#htih

Albert Alvarez and his twin sister were adopted as infants by their father, Vernon. Both were born premature, having to be kept in the hospital for quite some time.

Vernon said that as a baby, he never cried. He'd joke about how he was the "most well mannered baby he's ever met".

Albert was also an ill child, getting very sick, very often. It felt like he was going to the hospital constantly. At some points in his early life, the doctor was worried he would die.

Despite it all, as he got older, he slowly managed to build a better immune system. He finally got to grow up the same as other children, only having to miss school on occasion. This was a big relief to Vernon.

Vernon was usually busy at work, but Albert really cherished the moments they would have together. His dad was a scientist, and Albert knew he wanted to be just like him.

Albert developed a deep love for the music his dad would show him, and because his dad is Latino, even managed to learn Spanish alongside his sister. Albert didn't have a lot of connections besides his family, and still feels very close to them even in his adulthood. He considers them to be the most important people to him.

While in school, teachers would often praise him for his intelligence. Because his dad was so busy, getting approval from other adults became really important to him.

Unfortunately, an old friend of his father would take advantage of that. The abuse started when he was around 10, and would last deep into his teen years. Sometimes that old man would run his hands over his shoulders, telling Albert that he was such a well behaved boy. Telling him that he's doing good, Praising how quiet he was, how he never cried. Albert would simply nod in response, and try to focus on the wall.

That man was like a grandparent to him, and he was still kind most of the time, Albert thought. He didn't think it was worth it to talk about it. He didn't want to acknowledge how much it hurt him. He was never very good at expressing himself anyways, he was quiet, and spoke with a monotone voice.

He never seemed upset, he never cried. He didn't really have any friends, and didn't know how to make them. His teachers respected him, his family loved him. In his eyes, had too much to lose by talking about it.

Even if he wanted to speak up about it, he couldn't bring himself to.

Despite this very dark period of his life, Albert would find a light at the end of the tunnel. He met his best friend, Will, in high school.

Initially the two were academic rivals, but a chance encounter allowed them to properly speak to each other.

Will liked Albert. Will didn't seem to mind how quiet he was, or the fact he didn't emote much. Will didn't seem to fit in either, and the two of them began to hang out constantly.

Will got Albert really into mecha animes, and most importantly, the matrix. With his, Albert began to express his interests through his choice of fashion.

However, no matter what happened, the abuse continued. Behind the scenes, year after year, it continued. When Will wasn't around, Alvarez found it hard to get interested in a lot of things. His family noticed he began to withdraw over time. They worried about his well-being. Nobody knew just how much he was suffering, and nobody knew how deep his desire for control began to manifest.

Vernon was shocked when his son abruptly announced he wanted to be an officer.

When he asked why, Alvarez simply said that he wanted to make the world a better place.

Skip forward a couple decades, and Alvarez found himself ranking as a respected Police Captain. Despite it all, a certain officer seemed to catch his eye.