Breachers

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

More Than Human

Marcus

Specter dragged Felix across the warped floor, the man's heels leaving faint streaks in the water-smeared boards. It dumped him into the chair next to the mess of blankets and supplies, ignoring the string of curses and panicked breaths the man let out.

"Just stay there for a moment," it called out as it grabbed a nearby chair.

Felix sat frozen, eyes wide, staring at the scene in front of him.

Marcus thrashed on the ground, his limbs jerking like they had minds of their own. Cypher held him down by the shoulders while the young woman straddled his waist, pressing her weight onto him to keep him pinned. She kept one bloodied hand pressed against a wound on his side while the other adjusted the cloth stuffed between his teeth, muffling his pained howls.

Specter stalked toward the door and placed the chair under the handle, wedging it tight before it shifted its attention to the other robot.

"What the hell was that, Cypher?" it asked, its three lenses shifting to focus on its companion.

"Gale-blast."

"No shit," Specter shot back. Its lenses pulsed brighter for a second before settling again. "But how did you use it?"

Cypher glanced at its own metal hand, flexing its fingers slowly.

"I don't know," Cypher said. "I was touching Marcus, trying to connect with him. During that connection—"

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Felix cut in, voice cracking. His hands gripped the edge of the chair like it was the only thing keeping him upright. His eyes flicked between the robots and Marcus, as if struggling to make sense of any of it.

"In a minute," Specter said, holding up a finger, its lenses locked onto Cypher. "We aren't able to use Abilities."

"I agree. Yet I just did. It's… strange," Cypher said, still turning the memory over in its head. It had been trying to connect with Marcus, to figure out what was happening to him, to help in any way it could. But the moment their minds had linked, it had been overwhelmed. Too much pain. Too much raw agony. Cypher had felt it—even as a machine—like an echo bleeding through the connection.

"Strange doesn't cover it," Specter muttered. It pressed down harder on Marcus's body, helping the others keep him on the floor as he bucked violently beneath them. More blue mist leaked from his body, hissing as it met the air, warping the space around him like heat rising off pavement.

Felix pushed himself up on shaky legs, taking an unsteady step forward, eyes locked on his thrashing friend.

"Seriously, what the fuck is going on?"

Specter lifted a hand again, but before it could speak, Kate spoke up, "Jesus Christ, guys. Either clue his friend in, or stop bitching and actually save Marcus."

Specter exchanged a glance with its brother. Cypher nodded back, both their lenses flicking to Marcus.

Kate let out a sharp breath and turned toward Felix. "These idiots? They're him. Parts of Marcus. Your friend has an Ability that lets him cut off pieces of his mind and shove them into these metal bodies. It sounds weird—and it is weird—but you'll get used to it. Right now, we're trying to help him, but we have no clue what the hell is happening to him."

Felix just stood there, mouth slightly open. His gaze flicked from Marcus to the robots, then back to Kate.

"Robots?" His voice rose, raw with disbelief. "Actual bloody robots? That doesn't make any sense! He doesn't have an Ability. And why the hell is his mana blue? He's a mere Alpha!"

Kate tried to answer, but Felix barreled on.

"And who the hell are you?"

"I'm the one trying to keep your friend from bleeding out on the fucking floor. Any problems with that?" she snapped.

Felix hesitated, stunned into silence. Then he shook his head.

"Good," she said, shooting him a glare. "Now help me keep him still."

They kept Marcus pinned while Kate worked, her hands moving as fast as she could, accompanied by irritated curses. Blood covered her arms to the elbows, but she didn't slow, tearing through the remains of the first-aid kit for whatever she could use. Every so often, she shot a glare at anyone who even looked like they might question her, daring them to say something.

Cypher barely registered any of it. Its focus stayed locked on Marcus, trying to push through the storm raging in his mind. The connection flickered in and out, breaking under the sheer weight of the pain flooding through Marcus's thoughts. Every time it reached out, it was met with raw, unfiltered agony, a tidal wave crashing into its system.

