I just wanted to say that I appreciate the reviews and PM's that I'm getting for this story. I was actually a tad worried people might not like the direction it's going in. I'm glad some of you are onboard, LOL. Anyway, I would like to address an issue that has been brought to my attention this morning. I won't name anyone or the stories involved because I don't want to make it this big issue that everyone knows about, but some individuals have basically accused someone that I actually speak with on PM from time to time of taking ideas from one of my stories. I would just like to say that if I feel someone is plagiarizing my work, I will address it with that person myself. If you feel like it's happening somewhere, please PM me and I will handle it from there. I appreciate the concern, but I feel it is unwarranted in this case. You are an awesome fandom, so I just wanted to make sure our site stays drama-free as much as possible. Thanks again, everyone! That being said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

Noticing Adam: The Uprising Chapter 7

He had a plan. It wasn't the best idea ever, but it was the only thing he could think of since turning into He-Man and busting out of the Fright Zone wasn't an option. Adam stood before the wardrobe in his "comfortable prison," gathered all of the clothes, and tossed them onto bed. He then grabbed a sheet he had tossed to the floor and started to twirl it to make it a long, thick line. He then grabbed a pair of pants and tied the leg to the end of the sheet. He pulled on it as hard as he could to make sure that it didn't come loose—it would have to support his bodyweight, after all.

Yes, it wasn't the best idea ever, but making a rope out of clothes and sheets was his only option. He had studied the room for what felt like hours trying to come up with a better and safer solution, but one never evolved. He knew he had to take this chance, because Hordak was up to something and he didn't want to be around to see what it was. He knew it would undoubtedly be some kind of ploy to capture his sister and he didn't want to be the cause of that. The only way to prevent it was to escape. He hoped he wouldn't fall and hurt himself in the attempt, though. That would make things worse.

Grabbing another article of clothing, he continued to construct his makeshift rope. It took longer than anticipated, but eventually he finished. He went to the laser gun and tied the end of the sheet to one of the bars holding the weapon up. Once again, he pulled on it to make it as tight as possible. Not bothering to look around the room or wait a second longer, he threw the rope out the window to see how far it was from the ground. He could tell it didn't go all the way down, but from this height it looked relatively close. He hoped his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Breathing deeply, he took the rope in his hands and proceeded to swing his body slowly and cautiously out the window. He placed his feet on the wall and pushed back as softly as possible so he could get himself into an easy angle to climb down. He was a little worried since his back was facing the ground and if something popped, he would probably fall away from the building and have nothing to grab on to. Because of this, he stared at the knot he had tied around the bar inside the room and made sure it stayed secure. He also scrutinized the sheet to make sure it wasn't ripping anywhere. Once he convinced himself that all was well, he began to climb down.

He was making great progress and he was excited that freedom was within his grasp. He was proud that he was able to make his escape without turning into He-Man. He knew he relied on the powers of Grayskull a little too much and that he was more than capable as Adam to handle things. "Who needs He-Man?" he thought to himself with a grin…

But he soon had another opinion when he heard a familiar and somewhat nasally voice exclaim, "What?" He looked up to see a surprised Skeletor looking straight at him.

"Uh, I do right about now," he mumbled to himself, answering his earlier question. Despite Skeletor's presence, he continued to climb down. He had no other choice. He was a sitting duck otherwise and there was nowhere else for him to go or hide. He watched above as Hordak also stuck his head out of the window and growled loudly. He knew they were going to do something to capture him. He figured that they'd call Horde Troopers to meet him at the bottom. He gritted his teeth in determination but suddenly yelled out in surprise when the rope jerked and he realized he was travelling upward. He looked up again and saw that Skeletor and Hordak were hoisting him up at a high rate of speed. He realized they probably had others in the room helping, too. He continued to climb down as quickly as possible, because he was worried that they would make the rope too high to jump from to reach the ground. And, unfortunately, he couldn't slide down the rope because of the huge knots tied throughout it.

Because he couldn't take his time anymore, Adam wasn't as gentle as he had been with the rope before that point. He was pulling on it tightly and the actions of the Horde were swinging it around excessively. He had just grabbed onto a pair of pants with both hands when he realized the knot that connected the article of clothing to the one above it was unraveling. "Ancients!" he yelled out. It was the only thing he could do before he began his rapid decent to the ground.

