The Wanderer (Book 2): Stranded

by Giancioppo, Danny

  Just like that, me and Ol’ Greedy-Gredace are in space. Maybe like, a quarter of the way to the moon, though it was off by about 60 or so degrees from our trajectory. I saw all of it pass by, real-quick. Last time I went that fast was probably when I went to save Alex from Malek. Well, last time you heard anyway.

  Also just like that, time slipped back into place, and the Gredace looked at me, shocked. Then angry… And then smug.

  “Shit.”

  The Gredace let loose, and a massive explosion followed. I mean it was borderline nuclear! Probably the size of a small town, all in all.

  Not to mention, it hurt like all hell. I got sent careening off into space, my suit hot as fire, and the Gredace just sat there, seemingly motionless. Flipping around in space, though? Probably worse, at least in terms of nausea.

  It took a good minute or so to recombobulate myself, but once I did, I flew toward the Gredace, and stared into its eyes. They were lifeless. It was dead.

  “Thank God…” I sighed.

  The adrenaline faded away, the pain faded in, and the vision? Oh, you know it went black.

  It had been a while, but moving through time like that really did a number on me.

  I fell, as did the Gredace, back into orbit. I tried to hold on to it to slow it down, but I hardly made a difference. I kept blinking in and out of consciousness, and right as I felt myself totally slipping away– right as we were a just little ways back into the atmosphere– something grabbed me. It was Sam.

  “You just love falling into the ground, huh?” he quipped.

  “Shut… up…” I said. Damn, way to flip the script on me, pal.

  “You did it,” Sam said, seeing the body of the Gredace fall lifelessly toward the earth. He chuckled a little. “I can’t believe you actually did it.”

  “We… did…” I tried to say. Then, however, I totally passed out.

  At least I didn’t hit the ground this time.

  9

  Everytime You Walk By

  You know, I never really get nervous when I’m fighting aliens. When I first started? Sure. It was new and dangerous; I was facing demon after demon, all while trying to juggle my own in the process. Now though? It’s nothing. Like scaring raccoons away from your garbage. More of a nuisance than anything.

  And having by this point– a couple weeks later– gone through at least three or four with Sam, I think it’s fair to say that he was getting less and less scared by them as well, at least as time went on.

  Right now though? We were both bricking it. Actually, all of us– Will, Alex, and the two of us– were. We were sat in the kitchen of our apartment, by the island– well they were, I was leant anxiously on top of it, my hands shaking. We hadn’t said a word to each other in a solid, tense few minutes. Instead, we all just kept staring down at the island, and the little black box that sat atop it. That sat so nonchalantly, so simply, so surreally on that island.

  “I mean…” Sam said, trailing off. I just nodded my head, my hands shaking like a goddamn category nine earthquake.

  “I…” Alex replied. Well, sort of replied. “Yeah…”

  “Why now?” Will asked. “I mean, I’m happy for you both, but why now? It seems so…so…”

  “Sudden,” Alex finished.

  “Yeah, sudden,” Will agreed. “And kind of…”

  “Early,” Alex said, Will then nodding again in compliance. “And a wicked huge deal.”

  “I…” I said, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. “I mean, to me, it doesn’t matter when, you know? It doesn’t really even matter how. I just know it’s gotta happen, and I want it to happen now.”

  “But you’re so young,” Will protested. “I mean don’t you think this is moving kind of fast?”

  “Why not?” Sam defended. “Jason’s got a good paying job, we’ve got our own place, and Alannah’s already on a path to a great career herself.”

  “And it has been like four years,” Alex said.

  “Why didn’t you do it on your anniversary though? Wasn’t that like just a couple weeks ago or something?” Will questioned. I looked at him disappointedly, and gestured to Sam, who just looked back at Will in shock over his lack of memory. “Right…”

  “I had it with me,” I admitted. “We even started talking about it, kind of… then I got sidetracked and… well, I just want to do it, you know?”

