The air was unsettling tonight. As if there was some sinister plot created by the stars. A plan to eradicate all the life that poisoned Earth's precious land. He took another whiff of the air as it rushed past him. If he focused, he could feel the tiny crystals cutting through the air. Those crystalline structures that, while unseen, made up such a vast part of his life.

"You okay, sir?"

He absently turned his head to the right, now focusing on the young woman that broke his silence. The recruit tried to keep her eyes on the dusty road, but he watched as her focus sporadically snapped to-and-fro.

He didn't provide her a response. He instead took another long drag of his cigar. That choking scent still leaking towards her even with the open window. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Are you nervous?" He still didn't give her an answer. "Cause I'm nervous..." her voice was young, high-pitched, and filled with passion. He could hear the slight tremble in her words as she laughed off her statement. "This is my first call ya know. Well, not my first call. My first major call. I've covered lots of jobs before."

He took another long draw of his cigar as she continued rambling. "I mean, I've handled plenty of petty theft calls before but..." He heard her take a sharp inhale on that pause, the forest green tips of her hair rolling off her shoulders. His eyes drifted towards the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as her grip tightened.

He shook his head, allowing a large billow of smoke to pass through his lips. "Shotzi."

She jumped at his voice. That gargled noise that sounded like he was choking on water as he spoke. "Yes, sir?"

As the smoke flew away with the rushing wind he slowly spoke, "Where are we going?"

"Huh?"

He lightly scratched the remaining stubble that graced his chin. "Where are we going?"

Shotzi looked back at the road. It was just compacted dirt and sand grains by the billions for miles. She took a deep breath, "Oasis, the City in the Sands."

He gave her a reassuring nod as he continued, "And why are we going?"

"To answer a public disturbance..."

He let the air grow stale as he awaited her continuation. His patience grew thin, "And?"

She gulped, "And reported shots fired."

He noticed her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip. "Getting cold feet newbie?"

"It's just, so sudden. I don't think I'm ready."

"You never will be, not on your first call." He glanced at her once again, her eyes darting back and forth as she seemed to be analyzing the simple terrain. He figured the kid would be impressive in the future, but he hated having to manage her while she was green. "Listen, kid, don't get your panties in a twist." He returned his gaze to the great expanse of sand, "You think someone's been shot?"

"Isn't that what shots fired means?"

"Not always..."

Shotzi ran her hands up and down the wheel, "So they might have just fired to cause a ruckus?"

"Sure... Or someone's been shot." Shotzi's eyes bulged at the thought. She had been trained for such situations, but training and the field were two different stories. He grew tired of seeing paranoia plastered across her face, "Listen, you're going to be fine. There's probably nothing left but the aftermath."

"Why does there have to be an aftermath?!"

He finally plucked his cigar out the window, "Do you trust me?"

Shotzi was still trying to calm her nerves, "What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I don't... what do you- huh?"

He slowly rolled up his window, "When we get there, there is gonna be lots of officers. There may be a shoot-out, there may not. What matters is that you follow my lead and you trust me." He looked directly at her. His old battle-hardened eyes looking through her paranoid pupils. "Do you trust me?"

Shotzi frantically inspected their vehicle. The flashing lights above her pulling her attention. It was only when she looked back to her superior that she felt calm. She blew out some wind, "I trust you."

"That's all you need." He allowed his chair to lean back, relaxing as the car bounced wildly on the rugged road. Shotzi refocused on the path ahead. Her nerves relaxing and her breath steadying. Her old companion peeked at her hands. She was barely touching the wheel now as she just mindlessly drove on. "Feel better?"

"...Yeah... I feel... calm..." She turned to her elder, "Why? What'd you do?"

"Knowing someone's got your back is relaxing. That's what my old captain used to tell us. Trust your partner and you'll trust yourself."

Shotzi smiled at the old man. He was usually so cold, but when he was right, he was right. "Thanks Otto."

