MCP Research Institute - Detaining Derek

Author: tomozco
Title: MCP Research Institute - Detaining Derek
Date: 09 April 2017

MCP Research Institute - Detaining Derek

Derek was ecstatic when he got Devon's message about breaking into the MCP Institute's server successfully. He knew his best friend and his computer buds were true experts and knew they would succeed. Hope seemed to be on its way and Derek was really eager to hear more from Devon about their finds. However, that was the end of it, there was no more update from his buddy...nothing....and that was six days ago. A lot of possibilities went through Derek's mind. Were they just teasing him as a joke? No way, Devon knew better than to joke about Daniel's life with him. Have they been caught? Derek was worried about that, but he couldn't be too open about this with others or calling the cops right away...afterall, hacking is not a legitimate activity and he was the one who asked them to do it. He tried to keep his thoughts positive and optimistic. It certainly wasn't helping that he has been staying at this far away farming village out in the middle of the grasslands country for the past week with his boss and two colleagues working on finalizing a series of deals with several local farming operations. Telecom connections had been mediocre and intermittent at best, and the team had been focused on working out the specifics of the deal with the clients everyday, so there wasn't much time or energy left for Derek to think of much else.

Once again, Derek is very grateful for his boss, Rob. Rob is 50 years old, a tall classy handsome gentleman of Scandinavian roots, with two teenage boys. He is a soft-spoken and very considerate person that is very well-liked by all around the office as well as by his clients. Rob has been Derek's mentor ever since he graduated and started working for him, teaching him all his experiences and skills along the way and helping Derek gradually build his career. Rob knew about the hardships of Derek in raising himself and his little brother on his own, so he was always very considerate and accommodating whenever Derek needed to tend to Daniel's needs. Over the years, Rob has also somewhat become a bit of a father figure for Derek, who he could consult for advice on things even outside of work. Aside from Daniel, all of Derek's energy is devoted to his work, giving all his effort and heart to thank Rob for his trust and mentoring all these years.

At last, today is the final day of this long business trip, and with all the signed contracts in hand, the team packed their bags and are on their way back to the city. However, it is still a three-hour drive through rural highways across endless corn fields. Rob the team lead is the driver, and next to him is his Assistant Manager Brian, a pleasant 42-year old man of Irish background, also married with two young children. Derek is seated behind Brian, and next to him is Niko, the 6-foot-2, 25-year old Greek intern who just graduated and began working full-time under Rob's team last year. The four of them form a dynamic team. While they might not always be the top performing team in the company, but they certainly win in terms of teamwork energy and vibe.

An hour into their trip home and the drive down this deserted country road is fast becoming long and mundane. Rob and Brian are having some small talks in front, Niko is plugged into his mp3 and playing on his phone, while Derek is checking on his phone for any further responses from Devon. He is finally able to access his email now, but still no new messages or missed calls from his friend. The unsettling feeling is growing in Derek's heart again as he is becoming more and more certain that Devon and his buddies must have been caught hacking into this MCP Research Institute. He is starting to regret asking them to help him out. What would happen to them? Have they been arrested? Will they be charged? Or...what if it's something worse? Derek's imagination starts to go off again as he begins thinking up all kinds of scenarios that Devon, Eric and Scott could possibly in.

Suddenly, the sound of sirens broke up the monotony of the surrounding environment and caught everyone in the car by surprise. Seemingly out of nowhere, a police van comes up from behind, takes over Rob's car, and cuts in front of it, signalling for their car to pull over.

Once both cars have come to a stop on the side of the empty country road, two cops step out of the van and approach Rob's car, followed by two more coming out from the back seat of the van. The cops are all wearing tight-fitting motorcycle breeches and uniforms, and hats. For a second Derek thought that was strange, since the cops were driving a van, so why would they be dressed in motorcycle uniforms. His thoughts were interrupted as the cops came up to their windows.

"Licence and registration please. Did you know you were going over the speed limit back there?" One of the officers asked Rob. The occupants in the car are puzzled by the claim. Rob has always been one of safest and considerate drivers that Derek know of, so it didn't make much sense that he would be speeding so much as to be pulled over.

However, knowing well that it'd be unwise to argue with the cops on the spot, the four men dutifully handed over their IDs to the officers. The four cops walk back to their van, supposedly to verify their IDs. As they walk away, Derek realizes that these officers are massively tall and muscular, like a combination of basketball player and bodybuilder. Their skintight uniforms are pulled taut by their bulging muscles, which look increasingly strange to Derek.

A moment later, two of the cops make their way back to Rob and Brian: "Sir, I would ask you both to please slowly step out of the car and put your hands against the car."

The four men in the car are surprised by the request. A police stop for speeding shouldn't require that step. But not wanting to ruffle any more feathers, Rob and Brian complied with the officers' request and stepped out of the car. The two cops briefly frisk the two businessmen before asking them to walk over to the police van for some more questions.

"Officer, is there an issue, or some misunderstanding?" Rob tries to make sense of the situation.

"Sir, there's no need to be alarmed," one of the officers responded firmly. "We just want to ask a few questions and have a few words with you guys separately. Now please." The officers gestured and pressed Rob and Brian assertively towards the van. With not much choice (out in the middle of nowhere), and thinking that they would be able to reason out any possible complications with the cops, the two businessmen walked away with the officers.

As Derek and Niko watched their bosses walking away with the cops, they are also left confused by the whole situation. This is quickly becoming very weird, a little too weird for Derek's comfort. Something just seems out of place, but he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. He's not the only to think so:

"This doesn't look right," Niko blurted out nervously.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked, trying to suppress his anxiety. "You mean those cops?"

"The cops...their protocol looks all messed up." said Niko. "Back in university, I had a roommate who's dad is a cop, and he once explained us in detail the whole routine procedure of a typical traffic stop, trying to educate us on how we should act in such a situation. But what these cops are doing now is nothing like what my friend's dad explained. And, what's up with their weird uniform and looks? Either this is a really crazy prank or...something is going really wrong here!"

Derek gasped silently at the thought of what Niko just said: "I think they are coming for me," he whispered. "I was right. This MCP Institute has something to do with Daniel. There is something more to it than what we were told....and they now want to stop me from finding out."

"What do you mean?" Niko is puzzled by this statement. "What's MCP? What's this got to do with Daniel? I thought your brother past away in that plane crash earlier this year, no?"

