《Stop While You're Still Beautiful》


 1. Is it Fate or Maybe Even Destiny

    The hunks of twisted metal rose above the water, towering over railing overlooking the ocean. They were just far enough away to not be threatening, the only bothersome were the creaks and groans escaping from the wrecks as the waves lapped at their sides. The waves were hungry for just another bite, but you could still see some remnants of the once great ships. Here and there a bow dared to stick out of the waves, it''s great guns still trained high in the air. Each of the great warships had been reduced to a dull rusty brown, with some peaks of their former glory gasping for air as the rust slowly consumed everything in its path. These lumbering giants stood out from the cold winter sky, the kind of sky that looks like its ready to burst and dump snow on anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped outside.


    "These Wrecks are Left Untouched as a Reminder of the Sacrifices Made in the name of Humanity."


    These words dominated the top of the plaque that had wedged itself in between two rungs from the fence that separated the park from the ocean. Flanked on either side by tower viewers standing tall at attention. Benches were scattered about here and there for some much support as well. You could read off all the names,Invincible,Endeavour, Glory, Odin,but that got old after a while. Then you could get a close up of one of the gulls squawking away and count them up until you were sure you got them all, but that grew old after a while too. Every day the wooden pier rumbled as more and more feet made the noisy journey to the end of the pier, eager to get a look. But something that never grew old to watch was the people that made their way to edge of the pier to see the great scars that refused to be consumed and forgotten. There were always some characters here, most importantly some main ones.


    There he sat, looking out at the wrecks with his hand glued to the side of his chin. The windows of the building not far off in the distance began to flicker and light up one at a time. The wind gently howled as it returned to the sea. There''s something about that sea air that can send a shiver down the most hot-blooded person, but still, he sat, his hand still glued to right side of his face, the only thing glued to his left side was a few black hairs that had escaped from the left side of his plain black beanie. It was just about time to pack it up, as dinner waits for no man. Some like it hot, scratch that who doesn''t like their food hot? Pizza is the only food up for debate here, so Colin was ready to release the brakes and take one giant leap for all of mankind.


    THUMP THUMP THUMP


    Ah yes, there was the unmistakable sound of someone running down the pier, this was a popular running route, not that it would impact Colin, he wasn''t much of a runner you see. So who would be running by today, a seasoned vet? Someone out of their element who finally decided to try running in order to "get back in shape" on a snap decision and now regrets trusting their slightly protruding gut? This right here is what adventure is all about.


    Ok, this was not what he was expecting. This girl was not dressed for running. Her oversized teal sweatshirt hung slightly over her black skirt which naturally blended in with her black leggings. The white high tops that finished off the look did everything but scream "I love running."


    She bounded towards the railing with a huge grin on her face, which was soon smushed into the tower viewer. She scanned out to the sea with the last remaining daylight slowly fading before she locked on a target. Her soles rose in the air as she cackled with glee, whispering between breaths, " I have you now."


    She hopped down from the tower viewer on one graceful motion and extended her arm out towards the hunks of metal, her pointer finger outstretched with her thumb high to the sky. What is this the creation of madness?


    Without lifting his hand from his face Colin spoke," What are you pretending to shoot the gulls out there or something? Aren''t you a little old for that kind of thing?"


    She spun around, and the hood fell down in that moment, revealing short shoulder length red hair and a pair of very focused hazel eyes.


    Colin raised his hands, " Watch where you''re pointing that thing will you." he said with a smug grin plastered over his face.


    She lowered her hand with a small grin starting from the left side of her face to the right," How could this be? How could I have not noticed?" She pondered the question for a second before speaking again, " That was a close one." She let out a long sigh.


    "Well anyways can you do me a favor and just get out of her boy, I''ve got some important business to attend to." She huffed out while turning back towards the water.


    Now this struck a nerve, Colin had made this spot his own during the day, but it seems like during the night this place had another patron. " I''ll think I''ll watch actually," Colin said as he crossed arms, exposing the red pressure marks by his elbows. He had been sitting here for quite a while, what was a few more minutes.


    She spun around again, " My name is Moira, Moira Greyvale. Remember it kid because if you''re gonna stick around you''re gonna see some serious shit. Just make sure you''re sitting down for this."


    Colin undid the brakes and slowly made his way towards the edge of the pier. The lights began to flicker on one by one as he made his way across the wooden planks. But it wasn''t the familiar thump of feet. It was wheels. Colin let get of the outer grip of his wheelchair and said, "Don''t worry sister sitting is my specialty." He gestured towards the unbuckled seat belt that hung down from the side of the seat. " I can buckle my seatbelt too if this isn''t enough."


    The lights of the building off in the distance extended from just the windows to the exterior, lighting the words " Northern Hope Rehabilitation Network" in large proud letters on the side of the building.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Moira bit her lip for a second and a big smile painted itself on her face. " Alright funny guy, you see that seagull out there?" She pointed far of in the distance. Colin squinted his eyes and strained and strained but the light wasn''t enough.


    " I can''t see anything out there. How about that one over there?" he pointed at one of the birds that was perched a few meters away on the fence.


    Moira let out a chuckle. " This will be too easy," She lifted her right arm once again, closed her left eye taking aim. The tip of her tongue stuck out from the corner of her mouth for a brief second. A bright blue sparkle erupted from the tip of her finger and jettisoned itself at the unsuspecting gull at a breakneck speed. The second it made contact it burrowed its way right through and kept going out to see lighting up the darkened sky. For a brief second, at just the right angle you could have seen the sun setting right through the clean hole that had now presented itself. The gull defeated let out an obnoxious last word before keeling over and falling into the drink with a satisfying Ker-plunk.


    Moira had a wrinkled brow and a disappointed look on her face" Ok uh, that was just supposed to stun him for a second or two, but if anything can be learned from this its that I''m just too good at this sort of thing and that''s why the spell was so powerful." The triumph smile returned as she worked her way through her choice of words. After seeing this spectacle Colin''s eyes turned back to the plaque between the rails. The important part of plaque in this situation was the second set of writing, not the boldface at the top.In memory of all those who gave their lives in driving back the Magic Union.And now there was a young witch in front of Colin. Fight or flight? Which to pick. If only he has a choice right now. What was he going to do run over her foot? This girl had just blown a hole through a seagull. She seemed pretty cool with it. Cool was the M.O. right now. Visualize it. Just like that cool almost winter air. Deep breath. Just play it cool.


    " I didn''t think they were any witches left in the city, ya know after that whole war thing in all?"


    " Oh we''re out there but with the magic and all its pretty hard to find them, ya know? Not all of them are as clever as me." She said as the smell of extra, extra crispy gull hung in the air.


    " But it''s not all fun and games," she continued, " You have to keep an eye out for the investigators, those guys are a real stick in the mud." she droned on before her eyes lit up again. " Hey you''ve stuck around for a while, most people just run away and I gotta hit them with the old reliable, the memory zapper. I promise I''m really good at that one-"


    Well, it''s not like I can run awaythought Colin.And how fitting she''s good at the spell you need when you mess up. This should be good.


    " But anyways since you''re here, I have a question for you. Why are you here?"


    Why was Colin there? At that moment? What had happened to him? Most people don''t just fall out of the womb attached to the chair. That must be what''s he wanted to know. Its what is always on their minds. But not all are as blunt like her. Moira Greyvale, with the candlestick, in the study.


    Colin laughed as he spoke, " You see I must be the luckiest unlucky person alive, I won''t be stuck to this seat forever, just for a while. I''ve got something called GBS, Guillain Barre Syndrome. One day I''ll be able to walk and all that again." Colin paused, " But that day''s not coming anytime soon."


    Moira looked down at Colin so that their eyes met.


    " Never heard of it." With a shrug of her shoulders. " Sounds like a pretty crappy roll of the dice though, that''s something I know about."


    Moira turned to look back at the setting sun. "Being a witch sucks major ass," Her foot lazily lurched forward nudging a rock off the pier.


    " I just feel I''ve got a big cage around me, it''s also pushing, pounding. I''m just stuck here with else to go, it''s just me and my dad against the world. They''ll never stop looking for us." Moira stood back up tall and delivered, " But they''ll take me. It doesn''t matter if I don''t fit it with wizards or the working man, Pops and I will be fine."


    Hm. Figured all the magic users with some sense would have gotten out of dodge after the end of the war. Granted, there wasn''t much to go back too for either side. She wasn''t wrong though, after the war ended, all sorts of wizards, witches, and magical beings had been hunted. Oil and water. They don''t call this place the Last City just for kicks.


    "Sounds like we both got dealt some crappy hands huh?" Colin Proposed.


    Moira swung back around, her skirt matching her swift motion. " Why don''t we team up? I''m in the market for a partner in crime around here. I need someone watching my back you never know when someone''s gonna discover you or one of those pesky investigators is gonna turn up. How does the title." Moira leaned in closer,"dark knightsound to you?"


    Now this was rich. Comedy gold. Colin a knight. A dark one? Just like chocolate?


    Colin gestured towards his chair, " Well I''ve already got my noble steed, she comes with a nice seat cushion too."


    Moira laughed and said, " Don''t worry I''ll talk to my dad about it he''s like the best wizard I know-"probably the only one too, thought Colin." We''ll come up with a spell and get you back on your feet, as long as you''re with me."


    Ah so now she''s sweetening the pot. Colin''s hand flew back to his cheek. This was quite the proposition. It was all before him, all that time sitting. Waiting. Watching. It was getting awfully old. He glanced back at Moira who had a big smile on her face, hands clasped together. She seemed normal enough, and if she could really use her magic to help him out. Colin thought back to the crispy gull at the bottom of the ocean. Ok maybe nothermagic specifically but it sounds like this other guy had a head to go with his shoulders. It couldn''t hurt.


    " Alright I''ll try this out just for a day." said Colin as he raised his hand with just one lonely finger. Moira jumped in the air. " YESSS" " I love transformation magic. Don''t worry I''ll bippity boppity boo you up some badass armor." Moira ran over and rested her hand back on Colin''s shoulder.


    " Woah Woah Woah what the hell was that." said Colin as he felt an odd tingling run down his shoulder.


    Moira waved her hand, dismissing Colin''s outburst " Don''t sweat it I''ll be back tomorrow once I shake down pops for some info on this kind of spell. Oh and that? Let''s just say I wouldn''t say anything about our meeting here or you''ll be in a little trouble." She stopped walking and put her hand up with one finger extended, and with a very matter of fact look on her face said," A lady can never be too careful." as if she was repeating it from memory.


    Did this bitch just curse me? I mean I get it and all if they find her they''ll probably kill her, but come on. As long as she holds up her side of the deal I''ll let her do whatever the hell she wants to.Thought Colin.


    " Be back here tomorrow or else!!!" yelled Moira as she zoomed past the wooden path.


    THUMP THUMP thump thump. And just like that, she was gone.


    Colin sat there for a few seconds. Before looking at the time. Dinner was going to be cold tonight.

 2. Jack of Some Trades

    Each step forward brought about a low creak, which was understandable, as that''s something old buildings tend to do. What was less understandable was the soft bellow coming from his left ear. " You got this Jack. We''re watching everything so you''ll be fine-" The voice was cut off with a audible shove from the other end. " DJ, it wouldn''t be his first solo call and an excellent learning opportunity if you''re going to go all hovering soccer mom on him. Just remember everything we''ve taught you. And if anything goes wrong we''re close, but you should be able to handle anything it throws at you. Now go out there and learn something." Canary''s calm stern tone was dulled by the yell of " Good Luck." in the background.


    Jack mulled over the piece of gum he had stored in the left side of his mouth, pushing it from side to side. Time to be an investigator. Now was a good of a time as ever. He took another step forward into the abandoned building. His arm outstretched was outstretched, clutching a clunky out of place looking firearm. The sleek black pistol was accented by several soft mint green lights lining the barrel. They called the Equalizer, and its job was to bridge the gap between those that used magic and those that didn''t. It was damn good at its job.


