#and nero whose country was taken over and his family killed just when he was 6 years old

[sylhea-raemi]

fucking sobbing at nero's words towards makia about gt9 they're so precious to him all the silly memories they've done i'm gonna cry

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by James Russell Miller

Death of Saul and Jonathan | 1 Samuel 31

The story of the last days of Saul's life is very sad. God had departed from him, and he had no heavenly guidance. He was drifting like a crippled vessel on the ocean. In the great crisis, when he must fight his decisive battle with the Philistines, he turned in his despair to superstition and imposture. He had cried to heaven - but no answer had come.

Saul had been most fierce and zealous in driving from the land all those who claimed to know the secrets of the future and of the invisible world. He did not dream that the time would ever come when he would search the country for a sorcerer for himself.

The account of the king's visit to the witch of Endor is most pathetic. The Philistines had gathered their forces together for battle against Israel. When Saul saw the great army that he must meet, consternation seized him. In numbers they were far beyond his own army. In his fear he went to God - but only in formal ways. His heart was not penitent - but in a mechanical way he tried the means that were in common use to get guidance and help from God. "But the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." This may seem strange to some readers, when it is remembered how gracious God is - and how He loves to answer prayer. The trouble was with Saul himself. God had not failed - but Saul's heart was so hardened, that there really was no true prayer made by him to God.

When Saul had gone under cover of the night to Endor, he found the witch and implored her to bring Samuel to him from the dead. She had no power to call anybody from the dead - but, to her amazement, Samuel appeared before her. God seems to have sent him in a supernatural way - to tell Saul of his awful doom. Saul heard the hopeless words from Samuel's lips, and then, with despairing heart, went back through the darkness to his tent. When the battle was on next morning, Saul led his army to defeat and disaster, because he had sinned and lost the Divine favor. It is idle and useless to fight against God. Then it is just as idle and useless to try to live without the Divine help. The battle went against Saul from the very beginning. "The men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa." The hottest fight was against the king and his sons.

"The Philistines slew Jonathan." We cannot but grieve at this sad record. We have learned to love Jonathan, as we have seen in him so much that was noble and beautiful. It adds to the pathos of Jonathan's death, too, to remember that he was dragged down by his father's sin. Had Saul proved himself a true and worthy king, Jonathan would have been his successor on the throne. But on account of his father's failure, he lost the crown, and not only this - but died in the disaster in which his father fell.

The sins of parents may cut off and destroy the hopes of their children and rob them of their birthright honors and blessings. There are thousands of children whose lives are blighted, sometimes for both worlds - by the evil ways of their parents. In this case, the brave, noble, manly Jonathan perishes in the calamity brought on by his father's persistent disobedience. The guilty father drags down with him - his pure, noble and blameless son. No man can go on in a sinful life, without involving his family as well as himself in sorrow.

Saul's sons appear to have fallen early in the battle. Saul became the center of the assault. "The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically." There are few sadder pictures in all history than this of Saul on Mount Gilboa rushing on to his doom with the madness of despair. Judgment will surely come to those who persist in sin. Saul wrecked his own destiny. God's plan for him was that he should be a worthy king. He was the goodliest man in all the nation. His mission was to lead his people to victory over all their enemies. Instead of this noble record, however, the story of his life is one of defeat and disaster. The reason is not far to seek.

God made no mistake in naming Saul as king. He might have been all that was in God's plan for him. The failure was his own. He would not accept God's guidance, and thus he failed to fulfill the Divine purpose for himself. Many years before this time, the doom of Saul had been pronounced upon him by the prophet. Judgment lingered - but did not fail in the end. Men may live in sin - and no disaster come to them. God may seem to be taking no account of their evil deeds. The sun may shine brightly over them, the rain may fall gently upon them, prosperity may continue to follow them. But let them not think that God has forgotten to be just. "He who being often reproved hardens his neck - shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy!"

When Saul saw that there was no hope of retrieving the battle, he knew that he must soon fall into the hands of the Philistines, and he knew also that they would inflict upon him all the insults and indignities they could possibly devise. Terrible as war always is, its horrors have now been greatly mitigated by the advance of civilization. Prisoners are now treated with as great a measure of kindness as is possible in the circumstances.

Prisoners taken in war in ancient times suffered untold tortures and humiliations. On Assyrian monuments, for instance, are found representations of kings compelled to carry the heads of their own sons, or pinned to the ground by stakes driven through their hands and feet, or being flayed alive. If the Philistines treated captive kings as the Assyrians did, it is no wonder that Saul had a horror of being taken alive by the enemy. It is no wonder, perhaps, either, that he resorted to suicide to save himself from the hands of the Philistines. First, he besought his armor-bearer to thrust him through, and when the armor-bearer refused, he took his own sword and fell upon it.

Suicide is a violation of the sixth commandment. Human life is sacred in God's sight, and to touch it is a crime. Life is the gift of God entrusted by Him to each one of us, and it is to be cherished and preserved, until He Himself calls back His gift. Suicide is unfaithfulness to this trust. We are required to use our life in the work assigned to us, and cannot without gravest sin - lay it down until the time God has appointed.

Suicide is also an act of moral cowardice. It is committed usually, as in Saul's case, to escape meeting some other trouble or danger. Saul killed himself, rather than fall into the hands of the Philistines to be tortured and humiliated. A man commits a crime, and, rather than face his deed before men - he takes his own life. He forgets that in doing this - he is rushing into another Presence far more terrible than the presence of man! Saul escaped the cruelty of the Philistines that day - but went, stained with this last crime of self-murder, to meet his God!

It has been said, "Saul had really prepared for himself this wretched death. He had disregarded the prophet, and so was without consolation. He had killed the priests, and so was without sacrifice or intercession. He had driven away David, and so was without the help of the best soldier in the nation. He had lived, in his later years, at least, like a madman; and like a madman he threw himself on his sword and died. As a man sows - so shall he reap. As a life is shaped by its own deeds, so is the death determined. One lives a selfish life, hardening his heart against appeal and reproach - and his doom is to lose all experience of sympathy. He passes through the world winning no love - and he passes out of the world leaving after him no regret."

