Boo!

I'm back again, ahead of schedule because I just couldn't stop once I started on this chapter! This is one with some big moments, so I'd brace yourselves!

Just a small heads' up, this chapter is a beast, but it felt so wrong to cut it off at any point. So I hope it doesn't feel too long to everyone!

Special thanks for reviews: Subtle Shenanigans, Tifflinck and sarahlucylu

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Markiplier, JackSepticEye or Matthias/Hi5 Universe. If you wish to use anything relating to my own universe, please ask first.

Chapter 4: Right Into Our Trap

All through his journey toward the beach, Mark couldn't help but fear what he was going to find. Ever since the call with Amanda his mind had been racing at a million miles an hour, worst-case scenarios flooding in and sometimes making him feel so nauseous that he almost pulled over more than once. He'd been on the road for roughly twenty minutes when he got a call and immense gratitude flooded through him when he spied the name. Jack suitably tried to distract him from what truth lay at the end of the road, but Mark could tell that Jack was already regretting not coming with him. The hesitancy in the Irishman's voice was something he could read between the lines of well now, but Mark was sure this was the better path.

At least then if it truly was Damien, Mark wouldn't have to fear for Jack's safety on top of everyone else's.

As he drew nearer, Mark couldn't help but think back to the fate of Damien's last host, and the mess that had been caused as a result of his possession. "Hey, Sean?" Mark asked to the still connected call. While they had been silent for the past while, Mark knew Jack was still there.

"Yeah?"

"Did they ever tell you his name?"

Jack didn't need to ask what Mark was alluding to. "No, they never did. After they ruled us out of any involvement, I never heard anything again. You?"

"No…and I feel bad for not having really thought any more about it before now. I wonder who he was, and why Damien took him. I can't help but wonder how long it had been…"

"Mark. I have thought about this and I asked Alix a bit more about their work. She said they had been developing the Dreamscape for close to three years before she was trapped. So by the time we came into the picture…" Jack was unsurprised when Mark didn't say anything: when it came to the consequences of Damien's actions Mark always took it extremely hard, even though he bore no fault. "Maybe we can do some digging after this. If we can find out who he was, maybe we can help his family like we did for Alix's?"

"I like that idea."

"I know what you are thinking, Mark. Don't go there."

"I can't help it, Sean. I mean, fuck- What if Matt is-"

"Don't fucking do it, Fischbach! You're assuming the worst already. Remember PMA, dude? We don't know anything, so don't go in having already played it out in your head."

Mark nodded but then stayed silent again, not having the energy to argue back against Jack. While Damien's last host had technically still been alive when they took him to a hospital after their first misadventure with the shadow creature, the reality was very different. His basic brain functions had been in tact, but doctors could find no presence of…well, his mind. Beyond the most fundamental parts of the brain keeping him alive, there was nothing beyond that. He was in a complete vegetative state. The ensuing questions had been hard for the group, and hearing that he had passed away about two weeks later had saddened them all.

Now, Mark couldn't help but fear that Matt was going to end up the same way.

Finally Mark pulled off the highway and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm twenty minutes away, Sean. How is everything on your end?"

"Nothing new here. Alix says to stay strong and just be yourself, you don't want to frighten any of the girls."

"I know. Shit, how am I going to hold it together around them? I really wish we'd told them now."

"Let's not think about that right now. Find Matt first, then we'll come up with a plan. She also says that maybe Luna is a good person to reach out to, since she's the one who is adamant that something in Matt has changed."

"Nice idea, I'll have to find some way of speaking to her alone though. Hopefully she can help me work out either way what is going on."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. The hardest part will probably be what you say to Amanda. If it really is him, do you have any idea what you'll tell her?"

"Not the slightest clue…I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

Before Mark knew it, he was parking the car in front of the house. It was the early evening and he could see everyone was inside the front room, seemingly involved in a board game. He sent a quick message to Amanda and she picked up on it almost immediately. "Sean, that's me at the house. I'll keep you updated on what happens."

"All right. Good luck, Mark, and be careful. I really hope we're doing the right thing."

"You and me both, bud. Speak to you soon."

