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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not so much filler as the other ones... This is kinda important... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~ISAAC DENEIA~~~

~6:27am, Day One of the OGD invasion~

Yes... Beat the alarm! No rude awakening for me today...

Slowly, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and opened them, finding myself staring at the ceiling. I glanced over to the right side of the room, anxious to find out how much time I'd saved by involuntarily waking up early. The display read 6:27am, so I figured we had at least two and a half minutes before the ungodly loud alarm would echo through the base and put everyone in a grumpy mood.

But not me, though. I was in too good a mood. Because as my senses gradually awoke with the rest of me, I noticed that in addition to my blanket, there was yet another soft, comfortable object on top of me and keeping me warm. Except unlike the blanket, this particular object was full of life and happiness. And I loved her like crazy.

I gently kissed the top of her head and wrapped one arm around her waist, rubbing her bare back with the other and enjoying the way her soft fur felt at my touch. My actions seemed to be enough to rouse her from her slumber, as she giggled lightly and crawled over me just far enough to lightly kiss me on the lips. I sighed with delight as she opened her own, light brown eyes and stared into mine; her expression a perfect mixture of love and warmth.

Liz cleared her throat and smiled sweetly. "Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?"

I smiled myself, finding hers to be very contagious, then leaned forwards and stole another quick kiss. "Sure did. I mean, after what we did last night, I couldn't NOT sleep well. The way you do those things you do... You're just so perfect, Liz. You're the one thing I can wake up to in this post-apocalyptic world that always puts a big, goofy grin on my face."

She giggled again and rested her head against my chest, making several strands of her long, blonde hair tickle my nose. "Oh, stop it. Don't thank just me; you threw in some pretty interesting moves last night, too. You're giving me too much credit, silly boy."

I chuckled and hugged my beautiful leopardess girlfriend tight, enjoying the feeling of her ample breasts rubbing against my chest. "Well, as long as we're on the subject of sweet lovin,' do you know what tomorrow is?"

Liz flashed me a smartass grin. "I dunno, Wednesday?" She definitely knew what I was driving at, but enjoyed messing with me anyway. Such a tease...

"Not just any Wednesday" I responded with a smirk of my own. "This particular Wednesday just happens to mark our three-year anniversary. And on that night, after all the zombies are dead and gone and we get back to base, I plan on giving you the greatest gift a guy can give his woman in a post-apocalyptic world." I ran my fingers through Liz's soft hair as I spoke, something that always made her purr like the kitten she technically was.

"Mmmmmh... So what was last night then, practice?" she asked sarcastically. "Because if it was, then I'm already pretty anxious for tomorrow. You're REALLY lucky I'm not a 'flowers and candy' kind of girl."

That, of course, was sincere. But it also set the mood enough to make Liz slowly start grinding against my lower region and lightly kiss along my neck, giving both of us an ecstatic lover's high to kick start the day.

Five seconds in, and I was in bliss. "I love you, Liz."

So was she. "Hehe, I love you too, Isaac."

I sighed and closed my eyes, laying comfortably under her and losing myself even further in the moment. But before we could take it any further, the clock struck 6:30 and the alarm blared to life, shattering the peaceful serenity.

"D'awww... Alarm-blocked, huh?" I joked.

"Heh, you've come up with worse" Liz replied while climbing off of me.

As the alarm gradually faded away in the background, the two of us resolved to finally getting out of bed and starting our day. I found a pair of clean combat-ready clothes from my closet for each of us, lucky that I had remembered to move a few pairs of Liz's outfits into my own room in case of situations like this. We took turns using my bathroom and changed into our uniforms, shifting our conversation away from romance to zombie-busting tactics. As I spoke, I reached under my bed and found my chest plate and sword, both of which were made entirely of nanobots that my mind was free to control. But since I didn't need a weapon right now, I reformed the sword into a set of spaulders, looking kind of like what you'd see on a medieval knight.

It was appropriate, though. I was Liz's knight in shining, electronic armor. She watched me as I did my thing, commenting on how cool it was even though she'd seen it hundreds of times before. As usual I responded by saying it wasn't as cool as her umbrakinetic abilities were, only that it was the ultimate party trick.

But hot damn... I still couldn't believe it would be three years tomorrow since the two of us began dating. That is; two years of close bonding through college classes and parties, and one year of even closer bonding through human experimentation and mindless zombie slaughter. When the shit hit the fan on Z-Day, we stuck together through thick and thin, and it didn't take HAC long to find and pick us up.

