She’s going to be late, Cale Pearson thinks as he glances around the staging area.  You would think after all of her hard work she would at least be on time to her own ceremony.

            He can tell people are starting to get anxious; they go live in less than ten minutes.  Television crewmembers are rushing back and forth, unsure what they should be doing.  The only ones oblivious to Parker’s tardiness are the lighting engineers on the catwalk above, busy trying to get the spotlights angled just right on the stage.  One of the workers is leaning too far over the edge, wobbling and making Cale nervous.

            Don’t make me save you…not today.  It’s Parker’s day and the last thing she needs is “Patriot Prime” stepping on her toes.

            He sighs.

            Cale hates his name.  Not “Cale,” but his hero name, “Patriot Prime."  He almost laughed in their faces when the members of the Tribunal named him, only catching at the last second they were being serious.  He puts on a good front, though, whenever he is in character— puffs out his chest, pulls his shoulders back, and walks tall, looking down on people in what he hopes is a heroic manner.  To him, it just feels condescending, but the crowds eat it up.

            That’s the whole point of this.  The crowds, the people cheering and buying merchandise.  Of course that’s not the party line; the Tribunal tries to sell the Patriot Guard as being here to protect the citizens of New Edison, to inspire hope and pride.  The program was started when the number of Variants began to skyrocket.  People tend to get a bit nervous when genetically mutated populations begin to grow, especially when the mutations give them special abilities like breathing under water, controlling electricity, or even passing through walls.

            Although, I still swear that one’s a myth.

            Variants have been noted all throughout history, but until recently they only popped up about once in every million people.  In the last decade, they’ve become much more common—around one per every couple thousand people.  The Patriot Guard is supposed to offer peace of mind, but deep down Cale feels that, to the Tribunal at least, the PG is more concerned with lining their wallets.  He would never speak this aloud, though.  General Linwood doesn’t hide his distaste for Cale very well as it is—best not to give him something else to dislike.

            From the very beginning of the Patriot Guard Project, Cale and General Linwood hadn’t gotten along.

            It’s hard to believe it has been two years since they recruited me.

            He had just come out of basic training when he was approached about joining a top-secret project.  He was one of thirty recruits.  There were other soldiers like him, but there were also policemen, secret service members, and even a world champion boxer. 

            The program started out by pushing everyone to their physical and mental limits.  For two weeks straight, they were tested at all hours of the day: obstacle courses, logic tests, drills in the middle of the night, and on one occasion they hadn’t even known they were being tested.  The instructors had staged a terrorist attack to see how they would react, going so far as to put candidates they had already ruled out into comas so deep they appeared dead.

            At the end of the two weeks, there were ten recruits left.

            The final ten were given medical waivers to sign before they could continue in the project.  Cale had tried to read through his, but it was over five hundred pages long and he didn’t understand half of the legal jargon.  He signed it anyway.  He wanted to serve his country, and by that point it didn’t really seem like he could refuse.

            He and the other recruits were moved to a secret medical facility on the outskirts of New Edison.  The injections were administered the day after they arrived.

            The deaths began right away.

            Dr. Maura Bellamy, top scientist of the genetic engineering field and a pioneer in nanobot technology, created the serum.  It was supposed to be an advanced form of gene therapy, meant to give the recruits extreme strength, speed, and regeneration capabilities.

            Four died within hours of being given the injection and two more deteriorated quickly over the following three days.  The others took a bit longer.  When it seemed the final four were stable and would survive, they began training, trying to develop and hone their new skills.

            Only Cale, Ike Warf, John Spoke, and Walter Hask, the boxing champion, remained.  They were meant to compete against one another, each vying to be number one.  In every test, Cale came in second to Walter; Ike and John took turns beating one another for third. 

            Tempers started to shorten, and at first, everyone assumed it was due to the competitive nature of the testing. 

            They were wrong.

            Ike and John were paired together for combatives, with everyone standing on the sidelines, waiting to see who would win.  They were always neck-and-neck in the other tests, so people were eager to see who would be the victor.  Some of the researchers even had a gambling pool going.

