Evan

“Yeah, on Mom’s fancy blue couch too. Watch him, I’m gonna get my dad.” Evan ran to the back of the house to his parent’s room, but their door was shut. It was never shut. The only time the door was shut was if they were not dressed and since they had taken their showers hours ago, showers were not an option. And music was playing, loud music. Why were they not dressed and why was there loud music? His skills of deduction kicked in and concluded that Kae was the oldest and had to deal with these situations.

Evan found Kae upstairs still applying eyeliner. “Kae! I was letting Kyle in and this smelly, dirty, Renaissance festival guy just walks up speaking some strange language. We tried talking to him, but then he just steps right in like he lives here and sits down on Mom’s couch. You gotta get down there.”

“Wait, what? Go get Dad.”

“No, their door was shut.”

“What does that even mean? Open it.”

How could Straight-A Kae be so dense. He explained the situation again, slowly, without having to say words resembling sex and his parents in the same sentence. “Their door was closed, they already showered and there was loud music playing.”

“Ew ah, well there is some crazy man in the house, I think that warrants interrupting their happy time.”

“You’re the oldest,” Evan shot back.

“Ugh, fine,” she grumbled.

He followed her downstairs to face the music, quite literally. Evan watched as she took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on their door, but before she did another noise—louder than the music—came from behind the door.

“Nope,” she said, turning around and heading to the front room.

The strange man squatted in front of the couch prodding it. He caressed the material, his head only inches away from it.

Kyle greeted her. “Hey babe, your stomach okay?”

“Huh?” she replied.

Evan fought a giggle.

Kae waved at the intruder. “Hi.” She pointed at him. “You.” She pointed at the still-open front door. “Have to leave now.”

The man started to babble on again, faster, before finally stopping to take a deep breath. He looked at them one by one, hope on his face, and maybe a bit of sadness too.

He poked himself in the chest. “Adelfried.”

“I think that’s his name.” Evan pointed at the man. “You’re Adelfried?”

A grin formed under his dirty beard, and he nodded frantically.

Evan touched his chest. “Evan." He then pointed at Kae and Kyle saying their names.

Adelfried repeated their names.

“Awesome. I have an idea.” Evan pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I know this online voice translator site we can use.”

Kae tilted her head. “Okay…”

Evan held his phone up to Adelfried. "Speak into this.”

Adelfried leaned in close. His eyes widened. He nudged Evan’s hand to tilt the phone down so he could see the glowing screen. His mouth opened as if he were amazed. He prattled on for several seconds, but the phone only threw an error. “Language not recognized.”

They tried a few more times until finally Kyle nudged Kae. “Where’s your mom and dad?”

Kae’s face twisted up. “Uh…we think they’re uh…busy, so yeah, I’m not interrupting that.”

Kyle sniggered. “Well, it’s been a few minutes, I’m sure your dad is done by now, right?”

Kae shot him a look of disgust. “You did not just…oh my God.” She fled back down the hallway.

A minute later Jim appeared in the doorway, shirtless but with his police sidearm strapped to his waist. “Evan, get back,” he said in his ‘law enforcement’ voice.

“Wait, Dad, I think we are making progress, I got a hello out of the translator."

“You,” he pointed at Adelfried. “Out of my house.” He pointed to the door.

Adelfried threw his hands up in frustration.

Jim took a step forward. “Don’t make me drag you out of here.”

Adelfried spoke again, but still nothing registered on the translator.

“Alright, that’s it.” Jim grabbed him by the arm, but he didn’t budge. It was like Jim was trying to lift a slab of granite attached to the couch. Jim was a stocky six foot three inches and towered over Adelfried. He should have been able to pluck him loose with ease.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Adelfried placed a hand on Jim’s shoulder as he was about to make a third attempt and Jim’s almost panicked expression calmed. He lowered himself to a sitting position on the couch next to Adelfried. For a second Evan thought maybe there was a faint glow coming from Adelfried’s hand, but surely he imagined it.

They sat quietly for a long pause. Jim stared off distantly through the wall. “Okay.” Jim murmured as he took a deep breath. Jim’s demeanor changed. He no longer looked at Adelfried like a suspect but with a kind expression. “I am sorry, but you can’t…” Jim wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes. Was his dad crying?

When Adelfried released Jim’s shoulder Evan stepped closer. “What was that?”

Jim’s voice was faint, “I’m not sure, but I think he needs our help. I don’t get the sense that he’s dangerous.” Jim took a deep breath. He rubbed his eyes and stood. He puffed his chest out regaining his law enforcement demeanor. “You have to leave.” He again pointed at the door.

Adelfried yawned and shook his head slightly. He slapped a handful of silver coins on the table next to him in a very abrupt, no-nonsense motion. He pointed to the coins and then to Jim. He laid down on the couch and turned to face away from everyone.

Kae’s snorted in amusement. “Uh…what’s he doing?”

Jim replied, less amused. “I don't know.”

The man on the couch began to snore.

Evan leaned in close to Adelfried. “Now what?”

Jim pulled Evan back. “I uh…guess he’s staying.”

