The Guardian Host-Resurrection-Book one of The Guardian Host Series
Human for a Night

It’s been a long day,” I said as I smiled at Sky.

“Maybe I should walk you home to ensure you get there safely.”

“Oh really? Do you think you can protect me if I come across any trouble,” She asked playfully.

“I don’t know, but I can give it the old college try.

She grabbed my hands as she stood in front of me. I could see in her eyes that she felt my hopelessness.

It’s evident by the weariness in my eyes.

“I know all this is pretty tough to handle,” She said softly, “I know I’m not a superhero, but if there’s anything I can do to help you get through it, please let me know.”

Our conversation was interrupted by police sirens that appeared to be approaching our location, so we knew it was time to leave the bank.

Although we didn’t say it, we knew it was time to get out of there before we got in trouble.

If Umbra knew who I was, they probably set up camp outside my house, so I knew going there wouldn’t be safe.

“Can I stay at your place tonight,” I asked shyly.

“What I mean is, my place isn’t safe since Umbra knows who I am. I can sleep on the couch or the floor or something.”

“I don’t see where that’d be a problem,” She said with a brilliant smile.

“After all, I don’t have an alarm system to protect me, so I guess you’ll have to do,”

“Well, let’s get out of here before we get arrested,” I replied, grabbing her hand.

As we stepped out onto the sidewalk, I could see the damage caused by my encounter with the Dondraven’s, and I was astonished to see the extent of it.

I could see some buildings halfway collapsed, along with paper and debris blowing around in the streets.

There were a few fires in the distance, probably from when the bus had been thrown at me earlier. I must’ve looked like my jaw was touching the ground as I looked at it.

It looks like a bomb went off. Did I cause all this?

“Did we cause all this damage, Volax,” I whispered while still entranced.

“Yes, this damage was a direct result of our confrontation with the Dondraven Soldiers. However, you must understand that the Dondravens intended a large catastrophe to show their dominance over your race. If you had not confronted them, this would have been much worse. It is only in your nature to feel a sense of guilt about this, but I implore you not to dwell on it.”

“What did he say,” Sky asked in a quiet tone.

“He said we did cause this damage, but the Dondraven’s wanted to destroy a lot more than this.”

“I guess it’s a good thing we have you here then,” Sky said with a half smile.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said halfheartedly.

The sun started setting as we walked down the sidewalk towards Sky’s apartment building. The fires in the distance were glowing brighter due to the sun going down. As we passed it, I looked down one street and saw thousands of bricks strewn across it.

I knew it was from the confrontation earlier, and I was hoping deep down inside that nobody got hurt directly from it. I don’t think I could live with myself if somebody died because of me.

I hope everyone remains safe.

Sky and I barely talked the whole way to her apartment. I wondered if it was because I was too busy scoping out the destruction or if we had nothing to discuss during that time. Although we barely spoke, I was aware of her warm hand in mine as we journeyed down the sidewalk. Even though I was superhuman, I felt a sense of security with her holding my hand and walking with me as she led me towards her apartment.

It was almost as if she were the hero and I was the damsel in distress. We saw several news vans in the area with people in suits holding microphones and talking into a camera.

I could only imagine what they were talking about. I could imagine they were talking about how the Guardian Host destroyed several city blocks only to accomplish nothing. I tuned them out as we walked by.

After about twenty minutes, we arrived in front of a building I could tell had been there for a long time. The bricks were painted bluish, and the paint was starting to chip off in certain places.

Of course, all the windows had been blown out from the Dondraven locator blast, so it didn’t help with the appeal of the building. The stairs leading up to the main door were not painted, but it was plain to see that they had been there a while. Rusty rebar rods were visible on some of the edges of the steps. The front door was a bright red and had rust spots all over it.

This isn’t exactly the Taj Mahal, but it’s a place to live.

“Well, here we are,” Sky said as she pulled a set of keys from her pocket. “Home sweet home.”

I started to follow her up the steps, “You didn’t tell me you lived in such a nice place,” I said with a hint of sarcasm.

“Oh, it must’ve slipped my mind,” She said as she placed a key in the rusted keyhole. “Our bellhop will be here in a moment to carry our bags. Try not to tip him too much.”

