There Are No Strings On Me

Mohinder is presently on hold, anxiously awaiting a response, currently inside an office situated atop an abandoned shipping container facility. The gravity of the situation is palpable in the air, the importance of the call cannot be overstated.

"Yes," booms a deep and authoritative voice on the other end of the line.

Mohinder maintains a composed facade as he relays their current status. "Phase one of Operation Daybreak has been successfully executed, Sir. We have successfully secured the target and await your authorization to proceed to phase two," he reports in a steady and level tone, despite the tension and urgency of the situation.

"Perfect," Tristan replies with a note of satisfaction. "Instruct your associate to proceed with phase two immediately. The target must be extracted and brought to the agreed-upon location without delay."

"Understood," Mohinder responds in a monotone voice, betraying no hint of emotion or opinion.

With a hint of curiosity Tristan asks "How did it go? Did he meet your expectations? I do hope you enjoyed yourself."

Mohinder clenched his jaw at Tristan's inquiry, but managed to suppress the urge to lash out. He instinctively ran his fingers over the rough, healed scar on his face, a constant reminder of his greatest humiliation.

After ending the call, Mohinder's composure crumbles as a wave of anger and frustration washes over him. He slams his fist onto the table, the force of the impact splits the table in half and causes the items on the table to fly off.

He takes a deep breath and tries to compose himself, knowing that losing his cool could only lead to more disastrous consequences. He needs to focus and ensure that the rest of the operation proceeds without any further setbacks.

Madison, who had apparently been in the office the whole time, stood up from a nearby chair and finally spoke up. "I'm guessing I'm supposed to proceed?" she asks.

"Yes," he barked out, his body trembling with anger and threatening to explode at any minute.

Without waiting to see if that was the case, the young witch quickly exited the office, escorted by one of the lucky few of Mohinder's men who had managed to escape their encounter with the "Anima".

-

Inside a dark, damp hangar that had previously been used to store shipping containers, became a makeshift cell. Hanging from thick steel chains attached to the high-rising ceiling was a barely conscious and bloodied Kai. It appeared that after knocking him out, his captors had given him something to prevent his wounds from healing and keep him in a weakened state.

Several minutes after regaining consciousness, Kai found himself alone in his cell. However, his solitude was short-lived when Madison strolled in. As usual, her demeanor was reserved and showed barely a sliver of emotion.

Kai had expected his first visitor to be the hulking brute, Mohinder, but Madison was a close second. He suspected that she was actually the one who had been tasked with subduing him, rather than the dog.

It definitely made more sense, considering that from what little Ariane had spoken about her, Madison seemed better suited for eliminating targets rather than extracting information from them. Kai couldn't help but feel foolish for not having acted on his suspicions of her from the beginning. It appeared that he wouldn't be getting a second chance; if Tristan was smart enough, he would end him here.

As she entered the room alone, Madison greeted Kai with a cynical tone, "Kai de Martel, Anima, Aurora's Fang - you have quite the fancy name and several titles."

"I do prefer them over Tristan's lap dog and victim," Kai retorted, with a sense of pity in his voice at the latter.

"I never did understand what Ariane saw in you, but after what you did to said lapdog, I can say that at least you're strong, although not as strong as I am," Madison replied, her words spoken with a truthful tone. Kai could tell that there was no venom or spite behind them.

"What do you want with me?" Kai asked, speaking more freely than he normally would. "Don't tell me you came here just to gloat. It doesn't appear like you need the confidence boost. Or are you to be my executioner? Does Mr. big bad vampire have performance anxiety?"

Madison remained stoic as ever, her expression giving nothing away. "You have a quick wit, Kai. I'll give you that." she remarked.

Kai couldn't help but feel a sense of unease wash over him. He had a feeling that whatever Madison had in store for him wouldn't be pleasant. But at this point, he had nothing to lose. So he braced himself and waited for her next move. That unfortunately couldn't have braced him for what she was about to reveal.

"I wasn't just tasked with subduing you, if you managed to defeat Mohinder. I was also tasked with converting you," As soon as those words left Madison's mouth, Kai thrashed about in an attempt to free himself. Knowing full well about The Strix's methods of converting their enemies into obedient soldiers, and he knew that it was a fate worse than death.

He cursed Tristan for taking away everything he held dear and for trying to turn him into his puppet.

"I'd rather rip out my own heart than become Tristan's pawn!" he roared, his struggles becoming more frantic as he tried to break free from the chains that held him. Despite knowing that it was a futile endeavor, he couldn't accept such a fate.

Madison watched him calmly, as if observing a lab rqt. "There's no point in struggling, Kai. The chains are enchanted, and you won't be able to break them. Accept your fate, and it will be easier for you."

Kai gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew that Madison was right, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. He had to find a way out of this, and he had to do it fast before it was too late.

"I won't let you do this to me," Kai said, his voice filled with determination. "I'll find a way to break free and when I do, I'll make sure that all of you pay for what you've done."

Madison approached Kai with a calm and collected demeanor. She reached out and placed a hand on his forehead, sending a wave of energy through his body. Kai felt his resistance melting away, his mind becoming hazy and his will weakening.

As Madison continued her work, Kai's pleas turned into incoherent mumbling, and soon he was silent. His body slumped forward, his energy drained, and his spirit broken.

Madison stepped back and watched as Kai hung limply from the chains, a shell of his former self. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she said with a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

After arranging a variety of odd objects in a particular formation with candles placed strategically, Madison glanced at the unconscious Kai, "I'm not sorry for what I'm about to do. I'm sorry that Ariane couldn't be the one to do it. She would have made it less painful." She then retrieved a book from her robes, sat down in front of her makeshift altar, and began to chant.

