Heroes Uprising: Alternate Universe (Thread 4)

Sandra to use her telekinese and Phoenix powers to redirect the orbs at Emmet, but even with all her might she found she could barely slow the orbs. No the Lee's, Tanesha, the True Notes. She had to be capable of more then this. Sandra found herself digging even deeper into the well of seemingly limitless power that was the Phoenix Force, a result of will and a need to put a stop to Emmet's murder spree. She'd now tapped into just enough power that she was successfully able to redirect Emmet's energy orbs and send them straight back at him.

Tesla picked herself up off the ground, examining her diamond form showed no visible damage but what Emmet just did... was terrifying. Tesla's not one to admit to fear, but she really did feel like she was about to shatter into bits. That hit though with Sandra;s momentum behind it, that was a fucking powerful blow. If that didn't even slow Emmet down... It was enough to make one think that any attack on Emmet was a mere effort in futility. Be that as it may, there was no turning back now regardless.

Cassandra readied herself to help support another barrier, or put up one of her own if need be though she was pretty sure it would get instantly shattered. She was none the less ready to try. It was taking a full team over here to protect the Lee family, and they where already barely managing.

Katy narrowly avoided one of Emmet's orbs that was deflected by Kano. Not seeing how much effort went into deflecting those Katy called out "Yo Kano, watch where you throw those things." This was not to be mean to Kano, it just to get him to be more aware of his allies.

" Apologies lady Katy, deflecting Lord Emmets attack to greater effort then i've had to expell " Kano called back, he flexed his had, noting he could barely move it, but he persisted on, he was the son of Thor, Grandson of Odin, he would not tarnish his families name by not being able to help his friend.

Emmet whirled around, dodging Riku's claws and orbsing the orb Sandra sent to him into his body " Sandra dawling, that was a marvelous repose! " for a brief moment, Sandra felt the Emmet she knew was speaking too, but she knew it wasnt really him and cursed the elation she felt at hearing his praise.

Riku's arm was blown clear off by Emmets next strike, followed by his left leg, Victoria barreled towards him, intending to slam into his body, but hit an invisible wall.

" Victoria that form is new and splendid, i've always thought rubies were an excellent accessory for you " Emmet said, his voice distored, like three people were trying to speak.

" Thank buy i'd rather hear that from the real Emmet! " she yelled back, trying to leap around the wall, but quickly getting pressed in from all sides by intense pressure, she gasped as she was forced to her knee's. Tyrone mentally lifted a large rock and hurled it at Emmet, trying to avert his attention away from his girlfriend. The rock melted as it got closer to Emmet, Riku, now fully healed, along with Kano, Roberta, Noah, Tie, and Katy all seized the chance to attack from all sides.

The flow of battle was fierce, everyone attacking with all they had, but to Emmet he was in the middle of a performance. His movements were graceful, he was dancing and everyone was his partner, the sounds of battle a symphony orchestra that began to morph into a masterfully played song, Emmets voice echoed, resonating in everyones ears, hearts, and souls.

Emmet:
There’s nobody left
In this town of only two of us
A mechanical clock
Notifies the arrival of night

The twilight tints the sky
With the color of wine
And entices the inexperienced us
To the stage

Chasse 'n' Whisk 'n' Natural turn
I shall show you magic
Throwaway and Oversway
The name of it is Honey mead

Honeymoon Un Deux Trois
We entwine our fingers
Singin' Swingin' Sweetest Song
And play the dreams of each other

Chasse 'n' Whisk 'n' Natural turn
I’ll cast a spell upon you
Throwaway and Oversway
The honey of enchantment Honey mead

Honeymoon Un Deux Trois
I place my lips on yours
Singin' Swingin' Sweetest Song
And play the love of two of us

The moonlight illuminates the alley
In golden light
And the young us
Dance while stumbling

Honeymoon Un Deux Trois
We entwine our fingers
Singin' Swingin' Sweetest Song
And play the dreams of each other

Honeymoon Un Deux Trois
I place my lips on yours
Singin' Swingin' Sweetest Song
And play the love of two of us


The battlefield had become Emmets stage and the others his backup dancers. Emmets read their moves and seemingly manipulated them around his dance as he fought, ducking, dodging, and blocking in the most beautiful way possible. But there was another side to coin, As fluid and graceful as Emmets movements were, they belied an incredible brutallity. Each strike he made drew blood, broke bone, tore skin, boiled blood. It was splendid, it was awful, the others not caught in it could only stare, unable to move.

As the song ended, Emmet bowed deeply, the others applauding wildy, seemingly against their will, as roses rained from the sky and those who'd been fighting him, all dropped down. Emmet floated into the sky, not far from Sandra, the flaming bird construct manifesting again, in it's claws it was holding two orbs " Have you been paying attention dawling, this is my stage called destruction, it's tiny now I know, but I believe it will grown, my performance undeniable, I can hear the applause, its intoxicating "

As he was speaking, his normally white hair seemed to darken to an almost red shade " A pity you dont wish to join me, but then again I've never liked sharing the spotlight " the fire birds right wind began to move, causing an intense wind to pick up as it aimed for Sandra.

