I felt like a dart flying at top speed when Brakyr threw me. I honestly thought he'd break my ribs, but he surprisingly had a minor grip on them. Shit still hurt like hell though. I got so caught up in the pain, that I almost forgot I only had a split-second to activate my Fuego-Fists. I immediately did, despite zooming through the air and everything around me looking like a blurry, melting oil painting.

KWATHOOOOOM!

Just as I expected, Zuri threw a punch and struck me directly where I wanted her to, initiating the blast I was hoping for. We both go flying, but she ends up colliding with Doc Mordecai. I sustained a massive amount of damage, but it was worth it. She's out cold though, and her body has begun to revert to normal.

If I had to hazard a guess, then I'd say that Zuri wasn't brainwashed, just had an episode similar to roid rage, probably due to the blood taken from me which is running through her veins. I'm glad that we didn't have to actually do combat, as she probably would've stomped me flat. Literally. Not that I would have minded, of course, but now's not the time to indulge in my fantasies.

Back to Doc Mordecai though…

Zuri colliding with him didn't do any harm. He remained on his feet and didn't budge as her unconscious body slammed into his abdomen. These T'Karians are pretty resilient, so I can only imagine what type of power would be needed to put them down for good. If and when we get invaded, we're gonna need more than the Safeguards to properly deal with them.

Zuri lies limp at the doc's feet. He reaches downward and clutches her left arm, holding it between his index and thumb before quickly tossing her aside like a piece of trash. I watch her body tumble across the rugged battleground. If she was still a normal human, that throw would've killed her, if not left her horribly maimed and mangled. Kinda confused, since I'm simultaneously overjoyed and anxious that Mordecai's experiment was a success. There's no telling what's in store for us once he makes more like her.

Upon dusting himself off, the doctor wipes his hands as if handling Zuri was disgusting, then signals for the pink chick to step forward. Since I'm currently recovering, I can't defend myself. With any luck, maybe the Unbound Survival Impulse will reactivate and carry me away. Or, at the very least, Brakyr will jump in. I need some kind of bone thrown my way though, because my present status is cutting it close to death.

"Mr. Seagrave, I'd like to introduce you to your next opponent: Meerhanaag Beizageres, better known throughout the galaxy as D'Voorz," Mordecai starts, holding his arms in a pose similar to that Will Smith meme. D'Voorz begins walking towards me, but takes her sweet time as if she's the hottest alien woman alive and wants everyone to savor her appearance. "She hails from the planet Anfeezlar, and is an assassin, as well as a very wanted criminal. She's one of the finest in my employ. She als–"

"Wait, she's a WANTED CRIMINAL?!"

"Yes, Mr. Seagrave— SHE IS! Why are you so surprised? You didn't think I had a bunch of goody two-shoes around did you?" Mordecai snaps back, eventually erupting into riotous laughter.

"Well, no… I didn't think that. It's just, uh, she doesn't look very… criminal."

"I'll show you how much of a criminal I am!"

With that statement, D'Voorz stops lollygagging and rushes over to me, placing her big, dirty left foot on the right side of my face and grinding her coarse sole into my jaw, which pushes the other side of my face into the ground. I always wanted a cast of my face made, but not like this. I've also always wanted to be in this position, but preferably with Sinead. I swear, I can never get what I want!

"Hey! Is mashing on my face really necessary?!"

"Mashing is my specialty!" she shrieks. She pauses to lick her lips, mumbling something incoherently in her sultry, husky voice before continuing. "I once trampled—FLAT, mind you!—three platoons of Anfeezlaran soldiers using my Queen's Tromp ability! Their bones, blood and entrails served me well! Mmmmm… I can just imagine your cute, little face turning to mush beneath the ball of my foot and toes! It's exhilarating! I want to pleasure myself at this very moment!"

"Hey, hey, HEY! Now is not the time or place for this! Though………I am a bit aroused, this isn't at all what I wanted! Can you please stop turning me on?!"