The defeat of the Israelites was complete and overwhelming. In the humiliating treatment of the bodies of the king and his sons, we have a hint of the cruelty the Philistines would have practiced upon Saul, if they had taken him alive. Saul's head was cut off and put in the temple of Dagon, his armor was hung up in the house of Ashtaroth, and his body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan. The bodies of his sons were treated in the same barbarous way.

There is only one incident in all this terrible story of the death of Saul, which has any brightness in it. This is what is told of the men of Jabesh-gilead: "And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days." It was a brave and noble thing which these men did. It is especially beautiful because of the motive which inspired it. Once, when Saul was just beginning his reign, he did a great kindness to the people of Jabesh-gilead. Now, when Saul was dead, forsaken, without friends, his body mutilated and dishonored, the memory of this kind act revived, and under the spur of gratitude these valiant men, at the risk of their own lives, did this heroic deed.

The worst men always have someone to mourn them. Never was there a tyrant who did more crimes and cruelties than Nero. One would say that he was incapable of kindness to anyone, and that no one mourned his death. Yet it is recorded that on the morning after he was buried amid universal execration, some unknown hand strewed flowers upon his grave. There was one person, at least, who remembered Nero gratefully. When we read of the kindness of the men of Jabesh-gilead to their dead king, we cannot but recall another instance of a King who hung dead on a cross, when two friends, long secret and silent, came forward to do honor to the torn and dishonored form. It was a brave and noble deed, and it saved that sacred body from being cast away with the bodies of common malefactors, giving to it, instead of such dishonor, most honorable and loving burial.

Saul owed all the honor he received in his burial, to one kind deed which he had done many years before. Had his reign continued as it began - he would have had the gratitude of a whole nation when he came to die. One of the most pitiable things in history - is the terrible failure which Saul made of his life. We should try to live so that we shall be remembered with gratitude, and leave behind us a memory of good deeds. This is one lesson.

Another is that we never should fail to show gratitude to anyone who has conferred a favor upon us. Then, let us be sure that we so live as to obtain honor from God when we come to the end of our life. If we miss that, earth's most brilliant honor will be failure and mockery. The way to get the crown from God's hand at last - is to do God's will always here.

Amid all the sad things in the story of Saul, the incident of his kindness in his early years to the people of Jabesh-gilead lives like a rose in a field of thorns. It is told of a noted criminal, that once in his young manhood days, he had caught a runaway horse in the street and saved the lives of a woman and her child in the carriage the wild animal was dragging after him. His life was a long list of evil things, with nothing in all its years that could be commended. But when waiting in his prison for the death penalty, his mind would revert continually to the memory of the one heroic kindness done in his youth, finding in this a gleam of hope.

So does Saul's one brave kindness shine in the dark story of his life. We should seek to fill our whole life with deeds of love, and then we shall have glad memories to give us comfort in looking back over our life. One of the sayings of Lincoln suggests a noble aim for life. "Die when I may," he said, "I want it said of me, by those who know me best - that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower - where I thought a flower would grow."

[grither55]

The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 100 - Supersoldier

The light from the overhead lamp blinded her eyes.

And the operating table had a distinct metallic chill against her skin.

Men and women adorned in hospital uniform stood above her with surgical masks covering their faces.

She tried with every fiber of her being to move, but it was futile.

Her body…it had been numbed.

All she could do was lay there in her hospital robes with her brown eyes gazing helplessly up at the team of researchers as they prepared a second injection.

Just as she locked eyes with him.

The head researcher.

And his eyes…they were an aberrant shade of red.

And his hair…it was a ghostly white.

And in contrast to the stoic demeanor of his fellow researchers that surrounded him.

He seemed…almost overjoyed.

"This is going to hurt. Try not to bite your tongue out." Nero announced in a sadistic voice as his lips pulled into a cruel smile from beneath his medical mask.

While he gazed into the scarlet-haired girl's widening brown eyes as he leaned down to begin.

And the prodigy found herself unable to say so much as one word as she lay there immobile on the table watching the researchers stoop down over her.

And then she felt agony beyond her wildest dreams.

And soon after that she faded into unconsciousness.

Most of the other children didn't make it through the procedure.

But she survived the surgery for her core implant, a device that served to artificially awaken one's inner potential.

At some point along the way.

She discovered that the cameras shut down for one whole hour on the twenty-fourth hour of every day for system maintenance.

And ever since that day she trained to hone her greatest power outside of the supervision of her captors.

All in preparation of her eventual escape.

And this technique….

She decided to name it Diminished Earth.

Back in the control room.

Senator Greely stood beside his aide Cynthia while he gazed down at the video feed that showed all of the prisoners being taken to the solitary observation tanks.

His brown eyes were rife with anxiety as he turned to cast a glare at Reynold's hardened face while the large man met his gaze.

"It took three platoons to detain her. But I got her. That and so much more." Reynolds stated with great satisfaction dripping from his voice while he smirked with his arms folded over his chest.

While Cynthia stood silent with her blue eyes trying to hide her feelings of displeasure as she turned to gaze away from the video feed.

All the while as the senator still wore a less than happy expression on his face.

"This is all your fault Reynolds! You were the one who let her escape in the first place!" Greely exclaimed as he threw his arms over his head while Reynolds coldly glared back at him.

"Calm yourself Greely. Number Three is subdued. And I would strongly advise you to watch how you speak to me." The colonel replied in a frigid voice while he glared down into the shorter man's recoiling eyes.

"Right…of course. And I can only hope so. If word of her existence gets out…" The senator trailed off in an apprehensive voice while his eyes lingered on the unconscious redhead's image.

"It won't. I have the situation under control." Reynolds spoke in an aggravated voice while the politician shifted nervously on his feet.

"And the others…is it true that those women are from a society beyond that gate?" Greely questioned with a trace of curiosity in his eyes while he gazed at Azula's face on the monitor.

"They are from a country that they call the Fire Nation. The one in ornate armor is their Crown Princess. We may be able to use her to gain leverage over her people." The colonel answered in a heartless voice while the senator listened warily.