In a weird way, I was somewhat grateful for the zombie apocalypse because of how much closer it brought me and her together. The ultimate goal of cleansing the earth of the undead and fighting daily for our rights to live a normal life again... it felt like we were living in a cheesy sci-fi movie, but it was strangely effective at nurturing a relationship.

The thing is, though, we actually kept our bond a secret in public. Around our fellow hybrids (sans our third teammate Brian, for obvious reasons) and the human HAC staff, we played the roles of 'best, yet occasionally flirty friends.' But when the lights go out and we have each other to ourselves... It becomes nothing short of a romance novel. Of course, we had our reasons for doing what we did, especially when it came to the opinions of our superiors. We both knew deep down that if they knew what we were up to, then it would create problems. Hell, they'd probably give us the whole 'romantic relationships always cause shortcomings in teams such as these' bullshit, and eventually even try to separate us by switching us around with other groups. And given Team Delta's nature of frequently bouncing all over the country, Liz and I would almost never see each other again.

All in all, it was a small price to pay for being together indefinitely. Even Greg, perhaps my closest friend out of everyone here, was none the wiser about my relationship. But when we do decide to come clean, I already promised myself that he'll be the first to know.

I wrapped my arm around Liz's shoulder as we exited my room and walked down the hall, keeping us close together while navigating through a large crowd of half-awake hybrids. "Come on, let's try to find Brian in this horde and grab some breakfast. I'm slightly more hungry than usual this morning, and that's saying something."

"We're probably not gonna have enough time for that," Liz countered. "It's six thirty-something, and we need to be on that helicopter by seven. By the time we find our idiot teammate in this mess, it'll be time to go."

Whether she was joking or not, it made me laugh. Some of the hybrids around us looked on with envy, probably wanting to know what could possibly be funny enough to break the early-morning stupor. "Come ooooon, Liz. You know he only acts the way he does to make us smile. He's just like Greg's teammate Harry, ironically both power-wise and personality-wise."

Now Liz laughed, placing her own arm around my shoulder. "Geez. I barely even know the guy, but I feel sorry for him if he's got Brian's long-lost brother for a teammate. Moody and cheery usually don't mix very well."

"Trust me, they find a way to coexist" I replied. "We spent all day with them yesterday, so you probably saw some of what I'm talking about. I mean, yes, Greg's a... complicated guy, but I have a feeling that---"

Just then, as the crowd gradually changed shape, I noticed that a familiar hybrid had been a few steps in front of us the whole time. The blue shoulder-length hair was easy enough to spot out.

"You've got a feeling that what?" Liz asked.

"Heh, let's put this roast of Delta/Omega Three on hold for a second, because that snow leopardess in front of me might be able to finish that previous sentence FOR us."

I let go of Liz and walked up to her, then tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. She turned around, looking relatively tired like most, but bright enough for a conversation nevertheless.

"Oh hey, it's you! You're, uh... Team Delta, right?"

I chuckled at her confusion as Liz caught up with us. "Heh, we're two-thirds of Team Delta, if that's what you meant. You wouldn't happen to remember my actual name though, would you?"

She blushed. "Ugh, I'm terrible with remembering names... But I'm pretty sure you're Isaac, right?"

"Correct-a-mundo. I'm Isaac, and this is Liz."

My girlfriend put on a friendly smile and offered her hand. "I hate 'Elizabeth,' so... yeah. And you are?"

"Kyla" she replied as she shook Liz's hand with a friendly smile of her own.

Since time was still of the essence, I decided to drive right to the point. "Soooo... if you don't mind me asking, how'd everything go last night between you and our mutual friend Greg? That is, assuming he listened to me and actually talked to you."

She smiled with a dreamy expression, which was more than enough to answer my question all by itself.

"It went VERY well, thanks for asking. Let's just say that I'd like to think me and him are a little more than 'friends' now. I still can't thank you enough for initially helping me get to know him, albeit I asked you for help with spying. But me and him couldn't be any happier right now."

I patted her on the back. "I've got a good feeling about the two of you, and I'm glad I was able to help. But PROMISE me you'll never let him go. He hasn't realized it until now, but you're literally the one thing he's been waiting for ever since coming here."

Kyla's dreamy expression seemed to intensify just a little. "Oh, don't you worry about THAT, Isaac. Me and Greg, we're going places."

The three of us talked for a few moments until one of Kyla's teammates, a tall lion hybrid, whisked her away for a mission briefing. Me and Liz simply continued our trek to the cafeteria, though I could tell she was a little confused about that entire conversation.

