Blood.

So much blood.

Our hero Calvary has witnessed great atrocities across the galaxy, but no scene had ever been as brutal as this. He’d witnessed crimes unmentionable, but this…

This was new.

This was animalistic in nature.

The dark-haired champion leans back from the window he had been peering into. Despite his natural speed, he only heard a sound of distress for the briefest of moments when passing by. A mere blip on his radar that caught his attention by the abruptness of it.

One second a scream.

The next, a corpse.

It was this abnormality that drew the attention of Calvary to this scene in this small home on the outside of the city of Colchester, Vermont. He had long beaten officers to the scene as the crime had just occurred, but he had to be careful not to disturb the scene.

“I must try to find where the animal escaped to. Perhaps I can contain it for study. Nothing of this world would attack that quickly without warning.”

Calvary thought this as he floats around the home analyzing the doors and windows noticing no sign of forced entry.

“With no sign of exit, the perpetrator must still be inside. I must exercise caution under entry.”

With that, Calvary slowly turns the knob of the backdoor which opens easily. His eyes float down to the knob which he notices is scalding hot. He retracts his hand after feeling the searing pain trying to burn his fingertips. He looks down at his palm before flexing his fingers. He turns his attention to the home where he notices several burn marks across the walls in certain places. He walks over to one and looks over it as his eyes widen.

“It’s handprints. Whoever the murderer was seemed to move this way in a hurry. So fast that I didn’t even pick up on him leaving the home…” Calvary thought to himself as he floats into the room being careful not to hit his head on the light fixture.

He turns a corner and enters into the room of the crime whereas the blood is fresh and coats the entire room. The victim is a young woman no older than twenty-five. He looks her over for a moment before having to turn his eyes away from the grotesque scene. Calvary shakes his head before looking over the room. It’s then that he notices another burn print across a photograph. The picture and the frame containing it are smoldering slightly as it seems half of the picture and frame are no more. Calvary looks at the remnants of the frame noticing only the young woman is left in the picture.

“Disposing of connections with the victim? Or was this merely an accident that the perpetrator burned this. It doesn’t add up yet.”

Calvary walks over to the kitchen and looks around, but it’s as if nothing had been disturbed in this room. Other than the hallway leading to the back door and the living room where the body lies, it seems as if nothing had been disturbed. Calvary reaches into the pack he was carrying on his side. He unlatches the satchel and pulls out a small device before holding it up to find reception. He begins tapping away on the screen before pulling it up to his ear.

“Hello? Officers of the state of Vermont? I would like to report a murder. 393 Pryce Drive is the address. A young woman has been murdered.”

Calvary finishes his call before hanging up the phone and looking over the scene once more. He walks over to the lifeless body of the young woman and sighs.

“I promise to you that I will find whoever did this to you. Your death will not go in vain.”

Calvary stands up and moves towards the backdoor before taking a step out of the door. He lifts up into the sky as the winds lift him up as his mind races.

“Who would commit such a horrendous crime in such a small amount of time?”



TODAY...



“What is the most unobtainable essence of life?”

“If you were to ask anyone what they needed more of, what would they say?”

“Wealth?”

“Fame?”

“Food?”

“All of these are pieces of life matter not to the most unobtainable facet of our lifetimes. There is always one thing that never increases and only retreats. It creates this controversy of when will it run out and is there any way to prevent its depletion. There may be preventative measures to ensure it lasts longer, but there’s no cure.”

“There’s no cure for time.”

“And time, my dear friend Raphael, is not on your side.”

“You have agreed to a fight that no arena in the world is ready for, let alone the stadiums in Burlington, Vermont. You see, you may be a man of steel, but my powers are not as one-dimensional as yours. For the strength of skin you may have, I have the crowbar that will pry open your metallic plates.”

“You may have a right hook that’s out of this world, but I assure you that I’ve taken far worse from far better.”

“Time is something that will eventually come for all men, even warriors like ourselves. Eventually my bones will break and my body will crumble to the dusts of time. I can only hope that I’ve left a legacy that proceeds me before I go. It’s why I’ve come to the XWF. I’ve come to influence.”

“I’ve come to show you what a true leader looks like.”

“You and your brothers have formed a nice little unit, but there’s always something that you forget. It’s not three versus one. You may have each other’s back when the going gets tough, but it’s this backup that I think only hinders your overall progress. You rely too much on each other rather than building your own strength. Sharpening your own blade, Raphael.”

“But I know how hard it is to rely on others. I know what it feels like to be part of a family. I once was part of a great initiative called The Divinity. It was something I was destined to be a part of. I was destined to be their warrior and their greatest weapon. But there was something holding me back. There was this little hook preventing me from rising to the top.”

“Instinct.”

“I couldn’t rely on others. I learned quickly what happens to those who do, and I learned quickly about what happens when you waste time on building relationships. They only come back to haunt you and it’s these so-called-family-members that prove why you can trust no one.”

“Not even family.”

Calvary takes a deep breath before continuing.

“Not even family.”

“They may seem to have your best interests at heart, but, in order to truly take on the hero lifestyle, you can’t rely upon them. There will come a time when they will not be aides to you. There will be a time when you realize that they’re holding you back. You’ll realize that having them around is more of a crutch than a ladder to elevate you.”

“At the end of your heroic journey, you will realize the truth that I’m telling you. Your brothers may be close friends. They may be wonderful brethren, and they may be legendary fighters. But they will always cost you what your legacy needs more than any other thing.”

“Time.”

“While you whittle your days away with your brothers, you cost yourself time in the field saving people. Strengthening your craft. Increasing your reach to the world.”

“Why be part of a crew when you could spread your wings and truly soar by yourself?”

