The Guardians Omnibus

by Damien Benoit-Ledoux

❖

  Quinn

  As the green goon pushed Blue Spekter away from the facility and tried to crash into the ground with him, Blue Spekter watched Keegan fly upward as Nightmare slammed Helion with some kind of telekinetic baseball bat. When the ground-shaking explosion hit Helion and tossed him back toward the storm, he saw his best friend’s body was limp, which meant Helion was unconscious. Then, realized he had a new problem.

  There in the sky, both Helion and Keegan tumbled to the fiery crater below—and there was no sign of Catamount.

  That kind of inferno will kill Keegan and possibly Blake—but who do I save?

  “Um, it’s been fun, but we’re done here,” Blue Spekter said to the green goon, then he powered on his eyes and willed himself to an abrupt stop. The green goon grunted with surprise as Blue Spekter reversed direction and flew toward Keegan, Helion, and Nightmare, breaking the man’s neck during the sudden reversal.

  As the man began to heal, Blue Spekter channeled his orgone energy, tossed the man in front of him as he flew, and then unleashed a lethal blast of energy from his eyes and hands. The energy tore through the green goon and incinerated his head and torso, leaving only hands and feet to fall to the earth.

  Blue Spekter turned his attention back to Keegan and Blake.

  “Catamount, where are you?” he shouted, but Victor obstructed his flight path and raised his hand. A moment later, the world shifted and he found himself swimming under water near a coral reef.

  What on earth? Oh, not this again. Fly straight, fly true. I might not be able to save both of them, who do I save? I’ll have to take out Nightmare first.

  Another explosion vibrated the air around him, and he heard a loud click in his ear comm. Then, he felt intense heat coming from the ground below him, pushing through the false images Nightmare projected into his mind. So, this perception distortion thing isn’t completely immune to reality. Try to absorb this, or counteract it if you can…

  A moment later, he sensed Nightmare’s proximity in his mind. There you are!

  “This ends now, Nightmare!” He supercharged his body, aimed his hands at Nightmare, and directed several lethal beams of orgone energy at Victor Kraze.

  The hallucination around him immediately faded as Victor hollered in agony and tried to defend himself from the attack.

  “Quinn!” Keegan screamed. “Quinn, save me!”

  Shit, Keegan is about to be barbecued alive…

  Blue Spekter stopped firing at Nightmare, observing the man was severely injured, but his body remained intact. Like Keegan and Blake, he fell toward the earth.

  Save Keegan…

  It has to be Keegan…

  I have to take the chance that Blake will survive. I will never forgive myself if I let Keegan die.

  He dashed toward Keegan, careful not to break the speed of sound or catch him at a high rate of speed. He slowed to a stop under Keegan and then rapidly descended at half his rate of speed, extended his arms, and let his boyfriend fall into them. He slowed to a stop and erected a shield to protect Keegan from the intense heat rising from the inferno below.

  “Hey, babe, fancy meeting you here,” Blue Spekter said.

  “Holy fuck, I thought I was gonna die!” Keegan screamed, wrapping his shaking arms tightly around Blue Spekter’s neck.

  “I got you, you’re safe now. There’s just one thing I have to do.” He began descending with Keegan while moving toward Blake’s falling body, but he was afraid to move too quickly. He didn’t want to accidentally injure his boyfriend.

  How do I save Blake?

  Feeling helpless and unable to reach his best friend in time, Blue Spekter and Keegan were buffeted by the shockwave of a third, massive explosion that shook the trees. The Orgonon home exploded into pieces as something extremely combustible exploded beneath it. Shards of glass, burning wood, hot metal, and melting plastics strafed through the air toward them like shrapnel, but Blue Spekter’s defensive shield protected them.

  Do something!

  He focused his mind and attempted to create a pillow of slush to catch Helion, but he was too far away and the heat vaporized the water he manifested beneath his falling friend.

  Shit, I can’t get close enough with Keegan in my arms…I can’t save my best friend.

  Think, think, think!

  Seconds later, he sensed Catamount approaching in his mind. When he looked in her direction, he saw the Cloudbuster array field behind her was burning and small detonations near each antenna suggested the field was doomed. She tapped her ear comm and waved, altering her flight path to catch Helion. She accelerated then slowed beneath them, catching him in her arms. Then, she flew to Blue Spekter.

