章 16: Chapter 15 - Caleb Hammond

Jessica departed immediately after getting confirmation that Ikaris and his partner, Goose2, would be attending dinner with her friends the following day. It was basically the equivalent of a date in Jessica's mind.

Ikaris and Goose2, on the other hand, were fantasizing about all the things they would be able to order on someone else's pay.

Still, after Jessica left and the theatre's screen had been turned off, Ikaris felt the stinging sensation of loneliness that followed him a lot since his landing in Forks. This time, the loneliness was even more pronounced because of his mental disability.

At least, there was one thing that no longer weighed on his shoulder.

It was a constant worry - wondering if his stay in the theatre would be discovered by the boss, but as it turned out, the boss always knew and had allowed it anyway.

Ikaris dreaded the possibility of renting a home because that would lead to setting roots in a world that still remains largely unfamiliar to him. It also didn't help that Goose2 was a child and had taken a liking to the place.

The Eternal couldn't tell exactly what he was feeling, but one feeling outweighed the rest – the feeling that he would be forced to leave someday, and it would not be a peaceful departure.

'Maybe I will return to my planet?' Ikaris questioned, still unsure of where exactly he came from. His earliest memory was the burning heat of atmospheric entry so The Eternal judged he had to come from another planet in the solar system.

MEOW

Goose2 brushed her tail's increasing furriness on Ikaris's neck, then hopped from his shoulder to atop his head – her new favourite location. Ikaris sighed and brushed his fingers under Goose2's chin repeatedly, enjoying her purrs of contentment.

"We have to pick up our paycheck today, then drop by the bank," Ikaris stated the schedule for the day as Goose2 lazily sat atop his head. "Speaking of the bank, maybe I can withdraw from your funds so we can buy you a full camera setup."

MEOW

"Because all the famous stars use high-definition cameras and stuff. You need to take your game to the next level, and that's definitely not phone-quality material."

MEOW

"How much?" Ikaris rubbed his chin, but smirked internally, wondering how much money he could get out of the naïve Goose2. "I would say about ten thousand dollars more or less – you know, the lenses, quality, light management, and all that complicated stuff you so conveniently don't know about as yet."

MEOW – MEOW

"I know it sounds expensive and it is…" Ikaris sighed as if a father burdened by the expenses of his child. "That's why I am going to use the money out of my pocket to pay for the extra stuff. After all, which father wouldn't sacrifice for their child?"

Goose2 almost broke into tears, but Ikaris was glad she didn't because he wasn't certain he could keep up the façade had the feline started some waterworks.

MEOW – MEOW

With that, Goose2 had agreed to give Ikaris the information to her private account, and of course, The Eternal would take full advantage of such trust from his feline daughter. After all, a father was entitled to benefits when raising a child as spoiled as Goose2.

"We have a problem."

MEOW (Translation: I know, I can smell them coming.)

Time had always been the only variable constant in the life of an Eternal, and time had deemed it necessary for Ikaris to face what was coming next. Then again, the Eternal was more than happy to let annoying matters come to their natural conclusions.

STEP

Solid steps like the final sounds of a thumping heartbeat about to expire.

Silent lingering scratches in the ground like a tiger ready to pounce.

Memories of ancient hunting days flashed in Ikaris's mind – his days as a hunter in Babylon, and as a Hunting God in Egypt. The eerie sensation in the air sort of reminded him of such times, but once again, the memories faded as quickly as they appeared.

Ikaris's muscles tensed as the cosmic energy inside his body rippled with a bit of excitement, but he was quickly forced to quell all emotions, lest his Mahd Wy'ry take over and destroy Forks altogether.

That could not happen at all… especially now.

Ikaris took a deep breath and grasped at the only memory in his mind – the memory of kneeling powerlessly to two figures in his lifetime, Hyperion and Zuras. Such a scarring memory kept the madness at bat and allowed The Eternal to expand his senses.

The vibrations became echoes of visual information.

The air transmitted scents of salted earth and exotic metal that could only combine to form the scent of a distinct origin – military, greed, and research.

From the moment the military set foot in Forks, Ikaris knew their paths crossing was inevitable, but he didn't feel particularly threatened. Even as powerful as he was, Ikaris was concerned about the machinations of men, but this time, their eyes didn't linger on him too long.

And that meant the military didn't know what to expect.

Still, observing the Military men trying to remain inconspicuous in Forks awakened a strong sense of mission in Ikaris as well. Now The Eternal knew that he was in Forks for a reason – a reason he had yet to completely grasp, but it comforted him nonetheless.

"You must be Ikaris."

The voice was soft but strong – strained from constant yelling, but smooth in a discomforting sort of way. It was a voice not meant for much other than inspiring fear so hearing it so composed was unsettling.

"I am," Ikaris replied; his Scottish accent catching the questioner off-guard. "And who might you gentlemen be?" The Eternal inquired, but his lazy eyes said he couldn't care less.

There were three Military men in front of Ikaris.

Two of the men were mirrored images of each other – blue eyes, straight stature, military attire, and noble bearing - while one was slightly darker and much more casual, but Ikaris could tell he was the most dangerous one.

Three Military men, but only two that held military-bearing… that meant the darker man was a specialist or something close. Ikaris felt concerned – once upon of time, an Eternal could care less about the common soldiers of man, but a supersoldier changed that perception.