Sandra instinctively put up a TK barrier around herself to prevent the winds from ripping at her flesh.    The construct to Sandra was both beautiful and terrifying, a Phoenix construct was certainly a sight to behold.    At the same time Sandra felt like she was looking at her own firey demise.    Her gaze fell upon Emmet himself.   "Applause are intoxicating Emmet, when they are earned.    Not when you are beating up your friends and forcing the remaining to clap.     That is disgusting, and the Emmet I know would have no part of it!"     The second the winds had passed by Sandra burst from her bubble and clocked Emmet right in the face with the strongest Phoenix fuelled, chi fuelled right hook she could muster."

Sandra's attack managed to land and knock Emmet back, but he arched his body land, landing cosmic charged kick to Sandra's chin and propelling her straight up, The fire bird gave chase with a mighty and distorted cry, each flap of it's wings sent a series of flaming feathers, zeroing in on Sandra like missiles, orb in it's left claw detached and followed.

As she was sent flying back into the air, it was clear Sandra was taking longer to recover from his kick then he did from her punch.     Sandra had pushed herself so far past her comfort zone already, something she and Emmet didn't want to do as they didn't know the ramifications of doing so.     And yet Emmet outclassed her.     By the time Sandra did recover her bearings the cosmic feathers and orbs where already upon her, striking and causing a massive, yet beautiful explosion of death.     Tanesha screamed uncontrollably seeing her lovers demise.     Emmet was about to turn his attention to the remaining True Notes when a voice rang inside his head informing him this fight wasn't over.

He looked back to the sky, as the explosive aftermath faded away Sandra could be seen, maybe a little more battered then before but still very much alive.    She had double shielded herself at the last second to survive the incoming hits.    Using both a TK barrier which deflect a big part of the impact before shattering, and shielding her body in cosmic energy, a move Sandra hadn't used since that one time at the mall to get inside Lily's energy ball.

Sandra floated down to the ground, standing between Emmet and the rest of friends that where still standing.    "Your not touching them Emmet until you get through me."   Sandra may of lacked the impact Emmet could dish out, but her resourcefulness and will to survive was admirable if not getting annoying by this point.    Emmet's attention perked as Sandra spoke again "You know you don't deserve that name.    You said something earlier that confirmed Emmet is lost or dead, and that your nothing but a poser pretending to be what was him.    You said you don't like sharing the spotlight.    That's a bold faced lie.    Emmet adored a duet and loved band number with multiple True Notes members, if not the entire team all at one.    Yes he loved to show off his solo talent, but nothing made him happier then to spread the joy with all his friends.     You are not Emmet Von Phoenix, you are simply Phoenix now.    And I won't stand for you dragging my friends name through the mud with your blasphemous tongue."

Sandra fired a wave of cosmic fire at Emmet, as he went to nullify it he was caught off guard as a fist came flying in through the flames, with Sandra decking him in the face once more.    She didn't stop there though and kept throwing punches and kicks at Emmet in a mad and intense attack flurry.

Emmet paused as Sandra spoke, he opened his mouth to discredit her, but something gave him pause. He adored the spotlight, that was true, but he didnt mind sharing it? Something about that was wrong and yet right too, he thought back to the countless performances with the True Notes then his mind flashed to other performances, but Emmet didnt recognize these but they felt like his.\

It felt like his mind was being pulled into two different directions and both of them felt so right two him. He was second too slow and was caught off guard by Sandra's attack of desparation, getting battered.

Who am I

Who am I

Who am I

WHO AM I???????

Emmet lashed out and gripped Sandra's neck in a terrible vice lock, forcing her to her knees

" You....who are you to dare suggest who I am, WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?" Emmet boomed, his voice echoeing across the island with such force that it cracked the ground, pushed the ocean a mile back and dispersed all the clouds in the sky. Tanesha, Dave, Garfield, and Cassandra rushed forward in an attempt to help Sandra, but a wild look from Emmet flung them all back and slammed them hard into the ground.

The remaining orb in the fire birds claw grew larger and larger till it seemed to dominate the whole sky and radiated an intense heat, like the sun had been dragged down from its spot in space and place here. Radiating terrible amounts of heat, Emmet raised his remanining hand " Destruction....oblivion....renewal....death "

For a moment Sandra looked up into Emmets face, she saw tears pouring out of his right eye, his expression a mixture of elation and sorrow, his hair a bright and luxurious red. Time seemed to stand still as Kaiser appered in front of Emmet and said something in a language Sandra didnt understand, but Emmets expression went from one of shock to....acceptance. Kaisers dagger flashed in his hand, plunging into Emmets chest, Kaiser swifly yanked it out and jumped back.

" Sandra now!! " he yelled

As Sandra looked up to Emmet she could see two faces in one, one she would call Emmet, her friend. Then the other she dubbed as Phoenix. Kaiser would then step in saying something she didn't understand before plunging a blade into Emmet's chest and jumping back. Soon as he yelled out Sandra knew she had to act, their was no time to ponder these events. Sandra quickly gather all the energy she could taking a cue from Emmet's own playbook and creating the biggest orb possible, launching it point blank into Emmet. Whatever Kaiser was up to Sandra hoped it worked, because she put everything she could into that orb.

