I woke up to find myself tied to a chair. I pulled at the ropes, but I wasn't at full strength. I was weak, but if I could get my hands free I could still kick anyone's ass who decided to come into the room. As if in answer to my thoughts, the door opened with Lex and Lena approaching me.

I knew Lex was involved and I suspected Lena was a part of this plot, but now I knew for sure. They stopped in front of me and I struggled against the ropes. Lex just smiled, "I see your finally awake."

"What are you up to, Lex?!" I yelled with anger. "Why go through so much trouble to kidnap me? What the hell do you want with me?!"

He crouched down beside the chair. "I love power as many people know. I'm trying to buddy up with Leviathan, but I need someone who can protect me if things go sideways. I'm a smart cookie, but strength is just not my strong suit. I need a bodyguard and I thought you would be the perfect candidate."

"Are you serious?" I asked with laughter. "I am never going to be a bodyguard for you. I would rather push you in front of a moving train then pull you from the tracks. You should've chosen someone who actually likes you. Oh wait, no one does." I looked at Lena. "Not even your sister."

Anger flared in Lex's eyes as he stood up with a murderous look. For a second, I thought he was going to attack me, but instead, he gritted his teeth, relaxed his shoulders, and smiled. Lena looked from Lex to me and tried to keep her mouth shut. I could tell just by the look in her eyes she had no idea this was going to happen. She was here, but she wasn't the one who orchestrated my kidnapping. She stayed silent as Lex returned to a cool calm state.

"I don't need you to like me, Carly. You won't have a choice in the end." Lex said, snapping his fingers which caused Lena to roll her eyes and open the box she held. A single syringe laid in velvet and Lex picked it up in his hands. "This right here is my own concoction. I took Lena's contacts and made a more potent formula, an injectable controllant."

"It won't work, Lena already tried the contacts on me and nothing happened."

"That's because she didn't realize your makeup was all wrong." Lex explained, pointing the syringe at me. "Her device would work on the human mind, but you are not human anymore. Your half status makes it difficult to manage as you are part vamtronian and part human, but if you were to become fully one or the other well then it would work just fine. With a little push we'll be ready to go and this bad boy will do the trick."

"So, you want to make me unable to lie and cheat and kill?" I asked with doubt. "That doesn't sound much like you, Lex."

Lex laughed to himself. "I altered the formula to my liking. Now you may live freely except for the mind control I included. You defy an order and...well...pain will erupt in your frontal cortex, bringing you to your knees. You defy for too long and it might even kill you."

Lena's eyes went wide. "Lex, I thought we agreed no killing. The whole point of my project is to cure the people of their hatred and murder, not cause more of it. This was not part of the plan."

"It is only an insurance policy, sis." Lex came up behind me and placed his head beside mine. "As long as Carly follows orders then there won't be an issue. Besides, she will only kill if it is absolutely necessary, Scout's Honor."

I turned while his head was still beside mine. "My friends will find me."

"No, they won't. I had a chat with Deirdre yesterday afternoon." Lex smiled, making his way back to Lena. Both saw my sudden fear and he tried to squash it. "She is alive and well, no need to worry. I just gave her something to help her sleep. She slept right through your pain and won't remember me coming to her home. She should be asleep for another hour or so, which means we don't have much time to get done what needs to be done."

"And what would that be?" I asked

Lex set the syringe on the table beside him and motioned to the door as two goons carried a crying girl came into the room. They handed her to Lex and cut my ropes, grabbing my arms, and pulling me from the chair.

"You remember how a half vamtronian becomes whole, Carly?" Lex asked, moving hair from the girl's neck. "You have to kill. Life for a life. You kill her and your human side dies with her."

I shook my head. "I won't kill her."

Lena stepped between us. "Lex, you never told me you were going to do this. You said you were taking her and injecting your refined serum of my work into her. That was bad enough, but this...you're going to force Carly to transition into something she never wanted, while killing an innocent girl. I might be cruel, but this is going too far."

"Sometimes to win you have to do bad things." He said as a goon grabbed Lena's arms. "Isn't that something you said once, sis?"

Lena shook her head. "I didn't mean this. I never meant this."

Lex turned his attention back to the girl and I. He pulled out a knife and quickly cut the side of the girl's throat. Not enough to kill her, but she was bleeding quite a bit. I saw the blood and gritted my teeth. I was starving and we both knew If I bit that girl I wouldn't be able to stop myself.

"Daniele Lanzarotta once said bloodlust was a disease that makes us the monsters we are known to be; it is what wipes away the last of our humanity. Let's test that theory." He wiped some blood onto his finger and had a guard hold the girl. He moved closer, wagging his finger in front of me.

