"Is everything to your liking, sir?"

Alton stared out the window of the limousine; the outside covered in a light sprinkle of snow and fog; feeling uncomfortable he adjusted his Christmas jumper. "Umm, yeah? Sorry, I just get a little nervous when around fog these days."

"I see, well not to worry sir we will be arriving at the Dawn manor very soon."

Awkwardly smiling Alton began fidgeting looking at his old jeans feeling out of place. "Do you think I'm underdressed at all?"

The driver looked in the rear mirror smirking faintly. "You look as festive as can be sir."

Alton kept adjusting his collar feeling worse by the moment. "Is it too late to turn back? I'm not sure I can do this."

"You will be fine, sir." He reinsures. "Scarlett is constantly talking about you. She's just happy to have a friend for Christmas."

"She's always talking about me?" Alton questions. "What does she say."

The driver chuckles, adjusting the rear mirror. "You'll just have to ask her yourself."

Sighing Alton slouched overcrossing his arms. "Never simple is it."

The driver glossed over his shoulder, shaking his head. "You know it takes a lot to make an impression on Scarlett, you should consider yourself lucky."

"I'm sure she has other friends who she thinks highly of."

"Not that I'm aware of. Her family are very protective of her. She's been homeschooled from as long as I've been working here. She very rarely leaves the manor unless it's for family matters. At the matter of fact, I was really taken back when she approached me to drive her to a karaoke bar six months back. Now I'm driving her to and from nearly every day. It's good she deserves some friends after what she's been through." 

"What do you mean what she's been through?"

The driver looked a bit concerned as he kept his eye off the road. "Perhaps I've said too much… Don't tell anyone I told you this but her parents are very secretive. They are hiding something about Scarlett."

"Like what?"

"I have no idea. But I've seen her birth certificate."

"How the hell did you get to see that?" Alton questioned.

"Long story. Anyway. Well on that certificate she wasn't down as Scarlett Dawn. Her last name was completely different. It was Scarlett S-."

Alton looked on flinching as a figure walked into the middle of the road. The driver was none the wiser as Alton leaned forward. "Shit look out!"

The driver turned panicking, trying to swerve out of the way. However, the person didn't move as their whole body began glowing. Swinging their arm up the limo was thrown into the air crashing back upside down. With no seatbelts, Alton woke lying on the roof of the limo coughing as smoke poured from the vehicle. The driver had vanished the glass smashed and his body in the road. As Alton tried to move, he noticed multiple figures standing around the limo. "Rodger that. The target is detained ready to capture and move him."

Waiting for the moment, they tried pulling him out Alton leaned his back against the door both hands out, ready to begin his counter-attack. As the car door was being pulled off Alton's whole body ripped from the vehicle as he was floating in the air struggling to move. Looking around, he saw seven masked figures all matching the same Oni demon mask. He kept fighting as he gritted his teeth. "Syndicate… Haven't you all got something better to do than attacking me on Christmas?"

One of the Syndicate members looked up at Alton smirking. "You have no idea how important this is. We have strict orders to bring you in alive but go ahead resist more. She said nothing about bringing you unharmed."

"She?" Alton muttered. Fighting again, he hissed, lowering his head. "Damn it I hate telekinesis… Final warning and I might even overlook this as I'm in such a festive spirit."

The Syndicate goons began laughing, tightening their grip on him. "Funny, I recall you hating Christmas Brantley."

"How do you know that…" Alton whispered. His hand began freezing over as he ripped his hand opened as the area froze over. Alton was dropped as he fell to his knee panting. "That's it. Now I'm pissed."

A Syndicate member came from behind as Alton jerked around slamming his foot as a rapid shatter of ice blasted forward holding the goon down. Hitting his foot once again, the ice broke as the Syndicate member collapsed. Ready to turn on the other members Alton was held down once again arms down either side as all movement was restricted. The other members all had a hold on him as Alton was helpless.

Channelling all his energy into his body, he let a vast blizzard out, knocking all the goons back. Stumbling back Alton coughed wiping the ice from his body. "Huh… Seems you lot are much weaker than the Syndicate member I fought back during the V.I.R.A.L League. She should have learned not to underestimate me with low ranking goons."

"Don't be so sure to look down on us so poorly!" One yelled as a car was thrown in Alton's way. Distracted the car pinned Alton against the wall as he shouted in pain, unable to move. As the goons began moving in the final hit, a burst of adrenaline snapped through Alton his eyes going yellow. Breaking through the car, he pressed his hand against one goon's face freezing them entirely. Grabbing them, he flipped them overthrowing the goon at another as he shattered knocking both down. As serval goons began holding him down, Alton ripped both his arms back as he let a sudden burst blizzard out, knocking each goon down.

