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Guardians: Volume II

by

Eric Metcalf

Alex Hawke was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming; he could see the fuzziness around the edge of everything, and things changed too quickly to be real. It was not a good dream.

"Hey, it's Hocker," Bill Spanos announced. The nickname carried all of the disdain it could. Sure, Alex was eighteen, skinny and had a bad case of acne, but did all of the popular guys have to pick on him? It wasn't just the guys, either.

"Hi, Hocker," Briana James called. Tall, blonde and statuesque, she was every schoolboy's dream. She loved squeezing her curvy body into those tight cheerleader outfits, like the one she had on now. She was a common companion in his dreams, but she wasn't as nasty in his dreams as she was in real life. Lately, she had been nastier.

"C'mon, kid, I know you've got some money for me, or you're gonna regret it." Tank Kane was Bill's muscle. He was actually the same age as Alex, but Tank topped him by six inches and outweighed him by close to one hundred pounds. So, 'kid' it was.

The faces shifted, warped like in a Salvador Dali painting. A goddess stared down at him. She had Briana's blonde hair, but she was taller, more muscular, and more busty. "Look but don't touch, little boy," she taunted. "You're not man enough to handle me."

Something inside Alex growled at the injustice. Weren't guys supposed to be tall, handsome, and powerful? Why did he get stuck being a wimpy nerd that just got picked on and teased? The goddess stared down at him. "You don't have the power, boy. Now get lost." She swung an arm, muscular but feminine. The blow knocked Alex back several feet.

Alex got up and started running, but the goddess was chasing him, laughing a throaty laugh as she pounded along behind him. "You can't run, little boy. You don't even have the power to do that," she laughed, closing on him but never quite catching him.

"I don't have any power," Alex yelled. "Just leave me alone!"

"You do have power, Alex," a powerful, masculine voice said. Alex turned and saw an old man dressed in robes standing near him. "You just need to unlock your power."

"How?" Alex asked. He was desperate. He needed power to keep the goddess from crushing him like she had done several nights in a row. This was the first time the old man had appeared, though.

"Take my hand," the man replied. "I can help you unlock your power."

Alex stretched out his hand, grabbing the old man's hand in his. As their palms touched, a jolt of pure energy ran through Alex. Alex yelled as the energy burned him, burned along his arteries, howled in his veins. For a split second, all of his existence was the energy.

Alex sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath, before he even realized he was awake. When he realized that this was no longer his dream, he lay back down, groaning. The room was light, but this was summer vacation. He didn't have to go to summer school, so he could sleep as late as he wanted. These dreams didn't help him sleep though.

"Ooof," Alex grunted as his head hit the headboard of his bed. He'd never done that before. His feet were still at the end of his bed, so why was his head so far up? He reached up to grab at his throbbing head when he stopped. Was that his arm? He pulled his hand down so he could look at it. The arm he went to sleep with was thin enough for a girl. This arm was not. He looked down at his body. His t-shirt didn't cover his chest; in fact, it was straining to stay together. He tried to pull it off, and ripped the straining fabric easily. The chest it revealed was a classic v-shape; broad in the shoulders, narrow at the waist, and muscled all the way down. This was not the chest he had gone to bed with.

Alex got up, all thoughts of more sleep forgotten. He groaned as he got up. His shorts were too tight on his waist and thighs; another rip job got them off. He wondered how in the world he could have outgrown all of his clothes overnight.

"I must still be dreaming," he said. The small ache at the back of his head seemed to disprove that idea, but it was his only thought.

A bright light flashed in one corner of his bedroom. When the light faded, the old man from his dream was standing there. "Wrong, Alex, you are not dreaming."

"Who the hell are you? Why are you here if you're from my dream?"

The man was nonplussed at his profanity. "In answer to your first question, I am called Arcanus. I am a master of the magical arts. In answer to your second, I entered your dream deliberately. I sensed your dreams because you have a very great deal of magical potential, but you had suppressed it, locking it away in your subconscious. I freed the power. You used a portion of it to remake your physical body into the one you now wear."

Alex looked down at himself. No doubt about it, he had gone from nerd to hunk. But was that all of it? "You said a portion of my power. What else can I do?"

"Only you know for certain what your limits are," Arcanus said. "However, from your level of raw power, you could do almost anything with a thought, up to a certain power limit."

"Oh, a power level," he said, drawing on his knowledge of anime, especially Dragonball Z, to comprehend what Arcanus was telling him. "So I can fly, resist damage, and blast people?"

"Among other things," Arcanus said. "Your full range of power is much more subtle than simply fighting. However, you will need tutelage to reach your full potential. I can help you, if you let me."

