A/N: Thanks to ChasexJinjaForever and monsuno power for the reviews. Glad you liked it considering it was more of a filler for what's to come. (And thanks for the comfort. I really needed it .)
Because of that, this chapter is looong. If only because I really just wanted to get to a certain point at the end (which you'll soon find out), and kept getting inspired.
Enjoy!
It didn't take a long time to get back into the mountains of Mandala. Throughout the whole time, Six couldn't help but feel reluctant about the whole thing. As their group moved through the snow, he didn't hesitate to slow down and seem to get caught in it. Currently, it was him, his father, that old guy the Bookman, and two of the Hand of Destiny. The smaller one Six didn't mind as much (Exi, if Six remembered right). If anything, it was their leader, the teen with the brown hair, that bothered him the most. The other three were sent somewhere else, though as long as it wasn't close to him and his father, the clone didn't care.
"Six! Hurry up! We're not going to bother fishing you out of the snow!" Klipse bellowed ahead. He, on the other hand, was extremely excited about the newest development in their plan.
Yes. Of course he would be. Six knew the reason, but also hated that. As he hurried along, he couldn't help but think how much he hated this plan in general. When he spoke privately to his father, there was little doubt about what it would be about. Sure enough, it had to do with Chase Suno.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Like usual, Klipse had a plan for world domination, but did not see him ruling with others by his side. No, he only saw himself standing at the top. Leading the world to destruction with his monsuno army.
These people from the Hand were just like everybody else in that sense. Only pawns to be used for the moment until everything fell into place. They would be the ones to catch Chase off guard, and they would be the ones who would most likely suffer a defeat at his hands. In the meantime, Klipse would be working on how to control monsuno through something called the 'shadow effect.' There was only one problem that stood in the way.
"… I think we're almost there," bookman huffed, no doubt tired from the trek though the mountains. Six had crept his way back to the group, keeping a steady eye on the two draped in black. Especially with his… Instrument in his large bag he had hauled up the mountain.
He didn't forget what he had done to the other one in the ruins a long time ago -the one that looked so similar to the woman with the long brown hair- and doubted that they had forgotten as well. Six was reminded that every time he glanced at one of them, if only because that was his mission. Keep a close eye on them, and either find out what made them monsuno-hybrids, or destroy them.
He wouldn't fail. Not when his father was counting on him, and not with their lives in possible danger.
"Here we are," the bookman said with a sigh as they reached the top of the cliffside. There was a large cave ahead of them, which most likely led to some part of the library.
"And this leads straight inside?" Klipse asked, already walking towards it.
"Of course," the other man huffed, "It was the entrance I created to break inside the library the first time after all. If anyone did know about it, then it would've still been in the hands of the monks."
As they got further inside, they lit two lanterns, revealing a rather demolished pathway. Six couldn't help but stare at the large bits of wall that had been blasted away, no doubt from the creation of this tunnel.
"… What did happen to them? To the monks I mean," the raven-haired boy asked curiously, something Six was thinking of doing as well. He never really understood anything in this world besides monsuno and the fight against Chase. That's all he was allowed to know...
The bookman raised a brow, stopping for a moment and shrugged, "Something I doubt a child like you would want to know. Let's just say there are only two that managed to crawl out of reach. I guess three if we're including your… Companion."
"She doesn't think of herself that way," the brown-haired teen, Ehna, responded sharply, then followed Klipse, "now hurry up. We're waisting time."
The rest of the walk was quiet, with only the sounds of their footsteps and the faint dripping of water to accompany them. Six felt a chill, and shivered a bit, bringing his thick coat closer around. The experience of snow was new, but not exactly welcoming. He preferred the desert. Soon, they came to a more refined tunnel that slowly transitioned into a hall until they finally reached a large steel door.
The bookman stepped forward, marching up to the panel to the side, quickly tapping a few buttons. A small beep resounded, and the door swung inside.
"We're almost to the main halls now," he said, "We have to work fast unless you want S.T.O.R.M. to catch on. Not that I would mind taking the library back for the third time."
"It shouldn't come to that," Ehna said, crossing his arms. He looked over to the boy, who grumbled under his breath. The two of them walked ahead of the group, not bothering to signal any of them to follow. The group did regardless. As they approached the hall where voices could be heard, their pace slowed to a stop.
