Hey guys. I'm not dead after all.
I've just been very busy with life in general. Anywho, welcome to a new story. It's my telling of Flex's backstory and how he became the most despicable character in Set for Action.
Just let me get some things out of the way before you got on a hating spree. Just because I have written a backstory for Flex DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS CANON. Please DO NOT use my AU for your stories. I would rather his backstory be canon to my universe. You can make him whatever you want in your stories. Also, please do not make Flex a villain for the sake of hurting Sam. Unlike Buck, Flex tries to redeem himself in the end. I think he was a rather written character and actual proper use of a Doctor Who's actor in the special.
This story does contain spoilers for the special so if you haven't seen it, don't read this story.
This story does have adult themes such as mentioning of drugs, alcohol, police brutality, racism, etc. Do not read if you are under the age of 18. If you have a question about something that was mentioned, please do not hesitate to PM me.
Read and Review and I will see you soon
-DenMoother
"When you do well, everybody's after you, sometimes the motives are legitimate, and sometimes it's envy and jealousy."-Robert Kraft
"Sure, I can get a little bit jealous. The good part about jealousy is that it comes from passion. It's also the dangerous part and it's an ugly emotion that hurts"-Matthew McConaughey
Chapter One:
Lights flickered through the back window of my limo. I glanced outside to see thousands of fans standing near the red carpet. Tonight was the premiere of my latest film: North of Metro. My driver parked the limo near the beginning of the red carpet. I took in a deep breath before stepping out. The sounds of shouting and screaming greeted my eardrums. Excited fans waved their hands at me. I gave them my signature smile as I walked past them. I greeted each one on the way up the red carpet. I could spot a figure standing in the bright lights. My heart immediately started racing as I got closer. The figure was a tan-skinned lady with long black hair. One part of her face was scarred up. Her amber eyes shone brightly against her skin. She smiled at me. "glad you could finally make it." she teased.
"I am not late. Everyone else is just simply too early." I retorted jokingly as I took her hand. Grace squeezed my hand lightly. The two of us entered the Pacific Theatre building. The building consisted of two floors. It had beige and white walls. 3 cone-shaped chandeliers hang down from the roof. They were made of white frosted glass with orange light spewing out of them. The inside of the theater was calm. Security did a good job of keeping the rowdy crowd outside. I spotted a short, fat man standing in the center of the lobby. A huge smile flashed across his face as soon as he saw me. "Flex! Baby! Glad you could join us! Are you excited for tonight's premiere?" he asked.
"yep. I'm very excited." I replied. Grace wrapped her arms around my elbow. Don clasped my shoulder. "good! Meet us upstairs when your ready pal! We saved you a spot in the front row." Don headed for a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. The stairs had a dark red carpet covering them. A couple of security guards followed him up. I looked at Grace. "well, shall we snag some snacks then?"
"yes, please. I didn't have time to eat before I came here." Grace admitted sheepishly. "your manager and your makeup artist were keen on getting me out the door this afternoon."
"no worries, babe. It's on me." The concession counter was a single wide counter with five registers. One of the registers was blocked by a brown and white pillar. A brown-haired girl greeted the two of us. I bought a medium-sized tub of popcorn, 2 medium-sized drinks, and got a box of gummy bears for Grace. I knew I was going to regret it later though. We headed up to the second floor. By now, security was starting to let people in. Grace and I made our way to amphitheater 4 rather quickly.
Don and the group were waiting for us. He waved us over. The inside of the amphitheater was colored a deep red with a maroon-colored ceiling. The seats were slated out at every level. They had light red cushioning on them. Grace and I took our seats next to Don. Grace and Don started talking to each other quietly. I heard the doors at the top of the amphitheater open. People poured into the room. Music played quietly through the large speakers which hung on either side of the room.
After about another 15 minutes of waiting, the movie began playing. The movie was about a world that was devastated by an apocalyptic event that had annihilated almost all of mankind. This turned the surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge underground and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. A man named Artus must warn the last of mankind of an impending threat. The move had about an 1 1/2 hour runtime. I was proud of the final product. The fans seemed to love it as well.