Alex looked down for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I am going to need help. I'm not sure how to do anything; hell, I'm not sure how I did this."

"That, I can teach you," Arcanus said, triumph evident in his voice. "Now, come, and we shall try out your powers in a real-life setting."

"Uh, I hate to rain on your parade, but none of my clothes fit."

Arcanus shook his head. "All right. Your first lesson shall be in the art of illusion. Concentrate on what clothes you would like to be wearing. Imagine them in your mind." Alex shrugged, then pictured himself in a Polo shirt, Ralph Lauren jeans, and Air Jordan tennis shoes. He felt a strange sensation, like energy from his heart was pouring out onto his skin, then he opened his eyes.

"Whoa, it worked!" It had worked; his ensemble fit perfectly, and the clothes were exact replicas of the real brands, right down to the stitching and logos. Then he realized he felt no weight. "They're not real."

"No," Arcanus replied. "Simply illusions. However, anyone who sees you will see them. Now do you begin to see the extent of your powers?"

Alex smiled. If he could do this so easily, then what else could he do? He intended to find out, and have some fun on the way. Whoever this Arcanus was, something told Alex he wasn't boring. "Sure, lead the way."

Katrina woke suddenly. She wasn't sure what had woken her until she looked at the foot of her bed. Carlysa was standing at the foot of her bed, her silver fur standing on end, her eyes wide as she looked out the window. Kat had seen a lot from her mentor, but scared to death was a new one.

"What is it, Carlysa?"

"A massive surge of magic energy," Carlysa replied in Kat's mind. "I have never felt anything like it. Even granting you the power of Firemane didn't take that much energy. I fear we are too late."

"Too late, too late for what?"

Before Carlysa could answer, the door to Kat's room flew open. Lady Alyina stood in the door, looking regal even in a nightgown. However, Kat could see the lines around her eyes. She was as frightened as Carlysa. "You felt it too, Carlysa?"

Carlysa nodded and looked at Alyina. Kat felt cut out, because she couldn't listen in on their telepathic conversation. After a long moment, Alyina nodded. "I shall inform Mindstar at once. When all of the Guardians are assembled, then we will speak of this further." She turned to Kat. "Prepare yourself, Firemane. You will be tested as you have not been tested to this point." With that, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Well that's a heck of a way to wake up," Kat said, then shook her head and got up.

"Where are we going?" Alex grumbled as he maneuvered his Mazda through the morning Baltimore traffic. From the outside, it would appear that he was talking to himself. Alex knew Arcanus was in the passenger seat and could see him if he concentrated, but otherwise he saw just an empty seat. He wished Arcanus had adopted a disguise, but he didn't want to. Perhaps he couldn't.

"A place where you can exercise your powers in, interesting ways," Arcanus replied. That was the same reply he had given the three other times Alex had asked the same question. "The building is ahead, to your right."

Alex looked, both at the building and for a place to park. "A health club?" Alex said incredulously. "I didn't know you meant that kind of exercise. Besides, that place is real upscale. I hope you've got a membership."

"I don't think you quite understand the type of exercise I intend. And do not let pitiful rules like memberships interfere with you now. Your powers are all the membership we require."

"Okay, whatever you say," Alex replied as he pulled into a parking place. "Are you going to stay invisible, or are you going to show up?"

"It would look unusual if I suddenly appeared next to you," Arcanus replied. "Besides, if you can not talk to me openly, you will need to be more self-reliant. Now, exit the car. I can get out without using the door."

Alex shrugged and got out of the car. As he walked into the club, he felt the door stand open on its own behind him. Inside the lobby, a cute blonde in a tight workout outfit stood behind the counter, with a computer screen right beside her.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" she said cheerily.

Alex smiled back at her, cool and confident. "I'm Mister Harkes. I believe you have an account for me?" He reached out for her mind with his energy, twisting her memories slightly.

"Yes sir, I certainly do," she replied brightly. "You can go right on in."

"Thank you," he replied, walking into the club.

"Nicely done," Arcanus's voice said in his ear. "A simple mental manipulation, and she does as you will. Now, are you ready for more advanced work?"

"Sure," Alex replied softly. "That was easy."

"Then go into the dressing room and change your illusion into something more suitable. I will be waiting for you outside."

Alex nodded and slipped into the men's dressing room then slid into an unoccupied bank of lockers. Concentrating for a moment, he changed his clothes into a dark tank-top tee-shirt, bike shorts, and low-top sneakers. Satisfied at his outfit, he strode outside.