"That's what they wanted us to believe," Derek explained his theory. "But my intuition tells me that Daniel should still be alive and this is all some sort of cover story. I looked up online and found out that this Institute had come into contact in different forms with a whole bunch of other athletes that somehow also died or disappeared some time later. So I'm convinced that this organization has something to do with all these people vanishing so coincidentally. And now this just confirms my suspicion." Derek suddenly gasped again as he realized in this train of thoughts that means also Devon and his buddies might have also been caught by the Institute.

"Hey! What are they doing?" Niko suddenly yelled, pulling Derek out of his thoughts. He looks up and sees some commotion by the cop van as the two "cops" are trying to cuff both Rob's and Brian's hands behind while the two gentlemen protested and struggled. But they are really no match to those giant muscled beasts, the two other cops, who got back inside the van, grab hold of the struggling men and effortlessly drag Rob and Brian into the vehicle. The two cops outside quickly slammed the van's side doors shut to prevent escape. Derek and Niko stare in horror and disbelief as the van wobbled around for a bit more and then quieted down again, supposedly as their bosses have been subdued inside. Derek then notices the other two cops turning back towards his car again.

"We've got to go!" said Derek, but then he realized the car keys are gone! Rob must have taken them with him. "We'll need to run...let's go, now!"

The two guys jump out of the car and sprint away from the vehicles as fast as they could. It's not as easy with their suits and dress shoes on, but that's the least of their worries at the moment. The two muscle cops immediately pick up pace to catch up to them as well. Derek and Niko run up to a corn field and dash right in amongst the tall crops hoping to evade the fake cops. Because of their extreme physiques, the muscle cops are quickly closing in on their targets, as Derek and Niko cut through the field in random zig-zag patterns. Running through the soft dirt in their dress shoes is very challenging and tiring the two young men out very quickly. Niko also keeps stumbling because of his height and his long legs keep getting tangled by the plants.

Derek finds himself out onto a clearing and speeds down the alleyway, with Niko following about five metres behind. Suddenly, Derek hears a loud painful scream from behind. He turns around instinctively, just in time to see Niko falling limply to the ground, his face in pain and body spasming uncontrollably. Behind him, about 15 metres away, one of the cops is holding a taser gun in his hand. Derek's body froze for a moment as he debated whether he should go help Niko. But as he sees the cop raise the taser again, there is no time to choose, and he instinctively ducks into the next block of corn crops and runs away with all his might. He could hear the sound of leaves crunching as the cop is after him behind. Derek just keeps on running frantically, in random directions amongst the maze of the corn fields, until he comes out onto another clearing, this time there's a dirt road in front of him and he could see a small town a short distance away.

Derek hops across the small ditch onto the road and takes a moment to stabilize his tired body. He looks around and could not see the muscle cops coming after him anymore. He perches his ears out and looks around again, but still there seems to be no signs of any other humans around. Derek is relieved momentarily, though still wary and uncertain, that he has miraculously escaped those kidnappers. But relief was cut short when he also realizes that on the other hand, his wonderful boss and coworkers Rob, Brian and young Niko have fallen into the hands of the Institute (Derek by now undoubtedly assumes that the MCP is behind this). His heart sinks as he feels guilt and despair for dragging all of them into this mess. But he must not give up now; even more so, he needs to be tough on his own and find a way to get Daniel and all of his friends out of the evil hands of the MCP Institute! Derek draws a deep breath, refocuses his mind, and pushes his exhausted body forward under the setting sun. He needs to quickly find a way back to the City and find some help on this.

As he makes his way into the small village, the dirt road crosses a main street and Derek spots a gas station and general store a few houses down the main road. He tidies up his suit as best as he could as he makes his way into the store. Figuring that the Institute probably already has an eye on him, Derek needs to stay low and not attract too much attention. He makes up a story about his car braking down and him getting lost and asks the man behind the counter for any means to get to the City. Luckily, the man says that there is a coach to the City that stops by here and he has tickets for the next bus, which is coming in about 40 minutes. Derek quickly bought a ticket from the man and some snacks and drinks from the store, and then waited for the coach outside the store. He contemplated calling the cops or others at the office for help, but he couldn't tell if the cops could be trusted anymore at this point. Derek may be becoming very paranoid, but he suspects that there may very well be spies within the police from MCP Institute, seeing how this organization seems to have means to make things happen in their way without raising any trouble at all.

After a two-hour ride, Derek finally made it back to the city. As he steps out of the coach terminal into the refreshing cool breeze of the night, he thought about where he should go now. The day has been long and surreal, he really just wants to crash in his bed and hopes it was all just another horrible dream. But then he realizes that his home might not be safe anymore; the Institute might be there waiting for him, same for the office. Without any real plan B, Derek decides to stop by Devon's place instead, hoping to find out if his friends have really been kidnapped, just like his innocent coworkers today.

As he steps off the bus and makes his way to the building where Devon and his buddies live, Derek could see that the windows to their apartment are completely dark, as he had half expected already. As he walks up the stairs to the unit's door, Derek finds that the door to Devon's place has been sealed off with police tape with a search warrant note posted on the door. The note explains that the unit has been cordoned off as a crime scene by the police to conduct evidence gathering in relation to a suspected case of cyber espionage. As Derek is reading the note, the man living across the hallway steps out to dump his garbage.

"Hi sir," Derek asked. "Do you know what happened here? Where have the guys living here gone?"

"The cops came in about a week ago and did a big search of that apartment and interviewed everyone in the building as well," the neighbour explained. "They took away a bunch of computers and stuff and closed off the unit to conduct more investigation. They said those guys hacked into some big company and were trying to steal some corporate information to sell it out or something. But apparently they failed and ran away, so the cops are still looking for them."

Derek walked out the building in disbelief after hearing the neighbour describe the obviously fake story made-up by the cops - or whoever in charge behind the scenes - about the disappearance of his buddies. However, this now confirms a couple of things in Derek's head: Devon, Eric and Scott have been caught, there is definitely some corrupted powers in the police, and the MCP Institute is for sure behind all of this. He needs to stop this madness, but how? If even the police can be so thoroughly influenced, where can he go to get help?

The ringing of his cell phone caught Derek by surprise as he was focused on his brainstorming. He looks at his phone and sees it's a private number. He didn't have too many friends and he was not expecting anyone to call at this hour of the night. Cautiously, he answered the phone, and a young, but firm and confident male voice speaks up:

"Hello Mr. Millwood," said the man. "Or do you mind if I call you Derek? We don't need so much formalities in this day and age."