"Their Crown Princess? Is that wise? Should we really be risking war with a nation whose war power is currently unknown to us?" The senator inquired with a worried edge to his voice while a frown momentarily graced his face.

Only for a look of fear to develop in his eyes when the imposing man turned to regard him with another piercing stare.

"I suggest you stick to your cover ups Greely. And leave the military affairs to me." Reynolds remarked in a brutal voice while he silently took pleasure in how the man paled under his gaze.

"Certainly. Just as long as everything is secure. We can't afford to lose her or the Turner siblings." Greely concluded with a concerned undertone to his voice while his eyes remained glued in the video once more.

Only for the colonel to pay little heed to his words as Reynolds pushed past him to return to his task at hand not even a second later.

While the aide still stood quietly behind her employer as they watched the military team work rapidly at their stations.

Meanwhile back in the halls.

The group remained gazed ahead in silence as they were carried through another set of heavily armored doors while the fleet of soldiers marched all around them.

Only for the girl's attentions to be regained when a soldier's voice shouted out through the hall.

"What does the commander want done with this shit?" The soldier called out only for Elle's amber eyes to instantly grow wide in panic.

While the Fire Nation women's eyes instantly burned with even greater anger to see that the man was holding their gear and their young friend's treasured bag!

"A-all that I have left of my parents is in that bag! Please don't get rid of it!" Elle pleaded in a borderline hysterical voice while her highborn friends seethed in her defense.

"Haven't you figured it out yet have you? You won't be needing it anymore. Not where you're going." Robert commented in a cruel voice while Elle's eyes widened in distress.

While the young girl's mouth was now ajar as her lips trembled in indescribable emotion.

All the while as her four friends' eyes narrowed into expressions of unfathomable rage as they clenched their teeth in their fury.

It couldn't be more obvious that they wouldn't be leaving this fortress alive if they didn't figure out how to escape their bonds soon!

While the princess's lips smashed into a boiling display of her royal wrath as she glared murderously back at the soldiers faces.

"I don't give a shit what you do with it. Trash it for all I care. The commander wants them separated and placed in individual solitary tanks for further observation." David spoke in a pitiless voice from where he stood at the front while the team listened with alarmed looks in their eyes.

Only for the teenager to soon find herself watching powerlessly as several soldiers then departed down an adjacent hall with her belongings.

But as much as the thought of parting with her parents treasured items tore at her heart.

The very thought of losing her newfound family broke her heart even more!

"N-no. P-please don't separate me from my friends!" The blonde-haired girl cried out in a greatly emotional voice while her companions glowered helplessly in their captor's unsympathetic helmet covered faces.

"Monsters!" Ty Lee exclaimed with fury overflowing from her voice while Azula bared her teeth as she stared mercilessly back at the soldiers.

"Mark my words. I am going to kill each and every one of you." Azula hissed with her callous eyes agape in boiling rage while the armed soldiers laughed raucously once more.

"You freaks always think so fucking highly of yourselves. Thinking that you can't die. But you die to a bullet just like everyone else." Robert mocked from behind the terrified teenager while he stared tauntingly back at Azula's ruthlessly glaring face.

While the noblewomen listened in a degree of surprise to hear benders being openly referred to as freaks.

"They'll be having a different attitude in a few minutes." The lieutenant stated in a smug voice while he gazed back at the older girl's increasingly disconcerted faces.

And yet once more the five females found themselves defenseless as they were led down yet another steel corridor.

While Azula trembled in her vengeful anger with her commanding golden eyes briefly catching her captain's equally furious gaze.

All the while as the two mighty firebenders desperately tried to devise a plan of retaliation.

Just as they heard Robert sneer in evident hatred once more while the armored soldier cruelly stared down over their young friend's traumatized shoulder.

"It's past time you dirty freaks were put in your place." The man spat out in a disdainful voice as Elle's shoulders slumped while the highborn women were forced to listen in ever rising anger.

While Elle gazed down at the floor with an unmistakable look of hurt in her amber eyes that her friends did not miss.

"S-sumimasen for being a freak." Elle mumbled in a shaken voice as she hung her head while her friends glowered at their captors.

"Don't apologize to them kid. You're not a freak." Mai stated with her teeth gritted in her fury while her tawny eyes glared at the cruel soldiers in disgust.

Only for the soldiers to laugh coldly once more while the Fire Nation women fought as hard as they could to avoid letting their tempers get the best of them.

Just before they approached yet another pair of reinforced armored doors that were drawing closer at the end of the hallway.

While they found themselves being shoved towards the set of doors with their eyes gazing at it in growing unease.

Before their eyes drifted to the unconscious redhead and the two soldiers that were carrying her by the arms waiting up ahead.

And then they came to another momentary stop before the armored doors with their increasingly distressed eyes urgently trying to conceive a way to escape their restraints.

All the while as the older females stared coldly back at David as he stepped ahead of them with his uncaring eyes disregarding their glares.

While Naoki's face still hung limply in the air with her motionless body being braced by the two men that stood over her.

Just as Robert stopped with his hand still heartlessly gripping Elle's hair while the small girl still trembled in fear.

All while the highborn women's rage continued to boil over with every demeaning act that the ruthless soldiers put their delicate young friend through.

Before they were yet again snapped out of their infuriated musings when the man let out a derisive snort as he gazed tauntingly back into the supersoldier's sleeping face.

"Not so invincible, now are you freak?" Robert questioned in a voice of great contempt while he sneered at the immobile Naoki from over Elle's quivering shoulder.

While Azula still gazed venomously from one soldier to another through the corner of her imposing golden eye.

Only for David's voice to snap Robert back to focus.

"Enough talk Robert. We got a job to do." David remarked in an apathetic voice as he pressed the doors open while he pushed the indignant princess forward.

And then the scowling Robert followed soon after.

And with that the team was marched through the opened doors by the fleet of soldiers.

While the callous princess and her stony-faced captain soon found themselves being shoved to the forefront.

