M

By Jo Michaels

In 2026, it finally arrives, the drug promising to make life easier for the masses. One dose of M and anyone can gain an ability. There are no promises made as to what the power could manifest as, but people are crawling over one another to take a chance.

There's a problem: One pill costs a million dollars. Only those with extraordinary wealth are afforded the luxury of cleaning house with a click of their diamond-adorned fingers or solving a puzzle by talking to it.

A knockoff begins circulating in 2038 that does the same thing as M. Hundreds of thousands of people have mutated for a mere one hundred dollars.

Enter the year 2042.

Seventeen-year-old Griffin is a normal kid, who has a regular job, and dreams of going to college someday. When his girlfriend of three years succumbs to peer pressure, they break up. He believes the body is a temple not to be messed with outside of nature, and she wants to fit in. Once he meets the supplier, things take a turn for the worse.

He's left with nothing but pain in his heart and the desire to make them suffer when his plans for payback blow up in his face.

Thirst for revenge consumes him, and he finds himself locked in a battle he never anticipated with a merciless kingpin as they struggle to gain the advantage.

How far is too far?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Michaels
• Release date: Apr 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463234259

Jo Michaels

Jo Michaels loves writing novels that make readers gasp in horror, surprise, and disbelief. While her browser search history has probably landed her on a list somewhere, she still dives into every plot with gusto, hoping "the man" will realize she's a writer and not a psychopath about to go on a rampage. Her favorite pastimes are reading, watching Investigation Discovery, and helping other authors realize their true potential through mentoring. She's penned the award-winning Pen Pals and Serial Killers series and the best-selling educational book for children, Writing Prompts for Kids, which has rocketed the kids that use it into several awards of their own.Most of Jo's books feature the places she's lived: Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia. That's given her a special amount of insight to what makes those locations tick. Her works are immersive and twisty, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

Book preview

M

a novel

by Jo Michaels

Copyright © 2015 Jo Michaels

All Rights Reserved

Published June 18, 2015

First Digital Edition

Smashwords Version

ISBN: 9780463234259

License Notes:

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be copied or re-distributed in any way. Author holds all copyright.

This book is a work of fiction and does not represent any individual living or dead.

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover design by Jo Michaels

Edited by Tia Silverthorne Bach of INDIE Books Gone Wild

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

***

For my husband.

***

Chapter One

New Year’s Day, 2042

What were you thinking, Brit? You don’t know what that stuff’s gonna do to you!

"What I was thinking was I wanna have a special ability like everyone else."

Griffin’s temper rose so high, he could feel his nostrils flare. "Everyone? Not me. His words came out with a growl, and Brittany flinched like he’d lashed at her with a knife. Tears sprang to her eyes, and he softened his tone. You know how I feel about that drug. It’s not right to mess with nature."

She shook her head. "I’ve heard what you think, and I believe you’re wrong. People that took M ten years ago are fine, and their kids have been born with an ability. I want to pass that on to my own… our kids—"

He lifted a hand. "There can never be an our again. You’ve sealed that fate. I refuse to be with someone who’s been tampered with. Remember, those people who took the original version of M, the one that was tested and run through a million clinical trials, paid through the nose for it. You’ve taken some street copy that costs a hundred bucks. There’s no telling what it’ll do to you long term."

She looked down then lifted her eyes to meet his.

How he’d loved looking into those green jewels trimmed by long, thick lashes. His throat constricted.

I know you don’t think M2 is safe, but let me show you something. She lifted a hand and ran it through his hair before passing him a golden pocket mirror. Look.

Staring at his reflection, he felt his jaw fall and snapped his mouth shut. Put. It. Back.

Again, she ran a hand through his hair.

His voice shaky, he passed the mirror back to her after a thorough inspection. "Don’t ever touch me again."

What’s wrong with you? It’s just a little color change. She turned to slide the disk back into her bag.

