Breachers

CHAPTER FIFTY

Orchestrated Hell

Day 112

Marcus

Marcus woke to the taste of blood and the slow, pulsing ache of overworked muscles. His body felt like hammered meat—bruised, torn, just barely held together by the last scraps of energy he hadn't burned through. Every breath rattled, every twitch sent dull sparks of pain crackling through his nerves. He cracked open an eye, but even that took effort.

The ceiling stared back, water-stained and dim in the early light. Someone had thrown a blanket over him, though it barely covered his legs. His hands—raw-knuckled, scabbed—rested on his stomach like they didn't belong to him. He flexed a few fingers just to make sure he still had control. The stiffness screamed back at him.

For a second, he just lay there, letting memory creep in. The monsters. The fight. Smashing that Orb into his chest and feeling the raw energy rip through him like wildfire. The walk home had been worse than the battle—legs shaking, skin burning, vision swimming.

Muffled voices drifted in from the other room. Marcus turned his head, wincing as his neck protested. He could barely make out words, just murmurs. A low, serious tone—Felix. A sharper one, irritated but steady—Kate. And Cypher.

Marcus licked at the dried blood on his lip, then tried pushing himself upright. His arms buckled instantly, and he flopped back down, groaning.

"Yeah. That's about right," he muttered.

His body wasn't just sore; it was wrecked. But he could already feel something stirring underneath it all—the upgrades. The changes. Like his bones had been reforged in the fire he'd thrown himself into.

He exhaled slowly, listening.

The conversation in the next room continued, too low to catch outright, but Marcus' heightened Perception picked up bits and pieces. Whatever they were talking about, it carried weight. He could hear it in the weight of their voices.

'Felix is there.'

Marcus exhaled, letting the thought settle. He'd spoken to Felix through Cypher's body, letting him know that he'd answer any questions he might have. Still, it felt weird that Felix was now aware of his situation. The idea of telling him everything felt like both a weight on his chest and a weight lifted all at once.

He dismissed the thought and brought up his HUD.

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[Power Rating: 40]

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"I did it," he muttered, easing himself up until his back pressed against the wall. His arms shook, but he held steady, letting the moment sink in. "I reached my sister's Rating. Hell, I even outrank her now."

He glanced down at his hands. The bruising had started to fade, the scabbing along his knuckles peeling at the edges. His body still hurt like hell, but he could feel it—deep down, past the soreness. The difference.

'Beta++.'

The rank sat heavy in his mind. He'd spent so long thinking about it as some distant, impossible marker, and now he'd actually reached it. Barely, but still. A part of him felt a sliver of fear at the idea of coming clean to his sister. That would mean explaining everything, and also telling his uncle and brother.

'How much time has passed since I blacked out?'

His gaze flicked to the window. Sunlight streamed in, bright enough to make his eyes ache.

"Looks like late morning," he muttered. "I must've slept for hours."

He groaned as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. The second his feet hit the floor, his whole body protested. Not just soreness—deep, bone-deep exhaustion. But underneath that? Something else. Strength. Clarity.

'I've never had seven upgrades happen all at once,' he thought, rolling his shoulders, then tilting his head until his neck popped. 'I feel different. Bruised and messed up, but different.'

That's when he noticed the clothes he was wearing. A fresh T-shirt. Jogging pants. Definitely not what he'd passed out in.

'Did someone change me?' His stomach twisted at the thought. 'Please let it have been Cypher and not—' He shut that thought down before it could finish.

No point lingering on it now.

He pushed himself to his feet, wobbling for a second before finding his balance. His muscles still ached, but his body felt sharper. Tighter. Faster in a way that didn't fully make sense yet. He briefly lifted up his shirt, spotting clean bandages around his torso. 'Looks like the bleeding stopped.'

The voices in the other room were clearer now, mixed with the hum of a TV. He made his way toward the living room, catching the tail end of hushed conversation, but the second they spotted him, they turned off the television.

Two sets of eyes and a pair of lenses turned his way.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, voice casual as he leaned against the doorway.

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but Felix didn't give her the chance. He launched himself over the couch, crossing the room in seconds before slamming into Marcus with a bear hug that knocked the air right out of him.

