p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Immediately after Etrius was dropped off back at Headquarters, Lloyd and Nox set out in search of Angel. Nox and Lloyd took their own Humvee while Boomer and The General took two more, heavily armed. Timber darted ahead of them, weaving his way through the forest and trying to pick up a scent. He unleashed a howl into the humid night./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd stomped the gas, following the form of their wolf as the Humvee crashed and bounced through forest debris. He was breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling, teeth clenched. How dare somebody touch that child… emHis/em child. When he found the Superior, he was going to tear him apart, limb from limb. If the team didn't shoot him to death first./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox stared straight ahead, frozen tears lingering on her face. The only time she felt this traumatized and broken was when Beecher and Etrius first awakened her from Cryo-Sleep, telling her that she was living 50 years in the future. She shut her eyes, looking for the familiar string that tethered her soul to Angel's. The invisible channel between them that allowed them the power of Mindspeak through Element Evil. But there was nothing. Only a hollow emptiness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" She cast a glance at Lloyd, who was too focused on driving and following Timber to provide any words of comfort. She wondered how he was able to hold himself together, after spending years locked up and tortured as a prisoner of war. And spending all those years, fighting alongside the brother of the man he killed, and unable to say a word… Lloyd's mental state was stronger than hers, no doubt about that./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" But Angel was the only Hyrbid on the planet. If the Superior found a way to extract her powers, and the team had no access to Element Evil, the Earth would shatter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emWhat if the only way to extract her powers is to/emem…/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" She swallowed hard. emKill her./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The mere words caused bile to rise up into her throat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" When Lloyd caught Nox staring, his hand met hers and he held it tight. "We'll find her, Nox. We'll find her."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber slowed to a stop near the canyon outcropping. He spent a few minutes sniffing around, silent. Then, he retreated to Boomer's Humvee, leaping up to the window with his front paws./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer held Angel's sword to his nose again, commanding that he continue searching for the scent./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber darted back into the woods, trotting near the edge of the canyon. He spent several minutes sniffing one spot before unleashing a low howl. He gave Boomer an uncertain glance./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd dragged a hand down his face. "That's Etrius' scent! Boomer, tell your stupid dog to find the right scent."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Shut the fuck up, Lloyd. He's working on it!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer hopped out, once again allowing his wolf to get a good scent of the sword. He watched as Timber searched the area, sniffing up trees and inside shrubbery. Boomer's eyes were filled with hope and expectation. Not once did Timber fail in finding something, not even Mullins' cigar packs. He couldn't fail him now, not when Angel's life was on the line./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After thirty minutes, Timber returned to Boomer's side with his tail between his legs and ears flat against his head. Almost as if in apology./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd unleashed a scream of frustration, shoving his foot against a nearby tree./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "LLOYD, RELAX!" The General hurled himself out of his own Humvee, leaving the keys in the ignition./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The sudden explosion of anger caused Timber to shrink back behind Boomer's legs. Boomer quietly hushed him, allowing him to lick his palm, but he didn't take his eyes off Lloyd./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "This is your fault…" Nox said, barely above a whisper. She turned to Lloyd, seizing the front of his clothes. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I TOLD YOU, WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ANGEL WITH US!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd caught her wrists, forcing her to be still. "Nox, please!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox tried to breathe in, but it ended up in a sob. "Isn't that what I said?" She turned to The General and Boomer. "emIsn/emem't that what I said/em?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer sunk away into the shadows, following Timber. The General remained where he was. Something was churning in his eyes. "Private satellite…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd and Nox whipped their heads around to face him. "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The Superior has a private satellite…" Understanding stirred in his steely, cold, cobalt blue eyes. "I thought he wouldn't need it anymore, not after The Presence and the Mind Worm attacked. Not since the war ended. He must've known that we had the Earth's first Hyrbid, and he's been watching us ever since. He could be watching us right now."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd remained silent for a moment. Then, he shoved The General against the chest, throwing him against a tree. "How the emfuck/em does that help us?