    He slowly advanced forward, ducking under a tarp hanging from the frame. The tarp tousled Jack''s neat brown hair and he absentmindedly went to fix it.


    Not right now Jack, he thought, it could be anywhere. His eyes narrowed. He scanned the dark hallway, it was lined with rows and rows of a familiar foe. Lockers. Jack''s locker had been placed in a very inconvenient spot back in his day you see, it was at the furthest point from his classes, not the farthest. Some were closed, others hung open and disjointed. Slowly they moved back and forth letting out a low creak from deep within. Not the most comforting of sights for a man on the mission, but it was time to press onward. The gum in his mouth began to roll from side to side as he glanced in every empty classroom. With each turn of his head in the door his gum turned in his mouth, faster and faster. The classrooms looked well past their prime with desks jumbled across the room and any sign of a school like the students and teachers long gone. It was more of an empty husk than a building now. What a waste indeed, that thought soured Jack''s expression as he moved on down the hall, this school was just another victim, throw it on the pile.


    Then there it was. A sound among the creaks that was definitely foreign, Jack felt the groan verberate down the hall. He drew in a deep breath, as he has already drawn his weapon. It was ok ok ok. The thoughts bounced around his cranium driving this message home. He had this. It was in the bag. The only thought was what flavor should the cake be for his first mission completion. Chocolate? Vanilla? Maybe play it safe with marble? With this false confidence instilled in him, Jack puffed out his chest and trained his Equalizer down the hall. He activated the flashlight and the hallway was bathed in a light it hadn''t received in years. The light gave a new perspective to the old hallway that brought all of its flaws from the chipped paint to the cracks and old wounds in the tiles. But most importantly of all, it showed the one thing that was most certainly out of place. Jack''s weapon lowered itself unexpectedly, but shot up again trained at the shadowy figure at the edge of the hall. For a brief second there had been a brute, a beast staring back at him. The eyes had glistened a pale green for a brief second before they had melded themselves into a much more familiar form. Man. The eyes remained a pale green as the monster became man. The brown hair, the green eyes, the smile on his face, it was all so human.


    " I''d stay right there if I were you." the voice pierced through Jack. Wasn''t that his line? Jack''s right eyebrow raised itself. You have the power here Jack not him.


    " That goes for you as well, Wizard." Jack volleyed back. But there was something attached to his retort, a small degree of uncertainty. And with that degree, the wizard smiled.


    " Well are we going to get on with it?" The wizard opened his arms, " Because if you aren''t going to use that thing I''ve got somewhere I''d rather be." The wizard stood there with a great smile spread on his face. A goading smile. He took one step back.


    " The building''s surrounded there''s nowhere left to go." With that the wizard stood still again. His face just beyond the flashlight''s reach. Jack shook his head. It just didn''t make sense.


    "Why are you here, you know it was only a matter of time util we found you. Why come back?" The barrel of the Equalizer dipped lower as he asked. The wizard let out a small laugh.


    " I''m just chasing a legend. that''s all nothing more.: The wizard''s eyes glanced at the Equalizer. " Doubt I''ll ever find him too." Him? Jack had heard the whispers. There was only one him whom would fit the bill. The man that had changed the war.


    " You''re looking for the Defector?" Jack pondered. " I thought he was long dead by now. Must be hard to live when both sides are hunting you down. That''s hardly living even if survive if you ask me." Jack added


    " That''s a nasty way to talk about the man who saved the human race wouldn''t you say? The miracle of the last battle or whatever you people call it. The wizard that came to his senses. Savior for one, the end for another. The stories go on and on." The wizard spoke with a matter of fact tone.


    " So what are you here to kill him? Take your revenge? Coming here was a one way ticket." responded Jack in a matched matter of fact tone.


    " No no no no no, I''m here because I want something he made, something that let''s him go by undetected. I''m sure that''s how he''s been hiding," He quickly muttered that last part." I''m just trying to use my power as I please. We all are, what''s left anyways." That power huh?. Jack saw the wrecks old and tired overlooking the harbor. He remembered counting all the deep gouges and twisted steel. The lines were at the front and center of his mind though.The lines and lines of names. The Equalizer raised once again.


    " I almost feel bad that you''ll never find him. " Jack had found his false confidence and delivered this line with a smirk painted across the right side of his face. His finger poised and ready.


    " At least I found the girl." the response bounced down the hall. A girl? There was no girl. Jack had never heard of the girl. Who was she? Where? Jack reached up to his ear. He had to tell someone and fast. Anything related to the defector true or not was something that needed to be reported. Would he be the one to knock down the first domino? The new guy? Jack''s mind was wrapped up, tangled pretzeled. But it soon touched back down to the landing pad. Was it a bluff? A trick?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The beast was back. It had taken the shape of the wizard just like that. The coarse black fur had taken its place right by the claws. The meathooks. And they were just mere inches away at this point. Jack instinctively raised his left arm high to counter the incoming blow. He saw the green eyes staring back at him for just a brief second. The eyes seemed confused though as they looked into his. There was no fear to be found. Just that smug grin peeping out the right side of his face and some thoroughly chewed gum. The claws rained eager to rip into the arm that had so graciously put itself in their pathway. But something curious happened, the claws did not get to achieve their intended objective. It was like they had hit an invisible wall, the proverbial hard place. They stopped in their place, they did not pass go, they did not collect.


    " How-" was all that slipped out of the wizard''s ghastly mouth before a great beam of green light ripped through his body. Jack''s right hand had been moving while his left had held down the fort, and the blast ripped through the body of the beast. The limp body hit the floor with a relieving thud. Deep breaths now. Jack unraveled another piece of gum from the wrapper and stuffed it into the unnaturally empty space in his mouth. He shrugged his shoulders while looking down at the rapidly fading green eyes below him and offered an answer,


    "Magic." Jack said with his right lip twisted up into a satisfying smirk. Slowly small flakes of the beastly body began to lightly tug and move as if moved by a great howling wind. They tussled in the presence less wind while beginning to glow a deep light blue the second they were free. The room was filled with the glow of hundreds, no thousands of pieces as the body withered away. Jack reached out as the wave of blue washed by him looking for an exit. They brushed by his hand, diving and avoiding his touch. The great glowing mass faded down the hall and rushed for any exit it could have, it flooded its way through the old dilapidated cracks of the building searching for a way out. Darkness returned to the room as the last bit of the glow mass was reunited with the gray sky. Jack stood there, his jaw unmoving.


    It was just as haunting as they said, watching that borrowed power return to the Current. Jack turned his attention back down to where the beast had once laid and crouched down with a satisfying crack from both his knees. He prodded along the empty clothes and rifled through until he found a slightly torn yet neatly folded piece of paper. He unfolded the paper cautiously until something fell out and twisted its way to the ground. His right eyebrow rose. Staring back at him was the face of a girl. The Hazel eyes looked back at him flanked by short red hair. Jack squinted as he tried to make out more but the picture was out of focus and blurry. He flipped over the picture to see writing on the back.


    Same eyes.


    Taken when?? By Whom? Must find out.


    Last chance


    Jack flipped over the picture in his hands and tapped it against his palm. The eyes rhythmically looked back at him with every upward motion. The photo looked weathered old. How long had it been floating around before this guy got it? A set of heavy steps clunked behind him.


    " That was some light show out there." Jack stood and turned, " Thanks-"


    Before he knew it the hulking frame was on top of him crushing him tight. " How''s it feel to be a hero champ?" DJ''s voice wavered with excitement. The powered exoskeleton of DJ''s armor only added to the force of his grip.


    "The only thing I saved this time was my own ass..." Jack sputtered out.


    " Hey that''s one important ass though." DJ set Jack back up straight and straightened out his crumpled suit. DJ stood towering over Jack with a different kind of suit. His body was decked in a dark gray suit of armor, accented with an emerald green on the angular edges. A huge rifle occupied most of the space on his back. His face was hidden behind a helmet, hiding the huge smile that Jack knew had to be behind the visor.


    " Drum roll please... now it''s time for the main attraction." DJ bowed his head and with arms outstretched Canary walked into the room. There was no heavy clunking of footsteps this time as the pale yellow mass of armor made its way to Jack''s side.


    " Not too bad Jack." Jack could only see his reflection in her light blue visor." Jack gingerly held out the photo for Canary to take a look. "So who is it this time? Who''s got the golden ticket? You''d think they''d give up after all these years. " Canary turned the picture over and glossed over the back.


    "Well are we gonna go find her??" quizzed Jack. " Listen Jack, we chase real problems like shapeshifting Wizards," she gestured at the pile of clothes on the floor, " not ghosts." said Canary


    DJ put his hand on Jack''s shoulder. " We''ll make sure it gets to the right people, don''t worry Jack."


    " I mean they''ve only been looking for 20 years, give them another 20 and I''m sure they''ll crack the case." Canary snarkily added. She had a point. Finding someone who doesn''t want to be found is never easy, and you had to throw in this person happened to have a steady supply of magic at his disposal. Jack''s shoulders hung down.


    Canary held out the photo towards Jack, " Tell you the truth Jack, who knows what you''ll find at the end of this trail of breadcrumbs, but I doubt it''ll be good." Canary and DJ shared a quick glance.


    DJ tagged in, " How''s it feel to be a hero? Who knows what that guy could have gotten up to if you hadn''t stopped him?" A hero huh? So this was what it felt like. Jack looked down at his hands. He hadn''t really felt that different until DJ had said the word. A hero. He could get used to this. " Just take it one day at a time alright? We need you in one piece for the announcement. Welcome to Spectral."


    " We''ll work on popping those training wheels too. Welcome to the team." She added, "Just try to keep that big head of yours out of the clouds for now." Canary walked off , her tattered tan cloak swaying with every silent step.


    Beep Beep Beep. Jack''s watch sounded the alarm. Ah crap looks like he was going to be a little late for his meeting.


    " I''ll catch you later DJ, I''ve got a meeting I can''t afford to be too late to." Jack took off running down the hall, elbowing his way around the swarm of workers that had come to inspect the aftermath. DJ waved after him, " Tell the kid I said hello." He bellowed before Jack got lost in the sea of suits.

 3. Do You Know Jack?

    Jack quickly shut the sleek door of the car and took a deep breath of the briny air. He was whacked in the face by the cold air, some things never change. Instead of taking some steps towards the towering building he instead walked through the park towards the sea. He had a little spring in his step that was highlighted by the dark gray backdrop as winter grew closer and closer. The familiar smirk grew on Jack''s face as he grew closer to the edge of the pier, the great wrecks waving at him from the sea.


    " Thought I''d find you here." Jack smugly said as approached the flannel covered boy at the end of the pier. Colin craned his neck the best he could before just giving up and turning the whole chair to face him.


    " You''re late." Colin said tapping the hospital bracelet on his wrist like an imaginary watch.


    " At least I''m in the right place this time. It''s not even worth going up to your room, hell they should give that thing to someone else." said Jack held his hand up as he took a few more steps towards Colin, " Now c''mon give your GBbro some love." Colin reached up, pushing himself out of the chair with his opposite arm. Jack''s right eyebrow raised.


    " You been working out?" He asked.


    " They just bumped me up to the two pounders." Colin said with a smug look, " They said I''m already stronger than you." Jack smiled.


    " Laurie hasn''t changed a bit, huh? They used to run me ragged but we always had a good time, still pissed she never cried when I managed to take that one step for the first time, like c''mon. I heard she cried for one of her other patients."


    " Pretty sure that''s because her other patient was walking down the aisle Jack." Jack waved his arm in the air ." It''s all walking , it''s all the same." Jack gazed back towards the hospital and instinctively lowered his arm to rest on the back handle of the wheelchair. He snatched his hand up before it touched. He had always hated it when people had done the same to him. The smile faded away.


