Castaway came in with his hammer to see Brooklyn now stone for the day. He had dark images of the demon's demise surging through him. But for now, he decided to tease him about being smashed in his sleep.

Jon came up to the cage, Brooklyn's stone face showing a saddened expression on it, which normally had a fierce one. He smirked, opening the cage just for a bit since it was now almost sunset and had just enough for this moment.

He traced a hand along Brooklyn's statue form, almost petting it like a dog or a cat.

"I'm rather sorry that you had to take your elder's poison, Monster. If you didn't save him, there'd be no reason to suffer. You should've just let me get at your precious Hudson instead. But I could smash you right now if that is better..." he sneered, turning on his weapon, showing it to Brooklyn, who couldn't react.

Jon then turned it off. "Then again, we still have some other experiments awaiting you. And I would still love to see your clan's reactions when they see you all broken." He snickered, closing the cage when walking out once the sun set.

Brooklyn screeched/yawned when coming out of it. He saw Jon there with his hammer and came to the conclusion he wanted to smash him in his sleep, keeping his legs close, coughing and eyes widening.

"Not to fear, my experiment. You won't get smashed tonight. I was merely messing with you," Jon taunted. Brooklyn then growled hoarsely, head sweating with his continuous fever. He tried to speak but his voice broke down, choking on his own breath from his sore throat that felt terribly scratchy. Castaway then smiled at this.

"Can't speak or breathe? Well, I came up with a little experiment for that. It will be ready for you soon. Prepare yourself."

Brooklyn just glared hatefully at his enemy, tears falling down his face. Since his imprisonment, his voice had been going out on him from the screaming yesterday. Jon then laughed madly when he left his prisoner alone.

....

An hour later, with Brooklyn glancing at the door nervously, wondering what was coming, Castaway returned with his goons. He smiled sinisterly.

"Time for your fate, freak," he announced. Brooklyn growled, attempting some words.

"No... don't... want... do it..." he gasped out loud, the guards opening his cage then taking him out. He struggled weakly, causing them to use their electric hammers. Brook shrieked a bit from the pain. "Keep moving," snarled the one on the left. Brooklyn then had no choice but to allow them to take him to whatever torture was in store.

He was brought to a tank, which was empty. There were other Quarrymen there getting it ready. Brook trembled silently, digging his talons into the floor. More electric surges made him stop resisting. Castaway took a hold of his beak.

"I arranged this tank for you, pest. It shall test how weak your lungs have become while seeing how long you can hold your breath." He said with a sadistic grin. Brooklyn struggled with his little strength.

"You're crazy, Castaway! Don't do it!" He croaked. Castaway just hit him hard in his face. Brooklyn winced in pain with stars in his vision from the force, head sweltering with fever that made him almost pass out.

"Shut up, Monster. It's what you deserve. Soon, your family will follow in your footsteps from my torture, and it will be wonderful. Put him in and begin it!" He ordered his men, who dragged a dizzy Brooklyn to his fate, tossing him into the tank.

Brooklyn grimaced when hitting the floor. Panting, he got up to break out. He rammed his fists against the glass, but it didn't even crack it was so thick. He could see Jon watching with satisfaction. The red gargoyle glanced about nervously, scared of what awaited him and felt claustrophobic again like before, sweat coming down.

But then something started; Brooklyn looked down to see water coming up from holes in the floor around his feet not his size. His eyes rounded. He didn't want to drown!

Brooklyn screamed when scratching the tough glass, water rising terribly fast, which was now up around his legs, reaching his waist. But then, his mouth told him he needed a drink. Brook did so, grimacing from the flavor but it would have to do until if his chance came he could get proper water. Castaway had noticed him drink.

"Hmm, thirsty, were you? Don't worry, Friend, this should satisfy your sick throat maybe. And perhaps do more..." he sneered. Brooklyn clenched his fists, hitting the glass again to get out and tear this guy to pieces. Despite feeling weak, his adrenaline to break out was strong, even when his feet left the floor. Brooklyn could at least feel relief that he can float, even when his swimming wasn't perfect.

Castaway then nodded to one of his men, who had weights and chains in his arms to sneak in and tie them around Brooklyn's ankles.

The man went through a secret entrance under the tank where they put the water pipes in. He snickered silently and evilly when holding his breath and swam up to Brooklyn's feet. He made sure not to be noticed.

Brooklyn felt his arms already getting tired from trying to break free of his glass prison and swimming. But then, something scary happened; he felt chains around his legs and something heavy starting to drag him down. Brook gave a muffled croaky yelp after the man left the weights pulling the red gargoyle back down to the floor. Brook gritted his teeth and did his best to hold in his breath while trying to untie himself, but he was still feeling lightheaded from his illness. He gazed with his blurry vision out at Jon, who was smiling in satisfaction. Brooklyn glowered, knowing the man was involved with this sabotage in his ability to try and swim out.

The tank by now had filled completely. Brooklyn gave muffled gasps while trying to maintain his breath, those chains awfully tight around his feet. He was already feeling darkness begin to swallow him up. He wondered how long Jon could keep him in here. Probably until he drowned or passed out.

He suddenly heard chuckling. Brook looked up from trying to break his chains, looking about, hair floating.

Who's there? He thought in fear. Suddenly, Coldsteel spoke to him again. Brook put his hands over his face and ears to block him out that were popping from water pressure.

"How I love to see you struggle, Brooklyn. Brings back many pleasant memories. I recall the look on your face when I used your body to hurt your family..."

