FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A warm ray of sunlight streams through a window and into a hollow and empty log cabin. One lone occupant lies resting peacefully in a comfy single bed at the back of the cabin. The morning wind wakes the trees to the song of a beautiful day as it warms up in the presence of the sun. Lying undisturbed, the meadow in which the cabin resides sways gently in the breeze.

Still in his clothes, the occupant of the bed's chest rises and falls consistently to the calmness of his dream state. Many questions swarm in his mind as to what will happen in the coming months. Weeks, possibly years of training lay under his belt, waiting to be mastered so he can become the figure of destiny, of hope for an awaiting world slowly crumbling into crisis.

Outside the cabin, the birds sing their merry song as a new day dawns on the world, ignorant of their troubled companion inside. The trees whistle and sway to and fro under the soft and gentle caress of the morning breeze. The residents of the forest go about their day as they had for many decades, foraging, surviving.

A bush rustles on the outskirts of the clearing leading to the rudimentary built cabin. Swayed in elegant red robes with golden thread that shines in the brilliant morning sun, a tall and wrinkled figure casually approaches the log cabin. Dressed in a Japanese style kimono with a long and braided beard that nearly touches down to the ground, he walks forward, greeting the new day as he passes.

Unaware, the occupant in the bed sleeps away the day. With a sudden movement, he turns to his left and repositions his legs more comfortably. The figure in the kimono only chuckles as he continues to trek across the clearing. No time is to be wasted today for training, the figure thinks to himself.

The figure, recognized as Quin Shun, one of the ten Guardians of the Universe, now stands confidently in front of the wooden door to the house of his new disciple. He brings up a wrinkled old hand to knock on the door, his robes falling back to reveal more of his frame. More golden thread adorns the inside of his robes. Elegantly embroidered patterns make up intricate designs on the fabric. To the untrained eye, they would appear to just be scribbles, but to a master, they can only be interpreted by what one wants to see.

Suddenly thinking better of knocking, the wrinkled hand lowers down to rest on the door knob. With a twist and a slight squeak, the door opens. The occupant inside, now remembered as Colby Daniels, future protector of earth and tech genius in game design, only takes a deep shuddering breath and roles over to his other side, ignorant of his visitor.

With a plan in mind, Quin Shun walks to the back of the cabin and turns left to watch as Colby Daniels continues to sleep unheeded of the rather important day ahead, his first day of training. With a smile that raises his eyebrows in a quirky way, Quin Shun extends his right arm and in a brief flick of his wrist upwards, accesses his hidden powers. Colby instantaneously rises into the air, floating like as if he was in one of those horror films, still asleep. Quin Shun inwardly sighs and drops his arm, and hold on his power, on the young protector.

Colby crashes down onto the single mattress, the bed letting out a series of squeaks and groans as the unwelcomed object collides with its slightly rusty springs. Moving quicker than a flash, Colby awkwardly half jumps, half falls out of bed and onto the hard wooden floor.

"OW," I exclaim in mild confusion as to what just happened. Rubbing the side of my head tenderly, I carefully rise and slowly turn to face the perpetrator.

"Who di...Quin Shun." I say in surprise as my vision clears and I spot the shape of Quin Shun in all his wrinkly glory.

"Surprised to see me are you?" Quin Shun says while chuckling.

"Was I supposed to be?" I answer in more confusion, still holding my aching head and straightening my posture.

"Your training starts today young Protector, or have you forgotten your new duties already?" Quin Shun responds kindly, making it almost seem like a threat of sorts. What sort of threat, I do not want to find out.

"Training...Trai...Today? Then why did you have to wake me up like that?!" I ask while removing my right hand from my head to participate in the gesture with both arms forward, palms face up.

"Time is of the essence. Look on T.V. and you will find that the tension in Europe and Russia is quickly increasing. Unless you train, the world will enter into another World War." Quin Shun states in a grave tone.

"World War...But I don't even have a T.V. here!" I reply. "How am I supposed to know that? The only time I saw something like that was when I was still bedridden in the hospital when I woke up for the first time in months!" I say in a rant. "An...And... How am I supposed to save the world if it's only going to get worse from here?"

"You have friends don't you, rely on them, they will be your greatest assets in the times to come." Quin Shun answers cryptically.

"Friends?" I ask, huffing in exasperation. "What do you-?"

"These are trying times. We are lucky to have more than one Protector here." Quin Shun says mystically.

"You don't mean A-"

"I did not say, or will name any names as of right now. That is for you to find out. Right now, all that matters right now is the beginning of your training. Go get ready and meet me outside when you're ready." Quin Shun says as a request while interrupting me.