"Take a left," Arcanus said, "then take the third right. That is the weight room. In the back is an isolated area which you will find, interesting." Alex nodded and followed the directions. The main weight room was full of businessmen and women pumping iron and sweating in their tight outfits. Alex felt his manhood twitch at the sight of some of the women, their nipples visible through the wet and stretched fabric of their tops. He licked his lips as he moved towards the back.

His smile grew even broader as he saw what was in the back room. A dividing wall separated the area from the main weight room. A dozen workout machines were spread around the walls, most in use. However, all of the occupants were women, and they were gorgeous. Tall, short, blonde, brunette, redhead, busty and trim, all were lovely. Alex felt like a miser in Fort Knox.

"Now do you see why I brought you here?" Arcanus whispered in his ear. "Take a few moments to guarantee some privacy, and then use your powers as you have always wanted."

Alex didn't need any more convincing. His hormones were already in overdrive. He pulled out some energy, setting up a field that absorbed sounds from inside the room, and so that people would only see the empty room. Setting those so that they would last without his concentration took some more energy, but not much. With those chores done, he reached out for the minds of the girls. A blonde and a redhead stood up and swayed over to him, their hands reaching up for their tops. He was going to lose his virginity today, and in a big way.

Arcanus barely contained his laughter at Alex's behavior. As predictable as clockwork, the boy had abandoned his original morality when presented with a more pleasant alternative. The boy's power was obvious; the silence field and the standing illusion were difficult spells, but the boy did them as if they were nothing. Raw, but trainable. This is why he had spent the last week manipulating the boy's dreams, Arcanus reminded himself, and why he had been visiting this health club for the past month, manipulating the members into leaving the rear room for only the most attractive women. If that meddler Alyina had found the boy first, somehow, his job would have been much harder. As it was, he still had to train the boy into a foe capable of defeating the Guardians. Still, once he was sated, he would be more tractable.

Mindstar looked around the den solemnly. All of the Guardians were there in uniform, as was Lady Alyina. "Here's the situation as we know it. Lady Alyina awakened me this morning with the news that a magical event of great power had just occurred, and that the Guardians are the only force available to deal with it. Other than that, I'm as in the dark as you are. I will now turn the briefing over to Lady Alyina. My Lady?" He stepped aside, letting her stand in the center of the room.

"Thank you, Mindstar. As most of you know, we engaged the sorcerer Arcanus recently and recovered a scroll he had stolen from a Chicago museum. At the time, I believed that, based on the previous translation, that the scroll was part of the Babylonian legend of Gilgamesh. However, based upon Arcanus's interest in the scroll, I translated the scroll myself. I soon discovered that the reason the scroll was believed to relate to Gilgamesh is that the translators could not believe what they were reading. The scroll refers to a Chosen One, who is born once a century and who possesses great magical powers. However, the Chosen may not know of his or her powers until those powers are awakened by someone schooled in the mystic arts. Also, the Chosen One is not intrinsically good or evil. Normally, magic of this power level is tainted for good or evil. Firemane, for instance, is a force for good. However, this Chosen One's power can be used for good or evil."

"The scroll also contains references to the Chosen One's destiny. The Chosen One is fated to live either a life of power and wealth, but to live feared and responsible for great pain, or to live a life of solitude and loneliness, but where they are respected and admired as a force for good. The Chosen One must make that choice. Remember, this person is not intrinsically evil. They can be redeemed." She stepped back, motioning for Mike to retake the floor.

"All right, here's the plan. All Guardians are to remain on alert at base until we have contact with this Chosen One. We will deploy together to restrain them when they are reported. Alyina has assured me that she can pick out who the Chosen One is if we get her close enough. Once we find them, we will try to talk them into coming with us. No itchy trigger fingers. If they won't come quietly, we strike to subdue. The last thing I want is a full-scale brawl with someone with this kind of power level. Okay, that's it. Stay frosty, we could get a call on this one at any time." The Guardians stood up and began chatting. Techno headed into the conference room, while the others wandered off into the house.

Alex sighed deeply as he pulled the Mazda away from the health club. "That was, very cool," he said. "Controlling that many people was kind of hard, but it's easy to get the hang of. So, what's next?"

"That was a test of your mental control powers. Now we need something to test your more martial abilities. Not something too difficult, but you need the practice."

Alex took a deep breath. "No rest for the wicked. Well, I have an idea." He made a right turn at the next street. "How's about I pick us up some spending money?"

Arcanus waited a moment before replying. "Ah, yes, robbing a bank. More a test of presence than combat power, but it is still an interesting exercise. Very well, do you have one in mind?"