I spent some of the night interviewing with the press and signing autographs. I finally sat down again in my limo. I let the window roll back up again. I could still hear the cheering outside. Grace climbed in on the other side. My driver quickly pulled away from the theatre. "well that went well." commented Grace.
"Yeah. It did. Finally a movie I can be proud of." I leaned back in my seat. Grace took my hand. "I just hope it does well."
"you are worried about these critics, aren't ya?" questioned Grace.
"I am. They can make or break me." I looked out the window. City lights danced above us. I felt Grace squeeze my hand gently. "you worry too much. Besides acting is something you love to do. I'm sure you'll still do well as an actor regardless of how successful something is."
"I hate the fact that your right," I muttered. I feel her hand touch my cheek. We shared a kiss in the back of the limo. I dropped Grace off at her place. She lived in the middle-class part of Los Angeles. I wasn't particularly fond of this place. It was gang territory. I knew Grace only had one more month on her lease before she could move to my side of town. The door closed in my face. My driver made a U-turn at one of the nearby gas stations. There was a large bridge separating my side of town from hers. The folks here lived in rather large houses. The houses had a nice view of L.A below. It honestly feels like a scene out of one of those romantic novels.
My house was a 3 story building. The front lights flickered on as soon as the limo tripped the sensor. I stepped out of it. I tapped the window of the driver's side. "get home safe." The driver nodded to me. I watched as he pulled away from my house. The last of the car vanished around the corner. The inside of the house felt foreign and lonely to me. I flicked a switch on the wall. The lights came on brightening the living room up with white light. I walked over into the kitchen which sat near a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. It also was near my workout room. The door to workout room was locked and the lights on the inside of it were turned off apart from two lights that were in there. The lights faintly lit up the outlines of the exercise equipment I had in there.
My kitchen was a 20x45 space. It had a singular window that faced out to the alleyway near my house. I grabbed a meal that I had prepped this morning and placed it in the microwave. I set the cooking time on it before walking back out into the living room. I turned the TV on. They were playing the interview I had earlier. I leaned back on the couch.
?: Hello there my name is Darren and the network has sent me to interview Mr. Flex Dexter right here at the red carpet premiere of North of Metro.
-Darren turns to Flex who has been standing patiently next to him. Grace is standing right next to Flex-
Darren: Who is your friend, Flex?
Flex: This is my girlfriend, Grace. She's been excited about joining me here out on the red carpet.
Darren: well let me just start by saying Welcome and I love your dress!
Grace: Thank you.
Darren: Glad to know that our Hollywood legend didn't come by himself tonight. Flex, how are you feeling about tonight's premiere? I know that filming the movie was rather rough.
Flex: I'm feeling confident that it's going to be a movie everyone is going to enjoy. It's based on a series of books that were made by Dmitry Glukhovsky. I heard he's even out tonight so I look forward to hearing what he says about it.
Darren: oh yeah, I ran into Dmitry. He's a nice guy. How many days did it take you guys to film it?
Flex: a whole year. We ran into some issues with the weather and whatnot. Other than that it was an exciting year of filming.
Darren: Was Grace with you the whole time?
Flex: (laughs) No. I don't think her mother would have forgiven me from keeping her outside of her studies.
Darren: Oh! So your dating a college student then?
Flex: I guess you could say that.
Darren: well if I may add, she is a fine catch. Does she have the smarts to back up all that beauty?
Flex: yep. I can vouch for it too. She's the reason why I was able to land the role of Artus in this film. She made sure that I read the books ahead of time so I knew the character I was playing.
Darren: Damn! Smart and pretty? Well, you've certainly outdone yourself this time, Flex Dexter.
I had a rather large smirk on my face. I heard the alarm go off on the microwave. I grabbed my dinner and sat down on the couch. The rest of the interview went by like normal. I changed the channel over to something else. I watched that until I grew tired enough to go to bed.
Gunshots rang out in the empty air. The hair on the back of my neck immediately stood up. A pair of shadows moved away from the street lamp. A figure laid underneath the street lamp. It poured its yellow light onto the figure. A dark red blood puddle grew underneath them. I knelt by the figure. I felt my heart stop in my chest. "Grace?!" I shouted. She didn't move. She had been shot by somebody. "Grace!? Somebody?! help!"
I kept crying out for somebody to help her but nobody came.
