Chapter 1




“Come on and hurry up!” he called to his brother. Their parents were away. Dexter did not understand it much, but the thought of them being gone for once pleased him. He had only reached adulthood a couple weeks before. His parents rarely noticed him. They never really cared about him.
His brother was another story. His brother had the odder name along with being the weirder of the two of them. Dexter was not sure where they got the name, but they named him Krazor, Krazor Zipadelli.

That of coarse made him Dexter Zipadelli. Krazor came around the corner with two duffel bags in hand. Dexter grabbed him by the chin.
“You have two cuts on your cheek.” Dexter said.
“Dad was angry.” Krazor said. Dexter nodded. Krazor did not have to say anything more.
“All the more reason to get you out of here.” Deter said. He looked at the old place. It looked as if it had not been updated since the seventies. The house was little more than a trailer, but it had been all Dexter had ever known. Krazor walked out the door, and Dexter looked around for a few provisions. He only had few hundred on him. It would be enough for him to survive for a little while, but he was going to have to get a new job in a new city if he was going to make a break like the one he was making.

Krazor sat out waiting in the truck. The truck was a gift from his grandfather. Dexter knew it did not have A/C but he was grateful for it regardless. He walked out the door with a small sack full of food. They were going to have to buy an ice chest. He opened the door of the truck and tossed the food in the back. He looked over at Krazor. Krazor was only fourteen, but he looked older. Dexter reached over and started the engine when he saw his parents car pull up and stop behind him. Dexter got out of the truck to face them. His father looked at Dexter with deep hateful eyes.
“Where do you think you are going?” He snarled.
“Where do you think? I am tired of this place.” Dexter said.
“Here you are safe.” he said.
“What about Krazor? I saw the cuts.” Dexter said. His father ran to him and covered his mouth.
“Do not think I cannot beat you boy.” he said. “Now we do not want the neighbors hearing anything do we?”
Dexter pulled away,and walked back to the truck. Just as he opened the door he heard a gun click. Dexter turned around to face his father. The 9mm pistol was facing right at Dexter's face.  Dexter smiled and sat down.
“You of all people should know that will not do any good.” Dexter said. With that final remark he shut the door and started the engine again. Krazor looked at Dexter with wide eyes. Dexter took a deep breath,and turned the car around, and out on to the grass. He drove out onto the city street. Dexter heard the terrible ring of gunfire. Dexter drove away speedily. Krazor covered his ears.

Dexter thought back to that moment he had with his father. Had it not been for his freakishness, maybe their father and mother would have cared about him, or at least his brother. Dexter looked at Krazor's face. His father knew how to hurt both Dexter and Krazor. Krazor and Dexter were both freakish super humans. His parents were too, but their powers were dormant, and never flourished. Krazor and Dexter had the same power. They could resist any form of heavy force. Specificity anything with great speed. Krazor could be hurt by a knife just like any other kid, but if you tried to stab him hard it would just be deflected, if not bounced off. Bullets bounced, and so did large objects, but Dexter was not sure what the breaking point of the power was though. Krazor looked out the window longingly. He went to school, but he was specificly instructed to only talk to his teachers. Dexter had the same problem. It was impossible for Dexter to discern when someone wanted to be his friend. He had been influenced to not trust anyone.

“So we are free now?” Krazor asked.
Dexter looked at the intersection ahead, and stopped. “I guess. I hope they don't file kidnapping against me.” Dexter said.
“But I can choose to live with you right?” Krazor asked.
“If they find me to be an unsuitable caretaker, no. I have somewhat of a plan though.” Dexter said. He turned onto the road. “I know someone who said you can get into this super human camp. I looked it up, and it looks pretty legit.”
“Me? What about you?” Krazor asked.
Dexter shook his head. “I will figure out something, but this would be a good place for you to hang out with people like you.” Dexter said. Krazor looked away.
“I don't want you to leave me.” he said.
“I don't want to leave you either.” Dexter said. “But I need a chance to look for a job, and a place for us to stay. It will be for two weeks, please just until I can get a job.” Dexter said pleadingly.
“Fine.” Krazor said. “Just remember me.”
“Like I would forget.” Dexter said. He decided to change the mood. “Want some ice cream?” He asked.
Krazor's face lit up a little. “Sure!” He said.
“We will stop over some place and get us some.” He said. The city streets were old and worn down. The massive road received more traffic than the ignorant city planners expected. Krazor pulled out the old laptop at his side. It was actually only a few years old. Krazor pulled it out and started typing something. Dexter tried to focus on the road, but Krazor was actually interesting him quite a bit.

