This is my story in progress "Acts of Redemption". The first chapter's pretty short. It's like an action/scifi/romance... yeaaahhh... lol. I hope you like that kind of thing... I can't say my descriptions are going to be consistent, and by that I mean, I might be really descriptive at one point, but then I might be describing things simpler in another section... hope this doesn't bore you. One last thing, I don't like to use language but I felt like there needed to be language at some point in the story because I don't want people calling each other cheesy names or something... so, i put in language when I have to, but I use the whole asterisk censoring lol.
I'd like to have some feedback on this too. Plus, if there's any errors or anything of the like, please let me know. Thanks


Acts of Redemption


Chapter 1

Ethan was in a trance. He didn't blink. He couldn't. All he could do was sit and stare at her. He watched as Katrina played with a little boy in the meadow. She was irresistibly beautiful, with her wavy, dark brown hair, shiny blue eyes, and a dress as white as snow. Ethan grinned as she smiled at him and waved. He had never felt so happy and… peaceful. Ethan waved back and continued to stare at Katrina as she began to play with the little boy again. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the sun provided comforting warmth. The grass danced as a gentle breeze swept across the field, and Katrina's pure white dress swerved and looked as if it were dancing as well. Ethan was awestruck by the fluid motions, and while he decided to grin and stare again, something caught his eye, something that puzzled him… He squinted to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, and his grin slowly changed into a grimace. He noticed a small drop of crimson trickle down her dress, and there was a small stain on her side that appeared to spread rapidly across her dress. Katrina saw the grimace on his face and frowned. She said something to him, but it was inaudible to Ethan. He tried to listen to what she was saying, but he couldn't understand her. She was screaming now, but the sound still didn't reach him, and as she screamed with effort the little boy began to vanish from Ethan's sight. Startled from what he had witnessed, he stood up and started to run towards her, but she seemed to be getting farther away from him, and when he stopped to catch his breath, she started to speak again. But as she spoke, tears ran down her face, which started to become blurry. Ethan stood motionless watching as colors swirled and meshed together into an infernal mess until Katrina disappeared into the mix. He dove and reached out for her hand, which was sinking into the void. As her hand slipped from his, his heart sank and he dropped to his knees. As Ethan started to weep, he heard Katrina whisper quietly…
"Ethan… I love you…"

Ethan opened his eyes and wiped the sweat off his forehead. His heart pounded and he had trouble breathing.
"A dream… it was only a dream…" he assured himself. A very intense dream… he thought. Ethan walked up to the window and opened it to let in some fresh air. He glanced out the window and noticed the cars bustling about below while airways were packed with anti-grav trains and taxis. As he looked around his workshop he noticed a piece of metal on the floor that he must have knocked off his desk while he was dreaming. When he placed the piece back on his desk, a tone echoed throughout the room. Ethan rolled his eyes. Norm… doesn't he have anything better to do than check on my progress every ten minutes? He picked up the phone, and a holographic screen appeared. The screen displayed a bald-headed, nervous-looking man with glasses. Ethan spoke monotonously into the speaker.
"…Hello?"
"Ethan? Why the h*** didn't you pick up the phone?! I've called you four times already!"
"Yeah tell me about it…"
"How's the suit coming?"
"It's coming along… I'm almost finished. But…"
"But…?
"I need some more resources…"
Norm's eyes widened. "Oh no not this time, Ethan. It's too risky. You remember the last time we had to go on one of your little raids? The Commissioner wasn't happy about the injuries we had that night…."
"Aww… come on, Norm. It's the last part I need to complete the suit. There isn't another way. Besides, it's not like anyone died on any of our 'raids'."
"What's so important anyway that you have to break into an Order facility?"
"I need my nanoparticle generator. It's the most important piece of technology. The suit won't work without it."
"Nanoparticle generator? Well can't you just create another one? I mean, you did invent and design it yourself; mister 'world-renowned nanotechnologist'."
"Save the flattery for later, Norm."
"Well can't you?"
"No, I need certain materials to create one. And most of the technology and materials were confiscated by Order ever since I invented all of that nanotechnology… "
"Well… can't you… uh…"
"Can't I what?"
Norm scratched his head. "Well, since they think you're inventing nanotechnology for 'the good of mankind', can't you just ask them for the materials you need?"
"If I asked them for a nanoparticle generator, then they'll obviously know I'm up to something. And if they know I'm working on a suit that's capable of overthrowing their 'democracy' and something that would disturb our society's 'prosperity', they'll obviously try and confiscate that too… who knows what they'll do with it…"
Norm frowned and let out a loud sigh. "Fine. This will be the last time, got it?"
"Norm, you're the greatest. And by the way, did I mention that haircut looks absolutely splendid?"
"Shut up, Ethan. Just get over here at the hideout by 11. I want to get this raid over with."
Ethan grinned. He couldn't wait to get started.

Nice...

My only problem for now is the first paragraph. too big. D:

But for first try, it's a good one.
Keep it up.

Originally posted by Juliet

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Nice...

My only problem for now is the first paragraph. too big. D:

But for first try, it's a good one.
Keep it up.

---

Yeah, that was something that was a problem to someone on deviantART too. But I think I didn't start to change that until a couple chapters in... But if i change it now I'd have to change the copy in dA, and my original file... sorry ^^;
Thanks for the feedback though

Here's Chapter 2... It's a bit long in the beginning again though... sorry Juliet lol

Chapter 2

Speeding through downtown traffic in a jet-black, 850 horsepower supercar attracts too much attention, so Ethan decided to walk instead. Besides, walking in the streets was pretty nice, if you didn't include all the filth and people trying to jump you around every corner. Being a rich man, he was a prime target for vagrants and beggars who would do anything to get their hands on money. Ethan knew many routes to the Resistance Hideout, and one of the fastest routes involved going through deep and dark alleys. He was pretty fine with this, since he felt that dark alleys were a great place to channel his emotions, like any other silent, dark, shadowy place. As he went down the alley, he suddenly felt extremely lonely, and Ethan began to think about Katrina, how she smiled and how nice her voice sounded. Ethan was smiling dreamily when he ran into something big and almost got a concussion hitting the concrete. Oww…Man, that hurt… Ethan groaned. After he got up and brushed some dirt off he looked to see what he had crashed into. What he saw was a large fist heading for his face, and he quickly dodged to the right. His attacker, who was a shirtless, muscular man, lunged at a considerable speed. Ethan, far more agile than the man, performed a vault over him that wouldn't disappoint an Olympic gymnast. The man, stunned by his feat, didn't notice the wall in front of him. A loud thud echoed through the alley. Ethan looked at the man on the ground with a grin, and kept walking until a group of men blocked his path.
The man in the middle, who appeared to be the leader of this little gang, spoke in a crafty voice.
"If you want to pass, you need to pay the toll."
Ethan tried to hold in his laughter. Pay the toll? You've got to be kidding me… who do these freaks think they are?
He shoved one of the men out of the way and walked a few steps before the "leader" grabbed his arm with a firm grip.
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear… pay the toll."
Ethan was getting impatient. He reached into his pocket.
Now, now, Ethan… let's not get out of hand…
Ethan left the gun in his pocket.
"Alright. How much do you want?"
"200 dollars."
Ethan placed two 100-dollar bills in the man's grubby hands.
"Don't waste it on beer and cigarettes. It looks like you've wasted most of your life already."
The man ignored Ethan's remark and motioned his men to let him pass.
Ethan walked slowly out of the alley and headed toward a burnt, rundown building. He walked up to a wall with a small marking on it. He placed his finger on the marking and the wall slid open to reveal an elevator. Ethan stepped into the elevator and descended underground.
After a few minutes, the elevator stopped and the door opened. A large room appeared filled with men and women carrying weapons and gear. Technicians used computers for research, programming, and monitoring the hideout for any intruders. Sparks flew as engineers used blowtorches and other tools to make more weapons and gear for the cause. Ethan walked out of the elevator and saw Norm waiting for him.
"You're late… What took you so long?"
"I got held up by some pathetic posse asking me to pay them 200 dollars."
"I've heard that one before…"
"Hey, I shouldn't have to pay a bunch of freakshows a cent."
"Well I told you to get here at 11 o'clock sharp. It's 11:10. A bunch of street rats shouldn't make you 10 minutes late."
"Give me a break, Norm. Those guys were forcing me to pay them just so I could walk through the alley, like it was theirs."
"Why didn't you do something?"
"I was tempted to… apprehend them."
"Well then why didn't you?"
"Sometimes my methods can be… extreme."
"I see… Hey, Ethan, you look a little worn out. Getting enough sleep?"
"Ehh… not really. I had this strange dream before I came."
"That explains why you didn't pick up the phone. What happened?"
"It's such an intense dream that I don't really want to talk about it."
"Nightmare?"
"Pretty much."
"Well we better get moving… we've wasted enough time already."
"Sounds good."

No need to say sorry, I didn't read the first paragraph anyway.

Lol, just joking. I did, although I skipped some parts. ^__^;;

I read it on DA where it was brighter. I like the style you put in it, instead of "he, she, him" all the time.

Originally posted by Juliet

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No need to say sorry, I didn't read the first paragraph anyway.

Lol, just joking. I did, although I skipped some parts. ^__^;;

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Well, it's probably going to be like that for the next couple chapters... lol
Crono, what exactly do you mean? I mean, i like that you're giving me a good comment, but what do you mean? lol. I'd like to know so I might keep that in mind as I write more chapters.

Here's chapters 3 and 4, I don't think i'd want to post one by one anymore... The paragraphs are more scattered now(ahem... Juliet ). And this is when the actions starts up. I hope I did a good job describing them lol...

Chapter 3

Ethan stood on the edge of the rooftop. He noticed how dark and cloudy the sky was. Perfect… He thought. Ethan was wearing all black to blend in, as the city gets enveloped with darkness and shadow at night. Without the moonlight, Ethan would be practically invisible. He had a pretty good view of the city from the roof. He needed a good view if he was going to take out the man standing on the 58th floor of the skyscraper about 30 yards from him. Norm had already frozen the security cameras, disabled the silent alarm, and short-circuited most of the internal defenses. They hoped that Order wouldn't suspect anything.
Ethan peered into the scope of his sniper rifle. The man was standing near the window, smoking a cigarette. He had a clear shot. He magnified the scope so he could get a better view. The man wasn't heavily armed, with a submachine gun and a pistol holstered on his side. This was standard for Order security. Ethan twisted on the silencer, aimed for his forehead and prepared to pull the trigger.
"Smoking is bad for you, you know." Ethan whispered with a grin.
As he pulled the trigger, an anti-grav taxi flew past the skyscraper. The bullet sailed through the air and pierced through the taxi's metal frame. The taxi swerved in the air and nearly crashed into a neighboring taxi. The man in the skyscraper flinched and his cigarette almost fell from his mouth.
Idiot!! Ethan cursed. Why did that taxi had to get in the way? I almost had my cover blown.
Ethan's commlink began to ring. D*** it, Norm. Could you just shut up for a couple minutes? I'm trying to focus. Ethan answered the phone and spoke into the headset.
"What is it now, Norm?"
"Well, I couldn't help but notice the swirling taxi in the airways."
"You want to switch places? I could sit in that dorky little van of yours and mess around with a laptop all night, while you break into a heavily-guarded facility and steal an important piece of technology you can't even turn on."
"…Ok, ok, fine. You're right. I'll shut up now."
"Thank you, Norm."
"Just don't screw up again."
Ethan hung up on him. He lined up another shot with the scope. If another taxi comes by, I'm gonna ask for a rocket launcher…
Ethan pulled the trigger. The man collapsed, cigarette still in his mouth. Ethan couldn't help but smile. He took out a gun-like device, and fired it at the skyscraper. A small cylinder sailed through the air and drilled through the glass with out shattering it. The cylinder opened up and released a glowing ball of light that floated off the ground. Ethan pressed a button on the device that launched the cylinder and closed his eyes.
******************************************************************

Ethan opened his eyes and found himself standing next to the body of the man he took out a few minutes ago. It worked… Resistance is gonna love this… Ethan crouched down picked up the cylinder and searched the man for any interesting or important belongings. He found a key card, but he already had a card that unlocks almost any door. He took the key card anyway and started searching for other items of importance or interest. The man also had a pack of cigarettes, ammo packs, a wallet, and a headset for communication. Ethan took the wallet and crushed the headset. He smelled smoke and started to cough and wheeze. Alright… where is it… Ethan took the cigarette out of the man's mouth and pressed it against the man's palm. The cigarette extinguished and hissed. Good riddance… He thought with scorn. He didn't bother to hide the body. He'll be gone by the time someone finds out.
"Norm, I'm in…"
"Oh, you are? Well it's about time!"
"Just upload the layout of the 58th floor to my commlink." retorted Ethan.
"Alright… very bad mood today, huh?"
"Hmm… I wonder why…"
"Hey what did I ever do?"
"Would you just send it to me already?"
"Uploading it to you now…"
A blueprint of the floor appeared on his commlink. Ethan studied it carefully.
"The nanoparticle generator is in a room heavily guarded by security." Norm explained. "I already turned off most of the internal defense mechanisms and froze the camera frames, but don't let your guard down."
"I won't. But it's not like these security guards are gonna do much."
"Try not to get detected by them. There's an air vent that leads to the research lab where the generator's held."
"I see it. I'll talk to you later, Norm."
"Ok, Ethan."
Ethan was about to hang up. "Wait! I forgot something."
"What?"
"Norm, could you jam all the communication headsets in the building?"
"Sure. Why?"
"Well, I sort of got excited and I… accidentally stepped on the guard's headset."
"Why'd you do that? They're gonna get suspicious if nobody responds to give them their routine status report!"
"That's why I want you to scramble their communication."
"Ok… but I don't know how long it's gonna take for them to figure it all out."
"Just do it for me, please?"
"Hmm… you said please? That's progress right there. Consider it done."
"Thanks, Norm."
"Thank you too? Wow! This is incredible!"
"Alright, Norm, you could shut up now."
"Darn, I spoke too soon…"
Ethan turned his commlink off and looked around the room and spotted an air vent near the ceiling. It was barely large enough for him to crawl around in. However, there didn't appear to be an opening for him to enter. I guess I'll just have to make an opening myself… Ethan decided. He unsheathed a large blade and slashed at the vent vigorously. His "opening" turned out to be a crude, jagged hole. Eh… could've done better…he commented. Ethan leaped into the vent and began crawling into the darkness.

