Never have I been taken off my game more... than I have been most recently, during the time that proceeds after my decision to move in with Lila.


A choice that I made based on the status and condition of our relationship. Things were goin' pretty damn good between us, in spite of her betrayal that led up to her having Nathaniel Adolph Zachary Idenhaus' kid, I made the choice to give her a second chance and work things out. Ever since then, things only progressively got better and now here we are, living together. Lets face it though, I've done a whole lot fuckin' worse during my time working for The Order, stuff that resulted in massive amounts of chaos and destruction, lives ruined - utterly dismantled or even more atrocious still... lost. All on the command of an evil organization that specialized in handling situations for people that couldn't afford to get their hands dirty. They gave the demands for death and I took the targets outta the equation of life. It was as simple as that. If I deserve a second chance, than so does she, that's the way I see it anyway. Ultimately, I was proven right cause I wouldn't be living with her otherwise... and I sure as shit, wouldn't be having the crap scared outta me on a regular basis. Through no fault of Lila's other than the fact that her son, Grey is a three year old, hell bent on giving me a heart attack.


Now I've been through some shit and I like to think... nah, I pride myself on knowing that people usually can't get the drop on me. But this kid is something else! Part werewolf, alien and human, he's a hybrid like no other and has developed a habit of climbing to some of the highest locations in our apartment, before he literally launches himself at me, out of nowhere. For instance, I'll be making a sandwich and suddenly... incoming! There's this three year old flying at me. Easy solution, right? Put him in a secure area and set up a divider, problem solved. Nope. That doesn't work, due to the fact that he's a climber. Tell me, if the kid can climb high enough to drop down at a man that's over six feet tall, how the fuck is a tiny toddler barrier going to stop him?


Once I discovered him sittin' on top of the god damn refrigerator, giggling mischievously. That wasn't so bad cause I just got him to jump down and caught him but I seriously think that's what started all this insanity. It has become this game where he climbs up to some unknown height and then leaps down, when I least suspect it. It sounds crazy to think a three year old plans and puts effort into this shit but it's true. If any of y'all spent some time in my shoes, while being in this apartment, you'd realize this. I think it's the wolf in him, mixed with the alien dna. Dna passed down from Azrael melded with Nathaniel's genes, both crazy in their own ways, the only thing that counter balances those aspects is the fact that Lila's his mother and has a human side to her. Still even she has her moments when you can say... yep, that's Azrael Erebus' daughter.


Anyway, I was watchin' Grey while Lila was at work and for the most part he was acting fairly tame, watching cartoons and sitting on the floor in the living room, set up with a bunch of his toys. Okay, cool. No sweat. He was in docile mode. That I can handle. My plan was that I was going to get on the blower and talk to some of my suppliers for the shop. People that I buy and receive parts from, that I needed to call in order to discuss deliveries and such. This way I could work out when to be there to meet them and later do inventory. That was the goal anyway. Except, no sooner do I start talking to this guy Sal; he specializes in vintage parts for classic cars, that's when I hear Grey state excitedly.


"Look daddy! It's a bird."


Yeah. It's messed up he calls me that but he's three and I am the predominant male in his life. I'm not stupid enough nor am I that much of an asshole to try and correct a three year old though. He might be a slightly calculating werewolf/alien child but c'mon now, that's a losing battle. It's also pretty pathetic to get bent outta shape over the words of a small child. So I let it fly and simply reply, without more than a mere glimpse in the direction of the television.


"Oh wow cool, that's awesome Grey. A bird."


Then I go back to my conversation on the phone. Midst talking to Sal, it suddenly hits me, there wasn't a bird on the television screen. It takes a couple of seconds because I wasn't fully paying attention. You know those moments when you simply glance at something for a second, giving your attention over briefly and then you go back to whatever you were previously doing. Then your brain catches up to you and tells you there might be a situation going awry. In that instant I was struck with that sensation. Like slamming a car straight into a brick wall. This causes me to return my focus to the television screen. Sure enough, there are zero birds present. An easily explained scenario, no need to panic. Until I take a quick inventory of the area and see that Grey's not in the living room anymore.


Staying calm, not jumping to any terrible conclusions, I let my eyes pan around the apartment as I take a stroll through it. That's when I spot him by the window in the kitchen. He's sitting on the ledge, legs dangling outward, staring at what I can only assume is the bird. I didn't remember leaving the window open wide enough for him to do this but its kinda loose and that makes it easy to lift or lower. Really I shoulda fixed the thing ages ago and internally kick my own ass for not doing it sooner. Then I wouldn't be witnessing this potentially fatal scene. He's Azrael's grandchild and by all accounts should be protected by having the "gene of E" residing inside him but he's also three and I'm not willing to play the odds that he'll survive a four story drop.


Talk about having the fear of god put in ya.


