You remember last time? The Gang is off to Egypt! Half of them, led by Michelle Nevins, is heading to Egypt to stop MIO. The reason is that Mizuki Takase is under the effects of MIO's spell, as she is given a Power Core, implanted on her back. And according to Rook, they have 50 days to stop MIO, or Mizuki dies from the Power Core. Michelle, along with Peter, Chazz, Heather, and Rook venture off to Egypt. But it's a long way to get there.

The Gang was at the airport, as Steven said to Michelle, "Stay safe, old friend. We'll watch over Mizuki, until you return."

Michelle added, "Got it. Just remember, inform me if anything occurred. You're to come with to Egypt, once we have more news… and once we arrive."

Farra replied, "Understood. Steven and I will handle this, here in America. Like you said, there may be Jewel People that are under MIO's influence."

Mundy stated, "We should check New York, and then the other areas of the land. You be okay, mate?"

Michelle nodded, "Hey. I'm the one that escaped death, remember?"

She waved, "Trust me. I'll be alright. See you later."

Asahi was with Chazz, as she hugged him, "Chazz, baby… Please come home, safely…"

Chazz groaned, "Good grief, you are such a bitch… Knock it off, already!"

He pushed her off and said, "You're cramping my style. Just don't get hurt…"

He walked off, as Asahi waved, "Stay safe~!"

Heather called to Chazz and Michelle, "Come on! Come on! We'll miss our flight!"

The PA called, "Flight 1217 – New York to Egypt, under runway 13, will be boarding shortly…"

The first team walked off, heading to their plane, as the rest of The Gang sees them off. Farra sighs in relief, "Well, at least the Big Guy can't bother me, for a while."

She got a text from Peter, in her iPhone. She got the reply from him:
"Shut up."

Farra was appalled, as Mundy smirked, "He heard you. He's somewhat psychic, you know."

XXXXX

As The Gang flies away to their destination, MIO, meanwhile, held up a digital camera. She held her hand and jabbed her fingers into the screen. A sheet of paper appeared, and MIO held it. The picture shows the photo of Chazz and Michelle, sitting together in the plane.

"As I thought… They found out where I am." she said, "So then… Will you come to Egypt, Michelle Nevins?"

Episode XXIII – Chapter 1: Turbulence Trouble!
A Jewel Person Amongst Us!

Michelle woke up, gasping. She moaned, as Chazz asked, "What's wrong?"

Michelle said, "Sorry… It was nothing. But… When I snoozed, I sense that MIO has located us!"

Chazz nodded, "Yeah. Me, too."

Michelle explained, "Be careful. A Jewel Woman or Jewel Man may appear, amongst one of the passengers! He or she… could already be on this plane…"

Michelle's consumptions were correct. At that moment, a black beetle was flying around the plane, buzzing and humming. Chazz heard the buzzing grow louder, and then stood up.

"A rhino beetle?" he gasped, "NO! It's a stag beetle!"

It was a stag beetle, and it's flying towards The Gang.

"Hey, Rook! Is that what I think it is?" She asked Rook, "Are we already encountering a Jewel User?"

Rook replied, "It's possible. We could see someone who uses a Spirit in the shape of a bug."

The beetle hid behind the seats, to the right of them. Rook said that it could be anywhere. As they waited, the stag beetle flew behind Chazz's head.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, in Egypt, MIO was sitting in her bed, as a woman with silver hair and a ragged gown was lighting incense.

"Fear… Glorious Fear… It's a natural emotion, present in all animals. Now, I'm curious… What do you think causes fear?"

She chuckled, as she added, "There is the kind of fear, born of animal instincts… and a kind of fear, born of a rational mind that terrorizes humans. Maybe, when you encounter a foe, stronger than yourself, and realize that you have no way of fighting back against the unknown, your helplessness begins to sink in… and evokes inside you a terrorizing and paralyzing fear."

As they were talking, Steven Nevins, in only his black pants, was meditating outside the building, in the dead of night, with a red Power Core lying by his legs. The gem was not implanted in him, just yet. That reason remains unknown. The woman continues, "When you are faced with such fear, you have a number of options before you, from which to choose."

