Chapter Three:

“Sir, Akim Yellas has just fallen to the ground in the parking lot. He’s dead, sir,” stated Adrian’s subordinate in Russian, talking through a cell phone.

The man was crouched on a rooftop in St. Petersburg with a sniper rifle pressed against his shoulder, practically invisible in the winter night. Down below was a quaint diner with a dead body lying sprawled out on the snowy parking lot. Scared onlookers surrounded the corpse, one of which was trying to perform CPR. Inside, the staff was watching nervously.

“I’m not surprised. It seems your services are no longer required. Thank you for your time, you’ve already received your payment. However, I may call upon you in the future, so don’t completely cast my name into the trash bin of your memory,” said Adrian, countering with a flawless Russian dialect.

“Yes, sir.”

Adrian hung up and sat back in his chair, staring at his computer, which was open to Akim Yellas’ hacked email account. Akim Yellas was someone with a fair amount of brains but no morals. Having always been a gifted student, he had amassed a large ego and made a living as an identity thief, both for financial support and entertainment. Genius and a worthless life, just the combination Adrian needed in a pawn that he planned on sacrificing. With blackmail as his leverage, he had forced Akim into working for him, serving as his mask in the meeting that had just taken place in the diner.

He had ordered Akim to pretend to be interested in a deal with a man he met in the diner, rehearsed the conversation with him, and had made him establish a rule during the meeting that no names were to be used, so as to keep Akim from learning anything more than he needed, in case Adrian’s assassin failed to end his life. Under the excuse of “anyone could overhear us”, the meeting had used as vague references as possible, with Akim ordered to just play along and make the deal.

The reason why he had picked Akim Yellas to serve as his mask as his scapegoat was simple: he had above-average intelligence, meaning that he was easily capable of seeking out Adrian’s true targets. However, he wasn’t using pawns’ capabilities to find the targets, no, he was already well aware of them. Instead he was using their capabilities as a cover so that the rest of the members in the client’s organization wouldn’t get suspicious as to how the organization itself had been discovered. He had to use people who could be expected to operate on their own, at least in the eyes of his targets. If he used puppets that weren’t smart enough to appear to be independent, then the strings would be easily visible, and the last thing he needed was for his targets to consider the possibility of a puppeteer in the darkness with his eyes on their group.

But as he had seen, the meeting hadn’t gone over so well. His subordinate had been denied, and even more, he had been assassinated, most likely something that he had eaten or drank in the diner had been spiked with something. Of course the autopsy would reveal it had merely been an unfortunate aneurism or blood clot, or even a delayed allergic reaction, as it was meant to look like as an accident. To his targets, Akim knew too much and could serve no beneficial purpose to their group, so he had to be eliminated. Adrian had planned something similar if the deal worked; he would get what he wanted, and the identity thief known as Akim Yellas would be forever silenced.

Adrian leaned back in his chair and sighed. Failure was always an option in this stage of the plan, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating. Every time he failed, his opponents raised their guard and became tenser, but that also meant that he would cause less of a shock and reaction if he ever had to reveal himself and make his move. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the headache bubbling behind his eyes. He had been suffering from migraines and stomach problems lately and it seemed like they were just getting worse and worse.

Confusing, that is the word Adrian would use to describe his relationship with Jenny. It had been a month since they were first intimate, and ever since, his mind had struggled to regain its mental bearings. His hormonal and emotional sides were fighting against his cold logical side, something they hadn’t done in years. His machine-like logical side was what made him unique to everyone else; it was like a soul made of gears and circuits. He did not want to lose it, because it meant giving up his identity. But the other half of his mind was arguing that he could not be a cold machine and be with Jenny. He could be alone and focused or be a human with the woman who loved him.

Ever since the two of them had been intimate, he had struggled to find a name to give the resulting combination of his emotions and hormonal desires. The most fitting title could find was to call it his heart, pardon the corny cliché. Having a heart was a very peculiar experience, one that he had never felt. Before, the heart was merely an organ with the purpose of pumping blood, with the poetic meaning as little more than a human construct, an illusion to justify an empty existence. Now Adrian could actually feel the purpose of that poetic definition, though he understood it as much as he did the relationship itself. The reason his heart was fighting his logical side with such passion was because of Jenny. Adrian had spent years studying humans, but she was different. She was always trying to get him to open up and be more social, but gently. She had learned to read him and now knew what to do to get the best results.

She wouldn’t drag him out of his seat to talk to other people, but instead ask him what he would say to them and how he would interact. It was almost a form of social simulation. She knew and admired that he was an antisocial person, so she would only take him to his limits of tolerance and then never take him farther. It was as if she knew there was a line Adrian would not cross in terms of socializing, and she just wanted him to be as close to that line as possible while still being happy. She wasn’t trying to change him; she just wanted him to go as far as he could.

She had a form of patience that Adrian had never seen before, a way of understanding that he didn’t think others had. What would have normally driven a girl away seemed to draw her like moths to a porch light. He had not told her that he loved her because he wasn’t sure what his feelings were for her. He definitely cared about her, but he could not figure out what actually constituted love. This did not detour her from every day saying that she loved him, and the fact that he had not returned the statement did not drain her patience, it increased it.

Jenny understood him in ways that he didn’t think were possible and could read him like a book. Everything Adrian did seemed to make her love him more, from his tendency to rarely smile to his quiet statue-like presence in social situations. She was his link to the human world, and it was as if she was studying him as much as he was studying her. They were intimate a few times every week, but Adrian could not decide whether it was sex or making love. It was both and neither of them, and every second, his mind would be filled with bliss and confusion. He enjoyed being intimate with her, both for the strange physical and emotional feelings that it created. He saw every session as an opportunity to study these feelings like specimens in a lab, and she saw it as an opportunity to bond herself with something that was more than human.

