A.N. Content Warning: Abuse. Lots, and LOTS of abuse. This is the darkest chapter I ever have, or ever will write. Please, be careful. If you don't like gore, or abuse of other natures, skip this chapter. This is not a joke. I am being deadly serious.

Also, there's a bit of tonal whiplash in this chapter, to be honest, it ran away from me, and I was trying to hold it together, I'm sorry.


Mad Dawg felt the hot wind blowing past him. The serrated hooks digging into his flesh stung, and his nerves screamed in agony as he fell, but the metal chains kept slack, sending him towards the spikes below, only for them to suddenly go rigid once more, swinging him about the tent as blood sprayed outwards like a fountain. He felt the hooks dig into his jaw, cutting upwards and hanging his body, jutting out through his head as his body hung there, bleeding and battered. It smacked viciously into a few walls, and then then… just hung there, limply.

"Ow." Mad Dawg groaned.

"WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME! TO RAKDOS' CARNIVAL OF CARGNAGE!" The demonic monstrosity below bellowed, cracking a whip and forcing another pair of ensnared souls to turn a crank which pulled Mad Dawg back up towards the platform. "IF YOU WRETCHED LOT THINK YOU CAN FIND A BETTER DISPLAY OF JOY AND GORE… THEN GET THE HELL OUT!"

There was scattered laughter and jeers from the crowd, and one demon got up to leave… only to be reduced to a pile of flesh, entrails and parts as the cannons that were used to fire demons into walls of spikes turned and blasted said demon apart with accuracy that Mad Dawg didn't understand. Maybe after the show, Dawg could ask for blueprints or something! If he ever got out of here, he'd want that kinda tech when he re-built his scrapyard home. "Man, I can't wait to rebuild the old junkyard…" Mad Dawg thought, not noticing he was falling, and then swinging through the air, being dragged along a wall of burning flames. "Wait, I'm on fire." He suddenly snapped to attention at the burning pain. "Ow."

"LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR OUR NEWEST STAR, THE DEATH DEFYING, DERANGED, DEMENTED, AND MOST LIKELY BRAIN-DEAD… DEAD MEAT!" Rakdos laughed again, cracking the flaming whip/cat-o'-nine-tails thing again, this time, it struck Mad Dawg, and did make him yell in pain. He may be built to regenerate, but this still hurt! A lot! Growling, Mad Dawg decided if these freaks wanted a show, he'd give them one! Using his strength, Dawg launched himself off of the hooks, feeling chunks of his back leaving as he did so, and flew into the air, spinning and flipping like he had seen Marcus do back when he wasn't Mad Dawg, but just little Kace…There were cheers and applause, and even Rakdos paused and looked up, not having expected something as big as Mad Dawg to be able to move as gracefully as he did… granted, the cheers turned to laughter when Mad Dawg was sidelined by one of the demonic harpies Rakdos employed, who slammed into Mad Dawg, forcing him back to the ground, face-first. "Well, we all know the story of Icarus, don't we?" Rakdos asked, leading to another round of twisted jeering and laughter. To the demon's surprise, Mad Dawg pulled himself up, and drunkenly stumbled over towards Rakdos. The demon ringmaster waited for him to get closer, until Mad Dawg spoke.

"No offizer, I haven's had a drink ona Tuesday…" He slurred out. Rakdos blinked.

"It's Friday." He remarked.

"Is what I zaid, I dondrink on Mondays…" Mad Dawg slurred, before pointing at Rakdos. "Y'know, people says you're a bitch, but I thinks your nice…"

"I'm sorry, who says that?" Rakdos demanded, angered. Mad Dawg just laughed and fell backwards. Rakdos seemed… confused, then shrugged. "Well, whaddya say folks? Give Dead Meat here a rest? Or must the show go on!?" The answer of 'The show must go on' was unanimous. "Hahaha! I knew you sorry lot weren't all as dumb as this freak!" He cackled. "Hey, did you all hear this lowlife was part of Princess Charlotte's hotel plan?! AND THE IDIOT BLEW IT UP!"

"No, I didn't!" Mad Dawg snapped, lunging up at Rakdos. His body was screaming for him to stop, to just… calm down, but he wasn't going to take that kinda slander lying down! …until he fell face first, a bear trap having been place near him, and snapping on his foot. "AAGH!" he screamed. Okay, maybe he would take it lying down…

"Ahaha! Hear that folks?! This freak thinks he's innocent!" Rakdos laughed with malice and insanity befitting a demon. Which… made sense, honestly. "Kid, let me tell you a little secret…" He smirked, bending down to Dawg's level. "No one is innocent here."

"Except Charlie." Dawg countered quietly. Rakdos blinked, then scoffed. He didn't know the deal between Mad Dawg and the Princess, and frankly… he didn't care. He had his chance to just torture the hell out of Mad Dawg, and to his delight and surprise, he was able to take it all, and then some! Heck, while some would be annoyed, or even angered by this, the bleeding, bloody sack of flesh and blood lying before him seemed determined to beat him at his own game! The idiot seemed to think that by acting tough and uncaring, it made Rakdos angry that he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted.

It kinda did…

But at the same time, this just meant there was so much more fun to be had! He could throw this pup through the worst he had to offer, and all Mad Dawg could do was try and fight it, only to be forced to take it! Snarling, Mad Dawg forced open the trap, freeing his mangled paw… a disgusting deep wound now digging into his foot…

"HIT IT!" Rakdos shouted, and the music began to play again.

I shall now accept the fact that I'm a failure (You're a failure)

'Cause I'm still afraid the future might be scarier (It is scarier)

Mad Dawg looked up, and heard the wicked laughter and jeering of the demons surrounding him, he didn't like it… it was… too familiar. It didn't sound like demons, it sounded like his own voice. Wait. Was that the point?

I'll slip while having fun and cut off my own tongue

They'll think I was dumb…

The next thing he knew, he was being dragged back into the air… he let out some pained grunts as the hooks tore through his flesh, ripping fur, skin and muscle apart as he fell back onto the platform, feeling the heat of the fire on his face. Oh- did we not mention that literally EVERYTHING IN HERE was on fire!? The ropes, the hooks, the chains, the platforms… pretty much if he had to walk on it, be moved by it or use it for whatever 'show' he was being forced to put on, it burned him. And it HURT. He growled, refusing to give them what they wanted, and stood back up.

