Psycho and the rest were indeed canned in. But did they escape then or...

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Chapter 14: Bait

HMEA Audio Log, Date 2655, 16 November...

'This is Myran! I sound a lot happier and that's because I'am. Wanna know why? Hehehehe... Two things. I found a way to take easy care of Lylat's military core strength, in this case Corneria, without without Starfox and/or... well, maybe Star-Phantom as well... ahum, without alerting them. How? You'll see... Second, and that is where I'm most proud of... *building tension by drumming on the rails of his throne* is the fact that I finally have a 'clean' fleet. Don't know what that metaphor means? What if I told you that the superiority of humanity rules once more amongst my fleet? That the inferiority of anthromorphs has been eradicated? Still no idea? *sighs deep and facepalms* I(!) caught those of rats of a Adonis, Cloud and Mental Instable! Clear now? *deep breath* It took a whole motherfucking month, around 1200 HMEA lives and several XL ammunition-belts. At long last, a mix of tear, chlorine and mustard gas took them down. We had something left... hehehe. *looks upon a table to his right* Ah, just what I needed! *grabs a large piece of paper* This is the 'Love List' of my enemies. Let's see... Fox and Krystal... nope, deemed impossible. To many tried, not worth my time. Phantom and Kursed? No, not after what happened on the Razor-Blade. Maybe before that, but it's too late for that already. Adonis and Jade? I already have one and the other has a drunk and deserting piece of shit of a bodyguard sticking to her. Including a baby-face zooming his scope on her ass a little too often... suck a sneaky fuck that guy. Would have been a formidable opponent in battle though. Willing to take over an entire system for redemption over his brother's dead and taking an entire squad of highly trained ex-Black Operations members down with it just to punish the girl for who his brother sacrificed his life for in the first place. *out of breath* Wow... *long pause followed by slight astonishment* Whew... rolls right of your tongue, doesn't it? But I'm drifting off. *looks down on the list* Bill? Already dead. Panther!? How did he end up here!? *rips it off while getting a great idea at the same time* Yeah... that's a plan. Whahahahahahaaaa! I'm such a genius! *rises from his throne and walks away* Is that machine already working? *receives answer* Better power source? Hhmmm... maybe the Starfox team will give me some inspiration on that one... *reply* What I mean? What I mean, is that most of my ideas that I have at the moment, and a bit before that, are coming from Starfox. My plan to copycat that scope face backfired horribly on anthro's and humans... civilians and soldiers alike. *like presenting a talent show on TV* Five anthro's... five humans... one(!) scope... one(!) operation... who will survive? Apparently, none of them did. So I threw them in either the elevator shaft or the shafts above our heads, don't know exactly where... Ah well, garbage can was full at that moment. Aaaaand I'm drifting off again. Maybe they'll give some insights on how to power this machine. *turns to the log* And you... *grabs a gun from a random soldier standing close to him* You know enough! *gunshot*

Several drops of blood trickle on the iron plates in front of him. They are partially ribbed; he can hear that as the ribbed parts make a different noise as the drops trickle on them. He can hear a slight breeze, but that's about it. With his head facing the floor, he wakes scared from his state. Desperately, he reclaims his breath. As a result, he starts to cough up blood. Those drops also trickle on the ground.

'Alghr! *spit* Bleh... puh... wh-where... *cough* where am I?'

He tries to look around, figuring out where he is, but sees nothing more than black everywhere.

*What the... my eyes are wide open! *tries* See! Why can't I see!?*

A sudden shock of pain strikes everywhere in his face. As he condemns it, trying to scream in agony, he feels a big difference.

*What is this nonsense!? My face hurts like all hell but I can't feel the rest of my body... So in short: I have no idea where I am, my face hurts but the rest is practically missing and I can't see anything! Perfect situation right here...*

About ten seconds later, feeling starts to return, slowly moving through the neck-area towards his arms. Another shock of pain goes through him.

*My arms are dislocated!* he concludes shocked as he looks at his arms, turned 110 degrees from dead point, in the wrong direction. He is literally hanging on his arms and therefore all weight of gravity is put on his arms. *I'm hanging above the floor, chained to a Strappado from the middle ages!*

'What is this for sick interrogation!?' he shouts, hopeful that someone hears it. Wish granted...

