The Return of the Titans

by James Thompson

  Justin noticed Benson rolling his eyes but the young man didn't say anything.

  “Now, straight down the hall from your quarters are the baths. Follow me and I'll give you a quick tour.” Jonathon turned into the hallway leading to the boys quarters. He stopped at the first set of doors and touched a round button on the wall beside the right hand door. Justin was startled to see the door slide into the wall to the left. There was no noise.

  “Go ahead in and take a look around,” Jonathon said.

  The boys crowded into the room. It looked like a living room, with two leather sofas facing each other, several comfortable chairs scattered around and a unit with shelves standing against the wall. There were many scrolls piled neatly on each shelf. A wide archway led into another room, where Justin could see two large beds covered with bright comforters, with a low table in between them.

  He walked back and ducked his head into the room. He noticed a small doorway to the left.

  “The washroom is off of the bedroom. As you can see, each suite is big enough for two, so those who wish to pair up are free to do so.” Jonathon looked at each of the boys. “Those of you who haven't gotten to know anyone well enough yet to share with, or those who wish to have their own rooms can choose to do that as well. We have plenty of suites to go around, at least for now. Okay then,” he clapped his hands twice, “let's show you to the baths and then you will be free to settle in.”

  They all followed him back into the hallway. Justin counted twenty sets of doors before he just shrugged to himself and gave up. Finally they reached the end of the corridor. A very large iron door faced them. Jonathon tapped another round button on the wall, and this time the door split in the middle and each half slid into the wall on either side.

  As the doors opened, a puff of warm, damp air wafted into the hall. Jonathon motioned for them to follow him in and they all walked into a large, open area and stopped.

  Two steps went down to the floor and Justin could see four big round pools spaced evenly in the large square room. Jonathon pointed to each pool, starting from the closest one on the left and going counter-clockwise to the farthest on the left. “Cool, warm, warmer, hot. Each bathing pool is kept at the same temperature at all times. I'm sure you will each find one that suits you best. The water is constantly being circulated and replenished so the pools are always clean.” He glanced over the group. “We encourage good hygiene for all of you. Those who choose not to use the baths, every day, may find the consequences unpleasant.”

  “Really?” One of the older boys, not Benson for a change, sounded belligerent. “Like what?”

  Jonathon just smiled, rather grimly. “Try it and see, Mr. Santos. Now, you will find towels, soap, toothbrushes, and everything else you need in your suites. Also, in the next little while, someone will be by to bring you a change of clothes. Okay, let's go back.”

  As they were walking back up the hallway, Aaron moved closer to Justin. “Want to share?” he asked hesitantly. Justin smiled with relief. “Absolutely,” he answered.

  Aaron sighed. “Cool,” he said with a grin.

  They got back to the four-way intersection and Jonathon turned to face them. “Now, go ahead and pick a room. We'd like to fill them from here down.”

  The boys shuffled a bit in confusion until Benson and one of the older boys broke away and strode to the first doorway on the left. After that, in pairs or singly, the rest of the boys chose a room. Aaron and Justin ended up in the fourth room on the left. Before they entered, Justin glanced back to see Jonathon making notes. He assumed the young man was writing down which room each of them were in.

  As they entered their new quarters, the two teens noticed that it was exactly the same as the one they had seen earlier, with a few additions. There was a table between the two couches, made of wood with a square metal plate in the middle. Justin bent down to touch it. It seemed to be made of bronze, just like the moving statues he had seen.

  Around the edges of the metal were engraved tiny symbols. They looked like the marks Justin had noticed here and there in Sanctuary. Other than that, the metal was blank. Justin glanced at Aaron. “Wonder what this is for?” he said and gave it a tap.

  Aaron shrugged, after looking at the table. “Beats me,” he said and walked past it into the bedroom. Justin looked around the main room. He again saw images carved into the rock walls. These were simple scenes of mountains, lakes and forests without any people or animals. Very peaceful, he thought. Which is probably the point. Aaron called to him from the bedroom.

  “You have got to see this bathroom, Justin. It's crazy.”

  Justin got up and went into the next room. Aaron was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. “What do you mean crazy?” Justin asked him.