    " How''s the feeling?" Jack asked.


    Colin looked down at his shoes," Still feels like my feet are asleep, but trust me I''m out here every day until these damn feet feel the cold and wake up." Colin looked up at the threatening gray sky.


    " Just keep doing you Colin, but it just takes time." The words echoed in Jack''s throat. They reverberated just like when had heard the same. Over and over.


    " Thinking they should just renamed GBS to the time disease, that''s all they ever talk about. Wait for this to come back wait for that. Just be patient, I know it''s tough. Well I''ve already been a " patient" for a couple months and can''t say i''ve got much to show from it."


    Jack stayed silent for a second. It all came back, trapped in a bed unable to move. A night terror without being able to wake up. That shitty Lindsay Lohan movie without a happy ending.


    " All you gotta do is cling to that little mantra, I''m the unluckiest lucky person in the world. That''s how I did it. Just by knowing there was a good chance I was gonna get better. A lot of people here don''t even have that chance. So it''s your secret weapon. "Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Colin took a deep breath. " You''re not wrong." Colin held up his finger. " At least it''s nice to talk to someone who''s seen it all before." Jack smiled.


    " That''s why I''m here Colin, I wished the same thing. And even though it didn''t all come back for me." Jack gestured to his stoic left side," Doesn''t mean the same for me. We''re all different." Jack pulled out the pack of gum. " Two years later I still chew this stuff religious hoping it will wake up the left side. I''ll probably chew this stuff till the day I die."


    Colin laughed. " As a wise man once said, just keep doing you."


    Jack slid the pack of gum back in his jacket.


    " Wintergreen''s my favorite if you''re thinking of giving me a gift FYI." Jack slyly added.


    " The only one getting a gift is you old man," spat back Colin. " with my presence, I''m a multimillion dollar man you know." It was true, those medical bills pile up. It had probably cost the average taxpayer a fair share of their salary to keep Colin afloat.


    " Old man? I''m only two years older than you. How''s 20 btw, wanna me to run out and get you anything at the liquor store."


    Colin crossed his arms. " Giving booze to a kid in a wheelchair at a hospital, some saint you are. Also, hate to burst your bubble but volunteering here doesn''t punch you a ticket straight to heaven."


    " My new job might though." countered Jack, as he proudly puffed out his chest.


    " Tell me about this mysterious job, with the cranky boss and her goofy partner you''re always talking about."


    Jack lowered his voice, " Careful she might hear you," Jack pondered telling the truth. Well he was going to find out anyways.


    " You''re looking at the newest Spectral Investigator." Colin laughed," Yeah right where''s your badass suit of armor, you forget it at the dry cleaners."


    Jack gestured at the dark gray winter suit coat and his tie, " I''ve got a suit on right here." he paused and leaned in closer. "Actually I''m the first unarmored Investigator, well not in the traditional sense. " He added. " You could say I''m their crown jewel for their new experimental program. The new face of humanity even. "


    "So you''re serious." Colin did not seem to take the news as Jack expected.


    "Lighten up I''ll still come to visit all the time." Jack reassured him.


    " So... you''re job is to keep the city safe from anything magical that''s found its way in after the war."


    " Well yeah, and and other crime we see, the core of an investigator is to protect the people from Monsters, Magic, and if need be Man." Jack lowered his voice for the final part of the sentence like he was some kind of superhero as he threw his fist in the air. Colin sat very still in front of Jack before muttering out, " So what happens when you find these monsters, magic or men?"


    Jack opened his jacket to reveal the Equalizer tucked under in its holster tucked under his shoulder. " Well that''s what my little friend is here, you can never be too sure when you''re dealing with any kind of creature man or wizard or whatever." Colin seemed to be growing ever more quiet. He was under a lot of stress. Jack took it out of its holster


    " Wanna take a look?" Jack held it close to Colin. " Bet this thing could blow a hole through a couple of wizards, even if they have a strong connection to the Current."


    Colin gulped as he looked at it. " Probably a seagull too." He muttered.


    Jack laughed. " Probably a whole flock of them." He put the Equalizer back in its holster.


    " I''ve got to meet back at the HQ now but you stay out of trouble now. Keep it up kid, you''re so close." Jack began to walk away making it almost all the way down the pier. He was almost back at his car when he realized there had never had been a reply to his kid remark. That was weird, usually he couldn''t get a word in without some kind of counter. He looked over his shoulder and zoomed in down the pier. Colin was still sitting there facing the pier, but now there was someone else there. He could make out a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and what looked like a black skirt. Jack smiled to himself. Looks like Colin finally had someone else to visit him besides this old man.

 4. These Are My Walking Shoes

    " Sup."


    Colin nearly jumped out of his seat. " Where the hell did you come from?" he shouted as Colin turned around to face Moira with a dissatisfied look on her face. She sighed, " What you didn''t like my teleportation magic? It''s my favorite, I call it..." She paused for a second. " My Shadow sneak." she looked at him with an expectant look on her face.


    " You''re lucky you didn''t get socked in the face sneaking up on me like that, you do that again and..." Moira waved her hands in the air, " Yeah Yeah Yeah you''ll run over my toes or something, anyways didn''t you get my message earlier?" Colin thought back to his oatmeal this morning. He has studied it for some time as it had several unusual lumps had vaguely looked like they spelled C U L8tr. Some message that was. " I think you need to work on your messaging skills need some work." Moira shrugged her shoulders," At least I waited until your friend left."


    Colin froze up for a second. Had Jack seen her? He looked back but didn''t see the suit clad individual. Looks like they had dodged a bullet this time. " Yeah good thing too, that guy is my friend and also, also ... he''s a Spectral Investigator." Moira''s eyes widened for a second. " Well you''re pretty stupid huh? Were you friends before or after he became an Investigator?"


    Colin looked down. " Well he was my friend first. He never really talked about his job or anything like that. Apparently he''s just about to start."


    Moira began pacing back and forth on the pier. Her high tops squeaking on the pier. " Are you gonna squeal little piggy?" Now this was rich. Trust between two strangers from two different worlds. Colin scoffed at this declaration. " Didn''t you put a curse on me?"


    Moira began laughing and tapped her head right by the temple. " The only curse was right up here. Actual curses take too much work, I just zapped you and told you some mumbo jumbo. Works every time." Colin''s cheeks turned a little red. He got played by this hyperactive bag of confetti. Time to salvage some pride. " Just wait till I look you eye to eye. Do you have it this "badass" armor?"


    Moira reached into her baggy sweatshirt pouch and threw out a black watch. Colin reached out to grab it but it bounced off and fell off to the ground with a clunk. Stupid reflexes were still dogshit. " Good one, lets just throw a watch to the kid recovering from a deadly autoimmune disease. Go pick it up." Moira rushed forward and pushed her face close up to the watch face. She held it up dangling from the strap. " You''ve heard of smart watches, now get ready for magic watches." As she bellowed out the last part some sparkles erupted from her opposite hand. Colin quickly slid forward and snatched the watch from her hands and put his other hand over her mouth. " Are you trying to get us killed?" This girl was crazy. Beyond crazy. But Colin bet she prefers "free spirit" to crazy. He let go of her mouth slowly and took the watch in his hand, inspecting the face. It had a large screen that was blank, all he could see was himself in the dark mirror.


    He looked back at her pouting face, " Sorry for interrupting your little spiel there but how does this thing work?" Colin jammed the buttons on the side. Nothing. This magic stuff was already getting old. Moira perked up from his question, " Well you see, minion, this watch is linked to my voice right now, all it needs is the password and some Current energy will go slamming in there for the transformation." Hm... So Colin couldn''t activate this thing by himself. She had him in his web. For now.


    " Why don''t I have authorization?" Colin quizzed in a cool calculated tone. Moira rolled her eyes and responded. " You''re cool and all but I don''t want you running off. I still want my partner in crime." So all he needed to do was string her along and some legs would be his. Easy. A nice symbiotic relationship, built on a strong foundation. She continued, " Also my dad''s not a big fan of me hanging out with outsiders, so he probably wouldn''t have helped me if I said it was for someone else." Who got out less him or this girl? Colin felt bad for this poor guy. Her room must be a glorified cage. Anyways, it was time to see if this thing worked. " Let''s fire it up, let it rip." Colin rubbed his hands together. It was time. Finally. Colin felt the line of goosebumps press up from his skin on his arms.


    " Are you trying to get us killed? " She asked in a rather poor impersonation of him if you asked Colin. The rush for glory had replaced the cool in the heart. Time to find that logical center, it''s all you can do in a situation. " Where else are we gonna do this it''s not like I can leave..." Just as Colin had uttered the last word Moira slapped her hand on his shoulder and with a healthy whoop, it felt like the air was crackling with great energy. This time the goosebumps that jumped out of his arms were not from excitement. Just as the last syllable left his mouth the sound echoed out to an unfamiliar location. Just where the hell were they now. Colin looked around and only saw trees sprouting from the ground. Throughout the trees leaves he could make out the lights from the surrounding cityscape. So they hadn''t gone that far, just to a park or something deeper in the city. He checked up and down making sure everything was in the right place.


    " Moira have you ever heard of personal space?" Colin said as he dusted himself off. Moira pondered for a second before countering with, " Man teleporting is just so fun huh?" Textbook deflection. " Where are we anyways?" Colin asked her. Moira looked around studying the surroundings. She carefully inspected the skyline, her eyes scrunching up, " No idea." She said with a carefree demeanor.


    Well she was crazy, confirmed. Colin was losing track of the number of times that word had passed through his head. He had met people on the brain injury floor that made more sense. " Why would you teleport us somewhere that you don''t even know." Colin felt the veins in his forehead slightly bulging. " I just thought to myself, send me somewhere private, like a forest and BANG. Here we are. Teleporting isn''t exactly a science Colin. You should just go with the flow or the Current rather." She moved with a slight rhythmic sway, back and forth as she finished her sentence. Alright things had taken a little sidebar, but it was time to keep the eyes on the prize. His eyes moved down to the watch. " Time to take off the training wheels and stretch my legs don''t ya think?"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    " Let me get into costume first, gotta look the part." Moira snapped her fingers and her hoodie''s teal color began draining and dripping off towards the seams until it was replaced by a dark black. The dripping of teal ran down mixing with her shoes. From the top of her hood a small object starting dangling over her face. The object grew and grew covering her entire face from view. Two eye holes plucked themselves as the mask grew to a light shade of pink. Her skirt sucked itself back into the seams leaving just the leggings beneath. An interesting design for a costume, " What are you supposed to be some kind of villain or something?" Interrupted Colin. Colin heard a laugh behind the mask, " Close..., Now it''s your turn." She grabbed his arm and pushed her thumb against the face of the watch. The watch sprung to life, the display lit up a deep blue, glowing brighter and brighter, Colin shielded his eyes from the light, but he was struck by that same crackling sensation from right before the teleport.


    His chair creaked and groaned under him as he was cloaked in a fashionable black mist. The mist clung to him before molding into an intricate armor garnished with gold. The sensation, was slightly uncomfortable to say the least, but Colin had been through worse. His skin crawled as the plates fastened themselves to him. He was pushed into an upright position as the forces slapped more and more armor onto him. Colin felt a little dizzy it had been a while since he had been this tall. But holy crap he felt great. This must be what it feels like to crush a dozen red bulls before an all nighter.


    Moira let out a low whistle. " I thought you''d be taller." Colin turned his head, " Very funny, how do I look? What''s the back look like? Colin absentmindedly began to turn around. His knees buckled and he grabbed out and pulled himself back up with the help of a strategic placed tree. There was only one thought that had imprinted itself firmly into Colin''s mind. I forget how to fuckong walk. It had been too damn so long. Colin wracked his brains. What did it feel like before? He was pretty sure he hadn''t changed up the formula since the last time. This stupid body that was stupid enough to take out its own muscle communication network had to be the blame.