I tried to hold back, but my fangs extended without my control. I hissed at him and fought against the goon's grip. The girl saw my face and screamed. Lex smugly smiled and brought the finger to his own lips. He licked it clean and motioned for his guards to move. The goon holding the girl brought her forward and pushed her onto her knees. The goon holding my arms did the same thing to me.

I knew any second whatever composure I had would be lost. I didn't want to hurt this girl and I definitely didn't want to do it in front of all these people, but I knew I couldn't escape. I wouldn't be able to fight them all and my will to fight this hunger was weaning.

I looked over at the girl whose face was soaked with tears. "What's your name?"

She looked through her tearfilled eyes and whispered, "Sara."

"Sara, listen to me, okay?" I began to cry myself. "I don't want to hurt you, but I won't be able to control myself much longer. Just know I never wanted this to happen, okay?"

"I believe you." Sara said, wiping away a tear. This is when the fear in her face transformed into confidence. She knew escape wasn't an option, but if she was going to die she wouldn't do it crying. "Is it going to hurt?"

"Only for a moment." I gasped, biting my tongue hard enough to cut myself. "Then you will be filled with complete ecstasy."

Lex was getting impatient with our talking so he made the goons push us mere inches apart. They moved back as my face hovered over the crook of her neck. I sat there for a moment just crying. She whispered in my ear. "Don't feel guilty. It wasn't your fault."

My mouth was millimeters from her bloody throat. The smell hit me instantly and I knew there was no chance I could pull back now. I licked the blood up with my tongue, causing Sara to shiver. I whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry."

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding and sunk my fangs into her neck. My razor teeth sliced through her skin without resistance, penetrating deep into the flesh of her throat. When her blood hit my tongue it was like nothing I had ever tasted, almost up there with Kara's.

Sara grasped the back of my sweater, moaning quite loudly. At that moment I wished Kara was here with me, but I knew that I would never feed on her unless I had no other choice. I latched onto the wound with my entire mouth and began to greedily suck upon it, like a ravenous beast. I could feel her grip weakening on my sweater, but I couldn't stop myself. Even as I tasted her, I knew it wasn't enough. I would always need more. Always.

I drank and drank until her arms fell to the side. I dropped Sara on her back, her blood dripping down my chin. That's when pain erupted throughout my body. I fell onto my back, gasping for air. Lena had begun to cry watching me go through such agony.

Pain radiated through every part of my body and then it stopped as if a switch was flipped. I felt strength come to my limbs I had never felt before. I stood up, cracking the bones in my neck. I faced the group and opened my eyes to reveal how red they had become with fangs protruding from my canines and the tooth right beside it.

I could feel power running through my fingertips and anger, so much anger. I looked over at Lex with red eyes. I tried to lunge at him, but his goons grabbed me. I threw one across the room and knocked the others on their ass. I walked toward Lex again when the door opened. I looked over and was shocked to see who was standing there.

Confusion spread across my face as I looked at him. He was crying with so much guilt on his face it was suffocating him. I lapsed in focus which allowed the goons to grab me and this time, I didn't fight them. Brainy came to stand beside Lex as he handed the syringe to him. "You may do the honors."

Brainy took the syringe in his hand and approached me. His eyes met mine and he could see how much this hurt me. "Brainy, how could you?"

"It's the only way to save the future. I'm sorry, Carly."

Brainy jabbed the needle into my neck and injected the liquid. Suddenly, I felt a tickling on my brain and I recognized the feeling instantly. I gasped as my eyes glazed over. I could still feel and think on my own, but I knew this time it was a success. Which meant if I went against Lex, I could die.

The goon holding Lena let her go and went to help the others drag the poor girl from the door. I watched with tear-flooded eyes as they took her away. Lena looked down at me with genuine worry, her old self was starting to break through. She shook her head and left the room. While Brainy stepped back, but stayed beside Lex.

I collapsed onto my knees as Lex crouched down beside me. "Now Carly, go back to your apartment. When I call on you for assistance you will come and you must tell none of your Super Friends, not even your precious Kara. Can you do that?"

I looked up at him with gritted teeth. "Yes...but how am I supposed to hide this...I was planning to move in with Kara this morning…"

Brainy's eyes went wide and then saddened even more. He knew what he had done was one of the worst things he could've done, but he was so focused on saving the future that nothing else mattered. He was starting to realize that he might be becoming the bad guy he never wanted to be.

