{{Behind the Scenes}}
{{National Mall}}
{{Washington, DC}}

“Not this building, babe. It’s around the other side.”

Greg sighed, “You said the Smithsonian, this is the Smithoniian.”

Callie shook her head, “This is the Museum. There are about 100 buildings in the city owned by the Smithsonian Institute. That’s one of them, but that’s the museum. I need one of the research buildings.”

Greg put the car back in gear, and drove around. Callie kept looking at her phone. As they drove around the national mall, she finally pointed, “Okay, here.” 

Greg pulled into an open spot that was close to the door. They both got out. They didn’t have the children with them, they were back at the hotel with Gaius and Joseph, they’re paragon powered regular babysitters. 

Callie was in the lead. She was quick to get to the door, power walking to the door. She put her phone up to a security pad, and the NFC read off a security app on it unlocked the door with an audible click. 

“Come on, slowpoke. I shut the door; it'll lock again.”

Greg slipped through the door quickly behind her, nudging it with his elbow to ensure it didn’t close and clip him. 

Callie was rushing down the only thing that was through the door… a stairwell heading down in that industrial old-school 1900s type of stairwell. Back when this building was actually made. 

Greg was right behind her, keeping pace. 

They were here to get something, and it involved the Order, which Callie technically still worked for. The organization that Ian Childress still runs from Dallas. 

{{The Promo Pt 1}}

Greg is sitting in a chair. TV’s around him. Something he used to do as Testuo Oni III, and he’s done it a handful of times since then. He’s in jeans and a Bad Company T-Shirt, and sunglasses.

The TV Screens show things from recent history in the CWF. Greg beating Tarrasque. Father Nathan being Eoin O’Rourke, Apathy failing to capture the Conquest Championship from Samael Drago. Drago beating Abby Dresden for that title belt. Greg falling to Kreigson. 

But more importantly the two bigger screens, closest to where Greg sits, are showing the aftermath of the black rain at Civil Warfare, and the moment Annika Deveroux disappeared during it. 

Greg has his fingers in a steeple in front of him, “I have sworn against the Eternal Grove, but so far the ONLY person who has accepted my help is Father Nathan. Nathan is a good man. And well, he’s the Elite Champion now thanks to the Eternal Grove. 

Not to take anything away from him, he’s a hell of a combatant and wrestler. And other than that, I’ve not got one thing against him. He and I have spoken. We know who got involved. We know what happened.  He won, they helped. But he was their primary target.

Since that day I’ve been involved with the grove. Yes, I failed to topple Viktor Kriesgon… but I didn't fail to topple their latest acquisition, Tarrasque.”

He doesn’t smile, doesn’t smirk. His face remains neutral.

But he continues, “Now this coming Warzone, it’s me and the woman who calls herself Apathy. Elizabeth Deveroux-O’Rourke. An impressive woman, as of late. When she got started here she was hit or miss, usually miss. 

But then she got the valor title, the only CWF title to avoid me so far. 

But I’m not here to talk about titles. I’m here to talk about you… your daughter. And maybe even your prick of a husband. 

Yeah, I don't like him. Never interacted with you. And as a new father to a baby girl… I commiserate on the loss of your daughter. 

Although… with how much she was playing around with the Grove… and the fact I”ve not seen anything from you, or him on it really since Civil Warfare… I wonder if she was abducted or ran away from home. 

Are we going to have an announcement that she and Samael have eloped or something soon?

The problem we have, is that like my match with Father Nathan, which turned into a shit show full of Eternal Grove members… This match is bait for them. You should know it, I know it. The crowd will know it. The Eternal Grove knows it. 

I like them less than I like your husband. I’ve offered my assistance. But so far only the good father and I have spoken. I know my people will be there to help. To help me if there is trouble.

I’m going to get the bullshit out of the way here. It’s not too late. So I will extend my hand to you when this match starts. I don’t mind being in for a fight. I don’t mind being in this match up. But how you take that offer of my hand will determine what I do when they show up. 

