Cryptic Apocalyptic

The main chandelier looked like a thousand twisting luminescent snakes, coiled together in some ancient hypnotic serpentine dance. Everything was marble, gold rimmed, gold inlaid, or else somehow extremely expensive and finely crafted. Fire places, fountains, pillairs and elaborate achitecture were all around them. It was a modern day palace.

Most of the back of the house didn't have walls. Instead solid glass was all that separated the indoors from what no one doubted was an elegant oasis. Jimmy even discovered a control panel that would prove to by very much essential for any parties they might hold, but decided to keep it a surprise for the other guys.

The excitement of the new house and being on earth eventually proved too much for Jimmy, who promptly ran around the house screaming excitedly with each new discovery, as if he'd never seen anything better in the Underworld. At one point everyone had to stop for a few minutes to laugh when his strangely unique voice erupted from the outside screaming, "Oh my god, why are there fucking peacocks in the back yard?!" They made a note to get rid of those noisy sons of bitches the first chance the got, but let Jimmy have his fun with them for a while.

The first floor, they found, was mostly utility rooms- kitchen, foyer, basketball court, and dining room. There was also an olympic size pool, which could be entered via water-slide from another indoor pool on the second story. That second pool was partially viewable through a glass wall that could be seen from the kitchen, one of the staircases, and a lounge that was completely inaccessible by the rest of the first floor. The stairwell one would have to use to get there stopped in another hidden room on the second floor (which was much like the first except it had a door that was camouflaged into the wall), before coming up next to Matt's room. To get in one would have to hit a certain code on a discrete keypad for the undetectable door to swing open.

There were two glass elevators on opposite ends of the house. The second floor was mostly the guys' rooms, a few guest rooms, a grandiose grotto with accompanying pool and a water-slide which wrapped around the grotto, temporarily plunging the rider into darkness, before dumping them back in the pool.

Obviously there was also a second water-slide, which lead to the downstairs pool. This pool was separated from a much shallower soaking pool by a thin strip of cement and a glass wall.

The glass wall had panels that could be removed to create the illusion that it was never there and sliding glass doors. The soaking pool went all the way out to rest on top of the kitchen roof balcony style, giving an excellent view of the backyard and the city. The second floor could also boast being home to a few other rooms such as libraries, dens, the office, a bowling alley, basketball court and the like. The third floor was Matt's room, their personal cinema (which could comfortably seat 50), a work out room large enough for all of the inhabitants and about fifteen of their closest friends to use all at once, and mostly empty extra rooms for whatever purpose the owner might see fit for them.

Besides this there was an incredibly impressive soaking pool with a mosaic floor and hot tub, easily accessible from Matt's room, and one of the two glass elevators. Completing this were two separate changing rooms, a spa, a sauna, and a massage room. Newly noticeable was the hot tub and small soaking pool, which were sunk in part of the balcony that came off of the Female Master Bedroom, facing the back yard.

There were also stairs that lead to the roof where there was a small hidden lounging area that could not be seen from the ground below. There was also a hidden atrium, which housed another pool, this one with fountain-jets, which streamed wildly in haphazard directions when turned on to increase the jungle-like effect. There were also cavernous obstacles and carefully placed plant life which made it seem as if it were a natural Brazilian river bed on their roof. The helipad was also pretty hard to miss.

From there one could see the various balconies coming off of the house. Only Jimmy bothered actualy outside,where all he had were his sunglasses to protect him from the intense light they were still not used to and he was in no fit state to report about it..

The high-sloped ceilings reminded them fondly of their home. The basement was originally a large den with a pool table and a bar. Clearly some sort of high-class man-cave. They added a few personal touches there, and also a second basement, acessable only by a hidden stairwell that came out of one of the broom closets under the left main staircase. They Made it a large concrete box where they could deal with the people who fucked with them, the room was long with high ceilings and a dias where five throwns sat- each of them personalized for their owner. Matt's was in the middle, his brother on either side of him and then Jimmy and Brian's on the end. They added a few separate smaller rooms, just in case they should need the space for storage or something or to house their victims if they intended to keep them there a while.

Besides this they installed a large incinerator and an industrial size freezer, fit to meet any needs they might have.

Everyone but Papa Gates was involved in the redecorating of the basement. He had decided to take a nap and left the sadistic plotting to the youth. They were only just discussing which torture devices to implant down there when the doorbell rang. They all stopped and looked at each other, none breathing, hearts all still. It was a damn good thing they couldn't die. When three quick knocks came from the door they found themselves all in front of it instantly, with Jimmy turning the knob to see who was there.

