It was a cold winter evening, as a snowstorm raged outside a large log cabin on a rocky mountaintop. Snow piled endlessly on the roof of the house glistening a crystal white, untouched and pure.
"Are ye finished with that old thing yet?" An old raspy voice called out. It belonged to an old withered man who was quite small in stature, his bushy white eyebrows complemented by his thin yet perfectly full head of hair. He was currently sitting in a thick oak rocking chair on the third floor of the house glaring down at a young teenager who was tinkering with what looked like a black metal box.
"Almost done grandpa, just give me a sec." the teenager answered, not bothering to look up. Pulling on several wires in a vague attempt to generate charge was a much younger Palm who was getting incredibly frustrated at the pile of junk that he had been tinkering with.
"You young people ought to enjoy nature a bit more, always surrounded by tech in the city, why don't you just leave that rust bucket alone?" the older man scolded, nodding to himself sagely. 'It's no wonder society is in shambles.'
"No offense, but what do you know about society!?" Palm complained, "You locked yourself up into the mountains years ago and force your grandkids to come spend time with you, You don't even use the wave to get news you just ask us!"
"No respect for your elders either." His grandfather continued ignoring him.
Palm love all his family but was also almost certain his mother's side of the family came pre-packed with a variety of mental issues. With the miracles of modern medicine the average life expectancy for someone with fairly good access to healthcare was around 250 cycles of age. Yet, this old man refused almost all treatment stating that he didn't want to 'get greedy'. So at 75 cycles he locked himself away to 'enjoy nature' and 'find peace'.
His mother intended to let his grandpa have his fun before eventually dragging him kicking and screaming to the local hospital. It was a wonder how he had managed to survive as long as he did with how he lived his life.
"Let me tell you a story" the older man spoke, "It's from when I was around your age."
'Oh boy, here we go' Palm thought tiredly, his hands still hard at work on the task before him.
"I never liked school or work for that matter." His grandfather spoke, "So I never did, I spent all my time going out with my friends and watching all the sport shows I used to love."
"How come you weren't shipped off to Checkmate?" the teenager inquired, his arm beginning to get sore from holding the same position.
"My parent's protected me, said it was fine to take my time and figure something out." The older man sighed wistfully, "They would tell me that as long as I found something that I loved and worked for it that they could be patient in the meantime."
"With all the pressure to be somebody nowadays you kids never get the time to realise what you want to become." His grandfather continued scratching his chin as he spoke, "All that is to say, get up and come enjoy a beer with grandpa instead of wasting your time."
"I'm not legally allowed to drink old man." Palm stated flatly.
"Bah, I don't see police here, or your mother for that matter." The older man replied lazily, gesturing for his grandchild to come to him.
Palm eventually dropped the handful of wires he had held, he wasn't getting anywhere with the arcade machine and it wasn't likely to change any time soon. Climbing up the polished wooden stairs he eventually made it to the small cosy space at the top. Outfitted with rugs and a small fireplace, the third floor had two large rocking chairs facing the balcony which overlooked the rest of the house. It also held a cooler which was filled to the brim with alcoholic beverages that were most likely expired.
The teenager sat down with a huff glancing at the smiling figure which had held out a small can of beer. Grumbling slightly Palm took it with no intent to open or drink it's contents.
"So how's school then Palm?" His grandfather asked in a gentle tone.
"Fine, I guess, not much to say" He responded idly, spinning the can in his hand.
"Not enjoying yourself?" the old man questioned, "It can be stressful at times, but I always had a trick to get through the day."
"Lay down your wisdom then." Palm said.
His grandpa chuckled slightly before leaning in to whisper, "It's simple really, you just need to-"
....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
'WAKE UP!' Theda shouted into his ear.
Head ringing, Palm looked around groggily realising that he had slept through the entire trip back to the fourth layer of the city. He quickly got out of his seat and moved to exit the train.
'Jeez, I never thought you'd get up you lazy bum.' the spirit spoke hovering to his left.
'Cut me some slack, I was spent.' he replied, in annoyance.
Greeting him on the platform was the blinding light of sunrise which caused him to rub his eyes in irritation. He stumbled around for a while before inevitably finding the ticket booth from which he used to exit the platform and out onto the streets of Checkmate.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The city's changes were rapid in the regard that over the course of the journey alone by the time the exhausted barkeeper returned a large portion of the layer had been changed. Walking down the street he saw all kinds of restaurant chains and supermarkets that were simply not there before he left, the city slowly shedding it's ugly shell.
A large chunk of the derelict and run down homes in the area had been renovated and improved since last he saw them. Bewildered Palm made his way down to the parking lot next to the station while gawking at all the new refurbishment that had taken place.
He used to see gang members hang out in large groups near the back of the expressway, but it was oddly silent as he fished around his pockets for his car keys. Eventually he found the small; black; beat-up vehicle which had been with him since the moment he arrived in Checkmate. Settling in, he drove out toward the direction of his home turning on the radio as he did so.
"Good morning Checkmate! I am your radio host Kevin James and I'll be handling all your needs and worries!" A male voice boomed from the faulty speaker, "Folks, it's a real shame but today is officially my last time as your host."
'Damn.', Palm thought driving slowly down the road. Beacon FM was his favourite channel and the same could be said for many others. Kevin had a charismatic personality and a heart of gold which drew many listeners to enjoying his daily news readouts and interesting song choices.
"Management says that with all the new companies making their way into the city, we just don't have the budget to keep this thing running." Kevin continued, "But as much as I'm going to miss you all, let's get this show on the road shall we?"