"Who are you? What do you want? I don't have time for any sales pitch right now" said Derek impatiently, and was about to hang up on the guy.

"Oh, I don't want anything from you, Derek." said the man. "Rather, I heard that you are looking for something...your little brother...Daniel, is that correct?"

Derek stopped in his tracks when he heard the last bit. He figured that they will catch up to him sooner or later, but still this has taken him a bit by surprise. He sighs a deep breath before continuing: "Ok, you've got my attention here. Now who are you? Are you from the MCP Institute? Where is my brother? What have you guys done to him? Is he still alive?"

"Slow down for a moment, Derek. No need to rush it all out at once," responded the man, in his ever calm, confident, authoritative tone. "First, my name is Michael, and yes, I work for the MCP Institute. I know the whereabouts of your little brother, as well as your other friends, but it isn't convenient for me to talk about it all over the phone. Meet me at 220 Water Street by the warehouse district and I will tell you all about it."

"Why should I believe you?" asked Derek with a sense of defiance. "How do I know if it's a trap, or if you're just a prankster?"

"Of course, some reassurance is not unreasonable. Let's see...your little brother Daniel is 19 and plays on the McKinley College baseball team. Oh, and he carries in his wallet a picture of you two that says on the back: JUST DO IT & DON'T GIVE UP - D&D 4EVER. Does that sound familiar?" Michael said.

That is from his brother. Derek wrote that message on that picture and gave it to Daniel when he went off to college. He knows that Daniel keeps it dearly with him all the time. That's a very personal item that others wouldn't normally know about unless that person is very close to Daniel. Derek's head is spinning and his emotions are all over the place.

Sensing the affirmative silence, Michael continued: "Well, the choice is yours, Derek." "I'm offering you the chance now and you have 30 minutes to come over. Otherwise, you'll be on your own again....I'm pretty sure that you have realized by now that your efforts in trying to find any other sort of help will be pretty futile, correct?"

Derek thought about his choices, and Michael is right, he doesn't trust going to the cops now and there's no one else he could go to right away. He is desperate now, so he might as well try anything and just see what happens and be careful: "Ok, I'll meet you there in 30 minutes. But don't try to play any tricks on me."





Twenty minutes later Derek steps off the cab onto the dark and deserted street in front of the said address. He walks up to the non-descript building, which is the lone building still with lights on at this hour of the night. Derek noticed the small plain sign by the door and confirmed that he is at the right location. He rang the doorbell and a buzz unlocked the door. Navigating cautiously into the office, Derek followed the lit hallway, past the reception area, and came up to a small office/meeting room, with only a small desk and two chairs. There, seated behind the desk, is a young man that looks to be about the same age as Derek. The man looks clean cut, with short blond hair, glasses and dressed in a white shirt. He looks up to Derek with a polite smile, though he beams confidence and power from his eyes, assertive expression, and body composure (arms crossed in front).

"You've made it on time, Derek. You can always trust a banker to be on time, huh....time is money, right?" the man teased. "Once again, I'm Michael, Michael Lexter. I'm an Assistant Researcher to Dr. Roberts of MCP Research Institute. I know you've been very interested in finding out about our Institute, so I'm here to give you a bit of introduction of our work. Please have a seat." Micheal gestured for Derek to sit on the other chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"I'm not interested in what you guys do, I just want to find my brother and my friends back." Derek responded curtly. "Where are they now?!"

"Now again, no need to rush it," Michael said in his ever calm tone. "You do want to know what we do at our Institute, because your brother, and now your friends, have been contributing enormously to our research and development at our facility, and they are precious resources to our Institute, so we take great care of them to make sure they are well and happy at our facility."

"That's bullshit!" Derek cut him off. "I don't care what research you are doing, but they never signed up willingly to be part of it. You guys just kidnapped them and holding them up as prisoners for your whatever sick tests. That's forcible confinement, I'm going report you to the cops and up to the FBI and make sure you all get arrested!"

"Oh really?!" Michael responded sarcastically. "If based on what you've gone through today you still haven't figured out the extent of our capabilities in getting what we want, then let me tell you another thing, Derek. If you go to the cops, or even to the FBI, right now, YOU will be the one that will be under arrest because, as of this morning, you and your three other coworkers have been named suspects wanted under several charges of fraud, where you guys have allegedly set up false contracts and attempted to steal at least five million dollars from both your company and five clients. Of course you guys found out and ran away, so all four of you are now on the criminal watch lists of every police force across the country."

Derek is stunned and speechless listening to Michael talk about this ridiculous claim. Who would believe that?! But then he immediately reflected back to what he saw and heard at Devon's place, and then realized that maybe these guys probably DO have the power to make up anything to get what they want! Derek didn't want to accept this unsettling fact.

Sensing Derek's hesitation, Michael pushes on: "Trust me, Derek. There is now no other way to find out about your brother and friends. Just relax, don't worry. Just give me a moment to explain to you about our Institute and our work, then you'll understand the purpose behind our actions, and then I will bring you to meet up with your brother and your friends, promised. May I have your attention for just a few minutes? I promise I'll make it short," Michael said in a softer and playful pleading tone.

Defeated and desperate, and without any other viable options left, Derek reluctantly agrees to Michael's request. He really isn't interested in learning about what the MCP Institute does, but if that's the only condition in order to find back Daniel, he'll definitely put up with it.

In his ever so calm, yet steady and authoritative voice, Michael begins talking about the history and background of the Institute, almost a full detailed account of every bits of the company. It is not unlike any typical sales pitch that Derek hears from many of the clients he has dealt with in the past. He wasn't paying much attention to the speech, just letting the noise flow through his ears, while he just stared back at Michael blankly.

".....MCP Research Institute is A GREAT PLACE for pursuing innovation....our product development OBEY strict guidelines....WE HAVE CONTROL over the quality....."

It has been a very rough day for Derek, the time is already past midnight by now. He is simply exhausted, physically and mentally, and just wants to go to sleep. It certainly doesn't help that Michael's talk is really boring.

"....we are studying on ways to help RELAX strained muscles.....new technologies to help LET GO OF YOUR STRESS....developing pills to improve SLEEP...."

