Things are looking good for The Gang. Krystle got access to get to the courtyard, to deliver the disc of Peter Giese, and all she has to do is make it to Savage Guardian.
However, things took a turn for the worst, as she and Jace were intercepted by a man in brown. An inmate working for Ritsu Tainaka, who plans on making sure the disc never returns. Even more so, Ritsu knows about the call. She and Azusa are heading to the Men's Prison to assist, unaware of Ritsu Tainaka's betrayal.


Episode 10 - Chapter 2: Sparkdance!
Master of Zero G!


Krystle said, as she floated to Jace, "Hey, Jace… Think you can swim your way to the door?"

Jace replied, "I wish… Only, I'm not a great swimmer. All we need to do is beat this guy, and we are back on the ground."

"What I don't understand is how Buttercup was able to be immune to this guy's Stand ability."

"Kim told me she's a meta-human, like your freak show of friends."

"Ha-ha, you ass."

Jace stared down at the door, "Now what?"

Krystle removed her uniform and said, "We need to get the disc back, and quickly. That weird guy is nowhere to be seen."

"Right… However, I'll fight off this weirdo, you get to the door. However, the door is locked, and we need to bust it open."

"I wish I could… but if I wreck anything else, it's on me…"

"Hey, I wanted freedom, too… But not while we're in the middle of this horrible experience."

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Can't say. I wish I had my watch with me."

Blood started to come out, as Jace moaned, "Are you… bleeding?"

Krystle gasped, "Wha–? My nose is bleeding… It's gotta be from the steam! SHIT!"

"Me, too! What the hell is this?" His eyes were bleeding.

She said, "It's the zero gravity… Jace, we need to protect ourselves… only… How can we–? OH! I think I know something… There's no oxygen in zero gravity. And the windows are open…"

He asked, "So, you think we should patch the walls?"

"No… I don't know…" She thought, "Everything is zero gravity here… The floors, the walls, the items below and above…"

"I have an idea…" He held his breath and grabbed some cloth. He used Johnny B Badd to seal the cloth with his stars. Krystle helped, but she sensed bullets whiz by. She deflected them, as they were metallic objects.

"Reloading!" The man said, as he reloaded his wrist gun.

Krystle cried, "Now what? We cannot leave this place!"

Buttercup returned, as she was hiding behind the wall, "Everything I touched turned to weightlessness… How scary…" She flew by and said, "Let me help…"

She zipped by and patched up the windows. Krystle moaned, as she was turning red, "That's great and all… but… Ungh… My head… Nngh…"

Jace groaned, "Uggggh! Help us!"

Buttercup cried, "WEATHER STATION!" Clouds covered both of them, and Buttercup said, "This way…"

They flew away, as the man jumped out and started to hunt them down. After a few minutes, Jace and Krystle were in white astronaut suits. She gasped, "Huh? It stopped bleeding…"

Jace said, "No way… I'm in space!"

Buttercup was in a suit, too, as she said, "No… Well, basically it feels like it. This guy turned this place into a vacuum. I covered your bodies with my clouds, before you suffocate and die… However, the blood is still floating."

"This is a cloud suit?" Krystle asked.

Buttercup said, "Yes. However, you cannot last in the air…"

Jace asked, "Don't tell us the bad news, will you?"

Buttercup said, "It'll only take two minutes, before the suits disappear. This is all I can do for now… It's a suit on the verge of death."

Krystle remarked, "Then, we have to defeat him, and soon… otherwise we'll be trapped in this vacuum… long enough to last, before it vanishes."

"Correct…" Buttercup said, "But still, we have to find him, or else… He'll attack us."

Jace prepared, "Two minutes is all I need. Krystle, you lead the way."

"No, I think it's best Buttercup will lead the way."

"Whatever." Buttercup nodded, "But this isn't a race… This is a matter of life and death."

