The Black Parade

Welcome To The Black Parade

"You're getting so tall!"

A memory.

"Here, Vicky, look! Soon you'll be just as tall as Dad!"

His father, whose name he didn't remember, but would recognize if he heard it. The house; small, yet comfortable. Outside was warm, sunny, but full of noise. Victor always wanted to stay inside.

His father picked him up and walked into the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror.

"You look just like your old man!" he said. Victor couldn't help but laugh.

"But I'm me!"

"Oh, right you are." his father said with a smile. "You're going to grow up to be big and strong. Who knows where you'll end up?"

"I want to build robots! Like you!"

His father chuckled.

"You do love to tinker around with stuff, huh?" he said. "Maybe you'll build a better and stronger robot than I ever could. Just don't get carried away, yeah?"

"I wanna build a robot that's big and strong so I don't have to take anything from anybody!" Victor squeaked. "And he's gonna be like a cowboy!"

"A cowboy robot, hm? Maybe you'll be the first. What do you think you'll name him?"

"I dunno. What about Adder?"

"Oh, that's a kind of snake, isn't it? I don't think we have any adders out here. Adder sounds fun."

Victor smiled.

"And we're going to go on a bunch of adventures together!"

"I'm sure you will, Vicky."

He set Victor down and knelt before him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Promise me something, Victor."

"Okay!"

"I'm not going to be here forever, you know. Just...never hurt anybody before they hurt you first. Help people when they're in need. Okay?"

Victor nodded excitedly.

"Good. I think dinner's almost ready. Get your hands washed!"

Victor sat at the desk in his small shack, looking up at the half-finished robot standing at the foot of his bed.

Another memory.

He kept the robot under a tarp normally, just to make sure the store bosses didn't try taking it away. The robot needed a name, and he had a list he'd considered for a long time. Desperado, Comanche, Diamondback, among many others, but none fit quite as well as Admiral. Adder, for short of course. Once this robot was complete, it would be a dream come true.

He wouldn't have to watch over his shoulder or wait for his door to open in the middle of the night. Admiral would protect him, comfort him, and everything he needed and lacked. Family.

Adder, a type of snake. The ouroboros symbol, that of the Antiochs, the serpent eating its own tail. The fangs in the robot's mouth with real venom ready at a moment's notice. This robot was already perfect, as both a real protector and a hulking monument of spite. Victor had spent hours rummaging through electronics scrap on the outskirts of town and found everything he'd need for Admiral to come to fruition. The voice modulator was his favorite, he thought.

Victor stood up and turned on the stove, opening the can of Spam he'd been able to buy earlier in the evening and putting a slice on a pan. He looked back at the robot. Despite him not being awake yet, Victor could already feel his presence. Warm. Comforting. Just what he needed.

He hoped his father would be proud, if he could see him now. So much for growing up big and strong.

Victor glanced at the Spam on the counter. It would be wise to ration the rest out, but hunger rested in the pit of his stomach. It always did. He sighed and plated what was on the pan, sitting cross-legged on the bed and poking at it with his fork. He looked up at the mining helmet sitting on the desk and rubbed his eyes. Admiral wouldn't be able to get him out of there, but maybe things wouldn't be so bad when he was awake. Optimism was foreign, but strangely welcome.

Koutali hated having eyes on him. It came from all directions - his parents, the doctor, other kids at school, Pirouni. He wasn't made right, always some sort of strange conglomerate of being. Koutali was wrong.

Through surgeries and people tearing him apart behind his back, his body wasn't his own. It was a patchwork, and he was some sort of Frankenstein's monster, always somebody else's to add and take away parts as they saw fit.

Elementary school. Gym class.

A memory.

"Divide into two teams of boys and girls." the teacher ordered. It was that. It was always that. Did he have to choose?

"Andzelika!" the teacher barked. It was then Koutali realized he hadn't moved from his spot, and everyone had their eyes on him. Her? Did Koutali even know?

He nervously held onto the bottom of his shirt, finally making a decision and joining the girls' side. Even then, they kept their eyes on him, stealing glances, questioning looks, and scornful glares. Koutali didn't belong with them. He didn't belong on the other side, either. He was wrong.

"Some people are born boys. They have an XY chromosome. Some are born girls. They have an XX chromosome."

Health class.

Another memory.

"Some people are born neither."

Koutali kept his eyes down at his textbook. He could feel people watching him. People were always watching him.

People that didn't fit into one of two categories were wrong. He sensed it with his classmates. Even if they didn't know specifics, they could pick up on something subtle that would warrant being outcast and left alone. Kids were smart like that.

Koutali couldn't focus on the lesson. He wanted to ask to be excused to go to the bathroom, but even then, he didn't fit in those boxes either. Really, he just wanted to curl up and disappear. People always wanted to see him, but he never wanted to be seen again.