Pain shot through his ribs, and he let out a sharp hiss.

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"You stupid idiot," Felix muttered, still clinging to him. "You could've gotten killed."

Marcus gave a breathless chuckle as Felix finally pulled back.

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us," he said, managing a grin. "I recall you killing two of them with your truck… wait, no. It was three, wasn't it?"

Felix just shook his head, like he wasn't sure what to say.

"I take it you've got a thousand questions?" Marcus asked.

Felix nodded as they moved toward the couch. The others sat nearby, but the mood felt weird. Like everyone had been holding their breath.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours," Kate said, rubbing her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Marcus lied. He felt like absolute shit, but he knew he'd recover fast. No point making it a thing. "Can someone tell me how it ended? The monsters and the Spheres."

Another pause. Not just hesitation—discomfort.

"What's wrong?"

Felix opened his mouth but shut it just as quickly. Kate spoke up instead. "It isn't over. And it wasn't just New Haven that was hit."

Marcus frowned. "What do you mean, it's not over?"

Kate sighed and grabbed the remote. Felix muttered something, but she ignored him, flipping to a news channel. The second the screen changed, Marcus felt his stomach drop. Aerial footage. Live. City after city—some he recognized, some he didn't—all under attack. Monsters rampaging. Spheres having swallowed up entire buildings. Smoke. Fires.

"It happened everywhere?" he asked, barely above a whisper, while Felix just nodded.

Kate didn't take her eyes off the screen. "Dozens of major cities, all at roughly the same time. Monsters with Orbs inside of them came running out of Spheres, quickly spreading into the city itself. No one's willing to say it just yet. But it feels—"

"Orchestrated," Marcus finished, his eyes narrowing. "All over the world at roughly the same time?"

The thought gnawed at him, setting a deep unease in his gut. 'We thought we were safe outside the Spheres. This completely changes everything.'

The footage switched to New Haven, and Marcus clenched his jaw. The city was still a mess—streets torn up, buildings wrecked, bodies pulled from the rubble. Soldiers and Breachers worked together to clear out monsters, pushing through debris, hunting down whatever was left.

Kate hesitated before speaking again. "Some of them… the monsters… they just killed people. Others became Spheres themselves. And some—some targeted Breachers specifically. Either killing them or dragging them away."

Marcus's hands balled into fists. He'd been unconscious through most of it. He felt like he should've been out there, helping. Instead, he'd barely survived a single fight. The frustration burned, but underneath it was something worse. Cold, biting, a truth he couldn't ignore.

'I wouldn't have made a difference back then.'

Cypher looked at him. Not just glanced—looked. Like it understood something the others couldn't.

"You and Felix stopped five of them," it said, tone calm, matter-of-fact. "That's more than you can expect from a mere human and a single Breacher without his gear. The two of you prevented five possible Spheres from forming."

Marcus started to speak, but Cypher raised a hand.

"Bastion and a drone are helping other Breachers and civilians. Specter is still out there—hunting monsters, upgraded to a higher-tier Orb and fueled by extra Mana now that it has two additional Orbs inside of it. That, and it's able to use a fraction of your Ability."

That part threw Marcus for a second. But as he stared at Cypher, the pieces started clicking. Fragments of memory surfaced—flashes of the chaos, of Cypher standing behind Specter, replacing its Orb. 'That's right,' he thought, recalling how the robot had used his Gale ability as well.

Cypher went on. "Essentially, you are still out there, fighting. No reason to feel guilty that your fleshy form needed time to recover."

"But I could've been out there, helping them, had I not used the Orb—"

"You were injured before you used the Orb," Cypher cut in. "Several lacerations, and I suspect a broken rib—if not worse. True, the Orb didn't help, but you were out either way." The way it said it, flat and clinical, made it hard to argue.

"You really were hurt bad," Kate muttered, not looking directly at him. She stared at her hand instead, eyes distant, like she still saw the blood on it.

Marcus looked at her for a long second, then turned to Felix. His friend looked pale, like he hadn't slept at all.

'They've been through a lot. We all have,' Marcus thought, exhaling slowly, focusing on his breathing. Everything felt strange—his body, the air, the quiet tension in the room. 'The army's out there. There are a lot of Breachers too. They're cleaning up. Getting rid of the last monsters and those Spheres.'

