I won't hold you all up, everything I wish to say is at the end. For now, I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Ratchet]

The stone floor was cold beneath him.

He was here for 4 days and things weren't going well, not at all. Hunter and himself stopped talking to each other last night, and since then, it has been silent. He was sure that he heard some sort of tapping noise somewhere, but paid no mind after he realized that it was probably a pipe or something making the repetitive noise.

Physically, he started to feel sick.

His head hurt and his stomach churned. They at least fed him and Hunter, so that was good, but still...he felt like shit.

But then, he reminded himself of something....

The serum...

....

Fuck...

He bolted forward, shaking the bars of the cell just a bit, "Hunter! Hunter, I'm fucking screwed!"

He heard a faint shuffling sound from the end of the hall, "Why? What is it?"

"The serum..."

Hunter was silent for a moment, "Fuck..." he hissed out, "How are you feeling!?"

"Eh...just peachy....."

He heard Hunter scoff from the end of the hall, "I guess that means you feel like shit..." he mused, "But...I wish I could help you, Ratchet. I should've never-"

"There's no time for regrets, Hunter. None of this is your fault." Ratchet assured him, "We just have to focus on what is happening now and move forward."

"How though?" Hunter retorted, "Can't really bust out or shoot the place up like you want to." Ratchet rolled his eyes at this, "And I doubt that anyone would let us out anytime soon."

At that, they both went silent, both contemplating their options and if they had any. Ratchet coughed into his elbow as his head started to pound more. This sucked.

He leaned back against the cold wall. He still had Hunter's coat on, fortunately. But his body still shook as he made contact with the wall. If this went on any longer...

What would happen to him...?

...

Could he die before he could do anything to possibly save himself?

...

It sure seemed so.

A little while later, the door to the holding cells opened and soft footsteps echoed throughout the room. Ratchet could hear Hunter growl, "Bitch..." he muttered. Ratchet came up to the bars, weakly grasping the cool metal.

"Alice." he greeted her coldly, "Nice to see you again." he said sarcastically. The girl only rolled her eyes, "Please. Whatever you say won't phase me one bit."

"Then why are you here?" He asked, "I know you won't let me out. And I have nothing to offer you. So what do you want?"

"Actually, I am here to find out about something."

"Oh, really?" he raised a brow, "What the fuck do you want to know then?"

"I want to know where the book is."

Ratchet chuckled, glaring at the girl before him. "You think I would tell you?"

"Not telling me isn't an option. You're the one that is locked up! You should be answering-"

"I never said I would answer you." Ratchet cut her off. "And for your information, I don't have to listen to a fucking word you say, and you know why? You have no authority over me. Most likely, you're just a little puppet for one of the figureheads to use to get what they want. That's it. So don't come in here with all this 'you don't have an option' crap." he spat, "I would rather rot in here than tell you. Not like you know what's in that book anyways..."

Alice huffed, seeming a bit upset, "No! You don't understand!"

"No, Alice. It's you that doesn't understand." Ratchet replied. "That book holds some of the most shocking information that The Council would never tell you about. You're just too oblivious to see that. No...No I think that makes you quite selfish..."

"They do it for a reason!" Alice defended, "The Council knows what they are doing. They would never harm their people when it comes down to it."

"Well, how do you know that?" he cut himself off with a small cough, "Let me guess, they told you and you take things at face value because that's easier to accept than the truth, right?"

Alice growled, "You have no idea what you are talking about! Don't you see the situation you are in!? You are in serious trouble and-"

"At least I tried to do the right thing." Ratchet interjected, "Unlike you."

Alice was silent. Ratchet decided to add his last two cents,

"I won't answer you, so get the fuck out of my face." he told her, "I trusted you. I worked with you. Now that you've turned your back on me I have no sympathy. Get the hell out of here."

And...for some reason. Alice seemed to lose her fighting spirit. Instead she just gritted her teeth, and turned away, walking back out. Ratchet heard the doors shut behind her, growling in frustration. He went back to the far wall of his cell, sitting against the wall.

