Read Marrow for Free Online Page B

over his broad shoulders. A black mask blended with his dark, slicked-back hair, obscuring all but the lower half of his clean-shaven face, emphasizing his strong cleft chin.
    “When the Gaia Comet first hit Earth, we thought it was the end,” said the projected image. Fantom’s articulation was both eloquent and dangerous, resonating through the entire lobby. “Instead, it was merely the beginning. Gaia narrowly missed the sun, which acted as a fusion reactor. When the Gaia Comet made impact with the ocean, this alien nuclear fallout caused a radioactive mutation in nearly five percent of humankind. These so-called mutants became known as Supers. The age-old mythology of Superheroes became a reality. At the Fantom Institute for Superheroes-in-Training, we seek the most gifted young Supers and train them to the very brink of their supernatural capabilities. We train them to be beacons of hope. Symbols of justice. Weapons of light. In a world where every evil has its own agenda, we, at FIST, have only one objective—to fight for a better world.”
    His words didn’t have their usual stimulating effect on me. All I could think about was Nero and how much I wanted to punch his face inside out.
    “You ready to fight for a better world?” Havoc asked, snapping me out of my trance. Though he spoke in a soft tone, there was no hiding the inherent edge in his voice. The end result was not so much inspirational but rather resembled a drill sergeant in a good mood.
    “I’d rather jump in front of a train right now,” I muttered under my breath.
    “What was that, Marrow?” Havoc snapped.
    “I said . . . I’m ready to bump up the pain . . . right now,” I fumbled for a more appropriate answer. “The pain against . . . evil, I mean . . . you know . . . when Flex and I kick their butts . . . and stuff.”
    Havoc snorted. “Are you ready to go or what?”
    Honestly, I was more ready for the train idea. Unfortunately, that probably wasn’t one of the options Havoc was offering. Still, leaving FIST didn’t seem like such a bad option.
    I nodded.
    Havoc extended his brawny open palm with fingers the size of fat sausages. “Take my hand.”
    I glanced awkwardly between Havoc and his extended hand.
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Havoc rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking you to the prom, Bonehead!”
    You know you have a good student/teacher relationship when your teacher calls you the same stupid nickname that your jerk classmate does.
    Havoc grabbed my hand, or rather, swallowed it whole within his massive grasp. That was only weird for a second. Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath us, and our surroundings erupted into a haze of wispy smoke. My insides lurched as my body felt like it was suddenly being blasted out of a cannon.
    Suddenly, solid ground slammed against the bottom of my feet. My legs buckled on impact. If it hadn’t been for Havoc’s solid grasp, I would have lost my balance for sure.
    Have I mentioned that Havoc’s power is teleportation? If not . . . well, there you go. It’s way cool to watch him in action.
    Actually doing it is enough to make you poop your pants.
    The hazy mist took shape, forming two towering walls. Their distorted surfaces soon became brick, tainted by graffiti. It was a long narrow passage with no ceiling.
    An alley—the sort of sketchy alley you would generally stay away from if you weren’t keen on the idea of being jumped and mugged or having other horrible things done to you.
    Unless, of course, you were being accompanied by a big guy who made your average street thug look like a ballerina.
    As I glanced over at Havoc, there was not even a hint of concern on his rigid face. In fact, he looked a little bored.
    We moved out of the alley and into the open street. Traffic flowed and choked down a nearby intersection. More than a couple people wailed on their horns in the process, the sound blending together into a noisy, incoherent blur. The sidewalk was just as occupied with