Prologue

Born into Society

Rain pounded heavily on the windshield of the car, the driver trying his hardest to see through the glass. Speeding up the car, he moved quickly through the streets of Los Angeles, continually looking into the back seat of the vehicle. "Hold on Rachel, we're almost there." He said. "I'm holding on as long as I can, John!" She practically screamed at him. John turned the steering wheel and pulled up to the Emergency doors to the hospital, quickly getting out and grabbing a nurse. "It's my wife...she's giving birth!" John said. The nurse went quickly inside and grabbed a wheel chair, bringing it out to the car, where Rachel was getting out slowly. Sitting her down in the chair, they wheeled her into the hospital, and to the maternal wing, all he while Rachel was screaming, holding her stomach. John looked at the Nurse, "She's not suppose to be due until November", John was obviously scared, for his wife, and his unborn child. "She'll be alright Mr. Filler, she is in good hands with Doctor Smith." John continued to look scared as they prepared his wife, the Doctor walking. "Hello Mr. Filler, Mrs. Filler" He said casually. "Are we ready Sue?" He said, looking at the nurse. "Yes Doctor, we are ready" "Good." He looked at John, then to Rachel as he started in on her, giving her words of encouragement and support. "John, why don't you go get some scrubs on, and some gloves, we'll take care of her. Sue, take John to get those things, and send Patty in." "Ok Doctor." Sue placed her hand on John's shoulder, leading him out of the room and to the supply closet, where he got the things the doctor asked him to put on, then half walking, and half running, went back to the room where his wife was. There were a few more doctors in there, one giving his wife an epidural, the others helping Doctor Smith." "Ok Mrs. Filler, push." Rachel gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might. John, walking over to stand next to his wife, grabbed a hold of her hand, almost regretting that as she squeezed as hard as she could on it. "Come on Hun." John said through the pain in his hand. "Your doing great, just keep pushing." The doctor looked at John again, and smiled.

A few hours later, John stood looking at his child and his wife, a small smile spreading over his face. "We're parents now Rachel." He smiled again. "What are we going to name him?" Sue looked at her husband, then at the small child in her arms. "I was thinking Max, Max Filler." "It's a wonderful name, Sue." He moved closer to his wife, giving her a one armed hug as he looked down at the child in her arms.

A few miles away from the hospital, a group gathered in a small, abandoned basement, all wearing black robes, and muttering softly to each other as one of them walked around in a circle around them, stopping four times, once at the north end of the room, then east, south, and finally, west, before returning to the center of them all, speaking loudly and clearly. "I've called you all here to discuss the danger we are all in, on this night, a child shall be born, with the power to kill us all, we have no idea who this child is, but we will find out." He turned to an old women in the group. "Tell me, what do you see?" The old women, with her eyes shut slightly, opened them fully, looking up at the man. "I see a child, born in St. Andrew's Hospital, surrounded by his family." She closed her eyes once more, as if going into a trance. "His path is unclear to me, only he can choose which way he should go, and with the right teaching, he will go down the path we want him." "What is his name?" The man in the middle asked. The old women bowed her head low, deep in concentration before looking back up at the man. "Max Filler, born on October 31st, 1998." The man smiled as he turned back to the center of the room, chanting in a foreign language, then turning to all that was gathered there. "Max Filler must go down that path, or we are all doomed." The man once more moved around the circle, starting in the west, and moving around to the south, east, and finally north. The group all stood at once, clearing out of the basement.