Mekaneck's vision wavered, making the world around him swirl and distort like a funhouse mirror. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the dirty floor while voices argued above him.

"I can't believe you wasted my time with this second-rate Master!" Beastman growled. A clawed foot kicked Mekaneck's side. He grunted softly, more out of reflex than anything; he was in so much pain already that he hardly felt the blow. "He's useless! He doesn't know anything!"

"He's a Master of the Universe; he knows plenty of intel your boss could use!" One of the thieves protested. "Just a matter of gettin' him to spill it!"

"This worm isn't worth anything. Except perhaps as griffon chow." The pad of footsteps leaving. "Bother me like this again, and I'll use you two for fodder."

A door slammed. Silence. One of the thieves sighed.

"'Our big break,' you said. 'The prince got away but Skeletor will pay plenty for a Master of the Universe,' you said—"

"Shut up. We can still make this work. Plenty of other capos who'd love the chance to off a Master." A foot nudged his neck. "If nothing else, those cybernetics are worth something…"

Get up, Mekaneck told himself. Fight. But his limbs were so heavy. And the darkness was so hard to shake off…

He felt himself being dragged. I'm going to die, he thought. The thought should have filled him with new strength, but he'd apparently exhausted his adrenaline supply during the initial ambush. At least he could die with honor. He'd defended Prince Adam, giving the boy the chance to escape. And he hadn't revealed any state secrets, no matter how much they'd beaten him. He'd done his job well—he could leave this world in peace.

A muffled crash reached his ears. He opened one eye, curious. The thieves stopped.

"What was—?"

The far wall exploded, and a massive figure lunged forward through the dust. There was a flash of steel and cries of panic and a flurry of swinging limbs. In a few seconds, it was over. Mekaneck forced his head up and found himself staring at a pair of leather boots.

"Mekaneck?" The owner of the boots knelt beside him, face coming into view. He-Man. Elders, that man had good timing. Mekaneck let his head thump back to the floor. Looks like he wouldn't be dying today after all. Yippee.

"Hang on, Mek; I'll get you home." He-Man lifted the beaten soldier in his arms as if he were a child. He strode out of the ruined building, muttering. "It's the Forgotten Forest in reverse…"

What? What's that mean? Mekaneck struggled to make sense of the remark—something about it rang in his memory—but the thoughts slipped away from him. He gave up as He-Man draped him over Battlecat's saddle. He could think about it later. He allowed himself to drift in to unconsciousness as the giant cat bounded away…

The bright lights of the palace medical ward greeted Mekaneck when he awoke. He inhaled the clean antiseptic scent and sighed in relief. Home.

The doctor said his injuries were relatively mild, but she still fussed over him a few minutes before leaving to "fetch his visitors." Mekaneck sat up gingerly, wincing. Yep, those ribs were cracked. And there were bruises everywhere. And that goose egg on his skull would be sore for a while. But he was alive—that was the important thing. Apparently his friends shared his relief; several bunches of flowers already decorated his side table. He was smirking at an arrangement of weeds—from Orko, he'd guess—when Prince Adam ran in.

"Mekaneck!" The prince rushed to his bedside. Teela and Cringer were close behind him. "How do you feel? Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine." Mekaneck assured him. "You're okay. then? You got away?"

Adam crossed his arms like an irate mother. "I'm fine, thanks to you. But if He-Man hadn't found you as soon as he did—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. And I'll probably get a few vacation days to recover, so bonus." He said jokingly. Adam glowered at him a few moments longer before cracking a smile.

"Maybe Adam shouldn't leave the castle anymore." Teela commented, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He attracts trouble like honey attracts flies."

"I do not!"

"You do, too. I remember how many time the Masters had to go traipsing through swamps and forests to track you down—"

"The Forgotten Forest!" Mekaneck burst out. The teenagers stared at him. He didn't notice. He-Man's comment from the previous night came back to his mind.

"You got lost in the Forgotten Forest," he reminded a baffled Adam. "When you were—what, six? And we had to go through a mud pit to get home and I had to carry you out."

"Thanks for the reminder, Mek." Adam remarked dryly.

"No, I mean…He-Man said something when he saved me. About it being the Forgotten Forest in reverse…" Mekaneck trailed off, too deep in thought to notice the panic that flitted across Adam's face.

"You think he was talking about you saving Adam?" Teela asked.

"I don't know how he would know about it…" Mekaneck frowned.

"Are you sure He-Man said that?" Adam asked tentatively. "I mean, you were pretty out of it when he brought you back."

That was a good point. Had he just imagined it? Mekaneck sighed, slumping back against his pillows. "Maybe. I guess it's not important."

"Nope. What's important is that you're still around." Adam slapped his shoulder, grinning. And despite the sting the slap sent through his bruised arm, Mekaneck couldn't help but smile back.