On an unknown planet, in an unknown solar system..... I wait. Captured. They have me in a crucifixion position. I seem....unconscious. Not dead. Not alive. Seemingly in a dream world. I think to myself.... [i]What happened? Routine operation, gone to hell? Can't think about that now. I need to stay alive and strong.[/i] I sense Murph awaken from the bacta tank, millions of light years away. I look up at my captor, eyes red, voice deep and robotic. "Friendly Genesis signature detected. Moving to reinforce." I break through my simple chains and begin ripping apart the lesser Ignus troops in front of me. I pick up the first trooper and rip him in half and throw the pieces at my next target. One pulls a gun and shoots at me. I turn and drive my fist through his chest. He screams and yells. Then, all is silent. The troop drops his pistol, the pistol hits the ground with a loud thud. I drop the soldier. The others stare in disbelief as I pick up another one and squish his head in my hand. His brain spills over my fingers and I drop the body. I continue walking down a dark hallway, remaining silent. I see an armory of sorts, except the guns are in pieces. I see my comm link. I activate it, the frequencies instantly linking up with my systems. I make a call to any members of the Exalin team. "This is Python. I've been captured and tortured for roughly 2 years now. I sensed another Genesis soldier activate and I broke out. I don't know my coordinates. Come looking for me. Please, I wanna get of this rock." He eventually grows tired of waiting and begins looking for a hangar of sorts. He finds the hangar, sprinting to the nearest ship he takes off, sending out another transmission.... "Is anyone hearing this?" Nothing comes through and Python shakes his head, fearing that his friends are dead. He flies off, going to start a normal life. ............................................................................ Python lays in bed with his girlfriend, happy with what he has done with his life. "Morning honey." Python says, smiling at his girlfriend. "Morning Python." She says to him, smiling back. Python stands, looking at the clock. 8:30 am. Sunday so he wouldn't have to work. He turns back to his girlfriend, Jessica, who he had grown close to. "I'll make breakfast, want bacon?" He asks, already knowing the answer. "Of course I do." She smiles at him. Python walks to the kitchen of their apartment and turns on the stove. He puts the bacon on soon after and opens the fridge to get eggs and milk. Python cracks the eggs and pours them into the pan. He starts making French toast with the eggs and milk, after making some toast. Soon enough, him and Jessica are sitting at the table, eating their food. Python looks up at his girlfriend. "So, what do you want to do today?" She replies with a smirk. "I dunno, what do you wanna do?" Python shrugs and goes back to eating his French toast and bacon. The food goes into his anti-matter reactors, causing small boosts in energy. They finish the food and Python clears the plates and silverware from the table. He puts them in the sink, then stands there for a moment, thinking about his friends and Exalin and Hell and all the crazy stuff he had done. Jessica speaks up. "Python, you alright?" He looks over his shoulder at her, eyes red for a moment. He sees her and his eyes go back to their normal shade of light blue. "I'm fine. How did you like the bacon?" She looks at him, concerned. She had seen the red flash in his eyes. "I loved the bacon. I love the man that made it even more." Jessica stands and walks over. She hugs Python. Knowing what he was remembering. He turns to her and kisses her, returning the hug soon after. He picks her up mid-hug. She laughs. He smirks then says. "Seriously though. What do you want to do today?" She looks at him from his arms. "Well, there's always....." Python smiles. He carries her into the bedroom.... ............................................................................ As they finish, Python looks over at Jessica, smiling. She smiles back. He looks at the clock. 