"There's a BankAmerica branch a few blocks down," Alex replied. "I was actually thinking about something more along the lines of; sneak into the bank invisible, get to the vault, blow the vault with a blast, then teleport the money out of there, and then jump out ourselves. The cashiers don't keep that much cash; the real money's in the vault."

"An excellent plan, Alex," Arcanus complimented him. "Find a place to park, and then we can walk to the bank and walk back." Alex nodded and started looking for a good parking place.

Powergirl stopped pacing and dropped down beside Firemane on one of the couches in the den. The younger girl had been flipping channels on the television, trying to find something interesting to watch while they waited.

"Man, having nothing to do but wait sucks," Firemane announced.

"You got that right," Powergirl responded. "I never thought I'd miss those combat drills, but they were something to do. Just sitting around and waiting really bites."

Firemane looked around, as if listening to something. Terry didn't hear anything, but she began to feel a rhythmic thumping in the floor.

"What is that?" Firemane asked.

Powergirl smiled. "Ten bucks says its Techno living up to his name."

Firemane's eyes widened. "Man, I thought the basement was well insulated. If we're feeling that up here, it must be really loud down there.

Powergirl nodded. "Probably the way he always plays it, but we're too busy to notice."

Aria walked into the den a few strides ahead of Wraith, his arms full of catalogs. They sat down on one of the other couches and began flipping through them. They talked quietly, so they didn't want to be overheard.

"What have they got?" Firemane whispered, trying to see what was in Aria's lap without being too obvious.

Powergirl, being taller, had a better vantage point. She saw a white dress, long and tight. "Wedding stuff," she said, unable to keep her voice from sounding hurt.

Firemane looked at her intently. "What's wrong, Ter?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Powergirl started to say. Firemane just gave her a look that would have made Mike proud. That stung too. "Okay, okay, it's Mike."

"What? You know he loves you. He'd never think about anyone else."

"Yeah, yeah, but, if he loves me that much, you think he'd have popped the question by now."

"Oh come on. You don't see me moping around because Rich hasn't asked me to marry him."

"That's different. You're really just sixteen; you're not legal for another two years."

"Not as Firemane, but that's a technicality. You love Mike, and Mike loves you. Just enjoy it."

Terry started to concede the point when Mindstar ran into the room. "Heads up, gang. We've got a possible contact in Baltimore. We're scrambling now." All of them were on their feet and moving in a heartbeat, leaving a pile of discarded magazines on one couch and the television blaring.

Alyina was already seated in the conference room with Carlysa in her lap when the team came piling in. Mindstar took his seat at the head of the table as Firemane, Powergirl, and Bravo team got seated quickly. After glancing up quickly to see that they were all there, Mindstar slapped the button under the table. The elevator whined into motion, dropping them down.

The noise that was a dull thumping upstairs was almost a roar on the basement level. In addition to the hammering base, a variety of other sounds mixed with that in an atonal roar that assaulted the ears and sent the heart into overdrive.

"That's supposed to be music?" Aria shouted over the din.

"What?" Techno said, sticking his head out of the weapons lab.

"We're rolling," Mindstar sent telepathically, not challenging the roar.

"Gotcha, boss," Techno replied. He ducked back inside, the music ceased, and then Techno reemerged with his equipment on and Strongarm in tow. They joined the team jogging for the hangar. Alyina appeared to move as calmly as normal, but she kept up with the team easily.

After the team had boarded Protector One, Mindstar started his briefing. "We got a report from Baltimore about something weird at a upscale health club. Some lady was headed for the weight room, saw a guy go into the back room, and went in herself. She says she didn't see or hear anything until she was in the door, but when she stepped in, the guy and about a dozen women were in the middle of the room making out like nobody's business. The police investigated, since that's public indecency at least, but they didn't find anything, including any trace of sexual activity." The roar of the engines interrupted Mindstar, and he sat back until they were up and in level flight.

"You think this guy is the Chosen One?" Firemane asked.

Mindstar shrugged. "Alyina thinks he's young, and what's more natural for a young guy with lots of power than to use it to get laid. Arcanus is known to indulge in stuff like that himself, so he'd be likely to lead the kid into it. Plus, if he's experimenting with his powers, he could use some sort of mind control over the women."

Alyina nodded. "That explanation is good. Arcanus would use the young man's lusts to corrupt him then he would become dependent upon Arcanus. Arcanus will not stray far from his young charge."

Alex wanted to take a deep breath as he slipped into the bank's lobby, but he couldn't. He smiled as he realized that was because he didn't really have lungs. Taking his suggestion for invisibility one step further, he had moved his body out of phase with his surroundings. This allowed him to walk through the doors without opening them, but it also meant that he was on one lung-full of air until he shifted back into phase. Arcanus evidently couldn't do this.

