As Kel arrived at Waylon's cell 30 minutes later after talking with Bruce and Alfred each for a bit, she saw Waylon's eyes in Croc form, keeping to night vision, never leaving Poppy's sleeping form on her prison mattress, and he whispered, "I wish she would hear me, but I'm glad you were there...Of all times, I am so much happy that you and Martha has astral forms whenever you need to...Is Poppy alright? Even after having quite a few hours to think of it, do...do you think Mama would be raring to take this chance, to come back with Jane to me and Dad, like maybe Poppy thought too about her daddy, wanting to come back to you, Martha, Bruce, and her?".
"I don't know.", Kel admitted softly. "I don't know if Ra and his daughter are even aware of what has happened those two special Halloween nights. I don't intend for any of us to say, that's for sure.".
"Would they have a choice?", Waylon wondered. "Maybe they can revive the bodies, but they could be without their souls... dark thought, their empty husks of bodies just...wandering around... but I'm sure Mama and Jane and Thomas would be willing to allow themselves to be used as hostages against you...".
Kel sighed softly, knowing what he had meant by that, and she knew if there's pain involved in whatever Ra and Talia is planning for her and Martha, she wouldn't want Martha to die. Even if Bruce is already 20 and an adult, and Poppy being too smart for her own good sometimes, they still need a mother to be there for them, and if it's Martha in that place, Kel would sacrifice herself, maybe leaving her gamma energy behind, but it would save Martha all the same...and of course, even if it pains her to leave the family as a possible future path, if Thomas is alive by then after the Pit, at least Martha wouldn't be affectionally and intimately alone.
She replied quietly, "You heard that Halloween is powerful due to Ra and Talia's accounts, to work together with this Pit, and besides, Thomas knew where to come on Poppy's birth, and Caroline did too, to you and Alfred in two different places. They would know where their bodies went, so I know they wouldn't dare abandon us, if they wanted to help save us in their way, like perhaps, knowing the true way out of this place in case if the vents turn up as a dead end somewhere or such. You know people can't see spirits almost every day. After all, they would be watching at this moment.", with a smirk.
"Perhaps...", Waylon sighed, "Still, I'd rather that they just stay away... I... I can't handle Mama coming back only to constantly have a knife at her throat the whole time... I can't do this all over again, having her die again, and so soon too... I just can't...", as he started to tear up.
Kel squeezed his shoulder, speaking still quietly yet reassuringly, "It's going to be okay, Waylon, and honestly, even I have a feeling that Ra or Talia wouldn't dare put harm on a pregnant woman with their people, as they would see that Alfred is technically stronger, and besides, Caroline wouldn't want to put Jane at risk if she does something too drastic. You know your mama, and she knows better, right?".
"Yeah...", Waylon gave a small nod. "Hope Bruce and Poppy have been thinking up a plan...", with a soft sigh. "They have; we just need time for them to put something together. Trust me, we'll find a way out one way or another. They won't get me to serve, that's for sure.", Kel told him.
Waylon quietly hummed, "I know...Thanks, Kel...I really needed this.", and Kel smiled, "Good.", with a soft nod, "And before you ask, Poppy is covered in the pain department...".
"Well, that's good, at least...", Waylon quietly sighed before smiling gratefully, "Night, Kel..I hope we get a chance to be able to at least talk without having to be in those soundproof cells all the time.".
Kel shrugged, "Beats me, but for now, my astral form is the only way to pass on ideas and plans at night.", and Waylon nodded as Kel then patted his shoulder, "You better sleep, Waylon. I know you want to make sure that Poppy is safe with that night vision of yours, but you need to be fresh for the plan sooner or later.".
Waylon replied, "Yes, ma'am.", before glancing at Poppy one last time, and turned off his Croc night vision, and then went to sleep while Kel passed through and out of his cell, and back into Martha's body, to mentally talk with Martha while her body is sleeping.
The next few days, the family discovered that with good behavior, with guards and such, the family one at a time was sent out to have fresh air inside a high-walled, guarded, small patio garden for an hour, not set at all, but different times every day, in their fur coat and boots, yet with bad behavior, like how Bruce has been taken to another room to be tempted by Talia, stoically, sometimes boldly refusing all of her attention and sexual attempts, the wall went down between the boys and the girls' sections, forcing more isolation.
To the relief of Kel, her astral form was able to pass through the wall, just like the cells, and it helped out when that happened after night sometimes. For Poppy, she suffered through the pain of her first monthly bleeding, yet to her surprise, the food at times helped process it out faster for her, next to practicing her gymnastics in her cell, not going to be helpless or rusty, just like Bruce keeping up his martial arts in his cell, with Alfred gesturing with tips and observations, and Waylon doing the same for Poppy.