Chapter 4

Crawling in the air vent was horrible. The vent was frigid, dark, and constricting. Ethan was wearing enough to keep himself warm and he had a visor with a night vision setting. The only problem that remained was the crowding problem, and it was the worst out of all of them. The air vent was incredibly small and Ethan hated crawling through the narrow space. Isn't there another way? Ethan complained. This is getting annoying… couldn't they make a bigger vent? Ethan stared at the commlink screen, which was displaying the layout of the building. A little dot marked where he was in the vent system and showed which room he was in. Fortunately, Ethan was nearing his destination, and he was very glad about that. Once the dot was over the research lab, he switched his visor to an x-ray setting. He scanned the room to make sure it was safe to come out. There didn't appear to be anyone in the room, although some machinery was still running. Time to bust out of prison. Ethan thought. Ethan used a retractable knife to slice through the metal. He landed smoothly on the ground and looked around the lab.
The lighting in the room gave off an eerie vibe that gave Ethan the creeps. There was practically no light at all except near the research projects, experiments, and prototypes, which were lit with a slight blue-ish tint. Machinery made a low droning noise that echoed throughout the room. Ethan walked around the lab and began observing every little gadget, gizmo, and prototype that was under research. Almost all of them were invented or designed by Order scientists, but the nanoparticle generator was obviously not, and he noticed it behind a glass frame. Ethan thought about what to do. If the silent alarm is turned off, then does that mean I could just slice through the glass and grab it? Nah that's stupid… I'm sure there's some other alarm for these. Maybe the scientists had ways of taking their little gizmos out of the frame…
Ethan looked around the room again. There had to be something to get the generator out. He'd remembered something that seemed like it would do stuff like taking out gadgets from the glass frames. Then he saw a large, bulky console across the room. "Aha!" Ethan said triumphantly. He ran up to the console and pressed a button to reveal a computer screen and a holographic keyboard. What appeared on the screen was:

Enter Item Code:____________________

Ethan sighed. Item Code? Oh, that's fantastic… He decided to go back to the glass frame of the generator. On the bottom right corner of the frame he noticed a small box with small print that read: Item No. 53256. Hmm… I wonder… He walked back to the computer and typed in the numbers. Could it really be that obvious? Nah, it can't be… He pressed the Enter key. A large amount of letters and numbers scrolled down the screen for about 10 seconds and then a menu appeared on the screen. Wow… what a clever system. Genius!! He looked over his options. 'Access File'? Don't have to do that, I designed it. Let's see, what else… 'Transfer File'? Why would I do that? 'Demolish'? Definitely don't want to do that… Ah there it is, 'Remove Frame'. Ethan clicked on the command and hoped it really was this easy. The glass blocking the generator shifted upward, exposing his invention.
Ethan walked up to the generator and extended his arm. He hesitated before reaching and grabbing the generator. As he swiped it away, he half-expected to hear a loud alarm, or get shot by a large group of guards. Ethan stared at his creation to make sure nothing was wrong with it. The generator barely fit in his hand, and as Ethan held the glistening chrome in his palm, he felt proud of his work. He took out a small case and placed the generator gently inside. Then something caught his eye. One of the glass frames was extremely large compared to all the other frames.
Ethan walked up to the frame and peered inside. Machines with clawed arms carried small cylinders to other larger machinery where the containers were filled with a strange transparent, pale orange liquid. The cylinders were then sealed and sent down a pneumatic tube that went through a wall. Probably leads to some sort of processing center… thought Ethan. He was struck with curiosity. What could these cylinders be holding? Could the liquid be dangerous? Perhaps the liquid is some sort of poison? Ethan searched for the item number on the frame. Once he spotted the number, he went back to the control console and typed the number into the computer. Then he clicked the "Access File" command. A bar and the words "Password Required" appeared on the screen. Ethan wanted to smash the screen into a million pieces. D*** it!! Not again… This can't be happening. The people could be in jeopardy and a stupid password is preventing me from access this d*** file… but then again… He went back and tried clicking the "Transfer File" command. He placed a flash drive into the computer and a progress bar popped up on the screen. Yes!!! I can't believe it actually works. The file took less than a minute to transfer to his flash drive. After that he slid open a little compartment on the flash drive and took out a tiny chip. He entered the chip into his commlink and the word "Decoding…" came on the screen. After a couple of minutes a notice appeared saying the decoding was incomplete. Nevertheless, he started reading the text.

Nanoparasite Project

The Nanoparasite is a new breakthrough in nanotechnology. Modifying nanomachines created by Dr. Ethan Taylor, we have created the Nanoparasite, which can be programmed to carry out many objectives within a host's body. The parasites are mixed with liquid and enter the bloodstream or the nervous system through injection. The Nanoparasite can cause various effects on a host. A swarm of Nanoparasites is capable of eliminating a human within seconds via self-destruction. Nanoparasites are also able to clot the bloodstream, causing strokes or other severe effects. They are not always used for offense, as they can be programmed for repairing damaged tissue or acting like platelets to prevent loss of blood. Tests are still being performed with pleasing results, and we are continuing research to understand the true capability of this new technology.

They're using my technology for destruction?! Ethan was astonished. He didn't think Order scientists were smart enough to pull off something like this. He hadn't finished reading the entire file, but as he was about to continue, the door slid open and three armed men rushed in. Ethan quickly crouched behind the control console as the three guards opened fire. A storm of bullets flew towards him and made dents in the metal. Ethan took out two pistols and began returning fire. His commlink began to ring and Ethan quickly spoke into his headset.
"Hey, Norm."
"Ethan, did you get it?"
"Yeah, I－" Ethan stood up and viciously fired at one of the guards. The guard flew backwards and crashed into a metal crate.
"Ethan? What was that?"
"Um… uh, nothing, Norm."
Another guard started firing his rifle and sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off of the console. Ethan took out a knife and threw it at his leg. The guard collapsed in pain and dropped his weapon.
"Was that an assault rifle? What's going on over there?"
"Really, Norm. It's－" The last guard unsheathed a sword and charged at Ethan. Ethan blocked the guard's blade with his own, and their blades were locked in combat. "－It's not a big－unngh－I'm absolutely fi－" Ethan yelled loudly as he hacked furiously at his adversary, who was overwhelmed by his technique and finesse. Ethan knocked the guard's sword off to the side and backhanded the guard's face with his fist. He twirled the blade in the air before impaling it straight through the chest. "I'm－absolutely－fine." He ripped his sword out of the man's body and walked up to the other guard with the knife in his leg. The guard groaned and began to beg for mercy as the blade came rushing down on him. Ethan didn't have much sympathy for Order agents. He wiped his bloodstained sword clean by rubbing it across a guard's shirt and sheathed it. Norm was getting very anxious.
"What the h*** is happening over there?"
"I ran into some trouble."
"You what?"
Five more guards entered the room and unloaded their guns. Ethan dove toward a metal crate and fired his dual pistols at an incredible speed.
"They know I'm here."
"What?!! Are you out of your mind? Ok. Get out of there NOW!!"
"Aww… but I'm already having so much fun." Ethan said as he shot another guard.
"Ethan, this has to stop!!"
"Fine. Why do you always have to spoil everything?" Ethan took out the device that he had used earlier to infiltrate the building. He looked for the nearest window and launched the cylinder at it. Ethan didn't know where the cylinder ended up, but he didn't really care. He pressed the button on the device and closed his eyes while bullets sailed directly at him.

That was pretty good story mdynasty926 good job

Thanks Michael!

Here's the next two chapters. They're more longer(the sixth one at least...)

Chapter 5

"Aww, s***!" Ethan screamed as he was almost mauled by a semi. He rolled over to the sidewalk and watched as the cylinder was crushed into bits. Great… Resistance isn't gonna like that… A van rolled up to him. Norm walked out and grabbed Ethan firmly and pinned him into the van.
"Don't－do that－again…"
Ethan had never really seen him like this before. "O－Ok…"
Norm smiled in a friendly manner. "Great, I'm glad we understand each other. Now, let's head back."
"S－sure."
***********************************************************************************
Ethan watched as Norm observed the nanoparticle generator.
"So why is it so important to your suit?" Norm asked with a sigh.
"Well, the suit is supposed to be powered by the nanotechnology I invented, and I need nanoparticles in order for it to work."
"What does it even do?"
"The NEO suit enhances the wearer, physically and mentally. I'd be able to move faster, jump higher and farther, see farther, think faster and smarter, dodge quicker, punch harder, and other stuff like that. Nanomachines and nanoparticles run throughout the entire suit. This is crucial for the whole suit to work. Without the nanotechnology implemented in the suit, the suit would only serve as a sort of armor."
Norm looked impressed and confused at the same time. "So nanomachines run through the suit and sort of energize you?"
"Pretty much."
"That sounds pretty sophisticated. What else does the suit do?"
"The nanomachines can act as little 'surgeons' in a way. They're capable of repairing damaged tissue and cleaning up cuts and wounds. The suit's probably able to do even more stuff, but nanotechnology's really complex."
"What about weapon systems?"
"Way ahead of you. The suit's equipped with dual pistols, throwing knives, retractable wrist bayonets, titanium blade, smoke grenades, stun grenades, flash bangs, assault rifle, etc. The NEO suit's helmet includes targeting systems, night vision, thermal vision, x-ray vision, sonar, info scanners, and specialized optics."
"Specialized optics?"
"Or SpecOptics for short. It allows people to see things in a microscopic scale."
"Really? How'd you pull that one off?"
"Lots of studying and work and only about 5 hours of sleep every night."
"Well, that explains why you're so grumpy all the time…"
"Even after all that talk about the weapons I have, you still come up with an insult." Ethan said with a grin.
"I forgot about those… so you said you found something interesting in their lab?"
"Yeah. Something dangerous."
"What are they making?"
"Here, I'll show you." Ethan took out his commlink and ejected the chip from the slot. Then he placed the chip back inside the flash drive and injected it into a computer nearby. The file popped up on the screen. Norm began to scroll through the text. He became fascinated, and then shocked in a flash. He hadn't even read the entire thing and he was already worried.
"Ethan, they're using your nanotechnology for evil!"
"Yes, Norm. I noticed… I'm not really sure how they're gonna use it, but whatever it is, it's gonna be big. I'm sure of it."
"Then our top priority will be to figure out what Order's trying to do with these nanoparasites and stop them from carrying out their plan."
"Right. Those creeps aren't gonna get away with using my technology."
"Speaking of which, shouldn't you go back and finish that suit of yours? Get some rest before you start working again. Some of the text in this file is encrypted so I'm gonna have to try and decode it. I'll keep you posted."
"Alright, Norm. Call me if you need me."
***********************************************************************************
Ethan took the long way back to his apartment so he didn't have to deal with the "toll collectors" in the alley again. When he got back it was already 2 o'clock, and he was really worn out. He laid down on his bed, but he couldn't sleep. He started to think about what was important to him in his life. Well… ok let's see… friends… Katrina… yep, definitely her… the cause, my research… Then as he started thinking more carefully, one word came up in his mind. Family… What family? I don't have a family… At least, not anymore… He began reminiscing all of the wonderful memories he had. Dad, Rose and I would play basketball in the park and we'd come back home and smell the delicious dinner that Mom always made for us. And we'd talk and laugh at the dinner table for hours… Dad was so much fun… and Mom, she was always so nice and caring… and Rose, I could always talk to her about anything… I just can't believe they're… A tear rolled down Ethan's cheek. …I can't believe they're gone… Ethan clinched his fists. I can't believe they took them away from me… Those freaks are gonna pay… I'm not gonna let anyone or anything stand in my way. I'll do whatever it takes…
Ethan's eyes turned into slits of rage as more tears rained down his face. A lethal mix of hatred and despair flowed within him as he began to sob. Then the hate had departed from him, leaving him with the despair and depression that he had from the start. After a few minutes he was able to stop crying and stay calm. Suddenly, the phone rang. Who'd be calling at this time? He picked up the phone and lightened up as he saw the girl on the screen.
"Hey."
"Hey, Ethan. Sorry to call you so late at night. I couldn't sleep."
"Nah, it's fine, Katrina. I can't sleep either. I've been thinking about you a lot lately."
"I've been thinking about you too, Ethan." Katrina said with a smile.
"See? Didn't I tell you we had a lot in common?"
Katrina laughed. She looked at him for a few seconds and noticed something about him that made her frown. "Ethan, you look really tired. What happened?"
"…A lot of stuff happened tonight, Katrina. First, I had this really horrible dream, and then we went on another raid to steal back my invention and－"
"You did? Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, Katrina. That went pretty well. But that dream… it was just…"
"What was it like?"
"I… I can't really explain it… It was so… intense and so… real."
"How about this. Why don't you meet me at the café tomorrow at 10 and we'll talk about this, ok?"
"Sounds great, Katrina."
"Great. Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then. Good night, Ethan."
"Good night, Katrina."
"Sweet dreams."