Two guards walked by, probably on patrol. However, they didn't seem to interested in looking around as they continued to talk to each other instead. Otherwise, they might've seen the five.
In a flash, the two leading bolted out and tackled the two guards to the ground. One was out cold immediately as the other was pinned down, his arm being held up in the air by the raven-haired boy.
"Wh-Who are you two?" the soldier stuttered out, trying to reach for something with his free arm. Exi huffed, and twisted his arm tighter, making the soldier stop. The brown-haired teen leaned down next to him, making sure to disarm his weapon before speaking.
"Where are the scrolls being kept?" he asked. The soldier didn't respond, and Ehna nodded to the boy. He twisted harder. Six winced at the strangled noises the soldier was giving, knowing that his arm would probably break at any moment.
"Well? The scrolls of the Five Tribes. Where are they?"
"…Th-There… Ah! In the… West… Agh! West stacks!" the soldier finally said as cracking could be heard, "Agh! Let go!"
Without a word, Ehna kicked the soldier in the side of his head just as Exi let go, knocking them out cold. He turned back to the bookman.
"Which way is the west stacks?"
The bookman grinned darkly. For the rest of the way, the group traveled swiftly, only stopping when another guard would swept past. Six couldn't help but linger a bit longer then the others, as he started to listen to some of the conversations going on. He heard something about 'Suno,' except it wasn't Chase, which made him curious. Did it have to do with Dr. Suno? Would it be worth finding out more if his father could use that information?
Six looked ahead and saw Klipse creeping up the staircase behind the other three. He looked back down one of the halls where some guards were talking. It probably wouldn't take that long to eavesdrop a little.
Slowly, he tiptoed just to the corner where he could hear, staying as quiet as possible.
"… And that was after Tallis escaped," one of the guards said.
"Wow. Must be tough up there on the cloud carrier," the other said, stretching a little, "Good thing we're down here. Can't imagine having to deal with all that."
"Not to mention that stuff going on with Suno," the first guard continued, Six perking up at the name, "I heard his wife is in the hospital, and the Commandant wants more security up there because of it."
Six raised a brow. A… Wife? He heard that before, but didn't quite know what that implied. Was she important to Chase?
"Six!" The clone jumped, looking over to see Klipse glaring at him from the staircase, "Get over here, now!"
"Did you hear that?" one of the guards said. Six didn't bother to find out, and ran over to the stairs. He wasn't being quiet, and only after a few steps did he hear shouting from behind.
"You there! Stop!"
"Now you've done it!" Klipse hissed. They ran up, catching up with the others as they stood outside one of the larger rooms. The bookman glanced over as they continued to run.
"Where did you two go-"
An alarm blared throughout the halls. S.T.O.R.M. had been signaled. With a annoyed groan, Ehna threw the doors open and ushered them inside before throwing them closed again.
"Exi, barricade the doors," he ordered, then turned to the bookman, "Where would the scrolls be kept?"
The bookman didn't waste time. He marched up towards the middle case, peering inside. He went over to the next, and then another, being careful the whole time. Banging started behind them, the boy somehow dragging one of the bookcases in front of it. Six watched wide-eyed, only looking over when he heard his father make a noise. Sure enough, he was also watching.
"Six," he whispered lowly, "Whatever you do, make sure to keep an eye on those two especially."
The teen didn't protest, only nodding diligently. Klipse grabbed his arm and brought him closer.
"I mean it," the man hissed, "You know what you have to do. If you mess this up, I'll make sure you're the first 'successful' experiment to go."
Six nodded again, feeling of dread creeping up on him at the reminder. He put a hand on his bag, feeling the cold metal even through the fabric. Klipse stood up, and walked over to join Ehna and the bookman with their search.
The gauntlet. The thing that Six had to use in those ruins before when confronting the Hand of Destiny. He could still remember that woman's screams as she was turned to dust, though it hardly disturbed him. They weren't human after all, so it was easy for him to simply destroy. The teen stood, looking over to the others.
He knew that as soon as Chase was in their grasp and the monsuno were under Klipse's influence, he would be the one to destroy the rest of the Hand of Destiny.
He was caught up in his thoughts, and didn't realize that the boy had crept up on him. He tried getting Six's attention, and eventually grew bored of being ignored.
