Author Note: This chapter is dedicated to Okami1001, Rangerapprentice, Shiningheart of ThunderClan, justareader12345, i. miss. beyblade, and MITT. CHAN.

Thanks for all the reviews.

And THIS is NOT the last chapter. ("Yay" I hear you say? XD lol sorry, I've just eaten about 5 of those drumstick lolly things one after the other. I think I might be a little hyper from all the sugar. But they just taste soooo good. Anywho am off topic here lol) There'll be another one after it. I suspect this is the second last, but as ever we'll see what happens.

Disclaimer: Beyblade belongs to Takao Aoki


Cold Competition

Chapter 29

Within a few hours there was an update on the news about the destroyed building. Several victims had been identified. Among the dead were Gideon and Dr B. There was a level of disappointment amongst the Blitzkrieg Boys that Boris wasn't amongst the fatalities but also some hope that he would still be found dead. The view may have been a bit on the dark side, but Boris had made their lives hell so it was understandable.

Having seen the report Kai stood up from the couch and left the room at a stiff walk. Stepping out into the hall he placed a hand over his mouth. He felt sick. When he'd broken into the lab he'd had every intention to destroy it and didn't care who got hurt. They were all criminals in his opinion. But to now know that he had actually killed people... It brought home a harsh reality that Kai himself was still dangerous. A weapon...

Ray moved to follow Kai without a word to the others. He remembered Kai telling him about when he'd first used Black Dranzer. About the deaths he'd accidentally caused. That incident had haunted Kai for years and Ray knew this one would affect him too. On top of that he could sense that Kai was affected. He didn't need to have seen Kai leave the room to tell that much.

Taking a shaky breath Kai glanced back over his shoulder. "Ray?" he asked quietly, wondering why the other boy had followed him out. Was he worried about him? Or disgusted by him?

Ray glanced back at the door. He wouldn't ask if Kai was alright because that would be redundant. Kai would claim to be fine when Ray knew better. Should he say that everything was going to be okay? No. That was a bit on the patronising side. He looked at Kai again. "I don't hate you for what happened. The others don't either. And you shouldn't hate yourself."

Kai stared at him for a long moment until something seemed to crack. A choked sound escaped from his throat as he closed his eyes and covered his face with both hands. Leaning heavily against the wall he slid down it to the floor and sat there, his breath hissing between his teeth. Ray moved to Kai's side sitting next to him and rested a hand on the older teen's shoulder. The Russian was trembling, pulling at his bangs as he tried to stop the pathetic choked sobs that were trying to escape. And when he finally spoke his voice was quiet and unsteady. "Everything's so messed up..."

"Yeah," Ray agreed. "But there's no doubt in my mind that you did what you had to."

"Did I?" Kai asked with a voice full of dread. "Was it really the right thing?" He sighed and hung his head. "I wish we were back in your White Tiger Hills. It was so peaceful there..." Kai chuckled somewhat mirthlessly. "I think I even miss Tao..."

Ray smiled a little. "You know, you don't have to try to hide how you feel. I can sense it for one thing and I'm not gonna tell anyone for another."

"I'm fine," Kai tried.

"I can sense how you feel, Kai," Ray reminded him.

Kai grit his teeth. "I shouldn't feel anything!" he hissed.

"Why? Is it because it's human to feel anything?" Ray asked pointedly.

"I'm not human anymore."

"That doesn't matter. Demons have feelings too."

"What do you know?" Kai asked with a growl. "You're only half demon. At least you can still be considered as human. You're lucky!"

"Lucky?" Ray asked quietly as he faced the opposite wall. "Have you forgotten how much contempt I face for being a half-cast? How much weaker I am compared to full demons? That they would hunt me for sport if I wasn't under the council's protection?" Ray looked at Kai again. He took a deep breath preparing himself to say something harsh to try and get through to Kai. "You're letting them win by pretending you're a machine. By denying your feelings and following the Biovolt training you're letting Boris and your grandfather beat you."

"I don't know anything else!" Kai said in a clipped tone. "It's not like I can just flip a switch and pretend I'm someone I'm not! No matter how hard I try I will always be a Biovolt soldier, a weapon." He looked away quickly not wanting Ray to see his face. "A killer..."

"I'll tell you what you are, and not the bullshit they've drilled into you, Kai. You're one of my closest friends. You're someone I trust completely. You always help me when I'm down, Kai. Always. You say you're a killer but you've also saved my life on more than one occasion. You also saved people who were supposed to be our enemies. You think little of yourself but I really look up to you. You know what else? You're Hilary's boyfriend. And since you two started dating you've both seemed happier. Now you can say soldier and that I will agree with. And there's nothing wrong with it. But you are not a weapon. I will not stand for you to cut yourself down like that because it's not true," Ray sighed calming himself after getting worked up. "Kai, you're a much person than you give yourself credit for. I just wish I could make you see that." Ray faced the opposite wall again.

A long, drawn out silence followed as each of Ray's words slowly sank in and registered in Kai's brain. He swallowed. "You... You're one of my closest friends too..."

Ray looked at Kai and grinned. "That's good to know," he commented hoping to lighten the mood now. At least Kai seemed to be thinking about what he'd said.

Kai finally looked back at Ray, his eyes slightly bloodshot and watery. "I'm scared, Ray..." he admitted shamefully. "Scared of what might happen. Scared of the future... Voltaire is still out there, and Boris. What if..." He looked down. "What if they succeed and get what they want? What if I can't stop them?"

"They can only win if you give up, Kai. And you have people you can turn to. We'll gladly help if you'll let us. All you need to do is ask."

Kai took another moment to compose himself, clearing his mind of everything and focussing on the flow of his energy. With a sigh he looked back at Ray. "I just needed to vent. I was feeling a bit stressed."

"That's perfectly understandable. Do you feel any better?" Ray asked.

"Mm," Kai confirmed with a nod.

"Good. I'm glad."

At that moment Kai's phone started ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it. It was one of his contacts with important information that Kai had asked them to find out. He spoke quietly on the phone in Polish for a few minutes then switched to German as someone else came on. Kai thanked the caller and hung up shortly after that, sighing quietly and leaning his head back against the wall.

"Are you alright?" Ray asked him.

"Yeah I guess so," Kai replied. "That was some friends of mine. I asked them to find out a few things and they just gave me the answers. About those bit beasts and beyblades that attacked us, as well as the hospital incident."