"Hmm… Now that I'm not bleeding… There's something that bothers me…" Krystle said, "Look…" She pointed at the laundry hamper, "Something's not right. Look at the laundry hamper. Why isn't that floating?"

"Less talking, more fighting!" Jace growled, "We have to find that bastard!"

She said, "Hang on… I'm trying to process this…"

"You have less than a minute now… So, make with what you got and hurry!"

She explained, "No, I need to process this… The hamper and those metal barrels are still pinned to the floor, but everything else is in zero gravity… Not to mention, he's still breathing, despite the fact that there's no air… So, why is he not boiling, like us?"

"Maybe we didn't get weightless, unless you touched it…"

Krystle figured it out, "NO! We're at his range!" She explained, "His Zero Gravity Stand… It's obvious that this is as far as it'll go."

"So, judging by the distance… This guy's range is 20 meters, from the hamper to us." Jace said, "This is where our gravitational pull ends."

Krystle said, "Jace, you go first to that area… But remember, the guy's over there. And if you don't get any air, neither of us will get any oxygen to breathe…"

Jace nodded, "I'm on it. Only, what if the guy ambushes us?"

"Go now!"

"I'm inclined to agree. I will join him."

They stepped forward, and their cloud suits started to break a bit. Jace cried, "COME ON, HURRY!"

"Save your breath… Literally." Buttercup said, "No one can hear you scream."

They reached the hamper. But then, Jace called out, seeing the man, "That guy's on my left! Spread!"

He fired his metal screws to Jace and Buttercup. Krystle blocked the attack, using Stone Wind to deflect the metal objects to him. He avoided them, and he kept firing. Krystle punched them away, and they were heading towards him. He tried a trick shot, bouncing them off the barrels and towards her behind. But she blocked them, using her Stand.

"We're gonna get that oxygen! As soon as he's breathing air, we're gonna continue where we left off!"

"Go ahead and try! If you wanted air, you shouldn't have come to the laundry room!" He barked, "Just a moment ago, I finished my attack and hit my TRUE target!"

The metal barrel started to break, as he grinned, "See, I didn't want to hurt you… I wanted to hurt that metal barrel. And seeing that there is air inside it, I wanted to see how long it takes, the air inside will start to pressurize and then burst from the vacuum!"

The barrel burst open and flew towards Buttercup. Jace cried, "GET BACK!"

WHAM!
Jace was struck by the barrel. The man snarled, "Damn! I was hoping to hit the girl called Weather Station… but I forgot Romeo here had to go and take the bullet!" Jace floated away, as the man said, "Your friend's finished now. Unfortunately, he and Weather Station are away from the oxygen range now."

Buttercup roared, "It's no use! The cloud suit's about to break!"

Krystle flew up. She cried, "Buttercup! Get Jace out of here!"

He called out, aiming at them, "Nice knowing you, kids!" he gasped, as Krystle punctured her suit. She flew up, and called, "Jace! I'm coming! Buttercup! GET TO THE AIR!"

Jace groaned, "Ungh… Kry-Krystle!"

The man whispered, "She makes decisions on her own… She'd risk her life to get back at her friends. You're trying to stop the Star Guy's movement with your body. And when she does, he'll be out of my range, again! I WON'T LET HER!" He aimed, and fired. She knocked them back, as he said, "I'm aware of your Stand's power. The high speed of my rotation projectiles may have flicked away, as you defended yourself. But I prepared for that moment… Because after your defensive attack, I grabbed them all, and gave you a little present." Two rats flew to her, and they started to pulsate and bulge. "There's a lot of them, inside…"

"RATS?!" She cried, "STONE WIND! GET THE BASTARDS AWAY!"

POW!
The rats were punched away, but they exploded into blood, blinding her vision. "I CAN'T SEE!"

"What, you thought I used these rats as bait for my projectiles? You forget… They were still alive. But that sets you up! All three of you will die in my power!" He fired away and shouted, "IT'S OVER FOR YOU, KRYSTLE GIESE!"

