Griffin MacAlister, sighed and gazed upon the stark, looming, Gothic edifice, tilting his head as he raised one, lone curious brow. It was rather preposterous to believe that only a few moments ago, he was walking through a bustling cityscape, past sky scrapers and store fronts, across busy cab lined streets, by cafes, pubs, subway stations and street vendors, only to arrive here. Looking up at one of the most impossibly, out of place structures, he had ever laid his eyes on. Azrael's tower. The mechanic had always known that the spaceman lived in this place; however, witnessing it up close, well that was another story entirely. It came with a strange sensation of dislocation.


Part of him felt like he had stepped through Alice's looking glass and the other part simply wondered if that blunt he hit earlier was laced with something 'special' and yet through this all, one thing remained perfectly clear, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing here. Alright, technically, he knew what the basic idea was, he decided that he'd attempt to seek the spaceman's aid. See, Griffin had a unique sort of problem, one that couldn't be dealt with alone and try as he might, the more he attempted to rack his brain for a solution, there was only a single answer that would become clear. A solitary option that would ensure an accurate, one hundred percent successful completion. The man from the stars.


There was only one small issue with that. Azrael Erebus sort of... really, despised Griffin. It was no secret. He knew it well and it's not like it was ill warranted. MacAlister had a tendency to intentionally provoke the spaceman. Insulting Azrael at any and every chance, he could get. It was amusing to him, at the time but then he met Lila and things got complicated. Things have changed. Griffin was dating Lila, he cared for her and didn't want to see any harm come her way. Which was a tad difficult when his line of work came into play. Being the living weapon for - The Order, didn't exactly scream great things for her well being. At any given moment, she could be seen as a liability or the cause for his failure in completing a mission and neither of those options meant good news for Lila, in the terms of her mortality.


Even if she inherited her father's ability to regenerate and return to life after death, The Order were a persistent lot. The "if you don't succeed, try again" kind. And if multiple attempts failed, well then it was almost certain that her "special circumstances" would prompt them to abduct her for experimentation. With the foul intent to make use of her dna, in order to create even better, stronger living weapons to have at their disposal. In short, she would become their imprisoned lab rat. No, the more Griffin thought about it, the more things became clear, he needed a way out. However, that would prove to be extremely tricky for him to do on his own. It wasn't like he could walk into human resources and give in his two weeks notice. When he accepted their offer and took their aid, many years ago, he signed up for life. There was no quitting in this line of work, if he left The Order, he'd be leaving in a body bag.


This meant he needed a variable that they wouldn't expect and what was more unexpected than the impossible star traveler. Azrael could make almost anything that he wanted happen. Just a simple snap of his fingers, would make it a reality. Surely, if anyone could solve the mechanic's quandary, it would be him. Not to mention the fact that the spaceman's been alive for so long, it is almost certain that he's dealt with The Order before, or at the very least, an organization exceedingly similar. Griffin sighed, he needed to get this shit over with. He had to bite the bullet and at least try. For Lila. He could do this. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?


Before he allowed his mind permission to submit an answer to that internal inquiry, he surged forward and marched right up to the front door. Then without hesitation, he pressed the doorbell, immediately feeling as though he shrank several inches afterwards, he swallowed hard. After a few seconds he heard a distinct buzzer, prompting him to attempt the door, which freely opened. From there Griffin stepped through the doorway, allowing the door to close behind him as he continued forward. He then would be met with a winding staircase, leading up several stories to the spaceman's abode. Of course, there wasn't an elevator. After all, committing to passing through the front door, was like entering into a fairy tale of olde. So why the fuck would there be an elevator? Not that it mattered. A slew of craptacular apartments without elevators, prepared Griffin for this tedious climb.


Ascending the stairs swiftly, Griffin reached the top and stopped. A heavy oak door, with wrought iron hinges stood in his path. Now, there was only him, the door and the moment of truth. With a deep breath, Griffin didn't wait or permit a second guess, he knocked on the door and simply awaited the rest. The rest being the door, snapping wide open, revealing the fearless universe traveler - Azrael Erebus. Dressed in a loose fitting black button down shirt and black trousers, the alien resembled a human in many ways, while simultaneously bearing drastic differences that proved otherwise. Quite the juxtapose, eh? For instance, his skin tone was far too pale and occasionally, gave off a slight sheen that almost resembled that of a statue. Then there were his eyes. At times they were filled with an actual fire, that seemed to burn from within. At the current moment though, they were dark and dormant. The flames weren't stoked, yet they still managed to hold a touch of something, clearly not human.


It was hard to explain, since it was the type of thing one had to experience for themselves, to truly understand. Sort of an overwhelming sensation someone would get when they made direct eye contact with him. An ancient aura of mystery, that seethed like a storm. It was rage, joy, madness and sorrow, all mixed into one, swirling vortex. The past, present and future, combined inside a single, solitary, dark abyss and you know what they say, when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. That is what some felt when they gazed into the spaceman's eyes. Like he didn't merely look at you, he looked through you. It was very eerie and at the same time it was also quite compelling. It's what drew certain people to him and drove others away.


