The Guardian Host-Resurrection-Book one of The Guardian Host Series
Outnumbered

When Volax finished speaking, I heard a loud noise that shook the ground, and several exhibits fell.

I heard it several more times, getting louder each time. I was trying to make out what I was hearing.

What's that noise?

Boom....boom.... boom.... boom.

I levitated to keep myself from tumbling over.

Suddenly, it just stopped, leaving me surrounded by an eerie quietness. I glanced around the museum for the source of the noise I’d heard moments before.

Hmmm. Nothing.

“Move to the right, Vincent!”

I flew to the right as quickly as possible, a split second before a giant fist smashed through the ceiling, plunging into the floor where I had just been.

Pieces of the marble flooring erupted in all directions as the fist disappeared into the floor, stopping when half of the giant forearm plunged into the hole.

I was stunned.

No! My museum. Why? Now, I’m definitely pissed.

"Move to the left, Vincent!”

I flew to the left quickly as another giant fist smashed through the ceiling with the same force as the one before it.

After he demolished the floor, pieces of it and several destroyed exhibits littered it.

Oh my God! Are you kidding me right now?

I was between both arms, observing the damage and feeling my hatred for the Dondravens rising to a new level.

As I was coming to my senses, the arms began moving closer together quickly, attempting to sandwich me between them.

The giant arms were dragged through the floor, leaving long, deep trenches behind them. The marble flooring was flying everywhere as the arms closed in on me.

The noise was unbelievably loud.

I teleported out of the museum so I was in the air, allowing me to get a fix on my attacker.

I was above and behind the giant Dondraven, just a few feet from the back of his head, and watched as his hands clapped together.

There was a thunderous noise before the museum roof caved in on top of them.

No, no, no. My museum! My precious museum.

I was fuming mad at witnessing my museum being utterly annihilated right before my eyes.

This guy’s gonna pay for that.

I quickly aimed both of my gauntlets at the back of his head, drawing in as much energy as I could, forming powerful energy spheres.

Take this.

I discharged them quickly, and the kickback was so hard that it propelled me higher into the air.

I watched as the spheres flew at the giant Dondraven with more speed than I’d seen them fly before. The spheres impacted his head with a loud thump. Green mist surrounded it instantly.

The head of the giant alien slammed into the museum so hard that debris flew almost 50 feet in all directions.

His head disappeared into the rubble of what was left of the museum, knocking him to his knees.

I watched the alien trying to remove his head from the rubble beneath him and decided I wouldn’t let him get free that easily.

Not today, pal.

I teleported directly behind his head.

I started shooting him with high-intensity energy spheres as fast as I could to get him to keep him subdued.

I got about five or six shots off, driving his head further and further into the rubble of the museum until his shoulders sank beneath it.

When I thought he was about to give up, a Dondraven teleported directly before me, wearing a purplish grayish body suit.

This one had a metallic belt around its waist with glowing blue disks.

Who the heck is this guy?

I redirected my attention towards him as he touched me with one finger.

I instantly felt strange and dizzy but still alert. I tried to hit him, but I quickly noticed that I was moving slowly, like in a bad dream.

What’s going on here?

My whole body felt like it was moving underwater or something.

“He used his abilities to make you slower, Vincent. The effects will last a few seconds. I apologize, but I cannot counteract it.”

He withdrew his finger and aimed both hands at my chest. I tried to brace myself for the impact I knew was coming but couldn’t move fast enough.

This is going to hurt.

My arms barely moved, so I couldn’t lift them past my waist. I knew I was in for a wild ride.

I never thought in a million years that there was technology like this in the universe.

I watched the energy travel from his belt to his hands before being discharged onto me.

It hit me with such an impact that my body vibrated as the energy blast traveled through me. It wasn’t pleasant.

I immediately flew backward as my arms and legs flailed in slow motion. I tried to regain control of my motor functions, but it was futile.

This can’t be good.

I hit the street hard, tearing up chunks of concrete all around me as I bounced across the pavement like a pebble skipping across water. I left behind small craters with each impact.

After bouncing off the concrete twice, I hit a pickup truck with my feet, making me flip over quickly.

Suddenly, I got my natural speed back.

