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"Kill him!?" I shouted. "Surely you jest!?"

Dammit! I didn't think he'd actually tell me to kill him! Sure, Ken knew about us, but only the name! What possible harm could he do?

"What's the problem Zien? Surely you don't have an attachment to this human..."

I jumped back at this.

"...but that would be expected for one who is not of pure blood..."

"Is that why-"

"...perhaps your time with them has hindered your judgment..."

" Why you-"

"...Maybe I was wrong to put you as you are Zien..."

"How dare you?!"

"...Perhaps you are too weak to do anything for the Schyyrtzi!"

"ENOUGH!!" Slamming the table with my fist, my body exploded into the form of a full blown Schyyrtzi. The tendrils I used to previously slay the thugs from earlier were poised to strike, hovering around my body like hungry cobras. Every part of me was ready to kill him, to have him beg for mercy while squeezing the life out of him. All except for this annoying voice in the back of my head saying:

You can't.

As much as I don't like hearing it, I can't kill him. I physically can't. Taking out JACKEL would spell disaster for the entire Schyyrtzi race; we only have one definite leader. JACKEL has been the leader for a millennia or so, keeping alive by possessing a willing participate and combing his mind with theirs. In short, JACKEL is a collective being; no Schyyrtzi alive knows the face of the true leader. On top of all that, he's ridiculously powerful. Even at my best I couldn't come close to killing him, and he knew this.

Which is why he chooses to mock me so often.

Sighing in mental defeat, I brought my claws together and lowered my head, making my now blood red eyes meet his.

"Look..." I said while lowering my back weapons, "You know of my situation, so you can't expect me to kill one of them without a viable reason."

"Ah yes. Your past relationship with them can put you in somewhat of a rut." JACKEL smiled a little. He knew he was getting ammo for reason why to spy on me. He wants me to mess up somehow... but why? I thought I was an important asset to our uprising, what good would it do to usurp me?

...was he jealous?

Just then his face looked like something threw a major wrench in his train of thought.

"What I don't understand is....my dear Zien, is that you seem to enjoy your killing of them."

I froze.

"You even went through the trouble of cleaning up your 'mess' as well," JACKEL crossed his fingers much like I had, "And you didn't ask for permission to dispose of any human life, such rash actions will cost us our surprise over them."

Yeah, believe it or not, they still have no clue about us. The Schyyrtzi have been breeding with human race for years and have no idea that something like us actually exist past science fiction. Morons.

"First off; I don't need your permission to kill anyone. I'm high enough in rank to act without your word OR your prying eyes."

The Schyyrtzi race, like many others, have ranks to associate their position in the realm of diplomatic power. These titles show who you command, who you obey, what you can do, and what you can't. The ranks are called 'seed' in my race, starting from the Seed Affixation. The Seed Affixation are the highest of our kind in terms of skill and overall power; only a select few get in under the derestriction of our leader and are each given a title that signifies who they are. As of right now, there are nine members, including myself and JACKEL, and the dark room we sit in now is their meeting place. I am known to others as The Impure Legion, while JACKEL is The Immortal Fallen. A lot of the times our title is spoken it is shortened to two words, like The Impure, or The Legion.

Under them is the Seed Comprehension and the Seed Addiction, which is the political Schyyrtzi and the Schyyrtzi armada. The Seed Comprehension deal with those beneath them by upholding laws and the twists and turns that come with it. The Seed Addiction is obvious; they will play their role later on. Those who don't hold power politically, forcefully, or skillfully are considered Seed Common. They are merely the peasants who have no choice but to accept and carry out nearly every order they are given. My father was part of that group...

This is why I won't accept any bullshit from anyone.

...except JACKEL...

"Second; just because I try to enjoy killing someone doesn't mean I'll kill anyone you ask me to. I don't end the life of innocents. No exception."

"Oh, the human or humans you slain earlier were different?"