All the while as the two soldiers escorting the unconscious girl ended up taking up at the rear of the group.

And right then in that very moment was when it happened.

The distinct sound of metal snapping in two resounded into the air while the soldiers froze up in their tracks.

And then the sound of steel rattling upon steel followed soon after.

While Team Azula's eyes collectively widened in curiosity as they tried to gaze behind them.

Only for their eyes to grow agape in surprise when they saw the broken chains rolling along the steel floor through the corner of their vision.

All while David's eyes widened as he gazed down at his booted feet as he watched a syringe roll past him.

While the princess's golden eyes gazed down at the syringe through the inside of her facial cage.

And Elle's amber eyes were now growing wide in realization as she tried her hardest to peer behind her.

Just as David and his soldiers spun around to gaze over their shoulders with their eyes as wide as can be.

And then not a moment later the Fire Nation women watched in silent disbelief as a soldier fell to the ground at their feet.

While the sound of the dying man's helmet clanging upon the floor echoed all throughout the hall.

And then a second man dropped to his knees with his neck bleeding profusely while the captain gazed on with awestruck hazel eyes.

And that was when all eyes were drawn to the end of the hallway.

While Team Azula's eyes grew even larger when their suspicions were proven correct.

Arising from a crouch was none other than Naoki with her machinelike brown eyes gazing back at the stunned faces of her captors.

"N-Naoki…how?" The blonde-haired girl asked in a disbelieving voice while her princess's eyes were wide in likewise fascination.

And then before the five females could even mouth another word, they were sent soaring to the metal floor.

While the team hit the floor with their widened eyes still gazing back at the redhead in shock.

All the while as the redhead's lips pulled into an ever-confident smile as her booted feet slid back on the floor.

"I told you that I would show you how to kill Elle." The scarlet-haired girl spoke in a chilling voice with her brown eyes momentarily passing over the younger girl's speechless face.

Just as David's roaring voice split through the air.

"Open fire!" The lieutenant bellowed as he rapidly withdrew his rifle while all of his fellow soldiers did the same.

Before the supersoldier pounced forward with utterly lightning speed that stunned her opponents.

And then seconds later the sound of deafening gunfire erupted thunderously into the hallway.

All the while as the Fire Nation women stared on from the floor beside their young friend with their eyes in marvelment over the power of the nonbending weaponry.

While the sound of bullets tearing through flesh quickly flowed into their ears amidst the cacophony of gunfire.

Only for the eyes of the soldiers to widen in realization as they swiftly halted their gunfire.

And then the highborn women found themselves unable to resist gazing on in satisfaction when they saw the cause for the soldier's hesitation.

On the floor of the hall Robert now lay with numerous bullet holes piercing his chest while he rasped for air with Naoki sheltered safely behind his back.

The girl had used the man as a flesh shield!

"That…fucking bitch." David snarled under his breath with his eyes glaring back at Naoki's smirking face from over his dying comrade's shoulder.

All the while as the princess's sadistic laugher now echoed into the air with her crimson lips curving into a cruel smirk.

And then just like that the heavily armored doors closed shut with one punch of David's fist.

"Farewell Robert." Azula purred with sadistic pleasure in her voice as she gazed cruelly at Robert's dying face before the doors slammed shut with a resounding thud.

And not a second after that the sound of glass shattering resounded into the panicked hallway.

And now the sound of a thunderous siren was now blaring in the ears of the still shocked Team Azula.

While the overhead lights now flashed with an urgent red that lit the frenzied hallway with an ominous red hue.

"They're dead. She…she killed them." A soldier stated in a shaken voice while his fellows recovered alongside him.

"How is she able to move? I thought she was disabled!" Another soldier exclaimed in a frustrated voice while Team Azula listened from where were laying immobile on the floor.

"Evidently not." The princess taunted in a pleased voice only to find herself hissing when David's boot impacted with her stomach.

"You shut the fuck up!" The lieutenant shouted as he stood over the enraged princess while his hardened eyes glared down at the woman's glowering countenance.

"What are we going to do David?" A third man inquired in a distraught voice while the lieutenant pulled the furious princess to her feet.

"Get them to solitary and seal up all the doors! There isn't a spec of earth in this entire fortress! It's only a matter of hunting her down with superior numbers!" David yelled snapped as he began hauling Azula down the hall by her neck.

While the princess clenched her jaw in anger over her powerless state.

And then just as quickly the other four members of Team Azula were being pulled down the winding hall with much greater urgency than before.

All the while as Elle's amber eyes were still agape with immeasurable distress as she watched door after door slam shut behind them.

'If Naoki makes it to us before my friends are able to defend themselves…she'll kill everyone but me!' The blonde-haired girl thought with her compassionate eyes fraught in concern for her friend's well-being.

The deafening siren blared all throughout the hallway while Robert's lifeless body now lay face first on the floor.

Just as Naoki's foot stomped down on the man's back while she let out an entertained laugh above him.

"All too easy Reynolds." Naoki spoke in a gratified voice with her brown eyes now glancing about the halls of the fortress.

While she heard the distant sounds of approaching guards that were coming in response to investigate the chaos.

Just before she turned to gaze tauntingly up at the camera while her eyes momentarily lingered on the screen.

All the while as the prisoners were still being ushered down the halls.

The soldiers that were leading Felix down the hall paused to gaze up in alarm when they heard the sounds of piercing gunfire in the distance.

Which was followed up not even seconds later by the sound of the siren that now blared in their now alert ears.

While Felix's amber eyes were now alight with glee as a wicked grin grew upon his lips.

"Ah. It seems as if things are slipping outside the realm of your control. That's the way chaos is you know…you can't control it forever." The brother stated in a joyous voice as he was rushed down the hall by the panicked soldiers.

And he found himself unable to resist laughing in amusement as he watched the soldier's anxiety begin to grow.

Meanwhile in the control room.

It had happened so quickly that Reynolds and Greely never had a chance to react.

The colonel's blue eyes were wide with disbelief as he watched the events unfold on the monitor.

And then just like that the doors closed shut while David and his soldiers hurriedly rushed the five female prisoners down the hall.

