Disclaimer: this will mostly be based off of Markiplier's gameplay.

Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
Ken's POV
After I climbed back into Freddy's stomach hatch - which was a little more comfortable after I'd removed the Jack-in-the-Box present earlier - and it closed behind me, my sight lit up with a vision of the outside; just like before, only now I knew I was simply seeing the world through Freddy's eyes. His body started to move of its own accord and I got the distinct impression that I could move his body if I wanted. He seemed to know where he was going, though, so I just let him take the reins.

Freddy walked the width of the hallway over to the roll-up wall where I'd gone to find the Photo Pass. For a second I thought we were going into the other hallway, then Freddy took a slight 45 degree turn to the left. We ended up going to a set of red double doors that were directly across from the roll-up wall. Freddy's arms pushed open the doors, revealing the beginning of a stairwell that, from my vantage point, descended several floors down into the Pizzaplex.

Into the bowels of hell we go, I guess, I thought ruefully.

I was really glad that Freddy couldn't read my mind while we were in this position - I didn't want him to know what I was thinking about his home.

So we started the trek down the stairs. I lost count of how many landings we passed after the third one; it made me wonder just how big the Pizzaplex really is. We even passed a very confusing picture: a robot janitor Swiffer-sweeping the concrete floor... behind a chain-locked fence with a sign that basically said MONTY IS NOT ALLOWED IN HERE. The robot didn't give indication that it had seen us, and simply continued to drag the Swiffer across the seemingly clean concrete. Freddy allowed us a few seconds of staring at the strange sight, then we continued downwards into the depths of the Pizzaplex.

My skin was crawling the entire time. No matter how far we went, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching us. Freddy's eyes emitted a strong enough light that we didn't trip, but I could still see shadows at the corners of his vision; the deeper we went, the more they seemed to move. The random noises that reached our ears certainly didn't help - I could have sworn I even heard scuffling at one point, like something was moving away from us. Freddy's wiring and circuit boards made sure that the inside of his stomach hatch was toasty, but I was shivering as we went even deeper.

Bowels of hell, indeed.

Then we heard the worst thing we could possibly hear down here: "Hello? Little boy? If you're down here, say something!"

I felt myself freeze and my need to look around must have overpowered Freddy; we stopped in the middle of the stairs and his gaze went sweeping up and down the stairwell. "Someone's down here!" I whispered fearfully. "We have to go back - they might see us!"

"It is only Officer Vanessa, the security guard we saw earlier," Freddy's voice told me calmly.

The security guard with the blonde ponytail. The one I told Freddy not to trust.

The one I still didn't trust.

"Now we HAVE to go back!" I shouted inside Freddy's stomach hatch, fumbling with my limbs to see if I could turn us around with the power of my movement.

"Do not worry Ken," Freddy placated me; against my better judgment, we continued down the stairs. "Even if we are spotted, you are safe with me. She would never suspect we are traveling together. However, we should still do our best to avoid her. If I am sent back to my room, we will never get to the Lobby before midnight."

"So either way, we're going to avoid her?" I asked dryly. "Good - that's all I needed to hear."

But I couldn't shake my unease - how did she know I was here, and how did she know I was a boy?

Was she in league with my kidnapper?

Was she my kidnapper?

I was glad Freddy had agreed to avoid her.

We continued down a few more flights of stairs before coming to a bridge of sorts. I could only guess it was a bridge because there was a railing along one side that looked out onto an even deeper level.

Even with the light from Freddy's eyes, I couldn't see the bottom.

I silently vowed to stay away from that part of the pizzeria.

We passed the railing and then turned right, coming to another roll-up wall. This one didn't require any physical tampering in order to open - Freddy simply sent an electronic signal that opened the door before we got to it, though we had to pause a moment in order for it to roll up high enough to let Freddy through. Something compelled me to lean forward in order to get a closer look at the room ahead.

I forgot I was still in Freddy's stomach hatch. So when we started moving again, my body jerked forward and I scraped the left side of my face and both my knees against the inside of Freddy; his circuitry was sharp enough to cut through the fabric of my pants.

I bit my lip and tried not to cry out, but Freddy paused in his stride regardless. "I feel you are broken," He told me gently, concern lacing his words.

I grit my teeth and tried to play it off, even as I felt blood bubble up and run down my face and seep into my pants. "I-I'm fine - just keep going."

"No, I feel that something is wrong," Freddy pressed, making me do a double take - just how much could he "feel" in his stomach hatch? "I am taking you to the first aid station."