Sandra's attack slammed into Emmet point blank and released a flooding of crimson and gold light the completely eclipsed everything. Sandra found herself standing in a white space, as far as the eye could see. Her gaze finally fell on two figures, one was Emmet, sitting with his kness pulled up to his face and the other was the phoenix itself, Mien on her hands and knees, visibly shaken, as much as a cosmic entity could be.

Shakily Mien reached out and placed a hand on Emmets shoulders. The scene soon dissolved away and Sandra was back on the island, dawn was beginning to break on the horizon. Tabitha, after breaking out of her shock, ran over to the group that had been fighting Emmet during his musical number and created a circle of healing to the recovery process. Riku was sitting up, already fully healed, Tie and Kano were a bit behind him.

Reaching into his shadow pocket, he pulled out a couple bottles of red liquid, high level healing potions, not cheap and he didnt have a large supply, but it was enough to help those that needed it. Tabitha adiministered potions and combined with her healing magic, rapidly got people back up to full health.

" Is...Is it over? " Dave asked after taking a swig of healing potion " All that power is just gone "

Tanesha ran over and hugged Sandra, being mindful of any injuries " Thought I lost you for a second there, silly I know but still "

Adrian helped Tyrone to his feet, the boy immediately going over to Victoria holding her closely. Adrian spotted Kaiser walking over, Emmet in his arms. The boy appeared to be asleep.

Sandra held Tanesha close as best she could "I won't lie to you girl, at some points I didn't expect to make it myself. We where somewhat comparable in training, but wherever Emmet got all that power from, his Phoenix far exceeded my own no matter how far I pushed past my comfort zone. At no point in that fight did I ever feel we where truly close in strength to each other."

Tesla walked over to Sandra and Tanesha, watching the two Phoenix's fight it out was quite a sight to behold. "Hey Sandra... thank you. When the chips where down and you was the last one standing, you held your own out there incredibly well. Even when Riku, Lilia and Kano all fell and you was left all alone against impossible odds, you still found a way to persevere and hang in there. Had you fallen as well then I fear Emmet would of made short work with the rest of us. You saved us Sandra."

Sandra was in complete shock to hear such high praise from Tesla of all people. "Wow um gosh, I don't know what to say. I never honestly thought I would hear anything like this coming from you. Thank you Tesla. I can't really take all this credit though, Kaiser was the one that opened the door for me to be able to take Emmet down. He's the one you should really be thanking."

As Kaiser approached Katy asked "Is he..." implying Emmet being dead. Sandra shook her head "No he's in a safe place, I've been there myself. He'll be fine with time and hopefully back to normal when he wakes up." Sandra's thoughts suddenly shifted "Oh the Lee's, how are they doing?"

The Lee' had started to fall fall once Emmet was defeated, but Cassandra caught them and safely placed them on the ground. Tabitha created another healing circle around them, accepting a bottle from Riku to replenish her magical energy. She cast a spell to inspect the inside of their bodies and gasped in horror.

" Whats wrong? " Garfield asked

Tabitha was silent for a moment then spoke " Theres...theres nothing I can do, their bodies in an arrested state of damage. Iskandar seems to have been damaged further during the big fight, he cant leave, but his grip on them is so tight that my current healing is in a loop, damage and heal. I cant keep it up forever, eventually....their going to succum "

This was sterrible news, after everything that had happened, every fight, many of them had held a hope that the Lee's could be spared.

" Is there really nothing that can be done? "

Everyone looked up in suprise, Kaiser had set Emmet down, allowing the boy to stand on his own. Emmet appeared to be very shaken, but otherwise in perfect health, even his clothes had somehow been repaired.

" Um Emmet, how are you? " Victoria asked cautiously, noting the Tyrone held her closer, protectively.

Emmet waved it away " I am utterly insignificant, all that matters now is them...I....spoke to one of the missionaries while we were fighting, the pale rider Thanatos. He told me that the only way to remove Thanatos power was either by another telepath of equal or stronger power and skill or they would have to break it themselves..."

" Is that why you decided to kill them? " Garfield asked angrilly, turning to face Emmet " Because it didnt seem like any other way. Even when you have all of this power, you couldnt have used it to stop Iskandar?! "

Emmet winced, but kept his head held high and met all of Garfields words. Tesla was reminded of what Emmet had said in the tea shot, he would take all of the anger and responsibility for the Lee's deaths.

" Sir Garfield, I'm sure Lord Emmet did what he felt was best for the situation " Kano started to say, but Garfield cut him off.