"Don't worry Liz, I'll tell you all about it on the flight. For now, let's find that loveable idiot teammate of ours."

~~~

~Eight hours later, in the ruins of an East-coast American city~

"Isaac, he's coming at you from behind! Look alive!"

"Right, thanks Brian!"

I swiftly spun around and took a wild swing at my alarmingly fast attacker, but he was already a step ahead of me. In one quick motion, he caught my blade between the palms of his hands and flung it out of my own, robbing me of my only form of defense against the powerful blast of concussive green energy he fired immediately after. My chest plate took the worst of the impact, but it was enough to knock me several yards back and right into an unsuspecting Brian, who would've teleported out of the way if he had seen me coming.

"Ugh, hey! Get your own personal space!"

"Goddammit Brian, this is NOT THE TIME!"

The two of us fell to the ground in a heap, but my teammate quickly pushed me back onto my feet as he teleported away to engage another enemy. With my sword nowhere in sight, I had no choice but to remodel my chest plate into a new one. Without even checking to see if it was sharp and balanced enough, I threw myself back at the soldier that previously disarmed me. My blood was boiling with rage and the only thought on my mind was to literally disarm my assailant, whoever he was. But my sincerest efforts were all in vain; we were outnumbered five to three, and as a result, every time I had a clear shot at one enemy, another one would swoop in and deflect my attack.

This was a losing battle, and we knew it.

But I just... I just don't know how this even happened! One second we were blasting away the zombies and having a grand 'ole time, and the next moment we're fighting these freaks! No time to find out what was going on, no time to plan out a strategy; every precious second was devoted to keeping ourselves from being killed. Our attackers all wore plated black armor with shiny black helmets, and all had different superpowers in addition to pistols in holsters on their legs.

Even when these guys showed up, the three of us, though caught completely off guard, were actually able to put up a decent fight for a little while. But after a few minutes another black-armored enemy showed up, and that was where the situation turned from bleak to completely hopeless. With powers similar to Brian's, she completely won the battle for her comrades. By that point we were so worn out that we couldn't keep up with her speed.

Of course, I only say 'she' because the ONE time Liz managed to hit her with a shadow strike was enough to knock off her helmet. With a genetic makeup identical to my girlfriend's sans the red hair and green eyes, it revealed that our enemies were hybrids exactly like us. I was suspecting foul play on HAC's part, but seriously pondering this fucked-up situation was impossible to accomplish while it was playing out and brutally kicking our asses.

"Wait, WAIT--- AAAAAAAGH!!!"

Brian! I spun around to answer my teammate's cry of pain, and saw that one of the hybrid soldiers was zapping him with a purple energy wave. Whatever it was, the attack had Brian paralyzed in place, prompting another soldier to slowly pick him back up with telekinesis. I used my last bit of strength to charge at him to try and free Brian, but the telepath used his free hand to fire a telekinetic blast, knocking me down once again. But this time, I knew I would be unable to get back up. I was defeated.

The red-haired leopardess grabbed Liz by the neck and walked over to us, then forced her onto the ground so that she was right in front of me. They had been battling each other this entire time, but the female soldier robbed Liz of any chance of fighting back by forcing her into a bright spot in the city. Fewer shadows meant ineffective umbrakinesis, and as a result Liz was quickly beaten.

But with me now down, all three of us had been successfully neutralized, and we all feared what came next. One of the hybrids walked around us and snickered to himself with a sick, nihilistic glee.

"Human Advancement's time is at an end, my weak little friends" he taunted. "We're the good guys, not YOU. And now you know it!"

My body may have been beaten and sore as hell, but still I forced myself off the ground to try and punch this guy in the face. Unfortunately, I was immediately forced back onto the ground by two of our attackers. They each used one knee to keep me on the ground and restrained both of arms behind my back with their hands.

And then the inevitable started. Still paralyzed and suspended in midair, Brian was helpless to stop the telekinetic soldier from drawing his sidearm and shooting him point-blank in the forehead. The soldier then lowered his hand and dropped my friend's body onto the ground like a ragdoll.

"BRIAAAN! OMIGOD!!!" Liz yelled as tears rolled down her face.

But I just... couldn't say anything. I was in total shock.

Then the soldier turned his attention to my girlfriend, simply uttering "GC, fire on my mark." His tone was so... casual. As if he wasn't bothered at all by this horrible thing they were about to do. The red-haired leopardess simply drew her pistol and took aim at Liz, looking so unconcerned and apathetic that it made me want to break free all the more. I wanted to break free and tear this bitch limb from limb! I wanted to kill all five of them and save Liz!

But I couldn't. I tried and tried even harder, but I was hopelessly pinned to the ground.

"Three..."

Oh my God, this isn't happening. Tell me this isn't happening!

"Two..."

Still staring at the ground, Liz drew a sharp breath as her tears leaked out and splattered the pavement. I rasped for breath, trying in vain to call her name, but my throat just refused to work. All I could do was choke on my own words.

This is NOT happening! PLEASE!

"One..."

Then, at the last second, Liz flared to life and looked me dead in the eye:

"I LOVE YOU, ISAAC!"

NONONONONONOOOO!!!

BANG!!!

Time slowed down to a cruel trickle as the redheaded leopardess pulled the trigger. I felt like I was being forced on purpose to watch the bullet itself fly closer and closer to Liz's head. As if one of these hybrids had the power to make me perceive time as much slower than the norm.

And then the bullet hit its mark. And then the force of impact pushed Liz slowly to the ground, making her land right next to me. And as I watched the life rapidly fade from her eyes through a wall of hot tears, my voice finally found itself. But it didn't sound like me. It sounded like someone else.

Because on the inside I, too had just been killed.

"ELIZABEEEEETH!!! NOOOOOOO!!!"