I laughed at her little joke as she opened the door. “I’ll try not to.”

“I’m on the third floor,” She said as she walked up the stairs on our right.

“We’re not taking the elevator?”

She chuckled. “Yeah, the elevator’s only for the penthouse suite.”

“Oh really? Why’s that,” I asked with a chuckle.

“Because that’s where the elevator decided to stop working.” She turned to me and smiled before continuing to climb the stairs. Her sense of humor was making me feel a lot better.

There were lots of colorful graffiti paintings on the stairwell’s walls, as well as phone numbers. I even saw what looked like old posters ripped off the walls, leaving behind the adhesive on the back.

Now, that’s a classy touch if you ask me.

“Wow, the interior decorator’s been busy,” I said as I examined what looked like a giant hand spray-painted on the wall with a huge middle finger sticking up. The words’ Sit On This’ were spray painted right below it.

Whoever did this is a modern-day Picasso.

“Oh, yeah,” Sky said with a chuckle. “We only hire the best around here.”

After what seemed like the longest stair climb in history, we arrived on the third floor, and I was thankful to be out of that small stairwell.

Teleporting would’ve been way faster.

I followed her down a narrow, dimly lit hallway, passing a man wearing short blue shorts and a wife beater. He was lying on his side with what looked like a nearly empty bottle of whiskey in his hand, and it was evident that some of it had spilled onto the floor and into his hair. His mouth was open slightly with what looked like a burnt-out cigarette dangling loosely from his bottom lip. Classic.

“Wow,” I whispered as we walked past him. “Let me guess. The bellhop?”

Sky chuckled as she fumbled with her keys before stopping in front of an old door.

“This is me,” she said as she unlocked it.

I followed her inside and shut the door behind me. She immediately slid the deadbolt in place to ensure nobody could break in. She flipped the light switch in the narrow foyer, lighting up her living room. I stood there awkwardly, not wanting to barge in and make myself at home.

“Come in already. Make yourself at home.”

To my left, I noticed a tiny kitchen with a white tile floor and brown cabinets. A sitting bar separated the kitchen from the living room with a few Knick knacks sitting on it, but still had plenty of room for a couple of people to sit and eat. The living room was at the end of the small foyer, and it was clear that a woman lived here by the frilly decorations scattered around it.

It was a small apartment, but with all the decorations she’d placed around it, it felt like a home. There was minimal furniture. A couch, a recliner, and a coffee table sat in the living room. She had an entertainment center with a plethora of movies. She did the best with what she had. There was no denying that.

“I know it’s not much, but it’s home.”

I smiled as I nodded my head, still taking in the sight of her living room.

Not bad.

“Well, what do you think?”

I walked into the living room, glancing at the furniture and decor.

“I think it’s got you written all over it, and that’s a good thing. Not bad for a penthouse suite.”

“Thanks. I know it’s small. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it,” Sky said nervously.

“Are you kidding? It’s great. You’ve made this place look like your own personal palace. I think it’s perfect.”

She smiled, relieved that I wasn’t judgmental. I could tell she was overwhelmed by my compliment by the way her demeanor changed. She didn’t seem as nervous anymore.

“The bathroom’s in the hall to the right, and my room is at the end of the hall,” she said as she pointed to the narrow hallway to my left. I could see inside her room, even though the light was off, due to my ability to always see daylight.

I saw red, satin sheets and what looked to be twenty pillows on her bed.

Talk about your pillow overload.

I couldn’t imagine why anyone would need so many, but then again, everyone’s different.

The more, the merrier.

“Okay,” I said as I stepped towards the white fluffy couch.

“Have a seat,” she said as she gestured towards the couch. “I’ll get us something to drink.”

“Thanks,” I said as I flopped lazily onto the couch.

I needed to sit down after what I’d been through. I watched Sky walk into the kitchen, noticing her tight black pants for the first time; they hugged her butt and legs, making her look even more stunning. I watched her muscles flex with each step, feeling aroused by the sight of her walking away from me. Wow. She’s the total package.

“Vincent, your body agrees with your vision. She does look beautiful. For a human, that is.”

“Shut it, Volax,” I whispered sternly. Volax has no filter.

