The lock clicked as the final tumbler fell into place, and the door swung open. M. Davis stood in the doorway. He wore the same outfit Joules had met him in - a policeman’s uniform, probably little more than an elaborate costume. He had a pair of thick yellow rubber gloves covered in blood on his hands. His uniform also had dark red stains. Flecks of ruby liquid dotted his face, already beginning to dry.

“You’re awake,” he said, talking to Joules directly. “I hope you enjoyed your little nap. You’ll need to be up and at ‘em to come out of this in one piece.”

“What did you do with the other man?” Lorelei blurted.

“Oh, him?” A smile cracked on Davis’ face. “He had so much potential, but the poor guy just couldn’t cut it.”

“Did you kill him?” Joules asked, though he already guessed the answer.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Davis said, chuckling with each repetition. “The process is dangerous, but it’s up to the subject and his or her own ‘inner strength’ to survive. The art of harvesting is a delicate balance between cultivation and extraction. Too much of one, not enough of the other, and the whole crop is ruined. He didn’t have the stones.”

Joules strained against the chains binding his wrists. Cultivation? Extraction? None of that sounded any good, especially given the circumstances.

“The world is divided into three unequal parts,” Davis continued. “There are those with the power to wield a Stand, there are those with untapped potential, and there are the uncountable rest. It is the responsibility of those with power to nurture those who show promise and deal with those who do not. Tom Foley, unfortunately, needed to be dealt with.”

“What are you gonna do to us?” Joules asked, if only to buy some time. In the back of his head, he tried and tried to summon [Do Dope Fuck Hope] as he had done with the bouncer, but nothing came. Fear stifled everything. A sinking feeling that he was only someone who needed to be dealt with plagued his racing mind.

“First I must discover the holy mark written upon you. The birthmark of the soul that suggests the slumbering power. Then, the stone within must be dragged from the depths of the soul through intense suffering. If the subject survives, their potential will be realized. Then, I harvest the stone.”

His smile widened wickedly, revealing a row of stained yellow teeth. “Don’t worry; the process in your cases won't take long. It’s not everyday I catch two fully realized Stand users. Rest assured that your spirit will live on long after your pitiful bodies have been disposed of. But, I’ve said enough already. There’s so much work to be done, Now, ladies first.”

He stepped through the threshold into the room, his footsteps echoing off the metal walls. Beside him, Lorelei thrashed wildly in a useless attempt to free herself from her restraints. Davis seemed to enjoy this, savoring her fear.

“I take great pleasure in my work,” Davis said. “But proper planning prevents piss-poor performance, as they say. It won’t be wise to approach two stand users so carelessly. [Yellowcard]!”

The small black and white striped creature appeared on his shoulder, grinning like an imp straight from hell.

“Your ‘stones’ will be mine, but I am merciful. You don’t need to be awake for all of this.”

Noxious yellow gas erupted from holes all over [Yellowcard]’s body, slowly filling the room. Instinctively, Joules began to hold his breath. Lorelei did likewise.

“How long can you hold your breath?” Davis asked. “Eventually, you must breathe, and then you will be trapped in [Yellowcard]’s ‘time out’. You can’t resist. Just let it happen.”

The gas burned his eyes and skin, and despite holding his breath, he was beginning to feel lightheaded.

Come on you stupid fucking Stand what are you waiting for? Help me!

Davis made it to the center of the room before pausing. He furrowed his brow, clearly disappointed at the pair’s continued resistance. The air shifted around Joules, and he snapped to look at Lorelei, determination painted across her face.

“[Gold Digger]!”

The pink Stand erupted into existence. The room grew hot - no, Joules was getting hot. He needed air, but the only air would knock him out cold. His vision grew dark.

[Gold Digger] lunged towards Davis and his Stand, hand curled into a fist. It struck [Yellowcard] knocking both it and Davis to the floor. A brief flash of hope flared within Joules, until a shrill noise cut the air like an infernal whistle. Joules screamed as the noise assaulted his ear drums. Every instinct told him to cover his ears, but he couldn’t move his arms. He felt blood drip down his arms as his wrists dug into the shackles. Unable to bear it, he opened his mouth to scream, thereby letting in the poisonous gas.

Immediately, he realized his mistake. His head spun and he lost focus in his eyes. He turned to Lorelei, but she was frozen in place with her eyes glazed over and her mouth hanging open. [Gold Digger] was also frozen, its fist still extended from where it had punched [Yellowcard].

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Davis stood up and wiped blood from a freshly split lip. The screeching ceased and [Yellowcard] rejoined its master on his shoulder. Lorelei unfroze, and slumped in her chains, eyes closed. [Gold Digger had also disappeared.

