XMG

Male Locker room: 14:00

There was a sudden knock at the door. Angel turned his head slowly towards it.

“Wh-o is it?” He called out, his voice quivering with fear. He already knew who it was before she said anything. He knew she was coming.

“Its me” He could detect a similar since of dread in her voice.

“Come in” he called back as he pulled a tight fitting black t-shirt over his pale, but muscular chest. There was a snapping sound and a sudden gust of wind as he unsheathed his large and angelic wings, which were his namesake. He flexed his back slightly so that they fit comfortably through the slits in the back of the shirt.

He kept his head down. All day he had been thinking about what he would say to her. Something calming, something to keep her from worrying, but he knew he had nothing. Nothing would stop her from worrying about him. That was a consequence of love.

“Angel” she said his name as though it killed her to do so, love choking her and watering her eyes. He immediately turned around and rushed to her, locking her in his tight embrace. She cried on his well-toned shoulders.

“Maia” He stroked her auburn brown hair. His voice also beginning to swell up.

“Why cant you just stay? Why couldn’t you just say no?”

“Would you still love me if I did?”

She breaks from his grasp, and looks him in his piercing blue eyes. They were like the sea. So blue, so clear. When she looked at them she would always feel safe, she would always feel that everything was all right. Except today. Today nothing was right.

“Then why do you have to go alone? Why couldn’t you bring someone along with you? Why couldn’t you bring me?” She demands almost delirious

“You know why. Almost no one has traveled into Gehenna and survived. Besides, with you there I wouldn’t be able to focus, I couldn’t do the job.”

“If almost no one has survived Gehenna, then why must you go?”

“You know why, baby. I’m not just anybody.”

Maia collapsed back into his arms, her thin but solid frame once again meshing with his large muscular one, “I cant lose you Angel. I just cant.”

“You wont. Ill never leave you. I promise.”

“Angel. I love you.”

“I love you too, Maia”

She sniffs and breaks their embrace. “I have to go. If we are caught together like this….” Her head sinks.

“I know.” He takes her chin into his hands, she looks up at him. “Don’t worry, ill be fine. I’m coming back. I promise.” He kisses her softly on her forehead.

She closes her eyes tightly, it hurts her to leave him, but she knows she has to. She turns to leave the locker room. Angel watches her hips sway in her tight fitting black jumpsuit and lets out a tiny smile.

She opens the door and turns back to him. “Come back to me.” She turns back around and closes the door, leaving him all alone.

Angel and Maia, a match made in heaven if such a thing existed. They first met when Maia was selected personally by Afentiko to be part of The Anointed 5 years ago. It was love at first sight. She filled him with a strange feeling that in all of his 300 + years of life he had never truly felt. A sense of belonging, he belonged with her. They hit it off immediately, sharing the same passion for adventure and excitement. Sometimes after hours they would go off dimension hopping, looking for trouble. This of course was not allowed, but neither was their love. Members of The Anointed were forbidden to fall in love, it was a distraction, and in their line of work they could afford none.

That amongst other reasons was why he has recently become losing faith in The Anointed, losing faith in “The Cause” He kept it secret, not even Maia knew that he wanted out. But he couldn’t just leave, he was an important member of the team, the bearer of The FrostBlade, which could transport people between realities, destroy and trap souls, and expel black matter. He was the only one who could control it. Without him the team would be missing possibly its biggest gun. Also Afentiko had been like a father to him. He had taken him in as a child when his mother died, and raised him as his own. He couldn’t turn his back on family. Not even for Maia.

That had gone slightly better than he had expected, Angel thought. He went back to getting dressed. Today was a big day.

Mess Hall Bar: 15:00

Jed sat in the mess hall bar, by himself and knocked back another shot of courage. Today was to be a big day for him. Today was to be the day that he died. Jed was the vessel, the one who would carry “The One’s” soul inside of him, until it eventually took his flesh. Jed’s death would mean the survival of all of reality. It was a lot to think about. Death. For most people death comes naturally, but when you’re a member of The Anointed if your careful it won’t come at all. Members of The Anointed are blessed (or cursed, depending on your opinion on this sort of thing) with a sort of half assed immortality, meaning that you can never age or get sick. If you are a member of The Anointed you only have to worry about getting killed.

