"What do you Theronites want with my husband?" Shaila asked as she pointed her "Coffee Makers" at the Theronites.

"They're not here for me! They're after the baby! Run!" Zac shouted to a frowning Shaila.

The electric Theronite that was pinning him down bashed him in the back of the head. Shaila didn't want to leave Zac behind but knew she couldn't escape them. Their only chance was to fight until help arrived. Before that, there was one thing that she needed to know.

"Did Selistar send you?" She frowned at the five of them.

"Kill the child." The Electric Theronite commanded without answering.

"I'll take that as a no." Shaila sighed.

She didn't know whether she should be happy or even more concerned. Regardless, there was no way in hell she was going to let them kill her baby while she was alive. From the looks on the faces of the Theronites, killing her was always on the table. She looked at Zac and took a deep breath.

They managed to subdue Zac, even after he had gotten so strong and had the Nanite armor, there was little hope for her. She would simply have to try her best to free Zac. The helmet visor was constantly scanning and tracking the Theronites. The two she had blasted away before had already gotten to their feet.

"We can make this painless if you just don't resist." One of the Theronites spoke.

"Fuck you." Shaila snarled as she aimed one of her guns to target one of the Theronites.

The three Theronites that surrounded Zac had no intention of leaving his side. That meant he was a viable threat to them, so her course of action was obvious. A beam of plasma burst from her gun. The Theronite in the path of the blast jumped out of the way.

The blast of plasma burned a clean hole through a tree, causing it to fall over. The second Theronite approached at a speed that was too fast for Shaila to keep up with. However, she didn't need to. Her helmet scanned the Theronite's approach, and thrusters in the gun flared, moving the gun for her. A command to fire flashed across her visor, and she did so.

That plasma beam caught the charging Theronite off guard. They tried to change course but were clipped on their left shoulder by the blast. They tumbled along the ground and looked at their shoulder, a cauterized chunk was missing. The other Theronites looked on in shock at the damage done. If they took a direct hit from that, it could kill them.

They had no chance to fully process what was happening as Shaila had already locked onto the three Theronites guarding Zac. The plasma guns fired. The plasma blast branched out into several streams, pinpointing each of the Theronites. After seeing the power of those guns, they had no choice but to leap away.

"Shit…" The Electric Theronite cursed as he was forced to get off Zac.

Zac slowly stood, and the Theronites looked at him in horror. The wounds on his body had already healed, and he looked ready to battle once again. The five Theronites looked at each other and then turned their attention to Shaila. The Electric Theronite charged at Zac as the other four went towards Shaila.

Zac ignored the Theronite charging his way and shot forward at incredible speed. He appeared next to Shaila and scooped her up before taking off again. The Theronites stood in stunned silence until the Electric Theronite shouted,

"Chase!!!" The five of them took off after Zac carried Shaila. His speed surpassed their own, but there was no way he could outrun them for long while carrying Shaila.

"How are your arms?" Zac asked as he ran through the snowy forest.

"How do you think they are?" Shaila smiled through the pain, her haggard breathing was enough to tell Zac everything he needed to know.

The Coffee Makers were a revolution of technology that Shaila had created and designed herself. It was so revolutionary that the Twins stole the concept for their GRAMPS units. The only problem was that Shaila's human body couldn't handle the extreme speeds the guns could move, forcing her arms to move with them. Just a few motions she had done earlier had caused muscle ruptures in her arms.

"If you worked out a little harder…" Zac teased.

"Shut up, stupid. I have a normal human body. No amount of working out will increase the strength of my ligaments enough to help against this." Shaila groaned as she rested her head on Zac's shoulder.

"Yeah…" Zac gripped Shaila tighter as he looked over his shoulder and saw the Theronites chasing them. Zac then heard the sounds of thrusters going off as the Coffee Makers targeted the Theronites chasing them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zac shouted.

"It's not like my arms and ligaments can get more torn, right?" Shaila joked.

"Are you sure you're a doctor?"

"I'm not a licensed physician." Shaila let out a pained giggle as she shot out plasma blast after plasma blast at her attackers.

"Shai, stop… I can outrun them until help gets here."

"Keta, you know help isn't coming." Shaila smiled.

Zac trembled a bit. He understood the implications of her words. He looked at her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"FUCK!" Zac shouted as he slid to a stop by a large tree. He placed Shaila on the ground and removed her helmet.

"Don't use those again…" Zac commanded as he looked over his shoulder looking down at her guns. Zac let out a pained sigh. Shaila was slumped over, unable to lift her arms by herself anymore. Zac turned to look at the five Theronites as they caught up.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're a monster that has defiled the purest of bloodlines with your foul seed." The Female Theronite responded.

"If being a taboo child is such a blight, why wait till now?" Zac asked.

However, the only answer he received was the five of them charging him once again. Their target was Shaila, but they knew they would be hard-pressed to get to her with Zac standing there. They rained blows down on him. He blocked and parried everything he could while tanking what he could not.

No matter how hard they hit him, his body did not budge. One of the Theronites reached out to grab Shaila through a perceived opening. In response, Zac grabbed their wrist. They locked eyes, and the Theronite almost crumbled under the pressure they felt from those terrifying purple eyes.