" How was murdering these people the right thing to do?! And then attacking all of us with that...that smile, you enjoyed all of it didnt you " Garfield accussed " How did all of that happen then? "

" Sandra was using the phoenix force too but she didnt go off the deep end " Dave said as well " Before, I could tell something was wrong, but it still felt like you too "

Emmet took a breath to compose himself " During my fight with Thanatos, he revealed himself to be a grim reaper of sorts, one he grabbed onto me and it felt....I dont know the words to describe it, it felt like he was breaking inside me, something I hadnt noticed before. But after that everything felt lighter, more clear. I felt stronger, it wasnt long after that I sensed the Lee's decline beginning....Tanya was the first....then Hannah....the grandfather Dale, the first two were quick and painless as i'd intended all of them to be. But when I reached Dale, something had begun to change....something dark "

He paused, seemingly lost in thought " It was enjoyment, a dark and twisted desire, it grew so strong and began infecting the phoenix force....from there we were simply an engine of destruction...I'm so s-sorry, I never meant for it go this way...I didnt want any of you to have to make the decision, so I decided to do it all myself and during the course of it I lost myself, hurt and tried to kill you... " tears poured down his cheek, shining. But he kept his spine straight " I wont make any excuses, the blame is mine and mine alone "

"it's true" Tesla confirmed, still a little rattled from earlier. "Emmet confided to me prior to the battle, he said he would only end the Lee's as a last resort, and make it quick and painless if it came to that. All of this was not supposed to happen." Sandra had a question "if I may inquire, so all this started with the fight with Thanatos right? So if all these dark desires lead to corruption of the Phoenix Force, and I'm connected to the Phoenix the same as you are Emmet, then why didn't that corruption spread to me as well?"

Sandra was still quite new to all this Phoenix stuff, she knew some stuff about it but was aware she certainly wasn't in the know about every aspect of the Phoenix yet. But like Dave pointed out, if something happened to Emmet which then corrupted Phoenix, and Sandra is tired to Phoenix like Emmet is, wouldn't that corruption infect her as well? Maybe the Phoenix didn't work that way, or maybe it was just a matter of time?

Actually second question, so to save the Lee's we'd need a telepath around the same level as Iskandar himself. Neither myself, Emmet or Cassandra can stand up to him on our own, but what if all three of us worked together? Normally I'd say we're still outclassed but the um, unfortunate passing of the Lee's may of opened a door. Iskandar is shaken right now, Emmet was hurting him with every family member he took out. It got to the point where he was even desperate to get rid of Lily to spare himself any further harm."

Tanesha remembered when she and Sandra caught up to Lily and was powerless and could only watch as Iskandar tried to kill her. Sandra then continued on with what she was saying.

"Iskandar is hurt, scared even and in all likelihood weakened. The mental minefield is in theory in our favour. So if all three of us pooled our telepathic powers together, could we break Iskandat's control over the remaining Lee's?"

Emmet felt a soft grattitude towards Tesla, but quickly banished the undeserving feeling " I dont know how well that would work, but with nothing else on the board, i'm willing to try "

" But can we trust you? " Garfield blurted out " I cant be the only one thinking it "

" I dont know if I would word it that way, but I am wondering if your really the Emmet we know " Roberta said " Not accusing or anything, but it just seems like something we should question is all "

" It's him " Kaiser said, slightly threateningly " The dagger I used is imbued with the concept of breaking ties, it pierced through the corruptive emotions and broke Emmets...true self free "

Tie sat down, fixing her tie back around her neck " I think I have a theory as to why Sandra wasnt effected, while your both connected to the phoenix force, I dont think it necessarily makes you connected to each other, based solely on the phoenix force itself and not your personal connection. Its possible the nature of your separate connections are different " A simple theory that was easy to believe, but not necessarily what Tie really had in mind.

" That makes sense, otherwise they both would have gone crazy " Adrian said after a moment " We still dont know a lot about the phoenix force, but from this we can tell that it can be affected by certain kinds of emotion, extreme ones I imagine. Emmets negative ones that were brought up, mingled with the phoenix force and drove it insane, feeding back into Emmet and the ending result "

There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered these theories.

Dave spoke up " Then...all that stuff about destruction and killing.....is that how you really feel? You said Thanatos broke something in you, maybe its what was holding those emotions back, do you disagree with that? "

Emmets eyes widened in shock, his gaze dropping to the ground for the first time ".....I dont know " he trully didnt, he wanted to say those feelings came out of nowhere, they didnt belong to him, but the very thought felt so profoundly wrong.

" Come on now, raise your head, your crowns falling "

Emmet looked up to see Riku had walked over to him " Look, im not gonna sugar coat it, I know your beating yourself up over all this, but look around, the True Notes are still alive and well, thats what you ultimately wanted isnt it? Whats done is done and it cant be changed now "

Emmet fidgeted a little " But that doesnt make any of this right, regardless of what my intentions, I took lives and nearly ended those I most wanted to protect "

Riku shrugged " Eh, hardly worse then all people I killed in that tower or all the hundreds of people i've killed prior to that and will kill in the future. As for trying to kill us, again were all right here. I can only speak for myself but i'm not bothered and im certainly not holding a grudge, everybody has those little destructive impulses, even the most self righteous who wanna deny it "

Emmet didnt know what to say, Riku was always so kind and caring to him, even now he spoke with the full intention of making him feel better " Thank you...." he looked at the Lees laying on the ground, they were all that was left, he wanted to help them now, that he was sure of, but Garfields word stung deep with their truth " I dont know if I can, if I have the right, can be trusted.... "

Riku shrugged again " Thats fine, i'll do it. I can technically be called a telepath, was trained by a good one, dweedledumb and dweedledumber, lets two this " he said referring to Sandra and Cassandra.

