The past few days had felt like weeks to Yakko, his worry and anxiety increasing with every hour that crawled by. Knowing that Dot was going out of her mind too was the only thing that kept him from spiraling into full-blown panic. The news that Wakko had been taken and was now missing had spread quickly, and everyone was expressing their sympathy and concern. Yakko knew he should be grateful, but it only made him feel even more overwrought. It felt ominously like people were trying to prepare him and Dot for the worst.
They hadn't gotten anything out of those men Jayna had taken down, despite grilling them for hours, and it was looking like their best hope was if she could connect with their brother. But there, once again, they had run into a snag… after several attempts, she had told them that she couldn't.
"What do you mean, you can't?!" Dot demanded, then a horrified look came to her face. "Does… does that mean he's…"
"No," Jayna said right away, shaking her head. "I would sense it if he was. It's more like something is… blocking the connection somehow."
She had been constantly meditating since then, barely taking any time to eat or sleep as she tried to break through whatever was blocking her, and Yakko was about ready to pull his fur out. They were running out of options fast, and he had a bad feeling that they were running out of time too.
Biting his lip and fighting the urge to pace, Yakko tapped his fingers impatiently as he watched Jayna. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes closed, and hands palms up on her knees. Her face was calm, but her entire body was tense and stiff, and that was enough to tell this was taking tremendous effort. Yakko glanced over at Dot, and his concern grew. She was almost as tense as Jayna, arms crossed and foot tapping as she scowled at the floor. Walking over to her, the eldest Warner placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her jump a little before she looked up at him, and he felt his throat tighten when he saw her brimming eyes.
Neither sibling spoke, as not to distract Jayna, but Yakko did his best to give his sister a reassuring smile. He was pretty sure it fell short, but he could tell she appreciated it all the same. They looked back at Jayna, who still hadn't moved an inch, but Yakko thought he could see her jaw tensing. Then, all of a sudden, she let out a sharp gasp and her eyes snapped open. Yakko tensed, his heart starting to pound as she looked up at him and Dot.
"I got through to him," she said. "Finally."
There was a rush of relief at those words, but then Yakko saw the grim look on her face.
"What?" he asked. "That's good, isn't it? What's wrong?"
Jayna looked at him, then at Dot, as if she wasn't sure what to tell them. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh.
"He's… very confused, and very lost."
Yakko frowned, feeling pretty confused himself.
"How do you know?"
Jayna looked at him, and he could see how much what she knew was hurting her.
"Because I know what he's feeling, all too well."
The sense of trepidation grew even stronger, but before either sibling could ask Jayna went on in a soft voice.
"Your brother believes that he's alone… that he has no one left."
Yakko stared at her, struggling to process her words. Dot spoke up before he could, her voice trembling.
"You mean… he thinks we're… dead?"
Jayna nodded.
"I believe so, yes."
Dot pressed a hand to her mouth, tears spilling from her eyes. Yakko felt about ready to cry himself, but he swallowed hard and managed to speak.
"But… why would he think that?"
Jayna pressed her lips together, her eyes moving to the ground.
"Whoever has him might have just told him that, but I don't think it's that simple. He's completely convinced, no doubt at all."
She looked up, and Yakko could see the heartbreak in her eyes. After seeing her so in control of herself all the time, it was strange to see her show so much emotion.
"I think he's being, well, reconditioned to think that."
For a moment the words didn't register, but when they did a sick feeling filled the eldest Warner.
"W-what do you mean, 'reconditioned'? You saying he's being… brainwashed?"
"I'm sure of it," Jayna said. Yakko stared at her for a few moments, then closed his eyes tightly and pressed his fists to his head as he fought the urge to scream. Whirling around, he slammed a fist into the wall so hard he swore he heard it crack. His eyes stung as he looked at Jayna again.
"Why?" he rasped. "Why would someone do that to him?"
The woman let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over her head.
"I think they're after his power. Trying to drive him into a state when he's most vulnerable."
She looked at him, her eyes not only sad but full of fear.
"And if he believes he has no one left, he has no reason to be cautious… and I don't like what that might mean."
Yakko felt his throat tighten again; that fear that had been nagging at the back of his mind, that he had been trying so hard to push away, came rushing back. Even worse, he knew it was real this time. If what Jayna thought was true, Wakko was pushed to breaking point and with nothing to lose. Any reason he had to be careful was, as far as he knew, gone. Yakko swallowed hard, but his voice still trembled when he spoke.
"What do we do? We've gotta find him, before…"
His voice trailed off at the overwhelming sense of helplessness. Those guys would never talk, and they couldn't resort to cruel methods to make them. Jayna took a slow breath, pressing her lips together again. She looked so conflicted, as if she was facing a decision she never wanted to face. Finally, she released the breath and looked at him.
"Get one of those men into interrogation," she said quietly. "I have an idea."