~~~

~An unspecified amount of time later...~

A blur.

That's what it is. I have no idea how long I've been trapped in this dark, lonely cell; no idea how long I've been slowly wasting away. It could be days, it could be weeks. Regardless, it's all just been a huge blur to me.

After those black-armored monsters killed my teammates in cold blood, I was in so much shock that I couldn't recall what had happened next. All I remembered was being bound and thrown into the back of a car, then shipped off to wherever I was right now.

My prison was cold, cramped, and desolate, looking almost exactly like a dungeon you'd see in a castle. I only had a grimy toilet and uncomfortable cot to keep me company inside of here, and the only human/hybrid contact I've had was an anonymous soldier bringing me small scraps of food three times a day. I was perpetually cold, fatigued and hungry, with no end to this despicable maltreatment in sight.

But that wasn't even close to the emotional torment swimming around in my head, threatening to drive me completely insane. In fact, I almost wanted the madness to take hold. Any state of mind was infinitely better than this one.

Liz... She's gone... Gone forever... My one true love, just... Gone...

I couldn't get it out of my head. No matter how hard I tried, I simply could NOT stop mentally replaying what had happened over and over again. The fun, mindless zombie slaughter. The ambush. The lost battle... The death...

I never got to say goodbye...

A fresh flow of tears began leaking out of my eyes at this grim revelation. I actually didn't think I even had any MORE tears to shed. Defeated and powerless ever since that day, the only thing I could do was curl up on the cold, hard mattress and grieve.

And still, the flashbacks would NOT stop.

'Three... Two... One...'

'I LOVE YOU, ISAAC!'

BANG.

"I love you too, Liz..." I whimpered to myself as I tossed and turned on the uncomfortable bed. "I loved you so much..."

I truly had nothing left in this world now. HAC was slowly being destroyed, my other friends were all most likely dead, and the love of my life had been executed right in front of me. And for what? Some petty grudge between pharmaceutical giants? A conflict of interests, maybe? BULLSHIT. If those were the only reasons, then the dead walking the earth hadn't changed anything; the world was already slowly going to hell.

And we just happened to be caught in the middle of it...

'......I LOVE YOU, ISAAC!'

BANG!!!

"Oh God... Make it stop..."

This... I know what this is now. THIS is Greg's pain. This is exactly what he's been feeling every single day since I met him, and now I finally understand what it feels like. It's like... my heart has actually been broken. Not metaphorically; physically. There's been a stabbing pain in my chest the entire time I've been locked up in here, and that must be what it is. I always tried to help my friend as much as I could, and yet in the back of my mind I had always breathed a mental sigh of relief that it was him and not me who lost everything. I wasn't being cruel, I was just being grateful for what I had.

But now... Now it's like my own goddamn mind is going out of its way to torture me into insanity!

'ILOVEYOUISAACILOVEYOUISAACILOVEYOUISAACILOVEYOUISAAC!!!'

"PLEASE God, make it STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!!"

"Oh, the Good Lord can't help you, Isaac. But I can..."

I gasped and practically leaped out of the bed, suddenly finding myself with a new visitor outside my cell. Whoever he was, he was nearly completely shrouded by the darkness of the room.

"I figured you've had enough isolation for now, so I decided to come on down and say hello. You may not know it, but there are cameras and microphones hidden all over these cells, so I've got a general idea of what's been bothering you, my boy. I know it seems impossible to fix, but we've all seen our fair share of the impossible since the day the dead took over the world. And believe me, achieving the impossible is NOT something out of my reach."

