Max Baker: Guardian of the Ninth Sector (21 page)

Max landed more gracefully than he had the last time, hitting feet first and then tucking and rolling.  Noah and Kennedy were waiting for him. 

“What took you so long?” Noah asked.  Kennedy looked hurt by the question, as if she was the one with the telepathic powers.

“Where’s Donovan?” Max asked, ignoring Noah.

“Scouting the building to make sure it’s safe,” Kennedy answered.  She had taken her phone out.  Max could see on its screen that she was calling home.  They listened as she told her mom she was going to spend the night at her friend Amber’s house.  She told her that she would be home late tomorrow evening.  She told her that she loved her.

Noah followed suit and called his family with a very similar story as Kennedy’s.  He told them that he was going to hang out with Max and not to worry.  He also told them that he loved them.  When he was done, he offered the phone to Max.

“I’m good,” Max said, waving off the phone.

“Look,” Noah said, “I don’t want to sound like a Nagging Nelly here, but this could be the last chance you ever get to speak to your mom.  All Hell breaks loose and you’re going to be wishing you made this phone call.”

Max took the phone and resentfully dialed his home phone number.  The phone rang once.  It rang twice.  After the fourth ring, the answering machine kicked on.  The robotic voice on the other end of the phone instructed him to leave a message.

“Mom, I’m staying with Noah again tonight, so don’t be worried or anything.”  He started to hang up the phone when he saw Noah give him a piercing look.  Max took a deep breath and finished the call with, “And I love you.”

“Was that so hard?” Noah asked.

“You have no idea,” he said.  He turned the phone off and handed it back to Noah just as Donovan entered through the door.

“All clear?” Max asked.

“Yes,” Donovan said, “but we still need to be cautious until we meet up with the extraction team.  Let’s move out.”

The four of them moved silently through the building, Donovan leading the way.  Donovan would enter through each room first to sweep it, and then give the all clear.  Systematically, they made it to the building’s front door.

“What’s the plan?” Max asked as the team reached the lobby of the building. 

“The plan is quite simple,” Donovan said.  “We have to get to the crystals before Gorthon does and then get them back to Sidus Refugium.”

“Oh, that is simple,” Noah said.  “After we’re done we can finish our book report guys.  And after that we should teach ourselves organic chemistry or quantum physics.  I heard both of those are
quite simple
as well.

“Where exactly are the crystals?” Max asked, ignoring Noah’s sarcasm.

“Really?  Not even a fist bump?” Noah said.

“The crystals are located in a castle in Northwest Romania.”

“Romania?” Max said in disbelief.

“I can’t go to Romania,” Kennedy said.  “I have a test on Monday morning, plus I heard Romania is gross.”

“Oh good.  You’re back to being shallow and nonsensical,” Noah said with a big smile. He extended a fist out for Max to bump.

“Noah,” Kennedy said through her teeth, “when this is done, you and I are going to have a very brief, but painful conversation.”

“What do you think Ausiris wants the crystals for?” Max asked.

“As I told you the Crystals of Angroth,” Donovan began to explain, “possess the ability to create life and destroy it.  They possess a very unique element within them that even the Angrothian people cannot explain.  If they were to fall into the wrong hands, a weapon 10 times more powerful than a zelfanide bomb could be produced.  It would be a planet killer.  Ausiris could use this power to take over as supreme ruler of the Ninth Sector.”

“So what you’re saying is he’ll use them to do bad things,” Max said.

“Yeah man,” Noah chimed in. “You could have just said really, really bad stuff will happen and left it at that.  You’re so long winded.”

“So the crystals are just sitting in this castle for the taking?” Kennedy asked, ignoring the two boys.

“The castle is being protected by a Sidus Special Forces unit,” Donovan said.  “A group of four highly trained operatives guard the castle day and night.”

“So why don’t we just tell them to bring the crystals back to Sidus?” Kennedy asked.

“The guards do not know how to access the crystals.”

“But doesn’t Ausiris have a representative on the Council?” Max asked.  “What makes you think that the elder hasn’t already informed him of the crystals’ whereabouts?”

“This is why we must hurry.”

“How exactly are we going to get to Romania?” Kennedy asked.

Donovan stared silently at Max.

“What?” Max asked.

Donovan explained to the group that Max would be the key to transporting them.  He told them that Max would have to teleport using the visual image of the castle and nothing else.  Max would then be able to transport each member of the group to the area, simply by holding onto them and thinking about being in the picture.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Noah said when Donovan finished.

“I know that it seems completely outlandish, and I will be the first to admit that nothing like this has ever been tried before, but unfortunately there is not enough time for anything else,” Donovan said. He removed a photograph from inside his trench coat.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any food in there would you?” Noah asked.  “I am so hungry.”