I just stare at him as Quin Shun leaves my log cabin, speechless. Who...how could there possibly be other Protectors besides me? Well, that could be possible since I do not know anything about how many levels of warriors there are. All I know is that there are Protectors, me being one of them, and Guardians who I know nothing about, nor what I do for that matter either.

Sighing, I turn around to make my bed, plenty of thoughts and questions buzzing through my mind at what I can ask Quin Shun. Once I am finished, I go down to the basement to grab some bread and a simple can of soup, better to not keep him waiting for long.

Sitting down where I was last time near the couch, I cross my legs again and position my right hand, palm face down, over the can of soup. I close my eyes and concentrate, looking for the same tugging sensation I felt like before within my mind. Surprisingly, after only half a minute, a trickle of energy enters my mind, much faster than before. Like a fish on a hook, I firmly grasp it and feel the tugging sensation within my mind. A little weary of last time, I open my eyes again and slowly trace the outline of the lid, sparks flying in random directions like a plasma cutter.

Satisfied, I dig into my early breakfast. I pause when I lift the can to my mouth. No spoon or bowl. Now how did Quin Shun do that materializing trick again? Hmmm, I remember doing it with a plasma ball, but that took too much energy for me. Well enough, opening cans do not take much energy to perform, maybe just a slight increase in my breathing rate, but besides that it's easy.

Shrugging my shoulders, I set the can down and take the loaf of bread and tear a small chunk off. I then dip a part of it into the soup and chow down on my breakfast in a different fashion. While I am eating, I think about who else could be a protector besides me. Anea...Does not seem too likely to be one, but, I just cannot dismiss the thought that she is hiding something from me. And Paul, he seems like a nice guy. He would definitely fit into being a protector of Earth, possibly. If I knew him better I could probably figure that out for sure, but as of right now, I have to concentrate on my training. I will worry about that later, when the time comes.

Once I am done, I put the empty can into the trash can near the door. I fix my training robes and take a deep breath, standing in front of the wooden door. With cautious inhibition and my mind on my sole goal of training, my hand travels down to the knob and twists it. With a small squeak, I open the door, revealing the nice and fresh meadow with the outskirts of a forest before me. My gaze roams the clearing, searching for Quin Shun. I squint as I try another pass, desperately seeking out where he could be.

I slowly walk out the door and close it behind me, not for one second taking my view off of the meadow. I suddenly spot a glint of sunlight reflecting off of something to my left. Looking over at the far edge of the clearing, I find Quin Shun, yet again meditating on a patch of soft fresh grass a ways away from the cabin.

I walk casually towards Quin Shun, still clad in my grey training robes and I have yet to obtain my training staff. Having to guess, it would probably be a plain wooden, ordinary staff just like my robes.

As I approach him, I can see his fiery green Ivory staff that's aflame, floating in front of him again. His hands rest on his knees while his beard flows down in a tight spiral within his lap. There seems to be a red/green aura surrounding his fragile frame, rising, curling, and twisting with a calm nature along with it. His dark red crimson and golden robes wrap comfortably around him as he continues to seem ignorant of my presence.

But I don't buy it. I start to walk in a right curve, swinging around to face him like when he was in my cabin. I am not surprised that much when he starts to speak even though his eyes are closed. Sneaky bastard.

"You have many questions on your mind I can see young protector." Quin Shun says with eyes still closed and staff slowly rotating in midair while on fire. It did not even occur to me to ask why it didn't give off any heat, or why the ivory and moss were on fire. It's just not natural. This whole thing is not natural, I think to myself as I settle down once more in a lotus position across from Quin Shun.

"Speak, and I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities." Quin Shun states.

"To the best of your abilities?" I ask confused.

"I do not know everything there is, but I do know a good portion of it." Quin Shun replies, making me even more confused. Letting that slip by for now, I try and decide what question I want to ask first.

I close my eyes and lower my head to focus on my thoughts. I had to have become a protector for a reason, nothing happens without an explanation. Quin Shun seems to know a lot of information, maybe more than he lets on. Still, I would want to know how Anea is doing, and if he can't answer that, then I guess I will just have to go on with my training. So, with my hands on my knees in a relaxed posture, I open my eyes and raise my head. I am slightly startled as Quin Shun is now staring right back at me, fiery green staff by his right side.

Sighing, I ask my first question. "How is Anea?" I ask calmly. Quin Shun looks generally surprised by the question but quickly recovers.

Smiling, he replies: "She is well, worrying about you too no doubt." Quin Shun responds truthfully. I let out a small nod then move on to the more serious matter. I take a few seconds to pick the best question to start and how to phrase it.

"What is my purpose, as a Protector? What am I supposed to do, after my training that is?" I finally ask after some hard won contemplation on where to start.