He faintly heard Hunter whistle from down the hall, "Damn...You can be a bit harsh..."

"Shut up, Hunter!"

He smiled slightly when he heard his friend laugh from his cell. But then he reminded himself of his own situation....

He was going to waste away in this cell, wasn't he?"

Meanwhile, outside the room, the girl stood against the wall, wondering if she really was doing the right thing.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Kaden]

"Mags, I told you. There is no fucking way." Kaden growled out, slamming his hands on the table, "The Council shouldn't even have the Dimensionator right now! It was restricted and now-"

"-Now they got a kid from another dimension that plopped onto their doorstep, Kaden." Mags finished for him, running a hand through the fur on his head, "Honestly, is this really surprising to you? We both know that The Council is corrupt."

"Yeah, and we continue to be bossed around by them." Kaden started pacing, "They've had Ratchet for four days now. I don't want to even think about what's happening in there...

They were both silent for a minute, Mags idly tapping his pen on the workbench in front of him. His face suddenly lit up with an idea, "I got it!" He shouted, slightly scaring Kaden from the small outburst. Mags didn't pay attention however. Instead, he reached out and slid his notepad over to himself, starting to write frantically. "The Council tasked us to create a dimensional map for...whatever reason, and if what you say is true, Ratchet is from a different dimension."

"Yeah...and?" Kaden stopped his pacing, crossing his arms and staring at Mags, who had his back turned to him. Mags continued, "C'mon Kade! You should know where I'm going with this!" He huffed, shaking his head in exasperation, "Perhaps we can-"

"No, that's like taking a shot in the dark and Ratchet can't wait that long."

"Well, from what I know of Ratchet's situation and what you told me was correct, The Council used a memory reader on him, yeah?" Kaden nodded, tapping his chin absent-mindedly.

"What if they were lying?"

Kaden paused, eyes widening a bit as he came to a realization "They know about his past..."

"Bingo!" Maps tapped his pen against his notebook. "That means that there is at least something stored on it!" He said,

"At least, if nobody tampered with it." He added, going to write down some more. "We're going to need a Dimensionator anyways, and if The Council does have one stored, we can use it. If not-"

"-We can build it." Kaden finished. "But that leads us to another problem, how are we going to get the memory reader?"

Mags hummed at this, "Could possibly snag it while we request parts for the Dimensionator if they don't already have one."

"No, they wouldn't just have it laying around." Kaden retorted, "It must be locked up or something."

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He shut his mouth, wondering if he should tell Mags...

....

Screw it.

"Could be in The Council's official book."

Mags looked at him incredulously, "What!? Kaden we don't even have access to that!"

"I already have it." Kaden replied dryly, We can just-"

"Wait! Wait wait- you have it!? How the fuck did ya' get that, Kade!?" He pushed his chair back in shock, "How did-"

"How I got it doesn't really matter. Let me just say that Ratchet did some things himself."

Mags leaned back in his chair, staring at Kaden in disbelief, "Smart kid..." he mused, "To think a kit could pull off something like that..." he rubbed his chin, "If you have it, why haven't you gone through it yet?"

"I looked over some of it, not all..." Kaden replied quietly, a hint of regret in his voice, "I...I was busy being so worried that I didn't think about it and...and I couldn't believe the things I read that-" he sat down in his chair, "-I feel so guilty I am waiting this long..."

"Well...what was so shocking?" Mags leaned forward, staring seriously at his friend. Kaden chuckled, a hint of tears in his eyes, "You have to promise not to tell anyone this, Mags. Nothing that I said today."

"Eh, no problem. I wouldn't even dare to, Kade."

Kaden smiled gratefully, "Wherever Ratchet comes from...whoever he really is-" he took in a big, heavy breath, "He's my son."

Mags paused, before looking up at Kaden, shocked beyond belief, "W-what? But...But that doesn't...that makes almost no sense! Your son-" he paused, gulping audibly, "A different dimension...right.." he whispered out, shaking his head, "A different dimension in which your son never passed."

