A/N: No, this is not a glitch in 's mailing system. This fanfic LIVES! I know, shocking, right? But yes…after months of zero inspiration, I finally decided I could not leave all the hard work I put into this fanfic to just rot away. So…enjoy the new chapter! :D

Chapter 8: The Beos with the Iron Face

"Ugh, it feels like we've been walking ALL DAY! Can't we just sit down for one minute?" Dan said in an uncharacteristically cranky voice.

"Dan, if we don't keep on walking, we'll never get to the checkpoint with everyone else."

"I guess you're right Runo. Hey, I think I see a tall grove of trees in the distance. That's it! We're almost there!"

Marucho watched from atop Preyas' shoulder as Dan suddenly sprinted forward, sighing.

"As someone who likes to run a lot, you think he'd know about pacing himself. I guess you never learn that when you only do it as a hobby and there's nobody to yell at you for doing it wrong."

"You seem unjustly frustrated with your dear friend. Is something wrong?" Angelo asked, walking beside Preyas.

"To be honest, I believe the monumentality of our upcoming goal is taking a toll on my state of mind. I feel utterly useless just sitting here. I'd much rather be researching more about these Beos to find their vulnerabilities." The young blonde's head hung down as a worried expression dulled his usually bright features.

"Cheer up Marucho, once we find one of their bases you'll have all the computers and techie junk that you ever dreamed of to look at!" Julie, riding on Gaia Gorem's vast shoulders, said cheerfully.

"I guess you have a valid point." Marucho sweatdropped as he tried to ignore how her comment was unintentionally rude.

Saber Tigrerra, who was currently the only one behind Dan, frowned in concern at how tired Runo seemed.

"Here milady, let me carry you."

"No, no, we're almost there…" But her protests faltered as the large prehistoric feline hoisted her over her shoulders.

I should have done this a mile ago, but Runo is impossibly stubborn.


Shun and Alice were the only ones who had elected to go with their flying guardians to the wooded checkpoint, which they assumed was halfway between where they battled and Naas' lair. Dan stayed behind, promising to call for Drago if trouble appeared. Why Dan didn't just let Drago carry him was a mystery.

"Shun! I can see Dan and the other Bakugan approaching. They've made it safely." Zephyrus Skyress had the keen vision of an eagle, so it was no surprise to the others that she spotted them.

"I still don't know why Dan insisted on walking on foot." Drago sighed. "Humans are beyond strange sometimes."

"That they are Drago…that they are." Skyress agreed.

You're referring to how Alice and Shun are behaving towards each other, aren't you Drago? Little known to the humans, Bakugan could communicate through mental links, just as Alice and Masquerade did.

Yes. In all of the time I've known them, I've never been witness to such awkward silences between the two. Drago thought, his emerald eyes darting briefly in her direction.

I suspect it's because Alice has a little crush on her alter ego now that he has a body of his own. Shun has told me that's what he suspects, and he worries their friendship will crumble.

That makes sense. It's also unfortunate. I hope things will turn out okay. Any divisions within the Brawlers could prove disastrous.

I agree Drago. I may be able to talk to Alice, but beyond that, there's nothing I can do. It's up to her.

Skyress' golden eyes fixed on Alice, perched behind the fins of Hydranoid's middle head. His right head was facing towards the back to watch for enemies, but he also caught Skyress' stare.

"Is something wrong, Skyress?" The highest pitched voice asked.

"Now that you mention it…I'm a bit concerned about Alice. She's been awfully quiet lately."

The aforementioned girl turned around quickly with a gasp: obviously she was in a world of her own until the phoenix's voice snapped her back to reality. Her brown eyes widened, but then returned to normal, a somewhat solemn expression on her face.

Should I just go ahead and tell Shun now? All of this has gone unspoken for so long. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but it's more certain that my fear would drive him away rather than the truth.

I better. It's now or never.

"Actually…there's something I need to tell Shun." Alice said, bowing her head before meeting Shun's wide-eyed stare. However, it was quickly replaced by a stern glare.

"It's about time." Skyress set the ninja down on the ground, and Alice was gently picked up by Hydranoid's menacing claws to stand safely in front of him.

