1 Richard, into the Fray

"The kids are doing just fine Veela." Richard said to his wife. She gave him a simple nod as she moved on her way merrily with the others. "Haa, she is at least cutting loose after all that stress accumulated."

"You better not be thinking about telling her to leave that job again." Rexford came up to his side worried a little. "She likes to stay busy and staying home is not good for her. Suprised you managed to even get her to marry you back then."

*Tap!* He punched his older friend in the arm jokingly.

"Well, we made some beautiful kids together and I know she only upset when her Partners at the Firm get on her case to be home more. The kids were more for me than her anyway." Richard folded his arms shifting his weight towards Rexford. "What I don't get, why did you encourage her to have kids? Even heard you were trying to get the others to do the same. It is so weird considering.."

"Considering the life I live, yeah I know. Just know it was for a reason." Grabbing his phone, he checked a message that was not good at all. "Damn it, the Invitro failed for again."

"Paying people to have your kids is weird man, how much money have you put towards this already?" Richard gave him a cross look. Only knowing a little about the details himself.

"They did not fail with myself, it was other donors used." Putting the phone away, he gave his long-time friend a half-ass smile. "Only a couple Billion in this project overall. Don't give me that look man. A few people do want to help with the hard stuff."

"I swear you make money as fast as you spend it." Richard and Valencia had money but it was all spent on Real Estate and his work with Technology. "The Mercenary work..."

"Don't ask about it unless you coming back into the fold to help." He stopped him then and there. "Don't forget what happened to Mira because of her half in work and just miscommunication."

"Is that the reason she left you at the Altar?"

"You do not want to go there." Rexford took a step forward but was grabbed on the shoulder strongly. "You are asking a question you don't want the answer to. I am serious."

"Haa, it has been over a year already man. Close to two years since the split." Richard was not going to let this go. Especially with how hard it was to see Rexford again the last few months with everything going on. "Is she even alive?"

"Nope, dead." Rexford gave him a neutral look which unnerved Richard a little. "Leroy, took her life. Fucked him up a little that he had to do it. Glad he did though." With the grip slack, he took a few steps forward.

"Get real!" Richard's voice was loud, drawing the attention of several people on the streets. "Know way you mean that!"

"She betrayed me and every one of us." Rexford gave him a pained look as his fists balled up tightly. "Mira.. she wanted to ought the group. Out us thinking we went to far. Even after we turn the evidence in proving we were not the ones at fault with what happened in Iran."

Besides the strain it caused the group of close-knit friends, it also cut Rexford's ties with religion. Which defintely took a beating over the years and personal choices made.

"What happened there!?" Richard knew something twisted happen to a bunch of them who went. That was three years ago and what caused most in the group to take a step back to ore support work. "Valencia did not come back the same from that trip!"

"Haaa.." Rexford felt a little lightheaded before blinking a few times. He thought he saw a few shadows moving on the street. "..a few human sacrifices, kids being fed.. human remains in a kennel, and the biggest human trafficking operation in the world."

"This got Mira killed?" Richard seriously doubted that was enough. "There has to be more than that."

"Few of the mercenaries involved.. belonged to my old Unit." Rexford's words were bitter bordering on hatred. A bout of dizziness came over before it was pushed away. "I had just taken a job with them a month prior, Mira didn't believe in coincidence and actually thought I was double-dipping. Even thought I was using her to keep my cover."

"After all the years you two knew each other, what could you have possibly done to warrant suspicion?"

"That's just it, I still have know idea to this day." Rexford shook his adamantly. "Hell, all the work I did was transparent and she accessed to all the Systems we used. Maybe it was just because she was angry and emotions were running high with her and Valencia at the time."

"Shit!" Richard had a very bad thought cross his mind just then. "Mira had called her about having cold feet, that conversation did not go well at all from what I heard."

"Well, Mira is dead now, not much to do about that right now." Rexford shook his head wanting to actually have a few drinks now to forget the current conversation. "Illegal work comes back to bite one in the end they always say."

"How are you Leroy still as thick as thieves?" If someone killed Valencia, there was no way Richard would be able to forgive them. "I don't ever remember you and him getting into a fight the last few years either."

"Leroy was forced to kill one of our best friends, to make sure the rest of us didn't go to jail and undo years worth of work. Kill one to save thousands, not a hard choice to make." Rexford shrugged. "Maybe I never really loved her anyway, definitely makes sense I would only have anger left for her."