Up from the sky, I won't want you to cry…

"Make it end… make it end… please…" His mind whimpered, but Mad Dawg forced those thoughts out of his current peripheral. Or- whatever the right word was for the current situation. He wanted this pain to end, but he refused to think like that, he refused to let them win…

So, sing along, it's such a silly song~!

The cackling carousel, it spins and never stops. The acrobat who's waiting at the top. Should do a circus hop!

"LeT gO…" Virus whispered, appearing in Dawg's vision. "GiVe iN, lEt YoUr bODy dIE… aNd tHE PaIn wILl CEasE…"

Suddenly, Mad Dawg snarled, refusing to give up now… He saw Virus sigh and shake his head, as if Mad Dawg was too stubborn to understand something. But, if it was something Virus wanted him to understand, then Mad Dawg didn'r wanna know!

As Mad Dawg fell towards the ground again, he shut his eyes knowing this was going to hurt, but all he could do was take it… it was all he could do, right? It was all he should do… he was- he was just their… their pet…

"HELL NO!" Dawg snarled, growling as he slammed into the ground, teeth, bones, cartilage and pride shattering on the ground as everyone laughed at his misfortune. To Rakdos' surprise, Mad Dawg dragged himself up, and flipped everyone off, earing cheers of amusement, and maybe some of respect from the twisted souls watching. Except… one…

"How the hell is he not breaking?!" the devil snarled, frustrated that all this hadn't done anything to deter Dawg. He thought about his last resort- you know what? No. He wasn't in a merciful mood. Leaving the show, he took out his phone and called someone.

"Yeah, you two. He's yours after." Was all the devil said, before hanging up and storming off.


It felt like centuries before the show finally ended, and Mad Dawg was unceremoniously dragged away, broken and bloody, and tossed into a small, windowless room. Thankfully, he had a few minutes to breathe, and his healing factor was slowly working on putting him back together… still, that had been painful, and Dawg didn't want to do that again.

"Hello again, Beta~" Came a scratchy voice. Mad Dawg blinked, then scowled.

"Oh, piss off." He snarled, seeing Vox and Val behind him. "I thought this was supposed to be for the Overlords…" He coughed, weakly, and to his annoyance, they didn't seem too offended by the comment.

"Still making the same jokes, I see…" Valentino purred, stepping into the room, Vox followed, the door shutting behind them. Mad Dawg looked at them, but didn't say anything for a moment.

"Eh, same jokes for the same walking punchlines." He shrugged indifferently. If these two wanted to act tough, Dawg would dance this dance, even if he didn't really wanna. He was hit with a cane for his comment.

"Look at me." Valentino said, putting his hand on Dawg's chin. Mad Dawg struggled, and Val tightened his grip. "LOOK AT ME."

"Eat shit you-." Dawg snarled, and yelped when he was struck with a fist, knocking him back down to the ground.

"You're pathetic." Valentino snarled, kicking Dawg over and standing on his hand. "All this power, all this potential, and y'throw it all away, for WHAT!?" Mad Dawg struggled, but he was tired… he was weak. It felt like he hadn't eaten in hundreds of years… which was true. He hadn't eaten or drank anything for centuries, and that was starting to catch up to him. But, he just needed to push through a little more! He needed just a shred of energy to change into his monstrous form and rip Valentino's head off…

"My junk being bigger than yours, you, attention-starved-" Mad Dawg replied, dropping a word that we're not even going to imply or censor. It had the reaction he wanted, and then the consequence he didn't want.

Crack!

Mad Dawg's head was slammed into the ground, feeling Val's cane being driven into the side of his skull. The harsh, sudden contact summoning a shockwave of pain and confusion, and his vision began waving, blurring… what was happening? Was he falling asleep?! Was he out of his- Whack! Mad Dawg reached up, then to the left… no, he wasn't doing that! He was reaching up to strangle Valentino, but his arm wasn't obeying! It felt like he was frozen, all he could do was watch with his eyes as his body was moved around. Feeling his broken teeth glow with hatred, he lunged up, and immediately had something snap down around his mouth. Val or Vox stood behind and over him, jerking his head back as some sort of muzzle was forcibly tied onto his face, keeping his mouth mostly shut so he couldn't strike out with his teeth. Mad Dawg didn't know where this was going, but his body was freaking out, demanding he run or fight. But he could do neither.

"I'll…kill…you…" Mad Dawg weakly managed to get out. However, he felt his head being ground into the floor, someone or something holding his arms back. The air seemed to grow cold and foul.

"Stop… fighting…" Val ordered, his voice growing somewhat echo-y, as if Dawg was struggling to stay awake. Dawg struggled against the restraints, and in response, his head was smashed against the ground. He felt his jaw crack as he seethed in pain, but refused to give up just yet. He tried to bring his back leg up to kick Valentino, but let out a muffled scream as a knife was driven into his leg. His body felt heavy, and all Dawg could try and do was drag himself away, but he felt… something, no… hands, on his body, and he felt his mind shutting down.

"That's better…"

"No… get… off me…" Mad Dawg tried to scream, but barely managed a whisper. He felt like he was close to crying. He wanted to cry out for someone, anyone to help him. Jesse, Angela, Vaggie, Ray, Dust… Moira… someone. He just didn't want to be alone right now. Even though there was someone with him, he knew he was alone.

Finally, as the darkness clouded his vision to a point where he was left in a zombified half-sleep, Mad Dawg knew had lost the fight...


The phone rang, and Loona scowled. It may be her only job, but she really wasn't in the mood to do it. That specific mood was probably the most common 'mood' she had, but today was different. She felt bitter, angry – again, not too off-the-mark of how she normally felt, but this was different – by the time you would be done reading that, Loona had answered the phone. "Yeah?"

"Uh, is this Immediate Murder-"

"Yeah, what do you need?" Loona cut the female's voice off, annoyed. "Make it quick, I'm off in two minutes."

"Um, it's kind of a weird job, and it's not exactly the kind of thing you often advertise…" The voice seemed to be fumbling over itself, and Loona groaned. This sounded like more work than it was worth. "Hang on a sec." Without waiting to hear if the woman was okay with it, she sent the call to the worn-down speaker system in the meeting room. At that moment, Blitzo was trying to figure out what their next job would be, and Moxxie was trying his best to keep Millie from losing her mind and giving into the blood-boiling anger she felt. Thankfully, the call distracted all of them.

