He sat alone in a dim corner of Nonna’s Kitchen. The little Italian Ristorante bustled with activity as its dinnertime patrons filled the tables. The aromatic scents wafted through the air from the kitchen filling the business with Sicilian nostalgia. He was, however, unaffected by the jovial atmosphere which was evident in the way he stared at each customer who walked through the door. His hands trembled as he lifted a streaming cup of espresso and his peculiar eyes remain glued to the entrance even when the scalding liquid burned him as it passed between his pale lips.

“Yo! Mar-ee-yo!”

The boisterous voice of jolly Tito finally broke through his trance. He looked around for his friend. A large young Mexican man grinned at Mario and gave him a playful wink. Tito was always in up-beat, optimistic mood and quick with a contagious laugh and infectious smile; it was both his defense mechanism and his greatest strength. Mario was grateful his friend was working the evening shift.

Tito wove his through the crowd and plopped himself down in the booth across from Mario.

“Where’s Nonna Gianina tonight? He asked, his black eyes twinkling.

“Ah,” Mario sat his cup back on the counter, suddenly aware of his stinging lips, “She’s at home supposedly restin’, but you know Nonna…”

Tito nodded, his grin stretching even wider over his attractive face. “Si, si. Can’t never not do somethin’. Yeah, I know.” A mischievous gleam came into his eyes. “Which is more than I can say about her slothful grandson. I didn’t know Area Supervisor was an acronym for lazy bum.”

Mario smile was wan. “You don’t even know what an acronym is,” he replied, attempting to return the humor, but there was little amusement in his voice.

Tito didn’t miss the lack of enthusiasm. “Yo, what’s eatin’ ya, Mario?” he said seriously. “You still worried ‘bout Mia? She’ll turn up- she always does.”

“I know where Mia is, man,” he said quietly.

“Yeah?” Tito’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Then how come you look like someone just died?”

The statement struck him as ironic as the vision of the dead Black Coat tumbling from the shadows flashed before him. “She’s in a real mess, Tito. Got mixed up with a real whacked out crowd.”

“Aw, she’s a good kid,” Tito tried to downplay the situation, but it did not mask his concern. “It can’t be that bad. What are they into? Petty theft, drinking, graffiti?”

“Nah, man. This is big time stuff.”

“Fo real?” Tito seemed stunned. “She into drugs?”

Mario sighed and watched the people entering the diner over his friends shoulder. “Nah. Bigger than that.”

“She involved with a guy?”

Mario nodded. “Dude who’s missin’ a thumb.”

Tito swore and leaned back against the seat. “How?”

“Yakuza… Japanese mafia or somethin’ messed up like that.”

Tito swore again.

“Yeah, it is, man,” Mario said in response to the cursing.

“So whaddya gonna do?”

Mario’s gaze shifted onto Tito’s worry-stressed face. “I’m waitin’ on a guy who can help.”

“A cop, then?”

“Nah, a shrink.”

“A shrink?” Tito let out a low whistle. “Now that is messed up!”

A shadow fell over the table the young men sat at. Mario looked up and into the eyes of a gray-hair gentleman who was studying him intently. He jumped out of his seat quickly, looking somewhat rattled.

“Doctor,” he paused as though uncertain how to address the man before him. “Sydney?”

The man inclined his head slightly and gave the youth a thin smile. “Mario, I presume.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tito took this exchange to be his exit cue. “Yo, man,” he caught Mario’s arm as he passed by. “You need anythin’…”

Mario nodded appreciatively before returning his attention to the doctor. After a moment of awkwardness, Mario let his hands fall to his sides. “I ain’t got no idea what to do, sir,” he admitted sheepishly as his speech lapsed back into the bad grammar he used in casual conversation.

Sydney smiled as reassuringly as he could. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, Mario,” he said more confidently than he felt. “Have you heard anything more from either of them?”

The young man’s head shook despairingly. “No, sir. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but I also haven’t seen any of those weird guys either.”

“Let’s take that as a good sign,” Sydney said, motioning for Mario to follow him. “Time is against us, I’m afraid. We must move quickly.”

“Of course,” Mario trailed close behind the doctor as they exited the restaurant. “May I ask where we’re going?”

“There’s a couple of people I want you to meet,” Sydney told him, turning the collar of his coat up to ward off the biting air. “They’ll help us find Amelia.”

After a moment’s pause, Sydney glanced at the young man next to him. “Mario.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Did Mr. Lyle happen to tell you why you should call me?”

