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Power Shot · #1 [ ] 11-03-2007, 06:42 PM

Part One

O’Neil Airport, Illinois- 3:30 PM

The crisp air of O’Neil Airport greatly contrasted the upkeep of the Departure gates. While the floors were unkempt and in need of a good mopping, and the walls needed scrubbing, the man at the terminal thought that the air he breathed was rather clean. As he inhaled the clean oxygen, the man noticed he was sitting alone at Departure gate 29A. Though to the untrained ear it might have been quiet, the man knew differently, which was why he was so fascinated with the cleanliness of the air. The soothing sound of his nostrils inhaling the air and expelling carbon monoxide was very much like a symphony to his ears. And, as if that wasn’t enough, any time he wasn’t breathing his heart was pounding, and he heard its soft pitter-patter within his chest. It was like music.

He had arrived early for his flight. Either that or my flight is late for me. Once again, he adjusted the black glasses upon his face to glance at a nearby clock. I wish these things would stop trying to fall off. He needed them to see properly, and every time he lowered or lifted his head just a bit too quickly they would try to slip from his slight nose. The nearby clock told him that he still had over an hour until his flight left, so he turned his head back to stare into the space in front of him. There was nothing really to look at, other than the magnificent view of a soda machine that was across from the terminal next to a travel advertisement on the wall. The gate itself was varying shades of bright grey and blue, meant to be both cheap looking and alerting.

His flight had been delayed for some time; he had now been waiting for fifty minutes all alone in the gate. Not that I mind. Truth be told, he was enjoying the solitude he found suddenly available to him, a rarity at even the most obscure airport. Of course, only his gate was empty, both 28A and 30A were filled to the brim with people cramming themselves like sardines into airplanes. But he could ignore the occasional baby’s scream or an argument between family relatives. He was in his own personal bubble, one that was not so easily penetrated by outside distractions.

Briefly, he surveyed his attire one final time. He kept obsessing about trying to maintain a low profile, and the clothes he had selected did suit where he was going. His flight would be taking him to Zepther, Michigan, one of the coldest cities in the United States. And, as it was well into winter, he had chosen wisely in bringing along a warm red jacket he had bought from one of the shops in another airport. Casual jeans covered his legs, and a t-shirt colored both green and black was on under the jacket. He tapped the ground once or twice to his breathing rhythm, causing the black military boots to clink against the tiled ground. This disguise will work like a charm. He smiled, and patted his untidy auburn hair with a gloved hand. In the seat next to him was a large duffel bag that housed all his earthly possessions, which he had opted to carry on the plane personally rather than risk trusting it to the airport staff. In addition to this piece of luggage, a guitar case was tucked smoothly between his feet under his seat. He mused over taking out the instrument to play a few notes.

Why not? He lowered his hands and picked up the black case from the ground, undoing the locks on the side. The guitar case opened to display his prized instrument: a black and silver behemoth of beauty. He lifted the sheen black surface to his lap, and traced his gloved fingers along the silver strings. He fine-tuned them, winding the silver strands into a perfect tightness for his style. He plucked a few cords to make sure that it worked all right, as he hadn’t played it for some weeks, and found the sound to be adequate.

Erin’s guitar sprang to life as the man played a few notes of a particular melody that he had been taught. She loved this song. For some reason, when he thought that, his eyebrows contracted around his sunglasses as though he was furious about something. It was probably his music, which always came out dull and lifeless, no matter how much effort he put into the song. I will never be able to breathe life into this music. Despite this discouragement, he continued to strum on the guitar for the remaining time he had left alone. Finally, when the intercom announced that his flight would leave in one hour, the first few passengers began to show up. Better put it away. Wisely, he returned the instrument to its case for later, bolting it shut and hiding it again behind his feet.

“Hey there, mister!” The man looked up, as he had not heard anyone take the seat to his right. He tilted his head to see a small boy sitting next to him, accompanied by others who appeared to be his mother and little sister in the seats beside him. The man smiled politely, and noticed that what he saw was mostly clumps of auburn hair due to his hair cascading over his sunglasses.

He brushed the hair out of his sight. “Hello,” he answered. This kid can’t possibly be older than ten. He wore a little red poof-ball hat, which did well in hiding his mesh of wild black hair. I wonder what that’s like. The boy was very excited to receive the man’s attention, since his mother was preoccupied with the younger child. “How are you doing today?”

The boy could not sit still in his seat. “Fine thanks.” Before he continued, he doubled back to check what his mother was doing. Seeing that she had not noticed that her son was speaking to a stranger, and was too busy keeping the little girl from wandering further than her lap, he turned back and extended his hand to the man. “My name’s Thomas,” he stated. “What’s yours?”

