"Well, well, well, well, lookie at what we have here," a jeering voice called as a massive mech marched its way through the hole. It stood a good twelve feet tall, decorated in heavy metals and black soot. It held a large Gatling gun in one hand, and the other was shaped into a sizeable looking blade. And seated in the center, behind bars of metal, was a heavy set man with a shaggy beard and a victorious smile. "The exterminator is here, and he finally found his little lab rat!"

"I really hope he doesn't mean me..." William mumbled, hiding slightly behind Castro.

"Hey there, William. I finally remember you, you sonofabitch! No more mind games now, eh? And is that tall fellow Castro? Always knew you were too sly for your own good. Gone and slithered from your little cage, eh?"

"Good to see you as well, General," Castro greeted with a polite nod.

"Sir, the children," one solider near the mech spoke up, his eyes on the cage in the corner of the room.

"Aha! So, there's where you've been hiding 'em," the General exclaimed, his wide eyes fixed on us. "You know, a good number of my men died to find their sons and daughters. Jerry's daughter is locked up too, isn't she, Jerry?"

"...Yes sir," the soldier who had spoken up replied, his eyes still on the cage.

"Still alive and all in one piece I hope?" the General asked, his mech taking a step closer in their direction.

"Yes..." William began, before Castro threw a halting arm out to him and took a step forward.

"The children are still alive," the scientist answered. "And still under our custody. So, I suggest this, you let us leave here peacefully, and we will hand over the children."

The room grew quite then. A few seconds passed before the solider deemed Jerry started to speak. "The hell we-!"

But he was caught off by a low chuckle emitting from the General. The small laugh soon erupted into a fit of hysterical laughter as the large man guffawed in his mech suit."You make me laugh, Castro! Hear it!? After all the hell you and William put me through and I can still laugh like this? You're too much, I tell you! Too damn much!"

The General laughed like this for a few more seconds before dying down to a wide smile. Looking straight at Castro. "Now, here's how this will really go. We are going to take the children, then gun you all down for betraying the American government. How's that sound?"

"I think I'm going to be sick..." William mumbled behind us.

"Kyd Wykkyd," Castro whispered just loud enough for me to hear. I took an immediate step towards him, to show that I was listening. "Your teleportation works properly in here, correct?"

I quickly nodded.

"Good, William?"

"Y-yes?" William muttered, still hiding behind Castro.

"How long until that thing is ready to go?

"J-Just a minute or so, but I would need to be ready to put in the activation sequence as soon as it's primed, otherwise it will just reset..."

"Then here's the plan," Castro said immediately. "Kyd Wykkyd, I want you to teleport us above the general and drop me on top of him. From there, take out as many of his guards as possible. Meanwhile, William, head for cover and call Kyd Wykkyd when the device is ready. Kyd Wykkyd, when you hear the call, head over to William immediately and ensure that he gets it working and open..."

"What then?" William asked when Castro didn't continue.

"Well, if we actually manage to survive that long, you two will just have to improvise. William, I trust you know what to do when that device is open."

"I...Yes, I do."

"Good, good. Alright then, on my signal—"

"If your little huddle group is over, I believe its time a clear out some vermin and get outta this shit-hole," the General called, smile on his face as he held up his Gatling gun. His soldiers taking point around him.

"I think I'll go find a nice sturdy table to hide behind now..." William whispered, though I paid him no mind.

Now was the time of life or dead. Kill or be killed. I felt the blood rush through my veins, the adrenaline pumping through my system. Castro and I faced the General and his small army. Time stood still, and, for the second time since being unfrozen, I felt truly alive.

"Now," Castro spoke.

"Fire!" the General hollered.

I reached for my cape and time exploded back to life with the General's manic laughter and thunderous gun fire. In a flash, I swept Castro and I beneath my cape and, for a brief instant of time, all sound fell silent. There were only us and the cold darkness. A brief instant later, the world opened up and we were hovering above the General's giant mech.

