Jackie was in a panic trying to clean anything and everything he could before Henrik arrived. He knew the doctor was more comfortable around a pristine environment. He remembered when Schneep still lived there and he'd assign everyone a chore to do every day to keep the house spic and span.

Jackie was so in the zone with his tasks, he hadn't realized Marvin and Jameson watching him clean the dishes. He gripped the plate so hard, he almost broke it.

Jameson wanted so bad to help him but Marvin held him back, watching Jackie with amusement glistening in his eyes.

Until he finally said something, "Hey Jackie!"

The hero flinched and posed to throw the plate at them but stopped just in time. He glared at Marvin, "Don't fooking do that, Marv! You scared the shite out of me!"

"That was the point. What are you doing?"

"Cleaning. What's it look like?"

'But you never clean' Jameson signed.

Jackie shrugged, "I went over to Henrik's practice and told him of the Anti situation. He wants to come over to check up on Anti and make sure he's alright. Apparently he knew something about the void that we didn't"

Marvin looked understanding, "Ah! So that's why you're panicking and cleaning everything in sight. You want to know an easier way?"

He magician flicked his finger and suddenly by magic, everything in the kitchen was spotless, "Ta-da!"

Jackie rolled his eyes, "Why don't you do that every day for us?"

"Teaches you humility. Now when's Schneep coming over?"

"Should be here soon" Jackie wiped off his hands, "I guess I got so caught up cleaning, I forgot to tell you guys. Haven't told Anti yet, either. Shit! I promised I'd order Italian for dinner! I hope there's enough fooking time! Fuck it all!" in a rush, Jackie whipped out his phone and dialed the number for the restaurant, placing the large order.

When he was done, the doorbell suddenly rang and Jackie squeaked. 

Marvin rolled his eyes, "My lord, you're like a teenage girl going on her first date. Relax. It's just Schneep. I'll get the door. How about you go get Anti?"

"Right." Jackie nodded, "Right. I'll do that. Thanks, Marv"

Jameson silently chuckled and followed Marvin to the door to greet their visitor.

Running up the stairs, Jackie hurriedly made his way to Anti's room, confident that he had just been in there all day, wanted to stay away from everyone.

He didn't blame him. After what he had just been through, he'd probably want some time alone as well. He knocked on his door.

Nothing.

He tried again, "Anti? Can you answer the door, man? It's Jackie. Sean's not here, if you're worried about that."

Still silence.

"Anti? . . . . . If you don't open this door, I'll force my way in and you know I will"

Not even a shuffle.

Without a second thought, Jackie slammed open the door expecting to see the glitch in bed or in his bathroom but the room was empty. 

Anti wasn't there. It looked he hadn't been in there for a while.

"Fuck" Jackie ran downstairs where Marvin and JJ were talking to Schneep but they all looked over at him and his worried expression.

Henrik knew right away something was wrong, "What happened?"

"He's gone" Jackie shook a little in his worry, "He wasn't in his room. He's just fucking gone. I don't know where he could have went!"

Henrik sighed and groaned just a little, "For zhe love of- where do you think he could have gone?"

They all shrugged and Henrik pinched the bridge of his nose, "And you all ask why I left" he mumbled under his breathe, "Alright, alright. We should split up and look for zhe brat."

"Where!? He could anywhere!" Jackie shouted, "He's not in the house. He could be anywhere in the city!"

"Who you guys talking about?" a new voice interrupted them.

They all looked over to see Sean at the frame of the open door.

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Anti had sneaked out of the house a while ago. Usually he hated being around people but after being in that void surrounded by literally nothing, he craved it. It was almost sad though. . . 

How he craved the attention of strangers more than his own brothers. He couldn't trust them, though. They may have gotten him out but they were also the ones that put him there. He was reluctant to even go back.

