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

While behind the dimensional veil, my suit propelled me through the city.

I traversed through walls and anything else in the direct path of Sky’s apartment as if I were a phantom.

In real-time, I arrived in her living room in less than a blink of an eye.

When I arrived, I saw that her living room looked like a tornado had gone through it.

Most of her decorations were scattered across the floor.

As I scanned the living room for Sky, I heard the front door shut, followed by a small scream in the hallway just outside of her apartment.

I turned into the Guardian Host and teleported to the top of the stairs at the end of the hallway that led to her apartment.

I needed to block the path of anyone trying to leave that floor by going down the stairwell.

I glanced towards her apartment and saw five Umbra agents dressed in black suits and dark ties. All of them had jet-black hair, like a group of government-issued robots.

Three agents were walking in front of the other two. The two in the back held Sky between them as she struggled to escape.

When the agents saw me, one injected something into Sky’s neck, causing her to go limp and appear to fall unconscious.

I’m never gonna hear the end of this one. Sorry, Sky.

The three agents in front began running towards me at full speed, so I levitated towards them.

We were about twenty feet apart. The distance was closing very quickly between us.

I glided past the drunk man, who was now sitting, observing the scenario unfold before his eyes.

Enjoy the show, bellhop.

The three agents reached into their inside jacket pockets, pulled out shiny metal devices, and aimed them at me.

Guns? Really guys? Haven’t you done your homework on me?

I sucked all the light out of the hallway with my gauntlets, immersing the hallway in total darkness.

Now, I could see them, but they couldn’t see me. I knew if they couldn’t see me, they couldn’t fight me.

I smiled under my mask when I saw them stop and wave their arms in front of them like they were blind.

I continued to levitate towards them.

I’ve got you where I want you.

The first agent I reached had inadvertently raised his shiny weapon directly at me.

Before he could fire it, I clutched his arm and raised it above his head so that if it did go off, it’d shoot the ceiling. I used my other arm to elbow him in the face, following it up with an energy sphere to his chest.

The impact raised him off his feet and through the nearest apartment door with a loud crash.

The tenants in the apartment yelled in surprise as an unconscious agent landed in their living room.

Sorry about that, everybody.

The other two agents were now shooting blindly in my direction, but I could evade what looked like green laser bullets.

The green bullets blew giant holes in the walls of the hallway.

One of the lasers narrowly missed the drunk man in the hallway.

That bellhop’s one lucky guy.

I teleported behind them and was between all four agents and Sky.

I extended both arms and pointed my gauntlets directly at the shoulder blades of the two agents, still firing as fast as they could down the hallway.

Plaster and wallpaper flew in all directions throughout the hall as the lasers riddled the walls.

I blasted them both with a low-intensity energy sphere from behind, lifting them off and sending them flying several feet down the hallway.

They hit the floor with a loud thud, sliding down the hallway until they hit the wall at the end of it. The impact made them drop their weapons on the hallway floor.

Surprise amigos.

I turned my attention to the two agents who had dropped Sky to the floor to grab their weapons.

One shot me in the left shoulder, forcing me to spin to the left and slam into the wall.

I didn’t feel any pain, but I could tell it wasn’t a human weapon by the way it impacted my suit.

I felt a buzzing sensation in my shoulder. I glanced at it and saw that my skin was exposed. My suit instantly started repairing itself.

What the hell?

“Our Dondraven enemy has developed a new technology to fight guardians. Although these weapons cause minimal damage, they could damage your human form if more than one is fired in the same spot simultaneously. It is what you would call ‘armor-piercing rounds.’ We must be careful.

“Got it, pal.”

I returned the light to the hallway so they could get a good look at me.

As soon as they saw me, they started to fire at me.

One of them shot me in the right leg, causing my skin to become exposed again.

Just as one of the green bullets was about to hit me in the head, I teleported and reappeared in front of the agent who fired at me.

My mask touched the agent’s face that had just fired the bullet at me. I wanted to see the fear in his eyes.

I picked him up with lightning speed and slammed him into his partner, making him drop his gun and forcing them both to the floor.

The other agent managed to keep a grip on his weapon.

He quickly rolled out from under the unconscious agent I threw at him.

