come.

The officer appeared in his mid-forties, and overweight. He was already sweating, his brown uniform darkened around the collar and under the armpits. Artemis wanted to gag at the man’s smell.

“How’s it going, Charlie?” the bartender said, coming up to the officer.

“Oooh.” Charlie shook his head and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “I need a pint, and then I’ll tell you the lunacy they’ve put us up to.”

It didn’t take long for that pint to come, and soon the thin bartender was leaning against the bar, waiting with bated breath as Charlie drank some of his pint. Finally, the officer put down his drink and wiped his brow again.

“They want us to catch the Phantom.”

The bartender nearly laughed. “The Phantom? The Phantom is exactly what he’s named. He’s a ghost story, told to little kids to keep them in line.”

“Yeah, well I’ve never heard of a ghost story killing men in their homes,” Charlie said, loosening his tie. “Just this morning, a man was found dead. There was a bullet in his chest.”

“That’s not unusual for a place like this,” Artemis quietly. “There’s no proof in that alone that the Phantom is on the prowl.”

Both the bartender and Charlie turned to look at Artemis. The bartender raised his eyebrows at the officer, daring him to retort. The officer in return shook his head, whipping away more sweat around his collar.

“We’ve got a witness,” he said, almost breathlessly.

Now it was Artemis’ turn to raise his eyebrows at the officer.

“Pray, do tell.”

“Okay,” Charlie said, wiping his brow again. “So this girl comes into headquarters this morning. Maybe twenty years old. Says she saw the Phantom last night, and she was scared because he knew that somebody was watching. She didn’t want to lose her life. And she started rehashing this story to us.

“She says, ‘I was in my house, getting ready for bed. As always after dark, everybody locks their doors and windows. Nobody comes out after dark. But then I hear footsteps coming down the street. And I look out the crack in my window, and see the door shutting to the house next door. I know that my neighbor had already come home.’

“And then she says, ‘So, I stayed up. I watched next door, and I heard a gun fired. A moment later a man comes out, and he feels himself being watched. And he turns to look at me, and I see that it’s the Phantom.’”

“How does she know?” the bartender asks.

“Well, she gives us a description. He was wearing a black tux, white vest and all. And this black cloak with lined with blue and purple and all sparkly, she said it looked like the night sky. And there was dark hair, white gloves, top hat, cane, and a silver revolver. And, she said that he was wearing a mask. Says it was white, and that it was a smiling face. Scared the bejeezus out of her.”

“She shouldn’t be scared,” Artemis said. “He has no reason to kill her.”

“Oh?” Both the bartender and Charlie were looking at him now. “What do you know about it?”

“According to the stories, he only kills with a real cause,” Artemis told them, looking at them carefully. “Vengeance, information. They say he held down the law in a place not unlike this.”

“They say he kills people that know about him,” the bartender said. “People who with information about him.”

“Yes and no. There would be no stories if he killed everybody who knew the slightest thing about him, would there?” Artemis said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s only valuable information. If you see his face, or hear his voice.”

“What about the Blue Rome?” the bartender asked, turning back to Charlie. “Aren’t they going to go after him too?”

“Can’t. There have been no reports of the Blue Rome. Only the Phantom. There are rumors about him now, of course, because of the reappearance of the Phantom after all these years. But most of them lead us to believe he’s gone forever. Rumors that he’s dead, or permanently retired.”

“Don’t be silly,” the bartender said sharply. “The Phantom and Blue Rome are a pair. Where one is, so is the other. If Blue Rome were dead, the Phantom would have made it painfully obvious of his early grave. I’ll bet you anything that the Blue Rome is out there right next to the Phantom right now.”

“How much?” Artemis asked, giving a bitter smile.

“We wouldn’t be able to prove it, kid,” the officer said. “Don’t make bets that nobody can win.”

Artemis shrugged, and rose, shouldering his bag. The only places open to sleep right now would be the rooms above pubs, but any place had to be better than this. He made his way across the room, and stepped out the door. He breathed in the cool night air. The damp of the fog felt good on his hot face.

“Oh, Blue Rome, Blue Rome. Where oh where art thou, Blue Rome?” He said quietly, and started into the night.

---

Notes: It would be really nice if people reveiwed . Questions and critism are more than welcome.