Chapter 6

10 years ago

A group of cloaked figures were gathered around a table in the dark basement of a building. A seven year old child was tied down to the table, crying. One of the cloaked men stepped forward. In addition to his cloak, he wore a white mask with a silver star over the left eye.

“Bring in the Avatar,” he said. “And be quick about it. If we take too long with this, the clawed thing is bound to show up again.”

Two of the men brought brought in a large device on wheels. The device consisted of an aquarium like tank, surrounded by miniature Tesla-coils and wires that were constantly emitting a loud humming noise. Inside of the tank was a mass of pure blackness that was constantly shifting its form.

“Connect them,” the man in the mask said.

The men set up Tesla coils at each of the tables coils, and connected wires to the child. They hooked the wires up to the coils, which they then connected to the device.

“Begin the transfer,” the masked man instructed.

The men removed the lid from the tank. The shadowy mass immediately tried to escape, but they flipped a switch, and electricity shot from the coils, hitting the mass. It was torn apart and absorbed into the device. It was pulled through the coils, and was transferred through the wires to the other coils placed around the table. Bolts of black electricity shot from them, striking the child. He screamed loudly as the energy surged through his body. He lied there, twitching. The pupils off his eyes shrank, and soon disappeared altogether. After a few minutes, the electricity flowing from the coils changed from black to blue.

“Transfer complete,” one of the men said.

“Shut it down,” the masked man said.

They switched off the device, and the coils stopped releasing electricity. The boy lay on the table, panting. A black aura was now being emitted from his body.

“Was it successful?” one of the men asked.

“It seems that way,” the masked man said. “We'll have to wait and see. For now, return him to his cell, and keep an eye on him.”

Present day

After hitchhiker for a long time, John finally arrived in Pittsburgh. Before he had arrived, he had wondered how he would find the thing his dad left for him, but now that he was there, he could feel it somewhere in the city. He started walking, and the feeling grew stronger. He continued to follow that feeling. But he stopped when he saw a figure walking toward him. It was a teenage boy, wearing tattered clothing and covered in dirt. He was limping on his left leg, and both his arms had deep cuts in them.

“Hey, are you okay?” John called to him.

The boy took a few more steps before falling to his knees. John rushed over to try and help him. He got a look at the bys eyes, and jumped back in alarm. He had no pupils. There was something wrong with his eyes.

A car pulled up on the sidewalk next to them and a nineteen year old man stepped out.

“Are you Jonathan Calwar?” he asked.

“Yeah,” John said. “How did you-?”

He stopped his question mid-sentence. He felt a strange aura from this new guy. It reminded him of his encounter with Conquest.

Who are you?” John asked.

“My name is David Dragen,” he replied. “I'm your cousin. The son of the third Horseman.”

“I see,” John said, before turning back to the injured boy. “This guy needs help. He's badly injured.”

“Let's get him in the car,” David said. “We can treat him back at my place.”

They got the boy in the car and started driving. The more they drove, the stronger John's feeling became. They pulled up in front of a house a few minutes later. It was a small house, with a huge farm land behind it.

“Wow,” John said. “Nice place.”

“Thanks,” David said. “Come on, let's get him inside.”

They brought the boy inside and set him down on the couch. A woman heard them come in and entered the living room.

“Oh, David, you're home,” she said. “Who are your friends.”

“This is John,” David said. “He's War's son. And this... is some guy we found on the street. He needs help, can you get the first aid kit?”

“Um okay,” she said weakly, before leaving the room.

“Was that your mom?” John asked.

“Yeah,” David said.

“She seems a little-” John started to say.

“ Terrified?” David interrupted. “She has every right to be, considering what I am.”

“What, the son of a Horseman?” John asked.

“Not just any Horseman,” David said, looking at the injured boy. He was sleeping, so he couldn't hear the conversation. “I'm the son of Rage. I may seem like a normal guy now, but when I lose control... it's never pretty. It's happened before, and every time, bad things happened. That's why I live out here in the country. It's peaceful here. My outbursts are less frequent than they were when I lived in the city. But even so... my own mom thinks I'm a monster.”