Zac twisted the Theronite's arm, breaking it, and then tossed him into the others. Three of the others caught the thrown Theronite as the Electric Theronite was locked in a melee with Zac once again. Electric sparks flew off each blow. It was obvious that not only had Zac completely recovered, but he was becoming stronger and faster by the second.

"Look at you! If you were a Taboo child, we wouldn't be going to such lengths. Given what you have done so far, we would have deemed your existence tolerable."

"Deem my existence tolerable?" Zac growled as he sent a powerful punch to the side of the man's face.

The electric Theronite spat blood as his body crashed into the ground. As he went down, energy pellets, blades of wind, and a blast of fire raced toward Zac. Zac turned around and covered Shaila with his body. The attacks ripped the flesh from his back. Shaila looked at his pained face and whispered, "It's ok… it's gonna be ok."

A shock ran through his body as the electric Theronite that was on the ground grabbed Zac by the leg, shocking him. The fifth Theronite sent a powerful kick to the side of Zac's head. He tumbled across the snow. He struggled to roll over and saw the electric Theronite rising to his feet.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"You're a monster. I don't mean you're a taboo child. You. Are. Not. HUMAN!!" The electric Theronite shouted at Zac, who was in stunned silence. He looked over at Shaila, who smiled at him. She already knew. Of course, she knew. She knew more about his body than anyone. Zac struggled to get up.

"ARGGH!" Zac let out a painful wail as one of the Theronites crashed down on his back, breaking his lower spine.

"It's ok…" Shaila smiled at Zac.

"I am truly sorry about this, but it is for the sake of humanity," The Electric Theronite said as he stood over Shaila.

"Do you truly believe that? We have done more for humanity than most. Do you truly believe our child would do any less?" Shaila asked.

"No… but it's not my decision to make." The Theronite spoke.

He looked down at the woman before him and then at Zac. Even with his back broken, he was still struggling with everything he had to get to her. Monster or not, the love he had for this woman was deep, and that love could have been directed toward humanity.

"Dammit…" The electric Theronite had resolved himself.

He reached out and grabbed Shaila by the throat and lifted her up. Panic spread across her face, but she could do little to resist besides kicking her feet. Zac shouted to no avail, as he couldn't gather any strength to push himself forward anymore.

"I'll make it painless." In one swift motion, his hand went to pierce the bump on her belly.

Before the Theronite's hand could pierce her belly, Shaila's hand grabbed his wrist. The Theronite looked on in shock. Not only had her arms healed, but the strength held in them was overwhelming. The Electric Theronite looked up to see Shaila's eyes glowing. A bright light began to glow behind her head.

"Dammit all! Attack!!" The other Theronites then pounced on Shaila.

There was a blinding light and an explosion of power. Zac was blown away by the blast into the distance. The scene went black for a moment before the screen came into focus. Zac's back had healed, and he could feel his legs again. He stood up and then immediately ran to Shaila.

Once he got there, he stumbled as he looked on at the scene. Shaila was leaning against a tree, the glowing light surrounding her body fading. She was holding her midsection, which was pouring blood. Not far away from her, the Theronites lay on the ground but were slowly regaining consciousness.

"No… nonononono." Zac raced towards Shaila and stumbled to catch her as she was falling. She lay panting in Zac's arms, tears running down her face.

"I couldn't do it… the baby…"

"It's ok… It's ok. We can have another one," Zac lied to himself.

Shaila was losing way too much blood. He rubbed her head as he held her in his arms.

"I should have taken those damned nanites!" Zac cursed himself.

"No… no you shouldn't have. Don't let yourself be shackled. It's my fault. I should have awakened these hidden powers I knew nothing about sooner." Shaila chuckled as blood dripped from her mouth. Zac chuckled as he wiped the blood from her mouth.

"What am I going to do without you?"

"Whatever you want."

"I want revenge," Zac said.

"Then take it…" Shaila answered.

"What if I want it against all humans?" Zac asked.

Shaila hesitated and then placed her hand over the hole where her stomach used to be.

"You've said it yourself, countless times. You don't owe the world anything. If you want to continue protecting it, then do it. If you want to burn it all to the ground… then do it. I will support whatever you decide." Shaila pulled Zac's head in and pressed her forehead against his.

"This is not your fault. It's going to be ok. It's going to be ok." She repeated this over and over until her voice finally faded.

"I love you." She whispered before the strength left her body. Zac embraced her lifeless body and wept silent tears.

"It truly is a tragedy. The strength of her bloodline was astonishing. Even without the blessing, she accessed a bit of her power. If only she wasn't corrupted by…"

"Shut the hell up!" Zac cut off the Electric Theronite's train of thought.

"Watch it! Just because we can't kill you doesn't mean we can't beat you half to death—" Before the Female Theronite could finish speaking, she fell into the snow, her head removed from her body.

Her skull lay in Zac's palm. An eerie black aura radiated from his body, and that skull crumbled into nothingness as that aura touched it. The Theronites took a step back in fear. They could not follow the speed at which Zac just moved. What was more terrifying was that blacker-than-black energy that oozed off of him.