"Go!" Blitzo yelled, hitting the receiver and cracking it a bit more. Whoops.

"Uh, is this I.M.P.?" The voice asked again, sounding a bit confused.

"You know it! Who do you need dead? How do you want it done? Do you want any body parts kept? That'll cost ya a bit more, but hey! We aim to get those people DEAD!" Blitzo spoke in a forced tone.

"No, no… I don't want anyone dead, just the opposite, actually!" The voice explained, and Blitzo groaned. "I-I don't mean brought back to life! I mean- I need help, okay!? My friend got taken, and apparently you guys know him! Furry fella by the name of Mad Dawg!" The name caused all three workers to remain silent for a moment, and even Loona threw the door open, fur and ears on edge.

"S-sorry, could you repeat that?" Blitzo muttered, struggling to find his voice. "Actually, scratch that. WHAT is it you want us to do?"

"Okay, look. I don't know you guys, but Mad Dawg mentioned you a bunch of times." The female voice explained. "He… I found through a source I have that he's gotten caught-"

"BY WHO!?" Millie exploded. "I SWEAR TO ALL THAT BURNS IN THIS WORLD, WHEN I FIND THE HEARTLESS MONSTER WHO STRIKER WAS WORKING FOR, I'M GONNA (BLEEP) THEIR (BLEEP) (BLEEP) (BLEEP) AND SHOVE THEIR (BLEEP) RIGHT UP THEIR (BLEEP) (BLEEP) AND MAKE THEM SWALLOW IT!"

There was silence for a moment, and when the voice didn't answer, Blitzo seemed annoyed. "Damn it, Mox! I told you your wife's screaming would lose us clients!" Moxxie seemed angry (justifiably so) and was about to respond when the female voice spoke up.

"No! No! I'm still here!" The voice piped up, almost panicking, as if saying the wrong thing would make them hang up. "Look, all I know, is Mad Dawg is being held in the Citadel! The Overlords want him for some reason, and they've… they're torturing him!"

"Oh, crumbs… if… if that's true… who knows WHAT they could do to him!" Moxxie whispered, horrified by the implications of what was being told. Part of him wanted to remain skeptical, but the woman's voice sounded so desperate, so broken, he found it hard to claim it was false. "Wait. Miss, who are you? How do you know Mad Dawg?"

"…M-my name, is Molly." Molly finally admitted. "I- I met him by chance one day, and he's been a friend since." She went quiet, before finally coming to her main point. "I- I want to hire you guys to break him out of the Citadel."

Silence. Complete, utter silence fell over the room. The three imps, and one hellhound looked to one another as if they had been asked a riddle by a sphinx, and if they answered correctly, they'd get cake. But if they got it wrong, they'd get carrot cake. (Which wasn't really a loss, as carrot cake is great. Don't try and fight me on this).

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Blitzo finally spoke up. "You want us to… what?"

"I- I want you to rescue Mad Dawg! Please!" Molly re-stated her point. "I'll pay you anything you want! I don't care what it takes!" Her voice was sincere now, and it was clear she meant every word. "Y-you're the only ones I know who knew Mad Dawg who might be able to help him! Please, I'm begging you!" Once she was done, I.M.P. was left in silence, but there wasn't confusion, or even fear. But hope! Hope that maybe they'd be able to do this. It would take planning, lots of it. And it would be the riskiest job they'd ever pull off! In order to breach the Citadel, they'd need all manner of tools and insider information… if they were going to break in through the back (which, to be honest, made the most sense) they'd need a vehicle of some kind, and they'd also need documentation of why they were there. Granted, that wouldn't be too hard to come by… heck, they could have Moxxie or Blitzo slip into the position for a day and replace some random demonic truck driver who was scheduled to go to the Citadel that day. Then, the others could hide in the back, geared up with the tools needed, and then they could slip in, find Mad Dawg, free him, and-

"No."

"WHAT!?" Was collectively screamed.

"I- we can't take this job." Blitzo sighed, shaking his horned head, doing his best to keep his composure together, and it was a tricky battle… "Look, I don't know what kind of relationship you and Dawg had, but we can't just storm the citadel and try and break him out. That's insane!"

"And that's exactly why we're gonna do it!" Millie protested, stabbing the table with a knife she suddenly had.

"Fuck I should'a stayed home today…" Blitzo groaned, rubbing his face.


"So, is there anything I can get you off with- I mean start you off with?"

Mad Dawg grimaced slightly at the question, but answered regardless: "Uh, you guys have Phoenix Energy?"

"Mmm… we have Succubus Seltzer, Rakdos Rum, Lucy Lager, Sinful Sider…"

"Anything without booze?" The waitress looked at him as if he had randomly broken out into a default dance. "Y'know what? Never mind. Cider, please."

Mad Dawg sat down in what looked like a high-end resturaunt, but was also clearly a strip club. Despite what his age would suggest, he had been in a few before. Before you assumed anything, it was because of Don Kim. The old Yakuza Crime Lord who had been Dawg's adopted Grandfather in most ways. Long story. He had taken Dawg to one or two when he was alive, so he had a feeling he knew what to expect. But then again, he was apparently in the lust ring… which he realllllyyyyy wasn't looking forward to. For… a number of reasons, really. But, he was here… time to see what this backwater strip club called 'Ozzies' had to offer. Hopefully the food was okay…

"wAit, aRE wE juSt NoT gONNa TAlK aBoUt wHaT jusT HAppEneD?!" Virus demanded, appearing in the seat next to him.

"No."

"WHy nOT?!" The dead-Dj demanded, defiantly disrupting Dawg's dreary demeanour.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"YoU JUsT lET it hapPEn! DID YoU WANt It to OR SOmEthINg?!"

"Shut the hell up, Thomas." Mad Dawg scowled, glaring at the ghost? Or whatever Virus was out of the corner of his eye. "We know that isn't true, so if you're gonna try and get under my skin, do a better job."

"i tHOughT YoU wERE MAdE To tAke ON THE TOugheST oF THE tOUGh, BuT look AT yoU nOw! WhAt wOULd JEsSE sAY?! WhaT wOuld leNa sAy!? WhAT WOulD AnGeLa SaY!?"