Yakko felt a twinge of hope at those words.
"What?"
Jayna looked pained, but there was absolute determination in her eyes.
"I'm going to try and read his memories."
Yakko blinked, his jaw going slack. But before he could say anything, Dot broke the silence in a furious voice.
"Wait, you could've done that all along?! Why didn't you do it?!"
Jayna looked at her, undeterred by her anger.
"Because using my power to violate someone's mind goes against everything I was taught, everything I believe," she said. "And I don't know if it would even work. But I have a duty to your brother as his instructor… and as a friend. I was also taught that truly selfless duty means sacrificing your own needs, if that's what it takes to protect your student."
Dot kept her eyes locked with Jayna's, clenching her fists and her jaw, but didn't say anything. Stepping forward, Yakko spoke up.
"How'd you do it?"
Jayna's intense green eyes turned to him.
"Every living person is mostly water, and water has memory. If I can read the water in his body, it might give us some sort of clue as to where your brother is."
Yakko felt a stirring of hope, but still hesitated. Jayna scanned him, and apparently read his look.
"It shouldn't hurt him. Do I have your permission?"
Even though the idea sounded crazy, Yakko nodded. If this was the best chance to find his brother, he would take it.
Just minutes later, all three of them were in the interrogation room, one of the men from the clearing sitting in the chair. He glared at them with defiance.
"If you think you're going to make me talk, you might as well give up. Talking won't do anything."
Jayna approached him, her eyes narrowed.
"Maybe not," she said, her voice cold. "But that isn't what I was planning."
The man's look went from defiant to uneasy, but before he could make a move Jayna held out her hand. The man went rigid, and his eyes widened as fear crept onto his face. A determined look on her own face, Jayna continued to move forward until her hand gripped his forehead. She then closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were glowing white like they had in the clearing. Yakko bit his lip, nerves tingling as he and Dot waited.
As when she was meditating, Jayna remained still and stiff. The only indication of how much effort this was taking was the deep furrow in her brow. It felt like hours passed as she stood there, and Yakko barely managed to resist the urge to ask if it was working. Finally, Jayna lowered her hand and the man slumped back, looking so dazed he wasn't sure where he was. Undeterred, the woman turned away with her eyes still glowing. She knelt and placed her hands on the floor, her eyes narrowing. Yakko frowned and glanced at Dot, who looked just as confused as he was. But before either of them could ask any questions, small drops of water began materializing in the air. The eldest Warner's eyes went wide as the drops continued to grow, flowing together until they formed a small dome of water.
Jayna stood and held out her hands, slowly joining them together. The water began shifting, freezing into ice as it formed shapes. After just a few moments, it had formed a miniature scene of a rocky cave. The glow faded from Jayna's eyes, and she looked to the siblings.
"Is there anything familiar about this?" she asked. "Can you tell where it is?"
Despite his surprise at what the woman had just done, Yakko shook it off and moved to stand by the ice model. He squinted down at it, hoping beyond hope to see something familiar, and that wherever this place was somewhere they could get fast. As he studied it, the realization of where this place was came to him. A sinking feeling filled the pit of his stomach.
"We know that place!" Dot blurted before he could say anything. He could hear the slight quiver in her voice, but she went on without hesitation. "It's this cave not far from Acme Falls!"
Jayna's eyes widened, her anxiety becoming tinged with hope.
"How far?"
"Just about a day away," Yakko replied. Along with his relief, he felt some confusion. Why had that guy teleported somewhere so close?
"His magic was crude and basic," Jayna said, making him look up. "That was probably the furthest he could go, and most likely he didn't want to waste time going somewhere further away. I hoped that would be the case, but I couldn't be sure."
That made sense, but Yakko had another suspicion… did those people know what happened there? Did they bring Wakko there to unnerve him, or was there a more ominous reason?
"So what are we waiting for? We've gotta go find Wakko!" Dot exclaimed. She raced toward the door, and Yakko was just about to follow when Jayna placed one hand on his shoulder and grabbed Dot's arm.
"Wait… you shouldn't go alone," she said in a stern voice. "He has other people with him, and we don't know how many."
Yakko wanted to snap back that he didn't care how many people were there, but the rational part of his mind stopped him. Even if he was perfectly willing to pound his way through a hundred people with nothing but his mallet, he had his siblings to think about… and certainly the council wouldn't hear of it.
"She's right, sis," he said. "We gotta be careful."
Dot gave him a fierce glare.
"I'm not staying here!"
"Neither am I," Yakko said firmly. "But they're gonna want us to bring backup."
Dot growled in frustration but crossed her arms with grudging acceptance.
"Fine, then let's get backup and get moving!"
Jayna stood, a serious and determined look on her face.
"I'll come too, with your permission."
Yakko nodded, and together the three hurried out of the room.
We're coming, Wakko. You hang on, baby bro.