"They..." I winced slightly, "were a bunch of lost souls unfit for human society, they tried to kill the human and I for something trivial. Thugs unfit to walk the earth as they were; I did the world a favor. It may make no difference to you, but I believe I haven't strayed from our overall goal: I will cleanse the humans and make their frail soul strong with that of the Schyyrtzi."

JACKEL nodded, "That you will. So you are saying that you won't kill your roommate?"

"Absolutely not. Besides, I have created something that will take the load my shoulders, and will interest you as well."

His face lit up. That usually meant he was going to ask a stupid question.

"Did you finish PULSE?!"

Bingo.

"I told you already that I did!! GOD!!" I swiveled my chair to the side and gestured the air with my claw. "Enter!"

In a flash, five figures appeared in the room in the same fashion as any other Schyyrtzi; in a black fade. Each one put their right arm horizontally across their chest, their hands clenched in a fist. With their right foot slight propped back, they took a bow; this was the typical greeting when addressing a Schyyrtzi superior.

"My lords," they said in unison.

JACKEL must've picked on it quickly, because he didn't jump out of his seat screaming, 'Why did you bring humans to our home?!' and such. He simply stared, examining them up and down, an indescribable look on his face. I watched his movements, to see if he would do anything to ruin my latest achievement.

"What... did you... do?" he was stuttering.

Good sign; it meant I impressed him. I turned to the bowing five.

"You may rise."

"Yes my lord," they replied, once again in unison, and released their position.

JACKEL stood up and proceeded to walk to them, continuing his examination. He looked at them from every possible angle, as if trying to get the perfect picture for the spring collection. He even went up and felt various limbs and body parts. A cat couldn't be any more curious than what he was, but no matter how close or invasive he got, they didn't move an itch and didn't say a word.

"What the hell are they?" JACKEL's curiosity grew into slight frustration; it was starting to make me laugh. I'm going to milk this for as long as I can. I stood and smirked cruelly.

"They're my children JACKEL. My obedient, perfect children."

JACKEL's jaw dropped hard. It took everything I had to stop myself from losing it and ruining my fun.

"I-im-impossible! Absurd! There is not possible way that they could be your children! They appear much older than you!"

"Oh it's true alright. Tell him kids."

They all looked JACKEL in the eye, "Lord Zien is our father, Lord JACKEL." JACKEL took a few steps backward, dumbstruck.

Man, do I wish I had a camera.

He shook his head violently, trying to figure out how this was even possible.

"You must have built a mind control device or something! Why else would they say such things!?"

"Why? Ayen, show him the paper."

The one in front of the group stepped forward and flashed a sheet of paper. While JACKEL snatched the sheet away, I smiled at my new son Ayen, who beamed when he saw it. Kids these days... one minute they have a gun to your back, another they beg for your approval. Oh well, at least they turned out alright in the end.

Huhahaha! I love messing with people's heads!

"NOT POSSIBLE!!!" JACKEL yelled at the top of his lungs.

Another one in the group of sons, Doln, spoke up.

"As you can see Lord JACKEL, our DNA closely resembles Lord Zien's. Therefore, he is our father."

JACKEL shot him a glare, and he quickly resumed being silent. JACKEL scanned the paper carefully, trying to find any fault or loophole hidden in the test results. Having no luck locating any, he ripped the paper into shreds and threw the confetti in the air.

"Fine," he said, "So they are your kids. But how is it that they are older than you are?"

"Technically they're not; they were conceived two and a half hours ago."

"Were they born fully grown?" JACKEL winced a little, "I can't imagine the pain the female went through."

That's a disturbing image he just implanted in my brain. I do suppose I walked into that one however.

Then bells began ringing in JACKEL's head.

"Wait... two and a half hours ago? So these are the humans you killed before you came here?"

I sat back down and crossed my claws again. This was my "explanation pose" as a few others recognized. I seem to do it a lot.

"The same ones who attempted to murder me, yes."

"That so? I assumed you killed them."

"I did."

