Disclaimer: characters by Aoki Takao, Beyblade Project, etc.

OOMC3! Featuring Tala Ivanov/Yuriy Balkov and Raul Fernandez, with Kai Hiwatari and Miguel Lavalier, Spencer Petrov and Brooklyn Macefield, and Bryan Kuvnetsov. More characters to come :3

Thanks for the reviews: Party in the Afterlife for both, Night Chan, Elemental Gypsy for both, and Demolition Girl. :3

There was at least one comment that Tala moved too fast. Yeah, considering it was only the second chapter, that's probably true. But… He is decisive, and I don't think he'd say he has a crush on Raul. "I want you" may have been more accurate. Bear in mind that it has been about six weeks since they met, even thought they've only seen each other twice in that time and had one good conversation. He also had Kai encouraging him.

I'll apologize in advance for beating everyone up. This chapter is rough. Don't worry too much, though; I'll never have the heart to kill anyone, except maybe a nameless bad guy or two.

The cruiser is an SUV, by the way.

Warning: Action violence and some language.

------OUT OF MY CONTROL------

by destinykitty

------Part 3------

The Disaster

Thirty seconds into the fight, it had already turned nasty. Shoppers and mall employees were screaming as they fled the area. Bodies littered the floor, goons holding various injured body parts. Spencer was wrestling with several large men, matching blow for blow. Bryan circled a smaller, dark-clad figure, both with knife blades held out menacingly. Kai and Miguel seemed to be at the center of the thickest fighting.

"Greetings, Yuriy," a voice sneered in a language I had not heard in a long time. I whipped around and caught a punch on my arm rather than my face. Darting backward to give myself space, I took in the person who had spoken.

It was not someone I knew, though like many of the thugs my friends were fighting he was difficult to identify through the dark burglar-style mask that covered much of his face. Still, the fact that he spoke Russian and used my other name told me exactly who we were facing, and the knowledge was not comforting.

Voltaire's mob was in town.

Recognition or some other emotion must have crossed my face as I snapped into a ready stance, for the man chuckled. "Yes, Yuriy, be afraid. We come for your little friend, but you and the other traitors, we may kill."

"Not if I kill you first!" I yelled, hurling myself into motion.

There was little conversation after that. I grappled with the first mobster for a time, then he was replaced with two more… actions flowed into one another. The only thing that mattered was defeating as many of them as possible, as quickly as I could. I hoped my friends were faring alright but was too busy to pay much attention to anything besides the fists and feet swinging around me.

When the first gunshot rang through the store, I ducked. Quickly realizing I was not the intended target I glanced around quickly to see if anyone was hit.

Spencer was down on one knee, clutching his arm, but before I turned back to my fight I saw a mobster fly over his shoulder. I figured he was not too badly hurt.

The constant onslaught of assailants was exhausting. I knew mere minutes had passed since the beginning of the brawl but I was so aware of each passing second that they seemed to stretch into hours. I did not break from my place to aid anyone else for fear that Raul and Brooklyn would be found, but kept trying to look out for my friends. On my next fleeting sweep of the room, I saw Miguel struck across the back of the head with a thick mace.

He collapsed limply to the floor as I turned to meet a new onslaught, listening to Kai cry out his lover's name. I still was not sure why there were so many goons surrounding those two, when Raul was over here. Perhaps they figured that Kai, as our leader, would know where the pink-haired boy was, not realizing that Raul was hidden so close.

I finally realized my mistake when Kai's voice again rang through the room.

"No!"

He sounded so anguished that I had to find out what had happened. Luckily the man I was fighting also found that confrontation more interesting than our own and broke away in that direction. I chased him, taking in the scene that had so upset Kai.

Miguel was being held up by two big mobsters, one of whom had a gun pressed up under the Spaniard's chin. The teen appeared barely conscious. In front of the trio, Kai looked terrified; I couldn't remember ever having seen him show that much emotion during a fight.

"You come with us, Hiwatari," one of Voltare's men demanded.

Kai did not flinch; I knew he would never think of his own well-being when his lover was in such immediate danger. His words matched my thoughts; "Just let him go!"

I should have known Voltaire would want Kai. I should have protected him myself. Cursing my stupidity I tried to break into the circle surrounding Kai and Miguel, yelling out my frustration.

A sweeping kick caught my chest and threw me backwards; I tripped to land on my back. A grinding weight planted itself on my shoulder, pinning me as the toe of a steel-toed combat boot slammed into my ribs. Again and again the metal plate hammered into my side; I writhed under the assault, almost biting my tongue in the effort to keep from screaming. When respite came, I found a gun leveled at my face. Then I heard a crash and another cry.