My eyes widened, and a part of me wondered if he could feel that. "There's no time!" I protested, pressing my palm to my face in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "We're so close - and I-I told you, I'm fine!"

But my protests did nothing. Right before my eyes, Freddy turned right instead of going straight, leaving behind my hope of getting out of here in the next few minutes.

He took me down a corridor marked B2-COR-RR-2, going through a series of turns too fast for me to keep track of where we were. We soon came to a stall covered by a thick red curtain that was topped by a typical Red Cross sign - though, of course, this one had Freddy's face inked in the center. Freddy stopped and his vision faded from my sight. His stomach hatch opened and I blinked in the sudden light change.

I still held onto the belief that we could make it to the Lobby if we didn't stop for a check up, so I stubbornly stayed in the space even as blood seeped further into the fabric of my pants. Freddy must have sensed my true intentions, because he obviously had other plans. I felt him get onto the tips of his feet and rock forward; unprepared for this, I unwillingly slipped out of the hatch and sprawled across the cold concrete floor. Pain flared in my already injured places, and I saw blood smearing the floor as I forced myself onto my hands and knees.

The truth was in black and white - if I didn't patch myself up, there was a chance that I'd pass out from blood loss before we ever made it to the Lobby. Whether I liked it or not, Freddy was right. Groaning, I painstakingly got to my feet and fixed Freddy with a glare over my shoulder. "Alright, fine - just don't move!" I warned him. He didn't respond, which I took to mean he wasn't going anywhere.

I ducked into the stall and found a brigade of First Aid equipment lining the space on stacked shelves - bandages, ointment for rashes, the works. For once, I was glad for the extensive hours my mother'd had me study First Aid with her in case I was ever alone and needed to perform it on myself.

I don't think she could have predicted that I'd ever need it in a situation like this, though.

First things first - sanitize the wounds to prevent infection. I found a clean rag and wiped the blood off of my face and knees. From a container marked COTTON SWABS, I procured a pure white cotton ball and found a bottle of cleaning antiseptic on the bottom shelf. I popped the top off of the bottle and secured the swab at the mouth, then tipped it upside down for a split second, allowing the alcoholic solution to soak the cotton. I then pressed it to my face scrape - it made me hiss, but I somehow was able to clean the entire wound. I fished two more cotton swabs out of the container and repeated the process with both my knees.

My hands were shaking so bad with the urgency to get it done quickly, it was a miracle that I'd gotten it done at all.

Next I had to wrap the wounds. There were both wrap-around bandages and sticky band-aids on the shelves. Figuring that the bandages would just become a pain to deal with if they came loose, I settled for the band-aids and took the time to peel off every tab in order to stick the fabric to my skin.

I never thought that deciding whether to use bandages or band-aids would ever be a conversation that I would have with myself... yet here we were.

As I was placing the last band-aid, the sounds of footsteps reached my ears. I'd already memorized the distinct clunking of Freddy's feet, and these were definitely not his; the ones I was hearing were light and fleeting compared to his heavy and slow walk. And these footsteps were walking towards me from another hallway - I'd been keeping an ear out, and Freddy had not gone anywhere the entire time I'd been in here.

That meant that it could only be one other person.

My heartbeat quickened and my breathing sped up. I made sure that the curtain was flush with the walls of the stall, then moved aside some medical supplies so I could sit on the top shelf and lift my feet out of sight. Just in time, too - the searching gaze of a flashlight swept under the curtain. A few seconds later, the same voice I'd heard in the stairwell filled the empty space: "Freddy! You're supposed to be on lockdown!"

Freddy's electronic voice sputtered a response, "O-Officer Vanessa, I-I do not know how I got here."

"Well, you totally blew it tonight, you know," Vanessa told him spitefully. "Your system crashed and you ruined the show. Now, Parts and Services have you on reduced power. They say it's a safety precaution." She sighed. "Just one more thing to deal with..."

"I... apologize," Freddy said shamefully.

Don't apologize to her, Freddy! I wanted to tell him so badly. She's the one who's being insensitive! But I kept my mouth shut, no matter how much the words strained against my tongue.

Vanessa continued on, not sounding sorry in the least, "Okay... Look, we're like 15 minutes from closing and some kid is sneaking around backstage. If you see anything, notify me immediately. I already alerted the others. Now, go back to your room."

Some kid. She was talking about me. Don't talk about me like I'm some wanted criminal - it's not like I want to cause trouble for you guys!

It took even more effort to keep those words back.