“No,” Mario shrugged thoughtfully. “He just said you’d be the most likely to help him. Why?”

“Just curious,” Sydney murmured, still unsettled about the matter. There was nothing in the past that he could recall that indicated Lyle ever trusted him.

“Are these people you want me to meet close by?”

Sydney arched an eyebrow at him. “Not exactly. They’re in Delaware.”

Mario didn’t conceal his surprise. “Oh.”

“That’s why I couldn’t get here any sooner.”

“That explains that.” Mysteries, Mario decided, were only fun when they didn’t physically involve him. He began to wonder if this nightmare would ever end.

Mario was seated at the kitchen table in Sydney’s house. His mind had already gone numb and his body was beginning to follow suit. Over the course of the past two hours, a less than friendly Miss Parker had grilled him on his connection to Lyle, the Centre, Mia, and Project Heptagon. His only recourse was to repeat what he had witnessed and been told by his sister and Lyle. It did not seem to satisfy Miss Parker in the least. Jarod had been more kind to him, though Mario was not sure if that was sincere or if was a result of a recently incurred concussion.

In order to prevent total mental shutdown, Mario learned that it was best not to ask questions. He knew Miss Parker was Lyle’s twin sister, but he did not ask if she was involved in the same things her brother was. He knew Jarod was a Pretender, but he did not ask why he was so important to the Centre. Nor did ask what the Centre was nor any other millions of questions that floated through his head. If he just focused on his sister he felt he might have a chance to retain some of his sanity.

He was left sitting at the kitchen table while a row ensued between Parker and Jarod. Mario closed his eyes against the rush of voices, trying sort out his thoughts, but it was a futile effort. Parker’s forceful voice overtook Jarod’s and Mario couldn’t help but listen. She apparently didn’t want Jarod going “back” with her- wherever back was- and Jarod was rather insistent that he was going back whether she liked it or not.

“Hey, kid.”

Mario reopened his eyes to find Parker standing over him. Judging by the disgruntled expression on her face, he guessed she had lost the argument with Jarod.

“We’re going to get your sister now. You stay with Syd,” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the doctor.

Mario reflexively took inventory to make sure she had a thumb on each hand. Her words registered with him and he stood up abruptly.

“I’m going with you.”

Unconsciously, he had taken hold of her upper arm and was now being subjected to that infamous, artic glare. He let go quickly, but did not back down.

“No, you’re not,” she snapped with finality.

“She’s my sister.”

“Parker,” Jarod stepped in between them and gave her a firm look. “He has a right to go.”

Parker’s mouth twisted into a scowl. Finally, she sighed, looking very tired. “Jarod, no. The fewer people I have to keep track of the better.”

A deep grimace marred the Pretender’s features. “Would you stop trying to do everything alone?” he spoke in a tone meant for her ears only. “You’ve got me to shoulder some of this and we may very well need Mario’s help.”

She looked away, staring at something he could not see, and did not answer.

“Besides, it is his sister down there.”

“Fine,” she barked grudgingly, pulling back from him. “But I am not rescuing you again.”

Jarod smiled morosely and turned to Mario. “Ready?”

Mario, grim-faced and sullen, nodded shortly.

After finalizing plans with Sydney and Broots, the three prepared for their trip back to the Centre. Parker paused in the doorway of the house, staring blankly ahead.

She is his sister, she reflected. And he is my brother.

The Black Coats escorting them suddenly stopped and lifted them onto the dais. From this elevated position, the duo could see the snaking track that twisted in and out of the archways. On the tracks rolled by odd coffin-shaped containers filled with water. Lyle stared in horrified wonder at the macabre world they were in. He knew a little about a great many things that went on in the Centre but this…? Somehow Dominatus had been assembled under his nose without him even suspecting anything.

His attention turned to Mia who was standing next to him struggling to keep her eyes open as she surveyed their surrounding with vague awareness. He tried to grab hold of her, but found that his hands were cuffed behind his back in heavy manacles.

Once the liquid-filled coffins had trundled by their Black Coats guards gripped them firmly by the shoulders and marched them in the direction the coffins had disappeared.

Lyle was becoming restless and perhaps even a mite scared as they were forced down a dark tunnel.