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd—" The General looked like he was about to say something, but he shut his mouth. He already owed so much to Lloyd for the past, and there was no use in arguing back. He never knew what it was like to have a kid, especially one with so much power, and lose it in a heartbeat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The thought brought no satisfaction to him. No familiar feeling in his chest that demanded he carry out the act. No hunger for power, or urge to cause harm to others. Being with the team changed him, but it also meant giving sacrifices. Angel didn't deserve to be that sacrifice./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Then, Timber's prolonged howl shattered the silence. Gunshots rang out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber appeared from the darkness, growling and dragging a struggling soldier by the back of his shirt. He gnawed at his neck, shaking his head back and forth as if he were trying to tear a chunk of meat off a bone. Boomer followed closely behind, aiming his shotgun./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" They recognized his uniform instantly. He was one of the Superior's men./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Found this sorry bastard perched in a tree," Boomer growled. "Something tells me he isn't here for hunting deer." He kicked away his weapons. "Especially with an AK and a Sniper with a silencer."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd grabbed the soldier by his shoulders, yanking him harshly against a tree. "Listen up, you worthless fucking son a bitch, before I make you shit yourself so hard, you'll tear open a second asshole. Where the fuck are they?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier had blood running down the side of his mouth, but he gave a twisted smile, exposing broken teeth. His eyes were shielded with a glass visor. Lloyd smashed the visor with his bare hands, and dragged a piece of glass across his chest through his torn clothes. The soldier just stood there, smiling as blood dampened the dirt, laughing even./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emWhere the fuck are they?!/em" Lloyd screamed even louder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The General stumbled back away from him. Not once had he seen that kind of darkness in Lloyd's eyes. Not even when he was still an assassin, and torn apart when he watched Josiah die in front of him. He shut his eyes, trying not to return to the memories. He reminded himself why he was here, and that he was a changed man./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd was on the verge of physically beating out a response before The General put a hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd, stop. It's no use. The Superior trains his men to never speak a word about their organization. I remember seeing it with my own eyes. They were taught, that if they ever got caught and interrogated, they'd need to prepare to die."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier gave a toothy grin. "Perhaps if you'd give me one night with that woman of yours, I could give you a hint…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox had never seen Lloyd so furious. He unsheathed his sword, held it up…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" And slit the man's neck./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The man's lifeless body collapsed at his feet./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd!" Nox screamed, bringing her hands to her mouth. It was the first kill Lloyd made since he'd become human again. But that wasn't what Nox was worried about./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd spat at his lifeless body. "I'll see you in hell before that happens."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd shoved past the doors, making his way to the infirmary, Nox following close behind. "Lloyd, he held valuable information!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He was useless," Lloyd huffed. "And I'm not giving you up for anybody. Not now. Not ever. And we don't have Element Evil anymore," He rounded a turn. "We can't force an answer from him."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The glass doors leading to the infirmary slid open. Lloyd approached Etrius' battered form, lying still on one of the white infirmary beds. Romanov was checking his pulse./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd shoved him out of the way, causing the monitoring equipment to topple over. "Tell me everything."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Beecher immediately stood between the two, but he merely scowled in warning. He could easily upholster his pistol again if Lloyd made the wrong move./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius shut his eyes. Whether from the pain or disappointment, he wasn't sure. His arm was in a sling and bandaged up, white cloth wrapped around his head and right eye. His shoulder was covered with a large bandage, the bloodied bullet lying in a steel tray beside him. Ever since he'd began his career in the army, he'd always kept the bullets he'd been shot with, as trophies of his survival and victories. Lloyd sometimes even saw him wear them as a necklace with his dogtags. But now, the bullet was being used to track down the Superior's base./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" When Etrius noticed Nox rush into the infirmary room, he breathed a sigh of relief, finally being able to talk now that the blood was cleared out of his lungs. But his voice was still weary and dry. "Thank God… He hasn't come for you yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "What are you talking about?" Nox narrowed her eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The Superior," Etrius breathed. "I tried to warn you. Angel isn't enough for him. He wants more Hybrids, but each experiment he orders comes back with incomplete DNA. Failures. Angel's DNA was perfectly crafted - created by someone of Earth, and someone of the Ancients home world. Lloyd and Nox."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd ran his hands through his hair. "And here we were thinking having another kid would've been harmless."