"Oi. Weirdo," he said, making Six jump. Exi pointed to his arms, "What's in the bag?"
Instead of responding, it was easier for Six to ignore him, and walked over to join the others. The boy pouted, folding his arms tightly together.
"Found them!" the bookman exclaimed with glee, holding one of the scrolls up for all of them to see. Klipse and Ehna ran over, gazing down at the writing as the older man unfurled them. The three stood silently, reading over the text quickly.
"… What does it say father?" Six asked, unzipping his coat as it got hotter in the room all of a sudden. Klipse didn't respond, eyes narrowing as they scanned the paper.
"… No wonder Charlemagne couldn't use them," Ehna said, picking it up, 'It's in the language of the ancients. She couldn't use these even if she tried."
"So what does it say then?" Klipse asked, casting a glance over to the door as the banging got more frequent.
"It says something about the original five tribes," Bookman said, tracing along some of the inscriptions, "Something about ruins. Bah! I can't read this."
The wooden doors creaked, hinting that they would give way any at moment. Klipse grabbed a core, and glanced over to Six to do the same.
"Hold on Doctor," Ehna said, scooping up the scrolls into his arms, "We have what we need. And it would be unfortunate to be caught by S.T.O.R.M. after getting out so soon."
Klipse growled under his breath, but didn't protest.
"Bookman. What's the closest way out?"
"A path way right under here actually," Bookman replied, walking over to one of the bookcases. He pulled a book back and pressed behind it. There was a 'click', and one of the cases that held the scrolls moved to the side, revealing a staircase, "I found this one after Suno first arrived here. The sneaky little monk was using it to get back and forth between the outside and here."
The other four peered inside, seeing how dark it immediately got down the stairs. There was a loud 'bang' outside, and they looked back to see the door caving in.
"No more time," Ehna said, gesturing towards the steps. Bookman walked right through to lead. Klipse looked like he was hesitant on going inside for some reason, which Six found odd.
"… Scared of the dark, Klipse?" the teen joked. The man shot him a look. Before either of them could respond, the door split down the middle, leaving space for the soldiers as they threw something inside. It rolled towards the middle of their group, beeping twice before releasing a plume of gas.
"Gah! What is…" Klipse started, then coughed a bit. Six tried looking over the clouds to find his father, but suddenly found it hard to see, his vision getting blurry.
"They're getting through!" Ehna shouted, followed by footsteps, "Exi! Make sure they don't follow!"
Six tried to follow the other teen's voice, knowing that was where the stairs were. Before he could reach them, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked over to see Klipse trying to stay steady.
"Now… Now's your chance!" he said, eyes a bit more crazed as he tried not to breath too heavily. He looked over towards the door. Six followed his gaze, seeing the gap in the door getting wide enough for a soldier to get through.
"B-But-"
"Not that you fool!" Klipse hissed, then grabbed the handles of the bag that Six had been carrying. He grabbed the clones chin and faced him back towards the middle of the room. It was then that Six had realized that the only ones left in the room were him, his father, and the boy, who seemed to be distracted as he looked around in the smoke towards the soldiers
"Use it!" Klipse hissed through his teeth before coughing heavily, shoving the bag into the teen's arms, "Then we'll only have that other one to deal with! Don't follow unless you succeed!"
Klipse stumbled away, leaving Six alone, bag in his arms. He gripped it tighter, hearing the soldiers finally get through. He felt confused. Should he focus on the soldiers, or the task he was given? Was he allowed to use his monsuno, or was it better to be silent and get it over with?
"Freeze!" someone shouted. Six stood there, slowly turning to see a gun pointed at him.
HLP
When Chase left the room in a hurry, Beyal had to admit that there was something in his eyes that was wrong. At first he thought it was panic, but found that it seemed more like fear, which was understandable. There was no warning that something would happen to Mrs. Suno, and since those people from the Hand of Destiny managed to get on board before, who knows what happened to her. Still, he didn't have time to think about it. The others were still waiting, and Beyal figured it was best to go back and tell them about Chase. None of them really had an answer beside 'go after him,' and that eventually led them to sneaking aboard a cloud hopper they had seen their leader creep onto just moments before.
Now, they were all silently sitting along as Axistown slowly came into view, city lights brightening the dark below them.
