Chapter 8

Angelika - Like an angel
Truda - Fighting woman
Varick - Protecting Ruler
Harman - Man of the army
----

They had walked for maybe twenty minutes when they turned a corner and were on the outskirts of a small village. Truda and Angelika squealed like little girls when they saw the open market set up at the other end of town. Alan and Varick both shook their heads as they all started to walk to the other end. Both women were a flurry of activity as the flitted back and forth across the street looking at the various wares for sale.

“How long will they be like this?” Varick whispered to Alan.

“How long? As in they will return to the way they were?” An opened mouth Alan asked, to which Varick and Harman nodded yes. “Uh, the rest of their lives. This wasn’t a temporary fix. I have been putting things where they should be, or where they should have been all this time. There is no ‘temporary’ fix.”

“I’m glad,” Varick replied. “It has been far too long since I have seen her smile and laugh like this. Hell both of them for that matter.” Harman was nodding his agreement with a wide smile on his face.

Alan’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Harman, “here I thought you wanted her to remain a little girl.”

Harman looked at Alan with shock, “It would be nice, but I know that she has to grow, as we all do. No, seeing her happy is what I have always wanted for her.” Looking at Alan and scowling he continued, “I know your type Alan I don’t want her used like I know that you would do.”

Alan held up his hands, “I do not have designs on your sister. Do I have to beat the shit out of you to convince you?”

The look of happiness and the smile that crossed Harman’s face had Alan just shaking his head. Harman had taken a step toward Alan when Truda appeared.

“I suggest brother,” Truda growled, “that if you start a fight with Alan that I be NO WHERE near. I would kick your ass when you both were done. What Alan has given us should make you happy not wanting to fight!”

This time it was Harman who was putting his hands up as he was retreating before his rapidly advancing sister.

Alan could only shake his head again as he heard Harman yell when Truda started to punch her brother. “Ow! Damn it Truda I am only looking after...”

“I,” Truda growled, “am a grown woman and can take care of myself quite well. Do I have to beat you up to prove that?” When Harman started to smile Truda started in again punching her brother.

Varick and Alan started to chuckle as they watched Truda chase her brother unmercifully around the market place. Neither noticed the sudden increase of several large men at both ends of the street. That was ‘til a moment later when Alan felt a weak probe stretch out toward them. Snapping up his defenses Alan reached out and gave effectively gave whomever it was a slap. A cry behind them drew their attention to a younger man rolling on the ground.

Harman was suddenly at their side as several of the men helped the young man to his feet. The young man’s face twisted into an angry mask as Alan felt a much more titanic force push toward them. Waving his hand the attack stopped several feet short of him and the others.

<I don’t know who you are, but continue this and you will get hurt. I suggest that you stop before I have to put you out.> Alan thought to the young man. The only answer he got was an increasing of the force that was hitting at Alan’s shields. Sighing Alan was about to tell the youth good night when he felt the other, stronger person on the other side of town. <Alright! You want to piss me off? FINE!> With that, Alan sent out an energy blast that knocked both of the people out.

“Angelika! Truda! Time to go!” Alan told both women as they appeared at his side.

“This isn’t over you monsters!” One of the men shouted as they cradled the young man.

“Monsters? You attacked us! Leave us the hell alone and we will also! Let’s go!” With that Alan thought of the bunker and they were back inside within seconds.

“Assholes!” Alan was letting his pent up anger out blowing holes in the wall. “Son of a bitch called us monsters!? Maybe I should have killed all of those asinine pricks!”

Angelika moved to Alan laying a hand on his shoulder startling him. He was shocked he hadn’t felt her at all. This was good to know now before they were out there and lost their tempers. “You have to calm Alan; I don’t think the bunker can survive if you keep this up.”

Calming Alan realized that she was right. Why had he lost his temper like that while the others hadn’t? Sitting he started to search for the reason.

Back in the village the young man was shaking his head. The young man hadn’t felt power like that for a while now. The last time had been someone called the doctor. The mind had wanted him to do things for him but the young man had refused. The mind had started to attack him when he was drawn back to the village. He could feel the love of the mind that had brought him back, Grandfather!

An older woman was walking up to the young man, “Are you ok? They didn’t hurt you?”

