The Secret Protector

Power-5:Melvin

"What the---" I leaned over, intending to capture a glance of the screen which apparently held some astounding information. However, achieving my goal, I realised that it was quite the opposite. The screen, in fact, lacked information. My brain waves had disappeared for a short period. "What does that mean?" I asked. "Your brain activity fell to zero." "Or" I realised something "It was too fast to record."

I pondered upon the possible reasons for the meteoric processing of my brain, it being to such an extent that recording it was impossible. Consequently, I realised that only spontaneous actions that may cause harm to me triggered this response. "Super speed, huh?" Clover walked in, only to see me with the brain scan machine still mounted on, not unlike a ridiculous helmet. Captain had left the room some time ago, probably to inform General of this anomalous behaviour of mine. "Yeah, I guess." I replied with a sigh. "Didn't think it was beyond what was normal. I always attributed it to an adrenaline rush." "What about your unfounded hatred towards Kevin?" Kevin. The name induced shudders. I could never pinpoint my reasons but hatred towards him was an absolute truth. Moreover, I quite strangely lost all reasoning in context of this enmity when I was around him. "It is genuine. I don't know why." Before this conversation picked up momentum, General intervened.

"Your thoughts. Shoot." He commanded. He looked like he always did. No more than fifty five in appearance but his brain and experience suggested that he was easily seventy. He was not very tall, 5 feet 8 inches. A simple shirt and khakis comprised his attire, the fruit of which was an appearance of any random person one might encounter. His gray hair was combed neatly and wrinkles embellished his face. His mere presence imparted serenity to an atmosphere, regardless the situation. Despite the vast difference in age, he treated all Protectors like friends, advising them when needed and asking for the same as and when necessary. "There is no biological reason for my condition. The concentration of all hormones and chemicals are normal." "Which means it is physical." "What do you mean?" It was only after asking this question that I realised what he was suggesting. "Time." "Time is relative. I'm physically speeding up the time around me." I said, lost in the profound thoughts that were leading me deeper into the implications of my conclusion. "That does make sense in context of you creating a black hole." intervened Clover. "So, how do we fix it?" I asked. "For now, I think it is impossible to figure that out. The only thing we can do is continue forth and keep testing." I nodded my head.

I cannot claim that I found this discussion particularly settling but I knew that being caught in this net of discomfort would certainly do me no good. Of course, my predicament didn't last very long, as, with my position as a Protector, distractions were in excess. About a week later, General summoned Clover and I from our sparring session. "We have a task for you two." "What might that be?" Clover asked "A protecting job. Highest priority, top secret, Government request." "Cool. Details?" I replied. "The person in question is Daryl Cross." the screen before us lit up, displaying a picture. "That's a kid." I said. "A 'kid' with top secret information, the exact nature of which has been kept from us. So have the circumstances of the gain such precocious information by this young individual. All we know is that he needs to be protected for 3 days before the information is no more important." "Isn't guarding him something any government body can do?" Clover asked, stealing my words. "Oh but there's a catch." "What is it?" "The pursuers are no ordinary people. They can shape-shift."...