Suddenly everything turned read, putting everyone on high alert, except Riku.

" You were indeed taught well, but this may still be beyond beyond you "

A figure rose out of the ground behind Riku, a heavily muscled and skinned demon with goat legs and a goats barred skull for a head,it's large horns curled wickedly, the demon Verstande had arrived.

" What the fuck are you doing here? " Riku demanded " SHE's not acting up now is she? "

" Worry not, that problem is still at bay " Verstande stated " I am here purely our of amusement and curiousity "

Riku suddenly remembered something the demon had said before he left " And because you forsaw all of this happening "

" Not all of it, but the key moments. All of you combined arent likely to break the mental hold over that family Verstand said matter of factly " It isnt a matter of power, it's skill and your all woefully ill equipped, even you " he said pointedly at Riku, who glared back.

Something occured to Adrian " As I recall, your species of demon is known for your incredible psionic abilities, correct? "

" Correct " Verstande said, regarding Adrian closely and evil wafting from his soul.

" Oh he can definetly do it " Tabitha said " Been awhile Verstande "

Verstande nodded at her " Indeed dragon mage " he spoke with a slightly more polite tone. Tabitha had met the demon on a number of occasions that Riku had summoned him.

" I wouldnt trust him so easily " Noah said, glaring at the new arrival " He could very well make the situation worse.

Sandra actually got what Riku was saying about everybody having those desires deep inside of them. Maybe Sandra was close to the same thing happening to her when she almost killed Karen. While she hated to admit it, Sandra could truthfully deny there being a certain satisfaction in seeing the terror in the eyes of the woman that viciously and savagely mauled her to death. Of course Sandra crossed that threshold, Tanesha reasoned with her to stop. Maybe that's the big difference maker, Emmet did cross that threshold, he did go all the way and kept pushing forward where Sandra had turned back and maybe that contributed to Emmet losing himself.

Before long the sky went red and another demon other then Riku arrived. After expressing his intentions Katy spoke up. "Noah Tabitha said the Lee's are going to die regardless, it can't get any worse. I am curious though Verstande as to why you would care to help us. Something has to be in this for you right?"

" I can assure you it is not out ofaltruism and there is indeed a price attached to my help " Verstande said, his tone was calm but it did nothing to hide the sinister edge to it.

" Whatever price there is, i'll be the one to pay it " Emmet said firmly but Riku moved in front of him.

" Yeah no, Verstandes prices can be very....steep and weird at times "

" Cant you just make him do it, like when you had him help you at the tower? " Garfield asked, still standing defensively in front of the Lee's

Riku rubbed the back of his head " Ummmm yes and no, I mean I can invite him places and make suggestions, but I cant exactly order him to do what he doesnt want too "

" He currently lacks the power and authority to command a demon of my calibre " Verstande said " But one day he may, as for now to consent to pay my price? "

Riku nodded " Yeah sure, though I should think who I am should alter what said price will "

Verstande bowed and nodded " Of course my prince, it just means that I can make it more interesting " A thin beam of dark light shot from Verstandes forehead to Riku's, no doubt explaining what he wanted.

In the end Riku shrugged " Alright thats fine, if were in agreement, lets get this over with "

" Wait, what exactly do you have to do? " Emmet asked, suddenly panicked, but Riku patted his shoulder.

" Dont worry about it, it's nothing I have an issue with doing and no you dont have to make up for it....Garfield can of course "

Garfield was a little surprised " Why me? "

Riku smirked darkly " Because you've been the most vocal, little hero, all the crying and bitching you've been doing over these people, its been so swe-fucking annoying. Since theres literally nothing useful you can do, you can do this, unless you dont want too, not gonna make you, it would be very heroic of me "

Garfield balled up his fist and glared " Fine, what do you want? "

" We can discuss that later, just get out of the way " Riku said " Honestly you all might as well just get some sleep for now "

Verstande floated over to the Lee's and looked them over " Hmm, rather decent work....for a human. it's like he's crafted a secondary nervous system. Though it's a double edge sword, given his current state. I'm going to begin the process of dissection, even for me this will take some time, do go rest if you so wish too. Those with the ability to may watch " with that said Verstande began his work.

Victoria yawned, activating her secondary mutation made her feel twice as tired from the fight " Any chance our tents and stuff survived? "

" Only one way to tell " said Tanesha after all that had happened, she didnt a break from it all. Several people headed back to their camp site via void Riku opened. some opting to simply take a rest in the area they were in.

Sandra badly wanted to go snuggle up with Tanesha, but the opportunity to watch somebody like Verstande undo the complexities Iskandar put in places was to good of a learning opportunity to pass up. Sandra found the most comfortable spot she could to sit seeing as they where going to be here for a while. Cass stayed as well with Katy and Tesla heading back to camp.

