A/N: So… I split this thing into two parts because I've been maintaining an average chapter length so I didn't really want to break it with this huge thing which is double average length. Warning: the next part of this chapter contains fairly graphic (blood, violence) materials, if this makes you squeamish, please skip over it (obviously). Skipping it should not put you in too bad a position as not to be able to understand chapter 11.
When I say fairly graphic... I mean very graphic, worse than chapter one or chapter nine or this coming chapter, you have been warned! Read and Review!

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah yeah, I don't own it. Actually, I own nothing until I'm 18, so there!

The War was Lost

Chapter 10a: Ridicule

"There's only two of them, and I'm sure we wouldn't want to waste them. There's so much we can do with them." Chiro said.

Togo smiled, "Ah, How brilliant of you. I didn't think of torturing them. You may have had your rough spots, but it seems you got them worked out now."

"Come, let us bring them down to the brig." Togo said, motioning toward the door.

Chiro nodded, pulling out the staff from the silver simian. Blood immediately trickled from the wound. He pulled the silver and red simian's to their feet. "Come," he said gruffly and pulled them along.

///

Antauri hung his head in shame, they were this close! Sprx sat next to him, he put his arm around his silver comrade. "At least we're alive." He said, "We could be dead."

Sprx could barely look at the wound. It looked too painful, and yet the silver monkey was still standing. "Why would Chad just betray us like that?" he asked.

Antauri looked up, "He was probably sent to destroy me after I escaped." he replied.

"Well I guess we're doomed then." Sprx said.

Antauri nodded glumly.

The door to the brig opened, Chiro walked in. He walked to the cell, "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier."

Sprx just shot him an evil glare. "And just why do you think we should trust you now?"

"How about because I'm the one who can get you out of here." Chiro replied, "I said what I did because I didn't want to kill Antauri." He put his hand up to his neck, "I couldn't control myself before. I didn't want anyone else to die!"

Sprx looked down at the wound, "Well, that doesn't change a thing, now does it?" He asked.

Chiro hung his head. The door opened again, "Are you finished staring at the prisoners?" Togo asked, "We have a schedule you know. You can't hang around here all day."

"I'll come. When I'm done, and I'm not now." He replied.

"Fine, but I better not see you in cahoots with them again or I will kill you." She said and closed the door behind them.

He looked back at the pair sympathetically, "I'll figure out how to get medical attention down to you, Antauri." He looked up, "It might even require you guys pretending to be evil but I'll figure it out."

Antauri looked up, "Playing evil seems like the safest idea. I doubt if Skeleton King would want to help us for any other reason than to destroy us afterword."

"Maybe if we stick around here long enough, we can figure out how to take them out." Chiro implied.

Sprx looked at Antauri's wound and nodded, he didn't like the idea of cooperating with Chad now but if it got Antauri any attention for his wound… it would have to do. He put his hand on Antauri's shoulder, "Please lay down, it will keep the wound elevated. If you don't you'll keep losing blood like crazy."

Antauri seemed to remember this fact and lay against the wall. "Antauri, I meant on the floor, so that your wound is at least closer to the level of your heart…"

Chad turned to go, "If you're not going to lie down for yourself, why don't you do it for Chiro then? I think he would have appreciated you taking better care of yourself." He said as he walked out.

Antauri looked heavenward, he placed his hand over his heart and laid back, closing his weary eyes and resting. Sprx stroked the silver simian's head, looking up towards the door, "I don't know what you're going to do, but you better do it fast Chad." He stated, looking back at his wounded comrade.

Five minutes passed. Seven minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. Sprx was continuously consulting his internal clock to keep track of how long Antauri had bled and how long it was taking Chad to get back.

Antauri placed his hand on Sprx's shoulder, "Don't get your fur in a knot." He told him wisely. "Bartering takes time. Especially this kind of barter. We should consider ourselves lucky if he comes back at all."

Sprx looked down at his wounded comrade and could only see red. Antauri's horrid wound, he ground his teeth loudly. Antauri was the only thing he had left. He felt a hand upon his leg and looked at the gently breathing silver simian.

