Chapter 26

Now I apologize for the really long wait, and for that I have set a punishment for myself and that is no watching anime for a week, now on to the story

The small group of teen heroes were in surprise as they stood in a firing range at Sarah's mansion all were surprised to see Jack carelessly hit twenty targets with a handgun, making him lift the sun glasses on his eyes with a proud smirk before he reloaded the weapon taking one breathe before continuing.

"Is it just me or is he the good guy version of dead shot?" questioned Robin, making Kid flash and Kuro shrug as they sat on beach chairs, looking around to see Valora who was the wife of said sniper was walking to the teens with a tray of drinks, yelling to jack who turned while still shooting making Wally gawk as is targets heads were shot off.

"Hold on, how did he get all the targets without looking?" questioned Wally in confusion, making Kuro shrug as Jack hopped to Valora and kiss her lips followed by him taking a drink and sit down with the teens, followed by Valora and Greta who had a casual look.

"So if I'm correct, you're an alien species, like kryptonians?" said Greta as she sat beside Kuro before he got himself a glass of orange, taking a sip before the group noticed Adara and Conner approach.

"Michael is some really weird dude" said Conner in confusion as he sat down, making Kuro frown until Valora giggled, confusing the teens as she scratched her ear.

"That's because he's in relax mode, when he's in serious mode… he becomes a real leader" said Valora making Kuro look to Jack who shrugged before he took a solemn look while looking down.

"What's the reason he acts like that?" questioned Conner until they could hear cheers from inside the mansion, making them stand up and enter the house, making Jack smile as he saw two people, one of them being female with a perfectly aged form, chestnut hair and golden brown eyes, while the man beside her looked like a battle hardened soldier but with a smile his hair was black with a grey hair line going over the top of his head, his eyes also golden brown with his right eye sporting a large horizontal scar.

"Dad, Mom, glad you could make" greeted Jack as he approached the two with a hug making Kuro and Conner look at each other while Robin sat on the sofa with Greta, making them both shrug and look at the Tv until the woman waved a hand to the duo making them wave while the man stared at them as if he held a suspicion to them until he relaxed.

"Say Jack, who are these kids, You didn't get other women pregnant did you?" said the woman making Robin spew the drink from his mouth until he wiped his mouth and looked surprised towards Jack who gained a glare from Valora.

"I haven't done that for years and never will, I'm married and that's good enough for me" said Jack before a skate board came flying at his head, making his father reach forward and caught it swiftly, shocking the teens as he threw the skate board away to a nervous Wally who scratched the back of his head until Artemis appeared behind him with her hand smacking the back of his head.

"Sorry about him, he tends to rush ahead, I'm Artemis by the way" said Artemis as she approached the two holding her hand out politely to the man and woman, both smiling as they shook

"John Claiton, this is the two children's mother Barbara Claiton" said the man with a kind smile, making Artemis smile before She heard the sound of skin shifting, making her turn to Jack to see his hybrid form, making him chuckle as she heard the noise again from John, making her turn and gasp as she came face to face with a golden brown coloured humanoid reptilian, making her freeze as the skin and bones readjusted back to John, showing his hair reverting from the feathers on his scalp, making him smile childishly before Barbara lightly smacked his head lightly.

"John, you could have given them a heart attack" scolded Barbara making Jack and John chuckle as Wally clinked his fingers before Artemis' shocked expression, waking her up before she sat on the couch in surprise while Greta ran to the man with questions that the man happily answered.

"Say can you tell us how Sarah and Michael got together?" questioned Conner, causing John and Barbara to look saddened.

"It's a long story" said John with a hint of regret, not noticing Zecromac and Esmeralda behind him until said god placed a hand on his shoulder softly, making the teens notice a look of the one thing they never expected what was it… guilt?

"I'll explain old timer, go find Michael, He's in the garage fixing his Mustang" said Zecromac softly making the man nod while perking up, leaving the god with the confused teens as he sat down.

"Why are you looking so guilty dad?" questioned Kuro as Robin leaned forward with interest.

