Well, Here it is. Chapter 27.

Forgive my spelling errors for this Beginning Author's note, it' 3 am right now as I'm writing it. I'll fix it later. lol.

I have a feeling a lot of you are going to look like this O_O after this chapter. Lets just say that this is where I say 'everything is about to hit the fan.'

Reviews:

A lot of interesting reviews this time around.

-Yes I know what Gasuntiet means even though I can't spell it lol. XD It is what you say after someone sneezes, but Nikki can be kind of scatter brained sometimes, so it fits her ;) Also, if you've seen Disney's "Tangled" Flynn says that to Rapunzel when she tells him her name.

"Rapunzel."

P

P/ "...Gasuntiet."

lol.

-Thanks for the consistent reviews Peace and Caprice. *hug* Definitely helps the story development. And Monica Hedgie, thanks for the *thumbs up* ;)

Well, I won't keep you from what you desire any longer.

Enjoy.

Oh, and you may want some tissues by you just in case. You'll see.

Chapter 27: Renegades

Narrator: None, third person format.

At Former Station Square, Trace, Caper and Rain had just got back from their first solo mission. It was a simple rescue of the people in Station Square, but it was something.

"Well mates, pretty successful for our first solo mission, eh?" Caper smiled as he stretched.

"Yeah, thanks to us, a lot of people in the city limits are safe." Rain commented.

Trace thought for a moment. "Yeah, but something's bothering me though."

"What do you mean, Trace?" Rain asked.

The wolf answered. "I don't know, it just feels like something bad is gonna happen. I mean, we heard all that commotion going on downtown."

"Ah, so you kids were out there when that was going down, huh?"

The group looked over at the owner of the market, Jack.

"You know about it?" Trace asked him.

"Me? It's been going around here all morning. Apparently something attacked a hundred robots in the outskirts of the city. The guy looked a lot like that Shadow fella, caused quite a stir with the locals in that area."

"Shadow?…" Rain then looked at the wolf next to her. "But Trace, you said-"

"Yeah, I know. There's no way it's him." Trace then returned his attention to Jack. "So what happened after that? They didn't kill the guy, did they?"

"Oh, I certainly hope not." Rain said worriedly, this wasn't the first time the Mobians in that area had mistook someone as the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Naw they didn't, but wait till you hear this. They caught the guy and Valor went in to check it out."

"Wait, he sent Valor?" Trace then placed his hand on his head and shook his head back and forth. "What was Claymore thinking? He's way too trigger happy for that."

Jack continued. "Well, he did. And just at the moment Val was going to question the guy, a blue hedgehog came rushing in."

Aww no…Nikki, you didn't. Trace sighed loudly and shook his head again. Why doesn't she listen?

"Anyway, she protected the black hedgehog and then the two just disappeared."

The three looked at each other for a moment, they then turned back to the shopkeeper with matching confused looks. "They…disappeared?"

"Yeah, just poof. Into thin air." Jack made hand signs to signify his point.

Oh boy… Trace muttered.

"I don' know, that sound kinda fishy to me, mate." Caper thought out loud.

"Well, that's what people have been saying. Just passing it along is all." Jack responded.

"Oh, I better go and get my supplies ready for the next run. I'll be right back." Rain then ran toward her house.

"We'll wait for ya!" Caper yelled.

"So, Valor's not back yet?" Trace asked Jack.

"Nope, haven't seen him yet."

Trace nodded. "Thanks."

The wolf then looked to his right and saw another group walking toward them. Claymore, Valor's older brother and the leader of the Station Square Freedom Fighters, was heading out to help with rescues along with Caper's dad, Vault, and Scythe, a liger from Cat Country.

Trace knew Claymore very well, he looked up to him as a leader. He had the same kind of cowboy hat that Valor had, but it was made of dark brown leather. His dragon skin was also much darker than his younger brother.

Vault was pretty much like a copy of his son, only his fur was a little darker as well. An eye patch covered his left eye, which slightly covered a scar that ran from his eyebrow to his chin. He also had additional scars on his left shoulder and his tail. Unlike his son however, Vault had what looked to be iron boots that just fit over his toes and were strapped all the way to the end of each foot. They were steal toed boots made for primal Mobians like Vault.

Scythe was the one that Trace wasn't too familiar with and something about him just made Trace's fur wanna stand up. He was a primal Mobian, just like Vault and Claymore, but he still had a more primitive look about him.

As they walked by, Claymore stopped for a moment as his comrade talked to his son. "Eh, Son. How was your first mission?"

"It was great, a little boring though."