I bolted upright in bed. Sweat dripped down from my brow. I grabbed my phone and dialed Grace's number. I had to know that she was okay.
Grace: Flex? What's up, baby?
Me: Grace! Grace! Are you okay? Are you somewhere safe?
Grace: Yeah. I'm fine. I'm in about as safe as a spot as I can be. Why do you ask?
Me: I had a nightmare. You had been shot by somebody. Don't know who.
Grace: Oh baby. I'm alright. I can assure you that I haven't left the house yet.
Me: good. I'm relieved.
Grace: Just try to get some rest, big guy. I'll be over in the morning. Okay?
Me: Alright. Goodnight Grace.
Grace: Goodnight Flex.
I hung up on her. I placed my phone back down on the nightstand. Relief shot through me. As long as I could hear her voice, I knew she was going to be okay. I turned back over onto my side and fell asleep again.
The first few rays of dawn came in through my window. They filtered in through spaces in the blinds. My alarm went off right next to my ear. My hand reached for it. My finger slid across the top of the screen silencing it. I let out a tired groan as I sat upright in bed. I checked my phone to see a text from an old high school buddy of mine named Tio.
Tio: Hey gringo! You doing anything later?
I checked my schedule for tonight. I had nothing planned for today other than just chilling out.
Me: Nope. Why?
-Tio is typing-
Tio: Good! You down for some drinking then?
Me: You know me, man. You be okay if Grace went with?
Tio: Sure! Bring her too! That way I can officially meet this gf you've been hanging around with, Ese. By the way, you rocked the interview last night.
Me: I have been doing this for about 4 years, Tio.
Tio: well the only reason why I know about your girlfriend is that the media won't shut up about it.
Me: The media?
Tio: You haven't seen the TMZ article they did on you? Hold up, Gringo.
-Tio posts a link to the TMZ article.-
I tapped it open. My eyes scanned over the article.
Hollywood Legend, Flex Dexter Dates a Local College Student.
Flex Dexter revealed to the media last night during an interview that he is currently dating a college student. The student named Grace confirmed that she is in a relationship with this man. It's brought up a lot of questions between fans and concerned officials that this may be a bad PR move for Mr. Dexter.
TMZ had a chance to look at this young woman's social media. Grace Salazar is a 22-year-old woman currently living right here in LA. Some of the pictures on her Instagram page confirm that she and Flex have been together for quite some time.
A sharp growl escaped my lips. I didn't bother to finish reading it. I sent it off to one of my agents with a text that read: "somebody needs to take care of this.'
Me: Those nosy bastards! There's nothing wrong with Grace and I's relationship. We've been dating for a long time. That shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody!
Tio: I know, Gringo. I know. That's why you and I are going to get wasted later. Anyway, I have a bit of landscaping to do in your neighborhood. Talk later.
Me: Be careful Tio. See you later.
I placed my face in my hands. I couldn't imagine the harassment Grace probably received this morning. Almost as if right on cue, I felt my phone buzz. I looked to see a text from Grace.
Grace: Flex...you may want to come to get me...
Me: Let me guess... the media came knocking at your door?
Grace: Worse. Some of them are hiding in the bushes outside of my apartment. I can't even leave the room.
Me: Just sit tight. I'll come get you.
I tossed on my usual clothes which were a skin-tight black shirt and pair of jeans. I grabbed my keys and left the room. My garage sat right next to the house. I kept a Black Camaro z28 in the garage. I started it up and pulled out of the garage.
The drive to Grace's apartment didn't take me long. I pulled up right outside of it to see a couple of people hiding out in the bushes. I rolled my eyes. I stepped out of the car. "Hey! I can see you!" The bushes rustled. I watched as two people fled from them with cameras. I quickly headed inside. Grace was waiting for me. She had on her work uniform. I took her hand. "just stay behind me." I instructed. She nodded. "don't have to tell me twice."
Grace walked behind me. I kept a firm hold of her hand. I escorted her over to my car. I closed the door. Thankfully the windows were blacked out so they wouldn't be able to see her inside of the car. I got in on the driver's side. I pulled away from her apartment complex. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to work with them watching me," she muttered.
