The Mechanic

Tom's head felt extremely fuzzy. There wasn't an ache that usually came when he had been knocked unconscious or was suffering from a really bad hangover. He just felt like his head had been stuffed with cotton, his thoughts hard to focus and his memoirs unclear. All he could truly recall was falling asleep next to Allison than feeling… something… something really wrong…

Filled with fear and worry about what happened and what might have happened caused Tom's eyes to snap open. Tom saw someone standing over him and his first instinct was to fight. He tried to punch the figure over him with his robotic fist, but apparently, the figure was prepared for that reaction. The figure was holding down Tom's arm so he couldn't get any leverage. But that wasn't going to stop Tom for long as he prepared to attack with his free hand.

"Tom! Clam down! It's me!" Henry's familiar voice cut through Tom's panicked haze, making the toon man stop his struggles and he started to really focus on his surroundings. Henry was leaning over him and he was in a room he didn't recognize but seemed familiar in some way. Henry himself wasn't his normal cheerful self, looking even more worn down and hopeless than some of his worse loops in the Studio. Seeing Henry look so defeated sent another spike of fear through Tom, convinced something terrible had happened.

"Henry? What's going on?" Where's Allison?" Tom demanded, looking around with increasing panic. Henry started to say something when he noticed a familiar sword and ponytail over Henry's shoulder. Tom pushed Henry aside as he scrambled to his feet and hurried towards Allison. She looked different, more toon like than he had ever seen her, but he would recognize her anywhere. Something had clearly happened during the time he couldn't remember but that could wait. The important thing was that Allison was here. She was alive, seemed to be alright and Tom was going to make sure she was safe no matter what craziness was going on right now. Tom was about to through his arms around her and hold his angel close when he froze in his tracks, Allison's sword hovering right in front of his chest.

"Allison..?" Tom asked slowly, unable to process how the love of his life could be currently threatening him. "Allison… Ali… It's me… Tom. Don't you recognize me?"

Allison didn't respond, only tightening her grip on her sword. As Tom looked deep into her pie cut eyes, searching for any glimmer of recognition, Tom felt his heart sank as her face remained blank. There was no doubt in Tom's mind that this was Allison, but something terrible had happened to her. Something that left her eyes strangely empty of the fiery personality she normally had. Whatever happened, Tom was going to find some way to fix it.

"Allison, please don't be afraid, I could never hurt you" Tom continued speaking, hoping that even if Allison didn't recognize him he could at least convince her he wasn't a threat. He was about to try and say some more when he noticed a shift in her expression. Her eyes were full of a strong emotion that couldn't quite recognize. Tom wouldn't say it was love… maybe loyalty… or devotion… Whatever it was, Tom could clearly see that it wasn't directed at him, but at something over his shoulder…

"I'm afraid she'll never believe anything you say," The horribly familiar voice of the Liar came from behind Tom. The Liar was heard and had done something to his angel. With a snarl of rage, Tom whirled around and tried to lunge at the man who was the source of all his misery only to have Allison grab onto him and hold her sword against his throat. While Tom knew he could escape and continue his attack, he wouldn't be able to do so without hurting Allison. He couldn't do that so he had no choice but to stand down, glaring at the man responsible standing in front of him.

"Hello Tom, I once again require you brilliant mechanical skills," Joey said, almost as if they were still in the Studio and Tom was still his employee. Joey leaned forward on his cane and said: "I need your help to rebuild the Ink Machine."

"Never!" Tom growled without hesitation, only Allison's arm around keeping him from lunging. "I don't what you've done to Allison or what impossible scheme you're chasing, but I won't have anything to do with it. So just let Allison go and stay out of our lives!"

"Tom, you have yet to grasp that you have absolutely no power here," Joey replied, a smug grin stretched across his face. "Allison is completely under my control. She would take a bath in acetone if I ordered her to. Of course, if that happened, I would preserve her soul and your only chance of getting her back would be rebuilding the Ink Machine. So why don't we skip all that unpleasantness and just get to the part where you do what I want."

Everything in Tom rejected the idea of helping Joey and rebuilding that blasted machine. But Tom couldn't risk Allison getting hurt. He never could risk that and both him and Joey knew it. The fight drained out of Tom as he accepted his situation. Joey was once again going to force him to take part in terrible things and there was nothing Tom could do.

"Alright Joey," Tom mumbled, unable to look the arrogant jerk in the eye. "I'll help rebuild that cursed machine."

"I knew you'd see things my way," Joey said smugly, sinking back down into his wheelchair with the knowing satisfaction he had won.