Author's notes: Hey, a reviewer dared me to continue, so, here we go. ^^;

My excuse why Captive is not yet completed: Captive is on my home computer. Encased Relations is on my laptop. Laptop comes with me to campus, and I tap at it between classes, while Captive is sitting on my hard drive, accumulating writers block and dust. ^^; I'll TRY to finish it within a few days.. I'm just having a bit of trouble.. **cough**

Disclaimer: Don't own them. I'm just one of the few people who actually write about 'em. ^^;

Also, uhm, the portion of the poem below really hit me when I read it, so I decided to use it instead of a song clip.

Encased Relations

Part Two

All alone, I stare at the window

Feeling my soul in me cry

Hearing the painful screams of my heart

Calling silently: Why?

Why is the barbed wire holding me prisoner

Blocking to freedom my way?

Why do I still keep waiting and dreaming

Hoping.. Maybe.. Someday..

Excerpt from "Why?" Written by Ruth Minska, Camp Mittlesteine, Germany, prisoner of a Camp in January of 1945

            Within every collection of individuals, there are always a set of guidelines and taboos to follow. Most are written or recorded, so that new arrivals within the group would know how the world was run. However, with those that are written, there are oftentimes those that are not, those that came either by common sense or by the spoken words of others. Within the Brotherhood of Guardians, the single greatest taboo passed from father to son had been simple enough to remember: Don't show your enemy when you are vulnerable.

            Thunderhawk could easily recall when his father had first taught him this. It has seemed to be the structure for which the Brotherhood was based; a tough exterior, never showing their enemies their thoughts or feelings. Yet, as the current moment came into existence, Thunderhawk knew that the rule could no longer be followed.

            Time had crept by with an astounding lack of pace; every second seemed to be an eternity. Sojourner, his tortured father, had eventually wept himself into an uneasy sleep. Thunderhawk had refused to leave his father, having never seen his father in such vulnerability before, even as the blood coated the ground and clung to his fur. He refused, as well, to rest; he did not want to be caught unawares, should Enerjak return.

It came as a disappointment, but not wholly as a surprise, as Enerjak returned before Sojourner had been able to awaken. The insane immortal released a dark chuckle, the only sign of his arrival, before he spoke. "How precious."

There was no clear reason why there was no attempt to restrain the still conscious Thunderhawk, even as he clutched his fathers' form to his own. It was obvious that he would not give his father without a fight. It was severely unfortunate that Sojourner returned to consciousness then, as Enerjak, fully clothed and bearing his armor, approached the pair.

            Suddenly, it seemed, power was exercised; Thunderhawk was thrown against the wall, separated from the relation he wished to protect, his cry of surprise quickening Sojourners' mind to awaken. However, even as Sojourner completely awoke, turning with a cry of fear, it became apparent that no power would be needed to restrain the elder Guardian; the previous torture had rendered walking a painful impossibility.

            Enerjak grabbed hold of Sojourner's forearm, pulled the still shocked echidna towards him, before both suddenly vanished from the cell.

            Thunderhawk, once again given the freedom of his own body, collapsed to his hands and knees; his father had been right there, had been so close, and he had been unable to help him. Dreadful fear encased his mind; he did not know if Sojourner would be able to recover from a second assault, so soon after the first.

            Despite how closely he listened to the sudden silence, neither screams nor laughter penetrated the air; yet, it did little to bring comfort.

            The fear was overpowering.

            It did not take long for Enerjak to exercise his abilities again. There was no clear way to record the passage of time, but Thunderhawk was certain that less than an hour had passed since his father has been taken away. He did not have to see their captor to know that he had arrived; his body had been frozen in motion, held within near-ethereal binds. The hold maintained for several long seconds, before the surrounding cell vanished from view, replaced by a larger room. Even as sense of the physical was restored, movement continued to be restricted; thick manacles bound hands, feet and waist within a sitting position.

            A quick glance brought view of most of the captive Brotherhood in the same situation, dispersed in a circle formation; they could see each other clearly, yet were unable to make contact. Strangely, only Locke and Sabre were being held here; Sojourner, Spectre and Knuckles were nowhere to be seen. With a silent hope, Thunderhawk prayed that at least one of his relations had managed to escape captivity.

            Suddenly, the manacled chair to his left gave a brief glow, before Sojourner came into view. There came an expectation that he would, at the least, lift his head to glance around, as Thunderhawk had upon his arrival. Yet, as his father kept his head bowed, either unconscious or simply not wishing to make eye contact with his relatives, worry began to bloom.

            "Grandfather Sojourner?" Sabre had been first to speak, concern etched within his tone. A quick glance to two of his younger relations gave sign to Thunderhawk that both were glancing to the unresponsive relation.

            Looking back towards his father, worry evolved into terror; had he not known what had already occurred, had he not been looking for the signs, he may have missed the traces of blood upon the red fur and green cloth. The blood was dried and old, but the trembling along Sojourners' body was new.