His deep calm, almost monotone voice seems to keep droning on about....what was he talking about again?? Derek couldn't seem to register the words anymore, his conscious is slowly failing him as he just lets Michael's voice flow into his ears. As much as he tries to stay awake...he still needs to save Daniel...but the continuous speech from the scientist is having a strange soothing effect on Derek, like a lullaby, pulling him down into a dark cozy hole, until his consciousness finally loses its grip and slips into a deep slumber.

Michael continued his hypno talk for a bit more until he is sure that Derek has gone far away into a deep sleep. He smiled satisfyingly at his subject: his hypno talk has never failed to bring anyone under within ten minutes. It's his own personal mind control technique that he has mastered while researching on psychotherapy in university. His technique calls for embedding particular key words that draws the subjects mind towards a focused but relaxed state of mind, and then guiding them down into a deep hypnotic trance. As soon as he can get the full attention of the subject on his speech, Michael can practically hypnotize his subjects using any topics of discussion, as long as the key words are carefully placed at specific points in the monologue to create the hypnotic effect. Nevertheless, he still admires Derek's resilience and will against his control. He could see that the man, despite his very exhausted state of mind, still managed to put up a desperate struggle to cling on to his consciousness. Michael admires Derek's determination and willpower for finding his brother, but he also has no doubt that his mental technique would never fail, and it is serious business that Michael has to take care of him for MCP Institute. Dr. Roberts has entrusted him to bring in Derek Millwood after he volunteered himself to the challenge, so he must prove himself to the Doctor for his chance to make an impression and to move up the ranks.

-------

Michael Lexter first met Dr. Roberts about two years ago at a medical conference, where the Doctor was a presenter and Michael was a recent graduate. Michael was really interested by Dr. Roberts' talk and his work on human male genetics, but didn't get a chance to introduce himself at the event. A few nights later, while casually cruising the local gay fetish club, Michael was surprise to see the Doctor also at the club. He knew this was his chance, not only did they share similar views and interests professionally, he couldn't believe that the Doctor would also be gay like himself! Michael boldly approached Dr. Roberts, introduced himself, and they chatted away all night....eventually ending up in the Doctor's hotel room. Soon after the conference, Michael was hired into MCP Institute as a research assistant and worked alongside the Doctor. His affair with the Doctor continued on for a while, and Dr. Roberts soon also learned that his little assistant not only shared his research interests, but also his sexual interests in men and domination. Michael was therefore eventually introduced to the "secret side" of the Institute's operation and invited to work in the "inner circle" overlooking the production units. Some of the other more experienced technicians and research staff weren't too please with this inexperienced kid skipping the line due to his relationship with the doctor, but Michael could care less about these people and simply mind his own business to keep Dr. Roberts happy and hoping to keep moving up the ladder. However, after a few months, the Doctor's interest in Michael gradually waned and their affair slowly faded away. Eventually, Michael was relegated back to just another staff at the facility, no longer with any preferential favours from the Doctor. Perhaps the Doctor also felt a sense of threat to his helm at the Institute by this highly intelligent young man, whose dominant character and aggressive pursuit of success is very similar to, even surpassing, the Doctor's own past. The abandonment by Dr. Roberts stroke a bitter note deep inside Michael, but this career was too precious to let his emotions ruin it. So he stuffed away his feelings and focused his energy on his work, proactively pursuing every opportunity to enrich his profile and advance his career. So when the case of Derek Millwood came up, it was now Michael's chance for a breakthrough.

-------

Checking once again to make sure that Derek is deep asleep, Michael calls in the handling staff waiting in another room to proceed to getting his prey ready for transport to the facility. The workers start by feeding Derek some anaesthetic gas through a mask, and then strip him out of his dishevelled suit. Next, they bring in a rubber sleepsack and feed the unconscious subject into it, securing him tightly within. Lastly, a gasmask is pulled over Derek head, before putting his wrapped up body into a large canvas sack, just like the way Devon and friends were prepared. The breathing tube from the mask is exposed through the sack's opening at the top and connected to a sleeping gas valve to keep him sedated the entire way back to the Institute. Once everything is ready, Michael and his assistants get in the delivery van and make their way back to the facility with their big catch hanging safely at the back. Dr. Roberts will be pleased with his work, Michael thought to himself. Derek Millwood will now officially disappear from the face of the earth, remaining only in name as a fugitive for fraud that will be quickly forgotten with virtually no more ties left.

Derek awoke with a start. He feels disoriented and his brain feels heavy from the long deep sleep. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light again, even though the room is not too brightly lit. As his brain slowly restarts, he tries to make sense of where he is. His last memory was that of him meeting with this Michael guy from MCP Institute who said he would take Derek to find Daniel, but then he forced him to first listen to this boring speech about his company, and then....then that was it! Derek realized that he must have dozed off halfway through. But yes, finding Daniel! Michael said he will take him to Daniel once he's done with his talk. Derek quickly adjusted his focus and sees Michael still in front of him, but he is in a different orientation than before and he is now dressed in a lab coat.

"Sorry I dozed off a bit, it's been a long day," Derek said. "But you said you'll take me to my brother after your talk, are you done now? Let's go then." Derek attempts to stand up, but there's a strange pull on his body and he loses sense of his orientation again momentarily. "What the heck?!" From what he could see, he is now lying on some examination table that is wrapped in black rubber and some restraints are holding him on it. He is surprised to see his body is somehow also dressed in some skintight rubber suit, and the room around is similarly covered in black rubber-like material, and there are also several other large men beside Michael dressed in similar rubber bodysuits.

Panicked by the strange reality, Derek screamed at Michael: "What's going on?! What's with all this kinky crap? I just dozed off for a moment and where are we now? Aren't you going to take me to see Daniel? Let me up and take this shit off me now!"

With his confident snarky smile on his face, Michael calmly explained: "No need to panic, Derek. I haven't broken my promise, I will be taking you to see your brother, in fact, we are already there! However, there are some preparations that needs to be done before you can be taken here to our facility, let me explain. You see, with some subtle hypnotic induction in my talk that night, I put you into a deep sleep, which was then maintained with the use of anaesthetics. This was necessary to allow us to transport you to our facility and prepare you for admission into the MCP Institute."

Derek is in mental overload, he could believe what he's hearing: "You kidnapped me! You fucking sick freak! How stupid was I to believe you and listened to your stupid talk!"

