A/N: Me and the beta were working on this and the next four chapters all at the same time. It's typically how we usually write, but it was distracting to come up with new details that didn't have anything to do with more current chapters. Oh well. (that and I kept getting inspired from reading things on tumblr to my beta's dismay)
Thanks to ChasexJinjaForever and monsuno power for the reviews.
Enjoy!
Chase sat in the seat of the cloud hopper, sun blazing overhead as he and the rest of them flew along towards the ruins of the Hand's old hideout. Clouds fluttered by as they started to descend down towards the plains. He hummed in frustration.
"Chase, stop pouting," Jinja said next to him, "We'll be there soon."
"That's not why I'm frowning," Chase responded, arms folded tightly together as he glanced back at the others.
…
"Please Commandant Marshall," Chase pleaded, putting his hands together, "This is really, really, really important to me!"
After their battle, he and Alpha went straight for Commandant Marshall Ace's office. In the past he would've just charged off on his own, not caring about the repercussions and worrying about that later. But it was different now, especially after talking with Alpha. With the help of S.T.O.R.M. he could easily track down the Hand within a few minutes. Much easier then his previous adventures.
The problem, however, was that he was still being limited by his rank, something he found silly considering he saved the world multiple times. At least he'd have Alpha to back up his claim if it came down to it.
The commandant, however, continued to look down at the papers in front of him, hardly paying much attention to the teen.
"... C'mon Jon-"
"Commandant Marshall."
"C'mon Commandant Marshall Ace," Chase said, rolling his eyes a little, " You were there when we fought the Hand of Destiny. You know what they're capable of."
Jon thought for a moment, looking away as he did. It was true that he had helped them take down the Hand of Destiny (even if he was part monsuno at the time). But even he had to think carefully of how to deal with situations now that he was at a higher rank. And if it meant finding out what awaits them in the future, then sending Chase and his friends out wasn't such a bad idea.
"And what makes you so sure that it's the Hand that is back," Jon asked with a raised brow, "We all saw Droog and the remaining three sink to the bottom of the ocean. Not a single sign of them afterwards, and I doubt even they were able to get out of there. These three don't seem to have anything to do with the hand seeing that they went after Klipse and your father's research."
Chase let out a frustrated noise, "But that's just it. There were more people involved with the Hand of Destiny!"
He looked back to Chase, seeing nothing but honesty in his eyes. The man let out a sigh.
"Alright But on one condition," he said, "you have to bring the Strike Squad with you."
Chase made a face.
"Don't be like that. As much as you like going on the offense with your team, there still needs to be at least some control for this situation, especially if it really is the Hand of Destiny that is involved," Jon said, then turned around, "Take one of the cloud hoppers. Make preparations for your mission then take off first thing in the morning."
Chase nodded, then headed for the door. He paused for a brief moment, then glanced back.
"Thanks Jon," he said, then ran out the door. Even though the Strike Squad would be there, they were still given the okay to go.
...
After that, he left to go back down to his temporary room, barely getting any sleep. His nerves saw to that. He glanced backwards again, seeing the rest of his team sitting awkwardly with the Strike Squad. Sure they were more friendly at this point, but there always seemed to be some tension when combining the groups. That could've also been because Charlemagne picked them all to be the perfect opposing forces.
"So what's this place even like?" Alpha asked as he steered the ship down past the clouds, "you never even said what it looked like."
"Well… It's dark," Bren shrugged, "Though that might be different considering we blew up the whole place during the fight."
"If you destroyed it, what's the point of even checking?" Bravo asked, "Y'all have the tendency to destroy everything you come into contact with anyway."
"Oi. We can't help that. Especially if the situation calls for monsuno," Dax said. Jinja glared openly at the both of them.
"That's the only place the Hand of Destiny has ever been," Chase said, looking out the window, "They would have nowhere else to go. I doubt that there's anywhere for them to go."
Alpha scoffed a little, "We'll see."
The ship landed easily atop a cliff that overlooked the whole ruins. They piled out, half admiring how the buildings were now half flattened.
"Now I really doubt anyone is still here. This place has been completely leveled out," Kilo said.
"Might as well be sure," Tango said, then started to walk down one of the pathways. They all followed, though Chase kept his eyes out for anything suspicious, which wasn't too hard. Not even the wildlife came near the place.
