"S-Stay back." Marcus stammered as he took a step away from Susan.
Susan smiled, a wide toothy grin. "No." She said with a cold tone. "I like this, it feels…. Good."
Before Marcus could proceed Susan's words. She blitzed him once again. Appearing on his right and connecting her fist to his jaw.
Marcus felt his jaw snap and he twirled towards the ground.
Before Marcus hit the ground, Susan appeared on his left and punched his jaw once more.
She continued punching him like this.
Right, left, right, left.
Marcus couldn't do anything to counter. His body movements were slow and sluggish. Marcus wanted to run. To get away from Susan, to hide from her before she killed him.
But his body wouldn't move.
Susan's laughter filled the laboratory, as Marcus's blood pooled on the floor.
He was screaming, both internally and externally.
The pain was overwhelming, his body searing with an intense and vicious white-hot sensation. It continued to burn until eventually, Marcus blacked out.
— — —
"Hey, champ." Marcus's father, a man he hadn't seen since he was three years old, spoke to him. "What's with the long face?" He teased, picking Marcus up from the floor and into his arms.
Marcus was confused, reaching out a small hand to grab at his father's beard. "Da-da." He cooed, tightening his fists when he grabbed a fist full of hair.
Marcus's father's eyes widened in pain. "Hey, hey, hey." He said in desperation, attempting to untangle Marcus's grip. "What did I do?!?!"
Marcus giggled at his father's reaction. Kicking his small feat as he laughed. He loved seeing his father's reaction, it was something about seeing a man so big and strong, being so goofy.
It wasn't long before Marcus's father managed to untangle his son's hand from his beard. "You're worse than the Vegas back at home." Marcus's father joked as he placed a finger on Marcus's face.
Marcus grabbed it, pulling it towards his face to bite.
"Daddy, what's a vegan?" Marcus's sister Denise, who was a little older than him, pulled on their father's pants.
Their father smirked. "It's a vile creature, that latches to your face, and tries to burn it off!" He explained with a chuckle. "I used to hate them as a boy."
"Really dad?!?" Denise asked with excitement in her eyes.
"Oh absolutely!"
"James, are you telling our kids those silly stories again?" Aria, Marcus's mother, asked as Ashe stepped into the room with a plate of sandwiches. "What have I told you about that?"
James chuckled as he put Marcus on his hip. "My love, what I say is the truth." He said with a chuckle. "If only I could take you back to my home, maybe you'd see."
Aria giggled as she placed the plate of food down. "Well, this is your home now, with me, my daughter, and our son." She said as she reached for Marcus.
James chuckled softly as he handed Marcus to Aira. "And I would have it no other way."
He then grabbed a sandwich from the plate Aria brought in. "By the way, when do you think Marcus will be able to walk and talk?" He asked.
Aira smiled. "Whenever he's ready."
James chuckled. "I'm serious, my love. I wish to begin his training as soon as possible."
Aira rolled her eyes as she sat on the couch. "Honey, how many times do I have to tell you? Marcus is perfect the way he is, there's no need for training him for anything."
"Except potty training!" Denise called out with a grin.
"Except potty training," Aira repeated with a smile.
James chuckled as he crossed his arms. "But, he's the son of a warrior, it's tradition."
Aria sighed as she patted the spot on the couch beside her. "Come then, my brave warrior, sit with your family."
James sighed, poking out his bottom lip as he approached the couch. "Very well."
— — —
Tears streaked down Marcus's cheeks as he bore the brunt of Susan's assault.
Susan laughed at the sight, punching Marcus one final time, and sending him crashing into another pile of debris. "Why do you cry, human?" Susan said with a sick laugh, "Has the reality of your mortality sunken in?"
As Marcus continued to sob, his ether began cycling rapidly. "I saw him," Marcus whispered as he rose to his feet.
"I saw my father after so, so long…." He answered, his voice cracking with emotion as his ether began flowing from his body, emerging like a silver aura around him.