"They'd-" Mad Dawg began, but fell quiet. What would they say? What would they say if they found out he was… this?! That he went to hell? The things he had done? He didn't know, and at this point, he didn't much care. He wanted to imagine they'd understand, or they'd feel bad, but what if they didn't? What if they said nothing?! What- what if they said it should've happened…? What if they didn't care about him anymore? What if they didn't even remember him… "I really am alone…"

"Heya, fang-y! Why the long look? You only able to get it partially up tonight?!" A new voice laughed as a familiar face appeared next to him. Mad Dawg blinked, choking on his drink for a moment.

"Robo-Fizz?" He asked, surprised. "What are you doin' here man?! I ain't seen ya since the fight pits!"

"Ha! Not quite, I'm the only and only Fizzoroli!" The real (although still cybernetically enhanced) demon laughed, slithering around Dawg and hopping into the chair next to him. Kicking his feet up on the table, the things on the side on his hat (Dawg forgot what they were called) flopping about as he moved. He spoke with an attitude of calm, collected poise, almost as if he was gonna try and sell Mad Dawg a car. "Man, you look even wilder up close than you did from a far!" He laughed again, and Dawg smiled, hoping he meant that in a good way. "I saw some of the recordings of you in the fightin' pits in Imp City, man oh, MAN! Yer one heckuva crazed beast! I uh, gotta ask… is it just fighting you put that kinda passion and drive into?"

"No… I put it into other things."

"Oh really? Do tell…"

"Origami."

Fizz blinked, then snorted a laugh, caught off-guard by Dawg's comment. Actually, it wasn't just a snort, he was genuinely laughing, and failing to hold it in, something about Dawg's tone, sincerity and bluntness was just funny to him.

"Aw man, I won't lie, that one got me!" He cackled, taking Dawg's drink and downing it in one swig. Mad Dawg was fine with it, he didn't really want it… "Nah, but for real, what else you got in that big furry body'o yours? It's gotta be something! Yer kinda a anti-celebrity nowadays!"

"What's an anti-celebrity? Like an influencer?"

"Kid, I said 'celebrity'. Influencers aren't, they never have been, and never will be." The cyborg said, seeming almost offended. "Nah, my point is, everyone seems to know your name!" He commented, and Mad Dawg realized most of the patrons and even the workers seemed to be shooting him glances, ranging from confusion to scorn. "Yer a wanted beast on all the rings!"

"…so, I'm like a child star? Wanted for something I don't understand with a bunch of adults creepily breathing down my neck."

"Man, you are on FIRE!"

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, to your right."

Grunting his thanks, Dawg decided he needed some silence for a moment. Once he was gone, another figure approached Fizz.

"What do you think?" The figure asked.

"He's a depressed, possibly closeted, teenaged serial killer with massive abandonment and mommy issues." Fizzoroli said, looking through the file which had been given to them. "This should be fun."

After reliving himself, Mad Dawg decided to find a place to hold out for a bit, and entered an unoccupied room… to his annoyance, the door locked when he shut it, which was annoying, but then he saw he wasn't alone. Before he could recognize who was there, he was sturck, and thrown to the floor.

"Hi, sweetie pie~!" A new voice spoke up. Mad Dawg growled in irritation, and began to pull himself up, only for something to be wrapped around his neck, pulling him to the ground. The room changed again, melting away before rematerializing into its new form. The walls changed into a liquidy mess which swirled among itself, forming dark pinks and reds, before the room changed into what was clearly Velvet's room, or a room she spent time in. "Y'know, when you first walked up to me on the street, I knew I wanted to keep you!" Velvet giggled, yanking on the chain and pulling Dawg to the ground. She sat down next to him, like a school girl, playfully rubbing his ears. "I was actually hoping you wouldn't run into Val until I got a turn with you… I was gonna keep you, and take such good care of a sweet, adorable little cutie like you~! And the sweetest thing is you couldn't even lay a finger on me! Either you knew what V&V would do to your sorry ass… but I don't think that's the case. I think you knew. I think, no matter how much you wanted to, you just couldn't wuster up the stwength to weave me, could you?" Velvet was now in his face, playfully pulling on it with sadistic glee as she looked into his eyes. They seemed so tired, so broken, Velvet loved it!

"Is that it, Kacey? C'mon, tell your Auntie Vel the truth!" She prodded.

"You're a cunt. That's the truth." Mad Dawg grumbled.

"No! Bad Dawg!" Velvet said, hitting Dawg with a bat. The impact cracked a tooth ajar, and some blood dribbled from his mouth. "You don't talk to your Auntie Velvet that way!"

"Bitch." Mad Dawg muttered, looking away. Velvet stopped, and then frowned.

"Aw…. You're broken already? That's no fun!" Velvet pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted to hear you beg and cry… Oh, well!" She giggled, feeling she could still use her time well to toy with her newest… 'pet'. "I'm gonna enjoy breaking you…" She hissed.

"Y'know, up close… they're smaller than I thought…" Mad Dawg remarked, tired. Velvet blinked, then slapped him angrily.

Moments later, all of the club could hear the screams of agony as a demoness had her hand amputated via a razor-fang-filled-mouth.

Mad Dawg chewed up the hand and spat it out, disgusted. "Blech! How much of you is plastic?!" He snapped.

Velvet shrieked in anger, then launched herself at Mad Dawg, tackling him to the ground and violently bashing his face in with whatever she could grab. Thankfully, there wasn't much that was hard, but it still hurt! Mad Dawg snarled, getting ready to fight back when the door to the room was thrown open by some unseen force, and a shadowy figure looked down at them, what seemed like multiple faces glaring angrily at the two.

"GET THE HELL OUT." The huge figure demanded, suddenly grabbing Velvet and throwing her out of the room, bouncing her off of the wall, and sending her crashing to the ground. It was painful, and moreover, it was embarrassing. The figure towered over Mad Dawg, and fear coursed through his veins, he weakly tried to pull himself up, but couldn't.

"No… not again… please…" He weakly begged.

"Holy crap, you don't look too good…" The figure muttered, and reached down for Mad Dawg…

When he came to, Mad Dawg was lying on a couch. For a moment, he thought he had been in the middle of a nightmare, and he was back at I.M.P.! But a quick look around told him that wasn't the case… tragically.

"Hey! He's finally awake!" The scratchy voice of Fizz echoed through the room, and Mad Dawg bristled, unsheating his claws as the towering figure returned.

"Relax, pup. You don't wanna try that with me." He commented, his deep voice commanding, but also… relaxing.

