“Hey Leath would you like to go check out the rest of the house? Oh that sounds like a marvelous idea! What shall we check out first? I don’t know lets start at the bottom and work our way up. Fabulous idea my dear boy, just fabulous,” Leath muttered to himself as he headed into the hall.
Down at the opposite end of the house Mathias and the Professor stood outside the door leading to Minerva.
“Nice call with the whole “meeting with Gabriel” thing,” Mathias said grinning.
“I wasn’t lying. There are certain details you need to be made aware of,” The Professor answered as he traced his fingers along the vines.
Mathias gave his old friend a sideways glance. “I knew you were keeping secrets from me Barty.”
The Professor didn’t reply.
The door swung open allowing the pair to step through into a forest on the edge of a massive clearing. Beyond the meadow rose the spectacular city of Minerva.
“I don’t think this view could ever get old.”
“I concur. It is simply breathtaking,” Agreed the Professor.
Mathias stepped forward ready to break through the cover of the trees. The Professor’s hand shot out and quickly grab Mathias’ thick forearm.
"We must keep to the tree line. We are not headed to the city”
Mathias gave the man a puzzled look as the two headed towards the northwest side of the meadow, heading slightly away from the city. There, nestled among an old grove of oak trees sat a derelict stone structure the remnants of old council chambers.
“Can I ask why we are not meeting in the city, and are we sneaking through the trees?”
“Gabriel would like to make sure that our meeting is completely confidential and everything we discuss is heard only by our ears,” The Professor replied.
“That is not like Gabriel to mistrust anyone in his own race,” Mathias murmured more to himself. “Professor what is going on?”
“In due time my friend.”
The pair reached the abandoned building moments later. Each taking a side they quickly swept the area ensuring no one was around. Taking three stones from his inner jacket pocket the Professor stood before the front door. Despite the age and disrepair the building seemed to be in, the door remained in pristine condition. Its wood gleaming as if a fresh coat of lacquer had been applied. The hinges firmly secured and without rust. The delicate iron pattern still shone as if it were fresh from the ironworkers shop.
The Professor carefully inspected the intricate design. Running his fingers along certain lines and loops before gently placing the stones at three separate points in the door. The sound of a dozen locks opening softly emanated from within. Grasping the handle with one hand and pushing with the other, the door opened. Cautiously the two entered the building.
“Do you see anything we can use for light?” Mathias asked running his hands along the walls.
“There must be some candles left on a shelf or ledge somewhere,” The Professor answered back.
Carefully working their way forwards and around the room the two looked for any source of light.
“I find flipping the light switch helps,” A voice behind them declared as the room illuminated.
The two looked sheepishly at Gabriel as he strolled across the floor. “Well there is no sense in wasting anyone’s time. I will get straight to the point.” Gabriel began “Mathias I am sure you have been wondering why the Sentry was called to assist you and why you encountered a shade and how the boy turned out to be the next Watchman.”
“Of course.” Mathias replied.
“Information had been passed onto me that a resident at our most secured facility had a connection to the woman living at the house,” Gabriel reported, hoping his friend would be able to read between the lines. The less he had to verbalize the better.
Mathias frowned. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know, I am having a hard time processing this information as well,” The Professor admitted.
“There is something you need to know,” Gabriel’s voice seemed a little hesitant this time. “It is about the boy’s mother.”
Things are never what they seem
"Mathias. Hello, you with us? Hey, Mathias!” Leath shouted.
Mathias blinked, staring at his surroundings with brief confusion. He glanced over at Leath who was looking at him suspiciously. “How long you been standing there?” he asked.
“I’ve been hollering at you for the last………seven minutes,” Leath answered checking his watch. “We scheduled this little soirée a few days ago.”
“No, no I remember,” Mathias managed a weak smile.
“You alright buddy? That was some pretty intense day dreaming you had going on.”
“Oh, don’t go worrying your inferior human brain off about me,” Mathias replied, slapping Leath on the back. “Stress of the job. Sometimes it just really gets to you,” Mathias added hoping Leath would drop the subject.
“Oh, don’t I know it,” Leath agreed, thinking about all the interns and employees whose lives were ruined thanks to his family’s way of operating their billion dollar corporation.
Mathias saw a sadness flicker in Leath’s eyes. Mathias stared at the young man. He found himself wondering what Leath could possibly know about stresses. From what he learned from the Professor and Gabriel, Leath comes from a wealthy, privileged family . But Mathias’ interest was piqued by the sincerity he saw in Leath’s eyes.
“Dude, could you stop staring. You’re kind of creeping me out.”
Leath’s voice cut into Mathias’ thoughts. “Oh, right, sorry, didn’t mean to zone out on you,” Mathias apologized.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Leath asked. “Maybe you should take a nap or something. Recharge those batteries of yours,” He suggested.
