The icy cold tendrils wrapped themselves around Travis and seemed to tighten as he struggled to phase through them. Ice cold and cruel, they strangled him as he cried out to his dying friend. He choked on his words and the pain as he watched Jessie spit blood.

"And now I take care of the trash." Plague said as he approached Travis. He walked slowly savoring his impending victory.

"Jessie, Jessie I'm sorry! I tried Jessie, please know I did!" Travis screamed as he watched his friend die in front of him.

"There's no point in trying to reach him, I split his heart in two. By now he's spending quality time with your brother out in the Void." Plague jeered as he sauntered toward him.

"I'll hate you! I swear I'm going to kill you." Travis screamed at Plague meaning every word.

Travis desperately tried to phase through the concrete, the tendrils, anything.

If I can just get out of here I-

The temperature in the hangar dropped so drastically that it sent Travis reeling as he struggled against the sudden pressure. The biting ice of the black tendrils couldn't compare to the overwhelming blizzard radiating behind Plague. Travis raised his head only to see Plague himself struggling against the sheer cold, on his face was an emotion he had never seen him make. Fear.

"NOOOO!" Plague cried as he unleashed the largest tendril he could manage at Jessie's smiling corpse.

Another wave of cold hit the two, completely evaporating the conjured weapon Plague used. Travis shivered as he stared on, watching his best friend slowly pull the sword from his chest. A thick stream of blood and smoke poured forth. Jessie swung the blade, the tip now resting on the floor, and the blood left on the blade smeared a line on the floor. The smoke hung in the air before slowly making its way above his head forming a solid black ring above it.

"A-a hal-lo" Travis said through chattering teeth.

"This is bad." Plague said as pressed his finger to his ear. "We have a situation."

Who's he talking to?

As if to answer his question a thundering boom beside him send dust and wooden splinters at him. He coughed as his vision began to clear, he gritted his teeth as he watched Kazimir stroll towards him completely ignoring the black smoke engulfing Jessie.

"Where is she?" Kazimir asked as he grabbed hold of Travis' jaw.

"Go f-fuck yourself." Travis said before spitting on him.

Kazimir scowled before turning to Plague.

"Handle that Plague, before I turn that soft head of yours into mush." Kazimir said.

With a wave of his hand, Plague released Travis dropping him into Kazimir's grip. Travis choked as Kazimir squeezed his neck tightly.

Out of the corner of his eye Travis watched as the black smoke billowing around Jessie forced itself into his back. With everyone's attention now turned to him Jessie ripped off his bloody shirt exposing his dark skin, free of any wound.

Black lettering written in a font Travis didn't recognize ran down Jessie's spine.

"Icon of Sin?" Travis said as Kazimir let go of his throat now turning his full attention toward Jessie.

"You said this wasn't possible Plague!" Kazimir cried out in anger.

"It shouldn't be! I don't know why or how this is happening. None of Seth's clones were pure enough to retain the trait that allowed this." Plague replied his eyes full of deep terror.

"What trait is that?" Kazimir asked as the room's temperature returned to normal.

"None of us were allergic to cats." Plague said taking a step back.

"Jessie's been allergic to cats since he was seven." Travis said as he rose to his feet.

"Fuck." Kazimir said softly. "Damn Seth, even from the grave he's messing with my life."

A tense silence fell on the three as they watched the revitalized Jessie, all waiting for what came next. Travis watched as the two men beside him shuddered in fear, the sight sent shivers down his spine.

Why are these two so worked up, what's going on?

A sudden shaky breath broke the silence leaving the three confused.

"Gods I had forgotten what it was like to breathe, it's nice." Jessie said as he turned to face the three onlookers.

Travis stood terrified, he looked into his best friend's eyes and did not recognize the man behind them. A brilliant blue stared back at him, so fierce and bright. The man held up the sword in his right hand testing the weapon's weight. Deciding he didn't like there he moved it to his left.

"There, much better." The man said as he gave the sword a few practice swings.

"Who are you?" Travis asked. He felt his confidence vanish as the man turned to face him and almost scowled at him.

"I am going to be your salvation, for I've been charged with dispatching of these two men beside you." The man replied in a superior tone.

Travis stood dumbfounded, he watched as the man placed his free hand on his chest and wrapped himself in black smoke. As he finished a black shirt clung onto him.

"Can you do that?" Kazimir asked Plague.

"I don't even know what he did." Plague replied surprised.

"I don't care what your plans are clown but know this. If you intend to cause harm to any of this young man's loved ones, I will be forced to strike you down." The man said sternly.

Why does this guy sound so familiar? And why is wearing Jessie like a meat suit?

"We have no chance against the bird's strength Kazimir, we need to run and regroup." Plague said taking another step back.

"Oh, you aren't going anywhere young fowl." The man said.

In an instant, the man was beside Travis holding Plague's severed hand in his hand. Plague cried out in pain as he held onto the stump where his hand had rested.

"That was for Sir Toby's broken finger." the man said as he tossed aside the limb.

As it landed on the ground all but the blood disappeared turning into a small billow of smoke.