"Who are you?" Mad Dawg demanded. "Why did you help me?!"

"Th'name's Asmodeus. The embodiment of Lust." The overlord nodded, his form- some kind of bird-person? - Towered over the already large dog… Mad Dawg heard the name, and more importantly, the title, and all his drive fell away.

"Oh…" He said quietly. He felt like he was going to cry, but he had no choice in this matter… "Just- just make it quick, okay?" Mad Dawg said quietly, lowering his head in defeat. "Val and Vox already showed me how lust demons tend to do it… just- I won't fight, all right?" He said, tears beginning to run down his face. The larger overlord seemed… downright disgusted, and turned and wordlessly left, slamming the door behind him, shutting the trio in the room "…this is gonna hurt, isn't it?" Mad Dawg asked, quietly, resigning himself to whatever came next.

"No… no, not at all." Fizz shook his head. "I've- I've only seen Ozzie like that once or twice, he's pissed, kid. But not at you…"

"Just- just get it over with, okay? How do you want this done?" Mad Dawg asked, tiredly. Fizz seemed disgusted.

"Kid- no! I'm- No!" He spat. "No, I'm not doing that, especially not with you! Just… get some rest, okay?"

"Hang on, big guy. Didn't Lou say we need to torture this kid? If he finds out you wanted to let him off easy-" Fizz began. He didn't WANT to torture a kid, but still…

"I don't care what the devil says, the kids had enough." Asmodeus snarled, glaring down at Fizz. "Fizz, I appreciate your concern-" His voice lowered as he continued. "But look at Mad Dawg, okay? This ain't- I just- I can't condone this." The cyber-jester looked to Mad Dawg, seeing a broken energy he recognized, and he nodded.

"Me either…" Fizzoroli muttered, looking to the clearly shaken Mad Dawg.

"I don't get it! You're the ruler of lust!" Mad Dawg spoke up, more confused than anything. "Isn't this your whole thing?!"

"Yeah! And do you know how lust works?! For good or bad, it's a feeling between two people who WANT something!" Asmodeus snapped, Dawg recoiling slightly in fear. His ears and tail went down as he seemed afraid of being hit… or worse. "What they did is nothing more than a twisted, evil mirror image of what a relationship should be in my eyes. It don't matter between man, woman, race, gender, class, any of it! So long as there's two people who WANT it, that's what I'm all about! Instead of passion shared, it was forced upon someone who wanted none of it. And they in turn, you give none back."

"Oh, suck a coc-" Mad Dawg began with an angry retort, refusing to listen to this.

"I ain't saying you needed to! You don't! You NEVER, needed to!" Asmodeus cut him off. "Everything lust is, is the exact opposite of what they did to you."

Mad Dawg opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the anger in Ozzie's voice told him that even if this wasn't true, it's what he believed.

"Get some rest kid." Was all the Overlord said as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. "Lord knows you're gonna need it…"

For the rest of the time he was trapped there, Mad Dawg felt a kindness he hadn't felt since Charlie first took him into the hotel. Asmodeus and Fizz, while eccentric, were also understanding, and never pushed him to do anything more than he was okay with, even if that was keeping to himself, too afraid to do anything else…


Back at I.M.P. Headquarters…

"I KNOW you guys cared for him! Hell, I know you two saw him as some son you never had!" Blitzo shouted, and the two went quiet. "What? You think I didn't know about the times you invited him over? Or the looks you gave him while he was working?! Just because you or Dawg never mentioned it, doesn't mean it didn't happen!"

"Then why aren't we helping him?!" Moxxie demanded. He was the first to fight with Blitzo over most things, but this was different, he refused to listen to his boss' idiotic excuses for leaving someone to such a horrid fate! He didn't know if they could help him, but they couldn't just do nothing!

"Because I already lost one person I care about, okay?! I can't lose another!" Blitzo finally snapped, his voice cracking somewhat. Millie, Moxxie and Loona remained silent, a bit stunned by his declaration. "…what?" He demanded, angered. "What?! You thought I hated the kid? He was cool! He made us money pit fighting! He-" Blitzo stopped, sighing and looking away. "I liked him, okay? He was part of our team, even if all he did was clean our gear and get donuts."

"Oh, so is THAT why you tried to sell him out to Striker!?"

"No! I was trying to help Dawg escape!" Blitzo shot back, angered by the accusation. From the looks he was getting, it was clear the three didn't believe him. He sighed and shook his head. "Look, if you all don't believe me, then that sucks and screw all of you, but whatever. If the OVERLORDS have him, then there's nothing we can do!" He spoke with conviction that tired, and failed to hide something else. Regret. "If the hotel is destroyed, then that probably means he had a falling out with the Princess, who would probably be the only one who could fix this mess!" He added, not knowing how right he was about that, in more ways than one.

"So that's it, we just leave Dawg to be tortured for the rest of eternity, or until those Angels show up in a day or two and start killing everyone until they find him!?" Loona asked, her tone angered, but her voice quiet. The issue was, she didn't exactly have a plan to help him either.

"I- yes! I mean, no! Absolutely not! I just-" Blitzo was fumbling over his words now, and groaned, dragging his hands across his face with an exasperated sigh. "You think I couldn't tell Mad Dawg was just a kid?! Let alone the crap he had been through!? I'm not an idiot! I didn't ask him about it because it was clear that wasn't gonna help him!" By now, Millie and Moxxie were silent, listening to Blitzo's oddly un-Blitzo-like reasoning. "He- he's just a kid, he lost everything, and he's been trying his ass off to figure things out for himself! Isn't that why you two invited him over for dinner all those times?" He asked, looking to the M&M's. "Or why you invited him to those parties?" he asked, looking to Loona. "I didn't have much to offer him, aside from work, so I figured the least I could do was not make things worse for him! Now, he's gone, most likely taken by the Overlords, and I- there's nothing we can do."

Without another word, Blitzo left the meeting room and went to his office. Driving a fist through the wall, he let the tears silently run down his face... Mad Dawg was just another name on the long, long list of those he had cared for, but ultimately let down…Walking over to his phone, he hesitated, seeming terrified of what he was about to do, then dialled the number.

"Yeah, I'm in." Was all he said.