Mark disconnected the call just as Amanda appeared at the front door. She closed it delicately behind her as Mark jumped out of the car. The pair hugged as soon as Mark got close enough, and he could feel the relief pour off Amanda. He gently pulled away to get a good look at her. Although Amanda was smiling, he could see the worry written all over her face: the stress of her concern was starting to have a more obvious effect and Mark's heart clenched. At this point, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be right or wrong about what was happening to Matt, not knowing which scenario was worse. Either Damien had take hold of him, or something they couldn't solve was slowly degenerating his quality of life. "It's really good to see you, Mark," she spoke softly, making sure to not be heard by those inside.

He gave her a smile back. "It's good to be here. How has the vacation been?"

"It's been great, up until a couple of days ago. Don't get me wrong, it's still been great fun, but all of us are worrying even more about Matt; I just wish he'd open up to what's wrong."

Mark hugged her again, tighter this time. "Try not to worry, Amanda. We'll figure it out."

"I'm surprised Jack isn't with you."

He pulled away and sighed. "Sean wanted to be here, but we couldn't afford for us both to come." Mark hated how much of the story he was leaving out, but he was determined to not lie to Amanda if he could avoid it. Just then Amanda's phone pinged and Mark smiled. "Don't be surprised if you get a message from him though."

Giving Mark a questioning look, she pulled out her phone and her face relaxed to a soft smile at the message she saw.

Wish I was there, keep smiling Amanda! X

Amanda laughed slightly. "He is so sweet sometimes."

Mark nodded with a broad smile. "That's Sean all right. Come on, let's go in. I'm sure everyone has wondered where you've gone."

With that Amanda led the pair of them in, re-entering the living room with a beaming smile. "I came across someone outside, I hope you don't mind if we have an extra player?"

Everyone turned to face her curiously, and Amy's face lit up at seeing Mark walk through the door, a big smile on his face as he waved. "Mark!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and tackled him in a warm hug. Mark breathed her in as they embraced, his girlfriend's presence enough to ease his frayed nerves. He was so happy to see them all unharmed, dispelling several of the cataclysmic scenarios which had been playing through his head. Amy pulled away with a quick kiss and stood there dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

Mark shrugged. "I figured I'd catch some rays with you guys before the trip was over. Hope you don't mind the invasion."

"Of course not, Mark," Signe assured him with a curious expression. "How come Sean isn't with you?"

"He's still working, but since it only needed one of us, he told me to come here. Besides, we've both been wondering how Matt has been, since we didn't want to pester you guys on vacation." Mark turned to look at Matt and he had to carefully control his expression. The red eyes which stared back were not the shade he had been expecting, but the expression on Matt's face made his stomach drop: it was mild surprise mixed with…satisfaction, or - dare he even say it - triumph.

Shit.

'Matt' stood and walked over to Mark, clapping him on the back strongly before speaking chirpily. "I've never been better, dude. It's great to see you, though I am shocked you are here. You're just in time for the end of the game. I reckon we'll be done in about ten minutes if you want in for another round?"

Mark nodded, trying his best not to stare suspiciously. Though it seems like Matt, something is definitely off. His whole expression is just…wrong. It's not the same carefree man I know. Fuck. Matt, what has he done to you? "Sure, I'm happy to go for the next round. Where's Luna, is she asleep?"

Amanda nodded. "Yeah, though I imagine she'll have woken up with all the noise in here. I'll just go get her."

Spotting an opportunity, Mark smiled as he lay a hand on her arm. "Don't worry, I'll grab her. You guys finish your game and I'll bring her through."

He cheered internally as his suggestion was accepted and he wandered up the stairs. Just as he was leaving, Damien turned toward the mirror and gave a quick smirk towards his captive. None of the others could see the truth behind the reflective surface, and it was slowly destroying Matt being forced to watch the world from his prison. Damien had set it so whenever he was in an area with a mirror, Matt could see from that perspective. While the man tried his best to not watch or hear anything, it was incredibly hard. Hearing Mark's name be mentioned had caught a firm grasp of Matt's attention and he could only watch the conversation which had unfolded. It had taken him all of one second to twig the look of recognition of Mark's face.