"Word is on the streets that we're getting us some Supernaturals! you hear that?" the radio host then laughed happily, "This city is going to see some bona fide celebrities in the coming months, ain't that something?", there was a pause before the man's voice dropped to a whisper "Now you didn't hear this from me but we're getting some real A-listers too, Valiant, Prometheus and even Silent Typhoon, for our resident Aero-nymphs. All of them right here in Checkmate! I wonder what made them decide to drop by?"
Now that was something. Palm had always wanted to meet the hero's of mankind, they were all powerhouses within their own right some famous war veterans, others crime fighters or entertainers. Meeting Hercules was great but it hadn't been all that pleasant. Nor did he manage to speak to the man much after the incident either, at least he could say helped the guy.
"That's enough chatter in any case, It's time for a little music!" Kevin exclaimed, "Today we have a little rock n' roll by the upcoming superstar Yaardul, the songs name: Ladder man, Even though he's a Gaarpon artist this little guy's been a huge hit with people from all over!"
A drum kit kicked off the song as it reverberated through the small enclosed space of the barkeeper's car. The music itself was pretty good even if Palm wasn't too much of a fan of the genre. Glancing over to his companion he could see the ghost slowly moving her head in tune to the rhythm. Seemed like she was enjoying herself.
He eventually reached his destination, pulling into the closest space he could find near his establishment and flicking off the radio. 'Awww' Theda complained passing straight through the car door as he got out.
It was still relatively early and there were barely any people on the streets, Palm was grateful for the peace and quiet. He opened the stiff double doors of the Hurricane making his way out into the main room. 'I'll have to open this place up eventually' He thought, 'I'm starting to run out of money.' Bar life wasn't so bad, even if it was not the grandest of lifestyles. It was only a shame that he could never manage to attract customer's despite the heart he poured into the place.
'You shouldn't need to anymore, we have bigger fish to fry.' Theda mumbled off to his side. She seemed to flip between teasing and acting serious as fast as a metronome, or at least that's what the barkeeper felt, keeping that particular opinion to himself.
'May I make a suggestion?' The cube spoke suddenly, as Palm made his way to the back shelves to pour himself a glass of water. 'I do believe you should attempt to wear me, many people take time to get used to power suits and I would rather your first time be in a safe space.'
'Huh, that's a pretty good point' the barkeeper replied.
'I do my best to serve.' The suit replied jovially. 'Give me a moment'
Tumbling down to the floor the armour rebuilt itself with spectacular speed and efficiency, before long Palm was staring at the same over the top heroic getup which had caught his eye last night. The power suit snapped a salute at him holding the position as he marvelled at it's design.
'I'm gonna feel like a power ranger in this thing.' the barkeeper thought astonished. Able to now fully appreciate the craftmanship of the piece he gazed in wonder at the armour; it resembled a perfectly sculpted statue in terms of physique bearing tough white hexagonal shapes rimmed with gold where the lines for muscles would lay. It's long flowing cape could be seen etched with strange gold symbols upon closer inspection.
'While you do look exceptionally well-made' Palm began grimacing slightly as he spoke, 'I get the feeling that I might look slightly ridiculous wearing you.'
'Nonsense!' the suit responded, 'I was created to be the pinnacle of justice, I assure you it is entirely necessary for me to look like this. It is to strike fear into the heart of all who oppose me!'
'That's all well and good, but when I inevitably fall on my face I'd rather not look like a 5 cycle old's child's rendition of Hercules while I do so.' the barkeep sighed.
'Then you shall simply have to train more.' the armour spoke sternly, 'But not to worry, I am also an expert in hand-to-hand combat and will be sure to guide you properly.'
Great, not only did he have to take boxing lessons from the walking power suit but also had to deal with axe lessons from the talking ghost. He felt like a clown at a carnival, he only needed a tricycle with a horn and his fate as a cosmic joke would be sealed.
A few more jokes and complaints later he had finally worked up the courage to try it on when he heard an odd sound.
Knock* Knock*
The sound of a hand knocking on the wooden doors to The Hurricane reverberated outward.
'Did you order something weird again?' Palm questioned looking at his spirit companion.
'No... and it wasn't weird I just wanted to see what all the commotion was about, It was for science.' Theda denied without meeting his eyes, he knew she would rather die then admit to liking romance novels.
But it was odd, he definitely didn't order anything either and his place of business had been closed for some time now. Best case scenario, maybe it was Falcon checking up on him to ask when he would re-open. Worst case scenario...
'It seems the time has come sooner than I thought.' his suit said gravely, 'Prepare yourself, I will fight separately for now but should the need arise do not hesitate to don me.'
Palm steadied himself, he had been through a lot in a short period of time and as unlikely as it was that an attacker would announce their presence he was still ready, no matter what happened he was better now than he was before. Even if it wasn't by much.
Slowly creeping his way back to the entrance he cracked the door open, hand on his waist where he carried his axe. Cracking open the door, what he saw peeking through it felt as though somebody had lit a bomb inside of his brain. Standing outside the bar he owned was Eva Star the fourth princess of the Theos Kingdom, to her right was the large imposing frame of Noah Waters who was surveying their surroundings.
He shut the door as fast and as quietly as he could looking back in horror at his two companions.
One of the most powerful people in the kingdom was directly outside his doorstep, and he had a piece of potentially extremely important stolen property standing directly in the middle of the room.
He would have had a better chance trying to fight the sun than justifying this.