The man looked down at the child’s tiny hand for a moment, before he extended his own giant one to lightly grasp it. “My name is Tobias,” he answered, taking great care not to crush young Thomas’ fingers. “Is that your mother and younger sister?” The man named Tobias released the boy’s hand and pointed to Thomas’ family.

The boy looked back to them, then shook his head. “Nope. That’s Mommy, all right, but Kerry’s not my sis. She’s just my baby cousin,” Thomas explained. “Kerry and I are going to see Daddy this weekend in Zepther. Her mommy and daddy went to Virginia, so she gets to come with me.” The boy, filled with immense self-importance, puffed up his chest and broadened his minute shoulders. “Because I’m bigger, I get to be in charge on the plane, ‘cause Kerry’s never flown alone. I have to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.”

“I see…” Tobias glanced at the girl, who bore a definite familial resemblance to Thomas. Both, for example, had black hair and crystal blue eyes, and there was a roundness around both children’s cheeks. Thomas’ mother had these features too, though her chin was more refined and straight than the kids. I should probably stop talking to him. His mother wouldn’t like it. “Well, Thomas, I am sure that you will do a good job looking after your sister.” With that, he began to return to his own little world, but was stopped because the mother did notice that her son was speaking to a stranger.

Thomas’ mother was much calmer than most would have been if they found their children talking to someone they did not know. “I’m so sorry,” she said apologetically to Tobias for her son’s behavior. Then she turned to Thomas, and wagged her finger sternly at him. “Thomas, how many times to I need to say that you shouldn’t talk to strangers?”

“But he’s not a stranger, Mommy,” Thomas objected, and pointed at Tobias. “We introduced. We shook hands.” His mother, however thought differently on the subject, and opened her mouth to continue the lecture.

Oh boy… I’d better do something about this. Before Thomas’ mother could begin, Tobias held up his hand gently, as he did not wish to appear rude. “It’s perfectly fine Miss. Thomas wasn’t bothering me at all, he just wanted to talk to me.” The giant faked a smile. “Sorry for bothering you.” The mother was surprised at this, and even more so by the hand he offered to her. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“C-certainly,” she answered, a bit taken aback at his politeness. She altered little Kerry in her arms so that she could take Tobias’ broad handshake. “I’m Alex Harper.” She gave Thomas a begrudging glance for breaking her rules. “I’m sure you know my son Thomas, and this is my niece Kerry.” She jiggled the little girl in her other arm, prompting an excited gasp from Kerry.

“Tobias, Ms. Harper,” the big man answered as he firmly shook her hand, taking the same precautions as he had with her son to not break any of her bones. “Thomas here told me that he’s going to Zepther with Kerry.” The little kid nodded eagerly. “Are you traveling with them, Ms. Harper?”

Alex shook her head, replying, “No, I’m afraid I can’t. Thomas’ father works in Zepther, so we arranged it so he could go see his father for the week before winter break ends and he has to go back to school.” At the mention of the word ‘school’, Thomas blew a raspberry in disgust. “And since Kerry’s parents, my sister and her husband, had to go away for a couple of weeks, Thomas decided Kerry would go with him.” Kerry, at the mention of her name, clapped her hands. Alex blew a piece of hair out of her mouth before continuing. “I still have to work, so I can’t come with them. They’ll be looked after by security, and Thomas’ father will pick them up at the terminal.” Then, she leaned close to Tobias, and whispered, “Plus, I could use a week’s break to myself.”

Tobias chuckled appreciatively. “I understand completely, Ms. Harper. Even a moment’s solace from a rough day is good. I always make sure to have a little me time.” Alex giggled, and then smiled. Thomas looked around in confusion, as the big man had used far too many words he did not understand. Tobias was about to continue, but suddenly his jacket began to make a vibrating noise, followed by the telltale ringing of his cell phone’s idiotic ring tone. He paused, then requested, “Would you excuse me for a moment, Ms Harper?”

She nodded. “Of course, Tobias.”

“Thank you.” He then looked to Thomas. “Watch my seat for me, okay?”

“Sure thing, Tobias,” the little boy squeaked. Tobias stood up to his full height, and Thomas stared in amazement at Tobias’ tall figure. Still, he did not forget his mission, and moved to take the giant’s seat into his safekeeping. “Wow, Tobias. How’d you get so big?”