Suddenly Krazor's face went white.
“What is it?” Dexter asked.
“The security cam shows the car is gone.” Krazor said.
“Hey wait how did you do that? We do not even have a security camera!” Dexter said.
“Oh shush, I made one. I also made this program to monitor.” He said. Dexter was about to argue with him when he looked at the cuts. Dexter shook his head. Dexter could not count how many times he wished he knew what they were up to. Krazor had just found a way to do it.
“How many of those things do you have anyway?” He asked.
“Three, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, and one on the patio.” He said.
“And you sure the car is not there?” Dexter asked.
“Absolutely.” Krazor said.
“Then we are in for much more than I thought.” He said.
Dexter turned down a side street. He could not escape by the main roads. His father would be too smart for the escape by quickest rout trick. Dexter took side roads whenever he could. It was a grueling task trying to keep all the roads straight, but Krazor was looking through his files to gain an idea where they were.

Finally Krazor popped his head up. He clicked on a map, and enlarged it.
“Turn left ahead.” Krazor said.
“Got you.” Dexter said.
“We are going to head for I-30 and then head east right?” Krazor asked.
“How did you know it was east of here?” Dexter asked.
“I used a web search.” Krazor said simply. Dexter focused on where he was headed next.
“Look I will get you that ice-cream in Taylor OK?” Dexter asked.
“Sure, I understand.” Krazor said.
Dexter turned around and speed down a road. His panic increased.
“What are you doing?” Krazor asked suddenly.
“Change of plans.” Dexter said. “This truck is bugged, I need you to climb into the back and find it.”
“But that is illegal!” Krazor said. “And we do not know when.... wait a minute.” Krazor said.
“What?” Dexter asked looking back at him as Krazor climbed into the back seat.
“Find your phone.” Krazor said.
“Why?” Dexter asked
“Just do it.” Krazor asked.
Dexter fished it out of his jacket, and looked at it. Krazor snatched it.
“Hey give that back.” Dexter said while reaching for it.
“This is the bug.” He said. “They have it set up to where they can track us.” Krazor said while showing him a GPS signal.
“Lovely. Then toss it out the window, it is not that important.” Dexter said.
Krazor rolled down his window and flung it. “There, and I do not even have a phone.” Krazor said.
“But we were too late, here they come.” Dexter said. He quickly turned down a side street, and then zipped into an alley. Their parents went beyond them, and Dexter stopped, and backed up. He then turned around to go down the street.
“We have to get out to the fastest roads. We can not keep them like this.” Dexter said.
“Ok turn right.” Krazor said.
“Got you.” Dexter said as he made a sharp right turn, and saw a major road ahead. He went as fast as the speed limits allowed. He did not see his parents yet, and so he was sure they were far behind. He turned onto the major road, only to see his parents' car ahead. Dexter looked at Krazor. Krazor shook his head.
“We have the advantage.” Dexter said, “so lets use it.”
“Got you, the next major road leads to I-30” Krazor said.
“Good.” Dexter said, and got over one lane.
“Turn left.” Krazor said.
“Now you tell me.” Dexter said, while getting back over.

He did a sharp turn across the intersection and into traffic. He had no other choice. His parents car slowed as they crossed the intersection, but did not manage to turn left in time. Dexter speed away.
“Do not ever do that again.” Krazor said.
“Alright, I will refrain from doing so in the future.” Dexter said with a nervous chuckle, and leaned over into the steering wheel for half a second.
“Dude you are really scaring me.” Krazor said.
Dexter ran a hand through his hair.
They turned onto I-30 and looked down. Their parents still did not find them, but Dexter was going as fast as was legal just in case.
“You still up for ice-cream?” Dexter asked.



Chapter 2


Maurice Edgar lifted his gun. The building ahead was abandoned and old. He tightened his helmet down just to be sure. He looked around at his squad of three. One did not hold a gun, but the other was holding a heavy assault rifle. It took less than thirty seconds for Maurice to realize that they building was heavily occupied. That was why his team was sent in.
They were after all, the very best.

“This is Jackal Lead to Jackal one and two. Do you copy?” Maurice barked into his headset.
“Jackal one, copy.” The man without a gun said. He was a thin wiry man. His dark brown skin set him apart from the rest.
“This is Jackal two, copy.” The other man yelled. He was the shortest of all of them, and thinnest.
Maurice was no slim man, he was built more like a body builder than anything.
“This is a simple hostage situation, so don't screw up.” Maurice barked. His voice rough.
“Rodger sir.” Jackal two said. Maurice ran in first, followed by his two men. Maurice signaled for the other two to head down the hall, and Maurice started checking for hidden gunners.