Three men dressed all in black stood there, one holding a large assorted fruit basket, one a bucket of ice with Champaign sticking out of it, and the third, at the helm, just had a nervous smile and a deer in headlights sort of reverence. A silver Deathbat dog tag hung from each of their necks, clear proof of who had sent them.

"Hi, um, I'm, uh, Martin, and this is Dave," he gestured to the fruit basket holder, "And that's Chuck," He gestured to the Champaign man. "Well, uh, your father sent us, so we could, um, do your bidding. So, uh, we came with, uh... fruit!" He smiled hopefully.
Jimmy exchanged a look with the others that clearly said, 'let's fuck with these poor fools'.

"Well, aren't you going to bow?" Matt Berry asked in an incredulous tone, trying to keep a straight face as he dealt with the new guys. "The three sons of the Dark One and the Horseman of Plague are standing before you! Show some respect!" Quickly all three dropped to their knees, and ducted their heads. The fruit basket nearly tipped over, and a grapefruit actually managed to roll off the brim of the wicker basket and propel itself right in front of Zacky and Brian. Brian chuckled and picked it up, throwing it up in the air lightly before catching it. While the boy's noses were about an inch from touching the marble of their porch Jason Berry finally admitted that that was good enough for now.

"So, how'd he find you anyway? And why'd he send you out of all of the loyal servants he has?" Martin blushed as Zacky hurled so much at him at once.

"For fucks sake, Vengeance, don't you have any fucking maners? At least wait 'till they’re in the fucking house first! These are our first humans, afterall." Matt reprimanded with a smile. The men in the doorway cleared aside, letting the three pass and leading the way to the downstairs reception hall, which was a still a confusing cross between being gothic decorated and being covered in drab pastels. Obviously, they hadn't had enough time to get to finish the overhaul yet.

Matt sat in an armchair by the fire; Zacky and Syn taking over the love seat while the rest of the men lounged on two of the three couches. The cumbersome gifts were left on one of the coffee tables.

"Master Lewis sent us," Martin began after an awkward moment of silence. "He gave us these necklaces to prove it," He showed the men. "We sought him out, to serve him. I'd never met him before but I'd always known he was real, so maybe that was one of the reasons why he chose me. I can't speak for the others, about why he wanted them out of everybody he could have picked, but I do know we have specific skills that can help you. We're loyal to you, My Lords, fiercly loyal," Martin said almost in a plead of defense, as if trying to prove they were worthy.

"I'm sure you are," Matt soothed smoothly. "But what about these skills?" He was leaning his elbows on the arms of his chair, his body angled toward the three, listening carefully.
"I've been in prison and on the street for years. I used to be a dealer, so I new just about everyone in the underground. My brother was really high up in a gang before he died, so I can tell you everything you'll ever need to know about the streets around here. Master Lewis asked me to hook you up with the people you needed to know so you could take over the streets without the botherseome taske of putting down resistance." Johnny interrupted him.

"Once we have the streets there won't be anyone to fuck with us. Cops are payed off easier than fucking prostitutes. As soon as the gangs and dealers are out of our way, we can do whatever the fuck we want." There was wonder in his eyes as he realized that he could easily have as much freedom here as he did back home. It was a marvel concept. No responsibility, no one to answer to, just pure hell and chaos.

"We already know who the dealers are. We know all their sins." Matt smirked, still not sure why these twenty something year old boys were involved in something this big. Unlike his brother he'd never had a doubt about his plans for Earth and the control he would have there.

"Master Lewis said you'd bring that up. He told me to tell you that you're a smartass and not to question his judgment. His words not mine, My Lord!" Martin quickly held up his hands. Matt nodded for him to continue and so he did. "He said that if you just show up out of the blue, people will start asking questions, but if you have someone with you they all know, no one will think anything of it. He wanted to make sure no one got suspicious."
"What about those two?" Brian asked, with just as much authority in his voice as Matt, or at least close to it. Martin started with the fruit basket holder who had a few scars and a lot of tattoos. He had hair down to his shoulders, and a Motörhead shirt on, with a jean vest full of patches and black jeans. Doc Martins capped his feet, a wallet chain hanging from his bullet belt. He looked like he'd seen a lot and he was only about twenty-six. He had dark eyes, but a friendly smile and seemed the most relaxed of the three.