However, there were times in which Adrian knew that his words or actions were having a negative influence. Being so bright and full of life, Jenny could not fully protect her heart from the harshness of his logic, and more times than he would like, Adrian would answer her question with what he thought was the best answer, only to realize that brutal honesty didn’t fit well into most conversations. Even if it was the slightest of reductions to a smile or the momentary avoidance of his gaze, he could see that like all people, it was impossible for her to become fully used to his bluntness. He tried to pick his words carefully around her, but after the years he had spent by himself, he had atrophied in the skill of telling people what they wanted to hear. He knew only how to tell the truth and how to lie, but he did not know how to combine the two into the etiquette-concoction required for a romantic relationship.

School was let out for Thanksgiving vacation, and all of the students and staff desperately needed it. The fall was proving to be a mild one with a similar winter soon to follow, but even with the climate stepping out of line with its Maine reputation, the trees had no less finished shedding their leaves, the overcast gained a permanent gray tinge, and everyone’s clothes changed to protect them from the crisp breeze that seemed to roll across the school campus, carrying with it the smell of snow as if traveling back from the future.

“So do you have relatives coming for Thanksgiving?” Jenny asked as she looked out the passenger-side window of his car.

“Yes, but my house is too small for them to stay, so I’m putting them up in hotel rooms as always.”

She turned to him and smiled. “For someone with so much money, you certainly aren’t cheap.”

Adrian only bit his lip in the bewilderment of if he was supposed to smile or not and merely nodded.

“I have relatives coming as well, and living in the suburbs, I’m sure you can imagine we have a hard time finding space for everyone when the holidays come. Even if they are stressful, Thanksgiving is so much fun.”

“Are you sure that you’re actually remembering it as being fun?”

“What do you mean?”

“The human mind naturally adds a positive spin to memories. It’s why people always long for the past. High school could have been a boring waste of four years in which nothing good ever happened, yet ask an adult if they miss it and if they were good times and they almost always say they were. It’s hard to know if you were ever truly happy, for your mind is always devaluing the meaning of happiness to make your memories brighter.”

He looked over at Jenny in the corner of his eye and saw that her lively smile of tired joy had been diminished as she mulled over what he had said and gleamed over her memories, wondering if she really had been “happy” during the ones that were the brightest.

“You’ve been working on this thing for so long, what is it?” Jenny asked as she watched Adrian.

On the wide table by his desk, he was working on a large piece of machinery, almost resembling the interior of a remote-controlled battlebot like the ones seen fighting on TV with saw blades. It was about the size of a mini-fridge and filled with cable systems and gears that were hooked up to computerized winches.

“It’s a surgical robot, meant to replace human doctors in the operating room, at least in terms of who is touching the patient. The surgeon will be controlling the robot, but I’m considering making a version where the machine can be programmed to act on its own and perform specific operations as told.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

“Yeah, but I’m disappointed with how long it’s been taking. I’ve been at this for a month and a half and I’m only three quarters of the way to completion. Oh well, big machines like these are always the slower projects,” he grumbled under the crackle of the ark welder.

“What kind of other big machines have you made?” Jenny asked, wondering how the finished creation would look.

“Probably my biggest project was a full-body scanner. It was like an MRI, but it didn’t use radiation or magnets, meaning that there were no health risks and people with metal in their bodies won’t be in danger. Plus it was accurate enough to give a 3D image of the patient’s cells. It was about half as large as a regular MRI, but I still had to dismantle it after it’s completion so that I could actually get it out of my room.”

“How much money did you make?”

“A fair amount. All I really care about is making enough money to keep building and to be known for my skills in engineering.”

“You never seemed like the prideful type.”

“I’m not, I just want to make sure my name comes up when people need a bigger job done. They can misspell my name for all I care, all I want is to be the one that they call.”

Adrian kept the door to his room locked and the white noise blurring from his speakers at their top volume to drown out the sounds of relatives talking above him and cousins running around the house. Already, his bedroom door had been knocked on so many times it was as if he lived down the street from a church of Jehovah’s Witnesses with Alzeimers, but he saw no reason in leaving his room. He would much rather work on his machines than talk to his extended family for an hour. Ringing beside him, Adrian’s phone caught his attention. It was Jenny.

“Yes?” he asked as he answered it.

“It’s been three days and I don’t even get a hello? Come on, just because you’re on vacation from school doesn’t mean you’re on vacation from me,” she teased.

Like Adrian, she was in her room with the door shut and locked, desperate to get away from her pesky cousins and finally realizing the truth in what he had told her in the car.

“Very well.”

“I was wondering if you would like to come over for dinner tonight. My whole family is desperate to meet you.”

“I would prefer not to. I have work to do and I get enough questions here at home.”

“Come on, you’ve never even had a real conversation with anyone in my family, except for my dad when you asked to spend the night. I want to show you off.”

“I said no,” he replied, not angrily but forcefully.

Jenny winced at the harshness of his answer. “Adrian, we’re dating. We’re supposed to spend time together other than when our schedules put us in the same classroom. We haven’t talked in three days. Come on, just five minutes and then we can lock ourselves in my room and be alone until dinner.”

Adrian took a deep breath. “As you wish. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just try and answer most of their questions before I get there. There is no point in waiting for me to tell them things that you already know.”

Adrian kept his look melancholically bland as usual as Jenny brought him into the house. Aunts, uncles, and grandparents all wanted to get a good look at him, while young cousins battered him with questions on whether or not what Jenny had told them was true. He kept his answers short, asked no questions in return, and looked dead ahead without consistent eye-contact whenever possible. It was clear that Jenny had already warned everybody about his “social level”, as even his uncaring behavior failed to evoke so much as a sigh or look of disappointment. As per the conditions, Adrian answered questions for five minutes before Jenny allowed him to escape, bringing him up to her room where they would have relative privacy.

“I’m surprised, you didn’t swear or lose your temper once,” Jenny noted as she sat down on the bed.

Adrian walked over to the window and gazed through the cold glass, already fogging from frozen condensation. “That took a lot of self-control. You know I hate being badgered by people.”

Jenny giggled. “Yes, but from what I’ve learned, if they badger you long enough, you grow fond of them. After all, we’re only in a relationship because I refused to stop annoying you.”

