Vrrrrrooooommm!
A motorcycle speeds past the No Limit Gang as they mosey to the location of the church. "Ahhh man! There goes two of them now. We can't have both crews beating us there!" Coming from an impatient Juno.
"Why not? Remember Cricket, we're solely on this mission to save as many innocent civilians as possible. Let the other crews take the spotlight so we can slip in undetected amongst the chaos." Tsubasa explains.
"I guess you're right." Juno pouts. "I haven't seen my favorite food truck vendors in weeks!"
"Or Agatha. An elderly unhoused woman I'd occasionally chat with when I come to I Street." Tsubasa relates.
"Or Jimmy, a drummer who'd always play on the corner of 14th and I." Xavier states.
"We'll get them back. We'll get them all back." Eon says, head down.
"That's the spirit Eon! Who knows, after this mission we might even rank up." Juno says excitedly.
"Then we'll really show those Frat Cats and the Bound-To-Lose crew who's really boss around here." Xavier declared. "I still can't believe that fool was saying we were jacking their shit."
"I know right. They're so stupid. Eon should've let you beat them up right there." Juno jests.
"It amazes me how quickly you two lose the point." Tsubasa sighs. "Interesting enough, that boy Xavier was engaging with seemed to recognize you, Eon. Do you know him?"
"I…I don't think so." Eon mutters.
"Hmmm…" Tsubasa ponders while closing his eyes, focusing on Eon's mind.
A memory.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEOOOOOOO!!" Screamed from the prisoners of Murdoch as the boy leaps from Cell K with a wide grin. This was three years ago, a younger, muzzled Eon pressed his face against the cell bars of Level K. His cheeks were covered in dried tears as his arms were small cuts. He watches a fellow inmate from his level bounce and jump between the lower floors laughing as other convicts rile him on.
"There he goes! It's the kid again!" Coming from a group of guards heading to the open platform of Level U. Leo responds with a bright smile as he squeezes his body in before landing in a squat onto the pathway.
"Just like Sumi taught. Whew! Can't believe I made it to 16." Leo says, putting his fists up as the approaching five guards arrived. "Let's see if I'll make it to 17."
"Birthday or not, you aren't just going to treat this prison like your playground!" The first guard yells, swinging his baton at Leo's head. He ducks it and brings an uppercut from the ground that sends the man flying back. "GUH!" The guard groans.
"Heh! Try and stop me!" Leo says triumphantly as the other guards watch the first fly over their heads and land unconscious.
"WOOHOOOOOO!" Yells from an inmate onlooker. "SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF, SPEEDY!" From another.
The next guard in line snaps his head back to Leo but he's gone. The rebellious boy just slid between his legs and kicked the third guard into the fourth and fifth. By the time the second guard turned around, he was met with a swift roundhouse that knocked him over the railing and sent screaming into the pit. As guards three, four, and five try to get up, Leo runs and drop kicks three into four once more. The fifth sidesteps this and swings his baton at Leo who catches the man's wrist, corkscrews his body in midair and kicks the man's face shield off.
"Why you!" The fifth guard says as blood splurges from his nose. "Fuck!" He screams as Leo lands and twists the man's wrist, forcing him to drop the baton. Leo bends the man's arm behind his back, then rolls over his spine to the man's front, holding his arm till it breaks. The fourth and now last guard pushes the unconscious third from on top of him. He rushes over, picking up the dropped stun baton from his fellow officer. Now dual wielding, the last guard swings blindly at Leo in a fit of rage. Leo chuckles as he effortlessly dodges each attack before hopping to a loose pipe and flipping himself to a higher level.
"Yeah that's right! Run back to Level K!" The last guard yells, shaking his right baton in the air.
"Nah! You just wait right there! I'll be right back!" Leo yells back as he dashes along the walls again, skipping from this floor to the next, this wall to this rail, until his feet landed on the ceiling above Level L. With enough momentum gained and coiled like a spring, the moment Leo's eyes locked in on his target, he shot down like a bullet at the man.
"BULLET!" Leo yells as inmates rise from their seats and watch Leo's battle, Eon included. The last guard looks around nervously because he lost track of Leo. "STOMP!" Is the last thing heard by the guard as the full weight of a 173lb boy comes crashing into his chest at 200 mph. Leo's closing move shattered the cement and left the five guards writhing amongst the rubble.
"THE BOY HAS NO LIMITS! HE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!" Cheers from the inmates watching as Leo gets up and dusts himself off.