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shoved him. "emYou/em thought that."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius continued, speaking as fast as he could and in short breaths, as if there wasn't any time. "I tried to negotiate. I told him he could take Angel's powers, as long as he kept her alive." He ignored the disappointed grimace from Romanov, who was dusting off his lab coat and cleaning his glasses. "But he said that killing the child was useless. She's immortal, so there's no way to kill her. And even if he did, her powers would evaporate into the universe and he'd lose them. He wants to raise the child as his own, and he'll take her memories just because he can."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox's heart hammered against her ribcage. God knew how much time had passed since Angel went missing. "We have to find her before that happens—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emNo!/em" Etrius flew upright, but groaned as he held his ribcage, sinking back down. "Nox, don't… For the love of God, don't go out there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "What the fuck are you talking about? Are you out of your shit?! We can't just leave her there!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius looked at her with something undecipherable stirring in his emerald eyes. Something she'd never seen before. It wasn't anger, or sadness, or disapproval. It was something else. And she couldn't describe it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I've lost enough people already… Nox, I've seen that man and what he's capable of," As he said this, The General walked into the room, but remained near the edge of the wall in the doorway, a habit of his. Etrius continued. "When he still had Element Evil, he used it's power to revert his aging process. The bastard is back in his mid twenties."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I don't get it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He wants more Hybrids…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Etrius, you're scaring me. I've never seen you this way. What the hell are you saying?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emHe wants you, Nox/em!" Etrius inhaled sharply, feeling something break inside of him. "emThat/emem's/em what I'm trying to say! Don't you get it? You're the only true-blood Ancient living on this planet. And he's earth-bound. It takes an Ancient and an Earthean to create a Hyrbid."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He—He wants to.." Nox brought her hands to her mouth, stepping back and feeling utterly disgusted. "Why can't he just take the DNA?" She whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He's sick in the head. And he doesn't want to risk anymore defects. He'd rather do it the natural way. Nox, I'm so sorry you have this demon after you… Please. For the love of God, emplease/em don't go out there. He's been watching us all this time. He knows our every move. He can slip past our defenses and find a way to get to you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes, clenching her teeth. "I emneed/em to go back out there. Angel is depending on me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Nox!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Etrius is right," The General made his presence known from the doorway, sauntering into the room. He eyed Nox with icy cold blue eyes. "The Superior holds the upper hand now. He can use Angel to blackmail you into walking right into his hands. Nox, I'm giving you advice. And if anyone in this room really knows who I am, then they know I never do that. We need to think this through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I don't give a shit what he does! I'm not leaving her with him. I'll turn myself in if it means bringing her back, with her powers or not. Lloyd and I can—" Nox then noticed something. "Wait… Where's Lloyd?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox caught up to Lloyd as he was marching towards the exit, fully armed with weapons. "Lloyd!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd's shoulders were hunched, his face twisted with rage. "I'm going to fucking emkill/em that son of a emBITCH/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd, there's something you should know."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd seized her wrists. "No. You're not coming with me. You're staying here, and that bastard isn't going to touch you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox crossed her arms over her chest. "I can handle myself."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "No, not against this man. Nox, I've told you a thousand times over. I love you, and I'll never let you go. You're mine. I'm not letting that man lay a finger on you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox ran her hands through her hair. "Lloyd, that's not what I'm trying to say!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emThen what is it?/em" Lloyd demanded, more forcefully than he intended./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "We're done!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd opened his mouth to say something, but there were no words. Silence reigned between them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "We're… Done?" Lloyd echoed, as if trying to understand the word. "You know what? Nox, you don't look so good. Go back to the dorm, get some sleep. You haven't had a full eight hours in—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emI mean it, Lloyd/em." Nox hissed, then sighed. "I've been meaning to say this. I knew something like this was bound to happen. Open your eyes, Lloyd. We were never meant to be, alright? Look what happened the first time we met. We were separated for twenty years, and you were emtortured/em during all those years. The second time? Earth fell into the hands of three supernatural tyrants. Now, Angel's been kidnapped by the most powerful man on earth. Not even Timber can track her down. If we have more kids, we'll only bring more death and destruction. If we stay together, the nightmare will never end."