He grumbled out a confirmatory grunt, "I've been on the force for over thirty years. There ain't nothing I've never seen before."

~--~

"I have never seen this before." Otto stood in the middle of several seats. His cadet Shotzi was stunned at the scene that laid before them. They saw a few of the attendees conversing with several officers, their eyewitness reports amounting to stories of monstrous men and creatures hiding in the dark. Some spoke of a man with fiery red hair and a yellow skeleton that talked like it was alive.

Otto and Shotzi ignored the witnesses and decided to inspect the scene closely. Otto was the first to notice some oddities, "Why does it look like some seats are missing?"

Shotzi noticed the giant pile of folding chairs on the ground, "You mean those?"

Otto waved her to him, both inspecting the ground and noticing the bolts on one of the chairs had been ripped off. Shotzi pointed out another missing chair on the next row. "Where are these chairs?"

Shotzi looked around for a sign of an unbolted chair nearby. She quickly grabbed Otto's attention pointing into the distance, "Is that the chair?" Otto stared in awe as an officer was walking around with one of the bolted chairs over his head. He called ahead asking where he got the chair?

"It was laying on the ground near the bottom."

"Did you see its bolts down there?" The officer yelled for him to repeat himself. After a short exchange, they concluded that they had found the chair they were looking for. Otto stood back to inspect the distance, "That's nearly fifty yards from its original position."

Shotzi joined the discussion, "Why would someone carry a chair fifty yards down?"

"What if they didn't carry it?"

"Are you suggesting someone threw that chair?"

"It's not impossible, just improbable."

Shotzi was trying to rack her brain to understand this, "What were they throwing it at?"

Otto moved back to the chair's initial location, "Better question..." he crouched down to inspect the two barren spots. "Where's the other chair?"

They scoured their surroundings within fifty yards hoping to find their missing seat somewhere within the range. They met back in the clearing with no sign of the seat. Shotzi kicked around some debris laying on the floor and noticed their oversight. "Otto look." She picked up a small black rod that looked like an armrest.

Otto instantly started searching throughout the clearing. The debris proved to hold several scattered parts of the final seat.

Shotzi inspected how the parts seemed horribly mangled, "Did someone rip these apart?"

Otto gave it a closer inspection, "I don't think so, see those singe marks on the metal. Maybe it was an explosion?"

Shotzi looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, "Someone planted a bomb on the seat? So this was a planned attack?"

"We're grasping at straws. We need some hard evidence."

Shotzi decided to inspect their surroundings for clues. Her eyes ogling when she noticed a small crack on the floor. She reached down to inspect the spot and noticed a trace amount of blood lining the cement. "Uh Otto, has forensics found this yet?"

He quickly called them over to grab samples of the blood. While the brains of their operation worked the two officers tried to do their best detective work. "Why is there blood there? The explosion from the chair happened about twenty meters that way. And the other chair was found fifty meters down. So why would someone bleed here?"

Shotzi tried to reason out a response, "Maybe this was the shot that was fired?"

"Possibly... but shouldn't there be a trail if they attempted to escape."

"Maybe the wound was quickly treated."

"That is a possibility... but something tells me this scene is a bit more convoluted."

Shotzi tried to think outside the box, "Maybe someone fell over the crack and cut themselves?"

Otto gave her a doubting look, "Come on Shotz, let's be realistic."

She tried formulating an answer but swiftly gave up, "Well what do you think?" Otto looked above, her eyes following as they stared at the guard rail above. "That is not realistic!"

"Why not?"

"There is no way that someone fell from that height and walked away."

Otto turned away from the forensics, "Never said they walked."

Shotzi turned to face the ring in the middle. "This was supposed to be a children's wrestling show. The hell happened here?"

Otto reached for his cigarette box, "No idea." Just as he put the cancer stick to his lips, he noticed a man yelling at his commanding officer at the ringside. "But I think I know who does."