The agent wiped some blood off his lip as he got down on one knee and fired at me, hitting me on the left side of my face.

A large slit appeared in my mask from my cheek to my ear.

That was a pretty good shot, but not good enough.

I used an energy sphere to knock the weapon out of his hand and teleported through the wall behind him.

I was in someone’s apartment, but luckily, nobody was home. I wanted to have the element of surprise.

I punched through the wall, grabbed the agent by the back of his head, and pulled him towards me.

Plaster and wood came into the apartment with him, covering his suit like a layer of flour.

I spun him around and grabbed him by the front of his jacket so that I was an inch from his face.

He was scared. I could tell by the widened eyes that looked into mine.

I let out a loud growl as I pushed him up against the wall, hoping to knock the wind out of him.

I cocked my head to the side, touching his nose with my mask.

“If you or any other agent touch her again, there’ll be nothing left of you to find. Got it?”

He nodded his head in agreement as a small groan escaped his mouth.

I pushed him back through the wall by his collar until we were both back in the hallway.

I wasn’t done with him yet.

I threw him against the opposite wall, and his back slammed into it. He fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

I picked one of the weapons off the floor. I was hoping that Jack knew how to use it.

I made my way to Sky and scooped her up in my arms. She looked like she was in a peaceful sleep as her head rested against my chest.

I’m sorry I didn’t take you with me. I’m going to hear it when you wake up.

“Her vital signs are normal, Vincent. She has just been incapacitated by what appears to be some form of anesthetic. I want to compliment you on your creativity in dealing with the Umbra Agents.”

”Thanks, pal,” I said as I scanned the hallway to ensure the agents were still unconscious.

As I was looking around, I heard a male voice call out to me in a drunken slur.

“Are you the landlord?”

It was the drunk man who had been lying on the floor in the hallway.

He stood as he slowly swayed back and forth, holding a brown paper bag containing a large whiskey bottle.

“No,” I replied, shaking my head.

He looked down at the unconscious agents and then back at me.

“You want the job ’cause you serve one hell of an eviction notice.”

“No thanks,” I answered back, somewhat amused by him.

“Suit yourself, amigo,” he replied before falling over and landing in the same spot he was in earlier.

He never let go of the bottle.

He must’ve passed out because his eyes were closed. I shook my head and let out a chuckle.

He’s one hell of a bellhop.

Once I had determined the agents weren’t getting up any time soon, I teleported us to the destroyed museum.

“Vincent, I was contemplating the intoxicated man’s statement. I have concluded that being a landlord would be far less hazardous, and you would be subjected to minimal work-related incidents.”

“Are you kidding me, Volax,” I asked as I scanned the area for Jack.

“I am trying to be humorous. Considering the anecdotes you seem to enjoy, I thought you would find it amusing. I hope you found it suitable for a laugh.”

“You’re getting there, pal.”

You’ve got a way to go.

I spotted Jack sprinting towards us after emerging from around a corner.

“It was pretty funny for your first joke,” I replied as I watched Jack jogging toward me.

Jack had a worried look on his face and was yelling as he picked up the pace.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!“.

I wondered why he would be running and yelling out in a panic.

I found out why.

I saw about seven agents round the corner behind him, all carrying the shiny weapons the other agents had.

Once they saw me, the lead agent signaled the other agents to stop. He looked at me with an evil smirk.

This agent was different. He had blondish brown hair cut so short that he’d be bald if it were any shorter. He had a young face with a slightly pointed jaw, probably in his mid-twenties. His blue eyes were sharp, but I’m sure any woman would find them pleasant.

He was slender, yet I could tell he was physically fit beneath his black suit. I would consider him handsome had he not been on the wrong side of the fight.

He could pass for an actor, singer, or model if he hadn’t been a corrupt agent.

Jack finally reached me and ducked behind me as he tried to catch his breath.

“That’s Justin Carter,” He said between breaths.

Justin pointed his weapon at me quickly and fired it.

I grabbed Jack with lightning speed and teleported all three of us out of sight just before the green bullet reached my forehead.

In an instant, we were in the front yard of the old house I lived in when I first obtained my abilities. We were standing next to the big tree facing the house.

