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Home / Sci-Fi / MARCUS CHEN; The Reborn / CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
Author: ELSA RIVERS
last update2025-12-17 05:47:39

THE BOX cont’d

"You can barely walk," Dr. Reeves protested.

"Then I'll crawl. But I'm finishing this." Thomas looked at his son. "Together."

Marcus nodded. "Together."

They moved toward the elevator. Father and son. Both broken. Both refusing to quit.

Behind them, Vance called out: "You think you've won? This operation is just one cell. One program. The conspiracy is bigger than you know. Bigger than you can imagine. Kill me. Arrest Cross. It doesn't matter. Someone else will take our place."

"Probably," Marcus agreed. "But today, we're taking you."

The elevator doors closed.

And for the first time in twenty years, Marcus Chen stood beside his father. Not as memories. Not as ghosts. But as soldiers in the same war.

"You've grown up," Thomas said quietly.

"You've gotten old."

"Yeah, well. Twenty years of being erased will do that." Thomas managed a smile. "You did good, son. Better than I ever did at your age."

"You set the standard pretty high."

"And you exceeded it." Thomas gripped h
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  • CHAPTER 25

    THE KEYSTONE BREAKS[72 HOURS AFTER THE SIEGE]The Congressional hearing room was different this time.No cameras. No press. Just fifteen senators, Marcus, and a classified designation that meant everything discussed here would never see public light.Senator Harrison looked older than he had a week ago. Tired. Like he'd seen something that kept him awake at night. "Mr. Chen. We meet again under even more extraordinary circumstances."Marcus sat alone. His team had been separated. "Questioned individually," they'd called it. He knew what it really was. Divide and assess. See if stories aligned. Look for weaknesses."Six Warden hosts attacked a federal facility," Harrison continued. "A thirteen-year-old girl was found with illegal neural modifications. And you—our most valuable asset—destroyed your own Warden System to save her. Care to explain that decision?""She's thirteen, sir. Nobody should be a weapon at thirteen.""Noble sentiment. Terrible tactics. You rendered yourself obsolet

  • CHAPTER 24

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  • CHAPTER 23

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  • CHAPTER 22

    NEW DAWN, OLD SHADOWS[7 DAYS LATER]The Congressional hearing room was packed.Marcus sat at the witness table, flanked by lawyers he didn't want and didn't trust. Behind him, his team occupied the gallery. Aria in business formal that looked wrong on her. Leon taking notes compulsively. Danny looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Dr. Reeves reviewing documents. His father beside his aunt Patricia, both looking concerned.At the elevated bench, fifteen senators stared down at him. Some sympathetic. Most hostile. All of them trying to understand how an eighteen-year-old cadet had stopped seven simultaneous terrorist attacks, exposed a decades-old conspiracy, and revealed technology that was supposed to remain classified forever.Senator William Harrison—chair of the Armed Services Committee—shuffled papers. "Mr. Chen. Or should I say Cadet Chen? Your rank is currently... unclear.""Marcus is fine, sir.""Marcus, then." Harrison leaned forward. "You've had quite the eventful four

  • CHAPTER 21

    THE PRICE OF KNOWING[30 DAYS LATER]Marcus stood in the training room at 0400 hours, drenched in sweat.The heavy bag swayed from his latest combination. Left hook. Right cross. Elbow. Knee. His body moved with mechanical precision. The system wasn't enhancing him—didn't need to. This was muscle memory. Therapy disguised as violence.Because he couldn't sleep anymore.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the countdown. [MISSION SEVEN: ACTIVATION UNKNOWN.] Thirty days since Jefferson High. Thirty days of waiting for the final disaster. Thirty days of the system refusing to give him anything beyond fragments.[THREAT LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC.][ESTIMATED CASUALTIES: VARIABLE.][PROBABILITY OF HOST SURVIVAL: CALCULATING...]That last one never finished. Just kept calculating. Like the system itself didn't know if Marcus would survive the final mission."You're up early." Dr. Reeves entered, carrying her ever-present tablet. "Or you never slept. Based on your vitals, I'm guessing the latter.

  • CHAPTER 20

    FIRE AND RESOLVE Marcus crashed through the science fair like a storm given human form. Students scattered. Parents screamed. Display boards toppled. The system painted his vision with overlays—heat signatures, structural weaknesses, threat vectors. Too much information. Not enough time. [EXPLOSIVES: GYMNASIUM - 2 DEVICES. AUDITORIUM - 3 DEVICES. CAFETERIA - 2 DEVICES.] [CHEMICAL AGENT: VENTILATION ROOM, BASEMENT LEVEL.] [HOSTILE WARDENS: DISPERSED THROUGHOUT BUILDING.] [TIME TO DETONATION: 14 MINUTES, 12 SECONDS.] Aria's voice crackled in his earpiece. "I've got the ventilation room. Danny's with me. We'll stop the chemical agent." "Thomas, take the gymnasium," Marcus commanded, still running. "Leon, you're on evacuation. Get as many people out as possible. Prioritize the main exits." "What about the auditorium?" Thomas asked. "Three devices there." "I've got it. Just move!" Marcus hit the stairwell at full sprint. Third floor. The auditorium was a converted thea

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