A/N: Thanks to ChasexJinjaForever and KaimelartheDreamer for the reviews. I'm really sad now that I rewatched a few of the episodes and noticed continuity errors. Oh well, this is supposed to be somewhat AU.
Also apologies for getting this here late. Things have been hectic and I had no idea where to start this chapter.
Enjoy!
It was well into the night when the Strike Squad had stopped in the middle of the desert. They were all tired from walking for the whole night, as well as from the earlier battle that they had with the rogue monsuno.
"How much longer are we going to follow that thing, Alpha?" Bravo complained as he and X-Ray sat back on the ground when they all circled together.
"I'm not sure," Alpha answered honestly, also slowly sitting, "I guess we should try and contact the base or Charlmange to see if they captured the rogue monsuno that went that way."
Kilo, who was still standing with Tango, pulled out a communicator and tapped a few buttons. They were all silent as he tried to get a signal. Alpha looked over to the wolf monsuno that had led them there. It was sitting a few feet away, staring out into the direction that they were heading longingly. The red-haired teen felt a pull as he watched it glow faintly in the dark night. Strange. He always seemed to have this feeling when he so much as looked at it. The feeling was almost familiar...
"… Damn."
Alpha looked back to see Kilo pocketing his communicator, "… No signal still."
"Still?" Tango said surprised, crossing her arms, "That's a bit long don't you think?"
"I think it has something to do with the waves of monsuno energy that have been springing up all week," X-Ray said as he pulled out a laptop. He tapped away, bring up all types of graphs and data, "It's starting to get more violent in some regions, and I doubt it's going to stop anytime soon."
Silence fell over the group as they thought over the past few hours, between finding Suno and meeting up with the rogue monsuno. It was never a coincidence of things happening when Suno is around…
"Do you think… That those monsuno could have something to do with it?" Bravo asked, looking over at the wolf monsuno as he spoke. The rest of them followed suit, watching as the beast didn't budge from its spot.
"I couldn't see why not," Tango said, shrugging her shoulders, "That isn't a regular monsuno, that's for sure."
"That's true. It's a lot bigger then ours, and it doesn't have a color to it either," Kilo said. Tango let out a huff.
"That's not what I meant," she said. Bravo and Kilo raised a brow at her. Their leader, however, was silent. He could tell there was something extremely different about this monsuno, and not just in appearance. The essence that flowed through that monsuno… It was stronger then what they've seen, and Alpha couldn't help but think how strange it was that he could tell.
"Well… Anyway," X-Ray said, clearing his throat a bit, "we need to figure out what to do next. Alpha?"
"Huh? Oh. Um…" he thought for a moment, before standing up. They had a few options at this point on what they could do. Go back to the base, try and contact S.T.O.R.M., follow the monsuno...
Suddenly, the white beast stood, making them all jump a bit. It was growling lowly, much like it had before when the other rogue monsuno had shown up. The Strike Squad also got to their feet, trying to see if there was anything around that posed a threat. Alpha gripped onto Tripwire's core, but stopped just as his fingers brushed against the metal.
It was cold. No. Not cold. Freezing.
Not caring as his finger stung, he quickly unhooked it from his belt, looking down at it in the moonlight. The yellow gleam that shined brightly before was now fading. It almost looked… Sad.
"Alpha!"
He looked up in time to see the white monsuno charging at them. Before any of them could react, it pounced on top of all of them. The red-haired teen let out a gasp as the breath was knocked out of him.
"What's the big idea you hulking beast?!" Bravo exclaimed as they all lied underneath its belly. It huffed at them, lowering its head a bit as if to cover them.
"Ugh. You think it's gonna eat us now?" X-Ray stammered a bit. Something caught Alphas's gaze from the corner of his eye, and he could see something coming towards them.
"Shh! Quiet everyone," he said, silencing his panicking teammates. They all followed his gaze, and gasped when they saw the monsuno from before. They were in the distance somewhat, and seemed to be scoping out the area. Strangely, they vanished after a few minutes.
"… Well? What is it Alpha?" Kilo asked.
"It was those monsuno from before," Alpha said, still staring at where he saw them last.
"Are they gone? What were they after?" X-Ray asked.
"It's obvious they're after something or someone," Bravo said, "Maybe that's why they went to the base-"
"Wait! There's someone else over there," Alpha said. He tried to crawl out from under the monsuno, but it growled as he moved. He stopped after a few moments, and looked back towards the desert. It was hard to tell, but he could make out four figures walking in the same direction that the monsuno were heading.
"Agh. It's too dark to see them," he cursed under his breath.
"What is it Alpha?" Kilo asked quietly.
"There were four people following those monsuno that we fought earlier," he whispered, "No doubt they're up to no good."
He let out a sigh of frustration, knowing they wouldn't even be able to handle those people if they were in command of such strong monsuno. It took all of their effort earlier to just stand their ground, and even then it was the rogue monsuno that decided to leave the fight. If they tried to take them on again...
