The Sentients gave Chuboki the nickname Domino because of how he made bodies fall in a line.

  He hated me for what I did during the famine, but...my people were starving...and there were plenty of bodies on the ground.

  I looked down at Jean... He wasn't the brightest or most skilled soldier. He was my friend. A love for endangered species. Always carried the knife his father forged. Golden locks curled around his broken stare. Tasted like nothing.

  During our interview, Barthelo said... "I ate and ate... Nothing ever satisfied the emptiness... Punishment should be used to correct mistakes, but what did I learn except how to eat?"

  A glint of excitement in his eyes. "For years my people suffered and it was time the Sompe did too! We took their children—ones who'd grown up with full bellies and endless love! The moment that was taken away, they were faced with indifference when I pit them against each other."

  How could someone so horrible birth the man I put in charge?

  And, why did I leave him alone after everything?

  Barthelo led my army. He didn't believe he deserved a reset. That translated into the man I rebuilt who acted with conviction. It was the weight of his shame that brought down Sector A.

  And Barthelemy... Why did he have to witness his father's final moments?

  My father’s voice carried out of the war room. He explained how SAAF will seek to overthrow the West. I ran my fingers over the engraving on my helmet. My father wore the same on his.

  An alarm sounded throughout the base as fires spread across the land. My father sent troops to gather more information and rescue any civilians. They never returned. We waited an hour to receive word back from them, but only static filled our radios. We contacted the East to get word to Zachariah about our situation. No response.

  We were in the dark.

  A fire erupted inside Sector A's base where we were stationed. We evacuated and my father stood in front of us. Across from him was a woman. Long white hair and unspeakable beauty. Her naked breasts glistened in the flames.

  I knew that this was the woman who the Z3 officials spoke of. This was the woman Zachariah warned about. Nebula…

  "Barthelémy," my father’s voice rippled beneath my skin. ”I love you.”

  His last words to me were ones he uttered with his back turned. He charged at her with all of us behind him. With the motion of her hand, bodies splintered and weapons bent.

  At first I thought we just needed to synchronize our attacks, but she had no blind spots. Our numbers meant nothing to her. The tilt of her head split the ground open.

  15 minutes later, I was the last man standing. She took my right arm, then both my legs. This woman smiled as she lifted her hand to finish me off, but someone came to my rescue.

  Chuboki.

  He didn’t exchange words with her nor did he hesitate. She moved when he attacked. His precision was frightening and deadly, yet she moved around him so casually. They danced for a matter of seconds until she went to strike and the tips of her fingers flew across the ground.

  She retreated after that.

  How could Chuboki wound her? How could he shatter her attack? None of us came close, but he...

  Barthelemy couldn't have known what Chuboki was—is!

  Nebula stands over Jackson. He twitches. "I'll never betray—" His head rolls across the ground.

  She snorts. "Don't care!"

  The twin Axeheads approach her. "It's done."

  Nebula purses her lips. "And the child?"

  They bow. "With Domino."

  She scoffs. "Smart move fleeing when he did." She kicks Jackson's head. "Figured the Wyre would have held more resistance."

  The twins snicker. "They're nothing without their pretentious King."

  Nebula shrugs. "Do another sweep for survivors, then demolish the building."

  They dash.

  Nebula touches her temple. "Neptune?"

  Chains rattle. Melody whimpers. Neptune sits across from her with a syringe. "She's not ready."

  Nebula hums. "Have Scythe work her over. She'll break." She taps her temple. "And my rabbit?"

  Neptune drops the syringe on a bloody tray. "Didn't stay."

  Nebula sighs. "I need you looking for the amulet. Try the KTP. Oh, and take Brim with you."

  He stands. "As you wish."

  Melody spits blood at his feet. "He'll come for me."

  Neptune's eyes glow pink. He grabs a handful of her hair and lifts her head. "I'm counting on it."

  She groans. "You're afraid of him... Aren't you?"

  He tugs. "Of that freak? Not even!"

  Melody coughs. "Zachariah tells better lies.”

  Nebula releases her temple and stomps. "Little shit!" She marches out of the Wyre. "Wanna see afraid? I'll show you fear!"

  Byrd flicks his lighter. Smoke drifts past Veronica. She stares at Zachariah's apartment and groans. "Why is it taking so long?"

  Byrd chuckles. "Maybe he's gotten weak."

  She clicks her tongue. "Wanna bet on it?"

  Byrd raises a brow, then tilts his head. "I'll bite!"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Veronica smirks. "I bet that after he wakes up, he can take you on and win!"

  Byrd flicks ashes at her feet. "Your wager?"

  She puffs her chest. "I'll tell you something that even Nebula doesn't know."

