The next time Chris woke up, he was feeling better than he had in weeks. His torso still hurt, but it was easier to breath. He rolled on to his side and only winced at the pain. In his sleepy haze he pulled his brother closer and breathed in his scent. As far as he was concerned, everything had been a bad dream, and now he and Martin were back together. He vowed he'd never lose him again. As he pulled him even closer, he realized something felt off. Martin was too soft, and he was cooler than usual. His brother always ran hotter than him.
When he cracked an eye open and saw it was only a pillow his heart sank. He was in Martins bedroom, although how he got there was a mystery. He let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. He felt so many emotions at once and he couldn't seem to settle on one. The longer he lay in Martins bed, sadness seemed to win out. When the tears threatened to spill over, he rolled over and yelled into the pillow until he was breathless.
A few more shaky breaths and he rolled out of bed. As much as he wanted to stay in bed for the rest of his life, He had to pull himself together. Everyone needed him.
He might have felt better, but his body still looked pretty rough. He had a large bruise on his ribs and he was a little more thin and pale than usual. As he felt his cheek for the cut, he discovered he had grown a beard without knowing. Chris couldn't help but smile imagining what Martin would think.
Thinking about his brother brought back the memory of Martin on his knees, begging for forgiveness. The desperate kiss. And then having to watch him being dragged out by Zach and his Zachbots. What was happening to him? Had he been brainwashed again, or had something even worse happened?
Chris walked out into the control room, heading for his spare creature power suit, when a lump on the table shifted.
"Jimmy!? What on earth happened?" Chris questioned. He had thought the whole team was lost to Donita, so it was a little shocking to see the redhead sleeping at the table. Jimmy looked pretty rough himself. It looked as though he had been sleeping here in his clothes, if he was even sleeping at all. The dark rings under his eyes made Chris doubt it.
"Oh thank the gods you're awake, Chris. I wasn't sure what else I could do." He leaned back and slumped in his chair. "I thought I was going to lose you too."
"Lose me too? What happened, did someone-" Chris panicked, but was cut off by Jimmy.
"No! No, I'm sorry. I should have worded that different. I meant that everyone else was captured by Zach and Donita." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I did my best to keep things running on my own, but I'm not sure it was enough. I didn't want to be useless for once."
Chris remembered that the tellurium crystals had been shattered, but as he looked around, it seemed like the Tortuga was up and running normally. It must have meant that Jimmy hadn't been far behind Zach the other night. The ship wouldn't have survived if that wasn't the case. It also explained how he ended up in bed and taken care of.
"For once? Hey, you got the Tortuga up and running, and you kept me from dying. I wouldn't say you were useless." Chris smiled and sat down at the table. "What's gotten in to you?"
"Martin… he told me I always fuck things up. I mean, I know I screw up sometimes but-" Jimmy explained, his voice wavering.
"Stop. Martin, he… he isn't himself. You know he doesn't actually think those things. He loves you like a brother, and I do too."
Chris had obviously missed quite the reunion between Martin and the rest of the group. His brother was becoming dark under the influence of Donita and Zach. He had killed and poached animals, physically attacked him, and now verbally attacked the group. Chris honestly believed that the conditioning had worn off of Martin when he was in the Tortuga, but he had no doubt that Donita had reversed it once he was back with her. It couldn't be good for Martin's head. He had been in so much pain when he broke free from the brainwashing.
"Yeah. I know. I feel the same way about the whole group. We're a family." Jimmy gave a sad smile. "I really let them down."
"We're going to find them, Jimmy. I promise. Tell me everything you know and we can start planning."
Jimmy explained how he had saved the ship, as well as his life. Apparently a week had passed, much to Chris' shock. He felt as though he had wasted so much time sleeping in bed, regardless of how much his body needed it. He did laugh out loud when he heard about how Jimmy had nursed him back to health.
"As long as I don't grow gills, I forgive you." He smiled at the redhead. Then Jimmy slid a brochure across the table.