Yet, unknown to Poppy or Waylon, hidden under their mattresses, is small vents only able to fit a hand, with pipes only fitting a mouse, is only between Poppy and Waylon, and Waylon felt more tense, unknowing that his Croc instincts are getting more aroused and such by the smell of Poppy who is, every moment getting closer to being fertile, into heat, waiting almost impatiently for the last day of Poppy's period to end, and Poppy only feeling apprehensive as she felt her bones aching and all, wondering if she is going to get a new growth spurt for herself as she is finally entering puberty.
It was at least two days later, after Waylon has been using his pillows as a punching bag to occupy himself, the family saw Ranbir coming in with some men, into the boys' cell section, straight for Waylon.
"What do you want?", Waylon growled as he stood before him. "We finally going to get started with what you bastards have planned? Am I the first one to be tortured or threatened for Martha to give in?", glaring at Ranbir. "No... not yet anyway...", Ranbir said as Waylon gave an even lower growl.
Ranbir then replied, "Unless you want to get your father and your girlfriend to be threatened, let my men take you peacefully.", and Waylon huffed before taking a deep breath, and put his hands up, and at Ranbir's signal, his men cuffed Waylon's hands, and they walked out of Waylon's glass cell, with him glancing at all his family's concerned and gaping looks, with Poppy planting her hands on her glass wall between her and Waylon, having tears and trying to call out for him yet he can't hear her.
He gave her a small smile and a determined look, and then seeing Poppy's hopeful yet tearful face was the last thing he saw before he went through the door with the men and Ranbir at the lead. It must have taken at least 10 minutes before he and Ranbir went into another room which looked like a training room, with the men surrounding them and guarding the door.
At another signal, one of Ranbir's men released the cuffs, and Waylon looked at Ranbir in suspicion, "What is this?", and Ranbir said, "I want to see you in your Croc form, and before you ask, if you are going to snap my neck, my men will swarm you like piranhas.".
Waylon growled, "So you are going to see how I fight? No way, sucker.", and Ranbir raised an eyebrow, and at a signal, the blackboard Waylon saw, having figured that for scores for such, was revealed to be a tv, yet his eyes widened as the tv revealed to have a camera, somewhere in the ceiling near the wall separating the boys and girls' cell sections, zooming on Alfred.
"Think carefully...Do you want to fail your father if he can't have a chance again to see his beloved and his daughter? The Demon of the Head listens to me as his left hand of the League like how his daughter is the right hand of the League, he could just as well put your mama and sister's bodies to ash instead of the remarkable miracle they would have to live again.", Ranbir said sharply.
Waylon took a deep breath, and replied, "At least they would be safe from all your machinations and such to harm themselves, and they will wait for us in heaven, and Dad knows that too.", and Ranbir hummed, "You ain't stupid for a southern American boy, I admit...Very well. Time for something else.".
Waylon saw the camera move to Poppy as his eyes widened even more, and Ranbir replied, "You know, Talia tells me that your Poppy is brilliant as they come, yet having a rebellious spirit...She would be a fantastic hacker to all our enemies' technology, and yet her spirit isn't exactly right for the League...She needs to be transformed into an obedient, brilliant, agile, and in time, very beautiful woman...I heard that her time of the month had been done earlier last night...I wonder if she would scream once I break her virginity...", with a slimy smirk.
"So, what's it going to be, Waylon?", Ranbir taunted. Waylon said nothing for a moment before he chuckled. "Okay, if that's how you want to play; one of you go get the girl, I'm sure he'd make up his mind much qu-", Ranbir didn't even finish the sentence as Waylon now was seeing red and just completely snapped, quickly shifting his form with only a single thought on his mind: slaughtering the bastard that dared to even think about laying a hand on Poppy.
"YOU"RE NOT TOUCHING MY FEMALE!", Waylon roared as he charged at Ranbir, his Croc instincts snarling and roaring at that slimy, rival male who dared to vocally claim Poppy when Poppy has been his intended mate, his female, his girlfriend for not just this year, but those few years where he had been hiding his feelings and such.
Little did he know, due to his tunnel vision of the single thought to slaughter the bastard, the rival male, Waylon didn't notice Ranbir giving a quick signal, and the swarm of men did a ladder and running motion all in one move, with one of the men landing on one of Waylon's massive Croc shoulders, jabbing a needle into the soft part of his neck.
As just as he was an inch away from strangling and slaughtering Ranbir, the drug dose reached his brain, and before he knew it, he became unconscious and somehow, something in the drug dose stopped him from changing back to normal, for if he was unconscious normally, he would change back to human, but not this time.
