Karma // 10k Fic // Completed

Human Trials

"Ladies and gentlemen. Please, all of you, today we celebrate the arrival of El Murfi to the City of the Zeros. Do your duty. Make an offering." The man said.

"How are you holding up?" 10k asked.

"Honestly I have no idea. I mean, my birth mom. She's the leader of the zeros." I said.

"I know. And now everyone knows your name. How do you feel about that" He asked, taking my hand and leading us to a corner.

"I was comfortable telling you. I was going to tell them, but I didn't know when." I said. He wrapped me in a hug and let me stay there until I pulled away a little bit. "I want to know why" I whispered.

"Hmm" He hummed

"I wanna know why they gave me up," I said. He nodded and we walked to Escorpion. He shot a guy sitting on a chair.

"Get that mess out of here. Rápido. And no zombie mimes either! La Reina hates zombie mimes!" 

"I want to speak to my father," I said standing next to the spot he sat at.

"Nikkole. I am your father" He said. I took in a deep breath.

"Okay. Let's talk" He stood up and led me to another room. It was less public than the others but still in the party. 

"What do you want to talk about hija."

"Don't call me daughter when you gave me up puta"

"Ay. no hables así a tu padre" hey, don't talk to your father like that.

"te llevaré, sin embargo, Quiero que no seas mi padre. Solo eres alguien que me dio ADN, eso es todo." ill take to you however I want you're not my father. You're just someone who gave me DNA that's it.

His hand raised and he slapped me across my face.

"You're just like the others. Can't have what you want so you hurt those until you do. Grow up because you can't have me." I said. I turned to face 10k and Doc. They looked shocked and felt bad for me.

"I didn't want to give you up. Lo siento hija" He said. I'm sorry daughter.

"Then why did you," I yelled. "Why give me up to know a world where all my fathers died. Where everything I did wasn't good enough." I cried.  "Por qué " I let the tear fall.

"La Reina was in a relationship. My wife just died. We couldn't raise you up right. It would've been in a broken home Mija" 

"At least I would've been with my family," I said my voice shaky.

"I know Mija. I'm sorry. Really." 

"Whatever." I laughed. "It's fine" I turned away from him. 10k already had his arms out for me. I let him hold me while I lightly stained his shirt. A gunshot went off and Vasquez was restrained and Warren had his gun aimed at him.

"Were you really going to murder my father while I stood right here," I asked bewildered. 

"Just like he did to my family" 

"Not cool V, not cool" I walked away from this whole mess. I went outside onto the balcony. I heard someone behind me but ignored it. 10k wrapped his arms around me. I shook my head and pushed away from him. 

"Come here" He whispered. I pushed him away again. 

"No"

"Come here" I fought him. I shook my head. He had me at arms reach and I kept trying to push him away. I hit his chest with my hand and he brought me closer. I kept hitting his chest to get him away from me. Each hit was softer than the one before. "Shh, it's ok," He said. I cried and fell into his arms. He held my body up and just let me cry.  I stood up and wiped my tears and walked back inside. La Reina and Escorpion were in the same room. 

"All you had to do was be my father. Parents aren't supposed to be the cause of your pain. They're supposed to hold you and tell you everything's going to be alright. As a girl I hated myself, I thought I was broken. That no one ever could or ever would love me. It's the only way a child can grow up when their parents abandon them. I waited for you for years! But you didn't come." I cried again.

"Please Mija you're acting like a child" La Reina said.

"How would you know!" I yelled. "You weren't there!" I screamed. "You needed space so you took it. But you didn't just need space, you needed space from me! I want to know why. All I ever wanted to know was why. What was so wrong with me, That you would leave?" I cried. Everyone was watching the scene unfold. 

"I don't know" La Reina said.

"You chose all this" I gestured around me to the zeros. "crap over me," I said. Escorpion took a step towards me. I took one back.

"Do you remember, that night the storm shook the apartment? I was five, and I thought the lightning was so bright I thought the world was on fire. I'm all under my covers, crying and you came flying into the room and peek under the covers and decide to make it a game. You said the lightning was the Northern Lights. You made that entire night an adventure until the storm passed. And I woke up the next morning, and it was a sunny day. Don't you remember that?" I asked.

"No. I don't" Escorpion said. La Reina was standing by his side now. My jaw clenched and I looked down.

"That's because it never happened." I looked back up at them. "The storm happened. But you didn't. Charlie was there for me." I took a breath in. "Your job was to stay. What you did makes me have a lot of angry feelings inside of me. I don't want to be angry anymore. Why am I not good enough" my voice broke. 

"Mi Reina. My queen." Kurian showed up behind me. 

"Doctor Kurian? What is it?" La Reina said. 

I scoffed, "Unbelievable," I said.

"I have it. I have the vaccine. The zombie plague is over. I have the cure." He said. I joined 10k, Addy, and Doc. 

"Díme. Tell me. What have you done?" She said. 

"My queen, I present to you your H1Z1 vaccine. This serum makes the zombie virus virtually impotent. Now a zombie bite will be like... nothing. Well, you may have to get a tetanus shot." He explained. 

"And when you die?" She asked. 

"You stay dead." Kurian said. 

"How do you know this works?" La Reina asked. 

"I've been testing it." 

"On humans? Show me. Show me how this works." She said. 

"Of course. I will just need a volunteer." Kurian spoke out turning to look at Murphy.

"I have just the man for you, Doctor Kurian," Escorpion said bringing Vasquez out. He was bloody and tied up. 

"He's still alive?" La Reina asked.

"Not for long," Escorpion said. 

"He's perfect then. Doctor. You have your volunteer." She waved her hand.  

"All ready, my queen," Kurian said when his tray was brought over to him. My hand clasped 10k's and he pulled me into his side.

"My friends. We stand on the precipice of a major scientific discovery. Remember this day. For it will mark the beginning of a New World Order. Of a Zero World Order." She said out to everyone. I just shook my head.

"Let us proceed. Hold him still goddammit." Kurian ordered. Escorpion pulled his gun out and aimed it at his head.

"No, stop," I said walking away from my group.

"What is his name?" Kurian asked. 

"Vasquez. Javier or something like that." Murphy spoke up waving a wine glass around. 

"Javier Vasquez. A name that will go down in history." Kurian said.