I actually lied. The song for the last chapter (and this one) is Skyfall by Adele. Sorry!

King Ice: I have no idea how old I thought you were, haha! I'm glad you like the new schedual, I guess you're pretty busy, huh?

Rosycat: Well, whether Karl should be trusted or not is up to you to decide. Also, when I read that this might be your favorite story, I made a noise. A good noise. Thank you so much!

LadyFeralVigilanteDragonLady: They definitely put their initals after the texts to make it easier on the reader. Actually, Ryoushi does have to sign his for Hiro to know who he is. It's totally not stolen from Sherlock. Nope. No. Not at all. (It's a combination of those reasons, btw)

ZebraFinch: I've heard of lot's of different Hi's, but not a suspense Hi. So... HI!

Michaela: Don't be too quick to trust him. Sure, he sees the error in his ways, but he's still with Maya, right...?

"Why are you telling me this? What's in it for you?" Hiro folded his arms, unconvinced by the old man's sudden change of heart.

"The hope that one day, when this all blows over, you and I might finally speak on equal terms. That, and perhaps you won't kill me for what I have done."

"You would deserve it, if I did," Hiro spat, anger seething in his gut. This was the man who'd nearly killed him. Who'd nearly killed Aunt Cass.

"Yes. Perhaps I would." Ryoushi nodded, a sad smile twisting his lips.

Curiosity finally getting the better of him, the young boy shifted his weight to his other leg and voiced the question that had been burning in his mind ever since Karl had offered his warning. "If she's so crazy and mean, why are you still working for her?"

"I don't have a choice, Mr Hamada. I'm sure you understand, that while Maya is difficult to work with, she at least offers an amount of... protection from the authorities. If I were to leave her side, I would be locked up instantly." Kristoff looked left and right, his shoulders hunching almost inconceivably. "I think it might be best for you to go, boy."

["Hiro, we've got movement nearby. You've gotta get out of there!"]

The teen tried to keep his expression calm as Go Go's voice crackled through his headset. He cursed himself. The man had lulled him into a false sense of security, warning him about his partner. Though he remained still, but at the first sign of danger, he'd move.

He was so glad the others had caught him before he did something stupid.

"Leave, child. You'll have nothing more from me." Ryoushi was adamant. The teen shook his head, chuckling to himself as he turned away.

"Fine, have it your way. I'll see you soon enough, anyway."

["Hiro, move! Hurry!"]

As soon as the boy was out of their shared pool of light, he broke into a sprint, following the beach-side pathway as it wound it's way between the high-rising buildings and the waterfront. Whatever the team had seen had rattled even Go Go, so it couldn't be good. He only hoped they had heard everything over the comm's system.

What did Kristoff hope to achieve by dragging him out here in the middle of the night? And why had he warned his enemy about his ally? Could what he was saying be true, that Maya was completely bonkers and that he was forced to stay by her side for 'protection'? The boy genius pushed himself on faster down the pathway, egged on by the promise of a discussion with his teammates, who were waiting for him close by. Far behind him, Kristoff was watching silently as he made his dash for safety.

He didn't get far before he was stopped dead in his tracks.

The figure loomed out of the shadows before he even had a chance to slow down, lashing out with a long tendril of black leather that wound around his ankle and sent him sprawling hard into the concrete. Though Hiro was quick to get back into his feet, he wasn't quick enough; a carbon-fibre handle pressed coldly into his throat, his back braced against the figure's chest, armour squeaking on icy, black leather.

["Hiro, what's going on? Where are you?"]

"Gack! Assistance... please..." he choked out into the microphone. The woman that held him cackled grotesquely.

"Oh dear, Hiro, did you leave your little friends behind? That was a bit of a silly mistake. Pity you didn't tell them about your little escapade into the night, huh?"

She doesn't know they're here. I'm a step ahead of her, finally.

But I can't breathe.

His hands scrabbled at the bar at his throat, his chest heaving with the most ugly throttling gasps that rattled off his tongue without his consent. As much as he tried to talk again into his comm's device, he couldn't get the words out.

["We're on our way, just hang on!"]

Hiro tried twisting his body left and right, sharply tugging against the attack, but Maya's grip was strong and every movement was beginning to hurt his head. The boy genius was sure they could hear him, hear his jagged coughs, his painful gasps, his anguished cries that he was no longer bothering to try to hold in. He prayed they were coming soon. His head was spinning and spinning, aching and throbbing like nothing he'd ever known. The world whirled around him, misting over, beginning to fade into black...