  “Well, take a look and see what you think,” Aaron answered and stepped out of the way.

  Justin slipped through the bathroom doorway and stopped abruptly. Everything in the room was carved out of stone. Everything! The sink seemed to grow out of the floor as did the toilet. Instead of taps, there was a small opening in the back of the sink and a stream of water swirled around and around and then disappeared into the drain. Justin walked over to the toilet and saw almost the same thing. A constant swirl of water circulated in the stone bowl and vanished into a hole in the middle. Strangely, the water made very little noise as it swirled.

  “Almost looks like the room was carved out of the rock to look like this, doesn't it?” Aaron asked. Justin just nodded. He glanced around the room again, then headed back out to the main living room. Aaron followed.

  They both sat down heavily on the two couches. Justin put his feet up on the table and sighed.

  “What's wrong, Justin?”

  Justin looked around the room and back at Aaron. “It's this...place. Everything. Hours ago, I don't even know how many, I was attacked by some people. My mother and my friend could be,” he hesitated, “could be hurt or locked up. I'm whisked away to this place, run by people I don't know. I don't know how I got here, where here is, or what they plan to do with me.” He looked at Aaron again. “I mean, with us. I'm just, I dunno, totally confused.”

  Aaron nodded then smiled slightly. “I feel the same way. But I'm not going to think the worst, Justin. Seriously. I think these Guardians are on our side. And I think my family is alive and okay.” Then his smile faded. “Because if I think any other way, I may start screaming. You know?”

  “Yeah, Aaron. I know.” Justin jumped a bit as a quiet, metallic chime rang out. He looked at Aaron who shrugged.

  “Wonder what that is?” Aaron asked, glancing around the room. The chime rang again and then they heard a pounding on the door.

  Justin grinned. “It must have been the doorbell,” he said to Aaron. The other boy nodded, then stood and walked to the door. He touched the button on the wall and the door slid open.

  Mrs. Mallon was standing there along with another older man. Both of them were carrying bundles. “You really must learn to open the door on the first ring, gentlemen,” she said rather breathlessly as she walked into the room and dumped her load on to a couch. The man did the same. He smiled at the boys and left.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Mallon,” Justin said, slightly embarrassed. “We didn't know there was a doorbell.”

  The woman didn't look too annoyed and just chuckled. “That's all right, Mr. McLeod. Just so you know, when the outside button is pressed, and someone is inside, the chime will ring. Courtesy, you understand.”

  Aaron looked puzzled. “But how does the door know that someone is inside the room?”

  Mrs. Mallon waved her hand absently. “I haven't the foggiest, my dear. Not my department, so to speak. And you needn't get up to open the door when the chime rings. Just say come in and the door will open. Now.” she indicated the two bundles, “we have clothes for both of you. Not a lot at the moment, but if you decide to stay, we'll get you more.” She opened one of the bundles and looked at a tag inside. “Ah yes, these are yours, Mr. McLeod. Two
shirts, one pair of pants, underwear, socks and pajamas. If you hadn't already noticed, your bathing things are under your beds.” She looked at them. “Now, if you need anything tonight, there will be someone on duty at the intersection just up the hall. Just ask for whatever you need. Anything else?”

  Justin was wondering something. “Um, Mrs. Mallon? How exactly do we know what time it is? I don't have a watch and I'm guessing that my time wouldn't be the same as Sanctuary's time anyway.”

  The woman looked surprised. “Didn't anyone explain that to you?” Both boys shook their head. “Oh for heaven's sake! That Jonathon. Honestly, I'm going to have to give him a list for the next group that comes in, to remind him of what you all need to know.” She shook her head. “Anyway, that can wait.” Mrs Mallon pointed to the space above the archway leading into the bedroom. “There's your clock, Mr. McLeod.”

  Justin and Aaron looked at the carvings above the arch. There was a picture of the sun, with twelve rays emanating from it. Outside of the rays was a small carving of a planet, Justin thought it was the Earth. Just inside that carving was a smaller one of the moon. He stared at it then looked at Mrs. Mallon. “I don't understand,” he said.