As they started to approach one of the more open areas to land, Beyal couldn't help but ponder on his lack of visions lately. Asking Chase was out of the question right now, especially with how distraught he probably was, and when he tried to meditate back at the cloud carrier there wasn't much to see (as far as he could remember). The monk shook his head lightly, knowing the answers would come when they needed them most.
The ship landed without any problems, tucked away behind some of the taller buildings just in case.
"Alright," Chase said as they got out, stretching his arms a bit, "So. Which way?"
"Rumor has is that Eklipse peeps were spotted around here," Dax said, shoving his hands in his pockets in a typically fashion, "We could probably spilt up to cover more ground."
"Good idea," Jinja nodded, "I'll go with Chase, and Bren and Beyal can go with you."
The others nodded, until Chase made a sound of protest.
"Ah. Um. Actually," he interrupted, fidgeting in his place,"Maybe I could go with Bren and Beyal with this one."
Jinja raised a brow, but didn't say anything. Chase didn't offer a reason either, and instead started glancing around in the opposite direction. Everyone kept an eye on him for a minute. Jinja seemed reluctant to comply, if only to keep track of Chase in case he tried to run off on his own again(though Beyal could catch up just as easily). Bren probably wouldn't help in that department, but it was better that two people watch over Chase instead of just one. After a moment, Dax let out a sigh.
"Sure. Just leave me with the hot-head," he said jokingly, then regretted it as Jinja shot him a look. She huffed, and folded her arms together.
"No. It's fine," she snapped, "It'll give us 'bonding time'."
Bren started to snicker, knowing what that tone of voice probably meant (it was never anything good).
"Anyway," Chase said, "Let's keep going. I doubt we'll have a lot of time since S.T.O.R.M. is going to be on their way. We'll go east, you two go west."
The group nodded, and they went their separate ways. When it came to searching, it was hard to tell exactly what they were looking for. If anything, Beyal couldn't help but feel they were going in a rather careless manner of doing it. Sure he believed that they would be alright in the end, especially if fate was on their side, but there was still an unnerving feeling he got as they walked along.
Maybe it was because of his lack of knowing for what would become of them, but with these new enemies, it was hard to tell what was in store for them.
As the group rounded another corner into one of the main streets, Chase stopped as they came to an intersection, glancing in the different directions.
"So. Um… What are we looking for exactly?" Bren asked, "I mean. I know we need to be looking for Klipse and any of his goons, but there doesn't seem to be anyone around."
Beyal looked around, and found himself agreeing. But there was still something wrong. The streets seemed a little too deserted, especially for this part of town. Considering they had just gotten there when it was early in the evening, there should be a lot of people walking around.
"… You're right, B," Chase said, looking around at the nearby shops who's lights were still on. He ran over, glancing around to see if there was anyone around. He came back, shaking his head, "Nobody. Not even the shopkeeper."
"Okay… That's definitely creepy," Bren said, then started to tap at his core tablet. He brought it along out of habit, which would probably be a good thing in the long run. Chase let out a sigh.
"Beyal, do you think you could try and get a vision as to where we should go?" Chase asked, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm… Not really sure what to do considering we can't ask anyone if they've seen something suspicious."
For a moment, the monk thought about saying something, but decided against it. There was no point in telling them about his lack of visions, not when they had other things to worry about. Instead, the white-haired teen sat down, crossing his legs and taking a steady breath. He focused only on breathing, and barely on the other sounds going on.
He couldn't quite get comfortable for some reason. There was tension where there shouldn't be, and a rather weird presence of someone else there. Occasionally, he would peek through his eyes and look around, only to see Chase and Bren still standing and looking around.
After what felt like minutes, he let out a sigh and opened his eyes.
"Well? What'd you see?" Chase asked as the monk rose to his feet.
"… Nothing. I'm afraid," Beyal responded, shaking his head. He was bothered by the way that he couldn't receive a vision, and was even more bothered by that feeling of dread that would creep up on him. He knew better at this point then to try and force himself to see something (not since the last time). So maybe...
"How long was I…"
"Only five minutes," Bren said, stopping his tapping as the tablet let out a sting of beeps, "Uh oh."
"What? What is it?" Chase asked, peering over his shoulder. Bren held up the tablet for him to take.
