5th Interlude Entry

Five years in the past had melded into a scene in the library at the safe house. The walls were smoky grey marble and the floor had white wood paneling, there were small colorful fairies instead of birds that fluttered around the room but as soon as the double doors burst open, they flocked toward the ceiling. Jack came rushing in ahead of Pierson who was conjuring a hospital bed in the middle of the room with silvery wires from the floor as Christian and Shawn came in with Percy around their shoulders. His face was sunken in, black veins were popping out on his head and all over his arms and he was struggling to breath.

      Jack turned on his heel and flicked his finger in the air and Percy blinked onto the bed and Pierson injected him with a needleless pin of bright velvet liquid but he started vomiting violently into a trash can Shawn slid over just in time. The veins became more defined as Jack tore open Percy’s vest and shirt and saw a river of black veins closing in for his heart.

      “F**k.” Jack pounded his fist onto his partner’s heart as he saw Percy’s eyes fading away. There was a deep rumble in the room as Jack and Percy’s body illuminated in a dark glow with a blue-purple undertone. Everyone stepped back as he gritted his teeth when the glow electrified around the area of Percy’s heart. While a fire consumed inside Jack’s eyes, the black veins swam with fire and began to fade away from the heart. But there became a hint of the same veins in Jack’s knuckles before a snap and a bang separated the two and Percy sat up coughing and wheezing.

      Instantaneously Christian, Pierson and Shawn rushed toward Percy as Jack collapsed trying to catch himself on the table. Shawn detoured and caught Jack by his arms before he had completely hit the ground.

      “What’s wrong?”

      “He caught some of…the poison that…was in me.” Christian was holding Percy steady while Pierson had injected Jack with another needleless pin, this time with turquoise liquid. He gradually came around and lifted to his knees to be eye to eye with Percy.

      “How are you feeling?”

      “Better now that you saved me but don’t ever do that again! You almost died!”

      “It would be worth it if it meant saving you.”

      “Okay, enough of the mushiness, it’s really making me sick.” Shawn brushed dirt of his pants as he stood up, “If you don’t need me anymore I think I will get back to my day spa I had planned.”

      “Yeah, I’m supposed to be in the bathroom while the tour group waits for me in Rome.” Christian was leaning against the bookshelf as Percy thanked both of them.

      “Wait, Shawn.” Jack called, “And Percy allow Pierson to take you to the bedroom, you were a fool in trying to save Valencia but now you really need your rest.”

      Everyone exited the library except Shawn, who was impatiently tapping his foot when the door closed shut. He spun on his heel, ready to tell Jack off, but he stopped when Jack collapsed in the chair behind the desk.

      “Hey, hey, are you sure you’re okay?”

      “Yeah, I’m fine.” Jack was breathing heavily with his eyes clothes, “Thank you for being there to save Percy. I don’t thank you enough for being my Protector and the sacrifices you made for me.”

      “I mean, you guys took me in when my parents died. You’re like…like a father to me.”

      “But you had to distance yourself from your best friend.”

      Shawn sighed and frowned, looking away as he slowly sat on the edge of the desk.

      “You have constantly been yanked around by the fates and I really think it’s time you got your reward.”

      “What are you f*****g talking about?” Shawn quietly asked.

      Jack snickered lightly and then coughed.

      “I have always loved your brash personality and found your loyalty refreshing.”

      “Are…are you dying?”

      “No, but all I really did was transfer the poison from Percy to myself. At least I am strong enough to fight it. However,” He opened his eyes looking straight at Shawn, “Valencia was successful in resurrecting Dark-El’s shadow and since she overpowered Percy with her new found power…”

      Shawn reloaded his gun and held it up by his face.

      “Then let’s go handle this b***h.”

      Jack laughed and sat forward.

      “Go live your life, Shawn, and enjoy the air outside these walls. Be free from this wretched lifestyle and the constant battle fighting.”

      “Jack…”

      “I release you, Shawn, from all your duties as my Protector. I mean, I really don’t need one.”

      A small shatter came from his gun as fragments of a yellow gem fell to the floor at the same time as the same shatter came from Jack’s pocket. He sighed as Shawn holstered his gun and proceeded to leave the room.

      “Hey!”

      He stopped halfway across the room but didn’t turn around. Jack was on his feet and his hands causing cracks in the desk.

      “You’ve already been well taken care of.”

      “What do you mean?” Shawn turned around, still angry but curious.

      “Check your bank account. You have enough funds to last you a lifetime and a job secured with the FBI whenever you’re ready for it. Like I said, go and enjoy your life and go see your friend again.”

      Shawn sighed.

      “Are you going to be okay, Jack?”

      They had stood face to face with an air of separation between them. Jack placed his hands on Shawn’s shoulders.

      “Leave my wellbeing to me but just as a last favor, keep Percy from following me. If it means my death I will kill her for what she tried to do to him.”

      “And there’s no talking you out of doing this alone?”

      Jack shook his head but was met with a shrug from his previous Protector, who shook his hand firmly and turned to leave.

      “It was great working with you, Jack. I hope you come back in one piece.”

      And then he left the room, leaving a forlorn Jack, who was staring at a picture of a younger him and Percy in England, hugged and happy. He gently touched the picture and teleported outside of the newly planted rose gardens in a jolt of black lightning. The sky was covered on grey clouds as the winds had started to pick up speed while Jack approached the edge of the nearest cliff, outside the sight of the estate. He took out a thick compact from his pocket and noticed the small diamond that was supposed to be a star had cracked open. It orbited under a thick glass with a full moon and comets constantly rotating before Jack gave it a hard flick and the Erebus Rod formed at the speed of light.