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Wait, you—You're divorcing me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes and bowed her head./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You can't do that! We're married. Bound forever by—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emActually, she can!/em" Etrius shouted from the infirmary. "emThe Laws state that people can now divorce by word of mouth! They did it to lower the population count/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Shut up, Etrius!" Lloyd screamed back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The last thing I want to see is you getting hurt again because of me," Nox's voice faltered. "This damage needs to end. Whatever was between you and me, it's over. I love you, Lloyd."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You want to keep us safe by pushing us apart?! Nox, please think this through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I love you more than I do my own life, which is why we can't be together. I made a promise that I would keep us all safe. Now it's time to fulfill that promise."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd's eyes were red and raw from holding back tears. They were intense and full of pain. He fell to his knees before her, pressing his head against her stomach where his child once lived. "I've waited years to have you back. emTwenty/em slow, agonizing emyears /emspent living as a prisoner of war under The General's watch. I planned on bringing Josiah and an army to the United States and coming back for you, but then I was dragged back into the nightmare. I actually believed you were dead at one point, and I gave up all reason to live. Don't you see? You're mine. emMine./em Not Boomer's, and certainly not the Superior's. Mine. I won't lose you again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes, squeezing out tears, holding back the pain. She splayed her hands on his shoulders… And shoved him away. A cold wall was thrown up between them. "We're trying too hard to do something that was never meant to be," Her own stony, cold voice surprised her. "Nothing can change that. Just stop trying, Lloyd." She tugged off her engagement ring. "Here. Go get your money back."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd wouldn't take the ring. He just remained frozen on his knees, staring into Nox's eyes, as if looking for something lost./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Stop looking at me like that!" Nox took a breath, then said the words that she'd been dreading to hear her entire life. "I declare that our marriage is severed. There. It's done. Now no harm can come to us."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After a moment of tense silence, Lloyd finally rose to his feet, staring at her with scorn and hurt. "You've just made the worst mistake of your life, Nox. You'll come back. One day, you're going to realize that you were wrong, and you'll come back begging on your knees."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox turned her back to him, not caring how much it hurt. "Not gonna happen, Lloyd."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd stomped the gas, following the form of their wolf as the Humvee crashed and bounced through forest debris. He was breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling, teeth clenched. How dare somebody touch that child… emHis/em child. When he found the Superior, he was going to tear him apart, limb from limb. If the team didn't shoot him to death first./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox stared straight ahead, frozen tears lingering on her face. The only time she felt this traumatized and broken was when Beecher and Etrius first awakened her from Cryo-Sleep, telling her that she was living 50 years in the future. She shut her eyes, looking for the familiar string that tethered her soul to Angel's. The invisible channel between them that allowed them the power of Mindspeak through Element Evil. But there was nothing. Only a hollow emptiness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" She cast a glance at Lloyd, who was too focused on driving and following Timber to provide any words of comfort. She wondered how he was able to hold himself together, after spending years locked up and tortured as a prisoner of war. And spending all those years, fighting alongside the brother of the man he killed, and unable to say a word… Lloyd's mental state was stronger than hers, no doubt about that./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" But Angel was the only Hyrbid on the planet. If the Superior found a way to extract her powers, and the team had no access to Element Evil, the Earth would shatter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emWhat if the only way to extract her powers is to/emem…/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" She swallowed hard. emKill her./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The mere words caused bile to rise up into her throat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" When Lloyd caught Nox staring, his hand met hers and he held it tight. "We'll find her, Nox. We'll find her."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber slowed to a stop near the canyon outcropping. He spent a few minutes sniffing around, silent. Then, he retreated to Boomer's Humvee, leaping up to the window with his front paws./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer held Angel's sword to his nose again, commanding that he continue searching for the scent./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber darted back into the woods, trotting near the edge of the canyon. He spent several minutes sniffing one spot before unleashing a low howl. He gave Boomer an uncertain glance./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd dragged a hand down his face. "That's Etrius' scent! Boomer, tell your stupid dog to find the right scent."