Kaden nodded, staring at the ground, "I-I couldn't believe it Mags. Neither could Phoebe. To think that my...my..interdimensional son would be right under our noses was...it was jarring, Mags. It scares me to think about it." He leaned forward, hands shaking, "I promised myself to think of it later but it plagues me."

Mags was speechless for a moment, the realization set in, "W-Well, at least we know that the dimension he is from played out differently than ours!" He tried to lighten the mood, "It makes sense, he is like a clone of you, after all! And-"

"He's not...not really my son like that, Mags."

Mags was silent, eyes widening at what Kaden just said, "I can't-"

"Kaden, you know as well as I that Ratchet means more to you than you let on." He said sternly, "Maybe he is not your son like that but that boy is more to you than someone you have just been looking after. Heck, when I first met him I could practically feel that connection." He explained, voice reassuring as Kaden tilted his head down more, hiding his eyes,

"He admires you, and you care for him. Other dimension or not, you were ready to take him in when you realized that he might have had nobody out there for him, right?" He asked, receiving no answer. He went on anyway, "And who knows? Maybe he does have someone back where he is from, or maybe he doesn't. But it doesn't matter, right? You care for him. That is what matters. You saw him as a son before all this shit. Don't lie to yourself."

Kaden chuckled, wiping his eyes just a bit, "And what if he does? What if he leaves?" He asked, "I can't...Phoebe and I can't handle losing that sort of attachment again."

Mags nodded in understanding, "Right now, Ratchet needs to be saved. And if he does need to go back..." he trailed off for a moment, voice becoming a whisper, "You will have to let him go. You know that. If you really care about him...you need him to at least 'live' again in his own time and place. I know you're gonna do what's right, because that's how you are, Kade. Don't let that stop you."

Kaden just smiled bitterly, "Let's...let's discuss this more another time....."

And Mags decided that he had no choice but to agree, watching sadly as Kaden packed to leave.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

A couple hours later...Kaden called Alister..

"Kaden!? Are you sure-"

"They have him Al, and I don't know what the fuck they are doing with him right now but I feel like we don't have much time." Kaden said frantically, pacing in his living room as he gripped his phone with a sweaty hand, "And...and just thinking about what I told you, Al. It's all true! What should I do?"

He heard Alister sigh on the other end of the line, "I...I don't know, Kaden." Alister replied, "There's no way they would even let me enter the headquarters without reason. And we sure as hell don't know anyone with that type of authorization."

Kaden stopped pacing, instead, he sat down on the couch and hissing under his breath, "There's something wrong, Al. And it has been this way since the beginning."

Alister hummed in understanding, "Obviously whatever The Council is planning is...big. Big enough that they have decided to hide it from their own people."

"Yeah, but I don't understand how all the Head Members of The Council can just...go along like that. Are they just all corrupt?"

"Or are they too frightened to act otherwise?" Alister pointed out, "Fear is the greatest weapon, Kade." He reminded him, "...If The Grand Head was still here, I bet he would've put a stop to this. Now the people seem to have no power and are oblivious to what is happening. Even then, if what you say is true, it would probably cause mass riots..."

Kaden shook his head in frustration, "Grand Head Cyfrin is dead. And the only other Headmember we know is Arc Cordero. And I know that the one who helped Ratchet was his son, Hunter. Other than that, there is no one else that can help us."

At that, their conversation went silent. They didn't know what to do, and-

"Kaden?"

Kaden looked up at the voice, seeing an exhausted, stressed-out Phoebe who stared at him with a frown. It looked like she has been crying. Kaden felt his heart drop,

"Hey, Al, I gotta go. Let me know if you hear anything."

"Alright, Kade. I'll let you know."

They bid their goodbyes to each other and Kaden hung up. He watched as his wife came closer to him, looking down and making eye contact. "I-I went to speak with Doctor Yuin today." she drawled. Kaden's eyes widened, "W-what!? Are you alright!?"

"Yeah, it wasn't about me, Kade." she reassured him, bringing up a hand to wipe at her face, "Remember what you told me after Ratchet got out of the hospital? That there was something in his system?"