The man behind the soft voice took a few steps into the light as he spoke, stopping right in front of my cell. He was a tall, pale man with short dark hair, wearing a jet-black suit with a matching tie and small wire frame glasses. Behind those spectacles was a pair of eyes so dark that I honestly couldn't tell is he was looking right at me or not. But I certainly felt him staring at me, right into my darkened soul itself. He folded his hands together as he came to rest, showing just how long and bony his fingers were. He seemed sincere in his words as he talked, but I was still getting an uncomfortable, creepy vibe from him. It was like getting a visit from the Slenderman, even though this guy actually did have a face. His expression was primarily ambitious and condescending, but also reflected a fair glimmer of sympathy...

"Who... who are you?" I stammered.

He let out a short, unnerving chuckle. "Ah, yes, yes. I already know who you are Isaac, so please allow me to introduce myself. My name is George Henry Stryker. I am the CEO of Optimal Genetic Developments, and I'm the man who's going to turn your life right back around today. If, of course, we're able to make a deal."

It took me a minute for that to sink in. "CEO... of... OGD?"

I could tell he was very amused with my disposition. But why shouldn't he have been? He was the warden and I was the prisoner; I was completely at his mercy.

"That's right, son. And because I know you're thinking it; I most certainly am the man in charge of the people that put you in that cell."

Something inside my head snapped. I felt it snap. I instantly flared to life and threw myself against the barred door, determined to break out of my cell and tear the man responsible for Liz's death limb from limb.

"YOU! IT WAS YOU WHO KILLED HER! IT'S YOUR FAULT!!!"

Stryker didn't even flinch as I fruitlessly kept yelling and ramming myself against the door with energy I didn't even know I had. He stood quietly and patiently waited until my body couldn't take any more.

"Don't be a fool, Isaac" he said after a long silence. "My soldiers killed her, yes, but I was miles and miles away when that happened. And besides, I have almost no say in the tactical decisions my company makes; I only sit and manage everything else, pausing only to say 'yes' or 'no' every so often. So don't blame me for both of your shortcomings."

Defeated once again, I calmed myself down and plopped onto the toilet seat since it was the only thing facing the cell door. "What do you want, Stryker? You obviously didn't come down here to make small talk..."

He chuckled again. "Quite right. I didn't come to make small talk, but I'll try to keep this short and simple for your convenience anyway. To start with, let me ask you something about that companion of yours. Did you love her, Isaac? Did you love Elizabeth Johnson?"

I shouldn't have gratified him with a response, but my common sense was somewhere else at the moment.

"Yes. Yes I loved her... I loved her more than life itself. She was my life... My soulmate..."

Stryker kept to his word and didn't beat around the bush, because the next thing he said shook me to my core:

"What if I told you that there was a way to bring her back?"

My heart skipped a beat. "A way to... What!?"

He smiled from ear to ear, making his perfectly white teeth shine in what little light we had. "You heard me, Isaac. Remember when I said that achieving the impossible isn't out of my reach? Well, that even includes raising the dead. Not like those soulless automatons outside, mind you. I'm talking about restoring the one you loved to the way she was, right before her... untimely demise."

I was breathless. Was he joking? Or was he being sincere? Could this man really do what he just said he could do?

Impossible! But... in a world populated by zombies... it's actually already been done...

So it's... not impossible???

"I... I'm listening" was all I could manage to choke out.

Still smiling, he casually reached into his coat's interior pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was blank on the outside, so I couldn't tell what was on the opposite side. He slowly slid it through the bars on the cell door halfway, prompting me to walk over and take it.

But Stryker didn't let go of it until he was done talking. "I assume you want proof, hmm? Well, this document might just erase any doubts you might have in my words. We have many hybrids here that literally owe their lives to us, Isaac. Proving it, however, would be difficult and time consuming. It's a long, arduous process, so I can't exactly snap my fingers and make Elizabethwake up. But this here is the personal file of one such resurrected hybrid that was in my employ. I've already been briefed on your run-in with my soldiers, so I know this face should be... familiar to you."

He let go of the paper, so I was now able to take it and read it for myself. I slowly unfolded the page, and the hybrid mug shot in full color at the top was indeed VERY familiar.

A familiar, yet cold and unfeeling face.

With eyes like two empty pits, it was the redheaded leopardess that shot Liz.

"It... It's her. She's the one who..."

"Yes, I know" Stryker interrupted me with. "But before you finish that sentence, would you kindly read the information right underneath her picture? It might surprise you."

