~Chapte 5~ "Are we there yet," Lucky asked, almost completely bored from cleaning weapons.

Avocato chuckled, "Nearly."

He sighed. Avocato second-guessed his decision about telling her, but he shook it o . He knew he had to tell her - he had no other choice. She needed to know. The only problem was how to tell her. He didn't know how she'd react - she could never speak to him again, her brain could shut down, or she could… kill him.

Avocato knew Lucky was very capable of killing people. That's the reason the Lord Commander assigned her to be a Bounty Hunter in the first place. Although, with this not-so-new information on Lucky's true identity, Lord Commander probably wants to use her as his personal weapon of destruction alongside this E351.

The sudden drop out of Lightfold and Lucky's whoop! for joy snapped Avocato from his trail of thought.

"Whoo-hoo! Finally," Lucky exclaimed, hurriedly putting her black and cyan helmet-mask over her head.

:I'll get that little critter first!: Terk hollored over the comms.

Lucky rolled her eyes, "Dude! Shut up! We're on the same team, here!"

:Who says I'm-:

"Do you want me to make your brain explode? Hm? Cause, I'll do it."

:I'd listen to her, Terk.: Logan laughed, :You of all people should know of the consequences!:

:Yeah! Considering that little fuzzball of crazy electrified the crap outta you the first time you met!: Another added, causing the whole crew of five ships to laugh.

Terk growled, :Alright! Alright! Just shut up!:

Lucky handed Avocato his helmet-mask. He took it with a small sad smile. Lucky cocked her head, her brows creasing in confusion as he put it on.

"You okay," she asked gently.

Avocato cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah! Yeah… I'm fine."

"I'm not convinced," she sighed, shaking her head, "But, I won't ask."

She grabbed their guns from either side of her seat. Lucky handed Avocato his. She could tell by the way he grabbed it there was something bugging him; he hadn't spoken the whole way here. Something was definitely on his mind.

But, she knew better than to push people for answers. Avocato had taught her to not do things to others that you don't want done to you. She didn't like others pushing her for answers, so she didn't do it to anyone else.

Besides, if they wanted to tell you, they'd tell you in their own time, not beforehand.

As they slowly glided towards the location, Avocato let out a heavy sigh.

"Do you remember your parents," he asked glumly.

Lucky gulped, a little worried as she took her helmet o , "No."

"Do you know how you got to that Lab?"

"They said they made me. That I was their first successful genetic experiment," she replied. She cocked her head in confusion. She was scared to ask, but curiosity took over, "Why?"

Avocato knew she would ask "why". He let out a long breath, "They lied."

"Wha-? How do you… how do you know?"

"Because I was there. I'm the one who took you."

Apexians ran for cover as the Lord Commander's forces closed in. Women screamed. Children cried. Men yelled as they tried to defend their families. Gunshots rang out, splitting through the whirlwind of sound.

A dark teal Ventrexian - the Lord Commander's 2nd in command - led a formidable force. Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out the light of the moons and stars. His pale yellow eyes glowed fiercely as he and 1,000 Terra Con Prime soldiers roughly captured the Apexians.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Olian, they're coming," a black and white woman yelped fearfully, her orange hair falling into her face.

Her blue eyes widened. She looked over at a silver and blue male who rushed around their small hut. A young Apexian cub clung to his mother for safety.

Fear glazed the cub's purple eyes. His purple hair fell into his face. His body - covered in snow white fur with black and aqua markings - trembled. e cub's small purple hands tightly clasped his mother's blue dress.

"You need to leave," Olian ordered, turning to face the woman.

e banging on the door grew louder. Olian rushed over to a cott and took out a small white ball of flu . It had an almost blood red colour covering the tips of its ears, muzzle and half of its left arm. A small tuft of aqua hair sat atop its head.

Grabbing a yellow blanket, he placed the little being in his mate's arms. Olian placed a hand on the woman's face.

"Allira," he began gently, "You need to take our children and hide. Take them somewhere he can never find them."

Tears welled up in their eyes. As Allira was about to say something, the front door burst into the house.

"RUN," Olian ordered, whipping around to take on the soldiers.

Allira didn't look back. She and her son ran as fast as they could out the back door. Her eyes stung with tears as her baby began to cry. She wanted to stop and calm her, but she knew she couldn't.

When they got to a safe distance, Allira turned to her son. She knelt down to be closer to his height.

"Snowflake," she began softly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice, "We must go our separate ways from here."

"But, mother-..."