Crap…Mark, what are you doing here? What is Damien going to do now?

Upstairs, Mark knocked on Luna's door to not startle her if she was awake. Mark was surprised to see Luna sitting on the floor playing with some toys when he opened the door, and even more shocked when she abruptly stood and raced towards him. He quickly knelt and scooped her into an embrace, his concern growing when he felt her gripping so tight. Mark and Luna had grown close over the past year since Mark regularly babysat her. "Hey sweetie, you okay?" he asked gently, rubbing her back.

Luna nodded into his neck and Mark sat on the bed, but didn't put her down. It seemed Luna was quite happy with this arrangement when she didn't budge an inch. "Your mommy said you have been a bit weird around your daddy," he prompted gently, unsurprised when he got another nod. He encouraged her to sit back a little and rested her on his hip as Mark looked at her tenderly. "Can you tell me why? What's wrong with daddy?"

She hesitated a little. "You don't think I'm being silly?" she asked in a small voice, clearly unsure.

Mark nodded at her encouragingly. "Promise I don't think you're being silly, you're a very clever girl." Luna giggled and Mark could feel the tension leaving her little body. "So, you going to tell me, or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?" he teased, laughing as he saw her eyes go wide.

"No tickling, Mark! That's not fair!" Mark had to bit his lip to not chuckle at the glare she was trying to give him, but she was just too cute to be taken seriously.

"I'll play nice if you tell me the truth, Luna. Why does your daddy not feel right?"

She sat and thought for a couple of seconds before speaking. "It's not him."

Mark looked at her in confusion. "It's not him? What do you mean, honey?"

"I dunno…when he holds me I get shivers. I don't want to be near him. I don't like his eyes, my daddy's eyes are warm. They're mean now."

He thought this over for a moment before nodding at her. "Thank you, sweetie. That helps a lot."

Luna looked at him in wonder. "You think I'm telling the truth?"

"Of course I do, you wouldn't make this up, Luna; and despite what your mom might say, I don't think you are being silly, either." Mark's heart hurt when Luna threw herself back against his neck tightly. While Damien may not have hurt anyone physically, poor Luna was scared and confused. "I'm going to fix your daddy, sweetheart. I promise you."

Luna nodded against him again but the moment was disturbed by Amanda coming in the room. She saw the pair in a tight embrace and she knelt next to the bed. "Hey," she started gently, "did she have a bad dream?"

Mark shook his head. "No, but it's our little secret." Amanda gave him a suspicious look, at which Mark pretended to zip his lips. "Sorry, Amanda, but I will never tell a lady's secrets, no matter how small they are." Luna smiled against his neck and Mark rubbed her back. "I take it the game is over then?"

Amanda nodded. "Yes, Amy won again. Your girlfriend has won almost every game we've played, and the few rounds she hasn't have been claimed by Signe. Matt and I are yet to win anything yet, it has been bizarre."

With a laugh, Mark kept a hold of Luna as they went back down the stairs. Everyone noticed how the little girl didn't want to be put down and she went with her mother very reluctantly as Amanda got her some food. While they were away, Mark went over to the mirror in the living room to make sure he wasn't looking totally dishevelled, rearranging himself as needed. Just before he was about to move though, he froze.

His eyes had drifted to Matt, or at least Matt's body, and his stomach hit the floor. In the reflection of the mirror, it was Damien he could see speaking with his girlfriend only a few feet behind him. White hot rage burned through him right then, his fury at how Damien had assimilated himself into Matt's life becoming visible. Just then, the shadow turned and smirked for a split second in the mirror.

Fuck, he wants me to see. He wants me to know he's in control.

Slipping back into character, Damien spoke up. "Everything all right, Mark? You're staring at yourself for a long time."

You son of a bitch. Mark plastered on a smile, doing his best to make it appear genuine. "Well, with looks like these, who wouldn't?" Everyone laughed, but Mark and Damien were locked in a furious battle of glares. Their eyes were like ice behind the friendly smiles.

