Cyber Tears Ch. 5

By Nyassa Kaiba

Emily stretched her fingers at the keyboard. "Okay, Kenny, network my Laptop to Dizzi, we'll have them scan the data from the battle."

"Gotcha!" Kenny said cheerfully. "Go for it Rei!"

Kai and Rei released their beyblades. Almost instantly Rei felt a presence, it threatened to wash over him burying his consciousness. Rei had always been a firm believer in the phrase, Cogito Ergo Sum, that is to say, "I am consciously aware, therefore I exist and no other proof is required." If that were true, then the Cyber Programming was threatening his life!

Lee's swimming lessons came back to him. "Don't fight the waves, ride them, use them to your advantage." Rei was grappling with a wave of sorts, he thought. /Okay, I think I've got the hang of this./

"Uht oh, this isn't good!" Emily exclaimed, tapping at the computer. "His vital signs are highly irregular. The Cyber Program is trying to override his awareness, and he's fighting it."

/I am, me!!/ Rei's thoughts were scattered. /I am me! I am not the computer!/ Then Rei caught the wave of instinct. "GO FOR IT DRIGER!" clang! Clang! Clash crash! Clang! Dranzer and Driger darted about the bowl, so fast that Kai could barely track them.

"DRANZER!!" Kai called out his bit beast. Tiger and phoenix clashed in mid air.

Crash clash!! Sparks flew. Dranzer began to wobble.

"FINISH IT DRIGER!!" Rei commanded. Driger sent Dranzer flying out of the ring. Almost as if they had never been there, the Cyber commands subsided, leaving Rei's head miraculously clear. Rei panted slightly as he retrieved Driger.

"Your turn Em..." Michael told her.

Emily had started shaking in fear. That battle had barely lasted a minute. "Yeah...yeah... my turn."

Rei took a long swig of Gatorade. The All Starz knew almost every trick imaginable to keep up a person's physical stamina, one of which was Gatorade/Powerade during what Michael described as a 'Long Run', coupled with plenty of water. Rei could now see the wisdom of that, he was soooo thirsty, and felt exhausted.

Emily faced off with Mariah. "Okay Mar, give it all you've got right?"

"Right!" Mariah answered worriedly.

"She's shaking Mike." Robert said worriedly.

"It's a only practice session, not a tournament." Michael said, more to reassure himself than Robert. "Emily can handle it right?"

"She'd better." Rei said, dabbing the sweat from his forehead. "I could barely resist that... that thing whatever it was. I can see why the Demolition Boys aren't eager to get into that tank."

"Beyblading is an art of empathy as much as it is a science of equations." Robert said, eyes on the battle. "If you master one but not the other, it can cause a lot of trouble."

"On your signal Em!" Mariah called.

"Gotcha! Letter rip!" Emily swung. Trygator rocketed into the ring, TOO FAST!! In a flash, Emily realized what was wrong. The Cyber Modifications had increased her physical strength. The speed of her swing had gone from about 75 or 80 mph to about 95 or 100 mph. The wave came too fast and too strong, and the littlest All Star lost herself. Joy beyond joy, power beyond power, and it was her's for the taking! But there was pressure too. Pressure? Yes, pressure to win, or her life would have no meaning.

Trygator was moving too fast for Mariah to track. "Houston! We have a problem!"

"What the Hell?" Michael demanded. Lights flashed around the bowl. Sparks flew as Galux struggled to keep up with Trygator.

"We got a problem guys!!" Kenny called. Michael dashed over to where the youngest Blade Breaker was typing frantically to keep up with Dizzi's readings.

"Erratic brainwave function, erratic endocrine function, erratic nerve synapse speed, high speed and velocity in bowl..." Dizzi was reciting a litany of data that threatened to overload the laptop's processors.

"Give the speed in mph!" Michael demanded.

"103.4534 mph." Dizzi replied calmly, then continued reading off battle data.

"What the fuck!??" Eddy demanded, shoving Michael out of the way. "That's over 20 mph faster than her highest launch speed!"

"Of course Jock Star." Tala said coldly. "Part of the program is increased physical strength and reaction time, Emily couldn't react to that speed because her intuition and empathy are basically nill. She hit too hard, part of the reason why I don't like relying on physically launching Wolborg. It makes the launch speed too erratic and too hard to predict."

