by Ammar Habib
“I’m close.”
“I still can’t imagine that he’s gone. And the way his body was…” Marcos shook his head. “I heard about Norris’s gang. I’m guessing that was you. A witness said that you killed them all in under a minute.”
The Guardian did not reply.
“The police said that Norris was killed just like William was. What’s that all about?”
“You didn’t call me here just to talk about my day. Why did you want to see me?”
“Yeah…we have a problem.”
“Tony.”
“How did you know?”
“I make it a point to know these things.”
“He finally flexed his muscle,” Marcos said.
“You all should have seen this coming.”
“We did. But none of us wanted to admit it. Tony’s going to destroy everything we’ve worked for over these last two years.”
“No, he won’t.”
“He has all the cards. He has all the—”
“No he doesn’t. Not with me.”
“You can’t hurt him. If you lay a finger on him he’ll—”
“I can do anything I want with him.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I know the best ways to hurt people. I know what everyone is afraid of.”
“He’s gone mad with power. No amount of pain will break him. There’s not much we can do…we’re backed into a corner—”
“Maybe you can’t, but by week’s end, Tony will come crawling back to you. That is, if he is still breathing.”
***
Tony was lying in his bed with the bedside table’s lamp lit. The night was peaceful and the air was still as he read the day’s news. Sleep slowly began to overcome him as his eyelids grew heavier with every passing second…
Then, he came. Feeling a shadow come over him, his gaze shot up and he saw the intruder towering over him. In that instant, everything seemed to freeze. Tony’s heart rate suddenly spiked. His body began to shiver and his breathing quickening.
The Guardian spoke, his voice cold, as he held a sharpened dagger in his hand. “The bodyguard outside of your room is unconscious. Try calling for help and I’ll kill you right now.”
Tony tried to speak, but his rapid heartbeat made him breathless. He tried again, but could do nothing more than open his mouth. On the third try, he was able to produce a meek voice he did not know he had. “I—I know why y—y—you’re here. I kn—kn—kn—know why you’ve come.”
“Then you are not as stupid as you look.”
Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm his voice. “I’m n—not afraid o—of you.”
The Guardian menacingly laughed. “Well, we both know that’s a lie.”
“Y—you can’t touch me. If you touch me, the new government will fail.” His voice slowly returned to normal as he finished his statement. “If you do anything to me, I win.”
In an instant, The Guardian’s hand was around Tony’s throat. Crushing Tony’s trachea, The Guardian’s face inches away from his suffocating prey. “I can do anything I want to you.”
Tony desperately gasped for air. His hands struggling with the one choking him. He could not break The Guardian’s strong grip.
“I can kill you right here.”
Tony’s face started to turn red.
“I can end your worthless life.”
Tony’s vision began to blacken.
“I can feed you to your dogs.”
Right when he thought he was about to die, Tony could breathe again. The Guardian had let go of his throat. Tony instinctively gasped for air, coughing several times. His discolored face gradually returned back to normal, but his bruised throat was still in pain from the chokehold. After countless wheezes, he looked back up at his attacker. “You—you idiot! If you kill me, it’s all over!”
“For you, it will be.”
“No, for everybody! The revolution will be over!”
“You think that your resources and assets make you untouchable?”
Tony kept silent.
“By the week’s end, you’ll be running for your life. It seems that certain businesses have been making moves to acquire your company. And of course, you were too stupid to see it coming. Your fortune and power will be gone. Your company will be in the hands of others. You will be hunted down by Patel. You will have the same amount of power as a stray dog.” The Guardian began to walk away. “Enjoy your sleep, Tony. It will be the last peaceful one you’ll ever have.”
Tony’s voice stopped The Guardian. But his tone was different now. The fear was gone. Instead, in its place was Tony’s infamous arrogance. “Well done. You certainly lived up to your reputation…Ethan.”
The Guardian slowly turned to face Tony, his shock hidden by his mask.
Tony was now standing and only a few feet away from The Guardian. His eyes were consumed by a devilish gleam. “This conversation must’ve gone exactly like you predicted, Mr. Daniels.”
The Guardian unsheathed his dagger.
“How was my acting? Was it enough to fool the mighty Guardian?” Tony chuckled as he looked down at the dagger. “And if you want to kill me, then what are you waiting for, Ethan? Come and gut me like a dog. Make me pay for my…insolence.”
With his dagger clenched tightly in his fist, The Guardian wanted nothing more than making Tony suffer for his arrogance…but nothing happened. He could not move. He was frozen where he stood.
“Looks like you lost a step, Ethan.” With his hands behind his back, Tony moved closer to where Ethan stood. “It seems my acting is not the only thing that fooled you.”
With all his strength, The Guardian tried to move. There was a fury in his eyes. His body trembled with rage as he tried to break free of the invisible grasp, but he could not.
The more Tony saw Ethan struggling, the wider his conceited smile became. “Your senses were fooled into thinking that you and I were alone in the room…”
Out of the darkened corner of the mammoth room, two figures appeared that The Guardian had not sensed before.