"And?" Ray prompted curiously. He wanted to know who was behind them too.

"It's all connected to Dr B and Boris according to them," Kai explained. "The bit beasts were experiments of Dr B's which didn't work out. And it was Boris who arranged for those men to break into the hospital. They were after me all along."

"It's just as well that Blader Z person turned up when he did," Ray commented.

"Yeah..." Kai mused quietly. "But there's something...off about him. I can't put my finger on it but I know there's something."

"It's all very mysterious, showing up out of the blue with a mask and alias. I wonder if we'll see him again and if we'll ever find out who he is. Behind the mask I mean. And why does he use your strategies and moves? How did he know about the attack in the first place to help you? I dunno about off, but I can't make heads or tails of him."

"We will see him again," Kai nodded. "Call it a gut feeling if you want. But I just know it."

"Well I hope we learn more about him when that time comes because I'm really curious," Ray commented.

"You and me both."

000

Having thought long and hard about what Kai had said, Tala came to a decision and approached the girls. "Cassie, could I have a word with you?" he asked cocking his head in a beckoning fashion to indicate that it would be just between the two of them. Cassie held back a nervous squeal and nodded, hoping she wasn't blushing too badly as she moved to follow Tala. After leading Cassie away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers, Tala leaned against a wall folding his arms. "I don't have a match tomorrow, so how would you like to spend the day away from the others, with me?" he asked the girl.

Despite her best efforts Cassie couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. "I'd really like that," she chirped, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I really would."

"Alright then," Tala nodded once. "How would you like to spend the day? I could show you sights, take you shopping and to lunch if you'd like?" he suggested, knowing it would allow for conversation between them. Something he'd need if he was going to get to know her better and vice versa.

"I'd like to go sight-seeing," Cassie agreed.

"That's what we'll do then," Tala stated as the decision was made and agreed upon.

Cassie smiled again brightly. "Great. Thanks, Tala."

Tala returned the smile, "My pleasure."

000

The entire stadium was shaking with the magnitude of the power it was housing. The large spotlights above had been destroyed and the floor had several massive cracks stretching across it. In the centre of the arena, up on the platform around the dish, the four warriors battled on, pushing back against each other with all their might, yelling at the top of their voices, trying to get every last ounce of power out of their blades.

The audience was silent in dumbstruck awe. Jazzman had almost been blown away and the judges' viewing gallery window had disintegrated long ago. Flashes of blue, red, purple and green erupted from the stadium every couple of seconds, accompanied by even more shock waves.

Then, in one last mighty explosion of power, it was over. Three of the blades slipped from the rim of the dish and went out, while the forth was lucky and managed to fall back in. For a moment, everything was still.

"It's over!" Jazzman shouted into his microphone as the crowd went wild.

Despite the rules being that if one member of the team was knocked from the stadium their partner would automatically lose, Mr Dickenson quickly made the decision and handed the victory over to the tag team who's one beyblade had survived. He knew it would be too risky to have another match, as the beybladers were all tired, their blades were badly damaged and the stadium wasn't much better.

"Please give it up for your tournament winners, Tyson and Max!" Jazzman exclaimed.

"Whoo!" Tyson cheered before dropping down to sit on the floor. "Man, that battle was the sweetest," he said breathlessly, feeling absolutely knackered.

"You got lucky," Kai panted, reaching over from where he was sitting and picking up Dranzer.

Tyson grinned. "Yeah, I think I did this time." He smiled down at Dragoon as his blade finally came to a stop in the centre of the destroyed dish.

"That was totally intense," Ray commented to the other three as he picked up Driger's blade.

"A lot of fun though," Max put in cheerfully. "We should do this again sometime," he added with a laugh.

"Yeah, somewhere with more space though," Ray stated as he looked around the building.

"I second that," Kai agreed, pushing himself back onto his feet. He looked at Dranzer in his hand. "Though, maybe it would be an idea to wait a while, before battling like that again." Kai's beyblade, like the rest of them, was badly damaged. Dranzer certainly wouldn't be spinning again anytime soon.

"The Chief is gonna totally flip out," Ray muttered as he examined his own blade.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine about it," Tyson commented. "He likes working on our blades."

Kai smirked and turned away. "Well I'm outta here before the fans start flooding down from the stands to congratulate you, Tyson." It was a well-known fact that Kai tended to make himself scarce once crowds appeared.

"On your own?" Ray asked.

"Back to our locker room," Kai answered. "You guys can come if you want." Ray glanced back to see Max and Tyson greeting the fans, Tyson in particular, and followed Kai with a shrug. "Better luck next time I guess, huh?" Kai said as the pair headed down through the tunnel towards the locker rooms. "We were so close."

"It's still a Bladebreaker victory," Ray commented optimistically despite his own disappointment. He didn't like losing, but at least he could be happy for his friends.

"Fair point," Kai nodded. They were almost at their room when they were suddenly confronted by a familiar figure. It was the masked beyblader who'd teamed up with Zeo last minute. He was standing just a couple of feet away from Kai and Ray looking at the Russian silently. "You again..." Kai said quietly with a frown.

"You were right," Ray commented to his teammate quietly, his tone caught between being surprised and impressed.

Kai nodded distractedly, stepping forward to confront the unknown boy before them. "What do you want?" he asked.

The masked boy sighed. "To talk... I haven't been completely honest with you."

"You're damn right you haven't," Kai growled. "How the hell did you know about that attack in the hospital? And why did you copy my strategy against Ray in that match?"

"I was trying to tell you without actually saying anything. It was too dangerous to do so, until now."

Kai blinked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ray looked back forth between them feeling more than a little confused. "All I'm able to make out from that is that he has something to do with you," Ray told Kai quietly, "Which really doesn't tell us much."

"I wanted to tell you sooner," the boy spoke quietly with a hint of sadness. "But it was too dangerous. I had no choice but to wait."

"For what?" Kai asked impatiently. "Just spit it out already!" Sighing again the boy looked back at them then removed his mask. Kai stopped breathing, his body going numb with shock as his eyes widened. The colour drained from his face and he had to take a step back to steady himself. It...can't be...

"Wyatt?" Ray exclaimed in shocked disbelief. Was he imagining it?

The boy before them swallowed nervously. "Hey guys," he greeted quietly.

