The Guardians Omnibus

by Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  “Still glowing.”

  Quinn groaned with annoyance.

  “No, don’t get frustrated; you don’t need to add difficulty to this. There’s a reason you have track practice almost every day, so this should not be treated any differently than that.”

  “Yup, okay, I get it.”

  “Hey, try something. Think about flying up to save the falling man or dashing to save the town from the crazy bomb guy.”

  He nodded and remembered how awesome it felt to soar up in front of all those people and catch the falling man.

  “Whoa!” Mr. St. Germain called out. “Okay, that’s like, super bright. We’re getting somewhere now, even if it’s in the opposite direction.”

  ❖

  Blake

  At eleven in the morning, Blake stepped out of the black SUV with his two escorts who shuttled him back to Rangeley. Victor opened the front door of the stone house and smiled at him. “Hi, Blake, welcome back. I’m glad Mother Superior didn’t scare you away.”

  “Hello, Abbot,” Blake said with amusement, stepping into the former home-turned-museum.

  Victor chuckled. “I know the titles seem strange at first, but trust me, they become second nature just like military ranks. I hope the drive wasn’t too boring this time?”

  “Did you talk to your men or something?” Blake asked.

  Victor smiled. “When you told me how boring it was, I asked them to be a bit more conversant. Were they?”

  Blake nodded as they walked through the house to the hidden elevator that would take them to the underground facility. “Yeah, they’re interesting guys. Are all your men ex-military mercenaries?”

  Victor chuckled again as he pulled on the secret book. “Not quite. While most of the men are ex-military, none of them are mercenaries. They’re full-time hires with benefits.”

  They made idle chit-chat until the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the reception area. “Your librarian isn’t working today?” Blake asked, remembering her title.

  “Nope, she only works weekdays unless there’s a need for weekend work. Other people are here, though. You’ll meet them soon enough. This way.”

  Blake followed Victor through the security doors opposite the elevator into the hallway he had seen before. Victor stopped in front of the third door on the right, which opened automatically. “Okay, today we're going to start with a bunch of physical tests. I promise you, none of them resemble human experimentation at all. They are more like fitness tests so we can discover your strengths and limitations.”

  Blake followed Victor into a state-of-the-art locker room, complete with showers, toilet stalls, a futuristic looking locker stack, and a changing area. Victor stopped in front of one of the lockers and pressed his thumb on the biometric reader. It beeped and clicked open. He pulled the door open and checked the locker’s contents. Satisfied, he shut the door before Blake could see and tapped at the controls.

  “Okay, place your thumb here for two seconds and the locker will become yours.”

  Blake did as he was told until the red ring light around his thumb blinked blue. He pulled his thumb off and looked at Victor. The lights turned red again.

  “Now, put your thumb on it once more.”

  Blake pressed the thumb panel and the red ring light flashed and turned green as the locker unlocked. “That’s really cool.”

  Victor smiled. “Today, we’ll get your handprint scanned into the system so you can walk around the facility with more independence. We took an educated guess at your clothing sizes and there are some gym clothes in here for you. We're going to start with fitness tests, so you can change into these and keep the clothes you’re wearing fresh and clean.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Blake said.

  “I’ll give you some privacy,” Victor said.

  “Not an issue,” Blake answered, pulling off his T-shirt and sweatshirt in one motion. I’m used to changing in the locker room at school.”

  “Uh, okay. That was an experience I always hated. So, as a heads up, the first test will be running. The team will be attaching a number of sensors and electrodes to your torso, so you won’t need to wear your shirt right away.”

  “Okay,” Blake said, unbuckling the belt on his jeans.

  Victor turned away and walked to the other side of the room and stood near the sinks. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started tapping at it.

  Blake looked at the new athletic clothing in the locker; white ankle-length socks, a new pair of blue and orange Nike running sneakers, black running shorts, and a moisture-wicking white tank top.

  Not bad!

  After he changed, he put his clothes in the locker, along with his phone, figuring he wouldn’t need it. When he closed the locker, it beeped and clicked. The green ring light around the thumb-print scanner turned red.