Cause what I’m about to say to you, it’s even more bait:

You shake my hand, they come out. I’m back to back with you until the reinforcements get there. 

You don’t… I’m fighting my own way out and leaving you for the fucking wolves. It’s that simple. To quote something the good father would tell you, God helps those who help themselves, right?

I’m not a god. But that would be the person to learn from. 

And the good father has had words to me about you… Kronin as well. Hell, I’ve even spoken to Valora… your reputation does proceed you.

You’re not the most trustworthy, are you, Liz? And well, some might say you deserve an “I Love Myself Jacket”... but you are someone who goes by the name: Apathy. 

You don’t care about anyone else, but yourself.

Maybe why we’ve not heard much about your missing daughter.

Although maybe we should be looking around Vegas for her. Drago has not been seen for a while either… they’re consummating? Maybe? Egh, okay really shouldn’t think about things like that.”

{{Behind the Scenes}}
{{The Order’s Research Center}}
{{The Smithsonian Institute}}
{{Washington, DC}}

They’d gone down a good Ten Levels until they got to the old hallways and corridors. Down in this part of the building were archives and a couple of document research labs… And one other place. 

Callie and Greg walked in, and there was a whole modern day clear room, with robotic hands, and other implements that neither of them would really understand. 

Callie had her degrees in book study stuff: Archeology, Sociology and Ancient Civilizations. But this room did things she did not understand: Chemistry, physics, and their subsects that intersected with the magickal realm. 

Greg stopped when they entered and he saw everyone else was wearing labcoats, and a couple over by a workstation of some kind with a large clear plastic containment area, 

A technician looked up from where he was working on a laptop and put up a hand, “Hey, stop. What are you doing in here?”

Callie pulled a small wallet like thing from her back pocket. She flipped it open, “Field Research Lead Calleen Salazar. I’m here to pick up something for Director Childress.” 

The technician was still putting their hand up, “You can’t be in there. This is a controlled facility….” 

Then a voice spoke, one both Calie and Greg knew from their past. 

“It’s okay. I’ve got this one… “ 

Greg looked first. 

It was Callie’s old commander, Sheila Rhodes, “Callie, over here. “

The technician looked between Callie and Sheila and shook his head, “So much for security. What the fuck.” 

Rhodes just gave the guy a look, “This one is important. They were told to come here, just not protocol. She’s a book worm, not a tech.”

The guy shook his head, “Still… if this was 20 years ago she’d have had a bullet in her.”

Greg shook his head, “He’s not wrong. Proper security… “

Sheila laughed, “Sorry Marine, we do things here a certain way. But we found something….And it deals with you two.”

Callie turned to look at Sheila, “ What’s up? I was told you guys had the test results on the Black Rain samples.” 

Sheila shrugged, “We have that. But that was sent through the normal computer channels. We have a fucking network for a reason. No… this is just one part of this thing down here. We wrok with the Men in Black types with the Smithsonian. We’ve been going through their 127 million things that aren’t in the museum and we found something.”

Greg smirked, “Something old, and something you need us to look at to figure out what the fuck it is?”

Callie smirked with him, “And something that taking it out of here puts it in prime candidacy for a certain bitch of a fallen angel to try to scoop up?”

Sheila nodded, “Oh, three points for Gryffindor…”

Greg laughed, “She always tests Hufflepuff. I’ve tested both Gryff and Slytherin. Don’t know why.”

Rhodes shook her head and pinched her nose, “I thought I was done working with you, Gregory. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Greg shrugged, “Can’t always help it. I’m Drain Bramaged… Marine, right?”

He mispronounced Brain Damage like an old comedy routine from Eddie Murphy. 

“Come on, to the archives. Let’s get this out of the way while you’re here.”

{{The Promo Pt. II}}

Greg is still in that chair, the screens still playing their videos. 