The next he knew, he hit the ground with a jarring thump, his lungs heaving with relief as he drew in a breath so deep and sharp that he felt like his chest would explode. Pain lanced through him as he fought to regain the oxygen he had been forbidden, drinking in air like it was the elixir of life itself.

["Speak to us, Hiro. Are you alright?"]

The boy's limbs felt heavy as he struggled to rise, first onto his elbows, then pushing up onto hands and knees. Hiro's stomach churned.

"So, I've got you, finally. After all this time, you're mine." Maya paced back and forth in front of him as he tried to get to his feet. By the giddiness that swept him sideways into the wall and the way he only just managed to catch himself, he knew there was no way he could flee from her alone.

["Hiro?!"]

"Y-yeah, you got me. G-good job," the boy genius rasped, his throat dry and raw, like sandpaper. There was a muttering on the other end of the comm's line. He had been heard.

The boy genius knew he had to be clever and quick. First step: keep her talking.

"I thought it was petty well executed, yes. Shame I hadn't the time to discuss it with my... partner."

"Yeah, shame about him. He seemed so evil," Hiro chirped in his usual condescending manner. So she didn't know he was out here talking to me. Karl must have been telling the truth. Hiro pushed himself upright, trying to stand without leaning against the building, but it was hard work, his lungs still heaving away under his breastplate.

"Little know-it-all. I do wish I didn't need you for my plan. Otherwise, I could kill you right now." The woman's bared, white teeth stood out in the darkness of the night.

The boy genius hissed through the gap in his teeth. "That's a little unfriendly, don't you think? And what is it with you people and trying to murder me?"

Maya sneered menacingly. "I'm going to enjoy shutting you up, Mr Hamada. I really am."

The next he knew, he heard a huff of compressed air, caught a glimpse of red flashing towards him, and felt a sharp pain shooting up his neck. With a hiss, the teen reached up, his gloved fingers rushing to the area, grasping the foreign body and pulling it from his skin. What he held out in front of him caused a stone to settling in his stomach. There, nestled in the palm of his glove, was a short, thin dart, fledged in long, red strands like a skirt.

"What the...?" His mind was oddly slow in bringing up an answer to the question that burned through him. "A... p-poison dart? I-Isn't that a little old fashioned?"

"Poison?" Maya looked unimpressed, folding her arms with a chuckle. "Why would I want to poison you, kid? That's a sleep dart. Makes you easier and quieter to handle."

"That's - that's what I.. meant to say," the boy muttered. He was already beginning to feel the effects of the anaesthetic, his head feeling just a little too light, his words slurring together even though he tried to stop them from doing so. His shaking hand reached for the side of his helmet, pressing his microphone closer to his mouth as he backed away from the woman. "Guys, I need help..."

["We can see you. Turn and run!"]

"R-Running might be a problem." He staggered sideways, his eyes never leaving Maya's mean, amused smirk. "I-I've been drugged..."

"Awh, poor little boy," She sneered gloatingly. "Are your friends not coming?"

["Stay calm. We're right behind you."]

He caught a glimpse of yellow flashing towards him, but the shapes were all beginning to blur together, everything spinning around him. His head swooped as he stumbled forward a few paces, and the hand that grabbed his shoulder took a second to register in his drug-fogged mind. He could barely make out black leather-clad fingers pressing against his throat.

Without really thinking, he clicked his electric gloves into life, twisting and trying to press the pads into his enemy, but he was too weak to fight her grip as she stopped him, throwing him away. Hiro tried again, desperate, giddy, faint, but again, she fended him off with ease.

"Help..." He squeaked, unable to see, his ears filling with a buzzing of static that he couldn't quite understand and his skin tingling yet numb. When he fell, he felt like he was falling forever, turning over and over. The crack of his head hitting the hard concrete echoed oddly. The last thing he remembered was a familiar, blurred face leaning over him before, finally, exhaustion took over, his fight left him and the darkness consumed him.

Kidnapped or saved? Find out next week! Although, as a fair warning to you all, I'm on holiday next week, so I may not be able to get wifi to upload. I'll post a note on my profile using my phone if this is the case, so next Weds, if you don't get an email about a new chapter, just check there and I'll have let you know.