Fragments of memory surfaced between the bursts of pain, disjointed images flashing through Cypher's mind. Marcus standing on the back of a semi-truck. Falling. Fighting. Running up the stairs. None of it lasted before the pain forced Cypher out, severing the link again and again. Sometimes it failed because the sheer intensity overwhelmed it, but most of the time, Marcus's own mind refused to be tethered, slipping through its grasp like a frayed rope.

The pressure in the room thickened as more mana flared from Marcus's body, pouring out in swirling blue mist that blurred the air itself. Cypher braced itself and forced the connection back open, pushing past the violent pulses rolling off Marcus. More flashes of memory surged forward—Marcus locked in battle, taking a hit, throwing a monster out of the window, then ripping an Orb from its head.

Then Cypher saw him slam it into his own body in panic.

The pain that followed wasn't just an echo—it was real. Cypher felt it. Raw energy surged through its system like it had been the one to take the hit, the instability crawling under its steel skin. The charge didn't settle. It kept growing, kept twisting into something worse, something unnatural, burning through Marcus from the inside.

Cypher didn't let go. It tightened its grip, metal fingers clutching Marcus's face as it pushed deeper, following the wreckage of his journey home. Cypher recalled every agonizing step Marcus had taken to get home, each one drained him further, tearing his body apart piece by piece as the charge inside him grew by the second.

"Too much energy," Cypher said, voice warped by the strain. Its hands burned, the sensation crawling up its arms like its own body was breaking under the weight of what it was doing. It wasn't supposed to feel pain. That wasn't how it was built.

But it kept going.

The flow of mana fought against it, the current wild and erratic, but Cypher forced itself through, reaching for something solid in the chaos.

Then it latched onto Marcus's mind and pulled, demanding that he leave his own body.

The connection snapped like a rubber band stretched too far.

Cypher flew backward, slamming onto the ground with enough force to scratch the wooden floors. The impact barely registered. Its mind felt heavy, stretched beyond its limits, crammed with something foreign, something it wasn't built to contain..

Marcus was there.

And for the first time since the connection began, it could tell that he wasn't suffering.

Cypher pushed itself up, metal joints groaning as it straightened. Its sensors took in the scene—Marcus's body no longer thrashing, just lying there, limp, his chest rising and falling in weak, uneven breaths. Blood still seeped from his wounds, but the violent bursts of mana had stopped.

"You killed him!" Felix shouted, with Kate smacking him in the back of the head a split second later.

"He's still breathing, you idiot." She kept pressure on Marcus's wounds, hands steady, but her eyes flicked over her shoulder, searching for confirmation he was really okay.

Cypher tapped its head. "He's here."

It took a step toward them, but froze midway, its frame locking up as something pushed back inside its own mind. Marcus's presence swelled, heavy and overwhelming, shoving Cypher into the backseat. It wasn't just a connection anymore—it was him.

"I'm alright, Felix." The voice came from Cypher's body, but it wasn't Cypher anymore. The tone had shifted, sounding more human, more Marcus. "I'm here."

Felix stared, wide-eyed, gripping the chair like it might suddenly launch him into the ceiling. "Marcus?"

Marcus looked down at his hands. Not his hands, not really. Steel fingers flexed, servos humming, responding to his thoughts as if they always had. Memories that weren't his flooded through him, Cypher's fragmented thoughts filling in the gaps, piecing together what had happened.

He exhaled—well, tried to, seeing as he didn't have lungs.

"I absorbed an Orb."

Felix's face twisted as he spoke up. "You what?" Specter's lenses flickered as it echoed the same words.

Marcus barely glanced at it as he stepped closer to his body, taking in the damage. Seeing himself like that—pale, bleeding, barely clinging to life—sent a deep unease crawling through him. 'Weird seeing my body like this.'

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"The Breachers and police showed up," he said, forcing his focus back. "I'd just killed a monster and pulled out the Orb. I'm still not sure if it was panic or greed that made the choice for me."

"So you just slammed that thing inside of you?" Specter asked, its lenses pulsing for a moment.

