Vigilantes

Vigilantes is a fictional story series crafted by up-and-coming sci-fi/fantasy writer Menelek Mikael. It presents a gripping and morally complex saga of ordinary citizens taking justice into their own hands. This story is part of LOREMAKER.

### The Setting

Vigilantes takes place in modern London plagued by the unchecked spread of dangerous new drugs, government corruption, and a negligent justice system. Citizens struggle to feel safe as criminals take over properties, traffic exploitative substances, and flaunt their power through violence and graft. From the upscale neighbourhoods to the impoverished slums, there is a growing sense the social fabric is unravelling with no relief in sight. Out of this chaos, the first vigilantes arise.

### Plot

The city is overrun by crime, drugs, and corruption. Police and officials are unable or unwilling to bring the criminal enterprises under control.

**Jared** is a comic book store owner obsessed with becoming a real-life vigilante. He has built a secret lair in his store with weapons, computers, and superhero costumes. Furious, at the effect of the drugs on his community, he hunts down Everhigh dealers, beating them mercilessly to find their suppliers. This leads him to a powerful crime lord named Joseph Angel who is behind the new drug epidemic.

**Victoria** is a spoiled rich girl who uses her inheritance to fund a luxurious vigilante lifestyle. Her bodyguard and driver **Orange** becomes her partner in crime-fighting adventures. The two attack criminals as their alter-egos **Lemon and Orange**. They save an Arabian prince from kidnappers and ruthlessly gun down his attackers.

**Harriet** is a real estate agent disgusted by properties being overrun by criminals. At a convention, she meets fellow agents **Richard** and **Tomasz**, and they decide to take matters into their own hands by becoming violent vigilantes called **The Janitors.** Their first act is to raid a sex-filled drug party at one of Harriet's properties, rescuing abused teens.

As Warden, Jared crosses paths with **Dennis**, who has become the vigilante **Black Sheriff** to stop the flow of youth getting addicted. Though initially reluctant, Jared agrees to partner with Dennis as they investigate Joseph Angel's crime networks. They discover he is running a sex trafficking ring alongside the drugs.

The Janitors continue their ruthless crusade by ambushing criminals in their homes to make them renounce their ways. Lemon and Orange revel in their notoriety among both criminals and citizens.

Eventually, the vigilantes team up to shut down Joseph Angel's operation by raiding his sex trafficking warehouse and freeing his victims. The vigilantes at one point narrowly escape arriving police, thanks to **Officer Tobi Fashola** secretly letting them get away.

### Characters

**Jared/Warden** - Comic book store owner who has long dreamed of being a vigilante. The death of his partner Dennis sends him into a vengeance-fueled quest against the man responsible. His costume and weapons hide his true identity.

**Victoria/Lemon** - A narcissistic, thrill-seeking rich girl who uses her inheritance to fund technology, weapons, and gear to become the notoriously violent vigilante Lemon. Finds an unexpected skill and calling in vigilantism.

**Orange** - Victoria's aloof bodyguard who uses his extensive combat training to become Lemon's expert vigilante partner, Orange. Together they are savage fighters against criminal elements.

**Harriet** - A bold real estate agent who refuses to stand by while thugs and drugs destroy property values. Forms The Janitors crew to violently clean up the city's criminal enterprises.

**Richard** - A real estate agent who convinces Harriet to become a vigilante. Cunning, he helps plan elaborate stings on criminal locations as The Janitors.

**Tomasz** - Unstable and sadistic member of The Janitors. His brutality as a vigilante appears to be rooted in deep psychological issues.

**Dennis/Black Sheriff** - A local nurse who is horrified to see so many young lives ruined by drugs. Joins Jared as the non-violent vigilante Black Sheriff.

**Joseph Angel** - The merciless leader of the city's drug and sex trafficking networks. A powerful man with endless resources and minions.

**Alina** - Jared's wife who falls into crippling Everhigh addiction after having an affair, driving a wedge in their marriage that fuels Jared's wrath as Warden.

**Hitomi** - The Janitors' intelligent assistant who helps them coordinate their vigilante activities from a secret base.

**Tobi Fashola** - A police lieutenant who secretly aids the escape of the vigilantes after they take down Joseph Angel's operation.

**Nathaniel Angel/Melchizedek -** In summary, Nathaniel Angel/Melchizedek is the secretive patriarch of the city's biggest crime family which the vigilantes aim to bring down. As Joseph Angel's father, he is a major power player in the criminal underworld.

### Locations

**Jared's Comic Book Store** - Houses Jared's elaborate secret lair where he plans his vigilantism as Warden. His business by day becomes his base of operations by night.

**The Janitors' Lounge** - Hidden base where tech expert Hitomi helps The Janitors coordinate their attacks on criminals who have overtaken properties.

**Joseph Angel's Warehouses** - Where drugs and sex trafficking victims are harbored. Site of major battles as the vigilantes team up to bring Joseph Angel to justice.

**The City Streets** - Corrupt city streets where the Everhigh drug epidemic and various criminal enterprises are rampant. Hunting grounds for the vigilantes at night.

**Red Tiger Pub** - Where Harriet first discusses ideas with Richard and Tomasz about becoming The Janitors. Their planning takes place in shady back booths.

### Themes

* Citizens taking justice into their own hands when systems fail them
* Moral ambiguity in fighting evil with evil methods
* Corruption spreading through the elite and government
* Regular people hiding their fractured identities behind masks
* The consequences of seeking vengeance rather than justice
* Loss of morality in the quest for vengeance
* Examining whether the ends justify the means