The light from Vanessa's flashlight faded and the echoing of her footsteps eventually stopped. I waited a few more seconds in case she came back, then slowly let my feet down and stood up. I ventured a cautious glance outside the curtain to make sure she was truly gone. Seeing nothing but Freddy's glowing eyes, I left the safety of the stall with nearly a dozen band-aids on my person.

"See? I told you either she or someone else was after me!" I told him. I clasped my biceps - they were shaking. "And now it sounds like even more people will be looking for me!"

"I said nothing," Freddy replied gently. "I will keep you safe. Let us go."

I found it hard to stay frustrated at him. When he opened his stomach hatch once more, I climbed in and we were off.

We went back through the same corridor we'd came through, finding ourselves back where we'd been when Freddy had noticed I was hurt. Beyond the roll-up wall was the longest and darkest corridor I had ever seen. A few fluorescent lightbulbs dotted the walls at a regular interval, though even with the light from Freddy's eyes, it wasn't enough to actually brighten the space. From what I could see, there were several boxes and pipes large and small littering the expanse of the corridor. There were also a few forklifts and other machinery to help lift the maintenance items, though they were thankfully unmanned at the moment.

"What is this place?" I asked as we started down the corridor.

"We are under the Pizzaplex," Freddy informed me, his voice echoing in the empty space. "These utility tunnels connect all the attractions."

"Cool!" I exclaimed, then cringed at how loud my voice sounded. "So... we can go anywhere in the building?"

"Correct," Freddy confirmed, sounding happy to teach me about the pizzeria. "Fazer Blast, Monty Golf, Roxy Raceway: they are all accessible to S.T.A.F.F. - with high enough clearance, of course. Guests are never allowed down here, but yours is a... special situation."

"Special situation", I mentally grouched. Right.

We continued down the corridor for a few paces, passing what seemed like hundreds of boxes; the place was practically a maze built from them. We were eventually forced to stop when we came to another fence like the one we saw before in the stairwell. Only there were a lot more robots behind this fence...

And they seemed to be swarming around a crushed one of their own.

I wanted to get a closer look at the scene, but a warning light blocked my view. LOW POWER flashed in angry red letters across Freddy's vision. Before I could say anything, Freddy started moving again, turning right and sprinting down an adjoining hallway. At the end was another stairwell, this one going up instead of down. Freddy's footsteps ricocheted off the concrete walls as he hurried up the metal stairs, leaving the number of landings once again up to my imagination.

"Freddy, what's happening?" I asked worriedly, my limbs straining against the walls of his stomach hatch in an attempt to slow him down - all the running was giving me motion sickness. "Where are you taking me? Is this the way to the Lobby?"

Freddy didn't answer. He continued up the stairs until they finally stopped at another set of double doors, then shut off my connection to his vision and opened his stomach hatch. Confused at the situation, I climbed out and turned back to Freddy, hoping he would give me some insight into the problem at hand.

"I am terribly sorry," Freddy told me, sounding truly apologetic. "The Recharge Cycle had not yet completed when I found you. You must continue without me. I will guide you on your FazWatch in case you run into any trouble."

He gave me one last long look, then turned to a Recharge Station that I hadn't noticed before. "Freddy, wait!" I called after him as he ran towards it. "I don't know if I can do this alone!" My protest fell on deaf ears, though, as Freddy sent an electronic signal to open the red cylinder and took his place inside. The sound of the door closing also sealed my fate.

I sighed heavily and turned to face the double doors. Well, I guess I truly was alone now.

I slowly pushed one of the doors open a foot, then risked a peek into the hallway beyond. The walls were painted purple and pink, which was a welcome reprieve from the dark walls of the utility tunnels. It seemed clear, but I heard animalistic noises coming from a door far down the hall on the right. Against my better instincts, I found myself leaving the double doors and creeping up to the new door. The noise sounded like a starving beast chowing down on its first meal in weeks, yet something still made me open the door a crack. I couldn't see anything, so I ventured a full body glance inside with one hand keeping the door open.

The door led to a long bathroom that either wasn't used or simply not cared for enough. The lights were dingy, there were paper posters strewn across the floor, and there were streaks of rust and who knew what else everywhere. The noise I'd heard from the hallway was coming from a trash can in the far corner.

Something pink and white, visible even in the dim light, was digging into the trash with a ravenous hunger.

Chica.

I jerked so hard at this realization that I lost my hold on the door and it closed with a loud thud. Before Chica had the chance to turn around and investigate, I ducked into the nearest stall and closed the thankfully silent door.