"Yeah...?" Kaden raised a brow, not knowing where this conversation was going.

"And...and then we read about that...that serum in The Council's Book?" he nodded, "Well, I...I went to Yuin because I just had a feeling and...and Kaden it's all my fault."

Kaden looked at her, perplexed, "Pho, what do you mean? None of this is your fault!"

"You don't understand, Kaden." She said exasperatedly, "A few years ago at my lab we were trying to...to come up with a new medicine and-" she huffed, starting to get more emotional, "-and one thing led to another and it became a terrible mistake. It was my fault so I reported the incident and well-" she wiped at her eye, "I know the composition of the drug when I see it. And that...what I made was in his blood! Kade I-"

"It's still not your fault." Kaden said sternly, "Whoever released or...recreated that serum had to have been affiliated with you...it could have even been one of your coworkers for all we know, Phoebe."

"T-that's not the only issue..." she stuttered out, "K-Kaden, Ratchet could die! I don't know the side effects and-"

"Phoebe, everything will be-"

"Stop treating this situation so lightly, Kaden!" She shouted. Kaden stepped back a bit, unused to that tone of voice. He stared at her as she ranted, "Our kid is stuck in that fucking place and who knows what the hell The Council is doing with him as we speak! And you're...you're just taking your fucking time-"

"I am not!" he cut her off, "We have no leads, Phoebe! We can't just go marching in there and-"

"And who says I can't!?" she argued, "If I did people would notice and-"

"And nothing! You'd be arrested and in the same place that Ratchet is in right now!"

Phoebe growled, "But we can't just leave him in there, Kaden! Don't fucking tell me that he will be fine when he's obviously not!" she spat. "Sitting here and doing nothing for four fucking days is doing nothing!"

"Then what do you expect us to do!?" Kaden asked her, voice low, "Go in there on some sort of suicide mission and break him out?"

The woman just glared at him, "There has to be someone out there that can help us, Kaden." she said, "But if you want to sit here and do nothing then be my guest."

"What do you mean?" Kaden asked her, "Phoebe, we have to be together on this. That gives us the best chance at saving him!"

"Work with you? Hah! You're the one that has been doing everything yourself up until this point! You never asked what I thought about this situation! You never told me what you are trying to do!"

Kaden stayed silent as Phoebe went on,

"Our son is trapped in there and we have to do something soon. I understand that you want to be careful, Kade. But now is not the time!" She said seriously, "We have to do something. Now. We need a plan and we need to act on it because we can't waste any more time, Kaden. If you want to work together on this, you have to let me in on what you are planning."

Kaden nodded solemnly, "Yeah...yeah you're right, Pho." she grimaced, "I-I'm sorry...for leaving you out and everything but...Phoebe I don't even know where to start."

Phoebe was silent for a moment, before her face brightened, "Oliver."

Kaden looked up in question, "W-What?"

"Oliver. Remember? Ratchet's friend? Don't tell me you forgot about it. Maybe he knows something. Why don't you start there?"

"Then what will you do?" he asked her. She smiled, "I'll ask around, and when I go to work tonight I will try to find out who accessed my files."

Kaden nodded, "Then it's settled." he smiled, "Let's get him back."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[One hour later]

[Oliver]

Ratchet didn't respond to any of his texts.

It had been a very long time since he had even seen his friend. In all honesty, he was starting to get concerned...

But did he have the right to be? He still hurt the other boy but, then again, Oliver cared about him. Ratchet was like a brother to him, and he refused to let that go. Ratchet didn't deserve any of the shit he got while being on this planet. That also includes the shit he said to the other boy.

He felt so guilty...so lost.

He also felt sad because he felt like Ratchet was really gone...

He stared down at his phone, gripping the sides of it for dear life as he stared at the call screen, ready to tap Ratchet's contact and try to talk to him. He took a deep breath as he was about to-

*Ring*Ring*

Oliver startled, looking at the phone in shock. Ratchet was calling him! He smiled happily as he answered the call, holding it up to his ear,

"Ratch! Oh my gosh I'm so-"

"Oliver?"