I teleported into a standing position behind a light pole I was about to hit.

That was a close one.

The Dondraven that slowed me down teleported in front of me again, and I was determined not to let him touch me again.

I fired off a quick energy sphere at his face and teleported behind him. I had to change my tactics, like Volax said, or it’d be a short fight.

He was already gone as I came out of teleport to grab him by the back of his belt.

My energy sphere hit me in the face, causing green energy to blind me momentarily.

I was caught off guard by the fact that he wasn’t there. I looked around quickly, but there was no sign of him.

“Where’d he go, Volax?”

“It appears he can move with lightning speed, making it harder for us to....”

Suddenly, I saw a flash of blue color blow past my face as I felt something touch me on my chest, causing me to become slow again.

Okay, this is starting to get annoying.

The blur of bright blue colors stopped moving about five feet before me, and I could again see the Dondraven with the belt.

He had both palms directed at me with a surge of energy traveling up his body to his hands. I tried to put my hands up to guard my face, but I was moving so slowly that I couldn’t.

Great. Not again.

He fired two blue energy blasts that hit me directly in the chest, instantly lifting me off my feet.

I slowly flailed my arms and legs as I flew backward and into the side of an office building.

I saw debris flying all around me as I went through the wall and landed on an office desk, obliterating the computer.

I was starting to feel like I wouldn’t get the upper hand. For the first time in a long time, I felt defeated.

I gradually moved into a sitting position.

I was still moving slowly due to the Dondraven’s abilities. I tried to teleport but could not because I was still under the effects of his touch.

I felt that anything I did would never be good enough against them.

“I apologize, Vincent, but he is mighty. Our powers are restored.”

“If these are soldiers, I’d hate to see the guardians,” I said as I levitated off the desk and into an upright position.

I glanced around the cluttered office for any sign of the Dondraven with the belt, but there was no sign of him.

I teleported back into the street where I had just been, hoping to get a visual on him. I thought that if I showed myself, I could get a fix on his position.

“Duck, Vincent!”

I immediately ducked as a city bus flew directly over my head and into the street behind me, shattering the pavement.

Large pieces of the bus and concrete flew outward like a comet, grooving out a path in the street as it traveled past me.

Was that a freaking bus?

The giant alien had gotten up and threw the bus at me.

The bus was now a heap of fiery metal and rubber, almost unidentifiable. I was starting to get frustrated because the Dondravens felt indestructible like me. I thought this could go on forever.

I had to come up with a plan.

“Volax, I’ve gotta replace a weakness or something. I need some help here, pal,” I said as I started to fly toward the giant alien as fast as I could.

“I am working as fast as I can to accommodate that request, Vincent, but since they are a race I have never merged with, their molecular structure is new to me.”

“Whatever you gotta do, do it faster, okay pal,” I said as I approached the giant alien.

The giant drew back his fist and swung at me as I got within range of him. Just before his fist hit me, I teleported past his hand, next to his forearm.

He tried to swat at me with his other hand but missed as I teleported above his head.

Let’s try something new, shall we?

I sunk my fingers into his scalp, making him weightless. I lifted him off the ground as I flew towards the sky, picking up speed as I flew towards the clouds.

I kept a close eye on him to anticipate any movements he’d make to shake me off his head.

There was no way I was letting go of this giant turd. I had to succeed this time, or I could lose the entire battle.

Suddenly, the Dondraven with the belt teleported in front of me and put both of his hands on my shoulders before I could react.

I instantly let go of the giant Dondraven and plummeted towards the destroyed museum.

How does he keep doing that?

The giant Dondraven started to fall from the sky, standing so he would land on his feet.

I glanced up at him as we fell and was horrified to see him pointing both bracelets at me while charging them up.

I can’t get a break for nothing.

I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.

I saw the Dondraven with the belt flying towards me with his palms pointed at me. I tried to brace myself for the inevitable impact of an energy blast smack-down.

I was moving too slowly due to the effects of the Dondraven that touched me.

Could Volax help me out here?

“This is not working too well for us, Vincent. I apologize.”

“What gave you the first clue, Sherlock? Thanks for nothing, pal,” I yelled as the giant Dondraven released a blue energy blast from both bracelets.