“That's rough...,” John said.

“I know,” David said.

David's mom came back in the room briefly and set the first aid kit on a nearby table. John began treating the boy's wounds.

“You know how to do this stuff?” David asked.

“I learned how to treat wounds in camp,” John said. “I've always hated seeing people in pain, so I did what I could to learn how to treat wounds.”

“I see,” David said.

“So... my mom said my dad left something for me in this town,” John said.

“I think she meant his horse,” David said. “War and Death left their horses with my family for safe keeping before they died.”

“Really?” John asked.

“Yeah,” David said. “A Horseman isn't much without his steed.”

Meanwhile

Krysix, followed by a group of dead-eyed men with bits of machinery embedded in their flesh, entered a nearby shed, where a bunch of farm tools were kept.

“Well, this is rather disappointing,” it said, looking around at the equipment before him. “The country always leaves such simple devices lying around. It's hard to find a good CPU around here. Oh well, I've builf WMDs out of paperclips, tupperware  and discarded Gameboys. I'm sure I can figure something out with this junk. Let's get to work.”

Back at the house

“So, did you know your father?” John asked.

“Yeah,” David said. “A Horseman can only live for ten years after having a child, and my dad stayed with me and my mom the entire time.”

“I see,” John said, sadly.

“You never knew War, did you?” David asked.

“No, John said. “He left when I was one, and I never saw him again.”

Their conversation was cut short when the wall was torn down. Several of Krysix's men stood there, wielding makeshift flame throwers and explosives. John drew his sword as they charged. One of them threw a bomb at him, which he narrowly dodged. As it exploded, he was knocked off balance. They piled on top of him, pinning him to the ground. David ran to the corner of the room and grabbed a morningstar which was hidden there. He tried to fight them off, but he was caught in the ribbed by a club swung by one of the attackers. He was pinned down as well. It seemed like they had lost. Suddenly, a shadow flew over the room, knocking the men off of them. David and John got up and watched as the shadow changed its form to that of a black bird, and perched on the shoulder of the injured boy, who was now standing up and glaring at the attackers.

“Good work, Kestrel,” he said to the bird. “You guys are John and David, right? I owe you my thanks.”

“That's an Avatar!” David exclaimed. “But, why is it shaped like a bird?”

A scream was heard from David's mother in her room.

“My name is Kaiser,” the boy said. “I'll explain things later, you guys just go check on her. I'll hold down the fort here.”

“You can't take these guys on your own!” John said.

“I'll be fine,” he said.

Kestrel melted and covered his right arm and shoulder. A black wing sprouted from the shadowy mass, and a bird-like talon encased his hand.

“Are you sure?” John asked.

“Kestrel and I have been in worse spots,” Kaiser said. “Now go!”

John and David ran from the room while Kaiser and the men charged at each other. They ran into David's mom's room, to see her lying on the floor, bleeding out, with a metal skeleton standing over her.

“Y-you're Krysix!” David stammered.

“Oh, yes, that's me,” it said. “And you must be John Calwar and David Dragen. Nice to meet you.”

“What did you do to her!?” John demanded.

“Oh, this wench?” it said, kicking at the body at its feet. “I just came in, saw this person who wasn't the son of a Horseman, and thought 'well, she should die'.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” David yelled.

“Well, I'm not a son,” Krysix replied. “I technically don't have a gender.”

“YOU BASTARD!” David yelled. “I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!”

“Hey man, don't get carried away,” John said, turning to David. He took a step back when he saw the red glow coming from his eyes. “Hey, are you okay? Answer me!”

He couldn't. He couldn't hear John. Hatred had deafened him, and blinded him. He saw nothing but Krysix. Nothing but the creature he wanted to destroy. His body grew. His muscles expanded, tearing his clothing. His morningstar clattered to the ground, and the innocent farm boy who had stood there before had been replaced by the pure embodiment of anger, bearing the appearance of his father.

Rage had awakened.