I apologize for the POV changes in the chapter, but you need them to understand what's going on. I tried to make them come up as rarely as possible to avoid confusion.

~~~~~~~~

Alana's POV

For a moment, I didn't react. I didn't even feel anything but shock. For a moment, it felt like every limb in my body had gone completely numb. I reached out my senses, feeling the slugs' energies. It felt terrible, feeling the once warm and light energy be dark and cold. Already, I was developing even more of a headache as I felt the ghoul energy. It felt even worse when it really hit me.

These were my slugs. These were my friends. And now they were ghouls, that I couldn't even be around and not have a headache or a chill. I felt awful. I wished all of this would just end. Being captured, blind, helpless, and now my slugs were ghouled. It was too much for me to handle- my mind was racing.

"No, no, no," I muttered, shaking my head, not wanting to believe it. I got ahold of the bars of my cell and reached an arm through. "Ash? Isis? Give them to me, now," I demanded, even though I knew I was in no place to make demands. I didn't care if they would make me feel worse, I just wanted them with me.

Twist snorted. "Not a chance. Even as ghouls, your Infurnus and Boon Doc- oh, sorry, Darkfurnace and Goon Doc- are acting calm and... well, still like slugs. The rest of them are growling and stuff, but these two are just staring at you. Heck, I think they look a little sad. They're a little humane for ghouls, which means they could try and help to bust you out."

And we couldn't have that, could we, I thought bitterly. I sighed, pulling my arm back in the bars. It was a little soothing to hear that at least my top slugs weren't acting as crazed as normal ghouls would. But I was still thinking some very colorful language to say to Twist. I thought it might be best to keep the thoughts to myself, though.

"I'll get out of here and get you guys cured," I called out to my slugs, ignoring the faint growls I could hear. "I promise."

~~~~~~~~

Eli Shane's POV

I was grabbing slug canisters and equipment. "Come on guys, we gotta leave now! We need to go to Blakk's fortress, we need to go and rescue Alana!"

I turned around to find that nobody had moved. They were just all staring at me, a little startled and concerned. Trixie stood up.

"Eli, we can't just go charging into the Citadel without a plan," she said patiently. "That's what Blakk wants. We need to not rush into-"

I cut her off. "Of course we need to rush! Alana's in trouble right now!" I exclaimed. A thousand thoughts were buzzing through my head, but I knew one thing- I wanted to get Alana back as soon as possible. We couldn't let her be at Blakk's fortress any longer. It had already been a while.

"And what would Alana do if she were here?" Trixie asked. I didn't have an answer for her. "She would cone up with a plan," she said calmly. "She would want us to get information, make a plan, and then go on the mission."

I knew that Trixie was right. I sighed, slamming my fist down on the countertop. "I know," I muttered. "It just feels wrong not to go and rescue her now. She's all locked up, and... something else was wrong with her, too. She wasn't even looking at the camera when Twist called. I don't even wanna think about what they could have done." Not to mention that being on Blakk's citadel would be making her get crazy headaches and stuff from the dark energy there.

Sam narrowed her eyes and stood. "Well, then let's get planning." She frowned. "Although... I feel like something's wrong with this. Twist called and practically told us to go to Blakk's Citadel. But you've gotten in and out of there before, haven't you? Why would Blakk risk you getting in and out with Alana? It doesn't make any sense."

My eyes widened. Honestly? I really hadn't thought of it. The rest of the gang looked a little startled too, then they started to nod.

"You're right," Kord said thoughtfully. Sam looked a little confused and shook her head.

"I was just saying, it's not like I have proof for my theory or anything," she stammered. "I could be totally wrong, I was just thinking out loud," Sam said quickly.

I thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "But it does make sense. Maybe we should look into it."

~~~~~~~~

Alana's POV

"Can I have some food?" I whined to Twist for the fourth time. I was forming a plan, and if I could go through with it, I might have a chance of busting out of here. As soon as I could escape, the better. The ghouls in the room had given me a slight chill, so I was walking around with my thin blanket around me like a cape. Twist had already asked me a few times, and I just kept ignoring the question.

I heard Twist groan, and I stifled a laugh. I'd been bugging him for ages.

"You know what, fine, I'll get you something!" he exclaimed. I heard footsteps, then a door slamming shut. I quickly checked the energy in the room.

No ghouls in her except mine, I thought. Then I gulped- I never thought I would think that. I hoped they would be cured soon. If my plan worked, they would.

I nervously sat on the edge of my bed, biting my lip. Finally, after what seemed after hours of waiting, I heard the door swing open, then close. I could smell the food, and it smelled decent (better than Pronto's cooking, at the very least), and I sighed. I really was hungry, but I wanted to escape this place more.

"Here," I heard Twist. Then I heard some sparks- I knew that a few of the bars of my cell were being deactivated, making a small opening for Twist to stick the fold through. I nodded and slowly walked over, heart thumping. I held my arms out and got a grip on the bars that were still activated.

"Over to the left a few feet," said a bored Twist.

I nodded and slowly felt around. Finally, my hand bumped into a small tray. I got both hands on the tray, now having a good idea of where Twist's hand was. Without a moment of hesitation, I moved forward quickly, grabbing his hand, then his forearm. I pulled back hard, and I heard a bang as Twist hit the bars of my cell.

"What..." He didn't finish his sentence. He was probably dazed. I felt a little proud of myself. Quickly, I began to feel around. Okay, there was his shoulder... Finally, I reached his pocket and yanked a phone out.

Thank you, I thought to whatever force of fate or luck was helping me here.

I felt around to the power button with one hand, trying to keep a grip on Twist, who was coming out of his daze.

I hit the button, then spoke into the phone. Please have voice activation. "Call Eli Shane!"

"No!" Twist yelled, but I could already hear the phone dialing.

Thank you, fate.

"What do you want, Twist?" I heard Eli say. Not being able to help myself, I beamed.

"Eli, it's me!" I said, laughing with relief. I heard gasps coming from the other end of the line. Twist was now about to struggle out of my grasp. I had to be quick.

"E, listen," I gasped. "I'm not at the citadel. I'm at some building in some outer caverns, out of the way. But Eli, I'm-" I began to tell Eli about my blind state. But Twist wriggled free and snatched the phone out of my hands.

"Alana, you're in so much trouble now!" Twist yelled. I heard him hang up the call. "Do you have any idea... ugh! It would've been easier for all of you if you had just stayed here. Now Blakk will be angry with both of us."

I backed away, slightly alarmed, but mostly proud of myself- I had warned Eli. He wouldn't walk into the trap at Blakk's Citadel.

Twist was muttering things, and I heard him open the door and yell out. There must have been some more workers stationed around the building we were in.

"Everyone get ready to mount up!" Twist yelled. "The Shane Gang knows about the trap at the Citadel, they might know our location, too!"

I stayed standing awkwardly in the middle of my cell, not sure what to be doing. As the other workers began to shout orders to each other, Mechas were being started, I had no idea what was going on. All the noises were confusing me and making my headache worse. I found myself constantly rubbing my head, hoping the pain would die down a little. After a few moments, I heard the bars of my cell being disabled.

"C'mon," Twist said as he grabbed my wrist, startling me. "We're leaving for the Citadel. And I have my blaster loaded, I will shoot if you try anything," he added. I smirked. Try anything, huh? I was blind and captured, what did I have to lose?

So, like a child throwing a fit, I dug my heels down as Twist tried to pull me along.

"What are you doing?" I heard an exasperated Twist ask. Desperately trying to conceal my smile, I narrowed my eyes, trying to make it look like I was glaring at him. It probably failed terribly, but at least I tried. I pulled back against Twist, not allowing myself to budge.

If he was gonna take me, I was gonna give him heck.

