Rain, Rain, Go Away

Maitho was happy because of the rain. The sound of the downpour drowned his thoughts. At that point, he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to think anymore about the situation he was in.

He felt the cold steel of the railing press against his head. Raindrops bounced off the top rail and found home on his face, each time sending small bursts of chill on his skin. He allowed himself to close his eyes and take a deep breath, smelling the scent of rain.

Petrichor, his informative mind spoke to him. He was grateful for its collection of many trivial facts.

For a moment, he wondered if he could take another breath. He deserved to be greedy at this point.

"Do what you came here to do Raiden," said Brigid.

Guess not.

She continued, raising her voice even more. "Once you are done, leave us. Like you did last time."

"I'm having a conversation here," said Raiden, responding nonchalantly. "Stop intruding like a petulant child and let us talk."

Two shots rang out, but the bullets never found their mark. They simply had a meeting with Raiden's personal shield.

"That's not the response I was looking for." Brigid's voice sounded colder. Threatening.

"Here's me talking to you in a way you will understand. Try interrupting me again and I will unleash my power relentlessly into these two sitting right here. You'll be collecting their charred remains, if you can even find them. Also, you really lost your touch, haven't you?"

Saying that, Raiden rested his elbows on the railing and casually pointed towards the mouth of the alleyway. From his position, Maitho couldn't see clearly at what was being indicated.

"Those two simply walked into this alleyway and you didn't even notice," said Raiden.

Those two. Those words were most likely in reference to Raiden's allies.

"Why did you leave?" said Maitho. His voice sounded hoarse, but he was able to shout above the din of rain.

"Maitho," came Bevan's voice. "We-, I will tell you everything. It wasn't our intention to hide anything from you."

"I left because I began to see what everything was truly about," said Raiden, ignoring Bevan's message.

"What was it about?"

"Control, Maitho. This is not about saving lives or good deeds. It's about keeping things organized."

"I'm not going to warn you again Raiden." Brigid's voice interrupted the conversation, but it had little effect.

"Who is controlling whom?" said Maitho.

"That is a conversation best had in person. But tell me this. Have I been honest enough, my friend?"

Saying that, Raiden lifted both his legs in one fluid motion and leaped over the railing. The sound of splashing confirmed that he had landed in the alleyway successfully. Maitho pushed himself to his feet, his legs shaking. The revolver was in his hand, which wasn't steady enough to hold the weapon.

When he looked at Raiden on the other side, the man was casually walking away from the Celtic team. Now that Maitho was on his feet, he could see two figures at the mouth of the alleyway. They seemed to hold some kind of automatic weapons that looked like submachine guns of some sort. The darkness made it difficult to clearly ascertain. Midway to his destination, Raiden turned on his heels in one smooth motion.

"Are you coming Maitho?" Lightning began to swirl around both his arms. "I'm not waiting long for your answer."

"Just leave," yelled Brigid, looking directly at Maitho. "You are worthless to us. You don't belong here and I only gave you an opportunity because I thought I could entertain Bevan for a while. You are free to go. Isn't that what's good for you?"

"No," said Bevan, his voice breaking. "You can't decide that."

"Not your call," Brigid fired back and threw Maitho a look of anger. "You get moving or I will decimate you where you stand."

"There haes tae be another wey," Epona offered her opinion, trying to stand up.

But it did not matter. Brigid seemed resolute. "We'll talk about this later. Right after our motionless friend here can start moving and get the hell out of our property."

That was when all hell broke loose.

It started with Raiden, who unleashed a single attack that struck Brigid in the abdomen, sending her to her knees.

Next, Bevan reacted. As a person who wears his emotions on his sleeves, it went about just as anyone could have predicted—he screamed a loud "No" and then started firing at Raiden.

The alleyway was filled with the bursts of flashes as one shot after another simply found themselves facing Raiden's seemingly impenetrable and invisible shield wall. When Brigid found her breath, she raised her weapon and joined Bevan in his attempt to land at least one bullet on the descendant of the God of Thunder.

Bevan's weapon began clicking once. He immediately unloaded the magazine, pulled a new one out of his jacket pocket and slid it in smoothly into the chamber.

Amidst the chaos, Epona had managed to let loose one arrow. The action was more for show than for effect, since the arrow didn't reach its destination. Maitho thought that she merely wanted to do something rather than sit still with inactivity.

The revolver in Maitho's hand did not point at Raiden. Instead, it lay pointed down. The hand that held it simply wanted to drop it.

Maitho thought about walking away from the situation. He wasn't going to find allies here and his fate seemed sealed. Yet that was not how he was going to accept tonight's situation. He turned around to leave, hoping that he could make an escape unnoticed while the rest were engaged in their violent exchange.

That's when Bevan's second magazine clicked. He didn't reload it. He simply dropped in on the ground and looked around. After spotting a dumpster that was a little close to six feet in length, he walked up to it and gripped it by a handle on its side.

