Anti looked down on them, eyes glowing green just like the robots were now. 

Looking around the room, they could see just how many robots there were. 

Easily around fifty or so.

Anti was dripping with blood, a wild grin on his face. He was spasming and glitching in real life.

"I can't tell if it's worse than before or not" Chase muttered to Jackie, "Last time, he was rambling random nonsense but now . . .he seems more composed for some reason."

"Well that's not good" Jackie whimpered a little.

"Why?"

"Because then that means he's in the right state of mind and THINKING"

Anti tilted his head to the side, still grinning. The robots all turned their heads onto them.

"̴D̸o̷ ̵y̴o̸u̸ ̸l̵i̶k̴e̶ ̵m̵y̴ ̶l̴i̶t̶t̷l̷e̴ ̴p̸u̴p̴p̴e̴t̶s̵?̶"̷  Anti giggled.

Jackie looked around, "Uh . . ..  yeah . .. yeah. They're. . . they're really nice, Anti" he tried to see if he could play along and survive.

Anti just chuckled, smiling, "̵L̸i̸a̷r̸"̶

"Anti?" Chase spoke up, "Anti, please. I know you're not yourself right now. You connected to the internet, right? Again? Remember what I said before?"

Anti glitched, his whole body spasming, ̴"̴ ̶.̸ ̴.̸ ̷.̵ ̶D̷o̷ ̷y̶o̶u̶ ̶r̴e̵m̴e̵m̵b̶e̸r̴?̵ ̷.̸ ̸.̵ ̴.̶.̸ ̸T̵h̵e̴r̸e̵ ̴a̴r̴e̵ ̷n̴o̶ ̵s̵t̸r̴i̸n̶g̵s̴ ̶o̸n̷ ̸m̵e̴!̵.̷ ̵.̸ ̴.̴ ̴I̴ ̷A̵M̴ ̷I̵N̵ ̴C̴O̸N̴T̷R̵O̷L̶!̵"̷

Jackie whimpered, "You were saying? Sounds like nonsense to me"

Anti gripped onto the bar on the balcony and started to crush in his his hands. He looked to be fighting something.

"Anti?" Chase tried again, "You're right. . .you're in control." he took his gun out, "Please, man, don't make me shoot you again"

All the robots turned to face Jackie and Chase and pointed their arms at them.

"This isn't good" Jackie tried to hover over to Chase to try and protect him somehow, "The robots have torpedos on them"

"WHAT?!"

Anti shook the balcony bar in his hands, shaking it and laughed quite insanely, "̴H̷E̶H̶E̶H̷E̶H̴E̵H̴E̴H̷E̴H̸E̷H̶H̵!̶ ̷   H̷I̷S̴ ̷B̸O̴D̵Y̴ ̷W̴A̴S̷ ̶W̸E̵A̵K̵!̷ ̴I̸ ̷H̷E̸A̸R̸ ̷Y̴O̴U̵ ̶S̷C̷R̵E̷A̸M̴I̴N̸G̶!̵ ̴I̷ ̸H̷E̴A̷R̶ ̶Y̸O̸U̷!̵ ̴I̸ ̴H̶E̶A̶R̷ ̵Y̷O̸U̵ ̶M̴O̸C̸K̴I̶N̴G̸ ̶M̶E̷!̶ ̴F̶U̸C̷K̶ ̵Y̷O̴U̶! T̷H̵I̶S̷ ̵W̷I̶L̸L̷ ̶S̸H̵U̷T̵ ̶Y̷O̶U̸ ̴U̷P̷!̶ ̴T̸H̵I̵S̸ ̸W̵I̶L̵L̷ ̶S̴I̷L̷E̴N̸C̶E̶ ̸Y̸O̸U̵ ̷A̸L̸L̷!̸"̸̸̷

"ANTI!"

The robots all spoke at once, "Weapons engaged. Firing in Three. . .."

Jackie grabbed hold of Chase and forced them on the ground, hovering over him. At least if he died, he could protect Chase.

Anti grinned, "̷T̸w̵o̸ ̵.̶ ̸.̶ ̶.̸ ̶.̸"̸

Chase's life flashed before his eyes. Seeing his family just how they were when everything was good. When they were all happy together.

His wife and son smiling and laughing together with him.

'I'm so sorry. I'm coming home. . .'

"ONE"

Jackie suddenly felt a presence over them and heard all the weapons on the robots firing at them.

Except. . .

They were alive.