Brings back a lot of memories.

“What’s wrong with her,” Jack asked as he saw Sky unconscious in my arms.

“They gave her a shot to put her to sleep so they could kidnap her,”

I started walking towards the front door to lay her down on the bed.

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. I’m going to go put her in the bed.”

I teleported her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.

It’s so much faster than walking.

I returned to my human form and walked into the living room where Jack had just entered. He sat down on the recliner and ran his hands through his hair as he sighed in relief.

“Well, I guess I’m out of a job now,” He said with his eyes closed.

“Yeah, they were about to fire you from the looks of things.”

He opened his eyes and chuckled as he replayed being chased down the street. He looked at me and gave me a devilish grin.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I threw your cell phone into the destroyed museum so they couldn’t track you down.”

I reached into my front pocket for my phone, but it was gone.

“I threw mine in there, too, right before we teleported out of there. That’s how they found Sky.”

“I was wondering how they found her.”

When she wakes up, she’s gonna be so pissed.

I pictured her strangling me as Volax laughed in my head while saying, ‘She told you so.’

As I returned to reality, I realized I was holding the silver gun the Umbra agents were carrying. I held it up closer to my face to examine it more closely.

“Awesome,” Jack said as he jumped up from the chair to look closer at the weapon.

“You got one of those mini-splitter guns.”

“Mini-splitter guns?”

“Yeah, evidently, they’re having some difficulty getting the Dondraven splitter to work with human DNA.”

He leaned in closer to the gun.

“Can I show you something,” Jack asked as he gestured for the gun.

“Sure.”

I handed the gun to him, hoping he could show me how it worked.

He turned it over, and I could see a bunch of tiny squares on the side of the gun that was flush with the surface, and only two of them were lit up bright green.

“Look,” he said, pointing to the blocks. “It’s only on stun.”

“If you slide your finger like this,” he said as he slid it across the squares, making them all light up, “it makes the green laser bullets stronger.”

“What happens if they shoot me with all of them lit up?”

He looked at me with a serious face.

“Not only will it separate that part of your suit from your body, but it’ll hurt you like a real bullet. It can kill you, Vincent.”

“So, they weren’t trying to kill me?”

“No, they tested the weapon on you to see if it worked on humans. You were the guinea pig, buddy,” he said as he returned the gun to me.

“I guess they know it works now,” I said as I set the gun on the end table next to the chair.

“Yeah, but the best part about that weapon is that they don’t have to aim it. It works on telepathy. They aim in your direction and think about where they want to shoot you. The green laser bullet automatically finds the target. If they can’t concentrate or see you, it shoots where it’s aimed.”

He sat back in the chair and glanced at the weapon before looking back at me.

That makes sense. Those agents were nervous, that’s why they couldn’t shoot me.

“Does it only work on humans?”

“Don’t know. I wanted to try it out on one of those lumpy turds, but I couldn’t get a hold of one of the guns. The rumor is that it doesn’t work on them. Just humans.”

“The situation seems far more critical than anticipated, Vincent. I feel it is time for a change in strategy for an outcome of victory to be achieved.”

”I agree,” I whispered back.

“You’re doing it again. You’re talking to Volax again, aren’t you?”

I nodded yes and turned towards the kitchen, looking out the window to see the beautiful sun in the sky behind the tree.

I missed this place.

“So, what’s the plan, Volax.”

“We must monitor the media to stay informed of the situation and detect any changes while preparing ourselves for the battle. I will also contemplate how we can use this new weapon. I have been experimenting with your human molecular structure to acquire new abilities. When I am successful, we will practice as we did when you first obtained your abilities.”

“You mean I could have more abilities you haven’t discovered yet?”

“That is affirmative, Vincent.”

“Well, why haven’t you discovered them before?”

“A situation has not presented itself for advancement. It is much like your human computers when they are upgraded. The need for upgrading does not present itself until you find your current computer lacks a specific need that it cannot supply a demand for.”

“So, in plain English, you didn’t look because we didn’t require more abilities.”

"Affirmative.”

“Got it. That makes sense.”

Jack had walked up behind me as I was finishing my sentence.

