Hero Wanted - 15. Chapter Fifteen

“Project Genie involves plugging nodes into objects like swords that store apparition-like beings called genies who are summoned through verbal prayers from the objects and can be used as personal assistants and battle aids. And the project that is being funded by the Israeli government called Project Golem involves summoning automaton-like beings called golems by planting nodes into vehicles that will transform into golems when prompted. Reinforced by node energy, they can be used as mobile tanks and battle aids as well—”

***

“—After videos of Christopher Shepherd’s fight with the former President’s son at a parking lot had gone viral, many bloggers are asking what the fight between the first-ranking cadet and Ryan Johnson was about. Some are speculating that Ryan Johnson is attempting to take the title as the first-ranked cadet of the Champion Academy, the title that was Christopher Shepherd’s claim to fame—"

***

“—China has caused major controversy over the years due their method of recruitment that involves cadets combatting one another in brutal matches that results in a casualty rate of at least twenty-five percent. Proponents have stated the importance of only having the most powerful cadets to become Champions and that is also a possible solution for China’s overpopulation crisis. And with Russia’s population still declining, a new law will soon be signed by the Russian President that will incentivize selected citizens who have genetics that make them more compatible with nodes to pass those desirable traits on by having children. The founder of HERO has critically denounced both practices, comparing these practices to the breeding and fighting of dogs and other animals in blood sports and that protecting the world against future Colossus invasions does not have to involve the loss of our humanity—”

***

“—After the Colossus invasions that destroyed the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Puerta de Alcala in Madrid, the French and Spanish governments are planning to reconstruct both landmarks with renewed purposes. The structure currently being constructed in France will act as an energy source for all Champions within its vicinity by connecting their nodes to the structure and granting an extra boost of power. And the function of the structure in Spain will allow Champions to travel instantaneously from Champion bases in the country, removing the necessity for other forms of transportation. The few opponents like Nathaniel Johnson have stated that the Colossus could exploit these structures to cause further destruction. However, both countries’ leaders are still planning to construct more of these landmarks in every major city and possibly around the world in the future—"

***

“—The dispute between Japan and the Philippines over the rightful owner of the last sacred treasure has reached its tipping point. The recently united Korea has allied themselves with Japan, while Vietnam has confirmed their support for the Philippines, most likely due to the Philippines helping their western neighbor to establish their own Champion division. Surprisingly, China has not sided with either nation, but Nathaniel Johnson believes that there are ulterior motives for why China has not chosen a side yet. Here is an earlier recording of an interview that another news station had the former United States President.”

“So, you believe that China’s inability to choose a side is an action all by itself?”

“Yes, I do. We all know that China has had territorial disputes with other countries in the past, including Japan and the Philippines. And in my opinion, China doesn’t have to choose a side. What they really should be doing is trying to deescalate the situation between these two countries before war breaks out. However, I believe the Chinese government is not siding with either nations, so that when both countries start a war and weaken each other, China then can take control of both countries, and maybe even Korea and Vietnam as well.”

“Mr. Johnson, many have criticized you for this statement, including the other statements that you have made regarding the construction projects of the French and Spanish governments and the recruitment methods of both Russia and China. They believe you are simply crying wolf over nonissues. What do you have to say to that?”

“Well, I believe what I’m saying is the exact opposite. What I’m ‘crying’ about are very serious issues that need to be address if humanity has any chance of continuing the war with the Colossus. Unfortunately, what I’m saying right now is falling deaf ears, just like when I said that first Colossus invasion wasn’t an isolated incident a decade ago, instead people did not listen which caused the deaths of more than a hundred thousand people in less than a year.”

“That is rather a crass statement to the countries that have been directly affected by the Colossus and are still recovering, Mr. Johnson.”