From within the mirror, Matt watched the exchange helplessly. After days of being trapped within, Matt banged his fists against the glass, screaming, despite knowing it was futile. "Mark!" His friend was only a foot away from him and couldn't fucking see him! When Mark looked dead ahead Matt momentarily froze, hope bursting in his chest involuntarily. While it appeared to Mark that he was staring at his own eyes, he was unknowingly staring straight into Matt's at the same time.

The half-Korean's gaze hardened in determination, and the small whisper he gave broke Matt's heart. "I'll save you, Matt, I swear."

From within his prison Matt could see the cruel smirk which flitted across the face of his stolen body, clearly seeing the position they were in. Matt screamed at the top of his lungs, the mixture of helplessness, anger and despair at the situation eating him right down to the core.

He wished there was something, anything, he could do. Damien was leading Mark into a trap, and there wasn't a damn thing Matt could do to stop it.

Mark spent the night with the group, but made a point not to be left alone with Damien at any point. He didn't want to face him with so many innocent people nearby, and instead made sure he was always busy. As they went to sleep for the night Mark announced that Jack had requested he return to their project, and Mark was eternally grateful that nobody questioned him further on it. He was desperate to get as far away as possible – and to come up with a plan.

Early morning saw him set off after sharing a brief goodbye, doing his utmost to make sure not to tip anyone off to his tumultuous thoughts; though it had been hard when he was forced to bid farewell to Damien in the same way as he would Matt. His stomach contents soured at the hug they shared, and it took all of Mark's willpower to keep everything under control. Then it got worse when Damien whispered in his ear.

"See you again soon, Mark."

Mark fought the immense urge to punch the shadow and just managed to force out a smile which could almost pass as genuine. He tried to not rush the rest of his goodbye, but he couldn't get out of there fast enough – everything about the whole situation was just so wrong. As soon as he had pulled away from the driveway and was on the road, Mark frantically dialled Jack's number.

Jack picked up on the first ring. "Mark! I've been waiting all night to hear from you. Please tell me it's good news."

Within his car, Mark was fighting to keep his focus on the road as he tried to wrestle his thoughts under control. "I think I would have messaged you long before now if it was, Sean."

Mark could almost feel the sudden fear which had possessed Jack's voice. "Fuck. Matt-Shit! What about the girls? Signe, Amy, Amanda and Luna, are they all right? Please tell me that bastard hasn't-"

"Sean! They're all okay, I made extra sure they were all fine while I was there. Damien hasn't touched them, and they've no idea about him, all they know is that Matt is acting weirdly."

"Was there? Wait, do you mean you are coming back to Digitalia?"

"Yeah. I learned all I needed to: Damien has somehow taken control of Matt, and we need to try and save him. Get everything set up for us jumping back in, we'll need Alix's help with this too."

And that was exactly what they did. The 'three hour' drive back to Digitalia was a lot less courtesy of Mark pushing the speed limit a few times, but the panic over what was happening to Matt was making him reckless. He didn't want to leave Matt in Damien's hands any longer than he had to, and every minute was going to count.

He had barely stopped the car outside the base when he leapt out of it, not even bothering to remove his keys as he raced towards the uplink room. Jack spied the touch of madness in Mark's eyes when the other man burst through and didn't even stop him to ask any questions. He simply handed Mark a set of emitters and programmed the timer for their upload to the Dreamscape. Mark was infinitely grateful that Jack shared his sense of urgency.

They appeared in the forest a short time later, and Jack was unsurprised when he found a pair of teleportation stones ready for them at their spawn point. He'd tipped Alix off to their return and briefed her as best he could with what little he knew about the situation. Mark could explain the rest when they were reunited.

Alix was waiting for them with an anxious expression beside her desk as Mark and Jack teleported into her study, greeting them both with a long hug. She held Mark for slightly longer before stepping back, leaning back against her desk. "What happened, Mark?" she asked outright. "What did you find?"

Mark sat in one of the chairs at the edge of the room while Jack perched on a stack of thick books not far from Alix, the pair watching the half-Korean expectantly. He rubbed a frantic hand through his hair, wishing he didn't have to waste time explaining. "I got to the house and everything seemed fine. All of the girls were unharmed and everyone was hanging out together, but as soon as I looked at Matt I knew. His eyes aren't exactly the same shade as they were in here, but he made it pretty damn obvious he was in control. I got all the confirmation I needed once I saw him in a mirror. I saw it was Damien, not Matt in the reflection. And what was worse, he was smirking at me. The fucking bastard wanted me to know."