For a brief moment, Maitho wondered what was about to happen.

Then Bevan lifted the dumpster.

He didn't struggle. Instead, it might as well have been a piece of cardboard he was picking up or a small object. In one fluid motion, Bevan brought the dumpster in an arc over his head.

When the dumpster had angled towards the ground, Bevan let it loose, letting it sail above Brigid. Maitho watched in amazement as the nearly 500-pound object was sent flying through the air. The dumpster sent water spraying in all directions as it punched through the rain towards Raiden. It moved at an incredible speed, and for a moment Maitho thought that Raiden would attempt to deflect it.

Instead, he simply sidestepped it as the object zipped past him, missing him by mere inches.

If the dumpster was Bevan's message, then what happened next was Raiden's response.

The descent of Thor let loose an arc of lightning. Before the blast of energy could reach its destination, it split into two smaller arcs, one of them hitting Brigid and the other striking Bevan.

Epona let out a quick burst of anger that seemed to originate from deep within her lungs. She let loose another arrow, but the projectile met a purposeless end against Raiden's electric shield.

In response, Raiden fired another arc of devastating energy that pummeled into Epona. She was thrown back, but Maitho reacted by grabbing her. His attempt was awkward at best and he did not feel confident he would be able to do anything useful. Still, managed to slow her velocity, causing both of them to bump against the railing. It was still a painful experience, but at least it was better than the alternative, where Epona would have been left with a fractured bone. At least, that's what Maitho told himself.

"You are going to join us Maitho," said Raiden. "Until then, we can let this go on for as long as needed."

Epona pushed herself away, staggering forwards until her legs gave away underneath her. Her grip on the railing was the only action that prevented a fall.

It was when Maitho had reached a standing position that he noticed a new figure at the mouth of the alleyway.

Raiden must have sensed something as well, since he turned around to look. His arms expanded, as though he was welcoming someone he knew. "It's good to see you here, old friend."

"Is this why I gave you your freedom?" The newcomer spoke, his voice sounding calm. Even though he did not raise his voice, it sounded as though he was speaking through loudspeakers. His voice was devoid of emotion, like listening to a robot try and mimic human speech patterns.

"Is this truly freedom?" said Raiden.

Raiden's allies had already trained their weapons on the figure. They seemed hesitant, switching weight from one feet to another and occasionally darting glances at Raiden.

"Ruth. Aron." The newcomer spoke, looking at each of Raiden's allies as he called their names. "You cannot hurt me. So try the art of respect."

Raiden's allies seemed to look at Raiden, who raised his hand and brought it down. The weapons were lowered and the newcomer began walking forwards until he was a few feet away from Raiden.

"You're doing well," said the newcomer.

"So are you," said Raiden. "Charon."

"To what do I owe this chaos?" Charon asked without preamble.

"To the eventual order that follows."

"Order for whom?"

"Every human on this planet." Raiden didn't back away. He didn't hesitate nor move in nervousness. At the same time, he did not display a shred of condescension. He responded without insult or prejudice. It was as though he was enjoying the conversation.

"You say that but you have already attacked four Guardians. Where's this order you mentioned?" Charon jerked his head towards Brigid and Bevan, who were on their feet but leaning against the wall of the alleyway.

"You should pay attention to nuances, Charon. I said every human."

There was silence for a while as the implications of Raiden's words seemed to settle down heavier than the ongoing downpour. Eventually, Charon adjusted his tie. "It is time for you to go home."

"Ah, but you can't do anything about it," said Raiden, lightning dancing around his arms again. "You see, I can do this." Without turning around, he launched the lightning backwards. The arc split into two and struck Brigid and Bevan, slamming them against the wall. "But you can't do anything to stop me. The Gods don't allow it. You are bound to their rules. I am not. You are an observer. I am an enabler."

Charon didn't so much as show a single reaction, at least from what Maitho could observe in the meager light provided by the alleyway. Eventually, he stepped to one side, giving way for Raiden to walk.

"I have called law enforcement. I'm sure you consider them human" Saying that, Charon dipped his hands into his pockets, his demeanor poised and controlled.

Raiden turned towards Maitho. "I'm afraid I need to call a, rain check, on our meeting." He chuckled at his humor. "Before I go, I would like to ask you this. How old are you Maitho?"

The question seemed so bizarre and out of place. Yet Maitho knew—from his experience so far with the man—that there was always a goal or objective that Raiden aimed for. For that reason, Maitho responded. "I'm 23."

"Magnificent," said Raiden with jubilation. "Because I am the same age. So is Bevan and Brigid and Epona. So are all the Guardians around the world. Wonder why." Saying that, he began to march towards his allies. "I'm sure Charon will explain further."

With that, Raiden walked away, leaving behind destruction and a whole lot of questions.