FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New to the story? If so, please read the previous parts first! At this point, you REALLY should! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~CHAPTER 21~~~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!!!"

Isaac didn't seem remotely fazed by Smith's agony as he continuously electrocuted him with his hands. I was helpless to stop my former friend; being tied to a plastic chair with thick leather straps meant there wasn't a thing I could do to escape. But the boiling anger coursing through my blood while watching this horrific scene unfold made me at least feel like I could burst out of my binds in an instant.

"I can do this all day, Arthur. There's enough dischargeable power in this suit to certainly kill one of you, and if you were paying attention a half hour ago, that 'one person' WILL be you."

After what felt like an eternity, Isaac finally took his hands off of Smith's shoulders, halting his torturous interrogation and giving my comrade a chance to think clearly. He patted Smith on the head with a condescending smile as the latter gasped for breath, while walking around his prisoner's chair as if to admire his handiwork from all angles. "Be thankful I'm frying you through your shoulders, pal. If I was touching your head, your eyeballs probably would've exploded a few minutes back."

Weakly, Smith actually managed to choke out a laugh. "Heh... And I'm the one who... wore glasses when I was... human. Karma's a bitch like that, huh?"

No, you idiot! Don't piss him off! He WILL kill you!

But much to my relief, Smith's joke also made Isaac chuckle. "Yes, karma IS a bitch isn't it, traitor? It just goes to show---"

"Pheh. You're the only fucking traitor in this room..."

The words came out of my mouth before I could even think about it. However, I slightly regretted saying them, not because I wanted to avoid hurting Isaac's feelings (believe me, I REALLY wanted to stick it to him right now), but because I also really didn't want to get zapped again.

My words definitely got his attention, though. Isaac turned his head to face my own; his apathetic gaze meeting my venomous one once again. "I already told you, Greg, that my decision was NOTHING personal. In fact, in my mind it was you that hampered my ability to make this choice until it was nearly too late."

"Huh, so I was the metaphorical angel on your shoulder? I'm touched" I spat out.

"Even so," he continued, "I knew beforehand that I'd get all this hostility from you if I ran into you like this. All I want from you two is information, you know." He turned back to Smith and grabbed the top of his head with one hand. "Now, talk or I'll make good on the whole 'exploding eyeball' thing. You know I won't kill you, Greg, but this guy doesn't mean anything to me."

Quickly, I tried to think of something to stall for as much time as I'd need before I could think of a decent plan.

Although... That's only what I wanted to believe. I was trying to keep my and Smith's best interests at heart by stalling Isaac, but I knew in the pit of my stomach that for the moment, all I really cared about was figuring out why one of my closest friends was doing this to us.

"Then what DOES matter to you, Isaac? What DO you want out of all this? Clearly you don't want anything more to do with HAC, so that doesn't leave you with much."

Isaac slowly exhaled while raising his free hand to show the electricity arcing between his fingers, reminding me he still had control over this situation. "I just want my life back. I want my life and happiness back, and only OGD can give it to me. TALK."

"No, YOU talk. The last time I saw you, right before we went our separate ways, you were as happy as I'd ever seen you. You were PLENTY happy with us, and now your decision robbed you of that! You had helped me finally get around to resolving my girlfriend issues, while YOUR girlfriend was waiting for you, probably ready to make you feel like the luckiest guy in the whole damn post-apocalyptic world. Well, here's something I'll bet you never even considered, Isaac: what would SHE think of you now?"

That one did it. In one quick motion, Isaac let go of Smith and screamed with rage, then ran up to my chair and punched me square in the stomach. My head shot up and my eyes went wide; the pain causing them to tear up. It felt like taking a major-league baseball pitch right in the gut, with enough force to make me feel like I'd cough up a lung.

"GREG!" Smith shouted. "Are you all right!?"

"Do you REALLY wanna know that badly?" Isaac yelled, ignoring Smith. His calm, collected demeanor had finally melted away, turning to a mixture of full-on enraged and... emotionally wrecked. The glare in his eyes seemed familiar somehow. "Do you really wanna know what kind of selfish, evil reason I could POSSIBLY have for betraying HAC? HUH?"

