“You know, Colt, we ain’t so different, you and I.”
The Blue Shark’s voice echoed within the silent alley, thick with remorse and blood, his hand clutching his bleeding neck.
“Both of us, thrown into the pits of hell and forced to claw our way out alone. I’d bet you felt it too, the ripple of cold panic at the realization that we had to fend for ourselves. But here’s the difference, Colt.” The Blue Shark staggered, bracing against the walls in pain. Yet, he spoke with defiance, his voice battling the pain roaring in his veins. “When you were lost, you fetched comfort in the deceiving words of that damn Lionel Troy and his Church of Zion.”
“You listened to every damn word they whispered in your ear, and you sold yourself cheap. Seven fucking credits.” He continued on, spitting venom with words. “You were desperate for a place to belong, a voice to guide you. But you chose the voice of a damned snake charmer. And look where that got you: a faith built on fables and false promises.”
“But me, I found faith too… not in manipulative sermons or holy water, but in people. In the Kingdom. My brothers. I believed in every single one of them. We were united in our belief – until something broke the Black Panther.”
His helmet, dark as the ocean blue, locked onto the building in front of him, and the large lion out from.
The symbol of the Church of Zion.
He let out a hollow laugh, a trace of irony on his lips. “You put your faith in pretty lies, Colt. You chose the easy path, the path of surrender. You wrapped yourself in their false assurances. You think they offered you truth. But look around you, Colt.”
He was interrupted by a violent burst of blood. “All they offered was deception. They offered chains painted to look like liberation. For seven credits.”
“You and I, Colt, we’ve both been blinded and betrayed.” His knees buckled, his body threatening to fold from the pain. “But my faith… it was never misguided. It was built on trust, loyalty, and the unwavering belief that we could be better, could be more. No matter how much blood I bleed, it remains untainted by lies, lies my former brother believes.”
Desperate for breath, he fell to his knees beside the mocking Lion of Zion.
“Your faith was a lie, Colt… Mine, drips pure.”
His words echoed through the alley, his body slumped to the ground, his life circling the drain, but his spirit and resolve unwavering.
“Red, the color of blood.” The Blue Shark paused, his voice raw, a tortured rasp, but through it all he was laughing – a dry, humorless sound that echoed against the cold cobblestones. “Blood or no blood, This shark’ll keep swimming. Because in the end, a shark is always a shark…”
As rueful laughter stuck in his throat, he clutched his bleeding neck tighter, blood seeping between clenched fingers.
“And you? You’re just chum in the water, and seven credits ain’t enough to save your ass.”