They all glared daggers at puppeteer in Chase's body. Sure, they were still pissed at Chase at the moment but they weren't going to endanger him. He had been drunk, after all.

Puppeteer hung the gun against Chase's head, laughing as he did so, "Look at you all. So helpless"

Jackie snarled at him, "Why are you here? Why did you possess Chase's body?"

He rolled his eyes, "He was so easy. So drunk and full of guilt. He's fine, just . . . . . taking the backseat at the moment. And why posses him? To hurt you, of course. I can make him do anything right now"

"You're running out of power, though" Marvin brought up, "Aren't you? That's why you've been making the bold moves."

"You'll never know-"

Marvin suddenly moved his wrist just right, using what little magic he had to swat the gun out of his hand and across the room.

But Puppeteer didn't seem perturbed in the slightest, "Oh! Look who's got some magic! I wouldn't expect anything less coming from you, spending so much time around my puppet"

"He is NOT your puppet!" Henrik shouted at him, "We do not know who you are but a true Septic ego would NEVER-"

"But didn't you think that of Anti before this all occurred?" Puppeteer smiled lazily, keeping an eye on Dark, "Thought he was evil? The one pulling all the strings? No . . . . we both were"

'Lies!' Jameson signed, 'You MADE him do those things!'

"Did I? What evidence do you have? He hated you just as much as I did. And all of you except for Anti knows why. You've been keeping that from him." he smirked at Anti as he said this.

Jackie went to land a punch on him only for him to dodge it, not taking the beginning of this fight seriously at all.

Anti was confused by Puppeteer's words but chose not to think too much on it just yet.

Dark's shadows suddenly lurched from behind him to snag him but he merely teleported to the side, making Chase's body shiver, not used to the feeling of magic inside of him.

"Clever. I'd still love to make you my new little puppet" he acknowledged Dark's attack with a purr, "But you're also a nuisance to me right now. I don't need you interfering."

Puppeteer lifted Chase's arm and an invisible force shot from his hand. Dark managed to block it with his arms in front of him and broke free of the attack.

"I'm not losing to you again!" Dark raised the shadows to his will and along with his blue and red auras, he latched them around Puppeteer like a vice, trying to keep him contained.

But once again, he didn't seem bothered, "Aw you thought we were fighting before? That's cute" a bright light cracked through Dark's shadows and he broke out effortlessly, "Sweetheart, you weren't even a player"

Before Dark could do anything, Puppeteer appeared right in front of him. He was about to do something to Dark when Anti reached out to shock him. It deterred him just enough without really hurting Chase's body but it was only meant as a distraction, anyways.

Puppeteer glared at him, "Oh, does puppet want to play, too?" he went to smack him only for Marvin to cast another spell, sending him flying back away from them.

He was starting to get really irritated now, "But yet you all STILL don't know who I am! Ridiculous, really! Pathetic! You don't even know WHY this is happening to you! Pisses me off!!"

"We don't need to know who you are to take you out!" Jackie stood in front of Anti to keep him away from the man.

Puppeteer in Chase's body just snarled, "I'm not surprised you egos don't remember but Sean!? I'm disappointed in you. Thought you'd remember ALL of your creations"

Sean swallowed thickly, more worried about Chase and the other's safety at the moment rather than Puppeteer's threats, "Look . . . I'm sorry, but I really don't remember-"

"I know you don't!" He cried out, "But you never thought about me anyway, did you!? You just used me and tossed me to the side unlike the others! You just LOVE your egos, don't you?! You never think about ME anymore!" Chase's eyes glowed bright green in his anger.

Sean raised his hands defensively, "Just tell me your name, then! I can make it better. We can work something out"

"Oh it's far too late for that, Sean" he growled, "It was already too late the moment you created your first ego. You'll always remember them, won't you?! You'll always . . .cherish them all! You've forgotten all about me"

"I'm sor-"

"I don't want to hear your apologies!" he lashed an attack towards him only for Dark to deflect it.

Dark didn't waste time as he appeared before him and suddenly the two disappeared from the room.

Dark teleported them both to his void and his intent was to leave him there for a bit but before he could escape, himself, Puppeteer grabbed at his head and sparks crackled from his hands.