"NO! If you're aroused, then everything's working perfectly! I have you right where I need you to be, so we can really have some fun!" Cackling wildly, she lifts her foot from my face as she softly massages her breasts. She eventually starts tracing her hands all over her body, placing one between her legs. However, she halts there, as if she remembered why she's really here. "On your feet, sexy boy. I want to see what you're really made of before I grind you to a pulp!"

"Shit, I'm fuckin' exhausted… do I really have to fight again? Fuck!"

Mordecai quickly interjects to answer me, "Need I remind you that I still have your father, Mr. Seagrave? Either you fight, or you both die!"

"Hey! You said you wouldn't harm him! What gives now?"

"I never said that! I said that he was fine, but that's all. However, if you don't do as you're told, he will be hurt in the worst ways possible. Actually, I believe I'll start by removing one of his eyes. Would make for a nice souvenir. Heh-heh…"

Mordecai's remark gave me a jolt, rejuvenating my fighting spirit. I rise to my feet as the realization hits me that if I don't get some semblance of a spine soon, it'll be sayonara to everything I love.

"Ngh! Fine, I'll play your game a little longer, but just know that if you renege, then all bets are off. I'll slaughter you all!"

Mordecai bursts into laughter, clutching his stomach. "How do you plan to accomplish such, Mr. Seagrave? You can't even properly use your powers!"

"Tch, I'll find a way. You won't be able to hold me back for long."

"Heh, I'd really like to see you try doing anything without the impetus that collar provides. You'd lose your head before you could even throw a punch!"

"Whatever, old fart!" I say, reactivating my Fuego-Fists and Absolute Strength. I don't know what's going on right now, but everything inside me feels… I don't know… electrified, but in a good way. "Enough of this talking! I have people to save!"

"As you wish! Attack him, D'Voorz!"

D'Voorz lashes out without a second thought. I had no time to ready myself for her attack and ended up getting knocked back. Lucky for me, the Absolute Strength helped to keep me from going too far as I dug my feet into the ground, creating trenches as I slid backwards. I was going to use the X-Effect—it's the name I just thought of for the move I used earlier—but decided that repeating that maneuver a third time would be tactically unfavorable. I've never been good at thinking fast, so I guess it's best I just cross that bridge when she approaches again.

"You're not ready for me, little boy!" she wails, cackling even wilder now. I can't lie, as much as I don't want to think about it, her voice is sexy as fuck. She really isn't bad-looking… erm—for an alien, I mean. The six eyes on her head and the sharp teeth will take some getting used to, but her body is just as sexy as her voice and a welcome distraction from her extraterrestrial features. I mean, she's built like a supermodel, or whatever passes for one throughout the rest of the galaxy. At least she's shorter than me. She's also slightly muscular, but it's no biggie since Sinead also has muscles. I, on the other hand, am scrawny as fuck! Yikes! All bad.

"You're right, I'm not ready for you, but I'm also not afraid!" I declare as D'Voorz dashes forward. She apparently didn't measure the distance between us beforehand because she blitzed past me. I watched with hilarity bubbling inside of me as her segmented arms and legs flailed wildly in the air. "Ha! Look at you, missing your m— AHHHH!"

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"You were saying? Hahahahahahaha!"

A sharp pain pierces into the small of my back, forcing me to the ground once more where I immediately lose control of my entire body. I'm attempting to move my arms and legs to stand and fight, but it's useless. It's like I'm paralyzed. Whatever she's done has prevented all autonomy outside of speech, though I'm not certain I even have complete control there either. Also, that pain in my back feels more like a drilling now. Some unknown object spinning at hypersonic speed, preparing to make its exit through my stomach.

"ACK! AGH!" I attempt to scream, but every word just comes out as a jumbled mess while phlegm fills my airways, making me choke. Despite that, I'm starting to feel sensation return to my fingers and toes, allowing for a bit of movement, but my entire being is now enveloped within a red barrier coursing with pink electricity—which isn't palpable or harmful—that's large enough to contain me, but thin enough to seem non-threatening and escapable, yet I can't break through. It's like gossamer in energy form, but with the density of a diamond.

