Afterlife
By Chris_Chaos
One Year Ago:
The mornings run-in with the Circle of Thorns had put a serious kink in the heros plans. The day was scheduled to be perfect; a nice lunch for two at the wifes favorite restaurant in Atlas Park, a surprise trip to the jewelers near the apartment in Steel Canyon, then on to the airport and seven sunny days in St. Thomas. Five years of marriage and the couple had never taken a vacation together, he was adamant that this year would be different. The chaotic life of a crime fighter had taken a toll on the marriage of the hero, secretly known as architect Christopher Sanchez. The long nights on patrol, the injuries, the unending secrecy he demanded, had all been tough on his young wife. Chris cursed himself for breaking his word, for letting his relationship suffer.
Today everything was going to change, it was their anniversary, and Moonrock had big news. He was going to tell her that quitting the hero life for good; hed been offered a job in Atlanta that he was going to take. From now on, it would be just the Sanchez family that would get all of his attention. Chris could not wait to tell her, but it would have to wait until she calmed down. Lunch was out of the question now, the reservation had past an hour ago. Flying as fast has the wind would carry him; he soared away from the train station in Steel Canyon.
Passing over the buildings of Steel Canyon on the way to his apartment, Moonrock reflected on the life that he was going to be leaving behind. It had only been fifteen years since his mutation manifested itself as an angry outburst from a misunderstood fifteen-year-old, leading to the destruction of a couple of parked cars. Over time he had learned to control his ability to create stone forms and even began tapping into other powers as well; flight, a seemingly unlimited level of endurance, and the ability to resist physical damage that would cripple most normal people. It was early on that he was discovered by the hero known as The Dark Guardsman, who saw great potential for good in the volatile teen mutant. Moonrock, the name he chose due to his penchant for nighttime crime fighting, was trained well by the Guardsman; and over time he came to accept his mutation as a true gift. Thirteen years past quickly under Dark Guardsmans tutelage; Sanchez completed his education, found a talent for architecture, and eventually fell in love with a pretty young paralegal. Chris days were spent in front of a CAD monitor; his nights were spent patrolling the city as Dark Guardsmans sidekick. Everything in Chris life was perfect for the first time, and then the whole world changed.
The Rikti invasion was the single greatest threat ever to face the people of Earth. Dark Guardsman and Moonrock took their places alongside the other heroes of Paragon in the battles that raged across the city. Many of the duos friends and allies fell, and the conflict began to take a toll on the friendship between the pair. A dispute arose regarding the extents that should be taken to combat the menace. Moonrock took the heavy-handed approach, and despite repeated warnings from his mentor let his fury get out of control, inadvertently bringing down an entire apartment building. Dark Guardsman lashed out at him, angered at his recklessness and lack of concern for innocents. The two faced-off amid the carnage, finally agreeing to go their separate ways. The two never spoke again. Soon afterward, the aliens were in an apparent retreat, fleeing to their gates in a hopeful victory for the Earth. Celebration soon led to regret for Sanchez, and that day he vowed never to let his behavior as a hero drive a loved one away.
A few months after the invasion, and things were starting to settle back in to normalcy. Moonrock continued on as a solo hero for Paragon City. The city was rebuilding, and Chris found that both of his occupations were now in high demand. Additionally, he had started taking an active interest in the Circle of Thorns, a powerful cabal of evil sorcerers bent on global domination. Information gathered from numerous battles with Circle underlings assured Moonrock that he was on the right path to tracking down their shadowy leadership. The morning mission of June 8, 2005 was supposed to be a quick fly-over of a suspected Circle of Thorns safe house; the data gleaned from which would be part of a recon report he intended to submit to the Freedom Phalanx prior to surrendering his Heros License. Unfortunately, the mornings operation did not go as planned, Moonrock had arrived just in time to catch a group of mages attempting to kidnap a group of civilians for one of their dark rituals. The hero dove into battle with the Circle mages, freeing the civilians and then spent the next few hours updating the Phalanx and submitting his resignation. His work complete, Chris phoned in an apology to his angry wife. Though she was irate, he mollified her by agreeing to meet her at their apartment, with a promise of a big surprise to follow.
Shaking his head to clear out the myriad of thoughts and memories, Chris spotted his love waiting for him on their balcony. Mumbling an apology and brushing a kiss across her face, Chris rushed inside and quickly pulled some street clothes over his costume to save time. The young Mrs. Sanchez peppered out questions regarding his big secret, to which he answered Just you wait, its a really big surprise. Grabbing her hand, Chris led her to the elevator and out onto the afternoon streets of Steel Canyon.