“No mother, just knocked me out. Did you hear that voice? So Far away.” The man told his mother.

“Yes I did, I think we need to talk to your Grandfather about this. I can’t explain it but the thoughts I heard felt familiar,” the woman told the man.

“Now that you mention it they did. You think that Grandfather might know who they are?” The man asked a hint of hope in his voice. “You think it might be them? The ones Grandfather spoke of?”

“I’m not sure Aldrich; we have seen people like this before that came in looking around then left. You should have waited son, I had all of them covered they were safe.”

The young man hung his head, “I am sorry mother, I was afraid when I felt the amount of power that the one they called Alan had. I was afraid that he might try to hurt you. A surprise attack would have defeated them but he felt me when I was gently probing. That was the first time I was detected.”

Aldrich’s mother’s eyes flew wide; they had felt his gentle probing? They needed to get to her father as fast as possible! They might be in actual danger from these five! A jeep pulled up and they were on their way within seconds.

Several miles outside of the village they stopped at a simple farm house. The woman and her son got out as the jeep and went in. Inside were several strong men all gathered around a much older man.

“What news do you bring me?” The old man said with a very clear voice.

“We encountered five in the village father. Aldrich tried to gently probe them but one that they called Alan felt him! Father this has never happened! When he told me I added to his power of the probe. The one called Alan became angry and said in our minds,” Here the woman opened her mind and let the older man hear what she had. <I don’t know who you are, but continue this and you will get hurt. I suggest that you stop before I have to put you out.>

The older man’s head was nodding as he felt no malice in the thoughts he felt. “Then what happened?”

“We both increased the probe but kept hitting what felt like a wall. Then we heard,” <Alright! You want to piss me off? FINE!> “That’s when we felt the huge wave of energy, the next thing I knew I was reeling from whatever it was for a few seconds. Then Aldrich’s father called them monster’s, the one called Alan shouted back,” <Monsters? You attacked us! Leave us the hell alone and we will also! Let’s go!>

The older man was nodding through the whole thing, “How did they get past you? Did they attack?”

“No father that’s the strange thing, when the one called Alan said let’s go, they all vanished! None of the men had ever seen anything like it before! Neither had I, in all the years we have been protecting the village, this is the first I have ever seen like this!” The woman told the older man causing the man to look up suddenly.

“You say they vanished? You didn’t feel anything at all?” The older man asked, to which the woman shook her head. The old man suddenly moved far faster than a man of his advanced years should. “I want all protectors back here now! They are to protect the village! These are the first real threat that we have ever had to face. I only pray that it is them and not another dark force that has descended upon us.”

“Father, are you ok?” The woman asked.

“I don’t know Madde, I don’t know. I fear that all the precautions that we have taken might not be enough. These five if they are in fact here to do harm, may be unstoppable even by me.” The older man said with sadness in his voice. “We need to find out if they are in fact friends or enemies. I hope this isn’t the end of us. I lost one family decades ago during the war, I’m not about to lose another.”

“Aldrich and I could go to this bunker that they are in. If we don’t attack and just stand there we might get them to talk if they are good.” Madde told her father who was nodding and thinking.

“No! I don’t think they will react well to anyone approaching their bunker. I think you should try to talk to the one called Alan. For god’s sake apologize to them all, that in itself might be the olive branch that they need to agree to meet peacefully.” The woman’s father told her.

“Father, it has been a very long time since I have used the thought talk. I’m not really all that sure that I can especially over that long of a distance!” Madde told her father.

“My dear you have to try for all of us, I will be with you, though I cannot enter a mind as you can to communicate. Well neither of you.” The older man said as he looked at his grandson. “Later you and I need to have a talk about acting as quickly and violently as you did. You know I taught you to think far more than that.”

“Yes Grandfather I remember but as I said I was worried about mother. I have never encountered a mind as powerful as this one except for that one time. I could swear I felt you bring me back to the village. Though you told me it had to be a bad dream I still can feel being there then the other place in a moment.” The young man said watching his Grandfather to gauge his reaction. Sighing his disappointment, when the older man didn’t react at all.

“Get everyone back here I want the village protected at all costs. Remember do not attack them, unless they do then you don’t! Do I make myself clear?” The older man shouted with a voice that was far stronger than it should have been.