Before answering, Adrian walked over to her shut bedroom door and slammed his hand against it, scaring off her young cousins who had their ears pressed against the door. “Unfortunately, your family is no less irritating than mine. I loathe getting visited by relatives.”

“Sure it can be a little stressful, but can you honestly tell me you feel nothing for your family?”

“I love my immediate family, but even that is limited. Blood relation means nothing; you see your friends more than your extended family. Why should it matter?” said Adrian, staying by the door.

“Why are you standing over there? We don’t have to be speaking to each other from across the bedroom.”

Without so much as a nod, Adrian walked over and lied down beside her, the two of them looking up that the ceiling the same way they had after they were first intimate.

“What about when we get married and have kids? Won’t blood relation matter then?”

“It is unlikely we’ll last that long, and it’s illogical for you to plan that far ahead.”

Jenny gave an undeterred shrug. “You should know me well enough to expect this. After all, I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want us to spend our lives together. Like you told my friends, there is no point to a relationship if it serves as only practice.”

Adrian gained a small smile, which to Jenny, was a huge achievement for her. “And I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t admire you for that,” he said.

Jenny smiled and rolled on her side, wrapping her arms around his. “Imagine if we do get married and have kids, what then? Will blood relation matter?”

“Of course it will matter.”

“Then tell me, would you be interested in marriage? You say that it is likely we won’t last long, but it certainly isn’t impossible. If that possibility exists, then are you interested? Say that in our future, if it was guaranteed we got married as long as you proposed, would you be interested? I’m not asking if you would or wouldn’t, I’m asking whether you would consider it.”

Adrian bit his lip, repeating the same question in his mind over and over, even though it was the same thing he had been wondering ever since that fateful night. He didn’t even know if what he felt for her constituted love, let alone if they would truly spend their lives together. And there were more than his personal feelings to consider, after all, he had his plan to think about. Were a life with Jenny and the steps he would need to take to achieve his plan compatible? Could he move forward to complete his plan and be sure that Jenny would stay by his side?

“Dinner is ready!” Jenny’s mom hollered from the kitchen, putting the conversation on hold to Adrian’s relief.

The dining room was cramped with everyone gathered around the dinner table. Another table even had to be brought in and added so that everyone could take a seat. Even with the regular meal, the amount of space in the middle of the table was almost nonexistent, meaning that Thanksgiving dinner would be like a giant game of Tetris. Adrian kept his eyes on his plate as he ate, hoping that he would be asked as few questions as possible. The meal was spaghetti and he was eating hungrily, already on his third helping.

“My, someone loves my cooking!” Mrs. Sinclair laughed.

“I’m glad you made spaghetti, pasta was just the fuel I needed,” he answered before wiping the sauce off his lips with his napkin.

“What do you mean?” one of Jenny’s cousins asked, a ten-year-old boy.

“Pasta is rich in starches, which is made of polysaccharides, which is made up of long chains of monosaccharides, which is essentially glucose. I need all the glucose I can get to function at my peak. Unfortunately, the fridge in my room is empty and I couldn’t go into my parent’s kitchen without being bombarded by questions from my relatives. I figure with enough pasta, I can go until 2:00 am before I need more sugar.”

“You even need to wake up to get more sugar? That sounds almost like an addiction to me,” one of Jenny’s uncles joked.

“No, I don’t wake up because I don’t sleep. I stay up every second night and continue on into the next day. This way, between school days, I get about fifteen hours of uninterrupted work time. I’ll go to sleep tomorrow night.”

Everyone looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

“So are you going to college after you graduate?” Ed asked, leaning back in his chair with a look of defensive skepticism on his face.

“No, I have no need. I’m already quite wealthy with the money from my inventions, so I don’t need to go to college for the sake of finding a career. Besides, I already know more than any university could possibly teach, so college would only serve to rob me of more time that could be spent working,” he answered without looking up from his plate.

“So that’s what you’ll do for your career? You’ll keep inventing?” Mrs. Sinclair asked.

“That’s correct, that’s all I plan on doing.”

He looked around at everyone and noted their expressions, but what confused him was the quizzical look on Jenny’s face.

“Goodnight,” Adrian said, standing with Jenny on her porch.

“Wait a second, Adrian, there is something I need to ask you. But first tell me if there is anyone listening in?”

“No, I sense no one else around.”

“Why did you lie to my family? On our first date, you told me that you were going to change the world. You said that you’ve spent the last few years acquiring the power you would need to make your move, and you never even told me what you meant. I have to know, Adrian, what are you planning?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that at this time.”

“But why not? There is no one listening to us, why can’t you tell me?”

“Jenny, I told you before that I trusted you. That is true, but I meant that I trusted you with my past. What I’m going to do, I can’t afford to leave any loose ends in my wake. I need to make sure my future is assured, and right now, our relationship is the largest variable. I trust you with the knowledge of my past, but until I’m absolutely sure that you will never leave me, I can’t trust you with the knowledge of my future. I must make sure that my plans are never released, or everything I have worked to accomplish will have been for nothing.”

Jenny’s face paled as she tried to imagine what he was planning. “Just please, tell me what your goal is. You don’t have to tell me what you’ll do, but tell me what you hope to achieve.”

“I’m going to put an end to the conflicts of mankind. I’m going to completely reshape civilization and create international equality. While the phrase is cliché, there is none more fitting than to say that I will create a new world order, in which the power is truly given to the people and those who hold authority are made responsible for their actions. This plan will either recreate the world or destroy it, the choice is up to the people.”

“It always surprises me when you offer to take me shopping. I know that the mall is your idea of hell,” Jenny said gratefully.

“Well you know I’ve been watching television to try and study human interaction and behavior. From what I’ve learned, women like to shop, and I figure that is something that I can use. Besides, I have plenty of money.”

“All right, just don’t think that you need to buy my love and happiness. I don’t want to look like a gold digger.”

