'Hands up, nobody moves.' What else was he supposed to say? It all happened so quickly; it was second nature. He came expecting to aid a wounded woman and her two friends; instead, he was met with the prone body of an elite criminal and her two accomplices. He wasn't in the wrong here. He was the hero. So why did this feel so wrong?

Colt stood tall above the two crooks. As tall as he could stand to the monstrous black man before him. Even crouched down he could still feel an intense pressure radiating off his frame. He was trouble, worse than that, he was a threat. If push came to shove, he would have to immobilize this beast first. But how would he manage to stop such a hulking monstrosity?

A movement to his left drew his attention. "I said don't move!" His sights locked on the yellow skeleton. The existence of such an oddity was a question for later; now he needed threat analysis. At a glance, he seemed harmless. He was nothing but skin and bones, minus the skin. He didn't look armed with anything lethal. The guitar he was clutching was the only real threat he could detect. He would be able to survive an attack from the guitar, the only way it could hurt him would be if he swung it while Colt wasn't looking.

His eyes wandered back to his face. A cold chill washing over his body. That smile was so unsettling. How could he be smiling at a time like this? A gun pointed to his head; his boss prone on the ground with severe injuries. Colt followed the glowing dot in his eye sockets but found that they were only looking at him. Almost staring into his soul.

He looked down at the injured woman. It had to be her. There was no other person with that look. Brown skin, small frame, purple hair.

Shelly the Gem Bandit.

But why? Better question, how? What could attack her? When? Colt thought about the events before the woman's scream alerted him, and the rest of the stadium, of Shelly's lifeless body. Primo had just made his grand entrance before she screamed. The lights went out before he appeared.

'The lights...' Colt thought as it started to make sense. The attacker must have known that Primo would be making his big entrance tonight. They used the cover of darkness to their advantage. He knew how. Now, why?

A gang war perhaps. Rival teams competing for power and aiming for her to send a message. 'Message sent,' he deadpanned mentally. One thing didn't make sense though.

How did the attacker know that Primo would be appearing through a blackout? It didn't make sense. Many superstars in the past had made big debuts through walk-ins or just with a seemingly normal match. How could this attacker know that Primo would be entering under the cover of darkness?

Insider knowledge. Maybe this attacker had friends backstage that told them of the entrance. Yes, that makes the most sense. The only other option would be Primo telling the attacker beforehand. But there is no way for the attacker to know that Shelly would be there nor a reason for Primo to help a gang member. Colt thought more about Primo, a nagging thought in his mind.

'But what if he did.'

There is no reason, and this thought process is baseless, but his gut was screaming that this could be it. Why did he feel so uncomfortable when this thought came to light? Primo had never done anything strange. When the lady screamed, he didn't overreact like the other superstars. He didn't even react. He just... stared. Then he leaped off into the distance. After winking down at Colt.

'Why did he wink at me.'

Just his charisma right. He has no reason to be apart of this gang war-

*twang*

*POW*

Colt looked down at his left hand. He couldn't recall pulling the trigger, but his gun barrel had a small wave of heat coming from the tip. He looked past the tip to see a small black spot beside the yellow skeleton. "I said nobody move," he muttered. A low grumble could be heard to his right. He focused on the giant, his face a scowl of rage. Anger, hatred, frustration. So many emotions plaguing his features. Colt had made a mistake. He threatened the life of this monster's ally.

'I need to call for help.' Colt thought about the options at hand. He didn't have his radio so phoning in some backup would be impossible. There were still people moving away from the scene in the distance. Cries of fear from Colt's accidental warning shot causing the stadium to clear out. He could wait out for some stadium security, but this stadium seemed so low budget that he wouldn't be surprised if they were armed with rocks and clubs. He needed to move his suspects away from the stadium.

"Both of you, on your feet," Colt motioned with his guns. The two perps didn't move an inch. "I said up, resisting an arrest will only worsen your punishment."

"Not too convincing there are ya, copper?" The yellow skeleton piped up. His voice was high pitched and warm, a far cry from the cold stare his lifeless eyes gave off.

"Move."

"We'll move once we get some attention to her wounds."

"Then attend."

"I don't have a first aid kit."

"You said you didn't need one."

