Jones switches his gaze between Ares and Slone, shocked to see the man still around after being presumed dead for a good 4 - 5 months. However, he definitely did not look or seem like himself at all. He turns to the doctor, a glare on his face.

"Slone, what the actual hell have you done to Ares?" He asks, reaching for the golden pickaxe on his back just in case.

She simply smirks and chuckles slightly, folding her arms and readjusting her glasses.

"Why should I tell you? It's not like you really cared about the man he once was anyway... Right Jones?"

The blond looks over at Ares again. There was no compassion or emotion left inside those mismatched eyes. But Slone was wrong about Jones.

"There actually was a part of me that cared for the guy at the very end. He didn't have to, but he came and rescued me with the Foundation." Jones tells her. "He apologized and didn't beg for me to forgive him as he knew he felt like he didn't deserve it."

Jones looks back to Slone.

"A somewhat nice guy was starting to emerge from that man. But looking at him now, you've stripped him of EVERYTHING. His memories, his humanity... It's all gone..."

Slone just rolls her eyes at Jones, clearly not interested.

"Oh boo hoo. The father of my boyfriend got brainwashed and now I actually care about him(!)" She mocks him, sarcasm littering her voice. "Ares, get rid of this imbecile."

He nods and gets ready to swing his blade on to Jones. The blond, thinking quickly, leaps out of dodge and blocks the katana with the pickaxe he was carrying. With the golden blade, Jones slams the sword out of Ares' grip and quickly whips out his pistol, shooting at his right arm.

Ares grunts as the bullets pierce through his arm. Jones then grabs on to the line of the zip wire and swings himself around it with a running start. He kicks both Ares and Slone on to the ground harshly with his feet. Then he grabs on to the handle again.

"Sorry I can't stick around you two but I have a boyfriend who needs rescuing!"

And he's then swept off his feet and is sent flying up the zip line to the blimp. Slone rubs her head and looks up at Jones ascending up the zip line. She grunts in frustration, fishing out a walkie talkie from her pocket and pressing a button.

"All units aboard the blimp!! Be ready with your weapons! Eliminate or capture John Jones at any cost! Do not let him get to the prisoner!!"

-------------

A couple of guards rush to the top of the zip line Jones was coming from, only for Jones to rise up, spread his legs and kick both of them in the face, knocking them out as he lands.

"Phew. I feel like a ninja in a movie right now!" He chuckles, before shaking his head. "No. C'mon Jones stay focused. You're on a mission."

Pistols in hand he begins to head up to the next floor. But a few guards chase him back down and surround him, rifles pointed.

"We've got you surrounded. Surrender now Jones or we'll use force."

Jones smiles, gripping on to the guns in his hands.

"Aw c'mon guys. Must we do things the hard way?" He sighs.

The guards show no signs of easing up and step closer. Jones shrugs and takes a step back slightly. He makes an X shape with his arms while holding his pistols and then tosses them to the guards on his left and right.

"Think fast!"

The guards scramble to grab the weapons before something sets them off and fires them. Meanwhile Jones quickly fishes out the rift sniper and fires at all three, sending them through a rift and out of sight. He chuckles, returning it onto his back and grabbing his pistols.

"Haha, idiots." He grins cheekily.

As Jones continues on his way more and more guards begin to show up, intent on taking him prisoner for their boss. However, he's quicker and smarter. Swiftly dodging, kicking, shooting and weaving his way through every single one until they're knocked out on the floor.

He breathes heavily, wiping away the sweat on his forehead.

"Okay. That should be all of them."

Jones makes his way on to the final floor of the blimp and is met with two guards standing outside a door with one holding a key.

"That's gotta be where they're holding Midas!"

The guards notice him, but don't get a chance to react as Jones shoots one through the head and puts a few bullets into the one holding the key. They both fall on the ground, withering in pain as Jones approaches them and kneels down.

"I'll be taking that thank you very much!~" He says innocently with a smile while taking the key off the guard.

He unlocks the door and puts the key in his pocket, opening and closing it behind him. He switches on the nearby light and finds another key on a hook.

"Midas! Guess who came to find you!" He says turning to the cell behind him.

His relieved mentality is shut down as he sees Midas in the cell with his hands encapsulated in a device and a ring shaped one around his head. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was flinching constantly, his cheeks wet with tears.

"Midas!!"

He opens the cell with the other key and slides to his side.

"Midas?! Midas wake up! I don't like this!!" He pleads, shaking him by the shoulders.

Jones brushes a thumb against Midas' cheek, hearing his soft yet concerning mumbles. He takes the ringed device around his head off and throws it on the ground. It smashed in half upon impact.

"Midas c'mon... Can you hear me?"

Out of options, Jones does the only thing he thinks of that could bring Midas back to his senses. He presses his lips against Midas', giving him a gentle reassuring kiss.

"C'mon baby. You're in there somewhere." He mumbles, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against his. "I'm right here for you now. You're safe..."

--------

"Midas!! Wake up!!"

The mastermind breathes heavily, uncurling his body and sitting up. He had been stuck in his mind for goodness knows how long, and was bruised and beaten badly. But he could make out a light and a voice.