I panned my eyes downward and began to read. But I didn't get very far, because right there in big, bold letters on the third line of text:

'CALLSIGN: GC-511. FORMER IDENTITY: CALI GREENLAW.'

Wait... I only know one Cali... But she's--- WHAT?

My heart skipped another beat once this new revelation really sunk in. "You... Her... Sh-she's alive? HOW!?"

It seemed that the more questions I asked, the more amused Stryker became by my understandable confusion and disbelief. "It's funny how Lady Luck deals her hand sometimes, isn't it? I'll be honest with you; until recently we had no idea that this lovely lady had a connection to that friend of yours at Human Advancements, nor did we send her after you and your team on purpose. She most likely happened upon some of her comrades in the battlefield and stuck with them."

"But how do you even know all this if everything that happened was just convenient for you!?" I shouted.

The tall man in the suit was unfazed. "Simple; we've had spies planted within all of your facilities for quite a while, so we're picking up certain shreds of useful information all the time. I know all about you, Elizabeth, and your friend Gregory and all his little problems. And what I know, my agents know."

"But Cali got infected and died soon after, Greg told me so! How'd you bring her back after she got bitten by a zombie?"

Stryker simply shrugged. "We probably just lied to him. By yet another twist of fate, your friend Gregory and the terminal Cali must've been taken to an OGD-sponsored military camp. Like I said Isaac, I don't make many of the ground-level decisions for my company. But I was more than pleased with how powerful Miss Greenlaw became after my scientists were... done with her. All our process requires is a patient in a cryogenically frozen state, terminal or not. Throw in some hybrid DNA, a few special abilities, and a generous dose of mind-controlling formula, and the process is complete. But considering she hasn't reported in for over a week, I've been forced to assume she's been killed by the enemy. A pity, really."

I needed a moment to take all this in. "This isn't even about Greg or Cali, is it? You're just using them as an example to show me that you CAN play God, right?"

"That is correct."

Now I was fully convinced. "Okay, I don't like this, but I believe you. You CAN bring people back from the dead, even if it's only for them to become your mindless lackeys. But... I'm getting the feeling you're not as generous as the next corporate suit. There's something you want from me, isn't there?"

From the way Stryker's eyes lit up, I could tell that he knew I had already realized what he wanted of me, but chose to relish in the moment of saying it anyway. "Indeed there is. Now we've come to the opposite side of this conversation; what I get out of this deal. It's actually very simple: you getElizabeth, and I get YOU. You will take Miss Greenlaw's place as one of my top protégés, lead my other soldiers to a crushing victory against Human Advancements, and ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for us both."

I rolled my eyes. "Peaceful... Sure."

My patronization seemed to bounce right off of Stryker. "So, would you say we have a deal here, Isaac? I'll give you a minute to think it over, but I strongly suggest you agree to my terms. If you accept, I'll be happy, you'll be happy, and I'm sure that Elizabeth will be VERY happy after realizing you brought her back to life."

"And... If I refuse your offer?" I hesitantly asked.

"If you refuse, then I'll have no further use for you, Isaac" Stryker answered. "I would simply call one of my hybrid soldiers down here, and... Well, let's just say that you and Elizabeth would be reunited anyway. I'm sure you can infer what I mean from context."

Oh. Well damn, when you put it THAT way, this should be a no-brainer.

But what about HAC? They gave me everything, but I'd become their enemy and be expected to kill them all! Even... Oh God, I'd also have to potentially go against the only real HAC friend I've got! But... what are the odds that Greg's even still alive? How do I know he's not lying dead in a city somewhere, being ripped apart and eaten by the zombies?

No. No, I know him. He's probably fighting for his life against these guys with his teammates, hell-bent on saving his new companion from certain death. So could I really kill my best friend just to bring back my girlfriend? Or is there another way?

"So, my boy, the choice is clear" Stryker said, interrupting my inner struggle. "Make your decision, and make it NOW. I'm a firm believer that patience is a virtue, but we are in the middle of a war, so every second counts."

Well, what... What IS my choice?

HAC or OGD? Loyalty or Love? Greg... or Liz...?

"I..."

'Until next time, Delta One. Don't freaking die on me.'

"I... I..."

'I LOVE YOU, ISAAC!'

"Yeees, Isaac?" Stryker asked, leaning in closer and closer.

I... No. I choose love. I HAVE to. I'm sorry, Greg and... I'm sorry, HAC. But I want my Liz back.

I want my life and happiness back.

I want...

