Chapter XXI: The Wages of Sin

Hordak

"Remind me to send Scorpia to the Slime Pit," I told Imp as I watch She-Ra pull that boy from the quicksand. Imp says she'll make a good slime slave. "The only good thing is that Catra and Mantenna are getting me the next piece of the weapon." My pet asks me if I can really trust those two to do the job. "If they...," the doors open and Modulok comes in. "This better be good scientist, I am not in a good mood."

"I think you will like this almighty Hordak," he produces a phial of red and green liquid. "This is a sample of the boy's blood." I turn my arm into a cannon at the mention of the boy. "This is...good my lord. This is unlike anything I've ever seen." he says there is energy in it greater than anything on the planet. I lower my weapon and let him speak.

"I say blast him to bits, boss," Imp says making a face at him. "We can always put him back together," he flies above Modulok who swats him like a fly. "See boss he's trying to hurt me. Slime him for it," I assure the scientist he serves me better with his free will intact.

"Even with just this sample we could easily power my weapon," Modulok says as I smile. It seems he's come through again I tell him I have my forces rounding up the Rebels in the forest. "Just give me the signal my lord and we will send them to where no one will ever see him again," I dismiss him thinking about my final victory.

"What are you going to do about the hairball?" Imp asks me. This fiasco is his fault. If that moron hadn't been focused on revenge I would have my weapon. I ask him where Grizzlor is now? "in a sticky situation," Imp says brining up the feed from the hallway. "The only one who could mess up a trap." he says flying away.

Jazz

"Where are we?" I ask my friend as I walk around. We are in large empty room. She says this is one of Vlad's training rooms. "No wonder he's always beating Danny. He's training." My friend looks around nervously saying she doesn't want to be in here long. "Why not?"

"I'd rather...," a large tendril shoots out of the wall and coils around her. She struggles to break free but something is messing with her power. I tell I'll get free looking for something to cut her loose. "Jazz...behind you," she calls out as another tendril shoots out but I jump out of the way.

"itst ikh rufn farvaylung," a voice laughs it's Vlad's birds. "Hey Æsc you want to place a bet?" he asks as a laser turret comes out of the roof and fires at me. The other bird he'll place ten dollars and my friend being totally destroyed. "That's an easy bet."

"I'll give you something to watch," I take a running leap and grab hold of the turret. I hear the vultures cursing saying that I wasn't playing fair. "Since when you do care about fair," I move the device over to my friend and blast the tendril holding her. The blast destroys it and she falls to the ground. "Are you okay?" I ask her as she looks at her hands and gasp.

"We have to get back," she says panic stricken. I ask why she wants to go back to being Vlad's slave. "I'm not going to make it out," I tell her to think positive. "You don't understand...," I walk over to her and see her hand dissolving "Just forget about me!" I shake my head and tell her I never leave a friend behind.

Catra

"What makes you think she knows the way?" Mantenna asked as he led the net tosser down the hall. I tell him that Angella never sends anyone unprepared. "Why don't we just make her tell us what she knows?" he asks as I tell him there is an important reason for keeping her.

"Do what you like. You'll never get anything out of me," she spits as I laugh. We'll get a lot out of her. "You want to make a left here it will take you to the 'throne room'" she says as Mantenna pushes down the pathway. If there are tricks she'll set them off allowing us to pass safely. "It's safe," she says as we follow her.

We enter a large chamber covered in skulls. Some were cracked and others missing the lower jaw. A large stone throne sat in the middle with a skeleton dressed in regal robes. Behind him was a large balance with stacks of gold on one side. "I am the Lord of the Dead. You must pay my price to enter." Mantenna asks me what it means. "The king demands a toll for entry and we he have the perfect way to pay it. "Toss her on the scale," I order Mantenna as he throws on the empty tray.

The scale slowly moves with her side descending indicating she is worthy. The skeleton turns his head towards the net spinner as a trap door opens beneath her. A moment later the door in front of us opens. "That will be one less Rebel to pester us." I say as we make our into the next room.