Currently, he was sitting on his favorite clock tower watching the sun go down. He hadn't interacted with anyone with he spent the day around numerous people in coffee shops, the mall, outside at the park. It was all the noise that comforted him. The chattering and laughing. The daylight and the sun hitting his skin and eyes.

But now that he sat alone on that clock tower, the more the realization came to him that it was getting dark out.

But he didn't want to go home. He couldn't. No matter what he said on the outside, it was all an act. He was scared.

He was afraid to go back home. He was afraid of the dark. Afraid of the silence.

Afraid of them . . . . . . . . afraid of Sean.

"No I'm not, dammit!" he shouted at himself, punched the brick beside him in venting anger. He curled his arms around himself and glared down at the streets. The nightlife was forming and the street lights were turning on.

It was getting too dark for him. But he was unmovable for some reason. He didn't know where to go. . . so he just stayed where he was.

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"The fuck do you mean Anti's GONE!? You guys took him out without my permission!?"

Jackie at first was anxious telling Sean anything but as soon as he said that, Jackie's anger welled up, "Oh don't you fooking even! You don't even know what happened! I don't care what you say, I'm glad I made Marvin get him out of there!"

"He was crying, Sean. He was an absolute wreck. You don't understand, we've never seen him like that before. The void really took a toll on him. He really thought he had been in there for weeks, Sean"

Sean sighed, "Look, I understand why you did it. I was actually coming over myself to have you release him today. Was gonna come this morning but . . .time got away from me"

"And if they had waited, Anti vould have lost whatever vas left of his sanity" Henrik chipped in, "You shouldn't have forced him in there to begin with and especially without his powers"

"I didn't know!" Sean tried to defend himself, "Look just . . . let's focus on trying to find Anti first then we can have this discussion later. Where do you think he could have went?"

They all were silent. They didn't know.

Sean groaned, "Oh come on, guys! Marv, Jackie, JJ, you guys LIVE with him!"

Marvin bit his lip, "I could try and perform a tracking spell on him? Maybe that'll work? But I'll need something he values."

'I've never seen him have anything close to him' Jameson signed, "Actually, I don't think he really even has anything physical he holds dear to him.'

"Nothing physical huh?" Jackie nodded, "Sounds right"

They were still in thought for a few moments before the hero thought of something, "I know where he is"

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Anti still stayed curled in on himself on the ledge of the clock tower. He was shivering slightly from the cold but he really wasn't bothered by it. The temperature made him feel in the moment. As long as he was anywhere else besides the void, he was safe.

A faint growl from his stomach alerted him, 'Dammit. I forgot to eat earlier and I don't have any money. . . . . I could steal some but. . . .it'd just give them more of an excuse to put me away again.'

He thought for a while but his thoughts led him nowhere. He was going in circles trying to figure out what to do, 'Maybe I should just go back? Not that they'd notice I was gone. . . . I'm alone whether I'm in the void or not'

The intrusive thoughts started kicking in again, bringing his mood lower and lower.

Suddenly a noise caught his attention, though. It was faint but it was still there. 

A high pitched ringing. 

Anti froze at the sound, unsure of what to do. For a moment, he thought all of this was an illusion of the void until he was suddenly grabbed from behind. 

A strong grip pulled him away from the ledge and turned him around and he was face to face with someone he wished to never see again.

"Dark" he whispered just lightly but the ringing got louder.

The man's eyes were pitch black and there was a snarl on his face, "Anti" he hissed out, "I thought I'd find you here. You just HAD to fuck everything up, didn't you!?" he flung him to the ground of the roof but Anti wasn't perturbed with that.

He was still fighting with himself. The ringing. Dark's eyes. The night sky. Everything was triggering him. He started to shake and a tear fell from his eyes. He didn't try to get back up.

Dark was still lost in his own rage, he didn't see it, "I gave you ONE fucking job, Anti! And you couldn't even do that!? Because of you, Mark found out about Google's connection to the printer and put two and two together! God, you're such a disappointment! Whatever your brethren  punished you with will never be enough you filthy scum! Now Mark is even MORE on his guard!"

