Chapter Two:
I bolted upright with such force I almost flew out of the bed all together. My breathing was hard, rapid, and a thick bead of cold sweat splashed from my forehead onto the back of my hand. I turned my head to look at Crystal, who was startled by my sudden waking. She looked at me with concern, and relief.
“Bad dream?” Crystal asked.
“You could say that.” My reply was more cryptic than I meant it to be.
“You want to tell me about it?” Crystal seemed genuinely interested in me as a person, not just the last thing between her and the odd creatures out to get her.
“Not really.” I sounded very tired.
“Come on now, You’ve been guarding me for two weeks now, and you still don’t want to at least think of me as a friend?” Crystal was a bit upset. I understood that too well.
“It’s more of a professional courtesy. You don’t need to be bogged down in my problems.” I failed at my attempt to belittle my own mental workings. I assumed that because Crystal just looked at me suspiciously.
“Do you remember what you told my parents when you had to explain this all to them?” Crystal asked with a directness in her tone that I didn’t like.
“I do.” My simple reply, though adequate lacked any feeling.
“I don’t think you do.” Crystal rebutted. “You said that ‘trust is critical in these situations, and a lack of it on anyone’s part will eventually lead to peril.’ Do you remember that?” Crystal glared at me. I lowered my head, letting the words roll around in my mind for a while, and soon the memory started playing itself.
I sat at the kitchen table, more nervous than if I were her boyfriend meeting Crystal’s parents for the first time. Crystal sat off to one side of the room peeling potatoes for dinner. In reality, I think she was listening to the conversation, hoping to learn more about what I did, and who I worked for, having told her I couldn’t say much. Crystal’s mother was brewing tea at the stove and Crystal’s father sat opposite me with the most serious look on his face. I was uncomfortable and I’ll bet anything that he knew it.
“So, Tom, if that’s your real name, you mind telling us just what you did out there this morning?” The voice that I was addressed in felt like a ton of lead being thrown right at me. Crystal’s father kept his face stern while he spoke. “And don’t tell me that was just a stupid prank.”
“Sir, I’ll try to tell you what I can, but the Program has rules about disclosure, and I can’t break those.” I used my most diplomatic voice. “The policy is normally not to divulge anything, but I’m in an exceptional circumstance at the moment. You need to trust me, so I can go about doing my duty. Trust is critical in situations like this one, and a lack of it on anyone’s part will only lead to the target’s peril.”
“That’s good to hear. Go ahead anytime you’re ready.” Crystal’s father left it to me to provide what I could by way of information.
“Yes, sir.” I spoke in a quieter tone. “Guess I should start with the creature, since that’s what this is about.” I studied his face for a reaction, and just got a stiff nod. Taking that as my cue, I continued. “The creature is a drone, something of a golem, a soulless body made of volcanic rock and magic. As you saw, they look human so they can walk down the street and not draw attention to themselves, though I’ve seen some nasty looking monsters made from the stuff.”
“Why was it after Crystal?” I was asked, not by Crystal’s father, but her mother who’d brought the tea over and was serving it. Nothing is better to have a serious meeting over than a cup of hot green tea. I sipped the mug that was placed in front of me, then cleared my throat to answer.
“The top people at the Program are working on that right now, but no one has come up with a reasonable explanation for it. Sometimes these things mistake one person for another or their controller knows something we don’t about the target.” I shook my head, the uncertainty in my calm reply wasn’t reassuring to Crystal’s parents.
“You’re telling us that those things could attack at random? They have no real purpose?” Crystal’s father was getting frustrated.
“All things have a purpose, why those things attack your daughter is one purpose not yet known to us.” I said in a mysterious way.
“Is that why you carry that sword around?” Crystal’s mother asked, stopping a question from Crystal’s father.
“That is why.” I tipped my head in a slight bowlike gesture. “It is one of few things that will destroy the drones.”
“And you’ve been put in charge of Crystal’s safety? For how long?” Crystal’s mother asked, sounding a bit worried.
“Until the threat is past, or I die, whichever comes first.” My stoic response only set more worry in the faces of Crystal’s parents.
I sat waiting for a minute while they whispered back and forth. I blocked out what they were saying, as a matter of courtesy to them. They seemed to be trying to decide if I was being truthful, or pulling a really elaborate hoax on them. Every once in a while, I’d see a suspicious glance in my direction. I just sat waiting to hear what they concluded, preparing myself just in case I had to answer more questions.
“You aren’t just trying to use our daughter are you?” Crystal’s father asked, leveling his gaze at me. “You won’t try anything while she’s under your care?” He implied.
“I’m not sure I understand.” I said in a puzzled way, though I was sure I knew what he meant, I wanted to hear him say it.
Crystal’s father looked at me with eyes that would frighten and FBI agent. “If you have to always be near Crystal to ‘protect’ her, say in her room while she’s asleep, what’s to stop you from exploring your maturing-”
“Steven!” Crystal’s mother interrupted before he could finish.
“That won’t be a problem. See the creatures have to come in from the outside, so I’ll need all the room to react I can get. That tree in your yard will do just fine.” I assured, doing one thing I wasn’t supposed to do, reveal my location of operation. They seemed to be satisfied with that.
“But what about sleepovers, and things of that nature?” Crystal’s father persisted.
“I wouldn’t exactly blend in at such a thing now would I?” I asked with a laugh. “I’d have to camp outside like I’ll do here.”
“Fair enough young man, but remember if Crystal is hurt in any way by something you do, I won’t be too happy with you or that program of yours.” Crystal’s father said in just the right way to give me the chills.
“I understand, and will be careful.” I finished my tea silently. |