She was shot by the metal objects, and he shouted. "WITH THIS, MY MISSION IS NOW COMPLETE!"

All three of them are floating in the air. "Thank goodness that's over. Sparkdance is the best Stand of all. I didn't think I'd underestimated their power… but still, I'm glad I came to this prison. With this new power, I'm unstoppable." He pondered, "Even so, this power gives me a lot to grow, like a delicate rose. Time to give the disc to Night Samba… and then destroy him, too… I'll do it with my own hands!" He noticed a blue string in his wrist. So many strings were attached, as Krystle was floating in the air, using her Stand to stop the attack.

"Predictable… I knew you'd use those things as a weapon. While you were reloading your nuts and bolts bullets, I had time to use my threadline. And you foolishly shot at me…"

He cried, "THIS THREAD! WHEN IN THE HELL DID YOU–?" He waved the threads around, trying to remove them. He roared, "You loser! I will just hack these threads–!"

"STONE WIND!" She pulled him inside, as he screamed, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! HEY!" He started to bulge and bleed. She said, "Looks like you got in a vacuum, too. Also, that disc you held, it's a fake. And moreover, if you stay, your body will explode from the boiling blood!" She shouted, "WE'VE BEATEN YOU! NOW REMOVE THE ZERO GRAVITY, UNLESS YOU WANT TO EXPLODE IN A BLOODIED MESS!"

He screamed, as he landed on the wall, "The crime I committed, which got me here, in the first place… How many times did I kill that woman? I stabbed my college professor, a total of 39 times… and that felt good. This is the same feeling again, as for so long!" he seethed, holding a jar, "I cannot forgive her for looking down! BITCH!" He opened the jar and said, "Add peroxide to manganese there, and a chemical reaction occurs! And oxygen is produced! Like the oxygen in his jar, it keeps on spewing outwards!" He flew forward and said, "And after such a long time that wanting to kill someone pretty as you will make me feel BLISS AGAIN! YOU'RE DEAD! I'll carve the epitaph in your tombstone! NO! I'll carve it using your corpse with shards of glass, and make it reek of piss! YOU'RE FINISHED, BITCH!" She was cut by the shards, as he called, "I ONLY GOT TO THIS PRISON BY STABBING SOMEONE! IF I DIE OF A VACUUM, YOU GO WITH ME, BEFORE I DO! I ONLY WANTED TO STAB SOMEONE AGAIN, AND LEAVE THIS PRISON, KNOWING HOW INVINCIBLE I'VE BECOME!"

Krystle's cloud suit started to vanish, but then it regenerated. Jace growled, "You son of a bitch… You don't deserve to win, nor to live… Krystle! My cloud suit, to you! It should be enough to beat this shithead to orbit!" Buttercup hovered over him and said, "Jace, you did a noble thing… Knowing that you sacrificed your cloud suit, just to save her…"

Jace coughed, as Krystle cried, "JACE!" The man yelled, "The hell?!" he held his eye and barked, "You'd rather kill yourself, than let her die?! You're a bigger fool than you thought!" he thought, as he was boiling, "This is bad… I cannot kill them now… If I release the zero gravity, air will flow in. But then, I'm starting to boil up, very badly. But then, this gives me enough time to use that airflow to escape." He cried, "Releasing ZERO GRAVITY! SPARKDANCE!"

He snapped his fingers and the air returned to normal. He stepped down and stepped off.

KAPOW!
Krystle smirked, as Stone Wind socked him in the face, "You should've done that in the first place, in order to avoid my wrathful onslaught… Instead of the air leaving you, you waited. Because of your arrogance, the airflow… IS FLOWING BACK TO ME!"

POW! POW! POW! POW!
She landed a barrage of kicks at the man.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA! ORA!" She landed a final punch and ended the man. He fell into the laundry hamper. The air returned, as Jace groaned, "Thank… goodness…"

Buttercup said, "He's badly hurt… But still, the air is cooling him off. We're glad this guy's defeated. Anyway, you're on your own from here."