He immediately felt remorseful, remembering something Antauri had once said about energy and emotions. He sighed and hung his head. "I should've apologized to Otto." He muttered to himself,

"Why?" He heard Antauri's voice crack out.

Sprx looked up at the unexpected question, and finally answered it, "I called him an idiot. Right before the battle that I blacked out in, I called him an idiot for not understanding anything." He paused, "I shouldn't have."

"Hmm…" Antauri replied as best he could.

"I also shoulda told Nova how I really felt… I loved her so much and now all I have is her carcass." He took a deep breath, deciding to inject some mild humour, "And while I'm at it, I probably should have congratulated and done more with Gibson. I really took advantage of him; I never celebrated any of his awards even though he was always there for me. I mean, he's my brother*, I should have been at least a little nicer to him."

Antauri didn't respond this time.

A half an hour passed, Chad finally came down to the brig. Mandarin, Sakko and Togo were all accompanying him.

Mandarin had his arms folded crossly, "I do not think we should believe such quick change. It seems very unrealistic that they would go to such great lengths to get in here, to be so close to victory, their prize, and just give up." He observed.

"Perhaps they didn't want all of Shugazoom to see that they were crawling to us in defeat." Sakko guessed.

Togo looked at the prisoners, "Whatever, I just vote that we see what they can do and hire them if they do well." She huffed, "His highness needs all the help he can get. Especially because those stupid humans are dirtying the floors of his palace like pigs!" She sighed, "Why did the ancients create such a disgusting animal that wallows in it's own disgusting filth. The retched abominations should all be wiped from the face of the universe if they knew what was good for themselves."

She opened the door to the cage, "Get up you morons!" She yelled, "You wanna work with us then you better be ready to work like us!"

Sprx carefully stood up, he looked down to Antauri for a mere second, the silver monkey slowly followed, standing upright.

"What about his wounds?" Chad asked, pointing to the large stab wound in Antauri's chest.

She looked over at the snow monkey, "Don't make me think you've gone soft! He'll manage just fine for the initiation. If he does well then he'll be taken care of, if he doesn't… well, we'll kill him just like we did the rest of his filthy team."

Chad nodded.

She looked between the prisoners, "Let's get the goodie-goodie out of the way first." She motioned to Antauri.

He carefully walked forward. She took a step back, shoving Mandarin in front of her, "Punch him." She ordered.

As an automatic, Antauri obeyed and struck out, viciously striking the orange simian without blinking.

Mandarin put his hand on his cheek, "Why the hell?" He asked, "Give me the key to the med room. I need to get some ice for this. I think he broke my cheekbone."

She smirked in satisfaction at Mandarin's response. "Sorry," She said, "Just suffer. It makes my job worthwhile."

She looked back to Antauri, pulling a photograph frame from behind her back, "Now, break it and shred this to bits." She ordered, showing it to him.

It was a picture of the team, gathered around Chiro on his birthday.

Antauri scowled and growled at the image, "What a waste I let myself lay to." He said, emotionless. He telekinetically broke the frame in two, shredding the image into a million tiny pieces, watching it fall to the ground emotionlessly.

She grinned at the reaction, her brow raising at his viciousness. "You may not be as much of a lost cause as I thought."

She looked over, "Mandarin, bring me one of those things that his highness keeps at pets. This will be the ultimate test." She looked at the door, "Besides, it will be interesting to see how a Hyperforcian kills." She stifled a cruel chuckle.

Dun dun dun...

I am laughing my head off right now because you have a cliffhanger and Chapter 10b is sitting pretty in the queue, waiting to be tacked on right now. All I need is two more reviews... between chapters 9 and 10a... I might even post it today if I get those reviews. Otherwise, I'll post it in a week... *sighs* the suspense is killing me too!
And now... for my friend...

Announcer bunny: Will Antauri actually kill someone? I mean... I understand how he would be able to punch Mandarin... the guy killed him! And the picture... for show right? But killing... will he be able to? And what about Sprx... what tests will he have? I wonder... and about that wound too... will he be able to have it treated in time? Just review and you shall learn.