            The test started normally; one would advance, one would defend, and eventually someone would land a blow.  But with each hit, the two men seemed to become a bit more unhinged, their rage becoming increasingly evident.  Before long, they were snarling and tearing into one another.

            The test manager called out “foul,” and told them to cool it.  When they didn’t respond, he called out again, thinking they must not have heard him.

            Cale wondered why he was the only one who could see that they were past hearing. 

            The manager stepped in to intervene just as Cale called out to warn him against it.  It was too late; the poor man was torn to shreds.  There was blood everywhere, and before anyone could decide what to do and how to stop them, they ripped one another apart.

            After a moment of deafening silence, all hell broke loose.

            Cale and Walter were separated and locked inside padded rooms.  The researchers were afraid they would attack each other too.

            It was discovered that Ike and John’s levels of adrenaline and testosterone were through the roof at the time of their deaths, while their serotonin levels were at rock bottom.

            After extensive tests were run on them, showing their hormone levels were within the norm, Cale and Walter were released from solitary confinement and set back to training.  They were monitored closely for several weeks, and everything always came back normal on their tests.

            Walter continued to beat Cale at every obstacle, and quickly became a favorite of General Linwood.  Whenever the General would visit to inquire about the Patriot Guard Project’s success, he and Walter bantered like old friends, all but ignoring Cale.  For a while, this angered Cale, because damn it he worked hard too!           Eventually he learned to ignore the two.

            The Tribunal, the group responsible for all decisions regarding the Patriot Guard, made up of General Sampson Linwood, Dr. Maura Bellamy, and Senator Andrew Scott, finally decided after a few months of training that it was time to unveil its new heroes.  A meeting was called to discuss all of the arrangements.

            Details were settled on quickly and everything ran smoothly until the issue of names was brought up.  It was the first time Cale had ever seen the General and Walter at odds.  General Linwood demanded Walter take an “appropriate” hero name, while Walter was determined to keep his boxing nickname because it was what people knew him by.

            It didn’t take long for a screaming match to ensue, both men jumping up from their chairs.  Cale could tell Walter was starting to lose it; Walter kept twitching his head to the side and clenching his jaw.  He snarled loudly and launched himself in the General’s direction. A security officer, one of five that had been brought in after the Ike and John incident, stepped in front of him.  Walter snapped his neck without even pausing in his steps. 

            General Linwood was forced to draw his handgun and shoot him.  It took three bullets to bring Walter down, two to the chest and one to the head. 

            The remaining security officers converged on Cale and he soon found himself back in solitary.  The autopsy results on Walter were the same as the others: high adrenaline and testosterone, with low serotonin.

            Cale’s levels continued to remain steady, even when faced with the numerous stress tests forced upon him by the Tribunal members.  They were just being “thorough,” they said.

            Eventually, Cale was deemed safe and “graduated” the program.  He was dubbed Patriot Prime and, much to General Linwood’s dismay, named hero of New Edison.  The other recruits were never mentioned; the Tribunal refused to let their deaths affect the city’s view of Cale and the Patriot Project.

            The public had been skeptical at first, but shortly after Cale had been revealed to the people, he became a true hero in their eyes.  He rescued a group of students who had become trapped after a local elementary school suffered a partial collapse.  Since then, people haven’t been able to get enough of him.

            That was where Parker came in.

            The demands for Cale’s attention and help were becoming too numerous.  How could one person protect an entire city?  It’s not like he could prevent every mugging, car theft, or act of vandalism, even with his enhanced abilities.

            He appealed to the Tribunal, trying to get them to see.  Cale was so burnt out; he would be hero to no one unless he could get some rest. 

            He was told they would look into a solution.