“You have the drive that your brothers obviously lack, and you have the gifts needed to truly rise above your station. You can reach to the stars, but you settle with comfortability.”

“When the world needed a new inspiration, you provided them with a frustrated child easily manipulated by his own mind and temper. And it’s that ill-fated temper that will put you down even quicker than my fist of steel or my strength of a thousand men.”

“While you will try to get the upper hand easily, I will simply remain diligent. I can withstand the throes that time dishes out. I have lived lifetimes before I even stepped foot inside this ring. If you think that you can outlast me, then you are in store of a rude awakening. Your steel will rust and it will fade away, and these old boots will be here to stay.”

“You may be the elder on this roster, but this ring, this match belongs to me. You’re stepping into my playpen, and you’ll be playing by my rules. I do commend you for being able to step up to the challenge, but the decision is one that you will regret when I find all new ways to bend steel into origami shapes.”

“Which do you prefer? Swan or dog?”

“Your time is almost up. The time is almost here, and I look forward to our friendly competition. But, let it be known, that when the lights come on, and my entrance song hits… it’s go time.”

“The friendliest guy in the room turns into the embodiment of your worst nightmare.”

“Victory will be mine, Raph.”

“And we’ll find out together just how much time it takes to bend Steel.”




BEFORE…





After a disappointing encounter with the location of the slave encampment of their own race, Cal Vari and Vic Tori have just landed back at The Divinity Headquarters. Vic turns off the motherboard to the controls as he gives a sigh. Cal Vari looks past him through the front glass as if lost in a trance.

“Cal?”

Cal snaps back to life as he massages his eyelids.

“Sorry. I just feel so… responsible for those people.”

“Cal, there’s no-“

“If you’re going to say that we’re not responsible then you’re right. But we could have SAVED them, Vic. We chose to do what we’ve been trained to do and report our findings back to HQ. What did that accomplish, Vic? This process of getting permission may have cost thousands their lives. We may have lost countless bodies to some sick and twisted slave system because we failed to act fast enough.”

“Or we could have died.”

“Maybe we should have.”

The two share a look as neither wavers. Cal stands up and delivers a punch to the side of the ship breaking a piece of the metal with the impact of his fist. Vic quickly stands up and extends his fingertips as his body begins to change making a horrific cracking sound.

“Are you going to try and bind me up AGAIN?!”

Vic stops realizing the error in this. Cal whirls around and grabs him by his arm.

“Maybe we should have died, Vic. What’s the use in this fancy ship? What’s the use in this badge?” Cal pulls out his badge from around his neck and throws it down. “What’s the use of being part of The Divinity if we’re just going to be backlogged by paperwork and reporting our every step and waking breath. Real heroes need action, not permission.”

“Are you suggesting going rogue?” Vic asks plainly.

“I’m suggesting a change to how we handle business. If you have a problem with that, then I have no need to further our partnership. From now on, we handle this operation my way. I will NOT let another innocent person be taken away. I will NOT let another innocent be taken advantage of. Not on my watch.”

Cal releases Vic, snatches his badge off the ground, and turns to walk away as his hand rubs the back of his neck in obvious emotional turmoil.

“Cal… we can’t turn our back on traditions. We can’t let ourselves be overcome by our emotions.”

Cal stiffens a small laugh before continuing his walk out of the ship itself. He begins walking through the city where The Divinity is headquartered. It’s in this walk that Cal finds himself transfixed in his thoughts.

His father was discovered to not be dead.

His first chance to save a large amount of people thwarted.

His purpose and mission is seemingly in jeopardy.

“Who am I?” Cal thought to himself on this walk.

Son of a murderer?

Coward?

Pathless?

As Cal reaches the building proper, he scans his ID card.

ERNT-UH.

The sound effect catches him off guard as Cal taps on the scanner once more with his ID before rolling his eyes at the obvious system malfunction.

ERNT-UH.

Cal’s hands ball up into fists as he rears back ready to destroy the mechanism with one single blow.

BRDING!

The sound of acceptance occurs as Vic scans his card and slaps Cal on the back indicating him to follow him through the doorways. The two walk into the spacious lobby of The Divinity Headquarters. Vic stops walking and turns to Cal.

“Look, I know what you said earlier, but I really think we should keep our head down while in here, okay? We don’t know how everyone is going to react to such… radical ideals.”

Cal scoffs at him before brushing past him before spotting three men in Divinity Sovereign attire walking straight towards them. The Sovereign, being some of the upper elite members of The Divinity Order, being at the HQ wasn’t what caught him off guard.

Yet three walking directly toward him with ears spread from ear-to-ear was disturbing. The three grinning Sovereign stop about three feet in front of Cal and Vic.

“HEY HEY, Cal Vari and Vic Tori, right? HOO HOO! I’m so glad to see you two. You’re both under arrest.”

The sound of this guy’s voice only seems to reassure Cal and Vic. Both of their lips turn up into a huge grin as their eyes look at each other in confusion.

The grinning man in sunglasses and long, curly hair throws a necklace to Vic.

A necklace matching exactly to what was seen in the underground slave market is shown. Vic’s eyes grow wide in fear as Cal’s also do.

“No! Hehe, why would we even have tech like this? This is despicable.”

“Despicable, kid? HA! No, this is the future. It’s what protects us from traitors.” The smiling man’s eyes linger on Cal. “Now cuff him.”

Vic drops the necklace to the floor and steps back. The two guards lean down and pick up the necklace before lunging forward and snapping it around the neck of Cal Vari who seemed paralyzed. As the metallic necklace latched itself around his neck, Cal felt himself become groggy and his body relax.

“Vic run!”

Cal barely gets these words out before a huge punch catches him on the right side of his head knocking him down to the ground as the grinning man leans down over him.

“Nighty, night bastard.”



To Be Continued…