Right before the blasts hit me, I saw the other Dondraven shoot his energy blasts at me.

“Oh, Sh...”

My sentence was cut off by the impact of the energy blasts hitting my entire body, causing me to fly towards the museum with such speed that it felt like I was teleporting.

I felt the vibration of the energy as it blanketed my entire body all at once.

I slammed into the museum so hard that I figured there’d be a mushroom cloud above the point of impact.

I couldn’t believe they were using my body to destroy my museum.

How humiliating.

Although I didn’t feel any pain, I still didn’t like that they were kicking my butt so effortlessly. Well, In my defense, there were three of them.

I must have traveled twenty feet into the ground with debris erupting around me.

I was lying on my back in a large crater about 20 feet wide with a pile of museum debris on top of me.

I glanced to my left and saw the skull of the T-Rex that once stood below my office.

My T-Rex! He’s my favorite piece.

I heard the loud ‘boom’ of the giant Dondraven landing on the ground close to where I had crashed, causing some of the debris on top of me to jump a foot or so before slamming on top of me again.

I tried to push the debris off me, but I was still moving as if I were underwater. I couldn’t wait to get my full mobility back.

“Well, that sucked,” I said as I tried to move my arms and legs at an average speed.

“Affirmative. We now have our powers back, Vincent.”

I teleported out from under the pile of rubble just as two more energy blasts from the giant slammed into it.

Rubble ejected 100 feet in each direction, making the crater deeper.

These guys are so damn destructive. No wonder nobody likes them.

I came out of teleport on top of a building that was close by and watched as the debris flew from within the crater onto the streets and facilities nearby.

I was in a position that was good enough to observe them without being seen. I finally had an advantage.

The giant and the Dondraven with the belt stood by the crater. They investigated it, hoping to get a glimpse of me lying there.

They were unaware that I had teleported, so I knew I had the element of surprise on my side.

I crouched down to stay hidden from them.

The smaller Dondraven moved with lightning speed into the crater and appeared as a bright blue blur, whipping around in different directions as it searched for me.

He appeared to be either confused or frustrated at being unable to locate me.

He stopped and looked up at the giant Dondraven as if they were communicating telepathically.

“This may be your opportunity to attack Vincent.”

“Yep,” I said before teleporting behind the smaller Dondraven and shooting him with high-powered energy spheres from both gauntlets.

They hit him in the back of the head and between his shoulders, causing him to slam face-first into the side of the crater.

As he slammed into it, green energy and debris flew out of the small crater.

How does it feel a-hole?

Before the giant had time to react, I teleported a few feet behind his head with energy spheres ready to be released.

I released them, causing the giant to stumble forward and fall into the crater as he lost his balance.

I flew towards him to follow up with a couple more energy spheres.

Before I could continue my assault, a Dondraven wearing the same outfit as the others, except for the metallic boots he was wearing, appeared out of nowhere and shot me with an energy blast that looked like electricity flowing from his hands.

Great. Another one?

It was like they were coming out of the woodwork or something.

I felt my entire body lock up, and I couldn’t move a muscle as I plummeted towards the ground below me.

I couldn’t do anything to stop myself because I couldn’t move.

“We are paralyzed, Vincent! Prepare for impact!”

“Thanks for the heads up, Volax.”

The Dondraven that just shot me flew towards me with such speed that I found it almost impossible that he could move that fast.

It grabbed me by my throat and threw me harder towards the ground, so I fell faster.

They were fighting as if they had no mercy for me.

I hit the ground, and my limp body slammed into the street to the left of the destroyed museum.

A crater instantly formed as pieces of concrete and dust flew out of it in all directions.

I lay there, unable to even lift a finger to help myself.

“Now that sucked,” I said through my teeth since I couldn’t move my mouth.

“I agree, Vincent.”

“Where’d he come from? I thought there were only two of them.”

“Your assessment was incorrect, Vincent. This one can paralyze you. I feel they have paused from fighting you for unknown reasons.”

“Thank God,” I said, still trying to move my body unsuccessfully.

After lying motionless for a few seconds, I gained my movement back.

I teleported out of the crater and into the street in a standing position. I looked around and saw that they had surrounded me.