The duo quickly made their way down to ringside the sound of the man's berating could be heard over the crime scene's commotion. "I called for you twenty minutes ago. How is it you're just getting here now?"

"Mr. McCann you have to understand we came as soon as we got the call."

"What about that useless excuse for a police force in this town. Where were they?"

"I don't have control over them, Mr. McCann, now please tell me what's the problem?"

"The problem? What's the problem? Goddammit, you have eyes don't ya? I think the problem is pretty clear!"

Otto paused as they approached the group, he pulled Shotzi to the side. "How about I do most the talking on this one Shotz?"

"Yeah, you got this one."

As they grew closer Otto listened for an opportunity to jump in. McCann continued his mindless rant, "When are you gonna stop asking me questions and start giving me answers?"

"Sir, I can't answer your questions if you don't answer mine."

"Dammit I'm already running this damn company practically solo, now I gotta do all the work in this conversation?"

Otto saw his slot, "Ya know Wesley he's right." Both men turned with his sudden arrival, "Not fair to make a traumatized victim do so much work."

McCann grunted at his arrival, "Who's this old asshole?"

Otto smiled at the insult, "So the pot really does call the kettle black."

McCann laughed at the comeback, "I like you. What's your name, old man?"

"Otto." McCann motioned for him to continue. "Bismartin." McCann snickered at his full name, "The irony is not lost on me."

McCann slowly calmed down from the reveal, "Well look on the bright side, you'll probably outlive him." McCann practically burst into tears at his joke. He looked to Captain Wesley who just smiled awkwardly. When McCann turned to Otto, he was happy to see the older gentlemen also doubled over from the joke. The two men laughed and laughed for a few seconds before McCann spoke again, "Wanna come backstage, may get an autograph for your grandkids."

Otto looked behind him, "Only if my colleagues can join us."

McCann looked at the Captain then noticed the woman behind him, "Who's the broad?"

Shotzi flared up, "Excuse me?!"

McCann perked up at her reaction, but Otto subtly signaled for her to calm down. "Go ahead, tell him your name."

She was still enraged but complied with her superior, "Shotzi. Shotzi Blackheart."

McCann's skin shivered at the name, "Shotzi Blackheart. Shotzi... Blackheart... Now that's a Diva name." He put a finger up to his face, "Fix that face a little and slim up some, you could be a megastar!" Shotzi used all her strength to hide her rage. McCann looked the group over once more, "Alright come on."

McCann led the group behind the currently disassembling Megatron. As they walked through the curtains, they passed by many of the night's competitors. Most were the usual large, muscular men that you would expect to see inside the ring. Shotzi was surprised to see so many smaller, leaner men walking around conversating with the larger performers. A few women were huddled together, Shotzi heard them speak about 'him' and how 'he' came back after the show.

In the front of the pack, McCann and Otto absently talked about random wrestling troupes and how the business operated. Otto grew tired of their mindless conversation, "As much as I'm enjoying this McCann. We do need some information on that disturbance."

McCann paused in the middle of the hallway. "Listen, I don't know what happened. The show was going smooth, the main event was a hit just as planned. We had the big reveal of our latest superstar and then some woman collapsed."

Otto looked over his shoulder, noticing the Captain silently taking notes. He tried to get more information out of the chairman, "What about your superstars?"

"I sent them all to their locker rooms once things went haywire."

"And the gunfire?"

"No clue, cameramen ran when they saw the guns go off. Fucking cowards."

Otto scratched his head, "And no one saw any suspect fleeing."

McCann paused for a second, "Not to my knowledge."

Otto perked up, "So a superstar might know?"

McCann bit his thumb, "There may be one."

"Can we see them?"

McCann pondered his words carefully, "If (and this is a big if). IF he talks, will I have to worry about witness protection or that protective custody garbage?"

Captain Wesley spoke up, "I promise sir, he will be in safe hands with us."

"Ha!", McCann started laughing to himself. "You're misunderstanding, I'm worried about the people that will try to contain him."