About now JACKEL looked as lost as he did before the "children" thing. He was about to start stuttering again but quickly stopped himself, and raised a hand.

"I won't bother trying to comprehend this. Just tell me how you did it."

The smirk that previously graced my face faded. I hadn't expected him to give up so easily.

"Killjoy. Fine, I'll try to put this as simple as possible." Sitting up a bit, I locked my eyes on JACKEL's. "Do you know what a zombie is?"

"The walking dead? Yes I'm aware of them."

"Ok, but according to an entertainment series known as "Resident Evil," zombies are not limited to just moving when they shouldn't."

Surprisingly JACKEL had also heard of Resident Evil. Someone of his stature would not be expected to be doing something like watching movies or playing video games. I would've thought he would spend ALL of his time planning, punishing, or leading, and leave things like that out of his schedule.

"You see," I continued, "zombies can also portray those who are controlled by an alien force who have no will of their own. This force will eventually take over the host's body, and evolve it according to the original structure of the unwelcome force."

"Some form of demented parasite I presume?"

"Precisely. However the parasite can only be administered into a live host; a dead one would just be useless meat."

"Where is this leading to Zien?

"I developed a life form with parasitic attributes equipped with the ability to reanimate the dead."

JACKEL took a seat again, his eyes still locked on to mine. He didn't question me, losing the ability to do so already. So I just continued.

"You're probably wondering how one that works with technology can "play god" and create another life. Well it's easy when the life itself is half technology. The parasite has an electronic brain that makes it act and think like a living being. The other half is flesh, and the brain can manipulate the cell structure to make it move or change, depending on the situation."

"The parasite is a Schyyrtzi all on its own, because it's flesh is that of a Schyyrtzi. When the parasite is introduced into a corpse, it first repairs any damaged organs or tissue. Then, it enters the skull and acts as a new brain, connecting to the spinal cord and repairing nerves. From here it can move the previously dead body, and claim it."

"I see. But why can't you just repair the old brain like you did the organs?"

"To repair the memoires and behavioral patterns of any living back to a functioning state, let alone fully, would takes years, and I don't have that kinda time. Replacing it was so much easier."

JACKEL started to ease up a little, the feeling of confusion settling away.

"Understandable. But there is something that puzzles me," He leaned in close, "Who of us did you use?"

"Pardon?"

"You said that the parasite was of Schyyrtzi itself. You are a Technus, while able to create extraordinary feats in technology, cannot create flesh. Which means you would have had to use someone else's. Now tell me..."

Wow his face was intense now. I didn't think he would catch on to that detail yet; he may be our leader but he can be a bit slow. He thought he had justified reasons to spy on me before but now, he was probably debating on how to kill me when I gave a response. This was likely since he angers quickly.

"... who of us did you slay?"

A part of me wanted to laugh at his face and mess with him, but my reason was rebelling the idea. It didn't want me to die, and frankly, my joking side didn't either.

"No one," I said coolly.

"LIAR! You had to have killed someone to get that flesh! You couldn't have just found it on the ground somewhere!"

"But-"

"There wasn't a single fatality on record for the last year! I know because I have records on each one! Once I find out who you killed i-"

His sentence was interrupted by a raised claw. The claw then pointed below the table, out of JACKEL's visual range. Snarling, he looked where it pointed.

"... What?"

"What do you see?"

"Nothing! Your feet, legs, ta..."

JACKEL looked back up, slightly horrified.

"Where's... your tail?"

Glaring, I brought the claw back and resumed the explanation pose. But I wasn't in the mood to explain anything, not after that.

"You put two and two together JACKEL. It got you this far."

His eyes darted back and forth between the glaring Schyyrtzi, and the staring five, and his eyes went wide.

"You... sacrificed a part of yourself to create these things?!"

"These 'things' are my kids, born from a part of me just like any parent and child. I don't see the problem JACKEL, you should be happy; I just added to your force."

"But your tail! Don't you need it?"

"I have the tendrils if you recall, and I'm no stranger to hand-to-hand combat. I'll live."