            The great glow signaling Enerjak's existence distracted all view towards the center of the circle. He stood there, smiling broadly. "Now, let's get down to business." The grin faded to a scowl, looking upon Locke. "Where is your son hiding?"

            Hiding? Knuckles had escaped, then, had avoided captivity. The first spark of hope since this had all began birthed into existence within multiple minds. If Spectre were free, as well, that would mean that two of the more powerful Guardians were in the fight.

            Silence came as the only response. Locke scowled upon the immortal. It did little but heighten tension and anger; a quick blow to a crimson-furred face only proved as much.

            "Surely, one of you must know!" It was more of a plea then a demand; Enerjak was desperate, it seemed, to have the last of the Guardians within his clutches. The megalomaniac only had to glance at each of his captives to understand that they would not speak; the Brotherhood fiercely protected their own.

            Enerjak only had to approach the still unresponsive Sojourner for fear to journey to the emotional surface. Still, Thunderhawk maintained his silence, sending a harsh glare towards their kidnapper.

            A gloved hand lifted a bowed head by the dreadlocks; tightly closed eyes signified an inward terror within Sojourner. The refusal to look upon his torturer brought a smile to a masked face. "Would you wish to tell me what I want to know, or would you prefer a repeat of last night?"

            "Stop it!" Thunderhawk surprised himself with a cry of denial. "Haven't you done enough?"

            Maintaining a hold upon his father, Enerjak slowly turned, an amused expression along his features. "Well, apparently not." With that, Sojourners' restraints were open. Before any action could be formed in defense, the former Guardian was thrown upon the ground.

            Enerjak glowed, but the emotion was not clear. "You will tell me what I want to know, or you will suffer. Either way is perfectly fine with me."

            Journeying along the realm of the metaphysical is hardly ever an enjoying accomplishment. More often than not, it's a terror within itself; one never knows what they could come across within someone else's subconscious. For that reason along is why telepaths, even those with the most base of abilities, hardly ever have contact with other sentient creatures.

            However, the fire ants of Mobius had always been friends with the Guardians of the Floating Island. More than once had their combined telepathy been put to use, weather to aid in an attack or to enter the realm of the subconscious.

            When Spectre had asked for their assistance in order to find where the Dark Legion had taken his relations, they could not disappoint him. On the contrary, many of the fire ants were eager to help in any way they could.

            There were assurances that Enerjak would not be able to detect the telepathic search, that he would not be able to use it to trace his own location. However, there were no promises that he would like what he would see, once he was within the minds of the other Guardians. The information did not dissuade his decision.

            Spectre found the first Guardian he was searching for with little trouble; Locke had walked along the subconscious of Hawking quite some time before, and the pathway to his mind was still open. Anger radiated off of Locke's metaphysical signature, directed at a being in the physical realm; Spectre guessed correctly that it had been Enerjak on the receiving end. However, what came as a complete surprise was when Locke told him to leave his mind, that the other Guardians needed his attention more than he did.

            There were no questions asked; Spectre quickly searched out for his other captive relations. He found Thunderhawk first, and it caused a great deal of worry towards the eldest Guardian when all he received at first was a frantic signature. Contact was made, and there quickly became a focus for the panic and fear.

            Sojourner needs you more! Go to him, quickly!

            His son? What was happening to his son?

            Finding his sons' metaphysical form proved to be difficult. At first, Spectre did not understand why it was so difficult; if he was conscious, there shouldn't have been a problem at all, and he would have known immediately had Sojourner been within the depths of sleep. Once he was found, Thunderhawk's earlier fear became understandable.

            Pain, amongst other emotions, radiated off of his sons' form. Pain, fear, panic, confusion. Spectre tried to understand what was wrong without asking, tried to understand what Enerjak could possibly be doing to cause such a fury of emotions. Amazingly, being too shocked to even note his presence, Sojourner knew he was there.

            Father!!

            The world spun and twisted; the ground was red, the sky was black. The interior view of Sojourner's subconscious was pure chaos.

            I can't stop him!

            The telepathic connection fluctuated. Spectre was unsure why it suddenly became unstable, but he knew he couldn't continue contact for long. He had to make certain that whatever was happening, that Sojourner knew that there was still a fight for freedom.

            I'll find you! Don't give up hope!

            Father! Don't leave me!

            Contact was abruptly lost.

Sojourner: ….. Oh, crappit, she came back.

Thunderhawk: **sighs** Why are you writing this, again?

Nevermore: Because no one ever writes evil stuff with you guys. ^__^

Sojourner: That's a bad thing?!

Nevermore: For the people who like reading it, yes. ^^;

Anyway, looks like this is still going. Flames, reviews, suggestions, all are welcome. ^^ Viva la feedback!