"This is all I've been able to figure out regarding what Donita is up to." Jimmy pointed to an article inside. It was a brochure for the Berlin Fashion Show, and one of the featured designers was Donita Donata. According to the brochure, she been invited to show on the official catwalk schedule at Berlin Fashion Week to feature her revered collections as a last minute entry.
"This says the Fashion Week has already started. We still have time at least, it looks like her show isn't until tomorrow night." Chris scanned the schedule.
"You're proposing we ambush her there? Are you sure you want to go up against her, alone, and in such a public area? She'll be better prepared than last time." Jimmy wondered aloud. "This whole plan sounds like de ja vu."
"I'm worried this will be our last chance, that she and Martin will flee to some remote area and we'll never see any of them again." He was holding on to faith that Donita would bring Martin to the show. It was reckless, but he hoped that if he could get close enough for Martin to see him again he would remember. Chris didn't bother to tell Jimmy that there was the possibility that Martin had already been collared and was already permanently lost to them. He wanted to get his brother away from her, even if Martin was collared and would hate him forever. "I have to try, Jimmy. Even if we fail, we have to keep trying until we get them back."
"Yeah, I understand. The thought of the girls with Zach or Donita really rubs me wrong. But you need a plan. You can't just walk backstage." Jimmy said.
"But maybe we could? We have creature powers. I could transform into a fly and sneak in."
"Don't forget the Tortuga isn't up to normal capacity. I think there would only be enough juice for one transformation. Are you sure you wouldn't rather transform into a tiger and just maul Donita and Zach?" They shared a laugh over the idea.
"I suppose you're right though, only use it if I absolutely have to. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do once I find everyone." Chris thought out loud. How can you make a plan without knowing all the details? Martin would have scoffed and run head first into the situation. He was more of an on-the-fly sort of planner.
"I want to help in some way, but I'm scared." Jimmy admitted, pulling Chris from his thoughts.
"It's okay Jimmy, I am too. You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable doing." Chris admired Jimmy for wanting to help, but he knew how skittish the redhead could be in high pressure situations. He didn't even remember a time when Jimmy activated his power suit Aviva had made for him. "You can stay here and monitor the situation as it changes. You can be my eyes and ears."
Jimmy smiled, appeased. Since they only had one day, the two of them attempted an all-nighter to plan for various situations that could arise. Eventually the two fell asleep in the early morning hours, both exhausted from fighting different and yet similar battles.
"Wow, it's so packed out there!" Martin hugs Donita from behind and kisses her shoulder. "They're all here to see your beautiful designs. I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me. I have a gift for you." She pulled out a garment bag from a closet and handed it to him. When he unzipped it, white feathers popped out. "You said you would model it for me, remember?"
Martin isn't sure why, but the feathered coat makes him feel anxious. He ran his hands through the soft feathers remembering how he had killed the bird, snapping its fragile neck with his teeth. How he kissed his brother and then punished him for rejecting him. He felt himself get angry, and he clenched the fabric in his hands.
"Martino?" Donita placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright? You look like you're a million miles away."
He looked back at Donita, feeling guilty. He hadn't been feeling good all week since his escapade with Zach. She informed him that they had been attacked by his brother and he had been knocked out. Thankfully Zach had been there to rescue him. Since then, his mind was restless.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He replied, pulling out the white feathered coat. "I love it, it's beautiful."
Donita knew he was barely brainwashed, as Zach had put it. It didn't seem to take a strong hold like it had last time, and she was positive it was because of Chris Kratt. Throughout the week she had constantly found Martin lost in thought or confused. Once he had even gotten excited when he saw her captive lynx and started prattling off 'fun facts' as he called them.
Zach warned her that he could come back to himself at any time and from any small memory. He urged her to collar him, but she wanted to wait. She knew Chris would show up, and it was time to pay him back for all the times he ruined her plans.
