OVERTURE
Many Thousands of Years Ago
They were defeated.
The utterly shattered army was driven back by a vastly superior force. The great demon wars for Earth were drawing to a close. The dawn of the age of humanity was getting nearer and nearer.
It was a time of great turmoil. A time of massive change. Gods and Higher Powers battled furiously, waging a savage war that threatened to tear the very fabric of the universe to shreds.
One of the armies of evil was defeated not by a force of good, but by another force of evil.
The battle had been one of the fiercest ever seen, both sides determined, pouring everything they had to be the one to come out on top when it was all over.
The skies burned bright. Gigantic explosions rippled though the air and across the devastated land.
It seemed like the battle lasted forever, for an eternity.
Both sides blasting and pounding and smashing and crashing. But eventually one of them had to win. And one of them had to lose.
The banner of the victors flew high as the defeated were banished from the earth forever. The banner had three creatures emblazoned on it.
A Wolf.
A Ram.
And a Hart.
They had won and they had moved on to the next conflict.
The wars continued for many many many years.
But in the end demons were almost completely driven from the Earth. The darkest powers, the most powerful of the evils were cast out.
The time had come for the humans to seize the earth. The forces of evil would ever give up, but now at least they were scattered across the higher, and lower planes of existence.
Humanity now had a chance to grow.
But that force defeated by the Wolf, Ram and Hart left something behind. Something that remained dormant. A presence. A power. A way back in when enough time had passed.
When events allowed for a second opportunity to take control of the Earth.
The world forgot the age of the epic wars. The world forgot the defeated.
Some of the dark forces found ways to remain on the earth. One of these groups evolved and became one of the world's most prominent law firms.
2004
Welcome to the City of Angels.
He looked out across the city, the city on the brink of turning from day into night, the final rays of sun shining orange, like heavenly spotlights from the horizon. Los Angeles, a place of darkness even on the brightest day. At night, it got a whole lot darker. When the everyday people went to bed the city became the haunt of the creatures of the night. The view across the cityscape was incredible. A view he was starting to get used to.
He was wearing a long black coat, black pants, black shirt and black shoes. The theme was definitely: Black. Being here was a new start, a new beginning. As he looked out he couldn't help but wonder how all of this would turn out in the end. This would have consequences, consequences that would change the whole world, would effect the balance of everything. The choices, the decisions, everything that had brought him here was on his mind as he looked out of the window. This city was the beginning. This city would also be the end.
The man's name was Adrian Wallace. He was looking out of the window of his classy, insanely expensive downtown hotel suite. He slipped out his cell phone and dialed. After a single ring the call was answered. "Begin phase one," he said and then ended the conversation, slipping the phone back into his pocket. The time of destiny had arrived, the mission his family had lived for since the ancient times was about to begin.
xXxXxXx
Her condition hadn't changed. It never did. Staff Nurse Alyssa Sanchez always felt odd around her. She had cared for many coma patients over the years, but none made her feel as uneasy as this young woman did. The name on the chart was Cordelia Chase. There was nothing in particular that made her different from any other patient, but being in a room alone with her gave Alyssa the oddest sense of something terribly wrong; not something physical, rather something more shadowy.
But today something was different. Today there was no such feeling, today she was like any normal coma patient. She somehow looked different too. Less…distant; this was silly though. The patient was always distant, as distant as you could get without being dead. Alyssa gave her one last glance before leaving the room. Cordelia Chase lay still. The nurse for some reason was expecting her to move. But she didn't. The patient remained perfectly still, eyes closed. As always. Alyssa shrugged and mentally told herself off for being so weird, for thinking such ridiculous things. She went out of the room and closed the door.
A few seconds after the nurse left there was a sudden change in the patient's condition.
The index finger of Cordelia's right hand twitched.
xXxXxXx
The figure was wearing robes of an earthy red color. The hood was up, concealing his face. In his hands he was carrying a box roughly the size of a soccer ball. It was a perfect cube, made of dark wood with dull metal trimming. Symbols were deeply carved into the four side surfaces of the cube, the top and bottom were marked with a big orange circle. Slowly, purposefully, the figure walked up to the building. He opened one of the huge glass doors and entered the building's lobby. The security guard looked up from behind his desk.
"Can I help you sir?" He asked. The figure ignored him and continued walking. The figure stopped in the middle of the empty lobby and set the box down on the floor. He began to chant.
"Sir," the security guard stood, hand drifting towards his gun holster. The figure continued speaking in a language the guard didn't recognize. The guard hit the silent alarm, in seconds the lobby would be crawling with security personnel. "Sir, stop what you're doing, and raise your hands above your head." The guard started to approach the figure, drawing his gun and flicking off the safety. The figure still paid no heed to the guard. The guard took aim. "Stop, or I will fire." The box suddenly flashed a blinding green, the guard raised his arms to shield his eyes, but he wasn't quick enough.
His eyes stung, his vision obstructed by a green haze. Slowly the brightness faded and when he could see again he saw that the box was glowing with a mysterious green light. The guard brought his gun up again. He heard the ding that signaled the elevator's arrival and he heard the footsteps of the additional security. Now the figure turned towards him. He reached up and pulled back the hood, revealing a heavily scarred human face.
"Get whoever's in charge down here now," the robed man commanded. A sly smile started to spread across his lips. He looked at the sign on the wall behind the guard, proclaiming the name of the organization that was housed in this building. "And tell them to hurry, the lives of everyone in this city depends on it." The sign spelled out in clear white letters: Wolfram and Hart Attorneys at Law.