"I made her a good little girl." Lindsay replied.

"She put up a little bit of a fight, but all I took was some Doll Daisy extract, combined with some simple Zombidill, and she does whatever she's told." he went on, gently pinching Nixie's cheek.

"Why you..." Drake growled, before Lindsay put a finger up.

"Now, now, now..." he said.

"Patience. The adults are talking." he told him, before laughing at his own joke. The type of unhinged laugh that still managed to send a chill down Hazel's spine, despite it's newfound regidity.

"But there's not much time until it's permanent." he warned. "Decisions need to be made, my darling perpetual test-subject." he told Hazel.

"Huh?" Hal mumbled.

"He's-" he started to say, before thinking about it.

"He should be closeby, actually." he told her. "The cafeteria is close to... well, it's near a place where he goes a lot." he said further, glaring at Lindsay and not wanting to give more information.

"...why?" he then asked.

Lindsay meanwhile, seemed gleeful that Hazel was cooperating, but he had a quizzical expression to him as well.

"What are you planning, my dear?" he asked her almost tauntingly.

Hal was silent for a moment, before snapping his fingers. As he did so, Lucius appeared beside him, clearly confused.

"Wha...? What's going-?" he started to ask, before he noticed Nixie and Lindsay.

"NIXIE!" he exclaimed, but Hal put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from doing anything rash.

"...seems Hazel has an idea." he told him.

"Looks like it." Lindsay agreed with a chuckle.

"Know what? I'm intrigued." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Whatever it is you have in that head of yours, let's see it." he told her.

"All is futile when compared to the advancement of knowledge, so let's turn this INTO some knowledge." he declared with a louder laugh.

Hal and his son looked at each other, before Hal snapped his fingers, and everyone knew how to counter what had been done to Nixie. They learned that it was extremely nasty, but deceptively simple to cure her.

However, they ALSO learned that she had very little time left. An hour, at the very most.

Lindsay just chuckled when he saw the expressions.

"Yes, yes, a shame..." he said.

"And she's fighting it, too. Or trying to, anyway." he told them.

"She's a fighter... fighting a losing battle."

Lucius was the one to grant THAT wish. He clapped his hands, and Nixie disappeared from where she'd been appearing in the half-djinn's arms... which he wrapped around her securely.

Lindsay just laughed again when that happened.

"How quaint." he said.

"Dear..." he then addressed Nixie. "Do everything you can to break free from his grasp." he ordered her.

"Even if it means seriously injuring yourself, or him." he went on.

"Do not stop until you are free, or one of you goes down." he chuckled.

Hal and Lucius were silent for a moment, before she heard a snap and a clap... and she felt it. The sensation of control. She had the reins of a wild unpredictable horse, and for now, it would listen to her.

Lindsay raised an eyebrow when this happened.

"Hm?" he mumbled.

"You honestly think you can take ME down?" he laughed.

"Hazel...?" Ty addressed her quietly.

"Hazel, what are you...?" he started to ask, but found himself unable to finish the question.

Lindsay looked around at the glass that was coming up around him, and started to laugh... maniacally.

"HOW CUTE!" he yelled.

"You think THIS will protect them!?" he exclaimed.

He then yanked all of the vials off of his body, and threw them all down onto the floor below him. As soon as it did, they started to bubble and froth, steam rising up from it. Lindsay then looked at Hazel, as the glass actually surrounded him.

And his expression turned serious for once.

"...it's never the end." he said. "I will always come back. And even if I don't... Kiah is still out there." he reminded them.

He then looked down slightly, before he started to laugh... low at first, deep as well... until it grew into full-blow crazy laughter that echoed through the room... before it was cut short by what looked to be a massively volatile explosion inside, everyone seeing that Lindsay wasn't lying when he said it could level the building.

Though nobody could see it, Hazel could tell... Lindsay's ashes were in there.

And they were ready to reignite.

However, the inky darkness, laced with the golden dots, were stopping it... suppressing it.

She swore she could almost hear Lindsay's consciousness in there, too.

'Kiah will continue... this is nothing more than a hollow victory for you...' he told her.

'She will continue to work that we started so long ago...' he added, as the blackness fully engulfed him.

Ty was the first one that raced up to Hazel, grabbing her and holding onto her.

"Hazel, no!" he said.

"No, don't! Not you! Not again!" he pleaded.

"Don't... don't let him take you away again..." he whispered, though he could already tell.

"...it's no use." Hal said quietly.

"Hazel, you've... done a great thing here." he told Hazel, as the rest of them slowly approached.

Tears began to fall from Tyson's eyes, as Hal shook his head.

"Don't apologise." he said.

"You've... done so much for us." he told her, as Drake got closer.

"...H... Hazel..." he stammered.

"You... that... he..." he stuttered further, before just shaking his head and hanging it low.

"...damn it all." he cursed quietly.

"Don't leave me, Hazel..." he said. "...I love you."