His father laughed. "Yeah, escort missions can seem that way."

Claymore then looked at Trace. He then placed his tail on his shoulder. "I heard about what happened yesterday…good job, kid."

Now the reason why Claymore used his tail instead of his hand is because, unlike so many komodo dragons on Mobius, Claymore retained a kind hearted persona that his ancestors adopted after the first calamity that hit their world. He knows his claws can cause harm to others even by accident. So, he will often use his tail more than his own hands when he greets someone or if he needs to make contact.

"Thank you, Sir. But it wasn't just me that-"

"I know." Claymore interrupted. "Best keep that quiet for now, alright?"

Trace nodded. "Yes sir."

After that, the group continued forward. As he walked by, Scythe gave Trace a wicked look that sent a shiver down his spine. The wolf's instincts were going off and it was telling him that Scythe couldn't be trusted.

The teenage wallaby looked at his friend. "Trace, mate I know that look. What's goin' on in that head of yours?"

"There's something about that Scythe guy that I don't like."

"No duh, the guy creeps me out too. He always has."

"No…it's something else." The wolf looked at them as they sped up and leapt over the rubble and out of sight.

Still thinking that Scythe was up to something, Trace follows them, along with Caper.

"I still think we shoulda waited for Rain, mate." Caper yelled as he ran next to his comrade.

"Well, I can't wait that long for her to be ready." Trace's senses were going off like a siren, leading him to the direction Claymore and his group went.

The two teens got to the scene and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Claymore and Vault were fighting against Scythe. It was apparent they had been fighting each other for a short while, each had scratches and wounds to prove that. The liger was ruthlessly attacking the two. Claymore was trying to fight back, but was being too careful not to scratch him with his toxic claws.

"Stand down, Scythe! Are you mad?" The dragon yelled with anger.

The liger looked like he was ready to strike again. "You've grown too soft, old man. It's my turn to take over!"

As Scythe slashed the komodo, Vault leapt in and kicked Scythe's head.

The wallaby looked back at his leader. "Sir, you 'aight?"

But the liger recovered quickly and roared. Vault stood his ground, determined to protect not only his superior, but his best friend. Scythe came in fast and attacked the wallaby, but he still held the large cat back. Vault felt his feet start to slide out from under him.

"DAD!"

Vault looked up at the teenage wallaby who was sliding down the hill along with Trace who was running full speed toward Scythe. "No! Stay back!"

Trace came into range first. He activated his lightning cuff and plowed it right into Scythe's face. The liger felt his feet slide back a little, but other than that, he didn't budge. All that did was piss him off.

The liger roared. "You little shit!"

Scythe took the back of his large hand and slammed it into Trace's stomach, knocking not only the wind out of the wolf, but sent him flying and he painfully hit the ground.

"Leave 'em alone!" Caper came rushing in and tried to kick the liger, but Scythe just caught him by the tail and then threw him to the ground.

Seeing that Scythe was going to attack his son, Vault leapt in the way and took the full force of Scythe's attack.

"NO!" Caper helplessly cried in horror.

Trace had came to just to see the horrific scene playing out before him. "You bastard!"

The wolf's eyes began to glow. He then got up and ran in at Scythe. He activated the lightning cuffs one more time and then dug one of them into the side of Scythe's face. The liger roared loudly in pain and then tried to attack Trace, but the wolf was predicting Scythe's moves…only barely. One mistake and it would be over for the wolf. Noticing he needed help, Caper joined in and the two tried to subdue the massive wild cat. Everything seemed to go by in a blur, blood splattered in every direction. Caper was slashed through his side and his left leg. Trace was forcefully grabbed by his arm, but fought back by pulling himself up and kicking Scythe in the face. He also tried to activate his lightning cuff, but Scythe crushed it in his massive grip, breaking Trace's hand and shocking the wolf in the process.

Hearing Trace and Caper yell, Claymore gave one swipe of his tail and tripped the massive cat. "You…leave those kids…out of this…you hear me?"

Seeing that Scythe was heading for the injured dragon, Trace got back up and hit Scythe with his other lightning cuff. The big cat then rushed in at Trace and grabbed him, his claws dug into the wolf and he threw Trace into the cliff side. Trace's head hit first and he was out cold.

How could this happen…

How could one of our own just…

The wolf sat in the dark hallway of the infirmary, his back just barely touching the wall behind him. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and back, but he couldn't feel his recent wounds, he was completely numb. He looked at the cast on his right hand. As he began to remember every detail of what happened, his eyes closed tightly shut.

