Midas, Jones and Marigold land safely back outside their old house and before long, the mastermind gets his sceptre and teleports the three of them to the Sanctuary. However they're met with a distressing sight.

I.O guards were charging their way through the entrance with the Seven and their guards fighting back as best they could.

"Damnit. We can't be away for two minutes without I.O trying to kill us." Midas groans.

The trio head over to the scuffle and try to get involved, shoving their way through guards. Midas encounters the Foundation and begins talking to him.

"Foundation! What's going on?"

"I don't think I.O are happy about you and your friends stealing their cyborg henchman away from them." He explains.

They all continue to fight, Midas and the others trying to push I.O back. Another face joins the brawl and, to Jones' surprise and horror, it's Janice.

"Keep pushing through. Find that cyborg at all costs." She mutters, firing a pistol specifically at Jones who dodges while yelping in fear. She then pulls out some sort of device with a button. "If I can get close enough I can reactivate him with this."

He ducks behind a rock, biting the nail on his thumb as Janice looks for him.

"Come on out Jones. I'll make it quick and painless. Or maybe I can take you back to I.O and have Slone deal with you instead." She says, reloading her pistol. "Either way, it's your funeral."

Jones shivers a little, unnerved by her words. The Janice he once knew would never say those kinds of things to him. Despite knowing it'll be in vain, he swallows his fear and gets up to confront her.

"C'mon Jan. Surely you'd remember a face like mine, right?" He chuckles nervously.

"I do. We worked together for years, until you betrayed us all to work with the Seven and that golden freak." She spits.

"I didn't betray you. If anything THEY betrayed ME! Don't you remember?! You helped me gain the files related to the Seven! Slone shot you through the fucking brain for god's sake!!" He yells. "The mark's there on your forehead to prove it!"

She shrugs.

"I've always had that mark. You were just too oblivious to see it."

Sweat slides down Jones' face as he takes a step back. She really didn't remember anything. Not even Slone shooting her brains out. It's assumed she was just told it was some twisted birthmark.

"Now, let me go through to where you're hiding that cyborg. And maybe I'll let you stay alive." She orders.

Jones stands his ground, knowing Ares is still in the science bay unconscious.

"I'm sorry Jan. But I can't let you through." He firmly tells her.

She glares at him before trying to dash past him and rush into the building behind him. Jones manages to catch her by the wrist however, pulling her back.

"Let go Jones! I must complete my mission!!"

"No! I can't let you!!" He cries out.

They struggle together, fighting for the device in Janice's left hand. So much guilt was flooding through Jones as he hears her yells. A part of him wanted to stop and let her go, but he had to keep it together.

"Ugh! If I can't get to him then I'll make him come to me instead!!"

She presses the button. Jones bites his lip and looks over at the science bay doors.

"Uh oh...."

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

Jules hums nervously hearing the commotion coming from outside the science bay. She was told to stay and watch Ares for any sudden moves. But she couldn't help but feel useless for not being out there and helping the others.

"I can't just stay here. I wanna help!"

She glances out the window, seeing Jones struggling with a woman holding a device. She sees her press the button and the blond looks slightly worried. That's when Jules hears something behind her.

Ares had sat up, a hand on his head and flinching slightly. Jules panics a little. He had a heart monitor connected to him nearby and it was now beeping like crazy.

"Ares..?"

He grunts quietly, left eye flickering between red and grey. Perhaps that girl had forced Ares to reactivate and wake up, but now a part of him was trying to resist I.O's control. Just to be safe though, Jules takes out her trusty wrench from her pocket, gripping it tight.

"What is going on in that head of his?" She mumbles to herself.

All of a sudden, Ares' movements seize up. He just freezes, albeit twitching still ever so slightly. Jules tenses up, ready to attack if necessary.

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

A black, empty void is all that surrounds him.

His mind is broken and devoid of any memories of who he once was.

Ares slowly awakens in said void, lying on his back and gazing into the abyss. He matched his outside world appearance except his left arm and eye were missing.

He tries to speak. But no sound comes out. He was mute. The bloodied bandages covering his throat would be a good explanation as to why he couldn't talk.

All he could do is think.

"Am I...in my mind or something?"