“Sometimes the truth is hard to swallow, and until we start learning from our mistakes, history will repeat itself… Now…you were going to ask about my son—”

***

“—And in today’s show, we will be talking about Christopher Shepherd and Ryan Johnson who have been seen together in downtown Washington DC just yesterday. It appears that these two Champion cadets have resolved their issues, however people are looking deeper into this. They are saying that there is a possible—”

“We interrupt this program for a nationwide emergency. This is not a test. The United States government has issued a warning to all residents of Philadelphia. At three PM Eastern time, a radar has indicated a stellar flare this is capable of producing a Class-B Colossus in the city of Philadelphia. The government is urging all residents of Philadelphia to evacuate from the city as active-duty Champions begin mobilizing their units.”

“We interrupt this program for—"

***

Thirty minutes earlier…

Ryan entered the command center to have his daily talk with his father, and after that he was going to Chris’s penthouse, so they could play board games and hopefully something more. He was already feeling giddy about spending more time with Chris and though he enjoyed his conversations he had with his father, he just wanted to say that he was okay before going to meet Chris who most likely had a new board game that he wanted to beat Ryan with.

A minute later, the image of his father materialized in front of Ryan, but with his back towards Ryan which caused him to think that something was wrong. And he looked very rigid that looked very different from his usual relaxed posture.

“Hey, Dad… Is everything okay?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah…everything’s okay, champ,” Ryan’s father said.

Ryan’s body relaxed and he said, “Oh, good. Well, I just wanted to say that everything is fine with my training and—”

“I need to talk to you about something important, son,” Nathaniel said.

“And…And what’s that, Dad?” Ryan asked as he squeezed his hands together.

Nathaniel turned around, faced Ryan with a serious expression on his face and said, “It’s about Christopher Shepherd.”

Ryan felt his heart drop and after a moment said, “Oh…what about him?”

Sighing, Nathaniel said, “You know what I’m about to say, Ryan. It’s already the most trending story in several social media sites…but I want to know your side of the story.”

Ryan and Chris were just going to a game store in downtown Washington DC to look at some new board games that Chris was interested in. With ballcaps and sunglasses, he hoped that that would be enough to disguise themselves from the public. However, it appeared that they were seen anyways and now Ryan had to explain to his father that it was nothing.

Bowing his head, Ryan said, “We…We were just hanging out, Dad.”

“You already know how I feel about Christopher Shepherd, son,” Nathaniel stressed. “And now the media is twisting the reason why you two were together as a possible romance.”

Ryan kept his head down and did not say anything since he was so conflicted on what to say. A part of him wanted to assure his father that nothing was happening between him and Chris, so there would not be any conflict between him and his father. However, another, bigger part of him hated keeping his relationship with Chris a secret from everybody, especially his father who should know what was going on with his own son’s life. So, he remained silent which was an answer all in its own.

“Ryan…”

Looking up at his father who was now was standing only a couple of feet from Ryan, he bit his lower lip before saying, “Dad…Chris isn’t a bad person. He’s actually really—”

“No, Ryan. I don’t want any explanation. I will not accept this,” Nathaniel said bluntly. “In the few weeks of being a cadet at the Champion Academy, you’ve made so much progress and proved even the top scientists wrong. I see a leader in you, Ryan, and to have that all wasted over one person is… Ryan…I honestly don’t care who you are in terms of your sexual orientation. As my son, I love you regardless… But to involve yourself with a person who can and will ruin everything that you’ve accomplished is not something that I want for you.”

“But Dad. Chris isn’t like that. Not at all. He’s actually a very sensitive person behind that serious façade. I mean, he plays board games, Dad! He’s nothing like his father and honestly, comparing the two of them as the same person is not fair,” Ryan argued with his arms crossed.

“Ryan…I hope you know that I’m only looking out for you,” Nathaniel stated.

“Yes, I know, Dad.”

“So, then you must also know that losing Rory was one of the hardest experiences I ever had in my life, and that I will not that happen again with you.”

“Dad, you’re acting like being with Chris will get me killed.”