Chapter 6

Ethan squinted as light streamed through a gap in the blinds. Unngghh… He rubbed and blinked his eyes a couple times and sat up in his bed. He looked at his alarm clock and saw it read "9:45". Oh, crap. I'm gonna be late… Ethan thought with dismay. He jumped out of bed and began to frantically prepare himself for his breakfast with Katrina. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. Without much consideration he chose some clothes to wear and put them on. Then he put his wallet in his pocket and rushed out of the door.
Ethan sprinted down the city streets. He just can't be late. He'd hate to keep Katrina waiting. "Get out of the way!" he yelled as he ran into a crowd of people. I don't have time for this… Ethan thought as he shoved some ladies to the right. As the café was in his sight, he looked at his watch. 9:59… wow… I'm really cutting it close… He took out a comb and straightened out his messy hair. Katrina noticed him and waved with a smile on her face. She was sitting at a table drinking a cup of coffee and she had another cup of coffee in her hand. When Ethan reached her table, she handed the extra cup of coffee to him.
"Hey, Ethan. Here's a cup of coffee. My treat."
"Oh you don't have to do that, Katrina. I'll just get my－"
"No, Ethan. It's fine."
Ethan hesitantly took the cup and took a few sips from it. "Thanks, Katrina."
"No problem, Ethan. You've been so nice to me. It's the least I can do."
Ethan and Katrina smiled at each other for a brief moment, and then Katrina broke the silence.
"So what was that dream like, Ethan?"
Ethan tensed up a bit. "I… I… it's very hard to explain… and it was just so… so frightening."
"You had a nightmare?"
"Yeah."
"What exactly happened?"
"Well… in the beginning I was staring at you."
"You were?"
"Yeah." Ethan began to grin. "You were so beautiful. You had this white dress on and you were playing with a little boy in a field."
Katrina's eyes lit up instantly. "Really? A little boy? Ethan are you saying that－"
"Well I'm just telling you what was in the dream…"
"Ok. So if it was so nice, why was it a nightmare?"
Ethan frowned. "Do you really want to know? I really don't wanna－"
"Ethan, just tell me please. I'm curious." Katrina said with a slight grin.
"Alright… So I was still staring at you playing with the boy, and then I see this drop of red slide down your dress, and there was a red stain growing on your dress, too."
"So I was… bleeding?"
"Yeah… and then you started saying something but I couldn't hear you. The boy just disappeared out of thin air. I tried to hear what you were saying, but even when you're screaming I couldn't hear you. So then I just started to run to you, but then you got farther away from me. And then everything started getting all blurry and then I tried to grab your hand but it slipped out of mine and－" Ethan rested his forehead on his hand. Katrina placed her hand gently on Ethan's shoulder.
"Ethan. You don't have to say any more. I'm sorry I made you talk about it."
"I don't want to lose you… you're the only family I have left…"
"Don't worry, Ethan. It was only a dream. It's not gonna happen to me."
"I hope not…" Ethan fell silent for a few seconds. "I really need to get back and work on the suit."
"I could keep you company if you want me to."
"I'd love that, Katrina. Thanks."
"Well, let's go then."
***********************************************************************************
Saul looked at the devastation of the lab. Four men were killed, two injured, and the nanoparticle generator was missing. Who could've done this? Saul thought. He walked up to one of the guards that wasn't injured or dead. Apparently this guard was the squad leader. "How did this happen?" he asked with a serious tone to his voice.
"I－I don't know how to explain it… the suspect somehow managed to enter the building undetected and infiltrate the lab."
"This person came and stole an important piece of technology from one of the most highly fortified facilities in the country. He killed four well-trained men." Saul began to raise his voice. "And you let him get away with it?"
The guard shook fearfully. "I really don't know how it happened, sir. He was extremely skilled in combat. We fired at him furiously but he just… disappeared… I blinked, and he was gone."
"So… you're saying that our little suspect just came in, stole the generator, and just disappeared into thin air?"
"Sir－I－I－"
Saul grabbed the man by his neck and slammed him into the nearest wall. "You let the man get away! You, sir, have failed your duty." He strengthened his grip on the neck of the guard, who was desperately gasping for air.
Saul raised his voice. "YOU FAILED! Your objective was straightforward enough… you were asked to apprehend a rebel… A REBEL!"
The guard, who was quite aware that the captain of the Order Guard was furious, inhaled heavily and gathered just enough strength to say: "A… skillful… rebel, sir…"
Saul couldn't believe his ears. He yelled at the top of his lungs in rage and threw the guard into the ground. He kicked at the guard three times before pulling out a pistol and viciously firing a couple rounds aimed at the man's chest. He tore a badge off the dead guard's body and shoved the body to the side with his foot. He then walked away silently up to another guard that was in the room but wasn't at the lab during the heist. He placed the badge in the guard's hand with frightening calmness.
"… That fool… the nerve of some people… Don't you agree, lieutenant?"
The newly appointed lieutenant just nodded lightly. Saul saluted him and continued to observe the lab. He noticed the drill hole at the window and stared at it for a few seconds. Then he began to think of what could've made the hole. Hmm… the thief couldn't have left the room from any door, but this hole he made obviously isn't an escape route… or was it? He pondered for a moment. The device drilled a hole, but didn't shatter the glass… and the guard said something about the thief just disappearing… doesn't that sound familiar?
Just then, guards rushed in through the door and saluted as they headed towards Saul.
"Sir, we found this outside on the street about 10 yards from the building." One of the guards handed him a crushed metal tube with a set of sharp blades at one of the ends. "Aha!" Saul exclaimed with a slight grin. This is what he was looking for. Teleportation… hmm… there were many scientists and engineers who attempted an ability like this… apparently this attempt had been successful…but there's too many of those type of people that could be suspects… This man would have to be very intelligent to actually succeed in teleportation… but who…?
A technician walked over to Saul and saluted. "Sir, I have reviewed the archives of the control console, and this is what I have found." He handed Saul a sheet of paper with some text on it. Saul read through the text quickly and his eyes lit up immediately after he finished. Nanotechnology… this guy's really interested in nanotechnology…and they're all breakthroughs by…
Saul took out his commlink and contacted the Capitol Tower located in the heart of the city. A man with slightly gray hair appeared on the screen. He had a stern look on his face. "Mr. Stevens… have you discovered anything about our perpetrator?"
Saul smiled deviously. "Mr. President, I think we've found him."
***********************************************************************************
Ethan and Katrina happily walked with each other back to Ethan's penthouse. They were having a nice conversation when someone with ripped clothing ran into Ethan. Katrina helped him up and they noticed that five armed men were chasing the same man. The man didn't get far thanks to the paralyzing beam that came out of one of the guard's rifles. Crowds of people ran away in swarms while the armed men surrounded the man, who was now shivering constantly. One of the men with darker armor spoke to the man on the ground.
"Mr. Johnson, you haven't been paying your taxes. You are given two choices: One, you can pay up now. Two, you don't pay now, and you die."
"But I'm poor, and I don't have a home or a job. Can't you just leave me alo－"
The man was jolted with another burst of energy. "That isn't one of the choices, Mr. Johnson. Now pay up, or I'm going to have to set this rifle to maximum firepower."
"I told you, sir. I can't do tha－AHHHH!!" Mr. Johnson flinched in pain. His yell echoed in vain through the streets. Ethan was enraged at the sight of the slaughter and began to walk over when Katrina grabbed his arm.
"Ethan, don't. There's nothing we can do about it now."
"But Katrina, don't you see what they're doing to that－"
"What good are you to the cause if you're dead?"
Ethan sighed heavily. Katrina and Ethan began walking back to the penthouse as Mr. Johnson continued to scream loudly.
They arrived at Ethan's penthouse around noon. Ethan opened all the blinds to let the sunlight enter his home. Then Ethan went into his workshop with Katrina following directly behind. He faced a wall near a corner of the room and placed a hand on a tile on the wall. The tile then glowed brightly and a thin stylus slid out of a small hole in the wall. Ethan picked up the stylus and drew the insignia of the Resistance, which consisted of sharp lines crossing with each other at several angles until it almost looked like a sharp, jagged, slanted capital "R". Then the wall slid open to reveal his NEO suit. Katrina looked at it with curiosity. The suit was in a glass case that looked quite sturdy. It was practically covered in black and dark grey colors. It was sleek and thin, and the suit seemed to be slightly flexible and light. The entire suit looked like it was already complete except for a small empty space on the suit's chestplate. Ethan took out the small case with the generator and opened it. Then he took the generator and placed it in the empty space on the suit. Ethan took the suit out of its chamber.
"Ok, Katrina, I'm gonna need some help putting this thing on."
"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Katrina teased. Ethan laughed at the remark.
After about 2-3 minutes, Ethan was fully wearing the NEO suit. He placed the helmet on and walked around to get used to it.
"It looks pretty nice, Ethan. How long did it take you to make this?"
"About 5 years."
"Whoa, that's a long time, Ethan."
"Yeah, and I still had time to be with you."
Katrina smiled.
"Actually Katrina, I haven't even turned the suit on yet. Once this suit's up and running, I could use its full potential against the Order."
"Well let's give it a test drive."
"Alright. Here we go…"
Once Ethan switched the suit on, a light on the generator glowed dark red. Soon, thin lines of glowing red light streaked throughout his suit.
"Hmm… that's weird… nothing seems to be any differ－"
Ethan jerked as pure energy surged through him. Then he found himself sprinting at breakneck speeds and running on walls.
Katrina laughed as Ethan ran upside down on the ceiling and crashed into a wall, nearly cracking it. Katrina ran up to Ethan, who was on the ground laughing.
"Ethan, are you alright?"
"I－I－wow… that was incredible…"
"I'll take that as a yes." Katrina said with a smile.
"Yes… it was an awesome experience… I'm gonna test with it some more."
Katrina watched, always smiling as Ethan tested some of the capabilities of the suit for several hours. Ethan wasn't able to unleash its full potential due to the lack of space, but it was still incredibly entertaining. As time flew by, the sun set and night fell upon the city. Ethan finally became tired of testing his creation.
"Alright, I think that's enough for today. Katrina, could you help me get the suit off?"
"Oh no, you're on your own this time, Ethan." They both laughed joyfully.
Once the suit was off, Ethan placed it back in its chamber and the wall slid back into place. He walked out of the workshop and into the living room. Katrina was sitting on the couch quietly. Ethan sat down next to her.
"Hey."
"Hey, Ethan...." Katrina whispered softly.
Ethan examined Katrina carefully. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and she had a slightly worried look on her face.
"Katrina, is something wrong?"
"Huh? Uh－no, Ethan. Nothing's wrong."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Ethan. I'm sure."
"Katrina… something's on your mind… I know it."
"I…"
"Come on, talk to me. What's wrong?"
"Well… it's just that… now that you've got your suit finished, the cause is almost ready to fight back against Order."
"Yeah, I know."
"And… well… I don't know… something could happen to you."
"Aww… Katrina, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."
"How could you know for sure? I mean, I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt."
"I know. Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Katrina looked away from Ethan. A small tear fell from her eye. Ethan put his arm around her.
"Katrina, I'll be fine."
"I… I just… I don't want you to go. We've been together for so long."
"I know. I actually don't want this to happen either. I don't want to leave you all by yourself."
"Then why aren't you staying? I want you to stay with me… stay with me, Ethan…"
"This is our chance, Katrina. The suit is going to give us our freedom from Order. Then we can be together for the rest of our lives."
"Why can't we be together now?"
"But… aren't we together now? Katrina, let's not think about the future. Let's focus on right now. Let's spend the rest of the night together…"
Katrina smiled lightly, and then rested her arms on Ethan's shoulders. They stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment, and then moved closer toward each other. Ethan embraced Katrina firmly and placed his lips on hers. The room fell silent as they kissed each other, both fearing it would be their last. It was as if the world had stopped, and nothing could've separated them, as if nothing could possibly go wrong…
Unfortunately, it was very possible, and as they continued, they didn't notice the hum of a breaching charge attached to the door…

Your welcome I like the other chapters too your pretty talented man keep up the good work

Here's my next two. I've gotten 14 of them finished, but I felt like posting two at a time. Enjoy