Tobias, because he had never been asked that question, simply shrugged and said, “Drink plenty of milk, and exercise.” Thomas did not reply, so the giant attempted to walk through the group of passengers who were already forming a line outside the gate entry way, even though the attendants had not started taking tickets. “Excuse me.” He bumped into someone with his elbow. “Pardon me.” Someone plowed into him, causing a domino effect that forced several people behind that someone to crash into one another.

“Watch where you’re going, lummox!”

“I said ‘pardon me’,” Tobias offered unapologetically, and exited the crowded area with haste, for if he remained there any longer his gigantic body was going to cause further problems. Tobias took out his cell phone, an aged machine by modern standards. Most people that saw it thought it archaic because it did not even come with now-standard features such as a camera or internet connection, but the giant admired it for its simplicity. He had to open it gently, as he had only bought it a few days ago, and did not feel like breaking it so quickly. It’s probably Ms. Urashima. Sure enough, the name Raziya Urashima was listed as the caller-ID. I think I’ll let the machine get it. As the phone died out, Tobias placed it to his ear to hear his message: “Hello, this is Tobias. I cannot come to the phone right now, so please leave a brief message at the beep.” He opened the voicemail so he could hear the message while it was being recorded.

“…Hello…? Tobias? Are you there? Eh… Okay. Well, I was sort of hoping to be able to actually talk to you before you got here, but whatever.” She sounds a lot like Erin, Tobias thought. “I just wanted to remind you of the address that you need to go to once you arrive. The store is called Comic Central. If you tell that to the cabbie the taxi will know where to go. Your bedroom has been emptied so that you can move in right away once you get here. I hope you don’t have too much stuff because it is just a one bedroom and a closet deal.” She laughed briefly. “We’ll finalize the terms and conditions of your rent and pay when you get here. I can’t wait to meet you. If what Erin told me is true, you’ll fit right in with me. I hope you live up to the hype! Bye!” The message ended after that.

“And…delete.” When prompted by the cell-phone’s generic computer voice, Tobias pressed down on the little red button on the left side of his phone to erase the message. She sounds like a handful. His business finished, he returned to his seat, this time by taking a round trip to bypass the large crowd of people waiting at the ticket counter. Out of the corner of his sunglasses, he noticed no less than five men in black suits, but thought nothing of it. Thomas, sighting the giant before he reached them, moved back over to his own seat and patted Tobias’ until the big man sat back down. “Thank you, Thomas.”

“You’re welcome Tobias,” the little boy answered, before he sneezed.

Tobias’ ears perked up when, as the intercom flared to life, they mentioned his flight. “Ladies and gentlemen, flight 243 to Zepther, Michigan is now boarding. We apologize for the delay.” Upon hearing this, Alex nodded to Thomas and Kerry. Both kids jumped down to the ground, and the boy shouldered his luggage: a small backpack with some sort of cartoon characters drawn on it. Kerry had no carryon.

“We’d better get moving…” Alex noted. The line began to move immediately, so Tobias followed their example by grabbing his duffel bag with his right hand and his guitar case in the left. “Would you like to wait in line with us, Tobias?”

“It would be a pleasure, Ms. Harper.”

The foursome headed to the back of the line, Tobias in front and Alex bringing up the rear, with both children supervised in the center. Kerry waddled next to her cousin, and Alex made sure she took no more than two steps away from her. Thomas stuck to Tobias’ shadow, and kept staring up to the glasses on the giant’s face. Both were quiet, Tobias’ favorite thing for children to be, while they moved towards the departure gate with the rest of the steadily progressing line.

Tobias walked forward when the attendant, a young man with an uninteresting face, announced that he should step up. “Ticket please,” he stated in monotone. Tobias rummaged through one of his coat’s pockets before producing the paper. The attendant glanced over it briefly, then tore off a stub and handed it back. “Here you go. Enjoy your flight.” Tobias thanked him and headed into the terminal. He stopped though, and waited for Alex to check Kerry and Thomas in. There was some confusion with Alex, but she produced a pass that allowed her to at least walk the children to the plane.

“Ready?” Tobias asked. Alex nodded and they led the children towards the plane. Tobias noticed that the terminal smelt very sterile and stale. Like always, another attendant was waiting at the plane door to check their tickets a second time. Before they boarded the plane though, Tobias paused while Alex said goodbye to her son and niece.

She hugged Thomas. “Okay, Thomas, you’re in charge now.” Her son nodded excitedly. “Kerry, keep an eye on your cousin for me, okay?” Kerry laughed and nodded, and Tobias noticed that she didn’t speak. “Your father will be waiting for you when you get off the plane, at the gate. Okay kids?” Both nodded. “Tobias will help you find your seats, right Tobias?”