Clinging to his arm, Jenny led Adrian into just about every clothing store in the mall. The stadium-sized building was packed full of people moving down the wide corridors like salmon through a river at spawning season. The hallways were wide enough for vast crowds of people to walk through, or stop and rest at the benches in the middle. Endless stores stood side by side on each hallway, while a mixture of electricity and a skylight kept the entire structure lit. It was true that Adrian absolutely loathed the mall, but he did his best to hide his contempt and put on the appearance of being in a good mood. His arm was hooked through the loops of more than half a dozen shopping bags, his credit card was warm in his pocket from the friction of being handled so many times, and Jenny’s neck was beginning to redden from the constant application and removal of clothes, not to mention the small scratches left behind by the edges of the tags.

In each store, he would stand beside her while she picked out clothes and then wait by the dressing room while she switched in and out of different outfits. She would step out and ask for his opinion, and he would wear an empty smile and say something nice, no matter what she wore. To him, there was no real difference in quality of appearance between the different outfits, so he just tried to play along and come up with different compliments and descriptions. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she was beautiful, but he was never one to articulate it, and certainly not with a smile. Just revealing this much emotion was causing his headache to reappear and was making his stomach hurt.

Jenny quickly wised up to his efforts towards authenticity, and while she said nothing of it, it did make her happy to see him really trying.

“Do you have the time?” Jenny asked as they set down their bags on an empty bench.

“It’s 3:47.”

“Been counting the seconds since you last saw a clock? My, you must be really suffering,” she teased.

Adrian just gave a wry smile and the smallest of laughs. “Very well, I’ll check.”

He drew his phone, and as he pressed his thumb against the screen and released the bio-recognition lock, he heard a click in the distance. Even through the roaring of thousands of footfalls and hundreds of conversations echoing down the large hallway, the click was crystal-clear to Adrian and he recognized the sound as coming from a camera.

‘Just as I thought, every time I draw my phone…’ Adrian mentally concluded as he read the time display and then turned off the device.

With the screen black, he used it as a mirror to look over his shoulder. Across the rivers of shoppers moving in opposite directions, he saw a man in his late twenties putting something in the breast pocket of his coat, and from the size, it was obviously a camera. The man had short hair and a thin, shadowy beard, and was looking straight at Adrian, just as he had been since he and Jenny entered the mall.

“I was right, it’s 3:47,” Adrian calmly said as he lowered his phone.

“All right, how about we leave at four? We have time for one more store.”

“Where would you like to go?”

Adrian was keeping his mind focused on the man following him, but made sure to convey nothing to Jenny through his expression or tone.

Looking around, she gained a coy smile. “How about we go into the Victoria’s Secret? I’m sure I could find something that we would both enjoy,” she said softly, giving Adrian a legitimate smile and causing him to laugh softly.

“Tell you what, I have to go to the bathroom so I’ll meet you in the store. I’ll let you surprise me.”

“Ten minutes, the changing room door will be unlocked. You’ll know which one,” she purred as she took the bags and walked off.

With Jenny now gone, Adrian resisted the urge to glance back at his tail and instead looked around, pretending to be searching for a sign that would tell him where the bathroom was. Moving at a brisk pace, he started walking through the sea of people towards where he knew the bathrooms were. Immediately, he could hear the faint disruption in the other stream of people as the man tried to cut across to Adrian’s side of the hallway.

The hallway leading to the bathrooms was a long and empty one, being on the other side of the mall’s largest department store. Striding down the empty corridor, Adrian went right past the bathrooms and passed through the emergency exit nearby. Outside, the sun was already setting and the clouds were blocking off what little light was being released. With only the parking lot lights on and the lot itself devoid of people, Adrian stepped outside and waited by the door, knowing that the conditions were perfect. He didn’t sense anyone around, and even if he did, it was dark enough for any action he took to be hidden.

A minute after he stepped out into the cold, the door opened and the man came outside, a cigarette in his hand so that he could pretend he was coming outside to smoke. Lunging out from behind the door, Adrian grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him against the wall. The movement was made without a single audible sound, and continuing with that silence, Adrian reached out and pressed the small button hidden in the collar of the man’s coat, turning off the voice recorder.

“Don’t even think about lying to me, I am well aware of who you work for. I admit, you are a skilled tail, but no human can completely hide from me. Your car was parked eight to the left and across the lane from mine; you were driving a red Subaru. You came through the mall entrance seventeen seconds after Jenny and I did, consistently staying about thirty-four paces behind us and always near something you could hide behind. You took five pictures in total: one in the parking lot, one in Macy’s, one in GAP, one in the food court, and that last one when I was standing at the bench. Basically, any time I drew my phone, you took a picture.

Now you and I are going to have a conversation and you are going to answer every question fully and honestly. I might even answer a few of yours if I feel like it. If you try to run or draw a weapon, I will kill you. First question: What is your name?” Adrian demanded, releasing the man’s throat.

“Frank, Frank Bartley,” the man panted while rubbing his throat.

Adrian kept his eyes focused on his hand, making sure he didn’t touch the button in his collar and reactivate the voice recorder. “What happened to Gordon Pike?”

“I don’t know, we are never told who we replace or who replaces us. I was just reassigned here.”

“It seems that your superiors suspected him of being won over. How much are you being paid?”

“Five grand a month.”

“That’s almost twice what Gordon was being paid. It really does seem like they are afraid of you being bribed. However, I’ll pay triple if you’ll work for me.”

Frank’s eyes widened. “What the hell are you talking about, kid?”

“I need you to continue taking photographs of me when I’m out in public and sending them to your superiors. However, there are times when I’ll be moving around and I can’t have your employers knowing of my actions. Your job will be to take extra pictures of me and then alter the dates during those times when I need to “disappear”, so to speak. I know you speak into a voice recorder to make a list of my actions and the times. I need you to fake those records when I’m gone. Essentially, your superiors must never know that I have left or gone anywhere out of the ordinary. Every time I take such a trip, I will pay you fifty grand to make it seem like I am still present and to keep silent about this deal and my true destination.”

“You had this deal with the last guy, this Gordon dude?”

“Yes, but like I said, it appears that the organization suspected he was being bribed. Will you accept the deal?”

“For fifty grand, sure. You have a deal.”