'Shut the fuck up!' is yelled from his right. '*cough* I have a huge headache so however is screaming... SHUT YOUR TRAP!'

'Who are you?' he asks while looking at the direction.

'Graystripe... *sigh* Who wants to know!?'

'Graystripe! I'm so glad you're okay! Where are you exactly? Can you see if my hands are still attached my arms?'

'A...Adoins? Is that you buddy?'

'*sigh of relief* Good, you still recognize me.'

'Of course. How can I forget our leader eh?'

'Your stinging sarcasm is admirable. Can you see my hands?'

'Why that? I got better things on my head at the moment, if you know what I mean.'

'Because, if we want to get out of here, I'm gonna need them.'

'Alright, I'll see if I can pierce through this darkness.'

He looks to his left and sees faint rays of light coming through small holes in the wall behind Adonis. His hands are partially highlighted as they are indeed hanging higher then his head.

'Yeah, they are still on. *notices the tight cuffs* For how long, that's the question...'

'Are they moving?'

'They are. Why do you ask? You(!) are doing that yourself, you know.'

'Again, I admire your sarcasm but there is no time for that. I have no feeling in them, yet. Are they close to each other?'

'Nope.' he answers blunt.

'How about my fingers then?'

'They are fighting each other at the moment. In other words: yes!'

'Great, that means we might still have a chance. Just gotta wait out until the feeling sinks back in...'

An awkward silence erupts between the two, only interrupted by a brief note, whistled by Cloudy.

'Anything?'

'*index fingers touch each other* It's back!' cheers Adonis.

'Awesome! Now, break everything here!'

'That's gonna be a problem. Without my entire hand, I'm close to utterly useless. The only thing *tries* I can do *tries again*...'

'Is what, Ado?'

'*sound of combustion* Create a light-source. Let's see if there is a lamp or something resembling it is close. Quarere Lux!' he casts as two small, orange glowing balls float around the room. They look like fireflies in the pitch-black night-sky as they search for some sort of turned off light-source. Suddenly, one stops in front of Cloudy's face. The faint glow barely blinds him, in comparison to what is coming though... After a brief shudder, it shoots up and infiltrates an interrogation light above and aimed at Cloudy's face. Without warning, he is bombarded by a blinding flash.

'Aaargh!' moans Cloudy. 'Great timing Adonis, great timing. A warning would have been helpful.' he complains.

'I have no control over these little light-seekers. *one flies by* They have their mission.'

'Which was given in Latin?'

'*impressed* Yeah, how do you know?'

'Studying. It was quite hard.' he comments.

'Well... *sees shudder* there's my bulb's queue! *closes his eyes* Prepare for impact in 3...2...1...'

*FLASH!*

Although he closed his eyes, through the slight peer the intense light comes through.

'Look up! Then the light can't hit you!' command Adonis.

'Sure smartass. If I want my face burned off, I'll listen. In the meantime, I'll look to my left instead if you don't mind.'

'Sorry, didn't know.'

Suddenly, the intensity starts to confine a little to the point where you can actually look ahead without your eyes burning in your sockets.

'Hey... why turned it down?' wonders Cloudy.

'Don't know... but I got a bad feeling about this. *notices* Talking about a feeling...'

'What's up?'

'I can sense someone coming in from above. And he's not happy...'

'Myran?'

'No... not him. Someone else...'

To Adonis' right and Cloudy's left, a circular tube comes out of the ceiling and clashes with the ground below. A sound of steam is heard as the tube rises again. A cool breeze comes from underneath it, revealing a shadowy figure, chained to two metal poles latched into the ground. He's down on his knees, just like Cloudy is.

'Uuuhhh...' uhs Cloudy. 'Hello...?' he greets awkward.

No reaction.

'Maybe he's frozen. The steam suggests enough.'

Adonis laughs. 'Funny, but I think he's cooking with rage inside. He's simply up on ice... but that's not gonna calm him down.'

An alert echoes through the room as a buzzing sound indicates the starting of the melting procedure. Slowly, the small layer of ice melts away. Faint grumbling is heard coming from the figure.