The walk was quiet, mostly because of how tense they all were. Or maybe that was just Chase. He and everyone else glanced down some of the still standing streets and walkways, being mindful of every small movement that was made. They were about halfway across the ruins towards the main entrance of the cavern that lead to the Well of Insight before Alpha stopped them.
"… What's wrong?" Jinja asked.
"Me and my squad will be going in alone," he said, motioning to the rest of them to follow.
"Woah woah woah. This was Chase's idea, why are you guys going?" Bren asked.
"The Commandant put Alpha in charge," X-Ray said back, "And since he thinks it's for the best, you all ought to listen. He's the one calling the shots right now."
Chase frowned. When did Alpha talk to Jon? And why would he even bother...
"Well. Since it is orders, we might as well just hang out here," Jinja shrugged as the Strike Squad started to make their way to the tunnel. Chase really wanted to say something, but knew if the others were willing to listen, then he'd have a hard time convincing them to back him up.
They watched as the Strike Squad marched towards the entrance. Chase let out a sigh, and turned to the rest of them.
"I guess we just stay here and wait I guess," Bren said, walking over towards one of the still standing buildings and stood in the shade. The others shrugged and followed suit.
With everyone else also deciding to wait, Chase felt conflicted. He wanted to make sure that the Hand wasn't back with his own eyes. Sure he knew that those hooded people were alive, but what if Petros or the others actually survived somehow? They've done it before after all.
And what if this time they weren't just after him and his monsuno sight. What if they're after something more important, like the original monsuno, or something stronger?
Chase shook his head, foot tapping impatiently as he ran through his thoughts over and over again. He was trying to get peace of mind, but it mostly made him anxious. He kept glancing towards the ruins where the entrance was as well, hoping to see Alpha or the other Strike Squad members to appear. If they were taking their time, it sure wasn't helping his nerves.
"Arg! Where could they be?" Chase huffed, " There's no other place the Hand could be hiding at, so they should be here somewhere."
"Maybe they went out to lunch," Bren joked. Chase didn't bother saying anything to him, and kicked at the ground. Did they move their base somewhere else? In which case he would be out of luck on finding them...
The group watched as Chase started to pace back and forth in an unease fashion. He couldn't sit down, and since none of them wanted to say anything helpful, he kept his own mouth shut.
"C'mon Chase. It hasn't been that long," Jinja said, quickly glancing around to the rest of them, "Just be patient."
He didn't stop. The clouds were starting to clutter the sky even more, and would probably fill the air within the next hour. He looked up every few minutes, waiting for some sort of sign that something was going on.
He let out a frustrated noise, running his hands through his hair.
"We should just take a small peek," he reasoned, "It's not like it'd hurt anyone."
Jinja made a face at him.
"… I do have to agree though," Dax said after a moment, "sitting on our hands and doing nothing isn't exactly relaxing."
Jinja looked at him, putting her hands on her hips, "You heard X-Ray. We can't exactly go against Jon Ace's orders. The last thing we need is to be getting in trouble. Especially if the Hand is back and we need to be ready for them. What if they are out somewhere and happen to come back while the Strike Squad's in there?"
Dax held his hands up in defeat, making Bren snicker a little.
"... Perhaps we can try another method," Beyal said thoughtfully. Without another word, he walked over to the side of the nearby ruins and sat down. Chase raised a brow.
"Oh I know where this is going," Bren sighed, getting glares from both Jinja and Dax. Chase shook his head, and sat beside the monk. He was uneasy, and kept his gaze to the ground. The monk was probably trying to sooth him, but he doubted that staying still and thinking about it more would help.
"Don't worry Chase. I'm sure the answer will come to you in time. Just be patient," Beyal said when he saw the down expression Chase had. The other nodded, and the two closed their eyes.
Chase could still hear the rest of them saying something to each other, but tried not to listen. He felt a twitch in his eye, and wanted to scratch his back every other second.
"… Just focus on your monsuno," Beyal said to him. Chase cracked an eye towards the other, seeing how the white-haired teen cradled his own core in one hand. Taking a steady breath, Chase grabbed Locke's core, and let his eyes close once more.