As I wearily reeled back in my seat, gasping for breath, I could see that Isaac's entire right arm had grown to nearly three times as large as normal; with spikes protruding from several spots and his five fingers replaced by three larger ones balled up into a fist. He slowly pulled this nightmarish arm away, revealing to both of us that the punch had actually cracked my OGD armor's chest plate. He regained some of his smugness for a brief second upon seeing the damage he'd done to me; seeming to enjoy watching me reel over as an evident punishment for crossing some kind of line.

"Well, if you can still hear me over the sound of your own wheezing, I'll tell you" Isaac continued with an ever-increasing drop in tone. "But first..."

With his normal-sized arm, Isaac took his pistol from its holster on his left leg and shot Smith in the neck again. It was the same pistol as earlier; the one that shoots small darts with a tranquilizer serum inside.

"Dammit... Not again..." Smith gasped as he clenched his teeth and slipped into unconsciousness for the second time today.

"I was getting tired of listening to him" was Isaac's only excuse as he re-holstered his weapon. His huge right arm slowly receded and rejoined with the rest of his suit, becoming normally proportioned once again. I could see that the excess amount of nanobots merged with the armor on his back, turning from pure silver to black with the silver-circuit pattern once the change was completed. He stepped back and cracked his right hand's knuckles, remaining right in front of me, but choosing to turn around to avoid eye contact.

"To answer your question, Greg, Liz can't think anything of me. She can't think of anything, period. Because she's dead..."

I drew a sharp breath, brought on by both the remaining pain in my stomach and my bewilderment from this startling news.

"Oh..." was all I could manage to choke out.

Isaac turned back around, probably deciding that hiding his despair wasn't worth it anymore. His eyes now clearly shone with a distant sadness that made me think of myself back in the first few months of the apocalypse. It was a gaze that conveyed a hundred sorrowful words with none; the gaze of a hybrid who had truly lost everything.

After taking a moment, Isaac continued his dark revelation. "Brian too, in case you were wondering. Both of my teammates... my friends... gone in the blink of an eye. Gone while there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it..." I could tell he was trying his hardest to hold back tears. Despite everything that had transpired today, a small part of me was beginning to feel sorry for him. "They ambushed us and we fought back, but it wasn't enough to win. All three of us lay in a pile, bruised and broken, as our attackers decided how to handle us. In the end, three of them restrained me while the other two... executed Liz and Brian."

"...Dear God..." I gasped.

He was sobbing now. "...I didn't... I didn't even get to say goodbye... All I could do was just fucking WATCH..." He took a minute to calm himself down and dry his eyes. "So now you know what happened that set this all off... But honestly, I'm surprised you haven't figured out the biggest part of this picture yet."

He's right. Hang on... he knows all about Cali's revival, he mentioned making an unethical choice, and now this? How does---

"And then, after spending days in that dark, cramped cell all alone, I got a visitor. It was the head of OGD, George H. Stryker."

Oh. Oh, I see where this is going... And I can already see how it's going to end: BADLY...

"He came to me in that cell after deciding I'd had enough isolation, and offered me a choice. I could be executed myself, right then and there, or I could join OGD and become an elite soldier."

"And I'll bet that---" I started to say.

"If I chose the latter," Isaac continued regardless, "Stryker assured me that after the war was over and HAC was dead and gone, he'd use his company's technology to bring Liz back to life. No mind control, no gimmicks, no nothing. Just me and her, reunited at last. I accepted his offer."

I laughed. I was still relatively shaken up, but I couldn't help it.

"Something funny, Greg? Isaac sneered.

"You're a fool, Isaac. You're a fool to believe that Stryker'll make good on his word. He's fucking USING you, buddy."

"No he isn't" Isaac firmly stated. "I'd like to think I'm an excellent judge of character, and I can recognize sincerity when I see it. I believe Stryker needs me, and God knows I need him."

Sucker...

"Besides, even if I wanted to, there's no way I'd go back now. I'm GOING to lead the fight against HAC, I'm GOING to wipe them all out, and I'm GOING to get my girlfriend back. Of course, I'll still hold true to my promise to not kill you, and as long as she sees things my way, I'll even spare Kyla."

I let out another laugh. "Wow. How very noble of you... traitor."

And then, Isaac dropped yet another bomb on me: "But not Cali. That bitch is as good as DEAD."

