Dark Marco (Volume Two)

Dark Marco

Volume Two

SMASHWORDS EDITION

~~~

PUBLISHED BY:

Sybil Nelson on Smashwords

Dark Marco Volume Two

Copyright © 2013 Sybil Nelson

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Chapter 1: Home Invasion

I was used to invasions. When I lived in the Institute, someone we nicknamed the Red Intruder regularly broke in and took one of the specimens. Later the Red Intruder invaded my mind and showed me what life would be like if I was free. Those invasions proved to be providential.

The invasions plaguing my neighborhood in France were different.

I decided to intervene, not because of any great sense of civic duty. I really didn't care that someone was breaking into nearby houses. I was simply tired of the police sirens and home invasion alarms waking up my adoptive parents Madame Claudine and Monsieur Gerard night after night. Also, I was a little afraid that one day the invaders would break into my home and force me to defend myself. I thought it better to intercede on my own terms when my identity could be properly concealed.

It didn't take much investigation on my part to figure out when or where the petty criminals would strike next. I merely had to listen and wait. I didn't have super hearing, but I did have super speed. And once I knew where they were, I could catch them pretty easily.

As a genetically enhanced assassin, I really wasn't expecting too much difficulty in apprehending the thieves. But I still decided to take some precautions. I wore a mask and completely covered my arms and legs in black clothing. The last thing I needed was for my metal conversion to make worldwide news.

At three am, after circling my neighborhood five times, I heard the telltale signs of a home invasion alarm before it was somehow disabled. Seconds later I stood in front of the home as two men carried out a flat screen television.

You need to return that television to its owners and then refrain from burgling this area ever again. I had never been trained in communication with the enemy, especially civilian criminals. When I was an assassin for Selliwood Institute, I very rarely spoke. My target would have been dead within ten seconds of my engaging contact with him.

The two criminals wearing ski masks similar to my own stared at each other for a second. I sized them up quickly. Though they were both about a foot taller than me, I knew they wouldn't be too much of a challenge.

Yeah? And who is going to stop us? one of them said. His voice was being altered by some sort of electronic device.

I thought it was a rather odd question. Wasn't it obvious that I was there to stop them?

I don't want to hurt you, I said.

That's when they started laughing. I didn't quite understand why. I hadn't made a joke, had I?

The criminals ignored me and placed the TV in their van.

Okay, now what were you saying? one of them said as he approached me. He was cracking his knuckles just like the bad guys in that awful movie Gerard watched last night. I didn't think villains actually did that in real life.

I don't want to hurt you, I said again. And it was the honest truth. I didn't want to hurt them. But if they kept coming towards me in a menacing manner I would have no choice but to fight them. I wasn't sure if I knew how to fight a civilian without killing them. I'd have to do my best to restrain myself.

Standing mere inches away from me, the first bad guy said, You're outnumbered, buddy. Are you sure you want to do this?

Do what? I asked.

This, he said raising his fist toward my face.

I grabbed his hand before it made contact with me and crushed his fingers.

He screamed in agony. That's when the second bad guy lunged toward me and punched me in the gut. Now it was his turn to scream in pain. I wasn't even in metal form yet I was still dense enough to hurt his hand. If I was metal, that punch would have broken his hand.

Good God! What are you? A robot? he yelled.

No, not exactly, I said.

The sound of sirens bellowed in the distance.

We have to get out of here, one broken hand villain said to the other.

You're not going anywhere until the authorities arrive, I said.

Suddenly, I felt something strike me against the head from behind. It wasn't hard enough to knock me out, but it threw me off balance enough to give the attacker the upper hand. I fell forward and one of the broken handed thieves kicked me in the face. He screamed in pain again as he started limping around. Seriously, what is the guy made of?

I don't know, but let's see if it's fireproof, the guy who hit me from behind said.

What are you doing? You can't set someone on fire! one of them yelled.

Apparently he could, as evidenced by the way he ...well ... set me on fire with a blowtorch.

My metal conversion started. It was my body's way of protecting itself. In metal form, I wouldn't suffer too much damage, but I still felt the fire against me. Oddly enough, I didn't mind getting burned. It was one of the few sensations I could actually feel.

I stood up and calmly beat the flames out of my clothes with my hands.

The three of them stared at me in shock.

"What the … ? Instead of finishing his thought, he threw the blowtorch at me and ran away. His two friends followed and all of them hopped into the van. A fourth person who I didn't even know was there, started it up and peeled off before all three boys were even completely inside.

I looked down at my singed clothing. The metal was clearly visible.

***

With my super speed, it took only seconds to get back to my adoptive parents' home. I hopped in the shower and tried to calm down so I could reverse the metal conversion. As the warm water washed over me, I thought calming thoughts, which meant I thought about Dr. Avalon.

I considered her to be my real mother. While I was at the Institute, she took care of me. She helped me realize that life as an assassin was not what I wanted. And then she gave her life in exchange for mine. She died helping me escape.

When Monsieur Gerard and Madame Claudine adopted me, they didn't adopt Specimen Mu, they adopted Marco Avalon.

I stepped out of the shower and stared at my injuries. I felt ... I felt happy that I actually had injuries. I could actually feel something. The fire from the blowtorch had melted my quadriceps so severely that they couldn't completely revert back to skin. I looked like some kind of half man, half machine monstrosity.

Wrapping a towel around my waist, I headed to my room.

Sweetheart, why are you up in the middle of the night? a sleepy Madame asked just as I was about to enter my room. I had to think carefully about what to say. I wasn't good with lying. It was a skill I hadn't quite been able to develop.

I wanted a shower, I said simply. It was the truth. I just hoped she didn't ask any further questions.

She nodded and yawned. You should get back to bed.

Yes, Madame.

You don't have to call me Madame, she said. I don't mind if you call me, mother.

She didn't mind, but I did.

When I opened the door to my room, I realized that my night had actually just begun. Standing before me was Madame Quindolyn.

You're in trouble, Marco, she said to me telepathically. So much trouble.

Chapter 2: YouTube

The metal conversion began as panic settled inside me.

What happened? I asked also using my telepathy. Are they coming after Adrianna? Are Gerard and Claudine in danger?

I didn't care what it took, I would protect those close to me. Of course, Adrianna wasn't exactly close to me. She didn't even know I existed. For the three weeks I had already been in Marseilles, I had just watched her from afar.

While I was an assassin for the Selliwood Institute, I was ordered to kill her father. Though I did it, I immediately regretted it. And when I found out that Selliwood was still after her family, I vowed to protect her. That was the sole reason why I moved to France.

Marco, your mere presence here is putting them all in danger. You aren't ready for an assignment like this. You still have a lot to learn about how to control your powers and how to interact with humans as evidenced by what you did tonight.

What do you mean? I asked, trying to hide my surprise. How could she possibly know what I had done tonight? It was too soon. And I made sure to use my powers to block her