      The black blade shimmered in the little light that hit it under the clouds but Jack had already javelined his sword into the rocky ocean. Deep into the horizon it flew until it abruptly crashed into a random spot in Jack’s sight causing a whirlpool to form lift into a water spout. Dark energy sublimated out the shaft of the rod, opening a portal in the midst of spout that Jack had already jolted toward.

      Once he exited the other end of the swirling black portal, he grabbed his sword and sealed the opening shut by swiping his blade upward against it. He examined his surroundings in disgust as he noticed nothing but dark dry dessert behind him and an old, mold chapel ahead of him. As he approached the chapel, he noticed a scorpion crawl pass him but immediately burnt to a crisp after it ran into an invisible force.

      Jack jammed his rod into the ground, blade first, and approached the scorched spot with caution. Once his cowboy boots had barely brushed the edge of the force, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Black energy emitted from his head into his outstretched hands before his entire body became a mold of energy, shocking the force violently, until it crumbled apart and vanished. He quickly reformed into his person and rushed forward, the Erebus Rod at his side.

      The door of the chapel was fully sealed and shut against the overgrown vegetation and moss growing all over. Cracks etched deep into the cobblestone the structure was made out of and without any hesitation, Jack aimed his rod at the door ejected a thick black lightning that effortlessly shattered it. But what he walked in on caused him to inhale slightly; Valencia stood on the other side in her black lace dress, red locks in the front and golden scepter emitting grey energy into a mountainous creature of black sludge towering above her. It seemed to be breathing and hanging in an acid ooze from every corner of the walls as Jack snapped his fingers, teleporting the scepter into his hand and immediately setting it ablaze as Valencia spun around in a startle. He had tossed the burnt weapon back to her as he started approaching her spot.

      “Did you really think you could resurrect the shadow of the Dark-El and I wouldn’t come for you?”

      Before Valencia responded, the stringy oozes sprung to life and encased around Jack like a swarm of angry bees. But he spun the rod over his head twice as it sliced the strings with a flash of blades cutting them. It never stopped Jack’s stride but only fueled his anger.

      “I didn’t give two s***s whether or not you came,” Valencia taunted, picking up her scepter, “You can’t beat me with the power I have now! It all comes from him!”

      But Jack had catapulted his blade into the heart of the large creature and a deafening roar encased the shadow into a small casket, dropping to Valencia’s feet, who was shocked.

      “You have never been a match against my power and selling your soul for corrupted power will still never be a match!”

      “Suffocate and die!” Valencia swung her weapon around and from under her feet expelled a geyser of molten lava, careening toward Jack, who twirled the rod vigorously in front of him creating a dark force that repelled the lava back toward his enemy. She sprang out the way and into a dangerous twister that consumed the onslaught of magma. Dangerous lightning crashed around Jack, who inching closer to Valencia and had jabbed his blade into the ground again to absorb the electricity into his palms.

      And with a deep yell he ejected a rolling wave of lightning that Valencia, now personified again, deflected into the ceiling, causing it to crumble. The moonlight was swallowed up by dark clouds that had formed around the chapel and with another attempt to stop him, Valencia threw another attack of lava and dark lightning toward him. Noticing it was starting to make him struggle, Jack inhaled again and felt the fire consume inside his eyes again and burst into a mass of black energy that started to engulf the chapel and dismantle the walls.

      Valencia stood and laughed in the midst of the heavy energy slamming around her. She danced around the thick bolts and laughed harder, snapping her claws into a general direction toward the open ceiling and made a twisting movement. Jack suddenly appeared levitating in the air before crashing down into the large stones, the dark mass gone.

      “You’re a fool, John Deerfield, and you will die begrudging your own destiny. What will little Percy think when his poor lover was hacked up and feed to the bottom feeders of hell!” Valencia made more twisting motioned as Jack groaned, clutching to his heart.

      “I was hoping you would activate your Phantom Form because by doing that, I was able to infect you with the same shadow you thought you sealed away.”

      Jack tried to eject a bolt toward her as she approached him, but she deflected it with a quick swipe of her hand but began to raise him with her clawed hand. As his feet left the ground, sweat beads gathered on his forehead as he noticed the air around Valencia was flickering with an evil spirit. With extreme pressure he was able to snap his finger, calling the rod to appear under his body and encased him with a cylinder shaped force field. He fell to knees free of Valencia’s possession.

      Valencia went to touch the field but it shocked her back a few steps just as the evil spirit began violently colliding with the field repeatedly.

      “You can’t hide in your cubby forever, Jack.” She laughed, as he struggled to get to his feet from being knocked down with each hit from the spirit. But just when he thought his situation couldn’t get any worse, another scream sent a horrific shiver down his back.

      Percy was being held back by Shawn who didn’t see the fatal attack heading toward them in time but Jack, in one quick move and final show of power, he pointed his finger from the rod to Percy and it flickered once, suddenly appearing at Percy’s face and shielding them from the ferocious spell of energy that colliding with it.

      “JACK NO!” Percy screamed as Valencia had turned her attention toward Jack and the evil spirit shot in and out of his body brutally, causing so much pain to consume him. But he never screamed, never showed any fear and never gave up while he looked into Percy’s eyes as he felt his body begin to rip apart.

      Then he let out a bloodcurdling, deafening scream that exploded him apart into a large blast of nebula clouds, blasting the evil spirit and Valencia (who tried her hardest to escape) into a casket before swallowing them. The ground moved like a rolling quake and Shawn and Percy watched the nebula clouds pierce the earth and sky in a dazzling show of spinning power before it all suddenly expanded widely.

      Huge gusts of wind was causing the two to struggle to hang on to the rod as the intensifying funnel of cosmic energy lifted their bodies once it expanded into them. Shawn and Percy grabbed each other’s arm for support as the rod began to rock loose and give way.

      Everything unexpectedly went white and still.