The Phantom's Hero

Vacation? Nope.

"You know kid, of all those so-called heroes that left, I am glad you're the one that stayed."

"Thanks Larry."

"Now drive her carefully, and don't blow anything up."

Avery drove for an hour down the highway, the sea on her right and the wind in her hair from the open window. Larry had loaned her something he proudly called his baby, which Avery had discovered to be a red 1967 Ford Mustang. He had kept the car stored safely in his garage for years, removing her only for the annual car show, a show which he and half the precinct attended yearly. Larry had been a little unsure handing his keys over, but eventually did so after a quick test drive from the woman still in her suit, proving she could drive stick.

Nerves still plagued Avery as she drove, not easing until the door of the loaned home closed behind her, locking tightly with a click. The guard had given her a puzzled look when she gave the name "Protector" at the gate. But the man allowed her through with a shrug and a smile, recognising the car Larry had insisted he look out for. Sure, Larry had suggested he keep a lookout for a guy at the wheel, the man not expecting a blonde woman to pull up with a soft smile.

The house itself sat a comfortable distance from the sea with floor to ceiling windows in the joint kitchen/living area. Avery dropped her well-loved backpack by the door and removed her shabby shoes before exploring. Finding three bedrooms, all twice the size of her entire apartment, all decorated with sea themed items and colours. Deciding herself to be undeserving of the main bedroom, she holed up in the smallest room, which still had a view of the sea. The exhausted woman finally allowed herself to relax as she dropped onto the bed, her small body sinking into the soft covers.

She headed back downstairs a few minutes later to retrieve her backpack when she noticed a red flashing light coming from a landline phone in the corner of the living room. The machine sat on a small table with a notepad and pen ready beside it, which Avery picked up, ready to take a message. Pressing the pen to the paper of the notepad in one hand, the fingers of Avery's other hand pressed the flashing button, only to hear Larry's voice on the other end with a message for her.

"Protector, hope you don't mind me calling. I don't expect you to answer. I know your identity to be important, anyway-"

Avery smiled, finding herself calming at the man's rambling voice as she rested the pen back down on the table.

"Everything is in order here and I cancelled the window cleaner and the maid for the week so they don't... you know. Anyway, just remember to call if anything goes wrong and don't-"

"Blow up the house," Avery said in unison with the message, repeating the warning the man had given her countless times over the course of the past few hours. The message ended, and the machine beeped, announcing the end of all the collected messages as silence filled the room once again.

As Avery made her way up the stairs with her backpack, the phone rang, causing her to freeze for a moment at the shrill trills permeating the air. Thinking against answering, she continued up the stairs to the bedroom as the ringing continued.

By the time she had returned to the large room where the machine sat, the trills had become silence once more and the flashing red light had returned. Sighing, Avery pressed play and made her way to the kitchen to seek a hot beverage.

"Protector, forgot to say, I had a friend fill the fridge, there should be enough food for the week... Oh! And the coffee jar is in the left cupboard enjoy!"