"It's uh.. Your dad," he said. Chase visibly stiffened, and picked up the tablet. His finger hovered over the call button, but quickly pushed down on 'end.' Both Bren and Beyal let out small gasps. It wasn't long before another call was made. Chase took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't hold it off.
"Let's try looking around the block one more time," he said, then shifted a little, "Actually. Can you guys go ahead? I want to talk to my dad in private."
Bren gave a worried look, but nodded. He started to walk down one of the streets, Beyal close on his heels. Just as they rounded the corner, the monk grabbed the other's arm, pulling him back over towards the street they came from.
"Eh? What're you doing?" Bren asked, then looked around the corner. He let out a groan, "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to overhear things."
"We're not overhearing, we're watching," Beyal said, then looked back to the other teen, "Or do you want Chase to run off without us?"
Bren scratched his cheek, then shrugged, "Good point."
The two looked over the side, keeping Chase in their view as he continued to press buttons on the Core Tablet. He didn't look like he was making a call, which was a little strange. Occasionally, the tablet would start beeping again, and he would get a panicked look.
"… Now you just got me curious. This isn't like him at all," Bren said, and started sneaking closer. They got within earshot, still being unnoticed by Chase.
The core tablet beeped again, this time, Chase gave a sigh, and answered.
"…Hello?"
"Chase? Is that you?"
It sounded like Jeredy.
"Y-Yeah. It's me," Chase said lightly,"Um… Did you need something?"
"Actually, I was looking for you. I need to take a look at Locke really fast," Jeredy responded, then paused for a moment, "I need to talk to you too. I'm going out to Axistown soon, you should go as well."
Bren and Beyal exchanged looks. Did the doctor not know that they had left? Why was he planning on coming here?
"Ah… Um…" Chase stuttered, "… Why do you need to look at Locke?"
Jeredy hesitated again, "I need to check up on something. I'll explain in person. I think you would want to hear this. Where are you?"
Chase didn't say anything, and he was turned away so the two couldn't see what he was doing.
"… Hey dad," he asked, "… How's mom doing?"
"Fine. As usual. Why?"
Chase didn't move.
"… Chase?"
"No," he said, "How is she doing?"
There was a pause on the other side, "… Fine? Did you want to talk to her? I'm sure she'd like to, though she's a little busy at the moment-"
With one swift motion, Chase held the core tablet high and smashed it against the concrete. It sparked a little, and a few pieces split from it, but it didn't shatter.
There was a silent pause before Bren let out an anguished sound.
"Chase! Why'd you break it?! You know my top score for Zombie Attack Max was on there!" he whined, running over and examining the damage. Chase looked surprised to see the two, but shook his head. He probably knew that was going to happen anyway.
"Is there something wrong, Chase?" Beyal asked, walking over as well, "You seem bothered."
"He's more then 'bothered'," Bren groaned, then stood up, hugging the tablet close to his body.
"Bren," Chase said slowly, "Do you remember that time, right after Jinja got Charger and we got that message from my father?"
"Yeah…?" the other replied, then thought for a moment, "Actually… Wasn't it Madea and Darkspin?"
Chase nodded, "Exactly. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling there's a reason why no one's around right now…"
It was only then did they all go quiet, glancing around at the shadows of the area.
"… So. Someone tried to pretend to be your father before?" Beyal asked.
"Yeah. Not surprised they'd try the same trick twice," Chase sighed, then scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry B. There's only one way to disable the communication on the tablet. And whoever is behind this is probably trying to track us down."
Bren grumbled, already examining the parts of the core tablet that was still together (which was the whole thing except for one of the corners that chipped away).
"What do we do now?" Beyal asked, "If they're after you, should we head back?"
Chase shook his head, "No. I have a feeling it has to do with Klipse. And since we're on the hunt for him, might as well play along. We just won't make it easy for them."
"But you already have!"
The three quickly turned around in time to see someone roughly land on one of the nearby cars. A familiar figure rose, dark hair sticking up wildly. Bren let out a groan.
"Of all the people, why did it have to be him," he said.
"I take offense to that!" Dom Pyro shouted, hopping off the car and tossing a core up and down, "But that hardly matters. Not when the little mouseys need to be collected!"