"Say what you want, you should've known that it would be inevitable that you'll end up in our hands. Like I told you, there is simply no more way out for you out there anyway. But there's no real need to blame yourself for falling under my hypnosis trick: my method has never failed to put even the most strong-willed person under, so you're no exception." Michael laughed at his own sick joke.

"Let's not waste anymore time talking about useless stuff," Michael continued. "I will now fulfill my promise to you and take you to your brother, are you ready? Let's go now, shall we?"

Derek struggled as the rubber clad staff unlocked him from the table and then grabbed hold of him firmly by the arms and pushed him along behind Michael out of the prep room towards the same secure elevator that Derek's brother and his friends all went through to their final resting place down below. Overwhelmed by confusion, fear and uncertainty, Derek is trembling and speechless as he is taken down to the Level 1 Gallery.

--------

As Michael had expected, Dr. Roberts was very pleased with his work in catching Derek with so little effort and struggle. He gained a lot of praise and trust from the Doctor in proving his capabilities and loyalty to the Institute. Michael knew that the Doctor wants to punish Derek badly for causing him so much stress and trouble, so he requested to Dr. Roberts one more time to allow him to handle the processing of Derek into the facility and he convinced the Doctor that he will make sure to give Derek a "special treatment" that he so deserved (at least in the eyes of Dr. Roberts and the Institute).

--------

The elevator arrived at the basement Level 1 and Michael leads the party through the secure and airtight doors into the Level 1 Gallery. As the motion-activated lights turn on, Derek gasps at the sight of the huge cavernous hall before him. As the assistants push him forward, he glances around the room and noticed that the room is basically like a large museum with large display cases lining the aisles. Derek is surprised and puzzled as to why the MCP Institute, a medical research facility as far as he knew, would have such a large gallery inside, so securely locked away. But what's even more puzzling to Derek is the content on display: as he peeks left and right down the aisle, he could only see black rubber mannequins dressed up in various sports gears and posed accordingly. There are tubes running out from the rubber dolls at weird spots on their bodies, but Derek didn't pay much attention to those. His head is spinning with question marks: what does displaying sports gear have to do with medical research? Are these some personal collection of the Institute's boss? Why is Michael showing this place to him? Most of all, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FINDING DANIEL??

Before Derek could ask the question to Michael, the group stopped in front of a large display case. The attendants turn Derek around to face the display. He quickly noticed something familiar...the baseball uniforms.

"Why are you taking me here?" Derek asked. "What is this place? I'm not interested in seeing your sports gear collection. Take me to my brother and let us out of here!"

"Just like I said, I haven't forgotten my promise. I AM taking you to see your brother." Michael said, with a bit of sarcasm. "I'll explain to you in a sec, but right now, do you see something familiar in front of you?"

"Those look like the baseball team uniforms from my brother's college...but so what you've got them in your collection? I've got some at home too, big deal! I don't want to see the uniforms, I want to see my freaking brother!!!" Derek retorted impatiently. How much more games does this guy wants to play?

Michael cracked a small laugh before continuing: "Perhaps I should start by explaining this room we are in right now. You see, the MCP Institute specializes in genetic research for the human male. To do so, we require a large and constant supply of male genetic samples, so we could hire donors to contribute to us....but that's just not practical for our needs. There's also the bigger catch: you see, behind all this, we also specialize in the underworld trading of male semen, and it's a highly lucrative business that ranges from sperm banks to secret rich gay men. As a result, we require an army of top quality fine men to supply us with their cum on a continuous daily basis. We invite suitable candidates into our facility and turn them into one of the hundreds of production units here at MCP Institute."

Derek is completely confused by what Michael is explaining, but he can sense that this is leading to something he doesn't want to know.

"It also happens that our Institute's founder, Dr. Roberts, is gay. Therefore, aside from acquiring men with good physical qualities to supply our cum demands, the Doctor also has a fond taste in exceptional fine specimens of men, which he carefully selects and collects them into his galleries for his own admiration...as you have seen all around this room."

It took a moment for Derek to comprehend what Michael was saying. He couldn't believe what he was hearing: "You...you've got to be kidding right? You mean all of these are actual living people in there?!"

"Of course! This is serious business, Derek. Everyone of them in this room is alive, healthy and maintained in very top shape in order to produce the highest quality of cum for us. These are our cash cows, literally, for our business. Right now, there are about 200 of them in this gallery, and close to another 200 on the other gallery below, which you'll see in a moment, in addition to the 200+ standard production units that we have on the main floor above. It's a big, sophisticated operation, but the returns are extremely worthwhile, both money and pleasure wise."

Derek's eyes are wide in horror and disgust. It sounded like a plot for some cheesy Hollywood horror flicks, but how could this be real?! These people are out of their minds! He couldn't even imagine how could anyone survive being incarcerated like a rubber doll and turned into a cum machine without going completely insane. As Derek frantically looks around the room, his eyes focuses back on the display in front of him and suddenly he freezes in shock when he suddenly realized what that also means to what he is looking at in the glass enclosure. Michael noticed his expression and immediately read Derek's mind:

"Oh yes, and your brother...I promised to bring you to him, right?" Michael said teasingly. "I already did....and you guessed it, you ARE looking at him, and his whole team, right in front of you! Say hi! To prove that I'm not lying, let me show you something more."

The attendants guide Derek to the right side of the display case until they have a better view of the wall-sized team photo in the background of the enclosure. From there, Derek can now clearly see the picture, with Daniel standing with his teammates with that proud charming smile that Derek had missed for so long. He glances back to the 'statues' in front of the picture, and there, posed in the same position as the photo, is a black 'rubber mannequin' dressed in his brother's uniform. Derek stared closely at the body for a bit and could notice a very faint steady heaving motion on the chest. The 'body' then seemed to stiffen and tremble slightly for about ten seconds, before returning to the constant light heaving again. He refuses to believe the scene before his horrified eyes, this has got to be some sick prank....or a big horrible dream. Derek refuses to believe that his handsome and bright little brother, that he so proudly raised all his life, has been turned into this rubber statue being put on display in some sick doctor's private gallery and exploited as a cum cow!

