Awareness began coming back slowly, the buzzing numbness lessening, but not fading completely. Wakko shook his head a little, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts, but it was as if someone had scrambled his brain and he was struggling to focus… even more than usual.

Ugh… what an awful dream…

He tried to reach to rub his head, but it was then that he realized his hands were suspended above his head, and they were brought up short with a strange clanking sound.

Wait…

A little more of the fog clouding his brain lifted, enough for Wakko to realize that what had happened earlier was no dream. He was sitting on a rough, hard surface, back against a just as hard and rough wall. Pushing his eyes open, he blinked several times as he ordered himself to focus. Wherever he was, it was dark. The space looked big, but also bare. He shook his head again, but it didn't do much good… his head remained foggy and his thoughts sluggish.

Come on, Wakko… get a grip.

He managed to focus enough to get a handle on his situation. Those strangers, whoever they were, had brought him to wherever this place was, and he had no idea why. Suddenly, he felt that tingling sensation on his right hand, and dimly, he began wondering if his bending power might be what these people were after. Looking around the space again, the realization hit Wakko; he knew where he was. This was the cave where Salazar's men had tried to kill him and his siblings only months ago.

Fear began filling the middle sibling; why had these people brought him here? Did they have the same thing in mind? Heart pounding, he looked up to see his hands chained above his head. There was very little slack in the chains, but he tugged at them to test their strength. They were securely bolted to the cave wall, so that he knew there was no chance of pulling them loose. The thought of somehow using his bending to get free came to him, but Jayna's warning of overusing his power before he was ready came back to him. She never said exactly what would happen, but it was bad, Wakko knew that much. That was best to use as a last resort. But he couldn't reach his hammerspace, so pulling out something to get himself loose wasn't an option either. The fear grew more, piercing through the fog in Wakko's head as he struggled to think. Why couldn't he focus? What were these people going to do to him?

Most of all, how would his siblings ever find him? Because they were looking for him, he knew that much. They would never stop until they found him. But would they think to look here? Most disturbing, how long did they have to find him?

Come on, think… think!

But before he could force his sluggish brain to focus, the sound of approaching footsteps made his ears prick, and he looked up to see someone come around a corner. It was just one person, a scrawny-looking man in a slightly frayed green robe. Wakko tensed as he crossed the room, cold eyes scanning him. He was scared, very scared, but still felt a stubborn determination not to show it. Pushing it down, he bared his fangs and let out a growl. The man only smirked, looking amused.

"Trying to be brave, are we? We'll see how long that lasts."

Well, that didn't sound good. But Wakko wasn't going to back down. No way.

"What do you want?" he snapped, relieved to hear no quiver in his voice. The man just scanned him up and down, still smirking.

"So you're the Warner child with such great power?" He scoffed. "What a joke. You were as weak and easy to catch as I thought."

Wakko knew the man was just trying to get to him, but he still felt a stab of shame. Jayna had said he was gifted with his power, but what good was that if he couldn't use it? He had only done very basic exercises, and she had warned him several times that he wouldn't be ready for more serious bending for a while yet. The temptation to try anyway was strong, but he didn't dare… at least not yet.

Growling again, Wakko rattled the chains on his wrists.

"Take these things off and you'll see how weak I am."

The man just scoffed again, amusement on his sharp-angled face.

"I admit I admire your bravado, but I'm not enough of a fool to do that."

Wakko tensed as he came even closer, fighting to keep the fear off his face. As the man reached toward him, a sudden daring came over him and he snapped at his hand. The man hissed as Wakko's teeth sank in, and after a few attempts managed to yank his hand away.

"Little animal," he growled. "Like a wild dog."

Wakko glared back, still growling as his fur bristled. He was fully prepared to bite again, but the man moved too fast this time. With a quick movement, he snatched the middle sibling's head in a tight grip.

"Now let's see what's in that feral mind of yours."

Wakko tried to pull free, but suddenly his whole body seemed to freeze up. The sluggishness in his head grew so strong he could barely think, and he felt something pressing into his subconscious. Despite his confusion, something was telling him this was the absolute last thing he should let this guy do. So he gritted his teeth and pressed back, trying as hard as he could to push him out. Dimly, he heard the scrawny man's unpleasant chuckle.

"Resist all you want… I'll wear you down sooner or later."

Clenching his teeth harder, Wakko ignored the man's words and kept doing all he could to resist. But he felt himself wearing down more and more, and fast. He didn't know how long he managed to push back, but he felt his resistance start to crack.

No… I can't let him…

He tried as hard as he could to keep pushing, but finally he felt the barrier break. At that moment, images began flooding his brain. Memories, both distant and faint as well as recent and vivid… soothing and frightening, happy and heartbreaking. He could feel the man pulling them all out, reading them. Another chuckle drifted through the haze.

"Hmm… your feelings for your family are strong, aren't they?"

Wakko felt a surge of panic. What did he mean? Was he going to go after his siblings too? Mentally, he cursed himself for not being strong enough to resist, for letting this creep in. He heard the man's voice again, sounding extremely satisfied.

"Ironic, that your greatest strength would also be your biggest weakness."

The panic grew stronger, but Wakko knew there was no chance of resisting anymore. Scared and ashamed, he cursed himself more.

You can't do anything right… Yakko and Dot never would've let this creep do what he wants.

At the thought of his siblings, and how things had been left between him and his older brother, Wakko felt his throat tighten. Would he ever see them again? Would he ever be able to take back the awful things he said? That thought made him feel even closer to tears, but he forced them back. He wasn't going to cry… no way would he give this jerk that satisfaction.