"Boundless, huh? I think I kind of like that title." Leo says as he stretches and prepares to jump into the lower levels.
Above in Cell K, the other juveniles watch in awe. "Awe man, Leo is so cool." A boy with orange hair says. "He looks so free." Another with an eye patch agrees. Eon simply stares below, holding the cell bars with sweaty hands.
"No…Limits…" He says to himself.
"Most interesting indeed." Tsubasa says as he opens his eyes and turns to Eon who's staring at his feet while they walk. Suddenly, Xavier grabs him and ruffles Tsubasa's hair.
"Eye's up, sleepy! We're here!" Xavier points.
Before them stood a magnificent building with golden archways and overgrown flora. The time for talking was now over.
"The Church." Eon says looking up to the building.
Inside, deep beneath the church, under the reliquary, through the hidden stairwell, and behind the sealed door held a dark room.
Thud! Thud!
Selene and Owen who were tied up, blindfolded, and just thrown to the ground. Both can feel themselves being positioned upright. When their blindfolds are pulled off, a spotlight shines that only illuminates them in the dark chamber. Selene squints her eyes and turns around to shield herself from the light, she sees Requiem kneeling behind them.
"Where…where are we?" Owen asks as the silhouette of a figure starts to approach them.
"You…are in the Holiest Temple…" Comes from the figure. Suddenly, lights shine all around them, filling the entire room. Hundreds, no, at least a thousand people underneath gold and white robes stand with their arms stretched out. Some vastly bigger than others, some with more arms than usual, some none at all. Despite the similar attire, a myriad of specimens gathered in reverence of the Father. "OF GOD!" The man howled as the arena lit up in cheers and screams.
Selene leans backward and scans the entirety of the room, looking for a way out. There was the large sealed door they presumably came through, however there are dozens of holes in the wall that suggest they're even more hidden rooms. Requiem lunges forward and grabs Selene's head, focusing it on the center figure. "ARE YOU NOT FULFILLED BY HIS GREATNESS?!?"
Selene rocks forward to shake out of his grasp then slams her head back into his face, sending him stumbling backwards. "Sounds like he fills you all time, huh?"
Something in him switches, he extends a blade from his arm and holds it beneath her neck. "You dare jest in the House of our Lord?"
"Jeeeesus Christ, you're the most bipolar kidnapper I've had this year." She quips back.
"And you continue to squander his humility and grace by speaking of false prophets."
"False Prophetttt?! You mean to tell me you cookie-cutter-cathedral-cunts don't believe in Jesus?"
Owen eyes the approaching figure with worry. "Uhhh…Miss!"
"I mean, I don't believe in the guy either but I figured you guys would." Selene pauses and looks around. "Well I don't see any crosses, so I guess you can cross that off my-"
Requiem snatches her up by the hair and presses the blade against her throat. "Enough pestering you-"
"That's enough, Riven!" The Father says. Requiem immediately drops Selene and kneels once again. The Father stands over Selene and lifts her chin up with his finger.
"I don't know what you're getting at, pal. I'm not into that kind of work, but this is something I'd typically charge for." Selene says, gritting her teeth.
"My, My, are you beautiful!" The Father says, brushing his thumb across her cheek. Her skin reacts to his touch by a temporary chameleon like effect where the pigment and texture of wherever he touched shifts rapidly. He brings his thumb down to her lips and she tries to bite him, but he pulls his hand back. "And rambunctious too!"
"Good to see you're the type of priest that gets caught buying whores and not the one that touches little boys." Selene spits. "But then again, you don't look like the typical priest. I'm kinda scared to ask what you're into." Selene expected an old white man with a name like 'The Father,' but this man looked like he just graduated college coupled with tan skin and designer teeth jewelry. "Ahhh I get it now, you're the youth pastor that smokes weed and has orgies with the other camp counselors at bible camp. It all makes sense now."
"You disrespect me in my own home, and I still cherish you the same." The Father declares as his eyes glow golden, he backs away and spots a small girl with mismatched eyes hiding behind Selene. "Fore I know your life has been tragic."
"What's tragic is your fucking haircut, jeez." Selene shifts her head to the side the Father was looking towards but doesn't see anything. "Keep your eyes up here!"
"You hid then, and you're still hiding."
"I'm not!" Selene looks away. "Whatever."
"Here. Here you can be your true self. Isn't that right, my children!?" The Father calls out to the crowd, Selene winces as the arena roars with monstrous screeches of applause.
