All the air left Mark's lungs. Lowering his head to rest it against his arms, his body went numb. The thought of having lost Sean had made his emotions fade out to a black void. Across the room, fake Sean walked over to him. Fake Sean's voice was remorseful as he told him gently. "What you feel will pass with time. Mark, I-" Without looking up, Mark bluntly cut her off to state out in a lifeless voice. "You are dead to me." He felt fake Sean's hand touch his back, causing adrenaline to shoot through his veins like fire across gasoline. Tensing, he jerked his head up to glare at him. Fake Sean jerked his hand off him, then yelped as Mark grabbed his throat. He wished his implants were still in to crash her throat, but he squeezed with every last bit of strength he had. In his panic, Fake Sean grabbed his wrist and squeezed until Mark was forced to let go or risk losing his hand. Fake Sean's eyes teared up, upon saying shakily. "I know you don't mean this... You're hurt... I under-" Mark yanked his hand out of his lose grip, cutting him off to yell out. "NO, YOU DON'T! I'm well past hurt! I could forgive you for a lot of things... but this is NOT one of them!"

Fake Sean tried to touch his face, but he smacked her hand away without holding anything back. He wanted nothing to do with her now. He felt betrayed. Mother had never hurt him so deeply and every part of him refused to acknowledge that he even knew her. Tears rolled down fake Sean's face as he said in a shaky voice. "Mark... In time, you will see-" Mark shook his head, turning it to look away from her as he interjected sternly. "I don't want to hear it. You are nothing to me. You used me. You lied to me. You manipulated me. You betrayed me. You CAGED me. You NEVER cared about me!" Mark forced himself to get to his feet, struggling to keep the weight off his broken leg. Fake Sean clung to him, rushing out in a pleading voice. "No! I didn't! I love you! You can't see that right now... but in time you will understand that this was for the best! We have to keep order or people will lose-" Mark shoved fake Sean back away from him, yelling out in a rage. "YOU DON'T GET IT! YOU'VE TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME!" Fake Sean quickly got up, retorting seriously. "NO! You have ME!"

Mark limped his way to the container, growling out. "I don't want YOU! You're not him... and you NEVER will be!" Fake Sean rushed to the doorway of the container, crying out in a broken voice. "Mark! I saved you! I love you!" Mark grabbed a surgical knife, raising it to his throat as he stated out. "No. You've killed me." Fake Sean's face fell to one of horror as he blurted out. "Mark? What are you doing?!" Tears rolled down Mark's face as he told him in a broken voice. "If I can't kill you... Then I refuse to be a prisoner in YOUR world." Fake Sean's eyes widened as he screamed out his name before dashing forward. Mark tried to slit his throat, but only nicked his throat because fake Sean moved so fast. Fake Sean yanked his arm away from his neck, but in his rushed panic... gripped too tightly and broke Mark's arm. Mark belted out an agonizing scream, falling down to his good knee. Fake Sean released his arm, his hands shaking as he realized what he'd done.

Mark leaned his shoulder against the table with the pod, waiting for the pain to pass. All across his vision were black spots. He heard the knife fall across the metal floor but couldn't feel his fingers. Fake Sean dug around in some drawers, then quickly jammed something into his neck. Mark yelped, falling across the floor in the useless hope of avoiding whatever it was he had injected in him. He felt the pain fade and was thankful... until he found himself unable to feel anything. His body was starting to feel heavy and lifeless. Fake Sean tossed the syringe into a sink, then kneeled to pick him up. Easily lifting him up, he laid him carefully into the pod. Mark weakly tried to sit up but couldn't. Turning his head, he asked him in a groggy voice. "What did you do to me...?" Fake Sean began to stick stuff to him to monitor his heart rate and other things, while saying through a sniffle. "I'm saving you from yourself. I'm going to make this right, baby." Mark couldn't move his head anymore, but he managed to say in a strained voice. "No..." Fake Sean leaned into the pod, kissing his lips briefly.

After the kiss, fake Sean whispered over his lips lovingly. "I'll make this go away. When you wake up... You won't remember any of this, I promise. You'll be happy again." Fake Sean began typing on a computer beside the pod and Mark stared at him with a defeated glare. Seeing a yellow liquid run down a tube toward his arm, he took a deep breath and stated out. "You better erase it all... because if I remember anything of him... I will find a way to kill you." Fake Sean didn't look at him, but he swallowed nervously. Mark exhaled, closing his eyes as a deep sleep started to take him over. The last thing he heard was the pod hissing shut. Then everything fell into an almost blissful silence. Part of him hoped that he'd stay like this. He didn't know what else he could do. He had no reason to keep fighting. His mind started to get fuzzy as it was forced into a dreamless sleep. He didn't want to forget Sean. Just as his thoughts began to fade to nothing... the last thought on his mind was of Sean. He never wanted to forget how he had let him go... and the moment he had come back. He loved him and he refused to forget that for as long as he could.

