I do not own anything...literally. Here is the list of what I DON'T own:

Tiki is a Xenomorph, which I DON'T own. No Xeno in this chapter belongs to me!

War of the Worlds (And it's aliens) is another thing I DON'T own.

And the Crystal Egg is another thing I DON'T own.

I disown everything!

"Next on the death list." Machi said as he approached Tiki and Morphius' cage. He reached in and grabbed Morphius. My little turtle retreated to his shell. Tiki grabbed him too and tried to pull him back in.

"No!" I flinched as Machi swatted her off. Tiki stayed on the floor, crying. "Please Machi. Don't go through with this. I beg of you!"

Morphius poked out of his shell and waved goodbye to Tiki. Great...not again. This little turtle is my...now oldest pet. Melissa was older but now she's gone, lying lifeless on the floor.

"Alright Zerxus. You failed to save Melissa. Let's see if Morphius gets better luck."

"...Don't..." I mumbled. Morphy withdrew again when Machi pointed the needle at his shell.

"Then tell me where the pzanos is."

I paused and closed my eyes, turning my head away. I didn't see the reptile's suffering, but knowing it was happening is just as bad. Machi wasn't a big fan of cold blooed creatures, but he'll still feed on them. I risked a peek and Machi removed the device. Morphy was still alive and actually still kicking, though not as strongly as before. Machi carried him over to me.

"I won't be the one to kill this pathetic reptile. I have another idea. The cause of his death will be from his very owner: you."

I was confused at first. I would never kill the very creature I tried so hard to protect. But I understood when Machi forced the turtle's mouth open and placed the helpless animal's beak on the forearm of one of my secondary limbs.

I gasped as Machi squeezed Morphy's jaws tight, digging the sharp edges into my skin. Although it was painful to me, I knew it would kill Morphy. Everything about a Reginite's body is poisonous, including skin and blood.

The Martians learned that fact when we first encountered them. Their first reaction to us was to have one feed on an unlucky Reginite scout. That Martian died 30 minutes later. Since then, they wanted to be our allies. Now I regret my race ever meeting them.

Morphius tried his best to resist, but being only the size of an adult human's hand, he had no chance of escaping. I felt the poison reflex activate, oozing the sticky white substance into his mouth. He tried to keep the liquid out of his throat, but Machi forced him to swallow it.

"Drink it up little one. It'll be the last thing you'll ever do. Enjoy it while you can."

But Morphy wasn't enjoying it at all. Not at all. He was clawing at Machi's tentacles, trying to pull his head into his shell, but no success. I couldn't help but turned away when the little one began to convulse violently. I knew the poison was taking affect.

Reginite toxins were designed to do one thing and one thing only: to make the attacker suffer a slow and horrible death. It's the way our systems get revenge on anything that causes us any pain. I wish we never evolved that. It took 15 minutes for Morphy to stop moving, dead. Machi removed the turtle and tossed him onto Melissa's body.

I felt excess poison and my own black blood ooze from the wound. Machi examined it closly. He smiled.

"I always wanted to see Reginite toxins in action." He turned away and moved towards Tiki. But as soon as he opened the cage door, Tiki tried to make a break for it. Machi caught her easily when she climbed to the top, about to jump away. He grabbed his feeding device, but Tiki spat a yellow liquid on it. The acidic blood burned through it. Machi immediatly dropped it.

"I wouldn't feed on me if I were you." Tiki warned softly. Machi huffed, then moved back to me.

"This is you're last chance Zerxus. After Tiki's death, it will be your turn to die. Unless you tell me what I need to know."

I hissed at him. He made a deep gurgling sound in response.Tiki looked back and forth between us and snapped.

"Stop it!" she yelled, succeeding in getting our attention. "Look at you 2. You're supposed to be best friends. Yet, you're both trying to kill eachother. That's not how it's supposed to be."

Machi paused and stared at me. I stared back. I think Tiki's actually breaking through!

"You knew eachother since the beginning. Machi...are you really willing to give up everything you have for something that might not turn out as planned? And Zerxus...you actually tried to run away from your problems instead of solving it. And now you're dying because of that."

There was a silent pause. Maybe running isn't the best way to go. I've always been taught to face it, but I guess I forgot that lesson. I could see Machi's expression softened a bit. Tiki continued.

"Both of you once told me a story of how you would've risked your life for the other's safty. Of how friendships can last forever." She let out a sigh. I remember telling her about that, especially bringing up the Xeno incident. And I know Machi told her how he returned to the disease infested planet to save me from the human military base. He could've perished from sickness, as he wasn't immune back then, or he could've gotten killed by the human soldiers. But those risks didn't stop him.

"I'm guessing that's exactly what they were. Stories that were never true and never will be." She turned to Machi. "So go ahead Machi. Kill me. I'm the token of your friendship. And now that's over. The only reason I live is to keep your bond strong and to protect Zerxus. Now he's dying and so is that relationship. I have no purpose anymore, thus no reason to go in life."

Silence. Tiki was right. This is not how friends should act. We should be helping eachother, not trying to cause the other pain. we've been pals all our lives and nothing should break the bond between us. Nothing was worth losing it for. Machi knew that too. I just hoped it was enough.

Machi was deep in thought. I knew this was hard for him. To choose between his race's well being and my friendship. After a long wait, he gently put Tiki down, then faced me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I brought this down on the both of you. I'm sorry I brought all this pain and fear. And I'm sorry I wasn't acting much like a friend. I was only doing what I was meant to do and that was to ensure the survival of my race. I guess our way just isn't the right way. I was blinded and again I am sorry." he apologized.

I smiled. Finally we had our Machi back. Unfortunatly we lost 3 great pets in the process. I'll never forget them. I nodded in acceptance. Mental death finally overtook me and I closed my eyes for thae last time. Suddenly, it felt a though a gigantic wave struck me. It wasn't painful. It was actually a good thing. Machi was saving me! Satisfied, I drifted off to sleep.

"Rest, my little Reginite friend. You've earned it. Though I feel this event is best left forgotten." Machi whispered softly in my head. All went black as I happily lost consiousness. I finally had my best friend back.

Behold! The Ending! But what's this? I have a sequel! I'll post it if you want me to. Should I? You're opinion.