Time meant nothing anymore. Minutes, hours, days, months… it all blended together, or maybe it didn't. Maybe it hadn't been a day since he got here, but Mad Dawg couldn't tell anymore. After Rakdos, Valentino and Vox, Ozzie, Fizz and Velvet (he was still proud of that last one, even if he had been beaten to heck and back by the other two V's after being taken from Ozzie's…) he had been tossed about, finding himself in the different rings of hell. Gluttony, sloth, pride, greed, and so on… All of them hurt, and Mad Dawg was feeling worn out in every sense of the word. His bones were shattered, skin flayed and burned, everything was taken in and out of him, time and time again, but he hadn't given in, despite how much Virus had told him to, he refused. Part of it was his stubborn pride, refusing to let the devil win, and part of it was the want- no, the need to see Charlie and Vaggie again, and tell him how sorry he was for all of this. Trying his hardest to even breathe, Mad Dawg felt the hooks in his body, the metal nullifying his healing ability… it was pain, this was truly hell… but something in his mind told him it was about to get a lot worse. The doors opened… and Dawg's heart sank.

"Oh, by the nine rings, what have they done to you?" Stolas quietly asked as he entered, seeming horrified by the condition Mad Dawg was in.

"Oh… this?" Mad Dawg weakly croaked, forcing a half-smirk. "This was their best attempts at foreplay." He weakly joked. "Heh- ow. Ow… hurts to breathe… ow… ow…"

Stolas gave Mad Dawg an unhappy flat look, one that told him this wasn't the time for jokes, but it was clear Mad Dawg didn't care, not in the slightest. "Kace…"

"Don't… call me… that…" Dawg snarled, drool and blood dripping from his jaws as he weakly tried to pull himself forward.

"Kace, this is hardly the time or place for such defiance." Stolas continued, seemingly not caring what Dawg said, which was understandable, all things considered. "I… I don't know why I came here to see you, but I can't say I'm surprised. You struck me as unflinchingly stubborn, even in the face of great hardships."

"Hardship deez nuts…"

"…I didn't set that joke up, you can't- no."

"Blow me." Mad Dawg weakly grumbled. "What do you want, Sto? You're here for a reason."

"Yes, I was coming down here to ensure you paid for your crimes, but it's clear you've already suffered enough."

"Crimes? The hell you talkin' about, Vanoss?" Dawg snarled, annoyed. "You wanna talk crimes, I ain't the one who's been-" He began with a straight face, but Stolas cut him off, angrily.

"You struck a member of the Goetia family. You struck my wife." Stolas said, sounding genuinely angry. "You think I'd let that go?"

"Eh, someone had t'hit her, you sure as heck weren't." Mad Dawg shrugged.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?!"

"That you were clearly in a loveless marriage that was so clearly dying even the most deranged roadkill necrophile wouldn't wanna touch it?"

"This is hardly the time or place-"

"Oh, okay then. How about the fact that you slept with my boss?" Dawg's question seemed to ignite a fury in Stolas that Dawg REEEEEEALLLLLYYY shouldn't have ignited…

"What. Do you mean. By THAT." He hissed.

"You slept with my Ex-Boss. For WHAT?" Mad Dawg dryly asked, looking up at Stolas, and the owl demon was taken aback by the words, and how truly broken Dawg seemed now. Before another word could be said, he cast a silencing spell on the room, so those outside couldn't hear what was being said.

"Hey, he shouldn't-" Someone began.

"No, no, let him have this…" lucifer grinned. "I think Stolas is genuinely angry enough to hurt him… I want to see if Dawg can push him that far… let their words be hidden, but their actions speak."

"He used you for the book, and you used him for… a cheap thrill? Heh. You two deserve each other. You take advantage of everyone around you, and don't give a crap how your actions hurt those closest to you."

"Kace- er, whatever it is you prefer to be called, I know this isn't who you truly are." Stolas cut him off, frowning. He came here to help Mad Dawg, and now, it was seeming harder to want to do so. Who was this child accusing him of such things?!

"You destroyed your marriage. Blitzo sold me out to Stryker for fame." Mad Dawg snarled getting up and pulling against the chains. "You still think you don't deserve your darling Blitzy~? Heh. Maybe I should've taken Stella up on her offer. Kinda seems like she's open for anyone right no-" Mad Dawg spoke the last two words with such mocking venom that something in Stolas snapped. He lashed out with his powers, sending Mad Dawg into a wall, and began to choke him with a mass of feathers and demonic power. The strike destroyed the sound barrier and allowing everyone to hear what came next.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK ABOUT DESTROYING RELATIONSHIPS!? LOOK AT YOUR PATHETIC EXISTENCE!" Stolas roared, becoming a black and dark purple bird monster which dragged Dawg up the wall. The teenaged mutant couldn't do a thing as Stolas jerked him around, locked in his talons and facing the Prince's fury, before Stolas slammed him back to the ground with a sickening impact that shook Dawgs' bones. "HOW MANY FAMILIES DID YOU GO THROUGH!? HOW MANY HOMES WERE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF YOU!? DEDSEC! DON KIM! CHAROLETTE! YOU RUINED THEIR LIVES, HELL, YOU SOMETIMES ENDED THEM, AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO SPEAK TO ME ABOUT SUCH THINGS?! I SHOULD'VE KILLED YOU WHEN WE FIRST MET YOU WRETCHED MUTT!"

Mad Dawg said nothing. He knew every word Stolas spoke was true. More and more, the colour from his fur seemed to drain away to an ashen, sullen gray. He didn't even struggle against the hand around his throat, he simply looked into Stolas' eyes. But there was no quip, no badass comeback, nothing. Stolas seemed to collect himself, but still held him by the throat to the wall.

"I saw in Blitzo something powerful, I saw in his ambition something to assist in. I thought I saw compassion in you, once. I thought you were more than the filth that inhabits the Wrath ring… but you're lower than that. You're the worst kind of sinner, the one who pretends to be something they're not. Pretends to be a caring person."

"Same for you." Mad Dawg finally got out, waving dismissively. "You claim you love your daughter, yet you hurt her more than anyone. Face it, Sto. We all deserve to be down here."

"Indeed, we do. The only difference is, you will be down here, with what you hate most. Yourself." As the prince began to walk away, Mad Dawg wanted to snap back with a response, so he did.

"Get bent, Soren!"

…it wasn't a great one. Throwing Mad Dawg to the ground, Stolas turned and left, speaking one last time as he left.

"I pity you, Beta." He said, his voice unnervingly cold. "You had so much… potential. I'm truly sorry this is to be your eternal fate."