Now don’t get me wrong, Jed was willing to die for the cause, hell he even volunteered for this mission. But that didn’t change the fact that in 24 hours he wouldn’t exist anymore. Still he had led a fairly good life, lived for 96 years, one of 9 non-mutant humans ever to be appointed as an agent of the Anointed, saved reality on more than one occasion, he even had a hot and sticky affair with a version of Cindy Crawford.

He had been wrestling with these thoughts all day. Jed’s brain started off the day by reminding Jed that this was his last. Jed’s heart countered with the fact that he was dying so that others could live, he was a hero. Jed’s brain followed that up with a devastating what if “The One” isn’t all he’s cracked up to be, what if he cant live up to the responsibility, and chokes? Reality ends, Jed dies in vein. Jed’s heart recovered and locked Jed in with the short yet simple: What if he doesn’t? That put the brain down for the count. He had to go through with it. He had no other choice.

Jed heard the door opening, put down his drink, and spun his stool around to see the visitor. It was Angel, dressed in full battle gear: A large golden chest plate serving as his armor, dark leather pants complete with steel chaps, and big black combat boots. As always the FrostBlade was strapped behind his back, ready for action. Hate to be the Gehenna demon that decides to take a shot at Angel today.

“Heh Angel, they ready for us?” Jed’s thick Irish accent was slightly slurred by the alcohol.

“Yeah just about...are you...getting drunk?”

“Naw, just had a couple of drinks s’all. Not un Irish man alive who cant handle his liquor.” He winces slightly as the word “alive” comes past his thin lips. You know, on account of him about to die and everything. He hops from the bar stool, and onto the marble floor. Gravity proves too much for him, and knocks him on his ass. “Welll” He says, from the floor “maybe I’m a lil drunk. Hell I c’n get as drunk as I wanna! Its my last day alive! Should be getting laid.”

Angel helps him to his feet. “Listen Jed, are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Yes Angel, I am” Jed replied as if it were rehearsed, “How many times ya gonna ask me that, mate? It’s f’r the cause. You must always be ready to die for the cause.”

“Yeah I know all that, Jed!” Angel nearly shouted, “I know about the cause, I know that we all need to be prepared to die for the cause, for the good of reality. I’ve been here longer than you have.”

Jed smiled kindly, seemingly unaffected by Angel’s tone, “Maybe too long then?” A look of anger and shame crossed Angel’s face, and he looked away. “Y’r losing your faith. It doesn’t take a telepath to see that.”

“I’m not,” Angel said, trying more to convince himself more than Jed. “Its just...just…”

“Maia” Jed said confidently, Angel spun around glaring at Angel. “Don’t look so shocked, mate. I see the way you two look at each other. Y’a love ‘er?”

Angel sighed, “Yeah...yeah I do.”

Jed smiled again and placed one pudgy hand on Angel’s shoulder, “Listen mate, you may want to leave, get a little place with Maia in a paradise dimension, have kids, be a soccer dad…but you know if that ever happened you couldn’t live with yourself, more importantly she couldn’t live with you ither. This is what you were meant to do, you couldn’t be happy with anything else, even if you were with her. You’re a hero, Angel. It’s a hard job but somebody’s gotta do it…. ‘sides, love may be a great feeling…but it doesn’t match the feeling of being alive. Don’t lose your faith, mate. Others are depending on you.”

Angel stood silent, his head down, slowly nodding.

“You’ve been a good friend, mate. Maybe my best. Ill miss you.”

The huge double doors once again opened, breaking the sappy moment. Flanagan the bartender waddled into the bar.

“What’s goin on here?” Flanagan demanded, his voice like his appearance reminded others of Archie Bunker. “Jed. You been taken drinks again?”

Jed smiled and began to exit the bar; leaving Angel stuck in his own private world. “Put it on my tab, mate. Gotta get dressed, today’s a big day.”

The doors closed behind him, leaving Angel still silent and Flanagan cursing under his breath. “Lousy cheap bastard. Gonna miss him.”

Angel was still in a trance. Flanagan waddled up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. Angel jumped, sliding back into reality “You okay?” He asked.

“Oh…yeah…yeah…I’m fine. I just…need a drink.”