~~~~~~~~

Eli Shane's POV

The call from Twist hadn't surprised me, but I definitely wasn't expected Alana to be on the other end of the line. I'd heard Twist struggling in the background, and I knew she obviously didn't have much time. She began to tell me something when the phone must have been taken away from her. Before it hung up, I heard Twist angrily yell.

"Alana, you're in so much trouble now!"

The call hung up, and for a moment, the gang all looked at me with wide eyes. Then we all began moving at once, grabbing blasters and gear. My mind was racing, and I couldn't really think straight. We all ran for the launch bay and jumped on our Mecha beasts. I turned to Midnight, who had her head raised, and her mechanical blue eyes almost looked curious.

"We're going to get Alana!" I called as I got on Lucky. Midnight's ears perked up, and the blue and black wolf jumped up, leaving Alana's possessions. As we rode out, Midnight followed alongside Lucky, obviously wanting to help get her rider back.

We began to ride in the general direction that Alana had said, the outer caverns.

"Kord, can you track the phone call?" I asked. "Twist blocked the signal of the video chat we had, but maybe since Alana was using it, it didn't have a blocking tool installed."

Kord nodded, and began to pull up signals on the screen of his Mecha. After a few tense moments, the cave troll yelled out, "I got it! I got the coordinates. Everyone follow me!" He sped up his Mecha beast, taking the lead, and we sped on, riding in a dead silence that Sam broke.

"They're probably already on the move," she said thoughtfully. "We should alter our course a bit- try and intercept them." It sounded like a good idea, and it was the only plan we really had.

"That's a great idea," Trixie said. "But intercept them as they go where, exactly?"

Sam glanced at me. "I'd bet my blaster they'll take her to the Citadel," she said. "Now that his cover's been blown, I'll bet Twist would want to take her into the most high security place he can find. They'll be boosting up their guards. Which means..." Her voice trailed off. I narrowed my eyes and finished her statement, nervousness flooding through me.

"Which means that if they get her to the Citadel, we might never be able to get her. It's now or never."

~~~~~~~~

Alana's POV

In the end, it took Twist and three armed Blakk Industries workers to even get me out of my cell. I had to stall- hopefully, the gang would track the cell call and come here. But if we left for the Citadel, the gang might miss us. I was trying to waste as much time as I could. It was a little ironic. I had wanted to get out of this place more than anything. Now, I was clutching onto anything I could reach, trying to stay in the room.

Twist was getting really angry, too. It took all of my willpower to not to crack up. I really wish I could've seen his face as I kept pulling away and resisting. Judging from his angry yells, it had to have looked pretty amusing. I refused to do anything he said, even when I could feel the cold metal of blasters being pressed against my back. I was feeling a little cold and had a headache (well, it seemed like I just had one constant headache while I had been there) because of the ghouls, but I tried to distract myself from the pain.

"Alana, come on, now!" Twist yelled. We were somewhere in a hallway, but I wasn't totally sure. Twist was pulling me along by my wrist. Two workers were pushing me along by my shoulders, and one had his blaster pressed up on my back.

I continued to struggle and thrash around, although it was a little frightening to do so without being able to see. Afraid I was going to ram into a wall, I tried to cause trouble with minimal movement. So far I knew that I was hitting my goal- wasting time, so the gang could make it. But I was tiring, and secretly very aware of the blaster on me- would they shoot? I was being a little cocky by assuming they wouldn't, but I didn't know what else to do. Usually, I would have my slugs to help me get out of a situation like this. But now they were ghouled, and loaded up on the Mecha beasts that were supposed to take us to Blakk's fortress. So I had to deal with it myself.

Unfortunately, however, the guards eventually got the upper hand, successfully dragging me to the Mecha beasts. Someone (very forcefully) tied my hand behind my back, and I was (again, quite forcefully) guided onto a Mecha beast. Then Twist got on, and I felt his back press against mine, so I must've been facing the wrong way. A felt a strap be pulled around my waist, like a seat belt, to keep me from jumping off the Mecha. Really, in my blind state, I couldn't believe they'd even be expecting me to do that.

Although, if the opportunity had presented itself, I probably would have jumped off.

Finally, the Mechas were started and we rode away from the building. I tool a deep breath- the fresh air felt incredible. Then my happiness dissolved- we were leaving. Hopefully, the gang would figure out where I was going- the Citadel- and find a way to rescue me.

We rode in silence. I was unable to cause any more trouble, being all tied up. Not to mention I was getting another headache. Would it have killed Twist to load the ghouls, my ghouls, in another Mecha? Apparently, because they were loaded on ours. I could hear the faint growling, and I could definitely feel the dark energy coming from them. Not being able to help it, for a small moment, I felt hopeless.

C'mon, Eli, I thought. Get here, please.