It appeared Madison's previous spell seemed to have worn off, as Kai had awoken and was poised to resume thrashing around. However, his attempt was abruptly halted as a sharp pain jolted through his mind, causing him to scream in a horrible way that didn't even sound human. The only sound now filling the hanger was Kai's painful screams, echoing off its walls, yet there was no one coming to save him.

-

A while later, Mohinder arrived to check on his captive but found himself barred from entering by a visibly irritated Madison.

"Stop right there. This is an extremely delicate spell, and even the slightest disruption could have catastrophic consequences. I'm sure Tristan wouldn't be pleased if that was to occur, especially given your lackluster performance earlier," the sassy witch quipped as Mohinder reached to unlock the cell door.

"Watch your mouth, witch. While I may need the housecat alive, I have no qualms about disposing of you," Mohinder threatened, but refrained from entering the cell.

Madison stood her ground and retorted, "Don't make me laugh. I'm not one of your lackeys, and I sure as hell am not afraid of you. Now, leave before I accidentally lose control and this housecat decides to finish what it started," referring to the gruesome injury Kai had inflicted upon his face.

Growling in anger, Mohinder glared at Madison before taking his leave, silently vowing to get his revenge.

After Mohinder's departure, Madison turned her attention back to Kai, who had become still and unresponsive. She let out a deep sigh before whispering, "I'm sorry. I'm almost finished. Just hold on for a few more minutes."

She closed her eyes and began to focus on the spell. A bright purple light emerged from her hands and spread throughout the room, illuminating every corner. The light gradually decreased in size until it penetrated Kai's head. Suddenly, Kai let out a blood-curdling scream, and his body contorted in ways that seemed inhuman, as if every fiber of his being was being ripped apart.

Madison gritted her teeth, knowing that this was the most crucial part of the spell, and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

As Madison focused on maintaining the spell, she heard the sound of the cell door opening behind her. Thinking it was Mohinder returning to cause trouble, she prepared to give him a piece of her mind.

"Didn't I make myself clear before? This is an incredibly intricate and delicate spell, and I don't want any distractions from anyone, especially not from you," she started, but stopped mid-sentence when the intruder walked past her.

Realizing it wasn't who she thought it was, Madison demanded, "You're not Mohinder. No one is supposed to be here. Who are you?" Her eyes narrowed as she studied the stranger.

Ignoring Madison's question, a thin, gaunt man with pale skin walked over to Kai, who was currently passed out from the intense pain and hanging silently. The man lifted Kai's face by the chin and nodded when Kai remained unresponsive.

Madison's concern quickly turned to anger. "Hey, who are you and what do you think you're doing. Leave, this is an important operation under-"

Once more, her words went unheeded as the man murmured, "The infamous Anima. He doesn't strike me as particularly powerful, but he did manage to defeat Mohinder. Perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye, despite his youthful face."

Regrettably for Madison, the spell she was currently channeling demanded her complete magical power. In other words, she was unable to cast any other spells while channeling this specific one. This meant that she was incapable of casting any other spells while this specific one was in progress. Moreover, the spell created a mental link between herself and Kai, and terminating it abruptly could potentially cause severe damage to his psyche. Essentially, she was not the formidable witch capable of subduing a fully transformed werejaguar; she was just a vulnerable young girl, powerless to act.

"I'm not sure what your intentions are-" she began, but the man interrupted her with a pointed finger towards Kai.

"I'll be relieving you of your duties and taking him with me," he declared.

"That's the problem, you can't move him right now. The spell I'm channelling requires him to stay put, otherwise it risks disrupting the magical flow," she explained, but the man's expression remained indifferent. Sensing his lack of understanding or concern, Madison simplified her explanation for him. "If you move him, it'll essentially shatter his mind into countless fragments that can never be put back together. Understand?"

He took a step forward, coming to a halt just inches away from Madison, who remained seated. The vampire flashed her a long and slender smile revealing his fangs as he spoke. "Not my concern. I was hired to extract him from here, and whether or not he ends up a simpleton for the rest of his life has nothing to do with me."

Without any warning, he brutally kicked her, sending Madison skidding across the floor until she collided with the wall. Dazed and powerless, she watched in horror as the man made his way towards Kai and began unfastening his chains.

"Stop... don't..." Madison weakly pleaded, reaching out towards the man while struggling to summon enough magic to stop his progress. She could sense the mental link between herself and Kai slowly deteriorating, and she knew that time was running out.

Suddenly, Madison felt a cold splash on her face, akin to being sprayed with water. It wasn't until she looked again that she realized what had transpired: before her, the vampire who had attacked her was having his throat ripped out. A fully awake Kai was violently tearing at the vampire's neck with his bare teeth, causing blood to spray in every direction, including onto Madison's face.

Madison was at a loss for what to do, her mind struggling to process the gruesome scene unfolding before her. It was only when a deafening roar erupted from Kai's blood-stained mouth that she snapped back to reality. Revitalized by his kill, Kai began pulling at his chains with greater force, until he was freed, he didn't even spare her a glance before bursting through the hanger's door and vanishing into the darkness.

Madison is left in shock as she gazes at the shattered door, but soon Mohinder appears on the scene. Frantically scanning the hangar, he quickly vanishes, presumably in pursuit of the absent Kai.

Collapsing onto the chilly ground, Madison finally releases her tension and murmurs, "I'm as good as dead."