Emily barely heard them. Voices, so annoying, why couldn't they be quieter? The enemy was being stubborn and she needed to concentrate. Why wouldn't the enemy wobble? The other top was darting away at top speed, but it couldn't out run her Trygator. "TRYGATOR!! FINISH HER!"

CLANG! The noise seemed to echo abnormally loud in the empty dome. Emily's mind cleared. "Oh my God, what have I done?" Emily fell to her knees. "What's happening to me?"

Michael dashed to her side with a mug of cocoa. "Drink Em. You look awful!"

"I feel awful..." Emily sobbed. "I didn't feel a thing! I didn't care! I didn't love! I was blank! There was no control!" The usually imperturbable little All Star was scared out of her wits.

"I've said it before. I'll say it again." Robert knew he was babbling, but that was better than thinking about what he would be doing next. "Beyblading is both a Science of Equations and an Art of Empathy, if you lack Empathy then you won't get anywhere."

"It's okay Rob." Tala wrapped an arm around Robert's waist. "Things will be just fine." He sounded more like he was reassuring himself than Robert.

"Cap'n!" Johnny called, "It's your turn."

Robert gulped down half his can of soda before he stood up to battle. Johnny stood opposite the bowl, waiting for the signal to start. "Robert, if you start to go out of control, shout and I'll surrender."

"No." Robert straightened up, the adrenaline beginning to rush in his ears. "Emily wanted data, and data she'll get, we go all out."

"Okay Robert, if you say so..." Johnny said nervously.

"RIP IT UP!!" Michael gave the signal.

Salamalyon and Griffolyon crashed mid air. The rush of instinct caught Robert off guard. He tried to compromise with it, but instinct that strong shows no mercy. Lee recognized what was happening. "RIDE THE RUSH ROBERT! IT'S A WAVE! CHANNEL IT!!" The words echoed in Robert's head. He heard them, riding the rush of battle data like a surfer does a wave. Then he felt it, an elevated stage of consciousness. A presence presented itself in his mind. //Follow me...//

/Who are you?/

//You know me. I fight for you every day...// The voice laughed.

/Griffolyon?/ Robert rocked back in shock.

//I am... follow me.// The bit beast said with a mental smile. //Breathe with me! We breathe together!!//

Robert's Beyblade meshed spikes with Salamalyon. Griffolyon grabbed the beyblade, hoisting Salamalyon into the air. Griffolyon slammed the Salamander into a wall. Salamalyon clattered to the ground. The clang again signaled a return of the outside world.

"Elevated pulse rate, synapses stable, brainwaves erratic, breathing steady." Dizzi read off. "Endocrine functions off," Dizzi continued, "compensating for genetic variation, Endocrine levels now read as normal."

"Go for it Oliver." Robert gave the littlest Majestic's hand a squeeze. "We're with you."

Enrique swept Oliver into a reassuring hug. "I'm here."

"Thanks." Oliver was trembling like a leaf. "Just like surfing right? Just ride the currant right?"

"Right." Enrique said encouragingly. Unfortunately, Oliver had never gone surfing in his life.

It wasn't as bad as Oliver thought it would be. Until the wave came /How the hell am I supposed to ride this?/ Oliver demanded. "Yaaaaahhh!!!" In a flash, the youngest Majestic reeled under the sensory overload.

"Warning!" Dizzi said urgently. "Pulse erratic, synapses erratic, endocrine function erratic beyond compensation algorithm, breathing erratic."

"He's panicking!" Enrique cried. He ran to Oliver's side.

"I can't keep this up much longer!" Johnny said worriedly. "Get a handle on him Enrique! He'll pass out at this rate!"

Enrique wrapped comforting arms around Oliver's waist. "Come on me amor, you can do it. I'm here, don't panic, we're together..."