  Byrd snickers. "Now I gotta win!" He pokes her side. "Gimme a hint!"

  Veronica snarls and slaps his hand. "The day Theodore went missing... I was there."

  Smoke pours from his nostrils. "That's not a secret!"

  She chuckles. "It is if he told you about his real plan."

  Byrd's eyes flicker. "What're you saying exactly? That you were with Theodore when Zachariah..."

  Veronica taps her lips.

  He leans on her shoulder. "Come on, V! Stop toying with me!"

  She giggles. "Zachariah wears his face."

  Byrd huffs. "Well, yeah. He's cursed because of his deal with Nebula. She gave him Theodore's face to confuse him."

  Veronica looks at his arm, then shrugs him off. "Nebula didn't do that. He did it to himself."

  Byrd grins. "Why would he do something so stupid?"

  Veronica hums. "Maybe because Zachariah isn't his real name."

  He shifts and puffs on his cigarette. "You're telling me that Zachariah was someone else?"

  She nods. "All Nebula knew is that he provided a means to an end. Zachariah needed her power to live. Theodore, too."

  Byrd shudders. "She made him immortal?"

  Veronica breathes. "It was a mistake."

  Byrd scratches his temple. "Couldn't she just take it back?"

  She watches Theresa enter the room. "She was too slow to learn that Theodore and Zachariah were in on it the entire time."

  He laughs. "She got played? Damn! No wonder she's pissed!"

  Veronica smiles. "That's not even the best part!"

  Byrd stomps on his cigarette. "What is?"

  Veronica licks her lips. "I'll tell you if you win."

  Theresa cradles Nathaniel and holds a bottle in his mouth. Zachariah lies in his bed. She leans over and adjusts his sheet, then sits in a rocking chair.

  Micheal knocks on the door. "Mom?" He enters.

  Theresa smiles. "Hey."

  Micheal sits across from her on the edge of the bed. "How is he?"

  She focuses on Nathaniel. "The same."

  Chuboki listens by the door.

  Micheal pokes Zachariah's hand. "How long will he be like that?"

  She looks up at him. "I don't know, baby."

  Micheal moves to Zachariah's swivel chair. "Has he been like this before?"

  Chuboki's eyes narrow.

  Theresa swallows. "No, not like this."

  Micheal folds his hands. "I heard you and Dad arguing."

  Theresa hangs her head. "We were going to tell you once Zachariah returned. We're moving west."

  Micheal stiffens. "Seriously? West? What about the shop? My friends?"

  Theresa frowns. "It's for the best."

  Micheal growls. "You can't do this!"

  Theresa jolts. "Micheal, your father and I—"

  Micheal knocks over the swivel chair. "It's because of that man, isn't it?"

  Theresa shakes her head. "No, not entirely. Zachariah is... The kind of work he... It's dangerous for us to be near him."

  Micheal glances at Zachariah. "You said he helps people."

  Theresa stands and touches Micheal's cheek. "He does, baby. He's—"

  Micheal steps back. "How is that dangerous?"

  She squeezes Nathaniel. "You know how Zachariah had to leave?"

  He nods.

  She tilts her head. "He was helping the people who protect us from...the bad ones."

  Micheal grunts. "So? What wrong with that?"

  Theresa scans the room. "The bad people..." She touches her lips. "We aren't safe if we're with him."

  Micheal marches toward Zachariah. His fists shake. "We can't just leave him here!"

  Theresa rubs Micheal's shoulder. "Honey, he wants us to go. He gave us the money to pay for our travels and start a new life."

  Micheal shudders. "He did?"

  She brushes the hair from his ear and kisses his cheek. "Even if he didn't... We will have to go eventually."

  Micheal shifts. "The bad people... Did they hurt him?"

  Theresa shakes. "Yes, they hurt him."

  Micheal touches the place where Zachariah's feet would be. "Why would they do that?"

  Theresa tugs on his sleeve. "Baby, sometimes people do bad things because they can. There's not a logical explanation. But this time was different..."

  Micheal gulps. "They were stronger?"

  She pulls him close. "Yes, and that's why we have to leave."

  Micheal looks at her. "Can we wait until he wakes up?"

  She smiles. "Sure."

  Chuboki knocks on the doorframe. "We need to talk."

  Theresa nudges Micheal. "See you for supper?"

  Micheal nods, then leaves.

  Chuboki closes the door. They stare at one another. Theresa sits in the rocking chair. "What did you want to talk about?"

  Chuboki points at the infant. "Know what that is?"

  Theresa laughs. "A baby?"

  He taps his foot. "It's a King."

