Leon opened the door and looked back as Jedd scampered back down the hallway. Inside were several men and women dressed in white coats. Leon walked in, pointing his gun and yelling at everyone to stay in front of him. They all obliged until he heard the voice of Chuck Thorne. He was standing to the side of the room, several Blues surrounded him, and they all pointed their guns at Leon. Chuck Thorne walked forward towards Leon, “No need for that, we were expecting you.” Leon looked confused as he lowered the gun. He was outnumbered.

  “I had great plans for you, Leon. You grew up struggling, never thinking you were the best at anything. You were right, you know, you were destined for nothing. Nothing would be given to you until I came along. Once you got The Minds, all you had to do was go through the academy. You could have been fierce.”

  “When did you put an implant in me?” Leon demanded.

  Chuck Thorne looked shocked at Leon's tone; he was a lot less afraid than he should be. “Well, shortly after you joined the academy. There was a medical physical that I don’t think you would recall. But that should have been a blessing for you if it had worked.” Chuck Thore paced around the room, and the white coats stood there looking at him intently. “You all may leave.” He said, they rushed out fearfully.

  “We created something from the designs that we had from Jessica Studd. We reworked it as best as we could; you were our test subject.” Two blues followed Chuck Thorne as he walked, standing on either side of him. “If it had worked, it would have reset The Minds inside of you. Making you the most powerful person on the planet, just as powerful, if not more powerful than Dullahan. Which is why we put a version of him in your implant. If the chip had been successful, that version of him would have taken over your mind. It appears that both have failed. Now I intend to find out why.”

  Chuck Thorne motioned to the Blues next to him. “Grab him, we will extract what we can.”

  Ralphie looked up, sneering at the Intergator, “So if you think that I will ever give you anything that would betray Leon. You're dead fucking wrong, and you would have to torture, kill, and bury me. Before ever sniffing that reality. You prick.”

  The Integrator’s watch beeped. He smiled, “Well, that's a lovely story, but it appears your friend has walked right into our trap. They are extracting what they can as we speak. Your information will be extremely valuable when repurposing him. Don’t worry, we won’t wipe him until we’ve finished extracting what we can. If he doesn’t die beforehand. I’ve heard people sometimes die from the pain.” Ralphie tried to pull himself up, but he was tightly bound down. The interrogator signaled for some of the Blues to remove the devices from his eyes before telling them to prep him to be moved. The Integrator looked back at Ralphie, “It was good chatting with you.” He licked his lips, “I have some good news, your parents are ready to be seen.

  They rolled Ralphie through hallway after hallway, and he had no idea where they were taking him. Eventually, he came to a stop. Dullahan stood in the middle of the room, leaning against a large metal table.

  “Welcome,” Dullahan smirked towards Ralphie. “I’ve heard that you’ve already made an entrance. His voice was sharp, each word piercing through Ralphie. Dullahan motioned towards the back of the room towards two large black cylinders.

  “I’m assuming that this is what you are looking for,” He said, grinning.

  Ralphie took a couple of deep breaths, his eyes never leaving Dullahand. “I want to see them,” Ralphie said through gritted teeth, his voice shaking. “I want to know if they are still my parents.”

  Dullahan motioned towards the guards, “Release him, please.”

  The guards took a couple of swift steps towards Ralphie, unbuckling the straps that kept him held down. Ralphie stood up, and his head began to rhythmically thump as his feet wabbled. He swayed on his feet, unbalanced.

  “You know it's funny that this is the first time that I’ve met you. I’ve known about your family for years. They were my toughest critics. But how am I supposed to improve if I don’t have competition? If I didn't have your parents, then I would get bored. Maybe you can fill that hole.”

  Ralphie tried to stay calm, “My parents, are they real?”

  “Real!?” Dullahan let out a cackle. “What do you mean, real?”

  “Their minds? Are they human or are they puppets?” Ralphie asked

  “Your Uncle came up with that, Puppets. I kind of like it, don’t you? You know, with this technology, I could make people suffer, I mean, really suffer. Isn’t that wonderful?” Dullahan held out his arms, outstretched.

  Ralphie looked at Dullahan, “You're not real, you're just an imitation of us.”

  Dullahan grinned, “You know I could just have one of these Blues erase you, turn your brain into mush, and then I could repurpose you however I want to. But I think you can help me much more than that. It's the pursuit of certainty that kills us from within. But, so does the idea that anything is possible.” Dullahan motioned for the lab assistants to leave the room, and they all anxiously scurried out of the room. The Blues remained firmly planted, hiding in the shadows.

  “Let me show you an act of good faith.” Dullahan walked over to one of the computers before typing in a code. The glass around the cylinder rotated until it opened up. Ralphie's parents lay inside the cylinders; they were each starkly pale and had electrodes connected to their heads.

  Dullahan cocked his head back around. “You know, I never did enjoy killing. But then again, I guess I wouldn’t have been created if I did.” Dullahan shrugged, “I guess in a way it's kind of like killing them, although it doesn't feel that way. I mean, you lived with them for years and had no idea.”

