“Dr. Varma, are you kidding me?!!” Dr. Hamilton shouted as she looked at Shaila, infuriated by what she just heard. She tossed the black tablet in her hand onto the table before her while massaging the bridge of her nose.

  “You know I didn't attend the engagement party because I had a breakthrough, right? A breakthrough I was excited to work on, to help your husband, right?! Now you’re telling me he doesn’t want to take them?!” Dr. Hamilton berated Shaila as she pointed to a large vast in the corner of the large laboratory the two women found themselves in. Inside that vat, countless nanomachines moved within, looking like luminescent aquamarine water.

  Shaila approached the clear vat and placed her hands on its glass surface. Inside was what Zac had been waiting for for nearly 7 years. Yet now, he wanted nothing to do with it. She touched her belly and turned back to Dr. Hamilton.

  “Future husband, and I didn’t know he would change his mind either. But I still appreciate the effort.” Shaila, apologies.

  Shaila understood why she was so upset. She had dedicated the last several months to this with little sleep. Hearing the person that this was for no longer cared would make anyone upset.

  “It’s fine; no one asked me to work myself to the bone. To be honest, I probably would have anyway. Plus, in attempting to make things compatible for Zac, I’ve gotten some inspiration for ground breaking improvements.”

  “Let’s walk and talk; we don’t want to be late.” Shaila motioned for Desire to follow her.

  “Where are we going?” Dr. Hamilton asked as she picked up her tablet and walked after Shaila.

  “You haven’t checked your mail, have you? We have a meeting in 30 minutes for Essential Personnel.”

  “So everyone involved with the Cleaners?” Dr. Hamilton asked.

  “We call ourselves Chasers. Remember that you’re one of us now. And yes, I'm sure Devin called the meeting to share your progress and announced that Zac would be taking Nanos,” Shaila explained.

  “Does he know Zac's intention of not taking them?”

  “No, Zac went to tell him the same time I came to tell you.” As soon as Shaila answered her question, the building began to shake. Dr. Hamilton looked around nervously. Earthquakes weren’t very common in Seattle. She looked over at Shaila, who sighed,

  “Seems like Devin isn’t too happy about the news.”

  “That was Devin?!” Dr. Hamilton shuttered as they walked through the empty white hall. This was the main branch of Renegade Technology, comprising multiple buildings, making a sizable complex. Where Doctors Varma and Hamilton currently were was a building on the other side of the complex where Devin’s office was, and in the underground levels. Feeling the effects of Devin's “not being too happy” from here validated some of her initial fears.

  The hidden power of human potential displayed was shocking. Dr. Hamilton walked on eggshells, trying to avoid most of the workers, thinking that the random passersby could accidentally kill her by sneezing. Even though most visible workers were ordinary humans, and knew nothing of the proper interworking of this place.

  She was endlessly happy that most of her interactions stemmed from Dr. Varma. It helped her to ease into the new world,

  “Devin is almost more invested in Zac taking those Nanos than Zac was.”

  “They seem pretty close.” Dr. Hamilton reasoned.

  “Yeah, I’m not so sure that’s why he’s upset.” Dr. Varma sighed.

  Dr. Hamilton looked at her and saw a contemplative look on her face.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t worry about it, just thinking out loud.” Dr.Varma commented as another vibration rattled the building. The second was a little more powerful than the first, which made Hamilton shudder. They entered the elevator, and Shaila let out a sigh,

  “Enough about those moody men; tell me how you have been settling in.”

  “Ah, I’ve been keeping to myself mostly, just focusing on my research.” Dr. Hamilton replied.

  “I see…”

  “What?” Dr. Hamilton raised an eyebrow.

  “Nothing… well, look. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, but can you do me a favor? And try to get to know your coworkers? It helps having someone to talk to in this line of work. The amount of people you can actually talk to about this stuff is very limited.”

  “Noted…” Dr. Hamilton begrudgingly agreed.

  She wasn’t too outgoing, to begin with. Still, she felt infinitely more isolated now that she was surrounded by all these superhumans. The only person she had any connection to in this was Dr. Varma,

  “Speaking of getting to know coworkers. When is the Wedding?”

  “We want to have the wedding and the honeymoon before I start to show. And having a winter honeymoon sounds romantic, so my official wedding date is December 28, 2047.”

  “In a little over 2 months?! Is that enough time? There’s so much you have to plan.”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I already sent exactly what I want to Léonie. She’s handling the dresses, too.” Dr. Varma stated as she walked out the open elevator doors and headed towards a private shuttle.

  “Ms. Laurnet? Isn’t she an enemy?”

  “ ‘Enemy’ is a strong word; the Orlenders, Adders and the Renegades have different outlooks but work towards the same goal. And this has nothing to do with Chaser work.” Shaila finished before she walked into her personal shuttle,

  “Take us to the main building,” Shaila told the unmanned shuttle. The doors closed behind them, and the shuttle drove them towards the main building.