“Naw, don’t worry about me,“ Mathias said brushing off Leath’s concern. “Just need to get my blood pumping that’s all. You ready to have your arse handed to you?!” Mathias joked, changing the subject.
Leath sighed. He knew better than to push when the other person wasn’t ready or willing to talk. “Never under estimate the tall gangly guy!” He flexed and scrunched his face with a grrrrr.
“Dukes up, little man. I am going to show you a whole new meaning of the word hurt!” Mathias grinned.
Two hours later Professor Haynsworth, Zyphera and Miss Mirdy sat waiting in the study.
“Typical boys,” Grumbled Mirdy, “always keeping the real men and ladies waiting.”
“What’s that about real men?” Leath asked as he and Mathias appeared in the doorway.
The three turned and looked at them.
“What the hell happened to your faces?” Zyphera asked in disbelief.
“Turns out, little man’s got some skills,” Mathias laughed, and then cringed as he smiled.
Leath’s face beamed with pride.
The Professor shook his head and chuckled. “Did Mrs. Osbourne stitch you two up?” as he took in the boys stitched lacerations above their purple and blackened eyes. Leath sported a bulging split lip, also sewn up, two swollen knuckles, a few bruised ribs and a nasty looking wound across his chin that probably took about twelve stitches.
Bartholomew could’ve sworn that Mathias’s left cheek held a greening imprint of Leath’s knuckles. The gash on his jawbone Mrs. O decided to tape up instead of stitch, and the open wound across the bridge of his nose suggested it may have been broken along with two of his fingers.
The pair stood beaming with pride.
“Oh good heavens, wipe those silly smirks off your faces and plant your butts somewhere so we can get on with it,” Mirdy demanded.
“You know, you’re like the cute, grouchy old grandma with a third eye I never had,” Leath told Mirdy, scrunching his face.
The boys plunked themselves down on a large sofa tucked against the wood paneled wall opposite the chairs the ladies and Professor occupied.
The Professor cleared his throat signaling he w
ould like everyone’s attention.
“I know these last two weeks have been a bit of an adjustment. I am sorry that I have not had an opportunity until now to brief you and officially say welcome. Usually, the formation of the Sentry occurs on a much calmer and more anticipated scale. However, this is far from our usual circumstances.”
“You could say that again,” Leath agreed.
“Yes, especially for you,” The Professor smiled. “Normally, once the birth of the new watchman is announced those who are chosen were notified. For the next sixteen years the new Sentry would train, mostly on their home worlds with periodic stints carried out together here at the estate. This would allow time for the earth counterpart to embrace the true realities that are our history,” he explained.
“Yeah, I am still a little fuzzy on exactly what that is?” Leath replied, trying his best to speak around his swollen lip.
“I know, and I am sorry that I keep putting you off like this. I was hoping your fellow Sentry members would have filled you in until such time I can properly go over things with you.” The Professor glanced at the other three, who managed weak smiles in response.
“No offence Professor, but if you haven’t noticed, I am not exactly an accepted partner in this little ensemble. Sure I have questions about some of the things I have seen in the last two weeks, but frankly, I think the more important matter at hand is, what the hell does this have to do with me,” Leath’s voice rose angrily. “And to be honest, it’s not me who needs convincing that I am the “man” for the role,” he stated, shifting his gaze.
Zyphera, Mirdy and Mathias all shifted uncomfortably in their seats. What Leath said was the complete truth. Everyone there was ready and willing to take on their roles to protect the balance and the boy at any cost, but that is where their willingness ended and a reluctance to fulfill their duty along side an unknown and apparently untalented human began.
“I have been here two weeks, for two friggin’ weeks trying my darndest to fit in with you folks and I have hardly gotten anything other than a cold shoulder, except for the bout with you Mathias,” Leath added with a slight smile. “So I am out. If my presence on the Sentry is going to be a hindrance for you folks then fine. But I am not going anywhere, and I will do the best I can for that little boy anyway I know how. Even if it means helping Mrs. O change his dirty diapers or being the one to sing him silly songs in the bathtub,” Visibly upset and hurt, Leath stormed out of the study. This wasn’t the first time he was a disappointment to someone and he figured it wouldn’t be the last.
Silence fell across the study as the echo of Leath’s footsteps faded. Zyphera twisted her hands uncomfortably in her lap, while Mirdy looked rather unaffected.
“I hope you’re all proud of your actions,” The Professor spoke with a disapproving tone. “I understand the frustration you must all be feeling, but this is not the way a team is supposed to function. It won’t matter how hard you work, or what skills you posses, you will never protect this boy if you cannot learn to work together and trust that you all play an important role in our new destiny. You have no right to judge that young man unless you are willing to judge yourselves,” he demanded. “Now, let’s focus on the reason we are here.”