            The Tribunal decided that Patriot Prime needed a sidekick.  It was also decided the best way to choose a sidekick was through a televised competition, a reality show, Patriot Guard: Next Generation.  It would be a great publicity stunt, and a way for the public to really feel connected to the program.  Any person eighteen or older could audition, though only twenty-five were chosen.  Those chosen were, secretly and off-camera, given a new, safer, type of injection:  a combination of super steroids and nanobots programmed to repair damage inflicted to the body.

            After it became evident the new injection didn’t have the problems of the old one, the competition began.  The contestants were put through a sort of basic training, meant to teach them fundamental combat skills and weapons handling.  After that, they were given tasks and missions to complete for points.  Contestants were weeded out over a period of six months until only one remained.

            Parker.

            At first Cale had been certain the only reason Parker made the cut was because she was General Linwood’s daughter; only two other females had made it and they had both been in the special forces.  Parker didn’t seem to have much of a background story other than being the General’s daughter, which was, of course, what the show’s producers focused on.

            Cale had been angry about her presence.  So many had died on the way to making this possible, and yet Parker just got to saunter in using her family connections.  It was a disgrace.

            Then, one day, he actually got to see her in action.  She was amazing, even before the injection.  She was much faster than anyone else, her reflexes lighting quick.  She dominated any test they threw at her.  Cale knew immediately that she would be the ultimate winner.

            “Where the hell is that girl?” somebody growls.

            Startled back to the present, Cale turns to see General Linwood looking angrier than usual, and again finds himself wondering how Linwood and Parker could be related.  The General, with his blond hair and hard, angled features, is the exact opposite of Parker’s brown locks and soft face.  The only resemblance between the two is their matching chocolate eyes, though Cale has noticed in the past that, when she is in a good mood, Parker’s eyes are a much lighter shade of honey.  General Linwood is never in a good mood, so he isn’t sure if that is a shared trait.

            “I’m sure she’s on her way, Sir.  There is no way Parker would miss this,” Cale assures the General.

            “Well, thank you, Patriot Prime.  I didn’t realize your super powers now included clairvoyance.”

            Cale sighs heavily and turns away, heading towards his designated mark.  All of the cameras are focused on a podium set up at center stage with the PG logo easily visible on the bright red backdrop.

            “Somebody find her!” General Linwood orders.  “This must start on time!”

            What’s the rush? Cale thinks.  Everyone already knows who the winner is.  Today is just about swearing her in.  How many people are tuned in on a Monday morning anyway?

 

~

 

 

            Parker Linwood rushes down the hallway at top speed, gracefully dodging bystanders without a second thought, trying to make her way to the presentation staging area.

            I’m going to be late!

            Parker picks up her pace until the people she passes become nothing more than blurs of color.  She is running so quickly that she completely misses the door to the staging area and, while skidding to a halt, grabs onto the shoulders of a stagehand, almost taking him to the ground with her.

            “Sorry!” she offers over her shoulder as she makes her way back towards the door.

            “Some hero,” the guy mutters angrily as he turns back to his work.

            “I’m here!” Parker announces as she bursts through the door.

            The show’s producer, Ellen Jeski, emerges from a small crowd of waiting people and gives her a stern look.  Well, she at least tries to look stern.  Her attitude is undercut by her completely nonthreatening size and appearance.  Ellen is barely five feet tall and is completely overshadowed by Parker’s five-foot-eight frame.

            “We go live in four minutes!” Ellen enunciates, blond curls bouncing.  “And where is the costume I approved?”

            “You approved that?” Parker scoffs.  “That’s why I’m late.  I did not work my ass of for six months so any hope of being taken seriously could be thrown out the window when I take the stage in underwear and thigh high boots!”

            Parker had been appalled when she was given the costume they expected her to wear; blue leather boy shorts, thigh high black boots with a four-inch heel, a white bustier, and a red cape emblazoned with the black monogram “SS.”

            The Stolid Sentry, she mocks inwardly.

            She made her way to the costume room of the studio, leaving behind a verbally abused stylist, and picked out her own outfit.  Deciding that someone labeled “stolid” shouldn’t dress so flamboyantly, Parker settled on a more subdued costume.  She donned a pair of black skinny jeans, black buckled boots, a white long-sleeved top, black bulletproof vest, and as an afterthought decided to keep the red cape as it was the only thing with her emblem.  She then made a pass through the prop department, grabbing a holster and two fake handguns.

