Oops. Forgot to update. Apologies. Thanks to IanAlphaAxel for reviewing the previous chapter.

.

Chapter Twenty Seven: Destroy and Conquer

Cyrus put his choc-chip biscuit down on the bedside table and turned to face the mysterious woman. One careful look at her and he knew she wasn't a nurse. For starters, she was wearing red gloves on both hands. The nurses didn't wear gloves unless they were tending to the sick or cleaning. He took a step back, slipping a hand down to his pokebelt for a pokeball then remembered he hadn't put them in for healing yet. He moved his hand away. "You're not a nurse."

She gave a derisive snort. "Well, aren't you observant?" She took a step towards him, digging a hand into the pocket of her nurse's outfit, her blue eyes fixed on his face. She stopped at the end of his bed and looked him and up and down then shook her head in mock disappointment. "So, you're Cyrus, the failed leader of Galactic. It's a pleasure to finally meet with you in person." She held out a gloved hand.

He refused to take it. "Are you with the police?" Perhaps they had finally caught up and had gone undercover to arrest him. The thought of spending the next couple of years behind bars didn't sit well with him, especially now that he had reunited with his family.

"And they told me you were supposed to be smart…" she muttered, rolling her eyes. "If I was with the police, don't you think I would've arrested you by now?" she demanded, pushing a strand of silver away from her eyes with her free hand. He relaxed – slightly. Her other hand was still in the pocket and he wondered why. What was she hiding?

"Then who are you?"

She took another step. Now she was just an arm's length away from him. "You're not in the position to be demanding anything from me." He took a step back then bumped into the bedside table, and reached a hand down, searching for the red button. Surely, there had to be guards in this building somewhere? She cast her eyes downwards and reached out to grab his wrist, her grip surprisingly strong. "To scared to face me, Cyrus? I never thought you'd be a coward, but then again I can't say I'm too surprised. You no longer have your loyal subjects to defend you."

"You work for him, don't you? For Charon." Why else would she know who he was and his location, but Charon himself? He moved his hand away from the red button and decided to try something else. He had no problems before convincing people to do his bidding – would it work on her? "What did he offer you? Money? Power? You can't believe a word he says."

"You think I'm foolish enough to allow myself to be manipulated by an old man?" she retorted. "I serve no one but myself," she said heatedly.

"And yet, you are here on his orders, I presume?"

Her anger dissipated. "He's offered me a nice cheque in exchange for you. I don't care about Charon – my loyalty to him is a temporary one. Once I've done this task and collected my reward, I'll leave… but first, I'm taking you with me."

She brought her hand out of her pocket revealing a pocket knife. His eyes widened. She raised her hand and brought it forward. His response was immediate – he raised his hands up and crossed his arms, stopping the knife a few inches away from his chest. The woman tried to bring the knife down, but he overpowered her and pushed her back, smacking the weapon out of her hands. It clattered to the ground.

He glanced down at the knife. If he could grab it first… But she was a few inches closer. It was worth a try though. Before she could react, he lunged forward, and crawled towards the knife as fast as he could. His fingers brushed up against the hilt and he picked it up, pointing the tip of the blade towards the woman. She held her hands up in the air and took a few steps forward. "Stop. Don't come further," he warned.

She didn't. She continued moving towards him, bringing both her hands to the front of her coat, slowly undoing the buttons before pulling it off, revealing a dark red top. He tilted his head to the side, unsure of what she was trying to do, but continued to hold the knife firmly. Before he had time to even predict her next move, she threw her coat at him. He slashed away at it, ripping a tear through the cloth then threw it off onto the floor. By the time he removed it, the woman was already gone. He left his room and glanced both right and left. One of the nurses sat in the corner, her legs brought to her chest, shuddering.

"Where is she?" Cyrus demanded.

The nurse raised a hand and pointed to the exit. "O-out-s-s-sside," she stuttered.

Outside. There was most likely an ambush party waiting for him, but staying inside here brought risk. Johanna was still in the Pokemon Centre as was their newborn child. Charon had recruited this lady to come after him and she was dangerous. There was no telling what she would do if he were to remain here inside this building. His only option was to somehow buy enough time to have Johanna and the baby transferred to someplace far safer.

"You, get up," he ordered, looking at the cowering nurse.

She slowly stood up, looking at him through fearful eyes.

"Get everyone out of here. This place isn't safe."

