Everyone was waiting in the rather crowded meeting hall that was constructed overnight for this very purpose. When Techno returned alone, they were all equally nervous and hopeful.
Technoblade has nothing to say and they all look at him. He's holding something behind him and looks mad. So very mad. And... scared? Angry. Frightened. Worst of all is how He's soaked. Things hadn't gone to plan. But Phil isn't there. Everyone can only hope that means one thing, that Dream had taken him. They refuse to accept any other reality. They can't. Not without proof.
"So Dream took the bait?" Foolish finally asks. In response, the anarchist throws something on the meeting table and everyone collectively gasps. It's a dismembered wing, black, feathery, wet, and bloody. Phil's wing.
"Oh fuck." Quackity whispers. No one else says a word, but just looks at the wing on the table. A wing, but also a message.
Dream is still in charge here.
Meanwhile, Phil is waking up in the back of a boat. His back is sore. Thats.. uh. That's... the understatement of the century. He feels like a limb was ripped off and burnt to close the wound, all while he was conscious but unable to fight back. Which is exactly what happened. He groggily tried to sit up, and Dream, who was in the front of the boat while fishing, turns to look.
"Ah. You're finally awake." Dream says.
"What the fuck is this, Skyrim?" Phil asks. Dream does his classic kettle laugh. Phil just winces and grabs his shoulder. He's lost his wings and damaged them over the years many times. Eventually, they grow back over a few decades. But it still hurts, every time. There's no words for the pain.
"Just wanted to make sure you actually would wake up. You held out for a while, old man. But when you passed out, I thought your time had come." Dream puts away his fishing rod while Phil weighs his options. He decides that there's not much of anything he can do. He can hardly sit up.
"Kristin would kill me if I died." Phil tries to laugh, but it hurts to do so. She'll probably just kill him anyway at this point. That was stupid and reckless. He looks up to the blue sky. Is she watching right now? He likes to think so.
"Well then, you wanted to see Tommy. Lets go see Tommy." Dream says after an uncomfortably long silence. He picks up the oars and rows until after the sun has set.
In darkness, Dream helps Phil from the boat and partway up the cliff of the island. He doesn't even bother with a blindfold or anything, Phil can hardly even walk. He won't be a problem.
Once inside the base, Dream half drags Phil to a cell he had mostly hoped to never fill. A simple cell, decorated like clouds in the sky surrounds you when inside. Phil groans in pain as Dream props him against the wall and shackles Phil's hands to a chain hanging from the ceiling.
Dream leaves the cell and looks in on his sleeping prisoners. Tubbo is snoring in the far corner of his cell. Ponk and Purpled are both asleep, sitting against their glass windows. Tommy lays on his bed, his forehead slick with sweat from fever. Seems he's sick. Dream takes note of this. He'll have to do something about that later. Sapnap is awake, watching him. Dream walks up to the glass and sits down.
"What did you do to him?" Sapnap asks softly, nodding to Phil's cell.
"I only clipped his wings." Dream replies. Sapnaps eyes widen in horror as he puts two and two together.
"You've lost it." He accuses Dream, bot even capable of expressing his horror.
"Lost what?" Dream muses. Sapnap looks up and sends chills down Dream's spine.
"You're humanity. " comes the reply. Dream stocks off, towards Tommy's cell and sits in front of the door. Why had that hurt to hear? Sapnap was his friend... what is he doing?
Dream runs his fingers through his hair. What IS he doing? He's gone mad! This has gotten out of hand. Suddenly he feels eyes on him. He jerks his head to the left and sees Skeppy, staring into his very soul.
"What do you want?" Dream snaps, composing himself.
"Bad." Skeepy replies, barely audible.
"I told you, if you see him, I'll kill him. You stay here." Dream scoffs. Skeppy shakes his head.
"You're losing control. Losing power." He says. His eyes seem to glow in the dark, like an animal just outside the light of a campfire. Biding it's time, dangerous, concealed.
"And you're getting ideas. I didn't even have to lock your cage before. What happened to that obedient skeppy?" Dream pulls out his pickaxe but Skeppy just keeps looking at him. Dream just wants him to stop.
"You told me I'm protecting him by being here. But I'm not, am I? You just want to be able to kill me to hurt him." Skeppy says. Dream smiles.
"You finally figured it out, it took you long enough. Now be a good boy and I might give you more fingerpaints." Dream condescendingly mocks, then looks past Skeppy to the paintings on the wall. His smile vanishes.
Gone are the butterflies, the murals of spring, friendship or gun. Gone is the wall of portraits of Bad boy halo. Instead, is a huge mural of despair.
Depictions of death, murder and war cover the walls. And in the center, lies Dream. Mask cast aside, eyes hollow and blank. His stomach was pierced by a dozen spears. The scariest part to Dream though, was his face. It looks identical to his face. Had skeppy seen it? He must have. Dreams breath catches in his chest. Why is this so unnerving?
"If I get out of here, Dream, then you will die." Skeppy says softly. Dream steps back, then turns and runs. At the end of the hall, he sees his control panel and hovers his hand over a single button, panting. He could release lava in Skeppy's cell. He could shut him up. His breathing wont slow and his fear wont subside. But he forces himself to truly think. Kill him? No, that would be admitting that he was scared. He turns, and walks away. He's still in charge here.
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge her
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
He's still in charge here
Isn't he? He must be. He can't NOT be.
Afterall...
He's still in charge.
For now.