" ey'll find us easier if we are together, my son," she said, "You must run and not look back. Whatever happens, you cannot look back."

Tears fell from their eyes. Snowflake wrapped his arms around Allira's neck. She put an arm around him, still holding her baby close.

When they broke apart, Snowflake smiled down at his little sister. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodbye, sister. We'll see each other again someday. I know it," he choked back tears as he turned away. "Goodbye, mother," he added before running o into the night.

Allira watched him for a few moments as she stood. Tears streamed from her eyes. She knew she had to do it, but that didn't make saying 'goodbye' any easier. Turning away, she bolted in the other direction.

BOOM!

A huge explosion erupted from beside her, sending her and the baby flying. Allira didn't let her go, but hugged her tighter to her chest. She maneuvered herself so she would land with her child on top of her.

With a loud thud, Allira fell onto an old weapon box. She crashed through the wooden box. A huge piece of metal and wood stabbed into her. Allira let out a cry of pain.

With pain-filled eyes, she looked down at her child who was still wrapped in the blanket. She placed a hand on her unharmed baby's furry face.

"I'm so sorry, my child," Allira smiled sadly, fresh tears streaming down her face, "I was supposed to keep you safe… and now look at us."

She sighed. Her sky blue eyes glanced at the rubble and inferno around her, then began to sing.

Singing was one of the three things Apexians were well-known for.

"Ooh Liebe, Niemand wird dich jemals verletzen, Liebe, Ich werde dir meine ganze Liebe geben, Niemand ist so wichtig wie Sie, Dein Leben wird nichts wie mein Leben sein, Du wirst wachsen und ein gutes Leben haben, Ich werde tun, was ich tun muss.

Rockabye baby, Rockabye,

Ich werde dich rocken, Rockabye Baby, weinst du nicht, Jemand hat dich, Rockabye baby, Rockabye, Ich werde dich rocken, Rockabye Baby, weinst du nicht-"

e cocking of a gun broke Allira from her singing. She instinctively hugged her child closer, wincing at the pain. She looked up the barrel and glared into pale yellow eyes.

"I was supposed to come here and take some of you in as slaves for Lord Commander," he began, getting ready to shoot, "But now he wants me to kill all of you. It's such a waste."

Allira's gaze softened, her voice laced with pain and sorrow, "Do you have a child?"

e Ventrexian halted, eyes narrowed in confusion, "Y-yes. I have a son and an older daughter."

"I have a child," she smiled wearily.

Allira moved the bundle in her arms carefully. e Ventrexian's heart stopped when he saw the young baby in her arms.

Allira held her child out to the Ventrexian, "Take her."

A little bewildered, he just stood there staring at the female.

"Please, sir. Take her."

e 2nd in command carefully took the child, dropping his gun to the ground. e little Apexian opened her eyes to expose their glowing magenta colour. With a bright smile on her face, she reached up and placed her tiny red hand on his nose.

"What colour are her eyes," Allira asked, most of her life drained from her.

" ey're magenta," the Ventrexian replied.

Allira smiled brightly. "What is your name?"

Keeping his eyes locked on the child's, he replied, "Avocato."

"Will you promise me something, Avocato?"

He looked up, a little taken aback but nodded.

"Will you keep her safe for me?"

Avocato glanced between the child and its mother, "Of course. What's her name?"

"Her name is Zeniya."

Avocato smiled down at the Apexian in his arms. "Zeniya," he whispered.

When he looked up, Zeniya's mother was no longer with the living.

"A few months later, the Lord Commander ordered me to take you to that lab," Avocato continued, "And now… here we are."

Lucky's teary eyes glued to the floor. Her mind buzzed as it tried to take all of it in.

"So… you… you killed my family? You killed… my whole race," Lucky asked, voice shaking, "W-... why?"

Avocato sighed, "Lord Commander issued a decree to kill all of any race that could pose a threat to his reign. The Apexians were one of them.

Lucky couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't want to believe it. The man who she considered as her dad was the one who put her in that lab. He was the one who killed her family.

"Lucky…"

"What's my real name," she asked lowly, "What's the name my parents gave me before you killed them?"

Avocato looked down as he landed his ship onto the target's cruiser. "Your mother said it was Zeniya."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because I didn't know."

Lucky sni ed and squeezed her eyes shut as she put her helmet back on. She didn't know she could feel this much hurt. She hated it - made her feel weak.

"Lucky, you know I didn't have a choice."

"I know," Lucky said as she put weapons in her various holsters, "That just gives me one more reason to torture that cowardly, power hungry son-of-a-maggot."