"Let me call somebody for you." I tapped a button behind my steering wheel. I began scrolling through my list of contacts that appeared on the radio screen. I found the one I was looking for. I heard the number begin to ring. The person picked up after the first couple of rings.
?: Hello?
Me: Hey Carter. Hopefully, I'm not interrupting anything for you. Listen, I need a favor.
Carter: Of course. Anything for you Mr. Dexter.
Me: I need you to keep an eye on Grace for me today. TMZ found out about her and me dating. She doesn't feel safe. Think you can handle being her bodyguard for a bit, big guy?
Carter: Alright. Where is she now?
Me: Well we are about to pull up into the parking lot of the Three-Headed Dog. Meet us there.
Carter: Okay Mr. Dexter.
He hung up on me. Grace looked up at me. "you didn't need to do that." I gave a small shrug. "I don't know what those bastards will do to you when I'm not looking. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." She lifted an eyebrow. "this isn't because of the dream you had is it?"
"part of it." I sighed. "I'm only thinking of you."
She touched my arm. " well colored me impressed, big guy."
"oh, and are you doing anything later?" I asked.
"not really no. Why?" I smiled. "you and I are going out later on tonight. Tio invited us out to a night of drinking."
"cool. You want me to doll myself up?" she asked teasingly. I let out a light-hearted chuckle. "no. You're dressed up enough for me." She rested her head on my shoulder.
The Three-Headed Dog sat in the middle of town. It was a family-owned gas station. A dark SUV was parked in the parking lot. I recognized it right away. I parked next to it before getting out. An older male sat inside of it. He was bald and built like a brick house. His eyes were concealed by a pair of sunglasses. He stepped out of the SUV. " Good Morning, Mr. Dexter and Ms. Grace." I nodded. " good morning Carter." He looked at Grace. "I have been told to accompany you from now until you no longer need my services." She nodded. "Just make sure you stay in the security office. My manager won't take kindly to you being out on the floor and scaring the guests." She pecked me on the cheek. She took Carter inside.
I drove back to my house. A small white van was parked in the driveway. I frowned as I pulled into the garage. I checked my phone to see if anyone had left a text. There was one from Helda. It dawned on me that she said she was going to be cleaning the house today. I walked into my house to the smell of breakfast being cooked. My stomach howled in delight. An elderly Hispanic lady poked her head around the corner. "Good morning, Mr. Dexter!" she greeted.
"Morning Helda." I greeted back. "are you hungry?" she asked. I nodded. She walked back into the kitchen. I sat down on the couch to wait for her. She came waddling out with a plate of food for me. She handed it to me. I smiled at her. I decided to head out onto the back porch to eat.
My back porch had a nice view of the street and back yard. The yard dipped down a bit. The street behind my house sat on a hill. There were a few businesses in the area. I noticed somebody walking along the back fence. They had white hair. Their clothes were a bit tattered. I watched as they disappeared down an alleyway. It was rather weird to see a homeless person on this side of town. I frowned. I took my plate back inside. I placed it in the fridge. Helda limped up to me. "is everything okay? Did I cook it well?"
"You did fine, Helda. I just saw somebody near the back fence. I'm going to investigate." I explained. I grabbed my coat off the wall. "did you want me to call the police?" she asked. "No. Just don't venture outside. Stay inside. If things go south, I'll call you." I headed outside. I went to where I last saw the person. I tapped the side of the belt. I had a concealed blade on me in case something were to happen. The alleyway was quiet. I kept a keen eye on the shadows. Something caught my eye. A shadow knocked one of the trashcans over. The figure paused to look at me. I saw the skin on their cheeks pale. They immediately started running. "wait!' I shouted. I took off after them.
The figure navigated through tight corners. They were much shorter and faster than I was. Their jacket flew out behind them like a small grey cape. A car came rushing down the street. I picked up the pace. They scaled the fence that leads out onto the street. I grabbed onto the fence and climbed upwards. By the time I reached the top, they had already bounced down into the street. The car beside of them stopped. I heard angry cussing from the driver. I ran past the car. The figure was heading for another alleyway. They managed to make it into the alleyway. They grabbed onto the ladder beside them. I lengthen my strides. I cleared the street. I managed to grab them from the bottom of their jacket. The figure let out a shriek of surprise. I felt something sharp go into the back of my hand. I let out a loud howl of pain. I let go of their coat. The figure then proceeded to climb up the ladder. I grabbed onto the ladder. I climbed up after them.
