Unidentified Phenomenon Read online

  Guardians

  — Book 2 —

  Unidentified Phenomenon

  Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  www.damienledoux.com

  Purple Spekter™ Press

  Copyright © 2018 Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the Author, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN-10: TBD

  ISBN-13: TBD

  ASIN: B079LD28BN

  WORK OF FICTION

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  EDITION

  1.0 – May 5, 2018 Launch

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Author’s Notes

  1 | A Whole New World

  2 | Differing Ambitions

  3 | Forks in the Road

  4 | Unexpected Reveal

  5 | Frustrations

  6 | Normal is Abnormal

  7 | It's a Different World Now

  8 | Sometimes, Things Work Out

  9 | His Eyes Opened

  10 | Divergence

  11 | Superior Complex

  12 | Unwanted Tension

  13 | Practice Makes Perfect

  14 | A Night of Firsts

  15 | Betrayal

  16 | Snare of a Different Kind

  17 | Coming Out

  18 | Shifting Priorities

  19 | Next Up, Paranoia

  20 | KC-135 Stratotanker

  21 | Frustrated

  22 | Negotiations

  23 | The Assault Begins

  24 | Plots Within Plots

  25 | Collusion

  26 | Twist the Knife

  27 | One Chance

  28 | Fallout

  29 | Life Must Go On

  30 | Securing the Future

  If You Enjoyed this Book…

  About the Author

  The Purple Spekter™ Shop

  Dedication

  Book 2: Unidentified Phenomenon is dedicated to Eric Potter, my science-fiction loving best friend who listens to all the crazy sci-fi ideas in my head and more than occasionally jumped into the creative pool with me to craft something amazing.

  The Guardians series is dedicated to all LGBTQ youth and young adults everywhere who have struggled to love themselves, or struggle to love themselves today.

  Acknowledgements

  My husband and handsome hero Tim, for his constant encouragement and willingness to share in this part of my life. I truly appreciate your support as I jockey between our lives, work, and several novels.

  I love you, through all of time and space…

  Editing

  My husband, Tim.

  Beta Readers

  My team of beta readers who pre-read the novel and provided feedback and suggestions to strengthen the story. Thank you.

  Victor Freeman

  Gea Kuil

  David Pruette

  Contributors

  These fine superhero supporters added something to the story, such as an idea, a character, subject matter expertise, or simply shared their thoughts with me about something I was working on.

  Timothy Chapman

  Andrew Rowe

  Ron St. Germain

  Author’s Notes

  On Chronology

  I believe you may be accustomed to reading the chapters of a book in order with the expectation that each chapter chronologically moves the story forward toward its climax and resolution. That being said…most of the time, Quinn and Blake’s storylines run in parallel chronology, but occasionally, a subchapter may take place at a different point in time. When it matters, I’ve been explicit about it. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter.

  The Guardians Series Novels and Cliffhangers

  Although this book has an ending, it is part of a larger work and isn’t meant to stand alone. Thus, I’ve decided the book has a sufficient ending many would consider a cliffhanger ending.

  To be more unclear:

  My writing style is inspired by the J. R. R. Tolkien sense of a book series. The primary books are not separate books only related by a series or collection, but rather the characters and stories in each book are part of a larger story that spans several novels.

  Make these Superheroes more Enjoyable

  Let's be honest for a moment: extra stuff can be cool. That's why I created free, bonus content for you to enjoy on my Web site about the Guardians series. It contains additional details about characters (spoiler free) and the unique places Quinn and Blake visit, such as the Orgonon Reactor Core.

  You can access it here: http://damienledoux.com/the-guardians-series/

  On Findeing Typohs?

  If you found a typo, please let me know. Despite the many editing passes and multiple sets of eyes, typos, like nasty gremlins, creep into the text. It’s extremely frustrating but with your help, we can eliminate all typos, everywhere—or at least in my novels. Use the contact form at the link below to submit a typo or other textual error. Thank you so much for helping me improve my stories!

  http://damienledoux.com/typohunters/

  1 | A Whole New World

  Quinn

  QUINN MCALESTER SAT AT HIS usual table in the school library, his eyes inextricably focused on his crush, Keegan Miller. The young man effortlessly swaggered through the hallway on the other side of the library’s glass wall. The sight of him made Quinn’s heart flip-flop with butterflies. He sighed and stared, lost in Keegan’s wavy, dirty-blonde hair, the tie-dye shirt sporting the high school’s Clippers logo, and his faded, torn blue jeans…until Keegan looked at Quinn and winked at him.

  Awkward! Quinn thought, sitting up suddenly and clumsily waving back. His palms sweat when Keegan turned abruptly and entered the library. All around him, the lights above flickered.

