1st Interlude Entry

A shifting view to where the Protector went in the eyes of another Host.

1^st Interlude Entry

      The wraparound street of Forty Fourth gave a welcome sparkle of yellow, pink and blue with green trees lining the back to block the freeway with Halloween decorations at almost every house’s lawn. A slight breeze swayed through the foliage and birds of all kinds soared around and away. A tall Amazon woman named Bonnie came shuffling out her pastel blue house to retrieve the newspaper that landed in her rose bush. Once back inside there was a small popping sound in the air and a quick orange flash.

      Everything stopped in the position it last made; Bonnie’s door was barely latched, birds were frozen in mid-flight and the mailman had just left Kenny’s last step. Time seem to have been frozen stopped. All except for the dark hooded figure that stood at the beginning of the neighborhood, in the middle of the street.

      The figure closed a ticking bronze pocket watch, with the face of a rising sun over a tower, into the jacket and began walking down the street swiftly, the click of the heel sounding from his boot on the asphalt. His jacket tail fluttered in the backwind as he approached the abandoned house that Christian bought, with the black ladder still open by the gutters. He stood in front of the house, reached deep into his jacket and pulled out a computerized animated sphere that levitated above the figured open gloved palm.

      With a slight flick, the sphere expanded enormously in a series of clicks, dial ups and beeps until it surround the entire house in blue animated pixels of energy. The figure entered the house and shook his head at the interior of the house before turning into what was the hallway, through a gold and red bead curtain and towards an open door to the only room walled off besides the kitchen.

      Christian was laying hatless on the floor, still in his black tank top and beige sweat pants, under Kenny, who was on the futon, both of them sleep. His robe was closed and tied with a fluffy pillow under his head. The dark hooded figure walked over and caressed the top of Kenny’s head before stepping over Christian and scooping him up. As the figure turned on his heel, there was a pixelated flash of blue energy and they were in Kenny’s bedroom. He placed him into his bed and turned on his heel again, the same blue flash and he was back in Christian’s house.

      He walked back into the kitchen, retrieved the twisted iron box and rested it in a hidden side pocket before exiting the house and returning back in the street and turning to face the front.

      “You’re so reckless, Chris.” He muttering before pulling back his hood revealing a tan complexion, ear length wavy ash blonde hair and honey colored eyes. Once he pulled a lightning conductor that resembled a hand held version of the CN Tower out the back of his hood, he extending it into the air. Clouds began to gather and thunder began to rumble as electricity gained strength in the round chamber in the middle of the rod.

      The wind picked up, still only for him, as lightning crashed out of the tip of the rod, blasting into the air unleashing bolts all over the city. With one last burst of lightning, this time from the sky, collided viciously where the man once stood (vanished in pixelated energy) and broke off into two bolts that hit Kenny and Christian’s house simultaneously.

      When the flash ended, everything unfroze in time; Bonnie quickly latched her door but peered out the window noticing Christian’s house stood as it did before he moved in. There was no sign of life in the house and no memory to her of anyone every living there but the old man who died in it. A ‘For Sale’ sign still stood erected and gently rocked in the breeze.

 

      The honey eyed man appeared in a hilly plush green pasture overlooking the ocean after a quick flash of blue pixelated energy transported him there. He brushed off his sleeves and pocketed the rod back into the back of his hood and walked briskly over the hills parallel to the crashing waves but before he had even made it a dozen steps, a similar flash of pixelated energy but in a form of a fiery rush of electricity went off a few feet away and a very agitated Christian marched up to the man, who never quit walking to look back.

      “You’re a son of a b***h, you know that, Percy? A son of a b***h!”

      “Why Chris?” Percy replied with a bored tone, “Because I had to once again clean up a mess you caused.”

      “What mess? Nothing has even happened.”

      “But something could have happened is my point,” Percy made a sharp turn away from the ocean over deeper hills, to which Christian followed without a break in stride, “You had a very direct strict directive; Only To Protect! And what were the sub-agreements?”

      Christian groaned with frustration, massaged his eyes under his glasses and scratched his head.

      “I don’t care-!”

      “You were never,” Percy recited automatically, “Ever! Under any circumstance or situation to inform or intrigue a Host of his or her powers. This epiphany was left to the direction of the Seed of the Soul of the Gods that was chosen to said Host.”

      “So?”

      “Why?” Percy pleaded, stopping suddenly and facing Christian, who was only an inch taller, “Why did you have to open your big mouth to Kenneth and cloud his judgment?”

      “He had a right to know.”

      “You had no right to be the one to tell him.”

      “I had every right! But does it matter anyways? He thinks it was all a dream.” Christian began following Percy again, who had started walking again after a scoff, “But wasn’t it you who made these stupid sub-agreements that said that ‘No harm is to come to our Custody?’ The ones who are Hosts just like you, man! This spiritual plane Kenny was projecting to was real as they come and I was not about to let any of that harm happen to him! So I don’t care if you think I had a right or not. Because MY judgement over MY Custody is the ONLY one that matters!”

      Percy stopped again, but didn’t turn towards Christian, and sighed deeply.

      “You’re right.” He started, “He is your Custody and who am I to stand on your pride and manhood of being a Protector? But-” Percy snapped a small blue current into the sky from his fingers, “Until Kenny can refocus his judgement and become an unaided journeyer again I can’t let you leave my estate.”