"You can move in with Kara, just be careful." Lex said with warning. "Act like the sun still burns you and that you can only run fast instead of fly. Hide your new abilities until you are again with me because if they see your power they will wonder how that occured and my plan will be destroyed. If I can befriend Leviathan we can destroy them from the inside and if your Super Friends stop me, there will be no stopping them."

"What if I just killed you?" I threatened with a murderous look in my eye. "You die, the commands are void. I could just drain you into husk and end this whole mess."
"I know you could, but you can't." Lex said with a smug smile. "You follow my orders or pain follows and I also installed a fail safe. You kill me and your brain is flooded with ashwood particles that are so small that by the time your friends could get them all out you would already be dead. So, let's play nice and maybe I'll let you go in the end. I'll be calling you soon."

Lex got to his feet and left the room with the remaining guards. Brainy stayed where he was as I got to my feet. "Carly, I'm sorry."

He placed a hand on my shoulder which I promptly slapped off. "Don't touch me, Brainy."

"Carly…"

I cut him off before another word could escape. "I understood why you were working with Lex, but this...THIS?! You made me into something I never wanted to be and injected the controllant into my brain yourself. Everything I do from now is your fault, Brainy. You did this..."

I pushed past him and left. When I arrived home, I shoved my pain deep down. I had to follow Lex's orders, otherwise I would be in excruciating pain and I also didn't want Kara to find out what had happened. She would blame herself and I didn't want that.

I went to the mirror to look myself over. I looked like I had yesterday, aside from paler skin and darker bags. I revealed my new fangs and eyes and it actually made me jump. Before this my eyes never changed color and now they were a blood red. My fangs had also only been a pair, but now I had four. I looked like a monster.

I placed a hand on my heart and felt no beat. I did not need to breathe or blink and my skin was pale as marble and cold as an ice. I was dead. Any doctor would think I was dead. I wouldn't grow old, I would be stuck at 24 forever.

My eyes returned back to green with my fangs retracting. My chest began to rise rapidly and I collapsed on the floor hyperventilating; I was having a panic attack. I didn't need to breathe and my heart no longer beat, but I still felt the nausea. I clutched at my chest in an automatic response and laid there sobbing.

I noticed movement on my balcony and looked over to see Deirdre had flown up, face filled with worry. She saw my condition and broke the lock on the door to come in the apartment. I continued to hyperventilate as she ran over to me. "I woke up filled with panic. What's wrong? Why are you on the floor like this?"

I gasped. "Pan...ic...attack."

"Panic attack?" Deirdre asked with confusion. "You have panic attacks?"

I shook my head. "Haven't...had one...since I was...sixteen."

The world began to spin around me as tears continued to flow. Deirdre decided to help me to the couch and get me comfortable. She knew distracting me would lower my breathing so she did something i had not expected, she kissed me.

My eyes went wide and my breathing stopped with surprise. She pulled back and I sat there dumbfounded. She noticed the look on my face. "Don't look at me like that. I heard distracting someone having a panic attack with something unexpected causes them to slow their breathing. Kissing you seemed like the only unexpected thing I could think of."

"Well...thanks." I said, catching my breath and wiping the tears from my face.

"Why were you having one now? I'd have expected a panic attack to have striked during the crisis or in the beginning of this entire mess, why now?" Deirdre asked

"I can't tell you."

"Carly, please."

"No."

I tried to get off the couch, but she grabbed my hand. Without thinking I bared my fangs at her and Deirdre's eyes went wide. I realized my mistake and my hand flew up to cover my mouth. She rose from the couch with even more worry. "Who did this to you? Did Lex do this?"

My fangs had retracted and the tears resurfaced. I began to cry as Deirdre brought me in for a hug. I clung to her and soaked her sweater with tears. I was dead...how could I be dead? I wanted to stay in her arms until I turned completely to tears, but then I heard a knock at the door.

That's when I realized that it was Kara at the door. I pulled back from Deirdre. "You need to go. Kara is coming over and she can't know about this."

"You can't just not tell her."

"If I tell her, I could die." I said with honesty in my eyes. "Lex did something to me that if I defy his orders I will be struck with pain and if I let it go on too long it could kill me. I can only tell you because he gave the order without mentioning you. I will tell Kara when I can. Now go, I will call you later I promise. Please, don't tell anyone. I'll explain everything later."

Deirdre looked reluctant to leave but then another knock sounded at the door. She looked from the door and back to me, sadly nodding. She disappeared and I wiped my eyes, put on a smile, and answered the door. Kara was standing on the other side with a bright smile, just seeing it made my terror lessen, which made it easier to hide.

"You ready to move in?" Kara asked

"Never more ready…"