MIO was caressing a woman in long brown hair, naked and sultry, as she showed her bare neck to the vampire android. MIO impaled her fingers into the vein, and drained her blood out. The woman resumes, "You might struggle, resist, flee, accept, or freeze. But upon meeting MIO… A NEW UNEXPECTED REACTION ARISES! YOU FEEL JOY!"

Mr. Nevins replied, from outside, "How do you think one reacts, when entering the joy of fear? It's an interesting experience."

MIO nodded, as she replied, "He's right. How does one feel joy, when stricken in fear?"

The woman stated, "Our friend has boarded the plane that Nevins and Princeton are on. He will lead them, accordingly, and they will find it utterly impossible to reach their final destination… in one piece! HAAA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

XXXXX

The stag beetle headed towards Chazz, as Heather cried out, "CHAZZ! IT'S NEXT TO YOUR HEAD! TO YOUR RIGHT!"

Chazz dodged the stag beetle, flying at him, as he gasped, "What the hell?"

The stag beetle was hovering around the others, as it was huge. It opened its mouth, showing razor-sharp teeth, and is foaming in the mouth.

"No doubt about it!" Heather said, "MIO must've used control over the insects to get to us!"

Chazz huffed, "Disgusting. Just sit tight. I got this."

Peter replied, "Be careful. This isn't a woman… or a gem… I've heard of stories about insects that rip out tongues, before they die."

His Ojama Spirit appears, and called out, "OJAMA STAR!" and swung at the beetle. But he avoided his right chop. The others were shocked.

Rook cried, "It… It dodged you! I can't believe it… It's even faster than the Ojama Star!"

Heather stated, "Then there's no doubt about it! That little bug can be a Spirit! Who controls it, and is he hiding in the plane? WHERE'S THE ONE THAT'S CONTROLLING HIM? WE NEED TO FIND HIM!"

The insect spews acid, and shots out of its mouth a small wire. Chazz deflected it with Ojama Star. But it impaled through his hand, aiming for his mouth. It latched onto him, as Michelle cried, "CHAZZ!"

Peter yelled, "NO, DAMN IT!"

Chazz was caught, but he caught it with his teeth. Michelle said, "Good! Ojama Star caught it with its teeth, just in the nick of time!"

Rook cried, "Just as I feared! It's HIM! The beetle is after Chazz's Spirit's tongue! I sense it in the tarot! He represents the Tower Card, symbolizing calamity, and an interruption of a journey! This Spirit is called… Stag of Ruin!"

Rook explained, "Stag of Ruin is responsible for countless mass murders, similar to its predecessor, Tower of Gray, which are made to look like formidable accidents. The Twin Towers in New York in 2001, the Hindenburg, the Titanic, the numerous hurricanes, and how many more have there been, over the years? It's his doing! I've heard rumors… but the thing, he's teamed with MIO!"

Chazz was caught, as he nodded to Peter. Peter roared out, "DARKNESS DEVIL! ORAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He landed swift punches to the beetle and roared, "ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA!"

He managed to smash off the bug's wire, but the bug avoided Peter's assault. Rook cried, "It dodged that, too?"

Peter cried, "NO WAY! That was a lethal assault! How the fuck did that little bastard avoid it?"

Rook said, "It dodged a two-fisted barrage of blows!"

The bug spoke, "hehehehehehehehehe! Even if you had ten guns that can blow one centimeter away, they would not be able to touch me! …not that you would kill a Spirit Caller with a gun, anyways, seeing we're ghosts, you're all going to die, with the rest of these weaklings!"

Michelle looked around and said, "He has to be on the plane with us… Who is it? Who's controlling Stag of Ruin? Which one of the passengers is he? If we can track it down, we can squash it."

The stag flew off and vanished. Heather called out that it flew to another seat in the back.

Peter asked, "What is he planning on doing?"

Michelle gasped, "No… It can't be!"

SMASH-SMASH-SMASH!
The stag dove through the seats, impaling each innocent person through the head, emerging with four extra tongues. The stag laughed, "BINGO! Got their tongues… Now, for the best part!"