I want......

~~~

"Now, DI-727, if you'd step into the chamber, we can start the process."

It didn't take long for my new superiors to get started with me. Only an hour after agreeing to take up Stryker's offer, I stood, wearing nothing but a pair of Under Armor-esque shorts, in one of the OGD base's many experimentation labs. There were two scientists in an overhead room observing me and giving instructions, one male and one female. The guy, a man in his late fifties, looked distant and bored with this entire project, as if he'd done this kind of thing a million times before. The female scientist, however, seemed to be around my age and looked genuinely interested in what was about to happen. She was kind of cute, I gave her that. But nowhere close to what my lost love was...

And right in front of me, smack-dab in the center of the room, stood a giant glass pod.

It seemed fitting. Almost poetic, actually. I entered a chamber just like this one over a year ago and came out reborn as a hybrid soldier for Human Advancements. But upon leaving this one, my new role with Optimal Genetic Developments will have officially begun. However, just like the first time, I was as nervous as hell about what the future would have in store for me after whatever will happen in this room.

I'm scared. I was back then, and I am again now.

But I... I can't back out now. I WON'T.

I slowly stepped inside and stood in the center. The pod sealed shut, and the speaker over my head crackled and came to life.

"Still with me in there, Isaac?"

I looked up and noticed that the uninterested male scientist had left the room, leaving only the pretty female one to walk me through whatever was going to happen. I was guessing she called me by my real name to save her breath and temporarily drop the strict sense of professionalism.

"Yeah... I'm still with you..." My voice echoed through the pod, sounding more and more desolate with each repeat.

The scientist heard my response and smiled, albeit a very weak one. I could definitely feel how uncomfortable she was, working with me like this. And I felt bad; I hated bringing people down with me when I'm upset. I felt like repeating myself in a more upbeat manner just for her sake, but she responded before I could.

"All right, then. Here's what's going to happen: you're going to stand perfectly still in there, and starting from the bottom, a large aqueous cluster of nanobots will envelop you and form into your new armament. Once you let your mind go blank, these nanites will synchronize with your technopathic brain waves, and become yours to freely command. You may have to hold your breath for a few seconds once they reach your head, but the suit's air intake will activate when it's fully formed."

Heh, at least I get several trillion new toys to play with out of all this...

I sighed and forced a small smile. "Okay. Sounds good."

This time, she grinned with a renewed brightness. It cheered me up, just a little bit. "Here's something that might interest you: if the data we, uh, secured from Human Advancements is accurate, then you'll find that these new nanites are MUCH more cutting-edge than what you were used to. You'll be stronger, faster, and more agile as you are now. And hopefully, more than a match for any Human Advancements soldier that comes your way."

Any HAC soldier... Christ...

That felt like a punch in the gut; being reminded of whom my new enemies were and what I'd have to do to them. I crumpled slightly and slouched back against the pod's wall, sighing with disgust.

The scientist saw this and cursed under her breath, clearly upset with herself about accidentally upsetting me. "Uh, what I meant to say was... You... Ugh. I'm sorry, Isaac. I didn't mean to---"

I regained my composure and interrupted her stream of consciousness. "It's okay, it's okay." Again, I tried my hardest to ignore my own troubles for a moment and put an optimistic smile on my face. "Don't apologize, just keep giving me instructions. I've made up my mind and know what I have to do. But I can't get there without your help."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. But...Just one more thing, Isaac."

"Hmm?"

"I misspoke earlier. When it starts, it's going to be VERY tight and VERY cold. I know I told you to keep your mind blank so the nanites can do their thing, but it might not be as easy as you think. My superiors... probably didn't want me to tell you about that, but I wanted to anyway. You deserve to know."

I chuckled. This entire situation just made want to laugh with insanity now.

"I don't care. I honestly, truly do NOT care anymore. Just start it. Please."

She tried to reassure me. "If it helps, try to remember why you're doing this if you begin to feel uncomfortable. You don't have to devote your entire mind to the synchronization, just a part of it. I don't know what reason you might have for joining us, but... I hope everything works out for you in the end."

The scientist smiled. So did I, automatically this time.

"Thank you...I hope it works out for me, too..."

And with that, she pressed a series of buttons, and the machinery underneath me clicked and whirred to life.

I looked down, and I could see a shiny, silver sludge pumping into the chamber from the bottom. As soon as it touched my feet, however, I realized just how cold it actually was. That alone made me shudder, but it was what came next that made me feel like smashing the pod's door and leaping out. Slowly, oh so VERY slowly, the liquid nanobot solution began creeping up my legs, making what felt like every hair on my body stand up straight. It was literally the coldest thing I've ever felt in my entire life. Coldest, and certainly the creepiest. It was like the sludge was alive and actively trying to consume me.