He sits up, pushing himself with his only hand, and begins looking around. Only to find chains wrapped around his ankles and wrist, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Seems like I'm trapped here."

Ares remains standing, thinking to himself. Though, he notices something in the corner of his eye. An image or screen, but it was somewhat corrupted with glitches surrounding it.

"What's this?"

It looks like a picture of him and two people with their faces scratched out. One with pigtails and a wrench, another with tattoos and golden hands. They seemed... somewhat happy. And he looked more human, seeing his left arm and eye weren't missing.

"Is this me from...a previous time in my life?" He wonders. "And...who are the others? Do I... know them?"

More images similar to the other one glitch into existence, showing different points in what he is assuming his life. Most show him scolding the guy with golden hands at a much younger age.

But why? Did he do something wrong? It doesn't look like it.

"Are these all meant to be...my memories? If so, why don't I remember?"

The last one to show up is the most glitched. But Ares can barely make it out as a family photo of some kind. It shows him, the two people from the first image, and a woman with brown hair and pale skin kissing his cheek.

"Is she...my wife? If so...she looks like a wonderful lady..."

His thoughts are interrupted as a voice calls out to him. A very familiar one.

"Nonsense Ares. You don't need them anymore. I.O can give you more than what they gave you."

That was Doctor Slone's voice. She was trying to lull Ares away from these broken memories and back to her control.

"These people...I knew them once, didn't I?"

"In a way. She's anymore." Slone says. "Now come on, I need you to wake up and get rid of the engineer watching over you."

Ares, instead of obeying his orders, stays standing in place. His face was in complete disbelief.

"You... killed the woman who looks to be my wife? ...why? What did she do to deserve that?"

"She was nothing but a nuisance!! Now stop ignoring me and kill that engineer!!" Slone yells.

As she screams at him the chains on Ares' wrist and ankles begin pulling him back into the darkness behind him. He gasps and begins to go in the opposite direction, trying to resist I.O's control.

"NO! I refuse to listen to you anymore! You killed my supposed wife AND want me to potentially kill this engineer who is likely my daughter! I'm done taking orders from you!!"

Slone growls in frustration, the chains on Ares pulling harder.

"I'm not letting you escape my control! Now, kill her!!"

---

Meanwhile, outside Ares' mind, he was currently pinning Jules down on the ground, her wrench now in his hand as she dropped it upon Ares waking up and tackling her.

She grips on to his wrist, the one holding the wrench, for dear life.

"Agh- Jeez you're strong." She grunts. Jules watches as Ares' left eye continues to flicker between red and grey.

Like he's having an inner struggle within his mind.

---

Ares continues to pull against the chains, despite echoes of Slone's furious yells ringing through his broken mind.

"Stop that!! I created you and you WILL do as I command!!" She screams.

"NO! I'M NOT YOUR PUPPET ANYMORE DOCTOR!!"

Ares tugs harder at the chains, straining to at least break them. He gazes up at the corrupted memories again.

"My memories may be broken, but something tells me that these three people were important to me in another life. And you're not forcing me to hurt them anymore!"

The chains on his wrist and ankles begin to crack before shattering into pieces. Ares takes this opportunity to book it and run for his life, all while Slone's echoed voice screams in defeat, having lost one of her best henchman.

A distant light greets Ares as he runs towards it...

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

Jules flinches, covering her face as Ares raises the wrench high in the air, ready to inflict any damage to her. Only for the object to clatter on to the ground and the cyborg to fall on his hands and knees.

She slowly gets up, looking at him.

"Ares... you alright?"

She reaches out a cautious hand, only to retract it when he swivels around, afraid he'll attack again. Only, he just stares at her. That's when she sees his left eye wasn't red anymore, instead being a neutral grey.

"Are you... gonna attack me then?"

He opens his mouth, but quickly closes it again, realising that he can't answer her with words. Instead, he shakes his head slightly, which Jules is somewhat surprised at.

"Literally just a second ago you were trying to kill me... and now you've come to your senses and decided to not do that?" She says. "Heh, you're a strange individual aren't ya?"

Ares just shrugs, holding out a hand and helping Jules stand.