It had started two days before. A simple scouting mission went terribly wrong when Jackal two misinterpreted someone. Jackal three was quite ticked over the situation, and this lead to a group of terrorists grabbing a little girl. Maurice still was clueless as to how the series of events transpired as Jackal one and two had different accounts.

Of course they both had real names. Victor Thompson was Jackal two and Maurice's best friend. The two had been on countless mission long before this one, and rarely had they failed. Jackal three was really a new member to their squad as their general felt Maurice was needing more men. His name Was Philips Dobson. He was a soldier who despite his abilities loved his gun.

They all had insane abilities. No one knew where they came from, but it had been a phenomenon going on for at least a century. Victor had extreme powers, and a cunning counter to his kind-hearted nature. He projected a form of red energy. To see it in action was a sight in of itself as it looked like a red smoke, but bullets bounced off of it.
Their General however feared the negative of his abilities would eventually come to haunt them all. So far no one had learned it, but the energy when exposed to fire created violent explosions equivalent to one ton of TNT. The power seemed to also be unlimited, but Victor refrained from using too much in fear of what it could do.

Philips though was unable to create anything, but he could manipulate water. Maurice rounded the corner and noticed the entire place looked like it had not received any form of care for decades. The floors were cracked, and the cement chipped. The smell of mildew was strong. He looked around the corner, and then made his move. No one appeared, and Maurice felt nervous. The entire thing stank of ambush.

As if to answer the thoughts in his head a masked man jumped out and fired at Maurice, but Maurice dropped to his feet, and fired a dead on shot into the man's exposed chest.
“Prepare for live fire.” Maurice barked into his headset.
“Rodger.” Both replied. Maurice looked over the man to confirm he was dead. The bullet wound penetrated the man's chest, and was probably lodged in his heart. Maurice walked forward at the door across. He reached down for a grenade. He could see two  shadows at the door, and threw the grenade.

The explosion blasted out the door, and tore through the two men. Maurice saw them struggling in pain, one died quickly, but the other was dying more slowly. Maurice shot him to be sure. He saw the stairs and ran for them. Victor ran up behind him, and so did Philip.

“Ok men lets get this done. That door is the only one unchecked.” Maurice said.
“Rodger,” They both said.
Maurice walked up to the door, and kicked it down. He saw no one in the room, but there was a bomb across it.
“It's a trap, lets get out of here now.” Victor yelled.
No one waited as they scrambled back down the stairs. Maurice followed behind the rest of them. His gun was at his side as they ran, but just as they were rounding the last corner Maurice noticed a closed door. He hesitated, but picked up his gun and kicked it open. Two men opened fire on him, but he ducked, and took them both down almost simultaneously. These men were new, and Maurice was far to good at what he did to let them take him down. The girl was sitting on the floor tied up.
“Jackal lead where are you?” Victor's voice cried out into the radio.
“Get the Chopper ready I found the hostage.” Maurice yelled.
“Rodger.” He said.

Maurice dropped to his knees and removed the gag. She screamed something in another language. Maurice couldn't tell what she was talking about, but it was frantic. He untied her from the wall, and then picked her up.

Then came the deafening roar.

All he could see for thee second was smoke, bricks, and fire. He flipped over, and got to his feet. The girl had been tossed from his arms in the explosion.  She was laying against the wall  in a bloody heap. Maurice screamed, and ran to her side. He quickly ripped off his glove and placed it on her forehead. She gasped, and he sighed. Suddenly he was filled with agony as he saw his own skin crack and bleed, but her body was healing very quickly. Within seconds the only blood left were dried onto her skin. He was hurting bad himself, but he would heal soon enough.

That was his power. The ability to absorb the pain and injuries of others. He picked her up and ran out of the building. He noticed his headset was damaged, and he was not receiving anything. He made it out of the building and out onto the dry streets to see the chopper ready, and so he hopped in and shut the door. Phillip was piloting as Victor dropped to his knees and started talking to the girl. Victor sat up and looked at Maurice and frowned.
“You look bad.” He said.
“I will get through. Get us back to base where we can deal with this properly.” Maurice said.
Philips nodded and started speeding up the chopper, and it lifted off. Maurice sat back and sighed.