  The chair stops rocking. "King? You mean... He's not like Zachariah?"

  Chuboki shakes his head. "One of our scientists ran tests on him. His abilities surpass Zachariah's. He's dangerous."

  Theresa arms drop. "What does that mean for us?"

  Chuboki moves closer. His voice low. "It means they will want him."

  She clutches Nathaniel. "He's a baby!"

  Chuboki grabs her shoulders. "He's a weapon! Who do you think should be in control of this weapon? A man who will always lose or a woman who won't?"

  Theresa trembles. "What are you saying? Are you asking me to choose between Zachariah or the Sentients? Haven't we been through enough?"

  He straightens up. "I'm saying... Take him and run."

  Theresa's mouth hangs open. Her eyes shift to Zachariah. She swallows. "What could I do for it?"

  Chuboki paces. "Give it a better life than this one."

  Theresa scoffs. "A better life? Zachariah is capable of raising a child. He wouldn't use its power to serve himself."

  Chuboki stares at her. "He doesn't have to. If the child remains with him, he'll teach it to master it's abilities. What do you think that'll mean for the world? A Noble with the power to kill everything around it." He points at Zachariah. "Contained inside a separate body!" He makes a fist. "Who do think deserves that kind of power?"

  Nathaniel opens his eyes. Theresa groans. Chuboki raises a brow. "Imagine what Zachariah could do if he found a way to harness this infant's ability. The damage would be catastrophic!"

  Theresa's nose bleeds. "Hand me..." She slouches. Eyes blurring.

  Chuboki reaches into Zachariah's backpack. "The world would face never before seen terror."

  Theresa gasps. "Hand...me..." Nathaniel slips into her lap.

  Chuboki pulls out a crystal. "I've watched mountains of bodies form beneath Zachariah, but with this kind of power he'd unleash a tsunami of death."

  Theresa coughs. "Ha..." Blood pours from her eyes.

  Chuboki places the crystal on Nathaniel's chest. Nathaniel chews on it. Theresa groans.

  Chuboki tilts his head. "What's it gonna be?"

  Her arms dangle at her sides. "I can't raise this child." She wheezes. "You should take him."

  Chuboki grunts. "Not for all the money in the world!"

  Theresa reaches for Zachariah. "Wake him up."

  Chuboki shakes his head. "I don't have that kind of power." He hums. "But I know someone who does..."

  Theresa breathes. "Who?"

  He huffs. "An ancient healer in the KTP."

  Rorno glared at me. "What do you want?"

  It was raining. She sat under a rock being propped up by another. I kneeled. "The people said you're a healer."

  Rorno snarled. "So?"

  I bowed. "Please, teach me."

  She laughed. "You want me to teach you how to heal others?" She kicked dirt at me. "You're a pathetic little man! My teachings would be lost on you!"

  I didn't move. "Please, teach me!"

  Rorno growled. "Why should I teach you? You've done nothing to prove you're worth my time! Get lost!"

  I sat up. "I don't know who I am... The people say you can help me remember."

  She punched me. "Help you? Fine, here's a word of advice. If you ever remember what you did to me—my family, then kill yourself!"

  The next day, I begged her and she broke my nose. The day after that, she broke my arm. She broke nearly every bone in my body.

  Still, I healed.

  What made me heal?

  Why didn't I die?

  What will it be like when I cling to my last breath and the agony of life ceases its firm grasp?

  Will I welcome the embodiment of death into my lungs?

  Am I really alive?

  Do I exist?

  I'm sentenced to know only suffering.

  This is life at its finest.

  Flowers rustle. Her arms lock around my neck. "Finest?" She chuckles. "Will you ever know death?"

  A snake slithers by. I stroke its scales. "Being immortal doesn't mean I won't die one day."

  She hums. "What does it mean?"

  The snake disappears into the flowers. I rub petals between my fingers. "My death will be the end of the world."

  She tweaks my nipple. "How do you figure?"

  I side down her legs. My head between her thighs. Her red eyes beaming down. "I hurt so many people, but the world held strong. I took life, then gave it back. I've been balancing the scales... Without me, everything will disappear."

  She grins. "Without you the world would heal."

  I shift. "Not if Rorno Auctis doesn't appear. She's the only one who can do what I do. The world needs her."

  She brushes the blue curls from my face. "That healer doesn't want you in the world. If you die, she'll rise and balance will be restored."

  My eyes shut. "But she's the one who taught me how to heal. If she wanted me gone, then she'd have left me alone."

  Her hair spills around me. "Everyone acts in alignment with their own desires. Rorno taught you to heal so you'd serve her purpose. You're a proxy for other people's fantasy."

  Rorno isn't like that... Is she?