All Chapters of MARCUS CHEN; The Reborn: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
25 chapters
CHAPTER 1
THE GENERAL DIES AT DAWNThe poison tasted like copper and regret.Marcus Chen's vision blurred as he slumped forward in the steel chair, chains cutting into his wrists. Blood dripped from his nose onto the concrete floor of Sub-Level Nine, each drop echoing in the silence. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, that same mechanical hum that had driven three prisoners insane last year.He'd counted the days. Two hundred and seventeen since the trial that wasn't a trial. Since they'd paraded him in front of cameras and called him a monster."Still conscious?" Director Hale stood by the door, checking his watch like he had somewhere better to be. "The sedative should've worked by now.""Disappointed?" Marcus coughed. More blood. "Want to... watch me beg?""I want this over with." Hale adjusted his cufflinks. Italian silk, probably cost more than a soldier's monthly pay. "You made it personal when you refused the deal."Marcus laughed, though it came out as a wheeze. "The deal where I..
CHAPTER 2
FIRST BLOOD Marcus hit the obstacle course at a dead sprint. His lungs burned. Legs screamed. But the Warden System's countdown pulsed in his vision: [MISSION ONE DEPLOYMENT: 2 HOURS, 17 MINUTES]. Two hours until three cadets died on this exact course. "Chen!" Instructor Kane's voice cut across the training field. "You're not on the schedule until 0900!" Marcus didn't slow. He vaulted over the first barrier, landed, rolled, came up running. His eighteen-year-old body felt foreign—lighter, faster, but without the muscle memory of a decade of combat. His mind knew how to move. His body had to relearn. Kane appeared in his path, arms crossed. Forty-five, built like a tank, with a gray beard and eyes that missed nothing. "I said you're not scheduled." "Couldn't sleep, sir." Marcus stopped, forcing his breathing to steady. "Thought I'd get familiar with the course." "Familiar." Kane walked a slow circle around him. "You ran that sequence like you've done it a thousand times." I ha
CHAPTER 3
THE WATCHERMarcus woke at 0400 hours, two hours before reveille.Old habits died hard. Or didn't die at all.He sat up in the darkness, listening to the breathing of nineteen other cadets in the barracks. Soft snores. Restless shifting. The normal sounds of exhausted kids pretending to be soldiers.Except Marcus wasn't pretending.The Warden System displayed its countdown: [MISSION TWO: 58 HOURS, 12 MINUTES.]Fifty-eight hours until someone sabotaged the live fire range. Fifty-eight hours to figure out who, how, and why.He dressed quietly, military efficiency ingrained after years of pre-dawn operations. Dark sweats, running shoes, nothing that would draw attention. Just another cadet who couldn't sleep.The barracks door creaked as he opened it."Where are you going?"Marcus froze. The voice came from the bunk nearest the door. Danny Park, his assigned roommate. Quiet kid, barely spoke during orientation. In Marcus's original timeline, Danny had washed out after six months."Couldn
CHAPTER 4
SMOKE AND MIRRORSMarcus reached the live fire range in eight minutes flat.Smoke billowed from the ammunition storage building. Sirens wailed. Cadets scattered like ants, some running toward the chaos, others running away. Instructors shouted orders that nobody followed.Fire suppression systems had activated, but the smoke was too thick, too black. That wasn't just ammunition burning. That was something chemical.Marcus pushed through the crowd. His mind raced through possibilities. The mission had accelerated. Something he'd done changed the timeline. But what?"Chen!" Kane's voice cut through the noise. The instructor stood near the main building, coordinating evacuation. "Get back to the barracks! Now!"Marcus ignored him. The system displayed overlay information: [CASUALTIES CURRENT: 2 CRITICAL, 7 INJURED. STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE IMMINENT IN 4 MINUTES, 32 SECONDS.]Two critical. That means two dead if I don't move.He ran toward the smoke."Chen! That's an order!"But Marcus was alr
CHAPTER 5
THE PRICE OF KNOWING Kane's office smelled like old coffee and bad decisions. Marcus stood at attention in front of the desk while Kane paced behind it. The instructor hadn't said a word in three minutes. Just paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally, Kane stopped. "Sit down." Marcus sat. Kane leaned against the desk, arms crossed. Up close, Marcus could see the exhaustion etched into his face. The gray in his beard seemed darker than this morning. His eyes were bloodshot. "You disobeyed a direct order," Kane said quietly. "Yes, sir." "You entered a hazardous zone without authorization." "Yes, sir." "You risked your life and compromised emergency operations." "Yes, sir." Kane's jaw tightened. "Stop saying yes sir and defend yourself." Marcus met his eyes. "I can't defend what I did. You gave an order. I ignored it. But two people are alive because I did." "And if you'd died? If the building had collapsed on you? How many resources would we have wasted recovering yo