  Ralphie looked at Dullahan in disbelief, “You can’t feel anything, you are just pretending to feel things.”

  Dullahan paced, "What's the difference between an imitation and a feeling?”

  “You aren’t conscious,” tears burned and stung into Ralphies face.

  “But, I am, and I know you can see it also,” Dullahan responded playfully

  Ralphie took a couple of steps forward, “Give me my parents.” He demanded, although his voice shook with fear.

  “Oh, you're hilarious, you think I would just give you your parents just like that. Oh no, I brought you here for a reason. Your parents are as good as useless to me now, and I am incredibly bored.”

  There was a large explosion that could be heard from inside the facility. Dullahan looked up unfazed before he crossed over in front of Ralphie's parents, smiling. Ralphie looked behind him.

  “How long before you think it takes before I yearn for death. If you gave a machine consciousness but no way out. How long can it last if it believes it's human?” Dullahan smiled at Ralphie, “A man like me could live forever. This world has entangled itself in machines because they are better.” Dullahan sat there uncontrollably laughing.”

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  There was another loud explosion. Ralphie turned to face the noise.

  “No doubt your uncle,” Dullahan said, his laughter slowing. “Oh, you thought I didn’t know about him, did you. Your reality crumbles day by day, and you can’t even notice. Humans no longer live in a world that benefits them; I create the bubble that you live in.”

  Just then, the door creaked open before an ash-covered Chuck Thorne walked in. He held Leon in his hands. Leon looked sick; he drooped so low that his knuckles scraped the floor. Chuck Thorne held onto most of his weight.

  “There's a huge breach inside the walls. We extracted what we could.” Chuck Thorne said before he saw Ralphie.

  Chuck Thorne looked up at Dullahan before saying, “I thought we were just after Leon.”

  Dullahan shrugged, “I guess not.

  Ralphie stared at Chuck Thorne in disbelief, “You betrayed them.”

  Chuck Thorne held Ralphie's attention. “I saved them from killing themselves. They would rather have been dead than raise you. If anything, I gave you your parents.”

  Ralphie clenched his fist together before saying, “You lied to me my whole life.”

  “Jedd told you he didn't.” Ralphie nodded, tears rolling down his face.

  “Why didn’t you help them?” Ralphie's voice begged before breaking off.

  “I couldn’t let them die.” Chuck Thorne pleaded more to himself than anything.

  “Well, maybe they were supposed to.”

  Another explosion sounded off in the building.

  Chuck Thorne swerved his head around to Dullahan, “What do we do about that? The explosions were getting closer and closer. Dust from the ceiling rained down after every explosion.

  Dullahan ignored him, but he was entertained. He motioned towards the large containers, his eye never leaving Ralphie.

  He was studying him. “Why don’t you let Ralphie meet his parents?” The giant glass surrounding the cylinders split into two before lifting. There were loud hissing noises as various hoses came disconnected, popping as they did so. Mr and Mrs. Studd fell out of the containers onto the floor. They let out a large gasp before looking around the room, startled. Some lines had been shaved from their heads that were snow white. Ralphie watched as steam rose from their slightly pink skin. They were covered in a moisturizing liquid that held their features tight against their skin.

  Ralphie attempted to take a step towards them, but so did the Blues. Ralphie stopped in his tracks. Dullahan held out his hand as if he were a waiter serving a meal, “There they are, good as new.” Loud gunfire could be heard through the door. Metal slicing against metal, there we cried that were soon silenced.

  “I’m running out of patience,” Dullahan said as he walked up to Leon, grabbing his face. Dullahan's long nails dug into Leon's soft skin. “You're just flesh to me, a body for my creations. My beautiful puppets.”

  Dullahan’s grin kept getting bigger and bigger as he turned his attention back to Ralphie. “Chuck Thorne, why don't you give Ralphie your gun? I want him to have options. Chuck Thorne pulled out a different gun from his pocket, flipping the gun around so he could hand the butt to Ralphie. Dullahan slid his hand down Leon’s face, taking hold of Leon’s neck. He pulled on Leon by the neck, dragging him until he was in line with Ralphies parents, “I give you a choice, two for one.” Chuck Thorne handed Dullahan the Dreamcatcher. Its handle splintered black. Dullahan turned the gun over, its one chamber made it unbelievably light.

  Humans were fascinating to Dullahan as he pointed the tip of the gun, gesturing towards the three of them. They were like ants, their lives so pointless and so easy to manipulate. To him, there was always a right choice, but humans weren't so easily. He loved watching them scatter. “You have choices. We can restore your parents to about how they were before, but make them stronger and more intelligent. Filling them with the perfect Digital Mind. The other option is to keep your friend alive, the inferior human side of him. At least what is left of him.”

