Meanwhile...
A black car with tinted windows sat parked at a distance, overlooking the mansion. It was hidden behind thick bushes to avoid drawing attention.
"Aaa! I can't take this anymore! I'm going in!" Zach shouted, reaching for the door handle.
But a strong, firm hand yanked him back into his seat.
"Don't even think about it. Relax. Your recklessness could put her in even more danger. Just calm down," Isaac said sharply.
"But my sister is in there! Who knows what that monster is doing to her while we're all just fucking sitting here doing nothing! I'm going to save her!" Zach yelled, struggling against Isaac's grip.
"Calm down, Zach! Calm down!" Isaac snapped.
"We all want to save her—but we can't act recklessly, okay? That's the house of the most wanted man in the world. And believe me, I get it. You're scared. That man is horrifying. But if we move now, without a plan, we might end up receiving Alisha's corpse. Is that what you want?"
Zach froze, his body trembling. Silent tears streamed down his face as he looked at Isaac, Peter, and Davis—his voice caught in his throat.
Isaac loosened his grip and placed a steadying hand on Zach's back, gently patting him.
"Hey... it's okay. Everything's going to be fine. I promise. If push comes to shove, we'll engage and pull her out. But right now, we have to be patient. We wait for the right moment. Okay?"
Zach nodded slowly—then suddenly stiffened. His eyes widened.
"Alisha..." he whispered.
Peter leaned forward.
"Hey... Zach, don't worry. We're going to save her. Alisha means a lot to me too, and I won't rest until she's safe. Okay?"
Zach shook his head.
"No... Alisha..."
He pressed his hand against the window.
"She's right there! She's there!"
All heads turned.
And there she was.
A ghost-pale figure walking slowly down the road from the mansion. She wore a shoulder-to-floor golden glittery dress, stripped of its crown, jewels, and shoes. Her bare feet touched the cold ground as she moved forward—silent, dazed, and broken.
Zach flung the car door open and jumped out before Isaac could stop him.
He ran to Alisha and stood in front of her.
"Alisha! Oh my God—you're alright. You're okay!"
But Alisha didn't respond. She looked at him briefly, then sidestepped him and continued walking down the road.
Zach's heart dropped into his stomach.
Something's wrong. Very wrong.
He shook off the daze and followed her.
"Alisha? Alisha, look at me. Where are you going?"
She kept walking, unresponsive, as if she couldn't hear him.
"Alisha! Alisha! Alisha, stop!" Zach shouted, stepping in front of her again.
She paused. Looked at him.
"Alisha, it's me... Zach. Your brother. What's wrong with you? Don't you recognize me? Huh?"
Still, no reply.
Zach turned his head, looking toward Isaac, Davis, and Peter, who were approaching from a distance.
Isaac stepped forward and joined them.
"Alisha... hey, it's me. Isaac. Can you hear me?"
At first, nothing.
Then her lips began to tremble. Her face twisted—and she broke into an uncontrollable, guttural sob.
Zach stepped forward slowly and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she cried. He cried with her, his own tears falling freely.
Isaac stepped back, giving them space. He returned to Peter and Davis.
"What's wrong with her?" Peter asked.
"PD," Isaac replied.
"Damn. This is bad," Davis muttered.
Peter looked between them, confused.
"PD? What's that? Is it dangerous?"
"Yes," Davis said grimly.
"It's a mind-controlling drug. It causes emotional breakdowns like this—then forces the victim into a stasis-like state for a few hours. After that, it erases the memory of what happened. If she ever tries to recall it, her brain will trigger a mind paralysis. Permanently."
"Oh my God..." Peter whispered.
"Oh my God, that's terrible. This is a nightmare."
He crouched to the ground, overwhelmed.
Davis turned—and realized Isaac was no longer beside them.
He spun around and saw him stomping furiously toward the mansion gates.
"Oh shit! Fuck! Isaac, stop!"
He bolted after him, tackling him into the nearby bushes just before he reached the bend.
The two men struggled—one trying to break free, the other holding on with everything he had.
"Aaaaah! Let go of me, Davis! Let go of me! I'm going to kill that bastard! I'll send him to hell where he belongs—even if I have to go down with him! Let go of me!" Isaac roared.
"No, Captain! Don't even think about it! I'm not letting you go!" Davis shouted.
"I know you're hurt. I'm angry too—furious about what happened to Alisha. But we can't act recklessly! If we move now, we'll put Patricia and her siblings in even more danger. We'll ruin everything we've worked for. We will get revenge. We will get justice. But not like this. Please... calm down."