"J-Jones...is that you I hear?" He mutters, straining to get up and moving forward one step at a time.

His legs and arms hurt like hell, and he was tempted to lie back down and let the pain take over.

But he refuses to give in to it and pushes forward, reaching out to the light ahead...

--------

Midas slowly opens his eyes, blinking them a few times before realizing Jones was there.

"Jonesy..?"

The blond gasps as he hears him and smiles brightly.

"Midas!"

The blond picks him up and hugs him tight, spinning him around and laughing happily. Midas blushes a bright red and smiles a little as Jones presses kisses against his cheek.

"I'm glad you made it here in one piece my dear." He hums, smiling a little. "It's been a little while since I saw a friendly face."

Midas tries reaching out his hands to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, but remembers the device on his hands and grunts in annoyance.

"I'm glad you're... somewhat okay too." Jones sighs. "What's with the device stuck on your hands? And why are your arms covered in blood and scars?"

The mastermind rests his head in Jones' chest, falling silent. Jones sighs sadly, running a hand through Midas' messy hair.

"You know what? Don't worry. Forget I asked. Let's just focus on getting it off and escaping this place, eh?" He suggests, putting him down and helping him stand.

"I'd like that." Midas says, trying to keep his composure. "I believe I recall Slone giving the key that unlocks this thing to Gunnar."

"Then we'll do that first. Let's go get that key!"

As they exit the room however, they're greeted by guns pointed at them. Gunnar himself steps through the middle.

"Good job boys, we got 'em cornered."

Jones raises an arm in front of Midas, trying to protect him. Midas then notices the rift butterfly perching on Jones' shoulder. A guard unfortunately notices it too, grabbing it somehow before it could fly away.

"Hey look. It's one of those little rift butterflies."

They pass it to Gunnar.

"Ah, good find guard."

And he throws it to the floor, crushing it under his foot.

"No!!" Jones yells.

The blond tries grabbing Midas by his arm and making a run for it, but as soon as they shove their way through the guards Gunnar effortlessly elbows Jones and Midas away from each other. Jones ends up flying into a wall and bashing his head against it, while Midas stumbles through a door leading to the edge of the blimp outside.

He nearly plummeted to his death, had it not been for the device on his hands lodging itself onto a piece of the blimp, leaving him dangling over the edge. Gunnar laughs as he walks over to him.

"Well well well. Look at this. The famous and powerful mastermind with a golden touch reduced to a trembling weakling dangling over a blimp." He mocks.

Midas glares at the man before noticing a black key with a red stripe going through it on his belt. It looked as though it'd fit in the keyhole in the device. With a plan in mind he looks back at Gunnar.

"Well why don't you let me out of these oversized shackles and I'll show you how powerful I am." He taunts.

He was trying to stall for time, hoping Jones would get up and be able to grab the key on Gunnar's belt. However, the brute could tell what he was trying to do and grins.

"No. I think seeing you plummet to the ground to die would be better."

Midas' eyes widen in horror as Gunnar places his foot on the shackles, pushing it slightly.

"The boss wants you dead one way or another as she is getting really tired of you interrupting her plans."

Midas' breathing begins to quicken as he glances down at the town below him. He was miles away from the ground and had no chance of survival if he falls.

"Anyway, any last words Midas?" Gunnar asks, pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

Midas' remains silent once more, closing his eyes and waiting for his death as there was literally nothing he could do to escape the situation now. Gunnar begins laughing more, removing his foot and getting ready to kick him off the blimp.

"Not on my watch lunch thief!!"

Suddenly, Jones storms through the door and tackles Gunnar to the floor. Midas opens his eyes and smiles.

"Jones! Get the black key on his belt." He calls out.

As soon as he says it, Jones manages to nab it off Gunnar and stuff it into his pocket.

"Got it!!"

His mini celebration is short live though as Gunnar punches Jones in the back with brute force. At the same time Midas begins slipping off the blimp, but Jones manages to barely wrap an arm under the device and use his other hand to get a grip on the blimp, though not an overly strong one.

"I gotcha golden boy! Just, hold on!!"

Despite his strength, Jones wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold on to the blimp for. Here they were, dangling over the edge of a hovercraft high above the town and with no plan to rescue themselves.

Gunnar approaches them both.

"Ha, well look at that. I'll be able to kill the two of you in one blow!" He grins cruelly, before crushing his foot above Jones' fingers.

He winces in pain, trying to keep ahold of the blimp.

"I wonder if Doctor Slone will give me a raise for killing her two sworn enemies?"

Jones looks down at Midas, regret in his eyes.

"Midas, I'm sorry! I thought I'd be able to get you outta here no problem so I could apologize about getting you kidnapped! But now... we're both gonna die..."

The mastermind meets his regretful expression with a warm smile.

"Jones, I don't blame you for getting me captured by I.O. That was my own fault, not yours! So don't be sorry... You did your best..."

The blond could tell Midas was being sincere with his remark and smiles.

Gunnar then grabs Jones by the wrist and drops him off the side of the blimp, letting both Midas and Jones fall to their deaths.

But for some reason...they stop in midair...

----------------