McCann instructed them to follow closely. As he walked through the building, they noticed the tone shifting. It seemed more haunting with each step they took. The hallway growing darker as they went deeper. McCann made a passing comment, "Honestly, I'd be amazed if you could get the stubborn bastard to talk. After his reveal was ruined, he just ran out the arena with the rest of the crowd. Hasn't told anyone what happened to him while he was gone."

They turned the corner to a small door with an infirmary sign on the wall. As they entered, they noticed a few wrestlers getting patched up with gauze and medical tape. Though Shotzi was more focused on the giant pool of blood that led from one of the beds to the front door. McCann looked around the room, his mood getting hotter. "Where the hell is he?"

One of the attendants spoke up, "He just left out."

"And you didn't stop him?"

"To be fair, it's not like any of us could." Otto took notice of the lack of name usage. Whoever this guy was, he needed no introduction.

McCann spoke in his grumbling voice, "Dammit where is he?"

"Back at his locker. He said, 'The contract says I get my own locker room and I'm gonna use it.'"

McCann was cursing up a storm, "For the love of, someone come with us so they can patch his dumbass up."

"Actually, sir, he took one of the medics with him."

"What?! Who?"

"Marina."

"The temp?"

They softly nodded their heads, "He said, 'I want a pretty face to patch me up.'"

"Goddammit!" McCann stormed out of the room followed by the officers. When they reached outside the door, Shotzi stood in the pool of blood. Following the trail as it led deeper into the building.

"How did we not see this when we walked in?"

Otto looked back at her, "We?" He and Wesley walked forward unfazed by the growing trail of blood. Shotzi however found herself taking careful steps as they navigated the dimly lit hallways. It was as if the pool was getting thicker the closer, they got to their destination.

Shotzi found her confidence dwindling with each step. It was as if this man's locker was hidden as far away from the rest of the stars as possible. McCann finally stopped in a lone hallway. A single door sitting at the end of the hall with the trail leading inside.

Otto took another step forward but was blocked by McCann's arm, "Before you go, let me make something clear." He turned to face the group; his eyes shadowed by the lack of light. His words thick and heavy as he gave his final warning, "I have competed in that ring with countless men. Taken hits from countless steel chairs. Been put through more tables than you've put up. I've even fallen from forty-foot drops just to prove that even an old man can do it. I have a motto, 'I will never force you to do something that I wouldn't'." He looked down the hallway, "I wouldn't force someone to fight that man."

Shotzi made a visible gulping motion at the statement. McCann slowly reached for the doorknob, pulling away swiftly and inspecting his palm. They all stared in awe at the crimson colors that stained his hands. McCann steeled his nerves and pushed the door open.

The first thing that Shotzi saw was a few dim lights lining the outside of the room. A few colorful masks were hanging from hooks hauntingly. The shadows they cast on the walls were of ghostly grimaces and ghoulish smiles. As the door opened fully, her blood chilled. First, she saw the woman named Marina quietly patching up this giant mass of blood and muscles. She seemed nervous as she tried her best to stitch what looked like hundreds of open wounds shut.

But Shotzi's fear was focused on this man. Not a man, a monster. This ruby-red demon that sat calmly in the middle of the room. His elbows on his knees as Marina tentatively took care of him. His body was heaving up and down as if he was forcing air into his lungs. Yet his demeanor showed no signs of fatigue. The worst part about him was the bright smile he wore on his face. The blood that rushed down his mug from under his mask perfectly wrapped around his lips and cheeks. His teeth were a dazzling, pearly white with bright white husks that she assumed were his eyes. With the dimly lit room around him, his face seemed to glow in the dark.

Shotzi and the Captain took a step away from the door. There was this deadly aura radiating off this man. Like he would snap their backs over his knee just for an adrenaline rush. Otto was a bit braver, he tapped on McCann's shoulder. "Who's the freak?"

McCann turned his head to face Otto, "His name's Primo. He's my latest-"

"El Primo."

