Title: Untold Truths
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: PG-13
Summary: see chapter one.
Warnings: see chapter one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.
"What do you mean 'put off'? He can't just change the date." Kai stood up and began to pace the large office interior, running a hand through his hair.
Behind the desk the white bearded man watched his young client pace with an equally concerned look. He had been amazed that one so young could handle so much but Kai was an extraordinary individual, though right now he did not look it.
"Mr. Hiwatari, I am just as surprised as you are. However the court contacted me yesterday saying that your grandfather has moved the case several weeks further. The new date will be some time in January."
Kai looked at his lawyer skeptically. When the man had called him and told him he needed to speak with him he had expected a thousand and one things but this had not been one of them.
"The only person capable of changing court dates by request is the judge, right?" he pointed out. "And in order to do that both plaintive and defendant have to agree with it. I wasn't consulted and I definitely do not agree with it."
"True, and it was the judge who gave permission; your grandfather must have used his resources to persuade him. As for how they were able to bend the regulations, I honestly do not know."
"Money. How else? I can't believe that Zalm would do such a thing. He's been a judge for over thirty years! How could he allow my grandfather to buy him over?" Kai leaned against his chair, feeling too tired and too old for his age. "So what now?"
"We have no choice but to wait till the appointed date. It's just a matter of patience."
He stood to show his client out, handing the boy his coat as they headed for the door. Pausing in the doorway he turned to the teenager.
"Just make sure that Saskia is out of his reach. I do not know why your grandfather suddenly wants custody of her after 4 years of ignoring her but I advise you to keep a close eye on her. Where is she at the moment?"
"She's with a good friend of mine. She's safe."
The blast caught him violently in the back, shoving him forward with such force that it knocked the breath right out of him. He had no time to recover when he was slammed onto the floor as hot air whooshed over him, blocking out the fearful cries as it roared around him. A jarring pain shot through his head as he landed on the right side of his skull, stunning him for a moment. Amongst the fading boom he heard the telltale crunches and groans as the walls and ceiling gave in.
A sharp piece of glass shattered next to him and was soon followed by more. Quickly covering his head, Ray closed his eyes and waited until the majority of the debris finished raining down on him. Glass, concrete and the enclosure's plantation landed everywhere.All that could be heard were clicks and thuds as the last pieces of debris came down. Hissing as a chunk of brick caught him on his shoulder, he feared that bigger pieces could crush him but none came.
What followed was an unsettling silence as the dust settled. His ears were still ringing and moving his shoulder was painful but other than that and several scrapes and bruises from flying debris, he was amazingly unharmed.
'I'm okay. I'm alive,' he told himself over and over, not really believing his luck at first. 'It's over. But I have to get out of here.'
Grunting softly, he managed to push his battered body off the floor only to find himself staring at the decapitated head of a tiger. Its eyes were wide open and its lower jaw had been blown off, allowing blood to trickle onto the floor and snake its way towards him.
"Ugh!"
He jumped back, injuries protesting but ignored as he looked at the gruesome remains before him. Swallowing, he calmed himself and finally found the strength to look away from the unfortunate beast, well aware that that could have been him lying there in pieces of the floor.
Quickly regaining his senses, he searched the wrecked area for any signs of his companions but to his growing concern he found no trace.
"Tala! Tala, where are you?"
There came no answer and he started to make his way through the rubble.
The blast hadn't been very big, as in not big enough to destroy the entire building. Nonetheless, it had done serious damage. The large hall they were in looked like an atom bomb had been dropped on it; debris everywhere and a part of the ceiling had caved in. Most exits had been sealed shut by collapsed walls and cracks in the floor ran jagged everywhere. Piles of broken material crunched and shifted beneath his feet as he searched for the missing Russians.
"Tala! Can you hear me! Answer me!"
Concern gave way to panic when still no answer came. Tala had been a few feet ahead of him but there was no way he could have made it out of the hall. Which meant that he, and Saskia, was still in here, buried beneath all of this.
'Shit! What am I going to do?'
Security guards and zoo workers were rapidly filling the area, trying to evacuate hysterical visitors whose loved ones had been crushed under the tons of rubble. A mother was shrieking as she held her little boy's limp body in her arms. Beside her her husband sat crying, trying to console her. Ray had to swallow a wave of nausea that rolled over him as he almost stepped on a severed hand, a wedding ring still on its finger.
"Tala! Saskia!" The latter couldn't hear him even if she was conscious but he couldn't think clearly at the moment. Were they trapped somewhere? Crushed or suffocating! Were they alive?
"TALA!"
Walking in the general direction where he had last seen the redhead, Ray was shocked to find that the floor there had collapsed from the force of the blast. A gaping crater several feet below ground level was filled with twisted beams and cracked slabs of concrete.
"No…"
They weren't there. They couldn't be. If they were…nothing could have survived under such weight.
Nonetheless, he hopped down and landed softly on the unstable area, careful not to shake lose any lose chunks.
"Tala?" he called out, voice softer in fearful expectations.
He took another step forward but stopped when he felt something soft beneath his foot. Looking down he saw that he had stepped on a small, dusty object. He picked it up and giving it a few shakes to rid it of the dust he gasped when he recognized a glass eye. Mica. They were in here somewhere!
"Say something! Can you hear me, Tala?"