And it's what made Griffin avoid eye contact with Azrael altogether. It made him on edge. Griffin liked his privacy, after all. The skeletons in his closet, needed to stay locked away and he didn't trust the alien knowing his secrets. Ironic, how the tables have turned. Since he was there, at Azrael's door, about to ask the spaceman for the biggest favor, that he's ever asked of anyone before. The first and only favor, that he's ever asked anyone for. A favor that would see him, admitting all those secrets, in the hopes that Azrael would agree to help him. The times... they are certainly a changin'.


So far the experience was pretty much what Griffin anticipated. Awkward. He didn't really know what to say at first when Azrael opened the door. While Azrael stood there for a moment in silence, his expression a mixture of confusion and antipathy as he looked upon his unlikely guest. The Mechanic. What did he want? While Griffin internally kicked himself in the ass and decided to just "rip off the band-aid" and talk. Skip the pleasantries and get right down to the point.


"Alright man, first off I'm gonna say, that I get it, I'm not exactly a welcoming sight to be had at your door. I know it's weird that I'm showin' up here, out of the blue, considering that we don't exactly get along. I totally understand that cause it's really fuckin' strange, for me on my end, as well. To be here at all in this sorta nature, that ain't the way I usually am. I'm not the pop in outta nowhere type. But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important and altogether warranted. Believe me when I say, that I didn't come here without some contemplation, on my end. So this is some real last resort type o' shit."


Intriguing. Azrael wondered where exactly this was going? Briefly picturing how amusing it might be to see Griffin fall from where they were, to the very bottom of his tower, the spaceman internally burst out laughing. All it would take was one quick shove. Then again, his daughter might not be too pleased, with her boyfriend's brains splattered all over the stone entryway of her father's tower. Why did she have to make things so complicated by dating this guy? Life was much easier when Azrael, could hate Griffin from afar and never deal with seeing him, save for brief encounters within the halls of the main XWF building. Now Griffin was here and though Azrael was curious as to why Griffin would travel to his tower and knock upon his door, he still couldn't shake the deep-seated animosity he held towards the man. There was something very shady about this mechanic.


"I'm listening."


"The thing is.... there's stuff that I've got going on in my life that isn't exactly public knowledge. A situation that I got myself into from a long while back. I was a dumb ass kid that was always getting into trouble. Stupid shit at first, that led into bigger things and eventually, it all caught up to me and I found myself looking at some real hard time. Then these folks came 'round after that and they offered me a way out. At the time, I thought it seemed like the perfect solution. Despite the sketchy way they approached me, I went for their offer. Mostly cause I didn't know the full extent of what acceptin' that offer meant."


Griffin took a deep breath.


"I didn't realize that once I accepted that offer, they would basically own me. That I'd become their property for life. I was brought to a facility, where they did things to me. They altered my dna and fucked around with my head. I'm not certain about the dynamics behind the scene or what the precise compounds and components they used were... since I was the one being experimented on and it wasn't the other way around. I can tell ya this though, it involved a whole fuckin' lot of chemicals, operations and machines, that were intended for mind manipulation and alteration. And that the metamorphosis didn't exactly tickle. Anyways, the whole process drastically changed me and I basically became their 'living weapon'. A tool to keep at their disposal whenever they needed something done. That 'something' usually being an act that wasn't all that pretty. You feel me?"


"I believe that I understand where you're coming from. Continue."


"Yeah, well up until recently I had everything under control, for the most part. I only had myself to worry about. Shit was simple. Then I started dating Lila. Now the dynamics have changed. I'm afraid of what might happen to her because of what I do and who I do it for, cause I know if they figure out what's goin' on, they will go after her and she might get hurt. Or worse they might figure out who she is and what she can do, and see that as an opportunity to use her and her dna, for whatever they deemed fit. I don't wanna see that happen to her. Ever. Now I could play the fuckin asshole card and just ghost her. Never speak to her again and that would fix all that. I don't want to do that though. So my back is kinda up against the wall on this one. Which brings me to why I'm here."


Another deep breath. Here lies the moment of truth.


"I'm here cause I want out. I don't want to be a puppet anymore. I'd like to be able to date your daughter and not put her at risk or in harm's way. At the same time, even if I knew she'd be alright, that with all certainty, she'd be completely safe and I could still keep doin' what I've been doing... I'd still want out. I wouldn't want to be out there committing those acts while I'm with her and honestly, I'm not fixin' to step out on her anytime soon. So even though I know you hate me and probably can't stand the fact that I'm dating Lila. I'm asking for your help. I need your help, Azrael cause I don't know how I can achieve what I want on my own. I can't do this on my own."


Azrael thought for a moment. Though his first instinct has always been to not trust Griffin, the reasons behind the mechanic's visit seemed sincere and were commendable. He understood that it couldn't have been easy for Griffin to swallow his pride and ask the man that hated him for help. And all for Lila. That was really something to take note of about the nature of Griffin's principals. While he wasn't the most savory character, he contained some honorable qualities. It was in this moment that a curious thing happened. The spaceman felt a deep seated respect for the mechanic.


"Very well. I will help you."


Azrael gave a small, accepting smile.


"For Lila."


And it was then that the mistrust began to slip away. For both of them.

2x Universal Champion (First reign was less than a day though, lol. Due to Sebastian Duke cashing in his briefcase.)
2x Tag Team Champion
3x Triple Tag Team Champion
1x Television Champion
2x US Champion (Title retired during my second reign as champ.)
2x X-Treme Champion
1x Bombshell Champion
2x HMW Champion
2x SOTM