I had to briefly shut my eyes to shake the thought away before getting in trouble. I watched as Sky rounded the corner to the other side of the bar in the kitchen. She opened the fridge and turned away, yelling at me with her head inside.

“I got diet Pepsi or water. Not a lot of choices, sorry.”

“I’ll take a water.” I tried to stretch my body across the couch to glimpse her bending over in the fridge. I wasn’t disappointed as I saw her bending over.

“Taking in the sights, Vincent?"

“Just leave me alone until I call for you,” I whispered with annoyance.

Volax knows how to ruin a good moment, not to mention my impure thoughts.

She came back to the living room with a bottle of water and a bottle of Diet Pepsi. She sat down on the couch and handed me the bottle of water. I tried to focus my eyes on hers.

“Thanks,” I said, trying not to check her out again.

“Sure, I’ve got more if you need it.”

She curled her legs underneath her butt like a young schoolgirl about to work on a project for school. It made her more attractive to me. She grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch and pointed it towards the TV, turning it on.

“Let’s see what’s on TV,” she said as she smiled at me.

I smiled as I drank, still trying to shake the images of her bending over out of my mind. The cold water rejuvenated my body as it went down my throat, cooling me off instantly. I wasn’t aware of how thirsty my body had become until I drank water.

The television came on, and the first thing we saw was a news anchor with blue lights flashing in the background. Of course, he was handsome, and his brown hair was neatly styled and parted to the right.

In the background, I could see what was left of my museum in a pile of rubble. It was on fire, surrounded by fire trucks as firefighters tried to put it out with large fire hoses. I was reminded of the fate of my museum.

My museum. My poor baby.

“As you can see behind me,” he said as he moved to the left and gestured behind him.

“This is what’s left of the Pine Beach Historical Museum. With the help of some extraterrestrial visitors, it seems that the Guardian Host demolished several buildings in the downtown historic district, leaving much of the area in ruins. It’s come to my attention that the intergalactic visitors only wanted to talk to the Guardian Host, but he refused to hear what they had to say and initiated an attack, which started an all-out interstellar battle. It resulted in the devastation that you see behind me. I think we have some footage of the melee, don’t we, Greg,” he asked as he put a finger in his ear to listen with his earpiece.

Sky glanced at me, noticing how upset I was at the news report. I saw her glancing at me and tried to play it off as it didn’t bother me much. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow while shrugging my shoulders. I put the water bottle to my lips and drank as I watched the television angrily.

I want to get a hold of that guy.

“I can’t believe they’d lie about you like that,” she said as she gestured angrily towards the television.

She’s not the only one.

“I’m used to it by now,” I said as I tried to hide my apparent anger.

I focused on the television as the news anchor started speaking again.

“Here it is, the moment of impact that destroyed the remaining structure of the museum,” the anchorman said as he narrated the video clip of the Guardian Host slamming the giant Dondraven headfirst into the museum.

The video made it look like an atomic bomb had gone off in the middle of the city. I couldn’t believe how it looked from an outside perspective.

“Now we see him trying to fight another one, but he’s subdued by one finger and….whoa, almost hitting that light pole. Here he is, attacking another extraterrestrial and shooting him with an energy blast right into that light pole! Here comes the bus....”

The screen went black as Sky turned off the television and got up, placing the remote atop the entertainment center. I was starting to get into it because it looked better on TV.

“That’s enough TV for one night. There’s nothing good on it anyway,” she said as she sat back and faced me. I’m sure that she thought I wasn’t enjoying the news footage.

I smiled at her halfheartedly before I drank the last of the water in the bottle.

“I know it hurts to see them lie like that, even though you pretend it doesn’t bother you,” she said as she placed her hand on my lap. The warmth of her hand sent a warm feeling up my spine.

I turned towards her after placing the empty bottle on the end table.

“I try to stay strong and be tough, but it’s hard being the hero all the time. Sometimes, I wish they could see or feel what I feel.”

She smiled at me, and her eyes almost looked like they were welling up with tears.

“You don’t have to be the hero all the time, Vincent. Sometimes you’ve just gotta be yourself and do what’s right, that’s all. You’re human, just like the rest of us. You have feelings like everybody else, and it’s okay to hurt sometimes.” She gently rubbed my thigh.