  “This will be a wedding sponsored and designed by the Orlender Boutique. By the request of the young Owner of Renegade Technologies; she’ll need to put her best foot forward, to maintain her brand's image.” Shaila chuckled to herself. The idea of getting a dream wedding on the dime of a woman she couldn’t stand made it all the sweeter.

  Dr. Hamilton just shook her head. This secret word was already confusing enough; all this extra intrigue and pettiness seemed over the top. Were they so bored with their work that they had time for this?

  “OK, but what about getting the guest list together?” Dr. Hamilton asked.

  “Guest list? Aside from Zac and the Twins, I don’t have a family and haven’t made many friends outside of Chaser circles. The only “guest” will probably be Zac’s mother. The rest are just Chasers and Chaser adjacent like ourselves. So basically, my wedding will be a mandatory work event.” Dr. Varma started to laugh, but Dr Hamilton could see the sadness hidden within her eyes. Dr. Hamilton didn’t want to dwell on it too much. So, she changed the topic,

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  “Things are gonna be pretty tough without you around here.”

  “Nah, you’ll be fine; you’ll be able to cover most of my duties while I’m away. That’s why you need to get to know your coworkers to make better use of them.” Shaila responded,

  “All the bioengineering and Medical problems, sure. But I have no background in Psychology.”

  “I’ve been training 3 Chasers whose programs aren't the best fit for fieldwork in that area. Between the 4 of you, you should have all the basics covered. If something unexpected happens that you can't handle on your own, just give me a call. I'll walk you through it.”

  “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your honeymoon.” Dr. Hamilton mused.

  “It’ll be fine; the month I’m away will be a test run. I plan on taking an extended leave of absence when the baby comes. If you guys do well enough, maybe I can retire altogether.”

  “Wait, wait, hold up. All that talk about getting to know my coworkers, and whatnot. You’re just trying to set me up as your replacement, aren’t you? So you can dump all your workload on me?” Desire accused.

  “Yes…” Shaila gave a shamelessly deadpan response that caused the both of them to break out into laughter.

  The shuttle finally came to a stop; before either of them could get out of the shuttle, several Chasers came running towards them.

  “Dr. Shaila, it’s Zac and Devin, their fighting.”

  “That’s not surprising. Let them argue, why are you telling me?”

  “No, I mean physically fighting; it looks serious!” The man explained.

  “What the hell?” Shaila didn’t ask any more questions as she jumped off the shuttle and ran into the building, her lab coat fluttering behind her. Desire now understood those vibrations from earlier weren’t just Devin throwing a fit, but were the shockwave of the two men fighting each other. However, Zac, as weird as he was, should not have been able to take on such a devastating attack.

  Dr. Hamilton was only stunned momentarily before she charged forward, trailing after Shaila. Unfortunately, her first time in the main building was under such rushed circumstances. She would have liked to take everything in. The things on the inside seemed at least 15 years more advanced than current technology, which had already made great strides since she was a child.

  Everything in her private lab was technology beyond what she had thought possible, but was streamlined for her work. Things here catered to a more casual audience. Just in the lobby alone seemed like a technological wonderland. She cursed a bit under her breath as she entered the elevator with Shaila and saw the most natural-looking Automaton she had ever seen, walk past as the doors closed.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to play with the toys… after I’ve killed Devin.” Shaila could see the disappointment on Desire’s face.

  Dr. Hamilton nodded her head in understanding. No doubt Shalia felt the same way she did about the situation. Zac was freaky, but Devin was the most powerful living Chaser, and it wasn’t even close; at least that’s what Desire had heard. Shaila then spoke to the elevator.

  “Dr. Shaila Varma ID#:345984683, Testing Floor.”

  The Testing Floor was where the Chasers in each branch spent most of their time. If the two of them were fighting, that would be the only place in the complex that could facilitate such a clash. Dr. Hamilton looked over at Shaila to see her frantically typing her finger on her folded arms with an irritated face. As they made their way down, the tremors became more apparent.

  “What are you doing? Why aren’t you in there stopping those two? I know you feel those shockwaves.” Shaila shouted as she stormed out from the open elevator doors to see Mawu, Duendes, and their team standing there with several others, cluttering the hallway,

  “You think we’re happy about this? They kicked us out before starting their little lovers’ quarrel.” Duendes frowned.

  “Kicked you out? The Testing Floor is its own underground facility; there’s plenty of space.” Dr. Hamilton inserted herself.

  “And don’t we know it, Doc,” Duendes responded, seemingly just as upset as Shaila.

  “Look, Devin burst through the doors and was looking pissed, and Zac was trailing behind him with his usual smug grin. Devin told everyone they needed the space and ported all of us out. We didn’t have much say in the matter.” Mawu explained.