He turned back to the rest of them to give them the all clear and that they should head back, but then noticed Tango was staring up at the monsuno. Slowly, she reached up, knotting her fingers in its fur. The rest of them watched wide-eyed as she gently stroked it.
"Um… Tango?" Bravo said, a bit quietly. She frowned, closing her eyes for a brief second before turning to Alpha.
"Whoever those people were," she said," we have to follow them."
The other four didn't respond. Even the monsuno stiffed a bit as if it understood what she said.
"Are you nuts?" Bravo whispered fiercely, "You know what will happen if we try taking them on again."
She bit her lip, but shook her head.
"No," she said firmly, "There's something going on around here, and the rogue monsuno have something to do with it."
The rest of them started to argue with her, but Alpha thought for a moment. The first time he saw those monsuno were when he and Chase battled in the desert...
He let out a gasp of realization. Of course. Suno.
"She's right guys," he said, only to have the rest of them turn to him with shocked faces, "Suno was here, which means that it was no coincidence that these monsuno have important significance."
The monsuno eased off them a bit. They all scrambled out from under it, though Alpha gazed at it for a few seconds longer, looking into its eyes as the breeze picked up a little. There was a reason that it was leading them somewhere. Somewhere important...
Tango came up next to him, giving him a determined smile. The rest of them followed suit, though didn't seem as sure of themselves. Alpha smirked a bit.
"Alright," he said, then looked up to the monsuno," Lead the way."
It understood, and knelt down for them to climb on. When they were all settled, it took off. Those people were nowhere in sight, but Alpha could tell the monsuno wasn't going to just lead the Strike Squad to them.
It was also leading them to Chase.
HLP
Ten years ago.
...
Dark
It was always so dark.
The five from the Hand of Destiny always worked in the shadows in case they should be found. Almost as if they didn't even need it anymore. Of course their victims would also slowly adapt to the dim caverns that they were kept in as well. Even if they were forced into long sessions of using their monsuno sight only to pass out from over exertion. Two people entered the room, silently walking over towards the center of the room.
"We're running out of monsuno sight carriers, Petros," a man with light brown hair said to the other as they approached the holding cells. The other man, who had dark hair and red marks under his eyes, looked through the bars briefly before turning to face the other.
"I understand, Alister," he said, "but we still need to complete our research on the shapeshifter cores, especially now that Core Tech has started perfecting the method of reshaping monsuno essence with existing DNA."
The man, Alister, gave a sigh, "It won't be easy competing with them if we can't even sustain ourselves. Especially if we don't get more users of monsuno sight."
The two looked over into the cell again, somewhat in disgust.
"I suppose you are right. Considering how much technology we would need to even think about starting the project again," Petros said.
"You're forgetting something," a voice joined in. The two of them turned to see two others approaching them. A woman with long dark hair and green marks under her eyes, and an older man with graying hair.
"What would that be, Christoph?" Petros asked.
"We still have the previous users of monsuno sight that weren't completely used up," the older man said, "After all. Ehna was a very successful candidate that led to the breakthrough with the shapeshifter research."
"But he was an exception," Petros interrupted, "Remember the second one that we tried to experiment on? Immediate cell deconstruction because of the mixture of pure monsuno energy and the human body. And Ehna was an accident that became a blessing. We were lucky with that one."
The woman, Terz, sighed and glanced into the cell, "And yet, we have plenty of expendable subjects at our disposal. We have nothing to lose with them."
Petros looked inside as well, and debated for a second. There were a few of the monsuno sight users inside, though there were only a handful that would be useful. If they managed to perfect their shapshifter research, then perhaps they could harness more monsuno energy in the future.
"… Very well," Petros said.
Petros strode over to the holding cell, and wretched the door open. A few of the people that were conscious cowered away as he glowered inside. He gazed over them all, till finally he picked one of the people. He hauled them up wordlessly, closing the door behind him as they all trailed off into another room.
...
The smoke cleared the room, and the five were circled around a figure in the room. The person was sprawled out on the ground, still in the hooded cloak that was thrown on them before the five started their experimentation.
"… Did we succeed?" Sasha asked as the person didn't move. Petros cursed under his breath, thinking that they had failed once again. After a minute, the person on the ground stirred. They all held their breath, and finally, the person sat up slowly.
"… We… We did it…" Terz said a bit astounded.
"I'm not so sure about that," Christoph said. Petros walked over to the person, kneeling down to their level so he could peek under their hood. He let out a gasp then cursed loudly as he quickly stood up.
"What? What's wrong?" Alister asked. Petros stalked angrily out of the room, not bothering to say anything to the others. The four stood dumbly before trailing after him.
"Wait, Petros," Terz said as they re-entered the main room with the giant pool of water in the middle, not bothering to check on the person they had just experimented on. Petros continued to walk until he reached the holding cell again. He stopped at the door before turning to the rest of them.
"Useless," he said, "we held back on our energy and how much to expose subject 3 to… That one is useless to us as they are."
Petros threw the door open and glanced quickly over the ones who were still inside since the last time. Most of them at this point were unconscious, and he finally settled on one of the smaller figures.
