by Sybil Nelson
Marco didn't wait for Zero to return. He grabbed me and ran right to the wall…the glass wall.
Chapter 8: More on Marco
Marco's metal body took the brunt of the impact saving me from countless and possibly deadly cuts from the glass. We landed in the sand and rolled down a small hill. A four story fall like that would kill some people or at least mess them up pretty bad, but Marco and I just jumped up and started running toward the water.
I could tell Marco was about to try to swim in the water, but I wasn't going to let him. I wasn't going to let him sink and possibly drown after he had just saved my life…twice. I wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder and held him up under his opposite armpit as I swam. He was a little heavier than I thought he would be, but once I got into a rhythm of kicking, I didn't notice the extra weight.
"Any sign of them?" I asked after a couple of minutes.
"I think we lost them."
Several kicks later I placed Marco on the little sand island that held the jet then crawled next to him panting for breath. He let me rest for a second then said, "We better get out of here."
We sat in the jet, both a little stunned at what had just happened. It was all a set up. A complete set up. Xi and this sheikh were apparently friends. If Josh could see that I would need help on this mission, why couldn't he see that the mission itself was a fake? This whole thing could have been avoided.
I took deep breaths to calm my shaking nerves. My neck still hurt from where Xi had stomped it with her boot. And the open wound on my head from where she had ripped out my hair burned like fire from the salt water. I still couldn't figure out why she actually put my hair in her boot. She was more psycho than I thought.
I tried not to show my anxiety to Marco. I mean, I was a superhero, right? Superheroes don't get rattled. I had to be strong.
"You okay over there?" I tried to sound confident as I asked him the question, but all he had to do was hop into my mind for a second and he'd know I was totally freaking out. Thankfully, he decided not to enter my mind. I think he was a little rattled himself. He was still in metal form and shivering.
"I'm a little cold," he said.
I sent a gentle stream of fire over to him and tried to melt some of the icicles that were beginning to form. I felt like I was roasting him like a shish kabob, but I think he enjoyed the warmth. It even helped him return to human form.
"Thanks."
"Did the bullets or the glass hurt you too bad?"
"The glass hurt more than the bullets actually."
"Really?"
"Yeah, the bullets just bounce off of me. The glass scratches me so it kind of feels like I've been mauled by a cat right now. I should heal rapidly though."
"I didn't know you could stop bullets like that."
Marco nodded. "I can even stop a moving car." He didn't sound happy about this. I wondered if it had something to do with his life in France. He didn't talk about it too often. I knew he didn't like to be reminded about how his adoptive parents didn't love him enough to overlook his genetic mutation.
He was silent for a while. I thought he was going to end the conversation but instead he said, "That's how my parents found out about me."
"You were hit by a car?" I asked. He didn't respond. He just stared out the window with his blank expression on his face. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I said finally.
Marco took a deep breath and said, "No, not me. Calypso Jacques was hit by a car."
"Who?"
"My dog." He took a deep breath before continuing. "We were playing fetch in the street in front of my house in Marseille. He had just made a great catch so I rewarded him with a kiss on the top of his head. A few minutes later after I threw the ball again, a car came around the corner out of nowhere and crashed into him. The car was totaled. Calypso didn't have a scratch on him."
I was a bit confused. I thought Marco had the powers not the dog.
"Whoa, wait, what? The dog got hit by the car. Not you. What does that have to do with you?"
Marco nodded. He understood my confusion. "You see, when I kissed Calypso Jacques, I temporarily transferred my powers to him causing him to convert into metal when danger was imminent. My parents saw the accident and thought the dog was possessed or something. They wanted to put him to sleep. I didn't want them to kill my dog so I explained what happened. I told them all about the Selliwood Institute and how I was genetically enhanced to be an unstoppable killing machine. And how an enzyme in my saliva could temporarily transfer my powers. They just stared at me with stunned wide eyes." Marco paused for a moment. His jaw tightened. These were painful memories for him. "The next day, Colonel Selliwood was on our doorstep. He slapped an inhibitor on me so that I couldn't fight and brought me back to the institute where I stayed until you came and rescued me." He looked at me. "I'm just glad I was able to return the favor."
"Wow," was all I could think to say. How could his parents actually call Colonel Selliwood and send him back to the Institute? What horrible people. No wonder Marco was so quiet and reserved. He must have a real hard time trusting people anymore. I was surprised he was able to open up to me. Now I felt even closer to him. That was not a good thing. I mean, what about Kyle? Was I supposed to be feeling this...close to someone who wasn't my boyfriend? But I was confused about one thing. "Marco, remember when I rescued you from the institute?"
He nodded. "How could I forget?"
"Well, before we split up, you kissed my hand."
"You remember that?" he said with a sideways grin that was so cute it made me tingle.
Of course I remembered it. Just that one little peck from him sent a shiver all through my body. And it was just on my hand. I couldn't even imagine what I'd feel if ... I better not think about that.