Ray tried unsuccessfully to speak for a moment before asking "You're alive?" in a slightly higher pitch than normal due to his shock. How could Wyatt be here? There had been a funeral, he hadn't been to it and neither had Kai, but there had been notices. There had been visitors to the grave leaving flowers and notes all signed by classmates. There'd even been a mention of it in the obituaries. If Wyatt had faked his death, then why had the hospital gone along with it? How deep did the whole thing go? Who was behind it? Why?

Wyatt nodded. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do. But please hear me out. I've been so cut off and lonely these last few months, so please don't push me away or be angry. Please... Kai?" Wyatt gave the Russian a begging look, hoping for recognition, but Kai was still frozen in absolute shock.

Ray glanced between them. "Wyatt, everyone thought you were dead. There were announcements made and everything. There's a grave! Why? What happened?" he asked.

The boy sighed and looked at the floor. "Not all of the staff at the hospital were shall we say genuine. Some of them were moles placed there by Dr B. They decided that I had made too much progress with the cyber bit beast program for them to just let me go. So they smuggled me out of the hospital and into hiding while the moles took care of everything else at the hospital. I was taken away and treated by their top scientists in a secret lab where they managed to reverse the effects that Cyber Dranzer had on me over a period of time. They wanted to use me again as a weapon against Kai, because they knew how much my death had affected him. You guys were being watched. I know you were attacked by strange bit beasts on at least two occasions. I wanted to do something to help instead of being forced to fight you. So a few weeks ago I managed to escape. Then I heard you were here in Moscow for the tournament and I came here. But Dr B was still after me so I had to keep my identity a secret." Wyatt looked up from the floor. "Please believe me. There was nothing else I could do. The only reason I'm showing my face to you now is because I know Dr B is dead."

Ray was stunned at the news and looked at Kai. "Kai," he gasped alarmed that the older teen didn't even appear to be breathing right now and slapped his back to try to snap him out of it.

The result was immediate. A breathless cough escaped Kai's mouth as he hunched over taking several deep breaths to get air back into his empty lungs. He saw stars and his ears were ringing. He'd just completely blanked out there unable to believe his eyes that Wyatt was alive and standing right in front of him. He leaned one hand on his knee while the other covered his mouth as he coughed. After a moment he glanced sideways at Ray. "Thanks," he said in an almost whisper.

"Anytime," Ray murmured before looking at Wyatt again. "I'm sorry, Wyatt, I realize I'm being rude staring at you like this," he commented averting his gaze slightly. "I just can't believe you're actually here. Alive."

Wyatt smiled kindly. "I understand. It's a lot to take in." Once again he looked at Kai. "I am sorry. I used your attack patterns against Ray to try and get your attention. I knew I wouldn't last long in the tournament so I had to do something quick."

Finally starting to get over the initial shock, Kai stood up again and removed his hand from his mouth. Stepping forward he hesitantly reached out a hand and touched Wyatt's shoulder. Blinking when he made contact Kai finally took what he was seeing as being real. Not just a cruel hallucination. He swallowed. "It's... It's good to see you again, my friend."

Something in Wyatt's eyes lit up and he placed his own hand on Kai's outstretched arm. "And you." It was only then that Kai finally managed to crack a smile.

"This news is better than winning a tournament," Ray commented to Kai before facing Wyatt. "You just came along and snatched Tyson's thunder. He doesn't even know. I love that. This has got to be the biggest piece of news this year. Kai mentioned you'd been getting worse and the last I saw you, well, it's great that you're looking so much better."

Wyatt laughed cheerfully. "I'm just glad to be here."

"Believe me, it's good to have you back," Kai told him. "Now things can go back to the way they were, Wyatt. You still want me to help you with your training?"

Wyatt positively beamed. "You bet I do." Hearing something Ray glanced back over his shoulder and gasped before pushing Kai and Wyatt into the locker room without a word and leaned against the door to keep it shut once he'd followed them in.

"What the hell?" Kai asked quietly looking round at Ray.

"Fangirls," Ray answered simply.

"Ugh, the bane of our existence," Kai muttered and looked at Wyatt. "Don't become a world class beyblader or you'll be stalked by mobs for the rest of your life."

Wyatt laughed. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way, my vote's on climbing out a window," Ray commented.

"Too predictable. They'll spot you," Kai said. "Our best bet is to stay put. They're not allowed in the locker rooms and they know that."

"Great, so we're stuck here," Ray commented with a sigh. Outside the girls could be heard chattering loudly. "This is so embarrassing," Ray complained, able to clearly make out a lot of what was being said. "D'you think the Blitzkrieg Boys could scare them away?"

Kai glanced around and spotted a fire alarm on the wall. He smirked. "I have an idea."

"Well get on with it because they're talking about marriage out there," Ray told him.

Kai nodded and moved over to the smoke alarm. But rather than doing the predictable thing and setting it off, Kai pulled the whole panel off the wall to get access to the wires. "This should be the one," he mused, pulling a wire out and connecting it to another. Within seconds the fangirls outside were screaming and quickly made a run for it.

Wyatt then peeked out through the door and was surprised to see all the hallway sprinklers on. "Kai, you're unbelievable," he said with an amused shake of his head.

"Kai, you're a genius!" Ray cheered.

"Why, thank you," Kai smirked.

"Hey, is there a fire or something?" Tyson's voice drifted in from the corridor. "Why are the sprinklers on?"

"I dunno," Max could be heard replying. "Wait, didn't Kai and Ray go down here a few minutes ago? We'd better make sure they're okay!"

"Here comes trouble," Ray commented to Kai, still amused by the whole sprinklers thing. Just thinking about how the pair would react when they saw Wyatt only added to that amusement.

"Should I be nice and put the sprinklers off?" Kai asked.

"But Kai, there's irony in leaving them on. It's raining on their parade, literally," Ray told him. "And that's too funny to miss."

Kai grinned darkly and nodded. "I like your thinking."

"Kai, Ray, are you guys okay?" Max asked as he and Tyson rushed into the locker room and before either of them could register who was there. Both of them were wet from the sprinklers.

Kai couldn't help but snigger at the state of them both and nodded, "Better than okay."

