Chapter 4

-Distressed Decision

"Prod me again, and I'll bury that rod into your head."

Sprx jumped back at the shocking statement exiting the unknown's mouth.

"Uh…" The pilot stammered. Taken off guard by the toxic green eyes glaring at him with harsh fury evident.

The white streaked monkey titled her head, mimicking Sprx's bewildered stare. "Uh?" She spoke again, sarcasm evident. "What's wrong, lad? Simian got your tongue or just stunned someone you believed to be a mic bit dumb actually has the intellect to speak?" She repeated with a single eyebrow raised.

Her deep voice held a strong Romanian withdrawal, she almost sounded like Dracula. Something the chosen one was not expecting to hear as he watched with the rest of the team sharing in his surprise.

When no one answered, the long haired monkey grunted, flexing the exposed bolts and wires on her robust arms. She twitched, long rusted iron claws grinded against her palms, waiting for them to drop their stupid gawking looks and speak.

Finally a voice rang up from the back. All heads turned in surprise to see Otto take the stand. The black monkey locked her venomous eyes on the small meek mannered individual approaching her. His shoulders slumped and eyes struggling to maintain eye contact. Obviously he was uncomfortable.

He gripped the familiar wound in his side he had received from her the previous night.

"If you could talk this whole time, how come you didn't say anything sooner?"

She stared at the green male that stood before her electrical cage, surprised at his approach. Opening her mouth to answer, but no words came. She closed her mouth and looked to the left, pondering on this question.

Seeing as no answer was out there for this question, the mechanic switched to the second. "Uh well, could you at least tell us your name?"

Her eyes popped open: that question rang a bell. Uncrossing her arms, she nodded.

"Vex," She curtly answered.

"Vex huh?" Sprx repeated, a little baffled by the blunt name. "Short name, easy to remember."

She cut the red pilot a blank stare, something about him made her fur ruffle in irritation. His voice left a heavy tinge of annoyance on her ears as his scent revolted her. Mouth crooked to a scowl at his mere presence, she leaned against the cage and looked away from him, silently wondering how long this 'interrogation' was going to be.

Then Antauri took the floor. "Why did you break into the robot?" His deep smooth voice catching her attention.

Her eyes ran up and down this individual that stood out from the rest. He hovered in midair, a few feet off the ground, sitting in a particular style that looked foreign to her. A sense of a peace flamed around the reflective silver skin, causing her face to redden and muscles to awkwardly tense up.

"I didn't," She spoke through forced calm. "I walked in."

Antauri's typical stoic expression shifted to a frown at the, once again, blunt answer. Unsure of what to say next, he shifted his tactic. "Before any more questions are asked, we need to know… are you friend or foe?"

"Neither."

Blinking in alarm at this, Antauri turned to look at Chiro. He eyed the marks on his neck from where the intruder had got him. But other than that, the boy didn't seem to suffer any other apparent damage. None that he could tell by far.

Chiro picked up on the quizzical look and decided to take over the conversation. Smiling gently, he knelt before the cage. His grin earning him a strange look from their captive.

"Can you please tell us where you came from?" He asked politely, hoping kindness would get them proper answers.

Staring at them, she sighed. Her strong chest raising and falling under her pressured lungs. "I don't know." Her empty eyes unable to recognize anything except the face of the blue eyed boy before her.

Not satisfied with the answer, Sprx summoned his magnets.

"I think she's lying!" He accused while pointing his left weapon at her. "Come on team, she's only calmed down because we got her locked in a cage! You recall she attacked us the other night?"

The dark simian did nothing but stare, uncaring of the danger the red head threatened her with.

"I proceeded to leave afterwards."

"So what? You still broke in!" Sprx yelled with steam blowing from his ears. "That does not justify anything!"

She shrugged her shoulders and cracked her neck. The dismissive gesture enraged the pilot more as his magnets sparked, itching to magnetize her to a pile of useless scrap metal. "You know what I think?" He growled.

She opened one eye to look at him. Silently encouraging him to continue.

"I think you're an assassin!" Glaring as he got closer to the cage. "Sent from bone head himself to sneak in and strike us when we aint prepared!"

Her icy posture remained unhindered to the smaller male's persecutions. She skootched right towards the bars, making Sprx inch a way before puffing again to hide the small ounce of fear she could smell from his rushing heartbeat.

"Assassins need but a second, and your boy is alive. Therefore, I am not."

That statement made Sprx fall silent. He looked to the ground, mind racing to come up with a counter argument.

Seeing is how the conversation was leading nowhere, Vex leaned against the bar. Waving to get their attention. "Look, I can't answer your questions when all I am drawing up is a blank." She sighed in annoyance when they continued to gaze at her confused. "Da, I came from the tomb draped in shadow that overlooks your city. I am aware of the tyrant that terrorizes you all, but everything else is nothing but darkness."

Leaning forward, Gibson reached through the cage to touch her fur. When she drew back, the scientist scratched his chin.

"Then why are you here?"

Her look was given to the boy that remained silent behind the floating silver one. She narrowed her eyes as his face reflected in her one working iris. Gnashing her dental plating together, she cut a sharp distinct look to the British sounding primate.

"I escaped."

This statement made Chiro lean closer. "You escaped from the citadel?" When the monkey nodded, he cupped his cheek in deep contemplation. "Do you hate skeleton king then?"

Her demeanor changed at the mention of the dread lord's proper name. Her green eyes seemed to deepen in hue as a ping of red boiled across her snout. The gears tightened with steam rising the opened slots. She snorted a grey cloud of mist.

