(The Governor's Mansion, Mackinaw Island)

Vally whimpered, eyes squeezed shut as Carter and Madrid cried out in pain as they were driven deeper into the snow and dirt. Sergei still held her tight, the stench of stale whisker and sweat filling her nose and making her gag. The Russian merely squeezed her harder, causing the toddler to squeak in pain.

"Vally!" Carter groaned out, struggling to help her. He made it to one knee before he found himself slammed down once more by the hand of Merrick.

"You really must learn to accept things, Mr. Daniels." Merrick taunted. "Tell me…do you know what the definition of insanity is?" He lowered his hand slightly, Carter and Madrid grunting in pain. "It is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." He chuckled, releasing them slightly. "But if you enjoy being crushed to death, then by all means."

"Should I kill then now, boss?" Riker asked, leveling his spear hand at Tina.

"No." Merrick said coldly.

Riker didn't like the sound of that one bit. "What do you mean, no? That little bitch cost me my hand…"

"And I will take the other one if you don't shut it!" Merrick snarled, marching towards Vally and Sergei. "The girl is all that matters. Every moment we waste here we give Daniel's smokey pet another chance to arrive and stop us."

"Let him come!" Riker argued. "I can take the wuss out…"

Merrick's face clenched in frustration as he closed his hand, Riker screaming as his chest seemed to cave in. "Do not stand there and question me, boy. I was one of the strongest beings on this planet before you were snuggled in your mother's womb." He released him, Riker panting harshly.

"Monster." Kelly hissed.

Merrick placed a hand to his chest. "You wound me."

"Kidnapping a little girl, abusing people just because you can…if that isn't a monster, then you're close."

The older man sighed, a slight smile forming on his lips as he walked towards the brash former-editor. "And what? You're the mob of peasants here to decry me and burn my castle to the ground." He leaned in, clicking his tongue. "Stronger people then you have tried."

Sergei shook Vally slightly, the child crying quietly. "Would you shut up?" He snapped in annoyance, only to find Vally being lifted from his arms before a fist shot out and nearly broke his nose.

"Don't." Biddy said coldly, cradling Vally in her arms. "Don't make this any worse then it has to be." She rubbed the toddler's back, murmuring soft, comforting words. "Merrick…can we just go already?"

"About time someone began talking sense." Merrick said, giving Carter one final smash. "Ya know, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought this would be a really epic battle, titan vs. titan from what I'd heard about the oh-so-great Metatron." He sighed sadly. "Rather anti-climatic."

Merrick slowly walked away from Carter and Madrid, making his way to where the others lay in the snow, finally coming to their senses. Helena shook her head violently, trying to clear the cobwebs, only to find herself staring up at Merrick.

"You know…I hated you before…when your kid bullied my kid…now I can't wait to see you die."

Shrugging, Merrick merely kicked her in the kick. "You're not even worthy of my power, mortal." He paused, looking down at his son, disappointment clear in his eyes. "Hank, Hank, Hank…you threw everything away…everything…for this boy that isn't worthy to polish your shoes. By God's good graces, what the hell were you thinking? All the power…all the wealth and…and my God, you should see the girl we had lined up to be your bride! Everything, Hank…you spat on everything."

Hank glared at his father. "Wouldn't have spat on it if I had know what you were offering, dad."

Merrick raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Duh, you big idiot." Hank quipped, struggling to stand up. "How can I spit in the face off everything you and your Alliance stand for when you never TOLD ME ABOUT IT!" He was now screaming at his father, Merrick utterly startled. "HELLO?!? I was attacked by a man with glowing fists, a little Asian man told me to help him…and you never said a word!"

"Uh…" Merrick stammered, obviously flustered that Hank wasn't denouncing him, waiving the "Carter is Great!" banner.

Hank was now pacing, everyone staring at him in confusion. "What is the point of creating this secret society within a secret society…working day in, day out to rise in power…if you never tell your son and heir what the hell you are doing?" Hank screamed in frustration.

"Hank?" Kelly whispered.

"Oh shut the hell up!" Hank snarled. He whipped around, pointing at his father. "Maybe if you had been straight with me about the family business, I wouldn't be hanging out with the dyke and the stammering idiot!" He shook his head ruefully. "I…I mean…I have been so confused dad…you know I have powers, right?" He faded from view, only to reappear. "I didn't know what to think…how to deal with it."

Sergei slowly leaned in to Riker. "Whose side is he on again?"

Riker shrugged.

"Hank…"

"Don't." Hank said sternly. "I am going to finish this." He gathered himself, licking his lips. "You could have been helping me, dad. All this time…since I was a kid, you could have been helping me…but no…no, you never even bothered to let me know the truth about my family." He closed his eyes. "You know how big of a betrayal that is? That you couldn't trust me enough to let me know all about you?"