The air stank, but I barely registered it as I sat on the filthy toilet seat and pumped air into my terrified lungs; Chica's munching was loud enough that she didn't hear my frantic breathing. The whole time I was wondering, Why here? Why now? The bathroom smelled like it hadn't been used in months. I'd already known that Chica had terrible eating habits, but I didn't think it was bad to the point that she'd eat questionably aged garbage. And I ran into her right after Freddy and I separated - seriously, what were the chances?

I've already alerted the others.

I paused as Vanessa's words came back to me. She'd said that she'd told others that I was here. I'd thought that meant that there were other security guards in the pizzeria, but no - she was talking about the animatronics.

Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that I ran into Chica right after Freddy left me alone. Maybe someone was watching our every move so they knew where to send the animatronics. Maybe Chica was sent here, but got sidetracked by the garbage. Maybe she was sent here by someone to capture me.

Maybe that same someone was watching me right now.

I calmed my breathing and looked at the ceiling. The shadows were dark enough that I couldn't tell if there were any cameras in the bathroom, but I got the telltale feeling of eyes watching me.

A slight smile graced my lips. Might as well give them a show.

I'd seen that there was another entrance to the bathroom at the opposite end, near Chica. I didn't know exactly how good Chica's hearing was with her loud munching, but I didn't want to risk walking past the door and having her reach out and grab me. I had to find a way to distract her long enough for me to slip past and get to the other end of the hall.

Then I remembered seeing a stack of paint cans in the hallway.

Showtime.

I crept out from the stall, keeping an eye on Chica the entire time. When I reached the exit and she'd still had yet to turn around, I deemed it safe enough to open the door and slip through. Back in the hallway, I found the paint cans I'd seen earlier; it was actually a safety hazard, since they were on a bench smack dab in the middle of the hall. They were big enough to cause a large disturbance. I waited a few moments to make sure Chica hadn't followed me into the hallway, then arched my back and landed a well placed kick at the middle bottom can. The top of the stack wobbled, then came down with a resounding CRASH that would have sent Orochi reeling.

A surprised "BUCK - BUCK - BUCK" came from the door down the hall. As soon as I heard it slam open, I hightailed it back into the dark bathroom. With Chica no longer guarding the opposite door, I made my way over and peered back out into the hall. Chica was standing exactly where I had been, though on the other side of the bench. She was inspecting the fallen paint cans and putting them back on the bench.

I tilted my head at the sight. At least she was sentient enough to clean up after herself.

I turned and sprinted down the hall away from Chica. As I left, I heard her say, as if she was speaking to herself, "This area is off limits."

"What - you think I want to be here?" I muttered as I ran. "Why would anyone want to be here?"

I followed the hall for a few paces, trying to put as much distance between me and Chica as possible while also being mindful of all the twists and turns of the corridor. I even passed an ominous poster of a robot with a hard hat that claimed 100% OF FATAL ACCIDENTS INVOLVE HUMANS. Well, no DUH, I thought ruefully.

I soon came to another door. This one didn't have any weird noises coming from it, but that didn't mean anything. Keeping my ears on high alert, I opened the door and found myself in what appeared to be a large utility closet - tool chests and boxes galore. It was dim enough in the room that I didn't trust the shadows and made my way quickly through the maze of shelves. At the end, I found another door that opened into yet another corridor; it looked exactly the same as all the other corridors I'd already passed.

Will I ever see the Sun again - or at least the night sky? I thought mournfully.

After following the corridor through a few more twists and turns, I came to a hall that looked suspiciously like the utility tunnels. It wasn't exactly a heartening realization, but at least I knew I was getting somewhere.

My FazWatch still hadn't given me any new messages from Freddy. I was starting to worry about him, but I knew he wanted me to keep going.

"THERE YOU ARE!!"

I gasped loudly at the new voice and spun around. Behind a chain-link fence that I'd just passed was none other than Montgomery Gator himself, gripping the metal with his claws and glaring at me from behind his star-shaped sunglasses. At the sight of the fence, I allowed myself to breathe a little - surely Monty couldn't get through that! But then Monty pulled back and clenched his fists, then swung them into the fence.

It opened as easily as if he'd simply pushed it.

And I was off.

Jeez - first Chica and now Monty? I thought frantically as I ran. They're not going to make this easy for me, are they?

I ran down the hall and simply prayed that I wasn't going in circles. Eventually I came to a T that went opposite ways; mounted on the wall was an arrow shaped sign that pointed right and read LOBBY. Thanking all the lucky stars, I turned down that hallway and tried not to look over my shoulder, fearing that Monty would grab me the second I did.

