Prologue

A woman stood in a hospital, staring into a viewing window as she sang,

"Baby, be a simple kinda man,

Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can?

Mhmm mmm mhmmm, Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself

Follow your heart and nothing else

And you can do this, oh, baby, if you try

All that I want for you, my son—"

She hummed but as she got to the last word, tears streaming down her face, she broke into sobs, placing a hand on the glass to steady herself from falling over. The sight of it was just too much. With her head against the window, a tear dripped down her cheek. She stood just outside a hospital nursery, staring at a weak, slightly deformed, thin baby.

The twenty-year-old woman, with dark hair and green eyes, hummed a few more lines of the song as she took one last look. The baby opened its bright, matching green eyes and stared at her. Seeming to instinctively recognize her, it tried to roll over and crawl to her, standing on its palms and feet. Acting less like a human child and more like an animal. "Oh, Charles," she winced. With her final words, she gathered all the strength she had to walk away.

The baby quickly became distraught and began crying out for its mother when a nurse came in. He quickly placed an IV in the baby's arm. Frightening it more, causing its cries to grow louder. But it wasn't long until the baby grew tired, its lungs begging to suffocate already from its frail condition. It closed its eyes with a yawn only to open them and see a figure indescribable by normal standards.

Pure black and terrifying, with wings and horns. The young child tried to escape it, but due to its own lack of energy, it couldn't stand.

The creature chuckled at this, with a demonic-like voice. "Even as an infinite, humans fear their final fate. Such a shame, really. Your story came to an end before it even began." The creature sighed as if it pitied the child. It then held out one of many three-toed claws and ruffled its strange feathers. But the infant seemed to scurry away or at least try to as it sat in a fetal position. "Really now? Come. Take my claw. Eternal rest awaits you with no pain. I promise you there's no need to fear."

The baby though had a strong fight or flight response, and if flight wouldn't work, it seemed to ready itself for a fight using the wall of the bin it sat in to stand up on all fours.

"Typical," the creature murmured, amused. "Humans always strive to survive despite knowing how pointless it is to struggle. Come now, child. You'll always be in pain with a disease like that. You're tired. You're hungry. You're alone. You're abandoned." The creature said as it slowly reached for the human. One of its claws brought out a strange scythe towering over everything in the room. "You don't stand a chance."

But as it set its claws for the infant, the young thing attacked the creature, grabbing onto its feathers. The baby seemed to jerk violently as a feather touched him and soon a blast of blazing light struck.

Boom!

The woman turned her head back towards where she came from. The flames of the building danced in her tear-filled eyes as she watched the hospital wing go up in smoke.

"Charlie," she whispered. "What have I done?"

28 years latter

Chapter 1

“Citizens of Dimmsdale,” the mayor said in a clear and firm voice as he stood in the middle of a conference room on top of a stage, addressing the large number of press.

"I know in these troubling times, with this terrible outbreak of...” He paused, trying to think of the right words. “Mutations—caused by a disease we are still tracking down. To all the victims of this terrible disease, and their families. Please know that we are doing our utmost to fight back. With the help of the greatest minds our nation has ever fostered, we are researching a cure for this plague that has beset our fair city” As any true politician would, his rhetoric moved hearts.

Suddenly, The reporters in the audience threw their arms and mics at his face. “Mr. Drake, Mr. Drake, a moment of your time Mr. Drake!” “Mr. Drake, a moment of your time!”

“One at a time, please, people.” Mr. Drake pointed at a man that shut the crowd up.

“Mr. Drake, I'm Tom Doofenshmirtz from the Nightly News. Tell me, with this being the fifth case in the last month, are we going to see a quarantine of the city?”

“Not necessary, not at this time, no. But that's always an option. Next!” Another reporter, a woman this time. “Mr. Drake, with all due respect. If this outbreak becomes a pandemic on your watch, you do understand it could cost you your job?”

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Mr. Drake smiled, a bit cocky. “It will cost me more than my mayorship. But I can assure you that this disease is not transmissive by air or physical contact. From all the studies I've seen on it, it has to be injected, and whoever is doing it will be found and stopped. Now, I’m sorry, but I’m all out of time. Rest assured we’re all hard at work to put an end to this.”

“Mr. Drake! Mr. Drake! Donny Drake!”

The mayor's name was being chanted as he disappeared into the hallway

Out of the reporter’s pestering, he let out a breath of relief he had been holding in. Beside him was none other than his secretary and a large, black man nearly twice his size. As soon as he was in his office, he tossed off his business suit jacket, agitated.

“Well sir. At least now you have a moment's rest.” said his secretary, as she prepared a few cups of coffee.

The mayor glanced over his shoulder, his eyes fixed on Mr. Crush rather than his secretary."

The mayor looked over his shoulder, not at her but at the other person in the room as he said. “If only that was true, Miss. Shaw, Mr. Crush, does the FBI have anything to tell us yet.”