            I’ll pick up real ones later.

            From there, Parker had made a dash for the staging area.   

            “The public wants a show,” Ellen tells her grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the stage.

            “I thought the public wants a hero?” Parker counters.

            “They want both,” a commanding voice interrupts.

            Parker stiffens automatically, recognizing its owner.

            “General Linwood, perhaps you can talk some sense into your daughter?” Ellen asks plaintively.

            Sampson Linwood marches over and looks Parker up and down appraisingly.

            “Sorry, Ms. Jeski. I must admit I am glad that my daughter will not be parading around in her under-things.”

            Parker almost lets herself feel elated… almost. 

            “Although, you could have picked something a bit more patriotic, couldn’t you, Parker?” he asks, condescendingly.

            She is used to his double-edged compliments.  They are always more insult than approval.

            “Yes, father, I suppose I could have.”

            “We will have to fix this later. We are about to go live!” Ellen squeals, ushering everyone to their places.

            Parker takes a deep breath as she approaches the stage.  Her nerves are starting to get the best of her.  In every moment leading up to now, she has been too busy to be nervous and hasn’t had a chance to think about actually interacting with the public.  Sure, she has been on everyone’s TV for the last six months for the show, been interviewed for magazines and newspapers, but now she is getting ready to step from behind the cameras and into the direct line of judgmental gazes.  It is with an overwhelming weight on her shoulders that Parker takes her place on stage, to the left of the podium.

            She looks over to see Cale standing parallel to her.  He gives her a reassuring smile and mouths not fair, indicating her costume.  Despite her nerves, she finds herself smiling in response.  She has to admit that she is much happier to be in her outfit than Cale’s.  He is wearing his normal hero garb: navy blue cargo pants, combat boots, a red, figure-hugging armored shirt with “PP”, his initials, in white, and a thick utility belt held up by a large American flag belt buckle.  The ensemble is topped off with a red domino mask and white cape.

            The first time Parker had met Cale, he had been in this uniform, coming to visit the contestants on set.  He stood on the sidelines watching them train.  Everyone seemed too afraid to actually approach him and settled on whispering to one another that they couldn’t believe it was actually him.  Parker had no such qualms. 

            “I see what the ladies say are true,” she’d said loudly, walking over to him.

            His blue eyes tightened a bit, trying to decipher her intentions.  She had to angle her face upwards to meet his gaze; he is at least 6’3”.

            “And what is it that they say?” he asked.

            “That you have a large PP,” Parker shrugged, and then unable to help herself, she burst out laughing.

            Her comment seemed to catch him off guard, but he soon joined in her laughter.

            “I’m Parker,” she said extending her hand.  “I intend on being your sidekick.”

            “Oh, really?” he reached out to shake her hand.  “I’m guessing that means you already know that I’m Cale.”

            “Who doesn’t know who you are?  Your blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect smile are on every other billboard in New Edison,” she joked.

            “Well aren’t we cozy,” General Linwood said harshly, coming up from behind Parker. 

            “Shouldn’t you be training?” he asked her.

            Before she could stumble through a response, Cale jumped in.

            “Sorry, General.  That was my fault.  I shouldn’t have interrupted the training session.”

            From that day, Parker and Cale formed a tentative friendship and eventually grew to be inseparable.  They chatted whenever they had the chance, discussing the other candidates, combat tactics, and pretty much everything else.  It was easy to see that Cale and Parker’s father did not get along very well, which just gave them something else to bond over.  On days when General Linwood was being especially atrocious, they would take turns speculating what caused his bad mood.

            “Why is there so much more bran than raisins?” Cale mocked, trying to mimic the General’s voice.

            “No, no,” Parker would snicker, then deepening her voice she would try, “what do you mean you used two percent milk in my coffee?  Anything other than whole milk is unpatriotic!”