"It is tradition, Hank." Merrick said softly, wondering if perhaps, for the first time in his life, he had miscalculated. "My father didn't know, I didn't…not until your 23rd birthday…that is the tradition. I…I had it all planned…"

Hank smiled weakly. "Ya mean it, dad?"

"Yea…I do."

"Hank…" Linda grunted. "You can't be…"

"Serious?" Hank asked snidely. "oh…I am…" he walked towards Carter. "Like I would ever be friends with you…side with you…you wrote an article that ruined me, Carter. I remember it perfectly, that April day when I first say that article in black ink…taunting me. I swore on that April day to make you pay…"

Carter's eyes flashed. "You used me, you son of a bitch. You were using me for glory."

"Damn straight." Hank said. "I was going to be the hero. After we saved the world, I was going to claim all the fame and fortune…and leave you out high and dry. Always was…then you had to die…" he shook his head. "Couldn't make it stick, huh?"

Carter spat at him, Merrick crushing him again.

"That's enough, dad…let him act like a baby. He just got beat by a master tactician…"

"I got beat by nothing more then a snake, you asshole." Carter snarled, raising a glowing fist.

"Do it…" Hank said coldly, leveling his gun at Kelly's head. "And I blow the lipstick lezzie's brains out, sending her sinning ass the hell."

"Hell is reserved for traitors, Hank, not people like Kelly."

Hank leaned in close. "I'll remember that." He patted Carter's cheek before he stepped away. "Don't worry…I'll take care of Vally."

Carter glanced at Biddy. "The same way she will?" Biddy tried to hide her cringe. "I've seen her mind, Hank…"

"Shut it." Hank snapped, kicking Carter in the gut. "I've listened to you for far too long. Dad…lets go."

"DADDY!" Vally screamed in a panic as Biddy was forced to carry her toward the waiting ice cutter boat Merrick had chattered to get them to the island. "MADDY!"

"Valencia!" Madrid screamed, trying to get up even as Merrick reapplied the pressure to her. "NO!"

&&&

"Terrence?"

Terrence looked up at Elle, drawing his focus away from the patterns he had been drawing in the countertop with his finger. "What?"

(Terrence and Elle-Upper Peninsula, Michigan)

"I was asking you how long we have to stay here." Elle complained, glancing over at a trucker that weighed close to 400 pounds who was giving her kissy lips.

"Till we find my baby brother." Terrence muttered.

The trucker licked his lips before turning back to his Grand Slam breakfast, yanking his pants up and hiding his massive buttcrack. Elle cringed back in disgust, electricity dancing on her fingers, only for a sharp pain to fill said digits. Terrence wiggled his own fingers in annoyance.

"No…powers." He said sternly.

Elle frowned. "Just one zap…I'll make it look like a heart attack!"

"No." Terrence snapped.

"But…"

"NO!"

"Spoil sport."

&&&

"Oh God no."

Seth hurried over to Carter, lifting him from the Carter-shaped crater in the ground. Pulling him free, he quickly checked for a pulse, sighing with relief when he felt the strong heartbeat.

"What happened here?"

"Merrick." Tina said coldly from where she stood, checking Kelly over for injuries. "Merrick happened."

"Vally?" Seth asked.

"Gone." Madrid answered, emotion drained from her voice, still staring out at where Merrick had taken Vally.

"We'll get her back." Galatea said coldly. "And then we'll kill Sergei."

"Carter…" Lee called out, the Metatron seemingly out of it. "I…I know we haven't done anything to earn your trust, but…we want to help you get some payback. We didn't believe you, we let that bastard Sergei take your daughter…and we'll help you get her back."

Carter nodded slowly, snapping out of whatever spell he'd been under. "Yes…yes…thank you Lee. Kelly…"

"I'll begin tracking Hank…thank God for him."

"Thank God for him?" Tina questioned in annoyance. "Yea, thank God we have something to track, and something to pound on." She shook her hands, acid slowly forming. "Whatever Vally did to all of us, it's wearing off."

"That's good." Linda said. "We all need to be at full strength when we go after Vally."

Seth frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Vally." Linda said. "And us getting her back."

"You can't do that." Seth said.

"Excuse me?" Helena questioned.

Seth sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You have to come with me. We're going to meet your grandfather, he'll set up negotiations…"

"Negotiations?" Tina snarled. "We just got stabbed in the back…twice…and we are going to NOT fight back?"

"You can't." Seth reasoned. "The Alliance…there are rules, regulations…policies and traditions that have to be followed."

"HE KIDNAPPED MY SISTER!" Madrid bellowed in outrage, raising her gun and aiming right at Seth's head.