Another nurse entered the main area. Johanna's nurse. "What in the name of Arceus is going on here?" she demanded, turning an accusing gaze on Cyrus. "Do I have to kick you out? The poor woman has been through a lot and she needs to sleep and instead you're out here having a party!" Her eyes fell on the knife. "Put that thing down! This is a place of peace!" she stormed over and yanked the knife out of his hand.

"Mary! We're under attack!" the first nurse blurted.

"Nonsense," she snapped. "The only 'danger' here I see is this man!" She glared at him again. "I understand that you're concerned for Johanna, but you must remain calm. I will take you back to your room. Come on," she ushered, motioning for him to follow her back to his room.

"You don't understand – this Pokemon Centre is no longer a safe haven," Cyrus hissed. "You and the staff need to leave this place before something bad happens." Charon wouldn't have sent the hunter down alone. Surely, he would've sent a few more people to help.

Mary opened her mouth to argue, but her words were drowned by a sudden blast. Windows to the left of the main entrance smashed into thousands of pieces, scattering across the floor as the wall crashed down. Other nurses and doctors emerged from their rooms, horrified. "Oh my Arceus... Sound the alarms! Load up the transportation devices! We have to move all patients to a safe destination!" Mary screamed. "Go! Go! Go! We don't have time!

"Some of the patients are too ill to be transported!"

"We have to take that risk!" Mary snapped back.

"Where are we going to go? Most of the Pokemon Centres are filled!"

"Divide the patients then! Some can go to Veilstone, others can go to Sunyshore," Mary ordered, then turned to Cyrus. "Go find the people who did this and make them pay! I'll call the police. Now go!" She pushed him towards the exit, after giving him back the knife then hurried away to help the other staff members.

The nurse who had been hiding in the corner looked up at him. "Your Pokemon are healed. Take them with you. They're on the counter."

He followed her instructions and picked up his Pokemon then headed out of the building again. As he exited the building, another wall fell down, bringing part of the roof with it. He turned away and moved towards the forest, knowing that was the best place for to hide. There she could land an ambush. He had to be cautious. Summoning his Houndoom, he ordered the canine to scout ahead. Houndoom sprinted into the forest, disappearing in amongst the vegetation. Cyrus remained outside the border, waiting for the canine to return, but nothing. A few more minutes passed and still nothing.

"Cyrus!" He almost jumped at the sound of his name. Turning around, he spotted the former Champion of Hoenn running towards him, cradling a chest in his arms. "What's happening?"

"Charon. I'm going to find him." He moved forward, but Steven stepped in his way. "I don't have time to answer your questions. Move aside, Steven."

"You'll need back up."

"You can help me by making sure Johanna and the baby make it to Sunyshore. They'll be safe there." He moved forward before Steven could ask further questions. Right now he didn't want to waste time playing twenty one questions – What was Charon thinking trying to blow up the Pokemon Centre? He entered the forest. It was quiet. Deathly quiet. The local inhabitants had fled in wake of the blast. He didn't know where to start looking. Randomly selecting a direction, he followed a trail until he found himself in a clearing. There was still no sign of his Houndoom.

"You were a fool to come here alone," the woman said, stepping out from a couple of bushes. "But I'm glad you did – it makes what we have to do next so much easier. Bring him down, boys."

Four males emerged from behind the trees. It took him less than a few seconds to recognize them. His grunts… well, former grunts. They seemed delighted to see him, but not in a good way. Rather, they looked intent to cause harm. Bringing Steven along might've been a better idea after all, but the safety of Johanna and his second child took priority. Cyrus backed away. He had Pokemon, but he was out-numbered more than two to one.

"I lost my brother in the lake mission," a grunt said.

"And I lost mine as well," another grunt said, drawing in closer, balling his fingers into fists.

Another grunt pointed a finger at him. "And you didn't care!"

"You lied to us!"

"You used us!"

"We were just tools!"

There was nothing he could say to defend himself. He continued backing away until his back came into contact with a tree. The grunts surrounded him, their eyes burning with desire to inflict pain. They were smaller than him, but even someone weaker could still gain the upper hand if they used the right strategy. It was like Pokemon battling – weaker Pokemon could turn it in their favour if their trainers were smart.

The woman leading the group strolled forwards, hanging at the back of the foursome. "Now remember, Charon wants him back alive then you must leave. On no condition are you to tell him about the bomb blast – he doesn't need to know everything." She pushed two grunts out of the way and squeezed through, standing directly in front of him. "Consider this a sample of what is to come." She gripped his shoulders, brought her knee back then rammed it forward, hitting him square between the legs.