“It doesn’t matter what those idiots say on TV. You know what’s true in your heart; one day, they’ll get it, too. Besides, I believe in you.”

“Have you been talking to Volax? He says the same thing all the time,” I said with a grin.

“Great minds think alike. Maybe Volax is just as smart as I am.”

I chuckled at her remark as she got up off the couch and walked toward the entertainment center. She opened a small cabinet below the television, and I could see a stereo.

“Stay there,” she said as she walked briskly towards the kitchen. “I’ll be right back. I’ve got just the thing to cheer you up.”

After a few seconds of listening to clinking glasses, I heard the fridge door shut. Sky returned to the living room with two glasses of what looked like wine. She set them atop the entertainment center and bent down to turn on the stereo. I took in the sight of her bending over, and her pants spared no detail of her perfectly shaped butt and muscular thighs.

Great. Am I turning into a pervert or something?

She quickly stood up and grabbed the glasses before slowly turning back around. Suddenly, I heard the familiar sound of UB40 singing ‘Red Red Wine’. She smiled the biggest smile and chuckled as she gestured for me to stand up.

I stood up and handed her the glass of wine as she started to mouth the words to the song as she began to dance along with the music. Her smile and movements were so sexy.

“Cheers,” she said as she raised her glass to mine.

“To being true to your heart.”

“To be true to your heart,” I said, clinking my glass with hers.

We both took a sip of wine, and I must admit that it made me feel much better. Sky took the glass from me and set it on the entertainment center.

She turned around, offering me her hands so we could dance together. As we danced, we both lip-synced the song to each other.

We couldn’t remember all the lyrics and laughed each time we got them wrong. After the song, we laughed and held each other’s hands briefly. It was the best time that I’d had in a long while.

I wish I could say we kissed, but we didn’t.

The rest of the night went by quickly as we talked about ourselves a little before we got tired and decided it was time to sleep. She said goodnight and kissed me gently before returning to her bedroom.

After she shut her bedroom door, I lay on the couch briefly, reminiscing the evening with a smile.

I turned out good after all.

“You see Vincent. As the humans say, ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’ I am glad you enjoyed your evening. You have needed that for a long time. Good night, Vincent. I will ensure that you sleep well.”

“Thanks, pal,” I said as I closed my eyes, instantly falling asleep.

The following day was typical, except for the fact that there were no windows in the apartment. Sky fixed bacon and eggs for breakfast with a side of toast, which looked delicious.

We both sat at the bar to eat the breakfast she’d made, and that’s when she felt it was the right time to ask me some questions. She poked at her food and looked up at me as I complimented her on the spectacular breakfast. I could tell she wanted to ask me something.

“Thanks,” she said, almost throwing my compliment to the wayside.

“You don’t mind if I ask you a few questions about being the Guardian Host, do you?”

“Not at all,” I replied, caught off guard by her question. “Fire away.”

“So, does Volaxian always talk to you, or can you turn him off when you want to?”

“If I don’t want to be bothered by what he’s saying, I ask him not to speak unless I need him to. He’s like a nosy roommate.

She took a bite of bacon. “So what’s he sound like?”

I took a sip of water as I thought about what I would say.

“Well, he kind of sounds like Darth Vader, but underwater.”

“Hmm, that’s interesting. Can Volax talk to other people?”

I’d never had anyone ask me that before. I was impressed.

“He could use me as a communication channel if he needed to relay a message to someone, but only with my permission, like using me as a puppet.

She took another bite of bacon as she let that sink in. I was curious as to why she asked that.

“Has he said anything about me? What I mean is, does he like me?”

I smiled at her and put my glass down. So that’s why she wanted to know.

“He thinks you’re wonderful, and he’s glad I found you.”

She smiled as if it were a sigh of relief. “Good, I was apprehensive because you two share the same brain and everything.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. If Volax didn’t like you, I would’ve told you by now. He can sense if someone’s good or not.”

“Thank goodness. If Volax can hear me, tell him he’s pretty cool too.”

“You may inform her that I appreciate her compliment and will cherish it since she is the first human, besides yourself, who has given me one.”

“He says that he appreciates your compliment,” I said as I leaned in closer to her.

