Chapter 19: Rescue Anti

The survival hunter found himself in a familiar, yet disturbing area. He recognized this place, where he was before he turned into Anti. A place where he took Sean to during the final battle for revenge. Angus found himself in this dark abyss, feeling the negative emotions crashing at him all at once. It was a terrible place, one he hoped he would never come back to. All of the painful memories began to engulf him once more. Being reminded of his death from both being forgotten and by his own creator.

His thoughts went back to the previous moments that happened recently. Anti being taken away by those bastards, while he was unable to protect him. And now here he was, being reminded of what that failure felt like. What was he to do? Anti was most likely suffering because he couldn't keep his promise to his little brother. "Anti…" Angus felt the tears fall down his eyes and ran to his cheeks. Biting his lip, his hands collided with the solid ground. "DAMNIT! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, letting his anger out. He didn't care, no one could hear or see him. At least, he thought so.

"Looks like things didn't go as planned again, huh?" Angus jumped upon hearing that familiar accent. He turned his head quickly, seeing the glitching, static version of his 'creator' from the timeline where he did them both wrong. He was surprised, yet not at all, to see him there. As for why he was with him in the first place, Angus didn't really care. Knowing Sean it was to mock the survival hunter even more. Sean looked at the ego, with half-lidded eyes as he stared at him. "Was it all worth it? Did any of this make you happy?"

Angus processed that question, he really didn't want to entertain the bastard that killed him. Even so, he did know what he was referring to. Once again, Angus was reminded of his time in the Void, and what he tried to do. But he was certain he was referring to Anti as well… after all, the Void did lead him to the chimera, which was how he stayed alive. Angus let the tears keep falling, as he looked to the ground. "N-No… of course not." Angus didn't even try to put up a front like he usually did around him. He figured there was no point, so he just let himself be vulnerable. "Why are you even here now? Just to berate me some more?"

"Well, where else am I supposed to go? Besides, you look like you can use someone to talk to."

"Yeah, like I'd believe your bullshit… Just leave me alone. That's what you're good at, right? Abandoning your responsibilities and creations? Then get out of my hair already, you're the last thing I want to deal with."

Sean still had that sympathetic, yet empty look on him. Staring at his first ego as he was close to him. "I'm sorry… about not having you around like the others. But I had to think about my future and the communi-"

"Enough with your excuses!" Angus shouted, feeling the anger inside of him rising. "You forgot me! Made them forget me! I just wanted to be like the others, but you fucking abandoned me, letting me die in what was left of my world! How could you not see how much your negligence affected me?! You should have realized what kind of consequences your actions would have! How could you not see that I needed you? How could you not see the damage you caused?! You're such a… a…" Angus trailed off, trying to find the right word to describe his creator. There were many words he could think of to call Sean, but he didn't know which one to use.

Sean however, just raised his brow over at Angus. "You really believe I am the only one to blame for what happened to that timeline? Angus… we both were at fault for the destruction of the Mindscape. You were going to kill me, you wanted to end me right then and there. I had to defend myself. You would have done the same if the roles were reversed. But what were you planning on doing if I died? After all, you couldn't handle being in my body for a month without it falling apart on you. And I know that the others wouldn't have agreed to your plan, considering they would be using a corpse to keep themselves alive."

"S-Shut… up…" Angus muttered as he held himself while listening to Sean. The words kept going through his ears. He didn't want to hear them, but he was compelled to.

"You could have talked to me yourself, Angus. You could have tried to reason with me, but you resorted to the irrational method of locking me up in my own mind and using the others to stop me. How could I NOT see you as a bad guy, even before that? Who else are you going to blame your failure on? The ones that you have wronged in this world?"

Angus covered his ears as he tried not to listen anymore. "Shut up!"

Sean, however, was not done. "Henrik tried to help you… they all stood up for you when I was not convinced. But you still lied to them all. You could have told them as well, about who you were, but you kept it secret. Even though you promised you would tell them, you never were able to. You did this all to yourself, Angus."

"SHUT UP!" The hunter finally shouted, causing his red sockets to turn black. He bared his fangs over at his creator, but Sean did not flinch. Rather, his wide, piercing eyes kept looking over at him as a wicked grin plastered itself onto his face.

"You are just as much to blame as I was. But you just can't admit it. Oh, and by the way, using someone's soul without their consent and knowledge. That's a pretty dick move, don't you think?" Upon hearing that, Angus felt guilt build up inside his soul. All he could think about in that instance was when he first met Anti, how he wished for his soul to be given back to him and would have no hard feelings on Angus, since he understood why Angus had to do what he did. He shuddered, as the hunter held himself. So Sean was reminding him of his fuck ups? Of course he was, what else was he good at? "In the end, we aren't so different after all, are we Angus Irwin, the hypocrite?"

"Leave!" Angus shouted as he finally snapped. "Leave me alone!" He ordered, roaring the command. Silence fell onto him, as Angus turned to see that Sean was no longer there. He actually listened to his ego, for once. Yet, the survival hunter felt a wave of loneliness wash over him. He looked around, being in isolation as he held onto his knees which drew into his chest. "Don't…" he whispered in a soft voice. "Don't leave me alone…" he begged, laying his head on his knees. That was what he feared and hated the most: being away from those he cared for.

Angus gasped as he opened his eyes, wet cheeks were caused from the tears of pain that spilled from him. He coughed a bit, trying to get the lungs back into his system. His head was throbbing, but it was bearable. As he looked around, he could see that Posi and Nega were leaning against the wall, holding onto each other. Their auras were still dull, meaning that their powers had not returned.

"Angus! You're awake!" Posi cried as he looked at the hunter.

"Ugggh… how long was I out for?" He asked, standing up as he tried to regain his balance.

"About a few minutes… seven or eight give or take." Nega moaned as he rubbed his neck. Angus walked over to the door, which he tried to open, but it was locked. No doubt the scientists wanted to trap them all here so they could get away with their Vessel. "We're doing just fine… a bit weak still but at least we're alive." Nega mocked as he saw Angus focused on the door. He hung his head low, as his bangs covered his eyes. Posi and Nega looked at one another, wondering if he was alright. Well, that was a rhetorical question, of course he wasn't alright. He got beaten up and they lost Anti, how could he feel fine about that?! "Come on Angus… he's not going to die on us." Nega tried to snap him out of that state. "We can't give up now… I'm sure once this stuff wears off on us, we can get out and rescue Anti. We'll get him back, Angus… we'll-"

Nega was cut off as Angus's fists collided with the door. He used so much force that he felt pain radiate from his knuckles, but he ignored it. Hot tears once again slid down his face, at the same time, he kept pounding on the door. "Fuck! FUCK! FUCK! I'll kill you all, you bastards!" Angus kept pounding on the door, his knuckles were beginning to bleed as a result, which caused his arm to shake. "F-fuck… god damn it! Anti…" The survival hunter collapsed against the door, as all he could think about was how his little brother sacrificed himself and was handed over like a prize. All Angus could do was sob harshly as he could hardly breathe. Posi and Nega could only watch, though neither of them could blame Angus for the guilt that was surfacing. The survival hunter trembled, as reality crashed into him. Not only was Anti in danger, this meant that everyone else was trapped as well. They were all in danger… and it was his fault!

Henry was panting heavily, as he had gotten a few cuts and scrapes thanks to Henrik and Chase. The three put up a fight, doing all they could to avoid and attack the opponent, but it didn't get any of them anywhere. They were all at a stalemate, all three were tired and low on health, but they were still standing at least. "I have to give you credit… you are a lot tougher than I calculated… but then again, you all have probably been through worse conditions…" Henry panted as he looked at the two, with narrowed and threatening eyes.

"For the last time, Henry. Move out of our way!" Henrik declared, growing annoyed by this fight as he wanted to check on his son and Anti.

"You know I can not let you do that…'' Henry declared. "I won't let you get away with the torment you put my son through! He is suffering because of what Irwin had done to him!"