He dropped to the dirt, curling up into foetal position, consumed by blinding pain, his knife falling out of his hand. Laughter soon followed. One grunt even demanded for him to be struck down there a second time, claiming he deserved to suffer the same pain he inflicted on them. He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately wishing for the pain to fade.

"Okay Hunter J! Can I hit him now?" the first grunt said.

He heard her sigh. "Yes, yes, make it quick."

Cyrus didn't even bother trying to defend himself. He was in no condition to fight back and besides, he didn't think he could even stand. All he could do was lie down and wait for it to pass. One grunt kicked him in the shins. He held back down a hiss, biting on his tongue to stop a sound from escaping. The second grunt attacked immediately, giving him no time to recover, delivering a kick to his ribcage. This time he hissed.

"This is for my brother!" A grunt grabbed the knife then stabbed him in his upper right arm, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from him. The overwhelming pain led to an overbearing sense of nausea. He felt his stomach twist and turn, but somehow managed to keep the contents of his stomach inside. Warm sticky blood seeped out of his fresh wound, trailing down his arm, making him feel even more nauseous.

"That's enough now, boys. Head back to Stark Mountain and inform Charon of our success. Remember, do not bring up the blast or I will feed you to my Salamence." The grunts paled and nodded then hurried away, leaving Cyrus with Hunter J. She knelt down, tenderly running a hand through his hair, like a mother stroking their child.

"…Get away from me…" he said through clenched teeth.

"I had a son once," she started, continuing to play with his hair before moving it down his injured arm, dipping her fingers in the blood. "He was a foolish child – and a bastard one at that. His father was a no good washed-up drunk." Her hand was covered in blood now. Instead of wiping it clean on her clothes, she moved her hand and raked it through his hair again, spreading the blood. "I convinced him to hang himself… and I pushed my son out of a blimp. They both failed me and so they paid the ultimate price – death."

"…You're insane…"

She moved her hand down again and applied pressure against his wound. A hiss of pain escaped him. "You asked me before who I was. I'm a hunter – hunting Pokemon is my job. I lure them into traps and I have them tortured then killed. Their parts and vital organs are removed and I sell them through the black market to willing traders in exchange for coin."

"…You…"

"Unlike you, I know who I am and what I'm capable of doing. From what I've heard from Charon and your lovely female commanders, you tried to shut yourself from feeling anything. That's why you failed – you couldn't accept who you were. How could you expect to win a battle against the world if you could not even win the one with yourself?"

He tried to slap her arm away, but she grabbed his wrist and held it still, digging her fingernails in until they cut skin. "You think… You can win this fight?"

She pushed him over onto his back then climbed on him, straddling his waist, peering down with a smirk. Trailing a hand down his face, she left a path of blood then leaned down, her face hovering just an inch above his own. She grabbed a chunk of his hair and gave it a hard yank, chuckling when he winced. "I do find myself wondering how someone like you could've ended up in a position of power… but now you have nothing. How does it feel to be so powerless, Cyrus?" she taunted then brought her face down again, licking the blood of his face. He tried to move away, but when he did, he received a hard slap in the face.

"…What makes you so different?"

She smirked. "You want to know what the difference between you and I? I'm not a man."

She drove her knee up between his legs and kept it there, then applied just enough pressure to force a yelp to leave his throat. Seeing him in pain brought her great amusement. He could tell just by the way her eyes lit up. She hunted Pokemon. She tortured them until they died. The same set of skills applied to her treatment of humans as well it seemed.

"Charon is not the danger. He is nothing more than a boy scout. I am far more dangerous than any man." She dug a hand into another pocket and pulled out a syringe similar to the one he had used on Carolina then jabbed it into his neck.

.

Cyrus opened his eyes. He was outside, kneeling on dirt, his arms and legs bound together by a thick rope. His clothes were ragged and dirty, like someone had dragged him across the ground without care for his appearance. Every muscle ached. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep, so he didn't have to feel the pain. His hopes were crushed though as someone threw a bucket of water over him. He opened his eyes and glared at the culprit. Some grunt.

"Hey! No sleeping! Master Charon says you're not allowed to rest!"

Master Charon? He gave a derisive snort. So, Charon had given himself a title. He shook his head vigorously, flicking water in various directions. The water had brought him some relief though – it was damn hot here. He stuck out his tongue and ran it along his lower lip, lapping up whatever water remained to provide relief for his parched throat.

