Enemy at the gate – The retrieval of Jupiter’s heart

It’s the baby’s cry that wakes him. He reaches over to wake Emma and finds he is alone in the bed. Then he hears Emma’s soft voice on the baby monitor. She’s already with little James Abner. The room is dark, and he leaves the light off as he makes his way into the nursery. She is in the rocking chair holding little James. It seems as though he is up earlier every morning now. Must be a growth spurt, he thinks, as he sits down beside Emma.

They sit in silence as little James has his early morning breakfast. A nightlight glow illuminates the small nursery. Eric watches Emma while she watches little James. Although the room is mostly dark, he still sees the scar on Emma’s shoulder. An ever present reminder of how blessed they are, as they sit together, with their newborn son. In fact, if not for that scar, and the bullet that caused it, they would not have lost Callisto. Likewise, if they had not lost Callisto, neither Emma nor little James Abner would be here at this moment.

Enemy At The Gate

With this in mind, Eric is not surprised when Tiny checks in. It’s more of a ritual than an actual security alert. However, many things have been different since the loss of Callisto. Eric returns an all clear signal and then sits quietly at Emma’s side. He knows she will make sure little James Abner is sleeping peacefully, before she will allow herself to rest. Even with all the security precautions, there is still the matter of Eileen. Off the radar for months now, it seems as though she vanished into thin air. However, Chief Fred Jones wasn’t as lucky.

It takes almost an hour, but after a fresh diaper change, little James is sleeping peacefully. There are still two hours before daylight, and Eric feels certain they will be up again for another feeding. Therefore, he takes a moment, and walks around the house checking the doors and the windows. Pointless really. Tiny, and several of his trainees, are on alert and on call.

Furthermore, this new way of doing things isn’t by choice. Eric’s mind replays the events of that fateful day again. Every time he checks the windows and the doors he thinks of it. If only they had known how far the Chief was willing to go. Maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe Callisto would still be here and they would be in their home. Of course, none of them had known about little James Abner at the time. Much less the enemy at the gate.

The Retrieval of Jupiter’s Heart

Jupiter Davis reads Tiny’s most recent report. Things are calm. For the moment. However, if they needed a reminder of how quickly things can change, she need only think of James Abner. Known as Callisto in his later life, she had to go through losing him for a second time. Gone for more than half a year now and taken by the enemy at the gate. She looks off into space for a moment. At least the bastard Fred Jones got what he deserved.

She thinks back on that day and remembers how James Abner saved Emma and Eric. Additionally, he saved little James Abner, although no one knew the little one existed at the time. There were wounds, and trauma, but those things can heal with time. What would not heal is the thought of Eileen lurking in the shadows. The same shadows that hid the evil manifested by the now deceased, Chief Fred Jones.

It’s easy to look back and see all the things they missed. Perhaps no one knew this better than Tiny himself. More than just a body guard for Callisto he had taken it personally when he lost his boss. Jupiter frowns, James Abner (Callisto) was much more than just Tiny’s boss. They were friends, and as close as brothers in many ways. Tiny saw his friend gunned down while shielding Emma and Eric. In the chaos of the attack, he was just a few seconds too slow. By the time Tiny got his hands on Chief Fred Jones, it was too late.

The Enemy At the Gate

She watches the house from across the street. She knows they are here. It wasn’t hard to miss that giant body guard. Although it took her a little while, she was nothing if not resourceful. Furthermore, she had to be very careful. She saw what that giant goon did to the Chief. An involuntary shudder runs up her spine. Best she stays well clear of that one. Besides, she isn’t interested in anything other than those bonds. And maybe a few of those gems old Benjamin Thomas used to go on about.

She wouldn’t even be here if not for that idiot Fred Jones. They had it all right there in the palm of their hand, but the Chief had to go and make it personal. Couldn’t wait five minutes. They had the drop on the whole family. Even the old man’s ex-wife had been there. They were so damn close and then the shooting started and next thing she knows the giant body guard has a hold on the Chief and is looking straight at her. It was so quick she barely had time to run. But when she found her legs she ran. Faster than the wind, she ran.

*** Seven Months Ago

Eileen stands on the opposite side of the room and watches the Chief pull his gun, and fire it into the ceiling. She aims her own gun at the ex-wife of old man Thomas. She sees the cold stare of Jupiter Davis. Best not trifle with this one she thinks, as the Chief yells for everyone to drop to the floor. There is a moment where time stands still. The air in the room is heavy, and the expectation of peril feels imminent. At that moment the front door of the house blows inward and then all hell breaks loose.

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Enemy at the gate

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