“But don’t be too hard on yourself, Ethan.” Tony looked towards the two figures. “These fellow soldiers of your maker are immune to your senses.”
The first was a man wearing nothing but a pair of ripped up jeans; his torso was bare of any clothing. He was lean and completely covered in tattoos from his waist to the top of his neck. Hanging from his worn-down belt were two sheaths that each housed sharp daggers, similar to The Guardian’s own weapons. A wicked smile could be seen as his vile eyes looked directly at The Guardian.
The Guardian immediately recognized who he was: Danior.
The other figure wore a dark cloak and hood. It stopping a few feet from The Guardian before swiftly uncovering and revealing a female with long, red hair and a familiar face The Guardian knew all too well: Vixen.
For a quick instant, both of their eyes flashed red. Vixen’s cruel smile was aimed at Ethan and her voice sounded just as pitiless. “Don’t look so surprised, darling. You must have known that it was only a matter of time.”
Even through his paralysis, Ethan managed to speak. “Who the…hell are…you?”
“You asssk who are we? You ssstill have not figured it out?” Danior quipped with a venomous tone.
Vixen put her hand on Ethan’s masked cheek. “I’m the one who’s doing this to you, darling.”
In the next instant, The Guardian’s feet left the ground. His paralyzed body lifted a few inches off of the floor and levitated in the air.
“And I can also do this.” As Vixen’s words ended, The Guardian’s body flew through the air. In the next instant, he slammed hard against the bedroom wall, leaving a dent and causing a thunderous boom to sound off and shake the room.
Slowly, The Guardian rose to his feet, picking his dagger up off of the ground. He looked up as Vixen came towards him. Ethan lost control of himself once more. Completely immobile, his body again flew through the air like a rag
doll, slamming headfirst into another wall.
The Guardian’s head spun as he fell onto the ground. As he lay there, heavy pieces of rubble tore from the wall and fell top of him. His body rang with pain. But he was not deterred.
Regaining control of his body and senses, he quickly rose back onto his feet. Having lost his dagger, his hands formed into tightly clenched fists as he watched Vixen walk towards him once more.
“You want to know who we are. We are the new and improved versions of our true father’s soldiers. And as you can see, we can do many things that you could never dream of.”
With an angry roar, Ethan lunged at Vixen. But he failed to land a hit. Danior intercepted him. Spearing The Guardian to the ground, Danior pinned him and raised his curled fist. Without hesitating, he struck The Guardian across the face, the powerful blow echoing through the room. It was a blow as strong as The Guardian’s best.
“Ssshe can do thingsss with her mind that you could never dream of. And I…I can do everything you can do—and more. I’m ssstronger, fassster, and better than you ever were.” Danior’s fist powerfully smashed against The Guardian’s head once again.
The Guardian blearily saw all three hovering above him. Then everything went black.
Chapter 21
Prisoner
“You failed me.”
That voice. Without any doubt, Ethan knew who it belonged to. As he stood surrounded by the dark, black abyss, he knew that it was the voice of his beloved Katrina.
But something was off. Her voice was not the same. It seemed ghostly, as if it was slowly fading away.
“You failed us all.”
“Katrina?” Ethan took a step into the thick, black fog. He could not see more than a few feet in front of him, but that did not stop him from journeying into the darkened mist. Was this a dream? It had to be. But it seemed too real.
“You let them all die…you let me die.”
“Katrina!” He ran towards the voice through the thick and endless fog. His heart could not bear to hear her this way. Every syllable she uttered was full of pain. “Tell me where you are!”
“Ethan…why?”
He ran faster. Each word she spoke was weaker than the last.
“Why didn’t you save me?”
Her words were almost inaudible.
“Why did you let me go?”
Ethan stopped. He could see her.
Katrina stood about ten yards away, covered in her own blood. No color or life could be seen on her face. She was looking directly at Ethan, but her once beautiful eyes barely held onto life now. Death had all but taken her—her eyes hauntingly glaring, as if asking why he was too late.
“Eth…an.” The words barely escaped her lips. She staggered one step forward, her eyes still locked with his. Suddenly, her eyes closed shut, her legs gave in, and she collapsed…dead.
Ethan stood motionless, immobile. All he could do was look at her lifeless body as it lay on the ground. What he saw could not be happening. This had to be a dream. His gaze would not leave her.
He did not notice the figure standing behind her, shrouded in the black fog, until it spoke. It spoke in a familiar menacing, dark voice that could fill any being with insurmountable fear. It was a voice that could only belong to one beast.
“She will die, alone. She will die, wondering why you could not save her.”
Ethan slowly looked up at the monster lurking in the shadows. Even through the thick mist, Daken’s red eyes were undeniably distinguishable as it looked right at Ethan.
“This is her future!”
***
The law firm had closed down half an hour ago, but Jonathan stayed behind to finish up some work. As he now headed out of the building’s doors, a voice from behind him stopped him.
“Mr. Daniels!”
