A lawn mower thought turned into form. . .
In the Beginning
Michael Grabowski, son of Michael senior and Marjorie (nee Smith), grew up as the weird kid. His father was a garbage truck driver and his mother was the school nurse. While talented in maths and sciences, he was always a little “out there” with his nose in science fiction novels, maps of abandoned (and often fictional) places, and a constant desire to know more.
In college, he drifted into science technology studies. He pushed the limit of what was known at the time. He excelled at somehow making the impossible possible, but had a hard time replicating his work a second time. His inability to replicate his own work led his sponsors to believe him a fraud. He dropped out of university before obtaining his doctorate in Differential and Computational Geometry.
The Chosen One
Along the way, Michael made the acquaintance of Terrance “TJ” Julius by pure accident (and luck!). Michael was investigating an abandoned subway tunnel when he was attacked by a pack of vampire spawn. A Sage and a Chosen One saved him. Michael attempted to follow the Chosen One home, but was intercepted by the Sage, TJ. Michael’s rantings and demands to talk to the young lady, were eventually too much for TJ. So, he explained things at a very high level to Michael. Being Michael, this fed his need for information.
Michael implanted himself into the lives of TJ and Eve. He developed a talent for creating scientific devices the Chosen One could use to hunt and slay monsters. He read tomes about fighting the forces of darkness. He became an integral part of the Chosen One-Sage team. He continued to develop tools for the team to use. Michael learned about Legion and how this monsterous being would eventually return to Earth and swallow everyone’s souls.
During a harrowing fight with a pack of werewolves in service to Legion, Eve was killed. Despondent, Michael rushed to the lab and created a device to revive her. It succeeded with zero defects: Eve was back and with a few days of rest, ready for round two with those werewolves.
Another One
They eventually stumbled upon another Chosen One by accident while hunting a growing population of vampires. Michael and TJ studied this new Chosen One and found it to have similar abilities to Eve. They took this new Chosen One in and began their training.
This Chosen One was too headstrong and sought danger. Eventually, it led to their death and again, Michael was able to revive it.
And later, they found a third Chosen One.
The Scientific Process
In 1998, he broached the idea of killing the Chosen Ones to create more Chosen Ones to TJ. TJ refused to pursue the idea. He realized it was a morally irresponsible thing to do. Michael soon thereafter finished developing a tool to track the Chosen Ones.
After the second Chosen One died again and he revived it, he used the new device to track down the newest Chosen One. He didn’t inform TJ or the Chosen Ones of his intentions. Once he found the new Chosen One, he left TJ and the three Chosen Ones.
He mentored his Chosen One, readying it for the battle against Legion. He also led the Chosen One into a fight they couldn’t win, resulting in the Chosen One’s death. Michael used the RE-viver on it and then the tracking device to find the next Chosen One. Now his army had two soldiers.
Michael realized this process was going to take planning and a lot of work if it was to be successful. The Chosen Ones eventually figured out that something was amiss. Michael feared this day would come and had been working on a way to control the situation.
One of the many weirdos that Michael met over the years developed a military program designed to fight witches. This particular weirdo discovered that certain low frequency vibrations are able to turn off a witch’s ability to cast spells. Michael took those ideas and advanced them to work on Chosen Ones, as well. He sold the device back to the weirdo for a large sum of money, knowing the weirdo would turn around and sell it to the military.
Michael took that money and purchased the old Tranquility Sanitarium. He remodeled the building and put speakers in every room, hallway, and the fenced in yard. Those speakers emit the frequency at all times. No spells or Chosen One powers work when near them.
He also installed standard security systems and hired a staff.
Michael then began a process of turning off the speakers, quickly killing a Chosen One, RE-viving it, and allowing it to heal almost nearly all the way back to health before turning the speaker in their room back on.
He’s stopped capturing Chosen Ones. Now, he collects and grooms them.
Follow the Money
Michael remains in contact with several university acquaintances that went on to become multi-millionaires in the world of science and technology. After discovering the Chosen One existed, he launched a scheme to convince those multi-millionaires that evil existed and that he could help stop the evil. . . if only he had monetary resources. The initial plan failed. He needed a way to convince them they were in danger and then save them. So, he kidnapped one, placed them in a locked basement with a chained up, hungry vampire, and let them sit in the dark for a few hours. Then, he sent the Chosen One down to the basement to save them. Funding started immediately.
The first years were clumsy and to an outsider, would appear unorganized. In truth, Michael was simply failing at different attempts to accomplish his goal: to build an army capable of defending humanity from the machinations of Legion.
As donations came in from more multi-millionaires, Michael grew their stable of Chosen Ones and the means to bring them up fighting. He completely usurped the Chosen One process meant to keep balance in the world. This inbalance has led to the forces of darkness growing in power at a rate never before seen.
The idea to start a scholarship for Chosen Ones was suggested by one after watching a cartoon about superheroes in such a place. Michael immediately realized the usefulness of the idea and went to work. He contacted several of his benefactors and requested their recommendations of schools that would be ideal for this environment.
More than Just One Chosen
Two years later, the Marjorie Grabowski Scholarship was launched at the Lares and Penates School for the Gifted. The following year, he began sponsoring the lady’s lacrosse team in exchange for automatically placing all recipients of the scholarship on the team. He’s recently begun socializing the idea of sponsoring the rugby team with the center’s leadership and other donors.
At the Lares and Penates School for the Gifted, Michael provides scholarships for children deemed to be “beyond average.” He is using the school to marshal an army. The gifted students he gifts scholarships are Chosen Ones that he finds via the tracking device.
With several Chosen Ones retained in the Tranquility Sanitarium and the ability to bring it back to life, he kills one biannually. He then sends his new, groomed Chosen Ones out to find the new recuit. Once the new Chosen One is found, he visits the family and offers the scholarship.
The Evil Men Do
If that same outsider did not realize the evil things Michael was doing to the Chosen Ones in Tranquility and the outsider was only exposed to the Chosen Ones that Michael is grooming to fight Legion, they might be forgiven for thinking he is doing good work. To a limited extent, he is doing good works. The scholarship provides for an education regardless of social class. Sponsoring the lacrosse team ensures the ladies have a team and the means to obtain equipment if they do not have the funds to buy their own. The Chosen Ones are also fighting the forces of darkness.
Net Losses and Gains
Michael is unable to capture every Chosen One he triggers into creation. Some slip through, like any of your player characters portraying a Chosen One. When this happens, he simply slays another one and brings it back to life for later use.
In the early years, he discovered slaying a Chosen One for the sixth time resulted in perma-death. He has yet to determine why that is, but there’s always another Chosen One to take their place!
Michael realizes that if there are to many of these Chosen Ones in existence, it will draw unwanted attention. He also knows that he has to play to the family and friends of the new Chosen One when contacting them. He’s been doing this since the turn of the century and is very good at it.
At the time of writing this article, Michael Grabowski has been raising Chosen Ones for twenty-eight years. There are now Chosen Ones throughout society. Several of them are instructors at the center. One is the coach of the lacrosse team. Another one runs fundraisers for the school, with an eye towards watching for new Chosen Ones. These are highly educated, highly skilled, motivated people. An unseen army.
You can learn more about Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars at Elflair.com