"Well...I kinda remember. It wasn't like it was a big deal or anything," I lied. "I was just wondering why I didn't turn to metal then."
"That was actually my plan. I was trying to protect you as you went to destroy the Central Control Room. But I was wearing an inhibitor and it didn't work."
Oh, so he only kissed me to protect me? I had to admit I was a little disappointed. Well, at least that should help me stop these ridiculous thoughts of being with Marco. I had a boyfriend. I had Kyle.
As I looked over into Marco's sad face, it was impossible to focus on thoughts of Kyle. Kyle would never understand what Marco had been through or what each of the specimens continued to go through each day. Marco needed me. We needed each other.
I put the jet on autopilot for a second. I unbuckled my safety belt and then stood up in the narrow space between the pilot and copilot's seats. "Stand up," I told him.
He looked at me confused. "Why?"
"Just do it," I said impatiently. He always had to ask questions. He always had to know everything. Finally, he unbuckled his belt and stood up as well.
I wrapped my arms around him. "I'll never abandon you," I whispered into his chest.
Slowly, as if he was unsure, he wrapped his arms around my waist. Our hug deepened as he said, "I know."
Chapter 9: The Briefing Room
"What happened to you?" my dad said when Marco and I entered the Briefing Room.
"We had a little unexpected company." I said, as my dad hugged me. Then he started examining my injuries. I was more injured than I thought. Besides Xi's boot print on my neck, my head was bleeding from where she ripped out my hair, and I had miscellaneous cuts and bruises all over my body. "It looks worse than it really is, Dad."
"Peter, get my kit." Peter flew, literally flew, upstairs to get my dad's medical bag. Dad wasn't actually a doctor, but he was really smart. Even though he was over six feet tall and built like a tank, he had degrees in Biochemistry and Engineering. Since none of us could go to a real doctor if we ever got sick or injured, my dad took the lead in fixing us up as best he could.
Once he made sure my injuries weren't life threatening, he took a look at Marco. "You used a lot of your
powers today. You might need a shot to neutralize your atomic ionization. Do you want me whip you up something?" my dad asked Marco.
Marco shook his head. "No drugs. I'll be fine. I just need to rest." Marco and all of the Selliwood kids avoided taking drugs as much as possible. After being locked up in the institute all their lives and pumped full of every hormone known to man day in and day out, they preferred to recover from the use of their powers naturally whenever possible.
Marco sat in a chair at the table and waited for the meeting to start. After every mission, we all gathered together to discuss what happened, what could have been avoided or done better. It was our way of making sure everyone was fully aware of the progress toward taking down Colonel Selliwood. Tonight we would have a lot to discuss.
"Priss, I think you're going to need stitches," Dad said once Peter got back with his bag.
"As long as they don't show, I don't care. I need to be in tip-top shape for my date with Kyle on Friday."
"About that. We might need to cancel."
"What? Why?" Oh this was not happening. I hadn't seen Kyle in months. I just had to go on this date. I felt tears coming. "You can't do this to me, Dad."
"I'm sorry, Priss, but look at you. You're all beaten and bruised. Do you really want Kyle to see you like this?"
I folded my arms and turned away from him. He was right. I didn't want Kyle to see me like this. But there had to be a way. Maybe I would heal in two days.
"I'm gonna numb the side of your head before I start the sewing." I ignored him and watched as my mom, Josh, Ryan, and Katya filed into the Briefing Room.
"So, what happened out there?" my mom asked once Dad was finished with my head.
Marco and I explained in as much detail as we could about Xi and the…creature that attacked us.
"Ugh, he sounds disgusting," Katya said.
"Did you kick his butt, Marco?" Ryan asked with his southern accent while gnawing on a piece of beef jerky.
Marco shook his head. "I'm not so sure it was a he. I don't know what it was."
"What happened to him?" Peter asked.
Marco shrugged. "I was chasing him around the house when all of a sudden, he just disappeared. Completely gone. And then a guard dog came toward me. I didn't want to unnecessarily injure the dog so I went back to help Priscilla."
My dad placed his fist under his chin and said, "Are you sure Xi said she'd meet Dr. Witherall at a place called Crang?"
I nodded. "I'm positive."
"Well, I've looked and looked," my dad said, shaking his head. "There's no place on Earth named Crang."
"Who said it had to be on Earth?" Ryan said. Everyone looked at him. I started to dispute him, but he was right. Who says they weren't on another planet? Maybe that creature was some sort of alien life form.
"That's highly unlikely," my mother said after a few minutes. "If Selliwood and Witherall were dealing with alien life forms, we would have some indication of it by now. I would know. I've been tracking them for years. I would know if they had the technology to visit other planets. Let's get back to things that are plausible."
Everyone went back to silently racking their brains for possible explanations. Josh closed his eyes and massaged his temples trying to find a vision. My father kept searching for things on the internet.