While the senator and his aide stared on with a newfound sense of terror in their eyes.

All the while as Naoki's eerie brown eyes now stared right back up at the camera with a scarily at ease smile gracing her lips.

"How! She was tranquilized! I saw it with my own eyes!" Reynolds roared as he pounded his fist down on the countertop while he ground his teeth together in his fury.

"You…you said that she was subdued!" Greely yelled out with fear in his brown eyes while the larger man still stood staring furiously down at the video feed.

"S-sir! It…it might be possible that she has…developed an immunity to the compound." A staff member spoke up in a terrified voice while the commander listened with an incensed look in his eyes.

"An immunity?" The colonel questioned in a seething voice as he clenched his gloved fists over the edge of the controls.

"We have been administering the drug to her since she was a child and I can only speculate…that it no longer works to neutralize her powers." The female staffer informed in a frightened voice while the politician shook in terror.

And then the commander straightened his back as he gazed back at the image of the redhead with his blue eyes now marginally widening in comprehension.

"She feigned capture…all so she could gain entry inside." Reynolds stated in a quiet voice with his fists balled up at his hips as he shook in his anger.

"You told me before I arrived that it was safe to come here to view the gate! So why don't you have this situation under control Reynolds!" The senator barked in a frenzied voice as he stared accusingly back at the other man's infuriated face.

And then not an instant after that a fist impacted with his cheek.

And his back soared into the wall while he once again paled in fear while the commander glared frigidly down at him.

All the while as Cynthia wisely held her tongue as she stood silent at the back of the room with her blue eyes gazing between the two men.

"Shut your mouth you spineless weakling or I will throw you out there as bait." The colonel remarked in a voice devoid of all compassion while the politician now frightfully trembled against the wall.

And then Greely soon found himself swallowing as he rapidly nodded in acquiescence.

Just as everyone turned their heads to the doors to see a group of soldiers seemingly awaiting the commander's order.

"Get out there. And bring Number Three in. I don't care what it takes. Just get her." Reynolds commanded in an increasingly obsessed voice as he rounded about to stare harshly back at his silent soldiers.

Only for his blue eyes to narrow in fury when several of the soldiers faces flashed with hesitation.

"But…but sir. I heard that she took out three platoons. What if the same fate awaits us if we go out in those halls?" A soldier questioned with apprehension in his eyes while his comrades stood silent behind him.

While the commander's eyes now burned with a deep sense of rage over being questioned by his subordinates.

And then before anyone else could so much as speak another word.

The sound of a gun going off echoed throughout the control room while the team of researchers sat in a terrified silence.

And now the politician and his aide gazed on with even greater terror than before while they watched the soldier drop to the ground at the feet of his shocked comrades.

All the while as Reynolds now stared back at the frightened soldiers with monstrously ruthless blue eyes.

"I said get out there." The colonel repeated in a savage voice with his teeth clenched together while his stunned soldiers numbly nodded their heads.

"Not…not a problem sir. We'll…do that." Another man responded in an intimidated voice before he hurriedly stepped over his dead comrade as he rushed out the doors.

And then soon enough his equally startled comrades departed after him.

While everyone else in the control was now gazing fearfully between the commander's brutal countenance and the executed soldier.

Yet not a single one of them dared so much as say a word in protest of the man's actions out of a growing fear that they would be next.

Team Azula now gazed on with shared distress in their eyes as they now found themselves entering a large open room.

All the while as the princess still gazed at her captors with sneering golden eyes that were still taking obvious satisfaction in their increasingly volatile situation.

While she pursed her lips into a regal glower as she met the gaze of the lieutenant once more.

"It's going to be a real pleasure wiping that smug expression off your face in a few short moments." David commented in a harsh voice while Azula glared defiantly back at him.

While the other four females remained in a powerless silence only for looks of uneasiness to develop in their eyes when the man gazed in the direction of Mai and Ty Lee.

"It has come to the commander's attention that we don't need all of you. And he had decided that we can part with two of you." The lieutenant spoke in an uncaring voice while he gazed back into the two noblewomen's frightfully widened eyes.

And that was all it took for a palpable sense of dread to consume the air.

A sensation that was only heightened by tenfold when the man waved his had in in the air.

And just like that the two nobles were being pushed away from the rest of their group while they gazed on with their eyes now wide in realization.

While Azula's crimson lips had parted in a rare display of panic with her eyes now staring on with a newfound sense of urgency.

All the while as Zoe listened with her stoic eyes widening in comprehension.

And Elle felt as if someone had just torn her heart out.

"It's time to streamline this shit. Take them to the gas chamber and put the other three in solitary." David announced in a casual voice while the two terrified women gazed helplessly back at their horrified companions.

And the princess's golden eyes widened with uncharacteristic emotion while her very breath died in her throat.

And for reasons that she couldn't explain.

The very thought of losing her two childhood friends made her frozen heart twist with a foreign pain.

"N-no! No! Not my oneesans! I beg of you no!" Elle screamed in a trauma filled voice that touched the hearts of her two distraught big sisters.

While the two noblewomen gazed back at her with emotional looks in their eyes.

Only for David to pay her pleas no heed.

While Azula shook with her teeth bared in her unbridled anger.

"A-Azula please do something! I don't want to die!" Ty Lee called out in a momentary loss of composure while a tear fell from her eye to the floor below.

All the while as the princess stared after her with her callous eyes wide in unusual distress as she futilely fought to regain control of her limbs.

"You…cancel that order! Now!" The princess bellowed with her hair hanging in her enraged eyes while she glared murderously back at the man's unmoved face.

Only to find herself soon being carried off in the other direction while her unusually panicked eyes stared after her terrified childhood friends.

While her young girlfriend's screams continued to ring into the air as the teenager's voice grew hysterical.

"Mai! Ty Lee! N-no!" The blonde-haired girl called out in an overwhelmed voice with her wet amber eyes growing as wide as can be.

All the while as she fought in vain to thrash in her captor's arms.

Only for the eyes of the highborn women to widen in surprise when they saw a faint spark of energy erupt from their young friend's body.