“So I’m supposed to use this picture as a reference point and teleport to it?” Max asked.

“That is correct,” Donovan said.

“What happens if I can’t do it?”

“That is not an option.”

“Why?”

“Because if you cannot then this planet is doomed, just as all the others will be,” Donovan said gloomily.

“Gotcha,” Max said.  “Fate of the universe is solely in my hands.  So there is absolutely no pressure then?”

Donovan handed Max the photograph.  It looked as if it were taken at the edge of a wooded area overlooking a magnificent castle.  Max immediately thought about the castle from his dreams.

“This is where the crystals are being kept,” Donovan said as Max continued to stare at the picture.  “Its name is Luthenor Castle and has been guarded by my people for over 3,000 years.  It resides about 100 kilometers north of Bran Castle, hidden in the footsteps of the Carpathian Mountains.  It was actually named after-”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Noah rudely interrupted.  “No one cares about your stupid history lessons.  Get on with it already.”

The entire group stared at Noah.

“What?  Trust me, I wasn’t the only one thinking that.”

Donovan hesitated a moment longer before continuing, “The castle is extremely well fortified with only one approachable side that an enemy would be able to attack from.”

“Will we be able to utilize your people for support once Gorthon’s army reaches the castle?” Max asked.

“Yes,” Donovan said.  “Along with the extraction team we should be able to set up a strong perimeter until we are able to secure the crystals.  However, our goal will be to secure the location and flee from the area before Gorthon’s army reaches the castle.  If we are unable, then Max will be our only hope.”

“Of course I am,” Max said, sighing heavily.  He had been the Guardian for only a few hours now and already he was being asked to fight an impossible battle and save the Earth.  High school no longer seemed that bad.

Max handed the photo back to Donovan.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  He cleared his mind of everything.  He focused on his breathing, focused on his heart rate, focused on the silence.  He pictured himself in the clearing of that photo, standing in the shadows of that massive fortress.  He felt a gust of cold air whip around him.

Max opened his eyes and looked around; the huge castle was even bigger than he had imagined it.  It was also a lot colder than he had imagined, and he shivered in the brisk winter air.  Snow was falling furiously from the sky, adding to the ivory blanket that surrounded him.   

He closed his eyes again and pictured the lobby of the building.  Opening his eyes, he was back in Atlanta.

“Holy cra-” Noah was saying, but Max didn’t hear him finish.  He grabbed Donovan by the arm and closed his eyes again.  He thought of the castle.  He thought of the snow.  He opened his eyes.  Both of them were standing in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, staring down at the castle.”

“You are quite impressive,” Donovan said.

Max did not answer; instead, he released his grip on Donovan and closed his eyes again.  He cleared his mind of the gigantic Luthenor Castle in front of him and thought of the rundown lobby of that abandoned building.  He focused on the minute details.  The broken down reception desk.  The graffiti covered walls.  The damp looking chairs.

He opened his eyes again and was standing in front of Noah and Kennedy. 

“You are my hero,” Noah said.  “Do you know that?  Do you have any idea?”  He continued to talk, but Max ignored him, focusing on Kennedy.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, her voice wavering.

“It doesn’t hurt me,” Max said.  “And it didn’t seem to hurt Donovan.”

“I’m nervous,” she said.

“Dude,” Noah was still speaking, “you could rob banks.  You could get free fast food.  You could just flash into the girls locker room to sneak a peek.”

“Just close your eyes,” Max said.  She did as he instructed.

Max grabbed Kennedy and Noah by the arm.

“Whoa,” Noah said.  “I’m not ready…”

Max didn’t let go.  He tightened his grip and squeezed his eyes shut.  He thought about the ivory snow.  He thought about looking up at the majestic castle.  He thought about majestic mountains in the background.

He felt the snow whipping at his face as he opened his eyes.  Kennedy and Noah both looked back at him, bug eyed.  Max released his grip.

“What?” he asked.

He felt the cold metal on the back of his neck.

“Disappear again and I will blow your friends’ faces off,” he heard the thick accent say.  It was a heavy Eastern European accent.  Unlike Donovan’s it did not possess any musical qualities about it.  “Put your hands into the air.”

Max lifted his hands in the air, wondering if he could grab both Kennedy and Noah without being shot in the back of his head.  He wondered if he really could freeze time, or at least slow it down enough to escape.

“Now turn around very slowly,” the voice instructed him.

Max did as instructed.  When he had almost made the full turn, he was met by the hard butte of a rifle crashing into his face.  Max’s legs immediately turned to jelly as the sharp pain blasted through his body, rocking him to his core.  He collapsed into the wet snow below.

