Breachers

Breachers – Path of Steel

38

I

 Written Down

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Day 48

Marcus

Sweat dripped from Marcus's forehead, forming small puddles on the floorboards as he powered through more pushups, the earbuds piping out more information about rules and regulations regarding Spheres, all streamed from his phone. Most of it he had read up and heard dozens of times already at this point, but he let his mind go through it again just to be sure. Marcus quickened his pace, muscles burning, though not as much as they had done in the past. More sweat dripped onto the floorboards, joining the pool, yet he powered out a few more reps before the final one, a grin forming on his features as he felt his arms shake from exhaustion. Rising, he yanked the earbuds out and cut off the stream on his phone. He calmed his breathing as he looked around the dull, expressionless bedroom. ‘Joline’s guest bedroom feels more like a prison cell.’ The grey walls, black curtains, and standard floorboards added to the monotony. Amid the blandness, a lone cactus on a shelf stood out, the same one that had been his sister’s gift to him back in the hospital. It had been just over a week since he got caught in the Sphere, landing him in what felt like a prison. He had endured most of his house arrest at his uncle’s place and the last three days in his sister’s apartment. It was one of two requests his family had finally demanded of him after a family meeting, although his uncle had suggested at least a dozen more. ‘Just a few more hours until this nightmare is hopefully over,’ he thought with a smile. He pulled off his sweaty shirt, using it to wipe away the rest before changing into a fresh one. When he had freshened himself up he grabbed a backpack he had borrowed from his sister. Just as he was about to leave the room, a text interrupted him, forcing him to pull out his phone again. He smiled when he spotted the already read message from Felix, wishing him good luck and to break a leg, just not his own. Marcus’s smile faded into a tight line as he read the new message, eyebrows knitting in disapproval. He couldn’t help but make a disapproving ‘tsk’ sound when he opened it.

┏                                                                               ┓

“Good luck today.

Sebastian and I know you’ll do great.

Afterall, we’ve seen it.”

- Benedict

┗                                                                               ┛

Reading the message repeatedly, Marcus understood the man’s hidden message. He shut off his phone, the weight of Benedict's message lingering in his mind. ‘He’s a shrewd one. I need to watch myself around him.’ Grabbing his things, he approached the door, placing his left hand on the handle. Calming his thoughts, he steeled himself for the day he’d spend with his sister and the impact it would have on his life. Marcus looked down at his hand on the handle, a weak smile forming as he noticed he had used his non-dominant one. ‘Specter’s influence, no doubt,’ His thoughts drifted to his steel companion, and seeing its traits and habits that had lingered within him. Gripping the handle tighter, memories of the last interaction with Specter came rushing up, recalling the anger that both of them had felt. ‘It’s been so long since I was truly whole again.’ Ever since the junkyard incident, where he had almost gotten himself killed, Marcus had been working hard to change. He forced himself to quell most of his anger and hatred, shoving that fiery emotion deep inside and compartmentalizing it. In turn, he tried to be colder... calmer even. ‘I hope you’re alright buddy,’ he thought as his mind wandered.

Marcus opened the door and entered his sister’s living room, finding her busy packing their lunches. “Hey there, sleeping beauty. Are you ready for the exam?” she asked, a warm smile on her face as she continued slicing apart a red bell pepper.

“As ready as I can be in such a short time, I guess,” he said, glancing at his sister’s attire. She sported her guild tracksuit, his eyes briefly lingering on the blue drop of blood logo. “What’s with the whole PR thing?”

Grinning, she turned her back, revealing a larger logo and her guild name, Royal Blue. “Like it? Pretty cool, huh? I thought I could also use this opportunity to boost my guild's reputation a bit and scare off any vultures that might linger there and want to recruit my brother. That, and maybe my squad leader won’t be as annoyed about me taking a day off,” she said, her smile mutating into an annoyed expression at the last part.

Marcus felt a twinge of sympathy as he observed her shake off the annoyance, replacing it with a smile again as she grabbed the last of their things. Ever since the emergency family meeting a few days ago, a discomfort hung in the air between them. Initially mad at the possible near-death experience inside a Sphere, his sister had been pissed off, yet also the first one to calm down. She had, in fact, been the one to propose only two demands, unlike his more demanding brother and uncle. But Marcus couldn’t help but think of the anger his sister was keeping at bay. “Vultures, huh? What would I do without the protection of my sister?”

“Oh, I don’t know... bleed to death in a junkyard?” she shot back with a grin, striding toward him. “End up in police custody?” Her smile grew with each step, and she handed him the lunches she’d made. That pleasant expression became creepier and increasingly uncomfortable the longer it went on. “Want a banana?” she suddenly asked, moving back to the table and ending the hauntingly pleasant smile. “It helps with the nerves.”

