Chapter Three

It had been two weeks since Aaron agreed to join Quinton in his vigilante crusade, and Quinton still had Aaron training. No matter how many times he would ask to go out and fight with him, he would tell him 'He wasn't ready'. Aaron was getting tired of it. So, he snuck out. It was almost two in the morning, and Aaron had left the underground mansion and was sitting on a rooftop of a small, compared to New Yorks skyscrapers, building.

Aaron didn't really know what he was looking for. He had sat on top of the building for almost two hours and seen nothing of interest. Not even a single mugging.

"Should've brought a police scanner or something." Aaron said to himself, even though he didn't know where to even obtain one. He was beginning to have trouble even staying awake, so he was about to head back when finally his something happened. Nearby, he heard a woman scream. A scream of pain and terror. Aaron leaned across the edge of the building and looked around. Trying to guage which direction it came from. Then, he heard it again. It was close.

He had an idea which building it was. It sounded like the apartment building across the street. So, he made his way over.

He was wandering around the halls of the apartment building when up ahead, he heard the scream again and something shattering. So he ran to the door, and kicked it open.

What he saw, he wasn't prepared for. You see superhero movies and comic books and it's all cool and dramatic heroes and villians. The heroes saving the day just before any harm came to the innocent person. Well, this wasn't like that.

The apartment Aaron entered, was painted with blood. There was a dead body crucified on the wall as soon as you walk in, and Aaron saw a trail of blood leading deeper into the apartment.

Aaron tiptoed closer, and peeked around the corner. He saw a man standing over a dead woman's body, pulling a blade out of her chest. He was dressed in a red cloak. Like something the Pope would wear. He couldn't see his face. It was covered with a mask that had a Catholic cross painted onto it.

"May the heavenly father forgive your sins." The man said to the dead woman in a creepy soft voice.

"Yo, what the fuck man!" Aaron said to him. The man's head snapped towards him, immediately.

"Who is this my Lord? Another demon to purge from your holy lands?" The man asked.

"Uh, are you a psyche ward escapee?" Aaron asked, confused.

"Ah, a fellow devoted." He said gesturing towards the religious symbols carved into Aaron's exposed arms.

"Nope. Just happened. Now look we can chit chat all day, but you killed two people, probably more ya psycho, so imma have to whoop dat ass, and then take you to jail." Aaron said confidently, readying himself for battle.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The eternals told me about you." The creepy man said.

"Yes, the boy. Mhmm, the boy. You are the sheep, and I am your Priest." He explained matter of factly.

"Priest huh? Not the name I'd have gone with, but hey, you do you. But hey, if you don't mind, can we get to the ass kicking now?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, my child." Priest said before whipping some type of crucifix styles throwing knives at Aaron.

Aaron easily dodged them, but turned back to face Priest in time for him to hit him square in the chest with a dragon kick, knocking him back into a wall, slightly embedding him into a drywall.

Aaron was about to light himself on fire, but he realized that he could endanger everyone in this building if it were to catch fire.

Aaron, instead, attempted to engage him in hand to hand combat. He lunged forward to attempt to clinch Priest. However, before he could grab him, Priest knocked away his attempt and then hit him with rapid fire blows to the chest and then followed it up with a headbutt that staggered Aaron.

Aaron groggily put his hands up in defense, but Priest simply grabbed him by the head, and threw him towards a window.

Aaron managed to catch himself before he touched it, but then he caught a flying knee in between his shoulder blades which sent him smashing through the window and falling to the alleyway below.

Aaron panicked and shielded himself during the fall, but at the last second, fire roared out of his feet and propelled him forward when he was only three feet above the cement. He flew. For just a second, but it was enough to stop his velocity. However, the propulsion sent him headfirst into the side of a dumpster.

Aaron got up to his knees and held his head in his hands.

"Should've paid more attention to Quintons training." Aaron grunted as he returned to his feet. He looked back up to the window he crashed out of. He fell eight stories, and then FLEW. Just for a second, but he flew. He was trying to wrap his head around that, when he heard a crashing of metal behind him.

Aaron turned around and saw Priest standing on top of the dumpster. Staring at him.

"Demon. You're an infernal. It is my duty to cleanse this world. Of you, and your kind." He said as he hopped off of the dumpster.

"Ugh" Aaron grunted before engaging again, however these blows were empowered by his now flaming hands. Priest dodged them easily, before hitting Aaron in the chest with a palm strike.

Aaron stumbled back from the blow as Priest advanced. Cracking Aaron in the side of the head with open handed strikes. Toying with him.

Aaron threw a fire ball, but Priest bobbed his head away from it, and hit Aaron with a pointed throat strike.

Aaron was gagging, holding his throat, when Priest judo flipped him and then pulled out a large crucifix that was hanging on his belt. He pushed a button, and a blade sprang out of the top.

"Back to Hell with you Demon!" Priest yelled. Just as he was about to strike downwards, something smashed into the side of him and threw him off his feet and to the ground on his side.

Aaron looked towards where the interruption came from and saw DeadEye standing at the entrance of the alley, holding a pump action shotgun.

ChakChak. DeadEye pumped the gun.

Priest returned to his feet and looked down at the bean bag.

"Non lethal?" Priest asked.

"Your only warning." DeadEye said in a intimidating voice.