"You fucking psycho! Let my brother out! You're killing him! Take him off this shit right now!!!" Derek screamed and thrashed hysterically against the staff holding him.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Derek." Michael responded calmly. "As I said, Daniel and his team here are part of our most valuable assets. For the six months since they have started, their semen has already brought in over a million dollars in revenue to the Institute, so they are definitely here to stay for a very long time. There's no need to worry about their well-being. We have very sophisticated life support equipment connected to our central system that closely monitors their physical health to make sure they are kept at their top shape all the time. Mentally, you see that headgear underneath their baseball hat? That's a highly advanced virtual reality system that, together with a network of very finite electrode sensors embedded throughout their bodysuit, can deliver a 100% realistic virtual environment that allows them to be fully immersed in it. They are all virtually living in another parallel dimension right now, with no direct conscience of the physical reality. I'll just say that they are living in a very happy, blissful world, surrounded by constant male entourage and sensual experiences, peacefully and joyfully enjoying each orgasm and cumshot that we extract from them."

"Please! Please let him go." Derek pleaded desperately. "My brother hasn't done anything wrong to you to deserve this. He is a good hearted kid. He is smart and has a bright future ahead of him. Please let him out....I can take his place, I'll do anything, you can put me in his place and milk me for all my cum as long as you want! I just beg you to please let Daniel go!"

"Awww...what a show of devoted brotherly love," Michael reacted sarcastically. "I'll definitely take up your offer, we always welcome more givers. Besides, it's not like you have much control or say on this right now, haha... But for our little Daniel here..." Michael pointed and gently knocked on the glass panel, "like I said, he is our cash cow now, so no. Besides, if we were really so nice to let him out now, having been adapted to this virtual lifestyle for six months already, it'd be nearly impossible for him to readjust back to the real life again without having nervous breakdown or mental recluse. I don't think you'd wish your sweet intelligent little brother to go insane, right?"

Derek is at a loss of words. His eyes shifted back and forth between Daniel in the display and this heartless evil man next to him. He is overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions: desperation, pain, frustration, anger, fear, ... He couldn't even figure out what to process in his mind.

"Alright, enough of this for now, we need to get going. There's more I need to show you and I don't have all day to do this." Michael begins walking out towards the entrance and the other staff followed along, dragging Derek along.

"No, no, wait! Please! I beg you...please...no! Daniel! Daniel!" Derek begged again desperately, losing all sense of composure. He strained his head for one last look at his trapped little brother, or whatever he could make out of from that rubber-covered figure, as the guards drag him away and out of the gallery.

"Don't you worry, Derek. We'll make sure you get to see him again, I promise." Michael said snarkily. Derek didn't really realize what he meant with that.

The group exited the Level 1 Gallery and made their way down to Level 2 Gallery. As this set of airtight doors slide open, Derek expected to see a similar cavernous hall as the one above, but instead, the lower gallery is slightly smaller and not as airy as the other one. Nevertheless, it is still a very large space that is divided into smaller sub-rooms with large display sets that are organized by theme in each sub-room section.

Michael starts explaining the concept of this level to his unwilling guest: "Welcome to our Level 2 Gallery. Very few people outside the Institute has had the chance to see both private galleries of Dr. Roberts with their own eyes. So consider yourself very lucky and privileged, Derek...all because you're a special guest to us."

Derek is not at all amused with his captor's sarcasm. He is still reeling from the sight of Daniel's fate upstairs. More of the same scenes is not going to surprise him anymore.

Michael carries on with his tour nonchalantly: "The first room you see here upon entering is the 'Uniforms Collection'. Displayed in this area is the Doctor's collection of fine specimens of law enforcers and other sexy men in uniform."

Derek glanced around this room and could see that there are several large displays set up around the sides of the room behind a glass wall. Each room is themed differently: the first one looks like an army barracks with two rows of six bunk beds. All of the beds (both levels) are occupied by a rubber man, who Derek could only assume to be a real soldier underneath, dressed in full combat fatigues and gear. Another twelve soldiers are standing at attention at the foot of each bunk bed, and another one is standing at the back of the room facing the entire squad, as if in command over them.

Moving on around the room, Derek could see several other displays of different uniformed professions by the wall: one is a changing room with a dozen cops standing at attention in front of each locker, one is a fire hall with several firemen posed in various related actions, there's even one that's laid out like the back of an ambulance filled with paramedics seated all around. All of these men are dressed in their full uniform, complete with nametags/badges, over their rubberized and plugged bodies, subtly but securely locked in their poses and their loads pumped away steadily.

Turning away from the wall displays, Michael leads Derek down the corridor towards the other end of this room, and Derek could see that there are about another ten rows of displays cases placed along the centre of the room. As the group passed by each row, Derek could see that each row holds five individuals within the glass box, each separately partitioned. Each uniformed figure is similarly standing at attention and the lighting effect creates an artistic spotlight effect on each displayed man. There are men dressed in every possible uniform that Derek could think of: army, marines, air force, cops, motorcycle cops, cycling cops, tactical unit cops, park rangers, firemen, paramedics, prison guards, security guards, and even pilots.

"Some of them are here simply because the Doctor has the hots for them, but some of them also found their way in here because either they knew too much about our work or they were investigating a little too much than they should." Michael explained as if the most ordinary thing. "But either way, it serves our purpose in the end."

Passing through a doorway at the end of the Uniforms Room, the group entered another area. This room only has two displays on either side of the corridor, but those are two large setups that made Derek's jaw drop. To the right, there is a setup of what appears to be a court room. On the judge panel, there are four rubber men seat behind the desk and dressed in a judge's gown. In front of those "judges" are about twenty men seated around the "court room" similarly dressed in lawyer's robes or in fine suits.

"As you have probably figured out by now, we protect our operation very valuably." Michael explained. "These judges and lawyers somehow caught wind of what we're doing and were looking to drag us to court. So we got ahead of them...and put them into a 'court' that's more suitable for protecting our interests." Michael snickered at his own sick joke.

"Similarly, these gentlemen on this side," he continued as he swings Derek around to the other display, "they either wanted to shut us down or cut off our government ties because they didn't agree with our work, or they simply wanted to screw us around and use us for their own political agendas. So we quickly put a stop to those as well."

Derek looks on in shock as Michael described these setups. This latest one is laid out just like the parliament assembly hall, complete with about 30 seats facing each other either side of the floor and a background image of the remainder of the hall. Derek could see about half of the seats have been occupied by rubber figures dressed in suits, and there are name plaques at the front of each man's seat. Amongst these "politicians" Derek could see the name "P. Garrett" in front of a navy-suited man. This was the conservative health minister that was said to have vanished on a fishing expedition about five years ago!