Just as the soldiers turned to gaze back at Elle's traumatized face with a look of shock in their eyes.

"Stifle that kid!" The lieutenant shouted in an uncaring voice while the sorrowful teenager desperately cried in a soldier's arms.

"I can't lose my family again! It can't happen again! Not like this! Please!" Elle yelled at the top of her lungs while all four of her friends listened with expressions of emotion in their eyes.

And just like that her two big sister's moved faces vanished around the corner.

While her voice still rang out into the air as she fought to get to her big sisters with every fiber of her being.

And then before she knew it a fist impacted with the back of her neck.

And soon after that her head slumped forward with her wet amber eyes closing shut as she faded into unconsciousness.

All the while as the princess and the captain's anger had now reached never before seen heights.

And then all three of them were carried into separate directions.

While Azula's golden eyes caught a last fleeting look of the younger female's emotional face before the girl disappeared from her line of vision.

'This isn't over! I'll get them for this!' The princess thought with her nostrils releasing vengeful snorts of air while she was hauled into a frigid chamber.

And yet somewhere deep down inside of her she couldn't help but ask herself if she would truly come up with a brilliant plan of counterattack in time to save her childhood friends.

In the past she always managed to do so.

Would she this time?

The siren blared throughout the fortress in unison with the sound of footsteps rushing down the halls.

While the foreboding red light lit the way as the soldiers rounded a narrow corridor.

Only for the soldiers to come to a stop when they saw their target standing at the end of the hallway.

Their eyes narrowed as they gazed out from underneath their helmets to find themselves gazing back at the prodigy's smirking face.

"Subdue the target!" A voice hollered with maddened urgency while a rain of bullets opened fire on the stationary supersoldier.

And then Naoki's tabi boot covered feet skidded backwards upon the steel floor while her scarlet hair shadowed her smiling face.

Just before she sprinted towards her opponents with frightening agility while a rain of bullets resounded into the air.

Only for the soldier's eyes to widen in shock when the girl effortlessly evaded their fire by leaping from wall to wall!

While Reynolds watched from the control room with his blue eyes growing even wider in incomprehension.

All the while as the researchers gazed on with equal shock in their widened eyes just as the redhead bounded above the startled soldiers.

"How…how is she this fast? This is far beyond what we recorded months ago!" Reynolds protested with immeasurable aggravation lacing his voice while he clenched his gloved fists on the counter.

While Greely still sat against the wall in a dumbfounded silence with his fearful eyes still gazing back at the monitor.

All the while as Cynthia stood in an increasingly distressed state with her blue eyes grimacing as she watched a soldier get cut down.

And just like that the man fell forward after being slashed in the jugular with a stolen military knife.

While the soldier's voices rang out into the air one after another as they grew more and more desperate to tag their target.

"Hit her goddammit!" A soldier yelled in a frantic voice as gunfire continued to spray off the walls while the girl sprinted over them once more.

"We're trying!" Another voice shouted in a frenzy as he spun about the hall with his manic eyes struggling to locate the agile supersoldier.

"She's a demon!" A man screamed in a frightened voice from the rear of the group.

While the occupants of the control room still stared on in indescribable disbelief.

"Do you like it Reynolds? This is my greatest ability. Speed that is imperceivable to the human eye…. speed so fast that it can only be called beyond godlike. I call it…Diminished Earth." The scarlet-haired girl spoke in a stunningly confident voice as she smiled up at the camera while the commander seethed in his boiling fury.

"Speed that is beyond godlike?! How is it that we have no record of this power! I was under the impression that her primary power was terraformation!" The colonel roared as his fists slammed upon the metal surface while the staffers swallowed in terror.

Both of the monstrous girl and their brutal commander.

"I…I don't know sir. Our files indeed state that her power is terraformation." An officer answered from where he frantically observed the video feed.

Only to find himself flinching in fear when the man's voice cut into the air like a whip once more.

"Then how! She couldn't have devised this new power in such a short period of time!" Reynolds shouted with his face turning red in his absolute anger.

While he continued to watch in incredulity as his soldier's gunfire peppered the walls of the fortress.

All the while as a red blur rapidly evaded their fire as the girl continued to circle in for another kill.

"The…the only chance that she would have had was when the cameras turned off for the daily system maintenance. But she couldn't have known…" A woman trailed off in a voice of sudden realization as her eyes grew wide in understanding.

While an unnerved silence came over the control room as all present stood or sat in a state of palatable shock.

And the commander now stood with his gloved fists falling to his sides while his blue eyes flashed in comprehension as it finally dawned on him.

"She knew. She was…hunting us all this time." Reynolds stated in a stunned voice while the others present listened in fright.

While the senator sat unmoving with his eyes now wide in dread as he too understood the implications of the other man's words.

"Her true power is not terraformation…it is inhuman speed. But we didn't know. Because she developed it when the cameras were off." The colonel remarked in a bitter voice while his blue eyes shook with humiliation as he stared back at the video feed.

All the while as everyone else remained dead silent with their eyes still expressing their horror and disbelief.

While the shouts of the soldiers grew more and more frantic as they began to back up.

All while they madly attempted to ward off their target with rapid successions of gunfire.

"She has two powers and terraformation…is just secondary! She deceived us into thinking that it was her sole power! Because she wanted to catch us off guard! We don't even know the true capabilities of our own lab subject! Damn her! She thinks that she can humiliate me again!" Reynolds bellowed as he clenched a gloved fist before his seething face while his increasingly maddened eyes glared back at the darting blur on the video feed.

The room was dead silent, save for the sound of the soldiers distressed cries from the observation monitors.

Before a staffer finally gained the courage to speak as she swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

"S-sir. I advise that you call in a retreat. Those soldiers are going to get slaughtered. We should evacuate while we still can." The female staffer advised in a rightfully terrified voice while the politician quickly nodded his head in agreement.

Only for all present to stare on in disbelief when the commander punched his gloved fist into the wall.

"There will be no retreat! Today I bring her in! At all costs!" The colonel insisted with his blue eyes practically popping out of their sockets while he ignored the stunned looks from his subordinates.