The yellow skeleton went silent. His face frozen with the same emotion as always. "Alright, ya got me. I don't have any way to care for her-" *POW*

Another shot landed beside the skeleton, this one from his right gun. "Fix her, then we move." The skeleton nodded his head before he returned to tuning his guitar. Colt was losing his patience, "I said fix her, not play a song."

The skeleton threw both hands into the air, "If you want me to fix her, I need to tune my guitar first. Can I do that?"

Colt inspected the guitar. It didn't look special in any way. Maybe inside was a compartment that stored medical supplies. He could also just be tuning it to distract him or buy some time. They might have reinforcements on the way. If they did Colt would have to bet on some help arriving soon. He couldn't just attack the two men. They weren't going to move unless she was safe first. He would just have to wait and see how this would play out. "Hurry up."

The skeleton continued to tune his guitar. Exchanging glances with the large man beside him. Colt took his eyes off the duo inspecting his surroundings. Everything seemed calm, the arena had been cleared out. He looked for any sign of Jessie or Tyler but was glad to see they must have left with the crowd. It was him and these three crooks. He just needed to get them outside. Then he could throw them in the back of his car and haul them to the station. 'Jessie and Tyler are smart. I hope they don't try to make it back home by themselves.'

The sounds of low strums emanating from a guitar drew his attention back to the duo. The skeleton was currently playing a tune directly towards Shelly. Not a word left his mouth as he continued to play softly. The giant gently caressed Shelly's head as the song slowly filled the arena. It was soothing, almost disarming. Colt could feel his tension die. His muscles felt so relaxed as he swayed softly to the music. When the skeleton finished the tune Colt snapped back into focus. He looked to Shelly for any signs of life, but she was still motionless.

"Nothing happened."

The skeleton softly chuckled before resuming his tune.

"I once went to a show,

To see a friend, I used to know.

But the past of an ally,

Wouldn't allow me to go."

His voice shifted as he sang. Colt heard the high-pitch voice he once had morph into something out of a fairytale. Like a bard in a medieval tavern.

"We came to a standstill,

A standoff of sorts.

Unarmed and defenseless,

He could shoot us for sport.

With hair, flaming red,

And a heart just and true.

I just couldn't hate him,

He did what he must do."

The skeleton turned to Colt now. Still strumming his soft tune. His eyes seemed to glow softly with each word.

"So, I looked him in the eyes,

focus on Thing one and Thing two.

Cause then you'll never notice,

Thing three is right behind you."

Colt felt a sharp pain in his right hand making him drop his gun. He looked to the ground to see a small throwing star sliding across the ground. The ground shook as the giant man rose to his feet charging towards Colt. He quickly aimed with his left and fired off a volley in the giant's direction. He lost his footing as the giant's hands clasped around his neck lifting him off the ground. He ran forward with Colt still in hand directly into the wall behind him, pinning Colt like a poster. Colt aimed his left hand once more but was grabbed by the giant's free hand slamming it into the wall. He lost his grip of the gun and desperately clawed at the giant palm around his larynx.

"Woah down big man, don't want more trouble than you already have."

"You can't be serious, Poco." The skeleton walked up from behind with Shelly draped over his shoulder. "He tried to shoot you. Twice!" his grip tightened with that statement. Colt began to tap his massive forearm, begging for air.

"Nix," Poco walked close showing Shelly's cold face. "Loosen your grip."

Nix loosened allowing Colt to gasp for air. He let go of Colt completely letting him drop to the ground. Colt dropped to a single knee, coughing as the oxygen flooded his lungs once more.

"Thank...*cough* you. You have... no idea... how embarrassing of a death that would have been." Nix palmed Colt's skull and slammed him against the wall once more. "Oh okay, back against the wall again," he groaned out.

"Shut up." Nix looked off into the stands. "Thanks for the save."

Colt followed his stare as a shadow flew towards them. The person didn't leave the shadows, but Colt could tell they were a female based on the curves of their figure. "Hey there pretty lady, why don't you step out of the shadows so the Coltster can get a look at ya." The shadow leaned forward letting her forehead peek through the shadows. Colt was disappointed to see that her face was hidden underneath a Mysterion mask. 'Damn, can't identify the perps if I can't see their faces,' he thought grumpily. 'Nix and Poco are the two guys. Definitely gonna need to log them into a criminal database under the Gem Bandit files.'