Raul, my adorable little pink-haired Raul, was thrashing in the grips of several thugs. These were not all Russians, I saw in an instant. Boris's men were here as well. I struggled to get up, only to have the boot press harder into my shoulder. The gun still targeted my head.

Bitterly powerless, I turned my eyes back toward the dressing room.

Spencer's redhead, Brooklyn, was being dragged through the hole in the broken-down door by his vibrant hair. The man holding him gave his fist a shake, then flung the tall boy to the ground where another pinned him down. Raul screamed at them to stop until a cloth was pressed over his nose and mouth, muffling his cries. As he fell limp over the arm of one of the mobster holding him, I realized they had chloroformed him. The man threw Raul over his shoulder.

As I tried to break away from my captors and help, a fresh assault viciously caught my abused ribs. I caught my breath at the white-hot sensations, curling onto my side. From that position I found myself again facing Kai. He was now blindfolded, arms tied down and hands secured behind his back.

"Kai," I croaked, rendered almost unable to speak with breathlessness. They couldn't take Raul and Kai! I needed them both!

"Come, we are finished here," one of the Russians instructed his compatriots. They were gathering their fallen comrades off the floor. It finally occurred to me to look for Bryan and Spencer, who I soon found backed into a corner, staring down several gunmen and streaked with blood that, at least in Bryan's case, I suspected was not all their own. Clearly spitting mad, Bryan looked about ready to explode but Spencer was restraining him. The blond was ashen-faced, though whether due to blood-loss or Kai and Brooklyn's ill-treatment, I wasn't sure.

The outside world suddenly interfered as I heard sirens; anti-gang security forces were nearby. I was surprised that they had arrived so quickly. A few cut words spoken in Russian signaled the explosion of a smoke bomb, which quickly obscuring everything from sight. The shuffling of many feet passed me, though not before someone had taken another dig at my ribs. I curled tighter, sick with pain and the bitterness of failure, hoping not to be tripped over.

As the footsteps drew away, a hand met my shoulder, shaking it slightly. "Tala?"

"Nngh," I moaned, pushing myself onto my knees. "We hafta… follow 'em…."

Spencer sighed, helping me sit up. "We need to get out of here first."

"Spencer…"

Brooklyn limped out of the smoke and dropped into Spencer's arms. Spencer held the shaking redhead close, whispering soothingly in his ear while running a comforting hand up and down his back. His injured arm wrapped gingerly around Brooklyn's waist.

I looked away, wondering what had happened to Miguel and where Bryan had gone. I had not seen the Spaniard in a while, but there had not been any gunshots so I assumed he was still alive. Standing slowly, I shuffled in the direction I thought would lead me to Kai's lover.

"Miguel?"

There was a slight sound in response to my query, and I took a few more steps into the fog. "Where are you?"

"Tala, get your ass over here and give me a hand," Bryan's angry voice demanded. "He's still knocked out."

I found my silver-haired companion and the unfortunate Spaniard moments later. Bryan was trying to haul Miguel upright but having trouble because the other was still limp. I put Miguel's other arm over my shoulder, and we stood. Miguel was dead weight between us.

The other two appeared through the smoke and Brooklyn motioned, "This way." We began picking our way out of the wrecked store, trying not to trip on overturned clothing racks and spilled merchandise, ignoring the muffled demands of security officers outside the store that all combatants come out with their hands up.

After what seemed like forever Brooklyn opened a back door and we spilled out into fresh air and the last lingering rays of daylight. Bryan helped me lower Miguel onto the stairs, demanded keys from Spencer, and set off to fetch the car. Brooklyn, still severely shaken, began trying to bind up Spencer's arm to quench the flow of blood. When his trembling fingers could barely hold together a knot, Spencer pulled the lanky teen against his chest and into a deep, reassuring kiss. I dropped to the stairs beside Miguel, holding my ribs resentfully.

I despise failure, particularly my own. We were here because my friends had been trying to help me. This whole fiasco was my fault. I put my elbows on my knees, kneading my forehead into my palms, furious at myself but undeniably aware that there was no way of undoing what had happened. I would just have to save them myself.

I heard a groan beside me, and glanced at Miguel to see the blond attempt to sit up. With a hiss he clutched at the back of his head, hunched in an attitude of obvious suffering. Hesitantly I asked, "Are you ok?"

He didn't look up, but croaked quietly, "Kai?"

I sighed. "No, it's Tala."

He moved slightly so he could see me with one eye, as if to check that I had spoken the truth. "Where's Kai?"

"He's, ah… not here."