Rain walked out of one of the rooms and softly closed the door behind her. She saw Trace in the hallway alone, her ears slanted downward. The painted wolf walked over to him and knelt next to him. His golden eyes glowed in the darkness, but seemed to have lost their luster.

"…Trace?" She just barely touched his shoulder, but the wolf cringed as his mind was brought back to reality.

His friend gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry. How did you manage to get out here?"

"Can't stay in there. Don't worry about me, I'm fine out here." But he was far from fine and Rain knew it. But she wasn't about to argue with him and she didn't want to leave him alone out here either.

The grey wolf looked to his comrade next to him, she looked as though she was still trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall. She looked into his golden eyes, the only part of him she could clearly see in the darkness. They weren't as bright as she remembered, but they showed compassion.

The wolf then asked her. "Are…you okay?"

Rain just couldn't hold back anymore. "Oh Trace!" She embraced him.

Trace held in a disgruntled growl as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It did hurt him, but he didn't care. They both needed each other right now. He returned her embrace, his eyes tightly closed.

The painted wolf then continued. "Why did this have to happen?…This isn't fair…"

"If there's one thing I've learned about life, Rain…is that it's never fair."

"But Caper's dad…oh Chaos, Trace…"

The wolf held her tighter, as if his closest friend would slip away from him.

"…Valor and Caper…they'll never be the same…and you…" Rain trailed off.

Suddenly, Valor walked out of the room that Claymore was in. Both teen wolves looked at him, they could tell by the way he stood that Claymore had passed.

Both angered by this, Valor and Trace slammed their fists into the walls behind them, but Trace did so with his injured hand. "Gah, Damn it!"

The two sniper cats almost walked down the hall when they saw the three of them. They stopped and hid back around the corner.

"Best we leave them alone for now, we can tell them later." The black and white cat whispered.

"But Claymore has to know what's going out there." The orange tabby whispered back.

The wolf then looked over at their direction. "I know you're back there Rook, and Flash, I can see your tail."

Both cats cursed under their breath. They then ran toward the group.

Rook, the black and white cat, spoke first. "Scythe is in the center of headquarters right now. He's demanding his right to lead."

All three looked at the two cats in shock. "He's What?"

The orange tabby, Flash, jumped in. "It's crazy, everyone's going bonkers out there."

"That cat's not gettin' away with this, not by a long shot." And with that, Valor took off out of the infirmary.

In one fluid motion, Trace got up and ran after him.

"Trace wait!" Rain ran after him.

The two cats followed suit.

"Valor!" Trace called ahead as he began to catch up to his teacher.

The dragon was shocked to hear the wolf behind him and whipped around. "Trace?…Kid, what the hell are ya doin'? You shouldn't be up, let alone chasin' me down!"

Trace stopped when he caught up to him and tried to catch his breath.

"Ugh, you're so damn stubborn." Valor muttered. He then began to run again in the direction of the center of town.

Trace knew that was Valor's way of saying 'I don't like it, but go ahead and follow' and then continued until he caught up to the dragon.

Trace and Valor got there first and the first thing Valor did was as soon as he saw Scythe he ran in at him and hit him with his muscular tail, knocking the big cat to the ground. It really took all he had not to just slice that murderer open right then and there. Valor's dragon eyes glared at the liger, hatred burning behind them.

Rain, Rook and Flash arrive at the scene. The sound of guns readying to fire made all of them freeze up, except for Valor, who was still staring Scythe down, but stepped in front of the kids to protect them.

Trace looked at them all, shocked. "What? You're all taking his side? He's the one that killed Claymore! You should be pointing your guns at him not us!"

Scythe had already picked himself off of the floor. "You're gonna believe what a few kids tell you?"

"I trust my team Scythe…" Valor then gave the liger an accusing look. "…which is more than I can say for you." The dragon wasn't going to take his eyes off of Scythe for even a second. He knew how fast and strong the liger was.

The liger smiled wickedly. "Oh, I'm not denying that I didn't kill Claymore. However I would think that you would teach your apprentices the rules of life…Only the strong survive. You see, look around you. All of these Mobians are prepared to protect me…because they're afraid of what would happen if they step out of line. The question here is, Val, what are you going to do about it?"

The dragon's gaze shifted to the teenagers behind him, he then returned his gaze to the murderous cat before him. "Nothing." He then turned around and started walking away. "Come on, lets go."

"What that's it? You're just gonna let him get away with this?" Trace yelled with anger.

"Trace…" Rain whispered. "Don't forget, Caper's still in intensive care, we have to be there for him."