  “Right, but see herein lies the problem,” Alex said, getting everyone back on track. “You bring us here, drop this bomb of an announcement, and say that Julia’s busy keeping Alannah busy, and you’re gonna do it today.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “And you wanted us to help you, because you have no plan, right?” Alex questioned further. Whoops, kind of forgot that part.

  “Right…” I repeated. “So… any ideas?”

  Nobody said a word. Again. I recall this being exactly how we got to where we were just seconds prior to this moment. Wonderful. Well, that’s why I called in the big guns as well, after all.

  There was a knock at the door, and everyone jumped, nervous. I… may have jumped too.

  “Will, get the door please,” I said. He nodded, and made his way over, creaking it open slowly. When he saw who it was, he stood straight, and made a very awkward salute of sorts.

  “S-Sir…” he greeted. Bell and Bentley stood outside, looking at Will oddly. Rightfully so, of course. Bell just smiled, and looked over at all of us inside.

  “Uh, yeah. At ease, son,” he said to Will, patting him on the shoulder. Bentley just smirked at him, I’m assuming maliciously, and brushed past him.

  They were both wearing far more casual clothing than usual. Still semi-formal, button down shirts, khakis and whatnot. Nonetheless, it was kind of weird seeing them off the clock.

  “So, what did you need us for, Jason?” Bell asked. Walking over to me and putting his hand on my shoulder. Jeez, it was like the guy’s signature move or something…

  Bentley walked over too, immediately took a beer from the fridge, and stood by a wall.

  “You’re not supposed to have these. You’re only twenty,” he scolded, though it didn’t sound like he really gave a damn. Plus, neither of us could even get drunk anymore.

  “Don’t men in their seventies usually stick with warm milk and prune juice?” I said.

  “Doesn’t look to me like I’m the one about to soil his pant, kid,” Bentley responded. He was right, but that didn’t really make sense in terms of my joke– he was just using the prune juice thing to make his own joke. Whatever, he was slow. That’s what drinking does, you see.

  “Oh. You’re uh… you’re doing it, then?” Bell asked, looking down and seeing the ring box. “What happened to waiting when the time was right?”

  “Thank you!” Will rejoiced.

  “Shut up, Will,” Sam said. Thanks bud.

  “I just figured, you know, no time like the present, right?” I offered. Bell looked at me in a way I could only think to describe as pitifully, with a hint of cringe. Bentley just laughed a little, and facepalmed.

  “Oh God kid, you haven’t got a clue what to do, do you?” he mocked.

  “Hey I don’t see a ring on your finger, B,” I argued. He then pulled it out from his shirt on a gold necklace.

  “Too small for my finger. Fourteen years, bitch,” Bentley showed off.

  “Do you have a plan?” Bell asked.

  “N-No, that’s why I asked everyone here,” I explained. “And quite frankly, so far nobody has given me anything helpful.”

  “Okay, well where is she now?” Bell asked, pulling out his phone.

  “Uh… Ana’s with Julia; she’s being distracted by her for the day. Why?” I asked suspiciously. Bell grinned, as did Bentley a bit. What in God’s name…?

  “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking,” Bell said. “You two never got to finish your anniversary dinner, right?”

  “Right…”

  “Okay, so I’ll get that place cleared out halfway at le
ast. You take her there, and have dinner.” He turned to Bentley. “Can you get a good music selection going, and ready to play while they eat?”

  “I’ll see if I can get Peter on the line,” Bentley nodded, pulling out his own phone. “Owes me a few favors anyways…”

  “Peter?” I clarified.

  “Frampton,” Bentley responded, not even looking up from his phone.

  “Peter Fram…” I gasped. I love Peter Frampton, by the way. I gawked at Bell, and he just smiled. Oh God, he wasn’t done.

  “So, while you two are having dinner, I’ll have all of you helping me and my people prep something just outside the entrance,” Bell continued, pointing at all the guys. “Something fancy. Maybe a candle-lit path where you’re all standing on opposite ends, holding flowers maybe. What flowers does she like again?”