They were not moving as they watched me.

The giant one had shrunk to normal size and stood to my left.

The one with the belt was in front of me, and the one with the boots was to my right.

There was a building about ten feet behind me, making me feel as though I was trapped.

What’s this, an intermission?

“Volax, I’d appreciate some info right about now,” I said as I charged up my gauntlets.

“I am still gathering information. Please try to be patient with me.”

“Sure, pal, I’ll just try to get my butt kicked a little slower if that’ll help.”

I started to feel a buzzing sensation in my head. I needed clarification on what it meant.

“They are trying to communicate with you telepathically. Would you like me to allow them to do so, Vincent?”

“As long as they can’t hack my brain, I’ll hear what they gotta say.”

“They are unable to overtake any part of your brain. I will allow communication.”

“Human guardian, we are the mighty Dondraven soldiers, and we have come to your planet to retrieve the guardian that lives within your tiny body. If you surrender it willingly, we will spare your insignificant life, leave your worthless planet, and never return.”

I couldn’t believe the way they asked for Volax.

I felt the rage build within me as I processed what he said.

What? They think I will hand him over because they showed up here with their alien weapons and outnumbered me?

There was no way I would let them have Volax. They’d have to pry him from my cold, dead hands.

I knew the Dondraven with the bracelets was the one speaking to me, and I wanted to crush him into dust for his arrogance, but I didn’t know how to do that yet.

I was still waiting for Volax to reveal a weakness while I projected my thoughts to the alien.

“The guardian belongs to me and I won’t give him up to you or anyone from any galaxy! I’ve seen what you’ve done to other races and won’t allow you to do it to mine. You’ve got guardians already. What do you need with mine?”

“Human, we do not have to answer to you or any other human on this primitive planet. You will surrender the guardian to us, or we will show you what true power is!”

Suddenly, I saw three black helicopters fly out of nowhere to my right, and they surrounded us as they hovered over the rooftops.

Finally, the cavalry has arrived.

The Dondravens looked up to see the commotion, and I could sense they weren’t amused or intimidated by what they saw.

I saw a man in a black suit open the helicopter’s side door to my right, holding what looked like a megaphone.

“Guardian Host, this is the Umbra Division of the United States Government. We order you to cease any superhuman activities. You are operating your abilities without the proper permits. We order you to stand down and comply with the requests of these extraterrestrial visitors before you destroy any more of this city.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said under my breath as I watched the helicopters move in closer to us.

Now, I was completely enraged.

I wanted to blow those helicopters out of the sky and continue exterminating these creatures.

I wanted to vaporize them with my energy spheres and show them what they could do with their stupid permits, but Volax probably wouldn’t let me.

I felt utterly alone because not only was I fighting aliens, but I was fighting my government, too.

This sucks, big time.

“Vincent, complying with their requests is not an option. This alien race is skilled in the art of deceit, and it would only give them the advantage they need to dominate this planet. Any immediate decision you make will only further deteriorate this situation. May I make a suggestion?”

“Sure, pal,” I said, glaring at the helicopters.

“I suggest you remove yourself from this situation and let the government handle it from here. After all, you would not want to break any human laws, as they take precedence over rescuing humanity.”

“For once, Volax,” I said as I looked back at the Dondraven Soldiers, “I couldn’t agree more. Let’s give them some room to breathe.”

I straightened my body and saluted the man in the helicopter to indicate that they could take over from there.

About six black SUVs with dark tinted windows sped down the street towards us and stopped a few feet away.

Men in black suits emerged from them and started to jog toward us as they flashed a badge that was supposed to intimidate us or something.

Now, I have another group of people to deal with. This is getting worse by the second.

One of the men seemed more authoritative, pointing to agents and signaling them to go in specific directions. He had a device in his hand that he held up for the Dondravens to see.

They seemed particularly interested in what he had because they started to approach him.

Just as an agent got within a few feet of me, I held up my palm toward him and created an energy sphere, causing him to stop.

I cocked my head to the side as I looked at him.

Take one more step, buddy, and you’re toast.

My rage had taken over my logical thinking.

I teleported to the bank before doing something I’d regret later. I left the government in the hands of the Dondravens.