"We wondered because you guys disappeared without a word and then there were all the sprinklers on and we thought something..." Tyson trailed off awkwardly. "False alarm!" he announced brightly, taking the time to look around the room then yelled in fright or shock when he saw Wyatt and slapped both hands over his mouth, at which point Ray practically squeaked, as he tried not to laugh, before doubling over in hysterics. It was great to have already gotten over the shock and be able to enjoy the funny side of another person's reaction.

"Aaahhhh!" Max yelled, hiding behind Tyson, "Ghost!"

"I'm not a ghost," Wyatt informed them both. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

"I'll explain everything later," Kai spoke up before Tyson and Max could start bombarding them with questions.

"We've got a lot to celebrate," Ray commented brightly.

"Yeah! Party!" Max cheered before sneezing. He giggled. "Once we've changed out of these wet clothes."

Ray laughed. "Yeah, we were, um, escaping the fangirls."

"Ah, so that's the reason," Tyson mused with a nod. "That's pretty sneaky."

"It's also brilliant and Kai's a genius for thinking of it," Ray replied. "My ideas including trying to have Tala and Bryan scare them away and climbing out the window." Tyson and Max laughed while Kai retrieved his stuff from his locker. With the tournament over and done with he was keen to get back to the base. And now that Wyatt was back, Kai also wanted to get a chance to catch up with his friend. He had missed Wyatt and it was wonderful to have him back. Ray, Max and Tyson also collected their things before the group headed to meet up with Lee, Mariah, Hilary, Cassie and the Blitzkrieg Boys. They headed back to the base with Wyatt.

000

When the truth about Wyatt was explained and out of the way Tyson was eager to celebrate his and Max's victory. Mr Dickenson joined the teens to congratulate all who had participated on trying their best and to let them know how proud he was of them all. As ever, he would be taking care of the flight arrangements and he urged the youngsters to take it easy for the time being.

The plan was for them to leave Russia within a few days, the sooner the better. Voltaire and Boris were still a very real threat. These plans were foiled, however, when the next morning revealed that a few of their number were missing. Hilary, Mariah and Cassie had all vanished without a trace. Close examination revealed that the carefully set up security of the base had been tampered with, from the outside.

No one could believe it. Somebody had broken through the base security without disturbing any of them in any way. On top of that the girls were missing and the very natural conclusion was that something had happened to them in the night. But who could have done it? And why would they? The guys were far from happy at their predicament and they needed to find out the answers and get the girls back soon.

The biggest problem was trying to figure out where the girls were. Kenny and Dizzi had already tried and failed to find their current location by tracking their phones but they were all turned off.

Kai stared out the window as some of the others discussed their options, feeling his insides twist uncomfortably. Dranzer and Black Dranzer were both restless in the back of his mind, desperate to do something and yet knowing they were both powerless to help. Not until the group knew more about the situation. Even Kai's contacts were drawing blanks. Growling, Kai pressed his forehead against the glass. They needed a plan and fast.

"Who could have done this?" Max wondered aloud. "And why?"

"Whoever it is, they're going to pay for it," Bryan said, slamming one fist into his other hand. "So why are we just standing around here?"

"Because we don't know where they are?" Tyson responded, pacing and fidgeting impatiently.

"I'm a tracker!" Bryan exclaimed. "I could have found them by now! We're wasting precious time."

"Do you think you can still find the trail?" Ray asked Bryan quietly and hopefully. With the lack of answers he was at a complete loss for what to do. He should have protected Mariah. That was his responsibility as her boyfriend. How could someone just... spirit her away like that without any sort of alarm being raised until it was too late?

"I'll give it a damn good shot," Bryan replied.

"But, what if that's what they want?" Max asked. "Maybe we should wait for them to contact us with a ransom or something?"

"And what if there is no ransom?" Ray asked in return, before facing Bryan again. "Please do."

Bryan nodded and started towards the door. "Wait!" Kai said suddenly, still facing the window. Bryan paused and looked back curiously. It wasn't like Kai to just speak up like that. Not without a reason.

"Kai?" Ray asked, also turning to face him curiously.

Kai kept his back turned to them all, his eyes fixed on the slightly frosted glass in front of him. It couldn't be...could it? Then again, it would make sense. This was all part of some sick, twisted game. The ones responsible had just made their move and now it was Kai's turn. A cold, heavy knot developed in his chest. "Spencer. Get your guns. We're going to need them." Spencer nodded and left the room to retrieve them.

"Do you know where they are?" Tyson asked.

Kai nodded as he turned away from the window. "They're being kept just outside of Moscow, in an old monastery." He glanced at Tala. "Ground zero, as we called it."

"Son of a-" Tala bit out.

"So we can go rescue them then!" Tyson's voice drowned him out.

"You, Max and Kenny are staying here," Kai said firmly.

"WHAT?" Tyson exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"Sounded pretty serious to me," Lee commented. Ray nodded with sound of agreement in his throat.

"What about them?" Tyson asked Kai, gesturing to Ray and Lee.

"No way am I standing by when my little sister is in danger," Lee pointed out savagely.

"He didn't mean anything by it, Lee. Calm down," Ray told him quietly.

"How can I calm down when my sister's missing!" Lee snapped.

"I know, Lee, but we're going to get her back," Ray replied.

Kai nodded. "You're staying here, Tyson. End of story. It's too dangerous."

"But they're my friends too," Tyson protested.

"End of story means this conversation is over," Ray told Tyson. "No offence, but you'll only be in the way. That's the complete opposite of help."

"And what makes it any different for you to be there?" Tyson demanded.

"Mariah is my girlfriend, Tyson. That means it's my responsibility to protect her. That's what," Ray answered. "Now just drop it and do as you're told because you're wasting time."

"Agreed," Kai nodded. He looked to Ray and Lee. "I know you two would both go through the fires of hell for Mariah. But just let me warn you, anything could happen where we're going. That place..." Kai suppressed a shudder. "It's evil."

"That's just more reason to get them out of there as soon as possible," Lee commented.

"Mm," Kai agreed. "Let's get ready and go."

"Right," Ray and Lee agreed in unison with a nod while Tyson grumbled about the unfairness of it all.

000

The room was dank and cold, wide, but only about fifteen feet deep. Rough, grey brick walls leading up to a low ceiling. A single smashed light illuminated the space only and seemed to intensify the dead atmosphere. Water dripped out a leaky pipe up on the ceiling, forming a small pool on the concrete floor. A faint stench hung in the stale air from a dead rat that lay under an old desk. Muck and grime caked the floor and the heavy metal door was rusting but still solid. All in all, it was a miserable place.