Stop! Please! Brooklyn yelled in his head, trying to resist the urge to shout since he could lose his air that he is trying to hold in. He slapped himself to rid the voice from his head to continue his work in freeing his feet, lungs threatening to burst and fever close to overwhelming his thoughts. But he had to get out!

...

Back at the castle, the clan had just woken up and Xanatos came out to talk to them. It was about 6:15 and the clan was ready to go look for Brooklyn again.

"I presume you are all still going out to look for Brooklyn?" David asked.

"We will stop at nothing to find him." Goliath replied.

"Why would you ask that, Xanatos?" Broadway demanded. He thought that the man knew they would want Brooklyn back with them and to get him well again.

"I was saying so because I might have found the best possible chance that Brooklyn may have. It's coming at eight. Can you stay here till after we talk with him?" Xanatos asked.

"Who is it?" Goliath demanded.

"You all know who he is. I know he's not one of your favorite people to be around, but since he's analyzed all sorts of things over the years, he might have seen the poisons before. It's Sevarius." Xanatos explained.

The clan's eyes widened and gasped.

"There's no way we are letting him anywhere near Brooklyn!" Lex exclaimed.

"Xanatos, you know we can't trust that man," Hudson declared.

"I am going to pay him a good price for helping Brooklyn. This was the best I could do. He's the best in his field. And Brooklyn is running out of time if we can't find anyone else to help." David explained.

What David said made sense. They basically had no one else to turn to.

"Alright, Xanatos. But he better not try anything stupid." Goliath decreed.

"We all are going to help keep an eye on him. But you need to go out and find Brooklyn. Sevarius might be able to analyze some of Brooklyn's DNA that's here right now from what Sato has drawn, but he will need fresh blood to look at too." David stated.

"We'll make sure he does nothing to hurt Brooklyn." Lex said.

"Agreed." David replied.

They had some food while waiting restlessly for Sevarius to show up. And as promised, Anton Sevarius showed up at eight up at the castle.

Anton saw that the gargoyles were glaring at him very furiously. He knew they weren't pleased to see him, but he showed up for his fee, like he said he would.

"So, Mr. Xanatos, where is my fee and I will get to work?" Sevarius demanded.

"Here it is, Sevarius." David gave him a huge suitcase full of money. Anton made sure there was money in it.

"Aw, yes. What I asked for." Anton said greedily.

"How are you going to help Brooklyn?" Lex demanded seriously.

Anton turned to the clan. "It's time to get to work, Sevarius." Goliath ordered.

"Aw, yes. So where is my patient?" the man asked.

"There's a slight problem there. He's not exactly here right now." David said.

"You hire me to do the job of trying to cure the red gargoyle and he's not even here? How can I deal with that?!" Anton exclaimed.

"Dr. Sato has drawn blood from Brooklyn many times already. There should be something left for you to at least analyze while the clan goes out to look for Brooklyn and get him back here." David explained.

"Well, I suppose that's a start then." Anton replied.

"You better not pull anything or else you'll have us to contend with." Broadway growled at the scientist.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Anton stated 'innocently.'

"I'll watch him, guys. Go and find Brooklyn." David declared.

The clan took Xanatos' word for it, and they took off from the castle, hoping to find the sick Second in Command this night. He still hadn't come home so it was obvious that someone had captured him. But who?

Sevarius was allowed access to the lab and to Brooklyn's DNA profiles. As he analyzed the blood samples from the last drawing, he saw some profiles of poisons that he had seen before, and it was combinations of poisons together that was making them incurable. He would have to combine antidotes together to possibly get the right cure, but he might have to try several to be sure, and Brooklyn was the only 'test subject.'

...

Brooklyn struggled and struggled to get out of the cage and break the chains on his ankles. The water had just filled up every inch and he couldn't go anywhere. His lungs were screaming for air. He didn't want to drown in here! He pounded the glass walls as hard as he could, but his illness was making him not be as strong as he usually was when healthy. The glass was also part plastic too, making it harder to crack.

His lungs hurt so much that he couldn't even get the chains off his ankles. His vision was starting to fade out on him. His struggles were growing weaker.

From above, Castaway was having such pleasure watching his victim try to get loose and keep his head above water. The water was covering him all the way now and his movements were becoming less effective.

One guard turned to Castaway. "Did he have enough yet, sir? He's nearly out of it." His boss shook his head.

"No. Not by a longshot. Let him stay inside for a little longer," he sneered heartlessly. The man nodded when they continued to enjoy the show.

Brooklyn didn't know how much more he could handle. His vision felt terribly dizzy, oxygen running low. Bubbles then trailed out of his mouth with a moan when at last he finally gave up and lost consciousness, simply drifting in the water. The Quarrymen laughed at his failed attempt to hold it in anymore.

Jon then had them finally take his experiment out of the tank. He was soaked to the bone, hair and loincloth sticking to his body and not breathing, lying there at his feet like the monster should be.

The man turned Brooklyn over with his foot then used his foot to press hard on Brooklyn's stomach. This caused the beaked male to open his eyes, spluttering out the water that clogged his lungs. Brooklyn panted and shivered from his revival and his fever, lungs burning with pain and seeing in disappointment his captor who clapped his hands slowly and mockingly.

"You've been a very good water test subject, Monster. However, there are still some others to enjoy soon. But you can return to your cage for the moment until then," he said as if Brooklyn looked forward to them. Brook didn't reply, he felt too weak and feverish, just staring at the ceiling. Two Quarrymen grabbed him up roughly along with zapping his skin, taking him away, then placing him back in his cage once again.

Brooklyn for a time just couldn't move, he didn't want to anyway, water dripping uncomfortably down his skin, nerves tingling as he felt more afraid of what Castaway had planned for him later.