We walk into an empty room. The only decoration was a black altar with a gold box. "What is this room," Mantenna asks. I tell him this is the reliquary and the resting place of the next part. "What about Hordak? He probably has the other parts locked up." he asks as I tell him not worry.

I open the box and find what looks like a battery attached to an amplifier. "This is a the power source. Even if Hordak has the other parts they won't work without this." I hold up the part smiling.

Vlad

I teleport into my office at City Hall. "Damn Maddie!" I cursed knowing she and Jack are on their way here. "They're loaded to the teeth with their ghost gadgets," I turn on the spy cam to my spare lab. "They want proof their boy is dead. They will have it."

I phase into the lab and look at one of the large tanks. "I hate to waste this. It's closest I've got to success," I pulls a lever causing the fluid in the tank to empty and the glass case to retreat. "You will be a martyr for the cause." I assure the lifeless heap of flesh and bone as I incinerate it with a ectoblast.

"Are you sure Vlad is lying. We've known him for years," I heard Jack say as I teleport to the main hall. "Vladdie! Tell Maddie you had nothing to with Danny's disappearance." I sigh and motion them to follow me. Maddie holds up an ectopistol to my face.

"Show us Danny now or I will rip you apart molecule by molecule," I show them the 'body' Her eyes grow wide with shock and anger. "You filthy piece of cheese! It's not true. I...," she turns to Jack and starts crying. He comforts her as I apologize that they had to see it. "Shut the Hell up Vlad," she turns to face me, "I will find my son and when I do I swear you pay Vladimir Drake Masters."

Jack looks at me and apologizes saying she is in denial. "Of course Jack, why don't you take her home. She needs to grieve," I tell him as he walks away but Maddie refuses to go. "Dear Madeline you need...," she spits in my face before going.

"Damn," I said wiping the spittle off my cheek. My anger soon dissipates as they will never see Daniel again. "I do hate to eliminate Jazz, Jack and Maddie have been through so much." I take out my phone and watch as she and my prodigal creation try to escape my mansion. "Tick tock tick tock."

Perfuma

"Thank you my friend," I told the plant as I found an large iron door way. I try to open it but it's stuck. "I could use your help." I close my eyes and focus on the small vine that has lead me this way. I imagine it going up the door and breaking the lock. I open my eyes and see the door as been opened.

Inside were mountains of gold coins and gems. "I had heard that the Harpy's hid their treasure somewhere in here," If the Rebellion had all this money they could do so much. "No, I need to find Netossa and secure the part." The lure of the gold was powerful and as I walked toward I heard a creaking sound.

The floor beneath gives way and I fall into large pit. "What is...," I hear the sound of coins falling. I look up and see a stream of coins flood into the room. I will be crushed underneath all that gold. "I could use your help friends," I close my eyes trying to summon my friends but the plants are not listening. I was cut off from them I look around trying to find someway out. My heart races as the coins continue to fall and my mind fills with panic.

"I need to keep calm," I tell myself thinking back to what Peekablue taught me a couple years ago. I used to be afraid of the dark after Hordak looked me alone a small room. It paralyzed me and kept me from helping my friends. Adora told me that I should go see Peekablue. She had helped her get over flashbacks from her time in the Horde. Using her powers Peekablue was able to see Adora's fears teach her how to face them. "Then again she wasn't going to be crushed under a ton of gold," I close my eyes again but still nothing. "Okay I just need to calm down...," all I could think about is the room filling with gold.

Tucker

"Sam are you okay?" I ask walking into the room. "I am sure Clockwork and Frostbite didn't..." she said how could be so flippant about Danny's fate. He would never give up if we were in trouble. "They're not giving up on him. They just want to be realistic."

"Realistic, after all we three have been together? Are you giving up on him as well?" I tell her that Vlad covered all his bases. "I don't care," she takes out a tablet from her backpack and tries to smash it open. "If they won't look for him, I will. We're going to build a frequency sweeper." She motions for me to hand her my mult-tool.

"Do you know what your doing?" She she say a watched a YouTube video on this.