He starts again, “Now, Elizabeth… Liz? Beth? Tell me… what is your plan when it comes to the Eternal Grove? I mean they’ve pretty much outdone you and your husband at every turn. You’ve been as consequential to their plans as a fart in the park. 

Drago is still on top. 

Vespertine is still corrupting people and influencing others. Yes, I helped put Jeremiah Vastrix in the owner box. Got rid of the Von Krausses. Then he starts playing hide the zucchini with her.  But at least he’s recently come to see the light thanks to Valora and Childress. But Vespertine already used him for what she wanted. 

Tarrasque didn’t get a good start, due to me. Kriegson has to face my brother in arms again on this cycle.

Note: Viktor… the rest of us are there as well. I’ll be watching. Kara will be watching. 

But back to you Liz: What is your plan? Drago beat you. I understand you want another shot. But the damage is already done. They took your daughter. They harmed a lot of people. But we can’t discount what has happened so far: 

They’re winning. 

But only by having the Conquest title. 

Vespertine got the Valor title back, and then lost it again. Nash is trying to get the Skirmish championship. But can she do it? We’ll see.

But that leads us to what they don’t have… 

That Skirmish belt is in the hands of young Ms. McClancy. It won’t be easy to get it off of her. Not without the shitbirds cheating their asses off. 

Father Nathan beat your hubby, Liz… and still holds the Elite Title. I expect them to send Kriegson after it next. He’s their last real chance. Maybe Vespertine as well. We know she has a violent streak. But her against the good Father? Yeah… she’ll get that Left Hand of God and convert.

And the other two belts? Valor… Rayven Reinhardt. Bad Company. I must say, for a rookie, my surrogate niece as far as I’m concerned, she’s doing great. But they can’t cheat to get that. And if they tried… we will fuck them up. 

And the tag team titles, won by Kara and Rayven… solidly in Bad Company’s hands. Rayven currently has another title and Kara is about to finally get her wish. So anyone going after Tag Team Belts probably just needs to realize that it’ll be me and Kronin by default. 

But Liz… think about it as well. We could be helping you, but just like Eoin got all selfish for the Elite Belt and refused the good father’s help… you’re also looking at being in Kara’s crosshairs with Drago. And that’s not a good spot to be in.

You want that Conquest Belt, and she beat Valora and now has earned a shot at any belt she wants. 

You think she wants the Valor title? Nope. 

You think she wants the Elite Title back? Doubt it.

No… if Kara is smart, and I know her to be so… she’s going to go after the Conquest Belt. The only one that really matters. The one that allows the Eternal Grove to get away with what they do get away with. 

Now you could say: Why not just fight the Grove on our own. We’re the good guys. 

We are. But you know what, it’s about time some of you other chuckle fucks out there did something. But, we know how you did it , LIz. 

You dropped the ball. And then they took your daughter.

Maybe working with you wouldn’t be the best. I mean, your’e not actually thought of as being a team player. Your own team composed of your own family is doing great… right? 

If their job was what we call ‘shitting the bed’ in the Marines.”

{{Behind the Scenes}}
{{The Order’s Research Center}}
{{The Smithsonian Institute}}
{{Washington, DC}}

Sheila brought Callie and Greg into a large storage room, a warehouse underground. There were rows of high heavy duty shelving units. They were old, made from galvanized steel, and the old military gray paint was peeling in spots.

It took a bit to get where they were going. Beyond those 30 foot high shelves, there was a large raised dias like thing. On top of it, with lights shining down from four corners was a large stone relief. It had been broken free from where it had been carved, and wasn’t in one piece. The angles on the pieces were angular and man made. 

Someone had found it, cut it out of the side of some big rock or mountain, and then moved the smaller pieces. 

The relief showed people, with multiple wings, hovering above something that looked like a city or town below. The winged ones seemed to be throwing things down at the city, various forms of destruction raining down upon the people below. 