"Henry, please… I understand where you are coming from…" Henrik tried to reason once more. "Believe me, if the roles were reversed, I would have forced Anti to give up his soul just to save Angus. But this is all wrong! Do you really think Anti would want any of this?! He loves us all, Angus especially. We want to help him get better, just as much as you."

"How can you lie so easily?!"

"We aren't lying!" Chase declared. "We care for Anti just as much as you do!"

"You have not been with him for as long as I have! Or went through his pain and traumas! And you also were not there when that bastard took away his soul! Your son is a murderer!"

That line made Henrik snap, as he raised his voice in defense. "Don't you DARE talk to MY SON like that! He already feels guilty enough for what he did! But he wants to fix what he did to Anti! That is why he cares so much for him!"

Henry glared at them, his hatred increasing as his tone was showing off his anger. "You say that, but you only knew Angus as 'Anti' for so long. You never knew who he really was, he was living my son's life! He was living a lie! If that is the case, then he probably never regretted taking Anti's soul and stealing his identity! You keep saying that Angus has suffered for so long… but what about MY SON?! Have you ever wondered how much pain HE has been in? All you care about are your own people! You care so much for Angus, you are willing to write off the fact that he almost murdered a literal child for the sake of saving his own skin!"

At this point, Chase had had enough. Just as it seemed Henrik was about to say something, the vlogger stepped over to Henry and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. The Omitted-Verse resident didn't react in time as Chase's fist collided with his face, punching him to the floor. Both doctors were shocked by the action, as they watched the father huff in rage. "Fuck! You!" Chase snapped at Henry, looking down at him. "Angus is like a brother to me! You don't fucking DARE to talk about him like that! He never planned on killing Anti! He has been taking better care of Anti than you EVER have!" Henry grunted, rubbing his face where a bruise was forming from the hit as he looked up at Chase, who still kept talking. "You're an asshole! What kind of dad would betray his own child like that?!"

"The kind that had to do what he could to save his child from death!" He tried to defend himself. "I had to work with those scientists, they backed me into a corner and promised to fix Anti in exchange for my corporation!"

Henrik's eyes went wide as he now put the pieces together. "So that is why you wanted us to split up. You planned this all along."

"What other choice did I have?! You saw how corrupted Anti was! He doesn't have much time left!" Henry stated as he tried to hold back tears. Clearly he seemed regretful about working with the people that hurt his son, but he was still willing to do so.

"Fuck you!" Chase snapped at him once again, as he punched his face. "You betrayed your own kid! You don't GET to speak! If I am being honest, I would say you lost your kid's trust and the privilege to be his father!"

Henry grunted as he was punched once more, trying to keep himself steady. He looked as if he was ready to get himself up and defend more, only for a loud ding to reach above the three. "Greetings, residents of the Mindscape and intruders of our facility. We do wish that we could have gotten together on better terms, but we are only interested in securing a certain project that you have taken from us. So we have made arrangements to retrieve it, now it is back in our care." Dr. Thomas stated through the intercom.

It wasn't just the three in the Control Room that could hear them, the ones trapped in the Engine Room could hear the intercom, as well as the ones stuck in the apartment. Jackie stood up, still holding onto the door as he was attempting to push it while Bing was checking over the generators to attempt to unlock the exit. "W-wait… project?" Jackie questioned, as the gears in his mind began to turn.

Marvin shuddered as he understood it himself. "A-Anti! What have you done to him?!" He shouted up at the intercom.

Angus jumped from his fetal position, hearing the magician and superhero's voice on the intercom as well. "J-Jackie? Marvin?" He called out.
"Angus?!" Bing called out, hearing his Angel.

"Yes, we have connected all of the intercoms together so you can talk to each other, even if you are in different rooms. Since you will be locked down for a while, the least we can do is allow you communication so you can talk amongst yourselves. At least until we finish with the Vessel."

"His name is Anti, you bastards!" Chase called out to Dr. Thomas. "Stop calling him weird names like 'project' and 'vessel'!"

"Technically, it is considered 'Vessel' since that is what it is. Dr. Schneeplestein was the one who named the project as such." Dr. Thomas corrected. "Which reminds me, we want to thank you for your corporation, Dr. Schneeplestein. Had it not been for you, we wouldn't have been able to secure the Vessel."

"W-What?!" Marvin gasped as he listened to what Dr. Thomas had said. "Henry, you betrayed us?!"

Posi was also crying as he could not believe what was said, yet there was no point denying it. "Henry… why would you do this?!"

The doctor who was still laying on the floor, winced as he picked himself up. "I'm sorry Anti…" He whispered to himself.

"How could you do this to us?!" Jackie shouted on the intercom. "To your own son?!"

Nega growled as he was just as pissed. "You let Anti sacrifice himself to protect us all! You lied to us, Henry! And to Anti!"

"I know…" Henry cried out as the tears came to his face. "I didn't want to… but I wanted to make sure Anti would be safe. I know he will hate me for this, and I won't blame him. Even so, I know what I did was right. It had to be…"

"Like hell you get to speak!" Chase snapped as he pulled out his nerf gun, aiming it right at the mad doctor that betrayed them. Henrik however noticed the tears on Henry's face, he could sense the regret that befell him. Despite the trap that he helped the others with, Henrik could not fully blame Henry here. He really was just doing what he believed was right for Anti. The Mindscape doctor held onto Chase's hand, lowering it as he looked his friend in the eyes. Chase was still livid, but he did as Henrik told him.

"Please… I did as you asked. Let me see my son." Henry begged as he looked up at the ceiling.

"You don't have to worry about the Vessel anymore." Dr. Thomas told him.

"I will worry… let me see him! Please!" Henry begged. Despite his pleas, everyone had a strong feeling that his prayers would not be answered.

"I'm afraid that is impossible. We are preparing the Vessel for Surgery."

"Surgery?!" Angus repeated. "The hell are you doing to him?!"

"The outer Core is very weak and unstable, but if we can remove it and place the two halves inside, we can reverse engineer the Core so we can fix the Corruption. We can heal our world and our people…"

Henry's eyes shrunk in his skull as he listened to his superior. "B-but… the Core is what's keeping Anti alive!"

"Correct… without the Core, the Vessel will not be able to function." Dr. Thomas's voice was cold as he said that, clearly not at all dissuaded with the idea of sacrificing Anti at all. Posi and Nega froze at the words, knowing full well what would happen. Angus fell to his knees, as the gravity of the situation was getting to him. Henry's whole face turned pale at the revelation, gulping as it all became clear to him.

"N-No… NO!" Henry shouted as he looked up at the ceiling. "YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU COULD FIX US WITHOUT KILLING HIM! YOU SAID IT WAS POSSIBLE!"

"That was before we were aware of how unstable the Vessel was. As of now, the outer shell of the Core is very thin. If we do not remove it now, it could disintegrate and we will not get the chance. Besides, the Vessel is already too far corrupted. At this point, saving it is out of the question. We should focus on fixing the Core. Once it is removed, we will infuse the two halves back into it, and work with the Core to restore ourselves."

Marvin hissed in anger upon hearing that. "Don't you dare hurt him! He's been through enough!"

"If you fuckers kill him, we'll make sure you all will pay!" Nega shouted.

Even Henry was becoming increasingly upset about the ordeal. "NO!" He pounded on the door, attempting to open it but to no avail. "You mother fuckers!" He shouted. "You said that you would work together to save us, including Anti! You promised that you would heal him with the rest of us! How could you go against your word?! Do you have any idea how much you have degraded me?! How you made me turn my back on my-"

"Dad?" Everyone else held their breaths, their blood froze over as they heard the voice of Anti over the intercom. Angus especially felt his mind snap when he heard the voice of his little brother.

"Anti?!" Marvin called out to the intercom. "Is that you, darling?!"

"Anti, dude!" Chase sighed in relief. "Oh thank fuck!"

"Anti! Can you hear us?! Are you okay?!" Henrik called out to the intercom.