"Ah, that is a good question," Quin Shun answers. "Protectors are the foundation of our order. They are the ones that protect the planet they are on," Quin Shun says proudly. "Without them, we would be hard pressed to do our own job."

"We...wait, so, there is an order, more of you?" I ask cautiously, leaning forward while putting my elbows on my knees.

"Yes," Quin Shun replies. "There are four levels of warriors in the order. We have no official name, but we usually go by the knights of the white light, or, divine warriors of justice." Quin Shun says while twisting a hand in the air while listing off names.

"What are the four levels?" I ask curiously.

Quin Shun gives a small chuckle as I lean back into my regular posture. "Protectors are the first level. Weakest, but most essential. For every planet, there is at least one protector at all times." Quin Shun says.

"Why the weakest? Are the other levels stronger?" I ask in a sort of depressed tone. Great, I will get to be a mystical warrior, but be the weakest of the group. What luck.

"Patience young protector," Quin Shun smiles while chuckling. The makings of a low growl rise up deep within my throat, but I catch myself at the last second. It won't do any good to make bad impressions now, might as well continue and see what I can learn. "Yes, the weakest since they deal with the lowest threats. Still, they are powerful in their own right. And to answer your other questions, yes, they are stronger, considerably due to the rise in their respective threat level in dealing with evil." Quin Shun replies distastefully to the last part.

I ignore his change in tone and continue with my questions, mind crammed with too many to ask. So little time, so much to do. "What are the other levels?" I ask, still wanting to know who is stronger than me.

"Hehehe. Very well. I was hoping to only educate you on your level, but I might as well tell you who your seniors are. The first level is Protectors as I already said. The second level is the Defenders who defend the universe from more powerful threats. The third level is us, the Guardians of the (multiverse) Universe. Last but not least, the forth level is the Forgotten." Quin Shun says with an air of pride.

My mouth hangs agape as I take in the sheer levels of the other warriors. Protectors, Defenders, Guardians and Forgotten, how powerful could they possibly be? I wonder as even more questions come flooding into my mind like a bursting damn. I shake my head in slight irritation and take a deep breath to calm my quickened heart beat at the prospect of such powerful warriors. I wonder how strong Quin Shun is?

Finally calming from the shock of vastly superior warriors than me, I ask what they can do. "What they can do?" Quin Shun repeats my question while I nod in affirmative. "Well, it is somewhat hard to know where to...Never mind." Quin Shun responds as another thought hits him. For some reason unknown to me, I think it might be better to leave this unsaid, for now.

Stating my opinion, I change the conversation back to me. "So, well, all this is good and all but, can I at least know how powerful I might be able to get in, however many years it takes me to train?" I ask with a small tone of eagerness.

Chuckling, Quin Shun gladly answers. "That is more like it. Your training, Protectors training takes a few centuries, even a millennium or two to complete. Of course, that is a small comparison to how long you will live."

My mouth gapes open once again at the prospect of living like a dragon. Centuries! Man, my hair will turn white. I will definitely outlive possibly every human, by centuries! Putting together a half coherent response, I reply to the inquiry of living for possibly many centuries.

"Wh...How...Why does it take centuries to train? I am going to be older than everyone on this planet! Deciding on how many centuries, many times over!" I state in a rush.

Quin Shun just sits regally across from me, appearing completely calm, as if. Yet, he seems to know how to calm me as if he knows how I work, who I am. "Calm, young protector, you can decide if you want to live the full life of a fully-fledged protector, not that it won't stop your life from already being extended for a decent few decades or more."Quin Shun says in a soothing tone with an air of sweet serenity. How Queer.

"Ok, but, just how long?" I ask the patiently asked question.

"For fifty millennium years, small compared to what the others live for." Quin Shun replies politely.

Fifty millennium! "Ho...Why so long?" I ask in amazement. "It is good to know I will be able to pick if I live that long or not but, why so long?"

"Because, evil never takes a day to rest and neither shall we. Protectors live for fifty thousand years, on choice, and because of the time of training and the time it takes to master and learn in your field of training." Quin Shun says regally.

"How long is training?" I wonder, knowing it would be at least a few decades or a century.

"Hmmm, depending on the pupil, two hundred years to nine hundred, it varies from Protector to Protector. Once you complete your training though, you will then be able to decide whether you want to live for the allotted time or not. Another reason Protectors, and possibly you, live for so long is because Protectors do not take on apprentices until the mid-fortieth millennium. If one were to deny the longevity, they would be hard pressed to find and fully train another Protector while defending the planet they are on." Quin Shun replies fully, giving me a complete explanation on my level.

Done being surprised anymore, I just raise my eyebrows at the length of my training. Depending on me my ass. I probably should not think that way but, school is like that for some people, not me thankfully. Just as fast as my confusion came, it leaves to be replaced by a knowing smile. Time to train and, maybe if I am lucky, I can have even more cool superpowers or such.