"I know that things have been awkward ever since Masquerade came back. There's a reason for that. Not only is he literally my other half, but…I feel like we're meant to be together, in a romantic sense, as well."

The normally cool-headed teen couldn't help but feel a slight wave of nausea come over him. It was one thing to expect all this, and another to actually hear it with his own ears.

"This probably isn't easy for you to hear. I'm really nervous saying this out loud to you. I don't want this to ruin our friendship, Shun. Regardless of what may have happened in the past, I want you to know that I always want you by my side, as a dedicated friend. We've shared too much to just throw it all away. Please forgive me…" She began to sniffle a bit, guilt over her taboo crush manifesting into tears.

Crap, you just had to break down and cry Alice. She thought to herself.

Shun could hear the sincerity in her voice. He knew that Alice was incredibly shy, and no doubt, it must have been a difficult thing to admit. He put his jealous feelings aside, and embraced her.

"It's okay Alice. I'll admit, I'm a little jealous, but what would have been worse is if this caused our friendship to drift apart. I'm glad our bond is this strong." His eyes watered a bit against his will, but he felt infinitely better.

Good choice, Skyress. Your concern prompted her to admit her feelings.

Flattery gets you everywhere, Drago. He got a mental image of the phoenix fluffing out her feathers and standing tall. Humans would liken it a proud and pompous lady of wealth.


The moon was beginning to rise over the bleak landscape, the tall trees casting impossibly large shadows. Alice, Julie, Runo, Marucho, Dan, and Shun all sat around a bonfire they had created. No matches were necessary thanks to Drago.

"I'm pooped…I think it's time for bed." Dan said with an exaggerated yawn.

"If you would have just let me carry you, you would not have exhausted yourself." Drago's emerald eyes glinted in the firelight.

"I know, I know…but I had a lot of energy! I'm pumped to kick some Beos ASS!"

"We need to think carefully about this. Remember what Masquerade said: the Beos need a host to replicate themselves. Our guardians could be vulnerable. And since Beos are not Bakugan, the cards we have will only serve to help us, not hurt them." Marucho explained.

"That's right. Since the Beos have been honing their instincts to find hosts, I bet they'll be on us before we could say "Ability, Activate!"" Shun added.

There was a sigh from Dan, and he stared into the fire. Drago's element. It forged his metal scales and wingplates, and he had a near complete mastery of it thanks to battles he had won here before he met Dan, and then on Earth. The sparking of the burning lumber was strangely lulling.

"We'll figure something out, Dan. Don't you worry." Runo put her thin arm around his shoulders, trying to reassure him.

Hours passed, and the Brawlers eventually fell asleep on the soft grass some distance from where they had started their fire. Their Bakugan took turns keeping watch, and right now, Saber Tigrerra was on guard duty. Her night vision was one of the best, along with Hydranoid's.

Crack! The feline's armored head swiveled in the direction of the noise. She took aim with her crossbow.

Scuffle, swish. The sound came from the opposite side now.

"Show yourselves!"

Nothing. She relaxed. Apparently it was nothing to be worried about.

A few minutes later, a brown form a good third bigger than her jumped across her field of view, making a beeline for Carcharo Preyas, who was sleeping by himself.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She launched an arrow, but it fell short of her target, and the thunk and the rest of the commotion startled Carcharo Preyas into action. He lept onto the form and slashed it with his claws. There was a pained roar so loud that it woke everyone.

"Sirahesp! You're so clumsy, you woke up all the humans and Bakugan."

"Who are you? You're one of the Beos, aren't you?" The shark-like Bakugan demanded.

"Beos…yes…" The shadowy figure took shape as it strode into the moonlight with the ambling walk of a bear.

The Brawlers were now fully awake, and made their way around the figure, their guardians at their sides. A smaller figure joined the larger one: skinny with a finned tail, fishy face, and small, useless fins where arms should be. It walked on two dinosaurian legs, carrying its body and tail horizontally.

"You can speak human languages?" Marucho asked, his natural scientific curiosity taking over. He felt safe with his guardians at his side. After all, how often would he get the chance to talk with interdimensional aliens?

"Yes. We're smarter than you probably think. But not all of us can talk." The fishy creature bobbed its body up and down, hyper and bold.