"Anti!" Henry cried as he kept pounding on the door. "I'm so sorry! I thought they would help you! I was a fucking idiot for trusting them! I promise, I'll save you! I'll-"

"It's okay Dad…" Anti reassured on the other end, not sounding angry at all. In fact his voice sounded like it was choked up, as if he was crying. "T-they told me I was allowed to say my goodbyes to you all before they began the surgery. Since I… won't be able to see you all again. I want to say so much to every one of you."

"Anti! Don't say that! We'll get you out of there!" Chase promised.

The chimera ignored what the vlogger was saying, and began to speak. "Chase… Thank you for being such a wonderful role model. I know things have been tough for you, but I am certain you and your kids will get through this. I hope that you will meet someone who will treat you better than Stacy ever did. You deserve to be cared for just as much as you care for others. And I also hope they love your kids just as much."

Chase felt his eyes leaking as he listened to the chimera. "A-Anti… dude…"

"Jackie…" Anti went on, getting the attention of the superhero. "I want you to remember that you are stronger than what you believe. You're a wonderful hero that puts others before himself, the type of hero everyone deserves. I wish I could have gone on a patrol with you… I would have loved to see you defend the city!"

"A-Anti…" Jackie shuddered.

"Marvin…" Anti went on. "I want to apologize. It looks like I won't be able to see that magic show of yours now. I was really looking forward to it, but I bet it would have been great! I hope that you will keep using your magic to spread smiles to everyone else."

"D-Darling…" Marvin sniffled.

Anti gulped as he kept going. "Henrik… you made sure to check me over when I was ill and helped me to recover from those episodes. I always saw my dad in you, and I can see why Angus sees you as a father figure as well. Angus was lucky to have found you. You are a wonderful, kind and talented man, doctor and father figure. Don't put so much pressure on yourself anymore, you are already perfect the way you are." Henrik felt the tears well up in his eyes, hearing what Anti was saying. "Also… could you tell Rose that I'm… not going to be able to see her get discharged? I know she will be upset, but tell her I'm happy for her and that… it won't hurt anymore."

"Oh Anti…" Henrik felt himself crying as he looked at the ceiling, hearing the voice of the child.

"Bing? Thank you for having my last night in the Mindscape be the best one! You are the best, loyalist and caring android I have ever met, next to BB of course. I do wish we could have gotten to spend more time together, but I'm glad I got to meet you when I did. You and Angus are perfect for one another. I also wish I could have spent more time with Robbie. I would have liked to consider him another brother, if he allowed me…"

The android looked up at the intercom as he listened to the chimera. "Oh Anti… of course he would have! I would have loved to have you as a brother-in-law!"

"I know…" Anti replied. "Dad… please don't blame yourself for what you did. I know you were just trying to protect me. I'm sorry I worried you when I left. I only hope that you, Aunt Emily, BB, Cole and Nathaniel are able to live in the MindScape and love it there. I know I did."

"A-Anti…" Henry's voice broke just hearing this goodbye from his son. He didn't want it to be true, but with how things were playing out, there was no choice.

"Angus…" The hunter jumped as Anti called to him. "I wanted to save you for last. When I first came to the MindScape, I was terrified. I had no idea what was going to happen to me. But then you took me into your home, took care of me and helped me out when I was in trouble. You comforted me in my nightmares, you gave me real food, you built a pillow fort with me, and showed me the MindScape and its inhabitants! You introduced me to so many new faces, and gave me the one thing I wanted… Freedom. I'm sorry for what happened to you, you deserve so much better. And even though you did steal my soul, I don't hold it against you. I hope that you are able to complete the serum and that you will be able to live with everyone else. And… if you are able to escape, make sure that you keep Posi and Nega with you if you can. They'll take care of you if you can't get the serum. And… I wanted to thank you for everything, brother. I'll miss you… all of you. Goodbye everyone…" Anti whimpered as he finished up his farewells. The intercom soon buzzed, and there were no words from either him or Dr. Thomas.

"No! Anti!" Posi screamed as he fell to his knees.

Chase was crying as well. "No no no!"

"Ah… Anti…" The magician collapsed to the floor, tears leaked from his eyes as well. Jackie went over to Marvin's side, rubbing his back to comfort him. He let his boyfriend cry on his shoulder, as they held onto one another.

Henry fell to his knees, tears leaking out of his eyes as he was shaking. He leaned against the door, huddling himself. "What have I done… What have I done… What have I done…" He kept muttering that same line over and over. The consequences of his action was finally catching up to him, and he now knew what the cost was. They could hear his voice breaking, just like his soul.

Henrik approached, sympathy washed over him as he looked at his counterpart. "You didn't know… did you?" He asked.

Henry looked up, puffy red eyes kept crying waterfalls as he sniffled. "I was told they could fix him… I was desperate… He was running out of time… I should have never taken their offer. I should have never betrayed you all had I known this would be the end result. Please… do whatever you want to me! I don't care if you end up killing me, just save my son! Spare him! Let him live!" Henry was a mess at this point, not even Chase could bring himself to berate him again. Even though Henry double-crossed them all, they could understand he was doing what he thought was best for Anti. He never would have given his son to those monsters if he knew they would just kill him in the end. Henry still deserved the beating, according to Chase, but he didn't deserve to be mocked further now that he has been the one who was betrayed.

Angus remained near the locked door himself, the speech Anti made repeated in his mind. As well as what Sean had told him in the Void. This was all his fault. He should have been strong enough to protect Anti, but instead, it was his little brother who managed to save Angus. He failed the chimera, just like he failed everyone else back then. Angus's forest eyes turned over to the center of the room, where a small piece of paper was. He crawled over to it, picking it up and looked it over. The guards had stepped on the photo of Anti and his family, crumbling it a bit yet it was still in good condition. The hunter looked over at the young chimera, seeing that happy smile on his freckled face. The smile that Angus and the others were trying to fight for, and the one that Angus took away so long ago.

If the photo wasn't in his hands, then Angus would have clenched his fist. He took some deep breaths in, as his body shook with something he hadn't felt in so long: pure, unadulterated rage. When he opened his mouth, he let out a roar that was so ferocious, one would believe it came from an animal. They heard it over the intercom, but Posi and Nega were the ones who suffered the most as they watched it unfold. Angus's eyes became fully black, no pupils or light inside of them. His wings were more ruffled up, and his fingernails seemed longer than before, almost claw like. The two souls could only stay close to one another, as Angus turned back to the door. Holding out his hand, his machete appeared once again. This time, it was glowing a blinding gold with yellow flames surrounding it. The Hunter used his weapon, slashing at the metal door. It was no match, as the foundation crumbled, freeing Angus. The Hunter kept growling as he took a step out of the door, his voice distorted in a way as he spoke. "Anti… I'm coming for you. And you better be alive when I get there. I will NOT let them kill you, not before I kill them! And as for YOU, Henry Alexander Schneeplestein, I hope you are proud of yourself!"

No one heard what Angus said, since he was far from the intercom at that point. But they did hear his scream, and many of them were still intimidated. Even Posi and Nega weren't sure what to make of what Angus just did. However, they were free. And they could not afford to waste time asking questions. Even though Nega still couldn't summon his fire, he at least had the strength in him to stand up. Picking his brother up on his feet, he looked back at where Angus was going. "Come on, Posi! We can still save Anti! We aren't going to fail him!"

Even though the angel had many concerns, he knew that worrying about them would get them nowhere. "O-Okay…" He finally gave in. "C-Come on, we need to go with Angus." Nega nodded, as they began to follow the Hunter. Nega didn't know how to feel about this version of Angus, but if it was to help them find Anti and the others, he kept quiet.

The others who were still trapped did not know what to make of Angus's actions. Once they heard that snarl, nothing came from Angus's end. Though they could sense how upset he was, and could only imagine what he was doing. "A-Angel?" Bing called out, shaking as he was frightened by that roar.

"W-Was I the only one who thought Angus sounded… feral?" Marvin questioned.

"Do you think he might have found a way out?" Jackie asked, wanting it to be true.