“Sorry sir, but the FBI doesn't work for you, you're just a mayor of a town barely big enough to be called a city. Rest assured the FBI is looking into this, and I thank you for your cooperation.”

The mayor collapsed into a chair, rubbing his forehead. “I almost didn't even make it in. I only won by two votes. The city’s lost faith in me ever since the mutants showed up.”

Just then the sound of a lighter made everyone in the room freeze. The smell of smoke filled the air. Along with it the odd scent of blueberries, that wasn't there before. The three turned to the window. Standing there, with his back turned, was a tall lanky man, nearly seven feet tall. Unbeknownst to them, the stranger was staring not out the window, but at a photo of a young girl with her family. His eyes however, were fixated on the mother.

The FBI agent had already drawn his gun, and the secretary had pulled out her pepper spray, prepared for a potential threat."

at their response, The stranger chuckled amused as, he brought his cigarette to his lips. The man was in a nice black business suit with a matching top hat. However, the strange thing was, he looked as if he had come right out of the 19th century as he pulled out his pocket watch with his black gloved hand, noting the time. Nine-thirty-six, he muttered in boredom.

“When did you get here?” Asked the frizzled mayor.

“I've been here this whole time, waiting for you. It’s a wonder you never noticed before” he replied as he put the photo back in his pocket.

With that Mr. Crush slowly lowered his weapon, as did Miss Shaw, though her face showed her terror.

“Oh, what's with that face? I'm beginning to think you're not glad to see me." The man chuckled again. “After all, we were friends, weren't we, Sophia?” He told her with his back still turned. His movements were somewhat slow and methodical, as he enjoyed his cigarette once more. The smoke of it circled over his top hat. “And to think you were once a General in the Army.” He muttered more amusemed than before.

“Retired. And you and I were never friends.” She retorted with a bit of venom on her lips.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Crush asked.

"Yes. Let's cut the pleasantries, why am I here?”

"Good, they weren't very pleasant anyway," the secretary murmured under her breath.

“I called him here.” The mayor answered.

“Why?” asked Miss Shaw.

Mr. Drake, sunk into the couch as far as he could. He wouldn't dare stand up and approach his desk. Not wanting to go anywhere near the stranger.

Everyone in the room share Mr. Drake's desire to keep a distance from him as well.

“Mr. Wolfrick, with the rise of these incidents, the research to find a cure can never be more important. As a previous head researcher, we wish to employ you sir, to help us find a cure. Being one of the richest men in the state, we hope we can come to an agreement that would be beneficial to all parties."

Miss Shaw turned to the mayor, disgusted by the notion. Yet she had no right to question her boss. She didn't hide the way she felt about this subject.

Mr. Crush remained silent, his discomfort evident on his face.

Mr Crush shifted uncomfortably in his stance.

A moment of silence filled the air. A sound of laughter broke the tension. It started off as a slight chuckle, but then it grew to a loud and deranged laughter. “Let me get this straight. You're only here to ask me for money? Me? Hahahahaha.” He fell to the window as he banged on it while wheezing.

The rest of them were unamused. “Something funny?” Miss Shaw asked..

"Yes," he replied, turning on his heel to face them. They jumped a bit at the sight of him. "You." He said through gritted teeth. "You actually believe you're in charge of this town? This is my city, don't forget that." He said darkly and intimidatingly. Finally his face was revealed: a pale man. So pale, it almost looked like he had never gone out in the sun. He had a beard and mustache, not something a villain would have and twirls, but a mustache nonetheless. His eyes were sunken in, and with his skinny face he looked like that of a skeleton. He had a wide grin on his face bearing his teeth. Some fang-like, almost like a wolves.

“Asking for money from someone of my reputation wouldn't do well for your next vote,” He teased, “oh, you must be desperate, to even try to make a deal with the devil. And here I thought you were going to arrest me.

Mr. Crush shifted a bit in his stance. “Oh don't act so coy. You think I haven't noticed the cars and vans that followed me around? For an FBI agent, you guys aren't that sneaky. Here's some advice. If you want to spy on someone, don’t get foolishly caught. Heh, and to think you're the one who imprisoned the old Dragons Gang.”

Mr. Crush turned to him, letting his anger show, yet it only amused the man more, making the FBI agent narrow his eyes further. But before anything could be done, Miss Shaw spoke up.

“If this is your town, why don't you help!” She yelled.

"I never said I wasn't going to."

With that, everyone except the skeleton man grew surprised and silent as they watched him put out his cigarette in Miss. Shaw’s cup of coffee, he then proceeded to pull out of his jacket a meddle cane with a ball on top, and a few stacks of cold hard cash. "I don’t want my name to be in any document. This is anonymous." He Warned threw the stack of cash on the desk. "As are the other payment, I’ve already left it in the donation boxes."

"But don't forget," he said, as he headed to the door. "Who really rules this city?”

Just then everyone heard a loud crash in the hallway.