Finn was at home trying to find a way to help Roman. The news had spread like wildfire and now Samoan was what the whole city was talking about.
But no one knew what was really going on.
Someone frantically knocked on his door. Finn opened it and found himself facing Dean Ambrose, who was being held by Elias.
Roman found himself in a laboratory, immobilized on a strange metal surface. His arms, legs, torso, and even neck were trapped in metal straps.
The surface was in an upright position, so he was standing and naked too.
At that moment Randy Orton entered the laboratory.
"Ironies of life, how many times did I want to get rid of you and now you are indispensable to my plans." Randy smirked.
"I don't understand why you are doing this?" Roman tried uselessly to free himself.
"You will understand, Allen will explain it to you." Randy moved and AJ was behind him.
The scientist looked tired, sad, and had some bruises on his face and arms.
"Roman I..." AJ was about to cry.
"What did you do to him?" Roman claimed Randy.
"AJ fooled you really well, huh?" Randy scoffed. "AJ works for me, you idiot. I have been paying him very well for his services. We have been trying to create our own Hound of Justice, or should I say Hound of Injustice... and we have failed several times, but now we are to about to be successful. "
Roman looked at AJ, hoping the scientist would deny it. But guilt was reflected in his blue eyes.
"You always lied to me, that's why you were in the Hotel when that guy exploded into a thousand pieces." Roman closed his eyes in disappointment.
"You weren't the target, Lesnar was going to become Randy's super soldier but..." AJ gulped.
"Happened what nobody imagined... I won." Roman said in disappointment.
"I'll leave you alone so you can say goodbye. I need Roman to be ready as soon as possible, I have already defined where I am going to test his new skills." Randy said smugly. "If nothing goes wrong with Roman, we will create some more soldiers like him."
"Why don't you do this on yourself?!" Roman demanded of Randy.
"Because I'm not going to experiment with my own life and risk something going wrong, if I can have my own disposable puppets." With that, Randy left.
AJ was alone with Roman now. Guilt was eating the scientist alive.
"I didn't think this could happen and when you won that fight, I was opposed to Randy's decision to use you." AJ tried to explain. "That's why they beat me. I need you to understand that if I don't do this to you, Randy is going to kill you and I can't lose you."
"You already lost me." Roman's disappointment turned to anger. "What are you supposed to do with me? What will you transform me into?"
"Randy wants someone who can do the job the D-X has never been able to do: destroy the Hounds of Justice, and thereby take full control of this city." AJ approached Roman very slowly.
"I would never do something like that." Roman shook his head.
AJ could feel it. Roman was no longer looking at him fondly, his eyes reflecting deep anger. In any case, he kept getting closer to him.
"Once we finish this process, you will no longer have your own will... You will be..." AJ's voice cracked.
"He already said it, I'll be his puppet." Roman said angrily. "I'd rather die a thousand times than be a murderer. If you do this to me, it will be worse than killing me. AJ, if you ever loved me, don't let him do this to me, I'd rather be killed!"
"But I won't! I don't want to see you die! I'm going to save you! I'm going to reverse the process, I'll give your will back."
"For what?" Roman screamed and began to move frantically, hurting himself against the metal straps. "So that I realize the atrocities I made when I was a zombie!"
AJ hugged Roman. The Samoan struggled, rejecting the gesture, though it was useless.
"I know you'll never forgive me, I know I've lost you, but even if you don't believe it, I'm going to save you." AJ was crying now.
"I'm Roman's roommate. After what happened at the arena, I went to our apartment and found Mr. Ambrose crying as he hugged Roman's clothes." Elias explained. "When I managed to reassure him, he began to repeat that he would come here to see you. Seeing him so nervous, I googled your address and here we are."
"Your investigations, there must be something there that allows us to find him." Dean finally spoke, he seemed crazy.
"Still, we can't do anything." Finn said sadly.
"We don't, but Roman's boyfriend can." Elias said thoughtfully. "I just don't know how to locate him, but he sure already knows what happened, maybe we should wait."
"What are you talking about?" Finn was surprised. "Roman's boyfriend is Dean."
Elias shook his head. "Of course not, I know that Mr. Ambrose likes Roman, everyone in the Foundation has noticed, but Roman has a relationship with one of the Hounds of Justice. It's not something that I support due to the ambiguous reputation of those guys. But maybe now it's good that Roman was so determined to be with one of them."
Finn looked at Dean and in that moment put the pieces of that puzzle together, understanding the background of Dean and Seth's discussion.
Dean noticed that Finn had figured it all out but he didn't care.
"If one of the Hounds of Justice is Roman's boyfriend, he may be looking for clues or help in your department. You should go back there." Finn told Elias. "I'll take care of Mr. Ambrose."
"You're right, I also have to go to work tomorrow, it will be the reopening of Daily The Club and Mr. Rollins wants all of his employees to be there." Elias said. "I need a little rest, although I don't think I'll get it. Until I have Roman back I won't have peace."