Chapter 7

After an incredibly loud bang, the door came unhinged, collapsed, and slammed into the floor. Ethan and Katrina immediately turned to the doorway, as a rather young man in a leather jacket with dark brown hair and a trimmed beard came walking in with six armed men. The armed men raised their rifles and aimed at the couple, who was very shocked to see the attackers. The man with the leather jacket took out a small device, which looked like a hologram projector. A hologram appeared, showing rows of text, and the man began to read the text.
"Dr. Ethan Taylor… world-renowned nanotechnologist, expert sharpshooter, technological genius, ex-Special Forces… it's an honor to finally meet a man with such a prestigious title."
Ethan was half-confused, half-angry. He was confused of why there are six men aiming weapons at him and his girlfriend, and he was angry because they interrupted his time with Katrina and didn't give them any privacy.
"And who are you supposed to be? What are you doing in my penthouse?"
"My name is Saul Stevens, Captain of the Order Guard, and you're under arrest, for treason, murder, and destruction of property. You will cooperate, or else you will be forced to cooperate."
"And if I don't?"
Saul took his pistol out of his jacket and pointed it at Ethan. Katrina let out a small scream and leaned closer to Ethan.
"Why don't you go ahead and try it? See what happens…" Saul hissed with an evil grin.
"You don't scare me…"
"Tell you what, I'll give you a chance. Tell us what you did to the nanoparticle generator, and where it is, and we'll let you go back to your little 'love session', and I wouldn't have to send you to hell with a bullet through your chest. "
"Where I'm going's between me and God." Ethan said coldly. Katrina surveyed the situation nervously.
"Let's find out where, shall we?" yelled Saul as he loaded his pistol. When he pulled the trigger, Ethan felt as if time slowed down… as if he could observe his surroundings and plan his next move, but as the bullet sailed through the air, Katrina got in the way, and the bullet darted through the air and hit her in the chest. She gasped in pain and fell to the floor. A red stain was growing larger on her shirt. Ethan rushed to her side with tears in his eyes.
"No… No… this can't be happening…"
Katrina coughed and wheezed until she had gathered enough strength to speak in a raspy voice. "Ethan… I'm sorry… don't worry… I'm… going to a better place now… just stay with me please… just a while longer…"
"Katrina… I…" Tears ran down Ethan's face as Katrina closed her eyes slowly.
Ethan began to sob. "No… stay with me, Katrina… stay with me… You asked me to stay with you and I'm still here… you can't just leave me!!!! I can't go on without you… did you hear me, Katrina? Please! Don't go… stay with me…" He laid his head on her chest and cried.
Saul looked at the couple with scorn. "How pathetic… it's a pity she had to die… she sacrificed her life for you and your lost cause. She thinks she could save you from death…" Saul laughed in disgust. Ethan sat next to Katrina, with his hands on his face. Then he clenched his hands into fists, eyes red with anger, and reached for the pistol in his pocket. "Unfortunately, I'm still going to have to kill you." He began to reload when Ethan suddenly yelled, leaped up and fired his gun. The bullet hit Saul's arm, and as he recoiled backwards he slammed into a nearby wall as the armed men began to open fire on Ethan. Ethan evaded the bullets with amazing agility, fueled by his hate, grabbed a man by the neck and aimed the pistol to the man's head.
"Alright, nobody move." Ethan yelled with a shaky voice. "If anyone moves any closer, I－I'll shoot!" The armed men looked to each other confused, their rifles pointing at Ethan.
Luckily, Saul was knocked unconscious. If he had been conscious, he would've told his men to open fire anyway, completely ignoring the man that was being threatened at gunpoint. Ethan had some time to figure a way out. He looked behind him and noticed a way to escape, even though it would be really risky. Ethan didn't really care. He was desperate. He needed to get out of there. He began walking backwards, still pointing the gun to the man's head. Once he was in position, he waited a few seconds, and then shot the window that was behind him, and back-flipped out of the penthouse.
As Ethan fell from the window, the air rushed past him and he began his decent to the ground. He noticed an anti-grav taxi below him and he landed on top of it. Then he leaped off the taxi towards a building in front of him as bullets flew past him from his penthouse. He took out two sharp knives and stabbed them into the side of the building. The knives dug into the metal and sparks flew as Ethan began to slowly slide down. He kept sliding down until he reached the balcony of an apartment. He opened the screen door that led into the apartment, quietly sneaked through the room, left through the apartment front door and began looking for an elevator.
Once Ethan got to the ground floor, he rushed out of the lobby and noticed five armed men heading in his direction. He started to sprint as fast as he could while the men behind him began pushing bystanders out of the way. Five men? One must've stayed behind with Saul… Ethan thought with a grin. The grin didn't last, as he was testing his limits. He had to find a place to hide fast before his pursuers overtake him. The men were running considerably fast, even with the weapons in their hands. He took out his own weapon and began to fire at the men. The Order agents returned fire with their rifles, killing innocent citizens in their path. His heart pounded loudly and the beat of his heart synchronized with the beat of his sprinting feet. Ethan finally turned a corner and hid in a dark alley. He saw the Order agents rush past the alley. Ethan exhaled deeply. He could barely breathe after running vigorously and doing his little stunt in the airways.
The dark alley began to channel his emotions again, but this time his emotions were full of hate and rage. Ironically, Ethan noticed that the alley he was in was the same one he was in when he was heading to the Resistance Hideout. He began walking very slowly, with his gun still in hand. As he approached the other end of the alley, a man appeared with two more men, all wearing hoodies. The man in the middle stood in the center of the alley and began to speak.
"If you want to pass, you need to pay the－"
Ethan, still walking, lifted his gun up and shot the man straight in the forehead, his eyes burning in anger. The two other men scattered away from him in fear as he continued to head toward the Resistance Hideout.
"Good Riddance…" Ethan growled.

Chapter 8

"Unnngghhh…" Saul groaned as he opened his eyes.
"Good to see you awake, sir."
"Where's Taylor?"
"Five of our men are in pursuit as we speak."
"Very well… take the girl's body with us when we return to headquarters. For now, we must look for that nanoparticle generator…"
Saul and his minion searched for quite a while, until he finally entered the workshop.
"This room looks promising… hopefully we'll find what we're looking for…" He shuffled through all the drawers and boxes, with no success.
"S***! Where is it? It's got to be around here somewhere…" He kicked a box on the floor in frustration. Sheets of paper were strewn across the floor. He crouched down and picked up two sheets of paper. What's this…? Looks like sketches of some kind… and this one looks exactly like the nanoparticle generator… hmm… interesting… He looked at the other paper. This sketch looks like a suit or a robot of some kind… what are you planning Taylor…? Wait… It looks like the nanoparticle generator could fit onto this suit… fascinating… Saul had a vile grin on his face. He gathered all the sheets of paper back into the box and walked back into the living room, where the guard was waiting.
"Any luck, sir?"
"Grab the girl. We're leaving."
"But sir, we haven't found the suit yet…"
"Ahhh… but this is all we need!" said Saul as he carried the box out the door.
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Ethan angrily stormed into the Resistance Hideout, went to the nearest armory and started grabbing weapons off the shelves. Norm walked over to him quickly.
"Hey, I heard what happened. Are you alright? Um… what are you doing, Ethan?" Norm asked cautiously.
Ethan continued grabbing weapons and gear, completely ignoring Norm.
"Ethan… answer me."
No reply.
"Ethan!!! Why are you doing this? What are you trying to do, start a war?"
"Maybe." replied Ethan finally.
Norm frowned. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"Just shut up, Norm."
"You're in a pretty bad mood…"
Ethan quickly grabbed Norm's shirt and slammed him into the wall. "Yes, Norm. I am in a bad mood. Now leave me alone."
Norm raised his voice. "Ethan, I can't let you just take all this weaponry out of here with you telling me that you're gonna start a war!"
"Norm, I'm not actually going to start a war. You happy now? Now get out of my d*** sight."
"Then what the h*** are you doing this for? What could've possibly happened out there that would make you act like this?"
Ethan yelled over every single noise in the room. "They killed her, Norm! She's dead now! My only family, gone! Now, I have no one left, no one left to love! They… they won't get away with this… I will avenge her, Norm… if it's the last thing I do!"
"Then we will help you." said a voice from another side of the room. An older man stepped up to them and continued to speak. "Ethan, you cannot do this alone."
"Commissioner, this is personal… I must do this alone."
At this point the room went silent. Everyone completely stopped working and stared at the three of them.
"And how do you plan to do that?" Asked the Commissioner.
"My suit… I'll get it back and I'll use it to kill the man who killed Katrina."
"Those Order soldiers are probably swarming all over your penthouse trying to find it right now… you can't just sneak back inside and grab it. Face it, Ethan… you need some backup."
"…Fine, I'll take a few men with me."
"It's settled then. Who's willing to risk their lives to aid Ethan in his mission?"
The room was completely silent for a few minutes. Then a young man in his late teens walked out of the crowd. "I will." Said the man. Surprised voices filled the room.
"What's your name?" asked Ethan.
"Benjamin Harper, sir."
"You're a brave man, Harper."
A muscular black man－older than both Ethan and the young man－stepped up. "I'll help." The man said with a deep voice. "Besides, I feel like shooting something." Ethan smiled.
"And you are…?"
"Jericho Morris."
"Nice name you got there, Morris."
"Anyone else?" asked Ethan, who seemed a little happier than before.
"I'll come too." Said a young girl about the same age as Benjamin. "Don't think just because I'm a woman, I can't handle this kind of work. I'm a lot more dangerous than you think."
"Your name?"
"Cassandra Mason."
Ethan was pleased. He didn't think he'd actually get volunteers. He was touched by their generosity, although he didn't really want to show it.
"Thank you." whispered Ethan quietly.
"Alright, I guess this is your strike team then, Ethan." The Commissioner said.
"I guess it is."
"OK everyone, back to work!"
The crowd dispersed and continued with their tasks.
"Gear up men－er… soldiers." Ethan said to the three volunteers. "Time to get down to business."

Those are pretty interesting have you wrote a story like this before?

M!cH@3l 001 : Actually, this is my first story I've ever tried writing. It's amazing that I'm getting such good feedback from people already

Here two more if people are still interested.

