I really can't begin to believe the delay between this chapter and the last. I am so sorry it took so long! I will finish this story, and hopefully in a bit more of a timely manner. Again aplogies and best regards everyone!
Spitting the dirt out from his mouth, Chiro looked up to see the demon closing in again. The same insane grin still laid plastered across its face as it closed the gap like a stalking predator.
"What do you mean?" Chiro questioned as Diablo merely cocked his head to one side in answer. "Answer me!" Chiro demanded.
Halting abruptly, Diablo straightened his features. Standing two metres in front of the downed boy, he knelt down on one leg in mock sympathy. "Would you prefer it if I show you Chiro?" Diablo offered with a smirk.
"How about I show you!" Chiro challenged as he suddenly lunged forward. His hands cupping together at his side, before he pushed both his palms forward. Releasing the quick blast of tainted power primate energy straight at the creature, as he yelled, "Monkey fu."
Flying back quickly as the raging red blast followed his path, Diablo began to engulf his dark mist form again. Melting his body away into thin air, as the last thing he left Chiro to comprehend was his sickening smirk. His face finally vanishing from sight moments before the blast crashed into the opposing wall.
Smoke, dirt and dust soon scattered into the atmosphere upon impact, as the aftermath blew across the room. Ushering the Crystal Squad out of their safety corner as it did.
Standing and turning on the spot Chiro clenched his fist, as the demon vanished from sight. Desperately trying to grasp any life or power signal from the wretched creature, before it could concoct a surprise attack.
"I'm waiting Chiro." Diablo taunted his voice bouncing across the room eerily, as the boy seemed to anxiously spin on the spot, his blood running cold at his inability to locate him. Despite his close proximity.
"Wow the kid is freaking out badly now boss." Crusher commented as each of the Crystal Squad members watched on in glee.
Stroking his chin thoughtfully Chaos was quick to agree with his comrade. "He does indeed Crusher. Not so much of the big gun, street attitude now he's had his face in the dirt a few times... He almost seems manageable now."
Chuckling as the last robot nodded, Copy-Cat finally joined in, "He looks pathetic. But we are not going to intervene surely Chaos?"
"No," Chaos intervened quickly, "Copy Cat we will not risk another spoilt brat temper tantrum being thrown at us from the child. He can continue to throw his toys out of his pram with Diablo, until he's made to jog on. Professor Maezono deemed us 'ineffective' for a reason. But now I understand that the Professor must have merely referred to our fighting capabilities against a few select future opponents. Maezono could simply not predict such a monstrosity would be born. For our intelligence has proved to be unrivalled and served us superiorly up to this poi..."
Interrupting their conversation completely, a sudden blast landed in the ceiling above their heads. Leaving only a few seconds for the trio to safely scuttle away from the partial roof cave in. However all three of them failed to avoid the wrath of the tormented teen who jumped right in front of them.
Holding his opened palm up, Chiro stood in front of the three robots snorting steam. "I should have annihilated you tin cans on the street! Maezono was certainly correct about that."
Their faces turning to disgust, the leader was the first to speak out. "You won't be so cocky when your heads embedded back into the rockery. I'm sure playtime will be over soon; ready for your lesson?" Chaos growled, as Chiro merely smiled back.
"Hmm... quality versus quantity." Chiro replied with a smug grin, "Whilst I wait for your cowardly little runaway leader to return, I think I'll get some target practise in."
"You what?" Chaos asked, confused at the change in the teen.
"I think he means us boss?" Crusher nudged, as the leader soon flew into a rant.
"Where's that dammed silver monkey when you need..?"
Raising his brow dangerously at the insult, Chiro's palm lit up with energy, "You sicken me, cursing the one that saved your pathetic, waste of time lives in the first place! Well I've got some good news for you rust buckets. Antauri is not here to save you this time, and neither is your new little pet. So you'll have no choice but to deal with me yourself. Now tell me... are you even capable of such a task?"
"Cocky little..."
Aiming straight for the loud mouthed leader, Chiro's palm lit up, "I thought not." the teen concluded as blast lit the room up some more.
Watching as the robotic leader slammed straight into the collapsed ceiling wreckage, descending into a pit of smoke, before laying silent and unmoving. Chiro turned to the two remaining robots plastering on a grin at their terrified faces. "You might want to sort the audio card on that one." Chiro commented, as he went to step through the pair in front of him. "Now move out of my way, before I select my next victim!"
"You must realise Chiro that you cannot hope to stop me?" An evil toned voice suddenly bounced through the room.
Turning around sharply Chiro fired a blast behind him. Sensing the darkness closing in again as a swirling black mist began to form. He knew Diablo was watching, stalking. "I made a promise I intend to keep." Chiro stated to the air around him. Finally spotting the mist floating off just to his left. "Show yourself coward. You're no better than these clowns, and you say you're not related?"
White pupils flickering in his cobalt optics, Antauri's mind spun as his re-booted mechanical brain whirred back into life. Clogging his foggy mind with detailed system analysis, as it took some time for Antauri to adjust to the silver monkey suit's sudden shut down.