"Don't forget the plan," Castro said simply before falling through the sky and landing on top of a surprised General. I didn't stay and watch what proceeded next. Already I felt the call of my cape and I once again fell into darkness, reappearing in the midst of the confused soldiers.

There is a part of my life that I do not enjoy thinking about. A part stained by true bloodshed and violence. It was a short life, like most of them are, but it was all I knew at the time, being so young. A killer in the dark. An assassin in training. I left that life when the H.I.V.E let me into their home, but sometimes it still comes to haunt me. In my dreams...and in my violence.

It was a life stained by true bloodshed and death. A stain that could never truly be cleaned away. When fighting against death, one must learn to kill.

So, when I marked my first target in the midst of confused soldiers, I picked the one with the knife strapped to his chest. I appeared before him— I suspect it seemed like his own shadow reached out to attack him—and grabbed said knife, ramming my head full force into his before he knew what had grabbed him.

Knife in hand, I slipped back into darkness, letting the stunned man fall to the ground. I reappeared again, behind a man who had turned to see the one who had fallen so suddenly, and hit him on the back of the head with the hilt of the combat knife. He fell, and I vanished again.

I reentered the carnage, the soldiers still trying to get their bearings, and rammed an elbow into another soldier's gut. I marked the soldier's who were beginning to take notice of Castro still clinging to their General's mech.

Into the darkness, I jumped again, landing on a soldier's back and slamming his head into the ground. His companion turned and tried to fire, but I had already vanished, reappearing an instant later at his side, using the full force of the travel to send him to the ground. Dagger now on my belt, I grabbed the assault rifle from his stunned hands and quickly beat him over the head with it.

No sooner had I finished, than bullets began whizzing past me. Pulling the cape around me, I disappeared again, and again, and again. Each time taking out a soldier as I reappeared.

The soldiers cried out in confusion. Shooting in every which direction, glancing hits at each other, all to get at me. Faster and faster I vanished and reappeared until all but a hand full of soldier's remained. It was then that I heard William's call. Slightly frustrated that my fun was being stopped, I halted where I had appeared and ran headlong into the back of yet another unsuspecting solider. Throwing us both through my cape, we reappeared before a table at which the man hit full force with his gut. The soldier let out a groan, which I quickly silenced by slamming his head onto the table.

The man slumped to the ground and I stood there, breathing heavy and sweating for the first time since...

I looked over to see William standing at his consoles, wide-eyed and slack jawed. "You...You fought like some sort of unstoppable demon..." the scientist said in a quick gasp, looking me up and down now. "...Guess that explains the creepy costume."

I gave William a hard look to which he quickly averted his eyes from. "Right then, my machine will be ready any second now...I suppose I can just trust you to keep those soldiers off my back?"

I nodded my assent before turning to where said soldiers still stood. Only about four of them still remained, and they were mainly busy moving around either trying to find me or tending to their fallen brethren. Meanwhile, Castro seemed to have fallen from the General's mech and was busy dodging his deadly looking blade. The Gatling gun lay where it had been brutally torn off on the ground.

The gentle hum the machine had been emitting suddenly grew a lot louder. Green lights started glowing from the circular portal, the glow streaming through the pipes and through the buttons of the consoles.

"I can't believe it...It's working. It's working!" William cried, typing in numerous combinations on the keypads, almost faster than I could follow.

"Blast it, you worthless maggots! Stop them! Stop them!" I heard the General cry. I turned to see Castro pinned against a wall, though the General was focused on us, rousing his remaining men who were quickly starting to see the picture.

"Just another second or two!" William shouted over the loud machine and the General's yelling. "Hold them off, if you can!"

I watched as the four remaining soldiers approached us, guns held ready to fire. I reached beneath my cape and gripped the stolen combat knife. These soldiers won't be taken by much surprise any longer. They had seen enough of what my abilities can do to their friends.

I took a calming breath to steady my nerves. To fight death, one must learn to kill.

I ran full force at the soldiers. They aimed at me, but didn't fire, waiting for me to teleport, waiting for the tell-tale signs for me to grab my cloak, to hunch over.