"Yeah… so am I." Mad Dawg whispered as the doors shut, sealing him in once more.

It felt like another eternity as Mad Dawg was passed from one overlord to the next, each one subjecting him to horrors and suffering which couldn't adequately be described in words without sounding like a demented edgelord fanfiction. But eventually, he wound up back in the holding room, covered in dried blood and scars, and when the door opened, everything went from bad to worse.

"Mad Dawg." A new voice spoke up. Dawg felt a jolt of… fear, shoot through him as he looked up and saw who stood before him.

"Octavia?" He said, quietly. He hoped this wasn't true, that this was just another trick! It had to be! He couldn't be responsible for her getting hurt because of this! He wouldn't! He wouldn't! He-

"I'm not here because of what I did." Was all Octavia said, almost as if she was reading his mind. The pair stood in silence for about a minute, then Octavia dragged a stool over and cracked open a can of Phoenix Energy. She held it up to Mad Dawg in offering, and Mad Dawg turned his head away. "Your loss." She shrugged, sadly, taking a swig. "Ugh. That's disgusting… how do you drink these?"

"W-why are you here?" Mad Dawg asked, dreading the answer. "Wait, do you have some super weird sadism side you're gonna show me? I won't lie, that'd be really unexpected and kinda cool!" Octavia blinked, then let out a slight laugh. A genuine one, but a slight one.

"How are you still smiling after all this?" She asked, somewhat amazed.

"I- I don't know." Mad Dawg confessed, his head lowering somewhat. "I feel like it's all I have at this point." Octavia didn't reply right away, but she seemed to understand that sentiment in some regard. Heck, while Dawg had laughter, she had disgust. It seemed like it was all she really had at this point. "So… I take it you saw what I said to your dad?"

"Yeah."

"You're pissed, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I'm an asshole, aren't I?"

"Yeah."

"Mm…"

"…"

"Well, watch'a gonna do?" Mad Dawg sighed, the chains rattling slightly as he tried to shrug, but could only move them slightly. Octavia still seemed conflicted, but finally, she began to speak again.

"Why are you doing this, Kace?" She asked, softly, seeming more afraid than anything else. "It- is this about pride? About trying to prove a point? They aren't going to let up! They're going to keep doing worse and worse things to you."

"And you care because…?" Mad Dawg asked, cocking his head. The Goetia Princess seemed upset that Mad Dawg would have to ask that, as if the answer was so obvious that even someone as idiotic as the mutant mutt before her should know the answer! But if he wouldn't understand, then she'd make him.

"…do you remember what happened, on your birthday?" Octavia slowly asked, knowing they were being watched. However, the Princess just didn't care anymore. She needed to say what was on her mind.

"Which part?" Mad Dawg muttered. "I remember hanging out with you, drinking, meeting Helsa, drinking, recklessly driving, drinking, going to a store to get clothes, drinking…"

"The part when I got hammered, and I kept asking you to sleep with me." Octavia remarked, and Stolas felt his jaw dislocate with shock at this revelation, while the others all looked from Mad Dawg to Octavia to Stolas with emotions ranging from astonishment, disgust, disbelief, or hilarity. "But… you kept saying no. You kept pushing me away. Why?" She added, making all the Overlords stop their stifled laughs to hear where this was going.

"It's just… you were drunk." Mad Dawg shrugged, indifferently. "I… I couldn't do that to you. That was wrong on so many levels!"

Asmodeus smirked to himself. Sure, that was almost approaching that idiotic 'nice guy' territory, but still.

"Yeah, but there was something else. Why?" Octavia prodded. She wasn't proud of asking him this, but… she had her reasons.

"Well…" Mad Dawg began, but sighed deeply. "You deserve someone better. I'm just some kid, you're royalty… But, I believed you deserved someone who made you happy. Something your parents clearly never learned…"

Octavia felt her eye twitch and she scoffed. "Stop being a wiseass." She ordered, annoyed. "If you think making jokes about my parents helps matters-"

"I'm not making jokes, I'm just being honest."

"You're being a bastard."

"Okay?" He shrugged, still in chains. "I literally am one." Octavia stopped, realizing he was right in terms of what that word's true definition was.

"I trusted you." Octavia finally said, and her words seemed to cut a thousand deep wounds into Dawg's mind and body.

"…" There was no response, Mad Dawg felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. He didn't like where this was going.

"I saw you as a friend." She added, sincerely.

"That was a mistake." Mad Dawg remarked, not meeting her gaze. His tone was cold, but… broken. Hurt.

"Yeah. It was." Octavia remarked, and Dawg felt his heart shatter. Out of everything he had been through thus far… that had genuinely hurt. "You were right, you're just a monster, trying to be human."

"Octavia, wait-"

"Good-bye, Mad Dawg." Octavia said, turning her back to him. "We aren't going to see each other, ever again." Mad Dawg said nothing, he just looked away from her, ashamed of what he had done. "…what? You're not going to ask for me to forgive you?" She asked, cruelly after she walked a few feet away.

"If we were friends, I'd ask that. But even if you hate me, I respect you enough to know I don't deserve it." Mad Dawg quietly, answered, shaking his head. "But… I will thank you. For giving me the best birthday, I've ever had. For that one night… I was finally happy with that day, and I have you to thank for it." Octavia felt her eyes watering. She couldn't do this anymore, she hurried out of the room and slammed the door behind her, trying to hide her emotions from anyone who saw her.

"Holy shit, she actually hurt him." Ozzie blinked, taken aback by how simple it was to do so. His muttering was the first thing said since Octavia entered the room with Dawg. All the other Overlords and royalty were watching trying to see what was going to happen. And all of them were taken aback by what had happened. "HA! SUCK IT RAKDOS!" He laughed, flipping off the demonic circus performer. The others laughed in wicked joy over Dawg's misery, but quieted down when the devil stepped up and walked into the room with Mad Dawg.

"Hey kid."

"Hey, Lou." Mad Dawg weakly waved. "I take it you saw that?"

"Yup."

"Dang."

"Pretty much."

The two stood in silence, until Mad Dawg asked a question.

"Hey, satan, how long have I been in here?" He asked, curious. "It'd be a real dick move to start lying to me now, by the way."

"Have- holy smokes I haven't lied to you since we met." He blinked in realization. It wasn't his usual M.O. to not lie, being the father of all lies and stuff, but still. He saw no reason to start now.