Alice glared at the creature. "We know what you want, but you're not going to get it!"

The larger one stepped into full view of the Brawlers. "I am Sirahesp, and this is Egabigas. We are here to protect Naas from the likes of your kind, and gain, shall we say…bodies…in the process."

"Woah…her face is completely metal." Runo said, clearly chilled by the Sirahesp's appearance.

"Would you like to know the story? A tragic accident long ago. I used my brawn to help in construction duties. I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. A laser severed most of my skull from my body. I only have enough left for the corners of a smile." The aforementioned part moved up in amusement.

"Oh, man…that's sick…" Dan's lower eyelid twitched.

Sirahesp's mecha red eyes focused on the much smaller human.

"But I assure you, I have full vision, hearing, scent, and use of my jaws." She snapped them for effect, which riled up Drago.

"Enough! We cannot stand idly by while you imprison our leaders and turn our kind into parasites. Let's settle this with a battle."

"Oh? You hear that, you hear that? The big guy wants to FIGHT us! We're Naas' elite guards!" Egabigas shivered the rattling metal plates of the fins where his arms should have been and those of his tail in excitement.

"Elite guards? You're shorter than Marucho, how could you be elite guards?" Preyas began to laugh.

"Egabigas is a fool, I don't know why Naas chose him. Perhaps for amusement." Sirahesp replied.

"SHUT UP!" The metal plates rattled even more now, this time in anger. He was rewarded by a faceful of black claws which knocked him over.

"Ow…geez…" He rolled to his feet. It seemed like he was used to it.

"Are you going to fight amongst yourselves? Or will you have the honor of being the Brawlers' first defeat of an alien species?" Shun brandished an ability card which glowed, and Skyress stood in front of him.

"You've got it backwards, my dear."

Sirahesp lept at Skyress, but the four-winged phoenix dodged the slow reptile with ease. The wind began to pick up, and with a single wingbeat, a gust was directed at Sirahesp. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, but otherwise, the female Beos was unphased.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" Charging to put more acceleration behind her mass, Sirahesp made another leap at the end of her run: this time her jaws barely missed the phoneix's foot. Jaws that could easily sever toes and limbs.

Shun watched with great trepidation. He feared that Skyress would make one wrong move and fall prey to the Beos, but she had the upper hand with being in the air at least. He lifted his ability card high into the air.

"Ability activate! Omni Lightning!" A glow emanated from Zephyrus Skyress' new armor, and within a second, lightning struck the ground around both of the Beos. The shock traveled up Egabigas' metal feet, and he shuddered, falling to the ground.

"I relent, I relent!" The smaller Beos said with absolute terror in his voice. Clearly he had never experienced such power.

"Then go on, GET OUTTA HERE!" Diablo shouted, and he began to chase him away from the group, even going as far as hurling a fireball at him.

"So much for being a guard. What, did Naas think we were wimpy little things?" Diablo huffed.

Sirahesp, however, was still on her feet, and the smaller creatures' noise only served her to target him.

The terrifying image of steel jaws bull-rushing him filled Diablo's vision, and he felt a sharp pain in his left wing.

"No, Diablo!" Marucho shouted, fearing the worst. But Angelo Preyas rushed to his aid, punching the Beos in the face: right over her eye. The metal must have had pain sensors like organic tissue, because she let go immediately, blinking and stunned. Diablo took the opportunity to launch a fireball at her. However, that did not seem to phase her much.

"I can handle this, Angelo." Gaia Gorem said, and Julie activated one of his new abilities.

"Ability Activate! Landslide!"

The earth began to move, and seemingly out of thin air, a huge landslide overtook the Baryonyx-like creature. With much struggling, Sirahesp eventually clawed her way out of it, but seemed dazed.

"That…is…IT! Prepare to be turned." Her crimson eyes met with Gorem's, and he felt a strong desire to look at them. She walked forward, slashing at his legs with her massive claws. Not a dent was made, and Julie wondered what the point of that was.

"Come on Gorem, she's right under you, smash her!" Julie urged him on, but he didn't budge. Then, it hit her.

"Oh no…oh no!" What looked like tiny metal shards with legs jumped onto him, latching onto his stony frame. There were only a few at first, but then they began replicating at lightning speed.