Chapter 9

The four of them were discussing their plan from behind a truck parked across from the penthouse. The streets and the airways above it had been closed and there were guards everywhere.
"There's so many of them…" said Cassandra.
"Don't worry, as long as we stay stealthy, we should be fine." Ethan whispered.
"So what's the plan?" asked Ben.
"I say we should snipe the enemies outside silently one by one, then rush in and take out any other enemies inside personally." suggested Jericho.
"There's probably no escaping that… but we could at least try to do as much as we can before they know we're he－"
Suddenly, a guitar riff blared from a cell phone in someone's pocket. Ethan groaned.
"Alright… whose is it?"
Ben grinned nervously as he turned it off quickly.
"Idiot…"
"Hey you!" yelled a guard from across the street. Ethan took out a pistol and quickly dispatched him.
"Alright guys… GO!"
The four of them split up in different directions as bullets flew from the penthouse and from across the street.
"Harper, you really know how to make a first impression!!" Ethan yelled while taking cover from the bullet barrage.
Ben just frowned and shrugged, then got up and fired furiously at the guards, taking out at least 10 of them. Ethan was impressed. Well… we learn from our mistakes. He looked at Jericho, with his heavy machine gun, mauling large groups of guards simultaneously. These guys really know what they're doing… I wonder how the girl's doing… He turned to his right and saw the girl with a rapier slashing through rows of soldiers, flipping and dodging their bullets with great prowess. Ethan's eyes widened. W－w－whoa… this is incredible… if only all our members were like these three…
Ethan stared mindlessly at all his companions for several minutes until a loud boom echoed across the street. He shook his head to return to reality.
"Rocket launcher!" cried Ben. Ethan ducked as the rocket sailed directly above him and collided into a car behind him. Ethan shielded his eyes from the pieces of debris and shrapnel that flew everywhere.
"Someone take him out!" Ethan yelled.
"He's mine! Cover me!" responded Cassandra as she proceeded to take out her sniper rifle. Jericho sprinted over to where she was and began giving her some support by taking out waves of soldiers. Cassandra ducked for cover, aimed, and sent a bolt right to the man's face.
Ben scoffed. "Ha, you're pretty good, but you gotta think outside the box." After saying this he threw a container filled with some sort of liquid substance. He lifted his rifle and aimed at the rocket launcher that was now on the ground. "Now, you might want to grab onto something."
Ethan's eyes widened. "No wait, what do you think you're－"
Ben began unloading bullets. The container shattered, and the liquid drizzled on the rocket launcher. As the flurry of bullets hit the rocket launcher, it ignited, and in less than 5 seconds later there was a blinding flash that engulfed everyone on the street. Ethan along with Cassandra and Jericho were sent crashing to the floor by the overwhelming force, while Ben stood perfectly still.
Guards either flew and crashed into walls or were consumed by the flames that remained. The soldiers who shot from the windows retreated deeper into the penthouse to shield their eyes or to play it safe. Ethan and the others got up slowly, still shaken from the unexpected blast.
Ben grinned at Cassandra with pride. "Top that, Wonder Woman."
Cassandra went up to Ben with a piercing glare. "You jerk!! You could've gotten us killed!! What the h*** were you thinking??"
Ben jumped. "I－I… well… I mean… I was just trying to－"
"What? Show me something? Well you've shown me that you don't give a d*** about anyone around you! What if you blew us up? I mean, seriously, what were you trying to do?"
"I was… trying to help…."
"Help? You seriously think you helped us by blowing up the entire street? Well, let me tell you－"
"Actually…" said Ethan quite cheerfully. "I think that helped us a lot! Well… a little… unorthodox… but, it'll do. Now we just have to take out the men in the penthouse and we'll be fine."
"Great!" said Jericho, equally cheerful. Ethan began to walk towards the entrance to the penthouse.
"See? I told you." said Ben with a smile. Cassandra just rolled her eyes and walked away. Ben frowned.
"That was smooth." jested Jericho.
"Hmm! What do you know about women, big guy?" said Ben scornfully.
"Well, I'm no expert, but I'd say that saying "I told you" after pissing her off is a bad idea."
"She's so... relentless…"
"Ha, well, some women are like that."
"That's soooooo hot." said Ben with a smile.
Jericho just laughed and both of them began to follow Cassandra and Ethan into the penthouse.
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The lobby was a mess. There were pieces of glass and debris all over the floor. Bodies of guards were lying dead. The entire building had blacked out due to the explosion. Ethan walked up to the elevator. Little jolts of electricity were sizzling from the switches.
"Well, looks like that's not gonna work. Not like we were going to use it anyway…" Ethan remarked. He moved slowly up the stairs.
"Alright, I'm on point. I want silencers from here on out. Jericho, I want you to cover us in the back to make sure no one sneaks up behind us, and Harper, turn off that d*** cell phone."
"Yeah yeah…" said Ben monotonously. Everyone twisted silencers onto their rifles and began to sluggishly walk up the stairs.
Cassandra caught up to Ethan and talked to him as they were progressing up the building.
"Sir, I think that creep shouldn't be in here with us."
Ethan grinned. "Oh, you mean Harper? Well, honestly, I think he'd be a great asset to this mission and to the Resistance."
"With all due respect, sir, I think it's a bad idea to keep idiots like him around."
"Well, I mean, if you don't like him around, just stay away from him."
"He's endangering the mission!"
"Look, I'll decide whether or not he's endangering the mission."
"But－"
"Shhh－ I think I heard something." He motioned his hand to tell everyone to stand still. "Wait here, I'll check it out." He lifted his rifle, crouched down, and slowly moved up the remaining flight of stairs to the next floor. There was a closed door in front of him. Ethan could see light faintly coming from the space between the door and the floor. He inched up to the door with his rifle ready and gripped the doorknob, which he noticed was not locked. Then he put his ear against the door and tried listen for any activity inside the room. After a few minutes, he heard a faint voice speaking: "… clear out of the building… have all your men do the same… there's been a change of plans…"
"Affirmative." said another louder voice. Then Ethan heard footsteps, and a few minutes later, a clanging noise. Dead silence. He began to turn the doorknob slightly, then threw open the door swiftly with his rifle poised to shoot.
The room was very messy, like the lobby. Furniture was overturned and papers were all over the place. The room was very dim, except for the faint light he saw earlier, which was from the window. He walked up to the open window and saw that there was a large metal hook secured in place. Hmm… what's this supposed to be? The rest of the company ran into the room.
"What's going on, sir?" asked Jericho.
"I don't know… it looks as if… they're escaping the building…"
"A deserter, perhaps?" suggested Ben.
"No, I heard the man talking to someone as if he was receiving orders."
"Well," Cassandra started, "Maybe he－"
"….Yeah, I'll be right there, sir. Over and out." said a faint voice.
"Someone's coming!" Ethan hissed. Everyone immediately ducked behind the furniture or put their backs against a wall. The man entered the room. He was rather young, and headed for the window when Ethan sprung out from his cover and pressed the barrel of his rifle against the man's head.
"Don't move…"
"Please, I－I… I don't want to die… spare me…" The man was shaking frantically and tears were rolling down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, kid, but I can't spare someone who works for the murderer of my girlfriend."
"Wha－but－I－I had nothing to do with it!"
He pushed the barrel even harder. "I don't give a d***!… I will kill every single one of you to avenge her and all those… who have died for all the wrong reasons…" He started to pull the trigger…
"Wait!!" yelled Jericho. He grabbed Ethan's rifle and ripped it out of his hands.
"Jericho? What are you doing? Give that rifle back to me!"
"I can't… I can't let you hurt this innocent young man… it wouldn't be right…"
"Innocent? He works for Order! Who knows what he's done? He's probably as much of a murderer as the one who killed Katrina!"
"Just because he works for them doesn't mean he's a murderer!!"
"You don't know what they've done to me, Jericho! The pain they've given me…"
"No… I don't know… I can't comprehend how much pain you have to bear… what they've done to you… I've never found someone… someone to love… but I do know what someone has done for me."
"For you? How can someone who works with Order do anything for you?"
"Allow me to explain…"
***********************************************************************************
It was about 20 years ago. My family and I were on our way to a neighboring city on an air train. We were crossing the desert below us when suddenly we were ordered to stop by a squad of Order troops. They boarded the train from their patrol skiff and began to ask for a "Jackson Morris". Of course, this "Jackson Morris" was my father. I had no idea at the time, but he had been working for the Resistance, and was trying to smuggle weapons from the neighboring city we were headed for. The commander of the squad began to threaten the passengers of the train, and said that if we didn't tell them where my father was, or if he didn't show himself, then they would start shooting passengers. The passengers refused to tell him, but my father finally stood up and walked up to the squad leader. Before he could even speak the squad leader pulled the trigger on my dad. I couldn't believe my eyes… It's a traumatic experience… watching your father die. I saw his body laying there… his blood all over him and on the floor. That image, it stays in your mind forever. I see it everyday… and I can never erase it from my memory. My mother ran to his side and sobbed. The squad leader shot her too… she didn't do anything wrong… and yet she died, alongside my father. I looked upon my parents with tears in my eyes. I didn't know how to deal with it… how to move on. After killing both my parents, the squad leader said that for defying orders, there would be consequences, and by consequences, he meant that he and his squad would open fire on every last passenger on that train. I watched as the massacre ensued. Soldiers began shooting passenger after passenger. I panicked, so I ran to the back of the train, and opened the emergency exit. There was nowhere to run. I looked down, and I saw an oasis directly below, so I jumped from over 50 feet above the ground. I don't know how I survived that jump… I thank God everyday for that. After getting out of the water, I began to run… I didn't even know where I was headed, but I just ran until I heard a loud boom behind me. I fell down face first into the sand, and as I got up, I looked behind me and saw the train blown to pieces. This made me run even faster, and I could feel the patrol skiff coming towards me. I tried to get away but I ended up almost running off a cliff. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by Order troops. I prepared myself for death. The ring of soldiers was all in position to fire. I closed my eyes, and hoped reunite with my parents in heaven, when I heard a man yelling. He ran beside me.
"You can't do this… he's just a boy!"
"He's a boy who supports the Resistance. He is a threat to the safety and prosperity of our nation. He must be eliminated!"
"He hasn't done anything wrong… Please… This is madness!"
"Your orders were to shoot him!!… If you will not shoot him, then you must step aside."
"No! I won't allow it!!"
"STEP ASIDE!"
"NNNOOO!!!"
After this he raised his heavy machine gun and fired. He managed to kill more than half of the people in the entire squad. Even after taking countless shots from his comrades, he still fought on, until finally, he took his last shot, and fell down beside me. I will never forget what he said to me…
"I'm sorry, kid… I tried my best… don't let them get you… live on… for your parents… and for me… do it for me… promise me you'll live on…"
I could only nod with the tears in my eyes, and he closed his eyes, using the last of his strength to force a smile on his face.
I put my hands over my face and wept. I had emotions run amok in my mind. It was so overwhelming that I didn't even care about my life anymore. I didn't care if there were 15 armed men within 10 feet away from me… that is, until the squad leader spoke again.
"Traitor… Throw his body off the cliff."
I was shocked to hear such cruelty. The men hesitantly walked up to the man's body and lifted him, with the squad leader closely behind. They completely ignored me because they were so focused on carrying out their vile task.
I couldn't let this happen, so I looked around and saw the man's heavy machine gun lying on the sand. I picked it up and yelled with rage. "Leave him alone!!" I said, and I furiously shot all of the men, including the squad leader, whom I fired at the most. I realized that some of the men could've been like the man who defended me but just didn't have to courage to stand up for me, so I ran from the place with guilt and saw the patrol skiff nearby. When I walked up to it, I noticed that the driver was still there, and was asleep. I woke him up and ordered him to take me back to the city that I came from, and if he didn't, I would shoot him. I worried that he wouldn't do it, because if I shot him I wouldn't be able to get back. I had no driving experience. However, the driver probably thought his life was more important than dying for his "cause" because he immediately listened to my commands and flew me back to the city. I didn't quite know what I was going to do next. All I had were the clothes that I had on and the heavy machine gun that I took from the man, which remains with me to this day. I was only 16 then… that whole experience had changed my life forever. It showed me how cruel Order really is… but it also showed me that some people didn't want to be a part of it all, they were just forced to. It showed me that there were some good people among all the evil we usually see. I kept that man's words to heart, I joined the Resistance, and I swore that I would help bring justice to everyone, even Order agents… everyone in the world…
***********************************************************************************
"I… I never knew… I'm sorry…"
"It's ok, Commander Taylor. I just needed to show you my take on Order so you can spare this young man."
"Oh I almost forgot!" Ethan released his grip on the man, who was relieved to know that he wasn't going to die after all.
"Thank you!! Thank you so much!!" The young man hugged Jericho to show his gratitude. Jericho was surprised by the sudden move from the man, and quickly recoiled from him.
"You're…－ahem－You're welcome…"
"Oh… sorry… I was just thanking you…"
"Well… I got your point… what's your name?"
"My name is Liam Strider."
Ethan jumped as if he remembered something. "Liam, I'm sorry for threatening you earlier, but I must ask, what were you going to do just now?"
"What was I going to do…? Oh! I remember! We're carrying out an evacuation. All the Order agents are leaving the building."
"Why?"
"I don't know… I was just given these orders by the commander."
"Hmmm… we better get moving…"
"Yeah." said Ben. "Let's get to that suit of yours."
"Right." said Ethan.
"Commander Taylor－"
"You don't need to call me that anymore… I'm not above any of you…"
"But sir, you've done so much for the－"
"I've let my hatred control my actions, and almost killed Liam. I've been so blinded by my motive of destroying Order that I've probably killed innocent people in the past… I'm… no better than they are."
"No… you did it for a good cause, and besides, we know you've been through so much. It's understandable to lose control."
"Still, you don't need to call me Commander anymore. And I promise that I will try to stop being so cruel to Order agents… except for Saul…"
"Oh, you mean the Captain of the Guard? That son of a b****…" remarked Liam.
"Sir－ I mean…" Jericho stuttered.
"Ethan… call me Ethan."
"…Ethan, let's get to the penthouse."
"Alright. Liam, are you coming with us?
"You mean… join your cause? Yeah!! I've had it with Order!"
"Great! We need all the help we can get, and maybe you can tell us a little more about Order…"
***********************************************************************************
As they entered the penthouse, they noticed how tidy and neat it was compared to the other rooms in the building. The only trace of an incident was the broken window.
"Hmm… I didn't know Order agents cleaned up after themselves…" said Ben.
"They probably needed the area cleared so they can find the suit." suggested Cassandra.
Ethan looked at the living room floor. There were still red stains on the floor.
"Her body… they took her body… why would they do that? They have to take everything away from me…" He knelt down on the floor silently. Everyone else in the room just stood watching him without making any noise.
After a few minutes, Ethan got up, and walked into the workshop. The others followed closely, and he went to the wall where the NEO suit was hidden. He proceeded to place his hand on the tile. To Ethan's dismay, the stylus didn't come out of the little hole in the wall as it did before.
Ethan, you idiot… This building ran out of power… of course it doesn't work…
"Cassandra, let me see your rapier for a sec."
"Sure."
He took the rapier and started slicing through the wall and removing pieces of it until the entire wall was gone and the suit was in plain sight. The others looked at the suit with great curiosity. So they didn't find it… then…why did they evacuate the building?
He shattered the glass case and took out all the separate parts. He looked at his creation with hope, and spoke aloud: "Don't worry, Katrina… with this… I'll change the world… the way we wanted it…"
Suddenly, there was a noise that became increasingly louder. Then the building shook violently and Ethan's party members went out of the workshop and into the living room to see what was going on.
"Ethan! It's a gunship!! They're opening fire on us!" Liam cried with panic in his voice.
"What?! S***…" So that's why they evacuated… they needed all their men out of the building so they can take down the building with us in it! Ethan immediately began putting on the suit and powering it on. The power surged within him as he ran into the living room. He saw the gunship approaching from the distance.
"They shot the building with some heavy rounds, but I'm sure that thing's got more firepower than that." said Liam.
"Well, I'll see what I can do." Ethan said quite confidently. "Do whatever you can to survive. Maybe shoot some rounds at it once it gets in range. Call me if you need me. I'll do my best to try and end this ASAP." After this he thrust himself out of the building. He sailed through the air with incredible momentum. Come on… This better work…
Ethan landed on the roof of the building across the street. He could feel the tremors from the impact. Yes… I can do this… I just have to make sure I don't do anything stupid and kill myself… After skipping from building after building for a while, Ethan became accustomed to the process, and became more agile and swift as he raced toward the gunship in the distance.
The gunship had a wingspan of about the length of three cars put together. On each of the two wings there were two missile pod, two heatseeker missiles and two heavy Vulcan cannons. It also has a weapons bay which contains explosives for bombing runs. In addition, there were open sides where soldiers with mounted heavy machine guns may fire any threat from the flanks. Of course, with all this firepower, the gunship obviously can't move very fast. That was its one and only weakness. This made the gunship quite easy to attack, that is, if the attacker was able to survive long enough. Within minutes, the gunship's crew detected Ethan heading in their direction, and fired the gunship's Vulcan cannons. Ethan was able to dodge the rounds due to his incredibly enhanced speed and agility. As he got closer and closer to the gunship, he analyzed the situation. Alright… so from what I can tell, the gunship is about 20 feet away from the rooftops of these buildings and as long as I can time it right, I should be able to get on top of it and take out the crew from the inside. He sprinted harder and began gathering as much strength as he could. When the time came, Ethan took his leap of faith. The pilot and crew were confounded. They had lost sight of Ethan on their sensors. All of a sudden the gunship shook and the ceiling had a large dent. The gunmen on the flanks sat still, fearing what may happen next. Less than a minute later ceiling was torn apart by a razor sharp blade and Ethan landed in between the two gunmen. He dispatched both men with a swift, fluid motion and began to run towards the cockpit, where the pilot was unaware of what was going on.
"What the h*** is going on back there?"
"Looking for me?" Ethan replied coolly and placed a pistol to the pilot's head.
"Ha, shoot me and this gunship will go down… and you'll die a painful death. Do you know how many explosives are on this thing? Once this baby blows, you won't be able to tell the difference between the flames you died in and the flames of hell!!"
"Really? Well, that sounds great, but I'd hate to keep it all to myself. Why don't I let you have all the fun?" After saying this, he fired at the cockpit windshield, back flipped out of the cockpit and shot at the engines. The engines exploded and in turn several explosions occurred and merged into one large blast that echoed for miles. Ethan landed on the nearest rooftop. He grinned as he watched pieces of burning metal fall from the sky. Then he heard someone's voice.
"Ethan? Ethan… can you hear me?" It was Cassandra.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Umm… we've got some more company coming our way."
"What?!"
"There're fighter jets coming in at 12 o'clock. See them?" Ethan looked up and saw three fighters fly overhead.
"Uhhh… yeah… I see them." He started running back towards the building.
"What are we gonna do?"
"Uhh… just sit tight for a sec."
He hung up and sprinted as fast as he could and jumped from building to building until he reached the penthouse. The fighter jets flew past the building.
"Cassandra, let me see your sniper rifle."
"Ok, but please hurry; the fighters are coming back around."
"Don't worry, I got this." Ethan said calmly.
S***, s*** s***… what am I gonna do with three fighter jets? He jumped out of the window towards the roof and planted his feet on the side of the building. Then he started running vertically until he was at the top. Well… that was fun. He turned around and saw the fighters far away. Ok… I can do this… He took out the sniper rifle and aimed. This is crazy… I'm trying to snipe out a fighter… Well… they are flying relatively low… and the bolts are pretty powerful… aww, who am I kidding, I'm losing my mind… The fighters were closing in. Ethan fired at one of the fighters. He didn't know if he hit it or not, that is until he saw smoke coming from the jet as it nose-dived into a nearby building. Ethan was relieved. Alright, so it's possible… just two more… He was becoming more optimistic when he saw two missiles launched from the remaining two fighters. Oh great… He called Cassandra.
"Hello?"
"Brace yourselves." Ethan ended the call. He aimed his sniper rifle again. The building may be able to take one hit… but not two… I need to take out at least one of them… He fired his first shot. The missile exploded in midair. He lined up his next shot. This is gonna be close… He pulled the trigger. The bullet missed its mark. The building shook as it took damage from the missile. Ethan fell face first on the floor. D*** it… I can't let that happen again.
"Ethan, Ethan!!"
"Yes, I know; I couldn't really stop that last one from crashing into the building."
"Do whatever it takes to stop them!! We're counting on you." The call ended.
Ethan looked for the fighters in the sky. They made a sharp turn and were once again aiming at the building. Ethan fired the sniper rifle again and downed the second fighter. Alright… one left… He took aim and pulled the trigger… *Click* Ethan pulled the trigger a couple more times before throwing it down in disgust. Why does this kind of thing always happen to me? He pondered for a minute. Well, the fighter is flying low enough for me to… Nooooo! That's suicide! Why am I thinking like this? But… there's not really another option… He stepped back until he was at the edge of the roof. Then, he waited with the fighter jet in sight. It came closer and closer until finally it was in range, and Ethan bolted toward the other side of the roof and jumped. Time felt sluggish as he soared through the air and pulled out his blade. The fighter jet was almost directly in front of him. He slashed at the jet as fast as he could. All was silent; he didn't hear any noise or any sign that he had hit the fighter. Suddenly, there was a bright light that blinded him, and there was a loud, ringing noise in his ears. The light engulfed Ethan as he felt himself falling. UUnnnhhhh... He shut his eyes, and the blinding light slowly faded to darkness.

