Author's Note: Characters and concepts are the creative property of Savin Yeatman-Eiffel and Sav! the World Productions.

This is a collaborative work between me and Queenbean3.

Chapter Three: The Guardians by Queenbean3

As day broke over the Wei mansion Don was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. The racing manager had slept poorly the previous night as images of his daughter's gloomy face haunted his dreams. It was not his fault that memories of her lost partner had brought Eva's spirits low, but it was up to him bring them back up.

Don had fresh coffee brewing and a stack of strawberry pancakes piled up next to the stove. He was pouring more batter on the grill when Eva suddenly appeared. She was showered and fully dressed in jeans and sneakers, a T-shirt and a hooded jacket. Her pink goggles were on her head and the Diskman was on her hip.

"G'morning, Dad!" she sang cheerfully, practically skipping into the kitchen and dropping her school bag by the doorway. "Wow, something smells good. Did you make all this for me? How sweet!"

As she piled several pancakes onto her plate Don gawked at her in bafflement. "Er, good morning, Eva! I didn't expect you to be up this early. Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great," she replied, taking a mug from the cupboard for her coffee. "I hope you got some sleep, too, because this is a big day for us."

Don arched a pencil thin eyebrow. "It is? Why is that?"

Eva was rummaging around in the pantry now. "I'll tell you as soon as I've had some of these awesome pancakes. Where's the chocolate syrup? Do we have any whipped cream?"

"Third shelf, on the right," Don answered, pointing with the spatula. "And there should still be some whipped cream left."

He checked the batter in the pan and flipped it over to brown on the other side. By the time it was finished Eva was enthusiastically devouring her meal. "It's nice to see you're feeling better," he remarked as he switched off the stove.

"Thanksh," she answered, washing down her mouthful of food with coffee so she could speak clearly. "I've got so much to tell you, Dad. You won't believe what happened to me last night!"

Don furrowed his brows. "What do you mean? You went to bed early, didn't you?"

She paused, thinking over what to say next. "Well, yeah, I did. But … well, let me explain. Come sit with me?"

He nodded and poured himself a cup of coffee before taking the seat across from her. Eva tapped her plate with the side of her fork thoughtfully for a moment.

"I had a dream last night," she said. "Only it wasn't just a dream. It really happened." She looked up at him with a calm gaze. "Dad, Jordan was here last night."

Don sputtered and choked on his coffee.

"I know, I can't believe it, either," Eva went on, unsurprised by her father's reaction. "But it was him. He was really here."

Don cleared his throat in an attempt to compose himself. "Eva, are you sure this wasn't just a dream? You had a lot of junk food last night; it may have caused you to see things."

Eva shook her head. "No, it was real, I'm sure of it. Look, I have proof." She reached inside the collar of her shirt and produced a dog tag necklace. Not wanting to remove the chain she leaned over the table and held the tags up for him to see.

Don's eyebrows rose to his hairline. The names engraved in the metal were clearly legible. "Eva, where did you get those?"

"Jordan gave them to me before he left. They were in my hand when I woke up." She sat back in her chair, her face stern and solemn.

The very thought of the Avatar slipping into his daughter's room at night made Don's heart stop. "Eva, please tell me he didn't … do anything to you …"

Eva rolled her eyes. "Dad, please! He's not that kind of guy. We made small talk, he wished me happy birthday and gave me the necklace." Her cheerful expression became somber. "But the real reason he came was to warn me."

"Warn you? About what?"

Eva took a deep breath and spoke a single word. "Canaletto."

Don's face was turning pale now. He returned her steady gaze, his mouth a hard line. A moment of silence passed before he spoke. "Tell me everything, Eva. Start from the beginning."

She proceeded to tell him Jordan's message. When she had finished, Don gazed at his reflection in the coffee cup. He could almost see the black in his hair turning whiter. The only sound in the kitchen was the clock ticking.

"Did he tell you how soon these Guardians will arrive?" Don said at last.