...!!!

That felt like another ham-fisted punch to the stomach, except this one hurt a lot harder.

"What? Why!? What the hell did Cali ever do to you?"

Angrily, Isaac grabbed my shoulders and took a hard stare into my eyes. "Because it was Cali that did it, Greg. Of the five OGD soldiers that attacked us, Cali was one of them. Came in from out of nowhere, and made our fight shift from tough to unwinnable. And as it turned out, she was also one of the executioners. Get it? It was your former girlfriend that killed mine."

WHAT? Cali would never--- But Red Death would, what the hell am I thinking? Except... He's acting like the real Cali did it!

"You're wrong" I said. "That wasn't Cali."

Unfazed, Isaac let go of me and resumed his slow pace around the room. "I am not wrong_._ I actually only know because her helmet got knocked off during the fight... But as much as it pains me to recall, I can still see the complete lack of emotion in her eyes when she shot Liz in the head JUST as vividly as when it happened. It was like looking into two empty pits..."

I tried to elaborate. "Isaac, I meant that it wasn't Cali Greenlaw that killed Elizabeth Johnson, it was... well, they called her 'Red Death' around here before we saved her. THAT's who killed Liz, and you HAVE to understand that it wasn't Cali's fault. She was brainwashed and you KNOW it! You're just looking for an excuse for misguided revenge to make yourself feel better!"

Now Isaac laughed. "Huh. And here, I thought revenge was defined as taking drastic action to make yourself feel better... But anyway Greg, I'd say you've had enough fun grilling me for one afternoon, but now it's my turn" said Isaac with a renewed smug grin. The kind of grin that made me wish all the more that I was free, so I could slash it right off his face. Now I was pissed again, rather than trying to be reasonable.

"Oh, goodie" I replied with as much snark as I could muster. "What would you possibly want to know about ME at a time like this? I was trying my best to make this all about YOU..."

His grin grew wider. "What I'd like to know is what, exactly, would you have done if you were in my position? Think about it for a second: it's two weeks ago, you've just moved on from Cali, and you're enjoying a routine zombie elimination mission with Kyla, the woman who gave you back the will to live. And then, before you know it, you're being beaten and forced into the ground, watching as these new enemies prepare to execute your new love in cold blood."

As hard as I tried to avoid picturing that ghastly scene play out in my head, I couldn't help but go along with what Isaac was saying.

"One of them grabs your head and tilts it upwards, giving you the last opportunity you'll ever get to look into Kyla's big, blue eyes as they fill up with tears. She's forced onto her knees and a gun is aimed at her head. You both know what's going to happen, and you both know there's nothing either of you can do about it."

"Stop it, Isaac."

"Your throat is so dry you can't say anything to her; all that comes out is rasping. You can't even say goodbye to the one you love. And she knows it, making it all the more heartbreaking for both of you. One of the soldiers counts down from three, and yet it feels like an eternity passes between each number."

"STOP IT, Isaac..."

He began counting off on his fingers. "THREE: You try to break free from the enemy's grip, but it's useless to resist. TWO: Kyla takes a deep breath and stares at the ground, ready to just give up. ONE: And at the last second, she screams "I love you!"

"I SAID STOP!" I yelled.

"BANG! And just like that, it's over! She falls to the ground, her head landing right next to yours, and all you can see through your own tears is the life rapidly fading from her eyes! The enemy soldiers know you've been broken beyond repair, so they pick you up, throw you into a car, and take you away. From there, it's only a matter of time until---"

Suddenly, much to my relief, an alarm suddenly rang out, accompanied by a voice on the various loudspeakers hanging all over the complex: "WARNING! ENEMY HUMAN ADVANCEMENTS TROOPS INBOUND! ALL AVAILABLE SOLDIERS, REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

