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"You have no idea what it's like when the monster from your nightmares comes back for you." – Criminal Minds

Hal and Ben ran through the hallways towards their Dad's office. After hearing what Hal said about the threat of being attacked again, they knew they had to warn him. Once they got there, they both entered the room, quickly finding their Dad sitting behind the desk, Weaver in one of the chairs in front of it. The adults both looked up when they heard them.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked worriedly, seeing the looks on his sons faces.

"Skitter attack." Ben answered, then looked over at Hal, silently indicating for him to tell Tom what he saw.

"I don't know when, but soon, very soon. There were lots of them Dad. And Karen's with them." Hal told his father. Both Tom and Weaver stood up at hearing that, and Tom looked Hal directly in the eyes.

"Are you sure?" Tom questioned, and Hal nodded.

"How do you know?" Weaver asked. Hal turned his attention over to the Colonel.

"When Ben was trying to teach me to enter his mind, I accidentally connected to a skitter's mind instead. Through him, I saw Karen, and where they are. They're just outside the city in the trees. I could feel that they're going to attack soon. Within 24 hours." Hal explained.

"We got to get out some patrols, find out what we're dealing with. Do you have any idea which spot in the perimeter they're going to attack?" Tom asked, pulling his coat off the back of the chair and slipping it on as Weaver left the room to go get the soldiers on duty ready.

"No." Hal replied.

"Ben, go find Deni and go with the patrols we'll send out, see if you two can sense anything. Hal, you stay here in the building." Tom ordered.

"But Dad-" Hal started to protest before Tom cut him off.

"Hal, stay here, alright? The last thing we need is for Karen to know you're here." Tom said, moving towards the door.

"If she thinks I'm here, she's going to come anyways. That's probably why she's actually with the skitter attack this time." Hal pointed out.

"We don't know that for sure. And if she sees you there, she might kill everyone out there just to get to you." Tom tried to convince him.

"You are really trying to guilt me into this." Hal realized. Tom came over to him, and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Yes. If it keeps you here, if it keeps you safe, then yes. I am not going to lose you, not again. Hal please, just stay here." Tom begged.

Hal looked into his eyes and saw nothing but desperation. His Dad had a point, if Karen didn't know he was here, she might assume he's not and back off, or maybe there was a different reason she was here. Reluctantly, Hal nodded.

Tom pressed a quick kiss on Hal's forehead and left the room. Hal stared at the door for a few moments, then sat down in one of the chairs and waited.

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It wasn't more than a few minutes later when Hal started hearing the gunfire, and the sound of Mechs firing back. They were attacking sooner than he thought. Hal could see people running down the hall through the glass doors, but he stayed in his seat.

His attention was drawn back to the door when he heard someone opening it. It was Matt.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Hal asked as Matt came over and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Heard that Dad wouldn't let you help. Thought you might like some company." Matt answered.

"In other words, Dad sent you to make sure I stayed put." Hal concluded. Matt couldn't hide the sheepish grin.

"He didn't want you to do anything stupid. He thought you would be more hesitant to join the fight if I was with you." Matt explained, but Hal sat silently.

"I'm not allowed to fight, and I'm being babysat by my youngest brother." Hal stated, his voice had a bit of a bitter edge to it.

"For what it's worth, I don't agree with Dad. If anyone has the right to kick Karen's a**, it's you." Matt told him.

"Watch your mouth. But Dad also has a point. If staying hidden keeps Karen from attacking the entire city and killing everyone, then it's for the best." Hal said.

"She's going to attack and try to kill everyone anyways. What difference does it make if you're fighting or not?" Matt pointed out.

"True, but not yet. Not until I'm sure that she won't get into my head. If I can get into a skitter's mind, odds are she can get into my mine. I don't want to be a threat to you, or anyone else. I just wish that I knew what was happening." Hal told him, as he stood up and started pacing around the room.

"Why don't you find out? If this, connecting with their minds thing, works kinda the way is does with Ben, then can't you connect with his mind and see through his eyes?" Matt wondered.