"You," he said, seizing their arms and wrenching them upward, not caring if they were awake, "You're going to be number four."
He dragged the smaller to the door, but stopped when he caught sight of one of the older users that they had recently acquired. If he remembered right, she was the wife of a researcher at Core Tech… Suno? Was that her name? She had a powerful monsuno sight, and would be useful for the future. But maybe...
"Christoph," Petros said, "Grab her as well."
…
Smoke cleared from the room for a second time that day. All five felt exhausted, nearly collapsing in the middle of the experiment. Petros didn't hesitate to check on the test subject, who was sprawled out in front of them. The five gathered closer, looking down silently as their leader inspected their subject. The person's hand finally twitched, and Petros let out a chuckle.
"… Success!" he exclaimed. Even though they started their experimentation immediately, they amped up the amount of monsuno essence they would use. Somehow, the subject had managed to stay alive, though it was probably because of the researcher's wife, who was lying a few feet away unconscious. The one in the middle started to stir a bit, and Terz threw a cloak down at them.
"From now on, you are Tesserah."
...
The five were looking into the pool of water, watching over the rest of the world. It had been a few months since the last time they had experimented on a subject, so far only having three still alive. One of which was useless at the moment...
"… What's on your mind, Petros?" Christoph asked as the image of a research base came into view inside the pool. They watch for a moment as a man with black hair and a scientist jacket looked over different vials of green energy. He had been working for the past hour, and seemed to be getting closer on a breakthrough. The man suddenly stopped when a small boy with black hair entered the room, a big smile on his face. The man smiled back, putting the vials down to scoop up his son. Petros, however, kept his eyes on the vials that had been set aside.
"Core Tech is getting closer to finding the key to unlocking the power of monsuno energy…" the man said, "If we don't hurry, then we'll never get our hands on a new source of energy…"
"So what are you saying, Petros?" Alister asked.
"...Let us try again."
...
Loud cursing resounded throughout the caves, followed by Petros stomping into the room with the others.
"That's another one we've failed with!" he exclaimed, "We're supposed to be getting closer on finding out how to create shape shifters through monsuno energy! Not killing off our resources!"
"It was worth a try on a test subject that still retained a large amount of their monsuno sight, considering all the previous subjects had depleted most of their energy. Even if that means we get one user short," Alister said, crossing his arms, "We still have a lot more, including Ms. Suno."
"She's off limits," Sasha said, "she's already used up a lot of her energy on the fourth. And chances are she'll still be needed in the future with the strength she carries."
Petros stood silently, thinking other all their options. There was a good chance that they could get a hold of Core Tech's technology, and then use that to perfect their own technology...
"Everyone."
They all turned to the pool to see Terz standing by, looking inside.
"I think I've found our solution," she said. They all came close and gasped at what they saw.
HLP
"The Five… Their experiments on users of monsuno sight eventually led to their breakthrough with shapeshifter monsuno," Ms. Suno finished, letting her gaze fall, "And ever since I have started helping Chase, the Hand has been getting desperate in how they could capture him and other sources of monsuno energy…"
She stayed silent as the white haired boy before her took in her story, both of them still floating within the strange dimension. It was hard to tell how long they had been there in terms of time in the real world, but if it meant helping Chase, then it didn't matter.
"So… What should we do now?" Beyal asked, "Should we go up North like what the monsuno said?"
"Yes. The cave leads to an underground lake where the ruins of the original seal lies. Although…"
"Although?"
Ms. Suno let out a sigh, "You cannot let Chase near that place if he's still under their influence. That would only bring ruin."
The monk raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
"They are trying to get him to release the energy that the seal has created. The outburst of energy is already affecting the world as it is, so I don't have to tell you what would happen if all of it were to be released."
Beyal looked down, pondering over her words. There was a shift in the energy around them when he looked up, "How… How are they going to make him do this?"
"One of the four that you have met has a special… talent," she said, eyes downcast, "they were the third, and have a special connection to the mind. They have most likely been manipulating Chase ever since I spoke to him within this realm. I wouldn't be surprised if they have been since they interacted with you that first day, just hinting to him about trying to find the cave."
Ms. Suno looked to the side for a minute.
"They probably only spoke as a voice, one that would be familiar for him," she said. Before the white-haired boy could ask more, the energy started to ripple violently around them. She let out a gasp when she felt a familiar cold chill run down her spine. They found out.
"Hurry! You must leave!" She exclaimed, "They're trying to reach into this plane and get a hold of you mind like before. You can't let that happen!"
"B-but what about you?" the monk stammered as the energy started to become more violent, like crashing waves all around them, "Shouldn't you tell this Chase yourself?"
She smiled sadly at him, "I'm afraid Chase cannot trust anything I say right now. Not while she also looks like me."
Before the white-haired boy could even respond, he was swept away from his spot and up towards the light. She smiled, feeling the darkness under them creeping upward as the Hand guided her away from the realm. Even if she were to stay with the Hand for all eternity, she would never let them have Chase.
A/N: Review Review Review!