Hilary sniffed and rubbed her hands up her arms, trying to generate some heat. Her wrists were bruised and knees scraped from where she'd been roughly handled as she and the other girls were kidnapped from the base and taken away. Her shaking fingers reached up to tenderly brush against the horrible bruise forming on her left cheekbone. Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted Kai.

Cassie and Mariah were in no better shape. Cassie had a cut by one of her eyebrows and Mariah's bottom lip was burst and swollen. She'd also lost her bandana at some point, leaving her hair to fall down round her shoulders. They were all filthy after being thrown on the floor.

Any attempt at trying to escape had failed miserably. The men had put black bags over their heads as soon as they'd been taken out of the base, leaving the girls with absolutely no idea where they were. Hilary didn't even know how they'd got into the base to begin with. But when she, Cassie and Mariah had been held at gun point, they knew better than to make any noise or attempt to alert the boys.

It seemed like a hopeless situation. Hilary wanted to cry, but she was trying to be strong. She had to have faith that Kai and the others would find them. There was nothing else she could do...

"What are we going to do?" Cassie whispered.

Hilary took a breath. "We're going to stay positive," she replied, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. "We'll get out of this."

"How?" Cassie asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Hilary clasped her hands together in front of her, "Because I know Kai, and Ray and Tala. They won't rest until they've found us. By kidnapping us, these men have declared war and I know our boys will bring it to them. They'll find us."

"Lee's going to pitch a fit too," Mariah commented as Cassie seemed to cheer up a little. "Those guys are going to be so mad it'll be scary."

Hilary nodded. "Something tells me we'll hear them before we see them." She glanced around and shivered. "I'll feel better as soon as we're out of this room... There's just something about it that feels very wrong."

"You mean besides the obvious lack of hygiene?" Mariah asked. "It's disgusting in here. Eww and what's that smell?"

"And what's that mark on the floor there?" Cassie wondered, gesturing to a dark stain.

Hilary looked at the floor and felt a shiver run down her spine. The mark looked like something had been splattered a long time ago, having faded into the concrete. "Oil, maybe?"

"What do you think they want with us?" Cassie asked.

"I wish I knew," Hilary said with a sigh. "But we don't even know who's responsible. Though I bet I could make a guess."

"Oh?" Cassie prompted.

Hilary folded her arms against the cold again. "Voltaire..."

"What a creep," Mariah muttered darkly.

"I wish there was something I could do," Hilary mused quietly, "Some way of helping. I don't have a bit beast or anything. Nor am I strong. To be used like bait is horrible and I'm putting Kai in danger by being so weak." A tear finally rolled down her face and she gripped her arms tightly.

"That's not true, Hilary. You're not weak," Mariah responded firmly. "Let's all just calm down and put our heads together."

Hilary took a breath and nodded. "Okay."

000

Spencer's truck slowed to a stop under the cover of some trees and the group climbed out. Up ahead was the monastery, surrounded by a high stone wall. A crow cawed from its perch on the top of the wall and took off, flying towards the main building and disappearing behind one of the large domes. "It's like a ghost town," Bryan murmured, getting a bag out and throwing it over one shoulder.

Kai swallowed. "It hasn't changed," he murmured, feeling his nerves start to creep in on him. He fought the urge to bolt and held his ground with a deep breath.

Tala placed a hand on Kai's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "I'll understand if you-"

"I have to," Kai interrupted. "I know Hilary and the others are in there. I can feel it."

Tala sighed and removed his hand. "Okay. Just don't freeze up on us in there, alright? If you do, I might have to shoot you."

Kai managed a small smirk. "You'd love that."

"Partly," Tala agreed, before looking at Ray and Lee. "You two ready?"

"More than ready," Lee confirmed with a determined nod while Ray quietly watched Kai's behaviour.

"Okay then," Tala said, taking a gun Spencer offered him. "Let's try to be in and out as quickly as possible. And stay together unless I say otherwise. Ian, keep your eye open for any vantage points you can get to."

Ian nodded, loading his rifle, "Got it."

Spencer then held a gun out to Kai. Kai stared at it for a moment, then accepted it and shoved it through his belt.

"Are you alright, Kai?" Ray asked quietly in concern.

Kai glanced at him sideways. It was a moment before he found his voice to reply. "This is where it happened," he replied quietly, before moving away as Tala signalled for them to go. Lee followed the others while Ray paused briefly to look at the building. An ominous silence hung about the air, an oppressive feeling weighing down on them all. Kai hadn't been kidding when he described it as being evil. If the girls were here then there was no time to lose. Ray quickly followed the group.

The rescue party moved in quickly but carefully. Finding a weakness in the boundary wall, Ian climbed up and lay across the top. After a few minutes of making sure the coast was clear he waved for the others to follow and one by one they dropped down into the compound. From there they made their way silently across the courtyard, taking cover by small out-buildings as they got nearer to the main monastery building.

000

It was eerily quiet without a soul in sight. But Tala and the others knew better than to think the place was empty. There would no doubt be plenty of guards inside. So they crept in silently through a hatch that took them straight to the basement. As they made their way along a dark corridor Kai was suddenly kicked from behind violently. Kai grunted in pain and caught himself, spinning round and pulling out his gun, he turned to face his attacker. Without a moment's hesitation Ray moved in, heedless of the gun, aiming his fist at Kai's face.

"What th- Ray!" Throwing the gun aside, Kai caught Ray's fist and pushed him back while the others looked on, bewildered. Ray pushed back at Kai for a moment before suddenly pulling away and shifting to throw Kai over his hip. To prevent resistance he slammed his free hand into Kai's ribs before using it to help send Kai over. Kai winced as he landed on the floor and his ribs throbbed. He glanced at Tala. "Get going!" he ordered.

Tala hesitated briefly before nodding and heading off to find the girls, beckoning the others to follow. He was certain Kai could handle Ray and it made no sense to waste time. Bryan and Spencer followed, but Lee didn't budge. He looked stunned and didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings at all.