*🌙*

I struggled futilely for a prolonged length of time to liberate myself from what I assumed is psychokinetic confinement, until a pain I hadn't felt since that semi-truck collided into me erupts from my stomach. Blood bursts forth and subsequently enters a state of suspended animation inside the barrier. I don't know if that was just an effect, or if she's controlling my blood, but that action combined with the color of the barrier reminds me of the contents of a lava lamp. More blood subsequently spills out, this time snowballing and filling the immediate vicinity, prompting me to do something I'd been avoiding since my entrapment: looking down.

"Are those toes?!" I remark, alerted by the long—but also well-pedicured—pedalian digits exposing themselves as they exit my stomach. The wound they created is oozing so much blood, leaving me surprised that I haven't passed out yet.

"Of course they are! They surely aren't fingers!" D'Voorz says, sounding simultaneously upbeat and annoyed. "You have just borne witness to my Stun-Lock Toe-Torpedo maneuver! Now die!"

"Lady… I'm certain it's going to take a lot more than that to kill me!" I respond, half-believing my own statement. Shrugging off my skepticism though, I gather all the willpower I can to break free of this mental trap. I am straining myself past a point of no return, but that's cool, because it's a perfect time to see what I'm really made of. I push back harder against this obstruction, invoking a nosebleed that cascades fiercely, accompanied by my eyes burning and swelling up with tears. "NO MORE!"

Eventually, the barrier shatters, but not all at once. It collapses piece by piece, granting me more movement. However, the effort I expended devitalized me to a degree, so my next actions will be sluggish.

The slowness with which I act makes me appear to be working methodically, something I can use to my advantage. With that being said, since D'Voorz neglected to remove her foot after torpedoing my guts, I pull it from my stomach with all the speed of a slug traveling up a brick wall (which hurt like a bitch by the way!) and start breaking her toes, one-by-one. I hated to do that to such a pretty foot, but hearing her agonizing wails behind me as she collapsed was music to my ears. Just fuckin' excellent.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, RUNT!" she erupts, leaping from her supine position. She subsequently hurls curses at me in an alien language while hopping around on one foot.

"I'd love to see you try," I snicker, feeling more confident than before. I deactivate my Fuego-Fists and turn on my regenerative E-Faculty to heal the gaping hole in my stomach and back. I'm still surprised I didn't die from that attack. My resilience is nothing to shake a stick at though, I see that now. I'm certain D'Voorz is taken aback by my survivability, but Doc Mordecai is most likely grinning from ear to ear. He knows what to expect unlike everyone else here.

With my injury rapidly healing, I toss D'Voorz's foot to the side, but before it can land on the ground she telekinetically recalls it, swiftly attaching it back into place. Things are about to heat up, so I wipe the quickly coagulating blood from under my nose and once again rise to my feet. Time to put on a show that none of these fucks here will ever forget.

"COME AT ME!"

*🌙*

Me and D'Voorz fought like savages for what seemed like hours, trading blows like we had all the time in the world. And every time one of us thought we had the upper hand, the rug was swiftly pulled out, forcing both to change tactics on a dime. The tables turned more than a 1980s block party, which made me get better at thinking quickly, as well as thinking ahead. Yet, my improvement in one area meant that I still had a lot of growing to do elsewhere. I've only made it this far because of this damn collar. If Mordecai cuts it off, I'm as good as dead.

"Tell me, cutie pie, why do you fight with so much conviction?" D'Voorz inquires, possibly attempting to distract me, but she fails because I'm perpetually distracted and always off in my own world.

Honestly, the answer to such a question isn't one I need to think about, as all I've been doing since the battle began is thinking about why I'm here and how I can get out of this mess. I'm locked in unceasing combat, but being trapped inside my mind (of my own accord, mind you) is my sole weakness. Even though I've learned to react quicker than I could at first, there have been moments where D'Voorz got some critical hits in because I was preoccupied with thoughts of irrelevant nonsense.

"I fight for freedom," I remark, dramatically pausing.

(That probably didn't come out as profound as I had hoped, but my replies tend to sound better inside my head. The main character inside of me is so much cooler.)

"Freedom?!"

"Yes, freedom. Not only for myself, but for my father and that young woman laying unconscious back there. We shouldn't be here. I will see to it that Mordecai keeps his word and sets us free!"