Isaac chuckled, finally dropping his dramatic rant and turning towards the door. "It seems you've been saved by the bell, Greg. But I feel like I got my point across, so feel free to think about it while you wait in here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an army to lead against your friends."

~~~

"No... I'm not like you... I'm nothing like you!"

And yet...

Would I... WOULD I go that far? Would I betray everything I knew, the people who gave me a home and taught me how to fight, the loyal friends I've made, EVERYTHING... Just for love?

I... No. No, I'd NEVER go that far. If I turned into what Isaac's become and got what I wanted through betrayal and bloodshed, Cali and Kyla'd never forgive me. And I know I'd never be able to forgive myself, either.

After what seemed like a half an hour of sitting quietly and trying to differentiate myself from Isaac, I could hear a commotion going on outside. Suddenly, I could hear a loud explosion far off to the left, quickly accompanied by another series of smaller ones. Through the small window near the top of the door, I could see the two hybrid soldiers guarding me and Smith run off to handle whatever situation was unfolding out there. But just as quickly, I heard two more loud blasts, followed by watching two black blurs flying past the door. Someone was shouting at the aggressor to stop, but all they got in return was another explosion and... a loud roar?

That sounds just like...

Sounds just like a roar familiar enough to save our lives!

"BRENT! WE'RE IN HERE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "GET US OUT OF HERE!"

My call did just the trick. Without warning, the door keeping us locked inside our temporary prison flew off its hinges, narrowly passing by Smith and me before crashing into the wall behind us. Sure enough, Brent rushed in, smoking power cannon in hand, followed by Cali. She ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me as tight as she ever had before. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd bet that she teleported herself and Brent, arguably the best room-cleaner in terms of powers, inside the complex to find and break us out.

"Greg, I'm so sorry..." she whimpered. "I would've come back for both of you and Arthur, but I just couldn't. I made a lucky guess with teleporting Melanie, and I was able to get us away right in the nick of time, but I was completely drained after we gained enough distance to hide. I had to wait for my energy to come back, and by the time it did, I knew they'd already taken you guys somewhere else. I'm just... I'm so sorry that running was all I could do..."

"It's okay, Cali" I reassured her. "I was just glad you two were able to get out at all. Did you know you could teleport someone else through physical contact, or was that a lucky guess?"

Cal stood back up and chuckled softly. "Well, I had a feeling it'd work... I felt like if I concentrated hard enough, I could move more than just myself. After that happened, I realized that I am grateful for this body and the power it comes with."

"I'm glad" I replied. "How's the battle going out there?"

As Cali talked, she undid the straps binding me to the chair while Brent did the same for Smith. "Well... This past two weeks, or I should say year, has been full of surprises, but here's a new one for you: the advanced zombies... it's like they're actually using their brains out there! They're faster, they dodge attacks instead of taking them head-on, and they're able to flank us like it's nothing!"

"You're KIDDING me" I groaned. "After EVERYTHING we've been through, the rules have decided to change on us again?"

"Don't get me wrong, though; it's not all bad" Cali replied after releasing the last strap holding me down. "We're doing fairly well out there, since there are only about a third as many as there were last time. But... the bad news is that also unlike last time, we're taking losses. A few dead, a few more wounded. We REALLY need you out there, Greg."

I stood up and flexed my muscles, thankful that there was no tiredness to be found anywhere in my body. Brent finished unbinding the still-unconscious Smith, then gently tried waking him up. He stopped after a few shakes and slaps, realizing that it wasn't going to work.

"Say no more, Cali. I'm definitely ready for a fight right now. But... I have to ask: are there any OGD soldiers out there at all? I had a feeling they'd rush out to fight you guys instead of waiting in here."

Cali paused for a moment, trying to remember. "Uhhh... I know I saw that guy with silvery patterned armor from before out there, but that's about it. He wasn't even participating; all he did was stand on the roof and watch us fight the zombies. Believe me, I wanted to teleport up there and kick his ass after seeing what he did to you two, but... I'm not stupid. I know to avoid fights I can't win."

"He was... just watching? I thought he'd---"

Just then, Isaac's last words prior to leaving us echoed in my mind:

'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an army to lead against your friends.'

Shit... It all makes sense now... Dammit, I have to stop him!

"Greg? Everything okay?" Cali asked me concernedly.

I snapped out of my train of thought. "I... It's nothing. For now, get Smith out of here. He's been through much worse than I have, and wouldn't be in any condition to fight even if he was awake. Plus, you need to save your energy. Me and Brent can fight our way out of here and meet up with you guys on the battlefield."

"All right" Cali answered. She walked over to Smith and took a hold of his hands, readying herself to teleport both of them out of this hellhole.

"Wait, Cali?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Just one more thing before you go... How's Kyla?" I asked.

Cali's expression went gloomy. She let go of Smith and walked back over to me. "Kyla's... not doing too well right now. Not after what happened to Ross... After his attacks just kept bouncing right off of them, a few of the big muscular zombies cornered him and..."

"And...?" I didn't need to ask; from Cali's tone, I already knew to expect the worst.

"...They beat him to death." She shuddered at the thought, probably having been unfortunate enough to witness it. "But once Kyla saw what was going on, she was like a one-woman army. She ferociously slaughtered the thugs one by one and tried to help him, but... she was too late. Last I saw her, she was crying over his body."

"Christ. Ross... Kyla..."

"I know I said we all need you right now, but she really needs you, Greg" Cali concluded while walking back to Smith and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Please don't keep us waiting too long."

I started to say "I won't," but Cali had already teleported herself and Smith away to safety. Instead, I turned to Brent. He looked rearing and ready to leap back into the fray, but I wasn't necessarily ready myself just yet. "Hold on there, big guy" I said to him. "There's just one more thing I need to take care of before we bust out of here."

Brent shrugged, as if to ask what I meant. I smiled and walked over to the broken metal door leaning against the wall, and placed my hands on it.

"I just feel like making a quick costume change."

I focused my mind on the door, and made the metal covering its surface liquefy and slowly creep up my arms, right underneath the OGD armor. There was enough of it to encompass my entire body from the neck down, which was exactly what I needed for the next step. I backed up and focused even harder, forcing the material to solidify and form into my familiar suit of... dammit, Harry... 'Omega armor.' All around my body, the black plates began cracking and the fabric began tearing as new, shiny silver plates began to force their way through. In about ten seconds, the entire OGD ensemble lay in shreds at my feet as I stood proudly clad in my own creation once again, glad to finally be free of wearing the enemy's uniform. All I had on underneath was a simple pair of pants and boots, but the cold steel now covering my exposed chest and arms felt rejuvenating.

Of course, just having the armor definitely wasn't enough. Seeing that the remains of the door were only made of concrete and plastic, I turned my attention to the dead and wounded soldiers outside the room. Specifically, their guns. I grabbed as many as I could see, six in all, and in a similar fashion with Melanie's pen earlier, fused them together while letting the non-metal components leak out and fall to the ground. In no time at all, I was holding yet another zweihander sword, perhaps the finest one I'd ever made on the fly. The edges of the tip were spread out like an arrow, something that would certainly come in handy against another sword user.

"Okay, now I'm ready" I said after giving my huge weapon a few test swings. "Let's roll."

