Jonathan Drouin leads the group down into the parking garage with the blade of Yzerchuk still pressed into his back, threateningly. They round the corner, looking up the ramp and into a vast, empty parking lot. Drouin halts and screws his face up.

"Drouin, where are they?" Sustr growls.

"They should be right here...I swear I didn't--"

"You're pucking with us, right Drouin?" Vladdy snarls. "In Yzerchuk we--"

Drouin spins around and smacks the blade away from him and then glares at Vladdy. "Don't you dare! I didn't lead you into a trap or off course! Marty told me to distract you and then lead you here!"

"Oh, big surprise there...where are my linemen, you draft bust!" Tyler snaps, taking a harsh step forward and getting into Drouin's face.

"Get out of my face 'Tiny TJ'. If it was a trap, you'd know about it, and also, why would I miss the chance to see the horror on your face!" Drouin retorts, getting back into the small centerman's face. "Believe me I'm looking forward to the face you make when you see a bullet in Pally's head!" Drouin cackles as Vladdy raises his hockey stick up at ready once more.

"Alright Drouin, here's the deal, contact Marty and have him tell you, or we can kill you with Yzerchuk," Stamkos says.

"Yeah, see I'd probably be a little more frightened about that if Marty didn't have a gun pressed against Pally's head. You kill me, he'll kill Pally and Kuch. So, it's not exactly making me shiver or want to beg and plead and do it."

Vladdy lowers his stick. "There's no getting through to him, Stammer. You need to try to think of a place where Marty would take them. Johnny, you too. We all should. I mean, that's our only option right now."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'only option'..." Drouin slyly remarks.

"Shut up Drouin!" Stamkos, Tyler and Vladdy snap.

"As if I haven't been told that numerous times already today!" Drouin rolls his eyes with annoyance and then grumbles to himself.

Stamkos shakes his head. "I literally have no idea where Marty would take them. He hated Tampa, so I can't think of any place in particular. Unless we check abandoned buildings...or renovated ones. I mean there is one on Whiting."

"Or that Flower Shop near the entrance to I-275!" Tyler remarks. "It's pretty lonely and run-down and it's perfect for something like this..."

"Why would Marty take two MEN to a Flower Shop, wouldn't he be more MANLY about his choice of 'lair'? That sounds more like a place where Jamie Benn takes Tyler Seguin after they win a game," Stamkos remarks. "Trust me, they have a bizarre bromance going on between them."

"Uh, okay...wow. I guess you're right...I don't know," Tyler responds.

Drouin walks forward and drapes his arms around Stamkos and Tyler. "Hey, come on, you'll be happy to hear that I have an answer for you on the location."

"Is it the Flower Shop?"

"No, no, it's the building on Whiting. The Flower Shop is where all the Tampa fangirls would take Cone Killer there or Jamie and Tyler." Drouin points his thumb back of his shoulder where Vladdy stands as he speaks.

Vladdy sighs and says, "Would you stop it with the cone jokes, they are getting pretty old. I ran over a traffic cone, it happened, now get over it! It was an accident that happened. Can you shut up over it and stop with the cocky ass attitude you have?"

"Yeah, just between us, you may want to leave him alone anyway. He can be quite a feisty one," Stamkos remarks.

"Look, I gave you the location Stammy, so why don't you just let me go on my way now?" Drouin notes. "Alright?"

"No, no Jo, take us there and then we'll talk about it. But I'm not completely positive that you aren't lying. Knowing you."

Drouin clenches a fist at his side and Sustr and Stralman step forward ready to tame him if necessary. Vladdy throws Yzerchuk out and holds it before his neck, giving him a glare. Drouin snaps his head to the side to glare back and eventually winks at him. Tyler whispers something into Vladdy's ear and the young Russian nods his head.

"In Yzerchuk we trust!" Vladdy shouts and Yzerchuk transforms into the magical bolt. He points it toward Drouin and the bolt sparks, sending a jagged stream of electricity from the tip right at the brunette, who steps back.

"Watch it. Come on, I'll take you idiots!" Drouin growls and begins to head back up the slope of the road, followed closely by the others.

Vladdy leans over toward Stamkos and mutters, "Just one, please?"

"Okay. But only 'cause he's so cocky and arrogant!" Stamkos replies.

Vladdy smiles and casually commands Yzerchuk to shoot electricity at Drouin, zapping him on the back of the leg and causing him to whirl around in anger. The young blond Russian points at Stamkos, shaking his head.

"Ow! REALLY?!" Drouin lashes out with.

"Yeah, really. Stammer said I could and I really don't like your attitude Jo."

"None of us do," Stralman remarks.

Sustr nods as they walk across Channelside and up Morgan Street, heading to Whiting.

"Just be careful about the fans walking around out here, they may mob you. Especially you three." Drouin nods to Stamkos, Tyler and Vladdy, who share a look. "Wouldn't want you to get even more distracted or slowed down."

"Do I have to zap you again?" Vladdy growls, raising his weapon up, which has transformed back into his hockey stick again. He sees it and groans. "Yzerchuk, it's not been ten minutes, come on."

"Uh, Vladdy, you realize that you are talking to a hockey stick right?" Stamkos remarks.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just--oh...oops." Vladdy blushes with embarrassment.