He could hear the wind blowing faintly, and let his body stay completely still as the others probably watched or waited for the Strike Squad to come back. Casting the worrying thoughts he had, Chase focused on his breathing and warmth of Locke's core, letting his body relax as his mind roamed free.
HLP
The cavern where the Hand of Destiny used to be at was actually rather dark, despite what team Core Tech said about it. While the ceiling had been blasted away, foliage was growing over it, as if to conceal the place once again. Tango couldn't help but think that strange. After what was probably ten or fifteen minutes, the five of them had reached the inner part, which was now completely empty.
"So what're we looking for exactly?" Bravo asked.
"Some sort of sign that someone has been here," Alpha said, walking over to the large hole in the middle of the cavern, "I doubt we'll find anything. But it'll give Chase some peace of mind at least."
X-Ray scoffed a little, "What a waste of time."
The five of them split off, scoping out the place from top to bottom. Tango walked towards one of the farther walls, noting how bars were built into it. She shivered at the thought of people being kept here. Once when she visited the garden atop the Cloud Carrier, she spoke to Mrs. Suno a little bit about her past. The woman had lived in a port city where Core Tech was once stationed until she was abducted and brought here. The thought of being kept in such a small dark place for so long left Tango feeling a chill up her spine.
She glossed her fingers across the rusted lock of the door before turning back to the center of the room. She walked up to the edge of the hole, glancing inside and looking at how deep it was. Maybe it was because of how dark it was in the cave, but she couldn't even see the bottom.
"Nothing over here!" Kilo shouted from the other side of the cavern.
"Nor here!" Bravo exclaimed from above as he walked along some of the formations.
"And nothing here!" X-Ray said, kicking at some of the rocks, "Can we go yet, Alpha? S.T.O.R.M. was here weeks ago anyway. I doubt they would've forgotten something."
Alpha, who was standing towards the entrance, let out a defeated sigh, "I guess. Is there any other rooms or tunnels around here?"
The rest of them regrouped towards the center of the room, debating where to look next. Tango, however, was still looking down the hole. She had the strangest feeling when looking towards it, as if she'd fall in at any moment...
"… Woah there!"
A hand suddenly grabbed her arm. She winced a little, and looked over to see Bravo giving her a look.
"… You okay there?" he asked. Tango blinked, then looked back to see she was one step away from walking into the small chasm. Immediately, she shrunk away from the edge.
"… Yeah," she said a bit faintly, then looked back to the rest of them, "What're we doing?"
Alpha raised a brow, but his expression soon turned to horror.
"Everyone get down!"
Tango was yanked down by Bravo as something went flying overhead. It crashed into the wall behind them, and they were all left speechless as they tried looking into the shadows to see where it came from. Giggling erupted throughout the cavern.
"Show yourself!" Alpha shouted.
"Just look at the little mouseys! So loud they are!"
The team grabbed their cores, waiting for the first sign of movement. Luckily they didn't have to wait long. Out of the shadows stepped two figures. Tango immediately recognize one of them from the incident at her old home city.
"I guess Klipse was right to send us here," the old man said, "What a pain these children are."
Another man jumped out from above, startling the group.
"I think it's perfect!" he said, "More fighting for my pretty pretty!"
"Is that a challenge?" Alpha boasted. The three didn't reply, and brought up their cores.
Tango shrank back a little at the feeling she was getting here. Not from the three standing on the other side, but something more… ominous.
Suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. Everyone had a hard time standing as the ceiling started to crack at the motions.
"W-What's going on?" Klio exclaimed. X-Ray immediately pulled a small device out and started to furiously tap away.
"… Seismic waves are g-generating from b-b-below us. But it isn't an earthq-q-quake," he stuttered out, "It's m-monsuno energy!"
Whatever was going on didn't phase the other three on the other side, who were also struggling to stand. It didn't look like they were about to back down either.
"Dactyl!"
"Serno!"
"Bronto!"
"Launch!"
The group of teens didn't waver.
"Strike Squad, Launch!"
All the cores collided, and flashes of light filled the cave. The quaking didn't stop, even as the monsuno glared menacingly, just waiting to tear each other apart. Another tremor shook throughout the room, and the monsuno took off.
"Tripwire, Tail Barrage!"
"Serno, Bone Bayonet!"
"Deadfall, Elemental Blaze!"