"I haven't been able to do that yet. Connecting with that skitter earlier was an accident. Besides, I don't know exactly how I did it." Hal replied, stopping in his tracks.

"Well, what were you thinking about when you connected to the skitter?" Matt questioned.

"I was just trying to relax, but I couldn't. It was like I was feeling completely exposed."

"You were still scared that someone might threaten you. You were trying to identify any threats. That's why you could connect with the skitter, because it was a threat." Matt realized.

"You think I was subconsciously connecting to the skitters this entire time because I've been feeling threatened?" Hal tried to understand, though was doubtful.

"Well, haven't you? Anne said that hyper vigilance is the feeling of being constantly under threat, and while it seems to have gone away, I still see how you always look around, try to see who's with you, and what's going on. Not to mention the minute anyone does anything you weren't expecting, you either flinch or jump." Matt revealed.

Hal didn't know what to say about that. Instead, he thought about what his younger brother said, and realized he was right. Every time he accidentally connected to a skitter, he was looking for anything or anyone that could threaten him or the people he cared about. On the patrol with Ben, and in the attack a few weeks ago, he was worried about his family and Maggie, that they would get hurt.

"When did you get so smart?" Hal asked.

"Probably when you weren't looking. Keep in mind I know how you think and act better than Dad and Ben do." Matt pointed out.

"Okay genius, what do I do?"

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Ben continued firing at the skitters that were charging the barricade. Hal was right, there were a lot, even more than there were in the last attack. So far though, there had been no sign of Karen.

"Ben! There's more taking cover over there!" Deni yelled over the gunfire, pointing over to a building that many skitters and two Mechs were hiding behind. It appeared that was where the aliens were coming from.

"Dad! They're coming from over there!" Ben called out to his father. Tom looked up from the skitter he was killing, to turn his gaze to where his middle son was pointing.

Tom moved to stand beside Ben, and watched as skitters kept coming around the corner. After every few minutes, a Mech came too. They needed to know how many there were, and where they were all coming from. The President looked around trying to see which soldiers would be best to send out in probably the most dangerous spot.

"Pope! Maggie! Deni! You all come with us! Weaver give us some cover!" Tom ordered as he and Ben made their way past the barricade towards the building where the skitters seemed to be coming from

As they kept firing at the oncoming skitters, Ben felt something brush against his head. He looked around but didn't see anything. Then it happened again, a little more forceful, and Ben realized that it was in his mind. It was almost like when a skitter or an Overlord entered his mind, but it was different. This was less sure, like the person didn't know for sure what he was doing, and Ben immediately figured out who it was, and he opened his mind to the person.

Hal?

The response was almost immediate. He felt his brother's tension, confusion, and yet gladness that he finally got through.

Ben, what's happening? Ben heard Hal's question.

Lots of skitters and Mechs, but don't worry. We got it. Ben assured him, then tried his best to push his older brother out of his head. He could barely concentrate on the attacking skitters with Hal talking to him through his mind like that. And Hal didn't need to know what was going on. It would just make him want to help even more.

Following his father, with Deni, Maggie, and Pope behind him, he made his way to the building safely thanks to Weaver and the other soldiers covering them. Once they turned the corner though, they had to start firing instantly, because there were so many of them. It never seemed to end.

Then, he saw her. Karen, standing less than half a mile away, flanked by two super Mechs. Turning to look at his Dad, Ben found that he saw her too, and he looked beyond furious. Tom attacked the skitters with new found strength, wanting to get a chance to get at the girl who had caused the family so much pain. Ben felt another presence entire his mind, but it wasn't Hal. It was dark, and filled with malice. The only time he felt something like this was when he entered an Overlord's mind.

Ben looked up at Karen, and saw that her gaze was fixed on him. It was her, trying to get into his mind. He could feel her push harder against the walls he was so desperately trying to keep up. The fight between his mind and hers caused a painful headache and he fell to his knees.

"Ben!" Tom called out at seeing his son fall. He killed the skitter he was shooting at and ran the boy's side.

"Ben, what's wrong?" Tom asked, placing his hand on Ben's back.