The Syndicate members were lying down grumbling some trying to get back up. Losing his patients, Alton went to finish off the stragglers. That was until yet again he was stopped in his tracks this time by a much powerful force. His whole body was shot around with immense speed riddling a sudden whiplash. Alton snarled as he was jerked forward floating in front of the Demon Mask. She stared up at him, blankly tilting her head. "What was that about underestimating you, my dear Alton?"

"Ah, a friendly face."

"Charmed sweety. Merry Christmas."

"And a Ba Humbug to you too. The hell do you want?"

The Demon Mask stretched her arms, raising her mask slightly so Alton could see her smiling. "To take you in obviously. We want your help."

"My help? You could have just sent through a donation during a stream… And what do you want from me?"

"To help me destroy V.I.R.A.L."

"Ooh, tempting offer. Let me think about its no."

"Not even a second thought." She giggled. "You have no idea just who you're working for do you? If you knew what V.I.R.A.L really were, you would join me in a heartbeat."

"Instead of hinting, why don't you just tell me?"

"All in good time Alton. All will be revealed once you come with us." She insists. "Let me go over the bad guy speech, hang on. Resistance is futile, you are powerless to stop us, we are almighty and cannot be stopped… Blah, blah, blah, blah. How does she keep a straight face blabbering this over and over?"

Alton kept staring at the Demon Mask strangely. Something was off about her compared to last time. Before he could push for more answers The Demon Mask's attention was moved as a set of explosions rippled off blowing the area away. Alton lay on the ground leaning on his arms as he looked up in disbelief seeing someone, he somewhat recognised. A woman with short white hair and glittering red eyes emerged from the smoke. She wore a long white dress and black gloves in which her appearance matched Scarlett to a t. "Scarlett's mum?"

"Ah, Alton Brantley. A pleasure to meet you once more, I wish we could meet on much more peaceful terms. Allow us to crush the remaining Syndicate resistance."

"Us?"

Scarlett flew in, lifting her hand up as a bus blocked incoming fire. Ripping it in half hails of bullets rippled down the streets as from cars multiple men in suits had guns ready on the members. The Demon Mask stared on at the Dawn family, shaking her head tutting. "You slime always have to intervene don't you." Her eyes rested on Scarlett as she smirked. "You've grown to be quite the young lady Miss Syndicate. Remember where your real home lies."

The Syndicate party all stepped back teleporting away. Scarlett gripped her fist tightly, breaking into a sense of rage. Managing to calm herself down, she stomped her foot, looking ashamed. "Damn it…"

Alton managed to stand holding his waist, looking at the carnage caused. "Thanks, I guess?"

Remembering Alton was in her presence she tried returning to her normal polite tone but failed all the same. "Alton, I'm sorry. We should have… This is my fault! Fuck!"

Scarlett ran off as Alton was left dazed. "What was that all about? That wasn't Scarlett at all."

"Allow me to give everyone here our utmost apologies Alton. We did not expect the Syndicate family to attack the likes of you in broad daylight. We were quite aware the family was getting bolder in their approaches but to attack a streamer of your level is unheard of. Please do not take my daughter's manner as anything insulting, she's just under a lot of stress because of the family. She was in fact very concerned for you when you hadn't arrived on time and when we couldn't get hold of our driver… We feared the worst."

Alton looked in still slightly shocked, trying to pieces of the puzzle together. "The Demon Mask, back then she called Scarlett Miss Syndicate. She doesn't mean what I think she means?"

Scarlett's mother sighed, shaking her head. "I was afraid word of this would get out eventually. We did our best to raise her as our own, but the truth has a way of revealing itself, does it not? You are correct in your consumption. Scarlett is not, in fact, a Dawn by blood. Before we saved her, she was the prime daughter for the leader of the Syndicate family."

Alton turned, looking devasted. "Seriously… Shit, Scarlett… Why didn't you tell me?"

"She wanted to keep it a secret from you for as long as possible. Current events have now made that truth impossible. With the family on the move again and their eyes on you and Scarlett, we must again bring up past events. We ask for your aid in the destruction of the Syndicate family."

Picking up a broken Demon Mask Alton nodded knowing what a troubled family past felt like. "You have Team Rhapsody's full support. We will bring down this family once and for all."