“That’s because it’s true!” Nathaniel exclaimed before taking a few steps back and taking deep breath. “It first happened with your mother and most likely happened with Rory as well. Christian wanted Barbara dead, so he could claim her work as his own. And Rory died because he didn’t want anyone to outperform his son.”

“Dad…are you saying Chris’s father was the reason why my mom and Rory are dead?” Ryan asked, shocked.

“I don’t have solid proof yet, but I have always believed that man was responsible for ruining your mother’s career and the tragedy that not only took Rory’s life, but his whole platoon as well …and I strongly doubt that Christian would want the public to know that his own son is seeing you, another man. It’s not Christopher who I’m scared about…it’s his father, the Devil incarnate.”

Ryan swallowed. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

“I do, son. And that’s why you can’t be involved with Christopher, let alone be in a relationship with him. I already lost your mother and Rory, and I can’t let that happen for the third and final time with you since you’re the only person I have left in this world.” Walking back to Ryan and placing a hand on his shoulder, Nathaniel finished by saying, “Please, Ryan…for me and for yourself, end whatever you have with Christopher.”

Ryan did not say anything, instead he slowly started to back away from his father. The idea that his mother and half-brother were the possible victims of Chris’s father was too overwhelming to think about. And he had to make a decision, a decision that was too difficult to make at that moment.

“Ryan...”

Shaking his head, Ryan turned around and left the command center with his father still calling out his name. He began walking to the dormitories as he thought about what his father had just said to him. The last thing that he wanted was upset his father who already lost two of the most important people of his life, but to break off the growing relationship that he had with Chris would break him as well. He just had to leave, not wanting to tell his father that he could not choose between Chris or his father. But to his father, it was a choice between life or death.

Ryan soon reached the dormitories and entered the elevator that went up to Chris’s penthouse. The only person he wanted to see was Chris with the hope that he would have the answers that he needed with Chris’s arms around him. While in the elevator, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he ignored it since the person calling was most likely his father and all he wanted was to get Chris’s perspective in this situation.

Once Ryan was in Chris’s penthouse, he entered the living room area and saw Chris setting up another board game on the coffee table. Ryan had to smile at the innocence of Chris getting ready to play a game with him, and it tugged at his heart to just think about hurting Chris in any way that would cause that innocence to break. This made making any decision that much harder since he did not want to hurt either Chris or his father.

Ryan cleared his throat and Chris turned around to face him with a smile that made Ryan’s heart hurt even more.

“Ryan, you’re early,” Chris said as he walked to Ryan and gave him a hug.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Ryan apologized as he relished the embrace.

Chris chuckled. “Nothing to apologize about.”

Ryan wanted to say something else, but instead he wrapped his arms completely around Chris’s back. And without any words, he expressed what he felt by nuzzling his face on Chris’s firm chest like a puppy and holding Chris like this was the lasr time he was ever going to touch him.

“Are you okay, Ryan? What’s wrong?” Chris asked, holding Ryan with the same firmness.

“Nothing. It’s just…”

Chris placed his hands on Ryan’s shoulders and gently pushed him back. Chris then placed a hand under his chin and lifted his face up to look him right in the eyes. The concerned and caring expression on Chris’s face made him want to fall apart right there.

“Are you sure? You don’t look all right,” Chris said, placing a warm hand on Ryan’s cheek.

Sighing, Ryan said, “I just had a conversation with my dad and didn’t go too well.”

Chris furrowed his eyebrows. “I see… What were you two talking about?”

“God, where do I begin?” Ryan said as he stepped away from Chris and walked to the living room couch where he sat down in a slumped position.

Chris sat down next to Ryan and with a hand on his back, he said, “I’m all ears.”

Looking at Chris who looked very sincere, Ryan began reiterating what he and his father talked about from his father’s knowledge of their relationship to his belief that Chris’s father was responsible for the deaths of Ryan’s mother and Rory. It was hard for the words to come out, but he managed to finish his story and felt some weight lift from his body after telling it. Though, he did not look at Chris’s face as he told what happened, afraid to see what his reaction would be.