"It started like this, before I was allowed to leave Michael's landscape…." Began Zecromac as the memory played in his mind.

(Flash back, 8 years ago)

It all started in the jungles Hawaii, the forest was burning to death as plasma bolts and bullets flew through the air, some hitting trees while few of the bullets bounced harmlessly off of Michael's hybrid armor, at its prime on its early years, it sported few shredded pieces of metal that was rebuilding with blue small cube particles, his sprint halted as he aimed a plasma rifle from left to right as he heard deformed roars and shrieks in the distance, making him snarl as he began running again, killing every mutant he found until he found a large village, making him smirk as he ran through the town before he activated his suits active camo. Sneaking by squads of mutants before Michael arrived in a hall way, letting his camo wear off.

"Don't worry Anya, I'm coming" said Michael with a worried tone moving forward, not noticing a camera watch him, as he continued to run, searching through doors which held torture equipment making him more worried as he began to notice dry blood.

"Anya, where are you!?" yelled Michael with worry present in his voice as he frantically opened doors from one door to the other until he smelt fresh blood leading to an elevator, making Michael gulp in fear as he stood in the lift reactivating his camo minutes before the two doors opened, showing more blood on the floor with a trail leading to an opened door, making Michael freeze as his world went grey as he took a step towards the door opening to sigh in relief as he found the room empty, moving forward further before he noticed silent whimpers, making him stop and turn towards a half open door with a flickering light.

"Anya?" questioned Michael as he silently entered the room with his camo on, switching to infrared to see four body signatures, one being female while the other three were deformed humanoids, all holding military rated weapons.

"I swear I heard a voice" said one of the mutants, making Michael smirk as he snuck behind them with two combat knives, stabbing both necks before he kicked backwards, making the insect mutant flip in the air before being slammed into the ground with a splat, allowing Michael to drop the camo to see a hopeful girl in her mid-twenties in restraints of barb wire, her hair was black with a pink streak on her forehead, her eyes were chocolate brown, she wore a skin tight tank top, grey cargo pants with only one pair of shoes, making Michael freeze as her pants were half torn and she was crying.

"Anya, I'm here to get you out don't worry" said Michael as he ripped the chains binding her down before picking her up bridal style, making her sob into his chest as he began to walk away from the room stopping briefly before he focused his hearing which let him hear gears grinding with slow beeps.

"Michael RUN!" yelled Zecromac within Michael's mind, causing said Hybrid to run at full speed, holding tightly around Anya as he arrived at the elevator, pressing the button frantically before the doors closed, allowing the two to go up before the lift shook with Michael staggering with the lift dropping but resumed going up much to the hybrids relief, letting him hug the girl with softness.

"But wait, if Michael was in love with someone else, than how did he meet Sarah?" questioned Robin with everyone looking at him with annoyed looks.

"I was getting to that part" stated Zecromac with an annoyed expression, making the teen shrug

"Any way back to the story…"

Back to flashback

The duo were beginning to relax after the rescue mission, with Michael holding the girl tighter as he ran away from the sounds of roars.

"God damn it where the hells the retrieval team" growled Michael as he ducked in a large cement pipe, hiding further as a pack of wolf tigers ran by, snarling as they were followed by a humanoid elephant.

"Search the area, don't let the hybrid escape" yelled one of the mutants, dropping off the elephant beast that kneeled down tiredly, making Anya cry silently as the two saw a humanoid lions paw, making Michael take on Zecromac's features until the paw backed away, letting the two relax as the hunting team moved ahead, letting Michael carry Anya the opposite direction, not noticing the ground crack upward with a red light shining from the cracks with it pushing upward.

"Caution, Magma levels increased"

"What?" questioned Michael before the city he was once in exploded upward with a cloud of ash, making him and Anya gasp before he continued running from the now active volcanic activity.

"No way my luck is this bad!?" yelled Michael as he leaped to the left to avoid a giant smoking rock, making him look back to see more falling rocks.