The figure bolted across the rooftop. I tried my best to keep up with them. I have to admit that I am not the most athletic person in the world. I saw them reach the edge of the rooftop. They paused on top of the ledge. They glanced at me. I could make out a set of red eyes under the hood. My blood ran cold. I've never seen anybody with that kind of eye color. They then turned their head. They jumped across the narrow gap to the other rooftop beside them. I picked up the pace. I could feel my leg muscles strain as I tried to keep up. I picked up enough speed to jump over the gap. I suddenly started to feel my action movie training kick in. This was just like filming North of Metro. The figure frowned when they saw me jump it. A wicked grin flashed across my face. The figure then started to bolt off again. They kept several inches of distance between the two of us. They got to the end of this building. I watched them pause at the edge of the roof. The building sat on the edge of a drop-off. Down below us was an overpass. I paled. "Stay right where you are!" I ordered. The figure looked down at the edge. Time slowed down between the two of us. My heart rate picked up. I had to get to them before they injured themselves. They outstretched their arms. They brought their feet closer together. They just let their body fall forward in almost a leap-of-faith kind of pose. I reached the edge only for them to drop off. The color drained from my face as I watched them fall between the gap of the building and the overpass. Their body tilted forward. I backed up a bit. I let out a shaky breath as I jumped down after them. The air blew around me. The figure landed into a pile of garbage bags below. They landed gracefully. I landed but felt the impact of it on my ankles. I grunted as I climbed out. The figure already started running again. They were weaving themselves between corners and over barriers. I decided to take another route in an attempt to cut them off. I ran through the back alleyways. I knew that they were heading for one of the one-ramps leading to the bridge. I heard their footsteps approaching quickly. I ducked close to the wall and waited for them. I could hear them getting closer. I shot my arm out. I heard the wind being knocked out of them. They fell onto their back. Their red-eyed gaze fell upon me. I could see how angry and shocked they looked. I offered them my hand. "sorry." They eyed my hand firmly before grabbing onto it. Their fingers felt boney. I was afraid to pull them up out of accidentally tearing their arm off. The figure stood up all the way. In a calm, soft voice they asked. "why did you follow me? I did nothing wrong."
I struggled as to figure out a reason. "I was just curious. You bolted so suddenly that you looked like I was going to hurt you." I fumbled over my words. "what is a young woman like you doing in a rich neighborhood? We don't get too many homeless people in our area."
I could feel her judging my every movement. "Not like I have a problem with homeless people!" She moved her head to the side. "your side of town has better food. I would have to fight somebody on the other side of this bridge."
"What happened to you?" I asked. "My dad kicked me out. Please don't call the police, sir. I won't do it again." She begged. I placed a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to worry about that. Follow me." She looked up at me. "are you sure? I'm sure you have better things to be doing with your time." I shook my head. "It's no trouble." I offered her my hand. She eyed it for a second. She clasped it gently. I lead her back towards my house. Her name was Taya. She was about 12 years old, turning 13 in a couple of weeks. Her dad was a raving drug addict. Her mother died when she was younger. Her father abused her from sun up to sun down so she fled from home. She's been out on the streets for 3 weeks. She didn't have any other family members who could take care of her. I paused outside of my house. "you are welcomed to stay here as long as you like."
"a-are you sure?" I nodded. "yeah. This place is getting a bit too lonely anyway. You'll be cared for and safe here." I opened the door for her. Taya looked around. She cautiously entered the house. I heard the bushes near my fence rustle. I glance up quickly. I close the door behind Taya and head over to investigate. I hear somebody cuss lightly. A figure went to get up out of the bush. I grabbed them by the back of the shirt. I slammed them up against the wall. "the hell do you think you're doing?!" I growled.
"um...nothing!" the intruder had a handheld camera. It wasn't fancy like the ones I used to seeing. I grabbed the camera from them. "you were filming us weren't you?" I heard them gulp. "I have the right to film where ever it is I want!" I glowered at him. "not when you are on private property. Now I'm afraid I'll have to take this from you and ask you to get off my property before the police show up." I dropped him back down on his feet. The guy then took off running down the street. "weird-ass kid." I muttered.