The cavern walls easily collapsed from the blasts by the monsuno. It was even harder to see once the dust started to cloud all around them. Tango stumbled for a moment when she couldn't see anyone, not even their enemies. That feeling from before was also creeping up on her, and she started to tread around.
"Hurry! Go back a little Warwing!"
She turned towards Kilo's voice, still unable to make anything out besides the light from the monsuno battle. She knew it was unwise to go near it, but she still had no idea where anyone was.
"Alpha? X-Ray? Where are you guys?" she asked frantically, "Ironjaw? Are you there?"
There wasn't even a response form her monsuno. Did she wander too far away? Another quake, and she stumbled over something, falling to the ground. She looked up towards the light that was still pouring from the ceiling, barely illuminating the room now that it was being filled with dust and smoke.
"… Oh no."
She griped onto her core. The ground shaking. The roaring and wordless shouting. Of all times, why did she have to remember that day now? She felt her throat tighten, and her stomach clench.
"… Get it... Together…!" she huffed to herself, getting to her knees. It didn't work. Her body was still freezing up from her last memory of her home city. It didn't help that they visited it not to long ago either., bringing up those bad memories. She tried not to hyperventilate, but with the room becoming clouded, it was getting harder and harder to breath.
"Tango, look out!"
She turned, watching as a blast of red came at her, unable to react fast enough.
HLP
It was silent for a few seconds, the voices of their group moving further and further away. After a moment of nothing, Beyal slowly opened his eyes.
He blinked a little, realizing he hadn't moved from his spot, which he found a little odd for some reason. As soon as he stood up to find the others, he noticed that everything was off. The sky was dark, and everything seemed to be hazy, as if there was smoke or dust in the air. Did he doze off for too long?
"…Beyal?"
He looked over, and saw Chase walking towards him, "What's going on? Where are we?"
"What do you mean? Did something happen?" Beyal asked. Chase shook his head.
"No. I'm… Not sure what happened actually. Or where the others are for that matter," Chase admitted, scratching his head as he looked around. This was going to make things complicated. Not only did they fail to get any visions, but the others were nowhere in sight.
"So… What do we do?" the raven-haired teen asked. Beyal looked around, and shrugged. Chase let out a sigh, then turned to one of the walkways.
"I guess we can just keep going," he said, "We ought to find the others. Maybe the Strike Squad found something and everyone went to go check."
The two of them were careful as they made their way along the deserted paths. There was something more ominous about these ruins without anyone else there. Beyal came to a stop as he watched the sky for a moment, staring at the way it was unnaturally darkened.
"… I don't think we're awake," he said. Chase turned to him with a raised brow.
"What do you mean?"
"I… think we're still dreaming," the monk responded. There was a good chance they were sharing a vision at the moment, but even that was a little strange. The only time that happened was when the Hand of Destiny was trying to reach them in their dreams. Was it because they were close to the Well of Insight?
"… Maybe there's a reason we were brought here," Beyal suggested. Chase didn't respond, and the monk glanced over to him. He saw the raven-haired teen's eyes were wide with surprise. Beyal followed his gaze, and saw why. A shadowed figure stood on the far side, staring at them. Laughter started to fill the air as piercing green eyes fixated on the two.
"Oh Chase!" A familiar voice purred after the laughter quieted down. The two of them flinched, seeing those eyes flicker. Beyal let out a gasp, realizing why it sounded so familiar as the figure's outline started to become clearer as they came closer. Before he could react, Chase had grabbed the monk's arm and started pulling him along, a string of giggles following them as they ran.
"Chase. Do you know who that is?" Beyal asked.
"I think I have a good idea," the other replied, "If I remember right, she's also one of those people from before."
Laughter rang throughout the ruins.
"But… She sounds like-"
"It's not her," Chase interrupted, looking ahead of them, "Trust me. It's not..."
Beyal saw the serious look in Chase's eyes, and knew not to ask questions. They were running for what felt like forever, her voice chasing far behind them.
"W-Where are we going?" Beyal asked. It was a bit redundant to try and run away in this place without actually knowing if they could get away. The monk wasn't even sure if that… Person, could actually hurt them here. It was better to be safe or sorry he supposed.
