Mithias waited. It was still daylight above the clouds. The horizon was so beautiful. He languished in the moment after his call had been made, wondering what repercussions it would bring. Maybe he wasn't heard; too far away. Maybe he would get no answer at all, or how much worse would it be if he were told to go forth and die... If that was his father's reply, then it would be done. At that moment, he would accept whatever instruction came from the oldest and wisest of them all, should the vampire lord care to give any. 

Then, the voice, no... the presence of mind, that he always thought he would never hear again, responded to him across the ether, offering what little counsel it could. Mithias was frozen, listening intently. A chill ran up his spine at the sense of desperation it carried, a hushed tone, even fear. That alone terrified him more than anything up until this point. Several facts were made evident by Gabriel's message: one, that Gabriel was in trouble, and second, that Mithias was completely screwed. Mithias ran a hand through his hair. So, at some point, he was going to have to remember who he was. That didn't bode well. Mithias had been thinking that Stein would kill him, that he would completely undo and destroy him after using him to remake himself, but now... it seemed something far more sinister was in store. 

The jet seemed to suddenly lag in the air. The controls no longer responded, and Mithias recognized remote control was being taken of the aircraft. He gasped. Of course Stein hadn't overlooked the possibility of his war machines being used against him and his precious daughter, and Terebithia must have restored her communications systems, which meant that it was already too late. Stein sounded in Mithias' auditory center, and Mithias leaned back his head with a tense jaw. His enemy had him. Exasperated, he growled and clenched his fists. "No! I will not become a danger to you. Don't let him use me, Gabriel!" What Mithias was asking... was to be killed. He'd suicide before letting the enemy get the advantage on his father. "I do not surrender! Go ahead and activate your self-destruct, you infernal machine!" Mithias reigned himself in after calling BIOPilot's bluff. The self-destruct obviously wasn't going to be activated, but if the vampire didn't maintain control, he'd be blacked out again and taken regardless. Mithias closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and pulled himself inward. He could sense Stein's finger on the switch, eager for an excuse to flip it. The anticipation of the pain made him cower. He didn't have a choice. As long as Stein and Terebithia had absolute control over his consciousness, not to mention the ability to torture him at will, he was their prisoner and slave. 

"Brother..." Mithias risked a transmission. "Stein has me. I can't stop him. It's over for me. I'm sorry I can't let you in. There's another presence that I am holding out. I don't want it to attack you or get in my mind. Protect father, and preserve our race. I don't know if you will hear from me again." His voice was laced with regret. 

Terebithia made her dominance clear with the drone escort by air all the way to the hangar and then even on foot afterward. Mithias remained subdued as he was walked to the labs, where strangely, the drones ceased to enter. The eerie screaming only grew louder down every corridor, anxiety burtsing into cold fear once the metal doors opened, revealing the source. Terrifying gore pleaded for death, and, like in every horror film, went unbelievably unanswered. The torment of the innocent subject of Terebithia's and Stein's psychotic machinations pulled so hard on Mithias' sense of mercy that it was nauseating. Stein's cold countenance matched him with the darkest of demons at heart, and Mithias mentally beheld him as such. Slowly, thankfully, the creature began to die. Mithias stood now practically devoid of emotion, simply empty.

Even as the wicked duo of father and daughter finish speaking, Mithias raised his eyes to meet a reflection of himself from the past. The two stood for a moment, staring at each other, human and vampire forms of the same individual. The human form was beautiful. He had soft black hair, healthy and youthful skin, and defiant, deep-brown, human eyes that looked upon his vampire future-self with hate. Oh how he had wanted to kill Gabriel back then, just as Stein did now. His vampire sight could perceive every detail, breaking down time into tiny slices. Memories began to stir. The blood coursing through the human's veins was truly Mithias' own, living blood, as from ages ago. The vampire breathed in its scent, perceiving it now as enticing. Strangely, Mithias felt the growing desire to devour himself, in this human form, to taste that familiar blood, and to deliver himself to his destiny as a vampire. For a brief moment, it was as though he were looking into the past standing in the place of his maker, and he would done the same thing. 

But that was the beginning, and this was the end. His will suffocating with despair, Mithias spoke. "You have me, Stein." He furrowed his brow. "What are you waiting for?" As if in gleeful answer, the tickle of static began to rise around him. Screaming in contortion and convulsion, Mithias gave a futile effort to resist going down. 

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

In the blackness, through the efforts of Martin, a dream-like consciousness occurred. Mithias was aware of his brother's approach, but remained motionless, lying on his back as if dead. There wasn't much of him left.