"Yeah yeah, I could care less, I won't be calling you Daddy anytime soon so you can quit it, you pervert." The Father's fingertips glow as he places them on her skull. "Fuck, are you doing? Get off me!"
"Granted, you will need a bit of conversion therapy. This will make things easier." The Father says with a smile.
"Just wait until my boyfriend gets here, and we'll see just how easy-"
A gruesome image flashes in Owen's mind. "NOOO!" He screams. The Father releases Selene out of curiosity and makes his way to the boy.
"What the? Hey! You! Don't touch him! If you touch him, I swear to-"
"NO!" Owen screams again. "Miss! Please! Don't say another word!"
"Owen?" Selene asks with furrowed brows.
"My, My indeed!" The Father applauds with a slow clap as he approaches Owen. "It seems we have a seer amongst our ranks!" The Father holds Owen's chin. "I just put a tumor in her head, if she utters anymore blasphemous nonsense within these holy grounds then it will rupture and kill her where she kneels. And somehow you knew that, didn't you?"
"You're bluffing!" Selene spits.
"You'd make a bet against God?"
"I would, as soon as I actually meet on-"
An image of Selene's head swelling and popping like a balloon violently crosses Owen's mind. "SHUT UP! I'M SERIOUS!" Selene leaves her mouth open in shock before grinding her teeth in silence.
"You best believe your son if you know what's good for you." The Father proclaims.
"What's good for me isn't being tied up in underground bible study! And wait?" Selene chuckles. "You think I'm old enough to be a mother?! Really? Me? There's no way I'm pushing that out of this smoking hot, tight, little-"
"SHUT IT!!!" Owen screams again.
"Right, sorry."
"Ah. Then you're the surrogate mother for your partner's estranged child. That would explain these wonderful ey-" The Father is cut off.
"AAAANNTTT! Wrong again, bucko! No relation at all. Friend of a friend."
"Then I guess you won't mind then." The Father places his hand over Owen's face and it glows as the boy rises from the ground.
"NO! STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Selene screams.
"You are burdened by futures you cannot control, so you cover your eyes in fear. In this house I grant you a sight beyond sight, to see the steps you take before you make them. This. This shall grant you comfort. This…is God's Grace." Owen slowly descends to the ground and falls to the floor.
"OWEN! OWEN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Selene screams once more.
"Uhhhhh….I think..so…." Owen groans and leans up as the world is spinning around him. He wipes his eyes and blinks a few times. "I don't know…do I look any different?"
"You're beautiful!" The Father says with his arms stretched.
"Oh my God, Owen…" Selene says bewildered as she watches a third eye open on Owen's forehead.
"Go on. Tell us what you see, my Eye of Providence." The Father says eagerly.
"I…just see…" For a moment, Owen can only see what is in front of him, but after a moment a separate field of vision appears above his typical sensory inputs. A nonstop flow of information of events to come depending on where he's looking in the room. Owen closes his eyes but the third remains open and floods his brain with outcomes and possibilities. Swords clashing, beasts roaring, a man being split in half, war was coming. Owen turns to the sealed door and sees a vision of five men rushing down the stairs. "I see…" His breath hitches and he begins to cry in his hands. "All I see is death."
"Owen…" Selene says under her breath, inching towards the boy.
"Do you hear that everyone? It seems the world fears our divinity! Do they expect us to just wither and rot?" The Father proclaims. "When I began my pilgrimage, I was blessed enough to be bestowed a council with divine beings from all over the globe. They assured me that I would leave this earthly realm and join that heavenly council after I acquire 100,000 souls that place their faith in me. While we only number five in the thousands, you all have been saved solely by me, imagine how many can find salvation when we work together."
"This man is-" Selene stops herself from accidentally committing suicide via insult.
"For a long time now, I've had these sealed doors for the safety of you all, my flock, my children, my family. But today that is no longer the case. When those doors open, I want you all to rise to the surface and spread the name of Father Paco to the ends of the Earth!" Paco concludes as the arena cheers once more.
Suddenly, the sound of screws coming loose and metal twisting causes the room to go quiet. After a brief moment of silence, an explosion sends the sealed door flying inward. Requiem steps in front of Father Paco and shreds the metal as if it were paper. Five men walk in through the smoke. A large humanoid tiger with bulging muscles and cargo shorts shifts back into a regular human, he pulls a minigun off of his back and takes the safety off.
"Bible Study is over! Lay down with your hands in the air! The Cat Pack is here!" Coming from Chad Broadus, Crew Leader of the Cat Pack.