Isaac stopped struggling. He buried his face in his arm, shoulders shaking as tears streamed down.
Davis gently patted his back, then stepped away to give him space.
After a while, Isaac stood up silently and began walking back toward the car.
Davis sighed and followed.
When they arrived, they saw that Alisha had passed out. Zach had carried her into the car, with Peter's help.
Isaac and Davis climbed in.
They drove straight to the hospital.
...
At the Hospital
"Don't worry, she's going to be fine. We thank God she wasn't violated—just severely shocked. We'll keep her under observation overnight, monitor her progress, and keep you updated," the doctor said before quietly exiting the room.
Alisha now lay on the hospital bed, her glittering gown replaced with a plain blue hospital gown. She looked pale beneath the sheets, an IV tube snaking around her arm, the steady beep of the heart monitor echoing in the room.
Zach sat beside her, gently holding her hand. Peter stood nearby, watching her with quiet concern.
Davis glanced at Isaac, who had been standing silently by the door for some time. Then Isaac turned and walked out.
Davis followed.
He found him sitting on a bench just outside the room, his head resting against the wall. Davis sat beside him, saying nothing.
The silence stretched.
Until—
"He raped him..."
Davis turned to Isaac.
"Huh?"
Isaac exhaled shakily.
"X... raped my brother. Augustine. My older brother—he's gone now."
He paused, his voice low and tight.
"The pig fucking raped him. And fed him PD."
He clenched his fists.
"My father had busted one of X's illegal drug manufacturing and distribution rings in Utopia. He found the evidence, brought it to court. But that slimy snake slipped through the cracks—no justice. So, as payback... just like what happened to Alisha... he kidnapped Augustine from school. Hell, he was trying to kidnap me, but Augustine was there. He took him instead."
Isaac's voice cracked.
"My father and I searched like maniacs. Days. Weeks. Until we found him—disoriented, standing at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. We brought him home. We were so relieved. But when we asked what happened..."
He swallowed hard.
"He cried for hours. Then he went into stasis mode. We thought it was trauma. When he finally seemed a little better, Dad pressed him for answers—he didn't know what that would do."
Another pause. A breath.
"Augustine only managed to say one word—'X'—before he went into shock. Then cardiac arrest. The doctors did everything they could... but they couldn't save him."
Isaac's voice dropped to a whisper.
"We found out he'd been raped through the autopsy. That's when we learned about the drug. PD."
He wiped his face.
"Augustine's death broke us. It killed my father. He couldn't live with it. He died trying to get revenge. And now..."
His voice trembled.
"Now, after all these years, I'm reliving that nightmare. Only this time, it's someone I love dearly who might suffer."
He looked up at Davis, eyes red.
"Patricia's been through so much already. And this... this will destroy her. She'll be devastated. And I can't do anything to stop it."
He broke down, sobbing.
Davis placed a steady, comforting hand on his back.
"Well, it's a good thing that's never going to happen."
Both men froze, turned toward the voice and saw Zach standing in front of them.
He sighed.
"She wants to see you."
Then he turned and walked back inside.
Isaac and Davis exchanged bewildered glances before rising and following him into the hospital room.
There, they found Alisha sitting up in bed. She still looked pale, but there was a faint glow of strength returning to her face.
"Miss Alisha..." Davis said gently. "Are you okay?"
Isaac stared at her, confused.
Isn't she supposed to be in stasis mode?
Alisha gave a weak smile.
"Don't worry. I'm okay. I didn't get injected with PD. I was only pretending—just in case Mr. X's men were watching or following us. I wasn't sure."
Isaac let out a breath of relief.
"Oh, Alisha... you had us all terrified. I honestly thought—"
"Thought what? That I was going to die?" Alisha cut in.
"Yeah. I thought so too. I thought my nightmare had come to life when I stood in the presence of the devil. I thought I was done for."
She paused, her voice trembling slightly.
"But... fortunately, there was an angel in our midst. At first, I thought she was one of them. But it turns out she was only pretending—to save my life."
She looked at each of them, her expression turning serious.
"We need to speak to Patricia. Urgently. I have information—something that could help us in our mission. Especially at the derby in Costa Rica."
She hesitated.
"And let me tell you... it's not good."
Everyone exchanged tense looks.
The air in the room shifted.
Whatever Alisha had to say—it was big.