Dave wasted no time after making Helios faint. He teleported back to his home, dragging the unconscious villain with him. His heart was still pounding, anger surging through his veins like an uncontrollable storm. This man had tortured his sisters, twisted them into broken shadows of themselves, and Dave wasn't about to let him go easily.
Arriving in his basement, Dave secured Helios in a specially reinforced chair. He had purchased chains that could restrain superhumans from the system, ensuring that no matter what, Helios wouldn't be able to escape. He was locked tight, completely at Dave's mercy.
Helios remained unconscious, his head slumped to one side, breathing shallow. Dave stood over him, his eyes cold and calculating. He didn't want to waste time. He needed answers, and he needed them now. The rage simmering beneath the surface was barely kept in check.
"System," Dave commanded, "activate Mind Control."
A soft chime echoed in his head as the system acknowledged his request. He felt the familiar tingling sensation as his power activated, a force reaching out from within him to take hold of Helios' mind. It wasn't the most reliable method, but it was the only way Dave could get the information he needed. He knew it would be dangerous if prolonged too much, but right now, that was a risk he had to take.
Helios began to stir as Dave's power seeped into his consciousness, his body twitching. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and a dazed look filled his face. Dave could see the mental grip taking hold as Helios' resistance faded away, his mind completely under Dave's control.
"Tell me everything you did to my sisters," Dave said, his voice icy and filled with a quiet fury. "Every. Single. Detail."
Helios' eyes became glassy, his voice monotone as he began to speak, forced by the power of Dave's command. "The older one… Emily… she was strong-willed, but it didn't take long to break her. I used a combination of drugs and mental manipulation, bending her to my will until she became obedient."
Dave's stomach twisted as he heard the words. He could picture his once vibrant, strong-willed sister being slowly turned into a puppet. His heart ached, but he couldn't stop now. He had to know everything, no matter how painful it was to hear.
"And Sarah?" Dave asked, his voice strained. "What did you do to her?"
"Sarah was more… difficult," Helios admitted, his voice still hollow. "I didn't need to break her like Emily. Her body was too weak for experiments, but I used her as leverage to control Emily. Every time Emily resisted, I would hurt Sarah in front of her. Eventually, Emily gave in to protect her younger sister."
Dave clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as Helios continued to confess. His breath came faster, and it took every ounce of self-control not to lash out and kill Helios on the spot. But he needed the full story before he could make his next move.
"What about the brainwashing? How did you make Emily fight me?" Dave asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He could still see the image of his sister, standing before him with dead eyes, attacking him without mercy. That had been the hardest blow of all.
Helios smirked slightly, even under the influence of mind control. "I used a combination of drugs and hypnosis, embedding deep triggers in her mind. Once activated, she would obey my every command without question. That's why she fought you. She's been programmed to see me as her master, her owner. To her, you're nothing."
Dave's heart sank further with every word, but he kept listening, forcing himself to stay calm. He needed to know if there was any way to reverse the damage, to bring his sisters back from the darkness Helios had forced them into.
"Can it be undone?" Dave demanded, his voice sharp. "Is there a way to reverse the brainwashing?"
Helios hesitated for a moment before answering. "It's… possible. But it would require advanced technology, far beyond what Earth currently possesses. The programming is too deeply embedded in her mind for simple methods to work."
Dave frowned, his mind racing. He had already suspected that the system might not be able to fix his sisters right away, but hearing it confirmed from Helios only deepened his frustration. He was strong—far stronger than he had ever been—but even now, there were limits to what he could do.
"So you made her into your slave," Dave said through gritted teeth. "All of this… just to control her. Just to toy with her."
Helios' smirk returned, despite his dazed state. "She's mine now. Both of them are. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, they'll always belong to me."
The last shred of control in Dave snapped at those words. He stepped forward, grabbing Helios by the collar and pulling him close, his face inches from Helios'. The desire to crush him then and there was overwhelming.
"You're wrong," Dave hissed. "They're not yours. They'll never be yours."
He released Helios, letting him slump back into the chair. There was no point in continuing this interrogation. Dave had heard enough.
"System, disengage Mind Control," Dave ordered. The power lifted, and Helios' body went limp, unconscious once again. Dave stared down at him, his mind swirling with anger and pain. He had the information he needed, but it didn't make the situation any easier.
For now, he had to lock Helios away and focus on figuring out the next step.
As Dave left the basement, he used the system to purchase the highest-grade restraints for Helios, ensuring there would be no escape. Helios was dangerous, but Dave was going to deal with him—slowly and carefully. First, he needed to figure out how to save his sisters.
The battle was far from over.