That's what I wanted. In mid step, I twirled my body around, like some dark dancer, my cape flowed around me with the force of my actions. The soldiers realized too late my intentions and fired into the air where I once was. I reappeared before one of them and with a swift move shoved my knife through his gut. The man let out a cry of pain but, in an unexpected move, he reached out and gripped my cape.

"I have him, he's here!" the soldier cried out, holding me close.

I watched as his comrades turned and, acting quickly, shoved a leg between my captors' feet and tripped him, making sure I hit the ground back first as I fell. So, instead of hitting solid ground, I fell through my cape. In the brief darkness, I twisted the knife in the soldier's gut, releasing a final cry from him and loosening his grip.

We reappeared above another soldier and fell upon his unsuspecting head with a sickening crack. Ignoring the pain now spreading through my back, I rolled as soon as I hit the ground. Hearing the gun fire whip past me, I gripped my cape as I rolled and vanished once again.

Back into the action, I rolled across the ground, my path now colliding with the ankles of the third solider who fell down with a cry of surprise. I stopped rolling, preparing to leap back through my cape, when a gunshot tore through my leg. With a silent gasp, I fell to the ground only to have another shot glance my shoulder, tearing the skin.

I lay there, dazed and in pain, feeling warm wetness seep through my costume.

'"Finally got you, demon," the soldier who had fired swore, stepping up towards me, gun pointed at my head.

Behind him, his fallen companion was starting to get up. I watched as he walked towards me, finger on the trigger. I watched as his careless foot treaded on top of my cape that rested beneath me.

Without warning, the man's entire leg vanished beneath the ground. As he fell, I struck out with the knife still clenched in my hand. The blow struck the man straight through the forehead. Blood shot out, splattering my face and costume.

In shock, I rolled away from the carnage, forcing the trapped leg to separate from the body. The leg went flying out of some random wall while the nub that remained bled fiercely. The remaining soldier seemed to have lost whatever fighting spirit he had left and fell to the ground, his face chalk white as he stared wordlessly at his mauled comrade.

I averted my eyes from the scene, finding it impossible to move now with my injured leg now numb. I looked over to where Castro was pinned to see he had been left alone. The General was now making his way towards the still glowing and humming machine.

"Gotta do everything around here, don't I!" the General exclaimed, the blade out and ready to cleave the entire device in two.

I looked over to the man and his machine. Surprisingly, I did not see William cower away from the giant mech steadily making its way towards him. Instead, the man stood his ground in front of the flashing consoles, his finger resting on a particular red button.

"It's over, Bradley, all of your men are dead and there's nothing left to stop me from pushing this button and finally seeing my son!"

"You press that button and you're a dead rat. You hear me, William?!" the General shouted, the mech advancing, blade raised.

"No! You don't scare me anymore ,Bradley!" William returned.The then brought out a pistol from his coat, aiming it dead center at the man in the mech suit.

Bradley froze. "Son..." the general said slowly, his hands raised in surrender. "Think about what you're doing..."

"I've done that all my life, Bradley," William said, gun still aimed at the general. "Think but not act, and look where it's gotten me. So, I had a new thought. What if I did the opposite? I did so when I enlisted for your team, I did so when I suggested making a teleportation device, and I did so when I deceived you all and kidnapped the children. And now...I am going to do so again."

With that, William pressed his finger down on the button. Immediately, electricity surged out from the consoles and through the wires that connected to the machine. With a loud wail, the portal device exploded to life. Where it had once opened simply to the wall, vibrant greens and yellows began swirling inside it.

"Yes! Yes! Take me to my boy! Take me to Adam!" William cried out in delight, leaping over the consoles and racing towards the giant swirling machine.

"Nooooo!" Bradley roared. Firing up his mech, he began the pursuit, only to be blocked from his path my Castro leaping in front of him.

"Out of my way, damnit!" the General shouted as the giant blade swung through the air, missing the scientist by mere inches.