It was just like the time they spent together when they first met, two lovers lost in a shared afternoon. Sanchez playfully led his wife around all of the shopping venues within Steel Canyon, feigning interest for items here and there. Finally, he coyly led her to the jewelry store near their apartment. As the couple entered the shop, the proprietor shot Chris a quick wink and disappeared into the back of the store. The ring Chris had picked out was perfect; two diamonds set in a platinum band. The only thing left to do was to have the ring inscribed, June 08, 2005 - Just For You, Moonrock is gone, but Ill be here forever. The ring would be the exact lead-in hed need to break the big news.
Chris never suspected that the Jeweler he had placed so much trust into was actually a spy for the Circle of Thorns. The Jeweler figured out Moonrocks identity from the ring inscription, and had already tipped off his superiors. The couple held hands and smiled as they waited for the Jeweler to return, unaware of the ambush that was prepared for them. The attack came swift and violently, the glass storefront was literally blown to pieces by the Circle mages opening volley. Chris dove over his wife to shield her, and was hit in the back by numerous magical blasts as the two curled up on the floor. Chris wife was ripped from his embrace as he struggled to stand. Turning to face his enemies, Sanchez was quickly frozen in-place by a spell from the lead mage. The next few minutes seemed to take hours to pass, the mages bound Chris wife and laid her out on the floor in front of him. Smiling menacingly, one of the mages grabbed hold of Chris shirt. You shouldnt have defied the Circle of Thorns, hero, the mage sneered as he ripped open the shirt to reveal Moonrocks costume underneath; We can get to anyone
hero
anywhere. The mage pointed down at Chris wife, from his finger a gush of flame shot forth that spread across the womans body. Chris furiously struggled in vain to free himself as his wifes screams of agony rang out into the streets. Soon her burning form stopped writhing as the flames died down, and all that was left of the heros wife was a charred body.
Tears welled up in horror and rage as Sanchez looked down upon his fallen love. Laughing, the mages began chanting vile words from an ancient necromantic rite forming a circle around the frozen hero. Chris felt the warmth of life start to leave him, and for a moment he invited death in the hope of joining his love. Simple death was far from the Circle mages intention for the hero, they wanted him to experience eternal torment. Soon, another sensation started to fill Chris being; a coldness that chilled his very soul. The chanting stopped and the mages collected the remains of Chris wife from the floor. Pulling the anniversary ring from underneath his robes, the lead mage smiled at the captive hero. Your inscription seems prophetic, Architect, said the mage coldly, Moonrock will indeed be gone
but you will indeed be here
forever. Gesturing towards the hero, the mage fired an explosive blast. The impact from the spell sent Chris flying through the buildings back wall; leaving him in a burning pile underneath a fire escape. The physical pain meant nothing to Sanchez as he laid there sobbing, all that he loved was now lost
For a moment, he wondered why the PTS had not sent him to the hospital, only to remember his resignation and the removal of his implant. Death would come for him soon, he hoped, and he lay there waiting for his time to end. As he lay there, his mind began to fail him, memories began to fade and his thoughts began to grow disjointed. After a few minutes, the world just went cold and black.
Paragons Emergency Services were on the scene within thirty minutes. They searched the store for any victims, but found none. Combing the area around the store, an unfortunate EMT came across a smoldering form clad in shredded heros tights. The EMT checked the corpse for vital signs, but it was too late. Suddenly, the form awoke! A vision of pure horror, the dark form was mostly bone and charred flesh. In one quick motion, the monster reached out and snapped the innocent paramedics neck. Paragon police spotted the murderous form standing over the dead EMT and opened fire. The dark figure, confused and struggling to remember, took to the air and fled. Soon, numerous heroes took up the chase across the skies above Steel Canyon. Confusion and fear drove the dark figure to turn towards the wrecked part of the city named Sirens Call. The living corpse lost his pursuers in the wasteland of the contested area. Once the coast was clear, the monster followed a strange black helicopter to hopeful safety in the Rogue Isles.
Once he had made it to the Isles, the pain of loss and torment drove the zombie into hiding. Needing no sustenance, he spent every waking hour trying to remember the things he had lost, and dwelling on his plans for the Circle of Thorns. Consumed by his hatred and pain, time seemed to race by for the monster as he lay there suffering amongst the garbage and filth of the slums.
The Present:
A single sheet of newsprint fluttered on the winds that raced across the dark, concrete peaks and valleys of Cap au Diable. In one dark alley, far from the bright shine of Aeon City, the paper catches hold of a jagged section of chain-linked fence and pastes itself flat against it. A dark figure, curled up pathetically beside a dumpster, takes notice of the paper and longingly stares at the date on the page: June 8, 2006
.a sad, mournful whisper breaks through the alleyway, Happy Anniversary, Erica
I
I
Im so, so sorry
. An unholy scream then bellowed across the dark island, a signal of sorts to the mages of the Circle of Thorns. A reckoning would be had for the life of Erica Sanchez, and no quarter would be given to anyone in the path of the Dead Hero.