"Priss, I thought you were going on this mission alone. How did Marco get dragged into this?" my mother asked after a few moments.
"That was me," Josh volunteered.
"Did you have a vision?" she asked.
"It wasn't a vision…I don't know what it was. I just knew he had to be there."
"And he was right, Mom. If Marco wasn't there I would've died," I said.
My mother stared at Josh. She didn't look happy. She should've been happy. I mean, if Josh hadn't told me to take Marco, Xi would've most definitely killed me. My mother squinted her eyes. I couldn't tell if she was angry or confused. Maybe she was both. Then she got that look in her eye. That look that let you know she was trying to get in your head. But everyone knew she couldn't read minds anymore. So what was she doing?
"What I can't figure out," she said after a few tense moments, "is if you knew Marco needed to be there, why didn't you know it was a set up to begin with? Why didn't you tell your sister not to go at all?"
"Mom, it's not his fault," I said, trying to defend my brother. "He did the best he could."
"Well, that obviously wasn't good enough. You could’ve been killed." Everyone at the table grew silent, shocked at how mean my mother was being...again.
"Quin, what's the matter with you?" my dad asked, putting an arm around Josh.
"I'm sorry. I just have a headache." My mother closed her eyes and massaged her temples.
"Again? That's the third time this week."
"It's the same headache. It hasn't gone away."
"Maybe you should go lay down. I'll finish the meeting and fill you in later."
My mother shook her head. "No, I'll be alright. Let me get a breath of fresh air. We'll reconvene in ten." She stood from the table and went upstairs.
"She needed to be there," Josh said once my mother had left the room.
"Who?" Dad asked.
"Priscilla needed to go to UAE tonight. That's why I didn't tell her not to go."
"So you knew it was a setup. You knew Sheikh Rasheed wasn't in danger and you let me go anyway?"
Josh nodded.
"Why?" I asked.
"You needed to be there. Something happened tonight that's going to save our lives."
"Well, I'm officially confused," I said. "How is getting my butt kicked by Xi supposed to save everyone's life one day?"
Josh shrugged. "I don't know what, how, or why. When I figure it out, I'll let you know. What I do know is that you were supposed to be in UAE at the exact time that you were. And since that came true, hopefully everything else will fall into place. If not, we're all dead."
Chapter 10: Introducing Will Smith
Will Smith joined us in the briefing room a little later than expected. No, not the actor. Will Smith was actually Specimen W, the caretaker of the safe house. But he preferred to be called Will Smith. See, when my mother helped him escape from Selliwood's clutches he was sixteen years old and had never seen a movie. The first movie he ever saw after spending his life as a trained assassin was Men in Black starring Will Smith. Fifteen years later, he still idolized Will Smith. He tries to talk like him, dress like him, and he owns every movie and TV show the man has ever appeared in.
What makes things a bit...awkward is that Specimen W is a very large white man with a German accent. Hearing him quote lines from Bad Boys or sing the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was perplexing to say the least and downright scary to say the most. Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to be hip ... and black. That about sums it up.
"Sorry I'm late," he said sitting next to my mother at the table. "I was helping specimen Nu get adjusted in his new home in Denmark." Will Smith started laughing. "That is funny, no? Nu and New." He laughed again, but quickly regained his composure when he noticed everyone was staring at him like an idiot. He cleared his throat. "Sorry, what did I miss?"
My mother actually smiled a little at Specimen W, I mean Will. She had come back from taking in some fresh air and seemed to be feeling better. Or that could have just been the effect of Will Smith. He always put her in a good mood. As the first specimen she ever helped escape from the Selliwood Institute, she had always thought of him like a little brother. They created the safe house in Kansas together and shared the responsibility for rescuing kids and placing them in families around the world. Will Smith would take care of the house while my mother would travel the world with the kids. Now that my mother didn't have her super powers, their roles had kind of reversed. Just in case they got into a sticky situation while on a placement mission, they both thought it was best if someone with powers was on hand. So my mom stayed in Kansas while he traveled. Though he had gotten used to bei
ng able to stay home and watch footage of Will Smith twenty four hours a day, he was okay with traveling once my dad installed a flat screen TV into his hovercopter. Specimen W lovingly referred to it as his Willivision. Wow, that was kinda pathetic.
Marco and I summarized the trip to UAE again.
"Hmmm," Will Smith said. "It seems as though Specimen Zero was some sort of experiment that didn't quite pan out. Did you notice any specific powers from it, Marco?"
Marco shook his head. "Maybe it can disappear into thin air. You know, become invisible. Because I know he was right in front of me. I was right behind him. He turned a corner and then he was gone."
"That's possible," my dad said.
"I don't think so," Will Smith said. "I really don't think Selliwood has the technology for that. I mean, he would need a combination of antimatter and chromosomal dispersion and diffraction. The genetic development would be a nightmare."
