It was dark and quiet, inside the two story, colonial style house, where this tale shall be set for reasons of education and enlightenment alone. Every room shroud in shadows, save for the limited light that filtered in through the blinds, veiled in a layer of sheer curtains. Cast by the moon and the streetlights that lined the block, this neighborhood kept itself decently illuminated during the evening hours. Being that it was located in a thriving metropolitan area and not off in the country somewhere. Where you had to hike down a pitch black road for about a mile and a half, just to walk to the next place of residence and everyone secured their property with some type of firearm, despite the fact that they left the doors unlocked every night.


Unlike areas like that, this region kept themselves secure with nightly neighborhood patrols and well lit streets that offered the promise of safe travels, to both pedestrian and motorist alike. It was a nice place to live, in theory. All based on a matter of perspective. Dependent on which door you closed behind yourself, when you went home at night. An open, honest, decent community to reside in for the most part, full of kind, hardworking, blue collar type families. There were white picket fences, block parties and every household seemed to be living the dream, with perfect marriages, 2.5 kids and a dog. Like clockwork, during the summer you could find a lemonade stand, on almost every corner. Trick or treaters embraced Halloween when it came around, Thanksgiving was honored by an annual football game that the entire neighborhood took part in and when Christmas arrived, there were honest to god carolers. This was quite frankly a story book or television show type of tight knit community.


However, for the humble home in question, that would be existing in near total darkness if it weren't for the subtle glow that seeped in through the interior window treatments, it was a nightmare. Once the door to this property shut and felt the snap of a lock getting turned into place, it was anyone's guess what might go down. Usually something awful or mentally scarring, that still held the "wonderful" prospect of gambling on the odds. A mystery horror, with a tinge of surprise, perfect for keeping you on your toes. This was where three young boys; fraternal triplets - age nine, and their mother lived. The exemplary condition of bad parenting and terror, combined.


The children that resided in this home, were not like most juveniles their age, they were unmistakably different and this trait wasn't an easy thing to mask either. Where others advanced forward from year to year, getting older and wiser as they matured into adulthood. These adolescents saw the same process transpire a bit more quickly. For every three months that passed, brought the forward progression of one to two years, equipped with the knowledge, development, common sense and every attribute that normally would accompany this process in any ordinary scenario, only sped up. This peculiar sort of advanced development would occur until the boys reached the age of twenty-three and then the cycle would slow down to a regular pace, from that moment onward. Unfortunately, the mother of the triplets didn't know any of that, so the reality of the situation took a mighty toll on her. A toll that primarily effected her mind.





Stella Blackwater


An art major with dreams and ambitions just about as big as her bright, beautiful blue eyes and warm smile, would find herself in attendance of a wrestling event. Hosted by the XWF: an industry famed for its extreme nature and brutal contests of combat, Stella would watch on in awe as amazing talents, the likes of John Samuels, Gator and Theo Pryce, wowed a packed arena. Truly, it was a spectacle like no other and the allure of the sport transfixed the young maiden fair, in nothing short of five minutes. Completely captivated, she remained glued to the edge of her seat, right to the very last second of the final match. To say she was hooked after that was an understatement. Like an addict or any hungry fan girl, she wanted more and as such, stuck around basking in the energy of a parking lot filled with wrestling enthusiasts, hoping for a meager chance at catching a peek of their favorite wrestler leaving the stadium, she found it.





His name was Azrael Erebus and he had just achieved a victory in a fight against John Samuels, that very night. Tall, mysterious and devastatingly handsome, he was perfect. The exact sort of prize that a budding lover of wrestling, would dream of permitting access to their bed chambers, for a night of forbidden passion. Anyone could fuck a standard, run of the mill, human wrestler but banging an alien from another world, now that held a unique sort of seduction that sent shivers down her spine, at the mere idea of it taking place. She had to have him, there wasn't going to be another alternative scenario that saw anything otherwise occurring. Lucky for her, the spaceman was on a similar mission of his own and he wasn't exactly the picky type. All she had to do was catch his eye and allow her crystal clear intentions, be known and the rest was history.