Colt watched as the shadow motioned towards Poco. "She's fine. I just haven't had the time to tend to her."

'She's keeping her voice hidden as well. She might be a problem.' "Come on, I'm not the bad guy here. I'm just a cop doing my job. Creepy skeleton man even sang in his song he doesn't blame me. Right, buddy?"

The three bandits stared at him emptily. "We need to kill him," Nix deadpanned. Colt felt the blood leave his body. He needed to talk and fast.

"You don't wanna kill me. What would you gain?"

"Satisfaction," Nix grumbled under his breath tightening his grip on Colt's skull.

"You kill him," Poco laid Shelly down on the floor. "And the wave of cops that already want her dead will triple."

Opportunity. "Yeah, you kill me and you will never be safe to walk the dunes-"

"I said shut up!" Nix smashed his head into the concrete wall again. "He's seen our faces. He knows our names. Worst of all. He held us at gunpoint. We need to get rid of him."

"Nix," Poco put a hand on his shoulder. "You're angry cause he held Shelly at gunpoint. I get it," Poco tapped his shoulder to gain his attention. Nix looked over at his creepy smile and found solace in his words. "This isn't the way."

Nix looked back at Colt. Colt attempted to smile, showing that he would comply. Nix just ground his head deeper into the wall. "He can't be trusted." He dropped Colt to his feet before pinning him with his hands on his chest. He brought back his free hand, clenching his fists. Colt looked with fear, an aura of death radiating from his fist. "Don't worry you won't feel a thing."

"Wait, I can help you. I have connections. People that I can talk to. I can help you get the best jobs." Colt saw the rage in Nix's face grow with each passing comment. Colt knew that this was it he sighed before letting his body go limp. "Just don't ruin my face. I want an open casket if possible." He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

~--~

"Come on kid, you started with such fire. How come you can't land a single punch?" Crow grabbed two more daggers and threw them towards Sam. He narrowly jumped through the air, twisting his body to avoid the attack. Sam landed on all four limbs preparing for the next attack. He saw Crow dashing in his direction, both hands behind his back. Sam jumped up to his feet rushing in Crow's direction. He leaped into the air looking to land an aerial smash on Crow's skull but met the ground once again.

Crow dashed to the right just before Sam could connect his Hail Mary Slam. He threw three more of his poison-tipped daggers. This time having two connect directly into Sam's arm before he could dodge. Sam groaned in pain removing the daggers, then continued his attack. The entire fight had been Crow staying just out of range of Sam's melee strikes. His evasion was the only thing keeping him ahead. His jaw was still sore from that monstrous punch Sam landed in his makeshift dust storm.

Crow slowed his movements, allowing Sam to get closer. Sam threw two short jabs followed by a quick uppercut that narrowly missed. Crow hopped up into a somersault over Sam. He balanced on Sam's head for a split second with one hand, using the other to slip out another dagger slicing at his cheek. Sam winced in pain at the new cut on his face, a small amount of green ooze seeping into the wound. He felt a hand grip at his backpack before snipping a string and yanking it away from him. He turned to see Crow with his back turned, looking at the night sky, Sam's backpack in hand.

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like," his voice was low and calm. Like he wasn't currently in the middle of a fight. He pointed up to the sky, "To be on the moon. To dance with the stars. I once was able to soar up in the heavens. But now I walk amongst you humans." He turned back to Sam with a sober look on his face. "I honestly don't know which I prefer." Sam paused for a second. For the first time since seeing his face, he didn't see a strange human, bird hybrid. He saw a man. A troubled man searching for something.

Crow threw Sam's bag off to the side. He reached behind his back and pulled out three more blades juggling them absently as he looked back to Sam. "Look kid I like your grit. You have a lot of potential. But you are never gonna beat me. So, let's make a deal. I won't ask any more questions about your little gang of bandits. I won't chase your friends. I'll even spare your life." Crow threw all three blades high into the air, disappearing with the stars. "All you have to do is join me." Crow walked up to Sam with both hands behind his back. Sam took a step back. Crow reached out a single gloved hand. "What do ya say, my apprentice?"

Sam inspected his hands. He couldn't see the glint of a blade up his sleeves. He looked back to his other arm hidden behind his back. Crow took notice and showed both hands. He had no blades in hand. This was a peace offering. Sam could get out of this fight with his life and an amazing teacher. But Crow forgot one thing.