War Room 15:25

Angel had been wished good luck, Jed had said his good byes, and the group in charge of this mission had assembled in the war room. For all the luxury that the Anointed had, (after all they could travel to any reality and pick up food, furniture, etc.) their war room wasn’t too impressive at all. The room has a circular shape, and a fairly low roof, anybody over 6’2 will have to duck down to move. There is a fairly large black marble table, which takes up over 75% of the room. On the desk of the seat where Afentiko sits there is a keyboard engraved into the desk, the keyboard controls a holographic projector, which lies in the center of the table, and also serves as the only lights for the room. Today the table is occupied by 4 men, Angel, Jed, Afentiko, and a very thin, gray skinned man, with thick demonic horns who had to duck down to enter move inside of the room, Dr. Bellows, he was a mystical doctor, a warlock one might say. Today he was in charge of separating the 2 other souls from Jed and bringing “The One” back into reality, making him flesh. We now enter the mission briefing, already in progress

“Angel and Jed will enter Gehenna through a soft spot, here” Afentiko always seemed to be calm, cool, and collected. He was an intimidating man to have around, especially as your boss. The digits on his right hand rapidly tapped the keyboard, as his left hand stroked his goatee. The projector projected what he was saying. “Now were fairly lucky that this soft spot is where it is, our target isn’t far from here. Your mystical link with the target, Jed will guide you to it. From there it’s the matter of capturing the souls and placing them into the FrostBlade, then releasing the souls into Jed. Finally you must escape. We believe that guarding the soul of “The One” is an incredibly powerful demon by the name of Tsuris, which in some realities is the ancient Egyptian word for “trouble”, which is exactly what he is.” Tsuris’s image is projected into the center of the table. Tsuris stands about 7 feet tall, his extremely muscular physique is covered with black scaly skin, his eyes glow a bright, yet menacing shade of green, his hair which almost reaches the floor and is combed around his menacing horns is nearly the same shade. His only clothing is a long tattered loincloth and a case thrown around his shoulder, which carries a thick, powerful sword. Needless to say he would stand out in a crowd…a crowd of humans at least. “He’s Gehenna’s top security officer and assassin he can be killed…but not by either of you. If you encounter him, do not try and face him yourself. Retreat. That is all, gentlemen. Good luck.”

Angel nods his head, and turns to Jed who is breathing heavily, nervous “You ready?”

Jed lets out a slight nervous laugh “As ready as ill ever be.”

Angel nods solemnly, and then suddenly and abruptly reaches behind his back and unsheathes the FrostBlade. His face turns ice cold, “DIMIOURGOS PATERAS PERA PRAGMATIKOTA AFISE NA MAS KERDIZO SOOS DIODOS MECHRI GEHENNA!” Angel’s voice boomed, shaking the building to its foundation, and in an instant Angel and Jed were gone.

Gehenna 15:30

Gehenna. Think of the most horrible place you can imagine. Got it? Imagine a place twice as bad. Got that? Now imagine a place 5 times worse than that. If you did the math correctly, you’d have Gehenna. Gehenna isn’t how one would picture a hell dimension. In the movies you see it as if it’s a gigantic red room, Gehenna isn’t like that. Gehenna is an actual world; it’s actually a lot like yours. There are buildings, streets, neighborhoods, the sky is constantly raining blood, feces, and acid, and people walk around constantly in flames. Well maybe its not that much like yours. You see Gehenna is a mixture of half demons and half lost and tortured souls. The demons live in their homes, and the souls are given soft body like shells, so that they can feel pain. All of the demons have jobs torturing, they set fire to souls, they stab them, they drop them off of large buildings, they force them to watch their loved ones murdered over and over again. For the demons it’s a paradise. For everyone else its simply hell.

On a secluded, relatively peaceful (about as peaceful as things get around there anyway) Cliffside a rip appears in the very fabric of reality, the air is ripped open like a paper bag. Angel pulls back the folds of reality and steps through, his beautiful wings seem very ironic in this world, Jed steps through after Angel, he clutches a large laser cannon for dear life in his sweaty palms. They take a moment to admire the surroundings. Their standing near the edge of a cliff, down below a river of molten hot lava runs like water, people can be seen flowing with it, screaming. Or at least they appear to be screaming, but if nobody can hear them do they really make a sound? Its one of those things. The cliff appears to be in a woodsy forest area, full of dead animals and trees. Far in the distance a black stonewalled mansion looms menacingly behind the death.