"If so, then we have to get out ourselves! Who knows what they will do to Angus if they find him running around the halls?! Not to mention, what they are doing to Anti right now!" Marvin squealed, as he knew they needed to act quickly.

"Hey, don't worry Kitten! We're going to make sure both of them are safe! Nothing is going to happen to either of them!" Jackie promised as he held his boyfriend's face.

Henrik listened to the other egos in the lower room. He knew there was still hope, and if they could get out of here that would be their first step. The German doctor looked down at Henry, who was still sobbing while having a small panic attack. Chase lowered his gun, as there was no point in fighting the other doctor now. "Henry… listen to me!" Henrik began. He held Henry's shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "We are going to get Anti back! No matter how slim the chances are, we will not sit idly by and wait for them to off him! If you want to make up for betraying your son, then you will need to help us, as we will help you! Please, Henry! It's not too late, you can make things right!"

"Hen…" Chase was taken aback by what he said to the enemy. Henrik was willing to forgive him and let Henry help them even though he was the reason this was happening to them. The vlogger couldn't help but admire that aspect about his friend. Even though Chase didn't like the idea of teaming up with Henry, they could use all the help they could get. And it seemed that Henry was willing to do so, as he wiped his eyes while standing up. He HAD to get his son back, no matter what. And if these MindScape residents were willing to help him, who was he to say no? With a small nod, smiles spread across Henrik and Chase's mouths. "Alright, so how do we get out of here?"

"W-we can't…" Henry admitted.

"What do you mean?" Chase questioned, becoming annoyed at first, but Henry continued.

"The doors have automatic locks installed into them. They can only be open with a special key card… which I do have." Henry stated, taking out a white card with an image of a purple iris on the front.

"We don't need a key card! Watch this!" Jackie took a step back so there was a large gap between him and the door. He then used his speed to run straight into the wall, knocking it with his shoulder. Only to recolie and bounce back to the ground. "Gack! O-Ow…" He whined as he held his shoulder, which felt like it was bruising.

Marvin went to his side and looked him over. "You alright, Dear?"

"Y-yeah… the door was a little more solid than I expected…" He winced, while Marvin checked over his wound to begin to heal it. Thankfully he knew a few spells to fix up minor wounds.

"The door is made of reinforced carbon and steel. Not even the strength of twenty men would be able to break it down." Henry explained over the intercom. "As I stated before, the only way to get through the doors is with the key card."

"So can you use it here?" Henrik asked.

"Unfortunately not from the inside. There are panels outside the doors to use to open them if they are locked manually. I highly doubt they could control the whole unit in this state, so if we can get the key card into those slots, then we can open the doors. But the real problem is getting the key card into the slot, let alone getting someone to open it from the outside."

"Aren't there any other exits or routes we can take to get out of the rooms?" Bing questioned.

Henry hummed as he looked around the control room he, Henrik and Chase were in. His eyes noticed a certain crawlspace in the walls. "Of course! The vents! Every room has one and they connect with each other! You could take one out to the main hallway and even to different rooms."

"A vent?" Marvin repeated as he located the one in the room he and the others were in.

Bing went over to it, examining the air duct and sighed. "It appears too small for any of us to go into. Posi and Nega may be able to fit if they were here, but any one of us wouldn't be able to squeeze through."

"Maybe for a normal ego, but not for a cat." Marvin grinned, snapping his finger as his body changed shape. Instead of a humanoid male, he became a white-furred cat with shining blue eyes and marks on his forehead similar to the ones on his mask.

Jackie turned to see his boyfriend transforming, a grin spread on the superhero's face. "Babe, you're a genius!"

Chase and Henrik looked at one another, both of them pleased as they knew what Marvin was doing. Henry was the one who was confused, since he didn't understand what was going on. Henrik explained to his counterpart. "Marvin has the ability to shapeshift into a cat."

"He can… turn into an animal?" Henry blinked in surprise. "You residents of the MindScape are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Marvin jumped into Jackie's arms, purring a bit as the two had a short cuddle session. "Tell me where to go, Henry." The magician requested, as the hero was taking the kitten to the vent. Opening it and placing him inside, where he fit.

"A-Alright… we are on the fourth floor! If you can manage to get to that system of vents and locate our room, I'll hand you the key card and you can take the vents to the hallway and get us out of the room!" Henry instructed.

"You got this, Kitten!" Jackie reassured him. "Get us out of here!" Marvin responded with a meow, climbing the vents to get to Henry and the others. "What can we do in the meantime?"

"Did you get the power to the lower floors running?" Henry questioned.

"Y-Yes… they have been running for a while now." Bing informed.

"Cut the generator!" Henry declared on the other end. "If they are preparing Anti for surgery, then they took him to the lower levels. They will need to use the restored power to operate on him!"

Chase gasped as he put two and two together. "Oh! I get it! We can by Anti some time by cutting off their power supply! That way we can get to them!"

"There is a backup generator down there, but it would take a while to get it started." Henry added.

"So in other words, we should destroy the engine!" Jackie smiled as he began to crack his knuckles.

"Jackie, if you try to destroy the machine with such high voltage using your fists, you could very well get electrocuted." Bing told him. "First we should power down the generator then we can destroy it."

"Uh… alright. I'll leave that to you, Bing." Jackie chuckled lightly. The android got to work as he went back to the mainframe of the machine and began to undo what he did. It would be easier to shut off the machine now, but Bing planned to override it so it would exhaust itself. Then it would suffer a malfunction and no longer be in working condition. Hopefully it would be enough for them to buy some time for the chimera.

Henrik was pacing in the room, he wanted to call out for Angus, but after hearing that roar he doubted that his son was still inside his confinement. Even though he was glad the Hunter seemed to have escaped, there was no telling what he was doing right now. Henrik's worry was increasing, as he feared for his son. Henry noticed this concern in his doppelganger, as he approached. "You are worried about your son, aren't you?"

Henrik looked to the ground as he sighed. "I know he was the one that made that loud noise but… why hasn't he come back?"

Henry gave a small smile towards the MindScape doctor. "You need not worry, Henrik. After all, your son seems just as capable if Anti truly trusts him. After all, if he managed to protect him up to this point… then it is the scientists you should really worry about."

Chase nodded in agreement. "Angus can handle himself! I'm sure he'll meet up with us soon! In fact, I bet he's probably locating Anti as we speak!"

"I do hope so…" Henry now had guilt written on his face as he held himself. The vlogger didn't know what else to say, so he remained quiet.

Henrik placed a hand on the other doctor's shoulder, giving a light expression. "I do not blame you for your actions, Henry. If the roles were reserved, I would have done the same. Besides, you hardly knew us and the relationship Anti had with us."

Henry sighed, even though he didn't deserve the kindness, he appreciated it. "I believed… Angus had done what he did to Anti on purpose. That he really wanted to kill my son, hence why he kidnapped him."

"Angus didn't kidnap Anti…" Chase stated, becoming a bit offended.

"I know… I know that now. We all actually believed it though." Henry admitted. "I was just… really worried for Anti. I mean, he was only two years old when this whole 'Corruption' of our world happened…"

Henrik was about to say something else, but his brain listened to that little bit about Anti's age. "W-Wait… two years?"

"Yes… Anti was created here on October 10th, 2013." Henrik and Chase gasped when they heard that date. Their faces were that of shock and confusion.

"W-what?! A-Are you sure?!" Henrik questioned

"Of course I'm sure. I had it marked down when we celebrated his birthday."

"B-but that… that can't be right…" Chase admitted. "I mean… Angus, when he was 'Anti', we found him on the same date month and day wise, but the year…" Chase trailed off. He remembered that it was in 2016 of that exact date that Henrik found Angus in the alleyway, crying and lost to be taken into the Septiceye family.

Henrik was still confused. To them, it was 2020 as of now, but… if that were the case and Anti was born here in 2013, he should have at least been seven years of age. Henrik looked back over at Henry in question. "H-Henry… what day do you think it is?"