"I am going to kill you all…" Zac muttered as the black aura surrounding him expanded and engulfed everyone there.

The scene on the screen changed once again. Zac was walking back to Shaila's body. There were no signs of the Theronites from before. Zac knelt down next to Shaila and brought her into his embrace once again.

"I think I know what always happened to the nanites now… hahaha." He chuckled as he began to have a conversation with Shaila. Moments later, his head jerked up as he stared at an empty patch of snow. A portal opened up and Devin walked out.

"Where the fuck were you?!" Zac shouted at Devin, who ran through the snow towards his friend.

"I got here the instant I found out something was wrong… oh fuck, fuck, fuck!" Devin cursed as he saw Shaila's lifeless body. He knelt next to Zac and tried to wrap his arm around him. Zac pulled away from him and glared daggers.

"I'm sure you did. I noticed you didn't ask who did this or what happened. Almost as if you already knew." Zac stood up, leaving Shaila in Devin's care.

"I don't know what to think, and I don't want to hear anything you have to say." Zac fondled the necklace given to him by Shaila. He looked up into the early morning sky. He didn't know what he wanted to do yet. He would need time to think.

"Take care of her properly, and tell the others… I am sorry for what's to come." Devin gasped in shock as Zac disappeared into the distance faster than anything he had ever seen.

The scene faded away, and now only Lord Cefketa appeared on the screen for everyone on the island to see. He looked down at Selistar and then looked towards the screen.

"Let me ask you. Was what happened to me justified?"

"I'm sorry…" Selistar whimpered.

Meanwhile, the intense battle in Dr. Hamilton's lab came to a screeching halt. They were engulfed in the scenes on the screen before them. The Tiny Tots were seething, while Franky, Hachiman, and Helena hung their heads in shame. There was no need for them to doubt what they saw. Zac… Lord Cefketa had already displayed his superiority. Lying to them now served little to no purpose.

There was no need for him to lie or give justification. This was clearly just to stab at their shame. In the control room, the Twins' expression was hard to read, but Duendes was enraged. He knew Devin was hiding things from them, but not to this extent. He had refused to believe that he would frame Zac for Shaila's murder… this was too much.

Roratha closed her eyes and shook her head. Things were worse than she thought. She was standing next to The Bone Collector, who had disengaged since the screens had gone up. Roratha instinctively gripped The Bone Collector's hand tighter.

"Oh no… no." Mawu was distraught as she watched everything play out in front of her. She covered her mouth to prevent herself from sobbing out loud. She wasn't just crying from what happened to Zac, but also for what was to come. She knew what Zac was capable of, but Zac died with Shaila. She had no idea what Lord Cefketa was capable of doing.

The mood throughout the base was sour. Everyone was exhausted from what came before; now they were emotionally torn by what they had just witnessed. They understood their mission. It was to protect humanity. Many of them didn't understand the need to go after Lord Cefketa.

He may have been the child of The Great Devourer, but he had dedicated his life to humanity. Surely he had more than made up for the destruction caused by his mother on the Darkest Day. They should have worked with him. Instead, they repaid his dedication with a tragedy.

In the control room, Seren simply looked over at her husband, who was standing there in stunned silence. He didn't witness the events himself; he had only made the call. He didn't bother to understand Zac or Shaila for that matter. He was simply blinded by ambition. If his wife's life wasn't on the line, he still would not be giving this much thought. He turned to look at the screen again as Lord Cefketa spoke again.

"Now I ask you… is defending the ones who did this to me worth dying for?" Aron felt his heart sink at Cefketa's words. He already knew the response that more than half of their fighters would have. There was already growing dissatisfaction with him. He also doubted sacrificing himself would please Lord Cefketa.

"What will you do?" Mythara asked.

"I want to speak with Lord Cefketa," Aron commented.

Mythara narrowed his eyes and then nodded. He looked over at Sage, who was already fiddling with her wrist. A 3D model of Lord Cefketa's face appeared before them.

"What do you want?" He stared at Aron.

"Withdraw your army… we will come and greet you personally," Aron commanded.

"And why would I believe that?"

"There's no point in lying. You'll just track us down to the ends of the earth and back. I'd rather die in battle trying to protect my wife." Aron looked at Lord Cefketa with determination.

"I know what you're doing. But it doesn't matter. Fine… I'll give you 30 minutes to regroup. We'll be waiting on the surface. Let them have their base back… for now."

Aron let out a sigh of relief. Mythara looked at Aron and then back at the others.

"We'll go meet up with Zac."

The Conductor and the others nodded as Mythara teleported them all away. Aron turned to his wife, who nodded in approval. Aron walked over to the console, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"This is your leader, Aron. I won't try to change your mind about me. I won't apologize for my decision to protect my wife. I won't apologize for making the choices I believed to be the best for humanity. But I will apologize for my inadequacies.

I will not command you to follow me into battle. I will instead ask for your help. Anyone who believes not in me, but in my wife and son, please help me. All those who do not wish to help—no harm will befall you. All who desire to fight, meet me at the entrance." Aron let out a sigh and ended the transmission.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.