Guardian: My city, my protectorate

By Xenomorph666

Disclaimer: I own only Vile, HOMe and the angel Twins. All others are © their rightful owners.

Summary: 1 year after his defeat by HOMe and acceptance from the Morlocks, Vile has found his way to LA and adopted it as his home after a fateful night full of tragedy.

Chap Summary: Vile returns to the priest and learns the girl from the brothel/arena is now in the hospital and will not speak to anyone. Upon his visit to her his pain is only increased as a tragedy across the hall occurs.

booyah: Sorry, no Gargoyles. As much as it would please me to place gargoyles in this fic the only TRUE crossing over beside Vile being in the X-Men: Evo World will be Angel and Mike Harrigan from Predator, That's it. Well besides those that get to know HOMe of course.

And the guy who killed the two bastards was the Punisher, go back and read the description of his shirt.

And since this is still in the HOMe universe I will answer that question here. No he will not get a uniform, his body is just to different and I don't think he'd like spandex to much.

Arguments

After the sun had set I made my way to the church. It was quite and dark, but I saw the priest just as easily as if it were morning. I walked over to his side and sat on one of the wooden seats in the aisle across from him. He spoke not to long after that.

"I've been praying for you. You didn't kill those police officers, I know that they died while you were still sleeping. But the others in the downtown bust, the illegal mutant brothel and fight club. How many did you kill there? How many didn't need to die."

I sat there quietly taking in his words, I knew the answer and it pained me to say it. "One who deserved to die still lives."

"No one deserved to die… " he began, but I cut him off.

"I'd known about it for about a month. I found it a week after I arrived and I did nothing." I deserved, how many pointless deaths happened in that arena night after night. How many could I have saved if only I had listened to my heart sooner. The priest was silent, I could feel my welcome waning, so I got up to leave.

"And where are you going?" He turned to stare at me with his empty eyes.

"I doubt you want a murderer in the house of your god." I walked away, but not before he spoke again.

"God always accepts those who seek justice, though I know he wishes you could find another way. As long you are hunted for a crime you didn't commit, as long as you are suffering. I cannot in good conscience let you go this road alone, so I will offer you a residence here until you finally decide which fork you will choose."

I stood there in the door way for what seemed like hours, he was still willing to provide me shelter. As much as I wanted to take it though, I knew I did not belong in this building. Besides I had chosen my path, and no force, not even the god of man could pry me from it.

"I choose my path today. I will not let them suffer!" I slammed my hand on one of the benches, shattering it into pieces. "They will not suffer." Outside I heard a thunder clap and rain begin to pour.

"You mean the children?" The priest asked.

"The innocent." I was about to leave when he put his hand on my shoulder and handed me a piece of paper.

"She drew it for you. He brought her here, though I don't know how much we can help her. She won't speak to anyone and she wont eat. No one can get through to her, she wants her hero." As he spoke I opened the folded piece of paper, on it is a crude drawing, but it still got me to cry. She drew me and herself in a field of flowers. Immediately I heard a song play in my head, a song that Rogue of the X-Men liked to dance to.

In my field of paper flowers

And candy clouds of lullaby

I lie inside myself for hours

And watch my purple sky fly over me

The drawing no matter how crude conveyed it's message plain enough. To this girl I was a hero, she cared not how I looked or how I saved her. She didn't care because I had saved her, I had done something no one else had, or possibly could. If it was possible I found myself weakened by the drawing, I was so vulnerable, so terribly weak but I was happy. Not because I was a hero, but because a little girl who could not possibly understand how accurate my name was to my past, she called me a hero, she was the one who had opened my eyes and now she was filling them with tears. Children are so terribly kind it hurts to think of them in pain.

"Where is she now?" I managed this sentence through my tears.

"The children's hospital. Under strict guard. I wouldn't advise doing what you're thinking." He said sternly, as though I was going to listen.

"So you're a mind reader now priest?" I smiled as I opened the front doors for the first time. I didn't care who saw me, this world was now part of me. Let the ignorant hate me if they will, I'll have no mercy if they cross the line.

"By the way you can call me Father Horn. It is my name after all." I turned back to him and stared, the rain pouring in my face. "As opposed to 'priest'."

"Very well, Father Horn. If I am truly welcome I will return." And I was gone.

"God's house is always open young man!" He shouted.

"My name is Vile!" I shouted back as I made my way to the roof of a building.

===

An hour later I crept into the hospital. The pediatric ward, where they were caring for the little girl. Perhaps I could convince her to eat, after all I was her hero. I made my way through the air ducts and ventilation shafts to her room. Along the way I could not help but observe the desperation that filed the air, most of these children were from the illegal warehouse arena/ brothel I had helped in tearing down, but others they were just sick and dying, suffering. I could do nothing, for there was no one to punish, all I could do was hope that they either survived or at the very least did not die in pain.

"Wake up." I nudged the little orange girl with one of my giant claws, I had also kept the lights off so no one would see me. "Your hero is here."

At those words she woke up, her bright green eyes filled with happiness. "The Father gave you my picture!" She was so happy, I wish I would have brought it with me instead of leaving it with him, but the rain would have destroyed it.

"Yes. Now what's this I hear about you not eating?" She gave me hug, and a strange warmth came over me as I sat her back down.

"The doctors are mean here, they only give the bad food." She crossed her arms in and pouted, it made me laugh, I don't know why but it did.

"They're good for you, that's why. And they all can't be that bad." I ruffled her hair.

Across the hall I heard some sobbing. Curious I got up and went to the window near the hall. There across the way I saw a mother pressing the lifeless body of her child against her chest. Another life lost, I sighed at the loss but there was nothing I could do. I went back to her side and for a bit we played a card game called "Go Fish" apparently I'm a terrible player, at least according to her. When the hour grew late I tucked her in, she instructed me how as I had no clue, and wished a good nights sleep. I told her I would come back later the next day.

"Are you really a hero?" she asked as I started out the window.

"Sometimes."

"What else are you?" she asked, yawning.

"A monster…" I started, remembering what I told the woman in the mall.

"Not to me." Her eyes closed. You're a real hero."

"To scare away devils." I climbed out the window and went on my way, the day was still young, at least for a being who only needs to sleep every other week. I was good for another two, and now the business at hand called. That killer was mine, wherever it lurked.

===

Across town however, the beast known as a Pred-alien was bound in a steel cage. A pale man stood before it smiling, his eyes gleaming with evil as he watched the beast attempt escape.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nathaniel Essex, you may call me Mr. Sinister. Soon however you will call me MASTER!" The eyes of the immortal being filled with an unholy glee as he envisioned the beast before him becoming the mightiest warrior in his army. Soon his first general would be born and then he could concentrate on this wondrous monster. "Confine it for DNA sampling. Lower the temperature, it's cold-blooded."

The last thing the Pred-Alien saw before the darkness was the shining jewel on Sinister's head gleam along with his eyes.

==============

AN: The song chorus is from "Imaginary" by Evanescence.

The little girl will be a re-occurring character, and will actually lead into Vile eventually meeting the Angel crew which will be set to Pre-Conner times.