Oliver paused, taken aback, "Mr.Callisto? What did you call me for? And-"

"Look, kid. I need you to listen to me. Are you alone right now?" Oliver paused, swallowing thickly, "I...am the only one in my house right now, why?" he asked. Kaden hummed, "Good. Because what I am about to say needs to stay between us. Ratchet is depending on it."

"What!?" Oliver asked, starting to panic, "W-what happened? Is he alright?"

"The Council has him." Kaden said grimly. "I need you to tell me everything you can about what you two have been doing. Or if you know anyone that could help us."

"Ah...um alright, where do I start...?" he tapped his chin, "Well, we found out that he was from a different planet, at least. We did some research about the language that-"

"It's Veldish. And listen...it's not just a different planet, Oliver." Kaden said, "He's from a different dimension."

Oliver was silent for a while, before bursting out, "What!? Are you serious!?" he collapsed onto his bed, "H-How."

"Ratchet managed to get a hold of The Council's book. All the answers are in there and-and we need someone to help us get him back."

Oliver winced, "I-I don't have like...any other information except...I think the one to help him get the book was a girl called Alice but...but Ratchet never told me the details. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, kid." Kaden reassured him, "Alice...her contact is in his phone too. Is...there anything else you can tell me? Like...have you ever heard of the drug Ratchet was given?"

"I think he...mentioned it passively after the meeting he had with The Council but...that was just an assumption..." he answered, "I-Is he okay?"

Kaden was silent for a movement, "I don't know, Oliver. I'm sorry."

Oliver frowned, eyes becoming watery, "I-is there anything I can do? W-what are you doing now?"

"Well, I'm just calling around for help. If...if you find out anything just let me know alright, kid?"

"Y-yeah! Absolutely, Mr. Callisto!"

With that, they bid their goodbyes and Oliver was left looking at a blank, black phone screen, staring at his reflection. He felt a tear fall down his cheek. All this...after all this time and...and he couldn't help his friend more? Was he so blinded by jealousy to see the broken and lost look on his friend's face before he left him alone in the library?

How he finished their conversation...

"You want people to stay away? Fine. You don't want help anymore?"

"You won't get it from me."

He dropped his phone to the ground, hands coming up to wipe at his eyes. How could he have done this? How could he have just left the way he did without...

He sniffled, crying turning into full out sobs at this point. The worst part was that he was useless now. He practically had no information to give to Kaden, and he dared to call himself a friend!?

But then he remembered what Ratchet said before he left...

"Whatever I am doing is for me. I don't need to get anyone involved in this situation. The Council-" and Oliver cut him off from there.

Ratchet...Ratchet really did want to protect him, didn't he? Ratchet wanted him to stay out of it so he wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, and this is how Oliver is repaying him? Just sitting here and doing-

*Knock*Knock*

Oliver looked up, tears teary as he hiccuped quietly.

Who was home!?

"Y-yeah?"

"Are you okay? I heard you crying..."

Arthur was home? He was supposed to be out all day today though....

"I-I..." he wiped his eyes, "Just leave me alone. Please." he begged. But he guessed his brother was having none of it. "I'm coming in." he said, before turning the knob and entering the room. He closed the door behind him and stared at his little brother. He walked forward, sitting right next to Oliver, who kept wiping his eyes,

"What's wrong?"

Oliver scoffed, "Fuck off. I said leave me alone."

"I'm not gonna leave my brother here to sit and cry." Arthur stated firmly. "I know we...we haven't been getting along, at all. And I know why but just this once...please, talk to me."

Oliver was silent for a few minutes, finally mustering up the courage to say something, "It's about Ratchet." he said. Arthur glared, "What? What did he do? I swear if he-"

"He didn't do anything to me." Oliver said, "I...I said some pretty mean things to him and...and I haven't talked to him in a while, or seen him."

Arthur hummed, "He's avoiding you? Maybe it's for the-"

"-The best!?" Oliver finished for him, "Don't you dare that it's for the best. Ratchet is my best friend. You wouldn't understand!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, "I...I would never leave a friend like that. I said some messed up shit and I want to make it up to him eventually. I just...I wish I could talk to him..."