=)=)=)

She-Ra ran as quickly as she could to get to her friends. Whether she liked it or not, she realized Skeletor had been right. It was very possible that if she wasn't there to help the Rebels, they might be captured all over again and this whole trip would end up being pointless. If she couldn't save Adam at the moment, at least she could get her friends to safety.

She was almost to the main entrance of the Fright Zone when she saw her friends. They were heading straight for the Troopers that were guarding the door. She caught up with them as quickly as possible but not before tearing off a section of a large water pipe. She ran to her friends with it and as they exclaimed her name gratefully, she shouted, "Allow me!"

She whipped the pipe at the Troopers with enough force that it knocked them into the door and opened it before they could shoot their freeze rays. The Rebels ran outside as fast as they could and just as She-Ra was about to lead them to safety, she felt a sudden and unexplainable burst of adrenaline. She didn't know where it came from or why, but then she heard a yell. "Adam?" she questioned to herself. She looked at Bow and yelled, "Get the others to safety. I'm going to see what's happening." When he nodded, she turned back to the Fright Zone and tried to run around it as quickly as possible.

=)=)=)

He had always heard that when a person is about to die, their life flashes before their eyes. Now, he knew it was true. Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl as he fell and he saw moments of his youth in a rapid pace: in one recollection, his father was playing hide-n-seek with him and Teela. In another, his mother was telling him a fairy tale from Earth. Then, he saw others that surprised him from his adulthood: he saw Teela kissing him in a bathroom, he saw his father hugging him before he left the palace with Teela and Adora. Now, he remembered how he was captured. He even remembered Shadow Weaver's blotched attempt to control his mind with a spell earlier. It had obviously worked this time, but he had broken it…

A lot of good it did him now, though, when he was about to die or hurt himself severely. At least he knew in what could be his final seconds that his father hadn't disinherited him, that he still considered him his son, and that he was proud of him.

A tear slipped down his cheek, but before he could mentally reach out to say goodbye to Adora if he could, he heard the sounds of a horse and suddenly he fell onto Swiftwind's neck and saddle. "Swiftwind!" shouted Adam with a considerable amount of joy. He wrapped his arms around the animal's neck and exclaimed, "Just like She-Ra, you're always right on time!" He wanted to question more; he wanted to know where his sister was, but he didn't get the opportunity.

Almost instantly, he saw a red light and heard Swiftwind cry out in pain. Hordak or one of the Troopers must have stunned the unicorn. Once again, he was falling, but this time he had company. This was even worse than before, because he couldn't imagine how Adora would react when she found out. Not only would she have lost her twin, she would have lost her beloved pet, as well.

Then, it was over.

Adam closed his eyes when he saw the ground only seconds away. He prepared himself for the impact, but he was surprised when he felt a little heat and then he landed on a soft surface at a considerably slower pace. He opened his eyes and realized he was face down on a bed. He pushed onto his back and gasped when he saw Skeletor and Hordak standing over him. Skeletor had his Havoc Staff pointed at him and it was glowing.

"You didn't seriously think that I'd let you escape me," said Hordak with a laugh.

Adam saw Skeletor give his old teacher his version of a smirk. He knew then what had happened. Skeletor must have used his staff to save him. He could use Skeletor's annoyance at Hordak's words to his advantage. Maybe he could get them to fight each other and forget about him. After all, it had happened at Snake Mountain once before, but before he could open his mouth to say anything Skeletor spoke.

"Lords of darkness, masters of pain, let his consciousness, fall like rain."

He knew what was happening. He knew they were about to play with his mind again, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. That was the last thing he thought before he drifted off to sleep.

=)=)=)

His head was pounding when he woke up. He groaned as he lifted a hand to it in a vain attempt to ease the pressure. He didn't know what had happened, but he was sure this was the most intense headache he had ever had in his life. Cautiously, so the lights hopefully wouldn't bother him and make his pain worse, he opened his eyes.

He saw that he was in his room. The battle must be over. He wondered who had won.