Marcus watched her for a moment, struggling to maintain eye contact as she handed him the banana. “Thanks.” He stashed the banana and their lunchboxes in the backpack before shifting his gaze around the apartment. He searched for anything to distract himself—the weird sand garden thing in the corner with a little rake, a weird oil painting she had made, or the small table with a picture of their parents and a bowl containing the chain with their two wedding rings. “So,” he said, pointing at the chain. “When is it my turn to carry them?”

“You up for that?” she asked, moving over to the bowl and grabbing it before holding it out for him.

Marcus eyed the chain for a moment before he gave a quick nod. “Yes.” His hand darted for it, but she snatched it away at the last second, highlighting the difference in their speed.

“You’d have to earn it,” she said as she slid the chain around her neck. “The head of this family gets to carry it. And no, we’re not going by seniority, unless you want to hand it over to Uncle Laurens?” She glanced at the rings, her finger tracing their edges before tucking it behind her tracksuit. “The strongest of us carries it, burdened to keep it safe.”

Marcus gave a slow shake of his head. “You know that’s cheating, right?”

“We could change it up, and settle on intelligence, but we both know that Martin would win hands down.” She leaned against the front door in an amused manner.

Marcus awkwardly rubbed the back of his head at that. “Still, I’d win the beauty contest.”

“Not with that long hair of yours. And, besides, I’ve seen monsters with a prettier mug than you,” Joline countered, then swung the door open and gestured outside. “Enough chatting. We’ve got a ways to go, and you don’t want to be late for these kinds of things.”

“Right,” Marcus muttered, stepping through the doorway, his jaw clenching as he mentally prepared for what lay ahead – the first part of getting his Breacher license.

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Several hours later, Marcus sighed frustratedly as he exited the exam room, most of his features were hidden underneath his red hoodie. He followed the stream of people as they made their way down the hallway, keeping his head down as he stared at Oscar’s red sneakers he was wearing. Most of the people next to him had their marks on display in a riot of colors and intricate patterns. ‘Please, don’t let me have messed this up. Joline will kill me, or worse... mock me,’ he thought as he broke off from the stream of people and made his way towards the bathroom to freshen up. As Marcus stepped into the bathroom, he spotted a bunch of other Marked individuals. Some were busy freshening up, others talking to themselves in the mirror, and a few were taking a nervous shit on the toilet. ‘Guess I wasn’t the only one who felt bad about the written exam.’ Marcus made his way over to the nearest free sink, gulping down some water as he replayed the dozens of questions he had answered mere minutes ago. Each question delved into various facets of being a Breacher – monster types, Glass and Orbs, Power Ratings and Ranks, rules, regulations, and potential fines. ‘Would they really turn people away from becoming a Breacher just because they didn’t do well on the written part? Maybe this strict rule only applies to Alphas and lower Betas ranks?’ he thought as he took another sip of water. ‘I mean, there are like millions of people worldwide that are ranked as Alpha’s, and hundreds of thousands in the Netherlands alone.’ He went over how many of those Alphas would actually be Breachers, or wanted to become one, while overhearing two people discussing their written responses. Marcus winced slightly upon realizing that neither of their answers matched his.

He glanced at a few other people in the room, noting blue, red, black, and green Marks on their arms, necks, even some faces in a fancy pattern. ‘Every person here is a Forged, huh? Guess I’ll be the only Original applying for the Breacher License,’ he thought as he observed the intricate designs of some of the Marks. ‘Well, it makes sense. It’s like they told me back at the hospital, how every Original has already been forced to get measured years ago and decide to become a Breacher or not.’ He wondered how it might have been thirteen years ago when his sister had become one. ‘Did they even do tests like this back then? Still, being the only Original here today does explain the way the receptionist kept staring at me when she gave me my examinee badge.’ He slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out the white plastic ID badge, displaying his picture, name, rank, and measured Power rating, with a single word printed at the top; Original. He stared at it for a while before an intercom announced that the applicants had to go to the exam room to receive their results. ‘Moment of truth.’ He quickly stashed the ID badge back in his pocket before stepping outside. He joined the small stream of men and women walking down the hallway towards several large sets of doors, with people streaming inside. Each door had a different color—three blue hues and one white. ‘So they don’t allow Gamma’s and higher here, huh?’ Marcus wondered, observing more people getting in line. ‘Makes sense, I guess. With power that great, you’d probably need a sturdier building for when they take their physical exams. Or do reds and higher not need to go through the efforts of trying to get a license, seeing as how rare they are?’ Someone nudged him in the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts as he made his way over towards the white door. Standing in line, he quickly realized how many more people were in this line compared to the others, with each darker hue of blue having drastically shorter lines.