  “Oh Justin,” she said, forgetting to be formal, “just watch it for a moment.”

  The boys watched the carving. Aaron moved closer and looked up at it intently.

  “Whoa! The moon is moving! How's it doing that? It's made of stone.” He looked at Mrs. Mallon. “Isn't it?” he asked.

  Once again she shrugged. “Again, not my department, dear. But however it works, it's easy enough to understand.” She pointed. “The Earth is the hour hand. The moon is the minute hand. So, you can see that it is now ten minutes after eleven, Sanctuary time. Which means it's high time you two were in bed.”

  Justin ignored the rather pointed command and watch the clock. It sure looked like stone but Aaron was right. It was moving. He just watched in amazement.

  Mrs. Mallon cleared her throat loudly and the two boys jumped. “You've both had a busy day, and while it may be early by your time, it will be easier to adjust to our time if you get to sleep soon.” She shook her finger at them. “Get to bed. Tomorrow will be very busy, I have no doubt.” She turned and headed for the door. “And brush your teeth before you go to sleep,” she said over her shoulder as she left. The door slid shut behind her.

  “Sounds just like my grandmother,” Aaron muttered.

  Justin laughed. “Yeah. But I kind of like it.” He gave the clock one last glance then headed for the bedroom. “You have a preference on beds?” he called out to Aaron.

  “Nope, just pick one and I'll take the other,” Aaron answered.

  Justin picked the bed on the right and looked under it. There was a canvas bag there. Justin opened it, found a toothbrush and toothpaste and headed for the bathroom.

  When he was done, he came out and Aaron headed in. Justin changed, got into bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. The bed was very comfortable and the comforter had a pleasant, woodsy smell. He tried to focus on the incredible day he had had but he fell asleep before Aaron even came out of the bathroom.

  Chapter 4

  The next morning, Justin and Aaron woke up to the sound of the door chime. Justin sat up blearily and looked over at Aaron, who stuck his head under his pillow and grunted with irritation.

  “Come in,” Justin called out as he got out of bed. The outer door slid open and Mrs. Mallon walked in.

  “Good morning, gentlemen. Time to rise and shine.” She glanced into the bedroom and saw Aaron tucked under the pillow. “Well, time to rise anyway. You can shine later, I suppose.” She set a tray down on the table in the living room. “Get up, Aaron! The Commander will be dropping by to talk to you soon, so eat breakfast and get cleaned up, double-time!”

  Aaron groaned but stuck his head out. “Breakfast? Coming!”

  Justin chuckled as he sat down on a couch and took the lid off the tray. Mrs. Mallon had already left and the door closed behind. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted from the tray and Justin's mouth watered.

  “I still don't get how that door knows to close after someone leaves,” Aaron said as he stumbled into the room and sat down with a thud. “Hey, that smells great!”

  After breakfast, the two grabbed their bathing things and headed for the baths. Several other boys were doing the same. Justin noticed that they all looked as unfocused as he felt.

  In the bathing room, Aaron and Justin quickly determined that the pool that Jonathon had called 'warmer' was just the right temperature. Three other boys agreed while others preferred either the 'warm' or 'hot' pools. No one seemed inclined to jump into the 'cool' pool.

  Justin was fascinated to see that the clouds of soap that appeared as he bathed quickly vanished into a wide slot along the wall of the pool. The water was constantly moving but stayed at exactly the same temperature for the entire bath.

  After they dried off, Justin and Aaron and several others that they had chatted with during the bath went back to their rooms to get dressed and wait.

  The two new friends sat on the couches and talked. Aaron wondered who this 'Commander' was that Mrs. Mallon had mentioned.

  “I assume it's Mr. Fitzgerald. The head guy we saw yesterday,” Justin said.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Aaron looked at Justin. “So, do you have a list of questions you want to ask him?”

  Justin just shrugged. “A few. You?”

  “Loads. But I'm not sure where to start. Or which ones are the most important. He didn't look like a guy to ask dumb questions to, did he?”

  Justin felt nervous suddenly. “No he didn't. But he said we were to ask anything we wanted. And, after all, they are here because of us, aren't they?”