  Oh my gosh, he’s going to walk over here and talk to me. Act normal, act normal! And calm down so the lights don’t blow…

  The past several weeks after Quinn and his best friend, Blake Hargreaves, returned from their mysterious adventure at the Orgone Facility in Rangeley, Maine—the place that granted them super powers—proved lucky for Quinn. Keegan, already out of the closet and living his truth, had taken a new interest in him that fueled Quinn’s already intense crush on Keegan.

  Although Blake and his closest friends Ravone Timber and Loren Davis encouraged him to be honest with Keegan, Quinn refused to come out of the closet because the school bullies like Darien James and his cronies Kyle and Tony relentlessly teased him whenever they could.

  The lights stopped flickering.

  “What’s up, McAlester? You looked lonely and bored in here,” Keegan said, setting his backpack down on the table across from Quinn.

  Oh, where to begin…

  Quinn and Blake had been secretly working with their comic-book loving mentor, Mr. St. Germain, in hopes of understanding their super powers more and developing greater control over them. They had also been researching orgone energy—a difficult topic to research—and anything they could find about Wilhelm Reich—the scientist who coined the pseudo-science around the enigmatic energy. Though their efforts were continually thwarted by a general lack of information because people had mostly focused on the psychological implications of his work, the boys knew he had accidentally developed a largely untapped science that someone discovered held a power worth harnessing. At least, that was their working theory since the lethal exposure to orgone energy several weeks ago t
hat gave them incredible abilities.

  “Not much, just working on my math homework,” Quinn answered, gesturing to his open math book and a small stack of worksheets.

  “Yuck. I don’t look forward to doing those later.”

  Quinn chuckled. “It sucks.” Then, his brain turned to romantic mush and became lost in unspoken affection for Keegan. Don’t be lame! Say something! Anything!

  “Do you always longboard to school?” Quinn blurted out, knowing the answer was no.

  Keegan smiled and shook his head. “Not when it’s cold or raining, but if the weather’s nice, then definitely, yeah. How do you get to school?”

  Quinn blushed. “Um, one of my dads usually brings me to school in the morning.”

  Keegan smiled again.

  Man, that smile slays me every time I see it…

  “That must be so cool, having two dads, I mean, you know, being gay and all, they must have accepted you without a second thought.”

  Quinn’s faced dropped in surprise. “What?”

  It was Keegan’s turn to look awkward. “Oh, wow, I’m so sorry. I just assumed…I didn’t mean to…wow, I’m an idiot.” His eyes shifted with uncertainty.

  Quinn sat back and shook his head, fighting his insecurities and swallowing nervously. “No, you’re not. You’re right about me.” He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans.

  Keegan regarded him for a moment, then pulled a chair out and sat down. He spoke in a low voice. “Quinn, are you not out yet?”

  Anxiety took over and Quinn vigorously shook his head. “No, except to my three closest friends.”

  “Oh man, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize…”

  “I need to, though. Come out, that is,” Quinn mumbled.

  “What’s stopping you?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I dunno. I think my dads will be cool, but I think people will judge us because they’re gay and so am I. I’m adopted so…it feels awkward to me.”

  Keegan nodded. “I wish I could convince you that it won’t be awkward in your family, but it’s not something you can be told.”

  Quinn managed a small smile. “Thanks. Then, there are jerks like Darien. He’s obnoxious. He’s always picking on me no matter what I do.”

  “Jerks like him smell fear. He doesn’t pick on me because I give it right back to him. Just remember, McAlester…you survived a lightning strike. That makes you a badass in my book, so forget about what Darien could do to you because you survived worse.”

  Quinn laughed loudly and then clamped a hand over his mouth. He looked around the library, but no one paid attention to him.

  “You should come out, Quinn. Take it from me, it’s a lot more freeing to be who you’re supposed to be.” Then, he stood and winked at him again. “I gotta run, but I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  “Cool. Bye,” Quinn answered, watching his crush meander through the tables to the library’s main doors. He sighed and looked down at his math problems. They didn’t seem so difficult now that Keegan had spoken with him, but he knew his crush was right; it was time for him to be honest with everyone.

  “All right, spill it,” Ravone said, her arms folded across her chest. The red streak she had added to her brown hair weeks ago had faded so she added some neon pink extensions to accentuate it. It matched the pink Lady Gaga Joanne T-shirt she wore with a well-fitted black skirt and purple leggings.

  Quinn pulled his attention out of his thoughts and up from his math assignment and looked into the curious eyes of Ravone and Loren. “Uh, what about?”

  They both turned and looked behind them as Keegan walked out of the library. “You know what we mean. Did you ask him out yet?” Loren asked. Loren identified with both gender pronouns and today he wore her usual red converse sneakers with blue jeans and a white T-shirt with the words “Unicorns are Fabulous like me.”

  “Ohmigosh, no!” Quinn’s eyes popped open with surprise as they sat down at his table, Ravone choosing the seat Keegan had just got up from.