Rook joined in with a hushed tone. "She's right, and you can't do that if you're all dead. Leave it for now, we'll think of something."

As they walked away, Trace shot back a hateful look toward Scythe, who returned it with a wicked smile. The wolf could feel his fur begin to stand up as he fought back the urge to lash out against the murderous traitor.

Back at the infirmary, the group had made it back to Caper's room. The wallaby was awake and the teens filled him in on what happened at the center of headquarters.

Caper's eyes were wide open. "They did what?"

"That's what happened." Trace nodded.

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me mate?" He looked to Rain. "He is kiddin' right?"

Rain shook her head.

Rook answered for her. "Believe me, we wish that this was some kind of sick joke, but it's true. They all took Scythe's side, the whole lot of them."

Caper sighed. "This isn't happening." The wallaby then noticed Valor walk in and the others followed his gaze.

"Rook, Flash, come with me. I need to talk to you two. Rain, you might wanna come as well."

The three looked at each other and then looked at Trace and Caper.

"I'll be right back." Rain said before she left out the door to follow her teacher, the two cats followed close behind.

After the three teens walked through the door, Valor looked at Trace. "You…stay."

The wolf crossed his arms. "I'm not a dog, Val."

Caper nearly laughed.

"Still, don't go anywhere." The dragon then gave him a light smile and then closed the door.

Trace allowed a long drawn out sigh escape him. He then looked at his comrade across from him.

The wallaby gave him a smile. "Need an ear mate? I've got two."

The wolf looked at his friend. "How can you be so casual? You're not phased by any of this at all? I mean, do you need help dealing with all this?"

Caper gave him a slightly confused look. "This is me dealin' with this, Trace."

Trace's eyes widened a little. "Oh. Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No no Mate, you're 'aight. Believe me." His ears lowered, but only a little. "You were still passed out, so you didn't see much."

The wolf leaned against the wall and closed his eyes a minute. He wouldn't admit it, but he was exhausted. Rain and Valor were right, he shouldn't have been up and about at all.

"Remember that one time you asked about the shackle on my leg and I told you I didn't remember where I got it?"

Trace returned his gaze to him. "Yeah."

"Well, I remember…In fact I never forgot it. I just wasn't comfortable talking about it."

"Why not? You know all about Rain and I."

"Eh, just didn't wanna bother anyone."

The wolf almost laughed. "Trust me, more things have bothered me than a sad back story." Not gonna name any names…Nikki.

Caper let out a cleansing sigh and then began to talk. "Well, it all started back home."

"In Station Square?"

Caper laughed. "No, Downunda."

Trace smiled. "Sorry, continue."

"It was one of the first places that the metal heads hit before the whole war actually started. My family and I managed to escape. But soon after that, Me mum and I were captured. I was too young to know exactly what was going on back then, but I understand it all now. Anyway, me mum protected me and…well, you can put the pieces together.

"Yeah, same thing that happened to me. I get ya." Trace nodded.

"Me dad came and got me out, but he was too late to save her."

Trace's ears started to lower. Caper read his look. "Yeah I know, you're sorry. You don't have to say it."

The wolf actually liked that Caper could read him like a book. It made talking about things like this a lot easier.

"But you know the one thing I always remembered growing up…it was what she would've wanted. Me mum wouldn't have wanted me to be sad or frightened. She would've wanted me to live my life. And that's what me dad wanted for me too. That's why no matter what happens, I'm me."

Trace sighed. "I really envy you, Pal. There's no way I could pull that off. Too much shit has happened in my life for that." He then looked back at the door. "I'll tell you this much. As soon as I'm strong enough, Scythe is-"

"Okay wait mate. Let me stop ya right there. You're missin' the point here."

"And what point is that?"

"This whole 'eye for an eye' business…it doesn't make any sense. Think about it mate, what's killin' the guy gonna do huh? Absolutely nothin'. It's not gonna bring me dad back and it's not gonna bring Clay back either. All it's gonna do is make you no better than he is. And let me tell ya somethin' mate, with your sense of honor, that guy can never measure up to you. Believe me, when the time comes, we'll kick his ass, but when we do…we'll do it right."

Trace's eyes were wide. He couldn't believe this was coming from Caper, the carefree guy in the whole group. The wolf then smiled. "Wow, where the heck did all that come from?"

"I think I saw it in a movie once." Caper was totally joking and he gave his friend a smile.

Author's Note: Omg, I'm horrible. Don't worry, We'll check back with these guys later.

Next Chapter, we pick up right where we left off in Chapter 26 and finally figure out what Nikki needs to talk to Gyro about.

For update information...check my profile :)