“He also said he’ll cherish it because you’re the first human to give him one.”

Her smile grew more prominent, and I could almost see tears in her eyes. She jumped up from the table as if someone shocked her before putting her hand in her pocket.

“Darn it, I forgot to tell you that I grabbed your phone from the coffee shop yesterday.”

She pulled my phone out of her front pocket and handed it to me.

It’s pretty warm.

“Awesome, I wondered what happened to it.”

I unlocked the screen and looked at the display. I had three missed calls.

Great.

Sky saw that I was distracted by my phone and probably had to make a few calls.

“I’m going to go brush my teeth and do my hair. Make yourself at home. Maybe we can go out and see what’s going on in a little bit,” She said as she took her plate to the kitchen sink.

“Sounds good,” I said as I scrolled through the missed calls.

She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I saw one call was from my secretary and two were from Jack. They all left voicemails.

I better see what they wanted.

My secretary wanted to inform me that she would not be coming to work because we had no museum anymore, and she wanted me to call her to inform her of what I had planned to do about her employment. I immediately switched to business mode.

I called and told her I would keep everyone on the payroll. I wanted her to send checks out to all the employees and a letter letting them know they’d be taken care of. She was relieved and advised me that she’d take care of it immediately.

The other two messages were from Jack. I listened to the first message.

“Vincent, this is Jack. Listen, buddy, we’ve got some serious trouble right now. Your clumpy oatmeal aliens are now negotiating with the higher-ups at my facility. I don’t think we’ll like the outcome. Call me ASAP.”

I kind of expected that message. The second message was more of a surprise.

“Vince, I can’t talk long. Your house is a trap. You can’t go back there, buddy. They’re trying to replace out everything they can about you right now, so you better keep a good distance from Sky, or she’s gonna end up in the middle of this thing. Hold on. I have to go. Call me!”

“Vincent, I suggest that you replace a place of solitude for now so that you do not attract unwanted attention towards Sky. We should inform her of the situation so that she is prepared if anything should happen.”

“I agree, pal.”

Sky emerged from the bathroom and gave me a big smile as she fluffed her hair. I smiled halfheartedly as I looked back at her, not wanting to tell her what I found out. I had to tell her, and it couldn’t wait because the longer I stayed here, the more dangerous it was for her.

“Sky, I just checked my messages, and it’s not good.”

“Not good, how,” she asked, giving me a puzzled look.

“The government’s trying to replace information about me,” I said as I grabbed her hands. “So it’s unsafe for me to be with you right now. What I mean is, I’ve gotta keep my distance from you until I can deal with this thing.”

She looked at me in shock as her eyes started to water.

This isn’t going well at all right now.

“But you’re the Guardian Host. You can protect me,” she said as her voice started to crack. “You can’t let these guys run you out of my life.”

“I’m not running out of your life; I’m keeping them off your trail, that’s all.”

She let go of my hands and walked briskly towards the living room, leaving me in the hallway. I knew that she wasn’t taking the news very well.

Our first fight.

“You’re the most powerful person on this planet! You could take them out with one finger if you wanted to! Why do you have to go? You can’t let them tear us apart, Vincent.”

I entered the living room as she plopped on the couch and hugged a pillow in her lap. I knew this was starting to get out of hand. She did have a point.

“Because I think they have a weapon that can kill me, and they could use you as leverage to get to me. Once they’re done with you, they’ll kill you.”

She looked up at me, her face turned to surprise.

“They can kill you?”

“I’m pretty sure they can.”

She put the pillow back on the couch and stood up, giving me a tight hug.

“I’m sorry for being selfish,” she said, crying on my shoulder.

“I want to be selfish too. I don’t want to go, but I must do it for you.”

She stroked my hair as she rested her head on my shoulder. Her head came off my shoulder quickly before worriedly looking me in the eye.

“Vincent, you’ve gotta take me with you. You can’t leave me here if they know you’re here.

“What? There’s no possible way they know I’m here.”

She stepped back, and I could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about it.

“Vincent, don’t be so naive. They’re the government. They know everything. You’ve gotta take me with you.”

I hadn’t thought about that before, but I felt they had no clue about Sky. I teleported to the bank and walked her home with no agents in sight. She was wrong, and I was right.