CHAPTER 6
SAFE HOUSES AND SECRETSAria's apartment was small, clean, and completely sterile.No photos. No decorations. Just functional furniture and blackout curtains. The kind of place someone lived but didn't inhabit. Marcus recognized it immediately—a safe house mindset. Never get comfortable. Never leave traces."Sit." Aria gestured to the couch. "I'm getting coffee. You look like death."Marcus collapsed onto the cushions. Every muscle ached. The system's emergency enhancement had burned through his reserves, leaving him hollow and shaking. He checked the countdown: [MISSION THREE: 68 HOURS, 43 MINUTES.]Less than three days. And he had no idea how to complete it while Director Vance was hunting him.Aria returned with two mugs, sat across from him. She'd changed into civilian clothes—jeans, a fitted black shirt. Without the uniform, she looked younger. More human."Drink," she ordered.Marcus obeyed. The coffee was strong, bitter, perfect. He wrapped his hands around the mug, absorbing t
CHAPTER 7
THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENTThe address led them to an industrial district forty minutes outside the Academy grounds.Warehouses lined the streets like metal coffins. Most were abandoned, windows broken, graffiti covering rusted walls. The kind of place where screams wouldn't carry and nobody asked questions.Perfect for hiding a kidnapped child.Aria parked two blocks away, killed the engine. "Torres's vehicle was spotted here three times in the last week. If they're holding the girl, this is it."Marcus studied the warehouse through binoculars. No visible security. No guards posted. Too quiet. "It's a trap.""Probably.""And we're walking into it anyway.""You have a better idea?" Aria checked her weapon. "That little girl has maybe sixty hours left before they kill her whether Mercer cooperates or not. People like Torres don't leave witnesses."Marcus knew she was right. The system pulsed: **[HOSTAGE LOCATION CONFIRMED. SUBJECT: MERCER, SARAH (AGE 8). STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: 3 ENTRY POIN
CHAPTER 8
THE DAUGHTERThe warehouse district was empty at this hour. Abandoned buildings. Rusted fences. The kind of place where people disappeared and nobody asked questions.Marcus crouched behind a dumpster, scanning the target location through binoculars. Elena Torres had led them here—a three-story industrial building with minimal windows and heavy security. Two guards at the entrance. Cameras on every corner. Professional setup."That's a lot of firepower for one eight-year-old girl," Aria whispered beside him. She'd changed into tactical gear, her blonde hair tied back, face smeared with dark paint. "We're looking at minimum six hostiles inside. Maybe more.""Seven," Marcus corrected. The system highlighted heat signatures through the walls. "Three on the ground floor. Two on the second. Elena Torres and one more on the third with the hostage."Aria looked at him. "How do you know that?""Thermal overlay. Part of the system." Marcus lowered the binoculars. "The girl's in the northwest c
CHAPTER 9
DINNER WITH DEVILSMarcus's hands shook as he buttoned the dress uniform.Twelve hours ago, he'd pulled an eight-year-old girl from a warehouse. Six hours ago, he'd learned his father was alive but captured. And now he had to smile through dinner with the man who'd orchestrated it all.The dress uniform felt wrong. Too clean. Too perfect. Like putting on a costume to pretend he was something other than a weapon barely holding itself together.His phone buzzed. Kane: Attendance is mandatory. Don't make this worse than it already is.Marcus stared at his reflection in Aria's bathroom mirror. Dark circles under his eyes. Bruises on his ribs from the warehouse fight. A cut above his eyebrow he'd tried to hide with makeup borrowed from Aria.He looked like exactly what he was—a soldier pretending to be a cadet."You don't have to go." Aria appeared in the doorway, already dressed in her own formal uniform. "We can say you're injured. Medical emergency.""And give them another reason to com
CHAPTER 10
THE ALGORITHM OF CHAOSMarcus woke to the smell of burnt coffee and desperation.Four hours had passed in what felt like four minutes. His body screamed protest as he sat up. Every muscle ached. His head felt stuffed with cotton. The system pulsed weakly: [MISSION THREE: 13 HOURS, 41 MINUTES.]Aria stood at the kitchen counter, surrounded by empty energy drink cans and three laptops. Her hair was a mess. Dark circles under her eyes. She looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time."Please tell me you slept," Marcus said."Sleep is for people who aren't planning elaborate cyber heists." She didn't look up from the screen. "Dr. Reeves and Mercer finished the false intelligence package two hours ago. It's perfect. Completely believable. Will take enemy analysts at least a week to realize it's garbage.""Where are they now?""Mercer took his daughter to a safe house. Dr. Reeves is monitoring the system remotely in case you have a seizure or, you know, explode." Aria finally looked at