TOMMY - THREE DAYS LATER

I'm working out in the back yard with the weights, Pina and Dar have gone into town with Jason and Hayley again and Zedd had to deal with an emergency call from one of his clients so he's on the ship. As I change the machine configuration for a new exercise, I reflect on how my life has changed. I'm very lucky to have Zedd and the fact that he forgave me for the crap I slung at him while I was drunk a few days ago just underscores that. I shake my head. Who would have ever thought that I'd be mated with one of my first enemies?

Just before I start working out again, I hear a noise in the woods not far from me. It's entirely the wrong direction for Zedd to be returning. I look over to see Mesogog emerge from the shadows and I stand quickly. "What do you want this time, lizard face?"

"Not much. Just you." He launches at me and I deflect his punch.

"Gonna have to do better than that, princess" I mock him.

"As you wish." Oops, probably shouldn't have said that. He attacks in earnest, getting in a few shots, but nothing serious. Nothing serious, that is, until I feel the stabbing pain in my arm. I back off a little. Looking at my arm, I'm stunned. He did not just hit me with a tranquilizer dart. Seriously? I look back at him a second too late to see that he's thrown three more that hit me squarely in the chest.

Ripping them all out, I throw them on the ground. "Are you kidding me?"

I start to go after him, but when I take a step, dizziness swamps my mind. What the hell was in those? I fall to my knees. In a moment, he has me by the collar. "I don't joke."

I'm completely disoriented, but I hear him open a portal and he starts dragging me to it. I can't seem to fight him as sleep is coming and fast. "Thomas!" Sorry, Zedd, I think you're a little too late this time. My stomach lurches as we're pulled into the portal and everything goes dark.