As Verstande got to work, Tabitha opted to take a little nap, accepting the blank and pillow Riku pulled out of his shadow pocket. Sandra and Cassanra watched him, Emmet was tempted, but didnt feel he had any right too, but after some encouragement from Riku, he joined as well. Sandra, Cassandra, Riku, and Emmet found themselves in a strange space, before them was a very strange sight.

A massive series of constructs which seemed to be veins and organs, the inside of a human body, But blackness was laced throughout it, the manifestation of Iskandars power in the Lee's minds. It was impossible to tell where it began and ended, Iskandar had trully built an entirely new neuro system and sew it into the Lees. Emmet was as baffled as he was grudgingly impressed, even in his weakened state, his crafsmanship was still absolute.

Its nice to see one of you has a good eye Verstande commented as Emmet was the main one to notice. Even if all of you had combined your efforts it would have amounted to nothing, now pay attention.

Verstandes psionic power manifested in the form of thousands of thin strands, as one they gently sliced into Iskandars power, with a sergeons grace precision. He started cutting, pulling, unataching, it was slow work, but the safest. Everyone felt caught up as demon worked, their view points zooming in to get a closer look.

The mind isnt something to just look into and tell what to do, its all about how you do it, your methods and the signature look.

You know I dont recall our lessons ever being this damn pleasant Riku complained

Would you have responded as well if they were Verstande questioned, to which Riku merely huffed.

Sandra and Cass watched on, seeing why all their attempts at saving the Lee Family would have failed. Sandra never would of thought something to this extent to be possible. To talk about how Iskandar's control was different was one thing, but to visually see it really put things into perspective.

It was hard to tell how much time had exactly passed while they watched Verstand work, but if Emmet had to guess, it was a good twenty minutes. Verstande had pulled away a decent chunk of Iskandars influence and was keeping the momentum going.

Ah there it is

Before their mental eyes, they saw something form....a brain?

The true form of the crafter is revealed Verstande explained

The group was shocked to see that Iskandar was nothing more then a brain in a jar. To Emmet it made a degree of sense, someone without concerns of a body could most likely tap into the full potential of their mental capabilities.

Iskandar recoiled back from Verstande but black threads bound him tightly in place.

WHAT ARE YOU?!

his mental voice boomed, sending out shockwaves that Verstande and Riku buffered.

THIS DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE, THIS POWER, YOU-!!!!MONSTER!!

Emmet flinched, it was more then obvious that Iskandar was projecing towards him.

I SAW INTO IT, YOUR MIND IS, THAT POWER IS TERRIBLE, WHAT ARE YO-!!

That'll be enough of that, be a good little human and keep quiet Verstande scolded him.

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" Hey...are you ok? "

Victoria had walked over to Tesla once they got back to what remained of the campsite, indeed a lot of the stuff wasnt salvagable, but there was still the occasional tent and futon available and almost all of the food and drinks were fine, mainly do to Riku enchanting the coolers.

" You seem oretty rattled, did something happen during the fight? "

She recalled Tesla landing a blow on Emmet but quickly having him get the better of her.

So Iskandar all this time has been just a brain? Sandra felt compelled to ask the most obvious question. Um if anybody don't mind me asking, how does a brain survive on it's own without a body?

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Tesla seemed mildly surprised somebody had come over to her. She had to admit she never quick felt this way before. She was not one to admit to weakness or fear but... what had happened in that fight, it was to much. "During the fight, before Emmet swung me into the others I managed to land a blow on Emmet with Sandra and Riku's help. But Emmet, he did something. I uh don't know if it physically happened or was a mental illusion, but it felt real. I may not be the fastest, sometimes I may not even be the strongest. But I've always had full confidence in my survivability, my durability. I've had people who managed to put crack in my armour, but it always came after a great amount of effort.

Emmet showed my how utterly insignificant I really am. It seemed effortless to him when he shattered me into a million little pieces, and that look on his face. I, I actually feared my own demise in that moment. After that I just couldn't bring myself to just back into the fight. I wanted to Victoria, I really did. Especially when Sandra found herself to be the last one standing, I wanted to jump in but I just couldn't do it. Every time I forced myself to take one step forward I'd find myself involuntarily taking two steps back instead.

Emmet he... he broke more then my diamond shell. He broke my pride, he broke my spirit. He turned me into something I hate, a fucking coward who could no nothing but watch from the sidelines. That moment Victoria, I-I can't get it out of my head. The fear and dread, it's like a nightmare that I can't wake up from.

" Oh you'd be suprised, technology has come farther then the general populace realizes, stuff like this is pretty common now " Riku explained " It could also be a product of his mutation, thats pretty common too. Sometimes abilities become so extreme that they begin to disfigure the body "

Iskandar could be heard growling, it seemed that Riku had hit a sore spot. Iskandars thoughts had gone silent, but the rage and disgust could still be felt. Suddenly something began happening to the twins Mitch and Stacey, their bodies were spasming violently. Tabitha was jarred away by all the noise and ran over to see what was happening.

