Heroes Rising: The Missing Mythic Part 3

 Part 3

Lady Phoenix led Gar to a room where they had a mirror that would connect to the communicator. It was a cross between the magical and technological. After setting it up, Gar waited while the signal attempted to contact BADGE HQ.

“Having trouble?” Lady Phoenix came into the room.

Gar held up the Comm device and frowned at it, “I have done what I know to work, but it does not work. I do not understand.”

“Perhaps your signal is not strong enough?” She came over to him.

“No. The signal is showing full power. It tries, but does not connect.”

She laughed, “I have little understanding of modern human technology. To us, it is so far behind our capabilities it is foreign. Though, we also must accept we have distanced ourselves so much we are blind to the modern age of humans.”

Gar re-sent the signal, on the screen it looped for a moment and did nothing. “I do not understand.”

“It may not be your device. It might be our isolation barrier. Here,” She held out her hand and a small beam of light went through the walls. “I have created a small hole. Try now.”

Without having to do anything, the signal connected and the interior of BADGE HQ came on the screen. A robot greeted them and then alerted the director, who came to the monitor.

Groggy, Nova said, “This had better be good, Gar. It’s 4 am here.”

Gar smiled, “I am sorry, Director. I have urgent news.”

“Gar, who is that next to you?” Nova’s eyes widened, as though he recognized her.

Lady Phoenix bowed her head, “Good to see you again, Nova. It has been too long.”

“My Lady,” He bowed in respect. “Looks like you guys found Lord Dragon and Lady Phoenix.”

“Yes. Your directions to their location did not prove to be...um...accurate.” Gar said.

“What is this urgent news?”

Gar and Lady Phoenix explained the situation about Jinn.

Gar finished, “You see, they need help to find this mysterious person.”

Nova stroked his goatee, “This will be difficult. But Lady Phoenix is right, the more eyes we have out there looking, the better. We already have agents and heroes all over the world tracking Jinn. Now that I know he is far too dangerous to apprehend, I will give the order to stand down from the search for Jinn and change to searching for this mythic.”

Just then Chase joined Nova, “Why in hell did you wake me...oh, Hi Gar.”

Gar smiled, “Hi, Chase.”

Nova said, “No time for happy reunions. I will send Chase out at once with several others who will join you at your location. They will follow your orders, Lady Phoenix, and help protect your people.”

“Thank you.”

“Gar, you wait for Chase and help organize this. Tell Gamma Ray he’ll be on assignment once Crimson gets there.”

“Understood.”

“BADGE out.” Nova ended the call.

Gar picked up the communicator and detached it from the mirror while Lady Phoenix sealed the barrier.

“She is special to you?” Lady Phoenix softly asked.

Gar looked up, “What?”

“That lovely young woman, is she someone special to you?”

“Chase. Um...yes. She is a fellow member of BADGE.”

Lady Phoenix smiled at him as a mother to her child, “Your wings lifted, your smile grew, and a sparkle in your eye could be seen the moment she stepped into view.”

Gar touched his eye with great curiosity, “My eyes do not sparkle.”

She took his hand and held it, “Yes, they do, in a special way. Could this woman be the one who has made you curious about matters of the heart?”

“Matters of the heart?”

“When we first met you wished to understand love and how to feel it. From what I saw there, you have the spark of love in you, perhaps one might call it a crush.”

Gar fought that coy smile on his face, “When I first met her, Chase was...interesting. I wasn’t sure what I felt, still do not fully understand. I ignored this as we worked together, but those feelings only grow more each time I see her.”

She walked with him out of the room toward the little tea garden, “Tell me what about her you found interesting?”

They left the wooden path and walked out through the garden. Gar stopped near a weeping cherry tree and brushed his stony fingers through the delicate branches. “I like the way she looks. More than other humans I see, I really enjoy her face, her eyes, and even her figure. I don’t know why.”

Lady Phoenix sat on a bench under the tree, “Being attracted to her beauty is good. However, what else has drawn your attention? Surely her looks are not the only element that touches you.”

He quickly shook his head and sat down in the grass, almost like a child at her feet, “Of course not. Chase is a wonderful person. She was a thief, very selfish, and alone for a long time. But, now that she is working with BADGE and helping others, I have seen her grow and become something more. She is compassionate. She is funny and laughs at me, even when I don’t mean to be funny. She teaches me new things and helps others without being asked. She is a good person.”

Lady Phoenix smiled, “And you find this quality in her attractive? It is a noble quality for sure.”

Gar nodded, “Yes. When I first woke after being asleep for so long, I did not understand this world. I didn’t know who or what I was. A man taught me and helped me. He showed me compassion when others might fear me. He took risks to help me and even taught me to fly. I consider him my father. I guess he showed me that compassion is a form of love and something to look for in a good person.”

She said, “Your father was a wise man to instill this knowledge in you through his actions. A parent’s greatest gift to their child is to teach them what actual love means, and your father has done this for you.”

“What do I do now? I do not understand what I feel or how to act on this feeling.”

She reached up and plucked a pink blossom from the weeping cherry, “When you see her, be with her. Help her know you feel for her through gentle actions and honesty. Don’t throw yourself at her, just be a kind friend and let nature take its course.”

“Nature.” He whispered, “I am not of this nature. I am not a human. I am a statue given life. I do not have a heart. How can I want her to care for me in return when I am so different?”

Lady Phoenix leaned over and placed that blossom in his hand, “The blossom blooms in spite of adversity. Come the season, it opens its petals to the world for all to see its beauty. Let her see the beauty of your blossoming heart, all other concerns will fall away.”