Reaching the dressing rooms of the Victoria’s Secret store, Adrian quickly spotted Jenny’s blouse draped over the door of the room at the end of the hall. With a small smile, he walked over and opened the door. Looking at Jenny, his eyes widened and he almost jumped. She was wearing a lacy black bra and panties, with a pair of stockings.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Well, you certainly know how to surprise me,” Adrian said, suddenly feeling his Id fighting for dominance of his mind.

“I’m guessing you like it then. Let’s buy it and go home, but first, how about you help me take it off?” she offered, pulling Adrian in and then closing the door.

As the door closed behind them, Jenny and Adrian locked lips. They had never done this before, had sex in a public place. If they made so much as a sound, they would be discovered and things would not end well. Considering that Jenny was already down to lingerie, there was no point in taking things slowly. The lacy underwear was discarded and Adrian pressed her against the mirror on the back wall, kissing her breasts while he worked his fingers inside her. He liked to think that after all this time, he had finally figured out this whole crazy sex thing.

With nothing but a thin door preventing them from being seen and nothing hiding her voice, Jenny had to stifle herself so that her whimpers of bliss would not be heard. Her melon breasts were immensely sensitive, sending shivers through her body as Adrian sucked on her nipples and painted her porcelain skin with his tongue. At the same time, he was moving his fingers inside her pussy as if hacking into a computer, sliding them back and forth at different rhythms and hitting different places with a powerful randomness that could not be defended against.

Once he had turned her velvet sleeve into a water slide, he unfastened his pants and pulled out his manhood, not hesitating to force it inside her. She let out the slightest chirp when he entered her, the look on her face of sensual euphoria and excitement. Once again kissing him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, letting him pick her up and hold her against the mirror like when they made love in his bedroom. With perfect fluidity in his movements, Adrian thrust into her like a jackhammer and used his lips to keep her voice from escaping.

Jenny had her first orgasm after only a few minutes, but Adrian had maintained control. Not done, they changed position, this time with Jenny’s back to Adrian, bending over with her hands against the wall, looking directly into the mirror. Sexual desire having replaced logical thought, Adrian mounted like an animal and began slamming himself into her. Jenny was struggling with all her might to contain her voice, but with lust ruling his mind and migraine throbbing behind his eyes, Adrian couldn’t care less about the sound of her ass against his lap. Both their eyes were on their reflections in the mirror, all grace and dignity lost as the two teens gave in to their primal urges. Jenny’s mouth was open, panting like a dog, eyes rolling while her breasts bounced and jiggled. Behind her, Adrian looked utterly focused, almost angry, watching the muscles in Jenny’s back contract and relax every time he thrust into her. Relying on just one hand to hold her, he reached out and slid his fingers into her mouth. Too engrossed in pleasure to be surprised, she sucked on them gluttonously, wrapping her tongue around them and using them to help contain her voice.

After a few minutes, they both came, Adrian flooding her womb with his seed while Jenny covered her mouth, wanting to moan like an opera singer as ecstasy washed through her. They both waited to catch their breath and then got dressed, no longer interested in buying the lingerie and simply wanting to just get out of the store.

Night dominated the sky when Adrian and Jenny walked out of the mall, with Jenny pressing herself tightly against Adrian for warmth while they walked.

“Thank you so much. My friends will all have heart attacks when they see all the stuff I have.”

“It sounds almost like making your friend’s jealous is the sole purpose for most of your outfits and jewelry.”

“Hey, I’m a woman, that’s what I do. But thank you, Adrian, you truly are a sweet man.”

“Well you know I care about you. You truly are important to me,” he said, digging into his emotional side to pick the right words.

However, as he reached into his subconscious to let the influence of his Id and Ego reach his Super Ego, a rush of blinding pain flooded his body, aiming for his stomach and brain. Gripping his head to try and ease the white-hot pain stabbing his brain and leaning forward, Adrian threw up on the sidewalk, emptying the contents of his stomach and shaking to the point where he nearly fell to his knees.

“Adrian!” Jenny fearfully cried out as she dropped her bags and wrapped her arms around him to keep him from collapsing.

“I’m fine, I’m fine… It’s just… just something from the food court that my body didn’t agree with. I’m alright.”

This was the first time he had lost control in front of Jenny. He had always been able to keep his sickness hidden until now.

“Come on, let’s get you to the car. I’ll drive and just spend the night at your place.”

“No, I’ll bring you back home. I’ll be fine, I just need to get some rest.”

‘Come on, body. Hold together. I can figure this out, I just need a little more time.’

Adrian and Jenny were walking down a hallway at school, with Jenny clinging to his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. Adrian strained his ears to hear what everyone was talking about, for there was a piece of news floating around, and it was obviously important. With all of the hushed mutterings smothering each other and getting mixed up, not even his hearing could clearly make it out.

“Well if it isn’t the fucking Adroid!” a course voice laughed.

Adrian cursed as everyone looked down the hall. Adrian recognized the voice and the disrespectful tone. At the end of the hall was Logan, his unwanted rival. He had been under suspension for more than a month after snapping another student’s arm. Everyone was silent as he approached, stepping back and opening up the hallway. Jenny didn’t take a single step, but her grip on Adrian’s arm tightened and he could feel her shaking. His mind was running countless scenarios, planning out every possible choice of action.

“Jenny, don’t tell me you’re dating this loser now. If you want a robot dick to fuck, get a vibrator.”

“Your words carry no purpose other than to cause distress. Only sadists seek to inflict harm without reason. Are you saying that you are a horrible person, as defined by the term ‘sadist’?” Adrian asked, cocking his head to one side.

“Shut the fuck up you emo freak.”

“Your use of the phrase emo is incorrect. Emo is someone who portrays his or her emotions excessively, and according to what people say about me, I am almost the exact opposite. Will you continue or would you like to rephrase your last statement?”

Adrian could feel Jenny’s grip around his arm becoming more relaxed. She was feeling relieved, watching him turn the school bully into a yipping lapdog. Logan just chuckled and began to walk by him. Adrian remained calm as Logan approached, having already planned out every possible scenario for a very likely physical confrontation. He was ready to do whatever the situation required, whether it was to keep Jenny safe or to counterattack. There was no need to get worked up; using even a single molecule of adrenalin would be nothing but a waste on someone like Logan.