" Oh no, the boys body is shutting down! " Tabitha pressed her hands to his chest and poured healing magic into his body, but it wasnt enought " He's going to die "

" N-No, I wont let anymore of my family d-die "

Everyone looked in shock as Mortimer Sr sat up, it had to take all of the strength he had. He pulled the twins towards him, holding them close, he cast a forlorn glance at his other children, Jr, Michael, and Lily, they were strong, they would make it. But as for the rest of them " I'm not going to make it...I know that, but I can ensure my children do before....before I go to the rest of the family "

Tears were pouring down the mans face, his sadness a glowing beacon, Emmet gripped his heart as he felt the mans departing emotions and deepest thoughts. He'd miss waking up next to Hannah, his soul mate, going to his job, something he trully enjoyed it. More importantly he was going to miss out on seeing his children grow up, attending weddings, seeing grandchildren, funerals.

Emmet fell backwards, convulsing under the weight of the mans life, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Riku and Kaiser were instantly at his side, calling his name in panic " NO " Emmet forced himself to sit up, he would not look away, not from this man, his family, his final moments. He tried to reach out to the phoenix, tried to do something, surely he could undo this terrible mistake. But Flashbacks of his rampage tore a fresh wound through him.

Is all you can do is destroy?!

Was Garfield right? It didnt matter now, all that could be said was he was completely worthless. He opened his mouth to try and say something, an apology? Begging for forgiveness? He had no right and more so...did he even want it.

" Dont " Mortimer said, looking directly at Emmet " I know you....the nice boy Jr brought home....he talked about you a lot, you were an angel to him "

" I'm no such thing " Emmet said " You people didnt deserve any of this to happen to you, none of it "

Mortimer just starred at him " Sometimes bad things happen to people that dont deserve it. We werent anyone special, just people who were living and now its coming to an end.I saw you, killing them trying to wipe us all out and for that i'll never forgive you but the man that did this to us, I hate him even more, his actions have caused so much pain and suffering "

He shuddered, his time was rapidly coming to an end " I still have some power, I can use my life to preserve theres "

" It wont work on the boy " Verstande pointed out " Hmm but I suppose he has a deep connection to his twin, transferring his mind to her body is very possible "

" Then please do it! " Emmet begged him " Please, whatever you want, I;ll pay-

" Verstande : Riku said cutting Emmet off, his voice pulsed with a terible power that could only reside in the bowels of hell " I'm going to have to make this an order "

The demons starred atr one another for a moment till Verstande nodded " As you wish...my prince. Alright then, all at once then "

" Yes, please make sure my family is safe "

Those were the last workds Mortimer Lee spoke, before his lifes energy flooded out from his body and into his children. Verstande pulled Mitches mind and memories, everything that made him and stiched it into Stacey.

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Tesla was shocked when Victoria suddenly pulled her into a tight hug " I've....always been jealous of you, of your power. Its very similar to my families and something I could never achieve till today. Honestly I kinda wrote you off as a bitchy blonde, lord knows the squad has a lot of them. But I've seen you grow a lot, going from someone who kept to yourself to sranding on stage and belting out songs with the rest of us, enjoying it, almost despite yourself "

" I dont feel like I have any room to judge anyone in this situation, I was a traitor that thankfully came around to a better way of thinking, I saw you all as my friends, teammates, family. It was hard to admit it, I dont like feeling weak, I felt weak because I didnt have armor, thought that was everything. But I came to realize that I had my own inner strength that protected me. Im not gonna tell you nonsense, I can see how hurt you are now and you may be for a time, but it all depends on you and what you feel like you need to do to protect yourself "

Tesla hardly knew how to react to a hug, it felt like so many years since she hugged someone like this, having largely shut out compassion after her mothers murder. She timidly embraced Victoria. Emmet's wounds had cut deep, as Victoria said herself these scars would take some time to heal. But that said it felt... nice to share this with someone. In summery what Emmet had done was instil fear into Tesla, that fear lead to cowardliness. That went against everything Tesla portrayed herself to be. Tesla was ashamed and disgusted with herself but Victoria's words did help to ease Tesla's burden.

"Victoria... thank you." While Tesla always stood by the group, she used to wonder if she had any actual friends given how much of a hard ass she tended to act like. It turned out that people did actually care her. Maybe Victoria was right, maybe when the time was right, it would be time for Tesla to find her own hidden strength.

-----

Sandra and Cass watched on as Verstande worked to save Stacy. It was almost unbearable feeling so helpless in this situation.

Garfield took a seat on what remained of a mattress, Dave and Donovan sitting on either side of him. They all felt so tired but none of them could quite fall asleep yet " What are we gonna do now? " Garfield asked quietly. Even Donovan could tell what he meant what happened with the Lees, the horsemen, and Emmet all had a deep impact on them, like Tesla something had been broken in many of the, trust.

" I dunno man " Dave said after awhile " I just....it's hard, after seeing him like that and everything he did "

" But its just Emmet right? " Donovan asked " He's a good guy, he's always been so nice and something messed with his head, he didnt mean to do any of that " He looked to the others for confirmation, but neither of them said so.