"I understand," I respond calmly and collectively. "The responsibility of a Protector is to defend and protect their planet from anything evil, even if it means their life. I think I have read enough fantasy books to understand what lies ahead of me, but I think my fate was decided when I jumped out that hospital window. Maybe even before that, a year earlier when my sister left. I don't know why, but that villain I fought reminds me a lot about her, about her rebellious side when she was growing older." Closing my eyes, I can feel memories slowly coming back of the time when we had the fight. Vaguely remembered, I think it was over a boyfriend, or, one of my friends doing something with her, in a friendly manner of course. I can't quite know why, but it pissed me off to know what ever she was doing was with my best friend.

Smiling knowingly, Quin Shun blinks and nods his head in acceptance. When I look up from my day dream, he is ready to speak. "Very good, acceptance is the first part of your training. Embrace who you are, never let anyone tell you otherwise. Who you are and what you are to become are only for you to decide, not anyone else. Your powers have just emerged, but I can feel a great destiny awaits you young warrior." Quin Shun answers in respect of my monologue. There are still a lot of things to do, and I decide to move on.

"So, what can the strongest Protector do?" I ask, still curious to find out how strong I could possibly get.

With a grin that lifts his eyebrows up enough for me to see his eyes, he replies. "Hehehe, I think that is better left unsaid for now. The best journey of life is finding out what you can do, not what someone else can do. Find out what you are capable of on your own, which is the true training of being a Protector." Quin Shun says in a playful and intelligent voice.

Eye twitching at the evasion of information, I remind myself as to what the main characters in the books I read sometimes went through. People say T.V. is bad for your brain, but when there is a question or problem that someone knows the answer for and they saw it on T.V., the answer becomes debatable. Books are much more reliable, although they are just a figment of our imagination on what we wish to become. Now I think all that is now unraveling, everything mystical about the world will soon be mine to find in my own time. To eventually unlock the secrets of the universe, or the world at least.

"Fine," I finally huff in exasperation. "What now?" I question the almighty warrior, Guardian of the Universe.

"Now, your training truly begins," Quin Shun says. "You will show me, or to the best of your abilities, reconstruct all the moves and skills you used from the hospital to the bank and here."

I just raise my eyebrow slightly at the request. Suddenly noticing how late it is in the day, the sun being high in the sky, about noon time if I were to guess, I speak my response.

"Ummmmm... How long have we been out here?" I ask in confusion. Quin Shun responds by looking up and surveying the sky with his own eyes.

"Aye, it looks to be about noon, maybe a little past. Why don't you get something to eat and we will start fresh afterwards." Quin Shun says with a blatant air. I just sigh inwardly, wondering if he could have possibly used his power of 'time shift' to speed up time, just like he reversed time with the can of corn.

Nodding my reply once Quin Shun sets his gaze on me once more, I stand up and begin to walk to my cabin. In a moment of inspiration, I turn around on the spot and speak to Quin Shun once more.

"I...uh...Don't have any bowls or forks or spoons. Could you...show me how to materialize stuff like that?" I ask curiously. Not that I could not possibly handle it, I just skipped a step...or steps in getting to that skill or ability.

Quin Shun looks back up and twists around from his meditative position, opting to stay and...meditate some more if I had to guess. "Seeing as how the plasma ball exhausted you...maybe not today," Quin Shun says expectantly. "What I will do, is give you a charmed pendent, that, when worn and with the right words spoken, will materialize whatever object you have envisioned in your mind for you. A beginner's tool if I do say so myself. It gets you familiar with the process of materializing objects, gets you used to the flow of energy."

"Like the sparks on the can?" I ask.

"Yes, just like the flow of energy when cutting the lid on a can. Here," Quin Shun says, reaching into his kimono and retrieving a well-worn circular charm pendent with plain black and white circles within the frame. I walk over and receive it from his out stretched bony hands. I lift it up to look at it more closely examining the unique detail and worn edges of the pendent. Like from afar, it is just a circular pendent with yellowing white and black circles in seemingly endless spirals, kind of like Quin Shun's robes.

"Seems just like an ordinary pendent to me." I say as I continue to examine the circular pendent.

"Like I said, it is a charm that is designed to look plain, unattractive. The more powerful charms are a little more elaborate. This is what you will start out with." Quin Shun answers wistfully.

"So, I just imagine whatever object I want to materialize, speak some words and the charm will do the rest?"

"Exactly. The words are ancient and hold power all on their own. When the spell is activated, try to extend your consciousness near or around the pendent to observe the flow of energy." Quin Shun says.

"Ancient, like in Latin?"

"In a way, yes."Quin Shun responds.