Eva looked down at her half-empty plate, smearing syrup around with her fork. "He just said it would be today, sometime this afternoon."

"How long will you be gone from home?"

She shrugged, not lifting her head. "I don't know. I didn't have time to ask him many questions before he left. I just have to trust that Jordan knows what he's doing."

Don shifted his eyes to the metal tags around her neck. He could not read her emotions but his own were in turmoil. His mouth felt dry, but he managed to squeeze out another question. "Am I … am I allowed to come with you?"

Eva looked up as a small smile formed on her lips "Say … that's a pretty good idea. We should all go. The whole team."

Again Don was surprised by how quickly her mood changed. "Are you sure that's all right?"

"Of course!" she said. "Jordan would be glad to see his old friends again. He's been all alone for a year. And besides, how could I face a challenge like this without my Dad cheering for me?"

He gave a thin smile back, placing his hand over hers and squeezing it gently. "I'll be glad to see Jordan again, as well. I have a lot to thank him for."

She placed her other hand on top of his and squeezed back. "Don't worry, Dad. I fought too hard to get you back. I'm not going anywhere without you."

Don straightened up in his chair, shifting into business mode. "Well, then. There is so much to do and so little time. I'll inform the men of what's going on and get my affairs in order at work. I'll call your school as well, to let them know you'll be absent for an extended period of time."

Eva took a few more bites of her pancakes. "What sort of excuse are you gonna tell them?"

He paused to sip his cooling coffee. "You let me worry about that, dear. Just take care of things with your classes and focus on getting through the day. I trust you've been packing already?"

She nodded, the gleam of excitement twinkling in her eyes again. "Yeah, I was too excited to sleep after seeing Jordan again! It's gonna be great to see Aikka, too. It's about time I made good on my promise to visit his kingdom. I've never been to Nourasia before; I hope I have the right stuff. What's the weather like right now? Is it spring there, too?"

Don wrinkled his brow in thought. "Hmm, I believe so. You should confirm that with your teachers. In any case, after you're finished with school come meet the team at the Wei Race building. Hopefully, your Guardians will have arrived by then. Will you be taking your new rocket seat to school?"

Eva grinned from ear to ear. "You bet I am!" She drained the last dregs of coffee from her mug and stood up to take her dishes to the sink. "I'm gonna get going before the traffic gets too heavy. See you this afternoon." She picked up her school bag and dashed out of the kitchen, then stopped and poked her head back in through the doorway. "By the way, I'm bringing Misha with me. See ya!"

Before Don could question why on Earth Eva would want to bring a rabbit into space with her, she had run off again. He sighed and took a sip of coffee, then scowled. It had gone cold.

Riding the new rocket seat only added to Eva's happy feelings. The machine handled like a dream, just as Stan and Koji had promised. It had been many months since she had flown, but flying was in her blood and she could never truly forget it. When she arrived at school it was painfully hard not to blab everything to all her friends. The excitement would have been easier to deal with had she been able to share it, but secrecy was absolutely essential. No one outside the government and the Earth Team could ever know about the Great Race of Oban or anything related to it. If that information got into the wrong hands the consequences could be dire.

Class was sheer torture. Eva was more restless than ever and the last thing she wanted to do was sit at a desk listening to Mr. Roddenberry drone on about the invention of the sub-light system. Instead of listening, she searched for information about Nourasia and its people, but all she learned from her textbook was that their sun was located a mere 170 light years away from Earth. That might have been a helpful bit of trivia for the next astronomy quiz, but for tourism it was pretty useless. There was nothing at all about Oban, of course. Earth scientists still had no idea that a massive planet existed at the center of the galaxy, or if they did know, it was something they didn't want printed in high school textbooks.

When the final school bell rang, Eva charged out of the school building at top speed. She had to be the first one on the road get to Wei Race and meet the team. She dashed through the school parking lot to where her rocket seat was parked, but stopped short of her goal. Something was not right.