Drouin shakes his head and shrugs, deciding not to make a sarcastic comment for once. They continue on in silence, passing under the Selmon highway and they spot the renovated building on the corner of Whiting and Morgan.

As they get closer, Stamkos picks out Marty's car at once and gasps. The wicked young brunette man spins around, smirking. "See, I told you."

Tyler dashes forward, anxiety racing through him. Stamkos spots him and attempts to call out to him but he is intent on his rescue. He reaches the car, peering in the windows, his heart in his throat, hoping not to see the two dead bodies of his teammates. He finishes rounding the car and then turns to look at the building and freezes in shock.

The others reach him and they pull him toward the building to stay out of sight, but not before, they too, see what Tyler has seen: Marty beating up - sucker punching - Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat kneeling on the ground bleeding from his shoulder.

"I've got to get in there now!" Tyler hisses to the others, jerking at the tight grip Stamkos has on his arm.

"No, TJ, we got to do this together. It could be a trap, after all, Marty can't hate any of us, but you, and you heard Drouin, they are bait."

Drouin rolls his eyes.

"But Stammer, he's beating Kuch to a pulp and Pally was bleeding. I have to, for the sake of my friends."

"And you should go alone...after all, Marty doesn't know about the others here anyway. You can go in and try to talk to him, like all heroes do in a story and when push comes to shove, the others can come in as a posse of backup," Drouin states.

"No more advice from you, Drouin!" Sustr snarls. "You've messed up enough and I think you've had ample amounts of comebacks and sarcastic comments. It's time to stop and shut up."

"Make me, Sustr. The Czech really produce awful, ugly looking players, don't they?" Drouin jabs.

Sustr turns from him and Drouin laughs wickedly.

"No, no, he actually has a point, guys. As much as I hate it, Jo is right. I'm going alone and you all can back me up if I need it, but Marty's fight is with me." Tyler rubs his hands together and nods his head. "I've got to do this, Stammer. Ready the bolt, Vladdy."

Stamkos sighs and then nods.

Tyler sneaks toward the archway and musters his courage and then walks into the square, over to where Palat is now struggling against the wall, attached to some kind of construction equipment on his knees with rope. The younger Czech player looks up at him and gasps, attempting to speak to him.

Tyler 'shushes' him with a finger and carefully peels back the tape from his mouth (Marty had re-taped his mouth before they'd arrived).

"Johnny, you're--" Palat manages.

"I'm here to rescue you and stop this madness." Palat looks past him toward where Kucherov is with Marty. Tyler turns and nods. "I'm gonna get him too. Both of you. I'm sorry this ever happened."

Marty slams Kucherov into the brick wall and knocks him out cold and then whirls around, spotting Tyler helping Palat to his feet. The poor Czech forward still has his wrists bound together with the rope. "Well, well, well, it's about time you showed up!" The villain sneers. "I was beginning to think you didn't care about these two foreign weaklings. I mean, really, they were a cinch to capture."

"You're just lucky!" Palat snaps.

"Oh, am I? I'm not going to argue, in fact, I'm going to explain myself. You see this whole thing started because of you Tyler. If you weren't so like me...but you had to go and replace me, even trumping me as a Lightning Bolt. I was the only undrafted superstar short player for the Lightning, until you came along and took over. THAT is the REAL reason why I left. Not Yzerman or any of those obvious reasons everyone said. No, it's because I hate you, not even dislike, no, I HATE you, Tyler."

"So you're jealous?" Tyler questions as he gets his friend's wrists free of the rope that was tethering him in place.

"Oh, what do you know...? Nothing!" Marty snarls. "I've been in the league way longer than you have!"

Palat rubs his sore wrists and then races over to where Kucherov is. The Russian isn't moving and he is bleeding from a gash on his head. The Czech player drops down to him and gets the tape off of his arms and hugs him close, just as Marty whips his gun out and points it at Tyler.

"Marty, come on, you should be proud, not jealous. I looked up to you, until today that is," Tyler remarks. "I modeled my game after you, learned from you. I never, ever wanted you to be jealous. You could say that you were my hero...my idol...I wanted to be like you, but never be you."

"You crossed the line, TJ and there's only one Marty St. Louis! There is only ONE talented, undrafted short player for the Lightning!"

Tyler steps back as Marty pulls back on the trigger. "VLADDY, NOW!!" Tyler shouts out, looking toward the entrance, only to see Vladdy in the arms of Jonathan Drouin without the magical hockey stick, Yzerchuk.

"Let go of me!" Vladdy exclaims, struggling against the tight grip on him.

Tyler gasps and takes yet another step back. He glances to where Palat is holding the unconscious Kucherov and then back up at Marty, who keeps the gun trained on him with a sly smirk on his face.

"You're the 'new' Marty St. Louis, TJ, and I just can't let that happen," Marty continues on. "As I told you already, there is only one!"

"Vladdy, where's Yzerchuk?" Tyler asks, nervously as he backs against a slab of concrete blocks.

Before Vladdy can respond, Drouin throws the magical hockey stick ahead of him, away from Vladdy's reach as well as the reaches of Palat and Kucherov. It lands in the dirt at Marty's feet. "There's the precious Yzerchuk!"