"Aaaaaggh!!!" Dark couldn't get out of his grasp and everyone was shocked when Puppeteer teleported them both back into the room, his hands still on Dark's temples.

Puppeteer sneered at the man, "Take a nap, little Iplier." he gave him another shock and Dark fell to the ground unconscious.

Everyone stood and watched in horror as Dark's body crumpled to the ground and Puppeteer's eyes locked onto Anti.

The glitch flinched, worried about what he could possibly do against him. After all, Dark was far stronger than any of them and Puppeteer just took him out like nothing.

Anti felt himself cowering but Jackie still stood tall in front of him, "You're not taking him"

Puppeteer smirked, "I don't need to take him. I need something else"

Jackie lunged to punch him but Puppeteer grabbed his fist, "Oo. That'll bruise Brody's palm, won't it?"

"I'm sure he'll forgive me" Jackie went to kick into his gut but he dodged him, jumping back.

Marvin tried firing off another spell but he was losing power already from doing so much earlier. As Jackie tried his best to fight Puppeteer, Marvin went towards Anti to take more.

As he grabbed at Anti, though, he flinched and jumped back, making Puppeteer laugh, "Oh does someone have a little PTSD?" he caught one of Jackie's attacks again, closing his own fist around his tightly, making the hero cry out.

"Red!" Henrik shouted, "Marvin, Anti! Do something!"

Marvin stared apologetically into Anti's eyes before grabbing his wrist to take power but Anti wasn't having it. He hated it so much. In the back of his mind, he knew Marvin could use it to fend off Puppeteer but the mere thought of him using him like that just hurt so much.

He knew it was Marvin's own power to begin with but he didn't want to do it! He just didn't want to be a part of ANY of it anymore! Marvin tried to take the power but something was wrong.

Anti was blocking him off.

As soon as Marvin realized it, so did Puppeteer and he laughed, "Oh such a good puppet!" he tossed Jackie at a wall and came towards them. He shoved Marvin away roughly towards a wall and he reached out to take the power himself only for Anti glitch away, snapping out of his fears.

"No! Leave me alone! Stop it! Stop!" Anti cried out, "I'm not your puppet! I'm not!"

Puppeteer frowned, "You'll ALWAYS be . . .. . just a puppet. A vessel. That's all you're good at. That's all you are. . . . Apparently that's what they think, too, now"

"No. . . . no, you're wrong"

"Anti!" Jackie tried getting up of the floor but Puppeteer had broken something, preventing him from helping, "Anti, do something!"

"Oh yes, do something" Puppeteer taunted him, knowing he still had the upper hand. They were all incapacitated and Anti was scared. He thought he had won already.

"But you can't do a damn thing, can you? You know I'm stronger than you'll ever be. Why keep fighting? What are you doing it for? For them? Why? You don't even remember what they did to you."

"I. . . I don't need to! They care abou-"

"They're just keeping you on a leash. The other day was the ONLY time you've ever been outside this house and yet you were still crowded by them. They don't trust you. They don't REALLY care"

"You're wrong" Anti cowered at his words, though, stepping backwards away from him.

"Am I? In the back of your mind. . . . you know it's true. You can FEEL it!"

"Shut up! Chase! Fight him! I know you're in there! Come on!"

Puppeteer suddenly slapped him, "Stop fighting me! You know I'm right! You know they don't give a FUCK about EITHER of us and they never did! You and I are the same! And the sooner you realize that, the better!"

He lunged and grabbed Anti's arm to take more power but something was wrong. He wasn't getting any either.

Anti glitched out of his grasp and punched him across the face, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

In Puppeteer's rage, he gripped Anti's throat and everyone could only watch in horror as he slammed Anti into the wall, hitting his head into a corner, knocking him out.

Before he could just take him, though, a syringe was stabbed into his neck and he fell as well, the green glow disappearing.

Henrik stood over him but rushed to Anti's side, "Anti! Anti, wake up! Anti!" he shook him lightly but he was knocked out cold.