Max awoke to find himself sitting upright. A pool of blood gathered on the floor below him.  His head was throbbing.  Both his hands and his arms were tied to the chair that he sat in, and a large man with a rifle stood looking down at him.

“Good, you are awake,” the man with the gun said. He grabbed a chair and pulled it over to where Max was sitting.  “I was afraid that I had killed you.”

The man took a seat in front of Max, placing his rifle on the floor beside him.  Max looked around the room. They were the only two there.  He had been separated from his friends.  He imagined that they had been taken to other rooms and were being interrogated.  He imagined they were being asked questions like: How did you and three of your friends find our magical, hidden castle in the woods?  How did you bypass all of our security barriers?  How did you appear out of thin air?  The man’s face was cold, and he stared through Max.

“I’m the Guardian,” Max blurted out. 

“Guardian of what?” the man asked.  He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his camouflage pants.  The man looked rough, as if he had spent his entire life in the trenches of Eastern Europe. 

“I am here to retrieve the Crystals of Angroth,” Max said. He felt foolish as the words came out of his mouth. 

“What is an Angroth?” the man asked, looking confused.

“Ausiris is coming,” Max said, trying to make some sort of connection with the man.  “General Gorthon’s army is headed here to take the crystals and form some sort of super weapon.”

“Who is this Ausiris?” the man asked. His accent was heavy and hard to understand.  “And what are these crystals you speak of?  Are they worth much?”  The man smiled. The lit cigarette pressed between his rotten teeth.

“I’m sorry, am I at the right castle?” Max asked.  He was beginning to wonder if he had teleported to the correct location.

“I do not know,” the man said, “perhaps you are not.  Tell me again about this Ausiris.”

“Ausiris,” Max said, looking confused, “you know the bad guy.  Where is Donovan?  He said that you were part of the Council’s Army. Is that correct?  He said that you were part of the Sidus Special Forces.”

The man removed his heavy coat.  His arms were covered in homemade tattoos and scars.  He wore a revolver on his hip, which he slowly removed from the holster.  The gun was unique and looked like one he had seen in the armory on Sidus.  That was a start at least. 

“Lord Ausiris is not a bad man,” the man said. He grabbed the revolver by the barrel with his other hand and stood up.  “He is going to bring peace to the Ninth Sector.  He is going to abolish the war mongering Council.  He is going to spread his kingdom from Arressnia to Earth and all the planets in between.”  The man moved closer to Max. “And if that means a few dogs die to achieve that goal, then so be it.”  The man lifted the gun in the air and swung it hard into Max’s cheek.

The pain was so bad that Max felt himself black out for a moment.  The metallic taste of the warm blood began filling his mouth, and he thought of Kennedy slapping him; it felt so long ago. 

He opened his eyes to see the blood falling freely from his lips to the floor, adding to the puddle of red beneath him.  Max smiled darkly and spit the excess liquid onto the floor.  He could feel his heart thumping in his chest.  He looked down to see that his fingers were beginning to glow.

“Lord Ausiris,” the man said, kneeling down so that he was eye level with Max, “will teach you dogs how to obey your masters.”  Max saw that the gun was now pointed at him and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  The man grabbed him by the jaw.  The shooting pain amplified tenfold.  “Lord Ausiris will teach you how to beg.”

From outside of the room, he heard Kennedy let out a blood curdling scream.  He couldn’t wait any longer.  There was no time to think strategy.  Max closed his eyes and envisioned being behind the man.  A split second later, he opened his eyes to find himself looking down on the kneeling man.  Max extended his arms and directed his energy toward the man.  Blue bolts of the energy erupted from his hands.  The man flew through the air, crashing into the far wall in front of him. 

Max didn’t wait to see if the man was still alive; he had already exited the room before he heard him hit the floor.  He now walked stealthily down the corridor with his back pressed up against the wall.  His hands were pulsating with the bright blue energy.  He heard Kennedy scream again, which sent him into a panicked sprint.

The first door he came to was closed.  Max pressed his ear against the door, but he couldn’t hear any noise coming from behind it.  He slowly pushed it open. 

Kennedy sat in the middle of the room. With her head lowered, she sat there sobbing.  No one else appeared to be in the room.

“Kennedy,” Max whispered, closing the door behind him.

She looked up at him.  Her mascara had run down her cheeks, leaving large black streaks.  Her eyes were puffy and red, and her upper lip was swollen.  A fury ran through Max’s bones as he thought of someone inflicting harm upon her.

“Max,” she said, “I don’t think these men are with Donovan.”

“I don’t think so either,” he said. He bent down to examine her shackles.  Her wrists were handcuffed, not tied like Max’s had been.  A thick chain led from the handcuffs down to her feet, which also had been bound with shackles. 