"You're right. I need to trust the others," he said to Cypher. "Has anyone of you heard from my uncle or my siblings?"

That was when the mood dipped even lower, like the oxygen just bailed on the room. Everyone tensed—like even the walls clenched.

"What's going on?" Marcus asked.

Felix didn't meet his eyes. Just stared at the floor.

"They're probably fine," Kate muttered. It sounded weak. Not convinced. Not convincing.

"I said, what's going on?" His voice tightened.

Felix looked up. "Your brother is safe. He texted me. Asked if I'd heard from the rest of your family. I… I texted your uncle after you passed out, once I stopped freaking out about the whole robot thing. I told him you were banged up but safe at home with me." His voice edged toward something uncomfortable. Like he didn't want to go any further.

Felix opened his mouth to say more, but Cypher stepped in. "Marcus, how about you send our uncle a text? Let him hear from you?"

Marcus didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stared at Felix. "What about my sister?"

Felix looked like someone had just handed him a grenade with the pin already halfway out. His eyes flicked to Kate, to Cypher, then back to his best friend. "She was out there," he said. "Fighting monsters with her guild."

"Was?" Marcus said. He didn't raise his voice, but something in it dropped cold. His Perception kicked in, catching the thudding heartbeat in Felix's chest. Way too fast. "What happened to Joline?"

Cypher moved toward them like it meant to speak again, maybe redirect, but Marcus was already in motion.

His hand shot out fast—inhumanly fast—and gripped the robot's neck.

Mana surged. A sharp gust of dark blue mist bled off him, washing through the room like a shift in air pressure. Cypher's feet left the floor, its metal frame creaking as Marcus lifted it like it weighed nothing. His eyes locked onto Cypher, burning.

'Echo'

The connection hit instantly.

A flood of memories surged into Marcus' mind, not his own but Cypher's—hours compressed into seconds, rushing in like a storm. He gritted his teeth, hands curling into fists as he braced against the onslaught. Images, sounds, sensations—it all threatened to spill over, but he held firm, letting it crash through him until, finally, the storm passed. His head felt fuller, like he'd lived an entire second life in those brief moments.

He saw it all.

He saw Cypher in the kitchen, moving with its precise, mechanical efficiency as it made food and drinks, trying to ease Kate and Felix's nerves. Helping Kate clean the blood off her hands and clothes, wiping down the bloody floors without complaint. The quiet way it had advised them to stay put, pointing out the ongoing chaos in the city.

Then the television. The footage.

Joline's guild, fully geared, stepping into armored vehicles before driving into one of the newly formed Spheres. They moved like professionals—no hesitation, no wasted movement. The guild consisted of several teams used to high-stakes combat. But then, hours later, the footage changed.

The guild retreating.

Some drove out, others walked—wounded, some helping the barely conscious or dragging limp bodies along with them. A few didn't come out at all.

Marcus saw the moment Felix and Cypher had talked it through, piecing together what they could. Wondering where Joline was. If she was still inside.

'Sis,' he thought, releasing his grip on Cypher. The robot dropped to its feet, and they both stepped back.

"She's still in there?" Marcus asked, turning to Felix.

Felix swallowed hard, then nodded. "I think so. It's hard to say. They're not giving out too many details on the news. It's all still chaotic out there."

Marcus' jaw clenched. He turned without another word, moving toward the closet. Coat. Boots. On in seconds.

"Wait, you're going out?" Kate's voice sharpened. "We just finished patching you up."

"Thanks for that," Marcus said, grabbing his phone and two knives from the kitchen. He frowned at the absence of anything larger or sharper—Specter had already taken the good ones. He shifted his attention to Cypher.

"Cypher, contact Bastion and the others. Let them know what's going on and that I need them to back me up out there."

Felix and Kate both freaked out at once, voices overlapping, but Marcus ignored them, heading for the half-broken door.

"Wait," Felix said, rushing to catch up. "You're still injured. What can you even do out there?"

Marcus met his gaze. No hesitation, no doubt, as he spoke up. "I'm going to get my sister out of there."

Then he stepped outside, clearing the stairs in one effortless jump before disappearing into the night.