I ran until I reached another set of double doors, which I pushed open and rushed inside. I vaguely registered that I was in a storage unit with extra garbage cans stacked against the walls; all I cared about was the opening against the far wall, which led into another hallway. I made a break for that hallway and was nearly there, then heard someone say "Lost boy over here!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I recognized the voice. It was Chica! Somehow, she had caught up to me! Risking a glance over my shoulder, I witnessed her making her way towards me, crashing into boxes and trash cans like they were simply air to her.

It was clear that neither she nor Monty were going to let anything stop them from grabbing me. I had to pick up the pace.

I reached the hallway and found it soon ended to reveal yet another stairwell. Still hearing echoing footsteps behind me, I all but flew up the stairs, the landings becoming mere blurs to my terrified gaze. I was certain that all anyone could see of me was my hair flying around me, like a black Sonic the Hedgehog. At the top, I found another unbearably long hallway; luckily this one ended in a room with enforced windows and industrial-strength-looking doors on facing walls. One of the doors was open - I dove in and my hands instantly went to the surroundings wall to find some way to close the door behind me. My fingers hit something that felt like a button, and I immediately pushed it in. With a welcome CLANG, the sturdy metal shut and secured me in the room.

"Well done, Ken," Freddy's voice rang in the tiny space.

It was coming from the FazWatch. "Freddy!" I yelled in relief, bringing the wrist device up to eye level.

"You found a security office," Freddy continued. "You should be quite safe here. The doors were designed to keep our highly-trained security team safe in the event of an emergency. As long as the doors stay closed, which they will, as long as there is ample power..."

I breathed deeply and took a glance around the room to get my bearings. Mounted on one wall was one of those curious Freddy-head-shaped devices that I'd seen in Freddy's back room. On the opposite wall was a large screen that was currently displaying nothing but snowy static. Around it were smaller monitors on which a cartoon rendition of Freddy's face was lit up. Beneath it was a desk that was partially cluttered with a handful of technical items, including a computer keyboard and another Freddy button.

Banging resounded from the other side of the door I'd just come through. I didn't need to look through the windows to see who it was.

But I had nothing to worry about, right? Freddy said that I was safe as long as the doors stayed closed. As long as there was enough power to keep the doors closed.

I glanced at one of the smaller monitors. The power was only at 15%.

Great First Spinjitzu Master.

"Freddy," I said shakily, speaking into the FazWatch. "The power is at 15%, and they're banging on the door! What do I do?"

"Do not panic," Freddy told me calmly. LITTLE LATE FOR THAT, I thought shrewdly. "You should see an interface on the security desk. Hold on while I will make it accessible to you... there. You can now activate security protocols."

I looked at the desk. I didn't see anything that looked like an interface... didn't even know WHAT THE HECK AN INTERFACE WAS. Now would be a great time for Naoki to be here, I whined in my head. Then I realized that whilst the Freddy head button had been glowing red before, it was now glowing green.

Does this count as an interface, Naoki? I mentally asked the scientist.

I pressed the button, eliciting a beep from the machinery and returning the button to its original red color. "Your FazWatch is now connected to the security camera system," Freddy informed me. "Check the map on your FazWatch."

I brought the screen up to my eyes and swiped to the home display icons. CAMERAS was one of them; I pressed it and pulled up the image of an empty hallway with flickering lights. In the bottom right hand corner was an outline of a floor plan with tiny boxes littered around it. One box was highlighted with an upside down red triangle. "Those boxes on your mini-map are nearby security cameras," Freddy told me. "When movement is detected by the camera's motion sensors, you should see red alert icons. Switch between the cameras to find a safe path out of the office and to the main lobby."

You're seeing this too, right? I wanted to ask him, crying on the inside. Can't you just tell me how to get out of here? But I kept those words in - they were selfish. Freddy has helped me more than enough up to this point, and he's probably doing everything he can.

Now it was my turn.

So I dutifully checked the cameras. Monty was the one pounding on the door on my left; Chica was making rounds in the square-shaped hallway beyond the door to my right. Actually, Chica didn't look too good - she was walking with a sideways limp, and she often took breaks in her rounds to cough up what looked like the garbage she'd been eating in the bathroom. Every time, though, she pulled herself together and started the cycle again.

It was evident that she was not okay.

I would feel bad for her if she wasn't trying to trap me.