  When she approached, she spoke loudly over the roar of the flames below. “My ear comm fell out. I’m sure it’s destroyed now given the blaze below.”

  “Got it,” Blue Spekter replied.

  Helion gasped and jerked awake. “What did I miss? What’s going on? What happened? Where’s Keegan?” He looked around and frowned when he realized Catamount held him like a baby.

  “I’ve got Keegan. You were knocked unconscious by Nightmare and an explosion from below,” Blue Spekter answered.

  Catamount dropped her arms and Helion hovered next to her. “Your propane tank bombs destroyed everything and nearly killed you,” she said.

  He pointed to the burning remains of the Orgonon home. “Aw man, I missed that? Thanks for catching me, by the way.”

  Catamount nodded. “Mmhmm.”

  “Is that what those massive explosions were?” Blue Spekter asked, studying the completely destroyed facility.

  “Once this burns off, there will be nothing left.”

  “Hey,” Helion said, looking around. “Where’s Victor?”

  Shit.

  Blue Spekter looked around, then checked his proximity sense.

  Nightmare was gone.

  “Oh no,” Catamount said, searching the skies for signs of his retreat.

  “If he didn’t incinerate, he’s gone,” Blue Spekter replied. “I’m willing to bet he turned himself invisible and used the distraction of the final explosion to escape our proximity range.”

  “So, did we win, or did we lose?” Helion asked.

  “We live to fight another day,” Catamount replied. “We haven’t won the war, but today is a victory for all of us.”

  Blue Spekter grinned. “And now, we have the advantage. It won’t be long until we know everything about The Order. Until then, the only thing Victor can do…is run.”

  5-27 | Decompression

  Quinn

  THREE STREAKS OF COLOR—BLUE, orange, and pink—flew across the stormy winter sky and away from the fiery, orange-tinted clouds that eerily reflected the burning blaze where Orgonon and The Order’s Rangeley facility once stood. A rumble of thunder echoed across the valley as it began to snow. The storm, having lost its source of power with the destruction of the Rangeley facility, began to dissipate.

  Keegan nuzzled his face into Quinn’s neck. “I thought you were dead,” he whispered several times. He trembled in Quinn’s arms.

  “I’m right here, babe. I’ve got you,” Quinn repeated. I think Keegan’s pretty traumatized from this ordeal. It sucks that I couldn’t protect him from The Order…I just hope he’ll be okay…that we’ll be okay.

  A moment later, he cleared the line of trees and saw the makeshift command center on the road. “There they are,” he said, pointing to the flashing blue and red lights of military and police vehicles parked on Main Street in Rangeley, Maine. Marines, police, medics, and other personnel huddled around portable heaters for warmth in the extreme cold.

  “I see my dads!” Quinn exclaimed, changing course to fly to his dads with Keegan in his arms. Tim and Aren were huddled in blankets, drinking hot coffee at the back of an ambulance while medics checked them over. Blake and Ana Maria followed him to the makeshift command center. When he softly landed, he put Keegan on his feet and moved to greet his dads, but K
eegan grabbed his arm and jerked him back.

  Quinn looked at his boyfriend’s worn face. Keegan looked exhausted and visibly shaken, but his winning smile pushed through the trauma for a few moments.

  “Hey, come here, mister. I’ve always wanted to kiss the superhero after a dramatic rescue.” Then, Keegan pulled Quinn to him.

  “What? Okay!” Quinn replied with a mischievous grin dancing on his face. Their lips met, and Quinn allowed a tiny spark to zap his boyfriend’s mouth.

  “That’s so hot,” Keegan mouthed, keeping his lips planted on Quinn’s. Then, the boys lip-locked in the middle of the street, surrounded by police, marines, and civilian gawkers. Several people wolf-whistled while others clapped. Quinn’s body flared with brilliant blue light and a spark of electricity leapt from his body and connected with the closest police cruiser. The car’s sirens sounded for a moment and the flashing blue lights in the light bar popped.

  “Did I do that to you?” Keegan innocently asked, briefly taking his lips from Quinn.