He and around fifty others in his line slowly passed through the white door and into a smaller room. Inside it, they saw a man and woman seated behind a table, data pads in front of them. “Alright applicants, please get in line,” the woman suddenly spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I’m Sandra. Tall, dark and handsome next to me is Ali. Now, I’m sure you’re all eager to hear how you did on the written part of the licensing exam. Your name will be called out shortly. Take a step forward, and you’ll know if you passed or not. If you failed the exam, head out through the left door. You can find a data station there to log in and review your mistakes. Do so without making a fuss, or we’ll make one for you,” she said, letting the last part hang in the air, almost daring anyone to try and argue their results. “If you do have a brain and you passed, go to Ali, flash your ID, and get a date set for your physical exam this week. Any questions?” Sandra questioned, raising an eyebrow and nodding in response to the silent crowd. “Good, let’s get this show over with. Els Bouwer, Forged, Power Rating eight, step up,” she announced, a smile playing on her lips as a young woman in the row quickly shot forward a few steps. The young woman’s body was tight, and the red marks on her arms clashed with her sudden paleness. “You passed,” Sandra said, watching the young woman visibly relaxed before rushing toward Ali.

‘That guy, Ali, he’s the one who gave me my Alpha Rank back then in the hospital,’ Marcus reflected, eyeing the man and recalling how the measurement process had gone, and how it had made him feel back then. ‘It’s not exactly a small world, but it figures that the folks in charge of measuring are also in the licensing department. There is a lot of overlap there.’ He then observed as more people received their results. Some happily bounded toward Ali after passing, while others turned pale or barely held back frustration upon failing the written test, making a swift exit. ‘Lots of fives and sixes,’ he noted, tracking their Power Ratings. There were two ones, like his own, but the average seemed to hover around five and six. The occasional nines popped up, along with smug and arrogant faces, as if claiming a bit of superiority within the lowest tier of potential Breachers; Tier 1, Alpha Rank. ‘Good thing they don't measure twice; otherwise, I'd have a hard time explaining how I jumped from a Power Rating of one to four in a matter of weeks.’

As the roll call continued, Sandra’s bored voice suddenly changed as she ran into an anomaly. “Marcus Laurens Smit... wait, what?” she mumbled, clearly thrown off. Glancing at Ali, she found confirmation in his nod and a subtle grin. “Marcus Laurens Smit, Original, Power Rating one, step up.”

Marcus heard a few whispers in what remained of the group of applicants, speculating who the Original was. Grateful for the sense of anonymity his hoodie provided, he sensed a pulsing throb on the top right side of his face, torso and right arm, suddenly conscious of his black Marks there. ‘This is it,’ he thought, assuming his stance and brushing off the murmurs behind him. ‘Either I pass today, nail the physical exam that comes next, or I fail and make a fool out of myself and have to give it another shot in several months when the next exams happen.’ He knew that his sister was waiting in the lobby of the building for him. Although she hadn’t voiced any expectations for today, he knew she had them. He could still picture her sitting in front of him during the family meeting, keeping her emotions in check and just staring at him while the rest were freaking out. It had been as if she had been expecting this of her older brother, as if it had all been just a matter of time. ‘I can’t mess this up,’ he thought, reflecting on Specter’s words about how Marcus had to die in order for something better to emerge. ‘I’ve studied my ass off this week.’

The woman nodded approvingly. “Passed,” she said, and Marcus visibly relaxed. She motioned toward Ali on her right. “Head over to my colleague.” Marcus nodded and forced himself to walk towards Ali as calm as he could.

The man there let out a low chuckle, a smirk playing on his lips. “Well now, this is a fun surprise,” he said, extending his hand for Marcus’s ID tag. Marcus complied, and Ali scanned it in his system. “Truth be told, I caught wind of your entry in the system, so I snagged Alpha duty today. Congrats on passing the written exam and your recovery thus far. How are you holding up?”

“Good,” Marcus lied, eyeing the man as he tapped away on his data pad, eventually passing back Marcus’s ID tag.

“That’s great to hear. Now, I’ve scheduled your physical test for tomorrow at ten. That way I can see you in action myself. After all, you’re quite the interesting case. I’ll be running the show with three Breachers as examiners. So, does tomorrow work for you?” Ali asked, while Marcus simply nodded. “Alright then. Any questions on your end?”

“Just one. What do I need to do tomorrow?” Marcus asked.

“Oh, it’s rather easy. Tomorrow, you’ll get three chances to show the examiners that you are capable,” Ali said, reclining in his chair for a moment.

Pausing briefly, Marcus narrowed his eyes. “Capable of what?”

“Surviving,” Ali said, a smile forming as he then pointed to the door behind him, “Congratulations again on passing the first part and good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said, slipping his hands into his pockets before he made his way toward the door, tuning out the murmurs and voices behind him as he left the room. ‘Capable of surviving, huh? Let’s find out.’

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Copyright: OsiriumWrites