" I dont think I wanna stick around...for I dunno how long " Garfield finally said. This train of thought was picked up by some of the the others, after everything that had happened, maybe it was best to just put some distance from the True Notes.

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The rest of Verstandes process went relatively smooth, Mitch's body was moved away as the last of Iskandars influunce was finally removed, completely freeing the Lee's. Tabitha resumed healing, but said it still wouldnt enough and they should get the Lee's to a family

" Ok, should probably call the others then " Riku said as he opened a void, a moment later Dr.Spayde stuck his head out, looked around and sighed in annoyance.

" Oh great " he puklled his head back and could heard yelling " Get several beds ready, THEIR back "

Not long after everyobe had gathered around and heard the news about what happened.

" And whats to become of this Iskandar? " Tie inquired. To which Verstande held out a hand, revealing a human brain resting in his palm.

" I pulled him here, from this point on i'll be taking charge of him, after some extensive rounds of torture, I dare say he could be use, well i', finished here, till next we meet " He somewhat bowed to Riku and vanished, the sky immediately returned to normal.

This had been a long day, who expected that ultimately the Horsemen would end up being the least of the True Notes problems. Sandra looked over what remained of the Lee Family, deeply saddened things couldn't of turned out better. "I tried my absolute best Lily, I'm... so sorry" she said in regards to the loss of family members the girl would awaken to. Sandra tried not to pry into her friends privacy to much as a general rule, but she wanted to get a true representation of how people felt after all this, and from the several that was within her ability to hear the thoughts of, it seemed the True Notes could very well be getting a lot smaller.

Even her own girlfriend seemed unsure about Emmet. Sandra wondered how this would play out later? Sandra herself wasn't happy with this outcome, but at the same time felt like it would make her a hypocrite to try to judge Emmet after her past experiences with Karen. She was really thinking about sticking with Emmet though this. Unlike many others, Sandra felt like she could at least relate a little to how Emmet must of been feeling. Although to that extent, was taking pleasure in the suffering of somebody you hate and had caused you great bodily harm and misery, was it really the same as taking pleasure in the suffering of those you cared for? Did the circumstances really matter?

Everybody seemed to be silent, caught up in their own doubts, inner struggles and the such. A weight seem to fill the air as everybody knew they would soon have to make a decision. Katy broke the silence "So hey, we should get going and get the Lee's some help."

Katy's words seemed to jar people out of their thoughts, Garfield, Donovan,Victoria, and Kano opted to carry the Lee's too, bring along the bodies of Mortimer and Mitch Lee so they at least could get a proper burial.

" I'm going to stay here


The group looked back at Emmet, a little suprised " The island will be gone by tomorrow....I feel like it would be proper to stay here till then, only I need too the rest of you should go, make sure the Lees get all the help they need and you all deserve some rest in your own beds "

Garfield pushed forward going through the portal, Dave had a lingering stare at Emmet before he too went through. Riku and Kaiser remained by Emmet, making it clear that they would be staying with him, Emmet knew trying to protest would be pointless and deep down he did indeed want the company. The group continued going through, Kano opted to come back after the Lee's were taken care of, Tie said she'd rejoin a little later on, same with Tabitha.

Tanesha Took Sandra and Cassandra's hands " Let go " she felt so unsure, deep down she didnt want to doubt Emmet, when she and Victoria were revealed to be double agents, Emmet was one of first one ready to listen to her, he had her sing so that her true intentions could shine through and forgave her without any hesitation. But watching him lay through her friends, the sadistic enjoyment, she felt desensitized to that sort of thing with Riku, but Emmet and that brief moment when it looked like he had killed Sandra had torn her up, she didnt know what to do.

Adrian felt no ways about the situation, he didnt blame Emmet in the slightest for what happened, but felt like he needed some rest and to meet up with Harlequin.

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Thanatos arrived back on the boat, which was in a state of dissaray given Iskandars sudden dissapearance. Harmonia and and Limos were taken down below to be looked at, Thanatos waved away any concern for him, he was fine. He looked out over the horizon, the true death he'd craved had been so close, but it was fine, there would be plenty of time for that.

Katy was one of the first though the portal with the Lee's. Emmet seemed like he was back to normal but like others, trust was a issue. Could Emmet be trusted after today, Katy honestly wasn't sure.

Sandra felt some comfort as Tani took hold of her hand. She paused and took a at Emmet "Emmet... we'll talk later. Sandra still had a lot going through her mind, but she wanted to at least say something to him before leaving to indicate that if nothing else, they where still on talking terms. Even if Sandra was unsure where she stood 100%. Sandra left though the portal with her girls. Not long after arriving back to Genosha Sandra and Tanesha said their farewell's to Cassandra who headed back home. There wasn't anything else that could be done with the Lee's, it was all up to the doctors now.

Tesla gave Emmet a quick glace, they made eye contact briefly and Tesla looked away quickly and left though the portal. Emmet could tell he had hurt her, words didn't need to spoken. Tesla seemed like she wanted to have his back, but at the same time it seems like she couldn't bring herself to look at him.