“I hate to interrupt you from talking amongst yourself, but I’m kinda hungry,” He said as he rubbed his stomach. “You got any food in this joint?”

“Not yet,” I said as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a set of keys hanging on a hook on the wall.

“But you can go to town and get us some. Just go down the driveway and take a right, and you’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

I tossed him the keys, and he caught them with a confused look.

“I didn’t see a car around here.”

“It’s in the shed behind the house.”

“Oh, do you have any money,” he asked as he rummaged through his pockets.

I opened a drawer next to the sink, knowing it held my stash of money.

The drawer was filled with stacks of hundred-dollar bills, neatly bound by rubber bands. I remembered putting about ten thousand dollars in that drawer for emergencies.

I pulled out a stack of bills, peeled off three hundred dollars, and handed it to him.

“This should cover whatever your endless pit has in mind.”

He looked at me in shock at seeing the money in the drawer.

“You know, most people have a junk drawer in their house with screwdrivers, tape, paperclips, and other weird stuff, but you’ve got a freaking money drawer!”

He pointed at me as he walked towards the front door.

“You’re weird, man. You’re cool, but you’re weird.”

After about two minutes, I heard the car start and go down the long driveway. I watched as the cloud of dust began to disappear into the wind.

I teleported to the bedroom to check on Sky, and I couldn’t help but admire her beauty as she slept.

I levitated off the floor and rotated my body to look like I was lying on my back. I floated towards the bed and let my body gently land on the bed next to Sky.

I placed my hand on her leg and kept it there, feeling the warmth of her body until I fell asleep.

I hope she’s okay.

“Wake up, sleepy heads.”

I heard a voice as if it were off in the distance.

“I got some yummies for your tummies.”

It was Jack. He must’ve found the town store and raided the entire thing.

I opened my eyes to see Jack standing at the edge of the bed, wearing some of my old clothes.

He wore a white T-shirt and a pair of light blue colored jeans.

He almost looked like an Elvis impersonator with his jet-black hair. He looked more like an average person without his suit.

“You’re back already,” I asked while sitting in bed and checking to see if Sky was still asleep.

“What do you mean already? I’ve been gone for about two hours. I think you’ve been teleporting too much. It’s starting to affect your internal clock.”

“Whatever,” I said as I grabbed Sky’s leg and shook it.

“Wake up, Sky, it’s time to get up.”

Jack and I watched with anticipation, waiting to see if she’d wake up or if they put her into a coma by accident.

I knew when she woke up, stuff would hit the fan.

“Wha...,” she mumbled as she slowly turned over to look at us.

“What are you two pervs doing in bed with me?”

Jack and I chuckled at her joke.

I was hoping that she had forgotten about my mistake earlier.

“Do you remember anything? Do you know how you got here,” I asked.

“What? Oh my God! Those freaking Umbra guys busted in my apartment and grabbed me. They kept asking me where you were!”

Damn. She remembers.

“I teleported back to your apartment to bring you here, but they already had you.”

She looked at me with adoration and love.

“You saved me, didn’t you?”

I smiled as if I’d achieved something extraordinary as I replied, “Yes, I did.”

“That’s so sweet. You’re the most awesome boyfriend ever. Except for the fact that none of this would’ve happened if you would’ve just listened to me in the first place!”

“Whoa, someone’s a little angry. What’s she talking about,” Jack asked.

“It’s nothing….”

She cut me off mid-sentence.

“Nothing? Let me tell you what happened. I told our hero here I should go with him because I thought Umbra knew about us, and you know what he said?”

“Nope. What’d he say?”

“He said that Umbra couldn’t know about us and even told me that Volax said I was safer at home instead of going with him.”

It’s hitting the fan now.

Jack looked at me, and I could tell he knew I was in big trouble.

He decided to play along.

“What kind of lowlife boyfriend would put his new girlfriend in grave danger like that?”

“In all fairness, Vincent, you brought this on yourself. She did tell you so.”

I was getting frustrated at everybody ganging up on me. I knew it was all my fault and shouldn’t have lied to her, but I wanted to move past it already.

“Shut it, Volax. Everybody just cut it out for a second.”

I glanced at Jack before turning towards Sky.