“You’re overreacting. There’s no way they know about you. You need to stay here where it’s safe, then I’ll come back when this blows over.”

“Oh really, what does Volax say about it then?”

“I’m sure he’ll agree with me.”

She leaned in closer to me and raised her voice slightly.

“Volax, what do you think? Should Vincent take me with him, or should he leave me here even though there’s a chance that Umbra knows about us?”

“That’s not fair bec…” Volax cut me off in mid-sentence.

“Vincent, she has a valid point. There is no way we can determine whether Umbra knows about your location. Sky could be in danger, and I agree with her. She should come with us. I feel that it is not safe here.”

I stood there as I listened to his reply. Sky could tell that Volax was speaking to me.

“Well, what’d he say?”

I couldn’t admit that I was wrong. Besides, Volax couldn’t prove that they didn’t know about where I was or where Sky lived. I had to go against the grain and use my gut feeling.

“He said that it’s improbable that you’re in danger. He thinks Umbra doesn’t know about you, so you’re safe here.” I instantly felt my stomach churning because I lied to her.

I saw the look of disbelief on her face as I lied to her about what Volax told me. Her eyes darted back and forth as she processed the information that I gave her.

“Vincent, you just lied to her. I’m afraid I have to disagree with your decision. However, your statement was also true. I do not know with certainty that Unbra doesn’t know where you are or where Sky lives. The decision you made is presumptuous. If it is determined that Umbra does know about her, you will have to fix the situation, and Sky will not be happy.”

See, I was right.

Even though it’s a partial truth, Volax still agreed with me. I just had to convince Sky that everything would be fine, even though I wasn’t a hundred percent certain.

Sky looked at me as if she wasn’t sure I was telling the truth but wanted to replace out what Volax said.

“Volax thinks I’m better off staying here?”

“Yep, that’s what he said. He doesn’t think you’re in any danger.”

Sky sighed, and I could see that she trusted what Volax said. She looked at me with a halfhearted smile and blinked.

“If he thinks I’ll be safe here, that’s what we’ll do.”

Thank goodness she believed me.

Now, all I have to do is make sure nothing happens to her, or she’ll strangle me, and I’ll never hear the end of it. Her facial expression quickly changed, and she glared at me as if to issue a warning.

“If you leave me here and I get attacked by Umbra agents, I’m gonna wring your little neck out, and Volax won’t be able to save you.”

I swallowed hard at the thought of invoking her wrath.

Just because I’m a superhero doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of a woman with an attitude.

“She is correct, Vincent. I probably will not be able to save you from her.”

I grabbed Sky’s hands, looked deep into her eyes with the most reassuring look I could muster, and gave her my best smile.

“I understand. Trust me, you’ll be fine. The chances of them showing up here are like a billion to one. Volax said so.”

“Do not include me in your deceptions, Vincent. You may be eating those words later.”

“I hope you’re wrong, Volax,” I replied telepathically.

Sky gave me a quick peck on the lips and smiled as if everything was okay.

“So, where are you going when you leave here?”

“I’ve gotta go check on the museum and complete some paperwork. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay. Just remember what I said.”

“I will.”

She gave me another kiss and took a step back from me.

“Take care of him, Volax. I’ll see you soon, Vincent. Now get out of here.”

I gave her a wink and teleported to the entrance of her apartment building. I wanted to see if I saw any agents in the area that could know where I was. I didn’t see anything unusual as I scanned the streets. There weren’t any people or cars, just glass strewn everywhere.

I sighed because I knew I had a hard road ahead of me, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the challenge yet. I walked down the sidewalk toward the demolished museum that I used to cherish, all the while scanning for agents.

I was frustrated at my position, and I wasn’t sure if there’d be a happy ending at the end of it all. I turned the corner and was stunned at what I saw in the streets.

There were about fifty CASH members with protesting signs marching towards me as they chanted, ‘Leave us alone. Aliens go home!’

They carried signs of the Guardian Host in a red circle with a red slash, like a no-smoking sign.

If I wasn’t pissed before, I was definitely pissed now.

As they started to pass me, one of the protesters, a man in his early twenties with jet-black hair in a flannel shirt and blue jeans, approached me with a smile as he chanted the slogan. He got close to me and tried to get me to join him in chanting like he was.