"I did," Marcus admitted. "I didn't know if it would work like Monster-Glass. But it did. The charge it gave, though, was beyond anything I've ever felt."

The memory hit him hard—the unbearable pain, how each second made it worse, how he had tried to channel that energy into upgrading himself when he was alone but was completely overwhelmed instead.

"Wait—Glass?" Felix cut in, clearly scrambling to keep up and failing miserably. "You also put monster-Glass inside of you?"

"Don't be weird," Kate interrupted, flashing a grin. "He stabs it into his chest—twenty pieces at a time."

Felix blinked. "Right… because that isn't so much worse." He looked about two seconds away from losing his mind. "Stabbing yourself? Really, Marcus?" His hands flailed before he pointed aggressively at him. "Your sister's going to kill you. Wait—no, scratch that, I'm going to kill you. Stabbing yourself? What the actual fuck?"

"It's how he grows as a Breacher," Specter said, shifting back as Marcus knelt beside his body.

He grabbed his own limp arm and pulled, lifting his unconscious body, forcing a connection. The second he did, he felt it—Marks on his side thrumming with power, barely holding the energy back. The sheer weight of it crashed against his senses, ravaging his insides, demanding to be let loose.

"I think I can fix myself through Cypher," he said, concentrating on the link. His HUD blinked to life, displaying what was going on with his body, reading the state it was in. Raw numbers and warnings flooded his vision.

"Jesus," he muttered.

Specter moved in closer. "What's wrong?"

"The amount of charges," Marcus said, still trying to process it. He heard Specter shift beside him, waiting for more. "I slammed a light blue Orb into me. It's fifty times stronger compared to using Glass."

Felix let out a low whistle.

Kate just shrugged when Felix shot her a 'please-explain-before-my-brain-implodes' look.

Marcus exhaled—not physically, but the sensation was there. "Here goes nothing."

He forced himself back, slipping partway into his own body. The energy surged, wild and uncontrollable, but he grabbed hold of it, forcing it to obey. He pushed, shaping it, making it flow instead of crash—before the pain could take over again.

╔ ╗

[Strength] [+2]

[Endurance] [+2]

[Agility] [+1]

[Mental] [+2]

╚ ╝

The energy surge slammed into Marcus's body like a freight train. The sheer force of it triggered multiple upgrades at once. Each one tore through him, forcing his muscles to seize and spasm violently. His frame jerked, thrashing against the floor as the energy ran its course, strengthening every fiber of his being. Mana bled out of him in thick waves, his body burning through the excess as it adapted.

Then, something shifted.

The deep blue mist rolling off him darkened, congealing into a suffocating fog. It poured out of his skin in dense clouds, heavy and unnatural, filling the room like a storm. The air itself seemed to change, pressing down on them.

Felix staggered back, a hand flying to his mouth as nausea surged up hard and fast. "Why is it dark blue? What the hell is—" He swallowed, his voice tight. "Why does it feel like I'm breathing mud?"

Kate had gone pale, shoulders hunched, her breathing shallow. "Mana sickness," she muttered. "Too much raw energy flooding the air at once…"

Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Marcus's body slumped, his limbs going still. Cypher stood above him, staring at its own metal hand again, flexing its fingers as if testing them.

"Upgrades are done," it said, turning slightly toward the others. "Marcus is back in his body—he's stable." It gestured toward the unconscious man.

Felix let out a sharp laugh, almost manic. "Fine? He looks dead." He dropped to his knees beside Marcus, pressing two fingers to his neck, his hand shaking slightly.

Kate knelt beside him, checking the wounds with a frown. "The bleeding stopped?" She pressed against one of the deeper gashes, almost expecting it to open back up, yet only saw a small trickle.

"Marcus upgraded his Endurance by two," Cypher said, still staring at its own hand, its voice calm and clinical. "That's likely causing his wounds to close more quickly."

Felix didn't look convinced. His eyes darted between Marcus's pale, sweaty face and Cypher's metal frame. "Yeah, well, tell that to his corpse-looking ass."