  He turned around, tank top in hand. Victor was still tapping at his phone.

  “All set,” Blake answered.

  “Great, let’s go,” Victor responded, pocketing his smartphone.

  Back in the hallway, Blake followed Victor to the last door on the left—the one just before the antiquated elevator that descended to the reactor core. The door slid open and they stepped into a large room. The label on the doorframe indicated it was the workshop.

  “Good morning, Blake, it’s great to see you again,” a familiar voice said.

  I remember that doctor’s voice…she was in the hospital when Quinn and I woke up and added to the complicated story of what happened to us. You started telling us about the museum before Victor walked in…what the hell is going on here?

  When Victor stepped out of the way, Blake’s eyes landed on a smiling Doctor Amy Madison from Rangeley Medical. She wore a white lab coat and held a tablet in her left hand.

  “Blake, I believe you know Dr. Madison,” Victor said. “I’m sorry to surprise you like this, but I hope by now you understand the need for absolute discretion in our operations and the manner in which we induct you into The Order.”

  “So, you don’t work for the hospital?” Blake asked, folding his arms across his bare chest. Now I see why Quinn doesn’t trust Victor…

  “Oh, I do, Blake,” Dr. Madison replied. “I also work for Victor from time-to-time.”

  “What’s your special Order title?”

  Dr. Madison smiled. “I’m the Infirmerer.”

  “At least that one kind of makes sense,” Blake responded, chuckling.

  She gestured to the dark-skinned woman standing next to her wearing scrubs and a lab coat. “I believe you also know, Nadia, my medical assistant. She’ll be working with us today and helping with the medical aspects of your tests.”

  “Hello, Mister Blake,” Nadia said with a nod.

  “Hi.”

  Dr. Madison continued speaking. “Arik and Miguel, the nursing assistants who took care of you at the hospital, will be here shortly. They also work for me and assist with the technical aspects of what we do here.”

  Blake nodded and answered, dryly, “Small world.”

  Dr. Madison smiled. “Indeed. Okay, let’s begin. If you wouldn’t mind taking off your running shoes, I’m going to start by collecting a series of at-rest vitals and some bloodwork, so we have a baseline upon which to compare as we move through the day’s tests.”

  Good luck with the blood work, Doc.

  Blake untied and stepped out of his sneakers, then set his tank top on top of them. Victor walked over to a table with a sophisticated workstation that gave him a birds-eye view of everything in the workshop. Blake looked around the spacious workshop as he walked over to the scale. Its walls where white, matching those of the rest of the facility. It hosted a number of different kinds of workstations, terminals, and other equipment Blake didn’t recognize.

  Dr. Madison recorded his height, weight, and used calipers at different places on his person to determine his body fat composition. Then, she checked over his body, asking him questions about his medical history and his physica
l appearance, including tattoos (he had none), freckles, or scars that might have changed since his exposure to orgone energy. Noting his muscular physique and visibly toned abs, she asked him about his fitness regimen.

  “I run a lot because I’m on the track team at school. Training usually involves some weightlifting, Yoga, stretching, and some cross-fit type workouts, but to be honest, my muscles have doubled in size since the accident. I’m a runner, not a weightlifter.”

  “Not that I’ll be asking questions about your friend too much, but has Quinn experienced similar muscle gain?”

  Blake nodded. “Yeah, from what I’ve seen changing in the locker room at school, we both look like super-sexy fitness models now.”

  Dr. Madison smiled. “Okay, thank you. You can put your shoes back on. Nadia is going to draw some blood.”

  Blake chuckled.

  “Something funny?” Nadia asked, smirking at him. Then her eyes opened wide with understanding. “Oh, are you afraid of needles, perhaps?”

  “Nope, not at all,” he answered, grinning. “You’ll see.”

  She smiled at him and extended her hand toward a round stool near her workstation. “This way, Mister Blake,” Blake walked over and hopped on it, ignoring his sneakers.