A man she had never seen before was standing next to her vehicle. Actually, she wasn't entirely sure he was a man, he looked so slender and delicate. He wore a black suit and matching sunglasses, and his long blond hair was tied in a ponytail. Parked further off was a matte-black car with two other strange men standing next to it. They were dressed in matching black suits and glasses. One was enormously tall and muscular with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. The other man was of normal height with a clean face and flaming red hair. All of them looked as if they had been expecting her.

"Uh … Hi," Eva said. "Who are you guys?"

"My name is Joaquin," the blond man answered in a charismatic voice. "My associates are Boris and Reinhard. And do I have the pleasure of addressing the lovely Miss Eva Wei?" He removed his glasses and smiled pleasantly at her. His eyes were of an indeterminate color, either pale blue or gray. At the moment, they were cool and calm, like ice.

Eva kept her distance, too suspicious to fall for his charm. "Yeah, that's me."

"I and my associates are secret service agents under the command of President McMillan," Joaquin said. "He has requested for you to join him at the embassy for dinner. He's been expecting you."

"The President?" she said with some surprise. "Why would he want to see me?"

Joaquin's smile never wavered for a moment. "There are some things he wishes to discuss with you. Namely, certain events which transpired during the Great Race of Oban. You never were given proper commendations for your bravery, were you?" He arched a graceful eyebrow at her.

From the corner of her eye Eva noticed Boris, the giant by the car, looking a little antsy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Reinhard, the redhead, gave him a look and he stood still. Joaquin was still smiling at her. Something felt very wrong.

"I should talk to my dad first," Eva said, doing her best to sound calm. "I'm supposed to go meet him now, and I'm kinda in a hurry."

She tried to get around Joaquin to reach her rocket seat, but he stepped in front of her. His tone became more insistent. "Your father is already at the embassy. We informed him of the President's wishes a few hours ago. We can give you a ride."

"But he didn't call me!" Eva said. "He'd tell me about something as important as dinner with the President. Sorry, but I can't go until I check with him."

As she opened her school bag to find her cell phone Joaquin's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Frightened, Eva tried to pull away. For such an effeminate man he was surprisingly strong, and his handsome face was now twisted in anger. "That won't be necessary." His icy eyes were stormy gray now. "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not!"

With that he put a hand over the struggling girl's mouth and attempted to drag her away. Eva's mind raced frantically as the two other men hurried toward them. With all the strength she could muster, she dug her teeth into Joaquin's hand and smashed her heel into his shin. With a scream he released her and clutched his injured leg, giving her the chance she needed to jump on her rocket seat and start the engine.

Just when Boris and Reinhard were almost upon her she swerved around and left them in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes. Coughing and hacking, Reinhard berated the wounded Joaquin. "Fool! You couldn't hold on to a little girl? Both of you, back to the car. We can't let her escape."

The three men piled into their hover-car. With Reinhard at the wheel they sped out of the parking lot and into the street. Eva was already down the road a good ways when she glanced over her shoulder and saw them gaining on her.

"Not good! Time to see what this baby can really do!" She accelerated and tried to lose them in the traffic, breaking just about every traffic law ever invented.

In the car, Joaquin stared at the half-moon wound on his hand where Eva had bitten him. He watched the blood well from the teethmarks, little crimson droplets on his pale palm.

"That little brat," he said and licked at the blood. "She'll pay for this."

"You should have let me take the girl," Boris said from the back seat, his bulky frame nearly filling the small space. He spoke with a distinct Russian accent. "I would not have let her get away."

Joaquin stared over his shoulder, a sneer twisting his handsome features. "Do you really think she'd let a hideous ogre like you anywhere near her? You'd probably end up crushing her by mistake, you stupid oaf."

"You little-" Boris leaned forward, but a harsh voice halted his action.

"Shut-up, both of you," Reinhard said, tapping at the micro-communicator in his right ear. "I'm on the radio."

The two men sat back and fell into morose silence. Their leader's word was law.