Red

The constant drone from the cargo plane engines calmed Red. It helped clear his mind. Support staff moved about the hold of the plane at a deliberate pace like ants tending to a footstep in the middle of an anthill. There had not been this many hurt in a long time. Everyone was on edge. He ran through the events leading up to the blast that knocked him and everyone unconscious, but the details were foggy.

Across the empty hold Nina laid out on a stretcher motionless except for the occasional opening of her eyes and a soft moan. It was clear she was still in severe pain, probably from a hit she took to her stomach. Karen, a short troll of a woman hunched over her like she was protecting her bridge. If it wasn’t for her lifeless grey-black hair, worn green jacket with faded mustard stain, constant sneer, angry eyes, and overall soul sucking attitude, she might be attractive.

“How bad is it?” Karen’s voice leaked concern. Not that strange, Nina was her daughter, but it still surprised Red. Maybe the cold bitch had a heart after all. Small, cold, and black, but it was there.

Doctor Yuma, a tall dark-skinned man with thick glasses scanned Nina with a portable MRI machine, developed with ESH technology. It would provide detailed images of her insides instantly. He gingerly pressed on her bloodied mid-riff exposed by a tattered shirt. “She’s lucky to be alive, she took a pretty bad hit, Colonel.”

Karen inches from her daughter’s face yelled, “Why weren’t you wearing your ESHwear?” She scowled. “That’s standard procedure!”

The doctor put a daring hand on the Colonel’s shoulder, probably out of pure instinct to protect his patient, because no one wanted to get in the Colonel’s way, even Red most of the time. “Colonel, she was. Otherwise, she’d be dead.”

Karen glared at the hand which was instantly removed before scanning the cargo bay of the plane like a kid hovering over her broken toys. Two agents lay severely wounded in stretchers, another pair of bodies covered in sheets, and yet her least favorite toy stood in the corner with nothing but an ice pack against his ribs. She focused her ire at Red. “Two KIA and yet you managed to survive...again.”

“Thanks for your concern.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a reserve bag of Skittles and dumped some in his mouth.

“It wasn’t concern. It was relief that everyone didn’t die. And is it true that you crossed Nigel off?”

Red chewed the candy in his mouth at a deliberate pace to take just enough time to wear on Karen’s lack of patience. He watched as she started to boil over. Right as she hit the perfect temperature, he spoke. “As much as I would like to take credit for that.” Another timed pause to ensure maximum effect by counting skittles in his bag. “That wasn’t me.”

“Explain.”

Red took his time tipping the packet of Skittles into his mouth when Karen fired a blast of kinetic energy spraying candy everywhere. “Now! I haven’t got all day!”

“Right before everything went black, I saw Nigel explode. Fully vaporized like a goddamned blood balloon going pop. Damndest thing I ever saw. I didn’t think even a wizard could do that to a powerful mage like Nigel. He had a shield up. And whatever killed him went right through it.”

Karen snarled, “So just like Goblin Valley it’s a class ten, we lost agents, and you have nothing to show for it, but you come out just fine.”

Red bristled. How dare she bring it up. The worst day of his life and she used it like a weapon to win cheap points in a stupid argument. He fought back his urge to yell at her, but the heat in his voice came out. “Yeah, we lost two agents, but we crossed off Nigel and two Sovs. As far as I am concerned today was a success, so don’t you dare compare it to Goblin Valley!”

“Success? Tell that to Naderi and Lui!” Karen yelled.

“Who?” Red shot back.

“The agents that died, that’s who! And now, whatever it is, is roaming around doing God knows what thanks to you.”

“Whatever it was, it killed Nigel like swatting a mosquito. What exactly was I supposed to do against that?”

Karen didn’t have an answer. She was venting her frustration on him, and he was going to hear it one way or another but hated being her whipping boy. After a few seconds of glaring at Red she turned back to the doctor. “What’s her status?

“I’ll need to repair a kidney and intestine, suture her spleen, and repair a few cracked vertebrae, but she should be back on her feet in a week or so,” the doctor replied, before turning to Red who was unwrapping a reserve butterscotch he found in his pants pocket. “Red, let me take a look at that side of yours.”

“Don’t fuss with me Doc, go check the other agents, it’s just a bruised rib.”

“Agreed, he’ll be fine,” Karen snapped.

“Okay Karen, I’ll bite. Why have I been upgraded from the normal loathsome treatment to the premium plan?”

Karen treated Red to a sarcastic smile that he hadn’t seen on her wrinkled face in decades. “I don’t know what you mean, Red.”

“Was it Panama? That was self-defense and the world is better off without those Sovs anyway.”

Karen lowered her voice, “Between you and me I don’t care that you whacked a couple Sovs who were trying to sabotage the canal, it just means we don’t have to deal with them again.”

“Then why stick me with your kid? You know I don’t like working with anyone especially since…” Red wasn’t going to finish that sentence in mixed company.

“Because this was a class ten event! I needed Nina’s power and your, well, let’s just say survival instincts.”

“Just say it, I’m your best,” Red smirked, now enjoying this a lot more.

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re a survivor with good instincts.” Karen’s voice tapered off, obviously not wanting to give Red any credit in front of anyone, ever. She paused to glance around the room again. The attack was wearing on her. It was obvious. She leaned in close to Red and whispered, “So, what are your instincts telling you?”