Cypher ignored him, tilting its head before raising a hand toward the kitchen.

"One more thing."

'Gale-blast.'

The second the thought registered, a pulse of blue mist escaped its frame. A burst of air shot from its palm, blasting through the kitchen and hurling anything not bolted down. Mugs tumbled off the counter, a glass vase shattered against the floor, and a kettle crashed into the wall with a metallic clang.

Cypher flexed its fingers again, then made a fist. "I've figured out how to siphon Marcus's Abilities. At least a portion of it."

Felix opened his mouth, then shut it again. He let out a breath, short and stunned. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's weaker than his," Cypher continued, stretching out a single finger and aiming it at the kitchen again.

'Gale-blast.'

Another small burst of air shot from the tip, toppling the last cup still standing after the first blast. Cypher lowered its hand, tilting its head slightly. "It's harder to pull off and burns through mana faster than it should—a lot more than Marcus would use. Perhaps if I siphoned more of the Ability from him, the efficiency and potency would increase?" It glanced at Specter. "Still, this opens up—"

"This is awesome," Specter cut in, turning to survey the absolute disaster zone that was now the kitchen. "I mean, you could've just told me instead of wrecking the place, but whatever. With enough batteries and time, we could seriously increase our combat potential."

Its three lenses shifted, focusing on Marcus's limp form on the floor. "He's a reckless idiot. But if he survives all of this, his little Orb-smashing session just changed everything for us."

Cypher nodded, then leaned down, lifting Marcus with careful ease. His body was still dead weight in its arms, but his breathing was steady. Felix stayed close as Cypher carried Marcus to the bed, his friend's face still unnervingly pale.

"You sure he's alright?" Felix asked, hovering close as Cypher gently set Marcus down. "Like… he's not in a coma again, right?"

"He's not in a coma," Cypher said, its voice calm, almost matter-of-fact. "He's banged up. The fight on the highway and everything after took a lot out of him. The Orb didn't make it any better. But he's been through similar things before—nearly nonstop since he first woke up."

"Nonstop?" Felix repeated, his jaw tightening. "But he's been through so much already." His hands curled into fists. "Why… why didn't he—" Felix looked up, eyes locking on the robot in front of him. "You're also Marcus, right? Why didn't you tell me? About any of this? I'm your best friend!"

Cypher didn't respond immediately. It just stood there, its steel frame still as it stared at Felix, who looked miserable—worried, frustrated, angry.

"Because we've been through a lot," Cypher finally said. "For us, it hasn't just been a few months since the coma. We've lived through years before that—trapped as a machine, just trying to survive, not understanding what was going on. Hunted by monsters and people alike. And when we made it back to our body, we learned what we had lost during all those years. How we failed to protect our friends and family."

"Years?" Felix's eyes widened. He looked like he was about to speak, but Cypher cut him off.

"Felix, this is a lot to take in, and you deserve answers—from Marcus, not us." It turned toward the doorway. "Just be there for him while he recovers. Alright?"

Felix didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring at his unconscious friend.

Cypher entered the living room just as Specter handed Kate a glass of water and a damp cloth. Kate muttered something about all the blood, her voice low and worn out.

"You did great," Specter told her, its lenses shifting slightly as if trying to read her expression.

Cypher joined them. "It's been an eventful day."

"Understatement of the fucking century," Kate muttered, shaking her head and sipping the water. "How's your friend?"

"Worried. Angry. Confused," Cypher answered. "I think it's better if the real Marcus explains it all when he wakes up—not us." It glanced at Kate. "How are you holding up?"

"Fuck you for asking," she shot back, wiping her hands clean. "And you tinheads better pay me overtime for all this shit." Her words were sharp, but her voice wavered just enough to show she was still rattled.

She grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV, switching to the news.

The broadcast cut to an aerial view of the capital, smoke curling into the sky as monsters rampaged through the streets. The feed jumped to another city—New Haven—then another—Groningen—each one showing more destruction, more casualties. The reporter rattled off the death tolls, mentioning both civilians and Breachers lost in the attacks.