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Shut the fuck up, Lloyd. He's working on it!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer hopped out, once again allowing his wolf to get a good scent of the sword. He watched as Timber searched the area, sniffing up trees and inside shrubbery. Boomer's eyes were filled with hope and expectation. Not once did Timber fail in finding something, not even Mullins' cigar packs. He couldn't fail him now, not when Angel's life was on the line./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After thirty minutes, Timber returned to Boomer's side with his tail between his legs and ears flat against his head. Almost as if in apology./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd unleashed a scream of frustration, shoving his foot against a nearby tree./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "LLOYD, RELAX!" The General hurled himself out of his own Humvee, leaving the keys in the ignition./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The sudden explosion of anger caused Timber to shrink back behind Boomer's legs. Boomer quietly hushed him, allowing him to lick his palm, but he didn't take his eyes off Lloyd./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "This is your fault…" Nox said, barely above a whisper. She turned to Lloyd, seizing the front of his clothes. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! I TOLD YOU, WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ANGEL WITH US!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd caught her wrists, forcing her to be still. "Nox, please!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox tried to breathe in, but it ended up in a sob. "Isn't that what I said?" She turned to The General and Boomer. "emIsn/emem't that what I said/em?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Boomer sunk away into the shadows, following Timber. The General remained where he was. Something was churning in his eyes. "Private satellite…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd and Nox whipped their heads around to face him. "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The Superior has a private satellite…" Understanding stirred in his steely, cold, cobalt blue eyes. "I thought he wouldn't need it anymore, not after The Presence and the Mind Worm attacked. Not since the war ended. He must've known that we had the Earth's first Hyrbid, and he's been watching us ever since. He could be watching us right now."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd remained silent for a moment. Then, he shoved The General against the chest, throwing him against a tree. "How the emfuck/em does that help us?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd—" The General looked like he was about to say something, but he shut his mouth. He already owed so much to Lloyd for the past, and there was no use in arguing back. He never knew what it was like to have a kid, especially one with so much power, and lose it in a heartbeat./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The thought brought no satisfaction to him. No familiar feeling in his chest that demanded he carry out the act. No hunger for power, or urge to cause harm to others. Being with the team changed him, but it also meant giving sacrifices. Angel didn't deserve to be that sacrifice./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Then, Timber's prolonged howl shattered the silence. Gunshots rang out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Timber appeared from the darkness, growling and dragging a struggling soldier by the back of his shirt. He gnawed at his neck, shaking his head back and forth as if he were trying to tear a chunk of meat off a bone. Boomer followed closely behind, aiming his shotgun./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" They recognized his uniform instantly. He was one of the Superior's men./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Found this sorry bastard perched in a tree," Boomer growled. "Something tells me he isn't here for hunting deer." He kicked away his weapons. "Especially with an AK and a Sniper with a silencer."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd grabbed the soldier by his shoulders, yanking him harshly against a tree. "Listen up, you worthless fucking son a bitch, before I make you shit yourself so hard, you'll tear open a second asshole. Where the fuck are they?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier had blood running down the side of his mouth, but he gave a twisted smile, exposing broken teeth. His eyes were shielded with a glass visor. Lloyd smashed the visor with his bare hands, and dragged a piece of glass across his chest through his torn clothes. The soldier just stood there, smiling as blood dampened the dirt, laughing even./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emWhere the fuck are they?!/em" Lloyd screamed even louder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The General stumbled back away from him. Not once had he seen that kind of darkness in Lloyd's eyes. Not even when he was still an assassin, and torn apart when he watched Josiah die in front of him. He shut his eyes, trying not to return to the memories. He reminded himself why he was here, and that he was a changed man./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd was on the verge of physically beating out a response before The General put a hand on his shoulder. "Lloyd, stop. It's no use. The Superior trains his men to never speak a word about their organization. I remember seeing it with my own eyes. They were taught, that if they ever got caught and interrogated, they'd need to prepare to die."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The soldier gave a toothy grin. "Perhaps if you'd give me one night with that woman of yours, I could give you a hint…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox had never seen Lloyd so furious. He unsheathed his sword, held it up…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" And slit the man's neck./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The man's lifeless body collapsed at his feet./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd!" Nox screamed, bringing her hands to her mouth. It was the first kill Lloyd made since he'd become human again. But that wasn't what Nox was worried about./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd spat at his lifeless body. "I'll see you in hell before that happens."