Slowly, Antauri's powerful will began to win back his control over the suit. Quietening the robotics within his body as his recent memories struggled to seep into his mind. Recalling being alongside Chiro on the beach, Antauri gently rubbed his aching temples. Taking in the change of scenery in a silent blur.
Forcing himself to sit up off the metal floor Antauri looked around the familiar cock pit in a bit of a daze. Unanswered questions buzzing around his muddled mind, as he sighed, "How did I..?" Antauri slowly groaned in confusion. Finding the strength to stand up, as the feeling of unease swept over his heart. "Chiro?" Antauri called out.
Blinking, as his unease grew at the silence surrounding him, Antauri could not quite place what was wrong. His cobalt orbs looked towards the back of the pilot chair in the front of the cockpit with a searching look, as he slowly made his way towards it. "Chiro?" Antauri asked in a gentle tone. The hints of weariness slowly creeping in, as the worrying feeling never ceased to grip his gut. His palm hitting the back of the pilot's chair as he let out a sigh. Before inhaling a deep breath.
Softening and quietening the tone of his voice once more, he called out the boy's name one last time, gently turning the pilot's chair to face him as he did. "Chiro?" Antauri asked again, his question halting as quickly as it started. His cobalt orbs locking straight onto the autopilot in horror; as the tremor of panic gripped his arm. His hand sweeping off the back of the chair as he stepped back against the metallic walls like he was pinned.
Shock beginning to ripple through his circuitry, Antauri's eyes wildly darted around the otherwise empty cockpit. His mind beginning to vividly race with muddled flashbacks. Causing the silver monkey to grip his helmet in pain as he slammed both his eyes shut. A miraculous lone tear escaping out of his left eye, as he let the power primate begin to visibly pulse around him. Clearing the fatigue that wracked his circuitry instantly, as his memories flooded back like a nightmare inside his mind.
Realising how he had become deactivated and alone in his ship, Antauri's panic gave way to anger. Letting a rare growl escape his lips, he quickly took up the lotus position. Hovering silently, as he began to focus his energy into finding the child. Pulsing the power primate out from his body in waves, until he finally felt the strain of a weak power signal being caught far off to the south. Ebbing slowly, as it seemed to be weakening gradually.
Shooting his eyes wide open, Antauri was quick to take action. A flick of the simian's transformed claw sent the autopilot flying into its side compartment, as the primate wasted no time taking back control of his ship. Disabling the cruise control with a slam of his fist, he quickly typed commands to load the pre-set navigation instructions up on the screen in front of him. His eyes narrowing as he realised his coordinates destined him to return to the Super Robot.
Opening his antenna ears, Antauri tried to connect to the child's communicator frequency quickly. Changing the frequency a few notches when the first few attempts failed with one hand, as he typed more commands with the other. When silence greeted his every attempt, the primate's face contorted back into his usual stoic expression. Deep in thought, as he made one last attempt to make contact. Turning the frequency strength onto the highest setting though this only proved to be a futile attempt when static was all that replied.
Racing his metallic fingers over the computer screen once more, Antauri began to scour the Brain Scrambler's recent navigation history. Pulling up his most recent set of coordinates, he turned the Brain Scrambler on a hair pin. Wasting no time as he reset the old coordinates, before sending all transferable energy to the engine.
No sooner had he done this, his communicator buzzed back into life with an incoming transmission. "Nova to Antauri, come in. Where are you?" The familliar female called desperately.
"Nova mobilise everyone, head for the Blasted Lands, I'm about to forward you the coordinates."
"Antauri? Antauri, I've been trying to get hold of you for nearly two hours where have you...?" Nova began before being halted.
"No time to explain Nova, just get to the Blasted Lands NOW!" Antauri interupted urgently, raising his tone significantly as he spoke.
"Antauri?" Nova asked, not expecting to hear that tone from the usually neutral monkey. "Antauri where's Chiro? Is he with you? I can't get a hold of him at all!"
"Chiro's resorted to deactivating me to go after the monstrosity that the three robots of Maezono are trying to summon."
"Deactivated you? What in Shugazoom is he thinking?" Nova questioned stunned.
"Why on Shugazoom would Chiro do such a thing?" A British accented voice soon joined in.
"So the kids panicking and completely lost it? Great." A more cocky tone also chipped in.
"If by some miracle Chiro is still alive he is at the Blasted Lands. Get there quickly team." Antauri stated as he closed the communication link down.
"Blasted Lands?" Sprx asked with a shudder before thinking what he just said. "Woah wait a sec... still alive? I don't like the sound of this"
"He's having some kind of mental breakdown, there's no telling what he'll do Sprx or be capable of."
"He won't do anything stupid, he's not traumatised or dangerous! Quirky yes, but not traum..."
"Post-Traumatic Stress disorder affects in different ways Sprx. Anxiety based illnesses can damage..."
Growling at the bickering surrounding her Nova planted her hands on her hips. "Shut up, both of you now. He's not becoming a lab rat and you're not going to tell him to cheer up. Chiro and Antauri are both going to need our help not our diagnosis, understand?"
"Nova we didn't even suggest such a solution!" Gibson defended quickly before turning back to the pilot. "But yes, you are right. Sprx get Otto, tell him to leave Jinmay for now if he hasn't already finished, so we can blast off."