“That’s where he is, mate. I can feel him.” Jed speaks like he’s in some sort of trance. Entranced by the stonewalls, and the shrieking inside.

“Then…I guess were off.” Angel replies, looking up at the crimson sky also entranced, “You want me to carry you?”

“No,” Jed swallowed, knowing his fate was impending, “No Ill walk.”

And they were off. They walked for around 5 minutes in dead silence, until they reached the mansion’s 10-foot front door, when Jed broke the silence.

“Should we…knock?”

With that the door eerily creped open. Jed slowly turned to Angel, as if asking for permission to enter.

“This looks like its it.” For the first time in almost as long as either of them could remember (and they both have good memories) Angel’s voice sang with fear. He almost whispered the next words, “I’m coming home Maia, I’m coming home.” Angel’s foot lashed out, almost on its own and the door swung open. It was pitch black inside; the only hint that there was any life at all was the haunting screaming, which would drive any ordinary man mad. The sound of energy crackling filled the room, as The FrostBlade started to light up the room.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” The being in front of them screeched at the sudden burst of light. Light. Something it hadn’t seen in years. BOOM BOOM BOOM. 3 laser bursts hit the thin man and knocked him across the room.

Angel’s hand came down on the cannon and swatted it downwards, he turned to Jed who was shivering, “Hold fire, it’s a person! It’s a person! …. Your pretty darn jumpy for a weapons expert.” Jed was breathing heavily and if it weren’t impossible he probably would have had a heart attack. The being on the floor burst into flames, and his screeching rose to a new level. Booming footsteps could be heard in the distance. Something was coming. “We’ve gone public, Jed. We have to move it, take me to where he is!”

Jed raises his weapon again, and this time points it towards a wall. He fires once, dust and chunks of wall fly throughout the room. Angel coughs “What the hell are you doing?” he asks.

“In there…” Jed responds, “He’s in the there.” The smoke clears, Jed has opened up a secret passageway. Inside, long glass tubes contain burning, screaming souls. On the wall written in blood are foreign words: öÞìç ðôÝñõãá Þ áßèïõóá íïóïêïìåßïõ. “What’s it say, mate?” Jed inquires, staring up at it wide-eyed.

Angel reads, “Fimi pteryga i aithousa nosokomeiou…celebrity ward.”

“…Oh…hey look its JFK JR!”

“Never mind any of that were here to fin…is that…is that Dean Martin?”

“Yeah…yeah I think it is, mate.”

Angel’s eyes widened, “Well then we have to get him out of here! You can’t just torture a man like Dean Martin! You break the glass I’ll capture him in the f—“

A loud cracking sound suddenly cut off Angel’s words; his body then flew across the room. Standing where he was, was trouble itself, the demon Tsuris.

“Trespasser!” The foundation of the building shook as Tsuris spoke. Angel groaned and rolled onto his back. Jed’s expression changed to one of pure horror. He pointed the cannon at Tsuris, switched it to full blast, and fired. The blast pushed Tsuris back all of 5 feet, his heels making craters in the stone floor, as he was forced backwards.

“Jed, down!” Angel screamed as he pointed the FrostBlade in the direction of his opponent, and his friend. Jed dived to the floor as the FrostBlade begun to glow black with black matter. The matter was released in the form of a black bubble, which rocketed towards Tsuris and hit him in the midsection. It took the beast off of his feet and knocked him onto his behind. Tsuris growled, leapt to his feet and charged at Angel. Jed, who was just getting to his feet was grabbed by the stampeding demon and tossed into the glass container, holding the burning soul of Genghis Kahn. The still burning Kahn howled as he leapt onto Tsuris’s back only for Tsuris’s sword to remove him like a toothpick picking up a hunk of cheddar. Angel soared towards him to meet him dead on. Tsuris grabbed Angel’s throat in mid air and kept on going, knocking him onto the nearby wall and proceeded to choke the life out of him. Angel looked into his eyes and saw a million burning souls, all of the souls he’s tortured, he knew there was no remorse in those glowing eyes.