No one spoke. They just watched.

Kate's hands curled into fists, her knuckles white. "How many of those bastards did you say Marcus got?"

"With the help of Felix, five," Cypher said.

"Good." Her voice was cold.

Specter turned away, grabbed their phone, and checked it as it walked toward the kitchen. It opened a drawer and started pulling out knives, grabbing every sharp blade it could find.

"Bastion and the other drone are still retrieving the two Orbs Marcus chugged near the Sphere," it said, slipping the weapons into a makeshift harness. "They should be done in a few minutes."

"You going out?" Cypher asked.

Specter nodded. "You stay here. Keep these three safe—and the bar, if possible. I'll join up with Bastion, see if we can't take down another one of those bastards or help any civilians caught up in this."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Cypher nodded.

Kate watched Specter move to the window, her expression dark, gaze hardening. "Kill them all."

Specter gave a single nod and reached for the window latch, but before it could open it, Cypher spoke up. "Hold on for a second."

It turned away and headed for Felix's cooler, picking up the two Orbs beside it—one blue, the other a lighter shade. Cypher grabbed the blue one, then turned back to Specter. "Do you trust me?"

Specter stared at the Orb, then at Cypher, and gave a slow nod.

Cypher reached up and unscrewed the tip of one finger, revealing a small tool hidden inside. It moved behind Specter and began undoing the bolts at the back of its head, methodically working each one loose before pulling off the steel plating. "Gale wasn't the only Ability I siphoned," Cypher said, steadying its grip.

It pressed a hand to Specter's Orb and focused.

'Echo.'

A pull of energy surged through its frame, followed by a sudden, jarring shift. Awareness stretched, thoughts not entirely its own slipping into its mind. Specter's consciousness bled into it, their thoughts overlapping for a moment, experiences blending in a way that felt… different. More synergistic, rather than overpowered by Marcus's presence.

Cypher pushed past the strangeness and focused. Its other hand gripped Specter's Orb, ignoring the splash of blue liquid as it tore through the thin, vein-like strands that held it in place. It pulled the light blue Orb free and, without pausing, shoved the deeper blue one in its place.

'Echo.'

The moment it activated, Cypher felt Specter slip from its mind, settling back into its own body. The new Orb pulsed, raw energy flooding through Specter's frame, too much at once. Without wasting time, Cypher burned through what little mana reserves it had left, forcing the robotic veins to grow, reattaching to Specter's systems, linking with the other Orb still embedded in its torso.

As soon as the process stabilized, Cypher poured in a bit more of himself—fragments it had siphoned from Marcus to use one of his Abilities. It reattached the steel plate, bolted it back into place, and handed Specter the spare light blue Orb. "Take it. You'll need all the mana you can get."

Specter took it, its movements stiff at first. A thick blue mist seeped from its body as it burned through some of its mana reserves, forcing the veins to fully integrate. It flexed its fingers and tested its footing, running a quick diagnostic through movement alone.

"It's blue," Kate muttered, eyes wide. "It wasn't that before."

Specter clenched a fist, testing its grip. "I feel different…" It reached out, pressing its hand against the nearby brick wall. Its fingers dug into the stone with ease, crushing and ripping apart chunks of brick like it was cheap plaster. "…stronger."

Without another word, it gave Kate and Cypher a final nod, grabbed a backpack near the sofa, then slipped out the window. Moments later, its frame dropped into the alley below before dashing across the road.

Cypher stepped to the window, watching Specter disappear into the distance. "Faster too," it muttered, calculating just how much of an improvement the higher-grade Orb had given it.

Kate didn't respond. She had already turned back to the TV.

Cypher followed her gaze, both of them watching as the news feed continued. The camera panned over the three monster-infested cities, reporters rattling off casualty numbers, the names of neighborhoods overrun, government advice to evacuate or barricade yourself in a room. Then, another report came in—similar attacks were happening across a dozen other countries.

Neither of them spoke. They just kept watching the news.