As Logan took his second step past him, Adrian heard him take a sharp intake of breath, commonly preceding a fast or aggressive movement. As fast as Adrian could, he pushed Jenny out of harm’s way and ducked. Logan’s fist flew right over his head, and before he could react, Adrian spun around, reached up, and slammed him in the nose with his flat palm. He staggered back, gripping his broken nose and giving a muffled howl of pain. Adrian turned so that his left side had optimal reach and then kicked him in the stomach, making him buckle.

Adrian stepped back, making sure that Jenny was safe. She was standing on the sidelines with her eyes full of worry. He turned back to Logan as the lunatic charged with his fist pulled back and stepped to the side to dodge his punch, then with his right hand on his left fist, he jabbed forward with his left elbow. With time basically moving in slow motion through his eyes, Adrian calculated and adjusted the angle of his elbow, ensuring that the force of the impact would be fully directed to his forearm instead of the joint. He slammed his elbow against Logan’s chin, sending him sprawling back.

“A mongrel mutt like you should know its place. Maybe it’s not too late for you to learn about how to show a little respect for your superiors.”

Logan gave a sadistic laugh. “It’s funny that you call me a dog, because after I’m through with you, I’ll have your girlfriend on all fours in my bedroom, wearing nothing but a dog collar.”

“Silence! You will speak only when spoken to!”

“I’ve had enough of you looking down on me!” Logan roared as he charged forward.

Swinging wildly, he began throwing punches randomly at Adrian, but the young genius dodged them so easily that he even appeared bored. Everyone watched in amazement as he swerved effortlessly from side to side, avoiding the punches as if they were fluttering moths.

“I was merciful the first time we met, but now I will force you to show respect. You can’t beat me, Logan. It’s impossible for you to ever hit me.”

Logan sent his fist rocketing towards his face, but Adrian easily dodged the attack and jabbed him in the chest with his spread fingers. Logan gagged in pain and staggered back with five bloodstains growing on his shirt, while Adrian held up his hand, showing the blood on the tips of his fingers from the five shallow holes he had just drilled into Logan’s chest.

“That was a warning shot. The only reason why my fingers didn’t go in all the way was because I kept them separate and used only a fraction of my real strength. If you attack again, my next stab won’t be so weak. Submit now and apologize or my hand will pierce your chest like spear,” Adrian threatened, bringing his fingers together and straightening his hand out.

“Hell no, I’m having way too much fun!” Logan cackled as he charged towards him.

Adrian clicked his tongue several times in disappointment of his choice and got into a defensive stance with his hand pulled back, ready to lash out like a striking snake. The second Logan was close enough, he reached out with his fist and Adrian reached out with his flat hand.

“What the Hell is going on in here?!” a voice boomed, stopping Logan and Adrian before their attacks could connect.

Everyone turned his or her attention to the principle. He was standing at the very back of the crowd with the veins in his head bulging from anger.

“Merely an argument that took an unfortunate turn, Principle Smith. Nothing more than a physical disagreement,” Adrian answered calmly as he wiped the blood off his hand.

“I’m going to be questioning several students after you, so if you tell me a single lie, I’ll have the two of you suspended for the rest of the year. Now, tell me what happened. Adrian, you go first,” the principle warned.

Logan and Adrian were sitting in two chairs in front of his desk. Adrian had his arms and legs crossed with a calm look on his face, while Logan was slouching in his chair, holding one ice pack against his jaw and another against his busted nose.

“Jenny and I were walking down the upstairs hallway and Logan called out to us. We exchanged a brief argument and Logan attacked as he was walking past Jenny and I. I got Jenny out of the way, dodged his punch, and then counterattacked, hoping that I could scare him off or incapacitate him so that he couldn’t attack again. After a second brief argument, I warned Logan to stand down but he refused. He attacked again and I incapacitated him with a cautionary counterattack, causing those five bloodstains on his shirt. He refused to leave Jenny and I alone and I was just about to defeat him, but you stopped us.”

The principle nodded and turned to Logan. “And you?” he asked with disgust.

“Ok, you know what? Fuck this shit! I don’t even know why I’m here! I’m the victim! I was just minding my own business, making up for lost time with my friends, and this motherfucker suddenly starts insulting me! I ask him to leave me alone but he just freaks out and starts attacking me! I tried to fend him off, but this fucking psychopath just wouldn’t stop! If you hadn’t stopped him, I would have really had to kick his ass to protect myself. You have to believe me! This crazy fucker just came out and attacked me! If this son of a bitch isn’t expelled, I am going to sue this school!”

Adrian looked at him in shock. Was he being this stupid on purpose?

The principle gave a sigh and turned to Adrian. “You can go.”

Jenny was waiting on a bench beside the principle’s office when Adrian stepped out. She immediately bolted up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Adrian, what happened in there?”

“Don’t worry, everything is fine. I doubt I’ll get any punishment but Logan will basically get the chair.”

“Oh, I’m so relieved,” she sighed with her head on his shoulder. She then pulled away from him with an excited smile on her face. “I know you consider it idiotic when people say stuff like this, but I am so hot for you right now.”

The principle barely questioned any other students, since he already knew who was guilty and who was innocent. Adrian was left off the hook, but Logan was put on probation and would be expelled if he crossed the line by a mere inch. For the rest of the week, Logan didn’t come near Jenny or Adrian. He was a stupid psychopath, but he was smart enough to know that this was his last chance to actually graduate from high school.

It was a cool Saturday night with the chill of late autumn lingering in the air and a strong continuous wind. Jenny and Adrian had just stepped out of the movie theater and they were making their way back to his car. The air was damp with fog, creating a distorting aura around every light source and stirring endlessly under the power of the wind. It was quite late and there were few people on the sidewalks or driving down the street. Wanting to enjoy the cool air and the quiet of the night in the normally bustling town, Jenny had suggested that Adrian parked the car far away.