"D-doc?" Sean shuddered but breached out of his shock to rush over as well, "H-how did you-"

"Shhh!" Henrik quickly leaned down to check Anti's breathing and when he knew Anti was still alive, he finally answered Sean"I vas waiting for the perfect distraction. He was too focused on Anti to notice me so I took my chance then. Chase and Anti will be alright. Looks like Anti will get a good knot on his head, though."

Jackie grumbled, picking himself up off the floor, "What about Dark?"

Marvin moved towards him to pick him up and lay him in a chair. Henrik sighed and carefully picked up Anti with an arm over his shoulder, "Help me get him onto the couch"

Sean took Anti's legs and helped the doctor to lift him, being careful of his head, laying it on a pillow. Henrik ran his hand lightly through his hair, "Dark will be alright, I'm sure. But we should probably notify either Mark or one of the other Iplier egos"

"I'll get a hold of Mark" Sean took his phone out, "Hopefully he'll actually pick up the phone"

Jackie limped over and lightly nudged Chase's body with his foot, "You think Puppeteer might still be in his head?"

Henrik shrugged his shoulders, "Hard to say. I honestly don't know"

Jameson looked around feeling completely useless. The others could have at least done something against Puppeteer but he just stood there observing the whole fight. He felt bad but really, what could he have done against someone as powerful as Puppeteer?

'Should we cut off his line to Henrik?' Jameson signed, asking them.

Marvin shook his head, "I need quite a bit more magic to do that. Anti refused to give me any. I didn't think he could do that but then again, I don't think he knew either."

Jackie sighed, "How long do you think it'll take for them to wake up, Hen?"

The doctor shrugged, "I do not know. Could be minutes to hours, honestly. For all of them. Now ve play zhe waiting game to who wakes up first. Hopefully Anti."

"Not worried about Chase?" Sean asked, "What'd you give him, anyway?"

"After what he said to Anti earlier, no. I'm not worried about him. But I just gave him a sedative. He'll be fine. Probably won't even remember a thing"

"Let's hope so" Jackie commented, "I may still be upset with him but being possessed by him must not have been fun if Puppeteer made him watch"

"I guess you are right" Henrik still brushed Anti's hair with his fingers, protective over him like he would be his own kid. He had been through enough as it was.

Sean started to dial Mark's number and they all sat around to rest.

Anti knew he was dreaming.

He knew that. He could feel it.

But it also felt . . . . so REAL.

Almost as if. . . .he were walking through a memory. Watching it through a screen like some sort of movie. A sad one.

Anti hadn't been under Puppeteer's control for long. Perhaps a few months. The man was using him to steal money from ATMs so that he could pay for their rent and food. Puppeteer was in charge of the money spending, though and only ever gave Anti barely enough to survive off of.

Treating him like some sort of fight dog. Training him.

He hated it.

He saw himself crying on his mattress. He didn't even have the TV yet to distract himself. It was just him and his thoughts.

He hated Puppeteer. He wanted out.

He just wanted to be free. Like the other egos! They could do what they wanted!

But he could never be like them. Right? That's what Puppeteer always said, anyways. They hated them. They'd just hurt him. He couldn't fraternize with the enemy. He didn't know why but Puppeteer said it was because they'd use it against them. Hurt them more.

But Anti didn't care anymore. He couldn't live like this. With how Puppeteer was treating him. He was starving and sick and tired. And he HATED that he was being used as a some sort of magic siphon!

Puppeteer had forced Marvin's magic inside of him to store the never-ending supply and whenever he ran out, he'd come to Anti to force some out for himself. Anti couldn't use it and he knew that but sometimes he wished he could. No, only Marvin and Puppeteer could. Something about a sort of special connection. A spell of some sort. Anti tried to block out Puppeteer and his rambling when he could without getting beat.

He was on the edge, now, though. He couldn't do it anymore. He felt like a bitch only being used for one thing. What was the point of it all anyways? Anti knew that his master wanted to kill the egos but yet he hadn't really done much to them yet.

He had Anti rough them up here and there to see what they all could do but there hadn't been any official attacks on them as of yet. It was like he was waiting for the right moment.

But maybe . . . .if Anti could get to them first . . .

Maybe he would be treated better?

Puppeteer always said they'd probably kill him on the spot.

But Anti was curious.

Anti was desperate.

He had to try.