Jack and Alix shared a horrified look, Mark confirming their worst fears. The pair of them had discussed the possibility that Damien wasn't really trying to hide himself from those who knew about him, and they had already talked over possible solutions. "I don't know what to say, Mark," Alix spoke softly, seeing the guilt in his face. "What I do know is that none of this is your fault. You do not control Damien, and…there is every chance this has been his plan for a long time."

Mark coughed out a hoarse laugh. "So why now? Why wait a year to come back? What's changed?" The other two stared at him for a couple of seconds before turning away, neither of them having an answer. Mark sighed and dropped his head in his hands. "What the fuck are we going to do?"

Alix turned her gaze to Jack and nodded at him. The Irishman followed her prompt and tried to get Mark's attention. "Mark." A couple of seconds passed before Mark raised his eyes to meet Jack's. "Alix and I talked about a scenario like this and, well…we've got an idea." Mark sat up straighter as Jack continued. "Funnily enough you gave us the inspiration for this. Remember what you said to me before you left? You didn't want to risk me coming with you as we can't fight Damien in the outside world."

Mark continued to look at him blankly and Jack realised just how stressed he was: normally Mark would have picked up on his hint instantly. "Mark, we just need to bring him back here, to the Dreamscape. We can fight back against him in Glaysha, and maybe we can get Matt to help too. If Damien is suppressing him, we can split them apart. The four of us just might have a chance.'

The half-Korean looked doubtful. "And how to fuck do we do that, Sean? Damien is a spirit, he can jump in and out of his host body as he pleases, we saw that ourselves from the security tapes. What is to stop him doing it again?"

"I have a thought on that," Alix interjected, drawing their gazes to her. "You said that Damien's shade of eyes was almost red, Mark? Out of curiosity, did either of you notice what colour his eyes were in his old host?" The both shook their heads, not having paid that much attention. "They were green. I think that they went such a weird shade because Damien is having to keep control of Matt. And if Matt is fighting against him, maybe he can hear us? If we can somehow reach Matt and convince him to try and keep Damien stuck inside his own body until we get them here…"

Jack and Mark mulled this over in their minds. "It could maybe work," Jack said, unsure, "but how do we get them here? There's no way Damien would come willingly, especially as made sure Mark knows he is there."

Mark sat up abruptly, so thankful for the useless pieces of information he had accumulated in his brain. It was absolutely insane…but it could work. "I've got it."

With a plan finally in hand, Mark and Jack waited until halfway through the next afternoon to head back to LA. As much as Mark wanted to head away sooner, they had to wait until the others were back before they could make their move, and they had stayed a night longer at the beach then originally planned – apparently at Matt's prompting. They instantly figured it was part of Damien's attempts to disrupt any plans they might have come up with.

Jack had been texting Signe throughout the day to make sure she was all right, worried about leaving her in the shadow's company but it seemed for the responses that she was completely fine. Mark had been doing the same with Amy, and both men were immensely relieved that Damien had left them alone: though neither of them were entirely sure why. After their first encounter with the shadow, they didn't think he had any problems with using those close to them as weapons. Apparently, they had been wrong.

While they were gone, Alix promised to gather some supplies for them and work on a plan for how to corner Damien into a scenario which would benefit them, with or without Matt's help. She began working on a set of new commands to allow them to spawn with extra items in their inventories, but there was no guarantee it was going to work without testing. She was also going to see if she could unlock their Combateer statuses, to give them new skills to work with. Again, that was her attempting it on someone else without any method of trialling it, so they had no idea if it was going to work.

Their journey back had been tense, but Mark and Jack tried their best to keep the other suitably distracted, while going over the details of their plan. Neither of them had told the others they would be back tonight, and Mark had to swallow hard as he dialled a certain number. If this was going to work, they needed to get Damien away from Amanda and Luna. They were so glad that Signe had told Jack that she and Amy were going out for the night. That meant Mark's house was free…and they had their opportunity.

