Caught

The moment the circle flared to life, chains made of red energy shot forward and wrapped around Bendy's wrists and ankles. The Ink Devil let out a screech of pure terror as he tried to scramble away from the circle. But despite the Ink Devil's strength, the chains remained strong and began slowly pulling him towards the center of the circle, draining the demon's power in the process.

"Bendy!" Henry shouted in worry and fear, finally processing what was happening and snapping himself out of his stunned state. He dove forward, reaching for his son who now had both feet within the circle's boundaries and had shrunken down into his half transformed state. Before Henry could grab ahold of his toon, an arm snaked around and slammed into his chest. Henry found himself pressed against what he soon realized was Sammy. Henry tried to break free, but between the Prophet's strong grip and the ax was soon pressed against his neck, Henry was forced to give up.

Bendy soon lost the fight with the circle's power. Bendy was reduced to his toon form in the center of the circle with more chains appearing to help keep him in place. The little Ink Demon was stuck in a kneeling position with his arms being held out to the sides by the chains on his wrists. The circle continued to drain power from the devil to keep him weak, making his form unstable. His feet were mostly melted and ink started to drip down his face. Bendy looked at Henry with fearful eyes as they both came to the same conclusion, that they were trapped with no way to escape.

No! Henry thought desperately, frantically looking around for something… anything he could use to get out of this situation. His eyes zeroed in on the edge of the circle which was just out of reach of his foot. If he could somehow get out of Sammy's grip long enough to smudge the ink and break the circle, Bendy would be free.

"Sammy, isn't Bendy your Lord?" Henry asked, hoping to turn the mind control into his favor. "Shouldn't you be helping him?"

"My… Lord..?" Sammy mumbled, his grip slacking slightly. Henry was just starting to feel hope that he could turn this situation when Sammy's hold tightened once more and the Prophet said firmly, "He is a false Lord. I only serve the Master now."

"It's no use Henry," Joey said as he wheeled into the room, flipping on the lights as he did so. Henry glared at his former friend as the man continued smugly, "I made sure the mind control was in breakable before I set my plan to motion, though the demon managed to slip through my web. A mistake that is a moot point now that it is contained."

Bendy growled at the Liar, snapping his sharp teeth in his direction in an attempt to appear defiant. No one was fooled however as they could see the toon shaking in fear. Joey paid no mind to the trapped toon, focused only on Henry as he continued, "I must admit, you were a lot harder to capture old friend, but I have you here now and I can finally move on with my plan."

"We are not friends!" Henry snapped, loathing the mad man before him. "And whatever you're planning, I want no part of! So just let me and everyone else go!"

"But what I have in mind is something truly wonderful," Joey continued with a charming smile, speaking as if he were talking to a stubborn child. "I was originally just going to kill you for destroying the world I created and take back my rebellious creations, but then I saw what you had done with them. How you were able to almost repair them and get them closer to being on model. Even all the knowledge of magic and rituals I've gained over the years, I only just managed to create a few perfect toons, never restore ones that came out wrong, especially not the demon. That's when I realized that with my skills in magic and yours as the so-called "Creator", we could finally create the perfect toons I always wanted. Just imagine what that kind of power and ability could grant us! This is beyond just restarting the studio or an amusement park like I used to desire. We could change the world!"

"You have truly lost your mind!" Henry replied, disgusted by Joey's disregard for all those he sacrificed. Bendy whistled in agreement as Henry continued, "For you must be insane to think I would ever help you! You've murdered people without a second glance and you are talking about doing it again. You considered Bendy and the others as monsters for what they looked like, but you're the real monster for all you've done! No! I will never help you! No matter what!"

"I was hoping you would see things my way," Joey sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Now I'll have to use more… unpleasant… means of persuasion."

"Henry!" Linda said in fear as Allison and Tom dragged her into the room.

"Linda!" Henry said in worry. He tried to get to her, but Sammy's grip remained strong and the axed pressed a bit more against his throat, threatening to kill him If he continued to struggle. Bendy's ink bubbled slightly as if he was trying to transform, but the circle just drained him more, making so he melted even more. Bendy choked slightly as he coughed up ink before he managed to stabilize himself slightly.

"You call me a murder, so you know that I mean it when I say that if you don't comply I will have her killed," Joey said casually, Allison holding her sword to Linda's throat to prove Joey's point. "Of course I wouldn't be let her soul go as it can be used to create a perfect toon. Of course, without the ink machine, it'll be a lot harder to form a good vessel. I could always try just preserving her soul until I have a way to create an ink body for her, but I'm not sure what effects being without a real vessel of some sort can have on a soul…"

Henry's eyes just widen and his heart sank as Joey talked. Henry was willing to let anything happen to himself to keep Joey from accomplishing his goals, but he couldn't sacrifice Linda like that. He couldn't condemn her to a fate worse than death.

"Alright…" Henry said, bowing his head in defeat. "I'll do whatever it is you want… Just don't hurt Linda."

"Henry no!" Linda pleaded, but she was soon dragged out of the room by her two captors as Joey smiled sinisterly.

"Excellent," Joey said, clapping his hands together in pleasure. "We have a lot of work to do and there's no time like the present. Let's start by getting my star into proper shape."

Joey's gaze fell on the trapped toon, causing Bendy to whimper in fear and shrink back as much as the chains would let him as he wonders what terrible fate laid in store for him.