Chapter 10

Ethan was walking through the halls aimlessly. He had no idea where he was going. He was already late for his next class. There was no one in the halls he could ask for directions, and the signs were very confusing and misleading. He sprinted nervously through the vast corridors looking for his class. Suddenly, he crashed into someone. Ethan landed flat on his bottom with his books all over the floor. Quickly, he scrambled to collect all of his books and as he did he looked up and saw that a girl was doing the same with her books. Apparently he had crashed into her. One of her high heels had broken from the crash. As she noticed this, she frowned as she threw the broken piece at a nearby wall.
The two of them stood up as the girl began to speak.
"I'm…I'm so sorry… I wasn't paying any atten－"
"No, no. It was all my fault, I was rushing around the halls looking for my class. I have no clue where I'm going…"
"…You're new here, too?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, what room number are you heading for?"
"Room 406."
"That's the same class I'm headed for! Let's look for it together." The girl said with a pleasant smile.
Ethan was a little confused. Why was she being so nice to him after he had been such a jerk?
"Umm… Ok."
So then the two went looking around for the classroom together. Once they finally found it, they went in at the same time and both received a lecture from the professor in front of the entire class. Then they quickly took two seats next to each other and listened to the professor lecture some more, except this time to the entire class. After the lecture was done, Ethan was leaving for the next class when the girl went up to him.
"Hey, thanks."
"Thanks… for what?"
"For… being with me."
"Oh… well… You're welcome."
The girl looked as if she was going to speak, but changed her mind as she walked out the room. Ethan stood for a few seconds, then suddenly he ran out the door and looked for the girl. Once he saw her, he started running to her.
"Hey, wait!"
"What is it?"
"I… I never got your name."
"Oh." The girl smiled. "My name's Katrina Collins. And you are?"
"I'm Ethan Taylor."
"Well… it was nice meeting you, Ethan." Katrina said with a light smile. Then she limped away with her broken high heel.
Ethan called to her again. "Katrina!"
She turned with the smile still on her face, maybe brighter than before. "Yes?"
"You need any help going anywhere?"
"It's just a broken heel… I think I can manage."
"I think that's considered a safety hazard."
She laughed cheerfully. "You're a funny guy, Ethan."
He couldn't tell whether or not it was a compliment or an insult, since he wasn't trying to be funny; the words just slipped out of his mouth. He smiled anyway and said: "Well, are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes. I'll be ok. Thanks anyway! See you later!"
Ethan watched as she limped away to her next class. After standing for a minute he noticed he wasn't getting to his next class and he started to run quickly.
Ethan thought to himself. "There's something about that girl. I can't stop thinking about her… and I just met her a couple minutes ago…" He laughed to himself. "… I'm losing my mind…"
***********************************************************************************
"Ethan…"
Blinding light again. Ethan shut his eyes immediately to shield them from the light. He felt the light grow dimmer, so he slowly opened them and saw a figure standing over him. Apparently he was laying down. He blinked his eyes a couple times to see more clearly. The figure came into focus, and Ethan soon found out that it was Jericho. Then Jericho spoke, but not to him.
"Hey, I think he's waking up!"
"Seriously? Whoaa….."
Ethan then found three more people standing over him, who were Ben, Cassandra, and Liam once his vision became clearer. Ethan lifted himself up and noticed he was lying on the street near his apartment building.
"What… what happened?"
"We saw you jump from the building with the sword. It was sick." said Ben.
"You slashed the jet and for a while all we saw was an explosion afterward, until we saw you falling." said Cassandra.
"And then we ran down to look for you. After a while we found you on the street just laying there, with your suit all crackling with lightning." Jericho explained.
"Ngghhh… the suit… it doesn't look too damaged does it?" Ethan said with some concern in his voice.
"No, not really. In fact, other than some scratches and the whole electricity thing I told you about just now, I'd say it looks perfectly fine." answered Jericho.
"You really used some heavy-duty alloy or something for your suit didn't you?" asked Ben.
"Well…" Ethan replied, "I used some personally made nano-engineered metals and fibers to make it. I wasn't too sure if it would be that strong yet, since I haven't had a lot of time to test it. So, I also reinforced it with some other strong metals and fibers to make sure that it would hold up against most threats. Except I wasn't really planning for falling off buildings and attacking fighter jets…"
"Well, I'd say that your engineering worked. You fell off a building with over 200 floors, and you still survived, not to mention your suit being mostly undamaged." Ben remarked.
"My head… hurts… It's like as if something's messing with my brain. Unnnggghhhh..." Ethan collapsed back to the floor painfully. He started to have violent spasms and contractions, and small jolts of electricity sizzled throughout his suit.
Cassandra crouched down and took his helmet off. Then she took something out of her pocket and placed it on his forehead.
"Wait… don't tell me, you're trained in the medical field, too?" Ben said amusingly.
"No… not exactly, I'm just getting a diagnostic scan of his brain and the areas around it to see if there's a reason why he's like this."
"Well couldn't it have just been the fact that he almost killed himself by falling off a building after taking down three fighters and a gunship?"
"Not exactly… it can be very complicated, besides, we need to know how to fix it, or know exactly what caused it."
Ben frowned with a confused look on his face. "Umm… what exactly do you mean?"
"Well, we can't just say, 'Ethan has a seizure because he fell off a building.' It's more than just that… any idiot would know that falling off a building could do something severe to you. We need to figure out everything about his problem." Upon the words "any idiot", Cassandra looked away from Ethan just to glare at Ben scornfully and then return to her work. Ben frowned even more than ever.
The device beeped repetitively after a few minutes, and Cassandra took it away from Ethan's forehead. After reviewing the results of the scan, Cassandra looked quite distressed.
"Cassandra, what's wrong?" asked Jericho.
"I… I don't… know…" Cassandra answered.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"The scans… they're too vague… it says there's something in his brain… but it doesn't say what… it's too small to be a tumor, but it's still having some effect on Ethan's brain."
Ethan continued to groan and move involuntarily until suddenly he yelled at the top of his lungs. Out of nowhere, as if they just formed out of thin air, were large, metallic objects. From swords to rifles to random spheres, more objects continued to appear randomly until Ethan settled down and went into a comatose state. Cassandra, Ben, Jericho and Liam were amazed at the sight. They stared at the strange items, floating in the air. Then all of the objects began falling at once.
"Watch out!!" Liam yelled as he ran over and caught a sword that formed right above Ethan's head. The others dodged the random objects until they had all fallen and hit the floor. The four of them were dumbfounded by what happened in the last 10 minutes.
"What… was… that?" Ben asked quietly.
"I have no clue…" Jericho said.
Liam shook Ethan's body to try and wake him up, but he wouldn't move.
"He's still breathing… pulse seems normal… what happened to him?"
Cassandra stood staring at the body. "I can't quite figure it out… but I think the suit has something to do with what happened just now with all the forming objects."
"We need to take him back to the Resistance Hideout to give him some medical attention." Jericho suggested.
"Right." answered Cassandra. Then all four of them lifted Ethan's body and began to head back to the Resistance Hideout.

Cool man those are pretty cool as well It seems like you have a gift for writing

So far its pretty cool. Im digging the futuristic urban city vibe. I also liked the beggining dream seqeunce, it just seemed a lil long, but you can shorten it up easily though.
So far Ive only gotten to chapter 4, I would go farther but I ended up staying up all night, so right now i am barely typing this lol

Oh and I noticed a tiny mistake in chapter 3

"Why did that taxi had to get in the way?"
I think you were going for "have" lol but ill continue reading the rest once i get some err... rest lol

tonetone714 : OH SHOOT lol thanks I'll need to edit that now lol

Two more...