Tobias smiled. “I will help them find their seats, and I’ll make sure that the stewardess knows that Thomas’ father will claim them at the gate.”

“Thank you, Tobias.” She made sure to give Kerry a hard squeeze before the attendant took their tickets, and the children followed Tobias into the plane. Tobias waved a farewell to Alex, and made sure that Kerry and Thomas both stayed close to him. Their seat numbers were relatively close to where his was. They were all seated near the back, with Tobias one row up.

Tobias’ hair just grazing the roof of the airplane, they attempted to get through the plane, no easy feat for anyone of the giant’s size. He had reservations on being able to even fit into the seat, given that his knees had been wedged into the back of the seat in front of him in his last flight. And that was an international flight. When they reached rows 29 and 30, Tobias jammed his guitar and his duffel bag into the overhead compartment above his seat. “Okay, kids, let’s get you into your seats.” Kerry, held firmly in place by a vice grip on her arm from Thomas, was placed in seat 30D with minimum difficulty, and Thomas willingly took his seat next to her. Tobias made certain that their seatbelts were fastened before he sat in his own seat.

When a stewardess came by, Tobias stopped her with a wave of his arm. “Excuse me, miss?” he asked, as she approached.

“Yes, sir?” she replied friendlily.

“See those two kids over there?” Tobias jerked his thumb behind him to indicate Kerry and Thomas. “The boy’s mother asked me to keep an eye on them for this flight, but they’re unaccompanied minors. The father is going to pick them up when we arrive in Zepther. Could you inform whoever’s job it is to know these things of that?”

“Certainly sir.”

As an afterthought, Tobias asked, “One more thing. Why was the flight delayed so long? I saw the plane in the gate long before we departed.”

“A special guest.” The stewardess smiled at the giant’s apparent confusion, and left after a slight bow. Tobias, having received no information, resigned himself to his seat, and hoped that whomever sat in front of him did not think badly of him. He was wedged in placed, despite all attempts to find wiggle room. Fortunately, both of the other people sitting in his row had already taken their seats, so he would not have to worry about getting up for anything other than an emergency.

After about fifteen minutes, everything seemed to settle down. Everyone had been boarded, and the flight attendants had taken their places at various intervals of the plane to begin their lecture about the various safety features of the plane. Tobias noted, out of the corner of his glasses, that neither Thomas nor Kerry were paying much attention, as Thomas had out what looked like a Game Boy and Kerry was watching avidly.

Tobias followed their example of ignoring the instructions of the attendants. Instead, he settled into his seat as best he could. Considering that he was seated in a coach seat, one of the vilest creations known to modern man, this was no easy talent for someone of his size. Well, at least I have plenty of time to consider my position. He needed time to think about that. And, as he did, his mind wandered to what he was carrying with him, stashed away in the overhead compartment among his belongings. Her gift to him. I really wish Erin hadn’t given me that thing. What does she expect me to do with it anyway? He decided to think about something else, so he turned his thoughts to Zepther, his new home. According to the internet, a device that Tobias in no way could use well, it was a relatively large city with a population of several million. I don’t like big cities. He was used to smaller communities, having spent a lot of time on the road. It’s also very cold.

With the safety demonstration over, Tobias heard the intercom die, then flare up again. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” announced the new voice. “That was our safety demonstration on the various features of safety our airline provides you, our wonderful passengers…”

Please take off.

“I’m your captain, Glen Quagmire…”

“And this is your copilot, Cleveland Brown,” said another, slightly calmer voice.

“We would like to welcome you aboard Flight 243 from O’Neil Airport, Illinois to Zepther, Michigan. We’re looking at a two hour flight thanks to some nice tailwinds and a great breeze coming up from the south. We’ll be arriving in Zepther at about a quarter to seven this evening.” There was a slight paused, followed by a continuation. “We’d like to apologize for the slight delay in getting everyone boarded. The plane needed a special inspection due to a special guest aboard our aircraft. Mayor Ariel Johnson of Zepther has joined us on our trip, so please make her feel welcome. We had to poke around to make sure everything was up to shape for the honorable mayor.”

So that was the ‘special guest’. Figures. Tobias sighed and rested his head against the top of his seat. Now that they mention it, I did see those guys in black suits. Must have been the mayor’s muscle. Mayor Johnson would probably up front in first class, a place that Tobias had wanted to sit, but his budget didn’t allow for. I’m pretty sure I could fit in those seats. In his ears, he could hear the engines beginning to start with a slight hum.

Let’s just get to Zepther already. I have work to do.

Total Word Count- 3832 Words