  “Of course,” Quinn replied with a smile, knowing full-well Keegan knew the answer to the question. “Wise-ass.”

  Keegan pulled him close again and hugged him tightly. He shook with emotion as his joviality quickly faded. “I thought you were dead, Quinn. I’m relieved he didn’t kill you.”

  Quinn nodded. “Me too. I love you, babe.”

  Keegan took a deep breath and then let go. “Go see your dads.”

  “Okay.” The boyfriends stepped apart as Daddio jogged up to them. He wrapped his arms around both Quinn and Keegan and squeezed. “I am so relieved to see you guys,” he said, his shoulders heaving with emotion as tears streamed down his face.

  The boys extended their arms around Daddio, and now Dad, who joined in the family embrace. Blake and Ana Maria watched the happy reunion.

  “My boys,” Dad said, sobbing. “I was so worried.”

  Dad waved at Blake, who stepped forward. “You too, son. Get in here.” Blake grinned and stepped into the hug circle next to Quinn and Dad. A few minutes passed as they cried and reveled in the safety of their embrace.

  Medics came over and wrapped Keegan in a warm blanket, then did a physical assessment. Then, Dad stepped out of the circle, wiped his eyes, and approached Ana Maria, who smiled at him. Quinn listened to their conversation.

  Tim extended his hands to Ana Maria, who offered him her hands. He clasped her hands in his and then said, “I have a feeling that if it weren’t for what you did for our son over the past few months, he might not be alive today.”

  She smiled and gratefully nodded at him.

  “We are very fortunate to have an amazing relationship with our son, and he shared with us your struggles to join the fight. I’m extremely glad you stepped forward to battle the lunatic who kidnapped us and threatened the world.”

  She nodded again. “Quinn is an extremely brilliant young man. If it weren’t for your son, I would not be here today. Thank you for raising such an amazing young man.”

  Quinn smiled as Tim and Ana Maria embraced.

  The medics finished with Keegan and their circle opened wider so Tim and Ana Maria could join the group.

  A marine lieutenant approached, and Blue Spekter left his family to speak with him.

  “So, has the threat been eliminated?” the lieutenant asked.

  Blue Spekter shook his head. “ I don’t think so. A lot was going on, and although I nearly destroyed him, the last explosion was a game changer that affected all of us. When we recovered, he was gone.”

  Agent Hartman’s voice spoke up in his ear comm. “So, Victor Kraze lives another day.” The lieutenant tilted his head, and Blue Spekter instinctively knew the man also wore an ear comm.

  “Unfortunately, yes, but so do we. Agent Hartman. The next time Nightmare rears his ugly face, the Guardians will be there to stop him.”

  Keegan sidled up to Blue Spekter. “Can we go home now?”

  “Isn’t it like a four-hour drive back to Portsmouth?” Dad asked as everyone turned to face Blue Spekter and the marine.

  Blue Spekter looked at the lieutenant, who shrugged. “We are not in charge here. I mean, we are in charge of cleanup now that the battle is done, but we are primarily an extension of the joint task force Agent Hartman spearheads. The snow will contain and help put out the fire. We will cordon off the area, handle damage control, and take care of anything that needs to be done. You know as well as I do Agent Hartman will be the one debriefing you back at Hangar 227. But I gotta tell ya, I have a thousand questions of my own.”

  “That’s right, you boys can head home when you’re ready. We’ll debrief tomorrow,” Agent Hartman added.

  Blue Spekter smiled at the lieutenant. “Thank you.” He turned to Catamount and Helion, then pointed at his dads. “You got them?”

  Helion grinned knowingly at his best friend. “Don’t worry about them, we’ll see you two lovebirds at home.”

  “What’s going on?” Daddio asked.

  “You don’t want to know,” Blake said, putting his hand on Daddio’s shoulder and turning him away from his son.

  “Oh, I get it,” Daddio said.

  Dad pushed past them and took Quinn’s arm, gently steering his son away from the group. He looked at Quinn with concern. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk, so I’ll make this short. Keegan had a rough time while we were kidnapped. He needs love, support, and probably a ton of therapy. He’s not okay, and I want you to understand that so you can be sensitive to his needs right now. Don’t be surprised if he pushes you away for a little bit.”