“You have to get me out of here,” she cried.

“I’m working on it,” Max said. He wished he would have taken the keys off of the guard that had left this bloody taste in his mouth.  He jerked the thick chain, but it was secured tightly to the floor.  He thought about transporting her, but wasn’t sure that it would work with her being bound.

“Noah is in the next room over,” she said, tears still streaming down her cheeks.  “I saw them throw him in there right before they shoved me in this room.  You have to hurry. The guard will be back any minute.”

“Let’s hope so,” Max said. He looked around the room, trying to scout out a good hiding spot.  The only feasible option that he could think of would be to wait until the guard entered, and then try to take his keys.

“Let’s hope so?” Kennedy asked.  “Max, these people want to kill us.  They have our guns.  They have their guns!  Sitting around and hoping they show up does not constitute a good plan to me.  Now, use some of your special powers and get me out of here.”

“I can’t blast the lock,” Max said. “I’m afraid if I do it will shock you as well. You know, metal and electricity being all conductive and whatnot.”

“Then teleport me out of here,” Kennedy said.

“I don’t know if that will work,” Max said.

“You don’t know?” Kennedy asked.  “Not knowing does not mean not trying.”  Her voice was snappy now.  He could sense the fear in her turning into anger.  The two were bickering so loudly that they didn’t hear the door behind them open.

“Use one of your magic powers right now, Max Baker,” she fumed, “and get me out of this, or so help me I will make this Ausiris guy look like a walk in the park.”

“I am afraid that
Lord
Ausiris,” the man said, his accent even thicker than the last one, “would not like to hear that he’s being compared to a walk in th…”

Max didn’t let the man finish his sentence.  He spun around on his heels and sent a huge ball of energy right at him.  The guard looked dumbstruck as the energy struck him in the chest.  He collapsed lifelessly onto the floor. 

“Is he dead?” Kennedy asked.

Max ran over to him and checked his pulse; it was faint, but it was there. 

“No,” Max said, sinking his hand into the man’s pocket.  He pulled out a set of keys. 

“Well then blast him again,” Kennedy said.

“I’m the Guardian,” Max said, “not a murderer.”

He fumbled through the ring of keys until he saw the small handcuff key.  He ran back over to Kennedy and let her out of her shackles.

She flung her arms around him and grabbed him tight around the neck.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Me too,” he agreed, “now let’s get the others.”

The two ran to the adjacent room.  Max didn’t waste any more time being stealthy.  He could feel the power that ran through him, and he felt confident in his ability to use it.  He flung open the door. 

Noah sat in the middle of the room, slumped over. His face was swollen and bloody.  A guard stood towering over him; his fist was cocked high in the air.  Max extended one hand out and aimed it at the attacker.  He focused the energy on the guard’s back, and the blue beam dispersed from his hand in a more concentrated, compact form.  The narrow beam was more accurate, and it hit the unsuspecting guard in the exact location that Max had aimed.  The man fell to his knees, but he did not crumple as the other two had done.  He spun around toward Max, removing his weapon from the holster on his hip.  Max didn’t hesitate and fired another controlled burst at him.  This one hit the guard square in the chest and sent him flying backwards.  The man lay motionless on the floor.

“What took you so long?” Noah asked.  He was barely recognizable. His eyes were swollen like a boxer’s after a tussle in the ring.  Max ran over to him and unshackled him. 

“Noah, give me a hand,” Max said, racing over to man.  They dragged him to the chair that Noah had been sitting in and used the shackles to secure him to the floor.

“What’s up now, punk?” Noah asked the man who was clearly unresponsive. 

“Noah, we need to go,” Max said.

“Not so bad now, are you?” he said, raising his fist back and swinging hard at the man’s face.  His fist collided with the man’s large forehead, and Noah squealed in agony.

“Noah, do you know where Donovan is?” Max asked as Noah hopped around clutching his fist.

“I think I broke it!” he exclaimed.

“Serves you right, you big baby,” Kennedy sneered.

“Noah!” Max exclaimed. “We do not have time for this.  Do you know where Donovan is?”

“I think they took him into the tower right above us,” Noah answered as he alternated between rubbing his swollen hand and shaking it vigorously.  “One of the guards knew him.  He said that Donovan was playing for the wrong team.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Max asked.

“I think he was implying that Donovan’s allegiance was to the losing team,” Noah answered, “but I was kind of busy getting the crap beat out of me.  Thanks for the concern by the way.”

“You don’t think that Donovan could be persuaded to join
their
team do you?” Kennedy asked meekly.

“Let’s hope not,” Max said as the three of them headed out of the door.