Otto jumped at the voice's sudden proximity. When he looked back to the middle of the room all he saw was a massive wall of muscles. His eyes slowly shifted up, the massive frame of El Primo looking down at him. Otto quickly stepped away, his body colliding with Shotzi. "Did you see him move?"

"He didn't make a noise, he just... appeared in front of you."

Marina piped up from the center of the room, "Mr. El Primo. Your stitches aren't done yet. You shouldn't move so much."

Otto watched as some blood slowly rolled down his arms. The trail settling at his knuckles and dripping to the floor. Otto took a deep breath, signaling for the captain to join him in the questioning. "Umm... Mr. El Primo." The monstrous man's smile seemed to grow at the sound of his name, "Do you have information as to what happened inside the arena tonight."

Primo stared forward, observing nothing but seeing everything. He slowly turned around, taking a seat in his folding chair as Marina continued her job. "I had a match." His voice was low but they could hear the theatrics in his tone. "Then someone ruined my debut. And I helped the attendees flee the carnage."

Otto looked him over, "And the wounds?"

"As I said, I had a match."

McCann slammed a nearby locker, "BULLSHIT! You didn't compete tonight! You just walked in a beaten bloody mess with that exact same fucking smile on your mug!"

Primo locked eyes with the boss, the unstoppable force trying to shift the immovable object. Otto tried to bring some order to the growing chaos, "Mr. Primo-"

"Please, don't be so formal." El Primo never took his eyes off McCann. But he responded, "Call me El Primo," he smoothly corrected.

"El Primo."

"Mr. El Primo" he sharply corrected

"Mr. El Primo. If you could just cooperate with us we can catch the people that attacked the venue and throw the bastards behind bars."

Primo snapped in Otto's direction. The sudden movement causing the officers to flinch. "I am just a simple wrestler that just finished a brutal unsanctioned match."

Captain Wesley walked forward, "Sir, please if you could just-"

The door flew open behind them. They turned to see a new officer had made his way backstage, "Captain Wesley, sir, we have a missing vehicle report."

As the room's attention shifted, the captain pondered his choices. He made a swift decision turning to Otto, "Do you think the perps made off with a stolen vehicle?"

"Makes sense."

Wesley made his way to the door, "Otto, Shotzi, ya coming?"

Shotzi quickly moved for the door, "Gladly."

As Otto walked past McCann they exchange a silent glance. The older officer clearly not content with how the interview ended. Just as he began to shut the door, Primo's voice reached out to him one final time. "Good luck, officers."

Otto opted against exchanging words with the beast. He caught back up with his allies, listening as Wesley analyzed the situation. "How long ago was the missing vehicle report?"

"Unsure sir. Estimated time is anywhere from 1 to 2 hours ago."

"Damn." Wesley dismissed the officer as they continued out to the main arena. He looked at the few officers still moving through the arena. Shotzi stood at his side with Otto approaching from behind. "What do you think Blackheart?"

Shotzi stiffened up, "My amateur opinion?" Wesley nodded for her to continue, "If there are tracks in the sand it wouldn't hurt to follow."

Wesley turned to Otto, "What about you?"

Otto casually pulled out a cigarette, "She's got a point."

"Then you'll be happy to know I've chosen you two to track the stolen vehicle."

Shotzi gave a proud smile while Otto just blew a frustrated breath, "Of course it's us."

Shotzi led the way as they found the vehicle's last known location. She brought out her flashlight, a quick sweep of the floor showed a faint set of tracks. "Looks like I was right."

"Don't get used to it." Otto looked out into the desert, a soft breeze blowing some grains into the sky. "Tracks won't stay there for long." He plucked his cigarette to the ground, "Ready to go?"

Shotzi holstered her flashlight and flashed her keys, "Ready to protect and serve." Another large breeze blew through Shotzi's long hair. Otto just shook his head and walked away, "Oh come one that one was good."