I move swiftly but before I can reach him, he jumps. That knee jerk reaction in him to leap from high places kicks in and it causes him to project himself off the edge of the window. In an instant I toss the phone and follow suit, managing to catch onto him; mid-free fall, I then turn my body so that I'm holding him tight to my chest and take the entire impact. A forty-eight foot drop, straight to the back. Even with the nanotechnology engineering that went into my transformation from human to living weapon, that fucking sucks and I definitely hear something crack. Although, ironically and thankfully... it isn't my back. Feels more like my left hip, I can also tell that my coccyx, right shoulder and collarbone have taken damage. Painful can't begin to describe the sharp agony that greets me in that moment but I have survived further drops in the past, so I hold back the sea of curse words that I want to shout to the heavens and mask the pain. Meanwhile, Grey's totally fine, he's even laughing. This has been great fun for him. He leaps to his doom and I turn into the living cushion that takes the fall for him. Of course, what better timing for Lila to show up... than now.


"Oh my god!"


She lifts Grey up and I raise my eyes to her. Looking up at her as she gazes down at me.


"I think I broke something."


With a groan I use my left hand to gingerly push myself up from the ground, putting most of my weight on my right leg, I let myself sorta fall into the wall and use it for support. The excruciating pain that hits me; all at once, from several broken bones causes my eyes to widen as I fight back the urge to wince or cry out in distress.


"Multiple somethings."


Thanx to the tiny robots that exist within me, all the injuries that I sustained, will repair themselves. Eventually. Not as fast as Azrael can regenerate but soon enough. There's no need to call an ambulance. I know this and so does Lila. Because she understands this as reality, she simply walks past me and enters the building, declaring over her shoulder.


"You need to fix that window."


Sighing softly, I dip my head forward, retrieve a cigarette and fire it up.


"I'm on it."


Fuck. That kid is going to be the death of me.




"Oi! Oi! Oi! Leap of Faith y'all! It's comin' up quick action like and who does The Mechanic have in line to face but Vita Valenteen. Now the last anybody seen of Vita was when she wrassled on Anarchy a while back, when she took on Sarah Lachlan. In the end Lachlan wound up taking the win cause without question, that chick always gets the job done. Pretty sure she's the Terminator. That would explain her winning streak. Talk about plot twists. Anyways, then Vita disappeared for awhile, ain't any shame in that. I don't wrestle all that frequently myself. Thinkin' about changing that though and using LOF as a starting point to do that. What with all these "legends" returning, it's got me feeling kinda nostalgic. Yep, I do believe it's time for me to make myself more available, when it comes to matches here in the XWF. This pay-per-view is only the beginning, the start of things and what better way, really?"


"The only issue that I got is that I'm supposed to kick the shit out of a tiny girl. I mean, I'll do it. She joined the federation knowing what it meant to be employed here but christ on a cracker, I won't enjoy it. Not like some of the fights that I've been in. Which is sad cause throwin' boot parties and stomping skulls is a way of life for me. Don't matter where or when. Or how. I fuckin' love a good fight and folks have come to know that when I get in that ring, they will be entertained. It's simply... understood. The name Griffin "The Mechanic" MacAlister is synonymous with kickin' ass."


"Even my opponents have come to realize this and know in advance, I literally won't stop, till I can't do anything else but stop. My matches will always leave a lasting mark or permanent impression, you will not walk away from the battle that we've had without acquiring some 'souvenirs' from it. That fact is what earned me respect over the years. Not that I need that respect, since I'm not really the type of guy that worries or gives a shit about the thoughts of others. Nah. From day one, when I first stepped foot into this federation... back in June of 2012, I've wrestled for one person and one person only. Myself. Still there's a nice quality about captivating attention and earning my place. That nod of respect. It might not be the... be all, end all for me, but that doesn't mean I turn away or shun these things when they're given. It just isn't the fuel for the fire or passion of fightin' for me. It's not my reason for being here."


"Which brings me to my point. This match with Vita doesn't really ignite the spark that it usually does when I fight others. She might be a gifted wrestler but I can't seem to get that same sense of satisfaction outta the thought of facing her that I normally would feel before a fight. I know it's 2019 and my thoughts aren't all that politically correct but it's the truth. Stompin' the shit out of a little girl... putting her in the hospital, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Won't stop me from marching to that ring and getting the job done, I just won't like it. Mostly cause I'm not a creep like Scully, who relished taking on Dolly Waters. But for me, beating on little girls simply ain't my bag man. So this fight... it's rather bittersweet."


"Meh. Shit happens though. Then you flush it down the toilet and move on. Which is what I'm going to do, mostly cause I have to, I won't let this ruin my fun or cancel my plans for the future. I'm going to get in that ring and do what I do best. Put on a helluva show and leave the masses on their feet, screaming and wanting more. The XWF fan base is a sick group of sadistic fuckers, they won't care about the bloodshed of a tiny girl. When I curb stomp Vita into oblivion, no one will mind the outcome. For her sake, the powers that be better have an ambulance on standby. Or this will be the last time Vita Valenteen wrestles. Fuck. The things that my conscious lets me get away with... frightens even me."