I shook my head and directed my attention back to the matter at hand. Obviously I couldn't exit out the door with Monty on the other side, so that meant I had to find a way around Chica. According to the map, the corridor she was in was just a ways down the hall on my right. If I timed it just right, I could sneak past her and make it out the other side.

I waited until Chica was well on the other side of the corridor, then palmed the door open and slipped out with Monty still banging away. I kept my back to the wall as I made my way to Chica's hallway, glancing around each and every corner for flashes of pink or white. She wasn't exactly quiet, so that helped me a lot. I eventually saw her next to a set of double doors that had to be the way out, in the middle of one of her hurling sessions. She sounded truly in pain as she gagged, yet she still straightened up and continued down the hall as if nothing had happened.

So weird.

When the coast was clear, I made a break for the doors and shoved them open. I ran down a short hallway to another set of double doors and shoved those open, too. I found myself in an spacious room with elevated ceilings and posters of the animatronic mascots of the pizzeria on the magenta walls. The floors were linoleum instead of the concrete of the maze I'd just left, with carpeted spaces for wheeled vendors dotting the space. Neon lights marked where walls came together, with potted plants bathed in their light.

But I didn't care about all those things. All I cared about was the collection of glass doors at the other end of the room. Above the doors was a neon sign that read COME BACK SOON with cartoon pictures of the mascots.

I'd actually done it. I'd actually reached the Lobby. A giddy laugh made its way through my throat as relief nearly made me collapse. I was actually going to get out of here!

But then the intercom came on again with an announcement that made my blood run cold, "Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaplex is now closing. Initiating nighttime protocols."

My gaze went flying towards the ceiling. WHAT?

A scraping noise reached my ears and I realized that metal walls with Freddy's face painted on them were sliding over the front doors. No. It couldn't be midnight already - I was so close! I raced for the doors, putting every ounce of speed I had left to get there...

Only for it to amount to nothing. The walls fell on and locked over the doors with a sound that was equivalent to a casket closing.

"No, no, no, no, no..." I muttered, resting my hands on the cold metal. After all that, after everything I went through to get here, I was still too late. I'd dug my own grave.

Master of Metal, said PIXAL's voice. The metal warmed under my hands. Right - I was an Elemental Master of Metal. Walls like these shouldn't be an issue for me. I hadn't awakened my Element before tonight, but PIXAL had said that you just needed a will to fight in order to do so.

I centered my hands on the metal wall and closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against it for good measure. I filled my mind with the need to get out, to get away, to get home. I thought about going home so much that tears sprang to my eyes, but nothing happened. The metal remained motionless under my palms. I felt no heat in my chest like Valt and Jin had described feeling the first time they'd used their Elements.

I felt nothing.

Was my will too selfish?

Tears leaking from my still-closed eyes, I slid down the wall and brought my hands to my knees in an attempt to stop them from shaking. Reality was crashing into me with a sledgehammer. I hadn't been able to leave the pizzeria before closing. That meant that my kidnapper was going to be looking for me now. And they weren't going to stop until she found me.

Now the game really began.

—————

Dusk had passed a long time ago in Japan, which meant that a few dingy streetlights were all the boys had to illuminate the crime scene.

They'd forgone wearing their training gis in order to remain inconspicuous as they investigated, and it had taken some street smarts from the hometown boys to get to their destination. But now they stared down at the pitiful pile that was Ken's backpack, his phone, and Keru and Besu.

And the thumb-sized collapsible headset, which was blinking a steady red light.

Still sending a signal that had been received and dealt with too late.

Ken was nowhere to be found.

"You gotta hand it to whoever took him," Yugo commented, bending down and picking up the brown felt of Besu. "They're thorough. OW!"

Ukyo had flicked the side of his head. "Not the time to compliment a kidnapper, Yugo," he told the samurai. He looked uneasy and his gloved hands gripped his biceps tightly. The entire group was in similar pictures of dismay. It was clear that Ken's disappearance was affecting them all - even Lui was sweating.

Only Valt was quiet and his fists were clenched at his sides. "Hey... are you okay?" Shu felt the need to ask him, nervous at his normally loud boyfriend's silence.

When Valt finally lifted his head to look at him, Shu had to take a step back. In the brown eyes was a dull look that he hadn't seen since he'd shown up before the Snake Pit members.

"We're going to find him, Shu," Valt told him evenly, firmly. "No matter what we have to do, no matter what rules we have to break - we're bringing Ken home."

A dangerous blue light shown in his eyes for emphasis.

—————

5973 words.

Ken's in serious trouble now...