  “Just go back in,” Shaila responded.

  “About that.” Duendes moved to the side, and everyone else followed suit, clearing a path down the white hallway. Franky, Helena, and Hachiman stood at the end of the corridor, guarding the double doors that lead to the Testing Floor proper.

  Shaila made her way through the hall, heading straight towards the trio. Franky, who stood in the middle, rubbed the back of his neck,

  “Oh, boy… here we go. Look, Shaila, I can't let you through.”

  “I’m not asking, and it’s Dr. Varma. I didn’t spend all that time getting PhDs for a toady to act familiar. Move!” Shaila was clearly having none of this.

  Franky instantly shut his mouth as he was at a loss for words at Shaila’s sudden outburst. He had never seen her like this before. He slumped his shoulders and moved out of the way. Hachiman stepped forward and then began to speak,

  “I can not allow you to interfere in an honorable duel against two…”

  “Hachiman, shut up. Speak another word, and I swear to whatever god you believe in, I will make sure you never pick up a sword again.” Shaila interjected. Hachiman's eyes widened in shock before he cleared his throat and tried to straighten himself before moving out of the way.

  They had all forgotten, because of Shaila’s usual soft and laid-back demeanor, that she was one of the founders of the Renegades. Not only that, but no one alive had a better understanding of the Nanos coursing through their marrow than she did. She was the one who created the Renegades batch of Nano’s by reverse engineering Devin’s and improving them. On more than one occasion, she had brought disrespectful Chasers to their knees with a simple swipe across her datapad. Shaila looked over at Helena, who put up her hands and moved out of the way,

  “Hey, I wanna see what they're doing, too. I’m right behind you, Doc.” She giggled.

  At the exact moment they moved out of the way, Shaila felt the vibrations come to a stop. She cursed under her breath and quickly busted through the doors. On the other side, what she saw was like a war zone. Upheaved earth, half-destroyed buildings, signs of several automated security systems having been destroyed.

  “Geez, this will take at least a few days to fix,” Duendes complained.

  “Only a few days?” Dr. Hamilton muttered to herself.

  The damage she saw here, especially to this high-tech equipment, should take months at least, not days.

  “Yeah, the Twins are going to be pissed.”

  “Aren’t they always?” A couple of the Chasers joked.

  This was the second time Dr. Hamilton had heard of the Twins duties here; the first was when she was introduced to her private lab. These Twins were responsible for all these marvels she saw and apparently were in charge of repairs.

  “Why are they trying to kill each other?” Shaila heard one of the Chasers ask.

  Before she could respond, they came across an area far more damaged than the rest. Clearly, this was where most of the fighting had taken place. There was almost nothing left in a single piece. It was a surprise that their fight didn’t drastically affect day-to-day operations. The site in the middle of the destruction was even more surprising to the group.

  There was a black-cloaked figure holding a spear pointed at Devin, who looked bruised and battered with one knee placed firmly on the ground. The cloaked figure noticed the many pairs of eyes and turned to face them. A familiar faceless black mask folded away to reveal Zac staring at Shaila,

  “What’s up, babe?”

  Everyone stared at the two of them in shock for a moment before Shaila broke the silence,

  “What’s up babe?! You scared me half to death.”

  “What? Did you think I was going to lose?”

  “Of course I did!! Why do you think I ran here? So I could beat the shit out of Devin.”

  “Ow!”

  “Ow!” Both Devin and Zack exclaimed in unison.

  Zack had his pride crushed by his future wife, while Devin was hurt that one of his best friends seemed ready to hurt him.

  “One friend crushes my pride, and the other my feelings?” Devin pouted playfully.

  He stood up from his position as all the wounds on his body instantly healed. If it was for the dried blood and tattered clothing, one would never know he was in a fight.

  “Ah, Zac, Devin… What the hell happened?” Franky asked, still stunned by what they had all just witnessed.

  “Exactly what it looks like. I wanted to test something, and Zac kicked my ass… what?” Devin asked, shocked by everyone’s surprise.

  “I’ll explain everything at the meeting. It starts in 15 minutes, by the way. You all should already be heading there now. Shoo shoo!” Devin waved them off as he looked to see Dr. Hamilton among the crowd.

  “Ah, Dr. Hamilton. Exactly who I wanted to see. I got your notes, but I would like you to explain in detail. Do you mind explaining it to me, while I get changed? Make it as concise as possible; like I said, we only have 15 min.” Devin began to walk away, with Dr. Hamilton trailing behind him. She turned around to wave goodbye to Zac and Shaila.

  “So you beat Devin? Even if he didn’t use his Program… how’d you pull that off?” Shaila asked. She could tell from the look of the battlefield this was a purely physical fight.

  “I’m getting stronger, Sha… and it’s not slowing down,” Zac said with a smile.

  “Well damn…” Shaila smiled