We were currently standing in front of the special room I made just for Jen and my parents. Luckily, my parents did not need to be put inside this place since it was kind of like a jail cell. “Ai, what is the meaning of this!? Why did you kidnap us!?”

“The first thing you ask is that? What about saying hi to the daughter you haven’t seen in like five years?” I was kind of pissed. I looked at the two with cold eyes. I mean, come on, your daughter is right there in front of you, and you ignore her like she is just air.

“That has nothing to do with what you have just done! We were about to finalize a major business plan!” Jen’s father did not seem to understand anything. 

“I see. So, in your eyes, the little girl you gave birth to means nothing to you. She went missing for a year and a half, but you have no reaction when you see her. I guess I should have known.” I really wanted to walk into the damn cell and beat their asses.

“Ai…. Send them back. Since they love their work so much, then fuck it.” Jen’s tone told me she had given up. 

“Are you sure? If I do this, there will be no going back….” We might still have a few days, but it will be harder for me to bring them back if they are expecting it.

“I am sure. Your parents treat me as their daughter, and I have you as well. Since work is all they care about and they have no feelings for me at all, then fuck it. Ai, send them back.” Jen’s eyes showed nothing but determination and coldness when she looked at her parents. She had changed a lot since the training. She had also killed other humans. She was no longer the weak girl from before.

“Okay….” I reached down and squeezed her hand before looking back at Jen’s parents. “I will say this now. This is your last chance. Do you wish to stay here with your daughter or go back to the company?”

“We do not have time right now! I do not see what the issue is. We give her money every month. Isn’t that enough!?” Jen’s mother was very cruel. 

I could not take it anymore. I opened the door to the room and walked in. I raised my hand and slapped Jen’s mother in the face. “Having a child and then leaving them home alone is neglect. You are not parents. Just two people who fucked and created a life to leave home alone. Since that is the case, you are not wanted here. When the world ends, and you are staring the grim reaper square in the face, think back to when your daughter tried to save your stupid fucking lives.” 

With that, I opened the portal to their company’s rooftop and kicked them both through it. I closed it right after, so they could not come back through. As soon as I was done, I turned around and pulled Jen into my arms. Her body trembled as she began to cry. Jen had only ever wanted the love of her parents. She strived for it since she was young, but even on her birthday, she was left alone. I know she had cried herself to sleep many nights when she was younger. I tried to do what I could for her, but I was not her lover nor her parents at that time, and I was very young. 

“Jen, no matter what, I will never leave you alone. I will always do my best to protect you.” I gently rubbed her back as she let out all her sadness. I saw my mother out of the corner of my eye. She, too, had tears in her eyes. I motioned with my head for her to come over, and she, too, hugged Jen tightly. “See, you are not alone anymore.”

“Yes, Ai is right. You are now our daughter in law. In olden times, when the daughter was married out, they were no longer part of the parental home. Since the world is going to end, those times will be pretty much revived, so we will just think of it like that. You are now our daughter and Ai’s wife.” My mother always had a strange way of putting things, but it seemed to allow Jen to let go of her last bit of sorrow as she cried her eyes out even more.

My father came to the door. I nodded to him. He nodded back before walking away. He was always like that. I love him, but he was a man of very few words. I have no idea how my mother fell in love with such a man. But I am glad she did because he is a very good father. 

We spent our next few days going over what to expect in the time to come. I sent out my drones all over the city so we could get a live view of everything that was going on. My drones would always be in the sky. With phase energy as a power source, they would never run out of power, so as long as they were not destroyed, they would hover in the air silently with their invisible cloaking on so that they could spy on the happenings below. I figured once the replicators passed through the city, we could go out for some fresh air at that time. 

And as the night fell and the sun rose once more, the day of the apocalypse had begun….