  “Oh my, you have been given some very good veins,” Nadia said in a soothing voice, tapping Blake’s arm. She strapped the tourniquet over his bicep and prepared the needle vacutainer and two vials. “I only need to collect two samples right now, we don’t need lower blood levels affecting your tests today, now do we?”

  After rubbing the penetration area over the vein with an alcohol swab, Nadia steadied the needle and pressed it forward. It stopped when it hit Blake’s skin.

  “Ouch,” Blake said, feeling a slight pinch.

  “Sorry, Mister Blake,” Nadia said, dumbfounded. “That should have gone inside the vein. One more try.”

  Her curiosity peaked, Dr. Madison turned and watched as Nadia pressed the needle forward again. This time, it bent, refusing to penetrate his skin. Nadia stopped, dumbfounded.

  “Bulletproof skin, Nadia. You’ll never get that needle in me.”

  “Really?” Nadia said, sitting back and looking Blake over with astonishment. At his desk, Victor smiled and wrote something down.

  “Well, okay then,” Dr. Madison said, surprised and amused. “Let’s forgo the blood work and get you hooked up to some monitors so we can start the physical tests.”

  “Sounds good,” Blake answered.

  After Blake put his running sneakers on, Nadia talked through the various sensors and monitors she attached to Blake’s chest, back, arms, abs, legs, and head over the course of twenty minutes. When she finished, Nadia attached a metal box to a black band she set in place around Blake’s waist, securing it in place with Velcro. All the electrodes and wires, neatly taped at different points along his torso, ran to the box that now sat on his right hip.

  Nadia admired her handiwork and then pointed at the box. “This will be cumbersome while you run, but it will help us collect valuable data.”

  “Okay, I think we’re ready now.” Dr. Madison said, turning from the computer workstation she had been typing at. “Let’s make our way to the treadmill, shall we?”

  2-14 | A Night of Firsts

  Quinn

  QUINN FINISHED TOWELING OFF AFTER showering and wrapped the towel around his waist. After styling his hair, spraying and walking through the mist of his favorite cologne, and applying lotion to his face, he darted across the hall to his bedroom.

  “You decent?” Dad called out, his footsteps approaching Quinn’s room. He had already hung up his navy-blue suit and had been ironing his white dress shirt in the other room.

  “Sort of,” Quinn said, holding his towel in place, glancing at his open door.

  “Uh, okay…I’ll just hang your shirt here.”

  Quinn watched his dress shirt hover across his doorway, along with his dad’s hand and arm, until the arm hung the dress shirt on the door knob and then withdrew, respecting his privacy.

  Then, Dad spoke to him from the other side of the wall. “I’m really excited for you, Quinn. Daddio and I never got the chance to go to our high school dances with a guy. That would have been horrible back then. You’re really lucky, you know.”

  “I know,” Quinn answered, not fully understanding the struggle his dads went through in the eighties and nineties. Even though kids like Darien and his cronies picked on him at school, they were a handful of kids. He had no idea what it was like for the entire school—and society—to reject him because he was gay, despite his fear of rejection at coming out to his own family and schoolmates.

  “Do you guys have boutonnieres?” Dad asked from the hallway as Quinn slipped on his boxer shorts.

  “I don’t even know what that is. I’m decent now.”

  His dad took his time stepping into the doorway. “It’s the flower that goes on the left lapel of a man’s suit jacket at a formal occasion such as a dance or a wedding.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Quinn said, pulling on his pants. “I didn’t even think of that.”

  “Technically, since he asked you to the dance, he should bring them, if you’re doing that of course. No worries, though. I’ll be downstairs with Daddio.”

  “All right. I’ll need your help tying my bow tie.” He had rummaged through his fathers’ tie collection and found one that matched the pink tie in the picture Keegan had sent over earlier in the week.

  “Okay,” Dad answered, the sound of his footsteps taking him downstairs.

  Quinn’s phone buzzed; Keegan texted he was almost there. Quinn tucked in his shirt, slipped on his shiny black dress shoes, and draped his bow tie around his neck. He grabbed his jacket and went downstairs to the living room where his dads were standing around chatting, excitedly waiting for him. They beamed with pride when they saw him.