"This is Lieutenant Eisenberg, do you copy?" Reinhard worked the wheel furiously, weaving in and out of traffic. Horns blared at him, but his attention remained focused on the girl and the voices on the radio.

"This is red leader, I copy," the voice crackled on the radio.

"Blue leader, I hear ya," another voice said.

"We are in pursuit of the target," Reinhard said. "Status report."

"We've searched the Wei mansion from top to bottom," the blue leader said. "It's deserted. Looks like the occupants packed up in a hurry."

Reinhard hissed. How could she have known they would come after her? "Maintain your position until further notice."

"Roger that. Blue leader, out."

"What about you, red leader?"

"We've confirmed that Don Wei is on the premises. Your orders?"

Reinhard checked the GPS computer embedded within the dashboard. The yellow dot they were following was headed for Wei Racing. "The target is headed your way. Prepare to intercept on my signal."

"Affirmative. Red leader, out."

Reinhard tapped the micro-communicator once more and devoted his attention to the girl on the rocket seat. Every now and then, she glanced over her shoulder, her hair and jacket whipping in the wind.

"There's no need to stay so close," Joaquin said. "As long as that tracking device stays on her rocket seat, we can't lose her."

"You place too much faith in machines," Reinhard said. The light ahead was turning yellow, and Eva raced through. He gripped the wheel and mashed the accelerator. The light turned red and he swerved as the cross traffic nearly rammed the driver's side of the car.

Boris braced himself with his huge arms. The seat belt wouldn't fit over his massive frame. "You drive like the devil!"

"Are you trying to kill us all?" Joaquin glared at the driver.

"I have a guardian angel looking out for me," Reinhard brushed a stray hair from his eyes, the calm smile never leaving his face. "It is not yet my time to die. There is still so much work to be done."

Eva glanced over her shoulder after hearing the sound of horns honking and people cursing from their cars. The agents were still on her tail.

"Jeez! Who the heck are these guys?" Eva wondered aloud. She now saw the Wei Race building looming up ahead. Her only hope of escape was getting there before the men caught up with her and pray that the Guardians Jordan promised would show up soon. Pulling a few more tricky moves, Eva wove into a spot where the traffic was gridlocked and gained some distance from her pursuers. She surged forward with new speed as the matte-black hover-car was forced to slow down to avoid rear-ending the slower moving vehicles in front of it.

Eva paid no heed to the security gate and jumped her scooter completely over it. She headed straight for the main garage where her father always went to harass his crew of mechanics. Driving straight in, she yelled through the sounds of power tools and engines. "Dad! Where are you?"

She spotted him harshly rebuking one of his men for not cleaning a windshield properly. Rick, Stan and Koji were standing nearby pretending they couldn't hear him. When Don heard the rocket-seat approaching him he redirected his attention to his daughter. "Eva! What are you doing? You know you're not allowed to drive that thing in here."

Skidding to a halt she abandoned her rocket seat and rushed over to him. "Sorry, Dad, but I almost got kidnapped! We have to get out of here right now!"

"What?" He gripped her shoulders and looked her up and down. "Are you all right? So help me, if they hurt you I'll send the National Guard after them."

"There's no time for that. They were following me. They could show up here any minute."

"Why are you all just standing around?" Don bellowed at no one in particular. "Someone get me a phone. Stan! Koji! Bring our truck around with the luggage. We're leaving."

"But, sir," Stan said. "Eva's Guardians aren't here yet."

Don's face had turned red and a vein bulged in his forehead. "I don't care! Just do as I say or you're both fired!"

The two terrified mechanics sprinted for the back door.

Meanwhile another mechanic began to shout. "Sir! We have a situation. You'd better come see this."

Don stormed over to the entrance followed closely by Eva and Rick. A convoy of Humvees was converging upon the garage, lead by the black hover-car that had been pursuing Eva earlier.

"Oh, no!" she said. "They're here. They must have called for back up."