As they came to the entrance to the town park, Jenny playfully tugged on his arm. “Come on, let’s take a quick detour.” Adrian kept his arm tense so that his hand stayed in his pocket. “I really wish you hadn’t brought that thing,” she sighed, losing her smile.

“I’m sorry, but I just wanted to test its portability.”

To cheer her up, Adrian wrapped his other arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. Jenny looked at him with surprise. “You’ve never kissed me anywhere but the lips.”

Adrian gave a small smile and they entered the park, but in his mind, his headache was throbbing. The park was empty and but far from silent. The continuous wind was making every leaf rustle loudly. The only light was coming from the few streetlamps, spread out along the pavement path. Regardless of the cold air, Adrian’s headache refused to fade and it was growing to the point where his senses were weakening. That also wasn’t counting the growing feeling that he was about to throw up and the pain now starting to throb in his muscles. They were halfway through the park, walking along the precipice of a small plot of woods.

“So how did you like the movie?” Adrian asked as they breathed in the cool night air.

“It was good, but I hate how people who wake up in hospitals automatically rip everything away from their arms and stagger out into the hall. There is a reason why hospital beds have call buttons. It’s so illogical.”

Adrian chuckled, almost making her jump in surprise. “You’re becoming more like me.”

Just as Adrian spoke the words, a hard object slammed into the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. He heard several footsteps along with a scream from Jenny as his face hit the cold pavement of the sidewalk. With his senses scrambled by the impact, he struggled to get back to his feet. Logan and two of his friends were standing in front of him, with Logan ripping off Jenny’s shirt. He wrapped his arm her neck with his hand over her mouth as he pulled her shirt away, leaving only her bra. Even if she could scream, the park was completely empty and no one was wandering the streets. Adrian took a step forward but stopped as Logan pulled out a knife.

“It’s payback time, motherfucker. If you take another step, I’ll cut off your girlfriend’s clothes and you can watch us take turns having a little fun with her.”

Jenny gave a stifled scream and tears rolled down her face at Logan’s words. Adrian stood still as a statue with his heart racing and his body drowning in adrenaline.

‘Damn it, this sickness is ruining my senses. I should have picked them up before they could have even gotten close to us, but I’ve been completely weakened. Unless I take control of the situation, I’ll be dead and Jenny will be worse.’

But as the words passed through his mind, he began to feel something, something new. The best word he could find to describe it was… rage. His rage was focused on Logan for touching Jenny and using her to threaten him. Adrian tried to suppress this new emotion, because he needed his mind to be as clear as possible, but the conflict between his logical side and this burning emotion was just making his condition worse.

“Are you really so psychotic that you would attack us? Are you so quick to throw away your future?”

Logan laughed. “There are more people who will buy drugs from you then job opportunities if you graduate. I just wanted to finally get a taste of this whore and I thought the best revenge would be to make you watch. I didn’t hesitate for a moment when I decided I wanted to hunt you down and make you suffer. True, you are too smart for me to predict what you’ll do. Instead, I just have to predict what this stupid little whore will want and be assured that you’ll do whatever she says. This dumb blonde has got you completely whipped!

Jake, Sam, go ahead. Asshole, if you take a single step, I’ll rip off her clothes, cut her throat, and the last thing she’ll feel before dying is me inside her.”

Adrian took a deep breath as his two cronies walked over to him, chuckling sadistically. Jake pulled back his fist and punched him in the side of the face, knocking him back to the ground. The impact completely jarred his mind, making it almost impossible to think. Adrian slowly stood up, using every second to build up tolerance to the next attack. Sam kneed him in the stomach with enough force to make him cough up blood and Adrian swayed from side to side, struggling to stay on his feet. He also made sure that his right arm did not become straight. Jake punched him again and Adrian spat out a mouthful of blood. Jenny quietly cried as Sam crashed his elbow down onto his back, knocking him once again to the ground.

Adrian did not give a single groan of pain or expression of discomfort. He just got back to his feet with his chin up, over and over again. Sam and Jake continued beating him, punching him wherever would hurt the most. Adrian just focused on Jenny’s tear-filled eyes, finding comfort in them. Her muffled sobs could just barely be heard through Logan’s hand. As long as the knife was next to her throat, trying to fight back would result in death.

“Sam, take this and carve up his face,” Logan said as he reached into his pocket for another knife.

The second his knife was away from Jenny, Adrian acted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his darts, always making sure to have them when he wasn’t at home or school. He threw the spike, and even with his battered body, his impeccable aim lodged it one of the pressure points of Logan’s arm, causing him to drop the knife. With that quick opportunity, Jenny bit Logan’s hand as hard as she could. Logan threw her to the side, howling in pain from the two inches of metal lodged in his arm and the bleeding bite wound on his hand.

With Logan’s cronies distracted, Adrian reached down with his right hand, finally straightening out his arm. There was a cracking sound and a metal spike slid out of his sleeve and into his hand, measuring two feet long. The middle of the lance had a hinge under high tension, and it would instantly lock into position if the two parts were straightened out. Not only was this function perfect for concealment, the entire weapon was made of Demium, so the hinges, locking mechanism, and needle-sharp tip were so strong that the spike could support his full weight. The weapon was kept in the sleeve with the owner’s elbow next to the hinges. The owner only had to point their hand down and straighten their arm and the secured lance would slide into their hand.

Along with his lance, something else was released as well. The rage that had been created when Logan grabbed Jenny was erupting in his heart, as well as the killer instinct he used when there were obstacles in the way of his grand plan. The result was an icy desire to slaughter his enemies, with all aspects of remorse and guilt being crushed under its fury. With the Demium lance in his hand, Adrian could barely control the urge to kill.

He lashed out and slammed Jake in the throat, causing him to fall to his knees, gasping for air. He then smashed him in the back of the head and he fell flat on the ground. Adrian turned around as Sam tried to punch him and blocked his fist with the shaft of the lance, busting his foe’s hand. As Sam roared in pain, Adrian raised the spike and stabbed him in the foot. Before he could scream, Adrian pulled a right hook to the jaw, shattering several of his teeth and ripping apart his lips. He delivered the knockout move by slamming him in the middle of the chest with his palm, striking with enough force to shatter all of his ribs.