He left himself wide open.

Sam threw another swift jab directly at Crow's broad beak. He knew he had him now. If a person is struck with a hard blow to the nose their vision blurs allowing for an easy follow-up attack. This punch would be the end of this fight.

But his punch never landed. Once again, he saw Crow dip below his jab. For a split-second, Sam swore he saw Crow sigh before rolling backward out of range. Sam couldn't let him get out of range again. He pushed his advantage and ran after him. Just when Crow completed his roll, he looked up at Sam one more time from a crouched position. His eyes showed no form of anger nor enjoyment. Just regret.

Crow launched himself upward into the stratosphere. Sam followed for as long as he could before he lost track of Crow in the night. Sam paced back and forth for a sign of Crow. He took another step back then felt a white-hot pain in his right thigh. He looked down to see a blade lodged in his leg. He screamed with pain as he gripped the foreign object. He was just about to rip it out before another blade appeared in his left leg. Another painful scream escaping him.

The green ooze was pouring directly into his bloodstream. He fell to both knees and groaned in agony at the horrid feeling. He felt his muscles relax as the toxin finally started to take effect. He was losing all his strength now. "I... won't... lose..." he choked out between weak pained sobs. He gripped the blade in his right thigh once again and tried once more to pull it out. An unholy groan leaving his throat as he mustered the strength to rip it out. Only to be quelled by one final blade slipping into his back.

Sam fell silent dropping to the sand. Two feet fell beside him. Crow crouched down to meet his eye level. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shame." Crow walked past Sam; he had finished this fight. Killing the boy would be a waste. If he lived, he could try to convince him to join some other day. If he died, that was just another one to add to the list.

Sam, however, was clinging on to the last inkling of light he could see. 'This is it. This is where I die. In the middle of a town called Oasis. No one can see my final moments.' A tear fell from Sam's cheek as he saw his life flash before his eyes. A young boy that was given everything in his life. Raised by a rich family to be the perfect little boy. He saw the world through a golden lens. His mother and father were happily married. He could have anything he wanted. He could be anything he wanted.

He remembered his father buying him his first SZES. Playing the latest games. Get the cleanest toys. He remembered his first dip into the world of technology. An old Atari that his father had when he was younger was passed down to him so he could tinker with it. The first time he realized that he wanted to explore the world of technology. The first day of the rest of his life.

Or so he thought, then that day came. When he decided to explore the big city all alone and wandered into the ghettos. He saw the horrible lives those people lived. The shoddy housing, the dangerous street corners, the broken-down stores. He saw his first dead body on that day. A young black man, laying against the wall clutching his stomach while a red liquid escaped his wound.

The man saw Sammy and started to laugh. "Hey kid, come here." Sam started to tear up as he backed away from the man. "Don't worry," he showed his blood-soaked hand, "Not like I could hurt ya if I wanted to."

Against his better judgment, Sam approached the dying man. The man patted the ground beside him. Sam fell to his knees, blood staining his jeans. "Tell me kid what's your name."

"My momma said not to talk to strangers."

"Kid you look smart enough to see... I ain't gonna be around for much longer. Grant a dead man that one request?"

"...Sam"

"Rollins. Maxwell Rollins. Well Sam I ain't never seen you in the ghettos before. Where ya from."

"T-Tall Oaks."

"Hahaha, Tall Oaks? So, you're a rich kid."

"Momma says we are just blessed."

"Yeah, it must be a blessing to have it that easy kid." Sam and Maxwell sat in silence for a while. Maxwell started to cough up some blood scaring Sam even more. Sam started to break down into tears. "Hey, Sam, what ya crying for. I'm the one in pain."

Sam choked out a response, "Wh-Why... Why is this part of the town so sad? Why... can't everyone be happy like we are at my house? Nobody hurts each other at home. Isn't this your home?"

Maxwell just smiled down at Sam. He took his clean hand and ruffled Sam's hair. "Kid, nobody is truly happy." Maxwell reached into his pocket and handed Sam a tissue. Sam looked up and saw a bottle of water with some crackers. He looked at Maxwell and saw him rummaging through a bag. Maxwell turned back to him with a faint smile, a small trail of blood leaking from his mouth. "Go ahead, I was gonna eat it later, but it's better used than wasted."