I, once again, tried to stand but my injured leg refused. Pain coursed through my body at the attempt and I fell back down to the ground.

Looking around, I caught sight of Robin's bow-staff, lying still beside Bosko's corpse. Yet, just as I made to go towards it, a movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned towards it to see the remaining solider standing over me, gun pointing at my head. Without a word, the man pulled the trigger, but only a faint click answered him. The man stared at the gun in horror. "Damnit!" he cried, continuously clicking the trigger at me.

Giving him a stern look, I pulled my cloak over me and reappeared by the fallen staff. Doing my best not to look at the bleeding body nearby, I gripped the staff and, using both it and a table, I managed to bring myself to one foot.

However, nearly all the adrenaline had worn off by now and I could now feel the pain in my shoulder from Sherman's bullet wound coupled with the one in my leg, and it was all I could do to remain standing beside that table.

I looked across the room to see the soldier still trying to fire his gun, though a sudden cry broke his and my attention.

"Daddy!" a shrill voice from the cage called.

"Benny!" the soldier exclaimed. I watched as he ran over to the cage. "Benny, my god!"

I turned my attention from the cage to Castro and Bradley. The General cursing and swinging while the scientist seemed to dodge the blade with little effort. From there, I looked to the giant machine. William now stood before the mass of swirling greens and yellows still calling out to it.

"Take me to my son! Take me to Adam!"

I was about to turn my attention away, believing William to have gone insane, when I saw the device spring to life. But just as I did, a streak of red appeared, swirling through the greens and yellows. I watched, amazed, as more reds appeared, as if the previous glowing colors were parting to let the other colors take over.

In mere seconds, all traces of the yellows and greens vanished. What now rested in the portal was a scene of what I would imagine was in some of those science fiction movies Gizmo always tried to make us watch.

The sky was all reds, blacks, and whites. Large chunks of rock floated in mid air as if gravity had all vanished from the land.

William let out a cry of joy. "Yes, yes! It worked! It's open!"

"William, step away from it!" Castro called.

I looked over to see he had taken his eyes of the battle for a moment, focused on William. I watched in horror as the General took this opportunity to strike. With a cry of triumph, the mech swung its bladed arm. Castro immediately realized the danger and tried to leap away. The blade missed cleaving him in two, but still caught him on the shoulder, instantly slicing arm from body. I averted my eyes as Castro's body hit the ground, looking over to see William still standing before the portal, oblivious to what was transpiring around him.

"Adam!" William called into the portal, shouting in joy. "My son, I am here! You do not have to do this alone anymore!"

And then I watched as William leapt through the portal and into the strange dimension, instantly disappearing from sight.

"No, damn you, no!" Bradley cried, the damaged mech racing towards the portal. "You aren't getting away from me, you little rat!"

I tried moving from the tables. There was no more sense in sticking around here; I would only end up dead. But moving proved a lot more difficult than standing; I only made it a few feet from the tables when a great and terrible cry roared from somewhere within the portal.

"Let's give them an entrance they won't soon forget!"

The voice itself nearly shook me off my feet. Bradley, now situated directly in front of the portal, now took a step back.

"What in the name of—"

Just then, a small figure flew through the portal. I watched as it flew over the mech and went straight for me. I did not have the time nor the ability to move out of the way and I was thrown off my feet when the body hit me.

As I fell, I saw flames suddenly erupt from the portal, instantly consuming the mech and its rider. The fire quickly expanded through the rest of the room, barely missing me and the one who had rammed me as we fell back into my cape and into the cold darkness.

...

An instant later, we were thrown back out, skidding across grass and dirt until the momentum finally left. When it did, I simply laid there, body pulsating with pain, warm morning sun on my face. After a few minutes, I heard movement from the person that had fallen through the portal and hit me.

Slowly, See-More sat up beside me, lens damaged and small smile playing on his face. "Well, hey there, Wykkyd. Long time no see."

I couldn't help but smile slightly in return, nodding in agreement, before closing my eyes once again.