She walked off, as Krystle nodded, "Thanks. We may need you again… but Jace needs a doctor, bad."

"I'm sure he will." She departed.

Krystle sighed and said, "That's that. Rest easy, Jace. I'll take it from here."

Jace groaned, "Y-Yeah… You do that… I owe you one… Just, never take me to space, when this is over…"

"I won't." She giggled. She said, "Still, we have enough time. How long before Speedwagon shows up?"

XXXXX

Azusa said, "There's a passage to the hallway here… and the windows are facing the courtyard. I want you to observe the area, while we make the exchange. However, to gain entrance to the courtyard, the revolving doors are over there. That's the only way to get in."

Ritsu said, "During daytime hours, the gate is unlocked. Only problem is…"

Krystle decided to open the double doors, as Jace said, "So… How are we going to get out?"

"We'll have a guard open them up." She tapped the module, but she needed a key card. She reached into the guy and grabbed his card, "Good thing he's a member of the prison."

"Who's the joker? We never got his name."

"His name's Lang D. Alger. And he was the user of this Zero Gravity ability. Good thing, too. I was going to trick one of the guards."

She prepared to open it, but then, Ritsu's voice was heard.

"Something wrong? Who's in there?" She pressed the button, and the voice called, "Oh, it's you."

Jace said, "Shit, more guards!" He hid behind a barrel, as Krystle lied in wait, "It's one of the guards. I wish Azusa was here…"

Krystle waited, and Ritsu called, "What's wrong? Why are you making that noise? Hold on. I'll open the door now."

She waited, as the doors opened. Ritsu appeared and said, "Lang, you in here? If you want to return to the Men's Prison, we'll return to the place of worship. I'd like to speak with you."

Krystle thought, "Wait… Who is he? Is he one of–? No, he's not a guard… or a prisoner… but… He's a…"

Ritsu locked eyes on Krystle, as she whispered, "This man's attire. It's like he's a… a…"

Krystle Giese is face-to-face with Ritsu Tainaka. But does she know about Ritsu's true nature?

Ritsu thought, "So, this is Krystle Giese… but where is Lang D. Alger? Am I right to assume that he failed his objective? She still has the disc in her possession. And if so, she will meet with someone at the courtyard, in a few minutes."

She reached for the alarm, "WAIT! Who are you? I want to know who you are!"

"Father Tainaka, child. And you're FE40536… I'm sorry, but you left your cell, so I have to report you."

Krystle panicked, but then she called, "Wait… Lycopene!"

Ritsu stopped, and Krystle gasped, "He's… He's Azusa's friend…" She called, "Are you a Watcher, Father?"

Ritsu nodded, "That is correct… My name is Ritsu Tainaka. I'm the chaplain of this prison."

Krystle thought in disgust, "Wait… He's Ritsu? No… Azusa said Ritsu was a woman, not a dude… If she is, I'll play along."

Jace asked, "What the hell is that guy? Wait… I have seen him before, while I saw Kim walk by… He's the preacher of the prison."

Ritsu stated, "What brings you here?"

"I know your leader, Azusa… She knows about us. And the last thing I want is to make a scene, or cause more chaos."

She thought, as she was angry, "I can knock this guy out… and maybe make a run for it. Yeah, but I wouldn't wanna punch a priest… even if she is a Watcher."

Ritsu asked, "Aren't you forgetting the real problem here? You used the keycard from a prisoner that doesn't belong to you. Pray to god… Why did you do that to him? Lang D. Alger…"

"Listen, I know you just met me, Father…" Krystle explained, "But I have to go to the courtyard, and then, I return to my cell. Also, I was assaulted by that prisoner you were referring to."

"Self-defense, I see…"

"Yes. He's napping in that hamper, after I beat him up."

