As Matthew landed at Skull Island, the Iron Vulture was already leaving. He knew Karnage was going after his friends next, but first he had to find his mother. Stepping out of his plane and walking across the old dock, Matthew saw his mother tied to tree. The only thing that covered her nakedness was a dirty tarp.
She didn't move, only stay still with tears running down her cheeks.
"Mother, I'm here!" Matthew cried as he ran to untie her, but then...
"Nice night traitor," Hacksaw said, jumping between Matthew and his mother. The crazy dingo smiled and glanced over at Janet. "It was a shame that Karnage got to have all the fun with her."
"You...You damn dirty pirate!" Matthew growled as he walked slowly toward Hacksaw. "I will not lose my mother. So stand aside." Hacksaw scoffed at the weasel's command.
"I think not," he replied swiftly, "Karnage knew you would be coming so he left me to deal with you."
Matthew barely had any time to react as Hacksaw drew a pistol and fired. Matthew felt a burning pain cut right through his right shoulder. With a stunned look on his face, the weasel looked over at his wound, the bullet had gone through him as his blood was spreading out on the on the dock beneath him.
"You are going to die now," Mad Dog smiled as he wiped some blood from his wound before licking his fingers clean. Hacksaw took aim again but before he could pull the trigger, Mad Dog with no mercy or even thought, finally unleashed his fury.
Hacksaw was knocked off his feet and he fell into the waist high water. Mad Dog then jumped down on top of him and started beat his fellow pirate. Every time his fists made contact with the dingo's face it let more water into his lungs. Hacksaw tried in futile attempt to fight back, he swung his arms out, only to have Mad Dog reach out and grab him around the throat and push his head back underwater.
With no hesitation, his face still full of fury, Mad Dog shouted, "Do you remember this Hacksaw; do you remember the moment you held that poor man under water on the first raid I went on? Do you remember the look of fear on his face, when you…you drowned him Hacksaw? Well, I do and now I'm going to do the same to you." he roared as Hacksaw's eyes winded with fear before his lungs filled with water.
When Matthew saw that he had killed Hacksaw, a heart ripping pain came over him. Mad Dog had once again been allowed to take over. But Matthew quickly pushed the guilt aside and hurried over to help his mother.
Back in Cape Suzette...
"I said take the trash out!" Rebecca yelled at Baloo.
"I am!" he replied.
"No, I've had to tell you three times to do it! That's your problem, you don't understand that when I say do something, do it! Don't wait and do it on your own time," She peered into Baloo's dark brown eyes with her own matching orbs. Things were not getting any better with the reports of Karnage and his goons being spotted. The Bruinwald family were starting to become stressed out.
Baloo picked up the trash and headed for the front door, but when he opened it there stood Gibber. He didn't seemed to be very happy, in fact he looked almost angry.
"Gibber? What are you doing here?" Baloo asked, Gibber didn't say or move, he just stood there and held out his arm. In his hand was a note.
After reading the note, Baloo gathered his family up and headed to the hospital.
Matthew sat at the side of his mother's bed. He held her hand firmly in his, praying for God to hear and save her. When the door opened behind him, Matthew turned hoping it was the Bruinwalds or a doctor, but it wasn't. It was...
"Princess Lotta? What are you doing here?" he asked, looking back at his mother.
"When I heard what happened I came as soon as I could," Lotta explained, then, with a sniff asked, "How is she?"
It was hard for Matthew to find the words, but he forced the words out. "The doctor told me that my mom won't make it." with the truth laid out, Matthew waited for Baloo and his family to show up.
A few minutes went by before the doctors let Baloo and Kit into the room. There they saw Matthew holding his bible in one hand and his mother's hand in the other.
Janet was nearing the end of her road.
"My son," Janet said as best she could. Matthew looked up at her, but said nothing. "I always wanted to hold your hand when you were born. Walk down the beach with you and do all the things that a mother could do, but I never got to. I want you to know that you will always be in my heart. My son, my... little Mad Dog."
Matthew was moved to tears by his mother's words.
"I want you to promise that when Karnage is stopped that you will never go back to Pirate Island," she continued, as her son nodded. "That's a good boy. Now just hold my hand as this is the greatest joy for me."
Janet took in one last breath of air and breathed her last. She went quietly. With her son's hand in hers, Matthew placed a gentle kiss on her head and cried his eyes out.
Two days later...
"I think it is time we pay the Bruinwalds a little visit. Yes-no?" Karnage said walking past some of his crew who were mopping the floors of the Iron Vulture. They stopped for a second, whispered among themselves and nodded. "Good," the captain smiled with glee.
As the pirates left their hide out in the mountains of Cape Suzette, Matthew sat down under a pine tree. Why he sat there? No idea. But whatever the reason was, he just felt like it. It was hard for him to come to terms with his mother's sudden passing. There was an empty hole in his heart and right now, it was getting wider.
"Hello, Mad Dog," a voiced called from behind.
Matthew knew who it was and his anger started increasing.
"Karnage!" he growled getting to his feet.
The evil pirate captain pulled out a bottle of snake venom and poured it into a cup. "Thirsty?" he asked presenting it to Matthew.
"I hear your mother just died," Karnage said with a toothy grin.
Matthew stalled, "Yes, she..."
Suddenly Karnage drew his sword and smacked Matthew with it to keep him quiet.
"I so did enjoy feeling her warm fur against mine."
Matthew clenched his teeth together and sneered at his captain. There was a little fire burning in his eyes that Karnage was happy to see. It was showing him that Mad Dog was coming out of hiding.
The pirate captain continued, "When I found out you were a spy, I had to punish you. So I wanted to take from you the most sweetest things that you had in your life. The first was your mother. Now I will take another two."
Matthew didn't like what his captain said. Karnage snapped his fingers and his crew stepped out of hiding. The captain smiled as Switchblade and Hal stepped forward. Each pirate had a prisoner.
"Jenna! Kit!" Matthew gasped. He tried to rush past Karnage but the captain quickly punched him the gut. The force of the punch brought Matthew to his knees.
Karnage then drew a pistol and dropped in front of Matthew to challenge him. "If you want to save them, you're going to have to kill me," the captain knew that Matthew was to weak to bring himself to fight back, but Mad Dog was no weakling. "So why don't you show Kit and Jenna who you really are," he added with a smile.
Karnage enjoyed seeing Matthew like this. Weak and afraid. The captain looked deep into Matthew's eyes and sneered, "You can't do it. You're no killer, but Mad Dog is. You're just a weakling, but the pirate in you isn't. Am I right, murderer?"
Matthew mumbled miserably, "Yes."
"Oh, speak up!" Will exclaimed impatiently, as he walked up to the front and stood by his captain's side. "I don't think Kit and Jenna could hear you."
Matthew made his confession a bit louder. "Yes. I am a murderer." he looked at Jenna and Kit, who both looked shocked by his painful truth. "I killed many of Lotta's guards to fool Karnage. Then I killed Dolan and Hacksaw."
"All you ever will be is a killer Mad Dog, isn't that right?" Karnage insisted.
"Yes," Matthew agreed.
"Louder!" Karnage shouted for emphasis.
"Yes! You're right." Matthew cried in utter humiliation and defeat.
Kit and Jenna's eyes seemed to beg, "Say it's not so!" But Karnage was right all along. Matthew was not meant to be a good guy, he was just a pirate.
Things had just turned from bad to worse.