Taya was calmly sitting on the couch. I tucked the camera into my back pocket. " you comfortable?" I asked. She nodded. "why don't you head upstairs and take a shower in my bathroom?" I suggested. "I'll have Helda cook up something for you. I'll even get a room set up for you." Taya got up off the couch. "if you're sure." She walked upstairs. I decided to head into the training room for a bit.
I started running on one of the treadmills. Scenes from this morning played through my mind. I pretended that I was still running across the rooftops after Taya. Her jacket flowed out behind her like a thin grey banner. I glanced over the side edge of one of the rooftops. The street was no longer there. There was deep pit about miles deep. I couldn't see the bottom of it. The rest of the buildings appeared to be floating on air. This was strange to me. I turned my gaze forward. Taya was miles ahead of me. I let out a sharp breath. I picked up the pace forcing myself to move faster. I wasn't going to let her get away from me.
She soared over to the next rooftop. White feathers fell out of her body. I got to the gap. The gap suddenly grew large for me. I felt a panic course through me. The adrenaline took over. I closed my eyes as I tossed myself over the gap. I landed on the other side. Taya still had a good enough distance away from me. I exhaled. I took off after her. Panic changed into excitement. She hopped across the gap again to another building. I managed to land this one as well. It was like we were rehearsing a scene directly out of Assassin's Creed. She landed on the next building. I kept up with her for a long time. Suddenly, a gunshot caught my attention. I paused. I went over to the edge. I noticed a spot between two buildings. There was a figure lying at the corner of it. My blood ran cold. I backed up. I jumped from the top of the building. I was in the air for a long time. I suddenly realized I wasn't going to have enough space to land the jump. I let out a horrified scream. My body smacked into the side of the ledge. I desperately tried to grab it. The ledge gave way. I plummeted downwards. Another horrified scream left my lips. I heard somebody shouting for me.
"Mr. Dexter! Mr. Dexter! are you okay?"
I groaned and turned around. I was on the floor suddenly near the base of the treadmill. Helda stared down at me. My vision was a tad bit blurry. I coughed as I sat upright. "yeah I'm fine." I rubbed behind my head.
"That was quite a spill. Are you sure your okay?" asked Helda.
"I'll live. That's what I get for daydreaming." I muttered. Helda limped out of the room. She came back with an ice pack. I felt her gently place it on the back of my head. I relaxed under her touch. I stared up at the ceiling. My vision had blurred up a little bit. I continued to lay there for a while. I slowly sat upright. I felt my head pound once I did. I groaned softly. Helda kept the ice pack pressed firmly against the back of my head. She helped me stand up. The room spun a little bit. All this for taking a spill on the treadmill. I thought. She leads me into the living room. I sat down on the couch. She placed the ice pack on top of one of the pillows. She then laid the pillow underneath my head. "I'll get you some pain meds." I nodded weakly. That made the dizziness worse.
Helda came back with a cup of water and some pain meds. She handed them to me. I took the meds and downed the water. I handed her the empty glass. I laid back down again. "could you check up on Taya, please?" I asked. She nodded. "of course, Mr. Dexter." She limped off. I sighed and closed my eyes for a little bit.
The afternoon hours soon come. The skies outside had darkened up. I woke up to voices talking quietly around me. The icepack underneath my head turned into a pile of semi-cold gel. I slowly sat upright. "are you okay, babe?" asked a voice.
I looked up to see Grace staring worriedly at me. I cracked a grin. "yeah. I'm fine. I just had a dumbass moment on the treadmill."
She shook her head. "count on you to do something stupid, doofus."
"I take it you've met Taya?" I got off the couch. The dizziness was surprisingly gone. I felt the back of my neck to find no bumps.
"She's a nice kid. She told me that you took her in." She said. "trying to buff your ego, eh?"
I smirked. "you wish. No, I did it because I didn't want her living on the streets plus the Foster Care system isn't fair."
"well, I'll be happy to help you take care of her. Now you better rest, big guy. No sense in you seeing Tio with a welt on the back of your head." I laid my head down again. I watched as everything faded to black.