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Priest said, eyes closed, holding the crucifix part of the sword to his lips. He smiled after, until he caught another beanbag. This time to the leg. Putting him down to his knees.

"Well, get back up. Let's see this strength." Quinton said before he pumped the shotgun again. Priest began laughing. Then suddenly whipped a throwing knife at DeadEye who caught it with ease, then threw it back. Piercing Priest in the shoulder.

"I don't want to kill you, but I will." DeadEye said. Walking towards, the now bleeding, Priest.

"We shall meet again. The Lord bids it so." Priest said before a blinding light shone from the crucifix on his necklace.

When the light subsided. Aaron and DeadEye were alone in the alley. Aaron sat up and rubbed his head. DeadEye walked over to where Priest stood and kneeled down.

"We can't just let him go." Aaron protested, getting up to his feet. DeadEye didn't respond.

"Quinton?" Aaron said, walking over to him. DeadEye stood back up, and turned around and hit Aaron with a backhand that caused him to stumble.

"What the hell?!" Aaron yelled, rubbing his face.

"I told you. Not to leave the mansion. Now you went and caused a scene. Exposed yourself." DeadEye said in a monotonous voice.

"Yeah, well, shit happens. You know what else happened? I found some religious serial killer. I was ABOUT to stop him, but you let him get away." Aaron replied angrily.

"You're a child. Immature. You are NOT ready." DeadEye said.

He walked towards Aaron and grabbed him by the back of his hooded shirt and drug him along. Aaron shook him off aggressively.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Aaron yelled.

"We need to get back to the mansion." DeadEye responded.

"No, what we NEED is for YOU to trust me!"

"Trust you? You're a childish hot head. Literally. You have no control over your powers, and without them you're a liability. You want to fight? Then LEARN. Do I have powers? No. Yet I'm the one who's been fighting. Because I know HOW to fight. You don't. You throw fire around, not caring about your surroundings, and even then you can't get the job done." DeadEye ranted. Aaron just looked at him, stunned.

" I don't know what kind of emotional baggage you have. Life was hard for you. I get that. News flash, kid. You're not the only one." DeadEye said, turning to walk away.

"Oh yeah, cuz the trust fund vigilante here knows about having a hard life." Aaron replied under his breath. DeadEye turned back towards Aaron, and in a blink of an eye had him pinned against the wall of the alley, off of his feet, by his throat.

"I was just like you, you idiot. Don't know mommy and daddy? Neither did I. I might not have went through the foster system, but you know what system I did go through? The Army. Special Forces. I've been waterboarded, I've been shot at, I've been shot. I've been cut, burned, stabbed and beaten. I've lost an entire team of men due to someone making a stupid decision because they weren't ready. I'm not about to let that happen again!" DeadEye growled.

" So I gotta pay because one of your guys got your team killed?" Aaron asked, struggling against DeadEyes grip. He let Aaron go and began walking away, but then stopped.

"No. It was MY decision that got them killed, but you're right. You want to go out and get yourself killed? Fine, but it won't be on me." DeadEye said as he continued to walk away.

Aaron stood there, holding his neck, shocked about the revelation that DeadEye let loose. He didn't know what to do now.

Suddenly, two black S.U.Vs pulled up quickly in front of the alley, blocking DeadEyes way.

Men began to funnel out, all in tactical gear and holding M16s, all trained on DeadEye.

"DeadEye is it?" A man said, walking through the pack of armed men. His face hidden behind his shaggy blonde hair.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Blaine, with S.W.O.R.D." The man answered.

"S.W.O.R.D?"

"Strategic Weaponized Reponse or Retrieval Division." Agent Blaine answered.

"What do you want?" DeadEye asked.

"You two need to come with me. Hopefully quietly. I really would prefer not making a scene." Agent Blaine said.

DeadEye eyed the men for a second, then looked Agent Blaine up and down.

"Kid. Run." DeadEye said. Aaron knew better than to disobey him again, so he did as he told. He turned and ran.

Suddenly, DeadEye lunged forward to grab Blaine, but Blaine snatched his wrist in mid strike. Agent Blaine shifted his hair to reveal one robotic eye.

"Did I surprise you?" Blaine said with a smile before spinning around and throwing DeadEye against one of the SUVs. He slammed into the vehicle with such force that the vehicle rocked over and landed on its side.

DeadEye pried himself out of the metal and fell down from the vehicle, just in time for Blaine to thrust kick him back against the vehicle, and smash him with a right hook. DeadEye attempted to go on the offense by returning with a hook of his own, just for it to be blocked before he was grabbed by the throat by Blaine and lifted up into the air by one hand.

"I wanted this easy, ya know?" Blaine asked. DeadEye choked from the grip.

"How bout I rip that mask off your face and show the world who you truly are?" Blaine asked menacingly. DeadEye responded by grabbing Blaines face and sent an electric shock surging out and into Blaines face. Blaine released his grip and clutched his face. DeadEye grabbed Blaines hair and wrenched it away from his face, to reveal that Blaines face, from the nose up to his hair line, was robotic, and on the edge of the robotics, Blaines flesh was burnt and disfigured.

"What the hell are you?" DeadEye asked in shock.

"A survivor....." He looked up at DeadEye with a grin.

"Quinton Trench."