Susan raised an eyebrow. "Your…. Father?" She asked in confusion.
Marcus smiled as he wiped the tears, blood, and rubble from his face. His smile was one of genuine happiness and gratitude. "Thank you," Marcus said with a laugh.
The iris of his eyes suddenly grew a silver border around them. Stands of his hair flicked between silver and his natural black hair.
Susan took a step back as she protected her core with her left forearm. "W-what is this?" She asked in confusion. "What happened to you, human!" She shouted in desperation, her bottom lip quivering.
Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." He answered honestly.
"But…" Marcus said as he summoned the last of his ether reserves. "…. I know what I must do now."
Susan narrowed her eyes as she chuckled nervously. "This doesn't matter, you'll soon be at your knees, begging for mercy!" She shouted at Marcus, blitzing him once more.
Marcus smiled as he took a defensive stance. His ether surged through him like a familiar hug from a distant relative. Powering him beyond his normal means.
As Susan reached Marcus, she attempted to strike him with a right kick.
Marcus effortlessly dogged her attempt and countered by grabbing her leg and slamming her into the ground. His senses were sharper than ever, allowing him to plan his next move almost instantly.
As Susan crashed into the ground, Marcus struck her chest with a fist imbued with silver light.
Susan coughed up a clot of black blood and saliva.
Marcus wasted no time in striking her again, and again. Each strike was more powerful than the last.
Susan tried to defend herself. But Marcus's punches were so hard that they broke through her bones. Ripping through her flesh to reveal the black blood underneath.
Yet Marcus didn't stop.
He punched and punched, and punched until eventually, he broke through her skin. Revealing her blackened insides and smooth shiny core hidden just behind her heart.
Looking upon the sight Marcus paused, his fist raised in the air.
Susan struggled to breathe, her chest barely rising with air. "D-don't, kill me…" she said, her voice gargled with her own blood and broken ribs. "I-I surrender."
Marcus smirked, his hand formed into a long silver blade. "I have no intention of letting you survive," Marcus said coldly. His voice was unemotional and cold.
He then plunged his blade deep into Susan's core, smashing it, and causing her to screech loudly.
Her body twitched as she reached for her chest.
The light from her eyes then soon faded, leaving behind nothing, but a hollow corpse.
Marcus looked down upon the sight. "It's finished." He whispered to himself, before crashing atop Susan. Completely exhausted of all energy.
Outside the laboratory, Paul watched the entire thing in astonishment. "What…. What the fuck was that?" He said to himself. "Have you ever seen something like that?" Paul asked CJ, gesturing towards the cameras.
CJ shook her head. "No, I've never seen an officer power up like that."
Marisa's jaw dropped, she was utterly speechless.
"What do we do?" CJ asked Paul.
Paul shrugged. "I don't know, he wasn't supposed to kill Susan, yet at the same time, I think we just found something valuable, far more valuable."
The trio stood outside the laboratory watching the flickering cameras. The atmosphere filled with shock and awe.
"Can I get him out of there?" CJ asked as she readied her rifle once more.
Paul nodded. "Y-yeah, will you be able to carry him?" He asked, massaging his neck.
"I'll cover for her." The large mercenary from last time raised his hand as he stepped forward.
Paul nodded. "Good man, Thomas," Paul said with a smirk.
CJ input the code into the control panel. The door hissed opened, and she quickly stepped inside. Thomas followed closely behind her, his hands tightly gripped around his gun.
Paul turned his attention to Marisa, who had managed to straighten herself up. "How hard would it be to convince him, to switch sides I mean."
"40%." She answered. "If the intel from the command is right, he's just a rookie. Barely completed two patrols before he was sent to investigate us."
Paul smirked. "Something tells me this lad was sent to investigate us for a reason." He joked. "Maybe it's fate, maybe it was planned, but I like our odds of converting him either way."