Ray, meanwhile, hadn't relented in his attack and moved to bring his foot down on Kai. His tactics were brutal, especially for someone who would normally avoid hurting a friend. Kai growled and grabbed Ray's ankle. He knew what was happening, the device. There had to be one nearby. It was the only explanation. "That's enough, Ray," he said loudly as his eyes turned red. For the briefest second Ray's pupils widened before slitting and he lurched forward to punch Kai with a snarl as his ankle was caught. Kai caught Ray's gown collar instead of trying to block the punch and pulled Ray closer. The two made eye contact. "Don't let them turn you into a puppet!" A pulse of energy passed through Kai into Ray and the Phoenix growled as blood ran down from his mouth.

A look of recognition passed over Ray's face as he snapped out of it before being replaced with utter horror and he paled. "K-Kai? W- I'm so sorry!" Ray gasped trying to pull back.

Kai let him go and rested his head back on the ground. He'd been winded by one of Ray's attacks but he was more worried about the pain in his ribs. "It's okay," he breathed. "Welcome back."

"It's not okay. I hurt you. Why didn't you hit me back?" Ray asked before wincing slightly. Was he really being that loud? And why could he see better than before? It wasn't any brighter. Maybe his eyes had simply adjusted while he was under... Ray shuddered at that train of thought, feeling rotten at what he'd just done. He couldn't even remember it. What was to say it wouldn't happen again? He was dimly aware that the musty smell of the building seemed stronger, but that didn't matter compared to how he felt. Besides the guilt there was something else. Something was different.

Kai's eyes returned to their normal colour and he slowly sat up. "Because I didn't want to," he answered. Glancing around he located his gun, moving carefully to retrieve it.

Ray frowned as he watched Kai, realizing he hadn't been any louder than normal. His hearing was picking things up more clearly. The rustle of fabric when Kai moved told him as much. "What's going on?" Ray gasped before he could stop himself. Was he still under control? Was this another part of it that he simply didn't notice before because he was never aware? Kai looked round at him in confusion. "What if I lose control again?" Ray asked, not seeming to notice Kai's reaction. "Something's different. This isn't normal." Looking around he noticed the Blitzkrieg Boys were gone and Lee was in a trance, which did nothing for Ray's sense of security. If Lee was under, why wasn't he? And why did he feel like something had changed inside? "It doesn't make any sense!"

Standing up, Kai grabbed Lee's arm and forced him to start walking. "We need to keep moving. It's dangerous to stay put too long. We're already being watched." Ray followed before pausing and looking down. He then tried to quieten his footsteps despite the fact that they were already being watched. Now and then he would start at some distant sound that only he could hear. Was he imagining those sounds? The slight freak out about the changes was causing Ray to worry about his sanity too.

000

"Watch out!" Kai shouted suddenly, pushing Ray back and dragging Lee around a corner. A second later there was a gunshot and a bullet embedded itself in the wall the boys had just been passing. Kai cursed and peered back round the corner but had to pull back again quickly as there was another shot. He bit his tongue to stop himself from panicking. Where were Tala and the others?

"How many?" Ray whispered. "Could you tell?"

"I only saw the glint from one, directly ahead," Kai answered. "But, unless things have changed in the last two years, there will be a second. A shadow." He frowned. "They must've let Tala and the others past. It's me they want."

"I may have a plan," Ray told Kai as he took out his beyblade and launcher, "Turbo charge. It should prove a distraction at the very least."

Kai nodded. "Just be careful. They might try to turn Driger against you." It was because of that thought that Kai hadn't tried to use Dranzer.

"Just be ready to take any opening you see," Ray responded as he readied his blade and launched it. A moment later the blade vanished from sight as Ray increased the speed and sent it round the corner. He closed his eyes and listened intently for any noise that would give away their attackers.

Kai nodded and took a quiet breath, readying his gun. Focus. Don't screw up.

Along with the boost of speed, Ray sent some power to his blade, causing it to damage the floor below, and listened for the reactions of their opponents before sending his blade straight at them. The heightened senses may have shocked and confused him, but Ray figured he might as well make use of them.

"Where?" Kai asked, wanting to know if he could get a clear shot at the enemy.

"Near the wall on our side," Ray answered. "Sounds like you're right about there being two of them."

Kai took a breath and closed his eyes. "Don't look," he mumbled to himself, before raising his gun and taking a shot in the direction Ray had indicated. There was a distant cry of pain, and Kai's eyes shot open. Had he actually hit them?

Ray opened his eyes and moved to peer round the corner, staying low, before ducking back. "You got him!" he stated, impressed. Having seen the exact position of the other person Ray had Driger attack him before bringing the blade back towards himself and picking it up as it rounded the corner.

Kai stared at the gun in his hand for a moment before shaking himself out of his trance. "You get the other one?" he asked.

"I hit him, I know that much," Ray answered before shifting to take another peek in order to find out if they'd disabled the competition enough to leave cover.

A moment passed and nothing happened, so Kai ventured out carefully. Crouching on the floor to make himself a smaller target, he glanced around. When nothing happened once again, he motioned for Ray and Lee to follow him with one hand. They had to find Tala and the others and regroup. While it may have seemed good that they'd only been attacked by two men so far, the lack of resistance worried Kai. No doubt, they were being led right into a trap. But they had to keep moving. The girls were counting on them.

"If this is happening to Lee then Mariah must be the same," Ray whispered as he guided Lee to follow. "But what I don't get is why it's not affecting me the same way. I can still feel it but it's just..." Ray trailed off uncertainly. He couldn't describe it. "Different."

"We'll figure it out," Kai assured him. "Until then, let's get going."

"That's not all..."

"Oh?"

"It's weird but... my senses seem sharper," Ray told Kai. He wondered if he should mention that he felt different too, but there was no way he could describe it so Ray left that part out. "Everything sounds so much louder and the place stinks worse than when we first came in here. Maybe I'm just imagining it..."

Kai frowned. "When did this happen?"

"I... I dunno... I noticed it when... when I came back to myself," Ray explained, clearly troubled by the guilt. "Kai... what did I do? I don't really remember it."

Kai glanced briefly at his hand, before balling it into a fist and looking at Ray. "You just kinda lost it, without warning. You attacked me from behind. And you were ruthless. Thankfully I managed to stop you before it got serious."

"I really am sorry about that," Ray told Kai before frowning and looking at Lee who was still completely out of it and back to Kai again. "So how did you stop me?" Maybe that would explain why he wasn't spaced out while one of those demon disabling devices was about.