Callie’s eyes were wide, even before she realized what was fully on the collection of cut stones. She inhaled sharply, the person with a masters in archeology. She was up next to it and studying it visually, she’d not reach out to touch it yet. 

Greg whistled, “Whoah, where did you get that?”

Sheila chuckled, “Where did we get it or the people we got it from?”

Callie confirmed, “You first.”

Sheila walked around the other side, “An old train found in Poland in 1955. It had been parked inside a mountain tunnel and buried via a liberal application of dynamite. Post War treasure hunters found it and called the local government. The first team found this and called the Smithsonian.”

Callie looked up at that, “So it was…”

Sheila continued, “It originated from Bres, France. Possibly from the old submarine base that has the German Sub Pens. It was en route to Berlin when the war stopped, and they had decided to drop a mountain on top of it.”

Greg was now studying it. “And where does it originate?” 

Sheila sighed, “Paperwork with it was mostly burnt, standard destruction protocol. But what we have theorized from what we could piece together was it came from the Antarctic Base in New Shawenland that we never confirm actually existed.”

Greg and Callie were both looking the thing over. 

Two of the figures were whole, except where they had been cut to move the thing. One of the figures, their face had been destroyed with deep gouges and what looked like something chemical. 

Sheila walked over to where Callie was standing and pointed to the top, “It’s a proto-Akkadian, really old. Might even pre-date Bayblon under Nimrod. We’ve deciphered two names thanks to the notes that were with it, and other things we have in here.”

“What, or who are they?” Callie asked

Sheila pointed to the top left, “That one is Balaat Asherhu.”

Callie froze, staring at where Sheila pointed at what were Akkadian, or proto-Akkadian letters. 

Greg got that look, Asherhu was very close to Asherah, the lost angel that was bonded to Callie.

Sheila turned to Greg and explained, “Ballat is the female form of Baal. So lady as in a title, where Baal is lord.”

Greg’s eyebrows furrowed, “So the big bad god in the bible was called just ‘Lord’?”

Callie kept the explanation going, “Yes. Which is funny cause that’s what they call the other god now. But it’s not that messed up. Where the bible uses Elohim, the Akkadians and similar used the Baalim.”

“Lords and Ladies?” Greg asked.

Callie nodded, “Yeah. Baal Hadad was the one the Bible uses just Baal for. He was a god of what we would call bad weather, but a lot of people like me, who study this shit… in the dessert, Thunder means rain is coming which means plants are about to get watered and the river, stream and lake refilled.”

Greg just had to nod at that. 

“Who is the other ones? The unfucked one first…” He then asked. 

Sheila pointed, “Yal-de-beh-off.” 

Greg knew that word, the god that eventually became Yahweh.  Because he knew that one he filled in the dots, “The war god, who became somethign else when he convinced others he was the ONLY god.”

Sheila smiled, “Oh, more points for Gryffindor! How many crayons did it take to get that one to light up for you?”

Callie actually glared at Shilea, “You know that’s kinda not cool. He completed his degree last year. Just cause he was a Marine doesn’t mean he’s dumb.”

“Oh, he did? What did he get? Education? Gunna be a football coach in Jr. High when your boy gets old enough?” 

Greg went to open his mouth, but his wife was first, “Criminal Psychology. You know the people who tell former feds like yourself how to catch the bad guys based on how they operate.”

Sheila looked… impressed and put her hands up, “Okay, okay. I’ll stop. You do realize I’m more than a former fed. I was in the Army, part of the Criminal Investigation Division, Counter Intelligence Command. Just jokes between former service members.”

Greg defused, “All good. I got the super soldier serum infused crayons. Don’t worry, I can give as good as I can take.”

Sheila laughed, “I know. Why I never told you who I was with when we were working together in the field. But, back to the next obvious question… the third, the one in the middle. Name… erased, face erased. This is why you’re here.”