  Quinn nodded. “Thanks, Dad. I’m gonna get him out of here right now. I’ll probably go to his house tonight if he wants me to.”

  Dad smiled. “I understand. I’m glad this is over—for all of us.”

  “Me too,” Quinn replied. They embraced, and then Quinn turned to Keegan, who shivered in the cold despite the blanket wrapped around him. “You ready to go home?”

  Keegan nodded vehemently. “Please.”

  Quinn stepped close and heated his body so he could share the warmth with his freezing boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and nuzzled his face in Keegan’s neck. “You know, they say when something traumatic like this happens, the people involved might need some special attention.”

  Keegan shivered as he nodded. “I’m fine with counseling, I just want to go home.”

  Quinn held him tightly. “I meant, special attention, the kind only a boyfriend can provide.”

  “I know what you meant.”

  Ouch. Okay, Dad was right.

  Keegan sighed, then smiled a little. “I could use some quiet time with my man. I’m extremely traumatized.”

  Quinn nodded. “Whatever you need, babe. I’m just glad you’re safely in my arms again.”

  Keegan nodded and whimpered, his body shaking either from the cold or from stress. He’s been through a lot and he’s not as strong as I am. Hopefully we can cuddle tonight and I can make him feel safe.

  Then, Quinn erected a shield around them and levitated with Keegan in his arms.

  Keegan took a deep breath. “Can we go home now, please? I just want to go home and be in your arms. I feel like that’s the only safe place for me right now.”

  “We’re already on our way, babe. Hang on, cuz I’m about to take you on one hell of a ride.”

  Keegan nodded then rested his head on Quinn’s shoulder. With the defensive shield in place to protect Keegan from the stresses of flight and the cold air, Quinn soared into the sky, flying south with his boyfriend tightly nestled in his arms.

  ❖

  Blake

  “You guys ready go home?” Blake asked as they watched Quinn’s blue streak disappear over the horizon.

  “Yeah, but um, how are we getting home?” Aren asked.

  “You’ll be flying first class,” Ana Maria said with a smile, then gestured to herself and Blake.

  “Oh, cool,” Aren said.

  “Is it safe?�
� Tim asked.

  “Seriously?” Aren said, smacking his husband on the shoulder in jest.

  “Welcome aboard Air Superhero,” Blake teased.

  Ana Maria smirked, levitated, and projected a defensive shield around them. Blake hovered next to her and pulled the dads up near them with his mind. As they ascended above the trees, the dads wriggled with amusement in the gravity-defying telekinetic grasp Blake generated to keep them near him so his heated body would keep them warm. Then, with Tim and Aren clowning around and cheering with excitement, they accelerated and flew home to Portsmouth.

  ❖

  Keegan

  The hot water ran over Keegan’s aching body, soothing his muscles as he sat huddled on the floor of the large tile shower stall, his tears mixing with the water that swirled into the drain. His shoulders shook as he cried, but he didn’t want Quinn to see him sobbing again.

  Someone knocked on the door and he twitched, startled by the sound. “I’ll be right out.”

  “Are you okay, babe?”

  Keegan didn’t answer. Dammit.

  The bathroom door opened and closed. Quinn, wearing a pair of Keegan’s boxers and a T-shirt, padded into the shower and sat next to him under the stream of water, quietly folding his arms in his lap. They sat in silence for several minutes, and Keegan appreciated not being smothered.

  Then, he cleared his throat and spoke first. “If it hadn’t been for your dads talking me off the ledge several times, I’d be in the asylum right now.”

  Quinn stifled a laugh.

  Keegan shrugged. “It’s okay. I mean, it sucked. It wasn’t okay. I don’t know what a panic attack is, but I probably had several.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. Look, if you need time, space, or even…”

  Keegan’s heartstrings quivered as he reached for and squeezed Quinn’s hand. “Don’t say it. I’m never letting you go.”

  Quinn squeezed his hand back. “I’ll always be here to protect you.”

  Keegan turned and looked at his concerned boyfriend. The shower water soaked into Quinn’s hair and ran down his face. In the dim light, Quinn looked adorable.