"Karen, she's, she's in my head. She's trying to find something." Ben answered, hands balled up by his temples.

Tom picked up his gun from where he placed it on the ground and started firing again, though not at the skitters this time, but at Karen. Unfortunately, he was too far away to do any damage. Upon realizing what Tom was doing, the rest of the group figured out what was wrong with Ben, but there wasn't much they could do, besides protect him, and stop Karen.

Deni ran to Ben's side, and pulled him back around the building from where they came, giving them some cover. Pope and Maggie stayed with Tom, trying to finish off the skitters so they could get to the human Overlord.

"Ben, what do you need? How do we stop this?" Deni asked, her voice filled with concern and desperation.

"Stop Karen." Ben managed to say, but only barely. In the last few minutes since he told his Dad what was happening, Karen's assault in his mind doubled in strength. Random images, memories of the last few weeks started running through his mind like a slideshow, and Ben suddenly realized what she was looking for. Hal.

The middle Mason tried harder to push her out, but the harder he tried, the more she pushed, and she was stronger than him. Ben was dimly aware of Weaver coming over to them, but he couldn't really hear what the man was saying, though he did hear Deni's voice. He assumed she was filling the Colonel in.

Ben felt his last wall break, and the memory of being with Hal just minutes earlier flooded his mind. Karen now knew that he was here, in Charleston.

As soon as the Overlord got what she was looking for, she was gone, just as fast as she had come. Ben opened his eyes to see Deni and Weaver kneeling by his side.

"She knows. Karen knows Hal's here." Ben told them, tasting blood on his lips. He was so focused on Karen he didn't notice that his nose started to bleed.

"Deni, go tell Tom. Ben, are you alright?" Weaver asked as Deni took off to go find the President.

"I'm fine. I got to warn Hal." Ben told Weaver as he pushed himself to his feet. He wavered slightly, then started running back into the building with Weaver following.

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After Ben cut him off, Hal continued his pacing around the office. Matt still sat in the chair, watching his brother try to wear a hole in the floor.

"I'm sure everything's fine." Matt tried to assure his brother. Hal looked like he was about to say something, when they heard footsteps running through the hall. The door burst open and Ben ran inside, Weaver at his heels.

"What happened?" Hal questioned. Seeing the blood on his other younger brother's face, he quickly went over to him and put his hands on Ben's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Hal asked, trying to meet his eyes, but Ben was looking everywhere but at Hal.

"Ben, what's going on? What happened?" Hal repeated harshly.

"Karen. She, she got in my head. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't. She knows you're here." Ben revealed.

Hal froze once the words reached his ears. Fear started to grip his heart and he shoved it down, but not before Ben saw it in his eyes. He let go of his brother, and backed away, running his hand over his face.

After taking a deep breath, he turned to Weaver, "Is she still out there?"

"As far as we know, yes. Your Dad was trying to get at her the minute he realized what she was doing, but she was too far away, and the skitters were still coming at them." Weaver answered. Hal took a moment to absorb those words before he started moving towards the door. Weaver grabbed the young man's arm and stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Weaver asked, though he was positive he knew the answer.

"Where do you think? I'm not letting my Dad, Maggie, and all those other soldiers out there die if she's only doing this because of me." Hal replied, trying to shrug off the older man's arm, but the grip only tightened.

"We don't know for sure what she wants, Hal." Weaver stated.

"Considering what she did to Ben, I think that it's a safe bet that we do." Hal pointed out, and again tried to pull his arm out of Weaver's grip, and again, failed.

"Weaver, let-" Hal's broke off with a gasp as a sudden pain flared up in his skull. He raised the arm that the Colonel wasn't holding up to his head and closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain.

"Hal? Hal, what is it?" Weaver asked and at that moment, Hal's legs buckled beneath him. If it wasn't for Weaver's quick reflexes he would've fallen to the ground, but the Colonel was there to catch him. Ben and Matt immediately ran to their brother's side as Weaver lowered him to the ground.

