The Maurader: Episode 2

Episode 2

Casey struggles with balancing his human and vigilante lives.

It was a late night, and Casey was finishing up some new modifications to his armor. With his abilities, he knew he didn't need armor but he wanted it as part of his identity. After some tinkering, he had figured out how to use technology to amplify the dark energy in his body. 

He had changed since those 3 years ago. Ever since he absorbed the dark energy, he felt it was who he really was. It fueled him to want to rid the world of every horrible person. But, at the same time, he wanted to do good. In conflict with these thoughts, he cried out in anger. He then heard an explosion outside. 

"Good chance to try out my new mods."

Not too far from Casey's lab, pandemonium was already flooding the streets. Pedestrians were screaming in terror at the Earth-shaking explosion they had just witnessed. Some were filming the aftermath with their phones. Police began to arrive to set it up as a crime scene. 

"What the hell happened?" A new Police Officer known as Officer Clements asked his captain. 

"Heck if I know." Captain Dawes replied. "I thought this city was crazy enough as it was."

Other officers helped with crowd control and paramedics were helping the injured. K9 unites sniffed the grounds for any other evidences. Firemen worked hard at the flames devouring every square inch of the building.

Far back behind the scene, Casey was using his built in computer to analyze the scene, each detail feeding back to his heads up display.

"C4. This was a high tech laboratory, according to my scanners. The question is, why, and did they take anything?" Casey thought to himself. 

"Sir, Davis from forensics has a report." Clements announced to his captain.

"It was 500 tons of C4 that caused the explosion, sir. It was found the most in the strongest points of the building. There was definitely someone or multiple people here, but whoever they were, they're really good, and new how to cover their tracks."

"Any casualties or deaths?" Dawes asked the forensics expert.

"Other than a few injuries out here, no deaths, and thank God no one was in the building." 

"Let me know if you find anything else."

Dawes sighed of relief, but something still felt wrong about this. It was almost too easy for the perpetrators, and as Davis said, they were good. Almost too good. 

Casey was almost as puzzled as the police, and that concerned him. He could figure out almost anything, and had once considered joining the force, but after his incident, he couldn't trust teams. He saved whatever data he collected, and headed back to his lab/home.

Nearing home, he felt as if he was being watched. His heads up display couldn't detect whatever was following him. Then, a big and burly figure jumped out of the shadows. He was dressed in some outfit, but nothing close to his own. The Marauder reading his dark energy gauntlets. 

"Casey Adams," the figure growled. 

"How do you know my name?" He responded. 

The figure cackled. "I know many things about you, but that will be another time. But for now, I'm here to warn you."

"If you're inviting me for drinks, you can forget it. I wouldn't even consider hanging out with clowns such as yourself. But I'll bite. What's this big warning you have for me?" 

"Im part of an organization that has...big things planned." 

"How big?" Casey asked. 

The figure laughed. "Now, why would I tell you that and spoil the master plan? Let's just say it has something to do with you and the people. That scene over there, well that was just the beginning."

"So this was staged. You're lucky no one had died, or I would' ve snapped your neck right about now. In fact, why don't I do that now and end your miserable life?"

Casey approached the figure and tried to grab his head, but his arms passed right through him. 

"A hologram. Coward."

"Very perceptive. But I can guarantee you will be the coward once our master plan is underway. Oops, I've said too much already. I must be going, but we will meet again soon!" 

The figure cackled as it disappeared. Casey grunted in anger. Who was this figure? How did it know about Casey? He needed answers.

A few days later, more details regarding the explosion emerges. Casey was watching the full report on a custom built television. 

"Following the explosion last night at Vegas Tech, we've uncovered some new developments on the case. Sam?" 

"Thank you, Kathy. Last night at around 9 pm, there was an explosion that shook 3 blocks. It was revealed by forensics that it had been 500 tons of C4 that reduced the building to rubble. The same forensics team has recently discovered what was taken, and it turns out it was a miniature atom stablizer. The perpetrators are still unknown, and we have no idea why they took what they did, but the police are working hard to figure it all out. Back to you, Kathy."

Casey took in the information. An atomic stablizer. Could it be apart of their master plan? Other labs could be in danger. Casey wanted to strangle the living daylights out of whoever was behind this but he needed to focus.

Somewhere in a hidden location, an underground warehouse held a bunch of high tech equipment. The reason was unknown. A group of scientist were working on assembling a massive mechanical structure, and it's purpose was unkown. In an observing window, stood another man hidden by the shadows. Another man approached him.

"How are things coming?" He asked his colleague.

"Very good, sir. Preparation for assembly is on schedule."

"Excellent. And the Marauder?"

"Oh, I payed him a little visit a few days ago. He has no idea of our wearabouts. I gave him a little teaser. He's smart, but hes clueless of what's really going on."

"I expected as much. If he only knew, if the world only knew. Project Lotus is a go."

Back on the surface, in an abandoned warehouse basement, a gang was preparing for a mission. They were known as the Red Serpents.

Their leader Thaddeus stepped forward. 

"Men, I just got word of a shipment of priceless jeweles from overseas. It arrives at 10 tonight, and is coming in from California by truck."

"What about security?" One of the members known as Stinger asked.

The boss walked toward him. "My dear Stinger, has security ever been a problem in the past? No, it hasn't. It won't be any different this time. Stinger, you'll go with Crescent and Fracture. You're mission is to hi jack the truck and bring back the goods."

"Move out!"

The gang members made their way to the shipping docks in a heavily armored van. They were modified security vans and had been useful to them in the past. They got in position, and watched as the truckcarrying the gems drew nearer. The ship docked, and ten minutes later security personell arrived to meet the crew. Thaddeus gave the order via radio. The men took the crew by surprise, and gun downed the entire crew and security. They shot the truck driver as well. Three members, Stinger being one of them, opened the back of the truck, and unloaded the crates.

"This was two easy." Another member known as Crescent grunted. 

They brought over mechanical jacks to load the crates, and doing so, two of the other members were dragged away, and screamed. Crescent got in position.

"Stinger? Fracture?" He looked nervously around the docked crates, wondering where they could've gone. Another person wearing a sleek black armor jumped on to the top of the truck, making Crescent point his gun at him.

"Lets just say your friends are, taking a nap." The person said. 

"Back up, man!" Crescent opened fire on the person, but he emitted a dark red aura and disintegrated the bullets into a black powder. 

"That will happen to you if you don't tell me why you massacred these innocent people."

The person jumped down and approached the terrified Crescent, who wanted to run but couldn't. The person grabbed him by his neck and slammed him against a crate. 

"Talk! Why were you out here tonight?" 

"I-I-I can't!" He stammered. 

The person began to twist his hand back, causing him to scream in pain. 

"Alright, alright. I'm part of the- of the" 

"The what?" He grunted, pushing his hand back further. 

"The Red Serpents! The Red Serpents!" He cried. 

"Who the hell are the Red Serpents?"

"A gang that's working for a much larger organization. You can break my hand, but they'll kill me if I say! I can't."

These Red Serpents must be the ones that caused the explosion, Casey thought. 

"You know what," Casey growled at the gang member, and his eyes glowed the same dark red. "I'll let you live, for now, and tell your boss that the Maurader is going to kill each and every one of you until I find out who you're working for."

Casey then disintegrated the man's gun into the same black powder, and he then bolted. Casey then alerted the police by firing a few shots into the air, then headed back to his lab.