Basically, it was just like that scene from The Matrix. Now I understood why Neo was freaking out so much...

Before I knew it, the sludge had passed my hips, and the freezing sensation was gradually getting more and more unbearable. I couldn't feel my legs anymore, and was beginning to panic. I stumbled backwards in the chamber, but nevertheless trying as hard as I could to stand still and keep my balance.

"Come on, Isaac, you can do it!" the scientist encouraged me.

Chest... So cold...Too TIGHT!

'Try to remember WHY you're doing this...'

...Liz...

"You're halfway through, just keep standing tall!"

Neck...Stiff... Getting harder to breathe...

...LIZ...

"COME ON!"

Faster. Tighter. Colder...

...LIZ!

And then it was my turn to shout:

"WRAAAAAAAAGH!!! I WILL BRING YOU BACK! I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES! I LOVE YOU LIZ!"

I let it all out. I couldn't help it. Just before the liquid nanite sludge reached my mouth and forced me to clamp it shut, I shouted my resolve to the heavens. And it felt... good. Really good. It felt like... Like I was finally ready to accept my new role in this war. Yeah... Ready to fight against the organization that made me what I am. They wanted me; they got me. I did my job and I did it well. I owe them NOTHING.

Human Advancements Companies is going DOWN.

And I'll be the one to do it. If true love is supposed to conquer all, then how can we lose?

Soon after calming myself down again, my entire body was finally completely covered in the frigid grey goo. I was still in mid freak-out mode, but my shout was more than enough to clear my mind, enabling me to stand up straight and let my thoughts go blank for a moment and allowing the nanites to register with my brain. One second passed... Two... Three... TEN... But right when it seemed I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I heard a ping and a mechanical voice inside my head:

"SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE.RE-MODELING INTO DEFAULTBATTLESUIT. PLEASE WAIT."

The suit began to solidify and take form. Just as the scientist said, the first changes were the air holes right where my mouth was, forming into a sort of grill underneath my chin and allowing me to take a deep, rejuvenating breath. I dared not move my arms or head during this step, but from what I could assume, the suit was taking the same shape as the ones worn by my former assailants. And as it twisted and molded around me, it turned from frostbite-cold to lukewarm. A strangely comforting kind of lukewarm...

I let out a long sigh of relief as the feeling in my limbs gradually returned. I looked down and could see the suit's other features materializing all over my body; plated armor, flexible material between the limbs, and a heads-up display inside my helmet.

And then, a small beep chimed inside my head, just like the mechanical voice did earlier.

It was done. I was complete.

Once I looked back up, I saw Stryker standing outside the pod with the female scientist, whose nametag I could now zoom in on and read as 'Dr. Carly Henderson.' Both of them were beaming with satisfaction, happy to see their newest soldier up and running so quickly. Stryker clapped slowly and motioned to Dr. Henderson to open the chamber's door for me.

"Isaac Deneia... Callsign DI-727... Rise!"

Slowly, I exited the pod while taking a moment to adjust to the suit's grip on my body. It took only a few steps for me to get my bearings.

"Are you all right, Isaac? No problems with the suit?" Stryker asked.

I stood up as straight as I could, trying to make myself more presentable to my new employer.

"Yes, sir. No problems in here." I was surprised to hear that my helmet had a deep mechanical voice changer added to it, most likely intended to be a means of intimidation.

Stryker chuckled. "You can drop the formalities, son. I don't require you to be professional, just effective in your work. And on the subject of work, are you ready to begin? It's going to be a LONG journey before you can haveElizabethback."

I dissolved the helmet into the suit, enabling myself to answer his question face to face. I wanted him to see the resolve in my eyes. I wanted him to know I was now completely dedicated to him and his cause.

"Yes, Mr. Stryker, I'm ready. I'm ready to fight and destroy HAC... and earn back the love of my life."

He smiled and patted me on the back. "Good man. Now follow me, we've got aLOTof information to brief you on, and only so much time to do so. We already took the battle to Human Advancements, but now I'm afraid they're coming for US. But you're going to be ready. You're going to lead an army against them when they get here."

"An army? What... what kind of army, exactly?" I asked.

His million-dollar smile grew wider. "Both kinds..."

~~~

~~

~

And that's that. If you thought Greg used to have issues, well...

Next up is the big fight between the two resident badass swordsmen! Sparks will fly, horrible things will be said, and several pleasant/unpleasant surprises are inevitable.

I'd normally leave a hint right around here, but it's more fun when you all have no idea what to expect :)

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