"I'm guessing your with Klipse," Chase said, "Is he here? What's he up to?"
"Not so fast little mousey," the assassin tutted, "It wouldn't be fun to reveal the end. How about you come along and find out yourself?"
The three of them exchanged looks. It looked like Klipse really was up to something here in town. They would just have to figure it out.
"How about I wipe the floor with you first!" Chase boasted, grabbing one of his cores. Dom Pyro burst out in laughter, also taking his core in hand.
"Sauro, launch!"
"Deepsix, launch-"
Chase stopped, his hand still tightly gripping onto the core as he stood frozen. Dom Pyro's core went zipping past them all, hitting the building on the far side behind them. From it emerged a red monsuno, one that wasn't typical for the assassin to have, but had the trace of Klipse all over it.
Bren skidded back a little as the monsuno let out a roar at them.
"Uh... Chase? Weren't you saying something about 'wiping the floor with him'?" he squeaked. Chase was motionless, still holding the core above as if he were going to launch it. Both Beyal and Bren looked to each other, then went to his side. Their leader's eyes were wide, as if he was seeing something else in front of them.
The monsuno behind them let out another roar. Bren let out a panicked sound as it spotted the group.
"Crush them my pretty pretty!"
"Chase! C'mon say something!" Bren exclaimed, shaking the other's shoulders as the monsuno charged forward. Without hesitating, Beyal grabbed one of his cores.
"Mysticblade, launch!"
Just as the monsuno edged closer, a burst of blue erupted into the air, stopping it in its tracks. Mysticblade let out a howl as the other beast hissed.
"Mysticblade, Medusa Glare!"
The was a flash, and Beyal turned back to the others. Chase had collapsed to his knees, now staring down at the ground with a dazed look. Bren was at his side, trying to ask what was wrong, but got no response. Dom Pyro let out a roar of laughter.
"What's wrong, little mouseys? Can't get it together?" he giggled. Beyal frowned, and turned back to the fight. The red monsuno was stunned, but only for a moment. They would have to act now.
"Mysticblade, this way!" Beyal shouted, knowing that it was better to flee then fight. Dom Pyro saw, and started to run over. The monsuno was faster, swiftly soaring over and helping the three up as they took flight. The assassin yelled after them, but couldn't do much as they rose higher into the air. As they started to glide more towards the more central part of the city, Beyal let out a sigh of relief.
"Chase," Bren said, still tending to their leader. Beyal turned around to see what was wrong as well. Chase's eyes were downcast, staring down at the core in his hand.
"… C'mon Chase. What was up? Why didn't you sick your monsuno on that guy?" Bren asked. The raven haired teen let out a sigh, eyes locked onto the core. When he looked back up, his eyes were bright, but also hollow.
"I… I said this before back at the cloud carrier, but I didn't think it was this serious," he said, "I… I can't spin out my monsuno."
HLP
When the two of them set out, it was easy to say that the night was going to be long. After all, they had just gotten there, and Chase probably wanted to sneak off as soon as he could, which was why he chose to go with the other two instead of them. At least that's what Dax thought. Jinja wouldn't hesitate to show Chase a piece of her mind, especially if he was going to be so reckless. Figures the guy would try and stay as far away from her and go with Bren of all people (someone who could hardly be called threatening).
"So. Where to?" Jinja asked as they walked down an alley, getting further and further away from the cloud hopper. Chances were, they wouldn't be able to use it to get back if Chase was planning on trying to stay as far away from S.T.O.R.M. as long as possible.
"Let's just look around here for a bit," Dax replied, gazing around as they reached the end that led into another street. This one was more narrow, but would lead back up to the main road eventually. It seemed like they were more in the construction side of town from the look of all the warehouses. At least they wouldn't attract too much attention.
"So… Why'd you want to come to Axistown anyway?" Jinja asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… You never suggest anything, unless you get something out of it," she said. Dax let out a laugh.
"You sure about that? After all, I'm a reformed man. Top S.T.O.R.M. operative and all," he joked. There was a lot of humor in that, seeing how he was now part of an organization that he avoided for the longest part of his life.
Jinja raised a brow. They went down another alley, this one more narrow then the last. It was quiet for the most part, and it was a little hard to tell what they were looking for as far as Eklipse activity. Dax half knew that going back to the old fighting rings would lead to nowhere. Especially since S.T.O.R.M. was patrolling those areas regularly ever since the Underground was taken out.