Freely taking part in a moment of intimacy, the union between the two was fleeting and not one shared with the expectation of another. It happened during an intense electrical storm that instantaneously coincided with copulation and when the event reached its culmination, both parties went their separate ways. The man from the stars would vanish without a trace; from both the wrestling biz and Earth in general, while Stella went on home and to bed, only to awaken the next morning with her own unforeseeable surprise. Pregnancy. With an incubation period lasting no longer than two months, she would give birth to three healthy, adorable baby boys. Of whom she would name - Raphael, Donovan and Ezra. Delivered precisely in that order. There was no way of knowing what to expect for their future, nor did they arrive with an instruction manual to explain or give even the slightest inkling of insight as to what a mother should anticipate, when raising three, half alien, half human children. Utterly unprepared for these unusual, special sets of circumstances, Stella Blackwater decided to raise the children, against the better judgement of every single person that she knew.


Alas, this would result in the woman going quite mad from the experience, with only her three boys to reap the terrible reward that the tragic outcome would bring. The price was no one individuals fault. Least of all the children. However it took place nonetheless. All alone, cut off from her own family that accused the young woman of bringing what they referred to as "the demon's seed" into fruition, Stella had no one to turn to in her time of confusion and duress. Being that the man from the stars was nowhere to be found during these turbulent times, he most certainly was of no guidance or council either. In fact, it was pretty safe to say, he didn't realize that his sons even existed. It was a truth that would evade Stella, in her time of desperation, so she simply did what she could while slowly slipping into lunacy. Plummeting deeper and deeper into insanity the older the boys got, it wasn't long before her madness came with the cruel sting of abuse. Eventually forcing her to lock the children away from the world, the brothers grew reliant and dependent upon one another, from that moment forth.


Soon sharing an incredible bond like no other, it was the prime example of a rose growing out of a landfill type of scenario. Special, unique and stronger than any brotherhood. They were like tightly fastened links that formed a chain of three, this nexus of sorts kept them strong of spirit, brave and resilient to whatever pain or heartache that they endured. More than simply family united in blood, they were friends and the closest of allies. If one tripped, they all fell, or so it would seem based on how tightly knit the three were. In the worst scenarios or most foulest of fight, they had each others back. Always and forever. A promise that the brothers would uphold to one another, no matter what.


Even on the darkest of night, when the only illumination bled through from outside and the silence was damn near deafening. The type of quiet, where a pin could drop on the opposite end of the house and it sounded like the clang of a cymbal, The Brothers Blackwater stayed true to their word. Locked away in an attic, this was no existence for children or even a full grown adult, for that matter. Kept secret from the world and prying eyes, like lepers or hideous mutations. The only hope for freedom coming with age, their gradually manifesting abilities and the nosiness of neighbors. Which as it turns out is a very good thing when you're a small child, trapped in a nightmare sort of situation. The community was quickly becoming curious about Stella's strange, hermit like activities and highly unorthodox behavior. It isn't always easy to conceal things. Stuff has a way of getting out into the open. That's merely the rule of thumb for regular, sane members of society. Toss the factor that three kids were being hoarded away like hostages in a prison camp and Stella's debilitating insanity, into the mix and there's a real, honest to god chance that people were going to uncover what was being hidden away.


In the meantime as the inevitable fate, slowly shifted into reality. Donovan Blackwater, lay awake staring at the ceiling. His thoughts preoccupied by the gnawing hunger that caused his stomach to ache and feel like it was trying its best to say hello to his spine, while the nasty shiner that forced his left eye to remain shut, came with a spike of pain that seemed to target his brain. A gift from his mother, he was awarded the prize when he yanked her attention away from Ezra. Who's only crime was being weird and clumsy, he knocked a vase onto the floor, where it shattered into a million pieces. Just a vase, nothing special or extraordinary, it still invoked their mother's wrath. Though there was little that couldn't bring that about. Donovan took it upon himself to pick up a baseball and toss it directly through the window. While simultaneously maintaining full eye contact with his mother. The price was the cost of a beating and no supper but in his mind, it was worth it. Justified by the fact that his mother lost all interest in Ezra. It was this utter need to protect his brothers, that would follow him all his life.


In spite of that being the case, Donovan gazed up at the ceiling, longing for answers. His one good eye focused on a crack, that splintered the wood and made a tiny portion of the sky visible from where he lay in bed. As a distant, low rumble of thunder permeated the air, closely followed by a flash of lightening, he firmly decided there should be someone to blame for this awful state of affairs. There had to be a responsible party that needed to be held accountable. The thought did not bring him one iota of joy or comfort and yet, it still nagged at his thoughts enough to keep him awake. Like the other aspects weren't enough. It was right then and there, while he focused on a single, lone star in the night sky that the realization hit him and he knew full well, who had to pay. Except he couldn't just leave it rest at that, no a little whisper inside his head begged for a release and called for instant attention. He had to share his revelation with the three beings that he trusted more than anyone or anything on the planet. His brothers.