~~~~~~~~

Eli Shane's POV

We were definitely pushing our Mecha beasts to their limits, speeding along. Almost crashing into some slug hunters, we simply called out our apologies and kept riding.

"We're almost to where we'll intercept them!" Kord called. "We should make it, according to my calculations."

I was really hoping his calculations were right. I must've been looking pretty worried, because Trixie steered her Mecha over, riding on my left (Midnight was still running on my right side).

"Are you okay, Eli?" she asked.

I was nervous that we were about to confront Twist- I liked to avoid him. I was worried about Alana, something had been wrong with her, I could tell. But I was terrified that we would be too late, and be unable to rescue her.

Of course, I didn't say any of this out loud.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Trixie," I said with a shrug. For a moment, I had a bit of a flashback.

"I'm fine, Eli," I heard Alana say. Her voice sounded like it was cracking. I narrowed my eyes as she continued. "J-just take Midnight and keep riding. I'll get home somehow."

"You don't sound okay, Alana-" I began to say doubtfully.

She interrupted. "Trust me. I'm okay. I'll meet you back at the hideout, okay?"

I paused, then nodded. I trusted her- if she said she was fine, she must be. Alana was prideful, but she would tell me if something was wrong. "Okay," I said confidently. "See you there."

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the memory. Turning back to Trixie, I continued.

"Just worried about Alana," I said.

I could've sworn I saw something flicker in Trixie's eyes, but as soon as I noticed something, it was gone.

"We'll get her back," she told me with a small smile.

Kord yelled from the front.