"Dave is a bouncer for a lot of clubs and bars and casinos and shit. He'll connect you from the inside there, just to save you the time. The first time you step foot in those places it will be like you own them. He's in with all the metal-heads, biker gangs, and muscle behind the powers in these cities, so you'll have a huge backing by the time you start needing one.

"Chuck's father is the DA, and Chuck is more or less the best lawyer in the state so he's yours in with the politicians and cops." Chuck was a quiet boy, and looked younger than the others, although he mustn't have been if he was a lawyer. He had short-cropped light brown hair and not one scrap of visible ink showing from his long sleeve button down shirt and slacks with polished dress shoes. Designer. He was tan and had the typical attractive qualities, though he was nothing stunning.

He was the most unsure of himself, the most anxious about the fact that the men before him knew every wrong thing he'd ever done, or could easily find out if they wanted to know. He had the look of a man who'd just been caught masturbating in public.

"Dad really thought of everything, didn't he?" Zacky asked in awe.
His phone went off, so Zack grabbed it out of his pocket to see,
Yes. I did. Next to that was a little red emoticon with horns and sun glasses, smiling as if it were the coolest thing ever to grace the earth. Zack rolled his eyes and snorted, showing his friends before flipping the Razr shut and stuffing it back in his pocket. At this point Jason Berry had retrieved a hunting knife from somewhere and was haphazardly chopping up the grapefruit. Everyone turned to look at him as he wildly hacked away at it.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I had to teach the little bastard a lesson."

"Just ignore the psycho to your left," Brian mocked in his usual mellow tone. It was about then that someone brought up the idea of leaving the house for the first time. There was a general clatter of voices that consented, and just like that the idea became the plan.

Chuck, David and Martin all rose to their feet quickly, eager to be of use to the men they'd pledged to follow and serve. A note was left for Brian's father, should he wake up while they were gone, and they each trickled through the front door. Matt, Zacky, and Johnny stood at the helm of the group, where the driveway curved into a teardrop before giving way to a vast paved space that lead either straight to the small-house-sized garage or the grand front steps.

Zacky noticed appreciatively that the drive way was actually heated.

Now that was class. All sorts of wild flowers were growing in the patch of earth in the center of their driveway, set against a backdrop of intimidating trees and foliage that completely concealed the residence and it's private road from everything and everyone else. There was a blasphemously satanic statue fountain of Eve with the snake coiled around her naked body which shot streams of water just about 200 feet in the air, but that wasn't what they were concerned about.

Matt snapped his fingers, Zack's lips twitched into his infamous smirk, and Johnny narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips a bit, all small tricks they'd learned in their youth to help them focus their powers. Suddenly, the enormous garage door opened and three gleaming expensive cars raced out from an underground storage area, driverless, and stopped in a neat row before their respective masters.

Zacky climbed into the driver seat of his black Mercedes after taking a moment to appreciate the decked out rims. Jimmy, Chuck and Matt Berry all loaded themselves in, Jimmy mocking the others as he claimed shotgun. Matt ran his rough hand along the side of his red convertible, a perfect replica of the Red Shark he had always admired from Hunter S. Thompson's novel. He knew that damn machine would quickly become one of his most prized possessions. David could not pass the chance to ride in it, even though he had a deep fear that if he so much as breathed on it wrong Matt would have him bent over with fucking hedgehogs or something being shoved up his ass by demons. This risk was worth it. Apparently Brian and JB thought so too.

Johnny's navy blue Ferrari was really something else. It wasn't quite as obviously flashy as Matt's chosen vehicle, or quite as tricked out as Zack's, but it had a seductive expensiveness in its own way. Martin climbed in the passenger seat, and almost before his right foot was off the pavement the cars were speeding off, down the driveway, out through the electric gates, past the gatehouse and across the hot blacktop of Southern California. Everyone with the ability materialized sunglasses for himself, Matt dawning his infamous aviators, and nodding at his own sexiness in the rear-view mirror.

Zack's jewel encrusted one's were obviously designer crafted. Matt cranked up the volume on the radio Brian had been fiddling with, the rock station coming in loud and clear. Everyone rocked out in their own way to the AC/DC song as it floated to their ears, the convertible top down so the air rushed over them.

Matt sang along, the words coming with easy familiarity to his lips. His rough voice sang, Highway To Hell, and by fuck, he meant it. Whether he was responsible for it being the song that just happened to be playing at that moment was beside the point.