"What are the words?" I ask.

"They are: Virtutem animus affero, then the word of whatever you want to materialize." Quin Shun answers.

"Ok, I'll be back after I have had something to eat."

"I will be waiting here for your return young Protector."

Looking at Quin Shun with a quizzical eye, I turn around once more and proceed to walk to my log cabin to get something to eat and refresh myself. After sitting on the grassy ground for so long, my legs have begun to fall asleep. I walk in a slight zigzag as I try to get the feeling back into my legs. Putting the charm around my neck, I enter my cabin and head down to the basement.

_ ~~~~~Alessio Giordano~~~~~ _

Midmorning: Same Day

The Humid breeze ruffles my smoky white hair as my cape dances the flamingo. Waiting out on this high mountain and stretch of land can bring back bad memories of the fight with the earth giant, but I have someone I have to meet. I promised I would help without fighting, and I will. Now, you're probably wondering how I got here so fast. Well, that my friends, is a trade secret, I think to myself as I wait patiently for the informant to arrive. I must be getting old if I am talking to myself. I probably came too quickly, but with the delicate balance of good and evil, you always have to be quick to respond to a threat of any size.

My brown leather hardened mountain boots firmly grasp the limestone of Heart Mountain as I stroll casually along the long lengths of its peak. My elegantly embroidered robes sway in the breeze as I peruse the Canadian sky line. You can truly see for a long ways on top of mountains, the sight is just breath taking. *Chuckles* I even remember standing on top of Mount Saint Helens trying to stop it from exploding. I did not do very well at preventing that, although I did reduce the force of the explosion.

I just became retired in the year 1993. With both Paul and Anea as Protectors, Earth is in good hands. Now with Colby training to become a Protector and evil on the rise, I may just have to return to duty one last time, not that I could not handle myself if it came to a fight. I can still take Paul on even in my old age. Kids these days think they know how to fight, well, I have not shown Paul all my tricks. It might be for the best, but, that kid, Colby, now he is something special, I can feel it.

My mind begins to wonder back to the past and how everything is now different than it was before. I do not notice when someone dressed in a dark blue/black police uniform walks up behind me. With a small smile on his weary face, he stops a few feet from the daydreaming Protector. After a few minutes, he speaks up to get down to business.

"So," He says in a mix between a French and English accent. "How are you old friend?"

Startled out of my reverie, I whirl around to my right and almost materialize my elemental staff, but upon seeing my good friend Robert Olario, the dark earthy brown mist vanishes.

"Oh! Hohohoho!" I laugh with a deep chuckle like Santa clause. "You gave me quit a fright there me boy! Hohohoho!"

Robert just blushes and puts up a hand while scratching the back of his head with the other. "I told you not to call me that anymore Alessio," Robert says in an honest tone. "I mean, come on, it's been like, what, twenty four years since I saw you last? Where have you been?" He asks while walking up to me and giving me a great big, strong man hug.

I just stand where I am as I continue to chuckle like Santa clause as we share a long and awaited reunion. The hug lasts for only a minute as I pull back and fix my golden robes lined with brown thread with various patterns.

"Took you long enough to get here." I say sarcastically.

"Ahh, that is because you have powers and I don't. I would like to see you climb all the way up a mountain with no powers. See how you like it then." Robert counters, getting a little jealous of the differences between us. Before it can escalate any further, I just put a big meaty hand on his right shoulder and turn him to the view of the far horizon.

"Yeah, I know how it might feel like not having powers. So, how have you been?" I ask seriously.

"Ooooh, you know. I am making do with what I can," Robert answers in a slightly downturned tone. I take my hand off his shoulder and look at him as he continues to stare off into the distance. "You know, I think the world is truly going mad." Robert says in a dejected voice.

"How so my friend? It is not like I do not already know that, with all that is starting to happen nowadays." I respond, trying to cheer him up from the cloudy aura.

"Well, after the bank heist, some kid drops down from the sky like superman out of nowhere. I swear, if I did not know any better, and if I didn't know you, I would have said that people are falling from the skies just to murder themselves." Robert replies in a voice of confusion. "Luckily, I let my second know what my decision was."

"And what was that." I ask in a curious tone.

"I let him go, knowing he was one of you. In fact, he looked a bit young. He was not Paul, was he?" Robert asks in a concerned tone.

"Oh, no, heavens no. Paul had already set up his part inside. That was Colby. He has been in the hospital for some time now. I guess those toxic trucks his father crashed into lended him some powers, although I did not expect him to come to terms so quickly. He and Anea were really getting it off. I do hope though, that he won't be too stressed or angry when he finds out that he is not alone. He will definitely be mad that Anea and Paul haven't told him" I answer, doing my best to keep him up to date on what is happening. I turn my gaze out onto the mountains while Robert then turns to look at me.