Outside the warehouse, Sean braced himself as Skip skidded to a stop before the closed doors. Sliding off Skip, Sean walked up to the door to open it. He struggled to pry it open, until Skip gripped it with a large paw. Skips metal claws pierced the metal, pulling it open without any resistance. Sean nodded to Skip, then stepped inside the pitch black building. The only light inside came from the door he had just opened and the open container in the center of the place. A figure in the container turned to look at him after locking up a weird cylinder inside it. When the figure saw him, Sean was rattled to hear his own voice say with disappointment. "Well, shit. You're still alive. I guess, the Valkyrie hadn't reached the Slums with your friend yet... That's disappointing. But that is why I have plan B." The figure removed a device from his pocket, holding it up for him to see. Sean gawked at this figure that looked like him but with big differences. His yellow bangs and different colored eyes were very distracting.

The yellow Sean turned a dial on the device, while telling him dismissively. "At least I will see you die for myself. I press this button and it will blow your mind." Sean reached into the messenger bag and withdrew the metal heart. Instantly, the yellow Sean took his finger off the button, stammering out in shock. "What?! How...? Where did you get that?!" With no ability to answer, Sean just flicked off himself. The bomb in his mouth may have a small explosion but clearly the heart didn't. The concussion wave from his explosive would easily trigger the heart. The yellow Sean lowered the device, huffing to himself coolly as he walked to the end of the container. Sean looked around the warehouse in the hopes of seeing Mark, but he didn't see or hear anyone else. Yellow Sean adjusted his jacket, asking a bit smugly. "Looking for someone?" Sean took a step closer toward the man, prompting the yellow Sean to say aloud. "Mark is not here." Sean didn't believe him. Taking in the container, Sean's eyes narrowed on the tube.

Sean pointed to the tube, causing the yellow Sean to glance over his shoulder. In a cool voice that gave nothing away, he told him. "That is for me. I'm trying to finish this body. Then I'm going to go see Mark." Sean shook his head. He wanted to see in the tube for himself. He started to inch closer cautiously. The yellow Sean smirked a little, suddenly telling him. "You know... I wasn't sure the building would hold against the blast... So, I made two special containers." Quickly the yellow Sean grabbed the door and started to slam it shut. Sean ran forward, but Skip leapt farther and beat him to the container. Skip's paw managed to wedge in the door, hissing as the door slammed on it. Yellow Sean cursed, kicking at Skip's paw to move it. Skip risked swiping at yellow Sean, hitting the device from his hand. The device shot up and out of the container. Sean skidded to a stop to watch the device, while yellow Sean flung the door back open to try and find it.

The second they saw it, everyone rushed after it as it flipped through the air. Yellow Sean ran for it with inhuman speed, jumping into the air. Sean watched as yellow Sean's fingers were inches from getting it, until Skip's paws hit yellow Sean's back. Skip tackled yellow Sean to the ground, then leapt off him to snap the device from the air with his mouth. Both Sean's and yellow Sean's eyes widened in horror as Skip swallowed the tiny device. Landing, Skip turned to look at them with a disappointed face. It didn't seem as satisfying as he had thought it would to get it. Sean waved at Skip to gesture him over in a hurry. The very thought the Skip's insides could trigger the bombs was panic inducing. He had to get that out of him! Skip started to trot to him, when yellow Sean grabbed the scruff of Skip's neck. Skip sank into a bow, his roar a mix of painful meowing at different vocal pitches. Skip's eyes flashed from purple to black in rapid rushes of data. Sean ran up to them, just as Skip's eyes turned a blazing red.

The yellow Sean patted Skip's side, then told Sean with a smirk. "You didn't think you could win this fight, did you? Game over. I win." Yellow Sean ran toward the container to close himself in. Sean tried to chase after him, but Skip leapt out to cut him off. Apologizing in his head, Sean stuffed the heart into the bag and threw it across the ground toward the container. The bag vanished into the container but was quickly moved out by yellow Sean. Sean stared at Skip as the container closed. He couldn't fight Skip. Skip swiped at him with razor sharp claws, causing Sean to fall back onto his ass to avoid a devastating blow. Skip let out a deep threatening purr, creeping toward him. Sean scooted back, coughing as he struggled to not swallow the stupid bomb. Falling onto his ass like that had shifted the tube back too far. Rolling over onto all fours, Sean coughed and tried not to throw up. He saw Skip's shadow raise a paw behind him, the claws extending out to their full length.