Grunting, I throw a punch that comes within inches of connecting with D'Voorz's chin, but she dodges in the nick of time. Giggling, she grabs my hand, paralyzing me again as she stares directly into my eyes.

"Your reasons for fighting are valiant, but you'd be better off trusting a scorpion to ride upon your back across a turbulent river! The doctor will never let you go as long as he has a use for you," she voices, substantiating a fear I didn't want confirmed. Pulling me closer, she continues to stare deep into my eyes. Her own begin to shimmer and glow like they've been set on fire. "That's why I'm here, to make sure he gets full use by pulling every amount of potential you have outward! However, I admit I do this reluctantly,"

She shoves me backwards, but my legs lock into place, preventing me from collapsing. I'm fully paralyzed now as the air around me becomes blistering cold, inducing shivers that one wouldn't notice since I can't actually move. My skin begins to shrivel, simultaneously moving into a decayed and blackened state. The wintry atmosphere grows more intense, like Jack Frost went Super Saiyan and unleashed a bone-chilling Spirit Bomb. I can feel the frigid breeze biting at me like a swarm of piranhas with ice-cold teeth.

"Wh-what…d-did…y-you…d-do…t-t-to…m-m-m-me?!" I utter through gritted teeth. Just that action alone felt like I was at Death's door.

Breathing right now is excruciating, as my lungs feel like they're being slowly encased in thick ice. Although I was able to ask that question, my tongue and teeth are in just as much pain as my lungs. If I speak out again, they may very well fall out. At least, that's how it feels to me. Pain aside, it is surprising that I can even speak considering the paralysis. My best guess is that D'Voorz is only able to take the movements of my limbs away. Same conclusion I came to earlier.

Relishing in my anguish, D'Voorz takes her time by unnervingly glaring, dragging out her response. Her eyes remain alight, blazing like the sun at mid-day as she continues to stare me down. Eventually, she replies.

"I've only put you where you're the most comfortable: inside your head!"

*🌙*

I can't believe it, but it appears I'm not actually freezing to death, just made to believe I am.

It's no secret that I have a weak mind, that's why every insult ever pitched my way by my peers sticks to me, piercing my psyche and pulling me deeper into insecurity. Insecurity which I've struggled with since before I even knew what the word meant. Now I'm quagmired while having my head preyed upon and feeling like there's no way out.

Even with the knowledge that this affliction is all a mind-game, I can't escape. This feeling, this illusion of bitter cold, is going to eat me alive. So much for being resilient, especially where it counts.

"You………bitch," I sputter, attempting once more to fight my way through the pain. D'Voorz just laughs in retaliation, but her eyes never leave mine. She's fixated to the nth degree, staring daggers into my soul. Destroying this eerie eye contact has to be the key to breaking the conceit, though I don't know how I'm going to escape her line of sight since I'm hamstrung. If only Brakyr was awake.

Oh, yeah, I did forget to explain why he hasn't intervened in this brawl, didn't I? Well, during that prolonged period I mentioned previously, Doc Mordecai decided to put Brakyr out of commission when I called out to him by administering a collar-shock. I received a shock as well, a pretty massive one at that, but I wasn't fazed by it compared to my prior exposure. I kept going, putting all of my might into every punch I hit D'Voorz with. It was like I just absorbed the energy, becoming galvanized.

(The doc wasn't impressed, but that isn't a negative. In fact, he was overjoyed because he had come to expect such from me. I had become his prized possession in that moment. Back to this arctic mindfuck though.)

Despite all attempts to be strong and muster up some invincibility, this biting, frigid prison has worn me down. I'm completely enervated, simply ready to let go. I remain unable to stop this assault via staring contest with D'Voorz, but my eyes have become heavy as sandbags, which means that I'm either about to fall asleep, or cease living. Most likely the latter. Breathing continues to be harrowing, as well as deathly labored. Every inhale and exhale I've pained myself to take is slower than molasses flowing down a steep mountainside.

Yeah, that tears it: it's definitely time to let go. No more suffering, no more depression, no more heartache. I can finally say goodbye to this horrendous world. So much for becoming a superhero, eh?

🌙🌙🌙