"You've been in here for ten thousand years." lucifer said flatly, sitting down next to Mad Dawg as if they were outside for a smoke break. Actually, they were, as the devil lit up a cigarette and offered one to Mad Dawg. Despite his dislike for them, he took it and puffed on it. "Why? What are you trying to prove?! This isn't the story of Job, Beta. God doesn't care about you. You're here, and this pain will never end until you want it to."

"And… that's the problem…" Mad Dawg spat blood as he looked up, now only having one eye. "If I… give in… you win. I'm not letting that happen. EVER."

"And by that logic, I've already won."

"Wha…"

"Pride." Was all the devil said, as if he was saddened Mad Dawg had made these choices. "That's what this is. This isn't you suffering to protect someone, or suffering justly for your sins. This is because you're too stubborn to swallow your pride and be set free."

"Your freedom… is just another prison." Mad Dawg growled. "I give you what you're so desperate for, and I have to be what I was made to be… I'm not giving you that."

"Did you miss the part where I said ten thousand years have passed?" the devil asked. "Most likely your family is dead, kid. Even if you leave hell, there's nothing fot you to go back to."

Silence.

That's all Mad Dawg had to offer. He had thought about that a lot, but refused to accept it. Part of him felt like he knew he was being lied to…

"I know why you're really doing this. It isn't to prove me wrong." The devil commented, taking another puff off his ciggy. "It's because under all that bravado, under all your insanity, you don't want to go home. You don't want to be a hero, you just want to be accepted." The devil finally admitted, and the way Dawg's breath hitched told him everything he wanted to know. "So that's why you throw yourself at anyone or anything that might let you have some sort of 'connection'. The hotel, I.M.P., heck, even Over… whatever their name was. Something tells me if your Mom had shown you some kindness, you would've joined with her, right?"

"Maybe? I dunno…" Mad Dawg didn't know why he said that… but he had.

"You're not human, Kace. You're a tool." The devil said, seeming almost… remorseful? "It- it's really not fair. You never had a chance to be more than what others decided for you. You were created, bred, and trained like a lab rat. And EVERYONE has been using you! Those connections you want, it's not what you think. You want family, they want a tool. They trick you, and you think they're being sincere. It's in their nature. You need to embrace yours."

Mad Dawg said nothing, trying his best to just ignore the devil. He knew this was how the literal 'father of lies and deception' worked. You give him any ground, and he seeps into your mind like a lethal poison. Or… Indian food. Dawg didn't know, it wasn't good. That was the point. Unlike Indian Food, which was really good.

"That's why I haven't called that… THING to come help me." Mad Dawg groaned, pushing himself up so he sat against the wall, looking up at the devil. "Now, the first thing, I got that on lock. It's like a second nature now. Sure, it hurts, and sometimes I can lose control, but that new thing? That… Nekro-Lycan? I figured out how it works… it'll only show up when I'm truly broken. When I'm so desperate to escape something that I'd give into my deepest, most depraved instincts… and I know that's what you want. Look Lou. Kill me, torture me, violate me… I've still won."

"If you think moral victories mean anything in hell, you're sorely mistaken." The devil growled, getting fed up with Mad Dawg's showman-wordship.

"Nah… It's just… I killed the one thing you care for. The only thing I know that deep in that twisted cancerous tumour you call a heart, you actually value… and you destroyed it." The devil gave Mad Dawg a look demanding an answer, so he smiled and gave him one.

"Your daughter." Mad Dawg grinned, and lucifer froze. The blade fell from his hand, and the Overlords looked to one another in confusion. "She will hate you, until God comes and throws your ass into the lake of fire. Kill me, harm me, it don't matter. The second you started attacking me, you told your daughter you don't care about her, or her goal to help people. Sure, someday, for some reason, she may forgive you… but there will always be that part of her, the part that knows her own daddy decided to undermine her attempt at making a life for her own, all because of his damn ego."

The devil tried to think of a response, something to silence the freak of nature in front of him… but there was nothing. For the second time in less than an hour, Mad Dawg had effectively outsmarted him… and he wasn't gonna let that go. Mad Dawg seemed to sense that, and pushed onwards. "True fact, there's only one demon down here I'm truly scared of."

"Oh, really? Who might that be?"

The others however, or at least, the ones who had seen enough movies, knew that when someone in a terrible position -such as being tortured- said something like that. It meant that something very, VERY bad was about to happen to the ones hurting said victim…

"Heh… HIM." Mad Dawg weakly chuckled, and then the whole room exploded. A barrage of crimson and black tentacles-like appendages burst through the floors and doors, sending everyone diving for cover. A chaotic, rampant energy seemed to be puling through the room, some of the tendrils wrapped themselves around the worst of his wounds and suddenly Mad Dawg felt strong, unnaturally strong! Pulling himself up, the appendages snapped the vines free and ripped the rebar out of his side. Mad Dawg jumped up, roaring in pain and freedom, and noticed one of the tentacle-things was holding something of his. Grabbing his chainsaw and looking around, he was weak and weary, but alive.

"Where's Delilah!?" He snapped, looking upwards at the figure descending towards him.

"Last I saw her, she was going to speak with Charlie about… well, you." Alastor remarked, his demented grin seemed extra vibrant right now, while Mad Dawg's eyes widened in horror. "I must say my boy… I wasn't expecting your little crusade to be so… FUN!"

"Yeah, and thanks for the assist." Mad Dawg weakly replied. "You upheld your end of the bargain, I'll uphold mine."

"Ha! You think I'm helping you!?" Alastor laughed, leaning on his cane. By now, the lords had re-appeared, and they were pretty pissed. "This little shindig between you, heaven and hell is the most fun I've had in years! I can't let it end here! So, run my boy! You've got two minutes before the others will be after you."

"Okay, cool. Whatever." Mad Dawg weakly groaned, running out of the now gaping hole and sliding down the side of the castle, using his chainsaw to keep him from plummeting to the ground (I don't know how to explain that. It's like in games like God of War when someone uses a sword to slow themselves as their falling by stabbing a wall. It's super impractical, but also super cool.) he landed roughly and ran off. Finding a nearby bike and hotwiring it. As he rode off, Mad Dawg looked towards the city in the distance. His eyes filled with fear at the thought of what might be happening… This was bad. Very, very, bad.

Next Time: The Final Showdown.