"I… I don't know," Chase admitted, "But is there anyway that we can maybe shock ourselves awake? This isn't real after all."
Beyal had a thoughtful expression, and looked forward towards the end of the pathway they ran towards as he silently weighed their options.
"Well… I guess we could-"
"Get down!" Chase whispered, pulling Beyal down so they were tucked behind a wall. Shadows glossed over the ground and walkways as a woman in white treaded by. Beyal felt his breath hitch as he saw the familiar long brown hair. He could feel Chase tense up as she turned towards their direction, green eyes locked in a piercing gaze. Luckily, she didn't see them, though they didn't dare to move. After a tense few seconds, she walked away.
"Where are you Chase?" she asked, "I know you want to see me!"
Chase turned away, keeping himself flat against the wall they were hidden behind.
"… How is she even here?" he asked quietly. Beyal could see this was bothering him to the point that his hands were starting to shake.
"Who is she exactly? " the monk asked, glancing over the corner they were behind to see if she was gone yet. Chase seemed hesitant to answer. It was only after they were sure she was gone did he respond.
"She's one of those… Experiments from the Hand of Destiny," he said in a hushed tone, "I think her name was Tesserah. Whatever the Hand did to her, made her look like my mom."
""Come on out Chase!" she shouted in the distance, "Don't you miss me?!
The two slipped away down another corridor, careful as to not alert her. They kept going until they were sure they were a good distance away, panting from how quickly and silently they ran.
"Why are we running from her? I don't think she could actually hurt us here," Beyal said, glancing back down the dark corridor they came from. If this really was just a dream, then interacting with her shouldn't be a problem, "She might not even be real. She could be a projection made by your subconscious."
"Oh. Of course," Chase sighed deeply with a frown. It didn't look like he believed that. Beyal never actually found out what happened to this person, but whatever occurred during the incident with the original monsuno definitely had an effect on Chase. Everytime the woman called out to him, the other teen flinched and got nervous.
The raven-haired teen slumped to the ground against one of the walls nearby. He glanced back towards the corridor where more hysterical shouting was heard.
"She's completely crazy," Chase said.
"Why is that?" Beyal asked.
"I… I think it has something to do with whatever the Hand did to her and the rest of those… experiments," Chase concluded, "Maybe there's a way to beat her if we figure it out."
Chase stood up and looked down the opposite walkway, then turned to Beyal, who was shuffling his feet uncomfortably.
"… What?"
"Well… We're not here to do that," the monk said, "We're here to figure out what they're after. If anything, we should be asking her things."
Chase crossed his arms in thought, "Good point… But how're we going to corner her? We don't even have monsuno here…"
The two stood there silently. They could still here Tesserah yelling in the distance, which meant they had at least some time. There was a faint boom from where her voice came from. She was getting violent.
"Beyal," Chase said, glancing back towards the way they came from, "Keep going. I want to talk to her by myself."
"What?!" the monk exclaimed, "B-But… Are you sure you can?"
Chase clenched his fists, "… If what you said about her just being an illusion made from my mind is true, then I'm the only one who can make her go away. And if things start going south I don't want you getting caught up in it."
Even though the other was resolute about taking action, Beyal was now a bit hesitant towards actually letting him go on his own. Although there was the chance that she was just made from Chase's mind, that could easily work against him if he doesn't think clearly. And from the way his hands shook and his eyes flickers, he might not be able to do it.
One of the ruins on the far side collapsed. She was getting close. They waited a minute as it grew eerily silent. There was no telling where she could be.
"Now!" Chase exclaimed, then took off where the building collapsed. Beyal watched as Chase vanished into the shadows. A part of him knew that if this woman really was made from his mind, then Chase would have to face her alone. But if she wasn't...
He shook his head. Here it was hard to tell what was real or not. And what about everyone else in the real world? If that woman was really here, then what if there were more people from the Hand just waiting around.
Beyal let out a sigh, then sat down on the side of the path. Maybe he could still try to get a vision here that could help direct them. After all, they still needed to find out what the rest of the Hand of Destiny was up to.
Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his thoughts, he failed to notice the shadows all around him getting larger.
A/N: It wasn't clear whether Dragonburn died or whatever, so if anything just assume Klipse gave him a temporary core/more powerful one to combat Chase and crew's new hyper cores.
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