"Hm...Well, do you know he flew?" Roberts asks, unsure if I could do that too.

"No...No I did not. He must be special if he can. Only defenders can do that, well, except for some special occasions." I reply firmly, looking him right back in the eye.

Looking back over the horizon once again: "Like Thor and superman." Robert questions me in a peculiar way, knowing I know the answer.

Sighing, I respond. "Yes, like Thor and Superman. You don't need to worry; one of our Guardians is out there training and looking after him." I say as I return my gaze to watch the slowly setting noon sun work its way across the sky.

"Good, as long as he doesn't cause too much trouble or panic." Robert says seriously. I just look at him in a weird way.

He looks back at me and says: "What? You know I can't have a panic on my hands if an even bigger crime is committed. If your villain does something worse than this, than I need to know if he is going to know the ropes of being a Protector or not. I don't think I can assure the people what is happening if something so catastrophic were to occur." Robert says to me in an accusing tone.

"Oh, I understand," I reply while putting my hands up innocently. "I am sure the Guardian is training him well. He won't be doing anything other than training at least for a few months or years, and if he does, Paul can fix it like he has done for every major cover up or stressful relationship within the U.S."

Robert nods his head, satisfied. Sighing, I then ask the question I came here to find out. "Where is she?" I ask curiously, dreading the answer.

"Gone, Poof, Vanished, Vamoose." Robert answers in one word descriptions, telling me what happened.

"Where?" I ask nervously, tilting my head to one side.

"How should I know? She just stood up, made fun of Ken, and before squad six could fire a shot, she twirled her cape and simply vanished from what Ken has told my. I have no idea where should could be." Robert answers regretfully. Turning away, I storm off farther down to the right of the mountain, moving fast to blow off some steam with a faint trail of limestone dust billowing in my wake.

Not expecting the silent outburst, Robert stands still with his mouth agape before he jogs to catch up to me in my furious pace. Knowing better than to disturb me, he asks a question anyways. "What now?"

"How should I know, I am retired." I reply in a monotone while continuing to trudge across the top of Heart Mountain. Robert stops dead in his tracks as he hears me say those three words.

"Re-Retired?" Robert says in a whisper. He then jogs back up to me to keep up with my mad pace. Even just walking, I can outlast any speed walker for hours, though my stamina is not what is used to be anymore.

"I am sorry Alessio, but I did not know you were retired. The last I heard was that you had suffered some internal bleeding and temporary memory loss after Mount Saint Helens." Robert says sincerely, desperately trying to get me out of my mood.

It sort of works as I slow down enough so that he does not have to jog back up to me every few steps. As we eventually reach the far edge of the mountain, I clench up my hands into tight fists. Raising my right arm high while screaming, I punch straight downwards to vent out my frustration. Lost...Again!

The whole mountain trembles as the shattering impact almost knocks Robert off his feet. He struggles to stay upright as I remain in my kneeling position, teeth clenched in failure. Sediment and medium sized rocks roll down the mountainside as the vibrations run for a few miles across the open land before fading.

"Not...Again..." I huff as I wait patiently to catch my breath.

Once Robert regains his balance and the shaking stops, he crouches down next to me as I breathe heavily with my eyes shut tight and teeth groaning under the pressure of my clenched muscles. I am sure getting old. I used to run for miles across the land, across states without even getting winded, now look at me.

Whispering my name in concern, Robert waits till I calm down enough. "Alessio. I apologize for angering you, but we must do something. The information is mine to give, and give I shall." Robert says consolingly.

Giving a small nod of understanding, I lower myself down onto the dusty limestone and sediment of Heart Mountain in Alberta Canada. I cross my legs and rest my big meaty hands on my knees in a calm and relaxed posture. While in this position, Robert speaks again, getting down to the serious business of the meeting.

"It seems all is not doing so well nowadays my dear Alessio." Robert says in a joking manner.

"What else is new?" I reply calmly and quietly, achieving my meditative center within my mind.

"The terrorists have started grouping again, off in the Far East. The production of resurrected dinosaurs has also come to a halt, and they seem to have vanished too, my own informant says in Russia. He can't seem to find out why, but I know they are starting something we may not like." Robert says frighteningly.

With a deep, drawn out breath, I open my eyes and look to my left to see Robert with a caring hand on my shoulder; never even felt it. _Man am I getting old._Chuckling, I think up of what we could possibly do to create a sufficient defense before they launch their attack, whenever it is.

"I see," I respond warily, quietly breathing in and out, searching for a method to stop all this madness. "Let's see...I am with you talking about plans. Anea and Paul are off to Phoenix Arizona to get some much needed materials..."