Chris crept through the crowd, trying to blend in. He had to do some last minute, very expensive shopping just to wear something inconspicuous. Underneath his long black coat he wore his creature power suit with a pine marten power disc loaded, and a tuft of fur in his pocket. He wasn't sure if he'd need it, but it would be a good creature power to escape with if he needed to. He also knew that Martin would get a kick out of his animal choice.
A group of ladies he passed chattered compliments to him, and one even asked him what he was doing after the show. Chris thanked them, politely declined and continued on. He had to agree though, he thought he looked pretty good in these clothes but their lack of field functionality and cost just weren't worth it. He only needed them for tonight hopefully. He had kept his beard too, to be further unrecognisable. The plan could backfire, however. Chris was hoping that if Martin had been re-brainwashed he would recognize him and snap out of it like last time. If he looked too different, he worried it wouldn't work.
Another lady stepped in front of him and smiled. She wore a simple black dress that Chris was sure was overpriced. When he smiled and tried to step around, the lady stepped back in his path.
"Excuse me." He tried stepping the other way, only to be blocked again.
"I'm with one of the designers." She held out her hand for him to shake. "One of our male models just dropped out and we need an emergency replacement. You look about the right size, are you interested?"
"No thanks, I'm looking for a friend." He shook her hand anyways. The hand immediately turned in to a metal claw and clamped his arm. Zachbots in disguise, great, Chris thought.
"You're perfect though. I know my designer will be very happy I found you." She grinned. As she started to drag him away, he pulled at the clamp with all his strength but it would not budge. He sighed, sad that he would have to use his powers so soon. At least he would be able to hide from the other Zachbots that were probably hidden out in the crowd somewhere. He activated his pine marten power and slipped out of the robots grip.
Now that he was so small, the crowded areas were dangerous. He could easily be stepped on. He hopped and zig-zagged between legs over to the seating area along the catwalk. Donitas show had already started.
The current model was wearing an evening gown made from beautiful flowers. Throughout the dress, frozen hummingbirds were artfully posed. The worst part was that the crowd loved it. Chris scowled and shook his head. Did they know what they were clapping for?
The next model walked out on to the stage and Chris almost fainted when he realized it was his brother. Martin was dressed in a long coat covered with delicate feathers, and he moved gracefully down the catwalk. He hated himself for thinking Martin looked good. Chris couldn't believe that Donita would make him model the feathers of an animal he killed. Martin would be heartbroken when he found out.
It was obvious that he had been re-brainwashed, but at least there was no collar to be seen. Chris sighed in relief. He was so close to his brother now he could reach out and touch him. Except that he was a little weasel right now, and would probably cause a commotion if he jumped up on stage.
Maybe that was just what he needed to do to shut down the show. He knew he would probably be captured, but Martin and the animals deserved to be free. He took a deep breath and jumped out from under the chairs and on to the stage.
Everyone stopped and stared at the little weasel on stage. Some people laughed, others assumed it was part of the show. He was going to have to put on a show for them. As one of the ushers ran forward to remove him, he hopped backwards, showing his teeth and hissing. For the second time tonight, his heart dropped when he saw that the usher was Koki. She was wearing some sort of headband that had to be controlling her, since she didn't seem to recognize the little green weasel she was reaching for. Chris silently begged for her forgiveness before ripping in to the flesh on her hand with his teeth. As Koki pulled her hand back in surprise, blood splattered the catwalk and in to the crowd.
As women in the crowd started to scream, he rolled over and skittered towards Martin. His brother was surprised to say the least and backed away. He was almost there when another hand reached out and grabbed him by the tail. He whipped around and slashed at the hand with his claws. When he was free again, he saw that Martin had retreated back to the catwalk entrance. The show hadn't been officially stopped, so he took a deep breath and leaped in to the crowd.
That got everyone moving. He nipped at ankles and jumped on to pant-legs until the audience had mostly dispersed. He flomped down, exhausted. Even though his body was almost healed, he still didn't have his old energy levels back. He couldn't even fight back when a bloody hand scruffed him by the neck and carried him backstage.