The grunt dropped to his knees and grabbed a chunk of Cyrus's hair. "You're not so tough anymore." Cyrus held back a reply – what was the point in arguing anyway? It would only make matters worse for himself. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" the grunt snapped, slapping him in the face. Cyrus hissed. "Master Charon says you're going to witness something special tomorrow. That's why he went to all this trouble to capture you." The grunt slapped him again. Flecks of blood flew out of his mouth.

"Grunt, what are you doing to the prisoner?" a new voice said. He knew that voice well enough – it belonged to Mars.

"Uh, nothing Commander Mars!"

"Get out of here!"

"Yes, commander!" He hurried out of the room.

Mars entered his line of sight carrying what looked to be his pokebelt. She smacked it across the palm of her left hand over and over again, as she drew closer to him. "Don't you look pathetic?" she said, kneeling down before him, looking at him directly in the eyes. "You're nothing now." She smacked him on his wounded arm with his pokebelt, drawing a hiss of pain from him.

"You were on Charon's side the entire time, weren't you?"

She smacked him again. "I was your most loyal servant until you betrayed me!"

"Betrayed?"

"You're a liar and a hypocrite!" She spat in his face then smacked him again. The force of her smacks caused the scab on his arm to break off and the bleeding restarted. It dribbled down his arm, mixing with the water, trailing down onto the ground around him. "You said we were the most important people to you! That's why you gave us the positions of commanders, but that was always a lie, wasn't it?" she demanded.

After all this time Mars was still thinking about that? He remembered when she had come bursting into his office to accuse him of being disloyal. That had taken place just before Johanna had contacted him about Dawn's condition. He had saved her life and she had returned the favour by standing with Cynthia to convince him not to give up hope in the Distortion World. "I didn't care about you in the way you wanted me to."

"I did everything for you and you didn't care! You threw my loyalty back in my face! Did you ever stop to consider how I felt? Did you?!"

Mars's feelings had met nothing to him. The poor girl was deluded to think he'd ever give her a second glance. She was a solider – he had been her commander. Why did the foolish girl ever think there'd even be a chance? She smacked him a third time when he heard someone else enter the room. Turning his head towards the source, he spotted both Charon and Hunter J standing side by side. Mars quickly rose to her feet, bowed her head and hurried out of the room but Charon held up a hand.

"Please, stay."

"Yes, Master Charon."

She hurried over to the side, making way for her new master. Charon walked over and stood in front of him while Hunter J leaned against the wall, one leg pressed up against it. He spotted the knife in left hand. "I admit – this wasn't how I expected things to be, but no matter. The show must go on and I have quite the presentation to show you."

"Where are we?"

Charon smirked. "We are on Stark Island."

Stark Mountain? The home to the active volcano? Why had Charon brought him here of all places?

"To be more specific, we are on Stark Mountain."

Charon had brought him to a volcano. Why… The new master of Team Galactic clicked his fingers and two grunts entered the room carrying a bright red stone. He recognized it straight away. The Magma Stone - the only weapon on earth that could control the legendary guardian of the volcano, Heatran. Charon must've manipulated Dawn into breaking the lock on the safe. What was he planning to do with it?

"You recognize it, don't you? The Magma Stone. I tricked your daughter into believing it was an item of sentimental value." He chuckled then paused giving time to allow the words to sink in before speaking again. "She has a weak mind, but then she is of your blood, so I wasn't too surprised. But, enough of that, let's get on with the show!" He snapped his fingers again. Two more grunts appeared, dragging his Houndoom across the floor. His canine had also sustained multiple wounds, but they were far more severe than the ones inflicted on him.

"Houndoom," he whispered then glanced up at Charon. "Let him go."

Charon wagged a finger in his face. "Houndoom is part of it – all your Pokemon are in fact. They're going to be putting on a fine performance." He pointed down at Cyrus. "Now you're going to tell me where your daughter is heading. You will call her and you tell her everything is perfectly fine otherwise your Pokemon will suffer."

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

With a sigh, Charon called over his two grunts then gave then whispered a command into their ears. The grunts walked back over to Houndoom and kicked the dog. Houndoom yelped. "Have you changed your mind, Cyrus?"

Charon wanted to lure Dawn to the volcano… most likely to kill her for ruining his plans. The volcano was most likely heavily guarded – she'd probably be slain before she even reached this level. "You want to lead her into a trap. I'm not telling you anything."

"Mars, if you would mind?" Mars smacked his back with the pokebelt. Charon sauntered over and grabbed a clump of his hair and jerked his head up. "You want your Pokemon to suffer? Fine. Hunter J needs some extra parts anyway." He turned to face her. "You may proceed."