Mark switched his phone to Bluetooth and the pair waited anxiously as it rang. On the third ring, they had a connection. "Well…this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Jack watched Mark carefully and saw the hatred that his friend didn't even bother concealing at Damien's tone. "Come meet me, alone. You wanted my attention and you got it, Damien," Mark spat back. "I'll text you a location once I am back in the city."

"And why should I, Mark? What makes you think I will agree to those terms?"

Praying he had come to the right conclusion about why Damien had flown under the radar so much, Mark responded openly. "Because you want me, and that's all you want. You had plenty of opportunity to hurt any of the girls, but you didn't: you could even have picked a fight when I was at the house, but you didn't. You don't want them involved – I'm giving you that window. I just want them safe, and you want me. Do that, and you'll get the showdown you want."

A snort was his answer. "Very well, but do not test me. I do not have infinite patience."

Deciding to try his luck, Mark held out an olive branch. "I will be back tonight, in about three hours." Jack gave Mark a disbelieving stare. "You'll hear from me again in no more than two, once I have a meeting point."

"You have your wish, Mark. While I may not have hurt any of the others, I make no promises about Matt. If you are leading me on-"

"I'm not, I swear," Mark interrupted, not needing Damien to finish that threat. "I will be there, I promise you. While that may mean nothing to you, Matt's life definitely means something to me. Believe in that."

A few seconds of silence followed, which made Mark's heart begin to pound. "Do not leave me waiting." The call then disconnected.

As soon as that was done, Jack spoke up. "What the fuck, Mark?! Why did you tell him how long we would be?"

Mark's eyes hardened as he put his foot down hard on the accelerator. "Because that's not how long we're going to be. Just don't look at the speed, Sean, we've got some time to make up."

His 'creative interpretation' of the speed limits meant Mark and Jack made it back to LA half an hour earlier that he had told Damien, and gave them the time they needed. Following Mark's instruction, Jack texted Damien the location of their meet once they made it back to Mark's house and made sure the coast was clear. Knowing it would take Damien some time to drive over, Jack and Mark worked together to clear out one of the kitchen cupboards and help Jack hide inside. After giving their plan a couple of practice goes, they heard the soft whir of an electric car. Their eyes widened and Mark helped Jack hide again, knowing it was the moment of truth.

A knock echoed through the empty house a few seconds later. "It's open," Mark shouted, his eyes turning to ice as he saw Damien wander through, the sickening smirk appearing when he realised Mark truly was alone.

"Well, I must say I am surprised, Mark," the shadow purred, the tone sending chills down both Mark and Jack's spines. The Irishman couldn't see much through the tiny sliver of the kitchen cupboard, and would need to wait for Mark's signal before he could make his move. "And here I was thinking this was all a ruse."

Mark's eyes narrowed. "I am not your brother, I don't play with other people's lives. I wouldn't do anything to risk someone I care about, and I just want Matt safe. What will it take for you to let him go?"

Damien watched as Mark walked backwards when he closed the distance between them, his smile growing at seeing how Mark was unwilling to let him too close. From the side of the room, Matt was able to watch the events from the small mirror. He saw as Mark backed away from Damien, his heart hammering in his chest. Matt had no idea why Mark had engineered this meeting, but he had the horrible feeling it was going to go very badly.

Mark kept backing away slowly, leading Damien past the line of cupboards along the length of the kitchen. Jack saw the light in front of him be blocked as Mark drifted past and drew in a deep breath silently, preparing himself to pounce. "Hmph, we shall see about that," Damien hissed venomously, and Mark tried his hardest not to glance at Jack's hiding spot: if he gave Jack away now, Damien would have the complete upper hand. "What do you think it is I want, Mark?"

"My best guess…you want me gone. I'm the re-incarnation of your brother, that can't be easy to stare at."

Damien's eyes went icy as he kept stalking forward, unknowingly walking straight into Mark and Jack's trap. "It is not as simple as that, Mark…after all I went through the first time, do you think I would really be content with that? I want you to suffer first, and then I will finally have the satisfaction I crave."