"So, I'm guessing you've escaped I.O's control somehow and now you'll help The Seven instead of them?"

Ares nods, walking towards the door leading to the battle outside and grabbing the katana and pistols left on the table nearby. Jules follows him, only for him to tell her through actions to remain where she is.

"Ugh, seriously? I just wanna help." She pouts.

Ares tries to think of how to get across what he wants to say before noticing a marker and a few blank sheets of paper. He reaches for them and writes something out before heading through the door.

"You'll only get hurt. Please let me handle this so I can protect you." Is what it reads. "I may not remember who I once was, but I can tell you were someone important to me."

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

Meanwhile...

Midas ducks as an I.O guard swings a bat at him, his body bruised and slightly covered in blood, only for a bullet to pierce through his left arm. He hisses at the pain, putting a hand over the wound.

"Shit. Didn't see that coming." He mutters.

As they pick him up by the collar of his shirt, Midas looks over at Jones who was leaning near a stone, holding his hand by the wrist, with Janice holding a gun to his head. His eyes widened in fear. Jones could've easily defeated her, but he just couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"Jones! JONES!!"

He calls out for his boyfriend, noticing a figure emerging from the building nearby holding a familiar katana. They raise a pistol in their hand and...

*BANG*

Midas' heart stops for a moment, fearing that he had lost the one man he loved more than anyone in the world. This reaction thus caused his golden power to drastically run up his body, half his face covered in gold.

However he sees the figure of Janice suddenly fall to the ground, motionless. The person who shot her then quickly fights their way through the guards, shooting their weapon and slashing them with the katana until they reach Midas.

He gets a look at their face and gasps.

"... Ares?!"

He looks up at Midas and nods a little, shooting the I.O guard holding him. Midas lands on his feet beside Ares.

"But...I thought I.O was... controlling you." Midas trails off, seeing a few more guards coming towards them. "Know what? Nevermind. We can talk about it later."

The two of them work together and have no trouble in killing the remaining guards. As the last one falls and disappears into blue cubes, they look at each other. Midas felt a small urge to embrace his father, but isn't sure if he should.

Ares stretches his hand towards Midas, offering it in a sense. Midas cautiously takes, and they slowly shake hands. The mastermind smiles a little at the gesture.

"Well... it's nice to have you back. Even if you don't remember me that well...or all together." He says as they walk towards Jones.

Ares nods a little, a slight smile on his face replacing the once cold and blank stare he had while under I.O's possession.

"Jones? Are you alright?" Midas asks, kneeling down next to him.

"A-Ah. Yeah." He mutters, hissing a little. "Don't worry. I think I just hurt my wrist."

"It does look a little twisted. Hang on."

While Midas helps Jones twist his wrist back into place, The Foundation comes over to see them as well as Marigold and Jules from inside.

"Well, that's that sorted. Is everyone alright?"

"Seems that way." Marigold says.

A squeak of pain comes out of Jones as Midas twists his wrist back into place, tears forming in his eyes and lips quivering.

"There we go. Sorry about that dear." Midas apologizes while Jones gives him a thumbs up with a wavering smile. The mastermind gives him a kiss on the cheek as an apology.

"It's okay. I guess I just couldn't bring myself to hurt Jan... badly at least. I let my guard down and she twisted my wrist like that." He chuckles slightly. "Anyway, I see Ares finally came to his senses."

"He seems to have broken free from I.O's control. Sadly, he doesn't remember who we are. But a part of him thinks we meant something to him in a past life." Jules jumps in.

"Well, regardless if he can remember or not, it's nice to have him back." Midas hums.

Jones grins and wraps his arms around the 3 of them.

"Hehe, look at us! We're all one big family, am I right?" He laughs.

Midas and Jules chuckle while Ares smiles a little, albeit still a bit confused.

"Hehe, I won't argue with that Jones. But we're not safe yet. We still have one last thing to take care of." Midas sighs.

The four of them could see the Collider in the distance. Midas turns to The Foundation.

"How much time do you think we have now that it's on the Island?" He asks.

"Most likely just above 24 hours until it's activated. It gives us a day to prepare our forces for battle and the Mech too." He responds.

"Well, we best get ready then... and so should Slone."

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