Cyrus watched the woman wander over to his Houndoom. She dropped down to her knees and crouched over the canine then withdrew her knife, driving the tip of the blade into one of Houndoom's hind legs. A pained howl left his mouth as blood seeped out of the wound, spilling out onto her clothes. "Stop it," he said hoarsely. "Leave him alone."

"It only ends when you give in."

Hunter J plunged the knife in deeper causing another flow of blood to dribble down his hind leg. Houndoom looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to do something, anything, to stop the pain. But he couldn't do it. Maybe he was weak, but he couldn't place his own daughter in danger. "No."

Charon sighed. "He doesn't believe us."

"He's not taking us seriously," Mars concluded. He clenched his jaw as she struck him again. "He should be punished, Master Charon." Master Charon. The way she said his name made him wonder if she had grown to subconsciously love the man. How could she be so blind? "Why don't you test out the iron rod?"

"Yes… That is an excellent suggestion, Commander Mars." Charon snapped his fingers and summoned in two more guards. The boys were carrying an iron rod with a burning tip. His eyes widened. "Strip him down halfway," he ordered. Cyrus panicked, and tried to escape, but the rope binding his arms and legs together made it impossible. He toppled over landing face-first onto the ground.

With great difficulty, he managed to help himself sit upright again, but the grunts were onto him in a flash. He was forced down onto the ground, a knee wedged into his back to keep him still. Struggling was pointless. He felt someone slice away at his shirt and jacket and flinched when cold steel nipped at the flesh on his back. His upper clothing items were cast aside, leaving his back exposed to the elements.

"You need to remain still, Cyrus. This is going to hurt, but it'll be much worse if you move around." One grunt placed a hand around his neck to keep his head down while the other sat down on his legs. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the pain that was to come. Never had he felt so humiliated and powerless before, but knew this was only the beginning.

Searing pain hit the lower pain of his back which quickly spread throughout. A scream tore up through his throat. He could smell burned flesh. His. The red-hot iron rod moved away from his back, but the pain remained. He jerked violently, turning his head to the left, sinking his teeth into the arm pressed up against him. The grunt screamed then slapped him in the face and pulled his arm back, cursing.

He was panting and sweating profusely, but somehow managed to keep tears at bay. He remained motionless on the ground, drawing in deep breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart. "Have you changed your mind yet, Cyrus? Or would you like to go for another round?" Charon taunted. "Perhaps you'll react better if we burn you in a different area…" He waved the rod in his face.

"…I… won't do… it…" he replied in between gasps. "I won't… let you kill her…"

"You are a stubborn one, aren't you? Kill the canine."

"With pleasure," Hunter J replied.

He didn't want to look, but Charon forced him to. Hunter J raised the knife and brought it crashing down on Houndoom's exposed neck. She forced it down driving it in as far as the blade would go. The life in Houndoom's eyes disappeared. Houndoom had taken his final breath. Cyrus looked away, unable to look at the corpse of his loyal hound. Houndoom's pleading eyes would forever remain in his nightmares, reminding him of the choice he had made that had let to his demise. Houndoom wouldn't even get a funeral – he'd be dismembered and his parts sold to other strangers.

"Who should be next? Weavile? Gyarados? Honchkrow? Or perhaps your Crobat will be next to perish?" Charon taunted, once again waving the hot rod before his face. "You can end this, Cyrus. All you have to do is call up Dawn and ask her for her location. No more Pokemon need to die." He reached a hand down into the pocket of Cyrus's jacket and pulled out his Xtransceiver. "The deaths of your Pokemon will be your fault."

Cyrus remained silent. The Distortion World was nothing in comparison to the pain he was experiencing now. "Pick him up," Charon ordered. Both grunts lifted him up, placing one arm each under his arms, to support him. He could see little dots before his eyes and Charon's leering face in the background. Charon slapped him. "Stay with me. Don't you faint on me. You'll miss the grand finale. Give me some water, Mars."

Mars hurried away and disappeared. She returned a few moments later with a blue bucket and handed it to Charon. Charon placed his hands on either side of the bucket then dumped it over Cyrus's head, bringing him back to his senses. "Would you like me to flog him, Master Charon?"

"Yes, please do." Mars slapped the pokebelt against his back, making sure to hit the place he had been branded. He failed to hold back down a cry of pain much to Charon's amusement. "Now will you cooperate?" Cyrus shook his head weakly. "Bring out the Weavile. Rip out his heart while he's still alive. You can throw his remains into the volcano."