Gasping for air, Jake slowly got to his feet and stumbled towards him. Adrian raised the lance and brought it down, slashing him from shoulder to hip. Even though the weapon had no blade and the wound was shallow, the tip was sharper than a nail and sliced open skin and muscle like wrapping paper. He would live, but wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. Adrian turned as Logan charged towards him with his knife in his hand.

He jabbed forward with his knife and Adrian held up his hand, letting the blade stab him through the palm and send drops of blood splattering on his face. Logan stared in horror at the lack of reaction on Adrian’s face and the coldness in his eyes. His rage and mechanical mind were completely blocking out the pain, granting him the power to continue fighting. Without making a sound, Adrian stabbed him through the shoulder piercing the thick muscle and breaking his bones with ease.

Logan screamed in pain, and before he could step back, Adrian released his lance and jabbed forward with his good hand, stabbing him in the chest with all of his strength. With his fingers straight and the muscles reinforcing the bones, Adrian was able to pierce his torso all the way, with his hand bursting out of Logan’s back. Logan vomited blood as Adrian pulled his hand away, leaving a huge gaping wound just below his ribcage. Had he wanted to, he could have grabbed any number of organs and ripped them right out.

Adrian retrieved his lance and twisted Logan’s arm, forcing him to his knees. Adrian kept twisting, dislocating his other shoulder. He then stepped back and slashed him several times across the back, leaving deep bloody gashes. Logan was gagging in agony, unable to even scream.

Adrian raised the spike, about to deliver the killing blow, but Jenny rushed over to him and grabbed his arms. “No Adrian, please don’t!”

In his blood-drunk stupor, Adrian did not hear her.

“Adrian!” she cried out again, somewhat shaking him out of it.

“He’s in my way, and anyone in my way must be removed.”

“You’ve done enough! You don’t have to murder him! You aren’t a heartless killing machine!”

Adrian gasped as her words fully broke through his bloodlust and his hands slackened around the spike.

She stepped in front of him, standing between him and Logan with her hands on his cheeks. “If you kill him, the police will lock you away forever and I cannot bear to be without you. If you kill him then you will have to kill him too, because I don’t want to live without you. Come back to me, come back to me, Adrian.”

His breathing was hoarse as Adrian slowly calmed down his mind, separating his rage from his logical side and extinguishing the fires of anger. The lance fell out of his hand and imbedded itself in the ground.

After several seconds, Jenny’s expression softened. “Why did you react that way? Why did you become so angry?”

Adrian looked at her in confusion, trying to understand why she was asking this question here and now.

“You have never been this angry before, so what changed now?” she asked, almost as if she were trying to pull his mind from his body.

“I… I…”

“Just say it, not for me but for yourself. Why did you react like this? Why did you do this? Why were you so upset and desperate to protect me?” she asked with tears running from her eyes but with the smallest of smiles on her face.

“I did it because… because I…”

“Say it, say the words that I know you want to say. Say the words that are truly in your heart.”

“I got angry at them for attacking you… because I love you,” Adrian said softly.

Jenny’s smile widened and she gave a deep sigh of relief, finally hearing what she was trying to get him to say.

“You are not a machine; you are a man, the man I love and man who loves me. It feels so good to hear your feelings for me.”

“I am sorry, Jenny. I am so, so sorry. I wanted to kill them all and I wanted it so badly that I couldn’t stop myself. If you hadn’t intervened, I would have slaughtered three people tonight,” he murmured with his whole body shaking.

“It’s ok, my love, it’s ok. Come on, let’s get your hand fixed and go home. We’ll call an ambulance for these losers.”

“As you wish, my love,” he said, repeating what she had said to him.

Speaking the words, Adrian immediately fell to the ground, gripping his head and vomiting. His whole body was overwhelmed with indescribable agony as his consciousness and subconscious collided like two meteors, brought on the emotional epiphany and causing his mind to begin tearing itself apart.

“Adrian!” Jenny cried out as he struggled to stay awake and not pass out from the pain.

“Please, we need a doctor right away. My boyfriend has been stabbed through the hand and he’s lost a lot of blood. He’s also suffered from some sort of seizure,” Jenny said desperately to the receptionist.

Adrian and Jenny were in the emergency room of the hospital and their parents were already on the way. The room was filled with chairs and brightly lit by fluorescent lights. A bookcase and a magazine stand were set up against the wall and a TV had been installed up in the ceiling’s corner, turned on to the evening news. Across the room were the receptionist desk and the double doors leading to the rest of the hospital, with the hospital entrance between the two sides of the room. There were only a handful of people there with Adrian and Jenny; two of them were security guards and the rest were people that had been injured from a car accident or were just clumsy in the dark night.

“All right, fill out this information while I get a doctor,” the nurse said.

She handed them a clipboard with an admittance sheet and picked up nearby phone, quickly dialing a number and notifying one of the doctors in the hospital. Jenny sat down next to Adrian, who had somewhat recovered from his episode in the park and was at least awake, but his whole body ached and his thoughts were sluggish.

“I should have retrieved my lance… or at least gotten rid of it so that the police couldn’t find it.”

Jenny turned to him, her voice shaking. “The police won’t take you away, you were just acting out of self-defense, nothing more.”

“I practically butchered them. I’ll be lucky if I can stay out of jail.”

“Adrian, everything will be fine. If something goes wrong, you can find a way out of it. It’s what you do best.”

Adrian gave a small smile. “I love you.”

“Ditto,” she replied jokingly.

“ADROID!”

Everyone turned to the hospital entrance as Logan staggered in. He was covered in blood and barely conscious. While one shoulder had been stabbed and the other dislocated, a gapping hole sat in his chest, and the muscles in his back had been torn to shreds, but he had somehow managed to follow them.

“DIE, YOU BASTARD!” he said as he raised his hand, holding a gun.

He pointed it at Adrian, and before the young genius could react in his weakened state, Logan pulled the trigger.

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