    Standing was the easy mode, walking was hard, and supposedly stairs were the final boss. Colin thought back to the physical therapist''s voice, just what the hell did she say? Butt tucked in, Chest out? Lock those knees? Something like that.


    " Uh hello Colin anyone in there? " Moira was knocking on the chest piece of his armor.


    " Sorry about that, just lost my footing for a second that transformation sure was crazy huh? Think I almost passed out." Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Colin was nervously smiling behind his helmet.


    " Whatever, it''s time to fight back at the hand we''ve been dealt, it''s time to do something that these people think no witch could ever do." Moira pointed a finger accusing at the skyline as she made her proclamation to the heavens. Colin adjusted his position against the tree, leaning against it with his arm outstretched. " What''s that?"


    Moira cackled as she said," We''re gonna be the good guys Colin. Tonight we become heroes, people are gonna be able to see just how awesome we are. Tonight is the birth of the Wonderful Witch and her faithful minion, Sir Wonderful."


    Oh boy. The names needed some work. This girl can''t think of a name to save her freaking life. Sir Wonderful?


    " I think you mean sidekick not minion."


    " Same difference." dismissed Moira.


    " How about a name change then." countered Colin. Give him a few minutes and Colin was sure he could come up with something better. Scratch that, just a few seconds.


    " All name changes require a majority vote." Moira responded with crossed arms. Heroes always play fair right? Don''t you just love democracy? Now time to think of a name that could sway her.Sir Sparkles? The Magic Man? Might as well stick with what Sir Wonderful. Colin didn''t know what would be easier, getting her to change her mind or crafting a time travel narrative that didn''t result in a paradox.


    Moira reached into her pouch and began to shake up something in her hands.


    " Arrrrreeee you ready???" She asked as she revealed a pair of dice in her hand.


    She started chanting, the eyes in her mask glowing a deep radiant blue. " Dice of Danger, Dice of Danger, Show me trouble!" Colin looked on with a sinking feeling. He still hadn''t broken the news that he was basically a glorified paper weight right now.


    " Moira there''s something I should tell you..."


    Colin''s mellow interjection was interrupting by her chanting. " Dice of Danger, Take me Away!" Moira tossed the dice at the ground, a blue trail marking the path the dice had traveled. They rolled a few times on the dewey grass before coming to a stop. All Colin saw for a split of second was two skulls staring back at him from the tops of the dice. He gulped. He had that sinking feeling in his stomach. The kind of sinking you get when you''ve bitten off more than you can chew. The sinking in Colin''s stomach wasn''t the only thing sinking, as the ground opened up. Colin slammed his eyes shut as he tumbled down, all he could hear was the excited whooping coming from Moira.


    Colin slammed into something behind, he could hear a bunch of cans clattering to the ground. Crunch Crunch. Colin felt bags popping and chips getting crushed underneath his weight as he propped himself onto his elbow. His eyes shot open, his eyes were filled with a dim artificial light. Where the hell were they? Colin shook his head and looked around for something to pull himself up. His hand reached on the wall delicately reaching for something to grab. Finally, he felt the familiar shape of a handle and pulled himself clumsily off the ground. Slowly he pulled himself up and found himself staring at a fantastic deal of frozen dinners for one.


    " The Wonderful Witch and her trusty sidekick are here to save the day." Moira''s proclamation fell on Colin''s ears as he hastily turned himself around, sliding on the freshly mopped floor before using both hands to bring himself steady.


    This was about the time where Colin''s soul dropped to the floor while his eyes took in the scene. The register, the man with his hands raised, his eyes bulging wide. The ski mask clad man, and oh yeah how could he forget, the gun in his hands. That currently was wavering between him and Moira. Moira stood in front of the door, defiantly


    " What the fuck is going on here." Grunted out the man with the ski mask.

 5. At Your Convenience

    Colin couldn''t help himself, " Looks like we''re just in time for the masquerade party." He said with an eye roll. The man snapped the gun on Colin. Oh good one Colin, he had gotten too used to running his mouth since his voice had come back.


    " Just stay over there you funny... Knight... whatever the fuck you are just chill out. This doesn''t concern you. He also darted his eyes over to Moira. " You neither sweatshirt kid." Moira had her hands down by her sides.


    " As if, we''re here to stop you, and save this man''s day." She pointed at the clerk, who had started perspiring heavily. A strong sense of doom was written all over his face.


    " Wait a second are you some kind of witch or something?" The gun stood trained on her.


    Why yes I am." Moira responded sticking her chest out high. The robber and the clerk shared a quick look. The robber swiveled his head back around to take a look at Moira. " What the hell are you trying to prove anyway?"


    Moira responded with great ferocity," I''m here to save the day from people like you."


    The clerk and robber both started laughing. " A witch as a hero, better pinch my cheek I must be dreaming." The robber slapped his knee. The laughter from the robber stopped. " Say how much of a reward is there for finding a witch?" The robber''s response was met with the sound of another gun cocking from across the counter. " More than enough to pay for a semester or two." Added the clerk.


    " You were packing the whole time?" The robber asked in a hurt-sounding voice. " We can kiss up later, the cops are already on their way." The clerk had steadied his gun on Moira. " You tripped the fucking alarm too?" The clerk rolled his eyes and silently mouthed why me.


    " Just watch the big guy and we''ll call it even." The clerk barked. The robber swiveled and stuck his gun in Colin''s direction.


    Things had certainly taken a turn for the worse. Colin shot a look at Moira, who still stood defiantly at the door. This was not the time to be a statue, he needed some help, like right now. Colin straightened himself up against the freezer.


    " Don''t move knight boy. You''re not going anywhere." The would-be robber yelled at him. If only you knew, thought Colin. How far were the two? 10 feet? Maybe a little more? The end of the gun wasn''t helping him focus. This was magical armor it could take a gunshot right? Surely it must be that strong, it was magical after all.


    " Anything you do to my minion I''ll do back to you a thousand times!!" Shouted Moira, She took a step towards the two. " We''re just here to help? What would have happened if we weren''t here? One of you could have died!" Moira regained her composure. " I suggest you let us leave."


    The wonder duo pointed both of the guns at Moira. " Haven''t you witches and magical... things already learned your lesson we don''t mix. You can''t heal a scar like that kid, not after the war, we just lost too much." the clerk responded. " At least I know he''s human." The clerk thumbed at the would-be robber. These words made their way to Moira, slapping her across the face. She stood there humbly for a second, her shoulders dropping. You could almost see the poor gears turning in her head as they ran through all the ways she had imagined this day. The mask hid her face as she said," My dad always said the most important thing to know, is when it''s time to go." She turned and began to walk away.


    The two robbers faced each other for a brief second. " Where do you think you''re going?" The would-be robber asked uncertainty


    Moira stopped in her tracks with a squeak as the soles of her shoes hit the linoleum. Colin though his eyes were playing a trick on him, it was like she was shimmering. The edges of her silhouette were distorted with a deep blue hue. The room was plunged in darkness as the light briefly flickered.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    " One more word and I''ll make sure you never talk like that to my partner again. " Colin uttered in a dark raspy voice. Ah shit. Why did he do that? I mean it was tough to watch and all, cut the poor girl some slack.


    " Why don''t you come over here and say that, what are you attached to the freezer, some knight you are." The would-be robber barked back.


    Alright, asshole. Colin needed to choose his next words carefully. Colin felt his face grow red under the helmet as he spat out. " Wonder Witch! I need my noble steed to introduce them to my good old friend justice!! " Colin raised his right hand in the air. Moira''s sneakers squeaked on the floor as she swung around and jumped in the air. " You got it!!" She yelled in her usual bubbly voice as she clapped her hands. There was no way she could have screwed this up. The armor had to be bulletproof too. Colin was sure of it. They were supposed to be fighting villains, this armor couldn''t be just for show. Colin started rolling forward at the duo. He looked down. Roller Blades? Well, she had gotten the general idea. Colin ducked down as he barrelled across the store. The clerk saw the mass coming and dove out of the way. The would-be robber stood his ground and leveled the gun. He pulled the trigger.


    Dink. Donk. The sounds of the ricochet were like a lullaby to Colin. Now it was time to really get the party started. He rocketed forward His left arm outstretched, his right pulled back like one of those great longbows. With the gap rapidly diminished he swung out his fist squarely at the gut of the would-be robber. And he let out a battle cry, he couldn''t let up this once in a lifetime opportunity. With his fist and voice, both synchronized he connected with the solar plexus of his target, sending him teetering over the counter where he connected with the rack of cigarettes and vape flavorings. The bright colors of the flavorings and the reds and greens from the cigarette packagings flew throughout the air, adding a dash of color to the whitewashed store. Colin''s momentum carried him to the counter where he slammed his gut into the counter with a dull pang. An eye for an eye though Colin as he threw his arms out to steady himself.


    " That was AMAZING!" Moira ran up behind him. " You saved the day! I sure can pick em, right?" she added. Easy there Tiger, thought Colin. It was hard to avoid that twinkle in her eyes though. Then something dawned on him, " Where''s the clerk?" The two of them peered over the counter in perfect symmetry. All they saw was the would-be robber blanketed in various tobacco products.


    They shared a look and turned around to see the clerk backing up towards the door, his gun pointing at them. " Ya know what," He started, " I think I''m gonna just step out for a breath of fresh air." Colin began to push himself forward until he was stopped by an outstretched hand from Moira. " You can head back to the round table my knight, I got this." She stepped forward with both of her hands outstretched. Her right hand formed that all too familiar finger gun. Colin crossed his fingers, hopefully, she had been practicing. Her fingers crackled with energy for a brief second. Colin closed his eyes, now was certainly not the time to pray to the holy ghost. The blue beam jumped to hit the robber square in the chest, knocking him off his feet. The crackling energy leaped across different parts of his body as he collapsed to the ground. With a crash, his head hit the mop bucket behind him. Colin opened his eyes. No holes. Maybe she hadn''t killed him. Moira held up her finger to her mask and blew out the smoking finger. This would have been significantly cooler if the mask had a mouth, but at least she didn''t kill him. Probably.


    The sounds of sirens in the distance snapped them both back into reality. Moira jumped towards the clerk and stuck a finger under her mask. " What are you doing, giving them a wet willy? We''ve gotta get the hell out of here." Colin had already spent enough time in his own private room on government property, he didn''t need another room without a view. " Calm down, worry pants, I''m just wiping their memories." Her finger gave a white flash as her finger into the clerk''s ears. " The wet willy is a magic spell?" Colin skeptically asked her. Moira ran over to the would-be robber and with a white flash her head appeared over to the counter. " Nah that''s just because they''re both assholes." Stand back." Moira pointed her finger and riddled an electronic box behind the counter with holes. " What was that for?" asked Colin. Moira quickly pointed up. Colin followed her finger until he was staring face to face with a camera of the security variety.


    " I''m not a big fan of the paparazzi." Moira let out as she reached forward and took Colin''s hand. " Now it''s time with for the big getaway." With a snap of her fingers and puff of navy smoke, the two heroes were gone. Alone can of beans rolled towards the door as the store was illuminated with shades of blue and red.

 6. The Big Picture

    Jack grumbled as he took a sip of coffee. Make that a long sip. He felt the warm dribble of coffee running down the left side of his face and instinctively wiped it away with his hand. He raised his hand to block out the sun that had managed to poke its way out of the threatening gray clouds.


    Jack''s coffee jolted in his hands as an all too familiar slap on his back. " Mornin Jack." whistled DJ from just behind his ear.