"Wait," Robert says interrupting me. "Materials? What kind of materials?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you." I answer sincerely.

"Aaaaaah." Robert wines just like a child while plopping back onto his butt with a soft thud behind me. I just get back to my train of thought. If you ever heard a kid begging for a toy, it's even funnier when a grown up man, past the age of fifty, wines while he comes from Alberta Canada with a cross accent between French and English, its cracks you up. Chuckling at his childness, I get back to the serious stuff.

"Now, where was I...?" I say as I try to remember where I was. Damn memory.

"Anea and Paul are off to Phoenix to get some certain materials?" Robert says, hoping to jog my memory.

"Oh, oh right, yes, sorry. Anyway, we also don't know where our villain is, which will become problematic if we don't find her soon." I say nervously.

"Leave that to me. I am sure my right hand man won't mind taking a side job as investigator." Robert says consolingly.

"Really? Thank you Robert. We can always count on you when something goes wrong." I say in pure friendship spirit.

"You're welcome old friend. It was you who rescued me from the streets all that time ago, don't you remember?" Robert says questioningly.

"Uuuuhm.... I probably don't, but I do remember picking up some scrawny kid with a hat too big for his head." I respond jokingly.

"Hey! I resent the hat now. It was the only thing weighing me down. Seemed like wherever I went, that hat somehow ended back up in my possession, killed my parents too, wherever it came from." Robert says while crossing his arms and making a pouting face.

"Hahahahaha. Now there's a sight to see. Hey, why don't you let me give you a ride back to Boston, eh?" I say in a mocking accent and a pretty good one too.

His face lights up in apprehension at the prospect of traveling with me. His eyes go wide while his eyebrows rise up to nearly touch his hair. "You wouldn't" He says in mock anger.

Too late. I rise up quickly and grab onto his right arm which is still crossed. "No nonononononononono!" He says futily while I pull him up with my superior strength and start to run to the edge of the mountain.

I just smile and laugh the whole way. My golden clad robes change and melt away to reveal more of my bare chest. My smoky white hair elongates and shifts to a pure stark white while I grow a short and wavy beard that travels all the way around my chin. A mustache also appears on my face the same stark white as my hair, beard and eyebrows. Dark grey blue pants replace my other pants as custom fitted knee guards materialize over my knees. With the face of a Buddhist monk and two rings sticking out the far sides of its nose, four metal straps wrap around my now muscular chest to join in the front.

Ancient designs forgotten to history travel up from my back, two metal straps swing beneath my arms to then swerve back up to meet the other two straps which went over my shoulders. The top pair is wider then there lower counter parts and has a strip of golden colored metal along with it.

Once joined, they form a small shield of sorts. Silver and gold adorn the shield as intricate and ancient designs curl out from the orange circular metal button near the top. Two other, smaller circles appear just a little below the halfway point, representing two glowing eyes the same color as the above circle.

As my strides get longer, Robert reluctantly speeds up to prevent injury to both of us. A nice and elaborate Celtic cape flows around my waist. Dark green/blue with a fuzzy golden outlining appears as we rapidly approach the edge of Heart Mountain. A high guard forms on my right hip, just like a batter wears shin protection, or a lancer wears extra shoulder armor. Brown scales like that of a dragons flow partly down and onto my waist cape, turning silver as they progress.

Nearing the edge, I activate my hidden powers and spring forth from the edge of the mountain. Robert just hangs on tight as we free fall through the sky. Soon, a pair of metallic wings burst forth from my back as we get closer and closer to the hard compact ground.

Shaped like real wings yet metallic, the ancient designs and swirling patterns adorning the wings glow softly and hum in a deep thrum. I close my eyes as we impact the ground. There is no sound though as Robert and I pass right through the ground and into another plane of reality, the joys of Earth Travel.

Instead of crashing into the ground, we pass through it like a droplet of water hitting a puddle. I straighten out my path as we head directly beneath the ground, within the crust of the earth. The scenery that greets us is like that of a glitched out map where you travel beneath the ground and see for miles around. A faintly glowing dark red/orange can be seen far, far below, the Earth's core. Everything else is black with a faint white light ahead lighting the way. The ground above speeds by at supernatural speeds, far surpassing that of a plane.

The only down side to Earth Travel, is the side effects. Not long after we enter the new world of underground, round metal bombs start to appear seemingly at random. I hear nothing from Robert as he has his eyes closed, good choice. As time moves on, I dodge and weave through the minefield of increasing difficulty. Soon, weird images start to flash before my eyes and around me as we now pass the border of Canada and close in on Bismarck, North-West of Minneapolis.