"Back up?" Rick echoed, arching a brow above his dark glasses. He pushed the girl behind his massive body, shielding her from any potential danger. "What kind of trouble have you gotten into this time, Eva?"

From her hiding place, Eva felt her stomach twisting into a cold knot. Why hadn't the Guardians arrived yet? Where were they? She needed them now! She tightened her hand around the dog tags inside her shirt.

"Come on, partner," she whispered. "Don't let me down."

The fleet of cars stopped just outside the garage, effectively trapping them inside. Armed soldiers emerged from the Humvees. Don recognized the black uniforms of the soldiers from news reports on TV. They were the Lord's Retribution Army, agents of Einherjar, and the personal militia of the Secretary of Defense, General Ricard von Wolfram. They were dressed in black riot gear, with face-concealing helmets and Kevlar vests. Armed with hand-held laser cannons, batons and riot shields, it looked as if they were prepared to fight an army rather than kidnap a young girl.

Reinhard stepped out from the black car and tucked his sunglasses into his jacket. In his hand was a broadsword, a very unusual weapon to be used in the modern age. Boris also had an unconventional weapon of his own: a massive war hammer. Only Joaquin appeared unarmed.

"Don Wei!" Reinhard called out. "We have come for your daughter Eva. Surrender her now and we will leave peacefully."

Don clenched his fists, trembling with rage. "What could a group of fundamental extremists want with an innocent girl?"

Reinhard gave him a cold smirk. "You fail to understand, Mr. Wei. This girl is key to the security of the planet Earth. The future of our world rests on her shoulders. This is bigger than all of us." He swept an arm, encompassing the small army surrounding them. "This is God's will!"

"You know nothing about God's will," Don said. "I will never surrender my daughter to the likes of you. Leave now before I have you all arrested."

Reinhard shook his head in disappointment. "I was afraid you would say that. You leave us no choice but to use force." He raised a hand and all the soldiers aimed their laser guns at them.

Suddenly, a piercing war cry was heard over head. A large orange and black blur dropped down from the roof of the garage and landed on top of a Humvee, crushing it into a heap of distorted metal. The soldiers panicked and took aim at the attacker but they were knocked down by a weapon resembling a pickax.

"Bwahaha!" the stranger laughed. "Out of the way, little men! You're no match for me!"

Some of the soldiers tried to shoot him with their laser guns, but a large bird shaped shadow swept over the ground and sliced the muzzles from their weapons. "Monster!" someone screamed. "It's a monster!" Those who had working guns left fired wildly at the sky.

Don and Rick stood bewildered by the sight before them. Eva's eyes grew as big as saucers. She recognized the bushy orange beard and the long pointed ears of the large warrior immediately. "Rush!"

The giant alien paused his attack on the frightened soldiers to grin at her with crooked teeth. "No time to chat now, Molly. Take cover while we handle these thugs for you."

Boris grinned and lifted his huge hammer as if it were weightless. He spoke with a Russian accent in somewhat broken English. "Aha! A Byrussian, eh? You and I, we shall dance, no? Boris shall teach you some moves!"

"It's been too long since I've battled a worthy opponent," Joaquin smirked. With a flick of his wrists a dagger appeared in each of his hands.

"Whatever you do, make sure no harm befalls the girl, understand?" Reinhard said. He unsheathed his sword and took a fighting stance. "I will not let you stand in my way, monster."

The three men surrounded Rush but he seemed unafraid. "Three against one, eh? Easy! Bring it on, Earth men, if you know how."

As another strange battle began, Don spun around to see his mechanics were all in a panic. "Get a hold of yourselves, men," he said. "Rick! Eva! Come on, we're getting out of here."

The three of them rushed to the back of the garage. Just as Don reached for the door a dagger whizzed passed his head and struck the wall. He turned around to see Joaquin standing a short way off, grinning like a lunatic as he advanced. Eva inched closer to Rick.

"Come along now, little girl," Joaquin said. "There's no need for senseless bloodshed, is there?" He slid his tongue across his dagger, eyes gleaming with psychotic glee.