And then not a moment later the shouts from the screens grew louder and louder.

While the occupants of the control room gazed on in a shell shocked state.

Which was followed up shortly by the sound of ear-piercing screams that resounded into their terrified ears.

Before the camera in the hall exploded and their video feed went to an unsettling static.

While an eerie silence now overtook the very air that they breathed.

And then they watched in disquiet to see several stray soldiers fleeing the opposite way on an adjacent camera.

All the while as Reynolds now stood with his mouth ajar in a state of unfathomable disbelief.

"No. My unit." Reynolds spoke in a breathless voice with his eyes wide in an inability to accept that he was beaten.

'She…she took out the entire patrol in under a minute flat.' Cynthia thought with her face now turning pale in fear of what was to come.

She was just a government political agent assigned to assist the senator.

She has done her fair share of under the table dealings.

But she has had no part in the conception of these experiments.

She hadn't even known of their existence until a few months ago.

But it didn't matter.

If that girl got to her…she was dead.

"W-we created her to be the best. We constructed her to be better than all of those soldiers combined. There is no way that we can defeat her with what we have here." A male officer concluded in a barely perceivable voice while his commander still stood with his back turned to them.

While the commander gripped his fists tightly as they fall to his hips.

'If only Strados has not quit working for the military! If I had his manpower…or maybe Iwao…then I could defeat her!' The colonel thought with his eyes enraged eyes flickering in frustration while he stared broodingly back at the countless monitors.

If he lets her escape his grasp…

Then his entire plan was bound to fall apart.

And at this rate it was seeming like it would be a likely outcome.

'No! I will not let that happen! This is the day that I receive my due!' Reynolds thought with his blue eyes taking on a fixated stare.

While everyone else had begun to exchange unnerved looks only for the fear to build up in their eyes when they saw the girl's image appear on another camera.

All the while as she confidently came before a set of sealed armored doors.

"W-what…what are we supposed to do now Reynolds? She's heading right for us!" Greely questioned in a distraught voice as he stared back at Naoki's smirking face upon the video feed.

"It doesn't matter how strong she is. She cannot get through to us. Those doors are reinforced with tungsten." The colonel spoke in a low voice while the others listened in a discomforted silence.

Only for all eyes present to watch in bewilderment when the girl began to tap her left foot upon the floor.

And then the redhead dropped down into a crouch as if she was about to go for a long run.

While her hair hung in her emotionless brown eyes as her smile grew even larger upon her lips.

"What…what is she doing?" The aide pondered in an unsettled voice just as she watched in shock when the girl sprinted towards the doors with terrifying speed.

And then they all gazed on in fright when a scarlet blur impacted with the double doors.

Just before the supersoldier back flipped backwards onto the floor with a smirk still gracing her lips.

Before she darted at the door once more not a second later.

Slam!

The sound of the prodigy impacting with the doors echoed throughout the video feed while the staffers sprang to their feet in terror.

"S-she's…methodically striking the pressure points!" An officer shouted in a long past panicked voice while his commander still shook with his eyes agape in a stubborn fury.

And then finally…

Thoom!

And just like that the two double doors were ever so slightly pried open!

But it was all that the girl needed to push the doors open enough for her to slip through.

And then supersoldier was seen heading down the hall to the next set of doors.

All the while as the colonel stared on with his blue eyes still flickering in shock.

Reynolds was so absorbed in his reverie that he failed to notice the sound of the doors opening behind him with a mechanical hiss.

And before he even had a chance to react the staffers were fleeing past the terrified Greely and the panicking Cynthia.

And then even the officers bolted soon after.

"Reynolds!" The senator cried out in a fraught voice while the larger man shook with his back turned to him.

Only to find himself staring on in confusion when the commander swiftly brushed him aside.

"She will not defeat me!" Reynolds shouted in a voice that was long past reason as he strode towards the open doors while the politician and the aide observed him in bafflement.

And then he departed the control room and rushed towards the armory.

While he hurriedly equipped his belt with ammunition and then he threw several guns onto his back.

And he swiped a stockpile of grenades.

And then he tore off down the halls with his obsessed blue eyes glaring ruthlessly ahead as he carried a large machine gun over his shoulder.

Alive or dead.

He will get her.

Back in the control room.

The lone two occupants now stood staring in fright back at the image of the monitors as Naoki rapidly made her way down the halls.

Before Cynthia turned her eyes to the video of feed of the other prisoners.

Her eyes then momentarily lingered on the footage of the two frightened women sitting in a gas chamber that was about to begin pumping a lethal dose.

Just as her eyes turned to the image of the princess seated in her bonds with her beyond infuriated eyes gazing back at the door.

"Cynthia! I want you to…where are you going!" Greely exclaimed in a terror-stricken voice as he reached out to touch his aide's shoulder when he saw her step past him.

Before the woman turned to cast him a disgusted glance as she swatted his hand away.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit. You're on your own Greely." Cynthia stated in a repulsed voice while her boss's brown eyes now trembled with anger.

And then she swept past him while she ignored his calls of indignation.

"You can't speak to me like that! Cynthia! Get back here!" The senator ordered in a frenzied voice only to find himself gazing on helplessly as the woman paid him no mind.

And before he could say another word he could only watch as his aid rushed out of the control room just like those that had come before her.

Only for the sound of the supersoldier making her way through another set of armored doors to pull him back to focus.

While his brown eyes were now as wide as can be with anxiety as he ran towards the controls.

Before he frantically punched in a series of codes as the immense doors slammed shut.

Just as another layer of reinforced metal that had been built for an emergency just like this slid down over the heavy doors.

And then it concluded with the sound of multiple high security bolts clicking shut.

"I…I have to call for help! Someone will come! They can't just leave me to die here! I am a senator!" Greely screamed in a desperate voice as he began frantically dialing for help on the radio.

While his panic filled eyes were still wide with incomprehensible fright as he continued to listen to the sirens still blaring in the background.