"Well, why can't you?"

Oliver paused.

Kaden said we need to keep this between us...

"I...I just feel like we both need time. If Ratchet doesn't want to speak with me. I can't push it."

Arthur nodded quietly. His phone pinged, and he looked at it. He grimaced slightly, "Well, I have to go out again. Will you be alright by yourself?"

Oliver nodded, not even looking at him as he left the room. Arthur sighed, but said nothing as he opened the door and shut it behind him, looking back down at his phone.

Looks like he had to be quick...

He went to his room to get changed...hopefully nothing bad would happen.

Meanwhile, Oliver got up and stared at his computer. He was taking a shot in the dark right now, but if he didn't have any information to give....

....

He could find information to give. By himself. To help his friend that he should have been there for no matter what.

So with that, he sat down at his computer, turning it on and getting ready to start his work.

Time to find some answers...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Arthur]

Arthur pressed his back up against the wall, glancing just around the corner as he saw a girl standing in front of two opposing figures.

She turned back around hesitantly, staring at the hooded figures.

He could almost feel the...fear? She was practically radiating. For what reason, Arthur didn't really know.

"No information?" one of them asked. She shook her head, "He has been uncooperative with me and-"

"You revealed yourself too soon, girl." One of them said, "If you never did, the boy wouldn't be so hesitant."

"You don't know that..." She mumbled, "He is quite stubborn..."

"That's not the point." one of them replied sternly. "You have failed to provide us with any of the information you said you could."

She stepped back a bit. Arthur just watched the scene quietly, watching her shrink in on herself. He looked back to the two opposing figures before her.

"B-But...I got you that book! And I apprehended him in the first place! A-and"

"That book was false." one of the members said, "That apprehension was just luck for you."

The girl stomped her foot, "I-I tried okay?" She said, "I know we had a deal but I-"

"You failed to hold up your end of the deal. And you hold too much information that could harm The Council if we release you. So-"

She gasped, starting to back away as they approached, "H-Hey! You can't just-" they each grabbed one arm, starting to drag her away. "I-I just wanted to fix things!" She yelled, moving her arms and trying to get out of their grip, "Please! Just let me go-! I just want my family back!"

And Arthur winced as he heard the door slam. He turned away from the corner, shocked beyond belief at what he had just seen. He looked down at the ground, breathing heavily. There was no way they just-

"Abletress?"

Arthur jumped, looking over at whoever called his name. He sighed,

"Hello, Mr. Cordero." he said, composing himself as the man analyzed him critically. "Are you alright?" Arc asked, "You're shivering..."

"Y-yeah! I'm good...I'm just...under the weather, y'know? It is getting a bit cool outside."

Arc hummed, thinking nothing of it. "I would like to say that you held up your end of the deal. I commend you for your effort." he said, "That serum you have provided us seems to be working as intended...finally."

Arthur raised a brow, "How so?"

"Well, we suspect that the kid is getting sicker by the hour. It will be easier to-"

"Sick?" he asked, "I thought that stuff was just supposed to knock him out?"

Arc sighed, "Please, do you really think it would keep him down for long?" he asked incredulously, "The sicker he gets, the more he will rely on us for an antidote. We are unsure of any other side effects right now, but-"

"You're hurting him?" Arthur asked coldly, "He is just a kit! You shouldn't be-"

"You don't need to worry about that now, Abletress." Arc reminded him, "Your family is safe now, after all." And Arc turned to leave, "See? If you uphold your deals, you won't end up like that girl you just saw get apprehended."

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He stood there, alone. In shock and....and so very guilty....

He got what he wanted...but was it worth it? He...he admits that he had his suspicions about Ratchet. They were acquaintances at best, but he was still his younger brother's best friend...

Or...Oliver's better brother. If what Oliver said during their argument a while ago was true...

But he never meant to hurt him...

He stared off into the distance, grimacing to himself as he realized what he did. Ratchet was in here somewhere, sick, and who knows what else...