"Ability activate! Burning Dragonia!" Drago glowed, and an immense flame built in his mouth, which he unleashed upon Gorem and Sirahesp, followed by a smaller rain of fire. Sirahesp screeched in anguish, her scales smoking from the impact. The tiny metal shards did not spread any further. After a moment, they shattered.

"What? No! This cannot be!" Sirahesps' deep red pupils went wide in disbelief. No creature, to her knowledge, had ever been able to resist infection.

"Face it, you're beaten. Run back to Naas and tell him we're ready for a real challenge!" Drago boasted. The Beos shrunk back into the shadows, and ran off, leaving the stench of charred scales behind.


Wayvern circled in for a landing some distance from Naas' ominous lair, Joe hanging onto the scales on her back as she descended. Zoracera followed suite, carrying Masquerade, and they alighted on the roof of a small building. They decided it was better to start there in hopes of gathering some information before barging straight into the head honcho himself. Not to mention, two powers of the two of them combined would never be a match for the Beos ruler.

The two teens stepped carefully down. It looked like there was an entrance in an inset part of the roof, which housed a door. Joe jiggled the handle. To his surprise, the door opened.

"Maybe it's a trap. Maybe he knows we're here."

"We have to take that risk." Masquerade replied. "Otherwise, we'll be going in blind." Joe nodded, and they entered. Zoracera was small enough to fit inside, but Wayvern wasn't.

"I'll stand guard, and let you know if trouble arises." Her keen eyes scanned the horizon as the trio went in.

The entrance was fairly dark, but they soon discovered a fluorescent-lit hallway which reminded Joe much of a hospital, yet it was still fairly different from the one he used to stay in during his sickness. Their shoes squeaked on the tile floor, much to their discomfort.

Rounding a corner, an open door beckoned them in. They exchanged glances, and Masquerade went in first. They noticed a wall of screens with an alien language scrolling across on various menus, along with wireframe models and what looked like vital sign readings.

Not unexpectedly, there was a team of humans in there, wearing military uniforms with the varying shades of blue splattered with black and white of the Navies common on their Earth. Cautiously, Joe approached one of them, a middle aged man with a stern face. He slowly looked in Joe's direction.

"Hello, sir."

A stare was the only response.

"Sir, do you work for the Beos?"

None of them could understand his response, which they presumed to be in the alien language on the screen. But he undoubtedly was from Earth.

"Looks like they've convinced some humans to work for them." Zoracera remarked.

For about 15 minutes, they went around to each person, attempting to communicate with them in English. Joe even tried what little he knew in French, but they had no success whatsoever. Just as they were about to leave the room, two familiar faces made their way into the room.

"What? How did you get in here?" Cynthia angrily yelled at them. They were both surprised at her outburst, considering she had shown almost no emotion during the brawl.

"Door was open." Joe replied calmly, and he actually smiled. Cynthia's light brown eyes went wide, and she realized he was right. Aaron stepped in beside her, and after a brief exchange of glances, the tension eased.

"Who are these people?" Masquerade asked, gesturing to the military personnel behind him.

"They're from Earth, of course. You know the military kept tabs on that whole Bakugan thing from when they first showed up. Naturally, they wanted to investigate what was going on here in Vestroia. And investigate they did. They've sided with the Beos in hopes of stopping another Bakugan invasion. They seem to be confident that the Beos would get what they want in the form of the Bakugan, and leave, never to be heard from again." Aaron looked extremely calm. Almost too calm.

"But the Bakugan aren't a threat. They'd never attack Earth again." Joe said, but then he could almost feel Masquerade's disapproving look. He felt like eating his words. Right…how did he know that some evil person wouldn't try to manipulate Bakugan and use them to try and destroy earth? All they needed was another Hal-G to come along, and bingo.

"We stand correct." Cynthia smiled, much to the shock of both Brawlers.

"I have another question…how did you get here? Last we saw you was on Earth. I figure teleportation cards are rare." Zoracera's orange eyed gaze pierced into the humans'.

"You think Michael Gehabich is the only one with dimensional transportation technology? He isn't. Our parents have been working on a way for a long time, and we finally got a portal…but admittedly, it's not as reliable, and constantly breaks down. Because of that, we took it upon ourselves to research card teleportation technology."