"Omega level security breach. All personnel report to your stations immediately." A computerized voice announced over speak system while soldiers rushed down the halls from every corner of the fortress.

And with that David and his men too ran out from solitary with urgent looks overtaking their eyes.

While Cynthia watched from around the corner before she quickly snuck towards the way that the soldiers had come from.

Before she slipped inside with her wary eyes gazing about as she rapidly navigated her way.

Azula sat in her solitary cell with her golden eyes flashing with uncharacteristic inner conflict as she listened to the deafening siren go off in her eyes.

While her heartbeat continued to quicken in tempo as it pounded thunderously in her unusually worried chest.

All the while as her regal lips shook in a furious line as she repeatedly fought to no avail to move her limbs.

While her merciless golden eyes began to express a profound sensation of panic.

And for one of the first times in her life she was finding herself struggling to keep her composure.

"I still can't move!" The princess roared as she thrashed her face in her cage while she bared her teeth like a raging dragon.

Only for her tyrannical eyes to widen when she heard a familiar voice flow into her ears.

"You're not going to let your friends die…are you Azula?" Ursa asked from where she stood behind the trembling woman while Azula's golden eyes had grown wide with fury.

"Come to gloat, have you Mother? That's just like you. You have always enjoyed watching me suffer." Azula snarled in a ferocious voice as she glared up at her mother's solemn face through the corner of her cold eye.

"That isn't true and you know it Azula. You are my daughter and I cherish you." The mother spoke with her robed sleeves folded over her breasts while the princess seethed with her lips smashed into a glower.

"Don't pretend to care about me. I know how you really feel." The princess hissed in a refined voice with her golden eyes momentarily flashing in emotion.

"I love you Azula." Ursa assured in a tender voice with an expression of maternal warmth in her golden eyes while her daughter hung her head.

"Leave me alone. I don't need you. I never did. I have Elle now…and she…she loves me." Azula snapped out with venom lacing her every word while her bangs now hung over her sweating forehead.

While she squeezed her callous eyes shut for the briefest of moments with her lips still shaking in a rare expression of vulnerability.

And then she held her head as high as she possibly could.

Before she opened her ruthless eyes not a moment later only to find herself gazing on to discover that the older woman was gone.

Only for her callous eyes to be torn from her reverie when she heard footsteps approaching towards her cell.

And just like that her eyes took on a much colder tint as she stared back with a vengeance expecting to be greeted by David.

Just before her frigid eyes flickered with yet another spark of surprise when she found herself gazing back at the face of a woman around her captain's age.

"Omega level security breach. I repeat omega level security breach." The male voice droned without emotion while the princess narrowed her imposing eyes at the woman gazing through her cell window.

And just as quickly as the princess's composure had been shaken.

It had already returned in full force.

While she now hardened her intimidating eyes into a glare as she met the woman's gaze.

And within seconds of gazing into the other woman's eyes she saw something distinctly familiar.

Something that she had seen before in the eyes of the Dai Li so long ago.

Fear and disloyalty.

While Azula's imposing eyes now took on the gaze of a terrifying ruler as she gazed hard back into the agent's faintly unsettled eyes.

"Greetings. Foreign princess." The aide greeted in a businesslike voice while the princess's dominating eyes gazed right back into her soul.

And she found herself unable to deny that she felt uneasy under the woman's commanding stare.

"Release me commoner." The princess ordered in a tone of presumed absolute authority with her domineering eyes never leaving the woman's shaken gaze.

'I am a conqueror. And my rule is a divine right. I will not show weakness to these nothings. I will do what I was born to do…I will rule.' Azula thought with her harsh eyes staring directly into the other woman's hesitant blue eyes.

"Your two friends are going to die within ten minutes if I don't. I'll be blunt though. Why should I?" Cynthia pondered in return while she lingered before the massive door.

While she felt as if Azula's imposing eyes were peering into the depths of her mind itself.

"I can see it in your eyes. You aren't sure if you are going to make it out of here alive. You're afraid that Naoki is going to kill you." The princess remarked in a sophisticated voice while she sat back with her strict eyes gazing over the woman's mildly sweating face.

"I don't deny that. But how do I know that you won't if I set you free?" The aide retorted in a seemingly calm voice with her eyes scanning the other woman's now smiling face.

"You don't. However, I suggest you worry less about the person who has already made their mind up about killing you and more about the person who is currently mulling it over." Azula commented in a voice of effortless dominance while her stern eyes burned right back into Cynthia's crumbling gaze.

"And if I don't?" Cynthia inquired as she shifted on her feet with her intimidated eyes still meeting Azula's overpowering stare.

"The fact is regardless of what you do Naoki will be out to kill you. In one scenario, she is the only one that you have to worry about. In the other…when I escape and I assure you that I will. You will be dealing with Naoki and me." The princess spoke in a frightening voice with her controlling eyes gazing out at the aide's unsettled face.

"You speak as if you feel like you already know what I am going to do." The aide replied with her blue eyes almost shivering under the princess's unfathomably dominant golden gaze.

"That's because I do. I know that you are going to bow before me. And you know too." Azula commented in a regal voice with her oppressive golden eyes staring into the other woman's nervous eyes.

All the while her lips remained in a stonily strict scowl as she watched in satisfaction when the women seemed to falter under her gaze.

Before she watched with cold golden eyes when the aide wordlessly turned around to walk away.

While she sat back with her unbelievably authoritative eyes gazing after the woman's departing back.

"It's settled then. I'll be waiting for you to return with the keys." The princess called out in a taunting voice with her sanguine eyes staring after the retreating woman.

While her conquering golden eyes observed the woman vanish from her line of sight.

All the while as she held herself as high as she could with a dignified posture about her.

And she was almost certain that the woman was sure to return.

And yet as a cold scowl once again pulled on her beautiful crimson lips.

She couldn't help but express a sliver of internal doubt.

Would she be able to escape?

And above all.

Would she make it in time to save Mai and Ty Lee?

That was a question that made her stomach twist up in uncertainty.

And somewhere deep down inside her frozen heart she felt something akin to a stab of pain.

And try as she might she did not know the answer.