Chapter 27: D-Day (1)

The next few days were filled with adventure. The group was able to experience a high profile concert right on campus. They ate from food trucks, explored art exhibits, played pick up games with college students, and more. What topped it off was a massive rally involving the entire student body. The marching band played all across campus, with dancers, cheerleaders, and athletes following suit. It was a festive parade.

Mark and Eve seemed to get even closer during these few days. Lexi was even more spoiled with Taz, now that she got what she wanted. With her perverted mindset, it wasn't long before they went at it again. Their dynamic hadn't changed however. The stoic soldier ignored her most of the time until he couldn't. Such was their interactions on a daily basis.

Lexi knew that a relationship wasn't going to happen between them. They would remain best friends, with Taz scratching her itch from time to time. The blonde didn't seem to have eyes for any other man though.

After an eventful time at Upstate University, it was time for the road trip home. Everyone packed their bags into William's car. Rick helped them load the trunk.

"You guys are welcome to come back any time." He stated. Everyone nodded except Taz.

'I don't think…that chance will come.' He thought.

Once he returned, his time would probably be up. Nolan made that extremely clear. Even though the young elite was extremely powerful, he was young. Orders were orders. Especially from viltrumites with seniority.

"You'll definitely see me again." Will answered. Mark agreed. If he was lucky, he'd enroll after highschool.

"I'll catch you later then." Rick spoke with a smile. He watched as the group entered the car.

"I'm not sitting in the middle." Lexi declared. She hated being squished.

Taz and Eve stared at the middle seat. There was no way in hell the soldier would sit in the middle. That would be extremely uncomfortable. The two looked at each other and said nothing.

"Come on! What are you guys doing?!" Will exclaimed from the driver seat.

Eve sighed before getting in the middle. Taz smirked while getting in after her. The redhead clicked her tongue while glaring at the viltrumite.

"Aren't you a man? You're so immature." She complained. The young elite shrugged.

"I thought it was ladies first? Does that not count anymore?" He retorted.

"It's okay, Eve. We can switch if it gets too bad." Lexi suggested. Eve nodded in relief.

Nobody liked the middle seat, except maybe the blonde. She'd have an excuse to lay down. That was only if she hadn't already done it though. After waving to Rick, Will drove the car out of the lot. The journey home was underway.

As the drive went on, Taz's phone rang. He looked at it and saw that it was Eve. She was literally sitting right next to him though.

'Remember that zombie robot from the other day?' The text said. The young soldier typed into the phone.

'Yea. What about it?'

'While you were gone doing who knows what, Mark and I found their hideout.'

'You did?'

'Yup. Sinclair's been taken into custody. Who would've thought it was that arrogant guy?!'

'How did you know I was even gone?'

'You know who texted me.'

It was quite sad for D.A. Sinclair. He was already going to leave the group alone, but they went and found him instead. What a stroke of bad luck.

…

…

…

About an hour into the drive, Eve spoke up.

"William."

"What's up?"

"Pull over."

The teen frowned while bringing the car to the side of the road. The surroundings only showed flower fields and forestry. There was a dirt trail leading into the woods.

"Are you okay?" Lexi asked. The redhead smiled.

"I'm fine, I'm just getting out here."

"What? Why?" William questioned.

"I have a vacation home out here. It was fun guys! Seeya." She exclaimed before grabbing her bags out the trunk.

Mark's eyes widened with urgency. He didn't want to separate with her so soon. Without even thinking, he stepped out of the car.

"Can I come with?" He asked. He already knew about her treehouse. Eve stared at him for a while before shrugging.

"Sure."

The two grabbed their bags from the trunk. William seemed a little down that he wouldn't have a partner in the passenger seat. Lexi had already made herself comfortable on Taz's lap, now that there was space. There was no chance that either of them would move to the front.

"What am I, a chauffeur?" Will grumbled.

"Go driver!" The blonde cheered, which brightened his mood.

"I'm on it." He said.

"Taazzzz." She hummed.

The young elite turned to face her. He didn't say anything and waited to see what she wanted. The first thing he saw was a pocky stick right in front of his face. This time it was strawberry flavored. The energetic girl pressed the candy to his lips.

"You're not gonna eat it?" She mewled. Her lips were raised into a knowing smile. Not caring about her expression, he munched it down. He would never say no to pocky sticks.

As the car sped up again, Taz sensed the two take flight once they reached the forest. Time passed as they traveled back to their hometown of Chicago. About an hour and a half later, they were back.