The other doctor was confused by their sudden question, but he answered regardless. "Well, it has been about three days since Anti was taken from us so… November 2nd, 2015." Both Henrik and Chase gasped, as they listened to that answer. They were still utterly confused, which made Henry worry a bit. "Is… something wrong?" The other two weren't sure what to say, what could they even say? They didn't know what was going on. Henrik doubted that Henry was lying, he had no reason to lie anymore. Either time worked differently in this strange world or… Their thoughts were interrupted as the air vent was opened thanks to some magic. The three turned to the duct, seeing a white cat appearing with a sly grin.

"Marvin!" Chase gasped, happy to see the Magician. "You made it." The cat gave a smirk as if to say, 'Naturally'.

Henry rushed over, holding out the card to the cat. "Take this and find the vent to lead you to the hallway. Just slide the card through the panel and the door should open!" Marvin nodded, taking the card into his mouth before turning and walking out. The three stayed in that room, waiting as Marvin was their only hope now. After a bit of trial and error, the Magician was able to find the air duct he needed to escape. He found himself out in the halls, achieving his next step. Once he transformed back into his human self, he hurried over the door and did as he was told. He braced himself, sliding the key card through the slot. There was a ding, and the metallic doors slid open and the magician was able to see the others.

"It worked!" He cheered, watching as the three hurried out to the hallway.

"Way to go, Marv!" Chase smiled as he and the two doctors were freed.

Henry looked over at the magician, giving a kind hearted smile at the ego. "Thank you…"

"Save your thanks once we get everyone else back. Including Anti!" Marvin declared. "Which reminds me, let's go and get Bing and Jackie! Now that we have the key card, we can get them out of the engine room."

"Let's hurry to the ground floor then! Hopefully by that time we will run into Angus." Henrik stated, praying that his son was still safe. The four hurried, running down the halls and taking the stairs. They debated about using the elevators, but considering the other scientists had control of the locking system, they figured there was a possibility the four would get locked in the elevator. Plus, they wanted to take the long way in case they ran into Angus. They came up empty handed by the time they reached the ground floor. What was weird though, as they came to the many different levels, they noticed no one else was guarding the areas. It was eerily quiet on their end. Then again, the scientists were probably focusing on preparing Anti for surgery. And if they believed the others were still trapped, they didn't find the need to waste time on the upper levels.

Bing was finishing up on his end, overloading the generator in order to shut it down. He managed to start overriding the system, making it increase it's voltage to the point it could not keep up with the surge of power. "Almost…" Bing bit his lip, as he could feel the metal overheating as the gears were starting to come loose inside. Jackie watched from a distance, as the engine began to grow sparks around it. The superhero figured that it was growing dangerous being near the device, so he pulled Bing away just in time as it howled loudly before steam came out, the noise soon dying down.

"Phew… close one…" Jackie sighed as he set Bing down, while the android wobbled a bit. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah… just took a lot out of me…" Bing reassured him. He was a bit weak from using so much of his program, but he figured it was worth it. The two saw the destroyed generator, smiling in triumph as they were able to throw a wrench into those bastard's plans. Now they just had to regroup and get to Anti before it was too late. Thankfully, that plan was underway as the two heard the beeping coming from the door. When they looked over, they could see the exit opening, revealing Marvin as he grinned at them both.

"Way to go, babe!" Jackie cheered, helping to carry Bing over to the others. The six were reunited, as they were out of their prisons now.

"Are you two alright?" Henrik asked.

"Yeah… we both are standing at least." Bing promised. "And I managed to destroy the generator powering the lower levels."

"Thank you, Bing. This should give us more time…" Henry stated.

"So what's our next move?" Chase questioned.

"We can't go get Anti without Angus!" Henrik declared. "We need to get him with us before we rescue Anti."

"Agreed!" Marvin stated. "We better see if he's alright."

"We better hurry to the ninth floor then and reunite." Jackie proclaimed. The others seem to agree to the idea, but before they could even start to head off, their ears perked up. Sudden sounds of screaming erupted from a few floors above them. The screams were soon drowned out by a roar that sounded closely to that of a bear.

"Yi-" Chase yelped, covering his ears.

"W-What the heck was that?!" Jackie questioned.

Marvin shuddered as he registered that voice. "I-it sounded like…"

"Angus…" Henrik finished as he whispered the answer.

"Is he alright?!" Bing wondered.

Henry shook as that scream was still ringing in his ears. "He sounds like an animal… Does he roar like that often?"

"N-No…" Henrik began to grow worried as he could only imagine what his son was doing. "We have to get to him, quickly!" Everyone wanted to discuss the situation more, but the doctor was already running off.

"Hen! Wait up!" Chase called to his friend, as he was running after him. The others followed behind. Henrik wondered what had caused Angus to act in such a way. Sure, he could be aggressive, especially when his temper was short, but that animalistic roar was something new. Especially at that volume. They hurried out of the engine room, going to the lobby in the hopes they could find their companion. What they didn't expect to find was the horror waiting for them.

Coming towards them was a figure that they could all recognize, but didn't at the same time. Angus was covered with stains on his clothing and skin, a few cuts were on his arms as well, but they weren't too deep. His eyes were pitch black, like voids. Angus's wings were ruffled up, and he showed off his teeth which were much sharper than before. Behind him, the others could see Posi and Nega, who kept a distance between them and the survival hunter. There were also crimson stains on the walls and floor behind Angus and the two souls, indicating a blood bath took place not long ago.

The other egos remained frozen in fear, seeing the crazed and almost animalistic expression on Angus. He didn't seem like himself, even Henrik shook as he saw what had become of his son.

"A-Angus?" Marvin called out softly. "I-Is that you?" Angus just glared at everyone, taking deep pants as he growled with each breath he took.

"Angus, d-due? A-Are you okay…?" Chase questioned, but he got no verbal answer either. At that moment, the survival hunter didn't use his brain, he only relied on instinct.

"A-Angel…?" Bing tried to call him. "Don't you recognize us?"

"What happened to him?" Henry questioned, seeing that he was being stared at by the older ego.

"I...I don't know… I've never seen him like this before…" Henrik admitted. The only time he seemed this pissed off was when he fought Jack back when Angus was still considered Anti. But it was nowhere as bad as what the others were seeing now. He began to move over to the group, growling under his breath as if he was a monster from a horror movie. Henrik still tried to talk to him, seeing his son and not the animal. "A-Angus! We don't have much time! We have to-" Henrik couldn't finish his sentence as Angus rushed past him and everyone else. The survival hunter reached out, grabbing Henry by the neck as he lifted him up into the air. His grip was strong and tight, as the distorted doctor gagged from the impact.

"You. Backstabber!" Angus howled as he glared hatefully at Anti's father.

"W-Wait… please…" He tried to beg, fear creeping into him as he shuddered. "I-I know I messed up, but I want to hel-" Angus snarled, throwing Henry into a wall as he hissed at him. The doctor groaned in pain, as his back collided with the wall, sliding to the floor as he was in agony. The survival hunter used his boot to stomp on Henry, pinning him to the ground as he hissed his razor sharp fangs his way.

"A-Angus wait!" Marvin shouted, going over with Chase as the two tried to pull him off of the doctor.

"Dude, calm down!" Chase cried out. Their strength alone however was not enough to push Angus off of Henry. Instead, they were the ones that were shoved back by the survival hunter. "Come on Angus, he's trying to help now!" Angus would not listen, he pressed down hard on Henry's chest, making the doctor gag as he felt his ribs being crushed. Henrik and Nega decided to have a go, holding onto the ego as Posi tried to speak up himself.

"Angus, stop!" The Angel begged. "Please, you have to come back to us!"

"Christ Angus, snap out of it!" Nega and Henrik were doing all they could to pull him off the Omitted verse resident, but he would not budge. Nega even went as far as to hold onto his face and slap him, which caused Angus to hiss and swing at Henrik, knocking him off.