“Where are you taking us?” he demanded, asserting as much authority in his voice as he could. He was incredibly indignant- how dare they treat the Under-Director of the Centre like this! A singular thought struck him at that moment as he realized with chilling clarity that they were not independent of the Centre- they were part of the Centre. He was on the receiving end of an elaborate setup and he had been for… years, probably. Something wasn’t computing correctly and Lyle shook his head as though trying to rid himself of extraneous information. Mr. Parker was the one who had assigned him to the Seventh Member Retrieval. So it was his father who had set him up! He should have figured that… but then that still wasn’t quite right. He had received a communiqué from Mr. Parker after the Retrieval was well-under way with instructions regarding how the Centre was to be run during his absence along with the warning to trust no one. Now Lyle wished he’d paid a bit more attention to the warning.

Lyle’s head began to spin as he continued trying to sort out the truth. Since then he’d had random contact with Mr. Parker who seemed most concerned about Brigitte and the baby. It was unlikely that his father was behind it as Mr. Parker had about as large a target on him as Lyle did. But if it wasn’t his father… then who? He knew Mr. Parker had received his orders from the Triumvirate. However, assuming Puccini was telling the truth, the Director was at the helm of this little endeavor and she was not apart of the Triumvirate. The hand on his shoulder forcing him to turn disrupted his thoughts.

They were now standing in a small area that resembled a factory floor. A cold hand gripped Lyle’s face and forced him to look to the left. A long white finger pointed to a door at the end of yet another long corridor.

“You must go in there.”

The Black Coats forcefully shoved them towards the door. Mia, who seemed to be under the influence of a tranquilizer, stumbled, awkwardly trying to keep herself on her feet. Lyle managed to shoulder under her and hold her up until she regained her balance. Once they were on the other side, the doors automatically hissed shut behind them, leaving them alone in the darkness.

Inside the new chamber, they were bombarded by a hideous blast of electrical feedback from speakers that were mounted high on the wall. Suddenly, several rapid flashes of intense light flooded the room, all but blinding them.

“Move forward,” a tinny voice commanded through the speakers. A buzzer sounded and a red light flashed above the door across the area. There was nothing they could do but comply.

Lyle squeezed his eyes tightly shut trying to eliminate the light-induced blindness. When his vision cleared, he saw that he and Mia were at the end of a line of people all dressed as they were. A nauseous feeling settled in his stomach as he counted the others. He and Mia rounded out the total to seven… Seven Members.

“Move forward.”

The queue trudged onward. Lyle twisted and strained to see the faces of the other Members, but the Black Coats did not allow him to get far enough out of line to get a clear view of their features. What he did see was that they all seemed to be drugged. Mia was almost completely alert now and her eyes darted frantically around trying to make sense of what they were seeing. Lyle leaned close to her to tell her that the other must be the other Members of Heptagon, but before he could say anything he felt suddenly strange as all the hair on the back of his hands and neck stood on end. The air encompassing him quivered as though charged. A loud zap stung his ears and his right side felt like it was on fire. Gasping for air, Lyle glanced to the side and saw a Black Coat staring blankly at him. In the man’s hand was an electrical cattle prod. Lyle glared at him spitefully and spat out a mouthful of bile that had crept into his mouth.

“Move forward.”

They entered another hall- this one lined with Black Coats- and appeared to be heading into yet another room. Mia looked back over her shoulder at Lyle with a frightened looked. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but it came out as a grimace. Mia returned her gaze to what lie before them.

Just before Mia stepped through the door on the heels of the other Members, a figure stepped into the doorway blocking her passage. She gasped in surprise and checked up. Lyle walked into the back of her and curious, he peered over her shoulder. Out of the darkness a hand shot out and grabbed Mia’s arm, holding it tightly in a bloody grip.

Her jaw dropped in a silent scream as she tried to pull away from what held her. She twisted around and buried her face in Lyle’s chest to stifle her tears and gripped his shirt with her free hand. Powerless to do anything with his hands shackled, Lyle could only stand there glaring into the darkness from whence the hand came.

An inhuman moan radiated from the shadows and the hand’s grip tightened. Lyle certainly was no stranger to gore, but this thing that latched onto Mia repulsed even he. The hand was red, raw, and skeletal in appearance. It was morbid fascination that held his attention to that hand. Then a sudden wave of nausea crashed over him, as he understood that that hand had been skinned. A violent shudder racked his body.

“What is it?” Mia voice was barely more than a plaintive mew. She turned her head to the side and stared down at the hand.

“Don’t look,” Lyle whispered, still unable to tear his own gaze from the sight.

Something in his tone made her rebury her face against him. Another inhuman groan was uttered from the monster that owned the hand and it began to pull Mia towards it.

