A/N: Long time no update...I've been looking for something see...
Unexpected
Chapter Five
Everyone had been awaiting the arrival of the European boys to the All Starz Research facility at New York.
The Blitzkrieg looked grave, the White Tigers looked anxious. BEGA was plainly relieved to see them alive. The GRev team was a mixture of relief, anxiety and gravity.
"We called back up," Judy informed the newcomers quietly. "For now you all shall be staying in the more secure lodgings within the building nearest a quick exit. We've set up security to detect any intruders entering the premises...wait," she did a quick head count and frowned. "Where's Aaron?"
Miguel looked away and was unable to answer.
"Dead?" Brooklyn asked bluntly.
"By now I suppose..." came the quiet reply.
A look of horror etched itself on all the faces of the inhabitants of the room.
"What?" Lee said incredulously. The other teams had been deprived of detail.
"How did this whole thing start anyway?" Tala asked.
The large group made themselves comfortable where they were and prepared to listen to get things straight.
"Weren't you already told?" Enrique asked in a mildly stern tone.
The bladers shook their heads. The Europeans looked at Judy but the blonde woman refused to meet their gaze.
"We were only told that Enrique and Oliver were being chased by a murderous madman," Max quipped. "We were all called to America to help."
"In all honesty, we just arrived a couple of hours before you did," Rei added with a sad smile.
"What's going on?" asked Mystel.
Enrique gave a weary sigh and looked at his best friend before re-launching the incident they'd rather forget.
"I came back to the team's private residence in Nantes after leaving Johnny and Robert behind for a two week vacation. We were going to have a meeting."
"I wasn't able to return with him because I had too much to do at the restaurant," Oliver added.
With painstaking resolve, the pair summarized what they saw...the bodies, the blood, the eerie message and the chase.
Tyson and Kai cried out in shock. The others gasped or recoiled, having sudden mental images.
"Are you serious?" Daichi exclaimed.
"We escaped to Oliver's mansion in Paris...where the murderer killed all in search of us. Then he chased us to Barcelona," continued the Italian.
"We stayed there with the Fernandez twins and Barthez for a good few days," said the greenette in turn. "When the murderder finally managed to get at us, we escaped through an underground leading to a private airbase located two miles south and owned by Miguel's uncle."
"When we got there though," Enrique said. "Everyone was already dead and the jet we were supposed to take was sabotaged and we said Miguel's uncle body suspended from it..."
The periwinkle blue eyes of the Spaniard in question hardened.
"We used Oliver's blimp to fly to Greece. In the course of getting away, Aaron got unlucky..."
Their audience had their jaws dropped, including Judy's and her team's, having been excluded from the knowledge.
"What?" Rick exclaimed. "WE didn't know THAT happened!"
"Now you do..." Julia said darkly.
"It means Enrique's murderer mean business." Kai said in a stern tone, catching everyone attention. "He's serious in his intent. Our first priority id hiding Enri. Second is tracking this lunatic down, knowing his identity and killing him."
"This facility may be quite unsafe because it's known," Bryan added.
"I assure you," repeated Judy. "Our security is well trained..."
"I wouldn't want to count on that if I were you," Raul said in an undertone.
"Kai's right," said Garland. "Besides, we need the right equipment for these kinds of stuff."
"Voltaire had the perfect place for an operation like this set up in Manhattan," the two-toned Russian bluenette continued. "I guarantee you not a living soul but us and him know about the place. It's quite hard to detect too. He had used the same architectural tactic on it as in the Abbey."
"America's a great place to hide in..." remarked Michael with a smile.
"We'll need the place when we do, Kai," said Emily. "For now we're lodging you here so a lot of people can keep a good eye on Enrique."
"Right," said the normally cheerful Max quite hardly. "Back up is settled. Does anyone still have appetites?"
--
A thin beam of light poured in the room where the GRev team was staying. The door was slightly ajar. The gap grew wider as a certain blonde crept in and sat beside a bluenette by the edge of the latter's bed.
"You've been upset," Enrique said quietly, trying not to wake Tyson and Kenny beside them, nor Rei, Max or Daichi on the other bed across the room.
"I'm sorry if I have been..." Kai answered in the same pitch.
True, the Russian had been uncharacteristically quiet all throughout dinner. In fact, he didn't eat at all. His actions had not looked like normal brooding...but a sort of dejected, depressed, thoughtfulness.
"We're all upset..." said the blonde.
The older teen didn't reply. Instead he shifted to a lying position, stomach down and face buried in his pillow. An utterance of 'Oh God...' was heard though muffled.
Summer blue eyes softened and lowered their gaze to the floor. The momentary silence of the room was broken by a loud, snotty sniff.
Tyson sat up and slowly turned his head to look at Kai, eyes wide.