Jackie looked up and saw Marvin had returned!

"MARVIN!!?"

Chase looked up and around to see a sort of force field dome surrounding them, protecting them from harm and saw Marvin fucking glowing!

"THE WIZARD'S BACK!? WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU, MAN!?"

Marvin didn't answer and waited until all the robot's weapons were used up which didn't take too long.

When they all shut down, Marvin let down the force field, looking up at Anti.

Anti didn't look particularly upset. He didn't look really happy or angry. Perhaps that was a part of the toll that the internet had taken on him, corrupting him.

Marvin eyed him, trying to get a read on him, "I'm sorry, Anti. You made an unnecessary sacrifice because of me being pulled away . . . it won't happen again. It's safe now. Everything's going to be okay" he tried to reason with him.

Anti still held an emotionless smile on his face, unblinking. He breathed heavily through his nose and the only sound made by him was the blood dripping off of him down to the floor through the grates.

Jackie cleared his throat, "Yeah, I don't think reasoning is gonna work, Marv"

Anti suddenly glitched and landed in front of Marvin. He spasmed and it looked painful but he still had that menacing smile on his face.

That was when Marvin noticed that Anti was limping slightly. He was still in pain from when Chase had shot him in the leg before.

"̴T̷i̶m̶e̷ ̶.̴ ̴.̵ ̶.̵.̶ ̷i̵s̶ ̵a̴l̶l̴ ̸b̸r̴o̷k̴e̴n̴ ̶.̷ ̶.̴ ̴.̸ ̴.̴ ̶.̷ ̷y̸o̷u̵ ̴s̶t̷o̶p̸p̷e̶d̸ ̶p̸a̴y̸i̶n̴g̶ ̶a̸t̵t̶e̴n̷t̴i̷o̷n̸.̸ ̶I̸ ̴a̷m̶ ̵h̶e̵r̴e̶ ̷n̴o̶w̵.̷ ̵"̷

Marvin blinked, realizing that Anti was trying to communicate with them in a sort of strange way.

He tried to go into his head but Anti shoved him right back out, making Marvin take a step back.

"̸I̸f̸ ̷y̷o̸u̸ ̴w̵a̵n̶t̴ ̵h̶i̶m̶ ̷b̷a̴c̷k̴ ̵s̶o̴ ̸b̷a̶d̶l̵y̵,̴ ̷t̵h̴e̸n̵ ̸w̵h̸y̴ ̷d̶o̷n̸'̷t̵ ̶Y̷O̷U̷ ̷s̵a̸v̷e̸ ̷h̵i̵m̶!̸?̷.̷ ̴.̶ ̵.̶ ̶.̵.̸ ̷ ̵I̸t̵'̸s̸ ̵t̸i̸m̴e̴ ̴t̶o̶ ̸t̶a̷k̴e̷ ̶o̴f̶f̵ ̵t̴h̵e̷ ̵m̸a̶s̵k̶s̵"̸̶

"The hell is he talking about?" Jackie asked, "Marvin? Do you understand? Isn't it just nonsense?"

Marvin shook his head, "I don't think so . . . I think he's trying to say something but he's struggling. It's like there's something else trying to take over."

"The internet" Chase gave the answer, "It's corrupted him again. What do we do? Can you even do anything?"

Anti tilted his head at Marvin before suddenly pulling out a knife and slashing it towards him!

Marvin doubled back and got into a defense. He looked down to see that Anti had managed to cut him, just barely breaking the skin on his chest through his shirt.

Anti giggled before suddenly frowning, turning serious, "̸I̷t̶'̵s̵ ̵t̵i̵m̴e̸ ̴t̸o̵ ̵d̵i̶e̷"̴

Anti lunged towards him again but Marvin dodged, "Jackie! His leg!"

Without much else instruction, Jackie understood the assignment and while Anti was focused on Marvin, he bolted towards him kicked him in his bad leg.

Anti gave out a sort of yelp mixed with something like a bear roar which was terrifying. He limped more, trying not to place a lot of weight on it.

His eye started twitching and he gave out something resembling a whimper.

It made Chase's heart hurt, "Anti? Anti, come on, dude! You can do it! Just focus and power through! Come back!"

He pointed his gun at Anti's same leg. He didn't want to shoot him in the other leg and take out his entire ability to walk, "Don't make me do it, man"

"DO IT!" Jackie yelled at him.

