American had forgotten what it stood for.
Before the Harbingers swooped in to clean up the streets, the U.S. had become a Godless nation full of criminals, having overpowered and overpopulated the police force. With double the murder per capita of any other country in the world, the United States recognized that it had a problem on its hands. What formed from these dark times was a presidential candidate who claimed he could quell the fear in the hearts of the people and bring the nation back to its proud, religious roots if he only had their complete compliance. There would be an emphasis on family and community and at its center, of course, a natural focus on the Holy Father on which all relationships would be based. Through what would later be described as 'necessary action' (per the words of a textbook), he rid the United States of the non-believers, convicts, the sinners and the unworthy. Exhaulted as a hero, this man and his iron first of injustice brought the population full-circle: but it would only be temporary, he warned. As the celebrated man stepped down from his second term, he stated there must be some form of maintenance to keep the nation pure, a reminder in their hearts to fear God and all His power. The cryptic words were the perfect drug for any good red-blooded American; as fear is the ultimate controlling power.
Generations later, it was as he had predicted: crime was on the rise once more. The economy had taken a major hit as did the housing market, so trumpeted the headlines. Crime rose in tandem as the once moral nation grew frustrated and afraid; robbery, prostitution, pickpocketing and even murder. Once the economy recovered, experts promised, all would return to stasis. But more problems were on the horizon - the campaign for morality had created a baby boom that hadn’t been experienced since the 50’s. Building God’s Army had been a forefront of the nation; and now, people outnumbered homes.
And common sense.
Liam Sounders, one of the Blessed Generation, was a sixth grade school teacher in Dallas, Texas at the time. He hardly felt the squeeze at all; in fact, he hardly felt anything. His life had been lived a thousand times: the wife, three children, a job teaching snot-nose little gutter snipes all afternoon before he went to church in the evening. It was played out and, quite frankly, boring. He was the Ideal American and by looking into the faces of the other law-abiding Ideal American, he could tell. In his neighborhood, others of the Blessed Generation worked their ass off while the younger citizens walked around with their hands out. It made him sick.
And then, a young boy by the name of Sinclair Parker enrolled in his class. Brilliant as he was adorable, Sinclair would prove useful to Liam in more ways than one. Following a standard test of their moral fiber established almost three decades ago, Liam hands out some questionnaires concerning the state of the world, things such as 'How to fix the rise in crime?' and 'How to improve moral living?' Most answers were nothing more than brown-nosing at its worst and promptly ended up as a pile of trash but Sinclair's answers were...inspired.
More importantly, the boy gave Liam an idea; an idea that quickly became reality, to the bring back the fear of God to the millions.
The basis was simple: a large police group that would allow punishment of moral crimes. Liam, as a previous officer, could lead the charge. Soon, with the help of local politicians, Liam spread the campaign all throughout cities across the Western United States to much fanfare. Things were beginning to shape up, but something was missing: fear. People knew that they should be moral but nothing was forcing them to comply to the rules more than gentle reminders and small harassment that could easily be denied. A new major election came galloping on the horizon, and a new candidate could see this generation formed in a moral society getting restless at the lack of results. Liam jumped at the opportunity, a Blessed Generation himself, one that could remember a time when morals were common sense. Another idea had come to him; but this one would require a test subject and country-wide approval. Sinclair fit the bill as prototype, having no choice in the matter. After years of torture, training and mental anguish, the Congregation for the Pure of Living were created; modeled after Sinclair’s extreme physical abilities. The group was granted the power use lethal force on anyone for any crime at any time - given the authority of the newly elected candidate - and was precisely what the nation needed as it seemed. The fear of God had been established in the new, moral-less generation; Liam was regarded a champion of his time.
As the sun set on each day, citizens would rush home to their families, guided by a strict curfew and those found lurking were punished as the Congregation for the Pure of Living came out. Parents spun wild stories to their children about the Harbingers - and how they crept about in their rooms at night keeping a watchful eye out for sinful activities. It was true: very little escaped the Harbingers; some people even felt safer with them around. And this, as it turns out, was exactly what Liam and the corrupt man in office had hoped for.
Time marched on, and Sinclair noticed something troubling; he was no longer his teacher’s favorite pet. He had moved on to younger Harbinger students; the idea was too much to handle. Broken mentally, like a wounded animal, Sinclair broke free from his teacher’s grasp and flew out, unbridled, into the night. He would be the beginning of the darkest time for the Congregation for the Pure of Living - and a very personal thorn in Commissioner Liam’s side. Sinclair (now known as Sin) began unearthing Harbingers in the daylight, their corpses left in public places for the world to see. When they attacked at night, a cloak of mystery surrounded them. Here, out in the open...the civilians could see clearly. And the tides were beginning to turn: the Blessed Generation wasn’t getting any younger and very soon, they would be outnumbered. Liam knew this; and the only way to establish a very firm grip on the nation for generations to come would be to eliminate those who thought differently.
As Sin gathered momentum in his one-man track to destroy the Harbingers, his path crossed with Kaser; a doe-eyed boy in sheep’s clothing. His innocence and unadulterated hope for the future drew the deranged ex-Harbinger in. Unfortunately for all involved, this would only add oil to the fire that was Liam and Sin’s very public, very political fight; now that Sin has something to fight for, there’s no telling how the story would end.
Holier Than Thou is the wildfire story of a man pining for a time that could no longer be - one where happiness, not fear, ruled the people. Sin wishes for a time when religions of all types could flourish, and insane ideals of purity and perfection weren’t a requirement. It touches on that unspoken, nagging thought in the deepest parts of hearts everywhere: that, perhaps, we all follow rules out of fear - but in this world, what paper-thin excuse is that? Total acceptance, love and devotion are the only options that will please the Harbingers and, ultimately, the Lord.It doesn’t quite matter why one believes...only that he believes.