  “L...Lilacs,” I stammered. All the other guys just watched him in awe, not speaking up but nodding furiously. What the hell was happening!?

  “Okay, each of you get a bouquet then. The path will lead to a small helicopter–”

  “What!? A helicopter!?” I interjected. “I can fly!”

  “Yes and it’s very romantic to get bugs in your hair and dress while going hundreds of miles per hour. Helicopter,” Bell insisted. I just looked all around in the mass confusion.

  “I… Okay,” I sighed.

  “Okay, so you two get in the helicopter. More lilacs inside it, drizzled around the interior. Doors shut, bird takes off, and brings you two back to our H.Q.”

  “Ooh, what if we put the ring on the roof? Keep it secured somehow, and when they get there Jason can just float up there, grab it, and give it to her!” Will offered.

  “Wha-!? You were against this a minute ago!” I yelled.

  “Yeah but that was before I heard this plan!” he insisted. Traitor…

  “That works for me,” Bell said decidedly.

  “I’ll get some guys to find a way to keep it in place. Maybe a magnet or something…” Bentley suggested, still not looking up from his phone. “Peter’s in, by the way.”

  “Wonderful,” Bell expressed happily. “So Jason, as a rundown: have dinner, go for a ride to H.Q., take her to the roof, and propose.”

  “Oh, can we be at H.Q. instead of the restaurant?” Sam asked. “That way after he does it, we can all come outside and congratulate them!”

  “I like it; better than my own idea. We’ll run with it,” Bell agreed.

  “What the hell is going on…” I muttered, gripping at my head. I felt… dizzy, I guess. Yeah, dizzy. That’s one way to put it at least.

  “Jason, you wanted to propose to Alannah. You said it yourself: she’s the one. Did you not say that?” Bell reminded me.

  “Yeah, once or twice, in confidence!” I growled back.

  “Once or twice to him, maybe,” Sam countered. “It was like a daily announcement for me!”

  “All of us, really,” Alex said.

  “Everyone but her, which is weird…” Will said.

  “Jesus Christ guys, shut up,” I threatened, getting… frazzled. I was still shaking, really now more than ever. My heart felt like it was beating a thousand times a second but not beating at all. I had never, ever been so nervous in my life, powers or no powers.

  “Kid, terrace. Come on,” Bentley directed, now putting his phone back in his pocket. I shot my quiveringly darting gaze at him, and he impatiently motioned for me to move.

  I stood up straight, and paced away from the others, who were at this point all conversing more and more on the fine details. Bentley had made his way to the terrace, and was just waiting for me, looking out at the sky.

  I followed him, and shut the terrace door behind me. I stood next to him for a moment, trying to keep my composure, and then just collapsed onto the guardrail. Albeit a bit exaggeratedly, but my reasoning was sound.

  “When you think about her, what do you feel?” Bentley asked.

  “I– what?” I asked, confused. I looked up at him, but he just kept staring out at the sky.

  “When you think of Alannah, Jason. What is it that goes through your mind? What goes through your heart?” I paused for a moment, trying to think.

  “Happiness,” I said. “I’m just… happy. Every single second I spend with her, even just in my mind. She’s like a gift God gave me himself, and I feel more lucky for that than any other powers or ‘gifts’ I have in my life. My heart races everytime she comes into a room, or smiles, or laughs. It’s like she grabs me by the lungs and just squeezes them until they’re totally out of air. She’s funny, and smart, and gentle, and fierce, and loving, and generous, and patient. She completes me, fills in the holes I can’t mend on my own. She’s my whole world, B. She’s everything.”

  “Then what are you so afraid of?”

  “I don’t… That she’ll say no. That she won’t feel the same way, or maybe just think it’s a bad idea or something. That maybe things are going way faster in my own mind than in hers, and far more than she’s comfortable with. A-And if I am wrong, and she doesn’t feel that way… then what if I lose her? ” Bentley paused then, and we were both quiet for a minute.

  “Of the few times that she and I have interacted– which mind you is most often at H.Q.– has she ever told you what we talk about?” he asked. I raised my head up and looked at him.