"Henrik!" Chase shouted. The German ego raised up his hands, reassuring everyone that he was fine. Luckily, that slap and swing was enough to distract Angus from Henry. The doppelganger managed to get out from under his foot, with Jackie and Marvin helping him to recover. The moment Angus saw him freed, he tried to lunge at him, only to feel his whole body being encased in crystal ice. Everyone saw as Posi used his powers to trap the survival hunter, panting a bit.

"Pos! Your powers are back!" Nega smiled, glad to see that the effects of the serum were wearing off on them.

"Yeah… not a moment later…" Posi sighed in relief. "We have to be careful, I don't think he knows who we are right now…"

"Gaaaaaaaaaah!" Angus screamed in anger, trying to desperately get out of his prison, but to no avail. His eyes were no longer white behind green or black behind green, they were just pure, dark voids. Much like the ones he had when he was 'Corrupted' back then. Everyone gasped, Chase having memories of what happened two years ago. Jackie saw the vlogger becoming visibly upset, as the two stayed close to comfort one another.

"Are you alright, Henrik?" Marvin asked, looking over at the doctor. Henrik's lip was bleeding from being hit by Angus, but he waved his hand.

"I'm fine… how about Henry?" He turned to his look-alike, holding his sides.

"I-I'll be alright… Thank you for getting me out of there… But, what do we do about him?" He looked back at Angus, howling like a mad animal.

"Angus, please!" Posi tried to plead with him again. "This isn't like you! You have to snap out of it, otherwise I can't let you out of the ice!" He kept growling, trying to even bite at Posi. The Angel backed away, wondering what they could do. It didn't seem like anything was getting through to Angus, and everyone was running out of time and ideas.

They stayed back, trembling in fear in case Angus lashed out at either of them. Henrik gulped down the bile in his throat, and walked over to where Angus was, looking him dead in the eyes. Yet his expression was one of a soft tone. "Angus… mieh son… Please listen to me." The oldest ego turned his void-gaze to Henrik, snarling more. The doctor didn't see a monster, instead he saw the very ego he saved that day so many years ago.

"H-Hen?" Chase tried to call out to him, but Bing placed a hand on the vlogger's arm and shook his head. They wanted to see if he could get through to the survival hunter.

"Please Angus… I know you are upset, and I do not blame you. We were all mad at Henry for what he did. However, he regrets what he has done and has suffered immeasurable amounts of guilt. Now, he wants to save Anti, like we all do. But we can not do that until you have calmed down and rationalized yourself. Getting angry and lashing out at people will not solve anything… you of all people should understand that." The hunter grunted, and yet his body seemed to settle as the words were getting into his ears. He panted, looking up at Henrik, who kept talking. "Even after you stabbed me back then, after you lashed out at me… I still could not help but worry for your sake. Because all I could think about as we were looking for you was that scared ego I met back in the alleyway. The one who only knew his name, even if it was not his real one. Even so, I wanted to make sure you were protected and cared for. You did the same thing for Anti, and I know that is why he considered you a brother. But right now, Anti is most likely scared, and he needs you. Angus… you have to stay strong. For Anti's sake… and for mine. Let us be there for Anti, as I was there for you."

Angus remained in the ice, staring at Henrik as his void-like eyes began to leak oily tears. He sniffled, bowing his head in defeat. Everyone watched, wondering what either of them were going to do. The group jumped as they heard Angus start to sniffle, raising his head up to look at his father. His sockets were mismatched now, one white and one black, but at least his pupils were visible now. "I… I failed him…" Angus's voice cracked as he spoke. "I promised to protect him… but I let him go…"

"Angus… you failed no one." Henrik reassured him, holding onto his son's face as he looked him in the eye. "None of us could have predicted this."

Angus couldn't believe it at first as he shook his head. "I let him suffer the same fate as me… It's all my fault, dad. Anti's going to die, because of me." Angus could only think back to what Sean was telling him, how he had to admit to his own faults. As much as he despised his creator, he was right about one thing: Everything that happened was Angus's fault. He was a hypocrite.

"Angus…" Posi looked down, sensing the guilt that was eating up in his current host.

"You are not the only one…" The egos turned, seeing Henry had stepped up as his mouth was moving. He looked over at Angus, biting his lip as the tears came to his eyes. "I was the one that put you all in this situation. I was so desperate to get my son back, after he had been gone for so long, I was willing to do anything. My desires for us all to be saved blinded me from the past the others had with Anti. In the end, I caused Anti to be taken away from all of us. I should have never judged you all the way I did. If I could do it all over again, I would have told you sooner and have gotten you all and Anti out of here. I do not expect any of you to forgive me, I can hardly forgive myself. But believe me when I say this… I will not give up on my son. As long as Anti is still alive, I will keep fighting and do whatever I can to get him back! He may not need me anymore though, but he will need you all. You are part of his family now, so please… save him." Henry begged, as he looked at the other egos. The group smiled, touched by his words. Even Angus felt a slight pain in his chest.

"Henry…" Angus panted, as he was reminded of when he and Anti had first met. How Henry was the first one to truly care for Anti and see past the tests. The survival hunter could see how genuine he was, in his actions and words. Right now, fighting would get them nowhere. They had to focus on getting Anti out of the grasps of those bastards and get out of this world. Angus closed his eyes, when he opened them again, his sclera's were back to white. "I promise… we'll get Anti back!" It was a promise that he was going to deliver, no matter the cost.

Posi and Nega looked at Angus, both were proud to see him taking charge. The Devil melted the ice surrounding Angus, as it became thinner and more breakable. Angus pushed through his prison, but nearly fell as his body was slightly cold. Henrik was there, grabbing him and helping him stand back up. "How do you feel, Angus?" Henrik questioned.

"Slightly chilly, but better than frostbitten." Angus replied.

"And… what about your soul?" Henrik questioned.

The hunter reached over to his chest, where his fractured soul was. As he touched the area, he winced, clutching onto his chest. "Hgggh! Ahh…"

"Angus!" Henrik began to worry, laying his son against the wall as he watched him trying to regain his breathing.

"Oh no… is his soul…?" Marvin trailed off, his face paling as he had a bad feeling.

Nega nodded, as he and Posi could feel it from here. "His soul is being fractured. One of the doctors ended up stomping on his chest, and it must have damaged his soul further."

"Him being in that mindset didn't help either…" Posi added.

"Was it just me, or did he act similar to what he was like when we fought him two years ago?" Jackie questioned, bringing up that event in which the egos and Jack had to fight Angus as 'Anti', in order to put a stop to the 'Corruption' which took place a while back.

"He seems really similar to how Anti attacked in all of our memories…" Chase added.

"Now that you mention it, their features were pretty similar as well as their mannerisms." Marvin agreed.

"Perhaps it is because Angus has Anti's souls." Everyone turned, listening to Henry as he was explaining the situation. "As you are probably aware by now, Anti had a lot of animalistic features when he was born. Dragon being one of them, but he has other characteristics such as seeing in the dark, heightened hearing, sharper claws and teeth and sensitive smelling. Since he has those features, he is also skilled in survival combat. But that only happens when he goes into what we call-"

"A feral state…" Angus finished, which caused everyone to look at the survival hunter. "When I came here and brought Anti to the Mindscape, I listened to a recording which belonged to Dr. Thomas."

"A recording?" Jackie repeated.

"Ah, yes. Dr. Thomas was usually one for making audio records of projects he was in charge of. A lot of the scientists here actually did that, to create memos of our progress." Henry explained.

Angus nodded, continuing. "When Anti gets aggressive, he'll attack anything in his path as if they are a threat. It happens though when the negative energy inside of him is greater… but he was still capable of that state even when he didn't have his soul."

"Yeah… we saw it ourselves when we gathered the soul shards." Chase added. "Come to think of it, you kind of acted that way even before you brought Anti to us."

"Is it because Anti's soul has been attached to yours for so long, that you picked up some characteristics?" Marvin questioned.

"I guess… I was Anti for a while after all." Angus heaved, rubbing where his soul was. The pain had numbed down, but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before it would start to flare up again.

"That's probably why you didn't recognize us at first…" Posi realized.

"Sorry about that…" Angus apologizes.