He turned around in time to see a young man hurrying towards him through the empty lobby. The slim, dark-skinned man was dressed in a cheap suit and tie. Jonathan thought that he recognized him from the office. “Can I help you, Mister—”
“It’s Adam.” The man stopped when he arrived next to Jonathan. “Sorry to bother you.”
Jonathan checked his wristwatch. “You’re working late.”
“I was waiting to see you.”
“What can I do for you, Adam?”
“It’s about your brother, Ethan. I was supposed to meet him today but he never came. I asked around and nobody has seen him all day. I was wondering if you knew anything.”
Jonathan slightly smiled. “He has a knack for doing that. I’m sure he’ll see you soon. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You don’t understand. He would not have skipped this meeting.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was…important.”
“Tell me what it was about.”
Adam was slow to respond. “I’m not sure if I could do that.”
Jonathan was silent for a few moments, wondering if the two of them were thinking of the same thing. “Does it concern a nighttime hobby?”
Adam paused for a moment, obviously startled that Jonathan knew about it too. “Yes. A very dangerous one.”
“What was he going to talk to you about?”
“Helping.”
“Helping?”
Adam nodded
“Doesn’t sound like Ethan.”
“It took a bit of convincing. Have you heard from him at all today?”
“No and it’s not uncommon not to.” Jonathan reached into his coat pocket. “But the fact that he’s missed a meeting regarding his nighttime ventures is definitely uncharacteristic of him.”
Adam watched as Jonathan pulled out a small, white device. “What is that?”
“Something that might help us find him.”
***
Ethan’s eyes shot open with a start. His heart was racing and his breathing was quick. His body uncontrollably trembled, still unable to believe the horrendous vision that he was trapped in only moments ago. Streams of sweat were running down his body. It took several moments for his mind to finally accept that the nightmare was over. And it took several more seconds before he was able to fully remember what was happening before everything went black.
His body felt like it had just gone through the worst beating of his life. His head was spinning. His torso and upper body was now bare of any clothing, leaving his chest and arms defenseless against the freezing air that engulfed him.
When he finally came to his senses, the first thing he felt was something around his forearms and wrists. Ethan immediately looked up as he attempted to gain control over his breathing and heart rate.
He was hanging from the high ceiling by a thick and rusty chain.
Feeling a strain on his lower body, Ethan looked down. Another chain was tightly wrapped around both of his ankles. At the bottom of the chain was a massive weight that hovered ten feet off of the ground. The weight was not enough to cause him any bodily harm, but was enough to keep him from going anywhere.
“You made it.”
Hearing the all-too familiar voice, Ethan immediately looked to find Tony standing only a few feet away from where he was hanging.
Ethan’s eyes left his captor and looked around at his surroundings. He was in some sort of two-story warehouse. Most of the machinery was covered in dirt and rust. Only a few ceiling lights were lit, leaving most of the building shrouded in darkness.
He made out three gunmen: one stood next to Tony, the second stood on some sort of observation deck, while the other was on the staircase. They were all dressed in black. And from the way they handled their weapons, Ethan knew that they were not everyday street thugs.
“I was afraid that you might not come to in time to see my good work. All this would mean so much less if you were not around to witness it. You’ve been unconscious for almost an entire day now,” Tony said. “The good news is that everyone at your office is used to you not showing up, so I doubt that anybody questioned your absence.”
> “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, Tony. These people that—”
“I know exactly who I am dealing with!”
“Vixen and Danior work for somebody who is worse than anybody you know. I don’t know what your game is or what he promised—”
“I know who they work for. And as it turns out, I work for him too.”
Ethan was silent for a long moment, stunned by what he had heard. “Are you one of them too?”
“One of Daken’s soldiers? Sadly, I haven’t had that honor bestowed on me, yet…but it’s only a matter of time now. All that I need to do now is finish proving my worthiness.”
“And killing me is supposed to do that?”
Tony lowly chuckled. “You think too highly of yourself. If Daken wanted to kill you, you’d have died before your so-called mission ever began.” Tony’s smile slightly grew. “I assure you Ethan, Daken can do much more than just haunt your dreams. He can make those dreams become a reality, even your worst nightmare about your dearly beloved Katrina. What I’ve been commissioned to do is much more beneficial to the brotherhood’s glorious destiny.”
“What’s that?” Ethan uttered, unconvinced.
“I’m going to destroy this city.” Tony’s words were spoken so nonchalantly as if they did not mean anything at all.
Ethan could not believe his ears. Had he really considered this madman an ally at one time?
“By tomorrow morning, Crown City will be ashes along with every—”
“You’ve gone mad.”
“No. I’ve just been enlightened to what is really happening. What Daken really is. What glorious destiny he has planned for this world. What he has ordained for humanity. And I’ve been enlightened to the fact that I want a piece of that pie.”
“And what glorious destiny is this?”
“Isn’t that the question of the day?” Tony began to circle around Ethan. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon enough. For the past two years, I’ve been preparing for this night—for Crown City’s inevitable destruction. Of course, you always had your eye on me, so I had to do it through a third party. And you were too busy guiding the revolution and protecting the streets to ever see it coming.”