The Original Beefcake

Marcus searched through the remnants of his room. Fire and water both had taken a toll on it. Most of his clothes were a goner, but the most important thing was intact. His laptop had melted on the top but the hard drive was still okay. There was a lot of data on that drive, including some pictures he really didn't want to lose. He should make a backup copy, Marcus thought.

He could feel eyes staring holes in his back while he sifted through the remains, squatting on the floor. "How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?" Janette was directly behind him. He could feel her presence and her breath on his neck. Marcus stayed still for a while, "It hurts."

He took a few breaths "It hurts and I don't know if I even have the right to be hurt. And that hurts even more." The words started to jump out of his mouth. Words that have been gathering there for the last few days. "We only know each other for a few months. You don't owe me anything. You had no obligation to tell me. But I wish you had shared this part of your life with me. I don't know where I stand, what I am to you," he said more than he wanted and felt more than he wished.

"I wanted to take you with me, the next time I would go home. I wanted to introduce you to her," she whispered and put her hands on Marcus' back. "Some things are complicated and we don't always have the strength to confront them," she said, and Marcus was happy to hear her words. "Marcus, there are important things in your life you have also not shared with me, yet." She continued to whisper and Marcus slowly turned and looked her in the eyes.

"Like what?" Marcus asked, unsure what she meant. "For example, your father. You never talk about him or why you spent the last years basically alone." She spoke carefully as if she was afraid her words could break him.

He tried to say something, but couldn't. She was right, he had kept all of that from her. But not to hide it, to not bother her. Did she keep her secret to not weigh on him? Was her relationship that much of a problem? Marcus nodded and got up. "Okay, I will tell you, but this isn't a good time."

The rain was getting worse and there was no roof anymore. He started to move, but she stopped him and hugged him tightly. "Knowing that you were hurting because of me, hurts like hell." She tightened her embrace, "This is where we stand."

The last days had been full of pain. The funeral of the civilian casualties foremost. Russo and Lars would need weeks to recover and it wasn't an easy process. Russo's enemy had infected him with a poison that damaged his organs and Lars' skin was badly burned. Also living in containers and seeing the burnt down buildings all the time was a constant reminder of the events. Now finally things had turned around. Cullen had sent a big care package and the men recovered much quicker. Rebuilding the buildings would take some time, but the first constructions had already started and Marcus was talking with Janette again.

There was also the situation with the Hard Boys, but that was being handled by Cherry and Cerberus. The woman went after the criminals like the devil incarnate. She made it a big media spectacle, "The clans have to take responsibility too!" Somehow she had managed to make her own agenda into a crusade for justice and other clans chimed in, too. Politicians loved the show and cooperated happily, taking all the credit and no responsibility. In a two week purge the Hard Boys vanished from the face of the planet. Cerberus was a scary group.

Marcus knocked at Russo's office and entered. Russo was here most of the time, now that his own room had burnt down. "Hello Marcus, tea is nearly ready. Take a seat," Russo welcomed him and a minute later brought some cups of tea and took a seat behind his desk. They talked about the progress on the base and how Russo's recovery was progressing. Then they got to the topic at hand.

"I want to talk with you about something," Russo started and put up a sad smile, "Actually for several weeks by now." He scratched his head and continued, "With everything that has happened, it never felt right to bring it up…. Do you know that the LCPS does work under a mandate of the UN?" Marcus nodded, but the fact had no real consequences to their daily lives. "The UN has of course many other programs and one of them has made a request to lend you out to them," Russo said and Marcus had to replay the words in his head again to be sure he had heard correctly, "They want to rent me? Why?"

Russo showed him a letter and Marcus checked the official request and purpose. Protection of an expedition crew for off world work. That meant a portal expedition, Marcus heart made a jump. "It is your own decision, but I would advise you to take it," Russo said. Marcus felt overwhelmed by this news and leaned back, taking a deep breath.

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"It would be for a month, two at most and then you would return to us. And you earn as much as in a full year at the same time," Russo said with a smile. Marcus' head was brimming with questions and ideas. When, who, why, what and then fear struck his heart. Leaving here, leaving the place he now knew as home. Leaving the team, Janette…. "How long do I have to decide?" He asked, and Russo told him at best a week, because things had been drawn out already.

"Come in!" Cherry's voice, Marcus thought and opened the door to the container Janette and Cherry shared as long as Cherry was around. It was warm and cozy inside and smelled slightly of oranges. Cherry was alone, sitting at a small table with a tablet in hand. Marcus greeted her and realized she had changed into her 'Cherry Outfit'. Gone were armor, waving hair and grim expression and in were a woolly pullover, large round glasses with gold rims and her large amount of hair was nicely braided. To finish the look she had a big cup of hot cocoa. If it wasn't for her piercing blue eyes and impressive figure you would never have guessed this was the Queen of Hearts.

