THE GUARDIANS

They ran blindly into the dark alley, not waiting to look back at the chaser! 100 yards later, they hit a dead end! Doing a double take, the four armed men in black armor and carrying duffel bags, raced back the way they had come and took a right this time. That’s when the last man inexplicably got blasted off his feet! His partner turned around! Even with the black mask one could make out the horror in his eyes.

He let out a burst from his staccato before turning towards the remaining men who had already crossed over to the next alley. All he could manage were two steps when a blur of limbs and cloth blocked his vision! And by the time he had recovered from the shock of the sudden assault, he could no longer feel the pain in his broken ribs and the blood gushing from his shattered nose! A hit to the solar plexus had paralyzed his body and he lay on the road, breathing hoarsely! He watched horrified as the assailant tied him up and placed some kind of a gadget on him. He squinted through his mask to register at least a face for his fear! It was the silhouette of a man… no wait! Was it? Before the man could decide, the hooded figure ran after the remaining men at speeds unknown to him!

 

“Answer my question Mr. Marvin! MR. MARVIN!!!”

Marvin Sloan jerked upright as a booming male voice threatened to pierce his eardrums!

“Mr. Sloan! Sleeping during Fluids Mechanics? You are in loads of trouble kid!” jeered professor McGregor, “detention today! 5 p.m.”

Everyone in class sniggered! Someone even whistled.

“That’s enough!” shouted the professor.

 

The bell rang after 10 minutes signaling lunch hour. Everyone slowly dragged their bodies out of the class. Marvin yawning widely rose up from his chair and stretched his limbs. They were sore since the cross-country practice the previous evening! He slung his bag over his shoulder, ruffled his already untidy mop of hair and lazily carried his 6’1’’ frame through the door.

Once outside, he put his arms up and took in the smell of fresh grass and brewing coffee wafting from across the canteen on the other side of the college grounds! The sunlight sent a searing pain through the bruises on his face!

“What’s with all the bruises?” someone called from behind.

Marvin looked around, dazed for a minute as his eyes adjusted to the light! When his vision refocused he found Shyne Ninan, the pretty geek from his class and his only friend in college, looking at him, her bespectacled dark eyes seeming concerned.

“Bike accident!” Marvin lied and loped off towards the canteen.

Shyne ran after the tall Brit, her short legs unable to match Sloan’s huge steps.

“Sloan! Get back here and answer my question you ungrateful little…” Shyne chided.

Marvin turned around and smiled at a visibly flushed Shyne and broke into a playful run inviting his friend to give chase!

 

A cool breeze swept across the terrace of the physics department.

“You know it’s a little too weird how you run so fast!” Shyne said suspiciously, tugging at the straw in her smoothie can.

“Well… isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?” suggested Marvin.

“Yes but… you are not ‘normal’ fast!” Shyne said abandoning her mango burst, “Joshua Sullivan runs ‘normal’ fast for a college kid! You… I dunno! 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres… CROSS COUNTRY MARATHON! You have broken all records that exist in running you know!”

“Well isn’t that cool?” Marvin said laughing.

“It’s too good to be true!” Shyne replied crossing her arms and glaring at Sloan.

Marvin finished his apple, threw the apple core as far as he could, watching it sail over the adjacent building and landing in the cup shaped dummy over the canteen, and then turned towards Shyne.

“Look! Does it even matter? Did someone say something?” said Marvin sounding concerned.

Shyne sighed. “No it’s just… I don’t like people suggesting that you take drugs for enhancing your abilities!”

“Do they now?” laughed, the Briton.

Shyne began, “Yes and…”

The rest of her words were drowned as Marvin swooped down and placed a peck on her cheek. Her face went totally pink.

Marvin was already moving towards the exit, “Come on now! The last thing I want is another detention for entering the class late!” he called back.

 

Marvin walked towards the bike parking lot. It was already 6:15 p.m.! He was late. Chief wasn’t going to be pleased. Flexing his long fingers- today’s detention involved a lot of writing, prof. McGregor really enjoyed detentions he thought! Freeing his bicycle from the locking system, he broke into a run before mounting the bike!

A shadow slowly moved out from the darkness of the parking lot. It watched as a tall college kid whistled a recent catchy tune and raced off on his bike. Shyne put on her baseball cap. She had to find out more about the mysterious Marvin Sloan!

Chief wasn’t happy!

“How many times did I remind you not to get involved in trouble at college?” he screamed. The entire “cave” was silent.

“Hey chief he was on-duty last…” Joshua Sullivan trailed off and focused on his shoelace instead as the Chief turned a fiery glare at the freshman!

Marvin’s attention jerked back from Joshua to the Chief as the old man addressed him again.

“Look Sloan! You are the by far the best soldier that our organization has produced since its inception 37 years ago! While we are aware that you have never slipped in the line of duty, you have failed to keep your nose clean at the institute on multiple occasions! You have to be more responsible!” scolded the Chief.

Chief sighed heavily. Their organization, The Guardians was a crime fighting organ of the Government that was heavily veiled and a secret weapon to uproot crime from the grass roots! It recruited orphaned kids who would otherwise waste their lives on the streets or the slums. It would offer them a normal life in exchange for unparalleled patriotism! Such kids were trained in different forms of combat, deception and efficient movement transforming them into entities that are nothing less than shadows! They monitored and collected intelligence during the day and operated in the dark! Street crimes, organized crime and National security- The Guardians have handled it all during nearly 4 decades of its existence! The cave was its secret headquarters, and though not hard to discover it was one of the most classified endeavors of the Government!