Finally, the pressure in his mind eased… his thoughts grew less groggy. Shaking his head, he looked up to see the scrawny man straightening up with an extremely self-satisfied look. Wakko clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to smack that smug expression off his face.

"Well, now…" the man said. "No need for you to worry… it shouldn't take too long for me to get what I want."

Fear welled in Wakko again; with nothing but pure determination, he managed to keep it off his face and glared up at his captor.

"Go ahead and try," he snarled. The man just chuckled again.

"You do have spirit… but I doubt that will last long."

Something about the tone of his voice made Wakko's stomach drop. He sounded so pleased with himself, confident that he would get whatever he was after. Anger at himself filled him again; even with all the effort he could give, he still hadn't been able to resist. Now whatever this guy wanted to do, he would probably be able to do just as easily. What could Wakko do anyway? He was just a kid, just a screw-up. Just… weak.

The man smirked, making Wakko wonder if he could tell what he was feeling like Jayna could. Realizing he had let his expression slip, Wakko narrowed his eyes and bared his fangs in another growl. But the man only let out a short, amused chuckle before turning and striding away. Wakko held his defiant expression until he was alone, then let his face fall as his gaze dropped to the ground. His eyes were burning, and he felt ready to break down completely. But he wouldn't. He was brave facing Salazar, and he would be brave facing this guy.

That much I can do.

To keep his spirits up at least a little, Wakko thought of his siblings. He knew they were looking for him, and he at least had a chance of being found before anything bad happened. But that brought a new sense of fear as well. What was that man going to do? He had somehow read Wakko's memories and feelings, but why? While still unsure exactly what this guy wanted, the middle sibling was sure now that it had something to do with his ability. Suddenly something Jayna had said came back to him… that state she had been in, it made it possible for people to take the person's power. That was what he was after, Wakko was positive. But what did reading his mind have to do with that? It wasn't going to be good, that much was obvious.

Why is this happening?

The thought made Wakko feel close to tears again. All his life, it seemed for every good thing that happened to him, something bad followed. He had really thought those days were finally over, for his siblings and for him. He should have known he was wrong.

The faint memories of his parents came to him, and he found himself longing to call out for them even though he knew they couldn't come. People had always thought that he and his siblings were remarkably mature and strong for their young ages, but now Wakko felt nothing like that. He felt like a scared and alone eleven-year-old kid, so desperate for some form of comfort and the presence of his family that it hurt. But his family wasn't there. They were either gone for good or had no idea where he was.

Wakko gritted his teeth, swallowing the lump in his throat and forcing back the tears.

No. Mum and Dad wouldn't have given up… I'm not gonna either.

Despite the heavy grogginess still clouding his mind, Wakko ordered himself to think. He didn't have many options… he was unable to reach his hammerspace, and bending was risky. He didn't know how, but he wasn't willing to find out the hard way. If he could somehow get loose, then he would be able to fight back. Any bending he did, he would have to use it very sparingly and only if there was no other choice.

The sound of more footsteps made Wakko's head jerk up, and he quickly set his face back into its defiant glare as the scrawny man re-entered. This time, though, he wasn't alone. Five big, muscular looking men followed behind him. Wakko felt his heart start to pound, but he managed to keep his fear off his face and bared his fangs in another growl. Looking almost amused, the scrawny man approached while the others hung back.

"Go ahead and growl," he said. "It won't last long."

Before Wakko could do anything, the man's hand clutched his forehead in a firm, claw-like grip. His body froze up again, his mind seemed to go blank. The room blurred, then began to fall away. The faces of his parents flickered into view, then disappeared in a flash of red as his mother's scream split the air. The sound tore into his heart and an old, familiar grief filled him. He closed his eyes tightly, tears escaping. Then, faint at first but growing louder with every word, a voice began speaking, and it seemed to be coming from inside his head.

It was your fault… they died because of you. And you were too weak save them…

The tears began coming faster, and Wakko tried hard to drown out the voice, but it wouldn't stop. It repeated those awful words over and over, until he was ready to scream.

"N-no…" he whimpered. "Please… stop…"

Much to his amazement, it did stop. Slowly and cautiously, he chanced parting his eyelids just a little. They immediately snapped open; he was standing in a snowy field, a huge, bright orb of light glowing a short distance away. He knew this… he had experienced it not even a year ago…

The sound of running footsteps reached his ears, and he turned to see his siblings rushing toward him with alarmed faces. Yakko grabbed his arm, pulling him along.

"Run, Wakko! Run!"

The middle sibling immediately began pelting along with them. He had to run… they had to reach the Star…

Suddenly a loud boom came from behind, then the ground shook as something slammed into it. Wakko heard short, pained cries from Yakko and Dot as he was thrown to the ground. For a few moments he could only lay stunned as his ears rang. But as the ringing began to subside and his awareness returned, his eyes snapped open as he shot upright.

"Yakko! Dot!"

His heart almost stopped. Just a few steps away, both his siblings lay face down in the snow, unmoving. Shaking his head to clear it, Wakko pushed himself back to his feet and stumbled toward them.

"G-guys?"

When no reply came, his throat grew so tight he could barely breathe, and his voice came out strained and breaking.

"Sibs?"

He reached Dot and dropped to his knees, reaching out toward his little sister. Just then, the voice came again.

That's right… they're gone too. And it's all your fault.