"Hey. Raph? Ezra? Are you awake?"


A voice much softer and scratchier, than the dramatic, dauntingly deep tone it would later become, his words drifted out into the still, darkness of their room. To be greeted by the groans of his brothers, who had no trouble falling asleep and were plagued by nothing but Donovan's interruption.


"I've decided something but I need you to promise that you guys will go along with it and have my back. Okay?"


Silence.


"It's important."


"Will agreeing get you to shut up?!?!"


Raph snapped, obviously tired and annoyed. The only brother to still bear the closest resemblance to his future adult self.


"Yes."


"Fine. Whatever it is... we'll help you."


"You don't even know what I was going to ask."


"Do I need to know?"


"I want to know."


The small squeak in sound came from Ezra as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes. No where near the looming, marionette, he was short and tiny and poked his head from under a blanket, like a little mouse.


"Super. Okay Donovan. What do you want us to do so badly, that it couldn't wait till morning to be mentioned?"


"I want to find our father."


"Is that it? Cause I think he's in outer space somewhere."


"No. I want to find him and...."


"And?"


"I think we should kill him."


It was at that exact instant, the heavens opened up and it began to rain. Marking the occasion with a steady stream of water, that poured right through the crack in the ceiling. The water hit Donovan directly in the face and produced a loud sigh in frustration from him as he crawled out of bed, with his pillow and blanket in tow and laid on the floor. He hated this, all of it and the only thing that overrode the horrible feelings and nasty thoughts that swarmed him like a pack of deadly monsters in the night, was the fact that both his brothers responded in a unified agreeance. Almost as if summoned on cue. The resounding affirmation brought a smile to Donovan's face. Oh to think, what glorious vengeance would be had... one day.

---

"Thaddeus Duke. I feel sort of like I made this match happen and by sort of I mean, I totally did that. Minus the Buried Alive stipulation, it literally was an idea that I stated aloud to Steve Sayors, during an interview. Management must love one of us. Either they want to make me happy or shut me up and put me in my 'place', one of the two things is happening here. It really doesn't matter which. In the end, they still gave me what I wanted. So that's all that really counts. And now, the sons of Cool Hand Duke and Mr. Super-Satty-Nova-Lite, get to face each other in a fight. This is an exciting moment in wrestling history, even if you want to be your own man and carve your own niche... which I completely understand and respect, you still have to admit this is monumental. Plus it should be super fun, so that's a serious bonus in itself."


"The two of us have so much in common too. Beyond the fact of having former wrestling headliners as parents. Think about it. We both grew up quicker than others, didn't know our fathers in the capacity that we should have and if we explained a great majority of our experiences to a stranger, they wouldn't believe us. First reactions would be to claim straight up insanity. Which honestly, that knowledge almost makes me want to buy you a beer after the fight, regardless of the outcome and share war stories. I really believe that could produce quite the interesting conversation. Merely a passing thought, nothing more. I figured I may as well state it aloud."


"Anyway, this fight. The battle that we're due to embrace. A true contest of combat, set on the grand stage of a pay-per-view. Ordinarily, I would straight out tell you that there's not a snowball's chance in hell, for you to claim a victory in this match. Mention my abilities and unquestionable skill in the ring. For now, I'm going to take a pass on that though, there's always time for that sort of thing and besides, in this current moment I'm so pleased with how things turned out, I think that can wait. I mean, the last pay-per-view I was at I was in an X-Treme chamber match, everyone had weapons, I took on four fucking guys and beat them all. Morbid Angel, Scott Steiner, Bilbo Blumpkinz and Michael McBride, were all in that match and it was one of the most disappointing fights in my entire career. And I fought Jessalyn Hart!"


"At least I obtained a title from her. Granted there was the repulsion factor of fighting the only human with lice, scabies, fleas, crabs and bed bugs. Yeah, she had bed bugs living on her, like she was a dirty mattress in a cheap motel. It was disgusting. Still, the opportunity presented me with the ownership of my first title, in my second match ever with the company. Totally worth the decontamination chamber time that Smoking Bob makes everyone who fights Jessalyn Hart partake in before they leave the arena. For our own benefit, of course. If you haven't had a match with her, you'll find out one day. It's intense. Guys come out in hazmat suits. It is super fucked up."


"Alright. I need to smoke a bowl and remove that frightening memory from my mind. Till next time, Thaddeus."

Donovan Blackwater
Former 1x...