Vintage

The Intruder

Life with Jade was a huge roller coaster ride for Myron. They stood in the middle of Watcorp with lights flashing and alarms blaring. Myron watched in amazement as Jade skid in mid-dash… and ran back to her room down the corridor. She had the nerve to throw, “Wait a sec,” over her shoulder.

THEY HAVE BEEN INVADED BY THE ENEMY! She forgot something. Wait, they are superheroes. Not really, they didn’t have a real archenemy to be a superhero, Myron pondered as he watched her dart away from him.

Why is this even a problem? Myron closed his eyes and focused his chakras. She was going to turn his hair gray. Or he was going to go bald.

“I’m ready,” Jade uttered through her teeth.

Myron stood confused in the middle of the hallway. He blinked several times to make sure that Jade was real. Not a frightening figment of his imagination. The shadowy alarm light gleamed off the blade. In the height of danger, rainbow colors filled the air. Watcorp just gave you that sweet feeling of cupcakes and rainbows.

“Jade, where in the Hell did you get this?”

Jade brandished her wrist, “This little thing?”

“That little thing.”

Jade waved her little thing around. Last year during a mission in Japan, Jade commissioned a sword, or a Katana, known for its sharpness. The blade was shiny, big, and curved. The handle was long enough to accommodate both of Jade’s hands. She spent hours training alone to perfect her movements.

“It’s a Katana.”

“It has a name.”

Jade nodded.

“You could kill someone.”

“That’s the idea.”

Myron watched Jade going head first into action without a plan. Without backup… holding a deadly weapon. It was going to be a long night for Myron. He had planned a long romantic night with Jade, not this.

Sweat dripped down Jade’s face as she leaned next to the door leading to the stairs. She motioned for Myron to enter the steps. His large hand opened the door; his head poked in, his blue eyes scanned the stairs for intruders. He spotted a figure running towards the roof.

“Jade, they went down the steps. I’ll go to the roof, and swoop down to get them. You follow them.”

Jade nodded as she watched Myron quickly climbing the stairs. Jade watched him for a split second; she crouched in a tight ball, her legs lengthened as she dropped towards the next landing. Her heels shook as she landed loudly. Dark hair flew around her like a wave of silk. She crouched on her knees; her chest heaving as her sword scraped the wall.

“Thank you team for participating in a drill,” Charles praised on the intercom. “Please return to your previous activities. The drill was a shocking success. Good night.”

A large scowl formed on Jade’s face; her arm reached out, wrenching open the door to Charles’s landing. Her feet stomped along the hallway, her sword dragging behind her. She felt like a child sent on a magical goose chase.

She did not stop until she reached the conference room. She leaned against the doorway. She noticed Charles seemed distracted. Perspiration dampened his light brown hair, his gray eyes heavy with something.

“Father.”

“Yes, Jade,” Charles replied wearily.

Jade wanted to rage against her father for interrupting her moment with Myron for a drill. Then again, that would defeat the whole secret relationship. Sadness echoed in her Father’s eyes. Not since her mother’s death had she seen Charles so affected by anything.

“Are you okay?”

Charles smiled at his youngest daughter. “Lost in regret… memories of the past, and loneliness. I’m a sad, lonely man, Jade.”

“Oh, Dad.”

Timidly, Jade stepped into the room; she noticed two glasses of Cognac sitting on the table. Charles’s face flushed as he twirled in his chair. His forehead wrinkled in deep thought.

“Do you think accepting the Aliens’ gifts were a bad idea? Perhaps, humans were too fragile to handle them? Should we have said no, Jade?”

Goodness, Dad!

Charles wanted to have a philosophical debate in the middle of the night. Honestly, she didn’t know if she could live without her gift. She rarely used her ability. It required much of her energy to play back time or slow it down. Donovan’s weather nonsense was always helpful. Myron saved her life today. Then, her mother would be alive, if they were regular humans. Why would they need the hothouse?

“I don’t know, Daddy.”

A corner of Charles’s mouth turned up. “Daddy? You haven’t called me Daddy in so long. You were a happy little girl, right? Until I ruined everything…”

“What do you mean?”

Raven ruined everything for them. She murdered mother.

Charles waved her away. “Leave me.”

Jade clamped her emotions for Charles; she regretted opening her heart to him. He didn’t need her, never did. “Good night, Father.”

“Sleep well, my darling.”

Spinning on her heel, Jade wiped her damp eyes. Her father was a nutcase. She wiggled her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Barry’s African violet had healthy robust purple petals and fuzzy green leaves.

Damn, he bought another one? How do I notice stupid things?