"Kai?" he asked cautiously. "Oh Kami-sama!" he soon exclaimed mildly as the latter suddenly sought comfort in his arms and broke down on his shoulder.
The dragon-boy found himself awkwardly comforting a wounded phoenix, who's odd way of crying was rhythmic, shuddering breaths.
Other inhabitants in the room were also stirred from their sleep.
"Kai?" the rest of the team made concerned moves toward their former captain.
"It's all right, Kai..." Tyson said brokenly, patting his back. He tried to lighten the mood by adding a merry tune to the words 'it's okay...it's okay' but apparently it didn't work. The Jap stopped and admitted quietly,
"I can't believe it either."
Kai's shuddering sobs redoubled, sounding more and more like a normal person's cries.
"Tyson don't start," Enrique warned and hugged the addressed tightly, along with the one he was hugging. It looked like the ever-determined World Champ was on the verge of giving up.
Amber eyes of a certain neko-jin softened as he, Max, Daichi and Kenny went over to their bed. "Oh guys..." sighed the former and the small group dissolved into a puddle of weepy, uneasy comfort.
"Enri?" a quiet voice called by the doorway. "What's going o—" Oliver stopped short at the sight of the scene and the river of sadness he had thought already dried up bubbled to life.
Soon, friends were pouring in the small room.
The Blitzkrieg came in first. Tala had been halted in his steps upon seeing the rarity of his best friend showing more of human emotion. He felt an odd jerk within his chest and turned to bury his head in the crook of Bryan's neck, who was standing next to him, and let out some pent up frustrations. Ian and Spencer exchanged mournful, wistful glances before offering each other solace, feeling as though they have been suddenly robbed of something essential and good.
The White Tigers and the All Starz came together next. On their entrance, Rei and Max detached themselves from Kai and Tyson to seek comfort in their respective teams. Not long after, the rest too were crying on the bed and floor.
Then BEGA entered, to see what was going on. Crusher and Mingming broke down first, as if just been hit by the death of dear friends. Garland sank next to Tala, quite hopeless and was hugged fiercely by an anxious Brooklyn.
The Barthez Battalion and the FDynasty completed the party, coming in last. Their faces bore the marks of previous tear stains, which were made fresh again as they joined this special wake in honor of two most esteemed members of their beyblading family.
The night was spent in the company of sorrow.
Three in the morning caught the colorful teens in a state of absence. Each person was not uttering a sound, lost in their own world. The aftermath of tears could still be heard in occasional sniffs. The building was ironically peaceful...
...until screams erupted upstairs.
Red lights went up and the atmosphere was thick with the wail of alarms. The bedroom door was already open, all they had to do was rush outside...but something beat them to the hallway.
The head of a beautiful blonde lady rolled down ahead of them. Everyone was stupefied, especially Judy's team who had forgotten to breath.
Max emitted a loud cry and was engulfed in a tangle of comforting arms. Emily decided to take control of the situation.
"Let's go," she said shakily. "Please let's LEAVE!"
"There are vehicles outside which should take us to Manhattan," Kai informed. "...our only way to get out is to go up."
Like a class of toddlers crying because their school burned down and their favorite teacher went up in flames, they filed quickly and silently out the bedroom and carefully made their way upstairs, taking great pains to shield Oliver and Enrique from view.
The door opened and a stack of mangled bodies tumbled through. It was closed hurriedly and the All Starz shepherded their friends out through a different, less known route.
The halls were empty...and that was a really bad sign.
"W-what happened?" Max asked, inquiring about the obvious lack of people.
"He's done it..." Enrique said darkly. "He's killed off everyone just like how he dealt with the others..."
Their escape was quick and uneventful. The group was to be split by teams and taken to waiting vehicles strategically parked on different locations around the Research and Training Facility, so as not to be noticed.
Max and the All Starz were the last to leave the building. Their van had driven up to the exit, to ease pick up, when a gasp escaped Emily.
She had been caught running up the stairs by a black-hooded man with an immense axe.
"Oh fuck..." muttered Rick and his shorter blonde team mate looked just about ready to faint.
"Let's go..." he moaned. The Americans turned to run for their own safety, but not without a promise...
"Hang on, 'Millie!" Michael called out. "We'll return for you..."
He saw the carrot-topped girl nod fearfully before disappearing with a resounding scream.
--
Five vans stopped at a gas station a few hours later. The Hiwatari heir took it upon himself to do a headcount,
"Where's Emily?" he asked sharply, frowning at her team mates.
"He took her..." Ed said weakly.
"You're joking right?" Mariah asked desperately. No one answered.
TBC
A/N: I'll have y'all know that I wasn't able to find what I was looking for, please bare the inconvenience...and tell me what you think of this chapter. ...enjoy!xD and ciAo...