"And if I had managed to get here in time, I could have done something." He looked at the group sadly. "But now, if I allow you to attack, Merrick's father, Anthony, can declare it an act of war. He will gather his allies…all of us could be arrested and kept imprisoned for years…"

"And the alternative?" Lee asked, growing more and more disgusted with the Frenchman.

Seth didn't notice the group's disgust. "We will return to Daniel's main quarters. He will arrange a meeting with Anthony, and he will try to negotiate a way for all of you to be a part of Vally's life…"

"A part…we're her family!" Madrid snapped, not realizing she had grouped Carter in with herself. "She belongs with us!"

"Not in the eyes of the Alliance. To them…she belongs to Merrick…I'm sor-"

"PANIC!"

Seth barely had time react before Carter was on him, firing blast after blast of whammy energy. The rest of the group watched on in horror and curiosity as Carter began to throttle the Frenchman, silver flames firing from his skin as he brutally punched Seth again and again and again.

"You son of a bitch!" Carter snarled, slamming Seth's head hard into the ground. The others, suddenly aware of what was going on, rushed forward, dragging the enraged man off Seth's black-and-blue body. "Trying to sell my daughter up river to save your hide? I'll kill you!"

"Carter!" Helena shouted. "As much as I want him dead…"

"Let him do it." Madrid snapped, aiming her guns at Seth. "But I want seconds."

"We'll take him out at the same time…we should do more things together as parents…kill him, kill our daughter's kidnappers…" Carter struggled to free himself.

"Carter!" Helena pleaded, she herself becoming infected by Carter's randomly flying whammy blasts.

Seth groaned, trying to shake off the effects of Carter's whammies. "There…there is nothing I can do. Anything else is an act of war…"

"Well then, you've solved the problem." Carter said sinisterly. "Merrick wants a war…I will give him his war!" He shrugged out of Helena's grasp and began to pace. "I will tear him and his family to shreds. I will make them beg for death, and then I will refuse it. I will torture them for years, watch them shatter, and only when they no longer fear death will I give it to them.

"And then, Seth, I am going to find my grandfather. And he is going to tell me every single member of the Alliance. And I am going to hunt them down, each one, every man, woman and child. And if they decide to stand in my way, I will throw them out of my path! Merrick wanted a war…I will give him his war! I will wipe the Alliance from the face of the Earth, and I will see to it that there is no trace of your organization left! Merrick just got his worse wish…I'm coming…and nothing is going to stop me!" He spun around, away from the shaken Frenchman, and began to bark orders to the rest of the group. "Lee!"

"Y…yea?" The Boston native stammered.

"Begin drawing…we need an army. Galatea, Tina."

Tina frowned. "Uh…you ok Carter?"

Galatea nodded. "You are a little high strung…"

"We need guns." Carter snapped, oblivious to their concerns. "lots of them. Mom, we need transportation…I want a van, a motorcycle and whatever else you can grab."

Helena placed a hand on Carter's shoulder. "Calm down…"

Carter visibly deflated. "…I'm scared, mom." He closed his eyes. "We're on our own with this…and she is so small…I can't…can't let her down…"

"We'll get her back, pumpkin." Helena whispered.

Madrid nodded. "With or without frenchie's help…we're getting her back."

Carter smiled weakly at Madrid. "Thank you…" he smiled softly. "Shouldn't be too scared…Hank will protect her."

"Hank?" Linda questioned. "Carter…I know you thought he was our friend…but he just betrayed us…we can't rely on him…" She paused when she noticed Kelly and Carter begin to laugh. "What…?"

"Hank is going to be so…so disappointed…" Kelly said with a smile, "…that you had so little faith in him."

"What?" Linda questioned, the others just as surprised."

"Hank…Hank said I slammed him with an article in the April edition of the M Times…" Carter laughed.

"And you did." Helena responded.

Carter chuckled. "I published that article in March…not April."

"What?" Linda asked.

"March, not April! Hank…heeheehee…he would never…never forget that!" Carter doubled over, laughing hysterically.

Kelly nodded, not laughing as hard as Carter, but amused at the rest of the group's slack jawed expressions. "The man memorized that entire paper…he can recite the entire thing verbatim. He wouldn't make a mistake like that."

"Then…why did he say it?" Madrid asked.

"It was a clue!" Carter barked out between ha-has. "A wink behind the shoulder! Hank is a spy…he's still on our side!"

&&&

Hank leaned over to Biddy as the two rode on the ice cutter, Vally still cradled in the woman's arms in a fitful sleep, the rest of Merrick's crew up front. "Carter told me back there I could trust you."

Biddy was visibly surprised. "how…?"

"Me and Carter…we know each other too well." Hank glanced around before whispering softly enough so even Vally couldn't hear, "So…you willing to help us take down my dad?"

Biddy gave him a very BeeBee-like smile. "Oh yea."