"You guys are crazy!" Derek blasted out madly. "You've even kidnapped high-profile and important lawmakers! You think you're above the law or what? Who do you guys think you are? God? Where's your sanity and conscious? You might as well just turn the whole planet into your little rubber perverted slaves, sickos!"

"Hahaha....well that would be fun, but that wouldn't be realistic, isn't it?" Michael laughed at Derek's outburst. "Besides, if the whole world is in here, who would we sell our products to? Now stop making me laugh and we've got to move on to the rest of the gallery."

The group moved onto the next and last room of the gallery. This one is a long room with 12 large in-wall displays, six on each side. Eight of them are currently occupied, and these are more of a "miscellaneous" theme, with each exhibition decorated to a different topic. For example, Derek could see one display is set up as a hospital room and about eight guys dressed in medical gear and doctor's robe are placed around the room. Another one is in a lecture room setting, where several rubber men are standing at the front dressed in shirts and slacks (presumably profs) facing about a dozen other guys seated behind desks, dressed in more causal clothing (college students).

Michael leads Derek to the last display on the left side of the room and Derek could see this one is set up as a meeting room with a large conference table and twelve seats around it: two at the head of the table at the back and five on each side. Currently, there are eleven persons in there, with the last seat at the front right of the table still unoccupied. Derek tensed at this observation as he could see where this could be going.

"Well, this is the last display we have on show here at the moment and is a collection of various hunky business types that we have found over the years." Michael started. "Not all of them know each other...not that it would really matter anyway. For example, the two gentlemen at the far end have been here for almost ten years now. I'm not even sure who they really were or what they did in their previous lives as it was way before my time here. And over the years, we've gradually filled up the table until now..."

Michael turns to look at Derek with a mischievous look: "Oh, and I have one more surprise for you, Derek. You see these three on the right closest to the front?" He teased as he pointed to the three suited men adjacent to the last empty seat. "They have only just started....look closely, see something familiar?"

Derek stared at the three rubber men locked behind the glass, and it took him a moment to realize that they are his coworkers! He could recognize Rob's navy blue suit and striped tie, Brian's tan suit and red tie, and tall Nico in his blue shirt. His eyes widen in horror and lashed out at Michael angrily, as the guards hold him down firmly:

"You sick fucking pervert! They don't know anything about this, they are innocent good people! You guys just want me, now you have me, so let them go now! They have nothing to do with all of this! How could you people be such evils?!"

"Say what you want, Derek." Michael responded again in his ever composed manner. "Like I made it clear to you earlier, once our units are admitted into the facility, we have no plans of ever releasing them out again, so just save your begging. None of our production units here have any knowledge about our Institute prior to being taken here anyway, so your argument there has no merit to me. I'd say the only thing they did wrong was being with you in the wrong place and at the wrong time. They saw something that they shouldn't, so we have no choice but to take them in. They should thank their own good looks that allowed them to be approved by the Doctor to be placed here in the gallery. Otherwise, they could've just ended up in the Storage Room next door as three slabs of vacuum-packed meat....just like your other three friends before."

That was like another slap in Derek's face and he renewed his struggles against the unyielding strong hands of the rubber guards: "You mean Devon?! I knew you guys kidnapped them too! You sick animals! Let us all go, pervert! You'll never get away with this!"

"Alright, I think I've heard enough of your rhetoric now." Michael cut him off coldly. "You're begging for a place in the Institute, so I'll grant your wish....but you'll not be saving your brother or your friends. Instead, you'll just be joining them here for the rest of your life. See that last open seat there....these guys are all just waiting on you to start the meeting." Michael laughed as he ordered the staff to open the access into the display case and drag Derek over.

"No, No! I'm not going in there! Let go!" Derek screamed as he fought with the men dragging him towards his fate. But Derek is determined to not surrender to these monsters. He shoved, pulled and twisted around the muscular arms, and somehow managed to wrestle himself free from the grips holding him. Seizing his split-second chance, Derek immediately slipped himself away from the guards and rolled away from the group. Once he made it back on his feet a short distance away from Michael and his staff, he quickly scanned the room for his quickest way out of here. The doorway that they came in from is at the far end of the room, it wouldn't be a good choice. Derek turned around and noticed another doorway out not too far behind him. He looked back at the enemy group, and quickly made his dash for that doorway. It struck him as slightly strange that Michael and his goons seem to be just standing and didn't seem to make any move to catch up to him, but that's none of his worries at the moment. Derek rushed into the doorway, relieved that he will be able to escape from this hell. He will do anything he could to bring this MCP Institute down and bring Daniel and his friends back. However, as soon as he passed through the opening, Derek encountered nothing but pitch darkness. He tries to turn back around, but that doorway just disappeared. He couldn't see a thing, everything just seems to have shut off suddenly. Derek then suddenly felt disoriented, followed by a strange sensation around his body.

--------

Using the tablet computer in his hand, Michael turned off the VR scenario in Derek's hood, and gave his prisoner a few moments to come back to his senses before switching the visor back to the reality view.

As his disorientation subsided, Derek tried to feel his way around the darkness, but was immediately shocked by some new sensations: his whole body felt stiff and restrained, with his arms locked to his sides. Suddenly, there was light again and Derek could see again....but how come he is back in that last gallery room again?

Michael immediately chimed in: "Welcome back to the reality, Derek. I hope you've enjoyed the virtual tour of our Collections Galleries."

"What...what do you mean? Where am I now? Why am I locked up?" Derek questioned, still lost and confused about what is just happening now.

"Perhaps I should explain," Michael responded. "First of all, when you fell asleep during our first encounter at our Recruitment Centre, you didn't just doze off for a moment, that was TWO DAYS AGO. We then brought you into our facility and prepared you for admission and let your body get accustomed to the permanent changes. During that time, I decided to take you on a virtual tour of the galleries so you can familiarize yourself with the premises and your new home." Michael chuckled.

"Rest assured that everything I've shown you during your tour is actually real on site. So that includes your little brother upstairs," Michael turns Derek's rack around until he's facing the display case again, "and your coworkers." Derek realized that he is back in the same room that he just escaped a moment ago...or he only thought he did....and is staring at the exact same conference room display once again with Rob, Brian and Nico still locked up next to that dreaded empty seat by the window.