Rick growled and clenched his fists in front of him. "Back off, creep. You're crazy. Eva is going with us."

Joaquin chuckled in a disturbingly feminine way. "You people still don't get it, do you? You're not the ones in control here. If Eva doesn't come along quietly, I'll be forced to get my hands dirty."

Don marched forward, his patience wearing thin. "Listen here, you. I've had just about enough of you and your friends. You leave my daughter out of-" He was cut off as he suddenly came face to face with Joaquin and felt a cold blade against his throat.

"Dad!" Eva screamed. She tried to run to him but Rick's powerful hands came down on her shoulders and held her back.

Don stood perfectly motionless, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Joaquin sneered with smug satisfaction as he held his prey in terror. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, little girl. If you behave yourself and do as I say, your father will be safe. If you don't, he'll meet a very grisly end. Which will it be?"

Rick tightened his grip on the Eva's shoulders. "Don't listen to him," he said through clenched teeth. "He's crazy. You can't trust him to let your dad live."

Eva went white as a sheet, hands balled tightly into fists. "Please ..." she said in a shaky voice. "I don't know what you want with me, but leave my dad alone. He has nothing to do with this."

Don glanced at her with as much bravery as he could. "Don't worry about me! Go with Rick and get away from here."

"Silence!" Joaquin said. He pressed his dagger against Don's skin, causing a slight trickle of blood to leak out. As the red liquid dripped down the blade, he grinned madly. "I do so love the sight of fresh blood. Hurry now, Eva, make up your mind or my hand just might slip ..."

Eva's small frame began trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Dad ... I have no choice ..." She bowed her head in defeat. "You win, Joaquin. I'll do whatever you say."

Rick's mouth fell open in shock. "Eva, you can't be serious."

"Let me go, Rick," she said, her voice cold and hard like steel. "It's the only way to help Dad."

The large man seemed to shrink down several inches. With great effort he pulled his hands away from her shoulders. Eva walked forward with robotic steps, squaring her shoulders and staring straight ahead. She averted her eyes from her father's face, too ashamed to look at him.

The dagger disappeared into Joaquin's sleeve. "That's a good little girl. Come along now. We'll take good care of you."

The look on Don's face was filled with pain and horror as she walked past him and joined her enemy. "No!" he said. "Please, don't take my daughter away from me."

"Don't worry, old man," Joaquin replied. "She's in good hands now. We already told you, this is God's will."

As he steered her toward the front of the building Eva let out a low growl. "Dad was right. You guys really don't know anything about what God wants." She gave him a fiery glare. "I'm pretty close friends with a god, pal, and he wouldn't like what you and your friends are doing!"

Joaquin tightened his grip on her wrist. "What would you know? You're just a child! General Wolfram is quite close to the almighty, as you shall see when we take you to him."

They emerged from the garage where the battle was still raging between Rush and the two humans. Most of the soldiers lay unconscious on the ground, but those who still stood were shooting at the huge black bird circling in the sky overhead. Eva squinted up at the shape, knowing she had seen that creature before. It could be no one else but Spirit, and he appeared to have taken some hits as his flight was growing shaky.

"Molly! No!" Rush said, shocked to realize that one of his opponents had escaped to steal away the person he was supposed to be protecting. He tried to disengage from the fight but Boris was attempting to crack his skull in half. The human had shown himself to be a match for Rush in both size and strength, and his smaller companion was no weakling, either.

"Take her to the General!" Reinhard said, swinging his sword and nicking the edge of Rush's jacket. "We'll stay here and fight."

As Joaquin and Eva hurried further from the others, a beam of golden light descended from the heavens. A figure in silver armor appeared before them with mechanical wings sprouting from his back. Joaquin pulled up short to keep from crashing into the new arrival. The stranger brandished a gleaming sword.

"I am Rakesh, and I will defend Eva with my life. Release her immediately!"