Kai lifted his hand. "I had a hold of you and I just let some of my energy pulse out. I'd gotten a reaction from you briefly before so I was trying to snap you out of it."

"So maybe your energy is protecting me from the device's hold right now," Ray mused thoughtfully.

"It's possible," Kai shrugged as they headed on further, looking for the others.

000

"I don't like this," Tala muttered to Bryan and Spencer. "This has been too easy to get this far."

"We shouldn't have left Kai behind either," Spencer added, "Even if he told us to go."

"True, but hanging about is a waste of time," Tala responded. "Who knows how long it's going to take him to get Ray under control. We need to just find the girls as soon as possible and get the hell out of here."

"Then what are you standing around for?" Kai asked quietly, appearing with Ray and Lee. "I thought you'd be much further ahead than this."

"Kai," Tala acknowledged with some relief seeping through as he turned to face the younger teen. "We heard a few of gunshots, are you okay?"

Kai's gaze wavered slightly, before he swallowed. "We are," he answered. "But I can't say the same for the two that attacked us."

"It was self-defence," Ray pointed out quietly.

"I know, but..." Kai met Tala's eyes, "... here?"

"Try not to think about it," Tala advised him. It was too late to turn back now. There also wasn't much point in hanging about, especially now that they'd regrouped. "Is he still not out of it?" Tala asked, looking at Lee. "This is just fucking great," he commented as he shook his head. They were on a rescue mission against people who were trained killers while one member of their group was practically a zombie, one had completely wigged out and one was fighting the demons of his past. To top it all off, leaving anyone behind again was completely out of the question. Of all the places it could have been, why did it have to be here? "Let's just move."

Kai nodded, feeling Black Dranzer beginning to stir in his mind. Taking a breath to calm himself he moved forward. His shaking hands had suddenly become still. Control your emotions... This isn't the time to let them get in the way... The first kill had bothered him because he'd still had some innocence left. But now that that was gone and he was over the initial shock Kai felt nothing. The change was alarming and he could only wonder if it was because of Black Dranzer, or the fact that he was the Phoenix himself. Either way, to save Hilary and the others, Kai wouldn't hesitate next time.

"I heard something," Ray suddenly whispered to Kai.

"Where?" Kai asked quietly.

"Up ahead," Ray answered. "It's coming closer. And fast."

"Then perhaps they're about to spring their trap," Tala commented quietly as he listened for something himself. "It's painfully obvious they have one." The corridor seemed silent to him, apart from their own breathing and voices. Tala looked at Kai questioningly. "Do you hear anything?" Kai shook his head. He couldn't hear what was coming either. But that didn't mean Ray was wrong.

"I don't hear anything," Bryan commented, "Except for us. Are you sure?"

Ray nodded, "Footsteps, a lot of them. They've slowed down and are moving more quietly now, but they're definitely there." Ray suddenly gasped as a muffled voice carried down the corridor.

"I heard that," Tala commented raising his gun ready for an ambush.

"I think it's one of the girls," Ray whispered, sounding confused. Why would there be a rush that slowed just before what sounded like a complaint from a feminine voice? Had one of the girls escaped or something? That couldn't be it. Mariah was probably under the influence of the device, like her brother, and there was no way Hilary and Cassie would leave her like that. So what was going on? The footsteps were coming closer again. Kai felt like his heart was in his mouth and waited patiently. He was like a coiled spring, ready to leap into action at any second. Within a few moments it was possible for the others to also hear the footsteps and a few more before they were confronted by the owners. Several armed men came into view with the three girls held at gun point. Mariah was completely out of it, Hilary was struggling and Cassie looked terrified. All three were injured. "How could you!" Ray gasped starting forward a little but was pushed back by Bryan.

"Careful you don't provoke them," the Russian cautioned Ray. Ray nodded quietly in acceptance.

"We'll assume you have some demands," Tala addressed the men deceptively calm, his expression and tone devoid of all emotion.

"Exchange," one of the men said in a heavily accented voice. Keeping a hold of Hilary with one hand, he raised the other to point, "Him for them."

"Well isn't that generous," Bryan sneered.

"What? So you can try and brainwash him?" Ray snarled before finding himself pushed back by Bryan again.

"We'll handle this," Bryan told him.

"Either way you'd be holding something we want," Tala commented, quietly surveying their surroundings to assess just how much trouble they were in.

"They've got us surrounded," Kai said quietly, lowering his gun. "There's no other way..."

"There has to be," Ray commented, looking at Kai.

Kai looked across the large room towards the girls and met Hilary's gaze. She had tears in her eyes and shook her head slightly. Kai knew she didn't want him to agree to the man's terms, but what other choice did he have? Kai knew he was dealing with killers. They wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through Hilary's head if he even looked like he was going to refuse.

Making his decision, Kai reached out and forced Bryan's gun down. "Let them all get out safely and I won't give you any trouble," he told the other men, dropping his gun.

"Kai, no!" Ray gasped. "There has to be another way! We can't just leave you behind. If it was any one of us, instead of you, would you walk away? No. You'd do everything in your power to help us, so don't ask us to leave you."

"They've got them at gun point, Ray," Kai told him hopelessly. "There's nothing else we can do." He looked at Tala for a long moment then stepped away from the group. Going half way, he stopped. "Let them go," he told the men. "...and I'm yours."

"Be quiet, Ray," Tala snapped as Ray once again began to protest against Kai's decision. Tala didn't like it any more than Ray did, but if they got the girls to safety without a fuss then they could come back for Kai. They'd have to play the part of being defeated first, or they'd be found out. This was the only thing being trained to be ruthless was good for. "You get your girlfriend and two friends back, it's a rather small price to pay," Tala told Ray coldly, knowing Kai would be able to tell it was merely an act to prevent the situation from escalating.

Hearing Tala's words, Kai nodded. "Three lives for one weapon. It's a fair enough exchange."

There was a dark chuckle from the shadows that sent tingles running down Kai's spine. "Well done, young Kai. It looks like you've finally come to accept what you are." Boris emerged from the shadows to the right, his red goggles glinting menacingly. "You are the property of Biovolt. Nothing will ever change that."

Kai kept his gaze on the ground. "Just let them go. Once they're free, you'll have my full co-operation."