He was about to kick Anti when he actually SAW him. Anti wasn't even paying him any mind.

"What the-? Anti?"

The glitch had his eyes closed, still shaking and he was sobbing again like the night before. Dark had triggered what he had felt back in the void and he was panicking. 

"Please don't. . . .don't wanna go back. Please don't leave me. I'll b-be good. I promise" he faintly whispered and Dark could just barely hear him.

He knew suddenly what had happened.

But just as he was about to speak to the glitch again, someone else clambered up onto the roof.

"Anti?" the hero saw him immediately and ran over to him in fear, "Anti! Dark, what the fuck did you do to him!?"

Dark just stood there but his shock had faded and he breathed a deep sigh, "You lot sent him into the void . . . . .didn't you?"

Henrik, Sean, Jameson and Marvin made it up to the roof as well and the doctor rushed over to Anti, "Anti! My friend, are you alright?! Open your eyes, lad!"

Sean covered his mouth, unsure of how to react to Anti's state. He had never seen him like this before. He felt horrible.

Dark's growl alerted Sean and he looked over at him, "Of all the things you could have done to him, sending him to the void was the LAST thing I expected from you. Even I wouldn't send anyone there alone. Congratulations, Sean McLoughlin. You made me actually pity the glitch."

With that, Dark was gone in an instant, leaving the Septic egos on their own to try and help Anti.

Finally when nothing was working, Marvin spelled him asleep.

For a few minutes, they all stood around, unsure of what to do. Henrik ran a hand through Anti's hair like a parent would and sighed before standing up and stomping over to Sean, abruptly punching him in the face.

Jameson rushed over to stop him from hitting Sean again but the doctor was furious, "How dare you! You fiend! Sending him to that place, for vhat!? Breaking a computer!? For shame, McLoughlin! You don't know vhat that place even IS and you never even considered it!"

Sean swallowed, holding his cheek and nodded, "You're right. . .I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. This is all my fault. I never meant to hurt Anti, though. I didn't think he'd be bothered by it."

Henrik just shook his head and broke out of Jameson's grasp, going back to Anti as Jackie picked him up, "Inconsiderate fool" he muttered angrily.

"Let's just get home. We can argue all we want there" Marvin told them, "Right now, Anti needs our help and yelling at each other on the roof of a clock tower isn't going to solve anything."

"Your right" Jackie nodded, "Will you take us home, Marv?"

Sean didn't even feel himself being teleported. He felt so bad.

He looked over at Anti in Jackie's arms. He looked so much like a child with tears streaked down his face, shaking even in his sleep.

'I did this.' he thought to himself, 'This is all my fault. If anyone deserves to be sent into that damn void, it's me'

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Dark sat at his desk, his face in his hand.

He didn't know what to think now.

He had gone to find Anti for the sole purpose of yelling at him and hurting him. He didn't expect him to already be hurt.

'For those bastards to send him to the void.' he thought, 'Even I'm not that evil. Sure I was made from it but I've seen what it does to people. . .  The way Anti acted, he was in there for a while. Maybe half a day. Must have felt like forever.'

Dark breathed a deep sigh and cautiously looked over to the bottom drawer of his desk. Right now he wanted to open it so badly. To go back to the days where he wasn't always like this. So hateful and harsh.

Slowly, he reached down to the bottom drawer and opened it. He didn't pick the object up that was inside. He could see it clearly from where he was, staring down at it with melancholy in his eyes.

He missed those days sometimes. . . . 

But Anti chose a different life to live.

Without him as his friend.

Dark wrinkled his nose and shut the drawer. He turned his chair to look out the window at the night sky, the stars and moon being the only source of light in the room.

'Damn emotions. . . . .' he thought, 'They serve no purpose. Stop feeling, Dark. Focus.'

He breathed in a sigh, 'Focus'