Sunlight streamed through the windows of Dr. Elizabeth Ward’s laboratory. The space buzzed with activity. The whole team had assembled there and then some. Saphira and Freya stood with Elizabeth at her computer terminal while she busily typed away. Maria was off to the side talking to a woman I had never met before, apparently named Asuka. CS-01 and I stood over a table, where Allison lay in her comma. Monitors and displays surrounded her on the table, and the golden headband was wrapped around her forehead.

“Please provide affirmative confirmation of your intent to proceed with this course of action,” the cyborg said as she looked up from a computer tablet. The plates of her sleek, new, body armor shone in the sunlight. After the battle, Elizabeth had given her a complete overhaul. Her former jumpsuit had been replaced by form-fitting armor plating. Apparently, she’d also installed force field generators, retractable metal cabling and a whole bunch of other science stuff that went over my head. But I understood the good doctor was determined not to let her wife get hurt again, and that warmed my heart.

I turned the other headband in my hands. My fingers traced the grooves and circuits, contemplating the weight of my choice. “Yeah I understand. I’m sure.”

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, heavy bags drooping under her eyes. A graveyard of coffee cups had accumulated around her desk over the last several days. After emergency procedures to restore Emily, Elizabeth had thrown herself into this project. She never said anything about it, but I could feel the guilt radiating from her psyche. She felt partially responsible for what happened to Allison. She had only warned Emily instead of the whole group, and blamed herself because of it. I never blamed her, though. I understood putting the person you loved above everything else. “You know this isn’t exactly my field of expertise, so I can’t be certain it’ll work. But all the simulations look good. I think I’ve recalibrated the bands to drain your psychic power and use it to restart Allison’s consciousness. The part I’m least sure about is what’ll happen to you, Sam.”

“Yeah I know. But whatever happens to me will be worth it,” I said, placing the band on my head. I could feel the concern radiating from the others in the room. I could read thoughts passively now. It had taken some getting used to.

“The most likely outcome is you losing your powers,” Elizabeth reminded me.

“I know,” I said calmly. My powers had become unreal the last few days. I knew I could twist the minds of everyone in the space in an instant if I wanted to. The temptation was a lot to bear. I understood why Fractal had felt like a god. But what good was being a god if you couldn’t be with the person you loved?

 Saphira crossed the room and took my hand. “You truly are a light in this world Sam. I’m so glad I trusted you. And I can’t apologize to all of you enough for letting Fractal get the better of me. I’m so thankful you were all there to save me,” she said in her lyrical voice.

Freya yelled playfully across the room. “We forgive you already. Stop apologizing.”

I could see the hint of a blush on Saphira’s dark skin and could feel the embarrassment radiating from her mind.

“Regardless, I want you to have this, Sam.” She released a small, round object into my hand.

I held it up. The small clock swung gently from a golden chain. The hands didn’t move. “What is it?”

“It’s Oderir, the clock. Each of the ancient artifacts belonged to an old god. This one is mine,” she said smiling.

“What?” I pushed it back towards her. “We just went through all this to get the artifacts back, and you’re just going to give me one of them?”

“I want you to keep it. The artifacts take on the intent of their wielder. The ones we recovered were all tainted by Fractal’s lust for power. It will be decades before they return to a neutral state. But I do occasionally lend artifacts out to people I trust.”

“She speaks the truth. When we first met, Saphira entrusted me with this,” Freya chimed in, raising her sword, Laevateinn. The blade vibrated in the air with a gentle hum. “In truth, I likely couldn’t have cut Merinjord’s strap were my own blade, not another artifact.”

“But aren’t you worried I’ll end up corrupting this one, like Fractal did?” I asked.

Saphira looked me dead in the eye, her pupils shining. “Not in the slightest. I can’t say what power this clock will develop for you. The abilities shift to suit the greatest wishes of their wielder. For me it suspends time in the Sanctum. It’s enabled me to keep prizes from centuries past and live outside of time. But the world needs heroes, Sam. It needs people like you. If you lose your powers, I want you to still be able to serve as one of its guardians.”

I cast my eyes down, embarrassed. I could see the others nodding in my periphery. They all agreed with the choice. They all trusted me. “Well thank you.” I tucked it into my pocket.

“That’s it!” Maria exclaimed. “We should be The Guardians!” Asuka chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“The Guardians of the Mortal Realm?” Saphira asked.

“I think it's just ‘The Guardians’. Saphira’s been the guardian of the mortal realm by herself all this time. But we’re all in it together now. So we’re all guardians,” Maria explained. “None of us have to do it alone anymore.” She looked at me as she said that.

“I like it,” Saphira chirped.

“Me too,” I offered.

“All requisite constraints appear satisfied,” CS-01 added.

Freya held her sword up to the light. “Here, here. Then it’s unanimous!”

“Not quite,” I interrupted. “We still need Allison’s vote.”

A quiet fell over the room. Elizabeth finally broke it. “Then let’s get this show on the road.”

I moved next to the table.

“Sam,” Maria interrupted. “Know that whatever happens, we’re here for both of you.”

I gave her a nod, swallowing my nervousness. “Thank you Maria. I can’t express how grateful I am to have you all in my life.” Then I gestured for Elizabeth to throw the switch.

She entered a few last keystrokes, and I felt the unraveling sensation spark in my mind again. It felt a little different than before. My memories weren’t dissolving this time. Rather it felt like the world was shrinking. I didn’t fight it this time.

Gradually I felt the thoughts of the others slipping away from my awareness.

I lost Asuka first. I could tell she was nervous to be here and be known by so many people. A part of her wanted to run away. Then I lost my connection to her thoughts.

Elizabeth went next. I could feel her exhaustion. She had stayed up for days to fix CS-01 and then went straight into this project. Curiosity radiated from her at this process. In the back of her mind, she was still thinking of ways to boost Emily’s defenses even more. Then her thoughts faded from my view.

CS-01 felt grateful to be alive and she felt proud. I could sense her insecurity at being a hero for a corporation. Back at the Sanctum, she truly felt like she made a difference for the first time.

Freya was overjoyed to have Saphira back. She felt proud of Maria for her performance in the final showdown. Underneath it all, I did feel a forlorn longing for her own time and the people she knew then.

Underneath her calm exterior, Saphira felt afraid that the artifacts had been used so much. I could still sense a deep guilt. She was worried about something she hadn’t shared with us. Maybe that was why she gave me the clock.

Maria was the last to go. Her thoughts surprised me. She was thinking about Asuka, tying her up and dominating her. I had never gotten a trace of those urges from Maria before. It almost reminded me of how I used to be.

Then everything was quiet. I couldn’t hear any thoughts besides my own. The world felt so very small. But I didn’t care, I just stared down at Allison. She looked so peaceful, lying there with her eyes closed in her baggy clothes, her crimson hair tucked behind the headband. I held my breath. Even without reading minds, I could feel the nervous anticipation in the room.

At first nothing happened. She just lay there, as still as she had been since that day. It was slight, but her lip moved first. The rhythm of her breath changed. Then her face twitched. I could barely see it. Part of me almost thought I had imagined it. But then the movements got bigger. Her whole body shifted. I leaned down close to her, a smile slowly forming on my lips.

Finally Allison’s eyes shot open, one as blue as the sky, and the other a neon yellow.