'Let me enlighten you right there.' suggests Adonis friendly. A nod from the figure gives him permission. His fingers trigger another combustion. Quarere Lux Directa!' he casts as the bulb flies towards the figure. It flies over his head and infiltrates a light in front of him. It flashes on, but the figure doesn't react.

'Adonis?' he asks condemned.

'Uuh... yeah?' he replies, not sure what to expect.

'Cloudy?'

'Here!'

'We're fucked, aren't we?'

'Psycho!?'

'Is it that obvious then Adonis?'

'You're shaking with kept in rage. Kind of characterizes you.'

'You don't know anything about me. Keep that in mind and you might live to see the light of another day.' he threatens.

'Take it easy Psy. Adonis is here is our leader, remember?'

'I don't recall picking him.'

With a loud crack, the doors in front of him open.

'I think we have a visitor.' suggest Psycho.

'No shit Sherlock.' comments Cloudy.

Three black silhouettes are seen as all the lights in the room itself are cut. The main lightening is turned on as the three can see that Myran is escorted by two heavily armed soldiers. One of them is holding something under his armpit. Myran's trench coat still has Maul's bloodstains on it. He resettles his glove and starts walking towards Psycho with an arrogant smug on his face.

'So... what do we have here? It seems that you all survived.' he states proud, although slightly disappointed too.

'What do you mean?' says Adonis irritated.

'My drug. It was mixed within the gas you guys inhaled. Otherwise it would have killed you on the spot. For the moment, you are too important for that.'

'And that drug is supposed to be what?' wonders Cloudy.

'In Adosin's case, having no feeling for a few hours. In your case... a harsh headache that makes you wanna kill yourself. And in Psycho's case... hehehehe... a necessary cool-down.'

'Why are we so important to you?' asks Psycho, totally not interested.

'Glad that you(!) ask Psycho. Because you are the biggest part and catalyst in my next brilliant plan. You, are gonna proof Falco right!'

'I'm gonna proof that parrot right? HA! Sure, I'd rather die.' he remarks.

'I'd thought you would say that. That's why I always have a backup for situations like this. *kneels before him* You and I, aren't so different in terms of behavior. The both of us, would like nothing more than pure destruction and despair for just the sake of it. Tears shed because of our tyranny... just turn us on. There is one major difference though. I have no friends, and you... have two. *Psycho's eyes spring open* Troy and Madison Groomes if I remember it well.'

'You stinking filth! Leave them out of this!' shouts Adonis.

'Wow... already going protective Adonis? You barely know them... what do you care?'

'More than you can ever imagine Myran.' assures Adonis.

'Of course I don't. Cause the bad guy can't feel anything right? He can't love... is that it? Such a stereotype. That's why I wanted to distinguish myself from everyone else. So I combined every aspect of every major crime on Earth. I'm Evil Personified!' he states.

'Ah... just go fuck yourself Myran!' insults Cloudy, having heard enough from Myran already.

This irritates him a little. He spits on the ground and stamps on it, like stamping out a cigarette.

'Just for the sake of it.' he explains. 'Put muzzles on those busybodies. *looks him in the eye* Psycho and I have some business to take care off.'

Under heavy protest and cursing, Adonis and Cloudy are muffled by too tightened muzzles.

'More alone at last.' states Myran.

'I'll never cooperate with you Myran. What you are doing, is out of sick pleasure. What I did, was because I was given a mission. Our methods aren't that different, true. But the reason will never be the same.' he claims.

'Fine, the reason never. True that... however about that cooperating. Har har... you'll have no choice whatsoever.'

'What are you talking about!?' shouts Psycho, already knowing what Mryan is going to say next.

'Like I said, the only difference is the fact that you have friends. And to tell you the truth, it slows you down Psycho. You have so much potential, but you waste it by staying with those pussy Groomes. So, I will get rid off them.'

'YOU FUCKING STAY AWAY FROM THEM MYRAN!' he screams as he tries to free himself.

'Hahahaa! Ain't gonna work my dear Psycho...' assures Myran cocky.

'Wanna bet?' he bluffs.

'No... you would lose anyway. If you would let me continue my story: Getting rid of them, requires a certain someone close to them. For the optimal shame and 'being betrayed' feeling. And you my friend... hehe... fit that profile perfectly!'