He ran, not giving her the chance to turn back around and continue her incessant begging. His feet pounded the pavement, sending shock waves through his body up to his heart. It was necessary to run away, because he couldn’t stand to finalize the end of their relationship while looking her in the face. Stopping for a breather, he touched his watch. New text message. Brittany Rose. Body. I’m sorry about the way this happened, but you knew what you were doing when you did it, period. New line. You knew how I felt, period. It was your decision, period. We’re done, period. Send. A whoosh indicated the message had been sent, and he touched his watch again. Turn off. It pinged to let him know it was powering down.

He sighed and turned toward home.

As he walked, he admired the city. Since the induction of the mutant police force, known as Phaedrons, over ten years before, there was very little trash on the streets and no homeless. What happened to the people was a mystery that had yet to be solved.

Clearion was one of the new, self-contained cities, and the first city to be cleaned up. Everyone living on the streets seemed to disappear overnight.

Working members of society had conspiracy theories, sure, but no one had facts. Some said the homeless were taken to serve the government, others alluded that Phaedrons killed the poor people and dumped the bodies in a landfill.

Griffin shook his head. He was well aware of the Phaedrons’ love for violence. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something blowing toward him and bent to pick up the errant flier. What the heck? Trash? In huge display text, it read: M2 Party! Come to the Hot Spot! 6-9 p.m. Friday, January 3. Get your mutant on!

Anger that had begun to recede from the endorphins released by his run rushed back to the surface, and he ripped the offensive page into confetti before putting it in a nearby garbage bin.

When he breezed through the door, over an hour later, his mother had her lips pressed tightly together and one eyebrow cocked up.

He asked, What did I do?

What did you do? You didn’t answer my calls or texts! I was scared to death! Mom’s face turned red. Plus, I got a call from Brittany, who was in tears, saying you broke up, and she was worried about you.

"Yeah, I broke up with her. I turned my phone off so she couldn’t call me. I can’t believe she called you."

Well? What caused all this? You two have been going out for over a year, and you seemed happy. Mom threw her hands in the air and slumped.

She took M2. Ruined us. You know how I feel about it; you feel the same way. So don’t start telling me I made a rash decision.

"She did what?"

You heard right. No, I don’t wanna talk about it. Griffin stormed off to his room. He felt bad about snapping at his mother, but he didn’t want her trying to fix his relationship. It was bad enough his relationship with Brit was over; he didn’t need to rehash the pain of her betrayal. Falling on the bed, he let out a sigh, wishing he could shed tears. It was an ongoing struggle for him to show pain outwardly, so it ate at him from the inside, itching to be released. Usually, it manifested as anger, landing on anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

He rolled over and closed his eyes.

Sleep was a torturous monster, consuming his mind and causing nightmares. After running from a three-headed, mutated Brittany, and waking for the third time in a cold sweat, he gave up and went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. As the steamy liquid issued forth, he took a peek at the time over the insta-oven: 4:32 a.m.

He leaned his head against the cabinet and drew in a deep breath. At least there was no school for another week or so because of Christmas break. That meant a respite from Brittany and her gaggle of girly goons. When the coffeemaker pinged, he snagged the cup and headed back to his room to get his virtual reality glasses and gloves—a birthday gift from his grandmother the year before.

A smile split his face when he thought about Grandma and her fiery temper. She was the one who’d convinced him his body was a temple and told him Mother Nature wasn’t a creature to be toyed with. Smart lady.

Sucking down the coffee, Griffin threw on a pair of ripped jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing the VR equipment from the shelf and heading for the door. Just before he turned the knob, he snapped his fingers and turned around to leave his mom a note: Gone to VR, be back later. Love you. He stuck it to the front of the coffeemaker; knowing it would be the first thing she touched when she got up.

Once outside, things began to look better. It seemed the day in the building was going to be clear and warm, perfect for a game of Military Training Nineteen, his VR game of choice. He strapped on the glasses, tightening the band so they wouldn’t fall off, stuck his hands into the gloves, and pressed the button on his right wrist to start the game.