I was in the bank lobby that I had prevented from being robbed that morning, and I could see glass everywhere on the floor.

I bet they had a bad day with the glass being broken twice in one day.

I heard it crunch beneath my feet as I walked towards the counter.

It was empty, of course, due to the arrival of our new friends.

I stepped on a piece of paper and looked down to see what it was.

My heart sank when I saw it was a CASH wanted poster of the Guardian Host.

I removed my foot from it and shot it with an energy sphere, sending pieces of marble flooring and paper into the air, causing it to land all around me like hard rain.

That’s another group of a-holes that’s on my list.

Once the dust settled, I saw a large crater on the floor.

I’d finally had enough of being the guy that everybody stepped on, even though everything I’d done had been to protect the same people who wanted me to disappear.

“Do not be discouraged, Vincent. Removing yourself from what is happening will make your return even more powerful. Once the Umbra Division has been compromised by the Dondraven’s, they will be anxious for your return. The negative opinion of the CASH members will also change to your benefit.”

Although what Volax had said made sense to me, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

I looked down at my gauntlets, examining them and wondering if they were as powerful as I once thought.

It seemed like my whole world fell apart today. I lost my plans, my museum, and the support of my very own government.

Like I always say, “Planning makes perfect.”

Who am I kidding? I’m beginning to think it’s all a lie.

“How could someone with so much power become so powerless,” I whispered to Volax.

“Power is not defined by anything physical. Its definition is having the ability or capability to accomplish something great. By stepping aside, you allowed the Umbra Department to become exposed to the influence of a deceitful alien race so that you can resolve the issue after they have learned a lesson. That is truly powerful. Now, you must exert more power by staying away from the situation until needed, no matter how much you want to interfere.”

“You’re right, Volax. I wish there were another way.”

As I looked around the bank, I noticed the cameras had been destroyed. They must’ve had a terrible day.

Welcome to the club.

After ensuring none were working, I transformed back to myself.

Time to replace the only friends I have left on this crappy planet.

“Jack, Sky? Are you guys here?”

I heard the bathroom door open and then heard Jack yell as he walked towards me with Sky behind him.

“We’re here, buddy. Did you ex-turd-minate those brown logs or what?”

“Would you stop with the stupid puns already,” Sky said as she hit Jack playfully on his shoulder.

“I can’t help it,” Jack said as he chuckled. “So what’s the verdict, Vince? Are they gone or what?”

“No. They’re still here,” I said with disappointment.

“The last time I saw them, they were getting cozy with your Umbra buddies.”

“What?” Jack said surprisingly.

“Oh yeah,” I said as Sky ran up and hugged me, “They told me to comply with the requests of those a-hole aliens.”

Jack looked at me with a curious face.

“So what’d you do?”

“I teleported here so their relationship can blossom into true love.”

Sky chimed in.

“I’m pretty sure that’ll end in a nasty divorce.”

We all looked at each other as if mentally agreeing.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Jack asked.

“Now we wait,” I said, putting my arm around Sky and pulling her closer.

Jack raised his eyebrow at me. “Wait for what?”

“Until they have enough rope to hang themselves or shoot themselves in the foot. Whichever comes first.”

“How long do you think that’ll be,” Sky asked.

“I’m not sure, but until then, I’m taking a break.”

“Well, some of us didn’t lose their museum to a giant turd in a purple outfit, so taking a break isn’t an option for us,” Jack said sarcastically.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at the comment before I chuckled.

“I think we should call it a day,” I said.

“Then get together tomorrow after we’ve had some rest. I’m sure we’ve earned a break.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Sky replied.

“Well, look on the bright side, Sky,” Jack said with a smile, “You’ll be off work tomorrow because instead of having coffee in a glass, people will have glass in a coffee.”

“Whatever,” Sky said with a smile as she rolled her eyes.

“No, but seriously,” Jack said, “I second the motion for calling it quits today and start working on a plan tomorrow. Besides, I should replace out what’s happening with those lumpy aliens and my department.”

“Let me know what you replace out,” I said as Jack approached the door.

“You’ll be the second to know,” Jack replied, quickly walking out of sight, leaving Sky and me in the bank lobby.