All Schyyrtzi have tails, but the special breed of them have additional attributes. While all have the long muscular bladed tail (that now that I think about it is like my tendrils just larger), only a few have extra limbs or the like, and are classified as the "special breed." Special breed mutations are helpful to the individual class that own them. Technus is one of them, and are equipped with the tendrils, which are used for multitasking to complete our inventions or jobs faster. There are others, like having an extra set of arms or eyes, or even wings, but I won't get into that.

"So... you won't make anymore?"

"Unless the next part to be tributed is your own arm, no. And won't give the program to any other Technus either."

He snarled. "A pity then, because your friend still has to die, and I was honestly hoping you would use the same principle on him." He turned his chair so he had his back to me. "If you won't kill him, I'll send someone who will."

"You know I won't allow that. I'll bodily harm any who try to come close to him, in public view if need be."

"Heh, if you still despise the idea, then why don't we try the serum?"

"What!?"

I could feel him smiling from behind that chair. He knew I would react like this.

"The serum is still untested! You know what happens to any human we try it on; the failure rate is 100%! It's the only reason we haven't risen yet!"

"But it could be the only way to save your friend..."

He was trying to sound sincere; it wasn't working. JACKEL isn't the sincere type, but he had a point. If he did send an assassin and I killed him, JACKEL would brand me as a traitor and have both of us targeted...

I can't run from them forever, nor can I fight an entire army...

"Fine. Toss me a vial when you get the chance."

I barely got time to get up before a syringe of bubbling violet liquid landed on my lap. Changing back to human form, I studied to bottle closely between my fingers then looked up at JACKEL's chair.

"You planned this..."

I could feel him grin widely in the dark room.

"I eagerly await the results, Zien."

My mind reeling that I had been played, I took the customary bow and vanished along with my sons.

I don't make mistakes twice.

That bastard will pay one day.

---

It hadn't been long before I reached the campus after that. As soon as I walked in my room I expected to see Ken there, just not as close as he was. Hugging was never something I understood, even with my own parents, and it didn't help with someone of my age nearly bawling over my shoulder while he did so. It's a shame what has to happen to him even after his traumatic (apparently) experience.

To help get the guilt off my chest, I asked him if he wanted to do something to help him calm down a little, but he insisted on prying the details out of me and recalling the experience. So that didn't work. I had to give him a fake story on how the cops got there and shot the poor bastards, consequently killing them, and took me back to their station for questioning. He bought it, thank god, and dropped the subject. I tried asking him to do something again, but refused and said he had to homework. For someone who was on the verge of tears he sure recovered quickly.

I admire that.

Then nightfall hit like a 2 ton curtain, blanketing everything in darkness. It was a new moon, and oddly there weren't stars out.

Even nature knew of the horror that was about to happen.

I sighed deeply, watching Ken get dressed for bed (not like that). He heard me and looked in my direction; the lights were off now.

"Something up?"

"Ceiling, dude..." That response was engraved into my brain.

"No, I mean something the matter? You looked like you seen a ghost."

"In a manner of speaking I am."

"Hey I'm not that pale! Yeah you're fine."

Ken plopped into bed, making the room fill with squeaking.

"Damn these things," he said, "You're going to have to train me to be a ninja like you so I don't make that much noise."

I seized that opening.

"Ok. But you gotta learn a few basic rules, dude," I got off my bed and onto his without any noise, "First, show no emotion in battle, do not grieve the death of another for everyone dies eventually... That means no crying, Ken."

"Shut up, man!" he chuckled hitting me with the back of his head.

"Second, always follow instruction, never back down from an order or a job no matter how ridiculous..." I slipped the syringe from my sleeve into my hand without him noticing, "...or dangerous."

"Okay..."

"Third, that which is considered true can be false, trust no one, even your allies..."

"What's that supposed to mea-"

SHINCK!!

He didn't have time to finish before I shoved the needle of the syringe right into his jugular.