Chapter 11

"Here. I have something for you." Ethan revealed a wrapped box.
"Really? Aww… you didn't have to…"
"Well… it's just something I sort of owe you. Why don't you look what's inside?"
Katrina eagerly ripped the gift-wrap off of the box and opened it. A smile lit up on her face.
"High heels!" She laughed with surprise and took them out of the box. "But… why?"
"Remember that day? The day we first met?"
"How could I forget?" she said with a grin.
"You broke one of your high heels when I crashed into you remember?"
"You mean you broke one of my high heels when you crashed into me." Katrina said playfully. "Oh, this is so sweet, Ethan. You really didn't have to…"
"No… I had to. You're my best friend in the Academy. It's the least I could do. Try them on!"
"Ok!" She took off her sneakers and put on the shiny new high heels. She smiled brightly as she looked down at her new shoes.
"They're perfect! Thank you so much, Ethan. I'll wear these shoes as often as I can." She went up to him and hugged him tightly. Ethan's emotions heightened and he suddenly recoiled from her. Katrina frowned.
"…What? What's wrong?"
"I… I don't… know."
There was an awkward silence until Katrina spoke up. "I'm sorry… it just… happened… I mean－"
"It's ok, I liked it－I mean… I… I didn't… mind it at all…"
Katrina and Ethan looked down at the ground silently, unsure of what to say after that. Katrina broke the silence again. "Um, Ethan, I better go. I'll… I'll see you later…"
"Katrina… I－"
"I'm sorry, I really have to go." She stood up from the bench and walked away quietly.
Ethan let out a heavy sigh. "Idiot… why can't I get anything right… she won't even talk to me now…"
He sadly walked back to his apartment and sat down on his bed.
"Rose… I wish you were here right now so I can talk to you about all our problems like we used to… If only I knew where you were…"
***********************************************************************************
The first thing Ethan saw when he opened his eyes was the outstretching darkness of the night. As he stared at the blanket of clouds blocking out the mysterious glow of the moon, he noticed that the sky was constantly moving around, as if the sky itself were alive and had its own agenda. However, after observing his surroundings a little more, he discovered that he was actually being carried by his comrades. Ethan decided that he wouldn't tell them that he was awake, and that he was going to enjoy the comfort of being carried all the way back to the Hideout.
Suddenly, he heard a piercing screech that made him feel like his head was going to explode. He closed his eyes tightly and covered his ears to try and block out the noise but it was in vain. The noise was so loud and so unpleasant that Ethan couldn't even feel anything except for him being dropped to the ground. Gathering all his strength, he got up and opened his eyes.
What he saw was a hulking mechanical behemoth. The mech was three times taller than Ethan, and was projecting the high-pitched scream from a large speaker on its right shoulder. Its arms were bulky and were as wide as a medium sized car. Its hands were big enough to carry two or three people at once and the ends of its fingers were sharp like giant katanas. Ethan squinted at the mech as he was still trying to resist the infernal noise that it was blasting through the nearly empty streets. He looked around and grimaced as he saw Liam, Cassandra, Jericho, and Ben lying on the ground, gripping their heads in pain. He turned his view back to the mech, ready to strike back. He felt anger burning inside him as he noticed a stream of chrome slither in front of him. The stream suddenly materialized into a rather large sword. Ethan stared in awe at the sword, still floating in the air. He reached out his hand to grab it, and the sword immediately landed on the palm of his hand like a loyal puppy running to his owner. Ethan was still amazed, but also felt more empowered as he lunged at the robotic armor. With the large sword, he smashed the speaker to bits. The mech was caught off guard, but retaliated by swinging its massive arm at him. Ethan dodged swiftly and took another swing at it. This time, the mech was able to grab Ethan in mid-swing and lifted him to the air. Ethan dropped his sword. The mech proceeded to close its hand, binding Ethan tightly, and slam him face-first into a nearby building. Then, as it was about to continue its rampage, Ethan saw Jericho and the others standing up pointing their weapons at the mech.
"Ethan! You're awake!" Ben said.
"Of-of-of course I'm awake!!" Ethan yelled.
"Of course he's awake, you blockhead." Cassandra retorted. "Didn't you see him get his face smashed into the wall?"
"Well, of course I did, Cassie. I'm just trying to make sure."
"Did you just call me 'Cassie'?!"
"Didn't you just call me a 'blockhead' a couple seconds ago? Well that's a lot less severe than 'jerk', that's for sure…"
"Why the h*** would you call me 'Cassie'?!"
Jericho interrupted. "Can you two cut that out? Ethan, stay right where you are; don't move a muscle!"
"I don't think-I have-much of a choice here!!" said Ethan as the mech tightened its grip on him.
Jericho pulled the trigger of his heavy machine gun directly at the mech's hand that was constricting Ethan.
"What the h*** are you doing, Jericho?!" Ethan cried in a shocked voice.
"I know what I'm doing, don't worry!" said Jericho as he continued firing. The mech flung his arm around, as if it could actually feel pain. Ethan held on for dear life until it finally released its grip on him. He landed on his knees and struggled to get back up on his feet. Jericho continued firing and soon Ben and Cassandra joined in until the salvo that they had unleashed from their rifles had demolished the robot's left hand. Its hand shattered into a million pieces of metal that came down like miniscule meteors.
The five of them stared at the mechanical giant as it stared at where its hand should've been. Then, six gun barrels abruptly shot out of the emptiness in its arm. They rotated rapidly until the six barrels were barely distinguishable. The vortex of gun barrels then aimed and fired at the five comrades.
"Get behind me!" Ethan yelled. He extended his hand out and suddenly a large chrome barrier appeared in front of him directly before the bullets would've struck him. The bullets violently ricocheted off the artificial shield. Ethan was having a hard time holding the shield together. If he didn't concentrate his thoughts on the shield, it would disintegrate into nothing.
"How are you doing that?!" Ben asked, trying to yell over the bullets' impact.
"I don't know!" Ethan called back.
"Shut up, Ben. He's trying to focus." Cassandra hissed.
"Why do you have to be so d*** aggressive?" Ben retorted.
"Guys… SHUT UP!!!!" screamed Liam. Cassandra, Jericho and Ben stared at him silently.
"Well… it's about time you said something." said Ben.
"Hey… What's with all the noise back there? I can't concentrate like this." Ethan complained. And it was pretty obvious that the noise wasn't really helping. The shield seemed to be getting thinner and thinner.
Luckily for Ethan, the barrage of bullets abruptly ended. The silver shield vaporized and Ethan fell on his knees due to all the energy he used up trying to focus. As the other helped him back up, they looked to the distance and saw the mech raise its remaining hand into the air. It was then clenched into a fist and began to glow intensely.
"Oh, that can't be good." Ben remarked.
The mech drove its fist into the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth. The earth trembled and exploded along the path of the shockwave, blasting debris up from the ground.
"S***, I knew it!" Ben cried as he dove aside. The others followed his lead and darted away from the shockwave running through the street. The powerful force slithered like a serpent, continuing its course until it abruptly ended at a nearby building. The building screamed as an enormous rupture appeared on one of its walls. Ethan's eyes widened as he saw the incredible strength of the mech.
"What the h*** are we gonna do?!" asked Ben while staring nervously at the mech.
"We'll think of something. For now, just shoot at the d*** thing!" cried Jericho, who began to fire at the machine. Cassandra, Ben and Liam started to shoot at the mech with their own weapons, while Ethan reflected upon the last couple events that occurred.
How did I do all those things just now? I created a barrier and a large sword… with my mind. As soon as I thought of it, a suitable object appeared to resolve the issue. I suppose I can do the same now. He stared at the mech in the distance and focused all his thoughts on it. I need… something that can break through that thing… Ethan saw a mass of silver substance form into a large gun in front of him. He grabbed the weapon like he did with the sword and aimed. He gripped it tightly and pulled the trigger. The weapon hummed loudly and suddenly a bright beam of light surged from the barrel of the gun and pierced straight through the chest of the mech. The mech let out a loud noise, like a painful groan. It gripped its chest and took a few steps backward. Ethan pulled the trigger a couple more times and beams of light pulsed through the solid metal with ease. The mech continued to groan and now it was covered in ribbons of electricity, crawling around its body.
Ethan was surprised at how the mech was reacting to the damage it was taking. Is it… feeling pain?? How can this be? ...Have the Order scientists really become so intelligent to be able to pull off something like this? He was fascinated by the complex creation, but nevertheless, it must be destroyed. He took one last careful aim and fired. The beam shot through the mech's head. The mech stood like a statue for a minute or two, and collapsed to the ground in a loud crash.
Ethan let out a sigh. He was having a hard time breathing after the intense ordeal. Ethan saw the weapon disappear from his hands and looked at his comrades. They all had rather confused looks on their faces, especially Ben, who called out:
"Why the h*** didn't you use that kicka** blaster thingy in the first place?!"
Ethan decided not to answer, turned away from him and said, "Well? Quit standing around and let's head back. It won't be long before they send more of those things and who knows what." He began to walk down the street.
"But… if they send more of those things you can just use the kicka** blaster… I wanna have a turn…"
Ben kept silent after that and followed Ethan. The others, still trying to set everything straight in their minds, just started walking and assumed they will learn more about this very soon.

Chapter 12

"Hi, this is Katrina. I'm not here right now, but if you've got something important to say, leave a message and I'll try to get back to you ASAP. Bye!"
Ethan listened to the beautiful voice not in admiration, but in frustration. He had been trying to reach her for hours.
"Why isn't she answering? Ever since last night it's like she's ignoring me…" he said to himself. He pressed the "call" button on his cell again. After a couple of rings he once again heard the soothing, lovely voice of Katrina. However, he was more on edge instead of relaxed.
That's it, I'm going over there. He thought. He was getting really irritated by the silent treatment Katrina was giving him. He felt betrayed. It's not like he doesn't have any other friends at the Academy but he was especially close with her, being the first person he really met there. He grabbed his things and walked out of his dorm room. With a rather intense air, he stormed through the hallways of the building and went out the door. Friends of his waved and said hello, especially the girls, who gave him flirty looks and winks. Ethan not answering any of them, had continued to walk through the campus until he reached the dormitory where Katrina lived.
The building was mainly a female dormitory, as the overseers of the Academy tried not to allow men and women to live in the same building. As he went in the building and headed towards the dorm Katrina resided in, girls watched with astonishment. It was rather uncommon for any man to be in a female dormitory. Some girls were shocked to see him and let out a sudden scream, while others watched admiringly as Ethan walked by. When he finally reached the room where Katrina lived, he knocked on the door somewhat loudly and waited. He heard steps getting louder as someone was walking toward the door, and when the door opened, a rather surprised Katrina appeared. She blushed as she saw Ethan standing in the doorway and said, "Ethan? Wh-what are you doing here? Don't you know this is a girls' dorm?"
"Yes, I know, Kat. But why aren't you answering any of my calls? Are you ignoring me or something? What's going on?"
Katrina, even more surprised at the way Ethan was acting, turned away with a sad look on her face.
"I-I was just-"
"You were just what?" retorted Ethan with an irritated voice.
"I…"
Not letting her finish, Ethan walked past Katrina into her room and saw a box on her desk in front of a window. Beside it was some wrapping paper and a ribbon. Katrina followed his eyes and seeing that he had noticed the box, let out a startled cry. Ethan treaded lightly up to the box and lifted the cover off of it. Inside, he saw a small picture frame, with the picture facing down. He picked it up and turned it around to see a photo of him and Katrina together at the beach, both of them smiling brightly and obviously having fun. It had been taken with Katrina's cell phone so the photo was directed at their faces and in the background you can see the waves crashing on to the beach. His mind flashed back to that day and remembered all the fun they had together. It was the very first time they went somewhere alone, without anyone around. Though he didn't actually say it to her, Katrina knew that this moment was a very special one to Ethan. It was the first time she saw him laugh and smile so pleasantly and brightly. Knowing this, she had made a special, ornate picture frame. Katrina was very into the arts and she had vast skills in painting, carving and to a lesser extent, music. The picture frame had very elaborate decorations and it was painted with many different colors.
Ethan, lost in his flashback, came back to reality and noticed a letter that was inside the box under the frame. He lifted it up to the window so that the light shown on it.

Ethan, you're one of my best friends and though we just met about a month ago, I feel like I've known you forever. I can't imagine life without meeting you and I've always had these feelings about you that I can't really explain. It's so complicated that I can't even get myself to say it to you in person, so when you read this, I hope you understand. I know you might not have the same feelings for me, especially after what happened last night, but I just wanted you to know that I really, truly love you. Please don't turn me away. I thought that you would have the same feelings for me but after last night I'm not so sure anymore. Well anyway, even if you don't, I really appreciated your gift. I feel like I really owe you something. I knew it's almost your birthday and all that, so I made you this picture frame. It's got a picture of that one day when we went to the beach and we had so much fun together. But if you don't want that picture, you don't have to leave it in there. I'd really appreciate it though if you kept the frame. It took me a lot of time and effort to make. Thanks , and have a nice birthday.
Sincerely,
Katrina.