~~~

I swooped down and sliced clean through the arm of an OGD using a glowing, purple energy wave to paralyze Brent. No arm meant no superpower control, but the soldier didn't even flinch. More than likely, it was because he or she was another mind-controlled OGD slave. Nevertheless, I followed up with a swift kick to the side, sending Brent's armless assailant across the hallway and into a heap against the wall.

Now able to move again, Brent spun around and unloaded several explosive blasts on the three soldiers charging towards us from behind, neutralizing them while I took care of the ones coming at us from the front. All of them were carrying guns of varying types, but thanks to my speed, these weapons were all cut cleanly in half before any of them could fire. Bewildered, they dropped their now useless weapons and tried to all attack me at once, brandishing fire, electric, and wind abilities respectively. Humorously, all it took was a well-timed sidestep to thwart their combined assault; the wind-based hybrid soldier accidentally knocked back the other two, whose abilities crossed with each other and backfired spectacularly. As for me, I swiftly decapitated the remaining one just as Brent finished up with the others.

"Well... That was easy. Let's keep moving!"

As we took the last turn towards the exit, we ran into one final obstacle; a helmetless, frightened looking OGD soldier with a pistol guarding the door. I couldn't make out what species of hybrid he was from a distance, only that he had grey fur and brown hair. With trembling hands, he raised his weapon up to Brent's head, forcing the two of us to momentarily halt our advance.

I could clearly see the fear in his expression, though. I gestured towards Brent to follow my lead, and the two of us slowly began to walk towards the gunman.