The images are a combination of past memories and scary pictures that would make a grown man scream in terror, but not me. I ignore my surroundings and head straight for the headquarters of the Boston police force. The ability to drown out the bad memories and scary images was achieved when I reached my meditative spot within my mind a while ago. Some Protectors take a while to enter that Zen like mod, but when you're as old as me, with both the perks and effects of old age, you learn how to do it fast and efficiently.

After an hour or two, the light that first shown far ahead now shines like a candle at the end of a dark hallway. I speed up while the runes on my metallic wings grow slightly brighter. I close my eyes and twist downwards so my pair of six pack abs and muscular chest faces the surface of the ground. I then dive straight down like a jet pilot would do to increase their speed. Not getting too close to the center of the earth, I then turn back around and head straight up with Robert Olario faithfully holding onto my strong meaty hand; as if I would let such a good friend die down here.

We pop up in a small park somewhere in Boston. The ground ripples again like a droplet hitting a puddle. I use my powers again to generate a strong wind current to lower us slowly to the ground. By the time we land, my clothing had gone back to that of my plain chief's outfit as well as my hair, beard and mustache disappearing along with it.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now Robert." I say while releasing his hand. Robert gradually opens his eyes to the scene of a setting sun in a random park somewhere in Boston. Sighing, he turns to me and voices his opinion.

"You know I don't like that as much as I did when I was younger, you know that?" Robert says questioningly.

"Hehehe, yes, I know." I respond.

"Then why did you do it?" He replies.

"It would have taken you a lot longer to have returned would it not?" I ask.

"I...uhh...*Sigh* Yes, your right. It probably would have taken me longer than this to return. Now that I am here, thank you. I must now inform Ken of his new assignment, to find out what he can in Russia." Robert says proudly.

"You sure are proud of that boy aren't you?" I say mockingly.

"Ahh...n-no...no, I am not!" Robert exclaims hastily, waving his hands back in forth frantically in denial. I just laugh while he looks embarrassed once again.

"No worries, I know he will turn into a fine officer one day." I say in appreciation.

"Thanks Alessio. I got to get going, the boys will wonder where I have been." Robert says in farewell as he starts to walk away and towards the edge of the park.

"Aye! Me too. I have some work to do before those two get back to ruin my day." I reply in a fun manner.

"See you soon old friend, and don't keep me waiting so long this time, Ok?" Robert says playfully, looking back over his shoulder.

"Aye, you can count on that. Might need to replace you on the front lines instead of me if things get too ugly." I say in retort.

"I wouldn't stand a chance against those dinosaurs, nor would ten, or ten thousand men from the news I have heard." Robert starts to shout across the distance forming between us. Shocked, I jog up to him to find out what else he knows.

"Wouldn't stand a... What else aren't you telling me Robert?" I ask, stopping him from going any further by placing one of my large hands on his right shoulder.

"Uuuh," He says in hesitation while turning around. "Well, let's just say if we don't create something of our own soon from that toxin, it's going to be us that are going to be extinct, not the dinosaurs." Robert says gravely.

"And why is that." I ask curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"I traveled there a few times, to meet with my informant. The reports that came back, oh, the reports!" Robert says in distress while raising his hands in defeat. "Hardened scaled reptiles, razor sharp talons, killer instincts, bigger intelligence and a sharp wit. Alessio, we are doomed if Anea and Paul aren't back soon." Robert says half psychotically while putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Whoa, ok, ok. Hold on. We will get through this together, I promise." I respond as I stop Robert from shaking me and hold him still. "Colby will return as soon as he can, we will break the news as fast as we can, and we will prevail, because we have a Guardian on our side." I say, trying to calm Robert from entering insanity.

Robert breaths deeply as he rests from his outburst. "Ha...Ha...You're...Your right. I will see what is going on in Russia myself. I will be careful, don't worry. I will still bring Ken along with me, we will find out if there are any weak spots in those dinosaurs." Robert replies now calm enough for me to let him go. I quickly scan around to see if anybody saw us, luckily, no one did; the forest giving us the cover we needed to arrive without detection.

"Ok, go, but be careful. I will travel to our installation up north and help with the experiments. I will leave a note for Anea and Paul telling them where I have gone. They won't like it, but we need whatever we can get our hands on, and fast. How long do you think we have?" I ask cautiously.

"Uhh, I don't know, maybe a year, a decade, nothing more. With the rate the terrorists are gathering, we won't have much time." Robert replies, unsure when it will be.

Thankful yet fearful we won't have enough time, I think up of backup plans. "Ok, when you're done with your investigation, go to Harold Parker State Forest; bring that medallion I gave you. Leave a note telling the Guardian everything that is going on. Hopefully, he will either speed up Colby's training, if he is up for it, or move him somewhere safer, hopefully the latter because we don't have much time either way. Prepare yourself my friend; this world is going to war sooner or later."