The bank wasn't very busy as he walked through. A few patrons stood in line at the counter or filled out deposit slips on the shiny wooden tables. Beyond the lobby, he could see the bank employees at their desks or in their glass-walled offices, talking on the phone or acting busy. He also saw what he was looking for: the massive door that led to the bank vault.

He glided silently through the bank lobby, walking through desks and a patron as if they weren't there. The man he walked through shivered as Alex passed through him, as if he had felt someone walk over his grave. Alex smiled to himself as he continued on. This power could be very cool.

When he reached the vault door, he shifted back into phase. He resisted the urge to gulp in a breath; instead, he drew in a breath like he was sucking through a straw, then let his breath out the same way.

"I am here," Arcanus whispered in his ear. So the old man hadn't taken long to cross, despite having to move around things. He'd have to work on his speed.

"Stand back," Alex said. He dropped his invisibility, and created an illusion of a black ski mask, black muscle shirt, black jeans and combat boots around himself. Before anyone saw him, he gathered up as much of his power as he could without dropping the illusion and formed it into a blast of raw, burning power. With a roar, he pushed his hands straight out in front of him and released the blast.

White light shot from his hands into the vault door. The door resisted for a split-second before the center collapsed. The edges of the door held to their moorings, but the center of the vault door disintegrated under the blast of pure energy. A thunderous crash echoed through the bank just as sirens and alarms cut in.

"Go," Alex yelled, jumping into the vault. Arcanus appeared behind him, drawing an oval in the air with one finger. Alex darted over to one of the racks covered with stacks of bills. Not even looking at the denominations, Alex turned back to Arcanus long enough to see that the gateway had formed. Alex began tossing bills into the gateway as fast as he could grab them and throw them. As he concentrated on speed, he moved faster and faster, until his hands were a blur.

A roar from behind him startled him. Arcanus was standing with one hand extended towards the vault door. "The security is becoming too bold," he said. "Perhaps we had better take our leave."

Alex nodded and formed a teleportation gateway himself. "Jump," he said. Arcanus jumped through the gateway and Alex followed closing the gateway as he jumped. When the security guards ran around the corner, guns covering the vault, they only found the melted door and a number of empty shelves. All trace of the two perpetrators had vanished.

"We are getting close," Alyina announced. The Protector One flew low over Baltimore, dodging a few of the larger skyscrapers.

"Any idea of which way?" Mindstar asked. "Baltimore-Washington International air control isn't too happy with us just wandering around up here."

Alyina concentrated, looking out one of the windows. Carlysa sat on her lap, her ears perked up, her eyes scanning. "To the south," she said.

Mindstar sent the new direction mentally to the pilot. The cabin speaker cut in suddenly. "Protector One, this is Foundation One. I have just received a report of a bank robbery in your area. The perps apparently walked through the bulk of the bank invisibly, then blasted open the vault door. They left by teleporting out, with the loot. They could have teleported the loot to a separate location. Guards reported that one of the perps was an older man who threw a fireball at them. The other was dressed all in black, and blasted the door open."

"That was them," Alyina said. "They did not teleport out of the city. They are close now, very close." She looked out the window. Carlysa's fur stood on end. "There they are," she announced.

Mindstar stood over her shoulder. There was a young man in jeans and a t-shirt, talking with an old man in a business suit. "The old guy is Arcanus?" Alyina nodded. "Okay, change in plans. Firemane, I want you with Bravo team; Mind Mistress will take your place on Alpha. Bravo team, your job is to take down Arcanus if things get interesting, Alpha will concentrate on getting the Chosen One with us, quietly. If he won't come by himself, Mind Mistress, make him come quietly. Prepare for action, people, Arcanus doesn't like us one bit."

The plane slowed and finally came to a hover. "Deploy out both sides. Standard formation for deploy then break out as instructed," Mindstar barked as he moved over to the left side door. They couldn't trade a flyer for a non-flyer in the team deployments, and they couldn't set down on a busy street. Powergirl swung the door open on the left; Mind Mistress handled it on the right.

"Deploy," Mindstar yelled. He grabbed Powergirl in their practiced pose and jumped clear of the aircraft. Once he was below Protector One, he searched for the two men again. They had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, but so had a large number of citizens. The citizens were rubbernecking, but he could see Arcanus looking around, trying to find a way out. Pushing his flight, he swooped down on them before Arcanus could think up anything. The rest of the Guardians dropped in quickly, Firemane and Mind Mistress joining their teams like they had done it every day. The crowd had backed off from them, sensing the tension in every stance.

"Hold it right there!"