"Don't do anything stupid, son" I warned him. "Just let us through, and nobody has to die." Brent growled in agreement, but raised his own weapon to back up my claim.

But despite my efforts, the soldier made a fatal mistake. As soon as we got close enough to him, he yelped and fired off a volley of shots, all of them going wide and missing us by miles. Brent responded quickly and ruthlessly by firing several explosive shots of his own, and at a near point-blank range, they tore the scared soldier apart like he was made of paper. He flew back and landed with a smack against the wall to the left of the door, not about to get up anytime soon.

Brent smirked and relaxed his firing arm, happy to do away with yet another OGD soldier. I felt that it was a bit overkill, but I wasn't about to criticize the huge guy with an arm cannon. He walked towards the door and pointed towards it, silently beckoning me to follow him.

"Don't bother, I'm not leaving this place just yet."

Brent growled, clearly confused. He motioned with his hands towards the exit again, insisting that I come with him.

"No, Brent. There's... something I need to do. Someone I have to find... and kill. Go, meet up with everyone else, and if they ask, let them know I'm all right."

This time, Brent rolled his eyes and pointed at his throat, as if to say 'I can't talk, you idiot. How am I supposed to tell them that?' I now realized how stupid my request was in hindsight, but employing common sense wasn't exactly the first thought in my head right this moment.

"Please. This is something I have to do, and something I have to do alone. Just let them know that I'll be on the roof. You'll find a way."

Brent could see the fierce determination in my eyes, and decided that my conviction was enough to let me go my separate way. He flashed me a thumbs-up and fiddled with a few dials on his device, then blasted the thick metal door away with a single shot, the largest I'd seen to date. Sunlight flooded in to the hallway, along with a grisly front row view of the battlefield, only to become blocked momentarily as Brent ran out to join the rest of our comrades. Cali certainly wasn't exaggerating; the zombies were much faster and more coordinated than I'd ever imagined. If they were already labeled as 'advanced' zombies yesterday, then this particular variety was deserving of a much higher title. 'Uber zombies,' I decided. But I didn't have time to admire our new-ish enemies; I had an even newer enemy to defeat.

First things first, I had to figure out where to go. I walked back over to the groaning OGD soldier, who was now slouched against a wall, looking like he'd pass out any second. If he did, then it'd cost my new personal mission precious time. I lightly kicked him in the side to rouse him from his groggy state, which made him flinch and wearily moan "Please... Please don't kill me... I'll... Uuungh..."

I crouched down and snapped my fingers in front of his face to draw his attention to me. Wearily, he managed to make eye contact after a quick second. "I won't kill you" I said. "Just tell me how to get to the roof."

Brent already effectively killed you, FYI.

He let out a few weak coughs before answering my question. "Down the hall... Left, right, 'nother right... Staircase... Goes to the roof..."

"Thank you" I replied while standing back up and attaching my sword to my back. However, before my brain could make me drop everything and run towards my destination, I let my heart take over for a moment. "I'll send someone to help you if I can."

He chuckled, only being able to put less and less life into each breath. "'Sss okay, man... I'm done. And I'm sorry... I'm so... sorry."

With that, the young OGD soldier quietly died. I gently closed his eyes while sighing deeply. "Nothing to be sorry about, kid... You never stood a chance..."

But I didn't let it deter me. As per his instructions and utilizing my super speed, it took me about thirty seconds to find the stairs, and about half as long to get close to the top. With every step I took towards the end, my heart began to beat faster and faster, and I could feel myself trembling with anticipation. Finally, I came to the rooftop door; the last thing standing between myself and Isaac. A part of me felt terrible inside for choosing this path instead of the one Cali suggested, but I knew I was doing the right thing here.

Kyla... I know you need me right now, but I can't be there for you. Not yet. If my hunch is correct, then what I'm about to do will save your life and everyone else's. I know you'll understand. Just hang on for a few more minutes...

Sword now firmly in hand, I burst through the door and prepared myself for the fight of my life.

~~~

~~

~

Awww yeah, next chapter is the big fight you've all been expecting! Well, one of the big fights you've all been expecting...

But first, I think it's become blatantly obvious of who'll be the star of the final edition of LITA Origins. Be on the lookout for that, too.

Rate, Comment, and Subscribe!