His skull felt ready to split in half from the headache that greeted him when he woke. Attempts to open his eyes only resulted in more pain. And on top of that, he was freezing.

"...complete your end of the deal," came a familiar voice. "I did my part and brought you the amulets."

"Did you tell them?"

"Only that she lied to us. I wanted to wait for the whole truth until you were here."

Kevin didn't know where he was or how he'd gotten there, but he did know those voices. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open and turned his head, searching for the sources. His blood turned to ice when he saw Brian talking to their oldest enemy, Zator. Brian's back was to Kevin, but Zator seemed to notice him right away and his lip curled in disgust.

Brian turned around, saw that Kevin was awake, then came and knelt at his side. "Are you all right?"

Kevin didn't answer.

Brian sighed, spoke quietly. "Listen, I'm sorry I had to do that. It was the only way I could be certain you'd listen to us. Now, are you okay?"

"How can you ask that when you just betrayed us?" Kevin spat, then winced as the movement intensified the pain.

Brian's jaw dropped. "Kevin, I didn't betray you! I'm just trying to help you see the truth. Zanell told us a lie so we wouldn't hand her back to her father when he arrived. The only truth in what she told us was that she stole the amulets from Zator."

"You can't believe that."

"They need proof, Brian," Zator suddenly said. "They won't believe you until they get it."

Brian shook his head and looked back over his shoulder. "I had a hard-enough time believing it. Do you really think they'll understand any easier?"

"Keep it down, man," AJ groaned. "It's too early."

Brian reached over, but Kevin leaned and knocked his hand away. "Don't you touch him!"

He glared, expecting some kind of anger to show in Brian's eyes. Instead, he slowly stood up and looked at him, again with that look that Kevin could only describe as pity.

"You don't need to be angry, Kevin," Brian said calmly. "Once you know the truth, you'll realize that we're all on the same side."

"I'll never be on Zator's side," he said, standing. "I'll never be in league with that monster."

"Zator's not the monster, Kevin," Brian argued. His face darkened. "If anyone's a monster, blame that girl that first brought us the amulets."

"You can't mean Zanell," Kevin opposed in disbelief. "She's always been on our side; she fought alongside us from the start!"

"Shame you couldn't have done the same thing, cousin."

His words were as painful as a physical blow. Coming from his mouth...

The only reason Kevin had come back was to save Brian, and now... Guilt bubbled to the surface, too great to ignore. Yes, Zanell had been there, but Kevin had turned away. Just a moment ago, he'd thought of Brian as a betrayer... but he realized that title belonged more to himself. He swallowed against the lump in his throat but still couldn't summon the will to speak. After all, how could he deny the truth of it?

A soft moan from nearby drew their attention. It was AJ, coming around again. The thought wasn't as comforting as it should have been. AJ had opposed Kevin coming back all along, and now he knew Brian felt much the same, despite what the others had said. As he began sitting up, Kevin heard Howie make a few muted noises.

Brian went over and offered a hand to AJ, who took it after a second's hesitation.

"Are you all right?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

"Think so," AJ answered, stretching a bit. "What... how did we get here?"

Brian gave him a slightly apologetic look. "I'm afraid there was no other way to do it. I couldn't let you go back to that traitor, knowing you thought you could trust her."

"Her?" he asked. "Who, her?"

"Zanell," Brian said, edging the word with sharpness. "She betrayed you... us. Everyone. And I've only discovered the truth recently."

Howie sat up slowly. "What truth?" He winced and started to massage his temples, probably dealing with the same massive headache Kevin had.

"Zanell has been playing us all along," Brian said. "She's a master at deception and manipulation. She didn’t save the amulets; she stole them."

"But that doesn't make any sense," AJ said. "If she stole them, why did she give them to us?"

"Because she had no way to control them herself," he explained. A hard look came to his eyes. "She took them and found five willing people to accept them... people that she thought she could then control. By controlling us, she could use the amulets the way she wanted."

"Control us?" Howie said. "But she hasn't done anything like that!"

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Of course she has. Kevin's been controlled by her deception for eight years now." He gave his cousin a withering glance. "Obviously she found a weakness in him that was missing in the rest of us. He's been a willing pawn the entire time."

"That's ridiculous!" Kevin shot back. "I'm no one's pawn! I left on my own decision eight years ago, and came back only because I was asked to-"

"By whom?" Brian said. "Let me guess. Zanell."

"It was to rescue you!"

"Do I look like I need, or want, to be rescued?"

Brian had him there. It was obvious that he didn't consider himself a prisoner of any kind.