  “I didn’t even know you two talked.”

  “Every single time, she talks about you. Not about your powers, not about the Wanderer. She talks about Jason. She tells me about your past, and everything you’ve done for not only her, but all the people in your life that you care about. How incredible of a man you are, and have always been, and how if only you could see that yourself, you’d know how much she loved you. You’d maybe start to understand why someone as childishly stupid as yourself earned someone as amazing as her. She tells me about how it feels to be around you– because, you know, I ask.”

  You prying little bastard, Bentley.

  “She talks about your humor, your hope, your drive and your morals. Your expressiveness, and your gentle but equally fiercely playful attitude around her. How all of those things make her feel like she’s the center of your world, and how those things make you the most important thing in her own.”

  “She… told you all of that?” I asked, shocked. “In like four or five times of meeting each other? Ever?” Bentley smirked.

  “I’m a friendly guy, kid; people like opening up to me,” he said. A real jokester, this one was.

  I just stared out at the sky myself in disbelief. Not only over the fact that anyone would be so candidly open with a man like Bentley, but also that Alannah actually said those things. Felt all those things… about me. No one had ever cared enough about me like that; they never stuck around long if they did, anyway.

  Bentley gazed down at last, and put his hand on my shoulder supportively. It was oddly comforting.

  “You two are both ready for this, believe me. It may not seem like it in the moment– you may be totally engulfed by anxiousness and fear, the both of you, and it is early– but believe me, you are ready, I can see it. I know stuff like that. I’ve got an eye for it,” he said. “When you know, you know.” He squeezed onto my shoulder tightly, and looked down at me seriously. I grinned back a little, and took a deep breath.

  “But what if something happens? What if an alien attacks, or the helicopter goes the wrong way, or the restaurant gets stuck up or something? I mean anything could happen to mess this up!” I theorized, letting my anxiety run rampant. Been awhile since that asshole had any firm hand on the wheel.

  “Sam can take care of any alien pop-ups, should they occur; he’s been training a lot with us solo anyway.” That was new information. If I wasn’t such a mess, it probably would have hit me a lot more. “As for the rest, believe me kid, it won’t happen. Bell won’t let it. The man, for as professional and serious as he is at his job, takes things like this ridiculously to heart,” Bentley assured me.

  “Did he do t
he same with you?” I asked. Bentley nodded.

  “Fourteen years ago, and he still had the same wild look in his eye as he does now. Honestly, this time around he might be a little more wild, considering.”

  “Well, you two are bordering on senior citizens, so things can get a little loose in the noggin from time to time,” I teased, smirking a bit.

  Then Bentley tossed me off the terrace. Literally. Off the terrace. The absolute madman. I could have died!

  “Take a joke, good lord,” I groaned, floating back onto the terrace as quick as I could. He had already went back inside however. And had seemingly shut and locked the terrace door.

  I stared at him as he fell back against the very same wall, and pulled his phone back out, not paying me any mind. I flipped him off, and he just raised his hand up in the air and caught it like a kiss, smiling if ever so slightly. I chuckled back, and then turned around, looking out at the sky in disbelief.

  I was going to marry Alannah. My girl was about to become my fiancee. I have to tell you, it was times like these that one really forgets that they’re a superhuman, borderline superhero. Because in that moment, I felt undeniably human, and so inexplicably alive.

  10

  Anniversary, Take Two

  “Hey,” Sam said, putting his hand supportively on my shaking shoulder. “You good?”

  “Yeah I’m… You know, I’m uh… Yeah…” I believe was something along the lines of what I stuttered out. Sam chuckled.

  “Right, sure seems like it,” he replied, grinning.

  “It’s just so… surreal, you know?” I continued, looking at him dead in the eye. “I mean, Alannah, you know? I’m marrying Alannah.”

  “Slow down there pal, you’re just proposing; you’re not getting married quite yet,” he reminded me. “After all, she will in all likelihood say no.” He smirked. I didn’t.