Mark finally saw Damien reach the right point and grabbed the knife he had left out, flashing it at the shadow menacingly. Damien just laughed. "Oh please, Mark, that isn't going to frighten me. You'll only stab Matt, you can't harm me."

The half-Korean smiled. "That's not what I'm after, Damien."

Hearing that Mark had used their signal, Jack pounced. He burst forth from the cupboard and pinned Damien's arms, while using his legs to immobilise the shadow. In that moment of surprise, Damien turned his attention away from Mark to try and shake Jack off: exactly as they wanted. Mark dropped the knife and raced forwards, using his knowledge of pressure points to press down on the exact right places on Matt's body. His fingers pressed deeply into two points of Matt's neck, causing him to drop, unconscious.

The pair switched their focus and caught the limp form, while Matt watched in stunned silence from his prison. That was not what he expected. "How long is this going to keep him out, Mark?" Jack asked as the pair changed their grips to carry the body out to Mark's car.

"Best guess is a few hours," the older man replied hastily. "We can't hang around, though, we have no idea what effect Damien will have on this."

Jack nodded. "Right, let's get going then. Matt, if you can hear us, you really need to keep him inside you. We need time to get you back."

Matt stared at them in shock, amazed that they were trying to communicate with him. "Back? Back where?"

To the Dreamscape, of course. Matt's swore loudly as Damien hissed to him within his prison. I told you I wouldn't need you to take me back, Mark and Jack are doing it for me. And now…they are walking straight into our trap. Did the fools really think I didn't know Jack was here? No, this all too easy – and you can do nothing more than watch.

Matt began charging against the sides of his mirror cage, realising if there was any chance of foiling Damien's plan, he had to break free now. Damien laughed at his attempts. Oh Matt…seeing you struggle is amusing. There is nothing you can do now. We will return to the Dreamscape, and Anti will be ready with our new world. This time, the remnant will not be helping you. That demonic glitch can have fun with Jack and destroy him in front of Mark's eyes, while I will make sure he gets a front row seat as I end you. You will not foil us, this time.

A screech of desperation escaped Matt as he slammed his tired and battered body against the walls. Seeing his window to the outside world was about to close again, Matt shouted with all his might, praying that somehow his friends would hear him. "Mark! Jack! It's a trap! Don't fucking do it!"

They slipped beyond his view, and Matt could do nothing to stop the events that were unfolding. Damien had outplayed all of them – and they were about to enter a whole new world of pain.

Mark and Jack drove through the night with the unconscious form of Matt/Damien in the back of Mark's car, racing back to Digitalia before Damien seized back control. Jack kept a careful eye on the back as Mark drove them back to their destination, looking for the first sign of trouble. They thought long and hard before Mark enlisted Jack to send Amanda a text from his phone, telling her all they could. It wasn't the truth, but it was as close as they could get without spilling everything.

Hey Amanda,

So, we think we know what is wrong with Matt. It has to do with the super secret project we have been working on since last year, and we are now sure that what is causing his headaches is a result of that. That's the good news. The bad news is that we've sort of had to kidnap your husband. We'll do our best to bring him back fixed. And when this is over…we promise to tell you everything, all of you. Show this to Amy and Signe, and make sure the three of you hold us to our promise.

Don't be surprised if you don't hear back from us for a while, replying to messages is hard where we are.

Love you all, and we'll see you soon.

It was past midnight when Jack sent it, and they were just getting to the point where they knew signal was spotty. There was every chance that even if Amanda saw it before they made it to Digitalia, they wouldn't get the response until they reached the base. A quick look backwards saw that everything was still peaceful in the back of Mark's car.

They hoped that the fact he was still unconscious meant Matt was fighting back against Damien – completely unaware that Matt was an all but helpless spectator. He watched the pair from the rear view mirror in the car, wishing there was anything more he could do. His constant battering against his mirror prison had cracked every surface to the point where what lay beneath was almost indistinguishable, but he just couldn't make that final breakthrough. His energy was all but expended, and he knew he maybe had one last charge left in him.