He looked over to his right and saw Hordak and Shadow Weaver sitting in two chairs beside him. "Welcome back to the land of the living, child," Shadow Weaver said almost comfortingly.

Hordak leaned forward in his seat and asked, "How are you feeling, my boy?"

Adam scooted up so he could prop himself into a sitting position and then answered, "I'm okay, I think. What happened? Did we win the battle? Did we get Adora back?"

Hordak reached out a hand and placed it on his knee with a most sympathetic look. "I'm afraid not. Adora is still with the Rebellion and under their control. They didn't even bring her to the battle to give us a chance to get her back."

He frowned and growled in frustration. "We have to do something!" he shouted. "I can't stand lying here, knowing that my sister needs me and that those criminals are making her believe such lies! We have to save her!"

"Patience. We will. Remember, we do have a plan, but first you need to rest. The battle has exhausted you."

"How can I relax? I want my sister back now! I hate to think what they might be doing to her! Besides, I'm fine."

Hordak squeezed his knee to give him a small amount of comfort and said, "We have to wait, Adam. We don't really have a choice. Besides, timing is everything, and you must remember that we need to be careful. She is going to believe that we're the enemy when we finally catch her. It's probably going to be a scary experience for her and…"

"Surely, she's not going to be afraid of me," he said worriedly. He knew he sounded like he was pleading, but he couldn't imagine Adora treating him as anything but her brother.

Hordak rubbed his chin as if he were thinking it over. "The bond you two share is great. Maybe she won't be, but we won't know until she leaves the Whispering Woods. Then, we'll get her back."

He nodded reluctantly and breathed deeply for a moment to calm himself down. "Did you send her the invitation?"

"I did. And, with any luck, she will be on her way to the Fright Zone soon."

He smiled. It was a small hope, but it was better than nothing. Adora had been gone for far too long. He still couldn't believe the Rebels had managed to get their hands on her. He blamed himself, but he was going to make sure the Rebellion paid for their transgressions. He wouldn't let them get away with it.

=)=)=)

Back on Eternia, the Sorceress dropped the glass she was holding. It shattered into a million pieces on the floor as she closed her eyes and focused on the feeling that had overwhelmed her mind's eye so intensely. She felt a hatred that was not her own so profoundly that it shocked her and almost brought her to her knees. "Adam!" she exclaimed in surprise. Then, she looked around desperately and yelled out, "Spirit!"

Within a matter of moments, the Spirit of Grayskull appeared to her. "Adam…" she began.

He interrupted her. "I already know what is happening, Teela'na. Hordak and Skeletor have altered Prince Adam's mind. I can already feel the effects this new development has had on the castle. I've been trying to reach Adam to help him fight against it, but he no longer carries the Sword of Power. That has made it infinitely more difficult, and I'm afraid if Adora tries to give it back, he won't take it in fear that it's some kind of trick. He now believes she is being brainwashed by the Rebellion."

"What are we to do?" she asked, really not knowing.

He stated confidently, "What we need is something or someone to remind him of who he truly is and ground him there."

The Sorceress nodded and suggested, "Teela?"

"Perhaps. But, I don't think we can afford to be wrong. Shadow Weaver and Hordak are trying to make Adam believe that they are his family. We need to remind him of the one he really has."

Understanding dawned in the Sorceress' eyes.

The Spirit continued, "I know it's not ideal to ask King Randor and Queen Marlena to leave the planet when its champion is no longer here to defend it, but perhaps if we send just one of them to Etheria, with Adora and Teela they might be able to convince him when they finally catch him."

The Sorceress nodded in agreement, closed her eyes, and called out mentally, "King Randor! Queen Marlena!"

She could feel the couple gasp simultaneously and even though the king spoke aloud in the palace, she could still hear his frantic voice.

"Oh, no! Something's happened, hasn't it? Is it Adora or Adam? Or both?"

She hated to be the bearer of bad news, and she could almost feel King Randor's heart beating erratically. She knew he was scared to death of losing his son or daughter and she knew her words would confirm that fear in a way that would probably be unbearable for him. He had lost another child to Hordak and the Horde.