10:17 am. Python looks back at her. Jessica breaks the silence. "That was great." Python responds, still smiling. "Thanks. It was really pretty great." He stands and pulls his boxers and pants back on. She looks at him curiously. "Why moving so fast? It's only 10:30." Python turns to her, a strange look on his face. It's not hate, not anger, but fear. "I don't know. I've just got a bad feeling about today." Jessica jumps up and hugs Python. "You wanna talk about that feeling?" "Sure, but I don't think you'll like it." "I'm sure I'll be fine." Pythom sighes, preparing to tell her about what he has done. "Remember when we first met? When I told you I was hurt in a work related accident and that's why I'm a robot?" She nods. "Well, I lied. I was a soldier. A damn good one. The reason I got this surgery was to make me fight better, stronger." She sits down on the bed and Python pulls up his desk chair to face her. He reaches for her hand and holds her hand then continues the story. "Soon I was shipped off to a planet called Exalin. We ended up exploding or imploding it or something." She grips his hand, scared for her boyfriend. "Then we went to a planet called Thorisis. This time was different, we were there for the money. Mercenaries." Python stares into Jessica's eyes, hoping she won't flip out after he hit the bad spot. "That was a disturbing mission. Then we went to Hell. Literally. A friend on the team lost his throne there and we helped him get it back." Python sighes, knowing she would look differently upon him after this. "You sure you wanna know this part? It gets pretty dark." She looks him in the eyes, curious and frightened. "Yes. I do. I really do. We are a team. Your burden is my burden too." Python sighes. "After that, we all split up. I've seen a few of my old squadmates once in a blue moon but not too often." He looks at the clock. 12:48 pm. "I was recruited to clear out planets for civilization to take over. Inhabitanted or non-inhabitanted." Jessica's eyes dart quickly around his face, trying to see if this was just another prank of his. His face remains hard and serious, sad even. She speaks up. "So, that means you killed families?" Python remains silent and looks down. Her eyes start watering and she eventually starts crying. He hugs her, knowing to stop the story. ............................................................................ Python looks at the clock. 1:50 pm. Jessica was shocked at him. She sits at the table, eating a sandwich. Python sits on the couch, head in his hands. He knows he had screwed up bad this time. He looks up at her from the couch. She finishes her sandwich. Her eyes still red from crying. He breaks the awkward silence. "Come here." Python half smiles and opens his arms. Jessica comes over and sits on the couch next to him. He hugs her. "Listen, I've changed. I really have." She looks at him, tears in her eyes. "How can I be sure? How do I know you won't lash out one day?" Python burries his head in her shoulder. "I could never hurt you. You're my pride and joy." She smiles and hugs back. "You know you're the cutest robot I've ever met?" Python smiles. "I figured." Python pulls back a little and wipes the tears from her eyes. "I love you." She smiles. "If you think that got you out, you are so wrong, mister." Python smiles then kisses her. ............................................................................ Python lays awake in bed, Jessica sleeping next to him. He looks at the clock. 2:13 am. He can't sleep. Who could with what happened earlier? He rolls over to look at Jessica. She's laying there, in a deep sleep. A sound comes from the living room. Python gets up and grabs his baseball bat from under the bed. He comes into the room and sees a man-shaped figure. "Listen buddy, get the Hell out and I won't bash your skull in." The man seems to smile. "Good old Python. Always resorting to violence first." Jessica wakes up, hearing the voices. She notices Python has left the bed. She gets up and walks over to the dresser, where they keep the gun. She chambers a round, takes off the safety and starts walking towards the living room. Python doesn't notice and keeps talking. "Who are you?" The man lights a cigar and for a second Python sees what his face looks like. "Who I am doesn't matter. It's what I'm about to do that you should be worried about." Jessica takes aim at the man. The gun is smacked from her hands by another man. Python turns. "Jessica!" He runs at his girlfriend while she tries to fight off the man. Python feels a [i]prick[/i] in the back of his head. He doesn't stop. Python jumps onto the man as he begins to overpower Jessica. He starts beating the man. Jessica scrambles for the gun again. She finds it and is relieved at first. Then, a foot steps on her as she reaches for it. She screams and Python looks up. His fists bloody from the man he just killed. "PYTHON!" Jessica screams as she is dragged away another man injecting her with a needle. Python looks at his hands, his vision blurs. He falls to the ground, unconscious.