After a moment of silence, Chris moved his body closer to Ryan’s and placed a hand over his own that was clenched tightly on his lap.

“I’m sorry, Chris,” Ryan said with trembling lips.

“You don’t need to apologize, Ryan,” Chris said, holding Ryan’s hands more firmly. “And to be honest…I kind of agree with your father. Being in a relationship with me is most likely endangering your life if my father was indeed responsible in any way with what happened to your mother and Rory… And it’s my fault that I didn’t end things between us sooner, thinking more about having you all to myself than your actual safety… Maybe we should—”

“Don’t say that. I don’t want to leave you,” Ryan objected.

“But you can’t risk your life either…and to be truthful with you, Ryan…I also believe that my father was somehow involved with Travis’s death,” Chris confessed.

Ryan’s eyes widened from that statement and he said, “Seriously?”

Chris nodded with his face turned away from Ryan. “I guess that’s why I’m agreeing with your father. I understand what it feels lose someone you care about so much...and to think that you were somehow responsible… I can’t let that happen again.”

“Why are you suddenly thinking that what we have together shouldn’t continue?” Ryan asked.

“It wasn’t a sudden thought, Ryan. These thoughts have been burdening me for weeks now and I’ve been trying to ignore them, thinking that’s just my father talking, but… God damnit,” Chris uttered, bowing his head and covering his face with his hands.

Ryan did not know how to respond. But by the defeated look that Chris was displaying, he wanted to comfort him by wrapping his arms around Chris in an embrace and resting his face on Chris’s shoulder. They remained in that position for a while, silently communicating with each other through the closeness of their bodies that spoke more than any number of words could. They remained silent as the television broadcasted a news report.

Eventually, Chris dropped his hands, revealing his face that looked wet from tears. “I just want to be with someone who I truly care about and love.”

With raised eyebrows, Ryan said, “Love?”

Looking down, Chris said, “I understand that we’ve only known each other for a short time, but…I’d like to believe that we’ll reach a point in our relationship that that will be a possibility… I sound like a creep, don’t I?”

Ryan quickly shook his head. “No, that’s not creepy at all, Chris. I want to love someone too…so why not start with someone I already really care about?”

“But that’s the problem, Ryan… I think I already—”

An alert interrupted what Chris was about to say, and Ryan turned to face the television that was now displaying a black screen with “Emergency Alert System” in capital letters. The sound that it made sent chills all over his body and what the automated voice said next frightened him to the core.

“We interrupt this program for a nationwide emergency. This is not a test. The United States government has issued a warning to all residents of Philadelphia. At three PM Eastern time, a radar has indicated a stellar flare this is capable of producing a Class-B Colossus within the city’s perimeter. The government is urging all residents of Philadelphia to evacuate from the city immediately as active-duty Champions begin mobilizing their units.”

The alert then repeated and Ryan slowly turned his head to face Chris who was still looking at the television screen with a serious expression on his face. Sirens then began blaring outside the penthouse and most likely throughout the entire academy as well. This was really happening.

“Chris?”

Chris stood up from the couch and said, “We can talk about us later. Right now, we need to start preparing for the next Colossus invasion.”

“But we’re not active-duty Champions, Chris,” Ryan said, standing up as well.

Chris turned to face Ryan and with a hand placed on Ryan’s cheek he said, “Always prepare for the worst-case scenario, Ryan.”

Ryan just nodded, knowing that Chris was right. “Okay.”

Chris then leaned forward and with their foreheads pressed together said, “Whatever happens…know that I will indeed beat you at the board game I already have set up.”

Ryan chuckled as he held Chris’s hands tightly. “Not a chance.”

Chris smiled before placing a light kiss on Ryan’s lips, a kiss that Ryan hoped would not be the last.

***

Three hours later…

“—It has been confirmed that there are three Colossus beings near the city of Philadelphia right now! This is the first time in history that more than one Colossus has appeared in the same location and… Oh, God! The Champions are getting decimated out there… Maria, helps us all—"