After reading this, Ethan colored and felt very embarrassed. After all that had happened, he had forgotten that his birthday was tomorrow. He assumed Katrina was ignoring him when actually she was making a surprise for him. He felt really bad for treating her the way he just did. A tear had left his eye and he turned around and saw Katrina looking at him, trying her best to smile.
"I… I'm so sorry. I thought you were ignoring me after last night."
Katrina stared at him a little more, then, seeing the way he reacted to the gift, she asked softly:
"So… do you like it?"
"I-I love it… it's the nicest thing I've ever gotten from anyone. And, I-"His emotions overwhelmed him, and he went up to her and kissed her. Katrina kissed him back and afterwards they stood there staring quietly at each other, holding each other's hands.
"Katrina, I love you."
"Yeah… I can tell." Katrina said with a bright smile on her face.
"Well, let's do that again. That was incredible." said Ethan grinning.
"Agreed." said Katrina, equally happy.
They kissed again and to them it was like the best thing in the world. They had never felt such emotions surging through them. Ethan pressed his lips tightly against Katrina's, and she returned the favor. When they stopped, they looked at the doorway and saw that there were girls staring into the dorm. Katrina and Ethan immediately removed themselves from each other and smiled nervously at their audience. The girls cried out with disappointment and returned to their dorms. Katrina and Ethan laughed. Then, Ethan went up to the box and took it with him as he started out the door.
"Wait, where are you going with that?" Katrina asked.
"Well, it was a gift, right?"
"But I didn't even wrap it yet." Katrina replied with a laugh.
"It's alright; I'll take an early birthday present." Ethan walked out the door and then few seconds later came back.
"Oh, and Katrina?"
"Yes?"
"That was the best birthday present I've ever had in my entire life."
"Wait, the frame or the kiss?"
Ethan laughed. "I'll let you figure that out yourself."
Katrina smiled as Ethan left the room and started walking back to his dormitory.
***********************************************************************************
Ethan had a slight grin on his face as he stared at the picture frame once more. He found it in his penthouse intact and had kept it with him. The letter was still slipped inside the frame behind the photo. He treasured this memento and vowed to never lose it. He put his finger on the carvings and ran it across the indents and the colorful decorations. He had brought the picture frame all the way back to the Resistance Hideout. He was sitting at a table in the main working area where all the engineers, technicians, and soldiers were busy with their work. The grin disappeared when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Ethan." It was Cassandra. She sat down next to him.
"Hey…"
"Is that…" She was pointing at Katrina in the picture.
"Yes… that's her." Ethan was starting to feel uncomfortable talking about it.
Cassandra saw that he was uneasy. "I'm sorry…"
"It's fine, Cassandra." He noticed how when she wasn't mad at anyone or on edge, she was actually a really calm person. Her eyes were shining with curiosity and she was in a very natural mood. She must be trying to get through to me or something… Ethan thought.
"Well, is there something you want to tell me, Cassandra?"
"I… well…" She obviously had something on her mind, but she was hesitant on whether or not she should talk about it.
"Well?"
"What's it like to… have a… significant other?"
Ethan laughed. "I like the way you described it."
Cassandra looked a little bit irritated, but loosened up quickly.
"Are you gonna answer my question?" She had a sort of playfulness in her voice.
"It's a very interesting experience."
"What do you mean?"
"Well… sometimes… most of the time… it's the best thing that's ever happened to you in your life. Other times, it's a huge burden that's extremely hard to bear."
"But it's worth it, right?"
"Yeah… yeah it's definitely worth it." Ethan was sort of half absent from the conversation. He had a lot of things on his mind already.
"So what's with you so curious about love all of a sudden anyway?"
Cassandra blushed. "I… I guess… It's…" Her face went from embarrassment to irritation. "It's none of your business."
She's got a heart of stone… thought Ethan. He heard some commotion in the room and saw that everyone was looking at the TV monitors placed throughout the room.
"This is Channel 7 bringing you breaking news. We have just received word that Dr. Ethan Taylor's penthouse has been under attack. We are unaware of exactly what has happened, or who was involved. We only know that Order personnel oversaw the situation at around 11:25 and closed all the streets and airways within a mile radius. We were not admitted to bring you coverage of the incident. It is under speculation that the 25 year old nanotechnologist has been brought to a safe place before the attack. Some witnesses claimed to have seen a squadron of fighter jets flying towards the site. Others claim that a gunship and even an unknown mech were seen headed towards the penthouse. We hope to bring you more information on the incident as soon as possible. And now, we bring you live to Prosperity Hall where President Solomon King has requested to broadcast a live speech on the matter."
The anchorman disappeared from the screen and it now displayed the President at the podium at Prosperity Hall. There was a large amount of people present during the speech.
"Citizens of our nation, it is with great sadness that I receive the news of the Ethan Taylor incident. But, it is no cause for concern. We are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. We are sure that Dr. Taylor has been evacuated before the attack, and that he is unharmed." After he said this, the crowd applauded.
"We have begun to take countermeasures in order to eliminate the unknown assailants. It is still unknown why this attack was attempted. Our personnel are doing everything they can to hunt them down. This threat must be purged from our nation. We will not allow these terrorists to continue their dissidence against our nation. Best wishes to Dr. Ethan Taylor, and may Order and Prosperity be with us, forever." After the motto, the audience gave the president a standing ovation as he walked backstage. Conversely, all the people in the working area watching the speech booed and cursed at the screens.
"Who would even applaud for him? I thought everyone hates the President." said Cassandra.
"It's the aristocracy. The aristocrats, the rich, the nobles… they are what makes up the "democracy". When they hold elections, only the aristocrats vote. It's considered fair only to them." explained Ethan.
"But… I thought you were a rich man… why did you turn your back on them?"
Ethan became uneasy. "…It's a long story."
As he said this, a man walked up to him, saluted and said, "Commander Taylor, the Commissioner has requested that you meet him in the briefing room."
"Thank you. Tell him I'll be right there."
"Affirmative, sir." The man walked, or rather, marched away.
Ethan stood from his chair and walked towards the briefing room.
***********************************************************************************
Offstage, President Solomon King called for his bodyguards to escort him back to his home in Capitol Tower. The escort was provided by the Order Guard, headed by Saul Stevens. He went up to the President to greet him. A limousine was parked outside waiting for them.
"Good evening, Mr. President."
"Good evening, Mr. Stevens."
"Shall we enter the limo, your Excellency?"
"Yes, of course." They went out of the building and entered the limo.
"Now, Mr. Stevens, how goes the investigation?"
"Your Excellency, we have found some sketches and drafts of some sort of battle suit in Dr. Taylor's penthouse. We believe that he is planning something against the Order. We have yet to confirm this, but until then you should mark him as a man guilty of treas-"
The President shot Mr. Stevens a glare full of rage.
"Watch your tongue, Mr. Stevens. I will not tolerate any insults against Dr. Taylor. He is one of my most trusted friends."
"But, with all due respect, your Excellency-"
"You will not give him any sentence or any label of treason until you have evidence of this treason! I have already disapproved of your brutal methods concerning the apprehension of Dr. Taylor. I had only asked that you go to his penthouse and request him to meet me so that I may talk to him about this matter. However, you disregarded my orders and sent a whole battalion of troops along with gunships, fighter jets and prototype mechs!"
"My apologies, sire."
"Now, the next time you see him, you will tell him that I have requested his presence in my living quarters. Understood?"
"Yes sire, but if I may…"
"Yes?"
"We have retrieved some screens and footage taken from the mech's optical cameras that show a man in a battle suit with extraordinary abilities… we are quite sure that this man was definitely-"
"Enough from you! I will not listen to this foul talk anymore. Another word of this and I will strip you of your rank and your privileges."
Saul tensed up a bit. "V-Very well, your Excellency…"
"Now, how goes the Resistance Suppression Program?"
"We have been searching for several days for their hideout, but it seems to… elude us."
"Well, continue the search until we find them… and when you do, report back to me. I don't want any bloodshed. I want them alive so I can negotiate a deal with them."
"With all due respect, sire, the Resistance is ruthless, and will not accept any offer you give them… perhaps you should just… eliminate them?"
"No… I don't want to start a civil war in the heart of our nation… that would be disastrous. Diplomacy… would be a better choice."
Saul secretly grunted with scorn. Why does he always insist on diplomacy? he thought. Diplomacy never works anymore… it's for the weak…
"I heartily agree with your strategy, sire." Saul replied with a smile on his face.
"Good. Carry on with your program. Use whatever means necessary to locate this hideout, and report back to me as soon as possible."
The limo stopped in front of Capitol Tower. A valet opened the door.
"Well, Mr. Stevens, you've been issued your orders. I anticipate no problems. Don't prove me wrong."
"It will be done. You have my word, your Excellency."
The President got out of the limo and walked to the door with his bodyguards following him.
**********************************************************************************
The Commissioner sat at his desk in the briefing room, thinking about what he had just heard.
"So… you can create things with your mind?"
"Yes, Commissioner."
"How exactly does this work? Does it have anything to do with that suit you've got on?"
Ethan looked down at his chest. He forgot that he was still wearing the NEO suit after the long ordeal.
"I discovered it on accident. I have no clue how this is possible as of now."
"Interesting… you must figure out how this works."
"Why is that?"
"Perhaps we could make use of this technology… think of all the possibilities we can achieve with something like this."
Ethan deeply thought about it. All the possibilities… but… that won't stop Order from trying to achieve them too. Who knows what they'll do with this kind of power.
"I don't think it's necessary for me to figure out how I got my power."
The Commissioner looked disappointed. "What are you saying, Ethan?" With this kind of power, we can end this conflict quickly. We can change the nation as we like it!"
Ethan was shocked at this. "Commissioner! Listen to yourself! You sound more like an agent of Order than of the Resistance."
The Commissioner, upon hearing these words, felt bad for what he had said and what had crossed his mind. "You're right. I'm sorry, Ethan."
"I will still try and discover how I obtained this power. But when I do, it must be kept secret. We can't let information like this fall into the wrong hands. I will not have any means of trying to duplicate my power."
"Yes, if this were to fall into the hands of Order, the results would be catastrophic."
"Commissioner, if you would give me some private living quarters down here, with some tools and a laptop, that would be nice."
"Oh yes, of course. However, I'm sure you can just create tools and a laptop." said the Commissioner in a sort of laughing way. He tossed him a keycard.
Ethan grinned as he caught the keycard. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll do as best as I can to find the origin of my ability."
"Thank you, Ethan. That is all."
The Commissioner saluted him and Ethan likewise. Then he walked out of the room and back into the main working area. Then, avoiding to crash into any workers who were rushing around the room, he walked towards a door that led to the living quarters. He found the room that he was assigned, and with the keycard pressed it on a reader. The reader made an affirmative beeping noise and the door slid open.
The room wasn't really classy, but it was sufficient enough for working alone and it was rather cozy. There was a medium sized bed and a desk large enough to have a desktop computer. A lamp on the ceiling shone brightly, giving the room abundant light. A door led to a small bathroom with a shower. The walls were soundproof so Ethan was glad to get some peace and quiet for once.
He started to pace back and forth in the room. He had no idea how he had obtained his uncanny power of creating things out of thin air. He couldn't understand how it was possible. From all his years of studying and research, he hasn't learned or researched anything that would explain this anomaly. His mind was swirling with theories and ideas, but he just couldn't figure it out. Frustrated, he fell down back-first on the bed and shut his eyes tightly. What is this power? How did I get it… all I remember was that it was after I jumped from the building… but what happened after that? I can't recall that…
He heard a knocking on the door, so he got up and walked over, opened the door and saw that Cassandra was standing there. I wonder what's up with her always following me around all of a sudden… it's starting to creep me out…
"Hey, Cassandra." said Ethan in a rather exaggerated tone.
"Hey, Ethan. I just wanted to give these back to you." She lifted her arm and held up the helmet of the NEO suit and the picture frame. "You left it at that table we were sitting at earlier."
"Oh, thanks a lot, Cassandra. I almost forgot about that." He took the items from her hand.
"No problem, Ethan." She walked back towards the main working area.
Ethan closed the door and sat back down on the bed. He stared at his helmet and looked at the visor. It had a sort of whitish tinted color. He had used a special kind of glass for this visor. It had many different settings for scanning and vision. Funny how I implemented so many different visor settings like X-ray, night, and heat vision, and I didn't even use any of them. He sat silently for another couple of minutes. I had spent years working on that Specialized Optics setting on the visor. So many years of dedication and hard work in order to find a way to conveniently switch from viewing the normal scale to the microscopic scale of things. And now I don't even use it. He laughed at himself for doing such a silly thing. It was such a waste of my time… time that could've been spent with Katrina. He lifted up his hand and concentrated his mind on shaping a small chrome orb with his mind. After he had created one in midair, he played around with it by moving it around telekinetically. He fluttered it around and spun it with his mind when suddenly he thought of something. The orb dropped on the floor. As it started to deteriorate, little grains of silver started to slowing spread away from the round sphere. Ethan quickly grabbed his helmet, put it on and set his visor to the SpecOptics setting. What he saw was nanoparticles splitting up and floating away from a large mass of nanoparticles stuck together, which was the silver sphere. Incredible… so everything I make telepathically is made up of the nanoparticles that I created… That means that the particles have to come from the nanoparticle generator that is attached to this suit. I can manipulate the movements and actions of my nanoparticles! He was very excited over this discovery, but something still lingered in his mind.
This tells me a lot about my power, but it still doesn't tell me how I got it… He lowered his head in irritation. I need some answers… Ethan got up from his bed and walked up to the door, opened it, and exited the room. Then, walking back to the main working area, he went up to the man who called him to the briefing room earlier. He asked the man to go and find all the people who were with him while he retrieved his NEO suit and bring them to him. The man saluted passionately, and marched all around the area looking for his companions. When he found them he led them all to Ethan, who stood there waiting patiently.
"They're all here, sir."
"Very well, thank you… er…" He looked his his uniform and saw a nametag. "… Joe."
"You're welcome, Commander Taylor." The man walked away.
"So, what's this about, Ethan?" asked Ben, who, upon seeing Cassandra, smiled at her brightly. Cassandra, on the contrary, did not smile back. Ben scoffed loudly.
"I want to know what happened after I leaped from the building and fell."
"Well, I remember Cassandra doing a diagnostic scan on something after you blacked out and started seizing." said Jericho.
"Yes, I was doing a scan on his brain."
"Ahh yes! That's definitely what I need to hear. So what did you find?" Ethan exclaimed with eagerness.
"Uhhh… I'm not exactly sure."
Ethan frowned. "What do you mean you're not exactly sure?"
Liam decided to speak up then. "She said that she found something foreign in your brain, but it's too small to be a tumor, and it's too small to identify."
Ethan's eyes widened. "…Could it be?" he said quietly out loud to himself. Then he started running off back to his room.
"Wait, where are you going?" asked Jericho.
"Uhhh… gotta go!" He was out the door.
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
"Probably had to go to the restroom or something." Ben remarked.
In a rush, Ethan fumbled for his keycard in his pocket. Nearly dropping it, he opened the door with the keycard. Without even closing the door, he sprinted for the bathroom, grabbing his helmet along the way. Putting it on, he looked in the mirror. He set his helmet first to SpecOptics, zoomed into his head, then overlapped it with X-ray vision. What he saw in his head was in fact more nanoparticles in his brain. That's it!!! Nanomachines were accidentally fused into my brain after the whole stunt with the jets. Then, when I think of something, I can use my brain to send signals to the nanomachines. The nanomachines would send the commands to the other nanoparticles being created by the generator on my suit! This is just extraordinary!!
He ran out of the bathroom with excessive joy and noticed that all four of his comrades were standing outside his living quarters.
"Well will you look at that, he did go to the restroom… looks really happy afterwards too…" said Ben.
Ethan ignored him and just walked up to the door and said, "Sorry guys, I'm a little busy." He shut the door quickly.
After that, he decided that he didn't need the suit anymore. Or at least, he didn't need the suit that he had right now. He was going to keep the nanoparticle generator with him. When the time comes that he'll need the suit, he'll just telepathically create his NEO suit with his mind, so he can basically wear it anywhere without actually needing to put it on manually. However, he was going to need a more powerful generator so that he wouldn't run out of nanoparticles to use. He took off the suit and set it against the wall. He took out the generator from the chest slot and began to make modifications to the generator at his desk.

And, I have a question... if you actually read this far. I've been told by a couple people that I use "..." too much. Is this a problem for any of you? My point of using "..." a lot is so that people can understand when they pause, or trail off their voice while talking. My story is rather dialogue or conversation based and I want to let people know exactly how they talk so they could picture them talking and stuff. So I'd like to know if anyone else has this problem.