Boris sneered, "Very well. Consider it your final act of honour." Boris then snapped his fingers and the men released the girls. Hesitating for a few seconds from fear, Cassie reached out and took Mariah's hand, slowly leading the girl across the floor towards the others. Kai looked up at Hilary.

Hilary approached Kai as soon as she was able. "Kai, please don't do this," she begged in a near whisper.

Kai tried to smile but found that he couldn't. Reaching out, his fingertips brushed Hilary's. "Go. Please."

"This isn't right," Hilary told him tearfully.

Kai's eyes saddened and he broke eye contact. "Forgive me." Moving quickly, he grabbed Hilary's wrist and pulled her forward, forcing her to stumble past him with the momentum. Kai released her wrist and refused to look back at her. "Go." Hilary looked at Kai then headed over to the others, not even trying to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes.

The clicking sound of a gun being cocked caught Kai's attention instantly and he looked round just in time to see Boris raising a gun. But it wasn't pointed at him. "Hilary, NO!" Kai shouted spinning round and rushing after the girl, grabbing her to shield her as Boris went to pull the trigger. But the noise that followed wasn't a gunshot. Boris yelled in pain and stumbled back as a large dog suddenly appeared from the dark and sank its teeth into his arm.

Taking advantage of the resulting confusion, Tala grabbed both Hilary and Kai, pushing them both towards a wall where Ray, Lee, Mariah and Cassie were and then put himself between them and the men along with Bryan and Spencer. They were still surrounded, but now they had both Kai and the girls with them. The next problem was getting out.

"That's Czar!" Bryan gasped suddenly glad to see the dog for once. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"I have no idea," Spencer replied, as they all watched the dog tear away at Boris.

Boris snarled and hit Czar in the side of the head, managing to knock him off. Czar skidded back and snarled then went in to attack again. A loud bang cut through the air. Czar squealed and fell to the floor.

"No!" Kai shouted eyes wide in horror.

"Czar!" Hilary cried out as several guns were suddenly raised once more.

The fallen husky whined quietly as his front left paw twitched. The bullet had hit him in the shoulder and his fur was already turning dark with blood. Hearing the whine, Kai broke away from the group and rushed to Czar, dropping down to his knees to see if there was anything he could do.

"Fucking dog!" Boris snarled, holding his injured arm.

Czar whined again and Kai gently stroked his head. "Shh," he whispered voice shaking, "Easy boy." Forgetting about what was going on around him Kai pulled off his scarf and used it to bandage Czar, in hopes of at least slowing down the bleeding. Once he'd done that, his hands fell away from the dog.

For a moment everything was still. Boris frowned as he watched his former student in front of him, sensing a sudden change in demeanour. His eyes widened when Kai slowly raised his head, fixing Boris with a blood red stare. There was a sudden explosion of power, rushing out in all directions, forcing everyone back. A thunderous roar shook the whole building and the shadows crept in as a large bird appeared from Kai's pocket. Black Dranzer. Being so close to the wall, Ray and the others were knocked into it by the force of Kai's power.

"This isn't going to end well," Bryan muttered.

Nearby, something metallic broke and parts of it clattered along the ground out of view. "Hey, what's..." Lee began as he looked around, before noticing his sister held protectively in Ray's arms. "Mariah!" he gasped, immediately enraged at her injury. He quickly realised he'd been under a trance and that the others must have moved him. "Which of those bastards did this to you?"

"Don't even try anything," Tala growled at him. "We've got enough to worry about right now."

Dust fell from the ceiling as Black Dranzer sent out more shockwaves. A tall stone pillar was quickly turned into rubble as the dark Phoenix's wing crashed through it. Black Dranzer hadn't only rushed out, but he'd also taken on a solid form.

"Shoot him!" Boris yelled at his men, pointing at Kai. "Shoot him now!" The men moved to obey, only to have their guns snatched away from them by the sheer force of Black Dranzer's power. A possessed sneer appeared on Kai's lips.

Ray gently pushed Mariah to Lee for him to watch over her then ducked past the Blitzkrieg Boys to rush over to Kai. He had to get Kai to calm down and get rid of Black Dranzer before it was too late. The dark phoenix was a problem just with its hold over Kai, but there was no telling how bad it would be when it had physical form. "Kai! Kai, come on, let's just take Czar and get out of here," he urged, catching the Russian's shoulder.

Leave me, a voice rumbled in Ray's head. Only it wasn't Kai's voice. Not even his double demon one. This was deeper and far more menacing

"You fools!" Boris shouted at his men, stumbling through the energy waves to grab his gun which had got caught by a piece of rubble and had not been blown away. Getting a hold of it Boris raised his arm and fired. The bullet hit Kai in the side and Black Dranzer bellowed furiously. The air around them suddenly turned hot causing everyone's eyes to sting. Kai stood despite his injury turning to face Boris. He let out an animalistic snarl. The whites of his eyes turned black. Boris chuckled. "Look at you, a mindless animal. This is what you were raised for. You are a weapon! You always will be!"

"Kai!" Ray gasped, catching the Russian's shoulder once again, alarmed by his injury. He was barely even aware of Bryan returning fire at Boris. He just needed Kai to snap out of it so they could get both Kai and Czar seen to. The girls could do with a little patching up too.

Black and red eyes fixed themselves on Ray's face as Kai let out a hiss. A sudden rush of images invaded Ray's mind. It was dark and cold. Dranzer was lying on the ground, wrapped tightly in some kind of energy that he couldn't escape from. He cried out helplessly, begging for someone to hear him, as a tear ran down from one of his blue eyes and landed on the ground under him. The usually proud, mighty Phoenix seemed tired and weak. Even his feathers didn't have their usual shine to them. He looked at Ray and crooned quietly before disappearing as Black Dranzer roared again. Kai shrugged off Ray's hand, breaking the connection, and went straight for Boris.

Ray lunged forward, snatching Kai's wrist and tried to haul him back, "Kai! Stop it! Not like this! This isn't the way! You can't let Black Dranzer do that! What about Dranzer, Kai? Help him!"

He needs to die! Black Dranzer's voice boomed in Ray's skull. That man is the source of all our pain! He must not be allowed to escape! Kai snatched his arm from Ray's grasp and Black Dranzer screeched at the Chinese teen. Ray gasped as there was a flash of light from his own blade and then Driger stood before him, defensively, snarling angrily at Black Dranzer.