“Yes Professor, I have a question about that,” Zyphera said breathing a sigh of relief. “I have been wondering, well its just…….how did Thad’s birth go unnoticed? We were sent to protect a woman whose identity was a mystery to us, and furthermore, arrive at her house to find a Shadow Breather, trying to kidnap her son, who was also a mystery and then turned out to be the Watchman. I am very confused about how this could happen. I have studied the history of the Watchman and know that the election of a new Sentry directly coincides with the birth of the next Watchman.”
“You are not the only one that is baffled by this my dear,“ the Professor answered. “To be honest, the Keepers and I have been working very hard at uncovering the mystery behind how his birth was concealed. Your names had already been disclosed as the next Sentry even though a birth had not appeared. It was due to recent information handed down to us by a reliable source that it was revealed the baby had become of interest to a particular long time prisoner of the Coalition. Upon hearing this information, the Keepers and I mulled over the possibility the baby was the next Watchman. The fact a Shade, or Shadow Breather, was there has set off alarm bells, and the safety of the universe is suddenly being questioned.”
“So we really have no idea what any of this means,” Mirdy interjected.
“Unfortunately, we don’t. The only thing we can do is hope that everything is smooth sailing from here on out,” the Professor answered.
“But there must be some explanation,” Zyphera insisted. “Do we know who the mother is? Perhaps her identity can tell us something.”
Mathias’ ears perked up. He’d been patiently sitting there listening to the Professor spout off some cock and bull half truth hoping the new Sentry members would gobble it up with satisfaction. But now old Barty was faced with the one question he wished to avoid the most. Mathias leaned forward, curious as to the Professor’s response.
“We have been able to find out very little information on her. She was a single mother. The house they lived in was rented. She held no valid drivers license or social security card, suggesting she was an illegal refugee.”
Mathias shook his head. He and Bartholomew had worked together for a long time, and Mathias considered him a great friend. But since the incidents of late, he was beginning to wonder if he truly knew the man at all. Secrets were a skeleton that Bartholomew prided himself on not having. He would boast about his “empty closet”. But since the meeting with Gabriel and the information that was revealed, he believed Bartholomew’s closet was completely made of skeletons.
Mathias watched as the two ladies accepted the Professor’s story. Never in his life had Mathias wanted to break an oath as bad as he did right now. “I am sorry but if you three will excuse me, I have some business to attend to,” he said, abruptly getting up.
“Of course, most of this information you are already familiar with anyways,” the Professor said politely. But he knew the look on his old friend’s face. “We all have to do what we think is right. I hope you can one day understand,” the professor thought to himself as he watched Mathias' hulking form disappear from sight.
“Well, it seems the boys are a bit moody today,” he joked, hoping the ladies took no notice of Mathias’ menacing stare. “Now, are there any other questions you ladies have before I continue?”
Zyphera and Miss Mirdy shook their heads.
“Wonderful! Now I was hoping to explain this to all three of the new Sentry members, but I guess we will have to work on Leath a little later,” he began.
At that moment, Mrs. Osbourne appeared in the doorway carrying a silver tray topped with three needles filled with an interestingly dark substance. The two women looked at each other nervously.
“Uh, Professor, what is that?” Zyphera asked, leaning forward to get a better look.
“This is the real reason for our little meeting today. Unfortunately it hasn’t gone as planned,” He muttered. “Anyways, consider this your official induction into the Sentry,” He beamed holding up one of the syringes. “Inside this needle is a rather fascinating advancement in technology. This seemingly gross liquid is actually the bi-product of the brilliant micro organisms living inside.”
“I am starting to feel a little concerned,” Mirdy spoke up, “You feeling a little concerned?” turning to look at Zyphera, who nodded her head.
The Professor smiled. “No need to worry ladies! The sole purpose of these marvelous creatures is to enhance the unique frequency of the specific individual it inhabits.”
Zyphera’s face turned into a mask of horror. “You expect us to be injected with that.”
“Oh don’t worry it is perfectly safe. Both Mathias and I were injected years, decades ago.” The Professor assured her.
“What cou
ld possibly be the purpose of releasing these micro bugs into our systems?” Mirdy wondered.
"I am so glad you asked,” A large smile played across the Professor’s lips. “This will be our means of communicating.”
“Beg your pardon?” Mirdy said, tilting her head as if she heard wrong.
“These wonderful organisms are capable of transmitting and receiving signals through the energy field your body creates and translates them into a sound bite. No matter where you are in the universe, your team will always be in contact.”
The Professor saw Miss Mirdy gently touch a finger to her forehead as he finished talking. Likewise, Zyphera fidgeted with the opal bead on her necklace.
Sentry Rising Page 4