AJ gave Kevin an odd glare. "It’s true; it was Zanell that got Kevin to come back. None of us thought she'd do it."

"Why is everyone shouting?" came a wavery voice from the floor. Nick blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of things.

"Nick, are you all right?" Brian asked, giving him a hand up.

"Yeah, I guess... what happened?"

"Brian betrayed us," Kevin said, anger flaring again.

"Oh here we go again!" Brian growled. "When are you going to get it through that thick skull that it wasn't me that betrayed you? I've discovered the truth, and this was the only way to keep you from making the situation worse."

Nick blinked and looked back and forth between everyone.

"What?"

Brian sighed and turned to Nick with disappointment in his eyes. "Nick, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Zanell is the one that lied to us all, not Zator."

"That's crazy," Nick said flatly. "Zanell wouldn't lie."

"She's blinded you as much as she's blinded Kevin," Brian said. "She's got you believing she loves you."

Nick’s jaw dropped. "What? She does love me! Just like I love her."

Brian shook his head. "Just like I said, she's a master of deception. You never had a chance. Why else would she keep leaving us to work alone?"

Kevin moved in between the two. "Brian, you've been brainwashed! Zator's the liar, not Zanell."

"Not true," Brian said. "And I have proof."

"What kind of proof?" Howie asked.

"Proof that the emperor is a good man, and that he is the rightful owner of the amulets."

"A good man?" Kevin echoed in disbelief. "He killed millions of innocents!"

"Vengeance for my wife's death." Zator moved to Brian's side. Kevin scowled at seeing them together like that. It wasn't right.

"She was brutally murdered," he continued, "and I promised her that I would hunt down those that killed her and the ones that supported them."

"And what does this have to do with the amulets?" AJ asked.

"I knew a simple army of soldiers wouldn't be enough to destroy the strength of these killers. The only way I could do it properly was to use the amulets. You see," he stepped away toward a machine in the corner, "when all of the amulets are together and used in the proper way, their energy can be combined into one, making the wearer infinite times stronger than his enemies. With the combined power of the amulets, I was able to defeat the killers and their supporters." He turned back to his prisoners. "But not all of them."

Brian spoke up. "That's where Zanell comes in. It had been rumored that she was spotted in the company of agitators and known rebels. She tried to keep it secret, but Zator had her watched. She'd grown distant, and he was worried about her safety. After all, she was the only heir to the throne. And after each of these 'secret meetings,' a rebellion would rise up somewhere on the planet. Rioting, assassination attempts, you name it. Then came the day of the biggest uprising of all."

"Brian, that has to be a lie," Nick protested.

Brian shook his head. "He's got the film of it. The rioting just outside the palace, attempts on his life, everything."

For nearly ten minutes there was silence, save for the noise of the recordings. Kevin tried desperately to make sense of it all as he watched. Torches, angry Zophacian civilians fighting the guards, a cloaked figure running through the palace halls. As the figure passed one corner, Kevin glimpsed her face: Zanell. Nick emitted a soft cry when her face came into view. But there she was, no mistake. Through secret tunnels, down a flight of stairs with a glowing bulb she'd taken from its mount on the way down. She approached a dead end. They watched from a ceiling angle as she pressed her hand to a small square and a door opened. The camera switched to a room made entirely of metal. She approached a type of altar on a dais in the center. A velvet tray rose from its depths at her approach. There rested five glowing amulets. She gave a triumphant cry and swept them under her cloak.

The men next saw her racing into what appeared to be a shuttle bay. At the nearest ship, a small group of people sat waiting. They leaped up at her approach.

"Did you get them?" one asked.

Zanell nodded, grinning. "I have them. All five, plus my own."

A cheer went up. After a few more instructions Zanell and one other person climbed aboard the shuttle, leaving the rest behind.

As the footage ended, Kevin looked around at the others. Brian was shaking his head, a look of disgust on his face. Kevin felt sickened by what he'd just witnessed. Not because he believed a word about Zanell, but because Brian was so convinced that it was actual proof. Even Kevin knew that recordings could be manipulated. It was obvious it was just another of Zator's plots. But Brian believed it, there was no doubt. And from the look on AJ's face, he wasn't alone. Nick's blue eyes seemed to smolder with anger. Kevin felt sorry for him. He truly did love Zanell, and Kevin had seen the two of them together enough times to know she felt the same. He wasn't convinced by what he'd seen. For that, Kevin was grateful. Howie was another matter altogether. He was torn between doubt and belief; he kept glancing at Nick and Kevin, then at Brian and AJ. The indecision on his face was clear.