    Maybe that''s why they called him DJ, this guy just does not run out of energy. Jack took a look at the lumbering suit of armor next to him. " So tell me again why we''re at this convenience store first thing in the morning? What kind of magical creature would hold up a Quik n shop?" Jack and DJ shared a laugh.


    " You''d be surprised." came the caw of Canary from behind the two. Jack instinctively stood up a little straighter.


    " How''d you sleep, Boss Lady." DJ said with a coy nod.


    " Same old same old, I''ve slept better for sure." Canary stretched her exo powered arm up in the air, her tattered short cloak flowing in the wind. Jack shivered. " Well anyways gentlemen time to get to work, there''s magic in the air." Canary brushed past them into and around the police cars as she walked into the convenience store.


    Jack looked at DJ, " Isn''t she a bundle of sunshine today?" Jack could only see his reflection from DJ''s visor. With a hearty laugh, he simply said, " You can thank me later." DJ formed in line behind the swaying cloak. Jack took one final swig of coffee before joining the duo inside the store. DING, the welcome greeting rang in his ears, Jack instinctively put his hand to his ears as he looked for a trash bin by the door to throw his coffee in. Then his eyes took in the scene. Looks like he wouldn''t have to worry where he threw the thing because this place looked like a couple of dozen bulls had gotten loose in a china shop. Cans and bags were splayed across the floor, racks had emptied their guts all over the floor. The place looked like Jack''s old college dorm.


    " Looks like someone made themselves at home." Jack crouched down, his knees creaking.


    Canary and DJ were muttering a few feet ahead of him.


    " Jack, what''s the first thing we do now?" Canary''s tone sounded more like a command than a question. This was easy, he knew this one.


    " Let''s hit the lights and look for traces of magic."


    " What did you read the handbook this morning?" fired back Canary. Ugh. It was too early to be clever, the fog hadn''t lifted from Jack''s brain yet. At least he had managed to ingrain that part in before it was too late. DJ''s flashed a quick thumbs up while Canary was focused on Jack.


    Well here comes the fun part. Jack reached down into his jacket pocket and dug out a small black case. He popped it open groggily and fished around the liquid inside. His index finger fished around for the lens inside and he tilted his head back and plopped it in his left eye. Jack''s face grimace as his eye rapidly blinked of its own accord. Wiping the incidental tears from his eye he shook his head and slapped his cheeks.


    " You get your 8 hours last night their champ?" Teased DJ. Great even his greatest ally was hitting him right in the gut. Wonder what the crow would have to say.


    " Turn your filter and see if you can see any traces of Current energy." All business as usual. The shade of Jack''s vision became marred in a monotone gray. Then bright blue. Lots of bright blue. Too much bright blue.


    " Ah, just checking in, the magic is supposed to be blue right?" There was silence. A strange silence. They were never this quiet. Jack turned to look at his two partners only to see them muttering to each other once again. Jack overheard Canary," it''s right... I just reset it...."


    Dj muttered back." They didn''t even try to erase their presence.... is this a threat...Maybe an idiot?" Canary muttered back. " A powerful idiot..."


    The two stared at each other. And then at one spot on the floor that burned the brightest. It was halfway between the counter and the door.


    Canary began walking away from the counter towards Jack. She breezed past him and stood in the middle of the brightest blue spot. Smack dab in the middle. The blue seemed to envelop her, take her over. She began turning from the spot, carefully scanning and analyzing the room. Her turn was slow and methodical, it seemed nothing would stop her slow revolution. Any common man would be proud. She halted, her finger outstretched.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    " DJ see if that camera''s real."


    Dj lumbered towards the wall, he reached up and without any rigorous stretching beforehand or strain ripped the camera from the wall. " It''s got some guts." Dj called back


    " Well then, let''s see if our friend suffers from stage fright." Canary approached the counter. Jack followed. " What about the guy that works here?" asked Jack. he paused for a second. " He''s not dead is... he?"


    Canary waved her arm. " There were two of them but they''re both fine. They''ve both had their memories wiped clean, classic black hat procedure. They couldn''t tell you what happened here if you blindfolded them. tied them to a bed spread eagle, and kept them in a soundproof room for a month."


    Oddly specific and duly noted. Thought Jack. Jack peered over the counter and saw the smashed remains of the security system. DJ lumbered behind him.


    " What is this a joke?" DJ laughed. Canary nodded in agreement. " This is amateur work at best. We must be dealing with someone impulsive, like a child. They thought this was gonna stop us, what is the Stone Age?" Canary held out her finger towards the burnt out security system. A thin silver like thread emerged from her finger, it swayed in the morning light that had penetrated through the clear windows. It stood frozen for a second, before diving ferociously towards the defenseless electronic. It wiggled inside the whole and branched out like a network of roots, all communicating with each other.


    Jack could almost hear them calling out to each other, found something here, try here! IT was mesmerizing. The thread snapped back into one complete piece and rocketed back towards Canary''s finger.


    " Video should be on your displays now, try to hold your applause." Canary said. Her visor was focused on Jack. Jack only thought of the eyes behind that thing.


    A grainy black and white video popped up in front of his eyeball. Jack jumped back a little bit. The stupid direct videos always got him. He saw the scene. A robber, a knight, some kind of small person in a hood, and there was the clerk. Jack strained, he couldn''t see any faces. Well at least they weren''t that, stupid they all wore masks.


    " What''s the deal here are they trying to stop a robbery?" Asked Jack.


    " Looks... like it?" DJ seemed to be at a rare loss for words. He seemed stumped like he was trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle with one a couple of missing pieces.


    " Wait a second, wait a second, that shouldn''t be possible." Canary voiced a loud objection. A part of the clip pushed its way to the front of Jack''s eye, it was the hooded figure shrouded in something. It was hard to make out from the grays of the video but it looked like there was some sort of wave of energy around the hooded figure. Jack could see the hues resonating from the hooded figure, it was unsettling, to say the least.


    " But isn''t there a Dampener right around here?" Jack let out, looking at the two.


    " I just checked there''s one right down the block, hell they''re everywhere once you get in the heart of the city. That''s why most of the witches and wizards stick to the outskirts."


    Canary seemed lost in thought. It was tough to figure out what was going on behind the visor. She spoke. " This young wizard or witch can make her own power without borrowing from the Current?"


    Ah yes, Jack had read up on this, this morning actually. Touche Canary. Well anyways, time to prove why they made you an Investigator, right? Jack put his hand to his chin. Time to give the neurons a little wake-up call. First, the facts. All the magical creatures draw their power from the Current which flows and ebbs all over the world, it''s everywhere and anywhere. Some wizards and creatures can draw more power than others, just like how some people can run fast or are blessed with the ability to deal with kids all day. But Canary was right this shouldn''t be possible. We made sure of that. Humanity that is, with a little help we developed the Current Dampeners right around the end of the war. All they do is sap up all the Current energy before some witch or wizard can use it. So how is this person using that much Current energy? What was the answer Jack, time to prove yourself.


    " The Defector was the one who helped make the Current Dampeners right?


    " That''s why his fellow wizards call him the Defector, Jack," responded Canary.


    " So he would know how to reverse its effect then," said Jack


    Alright I''m following you there." said DJ, " So he would know how to game the system, he could still use magic somewhere he isn''t supposed to... places people wouldn''t think to look."


    " This person must know him, he must trust them pretty dearly, giving them the key to this... thing... like that."


    " Or not." said Canary." The Defector is a calculating wizard who has avoided capture for two decades, while this person has given us enough clues in a few minutes then the Defector has in his entire life.


    Silence embraced the room with a cold grip. DJ broke it, " Sounds like one of my friend''s teenage daughters, she''s going through the classic rebellious phase right now, he tries to keep her cooped up but it only makes it worse." DJ laughed nervously, he was just trying to defuse the tension.


    Jack laughed, not from DJ, but for another reason. That had to be it. Who else would be trusted with such incredible power? Not a friend, not an ally, your own blood is the answer. He could see it all playing in front of his eyes now, Jack didn''t even need the display. The fights from all the hiding, never being able to live a normal life, until she reaches her breaking point and bursts into the outside world. Only problem is, things are way easier to find once they''re off your chest and out in the open. The Defector, the mightiest of wizards, the man hated by everyone, had a rebellious daughter.

 7. Live a Little, But Not Too Much

    The door was the enemy right now. Colin had the speech ready. He was ready to give a heartfelt apology for his actions a few days ago. The Investigators would barge in, the police, he could see the flash of the camera already. He already had his one-liner planned out. " You wouldn''t arrest a kid in a wheelchair right?" Hold for laughter. Then wait for the cuffs.


    Colin had kept his door shut, but he could still hear the hustle and bustle from the outside as nurses and therapists and the whole lot zoomed from point A to point B. The beeping had been driving Colin crazy too. Everything beeps in a hospital. Your room, the desk out front, the computers, the stuff in the hall it''s like a chorus out there. Colin had filed it under the white noise section but now the beeps were creeping back. This was clearly all Moira''s fault.


    " You ready for another adventure, my minion?"


    Colin groaned. There was no jump this time, no hair standing up. He had been expecting this. It had been a week of peace. Colin grabbed the wheels with a tight forced grab and slowly turned around.


    " You should knock before coming into a person''s room." He locked eyes with Moira who lay sprawled out on his bed, her feet dangling in the air as her upside down eyes met his.


    " This is a nice bed what is this made out of?" She asked as she rolled around the bed, " Oh wow and safety bars too!" She jiggled the railing."


    " I think its sand or something..." Colin paused. This right here, all of it. Was not happening.


    " Why are you here I told you I think we need to lay low for a bit. We caused quite the scene." Colin leaned in close. " They may be onto us." Moira jumped up from the bed. " But you were amazing my knight! I''ve never seen such raw bravery." She waved her hands around like she had an imaginary sword. "Such loyalty." Moira clasped her hands to her chest. " It was amazing! It was any 20-year-old girl''s dream."


    Walking. Was it worth it for this?


    Knock-knock


    Ah shit. Colin wheeled over and grabbed Moira by her hood. " Bathroom now" He gestured towards the circular room in the corner.


    " Ohhh I''ve never seen a circular bathroom before-"


    " It makes it easier for people like me, there you happy, in ya go." Colin pushed her towards the door and slammed it shut.


    Colin took a calming breath. " Come on in."


    In burst the lunch tray, the star of the show. Being in a hospital is kind of shitty, but being in a hospital with an accomplished chef, a little less shitty. The aroma of lobster mac and cheese filled the room and pushed out Moira''s musk. Much better. The door to the room swung back closed, but with it, another door opened. The bathroom door.


    Moira peeked out. " What is that?"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Colin spread his arms wide. " A gourmet meal, for me."


    " How do I get some of that?" She asked, her eyes consumed with envious green.


    " All you need is one of these." Colin pointed to his chair. Moira looked at the chair, and then back at the food."


    " So what is that Jill and bars syndrome thing again, what happens to you?"


    Colin laughed ah another person had mispronounced it. That was how Colin knew he was fucked. The doctors that had come into his room had all pronounced Guillian-Barre a different way. , "Guillian-Barre Syndrome is the name. Well, basically your body thinks the part of your nervous system that transmits signals from the brain to the muscles is the enemy so it attacks them. Then that makes it really hard for the signal to get through so you can''t move any parts of your body in really serious cases like mine. Some people can''t even open their eyes I''ve heard. So yeah you just lie in bed for months doing nothing."


    " Well, that''s not too bad," Moira added.


    "Oh I''m not done yet" Colin continued." During that time your muscles wither away from lack of use so you look like a skeleton, and you can''t talk because they need to stick a tube in for you to breath. And you''re probably in constant pain as your nerves try to figure out what is going on, if a stiff wind hit my toes it felt like they were burning with the intensity of a thousand suns, Moira" Colin looked her dead in the face.