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd shoved past the doors, making his way to the infirmary, Nox following close behind. "Lloyd, he held valuable information!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He was useless," Lloyd huffed. "And I'm not giving you up for anybody. Not now. Not ever. And we don't have Element Evil anymore," He rounded a turn. "We can't force an answer from him."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" The glass doors leading to the infirmary slid open. Lloyd approached Etrius' battered form, lying still on one of the white infirmary beds. Romanov was checking his pulse./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd shoved him out of the way, causing the monitoring equipment to topple over. "Tell me everything."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Beecher immediately stood between the two, but he merely scowled in warning. He could easily upholster his pistol again if Lloyd made the wrong move./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius shut his eyes. Whether from the pain or disappointment, he wasn't sure. His arm was in a sling and bandaged up, white cloth wrapped around his head and right eye. His shoulder was covered with a large bandage, the bloodied bullet lying in a steel tray beside him. Ever since he'd began his career in the army, he'd always kept the bullets he'd been shot with, as trophies of his survival and victories. Lloyd sometimes even saw him wear them as a necklace with his dogtags. But now, the bullet was being used to track down the Superior's base./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" When Etrius noticed Nox rush into the infirmary room, he breathed a sigh of relief, finally being able to talk now that the blood was cleared out of his lungs. But his voice was still weary and dry. "Thank God… He hasn't come for you yet."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "What are you talking about?" Nox narrowed her eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The Superior," Etrius breathed. "I tried to warn you. Angel isn't enough for him. He wants more Hybrids, but each experiment he orders comes back with incomplete DNA. Failures. Angel's DNA was perfectly crafted - created by someone of Earth, and someone of the Ancients home world. Lloyd and Nox."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd ran his hands through his hair. "And here we were thinking having another kid would've been harmless."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shoved him. "emYou/em thought that."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius continued, speaking as fast as he could and in short breaths, as if there wasn't any time. "I tried to negotiate. I told him he could take Angel's powers, as long as he kept her alive." He ignored the disappointed grimace from Romanov, who was dusting off his lab coat and cleaning his glasses. "But he said that killing the child was useless. She's immortal, so there's no way to kill her. And even if he did, her powers would evaporate into the universe and he'd lose them. He wants to raise the child as his own, and he'll take her memories just because he can."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox's heart hammered against her ribcage. God knew how much time had passed since Angel went missing. "We have to find her before that happens—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emNo!/em" Etrius flew upright, but groaned as he held his ribcage, sinking back down. "Nox, don't… For the love of God, don't go out there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "What the fuck are you talking about? Are you out of your shit?! We can't just leave her there!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Etrius looked at her with something undecipherable stirring in his emerald eyes. Something she'd never seen before. It wasn't anger, or sadness, or disapproval. It was something else. And she couldn't describe it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I've lost enough people already… Nox, I've seen that man and what he's capable of," As he said this, The General walked into the room, but remained near the edge of the wall in the doorway, a habit of his. Etrius continued. "When he still had Element Evil, he used it's power to revert his aging process. The bastard is back in his mid twenties."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I don't get it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He wants more Hybrids…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Etrius, you're scaring me. I've never seen you this way. What the hell are you saying?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emHe wants you, Nox/em!" Etrius inhaled sharply, feeling something break inside of him. "emThat/emem's/em what I'm trying to say! Don't you get it? You're the only true-blood Ancient living on this planet. And he's earth-bound. It takes an Ancient and an Earthean to create a Hyrbid."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He—He wants to.." Nox brought her hands to her mouth, stepping back and feeling utterly disgusted. "Why can't he just take the DNA?" She whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "He's sick in the head. And he doesn't want to risk anymore defects. He'd rather do it the natural way. Nox, I'm so sorry you have this demon after you… Please. For the love of God, emplease/em don't go out there. He's been watching us all this time. He knows our every move. He can slip past our defenses and find a way to get to you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes, clenching her teeth. "I emneed/em to go back out there. Angel is depending on me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Nox!