      Christian tore past Percy with a push in a low growl and proceeded down the hill until he vanished out of sight. A deep sigh escaped Percy’s body before he transported in a static in front of Christian, who had made it to the back side of the immeasurable size mansion with quadruple French doors. The only thing the tall protector did was punch Percy in the stomach but missed because he staticed out the way.

      “I understand I have no real authority to keep you here, my friend!” Percy called, “But you have to understand my position.”

      Christian waved him away and walked into the grand open glass foyer. Being inside the white and gold hallway so many times lost its luster on the frequent visitors of the place. As the two progressed down the hall of white doors and windowed walls in a debate over what-ifs, they didn’t notice a slender dark complexion female with real long straight black hair, pulled in a ponytail come out of a door in front of them. It extended all the way down to her knees and waved in the air as she walked towards the guys in a spotless fitted blue mechanic suit and googles on her head.

      “What are you two boys fighting about now?”

      Christian and Percy stopped in front of the young lady.

      “Kayla,” Percy bowed to a return bow.

      “Kay, listen to this bull crap that Percy is pulling now.” Christian cut over Percy who tried to start explaining first while Kayla folded her arms and leaned her head slightly to the side in boredom.

      “I can’t permit-”

      “Can’t permit!”

      “Let him talk, Chris.”

      “Thank you, Kayla,” Percy flashed a victory smile towards Christian, “Now, I am afraid I can’t permit our dear mutual close friend here to exit the premises until the mess he created is sorted out on its own.”

      “What mess did you make now?” Kayla turned her head towards Christian, who had folded his arms now.

      “I told Kenny the truth about who he is and I am not going to apologize or feel sorry for any of it. I would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.”

      “I see,”

      “Reckless,” Percy directed his hand towards the protector but suddenly felt a ping in his brain. And without warning, leaving the two to sort out what the problem was, Percy tore off into a brisk walk until he reached the last door on his right and entered. After ascending two flights of wired metal steps, he entered double oak doors and found himself submerged in towers upon towers of books. Mechanical parrots and doves flustered around toward the ceiling, placing books in the right section.

      In the far right side, adjacent to the humungous pearl fireplace, stood a boney old butler with mini-specs on his nose, hunched over and cleaning the oak three piece desk. When the door opened, he stood erect and bowed.

      “Master Percival, is all well with you?”

      “Yes, thank you Pierson. Nothing that I can’t handle.” Percy walked over to the fireplace, disrobed his jacket and hood into a brown three piece suit and touched the middle of the mantel to make a thick open book of blank pages rise from its center. He typed on invisible keys and when he was done, a high pitch bell rang, the book shrank back into the mantel and down swooped a parrot with a book titled ‘Incurable Diseases’.

      “Are you sure you are well?” Pierson repeated seeing the book Percy retrieved.

      “Oh, yes-yes. This is for research I need to do in order to make something of the future. It was like a sudden idea to just study the anatomy of viruses. When has been the last time you got sick?”

      “When I turned sixty-two. The dreaded Black Plague.”

      “That’s right I do recall father stepping in to save your life. Let’s see if we can’t stop that from happening ever again.”

      Pierson nodded and summoned the chair out from under the desk with two claps when Percy walked over with his face deep in the open book and sat down. But no sooner had Percy begun to read when the doors to the library slammed open.

      “What the bloody hell did you do to my house and what is Kenny going to think when I turn up missing?!” Christian stormed in with Kayla calmly shutting the door, “All right, Pierce?”

      Pierson bowed at their entrance and silently stood erect again.

      “Master Archer. Lady Hudson. Good day.”

      “Good day, Pierson.” Kayla smiled warmly, standing beside Christian.

      “I took care of all of that and decided to put that eye soar back on the market. What do you want with that small shack anyways?” Percy answered, not looking up from his reading. Christian slammed his hand on the desk, gaining his friend’s attention.

      “You don’t get it do you? Do you know what I saw before you zapped me out of the spiritual plane?”

      Percy blinked up at Christian to continue.

      “Once that rain ate up all the jungle of vine and thorns, I saw something odd and eerie. Like a tall dark man standing under a vast shadow. Even he was far away on the horizon I could tell his eyes were on us. I could feel it all over the lining of my mind. But he vanished as quickly as I saw him.”

      “Did you get a decent look or anything?” Kayla had took a seat on the edge of the desk with a small gasp.

      “No, but whatever he was it couldn’t have been a good omen.”

      “Absolutely it wasn’t.” Percy closed the book softly and placed it down, “Well, you know the tasks of a Protector the measures you can take to keep watch. You have full access to use anything in the house to aid in your duty.”

      But before Percy could continue, Christian frantically snapped his attention out the stained glass window all the while unsuccessfully trying to transport away in a muffled looking mirage.

      “Hurry up and undo the program you put on the estate!”

      “Why do you-”

      “PERCY NOW!”

      But Christian didn’t need to protest any further than that one outburst, for the same dart of horrific energy pierced through his own heart shocking him to immediately stand and snapped his fingers to erase his previous doing. And before he could bade Christian to hurry, the Protector was gone in a violent burst of fiery electricity causing Kayla’s hair to be wildly blown around.

       “Master Percival?”

      But Percy just sank gravely into his plush leather chair and buried his face into his palms.