            “Now I must go kick a puppy to release my frustrations!” Cale continued, and they would both lose it and start laughing uncontrollably.

            More often than not, General Linwood would appear out of nowhere to break up their discussions with orders for Parker to get back to work.

            Parker had tried to get to know the other contestants, but all of them had avoided her advances at friendship from the beginning, most of them assuming she was only there because of her father.  It wasn’t until they began competing and she wiped the floor with them that they decided to give her a chance, but by then Parker didn’t want anything to do with them.  They had made their decision, and now they had to deal with it.

            None of the eliminated contestants are present for the ceremony, and Parker is glad.  She is also glad to have Cale so close by, needing the support of a friend to make it through the event.

            “We go live in thirty seconds!” Ellen shouts.

            Senator Andrew Scott hurries to stand behind the podium.  He is by far the most public friendly member of the Tribunal and therefore does most of the public speaking.  Dr. Bellamy isn’t much of a people person, preferring the solitude of her lab, and General Linwood is… well, General Linwood.  He has a hard time not being rude and abrasive. 

            Senator Scott is an everyman: early 40s, graying brown hair, blue eyes, almost six feet tall, with a lean build and a politician’s smile.  He is the perfect person to be running the show.

            “Three, two, one,” Ellen counts down in a whisper.

            The show’s theme song starts and the red lights on the cameras turn on.  Parker places a proud smile on her face as she sees the stage fill the monitor near one of the cameramen.

            “Ladies and gentlemen of New Edison,” Senator Scott begins, his face filling the monitor as the cameras zoom in.  “Today is the day you have been waiting for!  Today is the day you meet your new hero!”

            He pauses dramatically.

            “For the last six months you’ve watched her fight, sweat, and bleed to make it here.  She has worked hard, and sacrificed so much to serve you… to protect you.”

            At this point on the monitor, the stage disappears and is replaced by a video montage of the challenges Parker faced throughout the competition.  Afterwards, interviews start playing; her trainers, judges, Cale, and even her father all have something to say about her.

            “She was always a determined little girl,” General Linwood says in a clip.

            “I honestly believe that Parker is the right choice, and that the Patriot Guard will be lucky to have her,” Cale says, nodding, in the next.

            Parker takes a deep breath, shakes out her arms, and rolls her neck in a circle, preparing for what she knows comes next.

            “Back on you in three, two, one,” Ellen signals.

            “Outstanding,” Senator Scott tells the cameras.  “Now, finally, it’s time to swear in our new hero.  Miss Linwood, if you please?”

            Parker walks slowly and surely over to join the Senator behind the podium.  They turn to face each other, and begin.

            “Please repeat after me,” Senator Scott tells her. “I, Parker Linwood, solemnly swear…”

            “I, Parker Linwood, solemnly swear…”

            “To uphold the United States Government and to protect the citizens of New Edison to the best of my capabilities.”

            Parker repeats him.

            “To follow the orders given to me by the Patriot Guard Tribunal,” Senator Scott continues.

            “To follow the orders given to me by the Patriot Guard Tribunal…”

            “And to be a solid pillar of the community, always relied upon and never yielding.”

            After she repeats the final line of the oath, Senator Scott reaches out to place a black domino mask on her face, tying it just below her high ponytail.  He then leads her over to where Cale stands; Cale takes Parker’s hand and lifts it above their heads.

            “Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the Stolid Sentry!  The newest member of the Patriot Guard!” the Senator booms loudly.  “Now—“

            Whatever Senator Scott is preparing to say is drowned out by a crewmember calling everyone’s attention.  The monitor no longer has the stage on it, but instead a special news report.

            “Three masked gunmen were seen rushing into the New Edison National Bank just moments ago,” the newscaster reports, showcasing blurry footage from someone’s cell phone.  “Police have yet to reach the scene…”

            “Welcome to the team,” Cale tells Parker.  “Looks like you’re starting sooner than you planned.”