Chase huddled against the wall as much as he could. His body was certain that if he didn't get up and run that he was going to die, but he just couldn't bring himself to move. It had happened again. He'd lost control. The figure from his nightmares. The shadow that haunted him and his twin was here. He was back. Anti crouched before him like a predator on the verge of striking. Finally encouraging Chase to break his silence to blurt out in a broken voice. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Anti tilted his head, answering in a deep distorted voice. "I'm tired of playing pretend. Jack tried to get rid of me... but I'm not going anywhere." Chase screamed as Anti grabbed his throat, bringing his face to his when he added angrily. "I've been tortured, cut, and maimed for too long! They want to see what Anti-matter can do? I'll fucking show them!" Anti rose to his feet, dragging Chase by his throat as he limped down the hallway. Chase thrashed and pleaded with him, but Anti ignored him. His grip too tight to escape from.

Choking, Chase clawed at Anti's wrist, pleading out more desperately. "Why me? What did I do to you?!" Anti released him, moving to a door panel to place his hand over. Allowing green static to dance over the console, while he answered flatly. "Your body matches your twin. I'm familiar with it. Your body is healthy. Your brother's is weak. I'm trading up." Laying across the floor, Chase strained out through sniffles. "You killed them... Tell me why!" The doors hissed open, and Anti turned back toward him, his eyes flickering with a distorted quality when he said dryly. "I didn't kill them, Chase. You did." Shaking his head, Chase screamed out as tears ran down his cheeks. "I DIDN'T! I WOULDN'T!" In a ripple of sparks, Anti was kneeling before him grabbing his chin as he told him with a sinister grin. "Yes. You did. She was leaving you. She was taking your kids. You HATED her! You hated how she was abandoning you! You hated working a dead-end job. Hated that your best friend and twin was more successful than you. You were alone when he fell into a coma after his accident. You are stuck in life, Chase. You can't rest, sleep, or eat."

Chase shook his heart, but his heart was breaking as Anti dig into him deeper. "Day in and out. Nothing ever changed for you. You wanted to go back to the way things were. When you were happy. When you had people in your life. When you weren't always trying your best and still ending up as a failure." Lowering his eyes from Anti's Chase pleaded with him through a sniffle. "Please... stop." Releasing him, Anti chuckled out. "You were suffering long before me. You practically teased me to seek you out. To make you better. To release you." Staggering onto all fours, Chase mumbled out. "I didn't want this..." Anti's fingers traced along his spine, upon cooing out seriously. "None of us wanted this. But it's what we must deal with to survive. Life isn't fair... So why should we be fair?" Chase banged a fist on the ground, snapping out weakly. "You killed them! You put him in a coma! You... you took everything from me!" Anti's fingers curled around the back of his neck, giving his scruff a light squeeze, when he whispered to him. "If you weren't such a failure, you could have stopped me. But it's too late. I'm all you've got in the world now."

Chase hated that he was strangely comforted by that. Anti's fingers stroked the tension from his throat, telling him in a soothing warm tone. "Stick with me, Lad. You'll be happy again. You'll be free from the same old routes." Anti's fingers flicked Chase's ear playfully, telling him with a confident grin. "In fact... Come with me. I'll make you some new friends." Chase sat up on his heels, watching Anti gesture down the open hallway. Easing up to his feet, Chase slowly trailed after Anti. From other doors, he heard muffled voices screaming and banging on the doors. Trying to get his attention, but he couldn't hear what they said. The blaring alarm of the building was silent, but the red light still flashed to light up the hallway. As Anti approached one of the doors, he told Chase with a grin. "This is Dark-matter. You can call him Dark for short." Inside the room, the man grinned and slid his arms off the door. Stepping back as he ordered lightly. "Let me out, Anti. They'll bring reinforcements soon."

Putting a hand to the door, Anti winced as the door unlocked and swung open. Dark cracked his neck, stepping out as he stretched and told Anti excitedly. "It's good to be out. Release Natemare and let's get out of here." Anti nodded, placing a hand on Chase to steer him toward the other door.

Jack

The smell of fresh sheets filled his nose. Warmth cased him and the softness of the bed seemed to soak him in. Faintly he heard voices over him but was too tired to open his eyes. So, he just strained to listen as the voices grew louder. One of them coming in clear first was heavily accented in a German dialect. "I don't care what your vision saw! We should have gone back for him! Chase is just as vulnerable to him! We could have gotten EVERYONE out!" The second voice huffed, before retorting. "You can't just keep rewinding time and expect a better outcome! Anti is onto your games! I'm ordering you to stop! Before you kill us all, trying to save HIM!" The first man sounded bitter now, when he corrected. "I DID save him. Look at him! This time it worked!" The second groaned, then grimly shot back. "But for how long?! Henrik, Jack's condition is Anti's doing! You can repair what he's done to Jack's body... but Anti will do it again! Jack can't live as long as Anti lives! And we can't kill him without killing Jack!"

Henrik's voice turned confident and amused when he corrected hastily. "AH! But that is where you are wrong, Marvin! I.R.I.S. managed to pull Anti free of him. They isolated Anti. They harnessed his energy. We can do the same! We can get him out now, Marvin!" Marvin's voice was dismissive as he said flatly. "No, we can't! Anti isn't just some demon we can expel. He's an entity that formed from Jack when he came in contact with that fucking tablet! Cutting him out is what is killing Jack!" Henrik moved about the room, yelling out. "At least, I'm trying to save him! Look into your magic ball and find us a way to fix this!" Marvin's voice came out grim and dejected now as he said. "I tried. The most I can gather... I.R.I.S. did this. They are linked to the tablet. They... They brought Antimatter here! To use him. But... out of the whole village... Jack is the only one who survived. It's bonded with HIM. And I.R.I.S. won't rest until they get their assets back."

Jack shivered as a hand touched his forehead to check his temperature. Henrik's voice calmer and softer when he told Marvin. "I won't let them take him away. They're torturing him, Marvin. They are killing him to release Anti... I won't let it happen. I do care how long it takes. I'll fix this." Marvin's voice was gentler now, but he said firmly. "I understand. But that's why we couldn't go back. I saw a vision... Jack will wake up. When Anti bonds with Chase." Henrik's voice was troubled now when he asked. "You sacrificed him?" Marvin answered guiltily now. "Yes. It's the only way. Only Jack can get rid of Anti. No one loves Jack more than Chase. Jack can save Chase... but Anti had to take him first." Henrik straightened up, muttering aloud. "That is so fucked up. Marvin, Chase is not in a good place! To do that... What if your vision is wrong again? What if we lose him? Them BOTH!" Marvin's voice was serene when he said honestly. "That's a risk that I have to take."

Jack almost felt like crying, until he felt a sharp pain sear across his chest. Jerking upright in bed, Jack clutched his chest and wheezed out. "Fuck...! That hurt!" Henrik stared in awe of him. While Marvin whispered almost to himself. "It's started. Anti's got Chase."  To Be Continued...