"Yet you still continue the dream you all shared." Richard gave a bitter-sweet smile as he moved pass him. "After this, let's talk in a better situation. Go over what happened carefully back then. I am sure Valencia has the files tucked away somewhere."

Staring at his friends' heavy shoulders as he moved, Rexford really hope there would be a later to talk. He did just break one of his rules by informing Richard that Leroy killed Mira.

"Ughh!" A searing headache assaulted Rexford but passed quickly. A few drops of blood dripped from his nose but vanished in the air. "What the hell!?"

*Rip!* A black tear opened up in the sky. It swallowed up various people including his friends inside. Rexford couldn't even budge standing there watching them get dragged away. Then he saw the moving darkness shake the Dimension altogether.

"The Unending Army... shit." His fist balled up ready to fight. Common sense could not prevent him from charging at the mass of intangible darkness. 'They are all gone.. just like that!'

*Shine!* A golden light pulsed from the tear's in the sky. Rexford could see his friends floating before various "lights" snatched them all away. The streetlights in the area were all out and the only sound to be heard belong to the regular people pulled out of th collapsed space.

"Where did they take them?!" Rexford almost demanded. Black Gold energy wafted off his body. The power of his soul pushing hard against the confines of the Dimension. He was starting to become a threat to the very Aspects that held the Dimension togethor here. "Bring them back!" He shouted fiercely.

Richard, despite being in the light looked to be coming back out. It was only a few seconds of unimaginable pain before his body disintegrated into ash and the soul was damaged from the process.

"I am not the one that took them." Destiny's gold robes fluttered while it moved around the area. Each lift of the hand, and the terrain returned to normal a little. "The various Pantheons actually saved them from the Unending Army's plans. You should be happy or at least grateful."

"Grateful!? They have kids damn it! Veela (Valencia) has twins waiting on her at home! Leroy Practice was just getting to the point he wanted! Hector has so many families that depend on him!" Rexford screamed despite the pain of his voice. He started to shake with uncontrollable rage. Which only made matters worse. "Break the rules and bring them back!"

"I will not." Destiny moved around the area waving its hands once more. Restoring the "tear" in the Dimension from the Undending Army and the Pantheon's actions. "They were supposed to die here back then a year ago but you.. you altered their Fate. Which is still causing trouble in other Dimensions."

"Then let me do the work for all of them then!" Rexford finally felt the pain in his chest spread to every limb of his body. "Just let.. me.. do.. it.." Blood started coming from his eyes and ears. He did not belong in the Dimension anymore.

"It does not work that way." Destiny's voice actually sounded a little regretful. Almost, if one listened well enough. "They will save multiple Dimensions and their children here.." Rexford's eyes shined in malice staring at Destiny. ".. will be safe and help stabilize Earth if need be. But I see nothing of the sort happening here that will need that to happen. They did not have enough "children" and "change" enough to anchor to this life. But what their children will have learned, and what you have set up will give them that opportunity. But that is only because their parents are now dead here."

Destiny's eyes shined as different Scenarios played out in an instant. The best outcome was that the parents never returned. Considering they were supposed to die a year ago, it was more than they were entitled to. Some people were just better off dead for the sake of others.

By the looks of it, Rexford was understanding that in the back of his mind. Considering the number of bodies under his belt and a few of his friends, they already lived that type of lifestyle.

*Thump!* Rexford dropped to his knees in pain. Visibly, his very flesh started to peel away. His soul to powerful for his human body. In the corner of his eye, he saw a woman come over in a purple toga with black hair. The tan skin looked lovely the more he stared.

Richard Soul moved through the Void between Dimensions unprotected. The Unending Army almost grabbing him once more before a violent hand cut across shielding the damaged soul.

'What.. is thi..' Unable to form even full thoughts, the man could no longer actually comprehend the pain involved.

The strike that saved Richard sent his soul traveling through the void further and removing the threat of the enemy getting him. However, it also removed the chance for nay passing Deities to offer a helping hand.

"Now, that will not do." A golden radiance wrapped the dissipating soul and sent it towards a Cluster od Collapsing Dimensions. Several that were currently eating away at each other with the ever-increasing changing Origins and the increase of "Faith" from the Earth Richard came from. "Better than wiping out, to save a few by other Champions. Best of luck my child. This is all I can do for you."

A Destiny's golden radiance disappears into the distance, the Deity that was drawn to Richard years ago finds him and prevents the final bit of trouble from occurring. The is Deity is with another of its Pantheon having already saved Valencia easily enough when everything happened.