"We started off with wanting to teleport on earth. That's what both the portals and the cards were designed to do. We figured if it wouldn't work on earth, it wouldn't on Vestroia. But…we got more than we bargained for. When the coordinates are punched in to the desired location, one big fault was discovered." Cynthia added on to Aaron's discussion.

"That fault was that the coordinates did not always correspond to our Earth's location. We landed on Vestroia the first time we used it. It's been a consistent way back and forth ever since, but it's miraculous that we actually made it to Vestroia instead of a different alternate Earth reality."

"It all makes sense…" Joe said in astonishment, and Masquerade simply nodded. He then smirked, and stepped closer to Cynthia during the lull in conversation.

"You look so much like Alice…you know, I saw every move you made through her eyes."

"Well…that's creepy." Cynthia said flatly…but then cracked a smile herself.

"More than you'll ever know." He added, with a laugh for the full effect. Aaron just gave him a weird look and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…anyway. We're actually too afraid to take any more chances with this faulty technology. That's why we're here. We need to Beos' help. They're technology experts to say the least, and portals aren't a big issue for them, even if their specialties are biomechanics, biosynthesis, and so on."

Zoracera gave a confused look to Aaron.

"But…why? They're trying to overthrow the Bakugan, use them as slaves, practically. If they saw anything of use in humans, your whole world would be at risk."

"I don't think the others would agree with us…and don't tell them this, but we're pretty sure the Beos won't win." Aaron stated, simply.

"I thought you hated us." Masquerade inquired.

"We do. But we hate the others more. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this pleasant little chat with you." Cynthia smirked at Masquerade, which made him feel uncomfortable. He definitely would not put up with anyone who hated his alter-ego any longer than necessary. His lips were drawn into a thin line, and Cynthia soon copied his expression.

"Thank you for the insight, Cynthia and Aaron, but we'll be going now." Joe began to walk out the door with Masquerade and Zora in his footsteps. Zora gave Cynthia a death glare, but it had no effect on the relatively stern Brawler.

Uneventfully, they left, pondering what the fates of those two would be. They were both thankful that the military wasn't a direct threat to them, but their unwavering assistance to the Beos seemed deeply unsettling.

"Well…what's next?" Joe asked Masquerade.

"We wait for the others to arrive. I will send them a message letting them know we're ready." He typed on his Baku-pod, and a blip notified them that the message was in transit.

"You know…it's so odd that someone would give their whole life, and practically their personality, up for an alien race." Joe mused, his straw-colored hair whipping around his face as a gust built up.

"Is it? Our life revolves around Bakugan. Our destinies are forever intertwined with theirs. As soon as we set foot in this innocent looking arena, which we thought was a child's game…that was it. There's no going back to an ordinary life."

Even back before I knew what Bakugan was, I made other games my life. I needed an escape. I never knew I'd get more than I bargained for. Ha. Dan laughed at me when I said that Bakugan was my life, but what the hell is HIS life? There you go.

He chuckled to himself. Hypocrisy, as irritating as it could be, was sure damn amusing.

A/N: I don't own Bakugan. Bakugan is owned by Spin Master, Nelvana entertainment, and Cartoon Network. I do, however, own Zoracera, Naas, Egabigas, Sirahesp, the concept of the Beos, Zephyrus Skyress, Gaia Gorem, Carcharo Preyas, Saber Tigrerra, and this storyline. Cynthia and Aaron are also mine, but Juggernaut69 helped in their creation, so some credit goes to him. :D

I should also make a note that, yes, Viperhelios IS Darkus in this fanfic. It is a purposeful decision on my part. This storyline is completely independent of New Vestroia or ANYTHING that came after it. I borrowed some of the characters for use in this story, but don't expect them to be identical to the canon versions of said characters. Quite frankly, I was extremely disappointed by New Vestroia and completely stopped watching Bakugan shortly before it ended. So I'm not taking it, or any of the following story arcs, into account in my fanfiction. I apologize if you're a fan of NV, Mechtanium Surge, or Gundalian Invaders, but you will find none of that in this fanfic.

Thank you very much, and please read and review. Flames will be used to help Drago's attacks. =)