"If that is what you wish," Hunter J said. "Bring out the Weavile!"

A lone grunt entered with his Weavile. Cyrus wasn't surprised to see a rope around his neck. The grunt gave the rope a hard tug, knocking his Weavile over. Hunter J advanced towards it, kicked it in the gut then proceeded to remove the heart, cutting into the flesh while the Pokemon was still alive and breathing. Weavile screamed.

A forbidden tear rolled down his right cheek. He looked down, hoping Charon hadn't seen it, but he wasn't so lucky. Charon placed a finger against his right cheek to catch it then drew his hand away, looking down at the teardrop with interest. "Fascinating." He rubbed it on his arm. "Let the grunts beat the Gyarados to death. Let them also pluck the Honchkrow's feathers off and kill it afterwards."

"Very well," Hunter J said, cleaning the knife's blade on her shirt. She exited the area to inform the grunts, carrying the Weavile's still beating heart in the palm of her left hand. It wasn't long before he heard the roars of his Gyarados echo throughout the caverns.

"You have one Pokemon remaining – your Crobat. I believe your bat is your most treasured Pokemon? I think I will have his wings removed bit by bit. Would you like to see that?" He turned to Mars and nodded. Mars drew the pokebelt back then brought it forward, smacking him against his chest. He cringed. "Bring in the Crobat."

Crobat was dragged in. The bat was tied to a short pole, his wings folded back around it. He had raised Crobat from an egg – a gift from his mother before she had died. Crobat tried to bite through the rope, but it was much too thick for his tiny fangs to gnaw through. Charon walked over to the bat and held the hot iron rod before his belly then poked him. Crobat thrashed against his bindings as Charon laughed.

"Your Crobat doesn't like having his belly scratched," Charon jeered then turned to Mars, nodding once more to give her approval to whack him again. This time, she aimed a little lower and struck him in the stomach, leaving a red mark behind. "This is your last chance, Cyrus. Make the call or your bat dies. I promise your daughter will not be hurt… not badly anyway."

He could save his Crobat's life in exchange for putting Dawn's life at great risk. Johanna would never forgive him if Dawn suffered – he'd never forgive himself either. Sentencing the grunts to their deaths hadn't been that difficult of a choice, but placing a death sentence on his flesh and blood? No. "I won't… let you hurt my daughter…" he hissed.

Charon rolled his eyes. "Foolish man. Your loyalty towards someone you abandoned more than ten years ago is astounding. I wonder what brought on the sudden change or perhaps all those long years of suppressing emotions have finally caught up with you? You are truly a miserable excuse for a human. Well, I suppose it's time to say goodbye to your Crobat."

Charon prepared to raise the rod to the bat's belly again the pressed it against the flesh and held it place. Crobat's shrieks filled the air. He desperately tried to flee, but the rope would not break. His movements slowed over time though, his body beginning to turn limp. "I'll do it… Just let him go." He had surrendered and he hated himself for being so weak, but watching his oldest friend die… "I'll call her."

"That wasn't so hard now, was it? You've could saved your Pokemon if you hadn't given in earlier." He dialled up Dawn's number and held it up against Cyrus's head.

"Dad?" Dawn answered. "Where are you? How is mum?"

Cyrus glared up at Charon.

"Tell her that her mother is fine and in good health. Ask her where she is," Charon whispered.

"Your mother is fine," he replied, trying to keep his tone neutral, as to not cause her any concern. "Where are you now?"

"I'm just about to enter Victory Road."

Although she couldn't see it, he mustered up a half-smile. "You'll be able to navigate your way through."

"Take good care of mum. Tell her that I love her and I'll see her again soon."

Charon pulled the Xtransceiver away then threw it to the ground and stomped on it, crushing it into pieces. Once he was done, he rubbed his palms together and smiled. "Victory Road. Perfect." He faced Mars and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tell Hunter J to send her apprentice, Paul to Victory Road. Make her understand Dawn must be brought back alive." He leaned in forward and kissed her on the forehead. Mars nodded and hurried off to inform Hunter J.

"You won't win," Cyrus replied, spitting at the space before Charon's feet.

Charon slapped him across the right cheek. "I'm going to make you watch as I slowly have her tortured. She ruined my plans – there'll be no mercy for her at all." He then struck Cyrus across the left cheek. Cyrus spat out some blood. "And when I'm done with her I'll deal with you. No one makes a fool of me." He kicked him below the waist. The grunts holding him up released him. He flopped down on the ground, the sounds of Charon's laughter filling the air before blackness consumed him.