“This is [Yellowcard]’s ‘time out’,” Davis gloated. “He is the ultimate referee! Only fair play will be tolerated in my game.”

Joules knew he was close to unconsciousness, but he summoned every ounce of strength he still had to keep himself awake. The noxious gas had stopped pumping from out of [Yellowcard] after it had been struck, but there was more than enough gas in the room to knock him out.

He stepped closer to Lorelei, now already unconscious. “And it’s only fair if I win.”

He produced a key from his pocket and unlocked her restraints. She crumpled to the floor, not moving, except from the smallest rise and fall of her chest.

“Once I’ve dealt with her,” Davis said, “It’ll be your turn next. Maybe, if you’re lucky, [Yellowcard]’s gas will keep you asleep long enough to where you won’t ever wake up. I’m not a monster; that’s just the way the world is. Stand Users must stand over the rest of humanity, and those who don’t align to that end must be burned as fuel.”

“Fuck… you…”

Davis licked the blood from his lips. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Jojo. Once she’s out of the way, we’ll have all the time in the world.”

“My name… is… Joules.”

Davis laughed. “Whatever you say. It won’t matter much longer anyway.”

Davis wasn’t a particularly large person, and he struggled to hoist the dead weight of Lorelei over his shoulder. His knees buckled, and the two of them collapsed to the floor. Davis let out a string of curses, but Joules was too preoccupied to listen. Lorelei had tumbled like a ragdoll on top of him. Her face lay just inches from his own. Embarrassment welled up inside him - not the most noble of lst emotions.

“Stupid bitch!” Davis shouted. “Lay off the sweets, why don’t you!”

Joules fluttered between sleep and waking. Lorelei’s soft breath was hot on his face. He could smell her perfume and other scents overpowering him. She pursed her lips.

What?

It might have been the last time he’d ever kiss someone. Though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t help himself. Her smell was intoxicating. It overrode every other thought in his brain. He quickly pecked her on the lip, only to be separated as Davis grabbed her by the foot and began dragging her away. Joules still felt the pressure on his lips, followed by a jolt or electricity as if he’d just picked his teeth with a live wire.

“Not so tough are you, huh?” Davis chided to the limp woman.

His vision began to clear, and he could hardly smell the thick yellow fog anymore through the lingering scent of Lorelei.

SAVE HER.

The voice rang out in his head, and for a moment, Joules panicked, thinking Davis had heard it, but he simply continued dragging Lorelei away, not bothered with anything else but the task at hand.

SAVE LORELEI.

“Wait!” Joules shouted. His mouth was parched, and what little spt he produced tasted like sour metal. Just the act of speaking sent him into a coughing fit. “Not her. Take me instead.”

Davis didn’t look back.

“Please!” Joules shouted again. “Please, don’t hurt her!”

Davis grew frustratred. He let Lorelei’s leg drop to the floor with a thud. “Do you really wish to die so badly?Or maybe you just want this nightmare to end!”

His strength was fading again. The small jolt from Lorelei’s unconscious kiss couldn’t last forever. But he had to do something. The voice in his head demanded.

“Please,” Joules begged, barely now above a whisper. “Just take me instead. I don’t want-”

“It’s not about what you want!” Davis shouted. He sprinted towards Joules and put a gloved hand on his neck. Joules sputtered and coughed, struggling to breathe. “It’s never been about what you want! My work is more important than two punks like you! I alone will decide your fate! Me!”

“P-please.”

Joules could no longer hear the voice in his head. Davis tightened his grip on Joules’ throat, malice and anger written plainly in his eyes. Their gaze met.

“W-why are you…” Joules muttered, “d-doing this?”

Davis’ rage seemed to abate. The almost paternal look in his eyes that he’d had when Joules met him returned as quickly as if a switch had been flipped in the man’s brain.

“Because it needs to be done, Jojo,” he said. “And because I like doing it.”

He released Joules, and Joule’s head fell until his chin touched his neck, unable to hold itself up any longer.

“Your resistance to [Yellowcard] is interesting, however,” Davis said. “You’ve already tripled your time awake from last time. Leaving you alive until last might prove to be an unrecoverable blunder. I am also interested in just how much I can push you.”

He smoothed out his uniform, streaking blood from his gloves as he did so. “Very well, Jojo,” he said. “I will spare the bitch for the moment. If you so desperately want to die, I will grant you that last favor. Like I said: I’m not a monster.”

He dropped onto the balls of his feet and undid Joules cuffs. Though freedom had finally found Joules, he lacked the strength to use it. His hands flopped down to his sides and he toppled over, smacking his head on the cold ground.

Davis turned him over and grabbed his ankle. He dragged him towards the door. The lock clicked once again, and Joules left the brightly lit room forever.