Blinking letters invaded his sight: New Game?

Yes, he said.

They changed to read: Game Loading… Scanning location… Start!

At once, his empty hands were holding a virtual pistol, which he loaded and held to his chest before creeping up the alley near his house. It was nice living in a suburban area because there was rarely anyone out before seven or eight, and he could play without the worry he’d be bothering people. Up the alley he went, then down to the lower levels of the building and smaller housing lots—for couples with one child or single parents with two kids—via the moving sidewalk.

This is weird. No bad guys. I wonder—

His words were cut short when a group of men, wearing black masks and a red symbol that looked like an upside down number three in a circle with a bar up the middle, burst out of a nearby doorway and pointed guns at his head.

Gotcha. His game-face locked on, and he rolled behind a tree before taking them out in six shots. Ha. One for each of you! Die, scum!

As he was about to check the deceased for ammo, his VR glasses went green to indicate he had an incoming phone call. Pressing a button on the side of the glasses, he answered.

Mom’s voice came back at him. Honey, do you think it’s a good idea to be out at this time of the morning playing your stupid war game?

He took a deep breath to avoid losing his temper. Yes, I do. I need some time for myself and— The screen turned red. Great, thanks. You just got me killed. I’ll be home later. Please don’t call me on my game anymore.

Okay, I’m sorry. I’m just worried. I love you.

I love you, too. I’ll be home in a little while. He pressed the button to end the call and read the words blinking at him: Fatal shot. You are dead. New Game?

Yes, he said, and gave a sigh.

When the game indicated it was live, he reloaded and took off again, this time even lower in the building to the singles’ lots, where the unmarried people lived. They had a lot of scrubby brush he could hide behind.

Game play was fast and furious once he got warmed up, and he took out no less than two hundred bad guys over the next couple of hours. He’d had to stab one dude who thought he was going to attack from behind.

Sissy.

Loser didn’t even have a gun.

Griffin pulled down the glasses and let them hang around his neck before pressing the off button and turning toward home. When he realized how far up the building he’d ventured during game play, he walked to the plexi-railing and looked out over the ‘burbs.

People were beginning to start the day, and the moving sidewalks were in high gear. If he looked straight across, he could see Brittany’s house winking back at him from the upper levels where the wealthy resided in their mansions. One level down was where his family lived—the backbone of the ‘burbs, the real people, blue collar workers that fueled the city and kept it running.

Under his level were the smaller lots, and under that were the singles’ houses—where he’d been playing earlier. Those were mostly occupied by teens that just graduated high school and were in college.

Marriage wasn’t allowed for those folks. According to the decree, married people must both be employed unless one of the two gross over two hundred thousand dollars a year. Limits on children were based on income. His own parents had hit theirs when his sister was born five years prior. Mom and Dad had been sterilized.

Griffin huffed. It was one more way the government found to control the masses.

At that moment, a group of Phaedrons flew by on their aerial gliders. Griffin shrank back and made himself as small as possible. That was trouble he didn’t need. After they’d passed, he made his way down to his house, stopping to admire the evergreens in the front yard.

Mom poked her head out. Hi, honey! Did you have a good time?

Griffin curled a lip and gave her a half smile. Yeah, until you got me whacked.

I’m sorry. You’re right, you did leave me a note, and I shouldn’t have bothered you.

Just kidding. Gee, you’re touchy today, huh?

She shrugged and gave him Mom eyes. He loved when she looked at him like that. Those looks held unconditional, deep love. It was like nothing in the world could go wrong as long as she was nearby. Stepping up to the door, he shoved it open the rest of the way and grabbed her in a bear hug.

Mom hugged him back and patted his shoulder. I love you; do you know that? Her eyes sparkled, and he could feel pride radiating from her.

Yeah, I do. I love you, too. Hey, where’s Nikki? I’m thinking I’d like to take her to the park outside the building today.

She’ll love that even more than the little park on the corner. She’s in her room playing. Wanna hear something weird?