Oliver barely heard the instructions being told to him. With a grunt, he let Unicolyon out of the blade. Unicolyon lowered his head and charged at Salamalyon. Salamalyon stepped aside in true defensive fashion. Unicolyon staggered, instinct and his keeper's panic overloading reason. "Oliver, listen to me! You're being controlled, you're panicking." Voices, always voices, soooo annoying. "Oliver..." Tears fell from Enrique's eyes. Unicolyon wavered, charging again and again. Staggering. Salamalyon held him at bay for awhile. "Please hear my voice... I..." Enrique was helpless at what to do. If he spoke of their love in front of the others, they'd never forgive him. But Oliver was being controlled. How was he supposed to get through to his koibito except with love? "I LOVE YOU!!" Enrique cried. A glow shone on his forehead. A single rune, Lamda, lamda for liberty, for life... and for love.

Unicolyon glowed as well, responding to the plea of Oliver's lover. //Oliver! Listen to me!!//

/huh? But you're.../

//Your bit beast, I know, I have no time to explain it fully. But listen to what I'm telling you, open your heart to me and your lover. We'll give you strength to overcome the Cyber Instincts.//

/Open my heart and mind?/ Oliver asked,

//Yes...// Oliver did so.

"OH!" He exclaimed, his mind was miraculously clear. Unicolyon stood tall, rearing, again in control of himself. Salamalyon roared in joy and met the charge with all his power. CLANG! The noise of Salamalyon's ejection from the bowl signaled a release from pain so acute, that tears of joy fell from Oliver's face. "I DID IT!" Oliver hugged Enrique in joy. "I made it! Enrique..." Oliver sighed, as the Italian Majestic swept his koibito up into a joyful kiss. Oliver met his lover's lips with joyful ardor, arms encircling his neck.

Michael just stared. Eddy elbowed Steve and the two politely turned their attention elsewhere. Michael, however, felt the heat stirring between his legs. /Uht oh./ Eddy thought. /I sense a struggle coming on./

"That was disgusting!" Michael exclaimed when Oliver and Enrique finally pulled apart. "You guys are gross!"

"Michael!" Eddy growled. "That's not polite!"

"But they're faggots! Look at them!"

"Michael, if you don't shut up right now, I'm ripping a new hole in your head." Robert growled.

"Why don't I get to do that?" Tyson begged. "Please pretty please?"

"Don't you see how disgusting that is though?" Michael demanded.

"It's not disgusting Michael," Max told him. "It's just different."

"But..." Michael was privately reeling in confusion. He was trying to fight his own heart, and that usually doesn't work out well.

"Michael." Emily said urgently. "Just shut up, please!!" She begged.

Michael turned and walked out, his expression pure ice. Oliver hid behind Enrique.

"You guys have anything to say to me?" Robert asked, amused.

"Robert, I'm sorry we didn't tell you." Oliver said shyly. "Enrique is my lover..."

"I'm happy for you." Robert said with a gentle smile. "Your relationship saved your life today."

"Congrats on getting laid my man!" Tyson extended a hand. "dude!" Enrique slapped it half-heartedly, his mind entirely on the green haired beauty in his arms.

Emily smiled radiantly, while Mariah looked deep in thought.

"You guys! I think Dizzi's spotted a trend here!" Kenny exclaimed from the tiers.

"What?" The team captains crowded around.

"It looks like the amount of control regulates vital signs during a battle." Dizzi said calmly. "If you panic, then your vital signs, heartbeat, brainwaves etc. waver out of control. I don't think Oliver's going to be able to play for awhile until he's learned not to panic. He needs rest and rehydration."

"Powerade coming up!" Eddy tossed one to Oliver, who caught it awkwardly.

"May I have one too?" Enrique asked politely. "My heart almost stopped for a moment there!" Eddy laughed and tossed on his way too.

"I think it's kind of like this old song that I heard." Rei said thoughtfully. "'The remedy is the experience/It's a dangerous liaison...' If we can control our instincts once, the control will stay with us forever."

"So all we have to do is learn control." Robert mused thoughtfully. "Think you can manage that Tala?"

"I think so. What do you think guys?" Tala asked his team.

"It sounds feasible." Bryan mused thoughtfully.

"The Remedy is the Experience..." Spencer mused. "I think I've heard that before."

"It's inscribed on the door of the Stonewall Dome." Eddy stated. "I trained there for awhile with my old team, the Harlem Magic."

"It's a useful warning." Robert mused. "A very useful warning."

~tbc~

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaa!!

um... right. Technically they aren't lovers yet. They just got a little um... busy in that shower. (blush) um... right... on with the ficcy.