'No way in unholy hell... will I ever do something like that!'

'And what if I would say, that I know where they are at the moment, hm? That they are waiting, patient, for your arrival. Already a day too late, but still. With one push of this button... *button arises from the ground* I can send an entire armada at the Great Fox and launch a surprise attack that will leave nothing left of it. I'll capture everyone alive... and torture them in front of you... one by one. I'll kill everyone at the end, except for Troy and Madison. They'll receive a daily portion, until they are begging. Begging and pleading Psycho... begging and pleading. 'Why Psycho? Why did you do this?' That's something they are gonna say. Their screams... *walks around Psycho, completely paralyzed* their pain... their begging and PLEADING! For me... a bless. For you... a sin. The choice is up to you Psycho. *shows a holographic screen with a live video feed displaying Troy and Madison talking to Fox and Krystal inside the Great Fox* Either cooperate and they'll die fast... or refuse my offer and they'll die slowly, right in front of your very eyes. Personally, I'd chosen the second one a long time ago. I don't need friends... you neither. Shame you gotta find that out the uneasy way.'

'You sick motherfucker! You'll never get away with this!' would be the translation for the mumbling Adonis raves. 'I'll tell everyone as soon as I escape from this! REMEMBER THOSE WORDS!'

'Psycho... don't do it...' pleads Cloudy soft, so that Psycho can understand most of it.

In complete indecision, he desperately looks around. He hears Adonis and Cloudy mutter that he shouldn't do it... but he can hear and feel Myran forcing him with his thoughts and his gaze. He feels his breathing falter. He starts to sweat from every pore on his body as he pants like running a marathon. As if he's looking for a solution, he looks at every corner of the room, even in Mryan smirking and gazing face. But he doesn't find it. Seeing no other way then to give in, he bows his head in defeat and shame, as a signal.

'Whahahahaahahaaa! *turns his back on Psycho* The HMEA wins! I WIN!' cheers Myran. 'This calls for a party! *starts to tap-dance on the spot* Ah... tap-dance. Worthless thing in fact, but funny as hell.'

Several tears find their way out of Psycho's eye-sockets, surprising Cloudy and Adonis on the spot as they fall shut.

*Drip*

*Wow... no idea the Groomes meant this much to Psycho* thinks Adonis. *That band I felt, was their for a reason. The Groomes didn't only save Psycho's troubled soul and mind, but also brought the two closer together. Thanks to him, they realize how much they truly mean to each other. Of course, Myran knows this. And he sends the 'uniter' too break them apart... Fucking Coward!*

Myran hears the tear drip on the iron floor. He turns around and is handed a cane and a fur-coat.

'Like my new look? Real fur... skinned it myself. Did you know, that you need around 50 of those foxes for just one coat? Everyone got one! Cheaper quality of course... cause eh! I'm Myran! *focuses more on Psycho* Hey... *lifts Psycho's head with the underside of the cane* don't be so sad. Once they are gone, you'll feel so free. A large burden... is what I'll take off your shoulders.'

'A burden, I'm willing to take.' he states brave.

'Sure... sure. *is handed a brand and looks at it* You used to have an All-Seeing Eye painted on your forehead, right? Yeah... yeah. In blood. *snaps his fingers, ignites a flame* I know wanted that to be permanent. *lights the mark up* I'll give it to you. Willingly, or unwillingly!'

As Adonis and Cloudy can only watch as Psycho is in no state of even retreating his head from the approaching brand.

'I'm coming closer...' plays Myran.

HSSSSS! hisses the brand as it burns into Psycho's forehead. Myran's laughter drowns Psycho's screaming. A few seconds later, the cane and the brand disappear from Psycho's head region. His head bungles down. He doesn't feel anything other than pure shame... something even worse than pain could ever be.

'Welcome to the HMEA Psycho. We hope your stay will be utterly horrible!' chuckles Myran as he walks away from the room. 'Report for duty and further instructions at my office when you are ready. Alert a guard when you are ready... HAHAHAAHAH!' he laughs out loud as the doors close, hauling the room in darkness again. Perfect Insanity is finally caged...

Psycho... broken down, hurt again. Now forced to lie against his only friends. What is Myran planning for him? Will it change Lylat's or even Starfox's destiny?