"Regardless of this reason, I am still obligated to report this matter to the authorities. However, since you know Azusa… I can let it slide…"

"Do what you want. Only do it, after I meet at the courtyard. Give me two minutes. One's all I need, and then you can turn me in, Father."

Ritsu asked her, "Are you asking me to overlook this matter?"

Azusa's voice called, "Do as she says… We can trust her. One minute is all we need. Then, we resume as planned."

Ritsu asked, "So… The courtyard, what do you accomplish?"

"My brother's life is on the line. Someone out there is waiting for me to help him. Surely a priest like you can understand my situation."

"Are you by your lonesome? Or was there someone else with you, aside from Lang D. Alger?"

"No one… It's only me." Krystle thought in annoyance, "I can't believe I lied to a priest. Even so… She's a Watcher like Azusa, so I can trust her. But a tiny lie like that can be forgiven."

Ritsu nodded and said, "Very well, I believe you. But… When someone does something for others, they expect to receive some sort of reward, in return. To be kind to others is to expect that same kindness from those who give it to you. And that cannot be called unconditional love." She boasted, "True unconditional love… is the reward of eventually reaching the gates of Heaven."

She stepped back and said, "You may go. We never met. I will tell Azusa to overlook our meeting. But I entrust you to be there for at least ONE minute, and not a second longer. By then, I want you to return, at once."

Azusa said, from afar, "Thank you, Ritsu…" Krystle ran off, as Azusa was waiting for her.

Ritsu glared, as she was silent, "I had to let her go. Despite her lie, she said the call word… So I trust in her. But… I knew someone was hiding there… I never knew who… but still… Even if she does have allies around, I cannot risk her, The Gang, or Azusa to find out I'm really Night Samba's user. Even if it is to dispose of Krystle."

Jace whispered, "No way… He let her go? Amazing… We still have a chance."

Krystle met with Azusa, near the revolving doors. She said, "You have it?"

Azusa nodded, "I will deliver the disc, you hide until I need you. Don't let anyone see you. Speedwagon and The Watchers can trust each other." She stated, "But why do this? You'd risk escaping for your brother? If you fail and mess up, you'd end up in solitary confinement, for months on end… and chance of parole is out the window."

Krystle said, "All I can do now, after I get my brother's disc back… is to relax and enjoy prison life. They said I'm getting a pardon… but I'm not sure when. For now, saving Peter is my one and only objective."

Azusa nodded and smiled, "Glad you and I are on the same page. Let's go."

They went to the revolving doors. Azusa went to the steps, and she nodded. Krystle hid behind the pillar. She saw a man in a red scarf and a brown jacket. He had brown hair. Azusa said, "Good. He's an informant for the Speedwagon Foundation. Good thing he's in disguise."

Krystle peeked and said, "That's him… According to the Speedwagon Foundation, I'll deliver the disc to him. Azusa will be the one, and she entrusts him. Good luck, Azu–." She gasped, as she saw the jacket. But that's not all… He has a disc in his head.

"It's funny… I remembered everything…" The man said, "But… Do you have a pass permit to enter the courtyard?"

Azusa gasped, as Krystle cried, "THAT MAN! HE'S A GUARD! AZUSAAAAAAAAAAA!"

BANG! BANG!
Azusa was shot in the stomach. She dropped the disc, and Krystle was shocked. The guard said, "I say that's a no… And I do not recognize you, so you must be helping Prisoner FE40536 escape."

Jace gasped, hearing gunshots, "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? What the hell happened?"

Ritsu was inside, as she hissed, "I never intended on turning Krystle Giese in… Sounding the alarm was all subterfuge. I planned ahead. Having the guard patrol the courtyard was the perfect decision."

Azusa fell, as she was shot. Krystle snarled, "You son of a bitch!"

Ritsu Tainaka's betrayal had begun. She succeeded in killing Krystle Giese… but what she didn't know was that she shot the wrong person.


To be continued…