"Guys, there they are!"

~~~~~~~~

Alana's POV

As we rode on, I was getting stiff and achy, but I still remained completely silent, and as did Twist and the other three workers.

A familiar sounding yell broke the silence.

I perked up immediately. Was it just me? Was I finally just going crazy? Apparently not, because I felt Twist stiffen and turn to his right. The Mechas all came to a halt as I heard Mechas approach from all sides. I gave a small smile- hope wasn't lost.

"Alana!" I heard Eli call. I laughed with relief. I turned to the general direction that I'd heard his voice. "Just in time," I noted. Eli laughed, then stopped.

"Alana... I'm fifteen feet to your right..." He sounded slightly alarmed, and I realized that he didn't know about my blindness yet.

"Yeah, about that..." I was cut off by Twist firing a ghoul in some direction- I wasn't sure.

And so a duel began.

I'll tell you, I was terrified. Twist was maneuvering the Mecha, and I heard slugs and ghouls transform and, well, things got blown up. My luck changed, however, when a slug hit the Mecha I was on, and unbuckled the seat belt that was holding me in place.

Without hesitation, I jumped off the Mecha beast and did a stunt I'd seen in a movie before. I jumped up, pulling my legs in to my chest, my knees almost touching my chin. Then, I brought my tied hands out from behind my back, underneath me, and up so they were in front of me. I landed back on the ground with a satisfied smirk. However, I wasn't in the clear yet. A fight was still going on around me, and I had no clue what to do.

"Eli!" I yelled. "I need help! I'm blind!"

"WHAT?!" Eli practically bellowed. It probably would have been funny, but not at the moment. Then, I heard Eli yell out again.

"Alana, duck, there's a ghoul coming-"

The roar of a Mecha beast drained out his warning. I screwed my eyes shut, expecting to get hit with a ghoul, but instead there was the sound of gears shifting, and then an impact of a ghoul against metal.

A low mechanical growl sounded, and I recognized her immediately.

"Midnight!" I exclaimed, smiling. She had taken the ghoul for me, but it sounded like she was okay. "Good girl," I said.

A hand on my shoulder startled me. I turned around, prepared for Twist, but instead the someone embraced me in a hug.

"Alana!" It was Eli. I gave a relieved laugh. I felt him grab my wrist. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go."

He guided me through a bush and we ran down a path, leaving the battle behind us.

"I'm so glad you got here in time," I said to Eli. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

Eli chuckled. "I'll always come," he said. A voice called out behind us.

"Hey! Stop!"

Eli?!

I turned around to the source of the voice, stunned. Two Elis...? Then a thought struck me. Twist! One of them was Twist, using an illusion. My eyes widened and I pulled away from the Eli who was guiding me.

"Alana, he's Twist!"

"No, he is!"

"I'm Eli!"

"I'm the real Eli, Alana!"

They began to argue, which made my headache worse. Putting my hands up to my ears, I yelled, "Stop! Now!"

Both Elis fell silent. I would have looked them over, but seeing as I couldn't, I just stared ahead.

"The real Eli, give me a sign! Something!" I called out.

Meaning: prove yourself. I was hoping for something about the surface, something I knew Twist wouldn't know. But he would have to word it right- he couldn't let anything slip to Twist.

For a moment, both Elis were silent. Then, from behind me, the Eli proved himself.

"Our deal," he said. "Not until I'm fifteen." Yes! That was him! "Now duck!" Eli yelled.

Knowing I could trust this Eli, I instantly dropped to the ground, and just in time. I felt a velocimorphed slug whiz by me, and I grunt from where it hit its target- Twist, the Eli who had been supposedly guiding me from the fight.

Eli ran up to me, dropping to the ground and hugging me. I'm pretty sure I cried a bit.

Now, at last, I was safe.

~~~~~~~~

Midnight was a little banged up, but she insisted on having me ride her. We slowly made our way to the hideout as we exchanged stories. Eli promised that as soon as we got home, Doc would cure my ghouls, who were onboard Kord's Mecha beast. Then Doc and Isis would work on my eyesight.

As soon as we walked in the hideout, I crashed on the couch.

"I've been locked up by Blakk for days," I said. "I want to be on a couch and eat some pizza."

Sam laughed. "I can make a run to Ricochet's," she offered. I heard Trixie agree with her.

In the end, all of them went to Ricochet's to chat with Mario for a few minutes. I stayed on the couch. I pulled my legs up to make room for Eli, but didn't get up.

He sat down and laughed. "Someone wants to see you," he said.

"Well that's nice, I hope they don't expect me to see them back, though," I said with a smirk. Eli laughed again, and then I felt multiple slugs jump on me at once, on my stomach, knees and arms. But only two hopped on my shoulders.

"Ash! Isis! All of you!" I exclaimed, grinning as Ash and Isis rubbed against my cheek. "Doc cured you!" They squeaked and chirped happily.

"After dinner, Doc and Isis can get working on your eyes," Eli said. "Man, it was crazy today."

Today.

A thought stirred in my head. Frowning slightly, I asked Eli, "What's the date today?"

He sounded confused, but he told me.

"Wait..." he said. "Oh, man..."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Wow. It's today."

With a sigh, I closed my eyes.

"This is the most interesting birthday I've ever had."

~~~~~~~~

Well, I made my August 9th deadline! Kinda. It's still August 9th for me. And it's also my birthday! So I decided to throw Alana's birthday in, too!

It's also Slugterreancat's birthday, so wish her a happy birthday! *gives out cake*

If anyone wants to know how my crazy birthday went, I'll be posting it on the Teenage Book soon.

Cyan out!