The Wednesday 9-9-9 IV

Bendeta Mansion, September 10, 2009, 12:00 AM.

Dr. Lizardo, driven by his determination to uncover the truth and rescue the kidnapped children, stealthily made his way into the underground hideout. There, he came face to face with Petri's new body, inhabited by the soul of a Police Chief who had fallen into a coma.

With a chilling laugh, Petri, now Melton John, taunted Dr. Lizardo. "My name is now Melton John! Hahaha! I am younger and stronger than ever! Dr. Lizardo, get the kids ready!"

Lizardo's conscience, still fighting against the darkness, knew he couldn't let this continue. "I can't do it! One of the children is Don Kisame's son! We must let him go!"

Melton's deranged laughter filled the underground chamber. "Hahaha! I don't care! The Bendeta family will meet their doom, but I will live on! Immortality is within my grasp!"

Dr. Lizardo's heart sank as he realized that his friend Petri was no more. All that remained was a psychopath consumed by a thirst for power and eternal life. The situation had escalated far beyond what he had anticipated.

"You're right," Lizardo muttered, his voice tinged with bitterness. He knew what he had to do. Sneaking away from Melton's gaze, he reached into a hidden compartment and retrieved the AL-Machina, a device capable of soul fusion and transformation.

Lizardo, aware of his own impending demise, had prepared for this moment. He had secretly placed a spare soul core within a vault box and hidden it inside a stuffed bear. With the AL-Machina in hand, he made his move, determined to preserve a part of himself before it was too late.

As he fused himself to the spare soul core, the pain and darkness enveloped him. But through the agony, Lizardo found solace in knowing that he was taking a crucial step to complete his mission. He scrawled a note, leaving behind a cryptic message for anyone who would discover it: "This is the SOUL CORE. Inside this battery is a portion of thy soul essence. Free thy soul, thy soul will be whole. - Dr. L."

As the AL-Machina finished absorbing half of Dr. Lizardo's soul, his eyes lifted to the heavens, catching a glimpse of the moonlight. "What a wonderful world," he murmured, a bittersweet smile gracing his face.

Suddenly, the serenity was shattered as a massive wolf mascot lunged at him from the darkness. Its claws tore through Lizardo's back, sending waves of excruciating pain through his body. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his vision fading.

In his final moments, Dr. Lizardo's mind raced with a mix of regret and determination. The darkness had taken its toll, but he had made his sacrifice for the greater good. As his consciousness slipped away, he hoped that his actions would set in motion the chain of events necessary to bring an end to the nightmare that had befallen Bendeta Mansion.

The moon, an eternal witness to the unfolding tragedy, continued its silent vigil in the night sky.

To be continued...