Note: So (most of) you should know by now sometimes my brain takes an extremely gruesome turn with images. It happened this chapter, therefore I am bumping my rating up to an "M" as of this chapter. Ye be warned.

…

Red reeled back, his hand fumbling for the release button. The warrior will protect me! He slammed his fist on the button, as the wires and bonds retracted.

"To your feet!" He roared. "Defend your Tallest!"

Dantie struggled to his feet, and stared around in confusion. "My Tallest," He gripped the side of the table to hold himself up, his system still trying to recover from the torture, "I see nothing here."

The black-eyed Irken turned and made his way out of the room, leaving the way out blocked by all the other creatures. Red rounded on the warrior. "What do you mean you see noth—"

Dantie was outfitted in Irk's best weaponry and giving off quite a bit of light, but around his eyes was tied a thick blindfold.

Reaching forward, Red grabbed the blindfold, ripping it away from his face. Dantie's eyes widened, his mouth forming an "o" as he clutched at the table harder.

"Do something!" Red demanded.

Dantie almost seemed not to hear him. "Oh… Ayam… what is this?"

The creatures recoiled as Dantie spoke, and one of the snake-necked creatures darted toward Dantie. Instinctively, Dantie raised his hands in defense. "No!" Light cracked outward in a wave from him, knocking the attacking beast senseless.

Grabbing him, Red placed the Irken in front of him, breathing hard. "Make a path!" He ordered.

"But, how?" Dantie stared at them.

"You don't know?" Red snarled. "They seem to know what you are talking about, they wanted you dead earlier, how do you not know about them?!"

Dantie tilted his head. "They… are they the Enemies?"

Red groaned. "None of your flirking Krissirk talk, just make a path!"

Dantie insisted, "My Tallest I don't know how, I'm no soldier!"

"You're covered in armor! When you talk they move!" Red shouted. "Tell them to move!"

"M-move!" Dantie blurted. "Make way!"

The creatures writhed, attempting to lock together to block the way, but it was as if they were being pulled apart from each other. Encouraged, Dantie repeated himself, and there, just ahead, they could see the door.

Red propelled Dantie forward palming the lock and darting out. He rushed out, leaving flustered guards in his wake, only one thought in his mind.

I have to find Purple. We can fix this together. He'll back me.

"My Tallest, where are we going?" Dantie stumbled forward as Red kept pushing him. He raised his head and sucked in a breath.

Red didn't respond. He had already seen it, and kept moving. The walls were lined with ancient looking prison bars, dark green liquid pooling out from the cells across their path. And not just dark green liquid. Some was red, some purple, some pink and some blue. Many, many colors, but all assaulting Red's senses with the sickly sweet stench of blood.

He drove Dantie before him almost frantically. The puddles did not touch the prisoner, but as Red passed it surged forward, sliding up and around him, staining his clothes and dripping from his body with every step. He cried out, gagging in horror and flailing, but he could not stop it.

"Red?"

Red turned. "Pur!" He cried out, "Pur you gotta help me, I'm going ins—" The plea died in his throat.

Ahead of him in the hall hovered Tallest Purple, looking the same as always. Same puzzled expression, same purple robes and armor, same casual authority in his posture. But Red could see thick black strings attached to his hands and feet, his head, and even his mouth. The strings led back behind Purple, vanishing into an inky black haze that seemed to fill the hall behind him. As Red watched, the strings tightened, and Purple shook his head and began to talk.

"Red, I've been hearing from the guards, the staff, even the flirking drones. This is going too far. We have to get you looked at, you know what'll happen if the Brains find out you've been behaving like this. Come on."

Red backpedaled, his eyes fixed on the strings.

As he stepped back, Purple's eyes dulled, and his face twisted into a wry grin. "Oh. I see. It's like that. Don't be so afraid." The strings lifted his arms with a swift jerk. "They're very comfortable, and I don't have to think so much."

Red's grip on Dantie tightened, and the Irken gave a strangled cry as Red's claws sank into his shoulders.

The black-eyed Irken stepped out of the haze, the other ends of the thick, black strings in his hands. "You see," he and Purple spoke at the same time, "It isn't so bad. In fact, it's much preferable to your current state."

"Don't listen to him my Tallest!" Dantie's voice rang out sharply. "Whatever he says is a lie, that's the Enemy!"

"Enemy?" The Irken gave a low chuckle. "Such a harsh term. Definitely one given by the opposing side, that is hardly fair now, is it?"

"You said I would be punished and you would enjoy it!" Red managed.

"Did I?" The Irken raised an eyeridge mockingly. "What did I say?"

"I—" Red clutched at his head.

"You're not sure of anything anymore." Purple and the black-eyed Irken moved forward in unison. Red could see himself reflected in those eyes, being drawn into them and sucked into their depths. "If you will not choose because you fear us to be weaker, then join us for the simple reason that you will never be accepted by the Other."

Red's heart stopped for a moment, and he wasn't even sure why.

"You heard it from His own mouth, did you not? 'The count is heavy against you.' You are a murderer, my Tallest. The evidence is all over you. How many races have you ordered war on? The Slaughtering Rat People. Vortians. Meekrob. You are constantly executing your own. I do believe you were even partly responsible for a little Earth child's death." Both wagged their heads from side to side disapprovingly. "He does not take murderers, Red. You are lost. And there is only one recourse for the lost who know that they are lost." The Irken stretched out a hand, baring his teeth with a cold, bitter rage. "To cause as much devastation as possible before the end."

Once again, Red stood frozen. From the Irken's outstretched hand sprouted more black strings, slowly reaching toward him. As they drew nearer, Red could feel a wail building up from some place deep inside himself, a scream born of desperation and terror that swelled larger and louder the closer the strings came, but all that came out of his mouth was a shadow of the scream, a ghost of a whisper from the deepest part of himself.

"Help me."

A flash of light exploded in between Red and Purple, flinging Purple back and leaving Red and Dantie standing. Dantie grabbed Tallest Red's arm and yanked, straining to move him. "My Tallest we must go!"

Red remained where he was, unable to move. His mind was a jumbled mass of confusion, he could barely piece together a coherent thought.

"My Tallest I can't move you, you're too heavy!"

"Armor," came out of his mouth automatically, "Release catches you stupid drones, you can't even remember where they are, I'll do it myself." Numbly, he undid the catches around his wristguards, and twisted the lock on his chestplate. Three hundred pounds of armor clanked to the ground, and he pulled off his hover belt as well, his feet hitting the ground hard.

As soon as he hit the ground, Dantie was jerking him down the hall and away from Purple. "My Tallest, where are the escape pods?" He asked. "Or the Voots?"

"Voots, docking bay," Red mumbled, "Lower levels, Oro quadrant."

Dantie dragged Red down the hall, away from his Co-Tallest, who had begun to shout for a lockdown, demanding the immediate arrest of one Tallest Red for high treason and insanity.