It started to use the tongues as a paintbrush, on the wall, near the cockpit. It wrote down… MASSACRE! By definition, it is to kill everyone!

Heather cried, "NO! It actually did it…"

Rook roared, "FINE! I'll slice that damn bug alive! HUMMING ROOK-!"

Heather shouted, "ROOK, NO! HOLD ON A SECOND!"

An old man in balding hair woke up, as he grumbled, "What's with all the noise? Ungh… So damned noisy…"

Heather cried, as the stag went closer to him, "NO! BE CAREFUL!"

The old man ignored her and walked off, heading to the bathroom. He placed his hand on the splotch of blood and examined it, "Huh? Why is this wet? So slimy… M… A-S…"

He screamed, as he panicked, "BLOOD! IT'S BLOOD! WHY IS THERE BLOOD ON THE PLANE? AAAAAAAGH!"

CHOP!
"Atemi!" Heather chopped the back of his neck, and prepared, "We have to defeat it, before the other passengers start to panic. Fire will burn that bug alive, but… Farra's not with us; and even so, fire would cause the plane to burst ablaze, killing us all. Ice will also work as pesticide. So, leave this one to me. Agent Rook, if you use Humming Magician, inside the plane, it could be sliced into pieces, killing all of us. Peter, Chazz, if you were to rip a hole in the fuselage, using your brute strength, it would be catastrophic. This calls for a discreet power. I own two of the Precious Stones of Control – Increased Suplex and Ice Shard. It's most suitable of battling, and is tamer than the Vile Trio and ESP Perk. Let me be the one in pest control."

The stag laughed, "Heather Dunn… I've heard all about you from Lady MIO. Don't bother. You think that you can save your husband from her control? If I told you, the answers will be catastrophic, just like this plane. But you can never outwit my speed, Ice Princess!"

Heather's aura glows pink, as she said, "Are you sure about that?"

She fired off some snow balls with jagged spikes on it at the stag, "Ice Mace Barbs!"

The bug easily avoided the spiky snowballs, laughing at her, "You think you can easily hit me with those icy fastballs? Not nearly at all!"

The bug went closer, as Rook cried, "Not good! Even Heather's ice attacks are easily dodged by that bug!"

It lunged its mouth at Heather, stabbing her chest. She dropped to the ground, as the bug laughed, "I'm just too fast for you! You'll never get a bingo, in your speed!"

He hissed, "For my next attack, I'll rip out your tongue, with my Tower Needle! Won't that be fun?"

Heather roared, "SHUT UP!" and fired more of her Ice Mace Barbs.

Rook cried, "IMPOSSIBLE! How can she win, if her attacks don't find her mark?"

The stag laughed, "You will grow mad from the pain, once your tongue is ripped out! How exquisite! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Heather grinned, "I guess I will go mad… But if it means that I will never see my darling Steven, again… Then, NEWS FLASH, bug!"

She pointed upwards and said, "You'll be mad for joy, once you rip my tongue out! But…"

STAB! STAB! STAB!
Icicles emerged from the seats around the stag, and impaled into him. "WHAT?"

Heather shouted, "If it rips you apart, my Ice Empress will go mad… from pure joy!"

She explained, "My Ice Mace Barbs aren't just weapons for offense. The snow around the seats, they just give me enough time to set the trap. My barbs expand, turning into icicles, hard as diamonds. You didn't realize that I was using my snowball attack to keep you at one spot?"

Heather gave the thumbs down and called, "SPLAT YOU GO!"

SMASH!
The Stag of Ruin was torn apart, as Heather's icicle attack turned the bug into bloody mulch. The old man that was on the ground started to convulse and scream, as his tongue was split into two and his head cracked open, spurting blood from the wound. Michelle gasped, "What the-?"

He collapsed and died, as Heather huffed, "So, the old geezer was the Spirit User, all along? Figures. Only a disgusting Spirit Caller will have a disgusting Spirit."

XXXXX

Moments later, they examined the old man, as Heather said, "Odd. NO flesh bud or Power Core."