Finally, Kevin broke the silence. "That isn't proof. It could have easily been a set up. Data can be manipulated-"

"Just admit you were used, Kevin," AJ snapped. "I know it will be hard for your ego but face it--she played you exactly the way she wanted." He turned to Nick. "You were the easiest; all she had to do was appeal to your need to be adored." He smirked. "You fell into that one with enthusiasm."

Before Nick could speak, Kevin jumped in. "Get off it, AJ," he said, anger in his words. "You are looking for any excuse to believe that ridiculous parade of lies. I wasn't manipulated and neither was Nick. It wasn't Zanell that convinced me to come back and help find Brian... it was Kristin, my wife." He took a deep breath. "Kristin convinced me, for the children's sake. I did what I felt was right years ago, and I made this last decision with her, not Zanell's, input." He turned to Brian. "Why do you want so hard to believe that this is the truth? Did the job just get too hard? Did you feel guilty for being away from your family so much?"

Brian turned red. "I've fought for my family for years," he snapped. "Unlike you, who sat back and let the rest of us take care of things. You did nothing, until Zanell approached you! Don't tell me about not being there!"

"Brian-" Zator began.

"Don't come in at the eleventh hour and play victim," AJ said, fists clenched and glaring. "You left us, you never lifted a finger to help... and you waltz in on a whim, playing the hero. Well, I'm not buying it. Brian's right, what we saw was the truth."

"I won't believe it."

Brian gave a small growl. "Kevin, why can't you just-"

"Now, Brian," Zator said in a snake-slick voice, "I told you not everyone would be as open to the truth as you were." He gave a withering look in Kevin's direction. "Simple minds are easily manipulated. I can understand how the truth would be difficult to accept. It's admitting you are weak-willed."

"I'm not weak," Kevin snapped. "I don't know how you convinced Brian to buy into this fantasy, but I promise you if he was thinking clearly, he'd see it's just smoke and mirrors."

Brian started toward him. "Why you-"

Zator's hand moved to his shoulder. "Brian, relax. He's not worth it."

Brian stopped under his touch. He clenched his fists, and then relaxed. "Yes, sir."

Kevin's jaw hit the floor. "Sir?"

"Since when do you call the enemy 'sir'?" Nick asked Brian, voice tight in disbelief.

"Zator isn't the enemy," AJ said. "We just saw the recordings... no matter how much you and Kevin want to keep your blinders on."

"Howie, you've been awfully quiet," Brian commented. "What do you think?"

Howie, looking slightly pale, finally spoke. "I saw the recordings, but it just seems so unlikely. I'm not sure what to believe... maybe we should get Zanell involved in this."

Brian scoffed. "Why bother? She'll just tell us more lies."

"If they wish to have her present," Zator interrupted, "then perhaps that is best."

Utter confusion crossed Brian's face as he turned to Zator. He opened his mouth to speak when Kevin noticed a smirk on Zator's face. Two seconds later Brian nodded, as if realizing something. A knot formed in Kevin’s core. Something was going to happen, and it wouldn’t be good.

AJ was already speaking into his communicator. He had to stop it. "Zanell, stay there!"

Brian slapped his hand over Kevin's mouth. "Are you crazy? Don't you want your questions answered?"

"You're just going to trick her into saying something wrong," Kevin retorted. "I refuse to stand by and let that happen!"

"It's not up to you," Brian snapped. "She needs to come forward with the truth, like it or not. And if she's innocent, like you claim, she won't say anything incriminating, will she?" He glared at Kevin for a second. "Or are you afraid of what you'll discover?"

Kevin just glared as AJ put his communicator away. They had to be wrong. Nothing about any of this was right: Brian walking around so freely, the footage they'd seen, AJ being so easily swayed to agree with Brian.

Zator motioned to AJ. "Brian, why don't you two go to the bay to meet the princess and direct her here?"

Brian smiled. "Yes, sir."

Kevin growled. He shouldn't be saying 'sir' to Zator. He had to have been brainwashed; there was no other explanation that made sense, none. Hearing him, Brian just looked over and shook his head, then motioned for AJ to follow him. Kevin wanted to run after them, knock some sense into their heads and tell them that they were making the biggest mistake of their lives. But they were gone before he could take a single step.

"Just let them go, Kev," Howie remarked. "We need answers anyway."

"And you really think Zanell will confirm anything?" Nick asked, coming closer.

"I doubt she'll ever admit to her crimes," Zator said with a condescending look. "But she'll show her true colors again... as she has in the recordings."

"This is ridiculous!" Nick cried. "You altered that film to make Zanell the monster! Well, I don't believe it. And I won't until she says so herself."

Zator chuckled. "She will, human. She will."