Sean's eyes watered as he struggled not to choke, when a voice rang out in the warehouse. "SKIP! Backdoor passcode." Skip's paw lowered, his head looking at Matthew. Matthew clapped his hands once and made a gesture like he was going to do it again, but his hands didn't touch. From Skip, a clicking noise happened instead. Skip's eyes then turned back to normal as he sat down, his tail curling around his feet. Ricky rushed over, patting his back as he asked him. "Sean? Are you ok?!" Sean shook his head, holding his throat. Ricky kept patting his back more, which helped to knock it forward. Matthew's eyes were red from crying, but he asked Skip in a grim tone. "Where is Mother?" Skip turned to look at the closed container. Matthew started to make his way forward, but Sean grabbed his foot and pointed to Skip. Matthew looked between him and Skip, asking confused. "What is it?" Seeing the dirt on the ground, Sean began to write out quickly. "Remote to bomb is in Skip!"

Matthew looked at Skip now, uttering out a little confused. "I really need to fix that bug... Alright, Skip. Cough it up." Skip rose to all fours, opening his mouth as wide as he could. Peeking inside, Matthew reached an arm inside and began to rummage around. Sean cringed, hoping he didn't set it off when he found it. Deciding to distract himself with Ricky, he wrote out where the key to the muzzle was. Ricky stared blankly at it, before asking him. "Who's Bradley?" Sean groaned, trying to point out at the containers. Ricky only shrugged. Sean turned to Matthew, but he was too distracted with Skip. Rolling his eyes, he got up to go to the container. He didn't see a way to open it. Picking up the bag with the heart, he hefted a sigh and shook his head, then froze. The heart was starting to make rapid beeping noises. Glancing at Matthew, he saw him pull the device from Skip's mouth, saying excitedly. "Got it." Sean ran over with the bag to show him the heart.

Matthew stiffened when he saw the blinking light on the heart. Ricky took a deep breath, asking nervously. "Um... That doesn't seem good..." Matthew looked over the device and turned a dial before pressing a button. The heart still kept beeping. Ricky read Matthew's look, asking frantically. "What?! Turn it off!" Matthew looked over the device, then fed it to Skip. Sean muffled out a scream as Skip ate it, but Matthew ran off to a computer. Standing before it, Matthew typed something out on his watch while rushing out. "The remote is useless. Mother must have changed the device wirelessly." Ricky raised an eyebrow, mumbling out to Sean. "You know what he's talking about?" Sean shrugged. He'd never played with these things. Matthew cursed, dropping his arm as he said in a panic. "I can't bring the power back on with Valhalla tower blown apart!" Matthew removed the repair tool that he had, sniffling as he said grimly. "I can try to reroute power from the medical equipment in here... but it will take- Hey!" All Sean needed to see was the tool and he snatched it from him.

Rushing to the container door, Sean set down the heart and quickly turned the tool to the one he needed. Moving closer to the hinge of the container, Sean began to stick the end to the metal and let the heated drill eat into it. He just needed to weaken the metal. With weaker support, Sean stepped back and pointed to Skip. Skip's ears perked up and Sean made a gesture of Skip racking his claws down the door. Skip curiously moved closer to look at the door and Sean did the gesture again at the hinges. Backing up, Skip adjusted to sit but lifted his claws to sharpen his nails along the heated and weakened metal. The first time he clawed it wasn't enough to break the hinges. It just loosened them from the container. The second time though, the hinges broke off and the door fell away with a loud 'BANG!' Skip and Sean scattered as the door came down. Exposing a shocked yellow Sean, at the controls of a processing computer. Matthew casually walked over to pick up the heart and it stopped beeping.

Rising from the computer stool, yellow Sean gawked at them, before uttering out in disbelief. "Matthew? You're alive? But... The Valkyrie went to see you. It confirmed you both were there." Matthew tossed the heart at the yellow Sean's feet, sniffling out in a broken voice. "I was. You didn't think Nate would save me... You were wrong. And now, I'm going to erase you... because I am the only one that knows how! Isn't that right, Mother?" Yellow Sean stiffened, saying under his breath. "Let's talk about this, Matthew." To Be Continued...