"The little demon will be back soon. She is scrounging food from the kitchen," she said with a happy smile. "Take a seat, darling." Marcus followed her advice but still felt stiff. He watched her scroll through pages of data, marking sections with a pen. "Are you just watching or do you want say something?" She asked, without looking up.

Marcus felt trapped, of course he wanted to ask a lot of questions, but he wasn't sure which ones were appropriate. "You already seem to know a lot about me," Marcus said, to start somewhere fairly neutral. "Of course, Janette tells me everything and you have become a big part of her life. She talks about you all the time," Cherry said and looked at him with a smile. "Oh," was Marcus' very slick response. Lucky for Marcus, fast steps approached the door and in came a little demon with an arm full of snacks and other food stuff. "The raid was successful!" She declared, before seeing Marcus sitting on the side like a school boy, who was questioned by the headmaster.

With cookies and tea in hand Marcus watched some very different women being cute with each other. "How did you two even happen?" He just asked and Cherry laughed, "Well, one day I was in the Class and Clan Administration in London, with some more than boring business. And a blond woman walked right up to me and asked me where the Office for International Affairs was. And while I was still surprised anybody would just nonchalantly approach me these days, she looked straight at me and said: Also, would you like to have coffee with me? Can you believe that!" Cherry was laughing so hard, tears came out, "Some girl walks up and makes a move on me." Janette drank her tea in total calm, "In my defense, I had no idea who she was, only that I wanted her body in my bed."

"Ha! You ended up in my bed and never left," Cherry said, and gave her a big kiss. "How she even knew I was into girls, I don't know. It was a very well kept secret. I once hung an editor out of a window on the 30th floor to make this very clear." Marcus felt a shiver run down his spine, but also remembered something Janette once said. 'I can always tell when a girl is looking for booty.'

Marcus watched these two women, who looked nearly the same age, fight over the last chocolate cookie. Cherry was actually 53 years old, according to her official profile, but being a high level class holder has strong effects on aging and overall health. Right now nobody knew how old a high leveler can get, 200 maybe 300 years? It was all just speculation. But age wasn't a hindrance for those two, at least.

"Now spill the beans," Janette said out of the blue. Cherry looked surprised, but Janette was focusing Marcus. "When he is fidgeting around like this he has a problem and needs advice," Janette said, with the air of a scholar. Marcus tried to deny it, but eventually told them about the offer. "Do it," Janette said and Cherry nodded. "This is a great opportunity for you. Even if absolutely nothing happens, it will look good in your vita."

Marcus exchanged looks with Janette. "I will still be here when you come back from your adventures. You just make sure you don't get eaten by some big nasty critter," Janette said, putting on her widest smile. Marcus knew that smile and was assured she would miss him too.

Marcus left to set everything into motion. He would soon fly to a small island in the Philippines, to go on his first expedition. Janette watched him walk towards the admin building and Cherry put her arm around her. "Don't worry, he will come back." But Janette felt dark claws closing around her heart. "He is moving forward so quickly, he will soon leave me behind," she said with a broken voice, and turned to hug her betrothed. "Then you better get your ass into gear and start moving yourself." Cherry gave her a kiss on the forehead, "You said, you have a feeling what your second ability is. That would be a good place to start."

Just two days before he left, Marcus turned 19 and a small celebration took place. He gained a few small items and cherished them. Janette, of course, gave him a paper book about survival techniques and a jumbo pack of condoms. "For safety," she said, and ran away before Marcus could catch and strangle her. It had been nearly a year, only a year, here in Finland, but so much had happened.

He had made friends and comrades and had improved leaps and bounds. He had touched a woman, faced death and also taken lives. He had changed and that was part of life, Marcus had learned that too.

Somewhere far away a man sat in a nice office with elegant furniture and worked a strange device.

"What about our operations in eastern Europe?" The alien machine sent the message to a similar device on the other side of the planet, bypassing all normal communication channels. The answer came fast. "All assets and players lost. Financial damage insignificant. Setback in projects can be recovered. Involvement of Cerberus was unpredictable. Retaliation?"

These machines had been recovered from a distant world and were marvelous in the eye of the man typing an answer. Only the limit in information per message was a nuisance. "No. Further complications are possible. Retire projects and restart in three years with higher quality players." He waited a few minutes for an answer. "Power hungry idiots, who don't question orders are still idiots. Quality means questions, means complications. Approve?" He sighed reading the message. They wanted to cover their asses. "Keep idiots, plant oversight agent next time. Information about restructuring will follow in the next few days."

He sent the message and leaned back on his comfy chair. He closed his eyes and had already forgotten about this minor setback. Bigger, far bigger things demanded his attention. The troubles and misfortunes of the common people were beneath him. One day he wouldn't only rule over Earth, but many worlds. It was only a matter of time. And he had all the time in the world.