Callie looked, examining the relief again, “Who do you think it is?”

Sheila shrugged, “We think it’s Greg.”

Greg did a doubletake, and then stared at it, “All three are drawn… carved really, equal. Equal height, center is a few inches taller, because his feet are a few inches higher… if you measure them, I bet they’re really close.”

Sheila looked it over, “You’re more than likely right. So right I’d not put money against it. So they’re equals. We know Yal-de-be-off and Asherah, HIS Asherah… were a couple. Husband and wife. There is a third deity, usually equated to Baal that is in there as well… a throuple. But the two brothers started to really not get along… she was the reason.”

Callie smirked, “She favored one over the other. Led to war between gods, and…”

Greg cut her off, “And one of them being erased. So is that Baal Hadad or someone or something else?”

“Don’t know. But, you both have ways of knowing. Callie has bonded with multiple parts of Asherah. You… we don’t know. But you’ve got enough in you that you took out one of the 5. You have the spear. And you’re still a damn big questionmark.”

“Not a big one. I know right now I’m the same thing as Eve is, Eschiel actually. More than a Paragon. I’m an Archon, technically based on what Eschiel told me, so is Callie. That is until we find all of our missing parts.”

“Missing parts?” Shiela got very interested really quick. 

Callie sighed, “I’m missing Eshiel herself, and Astaroth. Who is imprisoned.”

Greg looked up at the carved relief, “I don’t know who I’m missing, But I have my guesses. I was given a few books to look in. But they’re not easy to find. One of them was written by Eve herself while Adam was on his death bed. She also mentioned the… nag… “

“Nag Hammadi, “ Callie added. 

“Yeah, that book.”

“We have copies of both down here… now I wonder what Director Childress’ actual orders are. Were you supposed to see this and give us answers, or were you sent here for research material.”

Greg laughed, “Porque no los dos?”

A phrase that meant “why not both” based on an old commercial with a little girl talking about hard and soft tacos.

“Porque no los dos,” Sheila confirmed.

{{Promo Part III}}

Yes, Greg is still sitting there. The screens are still going. 

“So, Liz… Apathy. It’s you and me in the ring. You’ve got a hell of a job ahead of you in this. I’m not the easiest target. I’m not the five people you beat as the Valor Champion. I’m the ONLY person in the fed here who has an actual honest win over  your nemesis right now. 

Yes, a loss to Kriegson aside, I’m the only one so far who had Drago’s number. The only one, and even right after he’d won the big rumble match entering at #1. 

In fact, because Drago has not been able to actually put me down or shut me up on that, he’s gotta realize… Until someone else beats him, I’m the biggest fight of your CWF Career that you’ve not had yet.

I’ve spoken about how we could be allies. How we could be helping each other with our common goals. 

The proper saying is: Amicus meus, inimicus inimici mei.

My friend, the enemy of my enemy. We don’t have to like each other. We don’t have to go out and get a drink together. But like Europe, the US and the Soviet Union in World War II we could team up and beat a bitch, right?

But that’s all on you right now. Eoin is a prick. We know this, you know this. Annika is gone. 

You’re the leader, we know this. The world knows this. Eoin couldn’t lead his way out of a wet paper bag in a puddle of water. You make the decisions. You decide. 

The offer is on the table. 

But you have the other part to think about as well… HOW will it look, if you’re wanting to challenge for the Conquest Title again if you lose to… me? While I was the first ever Conquest Champion. I’m not an easy opponent.

If you can beat me, then maybe you’re ready for another chance. 

Time to lace up your boots, Liz. But what happens in that ring, that’s going to be up to you. Are we going to have a contest of potential allies, or are you batting our hands aside, and saying you don’t want help?

It’s an option to say no. But if you do… you’re going into your future battle for your daughter, or the conquest title on your own. And is that a spot you really want to be in right now?

See you in DC, Liz. Time for the biggest fight of your CWF Career.”

{{End}}