Rook explained, "The man is dead. Move on with it. Stag of Ruin is the successor to Tower of Grey. Tower of Grey has always been evil. He killed tourists by the hundreds, and then paid for it. He makes it look like an accident, and got away with it, every time. I'm sure MIO used him, because he's easily bought and blinded by greed."

He placed a blanket over the dead body. The plane suddenly started to tilt and shake. Michelle asked, "Huh? What is that? Turbulence? It may be my imagination, but I get the feeling that this plane isn't flying straight, anymore."

She gasped, as she rushed to the cockpit, "NO! IT CAN'T BE!"

The stewardess said, "Miss, sorry, but you cannot go in there."

Michelle said, "I know, ma'am. But I have to ask why the plane is crooked! Now, move!"

Peter and Chazz followed, as two stewardesses stopped them. Only for them to be in awe over Chazz. They both whispered, "He's so handsome."

Chazz shoved them aside and barked, "Move it, bitch!"

The stewardesses both fall in awe and amazement, "He's so amazing…"

Peter caught them, as he apologized, "Sorry. Forgive my friend, ladies. His disrespectful behavior towards you two is incorrigible. But we have an emergency on our hands."

The stewardesses blush to Peter, "He's dreamy…"

He said, "Please forgive him for me."

They said, "Okay…"

Rook stepped forward, as Heather halted him, "Agent Rook… NO panties!"

Rook grumbled, "Damn!"

Michelle bust into the cockpit, and cried out in shock, "DAMN IT! THIS IS HORRIBLE!"

She found the captain and his co-pilot on their seats, bloodied and battered, lying motionless and limp. Michelle shouted, "WE'VE BEEN HAD!"

Peter growled, "Their tongues have been ripped out! RHINO BASTARD! He killed the pilot and co-pilot, before we knew he was here!"

Michelle checked the meter, as the plane was now plummeting at 32,000 feet, and falling. "We're losing altitude! FAST! And yes, the autopilot would work, but it's been destroyed, as well! BOLLOCKS! WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!"

The airplane was plummeting down, through the clouds, about to land in their destination. The old man awoken, with his tongue lashing out, and covered in blood. He boomed, "My Spirit is the Tower Card, symbolizing disasters and end of journeys! I'll prevent you from Lord MIO, even if you do try to save the plane, if it's the last thing I ever do! And if you do survive, you're another ten thousand kilometers to Egypt! Those who swore loyalty to Lord MIO will pursue you, relentlessly! You don't stand a chance in hell! Aside from Spirit Callers, there are Jewel Women that possess the right gem, for each slave! Lord MIO has the powers of gems and Spirits, alike! SHE is the one that rules the world, like a god among mortals! Her powers are as strong as all of you, combined! There's no way you will see her, alive! You bastards won't even see Egypt! YOUR DEATHS WILL BE SWIFT AND PAINFUL!"

He exploded into a bloody shower, and dropped to the floor. The stewardesses gasp in horror, seeing the old man's body, lying dead, this time, for good.

Chazz said, "It's a good thing you're professionals. You had the courage to scream. It annoys the hell out of me. Now, got a request… This heap's about to hit water. This old hag's going to land her there."

Michelle gasped, "EH?!"

Chazz smirked, "Go on! Go put lifejackets on the other passengers. And make sure that they're buckled up."

The first stewardess agrees, and she and the second stewardess left to prepare. Chazz asked Michelle, "You got this?"

Michelle nervously asked, "Me? What, me? Fly a plane? I have had some experience with prop planes (propeller planes), but this…"

Heather asked, "Prop planes?"

Michelle said, "But… Heather… This'll make three plane crashes for me. The one back in Italy was Beth's doing! She was headstrong, and I was… well… Have you ever crash a plane, three times? Let alone… surviving each one?"

The others groaned in disdain, as Peter huffed, "Okay… That did it. I'm never riding with you in a plane, again…"

The plane began to fly down, and then land in the water safely.

The Team Nevins survives the landing of Stag of Ruin. But they are far away from Egypt. Where will they land?
Be sure to tune in to the next chapter!

To be continued…