Despite having just regained consciousness, or perhaps because it was the only thing that could worry him more than the fact that he could barely control his body, Miguel picked up on my hesitation and concern. "Where is Kai?" he asked again. When I didn't answer immediately, he pushed himself awkwardly upright so he could see me with both bloodshot blue eyes, revealing profound worry. "Tala, please…."

I looked away. "They… took him."

"What! How?"

"They used you as a hostage," I answered, too bitter to care that the knowledge would hurt him. As much as I blamed myself for this mess, Miguel would feel even worse. It was my fault that we were here in the first place, but it was because of him that Kai had given himself up.

"No…." Miguel slumped over his knees, face in his hands. I averted my eyes, feeling ashamed and sorry for myself as my side gave a pounding throb which my head echoed. I definitely deserved this pain.

I was about to speak to Miguel again when our black cruiser raced recklessly into view, stopping abruptly mere feet away. Bryan jumped out of the driver seat and threw the keys at Spencer. "Go home. I'm following them."

"I'm coming with you," I piped in, standing as quickly as I could. Bryan eyed me skeptically.

"Tala, you look like shit."

"I'm fine," I argued, though my voice gave a betraying wobble.

"I don't need anyone holding me back."

"Tala, come with us," Spencer interjected. "Bryan will be more efficient on his own."

"You need back-up!"

"Yeah, preferably from someone who isn't likely to fall over at any second."

Bryan looked pointedly at me, then his sea-green gaze flicked past me to where Miguel had forced himself onto his feet. "Come on, Tala," the blond murmured. "Let's get them." I caught him as his knees buckled.

"I'll see you guys later," Bryan called over his shoulder, sprinting away.

"Bryan, you ass!" I yelled after him, but with Miguel hanging from my arm, I couldn't follow him.

Spencer took Miguel's other side, and quietly prompted, "Tala." With Bryan out of sight around a corner and moving too fast for me to catch up with him, I grudgingly resigned myself to stay with the injured members of our group, and helped Spencer lead Miguel to the car.

------

Spencer was at the wheel, driving one-handed while his injured arm rested on the divider between the two front seats. Brooklyn had managed to tie up his wound so at least it was not bleeding all over the inside of the car. The redhead sat beside Spencer up front, watching him worriedly for any sign of weakness. Miguel stared miserably out a side window, flinching each time the car jostled slightly, thought he seemed relatively unaware of his pitiable condition. I knew his mind was only on Kai. My own brain would not stop replaying images from the fight: Raul captured and unconscious, Kai bound and being led away, the menacing looks of the numerous mobsters who had defeated us. We had been badly outnumbered but even then we should have been able to defend ourselves! I suppose the failing of the plan had been to shut Raul and Brooklyn in that room. It would have been better to just make a break for it.

I kept replaying the fight and its consequences over and over until my head felt like it was going to explode. The instant our car pulled into the garage, I jumped out and broke for my bike.

"Tala!" Spencer called from behind me. I ignored him, jumping onto the worn leather seat of my bike and fumbling for my keys. The quick movement hurt, especially around my bad bruised ribs. I sucked in a short breath, willing away the pain as I yanked the keys out of my pocket.

A large hand caught the handlebars of my bike, surprising me. Spencer was right beside me.

"Leave me alone! I have to get out there!" I flailed an arm at him, trying to push him out of my way.

"Tala–"

"I'm going back! I'll kill them all," I swore through clenched teeth. My chest heaved with barely-controlled emotions.

His other hand wrapped around the back of my neck, firmly holding me still. "Tala, look at me."

When twisting around and pulling back against his hand gained me no ground, I looked up into the green eyes less than a foot above mine. Spencer was leaning down so we were nearly eye-to-eye.

"There is nothing you can do right now. After we have more information and a plan, we will go rescue them. Until then, I need you to calm down and help me here."

He spoke without raising his voice but it held such force that I could not help but listen. The idea of staying and doing nothing made me sick, but as I broke my gaze away from his eyes, it found the blood-soaked bandage on his arm, then an anxious Brooklyn helping a shaky Miguel out of the big black cruiser. There was no one else home and I could see that neither of the other two would be much help to anyone.

I dropped my head in defeat, breathing raggedly against the acid taste in my throat. The air caught in a sob. Spencer released my neck, his hand trailing across my shoulders comfortingly.

As Spencer turned back to the car and walked away, I drew an arm over my eyes, suddenly exhausted.

Kai, Raul… wait for me.

------

I expected to get further in this chapter, but didn't want to make you all wait for it any longer. Still not sure about the length though I think a fifth chapter may be necessary.

Please review! And don't kill me or I can't write the rescue and Raul and Kai will be trapped forever in the clutches of Boris and Voltaire.

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