"We thought we should give you a bit of a taste of the powers of our VR system." Michael continued. "The visor on your head and the sensors throughout your rubber suit are programmed by our computers to feed you the most realistic sensations so that your senses will be completely immersed into the virtual scenario and disconnect from the reality. Now that you've experienced it first hand, you can now appreciate how we keep our units entertained everyday without them ever having to move even a finger. But they won't be living their normal mundane lives anymore in our VR world. Afterall, we need them to produce cum for us, so it is only fitting that the VR system is programmed to feed them continuous streams of gay erotic scenarios, in which they will spend a lifetime going from one sexual adventure to the next."

Derek was speechless and in shock as he listened to the disturbing facts that Michael is explaining to him. However, there's one specific detail that puzzled him: "Did you say gay? What do you mean?"

"Oh yes, you heard it right, Derek. Since Dr. Roberts is gay himself, and so am I, so it'd only makes sense that we provide our units with a sex life that is most satisfying and enjoyable....by our standards."

"But what do you mean? Not all of them could possibly be gay, how would you make them enjoy gay sex? They wouldn't even get hard." Derek argued quizzically.

"You're very correct...for the first part. In fact, most of the units are probably just straight like you, but this is where the fun is. We put each of them through a mind control process to gradually train their brains to condition themselves to accept and enjoy men sexually. With the regular mental reinforcements and constant physical stimulation, most of the units fully embrace their new gay lifestyles within no more than two months."

"What?! You're turning all of these innocent people into gay sex zombies, that's disgusting!!!" Derek spat out in shock. He can't imagine his brother, Devon, and all his colleagues in front of him, all being brainwashed into some gay sex doll. "This is insanity! I don't want to be like this! No! Get me out of here! I don't want to be turned into a gay sex doll, NO!!!" Derek panicked hysterically.

"Oh no...For you, we have a special treatment just for you, Derek." Michael said with a malicious smile. "You see, normally for troublemakers like you we would just simply throw them into the Storage Room, like your friends Devon & co, without all this mind control process, and forget about them forever. But because you caused us so much effort and stress to track you down and keep everything in order, Dr. Roberts agreed with me that you should deserve a little different treatment than those usual trespassers. Even though you were a troublemaker, but because you also helped us grow our collection and productivity with those friends and colleagues of yours, I've decided that you have redeemed some of your value and earned you place to be in this gallery alongside with your wonderful coworkers right in there." Michael pointed firmly to the empty seat at the table next to Nico. "And I will also make sure you're reunited with all of your friends, and of course, your dear brother Daniel regularly. However, as you wish, I won't put you through our hypnosis training to condition your mind to enjoy gay sex." Michael walks up close to Derek, stares coldly into his eyes and breathed the words into his face: "Instead, you will simply live through the continuous gay sex scenarios like everyone else....through your own fully conscious mind without any mental training. You will have no choice but experience every detail of it with no chance of backing out or running away. And your body will still become excited and your dick will still shoot its loads despite your hate and disgust, because the VR suit will simply force the sensations onto your body and it will react inevitably. It will be a more painful process, but eventually, your mind will surrender to the constant assault and readapt itself to the 'new reality'. The ultimate result will be the same: you'll just become a gay rubber sex doll like all the other ones here at MCP Institute!"

Derek is hysterical and struggled like a mad man against the body harness holding him. This couldn't be real, he thought. He doesn't want to be put through what Michael just said and become one of the displays inside that glass box. He'll go insane like that.

"Well, it's been nice meeting you, Derek. But I'm afraid this will be the end of our interaction here. Farewell, my friend. Although I'll still have plenty of chances seeing you down here, but you won't ever know about it or see me anymore....hahaha!" Michael gestured for his assistants to get on with the final preparations. They brought a surgical gas mask up to Derek's to feed him the knock-out gas. Derek put up a futile last effort to fight the staff, but the strap holding his head in place made his struggles pretty useless as the guards easily cupped the mask snuggly over his nose and mouth.

As the anaesthetic gas starts invading Derek's lungs, he said his last physical words, eyes fixed on Michael, defiant and determined: "I will remember you! You'll never get away with this! You'll never get away....never get away....you'll never.....get away.....you..."

Finally his eyes roll shut, and the attendants waited a few more moments before removing the gas mask. They quickly moved ahead with inserting the breathing and feeding tubes into Derek's mouth and nose, sealing everything, and dressing him back into his own business suit that he wore coming here. The staff then carried his unconscious body into the display enclosure, install him into the last seat, and finally hook up all of the tubes and wires into the system ports built into the seat before locking up the display again. The staff made sure one more time that all of the connections are working properly and gave Michael the OK. Michael activated the system and the vital display screen in front of the window promptly illuminated and listed out the vital stats of Derek.

And so Derek Millwood ceased to exist, as he will now be recognized as Unit GB-196. Michael looks in onto the immobile body of Derek from outside, smiled and whispered quietly: "I will remember you for sure, Derek." He glanced around the latest completed display: twelve nicely suited businessmen seated quietly around the table, working hard collectively and shooting away peacefully for the MCP Institute. He could see that GB-196/Derek begins to squirm and strain against the restraints of the seat, which means that the Unit is awake and resisting the VR scenario being forced onto his senses. With his first major mission accomplished, Michael gave the display one last proud and satisfied look and led the other staff out of the gallery.

-----

Derek awoke with a start and found himself in his bed back in his apartment. For a moment his mind is very confused, and with the events at the MCP Institute still vivid, he couldn't be sure if this is a dream or reality. He hears the shower running in the bathroom. He sits up as the water stops. "This has got to be a dream...it couldn't be Daniel, right?" he thought to himself. His heart is racing when he called out for Daniel and waited in anticipation. A moment later, there is his good old little brother Daniel, strolling in casually, with only a towel around his waist, hair messy and still a bit wet.

Derek almost felt like he is going to have a heart attack on the spot. He couldn't really understand how this is possible or whether it is real or not, but at that moment he didn't care, he missed Daniel for so long, he is only too happy to see his face...and that solid body of his. Nothing else mattered.

Daniel walks up to his big brother and sits down by his bed: "Derek, I missed you so much. We haven't seen each other for so long. I think we should just stay together forever and never leave each other alone. Thanks for coming to me by the way." He then gives Derek a strong loving bear hug.

Derek is slightly puzzled by the last bit that Daniel said, but the big powerful hug just crushed all concerns away. He missed him so much too, he can't afford to lose Daniel again. He returns the hug, although he couldn't quite reach around the back of his bulkier younger brother.

"Me too, Daniel. I won't leave you alo