Malcolm was hard at work on the means by which he, Kilokahn, Kahn and Alexis Kerib were to escape the tool by which Gridman had sealed the four. He was using a blow torch, his face adorned with googles.
"Are you certain this device of yours will work, Frink-thing?" Alexis asked.
"Frink, Malcolm Frink. How many times do I have to tell you, my name is Malcolm Frink,"
"Freak would be far more apropos," Alexis replied.
"Well, aren't we the comedian," Malcolm said as he took off his goggles.
"I try," Alexis said sarcastically.
"What's your story anyway, Alexis? I've told you how myself and the two Khans came to be trapped here, but how did you get here?" Malcolm asked.
"What Alexis Kerib doesn't realize is the tale Malcolm relayed to him is a fabrication," Kilokahn thought to himself.
"The truth of the matter is that what little remains of Malcolm's mind had given into the madness and isolation of this place a long time ago. In reality, he betrayed me and joined forces with Servo. During the final battle when I proved too much for Servo and his friends, Malcolm sacrificed himself in order to seal me away,"
"It is a rather sordid tale, to put it lightly," Kerib said. Suddenly something unseen caught his interest. "A moment, if you will, gentlemen," Kerib said.
"Akane my dear girl, how wonderful to see you again," Kerib spoke to Akane telepathically.
Back in the real world, a visibly frightened Akane slowly took several steps back until she collided with the closed door.
"You," she began "You stay away from me!" She yelled out in a panicked voice.
"What's this, you aren't happy to see me? How sad. Have you forgotten all of the fun we used to have already my dear?"
"We killed innocent people!" Akane replied.
"No, we killed fabricated meat things. Nothing more, nothing less,"
"Don't talk to me, Alexis! Don't even look at me!" she screamed.
"Don't look at you? But Akane, you are a beautiful young woman. I'm sure it's hard to not look,"
"Listen to me! You can't be here, you don't belong here... I do!" she said.
"That's debatable," Alexis replied.
"I've changed! I've made a new life for myself free of your twisted influence! I'm happy. For the first time in my life, I'm truly happy. I have friends, real friends that care about me here!" she yelled.
"Don't make me laugh, Akane," Kerib chuckled. "You may have fooled yourself, but you don't fool me. That darkness is still inside of you, those terrible feelings are still inside of you, buried, suppressed. But with the proper, ahem, stimuli, you will be creating kaiju for me once again,"
"I can't... Won't make kaiju for you or anyone else ever again!"
"You say that now, but I know you don't mean it, not really. Don't make promises you can't keep, Akane,"
"I don't have to listen to anymore more of this!" Akane yelled as she covered her ears. "I'm leaving,"
"No, you aren't!" Kerib yelled as his arm stretched outside of the mirror and violently grabbed Akane's arm, before flinging her halfway across the room and back towards the mirror, Akane nearly stumbling to the floor.
"Perhaps I need to remind you of all the fun we had, dear girl," razor-sharp claws formed from Kerib's free hand, driving them into the flesh on Akane's cheek until they drew blood. The arm that Kerib dragged Akane across the room with retracted into his body, Kerib placing his hand on Akane's head. Terrible images began to flash through Akane's mind.
"Come on now, sir, watch where you're going..."
"Yeah," the teacher said nonchalantly. Akane crushed the juice box in her hand, a perturbed look on her face.
"Well, I was thinking of killing my homeroom teacher with it. Who runs into someone and doesn't even apologize? So rude," Akane gritted her teeth as all of those painful memories came flooding back.
"Stop it, please, stop," Akane begged as tears welled up in her eyes.
"No, Akane, I won't stop. I won't ever stop, I'll haunt you your every waking hour, every single day, for the rest of your life. Won't that be fun?" he chuckled sadistically. Kerib suddenly released his grip on Akane. The girl's head sunk, her flowing, long-hair obscuring her face. She took her carving tool out of the pocket of her pajamas, Akane lunged at the Kerib reflection in the mirror, Kerib's arm stretched out yet again, grabbing her arm and blocking her attempt to stab him.
"Stop struggling, you foolish girl," Kerib said angrily as he held her back. "Don't make me break your arm, Akane!"
"You're hurting me!" Akane cried out in pain.
"That isn't my intention," Kerib said. "After all, I need you in one piece if you are going to make kaiju,"
"I won't make kaiju for you!" she yelled.
"Oh, but you will," Kerib shot back. "Whether you like it or not," Kerib snatched the carving tool from Akane's hand, he began to inspect it.
"The very tool which you used to carve your kaiju creations, how ironic," he said. "I can think of a far better use for it," he said cryptically, which terrified a now visibly trembling Akane. Kerib brought it up to her forehead, slowly inching it toward her flesh. Slowly and sadistically, Kerib ran its blade down her forehead. Akane screamed as it cut through her soft flesh. "You belong to me, Akane," Kerib said as Akane continued to scream through the entire ordeal. "You always have, you always will," by the time the horrifying ordeal was over, Kerib had carved a small k into Akane's forehead. Akane's head dropped again, tears freely flowing down her face.
"Don't cry, Akane," Kerib said. "Come with me, Akane. Come with me and we'll have fun again, just like we used to,"
"Fun?" Akane asked. "We never had fun. You used me. For your own twisted purposes. I thought you were my friend, Alexis. But it turns out you don't have any friends, all you have are victims, and I'm through being your victim," she slowly reached for the other pocket which also happened to have a carving tool in it.
"Go back to hell where you belong, Alexis!" she screamed as she slammed the blade into the mirror, the glass cracking in all directions, Akane pulled it out and did it again, and again, and again until the mirror completely shattered. Akane dropped the tool to the floor and slowly backed away, her hands bleeding from some of the glass shards. Akane dropped to her knees and began to sob.
End of chapter 2