Ranbir calmly flickered the slobber off his cheek, and looked down at the unconscious humanoid reptile, "How much did you do?".
The man who did the needle replied, "Enough for 10 minutes, sir, before he wakes up, but the rest of the drug will keep him as he is for at least half the day, due to my calculations.", and Ranbir replied, "Good. Let's drag him to the room, and once he's inside, get the girl.".
His men nodded, and with some lifting of the arms, Waylon got dragged from the training room, taking him down the floor to a small room with an iron-wrought heavy door, and got him inside in time just before he was just starting to come out of it, locking the heavy door.
Ranbir and his men went back across the building, to the cell block room, and he stood in the hallway with the door, watching his men retrieve Poppy, not going to give Waylon the incentive to kill him even more if he smelled Ranbir on Poppy directly.
Poppy looked at the men, "If you are going to take me, can I know what happened to Waylon?", and one of the men nodded, and Poppy gave up her hands, becoming cuffed, and she walked out of her cell, glancing at the confused and concerned looks of her mother, her brother, and Bruce.
She moved her lips, "I'll find out about Waylon, I promise.", and they looked a bit relieved by that, but still concerned as she disappeared away from the girls section of the cell block.
Ranbir replied, "Your Waylon didn't want to demonstrate his fighting skills, so why not you as an incentive?", and Poppy glared at him, "He survived years in Louisiana, he is so going to beat you.".
"Perhaps, perhaps not.", Ranbir replied mysteriously, and then spoke nothing else, leading the way as the men surrounded Poppy as she was prodded along to follow, and as they reached the iron door, Ranbir pressed into some sort of intercom speaker, "I got a present for you, so unless you want to get yourself and your Poppy sliced by a dozen swords if you attack at the door when it's open, I suggest you stay where you are.".
The iron door opened, and the men pushed Poppy in after taking her cuffs off, closing the iron door, locking it up tight, as Poppy caught her balance, glaring back at the door with a huff yet confusion, seeing the lights dim, hearing Ranbir's voice, "I dimmed the lights for the atmosphere, hope you didn't mind. Have fun.", before going silent.
Poppy muttered, "What is it with those men being cryptic?", before hearing a growl, and she turned around, seeing Waylon in the shadows from the dim lights, "Wally? You alright?".
"Yes and no...Damn it...I don't know how or why, but if this is their idea of self-inflicting torture, it feels like it...", Waylon growled with a snarl in the mix. Poppy replied, "Wally, it's me...It's not a dream of me...Gods, it has been days since I heard your voice and felt your arms...Come out, please.".
Waylon grunted, looking at her with his reptilian gold eyes, "I know it's not a dream...I want to come to you...but...Ranbir wasn't lying...you...you are making me so aroused with your first heat...I want to rip those clothes off, but not just...", with a groaning growl.
Poppy was confused for a single moment before her eyes widened in alert and worry, whispering, "Those last days, you weren't just tense or moody...Then I finished my time of the month last night...Am I truly in heat?", unknowing that her puberty jumps of emotions in the cell, having been worried for Waylon for the past 30 minutes, has slowly set in motion the aging and reactivation of her long dormant gamma cells in her DNA, slowly reawakening a mutation that had long been suppressed since her first days of life. She made sure to keep her distance; wanting to make sure not to allow Waylon to do something that they both would regret for as long as they had to live.
Waylon gave a raspy, husky whisper, "My Croc instincts aren't lying...You're in heat...I...I'm sorry...I am trying to change back to human to stop this, but my neck is sore, I think...I think they drugged me to remain a croc, I'm stuck like this for some while, and the door is heavy and metal...I made you trapped in here...with me wanting to claim you as my mate...I snapped...I snapped when...when that bastard...that Ranbir threatened to take you from me, like a rival male, to...to...God, I promised not to do anything last year to Bruce when he was doing his brotherly job, and I was a gentleman...but now since you came into puberty with your first period...it's like...I'm so sorry, Poppy.".
"It's okay, Wally...", Poppy said as she sat on the other side of the room, trying to keep as far as she could from Waylon. The further she was, perhaps the better he could control himself even if they were locked together. "Just... keep trying to control yourself. I'm... I'm not ready for this.". She knew exactly what his instinctual desire was; probably a side effect of whatever that crocodile's disease had, cured and reformed by a gamma procedure.
"I know. I want to wait too... until it's the right moment...", Waylon said. "But obviously, they seem to have a different plan with things. I don't know if they would truly allow me to... you know... but certainly I have to assume it's some way of getting to your mother and Kel. Maybe they're hoping I go so animalistic that I might kill you. I... I can't know for sure what I could do if I got started...".