    " Huh, well damn," Moira said her hands to her chin. " I think you need something fun to do, let''s do something fun today, no danger! Just a fun adventure."


    " I''m pretty beat I just had a few hours of physical therapy, they make us do at least three hours a day here." That part was true. The Guillain- Barre didn''t just affect his body either, it hit him in his mind. Even thinking or concentration too much would weather down his stamina. And Moira, well she took a lot of stamina.


    " You can''t stay in here all week. You have to come out. Even if there''s a nice huge TV" Moira pointed to the TV that took up a portion of the wall," And a room with a view..." She peered out the window, gazing at the greenish bridge that spanned part of the harbor outside. The water shimmered from the sunlight as boats big and small cut through the water. Sails dotted the water as a fleet of small boats drifted past," And a big comfy bed...that moves with the push of a button...." Her head hung down." And the delicious food..." She paused. " Alright maybe you can stay here but it''s time to burst your bubble! Let''s sneak you out of here, My heroic minion!"


    " It''s just Colin, my name is Colin." Colin said for what felt like the thousandth time." His head fell to his outstretched hand. Deep breaths.


    " Our next adventure as the Wonderful Witch and Sir Wonderful, incognito edition, starts now!" Moira put her hand on his shoulder.


    Colin quickly wheeled away, "accidentally" running over Moira''s foot in the process. Moira jumped in the air. " Hey!!!" She held her foot and hopped around.


    "Whoops! My hand slipped." That was a half-truth, Roundup and it was more like a full lie. Colin was not in a teleporting mood right now. He needed to reign this wild stallion in and take control of this operation.


    " We don''t need to sneak out I can just leave. It''s not like I''m a prisoner or anything."


    " So you wanna walk right after you ran over my foot jackass?" fired back Moira. Nothing like poking the bear.


    " Just act natural, calm and collected," Colin said. Wait. "Act how you think an actual calm and collected person would act, not your calm and collected." Colin nervously added.


    " Please, I''ve been doing it for years kid." Moira had begun moving towards the door.


    Oh no. oh no. " What the hell do you think you''re doing," Colin yelled in a hushed whisper. Moira was floating ever so slightly above the ground. You probably couldn''t slide a piece of paper under there but it was enough to be seen.


    " My foot hurts for some reason, so I refuse to walk, Colin." Moira coldy said.


    "I''m sorry, just make it look more believable will ya." Moira crashed to the ground, stuck out her tongue, and with a poorly acted and extremely over exaggerated limp walked out the door.


    This was gonna be a long day.

 8. Fly Me To The Moon

    The sun was struggling to elbow its way through the mosh pit that was a sea of clouds. What a tease. Is it gonna snow or not thought Colin as he focused his vision down to a more earthly plane. He and Moira had made it outside the hospital without any magical hiccups. Just gotta keep those fingers crossed.


    " What''s the game plan?" Colin asked with a not so hidden skeptical tone.


    " Let''s go to my favorite place, You''ll love it!!" Moira snapped her head back and forth, seemingly powered by whiplash alone. " The coast is clear." Her hand loomed on Colin''s shoulder.


    "Ah ah ah." Colin batted her hand away. " What did we talk about on the way down. Moira blew air out her nose. " Teleportation consent takes two." Now all Colin had to do was hope the message imprinted itself on the inside of that skull of hers. Maybe when pigs fly.


    " Where are we going?" Colin crossed his arms, power posing is a real thing ya know.


    " Just a quiet little spot, I go here all the time to kill time, we''ll blend right in I promise. Can''t tell you though, it''ll ruin the WOW factor." Moira began tapping her foot.


    Colin stared back up at the towering building. He needed some time away from the office. Colin began to hold out his hand, but it got stuck halfway outstretched for a second. What''s the worst that could happen? Colin held out his hand.


    " Let''s go before I get the right idea and change my mind." Colin sucked in one last breath of the salt-sprayed air and closed his eyes. Moira''s hand slapped his and with a dull sensation in his fingertips, the air around crackled. With a pop in his ears, he opened his eyes. They were in some dump. Well, an alleyway that was littered with trash.


    "This is where you hang out in your free time?" Colin''s judgemental eyes measured up Moira. " No silly, we can''t just teleport willy- nilly, This is why someone still holds the rank of minion. We''re right outside New Hope University."


    Aha college, well not just any college. Colin had gone here for a bit before his life had gotten turned upside down


    " What do you do here, you don''t go to school here?" There was no way she was enrolled, she couldn''t possibly have the paperwork or anything like that.


    " No no, nothing like that." Moira waved her hand. " I come here to learn just like everyone else. Well like most of the people here." She added.


    Colin had met his fair share of people on the one-semester plan. It involved a steady curriculum of drinking, partying, and skipping. The thesis was how well you could relive the glory days by telling random people all about your adventures at the local bar''s trivia night.


    " I''m like a super secret spy here, 00Magic or something like that," Moira said. " Every day I study how the average human, I''m getting scary good at it."


    Color Colin skeptical. " So you just watch people from afar all day?"


    " Well not exactly, sometimes you have to get really close to get down all the nitty gritty details, ya know your stuff you can''t get from movies or books."


    Damn. This poor girl probably got out less than him.


    " You don''t get out much do you?" Colin flatly stated.


    " I do now." Moira quickly responded. " Basically all my life is what we''re moving here, moving there, and I played nice for a while. Years. But one day my dad caught me sneaking out for like the 100th time he finally gave in and let me have free reign." Moira said proudly.


    We''ll chalk that story up in the inspirational category.


    " Aren''t you afraid the Investigators are gonna catch you? I''m sure that''s all your dad was worried about."


    Moira laughed. " I''d like to see them try." She gripped her right hand in a fist with a grin. " I''ve got a secret weapon." Moira rolled down her sleeve. Colin strained to get a look at what was underneath. It was an intricately carved gauntlet that covered the bottom of her wrist to halfway down her arm. Patterns ranging from dragons to wolves adorned the surface, but the patterns were interrupted by a crystal window. The window swirled with a dark blue gaseous liquid that swirled around its container. Moira rolled her sleeve back down. "Pretty neat right? I''ve got my very own magical battery. If anything goes wrong, no amount of "magical interference" is gonna stop me." Moira rattled off.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    " Can you control that much power?" Colin had seen her vaporize a seagull not too long ago. Moira started walking out of the alleyway. " Most of the time." she called back, " No let''s go for a walk... or uh a ride. Or a wheel, whatever you call it." Moira scratched her head.


    " Walk is fine. " Colin remembered his training. His arms flexed. He had never really gone that far off of his own power alone? He totally had this. They rolled right out of the alley and down the street. And there was a flood of people, the university had something like 20,000 people. Colin''s stomach dropped. He felt very conscious. Was he going too slow? Were people looking at him? His eyes darted around him and he saw all the kids with there backpacks staring at their phones. Some listening, some talking to a friend or two. His face was turning a slight velvet.


    " You ever take any classes?" Colin forced out. Moira looked down, " Nah, but I sneak into one of the big lecture halls all the time and listen to a lecture like all the time. I love learning new and weird things. Like did you know that bad money drives out good money? I learned all about it in economics, people just melt down coins if they''re worth more than their face value isn''t that crazy?!" Moira spouted out. " My next mission is to sneak into a party."


    " People do that all the time. Just act like you belong and they''ll let right in scout''s honor." Colin huffed and puffed. Yeah, his arms were shot. This was way different than curling the two-pound weights. This was an insurmountable mountain in the form of a flat and neatly paved accessible sidewalk. Colin was slowing down to a snail''s pace. He let out a deep breath.


    " You alright there?" Moira asked with her brows furrowed with concern.


    " Give me a push will ya?" Colin held his hands to his knees as he felt sweat dripping from his hair. He was probably steaming in the cold air.


    " Why not a little magic? I''ll hover you like a millimeter off the ground, no one will ever notice."


    Colin took a deep breath. " Go...for it." He was ready for a nap. Moira stared very intently at Colin. She closed her eyes and hummed a little tune. She lightly touched the pad of her index finger on the back of his chair handle. There was a small blue flash. Colin''s felt his field of vision rise ever so slightly. Then it kept rising. And rising. Too high. Way. Too. High. " Moira what the hell did you do?!" Colin hissed out. Moira''s face flashed a dark red as she grabbed his chair and slammed it back down the ground. Colin began bobbing up again like a balloon. Moira pushed him down again. Colin shot the nastiest of nasty looks he could think of at Moira.


    " Fix this before someone notices, Wonderful Witch." Moira had locked her elbows as she kept Colin pushed down to the ground. Hordes of college students passed by on the way to their next classes, thankfully they didn''t pay them much notice. Moira lifted one hand to smooth her hair. Colin''s chair shot up in the air, left side first. Colin gripped onto the armrest for dear life until Moira slammed her hand back down. Colin quickly dug his hands into the seat cushion and grabbed around desperately for the seatbelt. Colin could hear the ding in his head as the fasten seatbelt sign went on in his brain. Moira needed to fix this now otherwise there would be a floating wheelchair on the news later. How high was this thing gonna go, to the atmosphere? Would it stop? Well worst-case scenario Moira could piggyback him to his room. Maybe she could make him another chair too? Magic could fix this right?


    Bader. His last name was on the chair. Shit. It probably had a trackable serial number too. This needed to get fixed and now.


    Colin''s bullet train of thought was derailed by the sound of clapping. " What a cool trick, what''s the name of your guy''s street performance?" One of the kids had stopped and was watching Colin bob up and down. " Scram kid, it''s just an illusion." Colin turned to Moira. " Can you fix this?"


    " Funny thing is, I''ve been trying for the last fifteen minutes, so it''s possible I might not be able to. Probably. But I know someone who can." She muttered out.


    " Well go get him them," Colin called out.


    " I can''t hold you down at the same time though, but I''m pretty sure with some extra weight you won''t go up that high. As in, I''m really sure. Pinky swear."


    Colin rolled his eyes. " Just do whatever you have to fix this, quickly"


    " We just need a little distraction." Moira snapped her fingers. Colin rose back in the air.


    A great stormy cloud appeared a couple of meters and moved towards the middle of the street. It constricted itself and with a loud bang exploded into a shower of golden coins. Dollar bills also fluttered to the ground.


    Moira yelled at the top of her lungs." Wow, free money, maybe you can pay off your student loans!"


    The stampede began. All the attention was on the money that had mysteriously appeared in the middle of the road. Car brakes screeched as people, mostly young, but some old, ran into the road. Moira lept from the ground and landed squarely on Colin''s lap, her feet hanging off the side of the chair. The air was knocked out of Colin''s lungs as she jumped on him.


    " You know I can still feel down there right? The paralysis was only temporary."


    " We shouldn''t reach the atmosphere with a little extra weight," Moira said with a wavering voice. Colin''s stomach sank as they soared over the surrounding buildings. Thing is, these were tall buildings. They kept going. Moira clung to him and the chair as it kept rising to the gray clouds. Moira was only a few inches away. She snuck a quick look down and wrapped her arms tighter.


    " Teleport us out of here dumbass!"Panic welled in Colin''s voice as he made eye contact with some sort of eagle.


    Thing is... magic comes from the calm and focused spirit, and I''m not a big fan of heights..." Moira croaked out as she turned a slight shade of green. " Don''t worry...I''ll call my dad he''ll fix this..." Moira pulled out her phone and began to slowly dial a number." He''s probably going to kill you though."

 9. Reconstructing

    " Don''t even think about it." Jack snapped back to the present and saw his own somewhat pursed lips in the blued reflection. Well, as pursed as they would go anyways.


    " You don''t get paid to daydream there champ. Try to make me look good when we''re out there, me and the big guy did train you." Canary said with a sigh. Jack followed his own eyes in the reflection as it bobbed up and down as the car rolled forward.