They stopped after a few minutes, getting to a dead end. As they turned around, Jinja paused for a moment.
"… Is something wrong?" Dax asked, turning back when he realized she wasn't following. She winced a little, holding a hand up to her head.
"N-No. I'm fine," she said, "Just a little… It's nothing."
He raised a brow, but shrugged it off. She was probably just tired or something.
"… Actually," she started, "… Was there a reason that you suggested to come here? It couldn't have been to just calm Chase down. And this is a little too specific of a place to start our search."
Dax could feel Jinja watching him from behind. She let out a sigh.
"Okay. Spill it. What's the real reason that you wanted to come out here to Axistown?"
"Like I said. Eklipse was spotted in the area, and since that's who Chase is lookin' for anyway, it just made sense to tell him," Dax said, not bothering to turn around. He knew that Jinja was getting better at reading him, but that didn't matter. He was speaking the truth (for the most part).
Jinja, seeming to be believe, shrugged, "Alright. So who told you then?"
"What?"
"Who told you about Eklipse being here?" she asked, "You probably didn't overhear it from a S.T.O.R.M. operative since you don't talk to them, and we haven't see anyone since getting here, and I really doubt you just 'happened' to know."
Dax frowned. How was he supposed to respond? Telling her about the phone call would just lead to more explaining (something he didn't feel up for at the moment), and there weren't a lot of people outside of their circle of friends that would know something like this...
"Ah…. Beyal told me," he said quickly, shuffling the ground with the toe of his shoe, "Back when I went to go get him before Mrs. Suno was sent to the hospital. Said he saw a vision 'bout the city. I just figured this was where he was talking about."
He turned around, seeing Jinja looking at him with a raised brow. She probably didn't believe him. Not that it mattered. Before she could say anything, there was a sound of something collapsing in the distance. They both jumped, taking a stance in case whatever it was came near.
Cackling erupted into the air.
"Of course," Jinja said, grabbing a core. Out of the shadows of the alley stepped the lean figure of a familiar woman, her hair pulled up and wearing sleek black clothes that helped mask her from the streetlights.
"Oh ho ho!" she said, "I was wondering when Suno's group was going to arrive! Just my luck it'd be the little girl and the lowlander."
"What're you doing here Madea," Dax growled, gripping Airswitch's core tightly. She started playing with the ends of her hair. There was a glimmer, and the two could see a red core in her palm.
"Just taking care of errands for you know who," she cackled, "I would've thought you'd know about that."
"About what?" Jinja asked, staring down the woman as she tossed her core up and down.
"The prize of course!" she said merrily, "First one to catch Suno and his group gets the prize! It's a mystery, but Dr. Klipse is wiling to go all in for this, which means it has to be important!"
There was clamoring behind, and the two teens turned to see the rest of Madea's goons appear in the ally. They were trapped.
"Well. No way out other then to fight I guess," Jinja said under her breath, glancing back and forth between the two exits. Dax, however, kept his eyes on Madea. Sending out their monsuno now wouldn't end well in such a tight space. Provoking her wouldn't do any good either, but maybe...
"So he's here then? Or was the good doctor too scared to make an appearance?" Dax asked. The woman shrugged.
"It's hard to say, but everyone who's anyone is coming to the city to try and best Suno," she said, then cackled loudly, "Of course, I'll be the one to get there first! Now just point me in the right direction and we can all go on our way. I won't even bother fighting you!"
Dax glanced around, seeing a few pipes close by and a ladder that led up to the roof tops. He would have to act fast. Jinja growled under her breath.
"Yeah right and why would we-"
The red-haired girl suddenly let out a gasp, gripping her head with both her hands.
"Jinja!"
"Hurry, grab both of them!" Madea shouted. Just as Darkspin ran forward, Dax kicked one of the pipes out of it's place, releasing steam into the alley. The group backed away from the two teens immediately.
"What're you waiting for you fools!" Madea exclaimed.
"Hurry! To the roof," Dax shouted, reaching down next to Jinja and uncovering a manhole. Darkspin could be heard yelling around and trying to get out of the steam. Dax pulled Jinja closer so that she could see what he was planning, and nodded. The two teens snuck down into the sewer, careful as to be silent. When they reached the bottom, it sounded like Madea and the rest had taken off towards the skies.
