Chapter 44 Compassion

A dark red fire burns the AI. The cries of Herman can be heard from the screen above them with the two people looking in,

"What is fighting him?" Alex muttered

Judy looked down noticing the person watching Herman burn. They are covered in a cloak from their peering eyes. She had Lee and their staffers take a record of what the both of them had witnessed while Frankie wrote a note to the congress, warning them of the events happening in the senate,

"I'm not sure," Judy muttered

All of a sudden a gold light came from the screen with a voice coming from it.

"I know this won't turn you away Herman,"

Shai observed the fire burn Herman, it was darker than before almost black wrapped around Herman, he looked around him feeling himself burn within the fire. He felt as if he had skin that the fire could burn off. he could feel the fire start to burn through him as he started to the side and glared at Shai.

"This will not be my end... "

Herman pulled his leg forward into the cloud. He yelled out before moving his other leg, Shai shook her head and was about to tell him that he was foolish, but the weapon shook.

"He's moving through the clouds?" Shai asked

It took again as it shined a bright white, Shai saw that Herman made it halfway through the clouds as she raised her weapon at him. She shot the bullet but something moved her hand.

"You can't stop me,"

She stared down at one of Herman's clones burnt apart, his grip tightened on Shai who breathed out in pain and lifted her leg,

"Off,"

Shai kicked back into the fire and stood watching Herman's hand reach out of the clouds,

"I will see this through Shai you can't stop... "

They both hear a bullet fire near the cloud. Herman pulled his head out of the cloud. He turned to Shai and let out a laugh,

"You have caught me off guard before. Now I will not underestimate you Shai,"

Shai glared at him as he served in pain pulling out his body. He leaned over having the burning sensation lessen, his head twitched and turned with his limps, he stood up fixing his legs, and went to fix his arms,

"For what you have done so far," Herman muttered

He fixed his arm and moved it around, before trying to fix the other,

"You will be a slow death Shai," Herman continues

He fixed his arm and glared at Shai, she felt the weapon shake again. Shai looked over at Herman finding him in front of her with a sickening pain in her stomach. Shai coughed out blood onto Herman,

"You shouldn't have placed that cloud around me, Shai," Herman said

He twisted his hand into her stomach, Herman stared down at her and Shai leaned down on his shoulder. Herman leaned to her ear whispering,

"You should just expect that you will lose against me. You have nothing against me Shai. You will die here while finish what they... I want," Herman whisper

Herman tried to move his hand into his stomach but he felt a hand grab his. He looked at Shai shocked, she had blood dripping down her chin with her hand clasped on his, her vines glowed gold with her eyes staring down at him. Herman pulled his hand lifting his leg and kicking Shai away from him,

"You should give up,"

Shai moved her hand to the ground stopping her. Shai felt her hands burn with the gold starting to spread into her arms, she had the weapon appear in her other hand, shaking rapidly. She felt her hair being tugged making her look up at Herman, he grinned at her and told her,

"Just give in Shai... You have no chance to defeat me."

He kicked her side making her shout in pain before Herman punched her,

"Given in Shai. I will achieve my goal and you will be the first then,"

Shai was slowly standing up with the weapon on her hip glowing. Herman punched her again leaving her staggered,

"Then I will end those pitiful confidantes of yours. Then figure out how to end those that helped you achieve such strength,"

Herman saw that Shai was leaning back with her head staring up at the screen, he scowled at this and went to kick her thigh waiting to send her back to her knees, but Shai didn't bend. She had her hair covering her eyes,

"You have made a grave mistake, "

Herman looked at her, her voice. It was lighter. Like rain falling from the sky, a drizzle. Shai stared up at him her eyes glowing a menacing gold, the brown that was once they were gone, her vines shined the same color but it was up to her neck,

"This is new," Herman muttered

He lifts his hand to hit her again and it lands on her cheek, But it didn't move her. Shai grabbed Herman's wrist pushing him away from her,

"You won't do anything, Herman," Shai let out

She stood straight and glared at Herman, he felt something off with her. Something in her has changed. Herman scoffed at this,

"What makes you think that Shai? Haven't I proven to you that you are insignificant?" He mocked

He started at her dully, before a loud voice came from her but her lips didn't move.

"You know not what I am, "

Shai glanced at him before running to Herman raising her fist, Herman lifted his hand to stop her but Shai kicked it away, and Herman felt his arms scatter. He felt the air move past him as he fell on some code,

Shai felt her vines beaming heat going up to her neck,

"You say that I'm insignificant," Shai scoffed

Shai materializes before Herman who leans on his other arm to repair it, Shai lifts her leg and kicks Herman before he can, Shai feels her weapon appear in her hand and aims its shot at Herman, Shai sees the glow of it. It was green laced with it's color of lightning.

Shai nodded and shot at Herman, he saw that a bullet had gone past him and he fell right next to it, Shai stared down at Herman who was still trying to recollect himself. He felt his strength start to fade in his left arm and started to ponder.

"How could one punch from her do this to me?"

He could feel the weak spread up into his shoulder as Shai slammed her foot down onto his stomach, Herman yelled out in pain as Shai spoke to him.

"But on the contrary. It is you that are wasting your potential Herman,"

The codes shifted from under him wrapping around him, Herman tried to move out of the codes but could not. Tried to shift through the codes but that didn't work. He felt enormous pain going through him while Shai watched, as the lightning wrapped around Herman making him cry out,

"Let me out of this Shai."

"I thought you wanted to kill me first Herman. What happens to all that confidence?" Shai asked

The electricity crackled around Herman burning at his frame. Herman moved out of the codes that held him but failed to scream out.

"I can't let this stop me... This weakness you have caused... It couldn't be me."

He looked up with a glint of orange in his eyes. Shai looked at him bizarrely.

"Why would he have that in his eyes?" Shai thought

Herman squirmed in the lightning while it constricted its hold on him, Herman saw a memory.

"Come on Herman,"

A pool of blood lies under Sidney as Yuval tries to confer with him, while Herman stares at Sidney's dead body with no emotion in his eyes. He thought it died with her.

Herman screamed out in pain as the lightning crushed him into the codes,

"Sidney!"

The area went quiet around them as the lighting stopped crushing Herman, he looked up at Shai who was staring down at him with a hard glare, but something was off.

"I know you have had a bad deal done to you Herman,"

The lightning lessened almost disappearing, Herman tried to regain control of his body,

"That not an excuse for your crimes Herman," Shai finished

"No, I have every right to my goal Shai,"

Shai felt the weapon shake in her grasp wearing her Herman, Shai let out a cry as Herman looked at her holding her stomach,

"You are just like the rest of humanity Shai," Herman muttered

Shai looked down at the ground, there was a bundle of code formed beneath her that stabbed her in the stomach, she held her stomach as Herman stood up and stared at her.

"Always with compassion you humans," He said

Shai looked down at her hands and saw that her hands glowed gold,