    " Don''t they have like an XL for DJ." Jack stuck his thumb towards DJ who was huddled with his neck craned forward, his knees unnaturally close to his chest.


    DJ struggled to wriggle one arm free from its prison. " Just a side effect of the milk I drank as a kid. They really should have put something a warning or something on the bottle... I mean what''s the game plan?" Jack could no longer see himself in the blued visor as it swung towards another victim. Jack shrunk in his seat with a sigh of relief.


    " Mind filling us in there Jack?" Canary called out. Ugh. Some game of Whose Line is it anyways this turned out to be. Jack slid back up in his seat. " Some residents have reported being terrorized at night by some kind of supernatural creatures, howls at night, things moving, demands for money. Textbook stuff. Seems as if it''s the work of some Grims if you ask me, which you kind of are."


    DJ nodded his head. " I second that. Seems like small fry too. " DJ''s hand slowly clenched into a fist. " After all we fought for together as one. All we lost. And people think it''s ok to exploit that fear for a couple extra bucks." DJ patted an empty sword hilt at his waist. The hilt appeared to be both old and new, the sword was a dull black color, yet it still reflected its surroundings even in the absence of light. The guard was adorned with what looked like two upside-down scales? Not cool like a dragon, but more like the scales of justice. Fitting.


    Jack continued." So after finding no traces of magic at the various sites, we were able to trace back one of the "spectral" notes with a little "convincing" to a nice seedy location. A great place for a hideout, the only thing missing is the thunder and lightning." Satisfied with his air quotes, Jack once again slumped in his seat. The car slowed to a stop. "Kept it under time too." He looked at Canary," No Defector conspiracy theories either." DJ and Canary looked at each other. They stayed like that for several seconds. DJ tilted his head to the side as he said. " That doesn''t count right ?"


    " Oh it counts," said Canary. " He said the word." DJ threw back his head. " You just lost me 20 bucks kids. You couldn''t go one car ride without saying the D-word could ya?"


    Oh so now it was all fun and games when it''s you two, thought Jack. They had been doing this line of work for what two decades now? That was a long time. Too long.


    " So what''s this game plan?"


    " Well, you almost got all of it right you two except one thing. Usually, we wouldn''t be going after small fry like this as you said DJ but it seems like these guys have some connections. We''ve been tracking Grims for a while now but these particular geniuses seem a little more organized than your average con men. They''re causing a lot of problems for these people that are already struggling so we''re here to send a message before this gets any worse. We''re just here to round em up all up and give them some time to think about what they''ve done DJ." She eyed his hilt. " Now let''s get this done before last call."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Canary opened the door of the car and looked back in before she closed the door. " You two wait in the car until I give the signal. Time to put food on the table." She stood for a second in the cool night air. The sound of horns beeping and people coming and going did nothing to drown out her words. Jack expectantly looked down at her feet. She stood there for a second, and with a deep breath, she vanished. But Jack saw it this time. The feet were the last to go. If you were fast enough just like Jack, you could see that her feet were visible for just a half-second longer than the rest of her. Just like that, she was out of sight. SLAM. The cabin was quiet again. Jack looked at DJ, " You ever get used to that?"


    "The attitude or the going invisible part?" countered DJ. Jack thought about it for a second. "Both?"


    DJ paused for a second, his head tilting back. You could almost see the 5...4... 3... 2... counting down in his head as the private showing started in his head." Well, we''ve been fighting or fighting together for the better half of what 20 years now? " He rubbed the top of his helmet. " Safe to say I know her better than anyone and I have to say that woman is harder on herself than anyone I''ve ever met that made it through the war. There was a time when it didn''t seem like there was a future for any of us. But look at us now. Look at all we have. Now it''s time for us to be the best we can be so don''t throw away what was gifted to us by so many people. " DJ shook his head. "Lotta innocent people got hurt or wound up dead. We never forgot that. I''ll never forget it. But she always carried it a little too close to the chest. Tough to live in the present when you''ve got some old demons pulling you down."


    Jack was silent. That was not what he was expecting. It must be a sensitive subject. Time to lighten to mood. " Well, that explains why you guys sound like an old married couple every once in a while." Jack let out a forced laugh. DJ laughed back. It wasn''t his usual laugh, this laugh didn''t have the same hearty energy that usually came with DJ''s laugh. This laugh was short and empty. Hollow. " Once she finally fights off all those demons. One by one." DJ opened the car door and stepped outside. " Let''s get some air, I''m dying in here." Jack followed suit with the massive suit of armor and stepped outside. The cold air rippled through the poorly constructed buildings. The scaffolding zigzagged from building to building as partially constructed buildings and leveled buildings filled the space. But people still hustled and bustled in this wounded section of the city. The broken cityscape was filled with light and life as people came and went.


    People kept their distance from the car and especially DJ who towered over them. One small girl slowly waddled toward the armor-clad man and gave him an unsure wave. DJ returned her wave with a large silly wave that seemed to span across the entire horizon. The girl stood still for a second, a smile forming on her face until her mother reached down and snatched her back into her arms. With a quick smile, the girl disappeared back into the crowd.


    " How''s the air?" asked Jack who had silently watched the whole exchange.


    "A Little better now," replied DJ.


    " How much longer till Canary gets back to us?" Asked Jack as he stared down at his shoes.


    DJ scanned the unfinished buildings, looking from rooftop to rooftop. " She''ll be back once she''s scouted the place out or they find her. But I doubt that''ll happen-"


    The skyline was engulfed in a large explosion that lit up every little imperfection as the scarred buildings were littered with debris. DJ turned towards the explosion when a familiar voice came on the radio.


    " DJ, Jack, I''m gonna need a little support over here. Some asshole armed these guys with magic tech."

 10. From Monsters and Men

    Jack stood there among the crowd of people, all of them transfixed by the towering deep blue wall of fire that seemed to reach the stars. It lit up the faces of every insignificant soul wandering the streets and bathed DJ in a sea of blue light.


    " Hang in there, the cavalry''s on its way." DJ''s voice boomed over the radio. DJ turned towards Jack, " Time to keep the peace." Jack nodded. Still, the same gameplan, except somehow these thugs have access to magic. And they had used it to modify some weapons to turn them into weapons of mass destruction. Of course they had to wait till it was his first week on the job right?


    DJ took shoved his way through the crowd as it twisted and warped unpredictably around him. People yelling. People running. Looks like the panic had set in. Jack stuck to DJ''s wake as the hulking armored man cut a path for him. Jack snuck his hand into his jacket and pulled out his weapon of choice, the Equalizer. This thing would be overkill vs any average Joe. Hell, it was already overkill vs anything that had access to the world of magic. Jack looked it over in his hand, the faint green tint hummed back at him.


    " What are we dealing with Canary?" asked DJ calmly.


    The sound of bullets whizzing and the crackling of energy returned from the radio. The battlefield ambiance was broken up by Canary," Looks like there''s 20 guys here, some of them are packing some new toys. Watch out one of them has a modified grenade launcher that caused the fireworks show earlier." She paused. "Can''t wait to find out where they got them."


    The two rounded a corner and Jack was face to face with the offending building. Well, he still had DJ blocking most of his view, but he could see the blue light escaping from both the windows and the newly constructed cost-effective windows, also known as holes.


    DJ reached down and plucked the hilt from his side and in one fluid motion and steadied it towards the building. The empty hilt stayed there for a brief second as a cool breeze swept down the streets. Then a great valiant orange blade erupted from the hilt. The great blade seemed to absorb all the tiny bit of light that was provided by the stars and the streetlights. The blade was massive, it even made DJ look small as he raised the solid and sturdy looking blade.


    For Jack, this what expected to say the least. He looked at his own sidearm with a diminutive look.


    " Took this from some Wizard during the war. It''s gotten the job done ever since."


    The orange blade seemed to pulsate and surge as he brought it high up in the air.


    " That''s some trophy," said Jack. In truth, he was wondering where he could get one of them, but hey color me impressed.


    " Trophy implies that I won, I''d say it''s more of a reminder." DJ brought up his left arm and a large deep blue shield materialized in his hand. " Let''s go crash this party."


    DJ barreled forward and crashed into the unfinished building. Jack stuck to his earlier plan and followed behind DJ. The sound of gunfire ricocheted in his head as Jack leaped behind DJ with his shield outstretched.


    " Ah shit it''s not just that spook bitch anymore, back up''s here." An unfamiliar voice rang through the halls as DJ advanced, his shield outstretched. Jack scanned the room. His eyes strained every detail as they moved forward. The building was just an empty shell. It was all open space on the inside littered with scaffolding and other tools. There wasn''t much that separated them from the open air.


    WHIIZZ. Trailed tinted in blue connected with DJ''s shield from the corner of the room


    " Finally something I can see!" The shouts came from both the side of the building. Jack saw the shooter. He saw the smile wipe off his face as he stared at the hulking man before him. The man looked down at his gun and raised it again, firing a hail of bullets that rocked the room as they connected with DJ''s shield and exploded in a blue flash. DJ charged at the man, The flashes of the muzzle showed every soul-crushing expression on the man''s face as the hulking armored man closed the gap with every step. Jack turned away, this guy was not a monster. Not in the literal sense. Jack was alone in the center of the open area now. Not the best place here Jack let''s find our way out of this one. Jack darted to the side and took cover behind a pillar. The exposed wire and steel jutted out from the pillar wildly. A rumbling came from upstairs as several men tumbled down the stairs. Jack heard them yelling, " I can''t fucking see her even with these goggles. Screw this. It''s time to get the hell out of here."


    Jack''s grip on the Equalizer tightened. They needed a few of them for questioning right? Could be this guy''s lucky day. Now what to say...Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Jack emerged from behind the pillar with his arm outstretched. He delivered the most intimidating line he could think of.


    " Move and I shoot."


    The cluster of three men froze. Not bad Jack, not bad. Before Jack could pat himself on the back. One of the men raised his rifle and fired off a few purplish hue rounds. They blew past Jack''s head and rumbled through the pillar.


    " Holy fuck." yelled Jack as he dove back behind the pillar.


    " Hey asshole, what the fuck was that?"


    Jack heard the man turn to his other men," That''ll keep him busy. Let''s go." The men darted across the floor of the building, aiming towards the exit.


    That should keep him busy? He missed... Jack felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. A real sinking feeling, the kind the people on the Titanic must have felt. His head snapped around as he retraced the path of the bullets. They lead him to the earlier explosion that had produced a solid hole right to the sky. And highlighted in front of the moon were several published tinted objects that seemed to be getting bigger. Yeah, those were the bullets. They were coming back.


    Jack leaped out of the way of the pillar as the bullets crashed through it before burrowing into the ground. So what are these boomerang bullets? Jack looked at the purplish bullets embedded in the ground. They were quivering. Desperately trying to free themselves so they could take another pass at him. Jack lifted the largest chunk of debris he could find and hastily dropped it on top of the quivering bullets.


    The building was shaking and rumbling, and the fact that Jack could see the night sky had Jack worried about the structural stability of the building. He touched his hand behind his ear. " Building''s not looking too hot guys. Is it time to go?"


    " You''re still inside?" came back Canary''s voice. Jack''s stomach dropped again.


    " Just messing with ya kid I''m wrapping up with my friend here, get out of there." She barked. Orders are orders. Jack moved to put the Equalizer away when he was assaulted by the sound of slow footsteps. Jack was face to face with a young man with brilliant blue eyes, some of the best Jack had ever seen. The only thing drawing away from his eyes was the gun in his hands. The gun was emitting a faint blue glow near the barrel, you could see where a part had been welded and modified.


    " Think it''s time to give up," Jack said, his eyes narrowed. " It''s to pick your battle, and this isn''t one you want to fight."


    They stood there, only interrupted by the rumbling from deep within the structure of the building and the wailing of the sirens outside. The blue-eyed man''s gaze darted towards one of the holes in the wall, towards the back and away from the sirens. Was he even a man? He looked more like a kid if anything.