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Etrius is right," The General made his presence known from the doorway, sauntering into the room. He eyed Nox with icy cold blue eyes. "The Superior holds the upper hand now. He can use Angel to blackmail you into walking right into his hands. Nox, I'm giving you advice. And if anyone in this room really knows who I am, then they know I never do that. We need to think this through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I don't give a shit what he does! I'm not leaving her with him. I'll turn myself in if it means bringing her back, with her powers or not. Lloyd and I can—" Nox then noticed something. "Wait… Where's Lloyd?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox caught up to Lloyd as he was marching towards the exit, fully armed with weapons. "Lloyd!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd's shoulders were hunched, his face twisted with rage. "I'm going to fucking emkill/em that son of a emBITCH/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Lloyd, there's something you should know."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd seized her wrists. "No. You're not coming with me. You're staying here, and that bastard isn't going to touch you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox crossed her arms over her chest. "I can handle myself."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "No, not against this man. Nox, I've told you a thousand times over. I love you, and I'll never let you go. You're mine. I'm not letting that man lay a finger on you."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox ran her hands through her hair. "Lloyd, that's not what I'm trying to say!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emThen what is it?/em" Lloyd demanded, more forcefully than he intended./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "We're done!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd opened his mouth to say something, but there were no words. Silence reigned between them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "We're… Done?" Lloyd echoed, as if trying to understand the word. "You know what? Nox, you don't look so good. Go back to the dorm, get some sleep. You haven't had a full eight hours in—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emI mean it, Lloyd/em." Nox hissed, then sighed. "I've been meaning to say this. I knew something like this was bound to happen. Open your eyes, Lloyd. We were never meant to be, alright? Look what happened the first time we met. We were separated for twenty years, and you were emtortured/em during all those years. The second time? Earth fell into the hands of three supernatural tyrants. Now, Angel's been kidnapped by the most powerful man on earth. Not even Timber can track her down. If we have more kids, we'll only bring more death and destruction. If we stay together, the nightmare will never end."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Wait, you—You're divorcing me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes and bowed her head./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You can't do that! We're married. Bound forever by—"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "emActually, she can!/em" Etrius shouted from the infirmary. "emThe Laws state that people can now divorce by word of mouth! They did it to lower the population count/em!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Shut up, Etrius!" Lloyd screamed back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "The last thing I want to see is you getting hurt again because of me," Nox's voice faltered. "This damage needs to end. Whatever was between you and me, it's over. I love you, Lloyd."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "You want to keep us safe by pushing us apart?! Nox, please think this through."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I love you more than I do my own life, which is why we can't be together. I made a promise that I would keep us all safe. Now it's time to fulfill that promise."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd's eyes were red and raw from holding back tears. They were intense and full of pain. He fell to his knees before her, pressing his head against her stomach where his child once lived. "I've waited years to have you back. emTwenty/em slow, agonizing emyears /emspent living as a prisoner of war under The General's watch. I planned on bringing Josiah and an army to the United States and coming back for you, but then I was dragged back into the nightmare. I actually believed you were dead at one point, and I gave up all reason to live. Don't you see? You're mine. emMine./em Not Boomer's, and certainly not the Superior's. Mine. I won't lose you again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Nox shut her eyes, squeezing out tears, holding back the pain. She splayed her hands on his shoulders… And shoved him away. A cold wall was thrown up between them. "We're trying too hard to do something that was never meant to be," Her own stony, cold voice surprised her. "Nothing can change that. Just stop trying, Lloyd." She tugged off her engagement ring. "Here. Go get your money back."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" Lloyd wouldn't take the ring. He just remained frozen on his knees, staring into Nox's eyes, as if looking for something lost./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Stop looking at me like that!" Nox took a breath, then said the words that she'd been dreading to hear her entire life. "I declare that our marriage is severed. There. It's done. Now no harm can come to us."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" After a moment of tense silence, Lloyd finally rose to his feet, staring at her with scorn and hurt. "You've just made the worst mistake of your life, Nox. You'll come back. One day, you're going to realize that you were wrong, and you'll come back begging on your knees."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"Nox turned her back to him, not caring how much it hurt. "Not gonna happen, Lloyd."/p