  “Well, get on that, but what we really want to know is what’s going on with you and Blake?”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “You two have been acting really strange ever since you came back from your camping trip.”

  Loren pointed between her and Ravone. “We even think you guys skipped school together a few weeks back. You were both absent on the same day.”

  He scratched his head. “Um, yeah…we had to, uh…get a checkup back in Rangeley. So, it’s nothing exciting to talk about.”

  “Did they probe you?” Ravone asked, chuckling.

  “What? No!” Quinn answered, laughing.

  “Well, all right,” Loren responded. “But just remember, we’re watching you. And more importantly, we’re here for you, Quinn. We’re your closest friends and we want to see you happy. We’ll be here when it’s time to, you know, roll out the rainbow carpet.”

  Quinn smiled. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

  “Okay, let’s get this math homework done,” Ravone said. “Maybe it will go faster if we encourage one another.”

  “You mean cheat?” Loren asked flatly.

  “No, I meant what said.”

  Quinn smiled and brought his eyes back to his math worksheets. I learned something important today. If I don’t live a normal life, people are going to figure out something’s different about me. If they figure that out, it will put my family and friends in jeopardy, and I can’t risk being discovered.

  ❖

  Blake

  Blake sat on a bench on Peirce Island that overlooked the Piscataqua River. He felt weird sitting alone at dusk in this spot, far from passersby, but he knew he could handle any would-be troublemakers. Agent Victor Kraze refused to meet with Blake at any other location until he could finish vetting Blake’s interest in supporting the still-unnamed agency or organization he worked for—or was in charge of. Directly across from him, a navy destroyer made its final docking approach, pushed by the Moran tugboats to the shipyard.

  Behind him, he heard a car pull up. He didn’t need to look to know it was Victor’s unmarked, black SUV. With his enhanced hearing, he heard the usual two other men—armed guards—step out of the car and establish a perimeter. Since they were close to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Newcastle Coast Guard Station, Victor felt it looked official to have an unmarked car there for the conversation. Most people, he believed, would be curious, but when they saw the two guards, they’d leave well enough alone.

  “Good evening, Blake,” Victor said, coming around the bench and offering his right hand.

  “Hey, what’s up?” Blake asked, shaking his hand.

  Victor sat down and held out the cardboard drink tray in his left hand. “I took a guess you’d enjoy a hot chocolate.”

  Blake winced at him. “You know I’m not a kid, right?”

  Victor smiled. “Of course. But to be honest, they’re both hot chocolates. I can’t do caffeine after one o’clock because it makes me too jittery.”

  “Oh. Well, thanks.” He took one of the hot chocolates from the tray and nodded.

  “You’re welcome, Blake.” Victor took the other and set the tray on the bench next to him.

  “So, how’s everything going for you? We’ve talked a lot about the agency I work for and…”

  “Why doesn’t it exist?” Blake asked, interrupting the man.

  “What do you mean?” Victor asked, sipping his hot chocolate.

  “Quinn and I have been doing a lot of research on…” he paused, realizing he slipped up. Shit, I didn’t mean to share that…

  “Research about what, exactly?” Victor asked without missing a beat.

  “About everything you’re telling me. No matter how I search for it, nothing ever comes up that sounds remotely familiar. There are a few whack-job conspiracy theorists out there, but…”

  “You should study those. They’re probably right to some degree.”

  Blake eyed Victor for a moment before continuing. “The
y don’t come close to anything you’re talking about. If you really belong to some kind of secret Jason Bourne group why do you hide out in Rangeley?”

  Victor chuckled. “Technically, that’s just one of our locations. In fact, it’s our original facility. What does your research tell you about Rangeley?”

  Blake shared what he knew about Wilhelm Reich and his fundamental work with orgone energy from Wikipedia.

  “And?” Victor pressed.

  “And it’s always a dead end, like it doesn’t exist anymore. Quinn and I think you’re part of something he either discovered and hid or someone else quietly discovered after he died.”

  Victor nodded. “Quinn, huh?”

  Blake waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told him about us. I understand why I need to keep secrets from him.”

  “I knew you would be an excellent pupil.”

  They each sipped their hot chocolate.

  “None of it makes sense, though,” Blake said, staring at the churning river water again.

  “Perhaps what we need is a mutual pact of trust between us, Blake.”

  “What’s a pact?”

  “A formal agreement between two parties, though I’m sure you’d be more than okay if I didn’t write up a contract.”

  “I don’t know, contracts protect people,” Blake said dryly.

  “Fine,” Victor said.

  For the first time, Blake heard irritation in the man’s voice.

  “I’ll tell you more about me and my people if you tell me how Quinn and your abilities are coming along.”

  Blake’s head snapped to Victor. So, you do know about our powers…

  They maintained eye contact for several long seconds before Blake asked, “Our what?”

  “Your special abilities. The things you can do that other people can’t do.”