Shyne was mightily angry! Sloan was good. He didn’t stop at the signal but swerved dangerously between vehicles and scared the hell out of commuters, racing away into a corner where he disappeared into the darkness. But when the traffic finally got mobile and she reached the turn that Marvin had taken, she was bewildered to see a dead end! Where on earth had the kid vanished into!!!

 

“One blueberry muffin and orange juice please!” she said rummaging for cash at the counter of a bakery shop.

She walked her bike on the pavement. She had wasted her evening running after a guy whom she considered friend but didn’t know anything about. Two years ago Shyne had been the only one bold enough to go chat with the broody, tall, good looking and mysterious kid!

They had instantly hit off! She didn’t exactly have a crush on the guy but he was likeable, very amicable, a bit of an introvert but cared for her very much. She felt at home around him and even though he hardly shared anything, he was always a very good listener and she could pour her heart out to him!

She never forced Marvin to open up but recently her curiosity had been growing to a critical level. Almost every day he would have bruises on his face with no satisfactory explanation for the same. His physical abilities were already a legend at the college but no evidence of skullduggery was ever found against him, always proving some unconvinced competitor or the other wrong!

Shyne took an elevator to the fifth floor of the St. Mary’s Hospital on Castle Street. She went to the washroom, splashed cold water on her face and took deep breathes to calm herself down. Checking her reflection on the mirror, she removed her spectacles, opened her ponytail and re arranged her clothes. Taking out a bouquet from her slinging bag, she tried to forget her tensions and put on a nice smile. Her father liked to see a smile on his daughter’s face!

“Hi pretty!” Mr. Ninan smiled up at his daughter.

“Hello handsome!” Shyne said smiling back. She bent and kissed her father on the forehead, “Hello Camille!” she greeted the nurse tending to Mr. Ninan!

Police commissioner Ninan was a household name in the city. It felt safer with the 57 year old around! He had been heading the police department since the last two decades, cleansing the filth in the city keeping the streets clean of crime and protecting the peaceful sleep of the citizens!

“So what has been going on in my doll’s life?” the commissioner asked, still smiling.

“Hmmm… nothing much!” Shyne said, hugging her father.

Just then the power went off! There were loud gasps all around the wards, power cuts never happened in hospitals.

“Don’t move Commissioner Sir, I will go check what’s going…” nurse Camille’s voice was drowned by the sound of gunfire. There was a moment of silence and then all hell broke loose.

There were screams and cries everywhere. Conundrum rose in the hospital and the darkness did not help matters. Just then the door to the ward banged open and a muffled bullet shot pierced right through the heart of Nurse Camille. Shyne and the other patients screamed as more bodies slumped to the floor. The commissioner covered his daughter and pinned her to the ground even as bullets flew everywhere. Suddenly there was a crunching noise on the glass window. Something entered through it and moved with surprising speed towards the assailant, there was sound of beakers shattering, iron stands toppling and curtains ripping, and then there was a cry of pain followed by the longest silence Shyne had ever experienced in her life!

“Come on get up!” Mr. Ninan guided his daughter.

A male voice said, “You are okay commissioner Sir?”

“Yes yes I am fine! Where are the other Guardians?” asked the commissioner.

“They are downstairs, neutralizing the insurgents Sir! Intelligence has it that a convoy had been sent for you to be taken care of!” the mysterious man mechanically answered.

“Alright take my daughter to safety and pass me a gun!” ordered the old policeman.

The man started, “But Sir…”

“It’s an order kid!” the commissioner pressed menacingly.

Still unsatisfied, the man agreed, “Very well Sir!”

 

Shyne struggled against the tight grasp of the guardian.

“Let me go! Just… LEMME GO!” she shouted at the man.

The power came back on at that moment and for the first time Shyne saw her protector. He was wearing a dark blue suit, the face was also covered by a mask, there was a hood where a collar usually exists and a large G was plastered on the front in black curly, serpentine font! He had a firm grip on her wrist and moved with absolute agility. Finally they reached a balcony which had a clear view of the adjacent building.

“Who… What are you?” Shyne finally asked once the man had safely taken her to the terrace of the building opposite to the hospital

The man did not answer.

Shyne began again, “I am asking who…”

Her words were cut short as the man suddenly turned towards her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“How dare you? What do you think you just…“ Shyne gasped as the man removed his mask.

“Mar… Marvin… what… why… how…” Shyne was at a loss of words. This was the biggest shock of her life!

 

Everything was finally making sense. The bruises, the immense physical abilities, the secretive nature, the aloofness…

“How long has this been going on?” she finally managed after Marvin finished telling her about The Guardians.

“Since I was 12!” Marvin conceded.

“So you are part of a secret Govt organization called The Guardians?”

“Yes. I…”

“And you undertake covert operations?”

“Yes! I…”

“And you have worked with my father on multiple occasions?”

“On multiple occasions. But I…”

Marvin stopped speaking. He couldn’t! Shyne was kissing him full on the lips.

“Go!” Shyne said pulling back.

“Shyne please let me…” Marvin tried to explain.

“GO! The Guardians  and father need their best warrior out there!” Shyne smiled at him, “And you better explain yourself when we meet tomorrow young man!” she decreed.

Marvin was speechless. This time it wasn’t the oath of secrecy but the sheer loss of words that had rendered him speechless.

“Go..” whispered Shyne coming close to him.

Marvin took a few steps back turned towards the hospital, putting his mask back on as he moved towards the railing. Taking out something that looked like a mini crossbow, he turned one final time towards Shyne then he broke into a run and jumped off the building, both his weapons aimed at a gunman shooting randomly.

__END__