“I’m sorry, honey. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you in that apartment by yourself. You were one hundred percent right. I know I screwed up, but I came back for you once I came to my senses and realized how much of a douchebag I was. I’m sorry beyond words, and I swear it’ll never happen again as long as I live.”

Jack chuckled at that last statement and had to chime in.

“That’s a long time, pal. You sure you’re up to that level of commitment,” Jack asked with a hint of sarcasm.

He knows how to ruin a great apology, that’s for sure.

I glanced at him with an expression of obvious annoyance.

“Do you mind? I’m having a moment here.”

“Not at all. I’m gonna get something to eat. I’ll see you guys in a little bit.”

Jack got up and left the room, chuckling under his breath.

I turned back to Sky and looked at her with remorse written all over my face. I was hoping she’d forgive me.

She stared at me momentarily, then gave me a big smile.

“That was the best apology I’ve ever heard. It still doesn’t make up for the fact that you almost got me killed by government agents, but it was pretty damn good.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. I forgive you. Come here and hug me.”

“No kiss,” I asked sheepishly.

“Don’t press your luck, mister.”

I leaned down and hugged her, feeling her warm body against mine.

I was pleased with the outcome of the events that took place. I was glad I could save her when she needed me the most.

I stepped back and took in her beauty.

She winked at me as she smiled.

“I think you’re gonna be a great boyfriend.”

“Thanks,” I replied with a sense of accomplishment.

She let out a sigh and patted my thigh.

“But keeping up with you is gonna be hell.”

We both laughed at the joke and decided to go to the kitchen to see what Jack had bought at the store to eat.

That could’ve gone a whole lot worse. I have a girlfriend now!

After eating a small dinner of sandwiches and chips, we decided to go to the living room and watch the news to see what was happening in Pine Beach City.

The news was almost the same as the last day or two.

The CASH organization had grown more extensive, protesting the Guardian Host almost everywhere in the city.

They had even taken a large wooden post and drove it into the rubble that used to be the museum. On top of the post was a sign that read, ‘The Guardian Host Was Here!’

A group of protesters was in front of the old museum, and one started to speak into the camera.

“This is what happens when you let the Guardian Host handle your problems! He makes bigger ones! He’s not the solution. He’s the problem.”

The newscaster in the studio started talking about how the government was negotiating with the alien beings over the best way to handle The Guardian Host.

What the hell?

“The government has issued an official statement to us, stating that the alien beings have agreed to cooperate with the government and have started to formulate a plan of action that could end the chaos that the Guardian Host has caused by instigating an intergalactic war that could have had dire consequences for the people of earth.”

After that statement, we decided to turn off the television and find something more helpful to do with our time.

I need a break from the idiots in that city.

We played Monopoly instead.

It was the first time we had sat down together and done something fun. We played for a few hours until we got bored with the game.

Mainly because Jack had almost all the properties and tons of cash. The worst part about it is how he acted with the spoils of his monopoly conquest.

He propped his feet up on the table. He acted like the kingpin of Monopolyville, speaking in English.

He told us how he could buy the free parking space because he had so much money. At one point in the game, he offered to buy the Monopoly guy out to name the game after himself.

With that, Sky and I decided to call it quits before he thought the game was real and thought he owned the properties in real life.

Monopoly money really goes to his head.

The day came and went, and we spent the rest of it talking and relaxing on the front porch, discussing what we had planned for the next few days.

We all agreed, with Volax, of course, to have me train and prepare myself for the fight I knew was coming soon.

Once the sun went down, we stayed on the porch looking up at the stars, finding different constellations, and telling childhood stories.

At about ten o’clock, we headed inside to get some sleep.

Jack decided to sleep on the recliner while Sky, of course, got into the bedroom.

I decided to sleep on the couch in the living room.

That was almost the worst mistake of my life because, as soon as Jack fell asleep, he snored like a freight train, running at full speed.

I walked over to him and touched his arm as Volax worked his molecular magic to cure him of his snoring. With Volax’s help, we didn’t have to put up with the sound that nearly shook the walls.

Besides all the fighting, the Umbra agents trying to kill us, and the world hating me, the day went pretty well.

I lay on the couch and smiled at the ceiling as I sighed in relief.

After about ten minutes, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.