A man dressed in the icon red, white, and blue flashed into Ikaris's mind, but he couldn't put a name to the face, and the memory disappeared not long after with a shake of the Eternal's head.

"Caleb Hammond," the darker-skinned, casually-dressed, soldier extended a hand forward. "Nice to meet you."

Ikaris shook Caleb's hand rather quickly because his cosmic energy ran the risk of flaring and burning the soldier to death otherwise. The Eternal didn't bother to acknowledge the other two soldiers because they seemed like the type that wouldn't twitch without an order from their superior officer.

"Nice to meet you," Ikaris remarked and wore the childish smile that was expected of someone his visual age. "Hammond… Hammond as in?"

"Julia Hammond? Yeah…" Caleb's smile didn't meet his eyes, and the soldier was not interested in beating around the bush. "I heard you got to know my wife rather well before her passing. I am grateful for that."

'You wouldn't be grateful if you truly knew how well,' Ikaris joked inside his mind but filtered his thoughts appropriately. "I guess she just wanted to help a homeless kid who was having a rough time so I will forever be grateful for her aid."

The words that left Ikaris's lips could not be faked, and Caleb could tell as much because his stance abruptly shifted, telling The Eternal that the formalities have been dealt with. Now, it was time for the actual conversation.

'Animalistic… angry and of course, jealous.' Ikaris surmised Caleb's web of feelings in an instant. "You seem a bit out of it. Haven't been sleeping recently, have you?"

"Don't push your luck, kid," Caleb growled, fists tightening. "You're a smart kid. You could even recognize that we have been watching you for a couple of days already. I am not here to talk shit, just to see you man-to-man."

"I'm a kid."

The words left a bitter taste in Ikaris's mouth, but it was something that needed to be said anyway.

"BOY!"

A strong grip assaulted Ikaris's arm courtesy of a temperamental Caleb.

"Major…"

The soldiers next to Caleb placed their hands on his shoulders, clearly indicating they would be forced to restrain him should his aggressive attitude continue in any capacity. It became clear to Ikaris that the military wasn't here to see him – Caleb was there to see him with a rather complicated vendetta outside of a governmental capacity.

"It seems I was mistaken," Ikaris mumbled, meeting Caleb's eyes with a lack of childishness that was present before. "You appear to be a man with a vendetta. So, you were here for me and nothing else, huh?"

"Julia left some files in your possession, I need them back," Caleb got straight to the point, but the flicker of hesitation didn't evade Ikaris's eyes. "There are some things in those files that are important to the military. You are allowed to keep the money she left you."

It clicked in Ikaris's mind at that moment – the Vibranium in Julia's files was not only given to her because she was a top researcher but also because her husband was in the military and quietly pulled some strings for his wife to be considered first.

'Vibranium is not all that precious to me, but it could be a good bargaining chip in the future,' Ikaris shook his head at the thought of losing such a valuable bargaining chip. 'I guess Goose2 needs to eat the chunk of Vibranium alongside whatever research material we find at Julia's place.'

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ikaris's answer was an excuse humans have been using since ancient times, and judging by the faltering confidence on Caleb's face, the excuse still worked thousands of years later. "I know Julia left money for me but I don't know anything beyond that. If you can find anything, then I am sure we can come to some sort of arrangement."

The Eternal smiled inside because if Caleb and his military buddies could find anything, they wouldn't be discussing matters with a Scottish-accented kid.

"Are you sure Julia didn't mention anything?" Caleb's question was asked in a manner that withheld confidence. "Maybe something about a precious metal, or a landing site or something else?"

'He knows something…' Ikaris instantly determined that much, and that meant Caleb knew the general location of where Julia was hiding everything, but the military man couldn't be certain.

Unlike Caleb, Ikaris knew for sure where the samples from Julia's experiments were located, and it was definitely not in Forks. The Eternal wanted to keep the matter out of mind since it was not something he could access at his earliest convenience.

"Precious metals. Landing sites? You mean like a UFO?" Ikaris chuckled rather blatantly, selling the image of a naïve child. "I can see why your marriage was having problems – you're a conspiracy theorist, right?"

Caleb threw a lightning-fast punch, and though Ikaris saw it coming, he didn't bother to even flinch. Luckily, before the fist could even reach The Eternal, the two soldiers standing next to Caleb were instantly alerted. They jumped into action as one blocked Caleb's fist, and the other soldier restrained the grieving man.

The transition to combat readiness was seamless.

Thanks to the soldiers, the unexpected blow was deflected to just barely missing Ikaris's right cheek.

The Military code was very strict; hence the two soldiers came with their superior officer because even an attempted assault on a teenage child would get him dishonorably discharged from the military.

Ikaris brushed his right cheek in a daze, seemingly genuinely wondering what had happened, but of course, he knew what had happened from start to finish. When the soldiers weren't looking, a brief flash of golden light flashed in The Eternal's eyes, but Ikaris quickly restrained the Cosmic Energy.

"We need to depart!"

The two soldiers restrained a thrashing Caleb, slightly bowed to Ikaris, and made their way to the door of the theatre. It was obvious they wanted to leave before Ikaris could come to his senses and ask for a form of compensation for the near assault.