Griffin nodded.

She got up asking about you this morning. Usually, she just asks about breakfast.

Did she? Well, I’ll have to treat her extra nice today. He grinned and headed to collect his little sister.

When he poked his head in the door, she looked up and smiled, showing every tooth in her head.

Hi, Gwiffin! She leapt from her seat on the floor and flew into his arms. You gonna take me outside today?

He smiled back, knelt, and lifted her onto his knee. I sure am. But you need your big coat because we’re leaving the building, okay?

Her eyes got wide. "Oooooh, we’re going to the big park? Outside?"

Uh huh, we sure are. So go get your coat, hat, and boots. I’ll be waiting in the living room.

She clapped her chubby hands and hopped off his knee, racing for the closet.

His heart warmed at seeing her so excited and ready to go. When he stood up and turned around, he found his mother standing in the hall, her eyes wet.

You’re such a good big brother.

A smile he couldn’t stop spread across his face and it grew warm. He knew he was blushing. Moooom, come on…

She turned and walked away, but he swore her step was a little lighter.

He put his VR glasses away and donned his own cold-weather clothing before heading to the living room and sitting down to wait.

When Nikki came out, she had her coat on inside-out and her boots on the wrong feet. Chuckling, he beckoned her over and helped her get straight before leading her to the door. He yelled, Bye, Mom! We’ll be back later!

From somewhere in the depths of the house, Mom answered, Okay! Be safe! Please have her home for lunch at noon!

No! I’m taking her somewhere for lunch! Enjoy your day off!

Nikki giggled and whispered, Where we going for lunch?

Griffin tweaked her nose and whispered back, You’ll see.

Mom’s voice broke the conspiratorial conversation. Oh! Okay, then. Have fun! Dinner’s at six!

Tucking his sister’s hand into his own, Griffin set off across the yard toward the nearest moving sidewalk that would take them outside. It was a chore keeping up with Nikki because she stopped and asked about this plant or that one and exclaimed over every colorful thing she saw. After fifteen minutes, he was exhausted. Nik, you gotta slow down. You’re wearing me out.

They stepped on the moving sidewalk carefully, merging into the crowd with ease.

She gave him the best little sister smile he’d ever seen, and he melted. Okay, okay. I’ll quit complaining.

Pointing toward an ice cream shop coming into view, she turned and opened her eyes wide, begging.

Oh, no! You gotta have lunch first. Besides, it’s freezing out here. Why in the world do you want ice cream?

I like it. Her little face fell.

He scooped her up and pulled her close. "Okay, but after lunch."

No. Now. Pwease?

No. After lunch or not at all. You know better. He tweaked her nose again, eliciting a new stream of giggles. Look, Nik, there’s the park!

All thoughts of ice cream seemed to vanish as the sidewalk flowed out of Clearion and the park came into view. She squirmed to be put down. Their transportation slowed at the exit to the park, and they stepped off into the frosty snow. Nikki took off running toward the swings, and he let her go on ahead. Just as she crossed into the playground, someone stepped into her path and she slammed into him, falling backward on her butt. Wails filled the air.

Dude, what gives? Griffin asked as he lifted his red-faced, bawling sister off the ground and pulled her into a hug.

She’d run into a boy that looked to be about eighteen. He was solid muscle. His short, croppy, blond hair screamed military as did the scowl on his face. She needs to watch where she’s going.

She’s a little kid. How ‘bout you watch where you’re going? Griffin turned and put Nikki on her feet, ushering her toward the swings once again. Go on and play, you’re fine.

Nikki sniffed, wiped her nose on her sleeve, and toddled off.

He turned back toward the buff kid. Don’t be such a jerk. To Griffin’s utter astonishment, Brittany came bouncing up and put her hand on the other guy’s arm.

Hey, some kids over there wanna talk to y… Oh, hi. Her eyes caught Griffin’s and she blushed.

Hi yourself. You’re here with this guy?

"This guy’s name is Phoenix.