Again, silence stretched on for a few minutes before See-More spoke up again. "So, um, where are we?"

"Your outside what remains of an American governmental building," Blackfire's voice answered.

I opened my eyes to see the black floating android and Red-X standing over us. The master thief chuckled. "Damn, Wykkyd, those guys sure did a number on you, didn't they?"

I merely huffed in reply, shutting my eyes again.

"Red-X is right, you're bleeding. Did you get shot?" Blackfire asked.

I shrugged, not bothering to open my eyes. It was quiet for another moment before Red-X broke the silence. "So, who are you, kid? From that get up, I can assume you aren't a soldier or a scientist."

"No way!" See-More exclaimed. "I'm a member of the H.I.V.E Five! Just like Kyd Wykkyd! I was trapped in this weird dimension place until just like a few seconds ago. Honestly, I don't even know how I got here...Did you bust me out or something, Wykkyd?"

I shook my head, already accepting that I couldn't explain to them what had transpired even if I wanted to.

"Well, this is getting nowhere fast," Red-X said with a bored sigh.

"Wykkyd," Blackfire spoke, causing me to open my eyes and see that the android was floating directly over me. "Did you find Fixit in there?"

I stared at the orb for a long second before seeing myself shake my head in its round red lens. I heard Blackfire sigh through the droid.

"Then he's..."

"Actually, Kyd Wykkyd did find Fixit," a familiar, calm voice spoke up.

I leaned up, amazed to see Castro walking towards us. One arm was missing, the other cradling a small girl. We all watched as he changed before our eyes as he walked. The tattered lab coat and handsome face dissolved away to reveal a figure with a long black robe that hid away most of his body, and a blank, bluish face with red eyes and black lines tracing down.

He smiled at my shocked expression. "Surely Blackfire told you of my undercover disguise?"

"I did," the droid assured. I could hear the chiding tongue that spoke behind it. "Apparently, he did not pay much attention."

At that, I averted my eyes. I had completely forgotten about Fixit's disguise.

"Aw, you guys can't blame Wykkyd. He's always day dreaming, even in class back at H.I.V.E Academy! Our teachers used to get so mad cause he never paid attention—"

At this point, I had no choice but to throw See-More a silencing glare. Though, the damage had already been done.

"Did he now?" Red-X asked with a chuckle. "Good to know creepy quiet boy still has his flaws."

"Back to more pressing matters," Fixit cut in, much to my relief. He adjusted the child in his arm. "The device is completely destroyed along with most of the building, as you both have seen. I have searched what was left of the warehouse and the only survivors are us and the one I am currently carrying. I hope, Blackfire, that this isn't too much of a setback for you."

"No, no," the droid replied with a sigh. "While the device would have saved us all a lot of time, what is important is that we have Fixit and can leave this place without anyone being the wiser. And you...See-More, was it? If what you say is true, and you were a former teammate of Wykkyd's, I'll expect that you will join in his mission seeing as the others were friends of yours as well."

"Wait...What mission?" See-More asked. Standing up, he looked from the floating robot to me. "Wykkyd...What is she talking about? Where are Mammoth, Gizmo, and the others?"

I felt my throat tighten when he said that and suddenly no longer had the will to look up from the ground.

"I'm sorry, but we do not have time for this right now," Fixit spoke softly. "Kyd Wykkyd is losing a lot of blood and we are doing ourselves no favors by standing out in the open like this."

"Right," Blackfire agreed. "Red-X, See-More, help Wykkyd and let's g., I will explain the next phase of the plan when we get back to the headquarters."

I felt my body tremble when See-More and Red-X lifted me. I never felt more useless than when they had to basically drag me back. My entire body feeling was growing as numb as the leg that got shot. Though, it wasn't long before a soothing blackness began to settle over my eyes as they dragged me. I welcomed it, longing for anything to ease the pain that still tore through my numerous bullet wounds.

At this rate, I might have been better off frozen in my cell. At least in there I would never get shot... and never be embarrassed by my horrible school habits...

Stupid friends.