Seeing that reaction made the team's eyebrows raise. Turning around, he called for them to huddle up.

"Her reaction to Skeleton King seems to have a negative connotation." Gibson observed as he glanced back over his shoulder to their captive. "It would suggest there seems to be a deep hidden resentment to our enemy."

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend." Nova added while also glancing back at the caged black primate. "I mean if she was sent here to kill us, don't you think we'd already be dead? I mean she was able to get in without setting off the alarms. That should say something."

"Don't be stupid guys, this is not up for debate!" Sprx hissed at Nova and Gibson's theories. "Regardless of how she did it, she still broke into the robot- which is what villains do. Snuck into our leader's room and, by the marks on his neck, tried to throttle him- which is what villains do. Then we come in and, surprise surprise, she attacks us- again what villains do!"

Nova rolled her eyes at Sprx's way of 'proving' his point. "Yea but if this is the case, we caught her, what do we do with her?"

Antauri calmly looked off into space as he felt all eyes, including Chiro's, fall on him. He sighed as he scratched his chin. "This dilemma is most certainly unsettling and defies any black and white theory we can possibly come up with. But as for a course of action, I fear I do not have an answer to this at the moment." He glanced back to the caged monkey, recalling their own brief battle.

"It'd be unwise to trust her, but also wise to not disown her." He closed his eyes, "Chiro, what would you say we do?"

Closing his eyes. The seventeen year old cringed at the building pressure of his team's prodding gazes. Looking back to the silent primate, he breathed in. "If she hates skeleton king and has escaped his grasp, maybe she could offer some help? Like insight maybe."

Sprx cut his leader a look of rebuttal. "Kid come on think serious on this! She tried to strangle you, did you miss that part or are those marks on your neck just my imagination?"

Rubbing his neck, Chiro sighed. "Yes I'm aware, but when I woke up I was fine. She just… sat there staring at me. I was about to speak to her before Antauri came in. But even then she didn't proceed to attack." He cut Sprx a challenging look, "If she was an enemy she would've attacked when she had the chance."

"But-" Sprx attempted to argue before Chiro's gaze cut him off. Sighing in a deep breath, he nodded and growled. "Fine, but if she tries anything, don't say I didn't warn ya'll..."

Chiro looked back to her. Her eyes resurfacing in his mind as the familiar sounds of young children laughing rang in his ears. His brows arched as his heart started stirring in his ribs.

Antauri sensed the prolonged silence and reached forward to take his student's hand. "Chiro, do what you think is best." He glanced at their scary looking captive, one eye narrowing. "While my gut tells me otherwise, I feel as though you want her to remain."

Sighing in a deep breath, Chiro nodded. "Yes, I can't explain it. But we've been fighting this war for two years, if anything is going to change our odds- it's going to start with her."

He could feel the looks of disagreement his team gave him: he ignored it. Stepping forward, Chiro knelt down again to eye level with the slightly bigger monkey.

"If we let you out, will you cooperate with us?" He asked cautiously, watching her facial expression like a hawk.

Leaning forward, she gave the boy a long hard stare. They kept this up for a good few seconds before nodding to confirm the nonverbal agreement.

Before Chiro could hit the button to power the cage down, Sprx jumped up. "But if you do anything, even the smallest ounce of movement that'd inform us you intend to double take on your word, I won't hesitate to rip your circuits apart." He hissed in severe warning.

Nova's eyes widen at the sudden tone Sprx took. Quickly reaching forward, she took her mate by the hand and towed him away. She looked at him in worry. "Sprx don't talk like that," she whispered grimly.

The black simian didn't seem fazed by these threats as she watched the spectacle quietly. Having no interest as she casted her half blind vision to the side, gazing at the boy instead. A small smile crept onto her face as so many satisfying thoughts boiled up in her gullet. But the sting of the hidden skull mark on her forehead kept her dark thoughts at bay.

Sprx took a deep breath and finally settled down. "I-I am sorry," he murmured as he leaned into Nova's touch. His eyes sadden in remorse to how he responded to their captive. "Please forget I said anything."

Taking his hand, she knew a memory of a past event still left her boyfriend raw with emotions. She rubbed his back. "Come on let's get you something to drink." She nodded to Chiro and Antauri before leading him out. "Let us know what you plan while I calm him down."

"Of course," Antauri answered calmly after his family left the room. Glancing back to Vex, his gaze shifted to a stern look. "Alright, because of our leader's choice, you are free to stay. But we expect your cooperation." Reaching his hand up, he used his psychokinesis to flip the switch. Shutting off the electricity that trapped their green eyed primate. "I will be keeping my eye on you."

Once she was free, she cracked her neck and then back. She glanced at the silver monkey, her one working eye also sharpening. She said nothing in response to him as she turned and left the room. Finding a dark spot in the hallway to rest as she closed her eyes.

Once she showed no signs of moving, Antauri looked to Otto. "I want eyes on our new guest at all times as well the cameras. If any of you see even the slightest amount of indication she plans to do something, inform me immediately."

When all heads nodded, they turned to leave the room. But before Chiro could leave, a hand grabbed him. Jumping in alarm, the boy hero turned to meet the serious sapphire eyes staring back at him.

"Also I don't want you to go anywhere near her Chiro without me or the others. Understood?" This was a direct order, not a request.

Surprised at the seriousness of the tone, Chiro nodded meekly. "O-okay I won't, I promise."

Nodding with an unreadable expression, both mentor and student left the room. Leaving their new guest to enjoy her isolation and her thoughts.