"Well if you're seriously considering it, you'll have to offer protection for his girlfriend, his anomaly friend, his half-sister, and his mother," Marisa explained. "Because those are his vulnerable spots, he won't betray his organization if they face danger as a result, at least that's my understanding."
Paul nodded as he rubbed his chin. "We'll have to be smart about this." He said to himself. "I'll give him the option, but I won't push the issue at least for now."
"And Susan?" Marisa asked.
Paul shrugged. "Ehh, I never liked her from the start." He joked, "Smart lass, but she let her emotions override logic."
Meanwhile, inside the laboratory, CJ and Thomas reached Marcus.
CJ lowered herself to one knee as she placed two fingers on his neck. His heart was beating steadily. "He's alive." She reported. "But he definitely needs rest."
"And Susan?" Thomas asked.
CJ looked down at the deceased Susan. It would be obvious to anyone that she was dead, but it wouldn't be her to check.
CJ placed two fingers on her neck and was met with nothing but cold skin. "Dead." She reported.
Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as he swung his rifle over his back. "I'll carry the boy."
CJ nodded as she stepped back. "Got it."
— — —
An hour later, Marcus stirred awake. Examining his surroundings he realized that he was in Paul's car.
Paul was silently driving, tapping his pointer finger on the steering wheel as he listened to music.
Marcus looked down at his body. Noticing that he was dressed in his tracksuit.
After a brief moment of quiet confusion, his memories began flooding back.
The blindfold, the laboratory, the fight with Susan…. But his memory became patchy during the fight.
All he remembered was blacking out after killing Susan.
"I won?" Marcus asked softly.
Paul nodded as he turned down the radio. "Yep, you killed her in the end though, which defeated the whole point of bringing you." He explained.
"Sorry," Marcus said softly as he crossed his arms. "I don't know what happened."
Paul shrugged. "It's no big deal, things happen." He said with a smirk. "What matters now, is what you do next."
Marcus paused to think, the whole reason he did all this was to get answers on the Kiba group. But if he killed Susan, then that would make his deal with Paul void.
"Well, seeing as I killed Susan, that kinda sets my investigation back," Marcus said. "But I'm wondering if you could maybe point me in the right direction?"
Paul chuckled. "If you're asking me to keep my part of the deal, then the answer is no." He answered. "But if you really want a future direction, I have a suggestion."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Join us," Paul said bluntly. "You have skills we value, and we could teach you things your organization refuses to."
"This again," Marcus said with a sigh. "You're the enemy, you've killed, stolen, and kidnapped. Why would I join your group?"
Paul chuckled. "We only do what we do because it's what we need to," Paul explained. "Your organization doesn't play fair, so neither can we."
Marcus frowned. "But the organization is helping society, keeping anomalies in check and keeping their components of the streets." He then signed, "But you, you guys distribute the stuff like candy."
Paul nodded. "You haven't seen what the organization actually does, have you?"
"What do you mean?" Marcus asked curiously.
Paul smirked. "I leave this up to you, either you can join me and find the real answers. Or, you continue to serve as the organization's lap dog."
Marcus frowned. He had seen some members of the organization do some fucked up shit. Like commander Evert killing a cadet. But there were also people who seemed genuinely trustworthy.
Such as Kenji and Elissa, Dr. Fletcher, and Volkov.
There was also his best friend Felix.
"I can't join your group," Marcus answered. "I'd be betraying too many people, besides, you haven't given a single thing the organization has done wrong."
Paul nodded. "I see, then this conversation is over." He said with a sigh. "But if you ever change your mind, my offer still stands." Paul then reached for a card and handed it to Marcus.
Marcus accepted the card and examined it. The card was simply just a phone number and an address scribbled at the bottom. "This is nothing like the card CJ gave me," Marcus commented.
"The cards CJ gives direct people to a mayflower, informants like me," Paul explained. "That card I gave you, it's just so you can contact me if you change your mind."
Marcus nodded as he pocketed the card. He then leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. Looking out the window as the surrounding scenery passed him by.