  “You look great, Quinn,” Daddio said.

  Dad reached out with his hand and Quinn walked over to him, turning to face a mirror that hung on the wall near the doorway. His father stood behind him and tied his bow tie. “You’re sure you don’t want a clip on?”

  “No, Keegan is wearing a pink tie. We need to match, and this is the same color.”

  “Okay.” Dad verbally walked him through the process as he tied the bow tie, but Quinn, half-listening, was distracted by the two cars pulling up outside.

  “I think your date is here,” Dad said, also noticing the car.

  Quinn smiled when Keegan step out of the first car with his dad. Quinn’s palms sweat with nervous excitement; Keegan had a fresh haircut and looked exceptionally dashing in his black suit and pink tie. One of the lights in the living room flickered. Oops, keep it down, Quinn…

  Behind him, his mother stepped out of the second car and they made their way to the front door of the house.

  “Just in time,” Dad said, finishing the bow tie. “Quick, put your jacket on. Oh, look!” His dad pointed to a clear plastic box in Keegan’s hand. “Your boy did do boutonnieres! Turn around.”

  His dad spun him around by the shoulders and double checked the tie, making a slight adjustment. “He seems to be the romantic type. You’re lucky.”

  Quinn blushed, and his father winked at him, then gave him a quick hug.

  Daddio made his way to the front door and greeted Keegan and his parents. Several moments later, after introductions were made, Keegan attempted to pin on Quinn’s boutonniere, but his mother stepped forward to help when it became clear he couldn’t do it. After some pleasant conversation, the boys took pictures in front of the fireplace and several more outside next to some birch trees.

  Five minutes later, with Keegan at the wheel, the boys drove to the Homecoming Dance.

  ❖

  Oh. My. Gosh.

  “Are you excited or nervous?” Keegan asked, glancing over at Quinn. Then, he reached over and took Quinn’s hand in his.

  “What?” Quinn responded, the question pulling him out of a dist
racting thought.

  “You got really quiet. Everything okay?”

  Quinn chuckled. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…well, I just realized this is my Home-Coming-Out Dance.”

  Keegan burst into riotous laughter. “That’s funny. Are you scared? It’s okay if you are, I get it.”

  “Yeah, I’m a little scared, but there’s no going back now, right?” Quinn asked, squeezing Keegan’s hand.

  His date grinned. “I hope not, I want to have a really fun night with you. Um, just so we’re on the same page, but not to add any pressure…will you be okay walking into the dance hand-in-hand?”

  Quinn felt happy-woozy and blushed. “Yeah, I was hoping we would.”

  “And you’ll be okay slow dancing with me?”

  “Oh!” Quinn said, the words escaping before he could stop them.

  “Maybe not?” Keegan asked, sounding disappointed.

  “That’s not what I mean,” Quinn recovered. “I…completely spaced that happens at the dance.”

  “Haven’t you been to a school dance before?”

  “Yeah, but like…Blake and I never went with dates. Well, that’s not true, he did, I didn’t.”

  “Ah.”

  “So, technically, your first real dance and your first gay date?”

  “Not counting the park, it’s my first date, period.”

  “Then I’m a lucky guy,” Keegan said, pulling into the school parking lot. Around them, their classmates smiled, pointed, and waved when they saw Keegan and Quinn arrive at the dance together. As promised, Keegan walked around the car and took Quinn’s hand in his own. They proudly walked to the school entrance together.

  Nearby, Quinn spotted Darien, Kyle, and Tony with their dates, but they only scowled at Quinn, choosing to remain on their best behavior in front of their dates and so many teachers and parents.

  A moment later, Ravone and Loren walked over to them with the grace of European princesses. Both single, they decided to attend the dance together and confuse everyone else—though Quinn knew this was a passive-aggressive way for Ravone to strike back at Blake, who had turned down her invitation to attend the dance several weeks back. Still, she seemed determined to win him over, despite Loren’s advice to move on.