Bing went over to his boyfriend, helping him balance and stand up. "What matters is you are safe… and we're all together again." The android tried to be positive in this instant. Even though Angus wanted to share in said moment, he knew it wasn't fully true.

"Not all of us…" He looked down, all he could think about was Anti's final message to them all. Angus bit his lip as his mind raced, he could only imagine what those bastards were doing to him now! All the more reason they had to find him quickly!

Bing could sense Angus shaking, holding him close to his chest as he rubbed his back. "We'll get him back, Angel. We haven't lost him yet."

Henrik nodded, looking at his son. "We are all going to save Anti… but you must take it easy mieh son. If you go in that feral state again, it might strain your soul. Remember, Posi and Nega aren't as connected to you as they were before. If you suffer a fatal blow or go in that state again…"

"I can kiss my soul goodbye." Angus groaned. He should have realized how draining that feral mind state was with a broken soul. Considering the damage it had on Anti, of course Angus wouldn't have been better off.

Marvin gave a soft smile over to the oldest ego, trying to be supportive. "Let us take care of the rest, darling. Anti is part of our family now, so we are going to keep him safe."

"Yeah! You don't have to do this alone!" Jackie added. "We'll get Anti back and get out of here! Then we'll fix you both up!"

Angus looked at everyone, seeing how worried they were. He wanted to protest, he had to be the one to save Anti. It had to be him, he was there when they took him, so he was at fault. But he could feel the pressure of his soul within him. For every minute that passed it was cracking more, putting strain on his physical body. At this rate, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Any further damage could very well put him one step closer to death. And he would not be of any use to his brother if he died. Reluctantly, he slumped into Bing's hold, knowing he would have to leave it up to the others to get Anti back.

"So, how do we get to Anti?" Nega questioned, steering everyone onto their next course.

"They most likely took him to the deep labs, the facility underneath the building. That is where our most top secret projects were being conducted." Henry explained.

"Do you know how we can get there?" Bing asked.

Henry was about to speak up, only for Angus to be the one to reply. "There is a way…" He began. "I found it when I first came here. Behind the vending machine in the break room."

Henry was surprised by the knowledge that Angus had, but he shouldn't have questioned it. After all, if he truly did come here to free Anti the first time, then he must know some of the secrets. "We better get there now, the power outage won't hold them forever. Once the backup generator below kicks in, they will begin the surgery."

Bing picked up Angus, carrying him on his shoulders. "Then there's no time to waste!" The survival hunter declared. Even though Angus felt useless to everyone now, he still wanted to help out as much as he could. Posi could sense how helpless Angus felt, but there wasn't much they could do. Henry led everyone down the halls of the ground floor, locating the break room which was close to where they entered the building. It was just like how Angus remembered it the first time he came here. The hunter got off of the android's shoulders and went over to the vending machines. He began to push the one with snacks inside of it, using his strength to get it out of the way. Chase and Jackie went over to help, using all three of their combined might, they managed to move it aside. Behind the machine was a doorframe, a hole in the wall with a stairwell leading downward.

"So this is the passageway to the deep lab?" Jackie questioned.

"Yes… there are other routes, but this will get us to the main hallways." Henry explained.

"I'm getting Gravity Falls vibes from this." Nega admitted.

Angus turned back to the Devil with a raised brow. "What is it with you and the pop-culture references?"

"I call it as I see it." That was Nega's response.

"We all better keep our guard up. They might be down there waiting for us and will attempt to prevent us from going any further." Henry warned.

"They can try, but they have no idea what we are capable of!" Chase proclaimed.

"Don't worry about us, Henry. We faced worse. You've seen nothing yet." Marvin reassured him.

"Just take us to where they are holding Anti, and we can handle the rest." Angus promised, even if he may be the one sitting out. 'I want to help them… and Anti… but I can't risk damaging my soul further. If worse comes to worse, I will intervene, but it's up to them now. Please stay alive, Anti. We'll be there soon.' He thought to himself.

"Let's do this!" Chase declared, letting Henry lead the eight egos down below the steps. Once they made it to the ground floor, they could see how different the deep lab was compared to the hospital above. The lights were off, so there was no way to see beyond their hands in front of their faces. Thankfully, Nega and Marvin used their fire and illumination magic to give them sight. The walls of this sub-level were a dark navy blue, with some patches glitched out much like the ones above. Looking closely though, it seemed there was more damage here than upstairs. The doors seemed to be made of a stronger metal than upstairs, much like how the floor shone with the metallic pattern.

"Now THIS is something out of a horror movie." Nega commented, as he and everyone else kept an eye out for the other scientists.

"I can't believe a place like this exists below a hospital…" Henrik shuddered, already feeling dread just being in the hallway. Angus didn't blame him.

"They mostly only used the deep lab for experimentation." Henry explained. "Though, a lot of these projects were classified."

"Like Anti…" Angus growled, remembering how he met him down here. All he could think about was seeing him in that room, strapped down and glitching out while giving Angus that perma-smile. Now that Angus thought about it, was that an omen that foreshadowed the fate of Anti?

"Are you alright, Angus?" Henrik asked his son, seeing how tense he was.

The survival hunter shook his head. "Yeah… I just want to get Anti out of here as soon as possible."

"Believe us, Angus. We all do." Henrik told his son.

Angus knew everyone was on his side, and he hoped they would be successful. Angus had failed them so many times in the past, but he was not going to fail Anti. This was the one person he could not afford to let slip away. Angus looked back at everyone else, but he was mostly focused on Bing, who kept tapping at his headset while his antenna was vibrating. "Bing? Are you okay?"

The android shook his head, but the beeping from his antenna was not ceasing. "S-sorry… I've been picking up a strange signal ever since we came here…" He admitted.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned it back in the engine room." Jackie stated, remembering what Bing told him and Marvin.

"What kind of signal?" Angus asked, growing curious.

"Do you think it's Anti?" Henrik questioned.

Henry jumped at the mention. "H-he did have a habit of messing up electronics when his soul was unstable!" That brought some hope to a few of them, as that meant that Anti was close by.

Bing shook his head in response. "No… the signal that's being sent to me is similar to my own. Almost like it's my signal."

"Your signal?" Angus questioned, wondering how it was possible for Bing to be sending himself a message. He had to think back, and when he remembered the residents who lived here, his eyes went wide at the realization. "It must be BB!" He gasped.

"BB?" Jackie repeated. "Oh, right! That Bing look-a-like that you guys mentioned a while back."

"That explains who has been sending the signal then! It must be BB!" Marvin pointed out.

"And considering how strong the signal is now, he must be close by." Bing added.

"If he is nearby, my sister and the others are probably close as well…" Henry realized. "We need to find them! They will surely help us!"

Posi smiled, nodding at the suggestion. "Good idea. Can you track the signal, Bing?"

"Of course… it's not too far away." The android began to be the leader of the group, letting everyone follow behind him as he searched for the source of the signal. Angus was the closest beside him, wanting to protect his boyfriend, which Bing did not complain about. He tuned his antenna every so often, trying to pick up the frequency and follow the trail. Hopefully BB was alright, though if Henry, Anti and the other scientists were able to live during the 'Corruption' of this world, then surely the rest of Anti's family did. At the very least, Angus prayed they weren't captives themselves.

Bing stood in front of a door, as his antenna was dancing wildly. "I found it! The source is inside this room!" Henry thanked Bing, going over to the panel and swiped the key card inside. However, there was no ding or sound to indicate that the door was opened. Henry tried again, but got the same results.

"Why isn't the key card working?" Chase questioned.

"It must be locked from the inside…" Henry realized. "Which means someone has to open it in the room to let us in."