  “Are they?” Aaron stared intently at Justin. “Do you really believe this Titan stuff? I mean, come on. So we're a little different from a lot of people. So what? I don't look like a Titan, at least not what I would call a Titan. And you,” he grinned at Justin, “aren't exactly a giant either, are you?”

  Justin returned the grin. Aaron's teasing him about his height didn't bother him, since the other boy wasn't much bigger than he was.

  “You're right there. But these people aren't stupid. They must know what they are doing. Besides...”

  The door chime rang out and Justin stopped talking. He stared at the door for a moment and swallowed noisily. Aaron took a deep breath. “Come in,” he said loudly.

  The door slid back. Mr. Fitzgerald was standing there, looking even taller and more intimidating close up than he had when Justin had seen him from a distance.

  “Good morning, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Dalton. May I come in?”

  Both Justin and Aaron had stood up when they saw Mr. Fitzgerald. Now Justin nodded and moved to sit beside Aaron. The man smiled slightly and entered the room.

  Mr. Fitzgerald was carrying several large notebooks under his arm. He sat down on the vacant couch and put them on the table. Then he sat back and glanced around the room.

  “How are you finding your accommodations?” he asked.

  “Very nice, sir. Comfortable,” Justin spoke up. Aaron nodded vigorously.

  “Excellent. I'm glad you approve. Now,” Mr. Fitzgerald leaned forward, “I'm here to answer any and all questions you might have regarding Sanctuary, the Guardians, yourselves or anything else that I can. If I can't answer something, rest assured that I will find out about it and get back to you.” He sat back and smiled slightly again. “After all, you can't make an informed decision on whether to stay or go unless you have all the facts, can you?”

  Both boys nodded. “So, who wants to go first?”

  Justin and Aaron looked at each other.

  “Well sir.” Justin spoke up hesitantly, “I'd like to know what happened to my Mom. Is she okay? Is Wilson, the janitor in my building, okay?”

  “Yeah, me too. All I can think about is my family,” Aaron added.

  Mr. Fitzgerald nodded. “Of course, perfectly natural. Let
me see here...” He went through the notebooks and chose one near the bottom of the stack. He opened it and scanned through it while the boys watched anxiously. Then he frowned and looked at them.

  “Well, the news isn't all good, I'm afraid.” Justin felt his stomach clench and he clasped his hands together. “But it isn't all bad either.” The man sighed. “Please remember that these are preliminary reports. Our agents are still gathering data and will know more in a few days.”

  He sat back and looked down at the notebook. “Now, Mr. Dalton...” Aaron gave a small yelp and Mr. Fitzgerald smiled at him gently. “Easy, young man. I'm pleased to report that your father is all right.” Aaron stared at him for a moment and then let out a huge sigh. Justin reached over and patted his shoulder as he saw tears standing in Aaron's eyes.

  Aaron looked down so that his long blonde hair covered his face. “Thank you, sir,” he said in a small voice.

  “You're welcome. Now, as for the details. We have a few.” He glanced at the notes. “Your father has been relocated, for his own protection. We hope this is only a temporary measure, but we won't take any chances with his safety.” Aaron looked up at the man and listened intently. Mr. Fitzgerald's smile widened. “Your father was...less than happy about having to leave your home. He wanted to stay and face your enemies.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes and laughed shakily. “Yeah, that's Dad all right. Never backs down from a fight.”

  “Apparently not. But we persuaded him that your safety was at stake, so he reluctantly agreed.” He glanced at the notes again. “It was your cousin who pushed you into the fountain, wasn't it?”

  The boy frowned. “Yes sir. When those guys closed in, he just gave me a shove and, bang, I was here.” Then Aaron looked concerned. “Is he okay?”

  “Happily yes, although he will be in the hospital for several days.” Aaron sat up abruptly but Mr. Fitzgerald continued on quickly. “He's fine. Nothing that bed rest won't cure. He took a few lumps but once they were sure that you were gone, the enemy withdrew.” He turned a few pages in the notebook then looked at Justin. “Now, Mr. McLeod.”