"Incoming!" yelled Zecromac before he materialized in time to catch a large boulder, and toss it away, allowing the two humans to nod and run, followed by the god who sent a shield of shadows as a another piece of stone that had a piece of magma on it narrowly missing Michael as he continued running with Anya in his arms, making him smile as he saw a glider hovering to them quickly before the side opened to show Violet at the age of twenty.

"Come on snake skin, move it!" yelled Violet in worry, making Michael run faster as he approached the vehicle, setting Anya on with him following behind her until he felt the ground crack under the glider.

"Incoming again!" yelled Zecromac before he made a pillar of shadows, just in time to protect the glider until the ground below them crumbled

"Anya!" yelled Michael as the glider tilted with Anya falling downward, with Michael in tow.

"KID!" shouted Zecromac before he erupted into shadows, following Michael's body before it was sucked into Michael's outstretched arms catching Anya before the two landed on what was left of a cliff, backing away at the sight of red hot magma.

Making the two run to the side of the wall as the magma began to climb towards them, with Anya hugging Michael before Zecromac grabbed both of them from the scruffs of their necks

"You two can lovey dovey later, we gotta move!" said Zecromac before leaping upward from cliff side to cliff side before he and the duo sighted the glider hovering above, with Violet showing a relieved smile until she had a look of horror as the three approached after Zecromac's last leap of faith, tossing the two above with Michael grabbing the platform with Anya in his other hand, lifting her up while Violet attempted to help him up hurriedly looking down to the left with a look of fear.

"Come on snake skin climb" said Violet with fear in her tone while Michael lifted Anya up, allowing her to hold on until the sound of a sniper was heard, making Michael turn to see Anya with a hole in the left side of her chest while she simply froze, with tears in her eyes.

"Michael…" said Anya before she slowly leaned back, making Michael hold her delicately while Violet fired the gliders turret towards the mutants before they were swallowed up by the magma, letting the hybrids fly away in silence.

"Anya, please don't go, Don't go please" begged Michael as he held Anya firmly, showing his own tears as Anya blinked in agony while letting her own tears fall before she looked to Michael, showing a weak smile as she reached for his right cheek.

"Michael, crying never suited you…" said Anya with Michael holding her hand softly.

"I'm sure you'll find someone else to fill that hole in your soul, so keep a bright smile, and keep going forward promise me that…" said Anya before her head slowly went limp and finally close her eyes, making Michael freeze with his eyes going blank with the tears still falling.

Back to present

"I spent the next two years in silence, thinking over ways that I could have stopped that day from happening, I was planning to go back to sleeping for eternity until… he called for my help" said Zecromac, not noticing the rest of the team present with saddened looks, making them go silent until Esmeralda hugged her father softly, making him smile, before he noticed Michael and Sarah standing in silence.

"I'm still keeping that promise" said Michael with tears falling from his eyes until he felt his left leg tugged.

"What's wrong daddy?" questioned Jessica, making Michael smile lightly as he picked up his daughter.

"Nothing, just had to go down memory lane" said Michael with a lone tear falling down his right cheek with a bright smile.

The next day

"SO are you sure I'm allowed to keep one of the suits?" questioned Robin as the team stood side by side around Nigel and Dexter who had his arms crossed.

"Absolutely, just give her respect and She'll return it" said Dexter, making Robin smirk until he frowned.

"Her? I thought all the suits AI's were male?" said Robin before the DAC glowed briefly showing a holographic teen female with an annoyed expression with her arms crossed.

"And what's wrong with females being strong?" questioned the girl with Robin chuckling nervously with Megan, Greta and Artemis crossing their arms with a playful glare.

"Nothing at all" said Robin, instantly feeling the annoyed glances vanish before Dexter chucked as he un-holstered the newly modified dimension opener.

"Tell the league my greetings" said Dexter as he fired the weapon at a solid wall, making a rectangle that glowed blue, opening up to see Metropolis' streets, with people looking fearfully towards the gate.

"I hope we see you again Dex" said Kuro as the others entered the portal, looking around before they turned to the portal waiting minutes before Kuro and Robin left, smirking happily, with Zecromac.

"Home sweet home"

This chapter was annoying because I had to try and remember the origins from Zecromac and Michael so yeah enjoy your day or night