"Hal! Hal, are you okay?" Matt asked, not even bothering to hide his panic as he got to his knees beside his oldest brother. Ben kneeled down beside Matt while Weaver sat by Hal's other side.

Hal barely heard what his baby brother said, only the panic in his voice. He felt hands on his arms, yet didn't know who they belonged to. Once the sudden pain subsided a little, he became aware of another presence in his head.

Hello Hal. I thought you would be here. Karen's voice echoed in his head.

Weaver didn't know what to do. Hal wouldn't stop shaking. It almost as though he was having a seizure. He and Ben tried to hold the young man down, but Hal fought against them. Then, he opened his eyes. They weren't brown anymore. They were glowing a bright blue, the same blue that Ben's spikes would glow when he would connect with the skitters. It was seconds after that, that Hal spoke.

"Karen." Hal managed to whisper. More voices echoed in his ears, but his focus wasn't on that. His focus, was on staying still. He felt as though she was trying to force him to move. He could feel his arms and legs trying to position themselves so he would stand up, but he forced them to stay down against the floor.

Come on Hal. Come back with me. If you do, I'll stop attacking Charleston, Karen told him. It was a lie. She may stop the attack she was currently launching, but she'd come back, and attack again or get another Overlord to do it, because there was no way his Dad or the people of Charleston would surrender. That didn't mean he wasn't tempted though. She knew he'd do anything to protect his family.

This time however, he was not going to back down, and he started pushing against her, started pushing her out of his head. It was a lot harder then he thought, but all the anger he felt towards her swelled up inside of him. Anger for taking his Dad away from him and his brothers a few years ago, anger for putting a bug in him, anger for taking Anne and Lexi, anger for kidnapping him and experimenting on him. He let it consume him, and threw it all at her.

As he continued to shove Karen out of his head, the blurry faces of his brothers and Weaver faded away, and another image took its place.

He was standing on pavement in front of a short metal fence, looking out towards a body of water. Right in the center, was a small island, where a large statue stood. It was a woman, with a crown on her head, holding a torch up high. The Statue of Liberty.

The scene suddenly disappeared, and the sight of Weaver and Ben came back. Hal could've sworn he heard Karen give a short yell, before she withdrew from his head. She was gone.

Hal let his body go limp on the ground. Every muscle hurt, though his head was the worst. He could feel his brain pounding against his skull.

"Hal? Are you alright?" He heard Matt ask.

"You could've warned me how much it hurts when aliens do that, Ben." Hal croaked, looking up at his brother. Ben smiled and chuckled.

"Sorry." Ben replied, looking down at Hal's once again, brown eyes. He knew that Hal was successful in pushing Karen out once he saw the blue glow disappear, and his brother stopped moving. Hal then tried to sit up, but Weaver and Ben pushed him back down.

"Just stay still. Everything's okay." Weaver told him. Hal didn't have the strength to argue.

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Tom continued firing at the oncoming skitters. It seemed as though there was no end to them, but he kept pushing forward, trying to get close enough to Karen. When Deni came to him and told him that she had found out Hal was here, he knew this was probably the best chance he'd get to finish her, but with the constant line of attacking skitters, he couldn't get close.

Not long after Deni told Tom what happened, he watched Karen turn to face the city, and saw something glowing on her neck, right where her spine was. As he kept shooting at the skitters, he turned his gaze to the Overlord every chance he got.

Then, he saw Karen raise her hands to her head, as though she was in pain. Then, she bent down like she didn't have the strength to stand. Just as she did that, the glow from her back disappeared.

Once the glow was gone, Karen turned and looked right into Tom's eyes with pure hatred. The Mechs that were flanking the human alien started towards them. Pope threw his grenades at them while Tom, Maggie, and Deni continued shooting the skitters.

The Mechs were quickly destroyed, and the soldiers finally finished off the rest of their attackers. Tom looked back to where Karen was standing, only to see the street empty. Karen was gone.

"What the h*ll is going on?" Pope asked, completely confused as to why Karen just stopped her attack and fled.

"I have no clue." Tom answered, just as puzzled as the criminal.