Marvin hummed, looking around as he saw a vent near the door. That playful smirk found itself upon his face again. "Leave it to me!" Using his magic, he transformed into his cat persona. Jackie quickly went over, helping his boyfriend climb up inside of the vent. The cat meowed, as he walked through the cramped space and maneuvered through the maze. It didn't take as long as he thought, eventually finding the room he needed. He climbed out of the vent and hopped onto the floor. Once he was inside, he transformed back into his human self, then looked around to see the condition this room was in. Many shelves and papers lay scattered on the floor. The only table that wasn't flipped was one with many monitors, and a figure sitting there. Marvin stepped closer, getting a better look at the one sitting there. It was an armless man that looked exactly like Bing, except he had blue-green and yellow features in his colors. He just sat there, static in his eyes as he had a small smile on his face.

"So this is BB? What happened to him?" Marvin questioned, seeing the state that he was in. It didn't appear anyone else was in the room, though whether that was a good thing or not, wasn't decided yet. He looked back over at the door, heading to the panel which was next to it. "Are you guys out there?" He called to the other side.
"We're here, Marvin!" Jackie responded.

"How do I open the door from the inside?" Marvin questioned.

"There's a panel next to it, with a keypad. Type the number of the room on it and it will unlock. The door number is 107."

"Got it!" Marvin did as he was told, punching in the numbers and waited. After a ping from the machine, the door slid open and the others piled into the room.

"Did you find BB?" Henry questioned.

"Sort of… he looks damaged…" Marvin pointed over to where the other android was. Everyone gathered at the table, while Bing checked him over.

"Woah… so, this is another version of me?" Bing questioned, slightly impressed as he checked the other robot over.

"Looks like it… what happened to him?" Chase asked. "Where are his arms?"

"He was like that when I found him…" Marvin stated.

"It looks like he is in low power mode, only at one percent." Bing noted sadly. "And his motherboard and database are also exposed…"

"Emily must have been in the middle of fixing him up." Henry realized.

"What do you mean, fixing?" Henrik questioned.

"From what I recall, BB and Anti were close friends, but Anti told me that during his development, he produced electromagnetic energy that affected technology." Angus explained.

"Yes, BB got affected by it, so Emily had to constantly repair him…" Henry added. "Looks like he was in the middle of said repairs before all of this happened…"

"That would explain why he has no arms…" Nega shuddered.

"Is there… any way you could get him functioning again?" Posi asked Bing.

"Honestly, there is really nothing I could do. Even if I knew how to fix him, I do not have the tools necessary for the procedure." Bing admitted. "However, I can give up some of my battery life and place it into him. If he reaches zero, it may end up creating more problems, especially with the condition he is in. At the very least, giving him some more juice should keep him stable until we can bring him back to our world and fix him up there."

Henry didn't protest as he nodded. "Do what you must…" Bing smiled, using the approval as he used a usb port that he carried and attached it to his chest. Thankfully, BB had the same parts that Bing had, so he knew where the charging port was. Once they were connected, Bing gave half of his battery power over to the fellow android. Not a lot since they still had a mission to accomplish, only enough to make sure that BB would be set for the next few hours.

"Will you be alright, darling?" Marvin asked, watching as Bing transferred his power.

"I'll be a bit weak at first… but I will have enough battery left over to continue." He reassured them. As he was being used to charge the Omitted android, the Mindscape one's antenna buzzed as that signal was once again present. "The signal… he's sending it again."

"BB must want to tell you something…" Nega noted.

Bing checked over the signal, since he and BB were linked up. "Wait… it's a recording!"

"Recording?" Angus repeated. "Can you play it?"

"I think so… some of it is corrupted, but there is one part that's playable." Bing had to access the memory of BB in order to play the recording. The other android gave consent, and with the help of the installed speakers, the group were able to hear the voices on the other end.

"Are my repairs almost done, Miss Emily?" A robotic voice, similar to Bing's, questioned.

"Just about, BB. I just need to attach your limbs and we can go meet up with everyone else." A female voice told him, being so soft in volume with a motherly tone.

"Is everyone aware of what is to happen?"

"Yes… Henry should be getting Anti as we speak. Nathaniel and Cole should have everything packed. We just have to make sure our exit plan is laid out for us to take."

"I do hope that we will be able to get out of here…"

"We have to try! We can not allow them to continue hurting Anti like this! We are going to set him-"

"Emily!" A voice which sounded close in range to Chase called out, as the sound of a door slam could be heard on the recording. A gasp came from both the woman and the robot.

"Cole?! Why are you- AAAAAHHHHHH!" The audio ended abruptly, as both BB and Bing disconnected. Bing stood up, only to wobble as he lost balance. Angus quickly went over to his side to help him. Bing looked up at his boyfriend, smiling at his angel. Everyone else backed up from the recording, especially the scream part.

"T-That was Miss Emily…" Posi shuddered.

"So she was repairing BB when this happened…" Henrik realized.

"But why did she scream? Did this Cole guy attack her or something?" Jackie questioned.

"That can't be…" Angus refused to believe it. Besides, it didn't sound like Cole was coming in to attack her, when he sounded just as panicked as she was.

"Bing, when was this audio recorded?" Henry asked.

"From what I was shared with, the recording was dated October 30th, 2015."

A few of them were shocked by the sudden revelation. Henry gasped while Angus's eyes went wide. That date held different meanings to the both of them. "O-October… 30th… 2015?" Angus repeated that date, as his face became pale.

"A-Angus?" Posi grew worried as he went over to the hunter, sensing how fast his heart rate was becoming.

"What happened on that date?" Chase asked, wanting an answer from either of them.

"That was the day when we decided to leave." Henry explained.

"Leave?" Henrik repeated. "You mean leave the hospital?"

Henry nodded. "We all planned on running away with Anti to try and prevent him from being abused here any longer. That day, we had planned on running away. Unfortunately, the other scientists found out and… we were delayed." He said in disappointment.

"2015… but that was five years ago." Marvin realized.

Upon hearing that, Henry raised a brow. "W-what do you mean? Five years ago?!"

Marvin seemed confused by what he meant, though Henrik and Chase felt like it was time to tell him. Even if Henry may not believe them, he had to know. The door to the room opened suddenly, as five white-coat wearing people wielding guns appeared. Blocking the exit as they aimed right at everyone. "There they are!"

"How could Schneeplestin be working with them?!"

Angus growled, glaring at the scientists as he was ready to attack. He had gotten a hold of plenty of them before, and he would not hesitate to do it again. "A-Angus, wa-" Posi tried to keep him at bay, worried about the further damage he would do to his soul. Angus was in too much of an enraged state, he wanted to make these monsters pay for what they did to his family and Anti. The less of these excuses for humans there were, the easier it would be to get through the rest of this facility. He charged after them, baring his sharp fangs and threw some of them to the walls.

"It's the feral!"

"Shot him! Kill them all!" One stated, aiming their guns at the egos. Chase was quicker, getting his nerf one out and taking a shot at one, shooting their gun out of the hands. Jackie went over, swinging a few kicks to knock them down. Marvin didn't attack, instead used a protection spell and increased their defense. Posi and Nega, now having their powers back, used their fire and ice abilities to freeze and burn their enemy. Jackie was right about one thing, the scientists were no match for the egos from the Mindscape.

One was kept conscious, so that Henry could get some answer from him. "Where is my son!? What did you do to him?!" He demanded to know, holding this person down with Henrik's help.

"T-the vessel is in the e-extracting room… Once we remove what's left of the core… the Vessel will just be a husk."

Angus snapped back at the one they held captive. "You fuckers won't get the chance!"

"You've caused enough damage to Anti!" Marvin hissed. "You and your people have abused Anti enough!"

The scientist that was being held down took an opportunity to knock back Henrik by elbow punching his gut, then stomped down on Henry's foot. The two doctors yelped in pain, while the captive managed to get his weapon and aim it at the group. "You will not destroy our world anymore!" He aimed it right at Angus's head, ready to take a shot. The survival hunter was more than ready to take him on, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge the bullet in time.

Just as the scientist had his fingers on the trigger, his body suddenly convulsed as a buzzing came from behind him. He fell to the ground, twitching and unarmed. The group was surprised, wondering what had occurred to cause the man to be disarmed. They looked up, gasping as they saw three new characters standing over the crispy scientist.