Dexter was working out in his gym when he received a mail. A hologram of Beatrice opened before him. She showed him a picture of Slaine, "This was the guy who threatened Vincent."
Dexter got up, "He wasn't Ben?!"
"It seems so."

Dexter ran towards the cells and found that Ben was missing. He walked to Slaine's room and only found his hoodie lying on the bed. He tore it apart in anger.
"You'll regret this, whoever you were. I'll find you and kill you."

Riley was an X-DROID, but that was not all.

"You think only you can change the past, Ben?" Gotham rose up from the water and smirked, "The second member of fifth oblivion--We took him here and hid him in the past. I found that Riley would be the one who would be the closest to Slaine and that's why we killed him and replaced him with an X-DROID. We drugged him to conceal his presence."
Lucifer glared at her, "You bitch."

Riley looked at the veins on his hands and turned back. Asselyum was pointing a gun at him.
"I should kill you right here." She said and he just stared at her, "But," Her hands were shaking, "I can't do it. Why Riley? Why did you come so close? Why do I always have to kill the people I love?" Her ears had the same sparks again. Jimmy pressed his ear,

"Strong emotions like love, guilt, sadness or hatred can destroy our minds."

"Asselyum, stop! It's hurting!" He said.
"I thought we were friends. You said I could trust you. You promised, Riley."
He moved towards her and she moved back, "Riley, don't come close. I will shoot you."
"I didn't plan to hurt you. Well, initially I did plan to kill Slaine and you but now I don't..."
"Stop that bullshit! You knew what you were doing and you knew it would hurt me, but somehow that didn't make you stop."

"I know it would hurt you that's why I hid it--"
"For how long would you hide it?"
"Till the time I would be irreplaceable so that my being an X-DROID wouldn't matter. I was doing everything I could."

"Fuck you! Let me refresh your memory, alright? Slaine was the one who took your bullshit and almost ruined his life because of you. He was the one who cared about you while you were slowly destroying him from inside. You are the reason why Lupin is on drugs! I was the one who stuck around when you told me to leave. We trusted you even when you gave us every reason not to. I hope you can sleep on that."

He took another step towards her, "Asseylum, can't we still be friends?"

"Don't come near me--"
"Asselyum--"
"Riley!" She shouted with her fingers on the trigger but something struck her head before she could shoot him.

Gotham had a runblaster with her, which had hit Asselyum, right in her head. Riley stared at Asselyum fall slowly, "Traitor," She whispered.

She crashed on the floor and so did Jimmy.
"Jimmy!" Lupin shouted and ran towards him. Jimmy's head was cracked open and bleeding.

Lupin quickly opened his first aid kit but Jimmy gently grabbed his hand.
"Lupin.."
"Don't worry, it'll be alright. Nothing is going to happen to you." Lupin wheezed with panic as he wrapped a towel around his head to soak the blood.

Jimmy smiled and closed his eyes.
"I prefer you speaking over writing... You have a pleasant voice,"
"Jimmy! Jimmy! Keep breathing! Don't fall asleep, okay?"

Asselyum's eyes lost their blue colour and turned hollow and black.
Riley ran towards her and pressed her face, "What did you do?" He asked Gotham. She had legs again. He looked at her legs, "Just what the hell are you?! I thought you were some mermaid or shit."

"Daddy, what am I now?" She remembered.
"You're a beautiful mermaid, Gotham."
         

"Mermaid?" She smirked as Riley stared at her, "Oh, I'm not a mermaid...I'm a siren. Mermaids and sirens are different. 

Mermaids are born when someone who has a great love for the ocean dies. These deaths have to be peaceful. Sirens, however, are born from violent, watery deaths. Drowning, being murdered at sea, their bodies being thrown into the water shortly after their deaths. They are the ones that sing to sailors and drag them to their deaths when they get too close."

Then, Gotham turns towards Lucifer. He was looking at her from under the bridge. She moved towards him but Riley raised his arms and the river water rose up, creating a wall of water between them.

"What should I consider this to be?" Gotham looked at Riley.
"I am biologically one of you--I can't choose that. But what I can choose is who I fight for."
"So, you choose death."
"I don't care. If choosing death gives me Asselyum then why not."

Gotham struck her foot on the ground and the ground slowly started becoming wet. The underground water pipes burst and all the muddy water surrounded Riley. It attacked him but he went up on a water made elevator.

The muddy water followed but he jumped back down and covered it with the river water. While all this was going on, Axel sat beside Asselyum, fixing her head.

"Batteries. We need new batteries!"
"We'll get them!" Frank stood beside him with Denis.
"Wait--Asselyum's a robot?!" Denis shouted.
"Lupin would have the spare batteries. Quickly go! Go!"

They both went towards the bar while Axel opened Asselyum's head. "Now this is a lot of work to do." He picked up a tester.

Beatrice got the details of the time machine to Dexter. He crushed the paper, "I knew it! Ben went to the past!"
"What now?" Beatrice asked. Dexter smiled,
"Get me a huge hammer, will you?"
"Yes, sir."

Frank and Denis reached the bar and walked into the basement.
"Lupin, the batteries!" Denis shouted but stopped abruptly. Lupin was wearing a mask and his hands were covered with blood.

The basement was stinking of blood.
"I'm gonna puke!" Denis covered his mouth.
"The spare batteries are in the upper shelves. Take them and leave." Lupin sad while working on Jimmy's head.

"What are you doing?" Denis asked.
"He doesn't have a lot of time with him anymore."
"Got them." Frank took a small black block, "Is this a battery?"
"Yes. Take it to Axel."
"Okay, come Denis!"

"Should I help you?" Lupin and Frank stared at Denis.
"What are you saying? You don't know shit about medicine." Frank said.
"I want to learn though," Denis said.
"Fine, go wash your hands and wear a pair of gloves and a mask." Lupin said.

"Okay!"
"I'll leave in that case." Frank left the basement and cruised at full speed.

Ben and Slaine had reached the bridge by then. "I won again!" Evelyn shouted. Slaine looked at Axel, fixing Asselyum's head.
"Dad?"
He ran towards her and sat beside Axel. "Where have you been?" Axel asked.

"What happened to Asselyum?"
"She's out of battery. I've sent Frank--"
"I got the battery!" Frank shouted as he ran towards them. Axel took it and quickly fixed it inside Asselyum's head.
"The last one burned and melted inside her head, so she overheated and shut down." Axel explained.

Lucifer lay under the bridge, watching the fight when suddenly he felt something and turned back,
"Ben!" Ben sat beside him and looked at his wounds.

"Does it hurt?" Ben asked.
"A lot," He looked at him, "We cannot win."

"Yes, you can."
"I said I can't. I'm tired."
"Have you not been getting sleep?"
"I have not been getting peace." Lucifer looked into Ben's pink eyes, "Lately, I have been going through more shit than what I can take." 

"I have fed mouths who have talked shit about me. I have wiped tears off the faces of the people that have caused mine. I have picked up people that have tried to knock me down. I've done favours for people that can do nothing for me. I have been there for people who have not been there for me. But I will not lose myself in the hatred of others. I continue to be me because I am who I am and it is my nature. Life isn't easy but even through all the bullshit. I will breathe and so will you."

"What are you trying to say?"
"That there will always be people who can't see your worth. Don't let it be you."

Lucifer looked at him and Ben smiled, "Hey, Lucy--" He gently punched his chest, "You got this." He whispered.

-To be continued

Dexter Benovolis
5500 Rebellion