Elias left the place and then Finn started talking.
"But Roman's boyfriend doesn't have a clue like the rest of us, does he?" Finn pursed his lips.
"I'm going to rescue Roman, so I need the information you gave Seth." Dean finally focused.
"I'm going to help you but... I need to know about you." Finn narrowed his eyes.
"Then you will expose us... I don't care, I don't care anymore, I just want Roman back." Dean said still desperate.
Finn was amazed. The story Dean told him was extraordinary and precisely that story was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Dean, for his part, focused on reading the research.
"The D-Xs want to recreate what Seth's mother did with you two. Someone else had access to that formula." Finn said. "But those guys were like zombies, you and Seth obviously aren't."
"They modified the formula in such a way that the test subjects obey the will of the person who created them." Dean touched his chin with his fingers. "Besides that guy, Big Cass... exploded."
"If the guinea pigs lose control, they are exterminated." Finn concluded.
"I can't let them do that to Roman!" Dean hit the table and it broke.
"You must control your emotions or you will destroy my house." Finn said looking at the table of him in pieces.
"I love Roman and... I was trying to protect the damn city only to find that I couldn't protect the only person I care about in this hell." Dean said frustrated.
"You should talk to Seth, he should help you on this." Finn couldn't hide the pain in his eyes when he mentioned the heir.
"Seth…" Dean snorted. "You saw it yourself, Seth only has one thing in mind: revenge. He won't stop for me, or anyone else, and that's my biggest fear, that for Seth, Roman is nothing more than an obstacle that he must destroy."
"Did someone try to save Seth?" Finn asked. "Your description of his childhood tells of a normal boy who went through things that shaped him."
"You made the mistake of falling in love with him, right?" Dean smiled sadly. "Seth was a good boy but the desire for revenge has consumed all the good that was left. Seth and I went through the same experiences, losing our families to the same people, and I am not like him."
"You talk like Seth is equal to the D-Xs. I have to admit that Seth is far from good, but he could have been destroying everything and yet he has been playing superhero, maybe he still has salvation."
"You love him so much that you want to prevent Anakin Skywalker from becoming Dart Vader... Good luck with that, I guess if he was in your bed every night, maybe you can do that miracle." Dean looked almost pityingly at Finn. "In any case, don't have too much hope."
Roman felt very weak. His gaze was hard to focus, but he could still hear.
An IV was connected to one of his arms as well as other devices that he could not recognize. Roman couldn't see AJ but he could feel him stroking his face.
"I will never allow Randy to destroy you, on the contrary, I will give you the power to destroy him. I love you Roman, I love you with my life and I know you will never forgive me, but I will save you."
Roman felt like he was falling asleep, but before he lost consciousness, he felt AJ kissing him. His mind disconnected from his body and it all felt like a fantasy...
"In an ideal world, you would be an amazing superhero." Dean smiled at Roman.
Roman smiled back. "I'm just a man who wants to change things. There are many more like me, if we all tried to make this world a better place, we would not need superheroes."
Roman felt a sharp pain through his chest, it was as if his heart was being ripped out.
Dean's tightness was driving Roman crazy just as Roman's cock was doing the same to Dean. They couldn't deny it anymore. It was a fact, something they both knew, something they both felt. Dean sped up the movement of his hips and Roman groaned louder.
"So what is this?..." Roman said between groans.
"I don't know but we're going to find out together…" Dean then kissed Roman's lips gently and continued to please his lover.
"So this won't be the only time, it won't be the last time." Roman replied.
"It will be the first of many others. As of this moment, I don't know how or in what way, but now I belong to you, Roman Reigns."
And that was it. With those words, Roman climaxed, in an experience never felt before. They both fell onto the bed, recovering from that incredible orgasm. Even blindfolded, Roman pulled Dean against his body. The auburn-haired man hugged him, burying his face into his lover's neck.
"It's not a fantasy, is it?" Roman said stroking his lover's sweaty hair.
"It isn't. This is real. I told you and I'll keep it: I'm yours Roman." Dean assured. "And whatever we're feeling, we're both going to find out together."
A sharp sound invaded his mind and Roman felt his head exploding.
"Wow." Roman kissed Dean's forehead. "In a way, we both fell in love with what we couldn't see. I would like you to see yourself as I see you: as a hero."
Dean rested his forehead on Roman's chest. "As much as I try, I can't see myself as one."
Roman thought of something that might make Dean see how valuable he was. "Dean, imagine this gift of yours, in the hands of someone like Randy Orton."
Dean then looked at Roman with wide eyes. "That would be disastrous."
Roman felt a huge pain on his skin, it was as if they were burning him.
"How can you fight a person you love?"
Roman hugged him tightly, understanding Dean's fear and feeling unable to help him.
Dean walked to the window and before he left he looked at Roman tenderly. "I'm going back to you, Big Dog, and if I can't find you, I'll look for you. I'll always look for you."