Lexi was the first stop. Once they reached her home, she wrapped around the stoic man. She gave him a big hug and leaned toward his ear.

"Come over some time?" She whispered. Taz raised an eyebrow.

"...Eh." He grunted. The blonde caressed his face. They locked eyes.

"Please? At least think about it." She pleaded. Her hands grabbed his and placed them on her soft thighs.

"...I'll think about it." He responded.

"Yes! Bye, Will. Bye, Taz!" She cheered before getting out of the car. With her bags in hand, she waved. The energetic blonde quickly ran to her door.

"Taz, your love life is incredible." Will commented.

The viltrumite got in the passenger seat. He shook his head in denial. The car then took off.

"Not even. This is nothing." He exclaimed.

"You mean…you've had many more lovers?"

"...Not lovers, but yes. Kate is the only serious relationship I've had."

"So I'm right, then."

"...I guess." Taz relented.

Almost twenty minutes later, they were in front of his high rise apartment. The elite grabbed his bags. With a small wave, Will headed home. Taz went to the elevator. Once he got to the top floor, he entered his room.

It was deathly silent, implying that nobody was here. He went to the living room and placed his bags down.

"Kate?" He called out. It was silent.

Going into the kitchen, he opened the fridge. All of the leftovers that he made for the chinese beauty were gone. She must've eaten it all. Taz smirked.

'She really can eat.' He thought.

After taking a swig of water, he brought his bags to the bedroom. The viltrumite immediately frowned. The bed was made. It was neat and tidy, showing that no one had slept in it for a while.

Taz then walked into the closet. His face fell instantly. For some reason, he felt a horrible feeling in his chest. All of Kate's clothes were gone. She had moved out.

"She…left." He muttered.

The stoic man was no longer stoic. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his head in his hands. He stayed like this for a few minutes.

CREAK

His body was instantly alert. The floor had creaked softly in the living room. Taz vanished and appeared in the room. He floated in the doorway and scanned the area. It was still extremely silent. Unfortunately, the viltrumite could hear multiple heartbeats.

He burst into motion, grabbing the face of one of the invisible enemies. The figure was revealed. It was a black ops soldier. The cloaking had disappeared.

"Cecil." Taz stated.

"Mmmmmmm!" The operative flailed around in his hand. He kicked and screamed. It was futile. The powerful man closed his fist.

CRACK

His skull shattered into mush. Blood spurt in all directions. The room was silent for a few moments. Taz could hear all of the heartbeats increasing. Fear. He could smell it wafting from them.

RATATATATA

A plethora of gunfire let loose in the room. A hailstorm of bullets crashed into his body just to fall down to the floor. It was a useless endeavor. The only thing their automatic rifles did was make it easier to pinpoint their locations. His supervision didn't even need to be used.

Taz grabbed another soldier and smashed him into the ceiling. Only a bunch of limbs fell to the ground. He then turned to the other people still shooting at him. His eyes glowed red.

Two rays lashed out, severing them in half. The death lasers went through the building and destroyed infrastructure across the city. All that was left was a single operative who was smart enough to duck. The final one crawled backward in fear. Taz slowly floated over.

"Oh god! Mercy!" A feminine voice sounded from the black ops soldier.

The viltrumite grabbed her helmet and pulled it off. A woman with black hair and green eyes was revealed. Her expression was twisted in fear. He gently patted her head.

"Do not fear me. Fear is for the weak." He ordered.

The woman's fearful expression slowly turned to one of determination. She stared into his eyes with confidence. Her fear was hidden. She knew her death was coming.

"Good." He continued.

His bloody thumb caressed her cheek. He didn't know why he played with his prey sometimes. Courtesy of his caretaker.

"Spare me…please." She pleaded. Taz shook his head.

"I'll make it painless." He said. After rearing his arm back, he backhanded her.

SMACK

Her head flew off her body and bounced against the wall. All of the soldiers were dead. The surroundings were quiet once again. Taz sat on the couch and stared at the TV. The remote floated into his hands.

The screen flickered on to show static. Black and white static. For some reason, he didn't change the channel. He stared at the screen while covered in blood. The young elite slowly zoned out, receding into his mind. He had to mentally shatter all of the relationships he built.

…

…

…

After an hour of pure silence, a voice sounded.

"Taz."

The silent viltrumite looked up to see Omni Man. Nolan's suit was also covered in blood. He floated over to Taz.

"Let's go."