“No!” Lyle looked around at the silent Black Coats and silently cursed them for not intervening this time. The black eyes stared unseeingly as though nothing abnormal was occurring.

Mia let out a strangled cry. Lyle attempted to put himself in between Mia and whatever it was in the shadows.

“Amelia…” the raspy call froze them both. “Robert…”

Whatever horror was lurking in the darkness knew them.

In times of imminent danger and death, the mind oft wonders down strange paths completely disassociated from what is actually occurring. For Lyle, the image of his sister flashed into his mind and his heart sank. All his memories of her sped as if each moment had been threaded on a movie reel and was now being played for him. He was reminded of all the reasons why she should not help him. Mario should have contacted Sydney long ago and Parker should know of their situation by now, but Lyle did not hold out much hope that she would come nor grieve any over his demise.

“Come to me…Amelia…Robert… Come… You can still stop them…”

They stood on the brink of the underworld, not far from where she and Jarod had originally watched White’s lecture to the congregation of Black Coats. A few of the strange men scurried through the auditorium move various pieces of furniture around the area. They appeared to be preparing the room for a ceremony or something similar.

Jarod glanced at his watch. There was less than an hour before the scheduled initiation of Dominatus. Though he had never discussed the very real danger they were placing themselves in with Parker, he knew they could very well die here. Usually able to find some sliver of hope in every situation, Jarod could not pull his thoughts from the mire of melancholy. Part of this despondency sprang from the fact that they knew very little about what they were walking into. Jarod didn’t like to go into any circumstances without first having thoroughly studied the situation from every possible angle.

He was acutely aware of Parker’s presence next to him and his skin tingled excruciatingly with worry. Mario stood on the other side of Parker taking in the circus below him; Jarod chose that moment to pull her to the side.

Teetering on the verge of possible death left him feeling that it was necessary to get certain things off his chest before it was too. He looked at her intensely, somehow unaware that he was staring at her. In his mind, he saw her as a young girl and the memories of her from their youth began to play. The reel paused on the moment when she bestowed upon him his first kiss.

“Hello? Jarod? Anybody home?”

Instantly, he became aware that she was speaking to him and his cheeks flooded crimson, though mercifully the dark kept this hidden from her.

“Uh, yeah…” his voice trailed off as he felt his courage leaving him.

“Well, look,” she said, picking up the uncomfortable slack in the conversation. Even in the dimness of their surrounding she could feel his concentrated gaze boring into her. “We need to find Lyle and Mia and get them out of here, drawing as little attention to ourselves as possible.” It was an unnecessary remark and she felt ridiculous for making it.

“Do you remember… do you remember when we were young…”

Parker tipped her head to the side and regarded him curiously as he faltered in his speech in a un-Jarod like manner. “And?” she prodded. They did not have the luxury of wiling away time with idle reminiscences.

“And you kissed me?”

Parker’s eyebrow spiked in surprise. She backed away from him, uncomfortable with where his statement might be headed.

“Why are you bringing this up now?” she said callously. “We don’t have time for this nonsense.” Even in the dark she could see the sting of rejection on his features. Though it was necessary to reinforce the boundaries that were established between them, she did not do so without a pang of regret.

His chin dropped to his chest and his shoulder rose sharply as he inhaled. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said so quietly she had to strain to hear him. “We need to find Mia and Lyle.”

“Yo, Jarod,” Mario waved them both over. “Somethin’s happenin’ down there.”

As Jarod somberly passed by her as he crossed over to where Mario stood, he felt a hand catch his. He turned to Parker inquisitively, but she was not looking at him. Instead, her gaze was locked on the scene below them. Hope all but died as he squeezed her hand lightly and she returned the gesture.

“Look at that.” Mario was pointing to the stage area. Seven iron seats resembling electric chairs were set up on the platform.

“Seven chairs…” Jarod mumbled aloud, his attention now riveted to view that was being assembled.

“Seven Members…” Parker finished his thought.

“I see an area behind the stage,” Jarod directed her sight to the area he was studying. “My guess is that the seven Members are somewhere back there.”

The trio exchanged glances and with grave resignation began to formulate their plan of attack.

“Listen to me,” the bloody thing said, extremely aware of what a wretched sight it was. “You must listen closely to me. You have but one chance to stop Dominatus from commencing!”

The more it talked the more Mia cried and the more Lyle felt he was going to break out of his shackles or wrench his shoulders out of socket trying. He was standing with his left to the thing to provide at least some protection to Mia.