Jed slowly started to get back to his feet and grabbed his gun. He looked up at Tsuris chocking Angel against the wall and knew that at this rate Angel’s head would pop right off like a cork in a matter of seconds. He had to act fast. His legs shot out in front of him and immediately picked up into a full run. He placed the barrel of the gun on Tsuris’s scaly black back and fired. The blast of force knocked both Trusis and Angel through the wall and into another secret room, this one containing only one tube, containing 3 souls, contained in 1 shell-body. Jed recognized it immediately. It was the target. Tsuris got to its feet before Angel did and turned to Jed, who was entranced by his future. He raised his mighty sword and brought it swooping down towards Jed. Angel dived and tackled Jed, pain shot through Angel’s body. The sword had taken off some of Angel’s right wing. He cried out, and then gasped as he saw Tsuris standing right over him, the sword facing downwards pointing directly at Angel’s throat. He closed his eyes as Tsuris prepared to thrust downwards, ending Angel’s 300+ years of life. The sound of a laser blast filled Angel’s ears and he opened his eyes again and was greeted with the sight of Tsuris’s sword spinning out of his hands and across the room.

“Now mate!” Jed commanded. Not needing it repeated twice Angel grabbed the FrostBlade, and with all of his strength shot Tsuris in the face with one of the most powerful blasts of black matter he had ever conjured up. The mighty beast rocketed upwards, breaking the ceiling and entering the second floor. Angel rolled out of the way and prepared for his reentry. Tsuris fell back onto the first floor and crashed right through the floor, making a huge crater in the ground.

Angel lied on his stomach, shaking. Jed sat huddled in the corner, his gun still facing where Tsuris stood only mere seconds ago. Angel moaned in pain and placed a hand on his broken, bloodied wing. “Ohhhh…we got him?”

Jed was panting, “Yeah, yeah matey I think we got em for now…Angel…Angel look.” Jed dropped the gun and pointed at the glass tube. Inside of it a young man who appeared to be 19 years old with dark blue skin was huddled in the corner, he was covered in flames, like the others, but strangely he wasn’t screaming. He was trembling.

Angel slowly got to his feet, his eyes white as eggs. He was in awe, after all the preparation, all the talk, all the searching, he was here, and he was right in front of him. The goal. They had achieved it.

“He’s older,” Jed said, his voice lacking feeling, for he knew his life was about to end. “Why is he older, Angel?”

It took Angel several seconds to answer, he knew he would be older, so it wasn’t like he had to think about the answer. He was just in awe. He couldn’t believe it. “Hes..Hes older because…because he…in Gehenna time passes slower, its been 3 months for his world, but 4 long years for him….4 years of constant torture…He doesn’t deserve it.” Angel stepped towards the glass. The boy’s head peered up, as if he heard someone approaching. Then like a flash he turned towards the outside. His face was twisted into a horrible glare; he let out a load growl, as his red eyes met Angel’s blues. This wasn’t him, not really him. Apocalypse’s soul was trying to escape. Not only had he been tortured for 4 years, but also the other 2 souls occupying his body had been waging a constant war, desperately trying to escape.

It was time. Angel brought back the FrostBlade to his side and then thrust it forward shattering the glass. The boy looked up at Angel, shocked, and then leapt at him growling and clawing the air, he intended to kill Angel. Angel calmly thrust into the air with the sword. “FYLAKI!” he screamed. The boy slid onto the sharp end of the sword and froze, impaled. He let out a cry of agonizing pain and sadness, as electricity crackled throughout his shell, and he was sucked into the blade. Angel stood still; he could hear Jed’s breathing becoming more and more erratic from behind him.

“Its time, Jed.” He turned, to see Jed rushing towards him; Jed threw his arms around him, weeping. Angel almost started to cry himself.

“Don’t lose the faith, mate. Don’t lose it.” And with that he lets go and sticks his arms out to Jed.

“God speed.” Angel says, emotionally. Then he takes Jed’s arms into his left hand and takes the FrostBlade into his right. He closes his eyes, says the magic words: “Opena Sallista” and slits his friend’s wrist.