If he doesn’t back up, I’m going to pulverize him.

“Come on, man,” he said as he stopped chanting and held a sign. “Help us get rid of this creep. He practically destroyed the entire city!”

I gave him a dirty look. I couldn’t understand how anybody could be so happy protesting someone who saved thousands of lives.

Who does he think he is?

“I heard he was protecting the city,” I said sternly. “The other aliens were the bad guys!”

He lowered his sign slightly because he could detect my anger.

“Listen, man, if he weren’t here in the first place, none of this would’ve happened at all.”

“You guys are wrong,” I said as I pointed to the whole group passing by. “One day, you’re gonna eat those words!”

He started to laugh at me as he held his sign higher in the air and began to chant the slogan louder than he had before, turning to join the rest of the group. He looked back at me again before marching off into the distance with his protesting buddies.

I tried to shrug it off as best I could as I walked towards the museum again.

“I know this is very frustrating for you, Vincent, but it will change for us in the future. Please be patient with your society and try to understand. They only believe what your media tell them.”

“Frustrating isn’t the word for what I’m feeling right now, pal.”

I looked at all the wanted posters of the Guardian Host posted on every building wall and a light pole on the street as I passed them. I ripped one off and threw it on the ground to relieve frustration.

After a few minutes, I reached the end of the street where the museum was. It was blocked off because large craters from our battle were everywhere on the road.

I stood there surveying the damage, which wasn’t as bad as I had pictured. My phone rang just as I was about to go around the barricade. I took it out of my pocket and saw Jack calling me.

“Hello,” I said as I entered the restricted area.

“Hey buddy, I take it you got my messages.”

“Yep, I sure did. So, what’s the update.”

“The update is, those lumpy turds decided to team up with the Umbra Department and give them a freaking splitter weapon to use on you.”

“That was quick. They should get to know each other a little bit before forming an intergalactic alliance.

“That’s the thing. They’ve known each other for a little while.

“What do you mean? I thought they just found out about them.”

“Me too. They’ve been talking to each other for months. Umbra’s up to something, buddy. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s big.”

I paused to let that soak in for a moment.

“I’ll add that to my list of things to worry about,” I said sarcastically. “Were you able to replace out anything else?”

“Well, I know our team leader’s involved somehow. His name’s Justin Carter, and he’s a cold-hearted SOB.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for him. Do they have the splitter device?”

“Yes. Vincent, you better watch your back because they’re out there now and intend to take you out.”

“Well, they better get in line ’cause it seems to be getting longer by the minute.”

“Look, buddy, I’m not liking this whole situation. I have a feeling they’re onto me, so I have to get out of town for a while, and from the sounds of it, you do, too. Do you have a place where we can lay low for a while?”

I thought about being isolated from the rest of the world with nobody but Jack, and it didn’t excite me at all. He’s so annoying, but I promised to keep us safe, so I knew I had to help him.

I thought about the old house that I used to rent. I bought it from the sweet old lady and used a fake name on the deed, just in case.

“Yeah, I’ve got a spot that nobody knows about. Meet me at my demolished museum as soon as possible, and we’ll get out of dodge.”

“You got it, buddy; I’ll be there in ten.”

“I’ll be here. See you,” I said before I hung up the phone and put it in my pocket.

“Vincent, if the Umbra Division is trying to gather as much information about you as possible, Sky may already be in danger of being discovered and exposed as your ally. I suggest isolating her with you and Jack to ensure her safety.

That means I’d have to admit I was wrong and take the heat. What was I gonna do, just let Sky fall into the wrong hands?

Why didn’t I take her with me in the first place?

"I think you’re right. I should’ve listened to you in the first place."

“You are entitled to make mistakes, Vincent. After all, you are only human. However, it would be best if you prepared yourself. She will more than likely tell you that she told you so.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Ten minutes before Jack arrives at the museum. I have plenty of time to teleport to her apartment and pick her up.

It'll be easy as one, two, three. I'll teleport to her apartment, tell her I was wrong, and teleport here. No big deal.

It'll only take a minute or two.

I teleported from the museum, vanishing from the view of anyone tracking me.