And now it was all his fault...

He thought back to what he just witnessed with that girl. How those two members just dragged her away like...like it was nothing!

He looked back down at the ground, remembering his little brother's tears and how hurt he was by Ratchet not being there...and now....he felt like things were going to get worse when Oliver finds out Ratchet is gone...

If Oliver finds out, he would surely be The Council's next target. That, or Oliver's safety will be used to get Arthur to do whatever The Council wanted...

....

He made up his mind...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Arc]

Arc walked back into the holding cell room.

It was now heading into the late night. Things were quiet around the place and Arc was one of the very few to still be un and about at this hour. He figured he would go back to see his son and perhaps, this time, he would be able to talk some sense into his boy and hopefully get him to be pardoned. If Hunter cooperated, that is.

He opened the doors, glancing into the first door on the right to see-

His son wasn't there...

He looked at the empty cell in shock. About to bolt out of the place before-

"H-Hunter!? Is that you? Are you alright!? I heard-"

Arc growled, practically stomping down the hall towards Ratchet's cell. He glanced down at the boy, who sat against the bars, looking worse for wear. The boy looked up at him a bit blearily, "Oh...hey there, asshole."

"Where is my son?" Arc asked coldly, "I swear if-"

"I thought you took him or something?" Ratchet replied quietly. "One moment Hunter was talking to me, The next, someone opened the door and I haven't heard from him since. Maybe I blacked out...Look, I'm not feelin' too hot since you guys decided to drug me so...thanks for that."

Arc growled, "There's no time for your smack talk, I just need to know-"

"Look, I can't even see his fucking cell from here!" Ratchet spat, "I have no fucking idea who took him but-" he leaned forward, glaring at the man darkly, "If any of you fucking hurt him I will take that hidden blaster you have under your cloak and shoot you. I swear it."

Arc stepped back a bit, scoffing, "Like you actually could."

"Just watch me." was all Ratchet said, before turning his back and sighing, "Just...just don't hurt him when you find him..."

Arc paused, but said nothing in return. He made his way out of the room right after. Knowing exactly where to go.

But back in the holding cells, Ratchet sat alone and cold, coughing into his elbow every so often. Feeling like shit.

His hope seemed to dwindle every passing hour...

He just hoped everyone was doing okay....unlike him.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Arc headed further into the headquarters, bypassing several scans and taking the elevator to the bottom floor, glaring all the way to his destination. When the elevator door opened, it revealed a long, straight hallway that led to a tall, dark steel door. The plaque next to it read:

Grand Head

He marched forward. Not hesitating one bit. He entered his passcode and bypassed the scans. He waited, tapping his foot impatiently until the door finally opened. He glared at the person that sat smugly at his desk.

"Cyfrin"

The man from his desk looked up, red eyes shining in the low light, turning a page in his book quietly.

"Cordero." He replied coldly, voice monotonous. Arc glared at the man,

"Where is my son!?" Arc spat, walking forward and stopping just in front of the desk.

"That's none of your concern." Cyfrin retorted, "You are the one that imprisoned him after all. I find your concern rather comedic."

Arc looked taken aback, "You are the only Council Head that would do something about this situation. I know you did something to him."

"I will say it again, why are you so concerned?"

"It's my son!"

"The son that you wholeheartedly imprisoned and was willing to serve him the rightful consequences for going against The Council's word." A dark chuckle, "What a loving father." He mocked. Arc growled and stepped forward, "We all made a-"

"A deal?" The man cut off, "Well, you know that stopped once we saw the potential that dimensional boy has. Unfortunately, your son tried to help someone who was both a valuable asset and potential threat to us."

Arc stepped forward, threatening, "My son isn't just a pawn!"

"That's funny, Cordero. Didn't you treat him the same?" He looked at Arc coldly, "Practically forcing him into the role of your...assistant? Was it? What a thing to do..." he mused, glancing back down at his book, flipping another page, "Your son-"

Arc slammed his hands down on the table, finally snapping, "Where. The. Fuck. Is. HE!?"