    " Drop the gun. It''s time to go."


    " I can''t. This is my ticket out of here. People will pay a lot of money for something like this. With this, I''m out of this half-finished rat ass part of town. It''s all I''ve got know."


    Jack held firm. Seconds passed by. With every tick and tock, it grew more obvious. Jack wasn''t going to do it. The boy looked him in the eyes and turned away, the rifle slung over his back. He darted towards the hole in the wall, all that Jack could see was the blue hue coming from the rifle. The young man was almost there. Jack watched as the night sky looked like it would swallow him up among the stars and the moon. The only thing ruining the scene was the blue hue. Jack squeezed the trigger. The green trail tore through the man and the hole. The young man collapsed to his knees and fell with a silent thud. The Equalizer lowered slowly lowered in Jack''s hands as he walked over. He slid the rifle off of the young man''s body and left him to lie face down. He didn''t want to look at that face now, he was sure he would be seeing it very soon. Jack walked out of the hole and followed the sounds of the sirens.


    Jack stared down at the man in the center of the road, bathed in red and blue light.


    " Where did you get them?" Canary asked as she crouched down low over the battered and bleeding man. The man''s eyes and expression when blank when she asked the question. He seemed to drift off in slumber before answer." I don''t know." " His memory has been wiped. Just the important bits by the look of it." DJ chimed in.


    " Could still be something in there that''s useful. Sometimes they don''t wipe the whole thing." Canary prodded the man in the shoulder. " Time to wake up."


    The man snapped back to reality and took in his surroundings. He weakly pointed at Canary." You... you''re that monster that was hiding in the shadows."


    Canary laughed. "Monster? Does a monster leave its victims alive? I had a lot of questions to ask so I had to be careful."


    The man spoke again. " You turned us against each other I heard their voices... but it wasn''t them. You were everywhere." He looked around. " I should be dead."


    " Well, you''re not. You''re just lucky you didn''t shoot at my big friend here he''s not a big fan of the man part of from monster and men."


    " From monster and men?" the man groggily asked.


    " That''s the official slogan of the Spectral Investigators, we protect from monsters and men. It''s always disappointing when we get the men though."


    The man laughed, a slow wheezing laugh. He winced with each breath. " With the way you fought, you might want to look under that mask for a monster." He said with his eyes filled with a mixture of raw fear and bitterness.


    DJ moved forward from the side but Canary motioned for him to stop. She reached up towards her neck and pulled her helmet. The helmet jerked off her head to reveal a pair of steely blue eyes and short dirty blonde hair. Her face seemed both old and young, what was she in her late thirties now? A long and thin black device wrapped around her throat like a half-snake, it was only present on the right side of her neck. She placed the helmet on the ground and simply said. " So does the monster live up to your expectations?"


    The man was silent.


    " I''ve seen worse." He said defiantly.


    A small light shone brightly for a brief moment from the device around her neck. She opened her mouth to speak.


    " I''ve seen much, much, worse too." When she opened her mouth to speak it wasn''t the same old usual Canary voice that sang out. It was the voice of the man.

 11. Terminal Velocity

    Those words echoed around in Colin''s skull for a bit. " He''s probably going to kill you though." Colin slowly glanced over the side of the chair as it teetered and tottered in the brisk winds. The ground was awfully far away. And guaranteed to be fatal. Maybe, just maybe he had some wriggle room with door number two. Moira''s phone lit up as she dialed the number, the dim green glow from her screen matched the green painted all over her face. Her stomach was begging for mercy from the distressing sounds that Colin heard coming from it. Well, soon that''ll make two of us as he wondered what kind of hulking supernaturally infused angry father awaited him.


    Moira pulled the phone to her ear, her other hand desperately clinging to the handlebar on the back of the wheelchair. Colin was so close he could hear the phone ringing. Once. Twice. Thrice. The dial tone droned on. Then there it was. A muffled hello? Was barely audible from the receiver?


    " PLEASE COME GET ME DAD I MIGHT HAVE MESSED UP A LITTLE BIT." Colin was unprepared for the shrill verbal assault that plagued his eardrums. The waterworks too. Moira paused for a second to let the response come in.


    " WHERE AM I? i''m STUCK HIGH ABOVE THE CITY. Moira gasped for a breath," My levitation spell was just too effective."


    There was another pause and muffled talking on the phone.


    " Well there is someone else with me, but he''s cool I swear. " Moira swelled up another breath," JUST COME GET ME NOW WE CAN TALK ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY LATER!" she choked through some fake tears.


    She hung up the phone with a confident smile on her face.


    " That''s charm not magic by the way." Moira promptly leaned over the side of the chair and emptied the contents of her stomach on whatever unsuspecting thing was below.


    Colin was unfazed. Mostly because he was more fazed from some earlier comments. " He''s cool? Are you trying to get me killed?" Colin threw his hands up in the air, turning their makeshift aircraft into a rocking chair. Moira clung on tight, her face buried in Colin''s shirt " We can worry about that later! He''ll be here any minute."


    The sky around them crackled and popped, it hummed for a brief second until the crackling gave way to a man. His eyes scanned from behind a pair of lopsided spectacles. The man''s eyes moved from Moira curled up with her vomit-covered face pressed against him to Colin himself. Talk about first impressions. Colin gulped.


    " Hi, sir." Colin sheepishly let out.


    The man or Mr. Greyvale just floated there, not acknowledging Colin''s small presence in the sky.


    Moira pulled her head from his shirt and let out an excited yell, " Hey dad!"


    " Moira. We''ve got some talking to do, about things." Mr. Greyvale''s spectacles were focused directly on Colin.


    " Save it for the ground please, pops," Moira called out.


    Mr. Greyvale reached forward and grabbed the armrest of the wheelchair. With a snap crackle, and no pop the sky was replaced with a much more forgiving environment, that of a kitchen. Moira sloppily rolled off of his chair and hit the ground with her arms outstretched in a loving embrace. Mr. Greyvale walked towards the table and pulled a gauntlet from his wrist and haphazardly threw it on the table. It was identical to the one that Moira had shown Colin earlier, right down to the mysterious blue liquid-like substance.


    Mr. Greyvale tenderly pulled his daughter from the floor and helped her to her feet.


    " Are you alright Moira?"


    " Never been better," Moira said with a smile. " What a crazy day!! Pretty soon I''ll be flying!!"


    Mr. Greyvale smiled. " I''m glad, you''re ok, but why don''t you run off to your room and get changed. You''re outfit''s looking shabby. And a little green."


    Moira looked down at herself." Alright, I''ll be right back." She started towards the door. " You better not try anything with my friend while I''m gone, DAD." She threw a look at her father from the doorway before scampering off.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Mr. Greyvale reached back for the gauntlet on the table and slid it back on his hand without saying a word. Mr. Greyvale waited until he heard the door safely close down the hall. He pointed towards the doorway and waved his hand, muttering under his breath. The liquid shone a bright blue for a brief second. He tossed it back on the table and turned towards Colin. The eyes behind the spectacles seemed to readily acknowledge him for the first time.


    Mr. Greyvale slowly dragged a chair over to across the floor. He stopped until the chair was a few feet across from Colin. He sat in his seat and took off his glasses, polishing them with a small cloth. Mr. Greyvale''s silver beard moved as he talked, " Why don''t you tell me about yourself friend."


    Very careful now Colin, very careful now. " Well, uh my name''s Colin."


    " I wish I could say it was nice to meet you Colin, but these days I''m not too trustful of people, with the whole me being a wizard and all. You can understand that right?" Mr. Greyvale finished cleaning his glasses and turned his sullen green eyes on Colin.


    " Oh of course!" Colin exclaimed a little too enthusiastically, nodding his head. " You need to keep a low profile, and sir, you seem like you know what you''re doing."


    Mr. Greyvale''s face stayed solemn. " So why are you hanging around with my daughter Colin? Don''t they tell you witches are dangerous?"


    A bead of sweat formed on the back of Colin''s neck. Then another. And another. He smiled. " Ah she recruited me actually," Colin craned his neck towards the doorway." Where is Moira anyway I''m sure she could tell you all about it."


    " Ah don''t worry about her. " Mr. Greyvale waved his hand." With that little wave earlier I changed the locks in her room." He noticed the look of horror on Colin''s face." Don''t worry Colin, my daughter is a very smart girl. She''ll figure it out in a few minutes, I just wanted a few minutes to talk."


    Colin laughed. The sweat on his neck multiplied. You could have just asked, it''s not like I''m going to run away."


    " Are you using her for her magic Colin, I can see why someone in your position would like a friend that has seemingly limitless power." The sullen green eyes stayed fixated on Colin, watched his every move."


    "Well sir, it''s not like that I swear she''s grown on me... these last few weeks have had their ups and downs but they have been fun. I swear." Colin replied slowly and carefully.


    Mr. Greyvale got up from his seat and put his hand on Colin''s shoulder.


    " It''s ok if you are. I won''t be mad. If that''s the case I can wipe your memory of this whole thing, and I''ll do my best to fix you up. The papers will love it, they''ll call it a miraculous recovery. They sure do love miracles."


    " You.., You can do that?" Colin stammered out without thinking.


    " Through magic, you can do just about anything Colin." Mr. Greyvale glanced at the gauntlet on the table. He walked away and sunk back into his seat. " That''s why I hate magic, Colin. All it does it cut corners for those looking for power. Maybe it''s walking, maybe it''s a weapon. The Current''s energy was our greatest gift and look where it''s gotten us, the near extinction of a group of people and the most catastrophic war the world has ever seen."


    " You hate magic? But you''re teaching Moira all about it?"


    Mr. Greyvale stood up, and spoke." Magic is all I know Colin, without it, we wouldn''t be alive, and I do truly hate that fact. But the fact is my daughter is a witch, and therefore every day of her life she is in danger from people. How is she supposed to defend herself, Colin? How am I supposed to protect her?"


    There was silence as the two looked at each other. The sullen old eyes made much more sense now. Mr. Greyvale got up and walked to the table and stopped by the sink. With his back to Colin, he spoke," The offer still stands Colin, if you ever want out you know who to talk too."


    Moira bounded through the door frame. She sucked in some air and quickly looked at Colin. She thoroughly inspected him and once she was sure that he hadn''t been tampered with she let out a quick sigh. She ran up to Mr. Greyvale who had started washing some dishes by hand. " Nice one Dad, you didn''t pull any funny business while I was busy with that surprise training session?"


    Mr. Greyvale turned his head and smiled." Danger could be anywhere Moira, you can never be too prepared, and look for yourself, didn''t touch a hair on his head." Mr. Greyvale put up his hands in a display of innocence.


    Moira wasn''t convinced. She stood there, her hands on her hips. " No curses?"


    Mr. Greyvale went back to washing the dishes." Oh you know me, I couldn''t help myself you can never be too safe. I just gave him the usual nothing too serious. If he tries to talk about you, or me to anyone his mind will go empty and he''ll be in la-la land for a few seconds. That''s all."


    Colin looked at his shoulder. He could still feel the spot where Mr. Greyvale had briefly rested his hand.


    " I''m right here you know," Colin said


    " Oh we know, well why don''t take Colin back to where he needs to be Moira, it''s getting late."


    " Alright, I''ll be back in a few," Moira said as she skipped towards Colin. "Well that was fun huh, are you ready to go?" Moira laid her hand on Colin''s shoulder.


    "I''m ready when you are," Colin responded. The room began to crackle and pop with blue energy.


    Colin''s gaze was fixated on the back of Mr. Greyvale, who was still slowly washing some dishes. With one final pop, the image of Mr. Greyvale disappeared and was replaced with the familiar setting of the pier and the great sunken warships jutting out from the waves.