What was quite telling was Damien's reaction. To being with, he had simply let Matt go about his endeavours, knowing he wouldn't do any damage. Now, Damien was consciously striking back. Matt could tell he was close to breaking through, but he needed time to recover.

Time was something he did not have: Mark and Jack were determined to get back to Digitalia as fast as possible. Their plan to stop Damien was going to stop Matt from breaking free, and Matt knew that fact was giving Damien the greatest satisfaction of all.

They arrived at Digitalia far earlier than Matt knew it should have taken and he screamed from within his cage as the pair got out from the car, knowing this was it. He had to break free now, or all of them were going to fall into Damien and Anti's trap. Whatever it was, it was going to be devastating to all of them. Summoning the last of his effort, Matt hauled his tired, battered and bloodied form upright one last time. He willed himself to focus hard and threw himself hard against the window before him.

Matt barely stayed awake from the impact, giving it all he had in one last, desperate assault. The barrier cracked severely, and Matt felt hope bloom in his chest when a small breeze broke through to touch him. That hope was extinguished when the window went dark, Damien's powers sealing it shut – and leaving Matt no way to see what was going on in the world before him.

You are more of a pest than I gave you credit for, Matt. It matters not, now. You have no more opportunities, and your time is up. I will see you inside, in a nightmare you could not begin to comprehend.

He just about heard Damien before he slipped into the blackness beckoning him.

I'm sorry, guys…

Jack helped Mark slip Matt's unconscious form onto the half-Korean's back, and the pair hurried through Digitalia to the uplink room. Knowing time was of the essence, Mark placed Matt in one of the pods while Jack set up their entry to the Glaysha simulation. The Irishman quickly checked to see where Alix was and was glad to see she was at their predetermined meeting point on the overworld map. Mark approached him with a set of uplinks and the pair prepared themselves one they made sure that Matt's body was ready. Jack stared at his vitals carefully, making sure they hadn't missed anything while Mark made one last check of the upload sequence.

Once they were satisfied that they were fully prepared, the pair of them turned to look at each other. "Are we ready for this?" Jack asked, knowing this was the point of no return for them.

Mark thought for a couple of seconds before answering. "Let's send Amy and Signe one last message, just so they don't get too worried. At least if they go to Amanda and see the consistency between our messages, that might help reassure them." The pair stood and typed out their messages, thinking for a while before they committed to sending them. While Mark had gone for something short and to the point with Amy, Jack did his utmost to reassure Signe that they would be back as soon as they could. They both promised to tell them the truth of their trips over the past year when they returned.

With that done, Mark and Jack placed their phones into a power point and linked them to the Dreamscape. They turned to give each other a final look before Mark nodded, knowing the moment had come. "Hit it, Sean. Let's give this bastard hell."

Jack initiated the upload sequence and the pair took their places in their pods. They could both hear their hearts racing on the monitors up above but they were both feeling the strain: Matt's future rested on them freeing him from Damien's control.

Connection to Glaysha matrix established. Upload in 30 seconds.

They tried their best to steady their breathing, knowing the upload went smoother the more relaxed they were, but they couldn't help it. So much was riding on what was going to happen within.

Launch sequence initialized. Upload in 10 seconds.

Knowing there was nothing more to be said, the pair looked over at each other and gave one last nod as the timer expired. They returned to their resting positions and closed their eyes, awaiting their reawakening within the Dreamscape

Two seconds after their upload had begun, the main control monitor blinked into a new program

[…]

Uploadcondition:Matthew_Fredrick=TRUE

Initializing Mesmeria Simulation.

Redirect(Mark_Fischbach, Sean_McLoughlin, Matthew_Fredrick)=TRUE

Mesmeria Simulation loading at 86%

Redirect(Antiseptieye)=TRUE

Mesmeria Simulation loading at 100%.

Upload commencing.

WARNING

Mesmeria parameters unstable, simulation stability at 62%.

Immediate withdrawal and shutdown is recommended to prevent loss of data.

And so it begins all over again. I hope you all enjoyed this part (despite the absolute monstrous length), please let me know what you thought.

Next time…the world of Mesmeria awaits! See you all then!

*Smooch*