  Ralphie sat there looking at Dullahan, an impossible decision. Ralphie held out the gun, slowly pointing it dead center at Dullahan. He was gripped with anger. “I will not choose; if I have to, you will be dead.”

  Dullahan smiled with the gun in his face, "Not a bad choice." He said, smirking, "I do not care about death; it is irrelevant, my purpose will be fulfilled regardless. But for you, is your purpose to kill four people? Bring everyone down with you. As soon as you kill me, they are as good as dead. I’m giving you the ability to save lives. To prove to yourself that my creations are superior, and it is only their flesh that you care about." He turned to face Ralphie's parents. They were his beautiful creations, his enemies turned into his puppets.

  Ralphie looked at his parents' tears rolling down his face. They were the mission; they were who he had come to get. They smiled at him, clueless of what was happening, gazelles trapped in a box set to be slaughtered. He looked at Leon, who was beaten down, tattered, but still alive. He strained his neck to look at Ralphie. Winking at him, letting him know it was ok. Leon then closed his eyes; he couldn’t be angry at Ralphie's decision, as both would ruin him.

  Ralphie closed his eyes. He couldn’t look at any of them; it was too painful. Would Dullahan let them go? He hoped so.

  Ralphie fired two shots, which echoed out. He kept his eyes shut tight for a couple more seconds, hoping it was a bad dream. That the nightmare would soon come to an end. “I’m sorry,” Ralphie whispered, only audible to himself before opening his eyes.

  The smile on Dullahan's face had been wiped. “I’m the fucking monster,” Dullahan said coldly. “Damn idiot, you would choose the life of your friend over my creations.” Ralphies mother and father lay motionless on the floor, blood soaking their clothes.

  Ralphie felt the warm liquid pour from his eyes. It filled him with powerful rage. If angels do exist, then Ralphie had two of them floating over him, filling his blood with energy. “I choose the liberation of reality,” Ralphie said, his voice strong and unwavering.

  Dullahan snickered before a loud explosion blew open the doors to the room. Jedd walked through the smoke, gun in his hand, shooting Dullahan in his knee, causing his knee to explode in a ball of blood. There was a burst of smoke that came from Jedd's clothing, hiding him as the Blues fired towards him. Bullets flew from the smoke, killing the Blues one by one. Chuck Thorne ducked behind one of the tables before scrambling to try and grab one of the Blues' guns. Ralphie fired several bullets, causing Chuck Thorne to yell out in pain. He lay on the floor, gripping his shoulder where most of the bullets landed.

  Jedd then tossed a grenade towards the back of the room, exploding in a loud fireball, killing the remaining Blues. Dullahan grabbed onto Leon, holding the gun up to the back of his head. The Minds stifled his ability to move as he stood still on his one remaining leg. Dullahan didn't seem like he was in any pain. Jedd held the gun up, pointing at Dullahan.

  “Drop him.” Jedd's face was covered in dust and blood, layers upon layers caked on.

  Dullahan smiled, the gun firmly pressed on the back of Leon's head, “Ha, you know you were one of the few we could never get our hands on, Jedd. You're incredibly slippery, but all we had to do to cripple you was remove your sister.” He licked his lips, taunting Jedd, “You know, I can kill anyone I want. You can’t save them all, and there is nowhere on this planet that I can’t find you.” Dullahan kept smiling. “Kill me, and I will just be replaced by someone worse than me, and you know that. You can’t escape this game.” Jedd's face remained stern; he had already said goodbye to his sister once.

  Ralphie looked at Chuck Thorne, who was immobilized, bleeding out. He fixed his gun on Dullahan, “You have no option but to let him go,” Ralphie said.

  It caused Dullahan to push the nose of the gun harder into the back of Leon’s head, his teeth ground together. Spitting as he talked, “I allowed you to live with two perfect creations. You could have lived out the rest of your miserable life in peace. He then took the dreamcatcher and shot Leon in the head. He then turned to Judd, pulling the trigger, but it just clicked. It was out of bullets.

  Ralphie stood there in shock. All of the air inside him seemed to be sucked out of him. Leon's body fell to the floor. Jedd shot Dullahan many times, his body torn and shredded as he fell to the floor.

  Jedd then grabbed Ralphie, desperately trying to pull him out of the room. Ralphie broke free, running to Leon's side, his body motionless. Blood leaked out of Leon's eyes and nose, and an open wound flared on his forehead. His eyes were ghastly, lifeless, and white.

  Ralphie barely had any tears left.

  Jedd grabbed back onto Ralphie, “We have to go, let's light this place up.” Jedd pulled out a large square from his backpack, cranking the knob on top of it. “I’ve set up several charges throughout the building; they're all set to blow.”

  Jedd ripped Ralphie away from Leon and his parents, pulling him to his feet. On the way out, Ralphie noticed the Dreamcatcher held tight in Dullahan's dead grip. It was solid black from the handle to the nose. Ralphie pried it from Dullahan before he left. Large cascading explosions erupted, sending the building up in a large firestorm.