Sam took a sip of the water. Seeing that it was safe he continued to eat and drink while soft whimpers escaped his chest. "Why is it so bad here."

"Kid, it's bad everywhere." He looked down at Sam. "It's even bad at your house."

"No it isn't, my family is the best."

"Tell me, Sam, do you like to explore?" Sam nodded his head. "Do you like to stick your nose into places it doesn't belong?" Sam shook his head. "Well, maybe you should try it. Next time mom or dad tell you to go to your room, don't. When it's time to go to sleep. Stay up. Listen closely to the walls. Sneak around the house. You might find something interesting. But be aware, the world is not as pretty as you think. If you're ready to see the truth then take my advice. If you wanna keep living a lie, stay in your room." Maxwell opened his fist to show a small shard of glass. A drop of blood staining it. "This will help ya peek around corners without anyone noticing. Plus, it makes a great self-defense tool. In this world, there are always gonna be people stronger than you. But if you're smarter nothing will be able to beat you. Now shoo." He waved his hand in Sam's direction ushering him away. "A kid with such a bright future shouldn't have to see a man's light leave his eyes. Not yet."

Sam slowly rose, a shaky breath rocking his core. He dropped down to his knees again, "I can help you, Mr. Rollins. I can go get help." He turned back to the street. He saw several people walking past. Most didn't take notice of the interaction deep inside the dark alley. A few noticed and quickly turned away to avoid an interaction. "I can-"

*chlk*

Sam turned around to the tip of a gun barrel. He looked past and saw Maxwell with a cold stare.

"Go."

Sam started to cry again before he began his run through the streets. The glass in his hands felt especially cold to the touch. His bloodstained jeans were strangely warm. When he returned home his parents started to fawn over him. Pampering him as they pleaded where he ran to. His father gave him the punishment of no dinner tonight for running off without a trace, but his Mom just continued to care for him the entire day. Even sneaking snacks throughout the night. His mother kissed him goodnight, but he couldn't sleep. Something kept nagging him deep inside his mind.

'Kid, it's bad everywhere... listen closely to the walls.'

Sam got up from his bed and put his ear to the wall adjacent to his parents' room. "Is he asleep?" he heard his dad's voice grumble.

"Y-Yes"

"Did you give him a snack?"

"Yes..."

Sam heard something smack against a table. Or was it the floor? "Dammit woman if you keep babying him he is never going to grow a backbone."

"He's ten."

"When I was ten, I had already cut my first deal with my fifth-grade teacher to get straight A's in exchange for keeping her dirty secrets. If he wants to get into the family business, he needs to toughen up. Did you see the blood on his pants? He saw something today, he's almost ready."

"I will not let you corrupt my son with your dirty business."

"This business is the only thing keeping the food on the table. You have no right to make demands when all you do is live off me. The only reason I keep your worthless ass around is so you can take care of him during the day."

"You won't talk to me like I'm less than human."

*SMACK*

Sam recoiled at the sound of flesh meeting face. "You are a bitch and nothing but, do you understand!" Sam pulled away from the wall tucking his head deep under his covers. He didn't wanna believe what he just heard. He tried his best to sleep but his dreams plagued him with nightmares.

Suddenly he started to see the world differently. He started to walk in on his mother and father fighting more. He watched as his father would beat on her in their bedroom. He saw her consuming prescription pills and random herbs she would buy from strange men that visited the house. He saw his father with dirty looking men in the sitting room. Passing money under the table. The little boy Sammy watched as the world he knew crumbled.

It all boiled over one night. Sam's father was having guests over that night and he was told to go to his room and go to sleep. He took Maxwell's advice and stayed up listening in on the conversations. He couldn't hear exactly what they were talking about, but he heard his father tell someone, "to the back." Sam ran to a window facing the backyard and looked in the reflection of his mirror. He couldn't see it clearly, but he did see two men push some guy to the ground. They pointed an object at the man before a small popping sound could be heard. One man dragged the body away while the other grabbed the water hose and washed the area he landed in.

Sam cried himself to sleep that night. There was no such thing as happiness. There was no perfect world. He wasn't blessed with a perfect life. He had just been living the perfect lie.