Jed’s eyes close tightly; he could feel the life rushing into him. It’s washing over him, meshing with him, ruining him. He feels like a sponge, and all this power is soaking him, spreading throughout his being, filling him to his limit. He starts to moan in pain or maybe pleasure, part of him wants it to stop, parts of him like it. Then Jed stops thinking, and something else takes his mind. Jed is lost.

Angel throws the unconscious Jed over his shoulder, and begins to leave the house. Tears stream from his eyes as he does so. He cannot believe that after all of this time its finally been done. “The One” has been obtained; Jed has taken him into himself. It’s almost over now. He walks back to the cliff in silence, just like they came. He lays Jed’s body down, and unsheathes the FrostBlade.

“DIMIOURGOS PATERAS PERA PRAGMATIKOTA AFISE NA MAS KERDIZO SOOS DIODOS MECHRI GEHENNA!” Another rip appeared in the air, same place as before. Angel put the sword back, and bent over to pick up his brave and fallen comrade. He looks peaceful. That is until his eyes open, and his pupils vanish. Jed grabs Angel by the throat and starts punching him in the face. Angel is knocked to the floor, shocked. Jed gets to his feet.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!??!?! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!?!?!?! HOW!?!?! HOW!?!?! DID YOU ENJOY IT!?!?! DID YOU ENJOY DESTROYING ME!?!? LETTING THEM POISON ME!?!?! I DON’T KNOW WHERE HOME IS!!!!” Jed fires a burst of lightning at Angel, which strikes him in the chest, Angel yelps in pain. Suddenly Jed drops to his knees, in tears. “…The bad man is back.” His voice is almost a whisper, yet Angel hears and understands it. He spins around to see Tsuris standing there, looking as pissed as ever.

“Thief!” Tsuris boomed and unsheathed his sword. Angel unsheathed the FrostBlade and the two blades hit each other with a clank, and the two mighty warriors stand face to face. Tsuris’s leg shoots out and he kicks Angel over. Then he raises his blade high above his head and brings it down, puncturing Angel’s leg. Angel screams in pain.

Jed gets to his feet and cries out, “NEVER AGAIN!!” he charges Tsuris, but Tsuris is too quick. He manages to remove the sword from Angel’s leg and thrust it into Jed’s hip. Jed freezes, and a look of shock washes over his face. That look quickly changes to pure unadulterated anger. He reaches deep into his lungs and lets out a roar. A roar so powerful that it crumbles the ground, balls of energy fly from Jed, as his skin turns a shade of dark blue. He reaches out with his right arm at Tsuris, and the beast screams in a pain he’s never felt before, as if he’s being ripped apart from the inside out. That’s when Angel leaps up from the breaking ground and plunges the FrostBlade deep inside of Tsuris’s chest. And that’s when the ground breaks underneath all 3 of them.

“NOOO!” Angel screams in terror. He’s come too close to lose it all now. He selflessly dives into Jed’s body, hurling Jed into the rip in reality and knocking him to safety. He himself falls, in a storm of rock. Tsuris comes diving at him and climbs on top of him, propelling them closer to the lava below. They rocket toward the lava and Angel knows it’s the end.

“The end” Tsuris echoes his thoughts. Angel reflects on his life, his abusive father, a mother he hardly remembered, Afentiko, The Anointed, Maia, Maia, Maia. He made a promise. He couldn’t break it. He had to come home for her. In a last ditch effort he places his hands on the base of The FrostBlade, which is still logged in Tsuris’s chest and places his uninjured leg on Tsuris’s hips. He pulls, the FrostBlade is removed and Angel is rocketing faster towards the lava, he’s so close he can feel his wings starting to burn, almost becoming useless. He sees the portal above beginning to close and knows he has less than 10 seconds. No time for rest, wings don’t fail him now. With all of his strength he rockets towards the portal, wings bloodied, burning. Everything starts to fade away and he begins to feel himself losing conciseness, all he sees is the red sky, and the beautiful blue of the portal. Red and blue. Red and blue. Blue and Red. Blue. Blue. Black.

Rec Room 17:35

Everything is blurry, but slowly coming into focus. He sees Afentiko standing over him and realizes that he’s alive. Alive and in the anointed’s rec room.

“We….we did It.” He says weakly, “we brought back XMG…we brought back the one” his eyes close again and he passes out.

Next Issue: “The Vessel”

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