Standing tall and strong with a cocky lean, head bowed. His wide-brimmed dark duster hatpulled low, covering at a tilt half his face, by contrast highlighting his bearded lightly tanned skin. WildSide grinned as he thought of the irony.
"It was right here I dusted off a Hellion punk from mugging a young lady, 'bout a year ago to this day." He spoke softly, with a light chuckle, leaning against the outside wall of Atlas Park First National Bank. "She said her name was Linda, and that she hoped her kids grew up to be just like me. Hm, times I miss those days." His voice a mixture of happiness and sadness.
A year ago, WildSide walked through the streets of Paragon City, defending the fair citizens from the evils of the city as best he could, with the rest of the Bone Thugs at his side. Back then, they were heroes, they were cheered. Autographs, pictures, small parties, good times. In the blink of an eye, it was all over. No more cheers, at least few at the courtroom, but it didn't matter. Imprisoned with the very villains he helped put away in his earlier heroic days. Skulls, Hellions, even the very same Hellion that mugged that Linda lady, he was there still.
"Damn spiders." WildSide thought, as he saw Arachnos soldiers storming through the yard of the Zig, Paragon's prison. He had heard of Arachnos when he did the hero thing, he heard they were some big organization off the east coast. An island that was once a Frence piece, with all sorts of hell and hard times all over it, twenty-four seven. With a crew of four, with a head leader, some criminal mastermind named Recluse. The other four were equally as odd. A fish-man named Mako, an Egyptian-looking man with electricity and a sword named Scirocco, a tin can with a tail named Black Scorpion. But the one that struck at his sympathetic strings on his heart, was Ghost Widdow. He didn't know why, he just felt sorry for her. Maybe just his compassion for the ladies.
He had heard of this "breakout" for a few weeks to the day, he didn't like the thought of owing Arachnos anything, but he was used to being a little crafty, so he played along, swallowing his pride. The first inmate he took down, was that very Hellion, guess it just isn't his year. Planting the bomb was chilling his nerves a bit, but to get out and get back to fighting his fight, he had no choice. "Funny how the cops go into action when you are the target, and not when your on their side." The thought was as much a pain as it was humorous.
Soon after leaving the Zig, WildSide and his new "friends" landed in the Rogue Isles, a place called Mercy Island, a place looked like a snow globe of hell all settled down. Khalinda, a very mysterious woman, cold as ice at first. Maybe she could see into his heart, maybe she saw his intentions for Arachnos. It didn't matter, she took him under her wing anyway. Since then, WildSide has had to do many, many, un-heroic missions and tasks, sometimes helping Arachnos against the very heroes he otherwize might have teamed with. When he robbed banks in Paragon City, he set the largest part of the haul aside for helping Paragon City rebuild any damages he, and other "delightful" fellows of the Isles may do. He kept the rest as part of payment due for his troubles inside hell.
"In my heart, I have never abbandoned the people of Paragon City, and I never will. If I have to go through hell to get back, if I can show them that justice and peace are never cleanly obtained or freely kept, then hopefully, I'll be forgiven, and be able to forgive myself, for the sins I had to commit on the way." He whispered with passion, a few tears breaking free, as burning cop cars littered the quarentined section of Atlas Park, along with an unconcious cop, and a Bone Daddy with his katana sticking through him, and s young woman, cowering in fear at WildSide's feet. It was Linda, she was gazing up at her hero, she in her heart, never abbandoned him.
She broke a smile free from her terror-stricken face, she knew he was the reason all this had happened, she was nearly heartbroken for her knight in shining black armor. But it wasn't a heartbreak for what he had done, but of what he was forced to do. She knew he wasn't a bad man, a bad man wouldn't have saved her from that Hellion, or cared to visit her when her child had come home from the hospital. He was truly a good man, just in a bad place, forced to do bad things. All she knew at this very moment, for just a moment, is that she was with her hero again. He smiled a warm smile at her, through his tears. "Greetings, Linda." They were on a first name basis, though she didn't know his. They held each other's gaze as he helped her up by hand, not moving from his lean. Her terror fading, she stood there for a moment, then threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"I missed you too." He whispered as he hugged her back. Moments later, he faded into the shadows as more Longbow arrived. She held her arms close to herself, holding that moment in her mind and heart. She whispered a prayer for him as he darted in a shadowy flash, and just like that, he was gone. Linda stood there, amidst the mayhem, looking at the spot where WildSide's sword once was, and praying, that someday, he and his friends would be welcomed back home, welcomed back in Paragon City.