"Nice thinking," Jinja said, looking up towards the street that they left behind, "Why here though?"
"These pipes aren't used by too many people,"Dax said, "At least for traveling. I doubt we'll see any trouble down here… You alright?"
Jinja nodded slowly, trying not to move too fast. There was a sound of monsuno above them, and Dax quickly ran down one of the paths.
"Hurry, let's go!" he said.
"Wait. Why are we running?" Jinja panted out as they passed by a few other tunnels, "We can't leave Chase and the others out in the open!"
"They'll be fine, princess. I'm sure they could handle Madea," Dax said, nearly tripping as a rat ran by.
"That's not what I'm worried about," she said, "Something about what she said is bothering me. Everyone is coming to the city… How many people could Klipse possibly contact? There can't be that many Eklipse members left. Not after S.T.O.R.M. took down Grandma Future and-"
"There aren't," Dax interrupted, knowing where she was going. Jinja was probably thinking about the underground fighting ring, which took out a good chunk of people involved with Eklipse. Besides Madea, there were only a few left that Klipse could turn to. There was the crazy assassin Dom Pyro that he and Beyal had run into earlier that week, then the Desert Wolves, if they even counted. Knowing what they thought about monsuno, it was unlikely that those three would get involved. Which just left-
"Hold on!" Jinja exclaimed, and came to a halt. They were in a four way intersection, and she stopped as they got towards the tunnel just ahead.
"… What is it?" Dax asked. She didn't respond, glancing around at the other darkened corridors. There was a faint dripping, with some bustling outside, which was probably Madea. Dax got nervous as some of the sounds got closer. After a moment, it started to travel farther away. Dax let out a sigh. The woman had probably decided to stop following them, and most likely decided to go after Chase instead.
"Sounds like they're gone," Dax sighed, "C'mon. I bet we can go around and get to Chase and the others faster if we-"
"Shh!" Jinja snapped, still not budging. Dax raised a brow. She was more on edge then usual. As if in response, someone started to laugh down one of the darkened paths. At first Dax thought it was Dom Pyro, but then realized it was too different. Sure enough, someone stepped out of the shadows from the left.
The two teens immediately recognized the black cloak as the ones that the Hand of Destiny used. However, this person's hood was up, and it was hard to tell which one it was. Dax cursed under his breath.
"Who are you!" Jinja demanded, taking a core in her hand. There wasn't enough room to spin out without having the sewer collapse. And considering that they had just gotten away from Madea, and the last thing they needed was to be found.
"No one of interest at the moment," they said, then folded their arms, "you two don't look like you belong in a place like this. Where were you heading?"
Neither of them responded. From the sound of it, this person didn't know what they were doing down here, nor did they know that the two were with Chase. Their voice didn't sound familiar either. Perhaps they could use this to their advantage...
"Just got lost," Dax said casually, "We're on a bit of a date and all that. You wouldn't know the way out would you?"
Jinja turned to look at him with a mortified look, Dax trying not to look fazed to keep up the fib. The person burst into giggles.
"Yeah sure you were," they said, "Quiet the charmer then, eh? Ah well. Anyway, have you seen a guy with black hair and blue eyes somewhere around? You look like you could be around his age. Goes by the name 'Suno'?"
Dax exchanged a look with Jinja. His hunch was right. This person didn't know that they were with Chase.
"Sorry, can't say that we have," Jinja shrugged, then grabbed Dax roughly by the arm so that they could leave. The person didn't respond, which meant they were probably in the clear. They took two steps before another voice chimed in.
"They're ly'in'"
They stopped, a new voice echoing around them. Jinja quickly turned back around, seeing the cloaked person from before remove their hood. It was someone that they hadn't seen before, and was probably a little older then either of them. The guy ruffled his dark gray hair as it stuck up on one side. Jinja raised a brow, seeing a cloth tied around his eyes, which made her wonder how he managed to see them before.
Dax, however, was focusing more on the person who had just spoken, entering and walking right next to the cloaked figure.
He felt his heart drop, and his breath catch in his throat as a pair of familiar dark eyes locked into his own.
"… Spike?"
A/N: Review Review Review!