"And you will always find me." Roman approached him.
Suddenly all the pain ended, his body felt very light, like a feather, and his mind felt so far, his mind was far away, in a place where nothing hurt anymore, where nothing mattered anymore.
"One day you will end up discovering that all that idealism is useless, and it will be sad to see the last good man from Utopia realizing that he was always wrong." Elias said sadly.
Roman took a deep breath. Where his mind was now, there was peace, and he wasn't going to give that up. He closed his eyes trying to forget everything and everyone.
"I'm going back to you, Big Dog, and if I can't find you, I'll look for you. I'll always look for you."
"And you will always find me, Dean."
"In an ideal world, you would be an amazing superhero."
"Imagine this gift of yours, in the hands of someone like Randy Orton."
"How can you fight a person you love?"
"I love you Roman and I will always be looking for you."
"And you will always find me, Dean."
"Always... Forever…"
Dean was asleep on Finn Balor's couch, they had both been tying the ends to no avail. And they hadn't slept until a few hours ago. Dean's cell phone woke him up.
"Seth must be crazy if he thinks I'm going to answer." Dean looked at the cell phone with contempt.
"Maybe he has a clue." Finn said looking at his watch, it was already Monday and it was past noon.
"Are you coming to the re-opening of Daily The Club?" Seth's voice sounded concerned.
"The D-X kidnapped my boyfriend and you think I want to go to a party?!" Dean said angrily and ended the call.
"Wait... all the rich and famous from Utopia will be there." Finn said looking at Dean. "It's the kind of events that the D-X love to destroy."
"Dammit!" Dean ran a hand through his messy hair and tried to call Seth. "Seth doesn't take the call. Sure, he's angry."
Dean and Finn went to Rollins Industries. Finn arrived in record time. Both entered the event that was held from noon in one of the building's rooms. Definitely none of them were dressed for the occasion but Dean was someone important and they all let them in.
As he entered, the auburn-haired man saw Elias. The former thief immediately approached them.
"We have in common that we look and smell like shit because we haven't done anything but worry about Roman." Elias admitted sadly. "What worries me the most is that the damn Hound of Justice doesn't show up."
Seth was talking about how he had become the savior of Daily The Club after the great fire.
"Perhaps you were always right, Mr. Balor." Dean muttered. "Maybe it was Seth who set the building on fire."
Finn closed his eyes in disappointment. Although Dean, who grew up with Seth, had no hope of saving the heir, Finn was going to give it a try. After all, he was deeply in love with that man.
"What are we supposed to do if the D-Xs come?" Finn asked.
"Evacuate people and let me take care of everything." Dean assured.
"And what if everyone realizes who you are." Finn said the obvious.
"I don't give a fuck." Dean muttered. "I just want to save Roman. And the answers I need, I'll get them from the D-X."
Applauses filled the room. Everyone was moved by the story Seth was telling.
"That speech was probably written by The Miz." Finn rolled his eyes.
And just at that moment, shots boomed outside the building. As they both suspected, the D-Xs appeared. People started screaming and trying to escape and Elias and Finn started looking for exits so the crowd could evacuate, before the D-X could get in.
Dean looked at Seth, who smirked.
"This whole show was a trap." Dean clenched his fists in anger. "Seth knew the D-Xs would be coming to this event and he didn't mind putting all these people in danger, for his revenge."
Seth got off the stage and walked towards where the shots were coming from, Dean did the same. It was then that the huge door to the room was thrown open. And there, in front of them, were Road Dogg and Triple H, accompanied by a troop of armed men, many vehicles were heard obviously surrounding the building. A large group of the Rollins Industries security team had died, and the rest were close to Seth and Dean trying to stop the D-X.
"You killed all these men to get in here." Dean said desperately.
"This time, we didn't kill anyone." Triple H smiled.
"He did it." Road Dogg stepped aside.
And behind them was Roman.
The Samoan wore a vest and clothing similar to the Hounds of Justice, but he wasn't wearing a mask, obviously it didn't matter that everyone knew his identity.
Many of the reporters who were there began taking pictures, before being evacuated by what was left of the security team. What they saw was egregious: Roman was holding the neck of one of the security team men at Rollins Industries, the man was still alive.
"Roman no... please no..." Dean ran straight to Roman.
Roman looked at Dean and smirked with an expression the auburn haired man never thought he would see in his boyfriend. His eyes gleamed with pure evil as he held that man up. It was as if Roman was enjoying this.
The Samoan laughed softly and threw the man against the wall of the room so violently that the guy was sprawled on the floor. Dean walked up to the man and touched his neck... The man was dead.
Never in his life, Dean felt this much helplessness and pain. So much sadness. He turned to see Roman, his Roman.. and looking into his eyes Dean knew that whatever the D-X had done to him, it had destroyed the good things in the Samoan. That wasn't his Roman. Dean wondered if after this he could still save the man he loved.