"So I guess that answers my question about the severed limbs." Kazimir said with a chuckle.

"Not the time!" Plague cried out as a new hand shot forth from his stump sending blood spraying the ground in front of him.

"Who are you." Travis asked stunned.

"Please try not to get in my way Travis, I have some business to take care of." The man said with an air of annoyance.

"Besides, we've already met and I'm not a fan of how you treat birds."

"L?" Travis asked as Plague tackled the man.

Travis watched in awe as L didn't move an inch against Plague's pushing. Looking more annoyed by the second, L sighed and slammed his elbow into the top of Plague's head cracking it open with ease. Plague's body slumped to the ground, his head a bloody mess of viscera and what was in his skull.

"Stop right there!" Kazimir cried out as his hair peeled his face back.

"Watch out!" Travis cried out.

L turned to face Kazimir head-on completely unaffected by the monster's gaze, he raised his sword and thrust it directly into his eye. As Kazimir screeched in pain L pulled the sword free pulling off the destroyed eye from the blade.

"So much power and it was useless the one moment you needed it most. How pathetic." He said admiring the eye before crushing it in his hand.

"What the hell are you?!" Kazimir screamed as he clutched the spot where his eye used to rest.

L scoffed at him without answering, placing the blade back in its sheathe. Right as he began to speak Plague grabbed hold of his neck. His head still healing he grunted in exertion as he tried desperately to choke L.

"GO!" he cried out as L grabbed hold of his arm shattering it with ease.

Before he could react Kazimir grabbed hold of Travis before running off, his powerful legs kicking off immediately putting distance between him and L. Before he could phase away Kazimir struck the top of Travis' head disorienting him.

"Where did you hide her?!" Kazimir screamed as he laid blow after blow into Travis' skull.

Between blurred vision and a throbbing skull, he watched as L pulled Plague down from his neck before slamming him into the ground. The force shook the whole building, causing Kazimir to stumble before regaining his balance. Travis watched as L slowly raised his leg before slamming it down crushing Plague's skull entirely. The force of the blow sent cracks spreading from the point of impact.

Holy shit

"Where is my daughter?!" Kazimir asked shaking a dazed Travis.

"You're so screwed." Travis said smugly. Nervously he peered in the direction of the cabinet where he had hidden Mia.

"We'll see about that!" Kazimir said with a smile.

Shit, I gave her away!

He tossed Travis aside as he ran toward where Travis had looked before.

"L! He's over here!" Travis cried out terrified.

He watched as Kazimir tore apart the cabinet side revealing a screaming Mia. Travis crawled desperately to stop Kazimir, desperate to keep his promise to Jessie.

"Leave her alone Kazimir!"

With fear in his eyes, he watched as Kazimr peeled back his face once again, his hair revealing his missing eye. Mia's cries suddenly stopped as her body shook violently from the pain of her father's gaze tore her mind apart.

"Nooooo!" Travis screamed as he shakily rose to his feet.

Out of the corner of Travis' eye, L appeared falling from the sky, blade in hand - a moment later the blade sunk into Kazimir's neck. He landed with such force it drove the blade clear through his chest before sinking into the metal floor. With one final twist, L snapped the blade in half leaving half inside Kazimr's dying body.

Travis stared in awe as L tucked the broken blade back into its sheathe, before turning to see a convulsing Mia. Sprinting as hard as his battered body could, Travis reached Mia and began clearing the area around her. He moved Mia to her side desperate to stop her from choking, he watched, looking for any signs of choking.

No bluish color, good.

The world, as if to punish Travis for his hope, suddenly began to shake all around them. The catwalk above them crumpled and fell to the ground as the most intense earthquake Travis had ever thought possible shook the entire underground base.

"I-in the end I-I got what I w-wanted." Kazimir said as he laughed. The bells at the end of his hair chimed as he laughed hysterically.

It pained Travis to hear his laughter, he seethed in anger as he watched the clown with every breath spray blood. As the shaking intensified Travis turned his attention to the sound of metal breaking above them. He watched as another piece of the catwalk broke apart before plummeting onto the mangled body of Kazimir silencing his laughter once and for all.

Good riddance.

"It seems you've returned, a little early but that doesn't matter now." Travis heard L say from behind him.

Before turning to face him a stray piece of concrete landed beside him sending shards of rock toward Mia. On instinct, he sheltered her with his body taking every hit as rubble landed all around them. He grunted in pain as blow after blow landed trying his best to shield her from the falling debris.

"Correct." L said to no one in particular.

"L, we have to find the others and get out of here before this place comes crashing down on us!" Travis cried out as another chunk of rubble slashed his arm.

"Of course, just remember you now owe me a favor. Don't you forget that Jessie." L said ominously.

An ice-cold familiarity washed over Travis as another billow of smoke ravaged the area around them. He felt his open wounds sting as the cold seemed to try to enter him through them, he turned to see the halo above L's head disappear. As the smoke billowed away he fell to his knees unable to gain his balance during the earthquake.

Familiar green eyes stared back and smiled.