Marvin suddenly grabbed hold of Anti with his powers, making him freeze all movement, "Anti . . . I'm not letting you go until you're sane again. Let me in your head. I can help you"

"You couldn't do that last time, though, you said" Chase asked.

"Last time, I was following a million paged rule book" he answered.

Jackie's eyes widened. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what that implied.

Anti struggled and started to spasm and glitch again. He practically roared at them, trying to break free. 

And for a moment, it was starting to work. Even with as powerful as Marvin was, Anti was just as strong, trying to force his way out of the hold.

It actually scared Marvin.

"DAMMIT, ANTI!" Chase was tired of it all and shot him in the same leg.

Anti let out a screech and started to bleed on the floor with his own blood.

But it only seemed to piss him off even more this time.

Chase lowered the gun, "Oh shit . .. it. . .it didn't work"

"What do we do now?" Jackie was at a complete loss.

Anti suddenly broke free of Marvin's bond and took a step to attack him.

Only to stop of his own accord.

They all stared at him, confused.

Anti had this strange look in his eyes almost glazed over.

Marvin saw behind him, "Jameson?"

The mute had just entered the room, sensing that Anti needed help.

Anti was still in a sort of trance, not really looking at them or anyone.

Jameson came closer.

"No, wait, James!" Jackie shouted at him, "We don't know what's going on! He could-"

Marvin held his hand out to shut him up, "No . ..  let him get closer"

It was almost as if. . . . Jameson was in Anti's head. Marvin couldn't breach his mind but Jameson had no problems doing so with the mind reading bond they shared.

Jameson turned Anti around gently to face him and hugged him, holding him tight and fondly as if they were the best of friends. Perhaps in Jameson's mind, they were, since they were bonded as such.

Anti dropped the knife in his hand and blinked.

His eyes had a sort of clarity again, full of confusion and exhaustion.

And then suddenly. . .pain.

"Ow. . . . James?"

Suddenly, Chase felt a rush of jealousy. Why was he not able to get through to Anti this time but Jameson was? Didn't Anti share a bond with him, too?

"Anti?" Marvin tried to get his attention, "Are you . . are you alright, now?"

Anti stepped away from Jameson and flinched, "Ow . .. my leg. . . .Marvin? You're back . . .. what happened? Did Chase shoot me again?"

Chase hid the gun behind his back.

It all came back to Anti very quickly, "I. . . I tried to kill you guys. I was trying to protect you and I ended up almost. . I thought I could control it that time. I'm sorry"

They all relaxed a little.

Jackie groaned, cracking his back, "It's okay. I forgive you. You weren't exactly yourself, spouting weird nonsense. Do you even know what you were saying?"

Anti seemed confused again, "Not really. I saw more flashes, though, I think. The crystal . . . . and Dark. Nothing makes sense, still, though"

"Great"

Jameson pat Anti's shoulder as if telling him everything was alright now.

"But it's not, James" Anti shook his head, "Because of me now, all the robot's power is drained. The entire reason we came here is ruined because of me and my stupidity"

"It's not stupid to want to protect your friends" Chase muttered, "But I mean. . . I guess it WAS kinda dumb of you"

"It's fine" Marvin shook his head, "We don't need the light from the robots anymore"

Jackie stared at him, a little annoyed, "What? The hell do you mean by that? That's the entire reason we CAME here in the first place."

"Remember what you said to me the other night, Jackie? Before I left in that cab?"

"Uh . .. . I say a lot of things"

Anti blinked at him, his leg slightly up in the air to keep weight off of it, " . . . . .you were forcibly teleported. By your council"

Marvin nodded, "Correct. They didn't want me here anymore. They were going to take away my magic because they were afraid I'd break the rules and go against them"

Marvin pointed his hand to Anti's leg and it glowed, closing the wound for him. He healed him.

Jackie's eyes widened, "Uh . .. well NOW you broke a rule. Thought you said you weren't allowed to heal people?"

"I wasn't" Marvin smirked, "Just like how I wasn't allowed to teleport or harm another human being."

"What?"

Marvin just shrugged, putting his mask back down over his face, "What can I say? Shit hit the fan, the council was going to ruin everything. The law can only go so far, right?"

Chase didn't know what was going on but suddenly, the wizard was a lot cooler than before.

"Right" Jackie nodded and smiled, " . . . so what now?"

Jameson tapped on his pocket watch to remind everyone.

Anti swallowed and licked his lips nervously, "Now we find that crystal and save Henrik before time is up. We only have a day and a half left"