“Who are you?” Lyle spat vehemently. “Why should we listen to you?”

The creature uttered an agony-laden gasp of a laugh. “You should listen to me because I know how to stop them. I am…” his tone was incongruous, “ I was Viktor Puccini.”

Mia turned her head and wailed into Lyle’s chest. Lyle sighed despondently. Even if by some miracle they survived this, he feared that Mia would never recover from the trauma.

Lyle swore under breath. “Fine,” he said. “How do we stop this?”

“Scatter the Members.”

“That’s it?” He didn’t sound overly impressed.

“Trust me, Robert. I have no reason to lie to you. I don’t have time to go into the details. Separate the Members, it will throw the collective consciousness into confusion and they will destroy themselves. Without them, Dominatus is powerless.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Lyle eyed him warily.

“There’s one more thing, Robert,” the was intense urgency in the man’s voice and Lyle found himself leaning forward to catch his words. “Mia has the capability to summon up the skills of her sub-personality without the sub-personality being activated. She simply must…”

Puccini shrieked suddenly. The next moment, two of the Black Coats reanimated and snatched Puccini away from the Lyle and Mia. As the doctor was taken from their sight they were subjected to his blood-curdling screams of suffering and torture. In his place, appeared a sneering Mr. White.

“Don’t mind him,” White said smoothly, locking gazes with an astonished Lyle. “He’s just being taught a lesson.”

Jarod discovered that the catwalk they were on encircled the entire perimeter of the auditorium. The trio followed it to the side of the stage and discovered a series of ceiling-less rooms behind it. Mario immediately zeroed in on his sister.

“There!” he exclaimed in a hushed cry. “There she is!”

Though they could not hear the conversation occurring, they did witness the horrific sight of Puccini’s gory form.

“!” breathed Mario. He choked back the urge to wretch.

While Mario and Parker looked on in horror, Jarod’s heart was inevitably touched by Mia’s sobs as he saw how frightened she was. He continued to watch even after the living corpse was carted off. Lyle was speaking to someone and, judging from the look on his face and his body language, he was greatly disturbed and irate. His curiosity was held by Mia who, while still weeping, had her arms wrapped around Lyle’s waist and was fidgeting with the cuffs that bound his wrists. It wasn’t just nervous fidgeting, either, Jarod observed- she was trying to unlock them.

“Jarod,” Parker hissed in his ear. “We have to get down there now. There doesn’t seem to be many of those drones down there.”

Jarod nodded. Reluctantly, he pulled his eyes away from Mia. Silently, he prayed she would succeed in her mission.

Stupid, he cursed himself. How could I have overlooked that!

Of course, the last person one would expect is the first one to be involved.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Lyle,” White bared his teeth in a sinister grin. “How goes things at the Centre?”

Lyle opened his mouth but nothing came.

“You don’t look so well,” he continued on, obviously relishing the moment. “Rough night?”

“So this is you’re doing?” Lyle snapped, finally regaining his ability to speak.

“Oh, well,” White jeered. “I really can’t take the credit for,” he waved his hand in a sweeping gesture, “all this. Unfortunately. I just work here.”

“I’m sure,” Lyle muttered.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lyle.” White tossed his hands in the air before clasping them behind his back. “I don’t be mean to be disrespectful, but I just can’t help feeling such immense satisfaction over your ,ah, demotion, let’s call it.”

Lyle’s throat burned with hatred so intense he would have killed White had he been free. White knew this and goaded him over his impotence. Then the verbal sparring stopped when White’s attention to Mia.

Lyle’s brow furrowed at the way White was looking Mia over.

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she,” White smirked at Lyle as he stepped closer to the girl. “Looks like you’ve taken a liking to her. Humph. So have I.”

Mia froze briefly, and peeked at White. The obscene leer the older man regarded her with sped her efforts to undo Lyle’s bonds.

White grabbed Mia with a slimy hand with the intent to pull her to him. Lyle’s reaction was instinctual. He lunged forward and gnashed his teeth at White, nearly catching the other man’s nose. White released Mia and stumbled back, glaring hatefully at Lyle.

“You’re going to regret that Mr. Lyle,” he hissed as he skulked back into the shadows.

Mia was a bit rattled by the incident. Lyle’s saddened movement had been just enough to help her irreparably break the lock on the fetters. Discreetly, she tested them to make sure they were open… and they were.

Black Coats surrounded them. A metallic voice crackled over the speakers.

“Move forward.”