The other man seemed unfazed, rather, he just shut his book. "There's no need to yell, Cordero. We are just having a nice conversation." He mocked. Arc scoffed, "We're not. I went into the holding cells before this and my son was gone. I want to know where the fuck he is or so help me-"

"Your son is fine." Cyfrin said, "And-"

"Where is he!?" Arc leaned forward, entering the other man's personal space and glaring at his ruby eyes, "What have you done to him!?"

"Do not fret." The other man's gaze was unwavering, "He is fine."

"That doesn't answer my-"

"You are dismissed, Cordero." Cyfrin sat back in his seat, opening his book once more. He said nothing more, but Arc wasn't done,

"I never intended-"

"Then you should not have done what you did." A page was turned, "Simply put, this is all your fault anyway. So why worry now, when you can instead sit there and regret what you did to your last piece of family?"

Arc faltered, but his teeth were still barred, "T-That's not-"

"I said you're dismissed."

"No. No I'm not." Arc replied, "I have just as much power as you do in this Council. I don't have to listen to you."

Cyfrin hummed, red eyes alight with mischief, "If we are really equals-" he leaned forward, "-Then why are you afraid of me?"

"I'm not-"

"You are." Cyfrin interrupted him, "You back down so easily...." he mused, "And you don't know what to do about it."

Arc grimaced, biting his tongue, "You did this to yourself." he said, "You did this to your son.". At that, Cyfrin looked away from him, "You are dismissed. Final warning, Cordero"

And Arc....

He left...

He clenched his fists all the way to the door before shutting it behind him. He put a shaky hand up to his head, breathing rapidly. What did he do? What the fuck has he done? Where was his son and why...why was he taken!? It could have been anyone else but why him of all people!? He...He didn't know. He...He just-

He didn't mean for this to happen...

He started walking down the hall, steps getting quicker and quicker...

He didn't want this to happen...

He pressed the button to go up, looking blankly at the doors in front of him

But The Grand Head...was right. Wasn't he?

The elevator doors opened and he stepped in. The doors shut, and he pressed his back up against the far wall, sliding down it as he began his long trip to the main floor of the headquarters. He held his head in his hands.

This was all his fault...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Phoebe]

Phoebe looked down at the vial with tired eyes, pouring another mixture into it as she watched it bubble. She was barely paying attention to her work at this point...

Which was unfortunate, she was trying to make a batch of some medicine...she'd probably have to dispose of it later. Not like she cared. Her son could be dying because of a mistake that she should have never reported and noted in her research files.

She jumped when she realized the mixture bubbled over the rim of the vial, immediately rushing over to get a rag and clean it. She growled in frustration, eyes watering.

She envied that Kaden had a flexible work schedule while she was stuck here. But perhaps it was for the best. She had a growing feeling of rage threatening to overtake her as she thought more and more about The Council. She absent-mindedly looked down at her ruined work.

She already made up her mind.

She was about to grab the vial but before she could, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She jumped, turning around and backing up towards her lab table. A hooded figure stood before her,

"Mrs. Callisto. We need to talk."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Me :*Casually puts my characters through the wringer*

Also Me : "This is fine." :(

Also...a small little (very, very tiny) detail (that I notified you all was somewhere in the chapter in the end notes but no one found it out) in chapter 10 it actually hinted at someone in Oliver's household getting ahold of Ratchet's journal, which he gave to Oliver that day. Near the end, after the fight Ollie had with Arthur, he goes to his room and drops Ratchet's journal on the ground before going to sleep. When he wakes up, the book is revealed to be on the nightstand, which Ollie didn't notice it changed locations. This wasn't a placement error that I overlooked. This, is how Arthur knew about the plans in chapter 12 as he says to Ratchet after their little walk...something Ratchet didn't question how he knew at the time :)

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm curious, what do you all think will happen next? 

Anyways, if you have a preference on who you want to see next, don't be shy! Let me know in the comments! It's not guaranteed, so we'll see what happens next chapter.

I think that's it for now! I hope you are all doing well! See you next time! ❤