Standing tall and strong with a cocky lean, head bowed. His wide-brimmed dark duster hatpulled low, covering at a tilt half his face, by contrast highlighting his bearded lightly tanned skin. WildSide grinned as he thought of the irony.
"It was right here I dusted off a Hellion punk from mugging a young lady, 'bout a year ago to this day." He spoke softly, with a light chuckle, leaning against the outside wall of Atlas Park First National Bank. "She said her name was Linda, and that she hoped her kids grew up to be just like me. Hm, times I miss those days." His voice a mixture of happiness and sadness.
A year ago, WildSide walked through the streets of Paragon City, defending the fair citizens from the evils of the city as best he could, with the rest of the Bone Thugs at his side. Back then, they were heroes, they were cheered. Autographs, pictures, small parties, good times. In the blink of an eye, it was all over. No more cheers, at least few at the courtroom, but it didn't matter. Imprisoned with the very villains he helped put away in his earlier heroic days. Skulls, Hellions, even the very same Hellion that mugged that Linda lady, he was there still.
"Damn spiders." WildSide thought, as he saw Arachnos soldiers storming through the yard of the Zig, Paragon's prison. He had heard of Arachnos when he did the hero thing, he heard they were some big organization off the east coast. An island that was once a Frence piece, with all sorts of hell and hard times all over it, twenty-four seven. With a crew of four, with a head leader, some criminal mastermind named Recluse. The other four were equally as odd. A fish-man named Mako, an Egyptian-looking man with electricity and a sword named Scirocco, a tin can with a tail named Black Scorpion. But the one that struck at his sympathetic strings on his heart, was Ghost Widdow. He didn't know why, he just felt sorry for her. Maybe just his compassion for the ladies.
He had heard of this "breakout" for a few weeks to the day, he didn't like the thought of owing Arachnos anything, but he was used to being a little crafty, so he played along, swallowing his pride. The first inmate he took down, was that very Hellion, guess it just isn't his year. Planting the bomb was chilling his nerves a bit, but to get out and get back to fighting his fight, he had no choice. "Funny how the cops go into action when you are the target, and not when your on their side." The thought was as much a pain as it was humorous.
Soon after leaving the Zig, WildSide and his new "friends" landed in the Rogue Isles, a place called Mercy Island, a place looked like a snow globe of hell all settled down. Khalinda, a very mysterious woman, cold as ice at first. Maybe she could see into his heart, maybe she saw his intentions for Arachnos. It didn't matter, she took him under her wing anyway. Since then, WildSide has had to do many, many, un-heroic missions and tasks, sometimes helping Arachnos against the very heroes he otherwize might have teamed with. When he robbed banks in Paragon City, he set the largest part of the haul aside for helping Paragon City rebuild any damages he, and other "delightful" fellows of the Isles may do. He kept the rest as part of payment due for his troubles inside hell.
"In my heart, I have never abbandoned the people of Paragon City, and I never will. If I have to go through hell to get back, if I can show them that justice and peace are never cleanly obtained or freely kept, then hopefully, I'll be forgiven, and be able to forgive myself, for the sins I had to commit on the way." He whispered with passion, a few tears breaking free, as burning cop cars littered the quarentined section of Atlas Park, along with an unconcious cop, and a Bone Daddy with his katana sticking through him, and s young woman, cowering in fear at WildSide's feet. It was Linda, she was gazing up at her hero, she in her heart, never abbandoned him.
She broke a smile free from her terror-stricken face, she knew he was the reason all this had happened, she was nearly heartbroken for her knight in shining black armor. But it wasn't a heartbreak for what he had done, but of what he was forced to do. She knew he wasn't a bad man, a bad man wouldn't have saved her from that Hellion, or cared to visit her when her child had come home from the hospital. He was truly a good man, just in a bad place, forced to do bad things. All she knew at this very moment, for just a moment, is that she was with her hero again. He smiled a warm smile at her, through his tears. "Greetings, Linda." They were on a first name basis, though she didn't know his. They held each other's gaze as he helped her up by hand, not moving from his lean. Her terror fading, she stood there for a moment, then threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"I missed you too." He whispered as he hugged her back. Moments later, he faded into the shadows as more Longbow arrived. She held her arms close to herself, holding that moment in her mind and heart. She whispered a prayer for him as he darted in a shadowy flash, and just like that, he was gone. Linda stood there, amidst the mayhem, looking at the spot where WildSide's sword once was, and praying, that someday, he and his friends would be welcomed back home, welcomed back in Paragon City.