Kneeling, he randomly started to dig, not even certain if they were there though Mica couldn't have strayed so far from Saskia since she had been clutching it close to her. Broken glass dug their shards into his finger and palms but he kept digging until his fingers hit something solid. Wiping away the dust particles he found himself staring at a large slab of ceiling. It was at least a foot thick and steel beams poked out from the jagged edges.
Desperate, he grabbed one of the beams as a handle and tried to pull the slab away but of course it did not even shift. His wrist ached as he tugged and his blood made his grip slippery, not to mention extremely painful, but the slab refused to budge despite his best efforts.
"I need help here!" he shouted but the sound of the excited crowd drowned him out.
THUMP
A long crack appeared in the surface. Warily, Ray backed away as another THUD made the tear bigger. When nothing else happened he knelt down only to leap back to prevent being smashed in the face as a fist broke through the concrete. The immense force was too much and the rest of the slab crumbled, leaving a large cloud to billow up. Ray shielded his eyes from the dust particles.
Reopening them he let out a small cry of relief when Tala stood up from the crouch he had been in. The older teen let out a small cough and shook the debris from his flaming hair as he straightened. Giving his surrounding a brief survey, he undid his coat to reveal Saskia who was snuggled againsthis torso, the fabric having protected her from sustaining any serious injuries. She had a nasty gash on her cheek and bruises on her legs but for the rest she okay, albeit filthy.
A quick inspection proved that Tala was in pretty good shape too, considering that a large section of ceiling had landed directly on him. The teen didn't seem to have any broken bones and stood straight without any signs of discomfort. Facing away from Ray, he didn't move though, as if staring at something.
"Are you alright?" Ray asked, walking around the silent redhead though his relieved smile faded.
Tala was staring off into space but that was the least bothering thing. The Russian's eyes were glazed over, like in a trance or something; the blue irises were gone, replaced by a solid white orb. He also gave no sign of having noticed Ray.
"T-Tala?" he urged, grabbing a shoulder before he could stop himself and was rewarded with the redhead blinking out of his trance-like state.
Ata tried to blink away his hazy vision but realized the blurred sight was due to the fact that his glasses were gone, not having been as fortunate as him to escape the rain of concrete. The small body against him shifted and he immediately checked her status. Finding the bruises and cuts none-life threatening he looked up to see Ray standing before him, eyes filled with worry and a hand on his shoulder.
'He's alive. Thank God!'
He would not have been able to face Kai had the kitten been buried alive because he hadn't been more alert.
"Are you hurt, Ray?"
"Don't worry about me. What about you?" The eyes were their usual cerulean hue but in his mind Ray kept on replaying the haunting whites they had been just a few seconds ago.
"I'll survive. I have to get the two of you out of here," he said, though, scanning the crater for a good exit.
"That's okay, the ground is pretty stable," Ray assured, just grateful that they were alive.
"No, we must go now!" Ata repeated more forcefully. This wasn't the end of it; he knew them too well. One little explosion was far too simple for them. More was going to follow. He had to get both Saskia and Ray out of here and quick.
Noting the others' urgency, Ray climbed out first and turned to take Saskia from Tala but she was still badly shaken from the whole ordeal and refused to release him.
((Go to Ray, Saskia. I need you to be brave,)) Tala whispered into her ear.
She looked up at him and finally relinquished her hold, reattaching herself to Ray. He stroked her back as he felt the massive trembles of shock still running through her petite frame.
"It's alright, Saskia. We're going home."
He looked around the disaster zone. More people had arrived and crowded around, looking to see if they could help out. Beside him Tala had emerged from the pit and was searching his coat for something. Finding his cell phone, which had luckily not been damaged, he pulled it out and hit the speed-dial button.
((Jeremei, we have been targeted. They are here and they are moving in. I need you to come get Saskia and Ray. Meet us at the checkpoint where you dropped us off.))
Hanging up he turned to Ray and took Saskia back.
"Let's go," he ordered as he covered the small body with his coat. Locating an undamaged exit, he steered Ray in that direction, following closely behind the confused neko-jin.
"Tala, what's going on? Do you know who planted that bomb or why they did that?"
"I do know who it was and I also know why. However what I don't understand is the purpose. Just trust me and follow me, Kitten..."
Tala stopped mid sentence. Kitten?...Cats...Tigers!
He spun around. A soft curse left his lips.
Perplexed, Ray turned also and felt his blood freeze.
The explosion had been 'small', but the force had been great enough to shatter the glass panel of the exhibition, leaving nothing between the humans and the large cats. The tigers had fled from the loud explosion but their fright was wearing off and having discovered the newly open portion of their compound, they crowded around. One of them experimentally stuck its head out. Sensing no threat it crouched and with a large pounce, leapt out and landed on the ground outside.
Terror took over once more as those who had returned to the scene scrambled. Screams and cries echoed loudly as people desperately tried to squeeze through the few remaining exits, which quickly became crammed. Many lost their footing and fell only to be crushed by the large crowd who trampled over them.
The tiger watched the fleeing beings with a predatory glare and started to prowl around the mass, eyes searching out any injured or helpless. Meanwhile, other tigers started to follow its lead as they nimbly leapt to their freedom. Soon were eight of them and they started to disperse. Some circled the terrified visitors while others ran off for some exploration.
A security guard drew his gun and fired a round, hitting one of the escaping cats in the head. The large feline roared and fell to the ground, dead. Determined, the man went on to finish off his round but failed to hit any more. He did manage to draw attention to himself and before he could even react two large cats tackled him to the ground, roaring and shredding at his clothes and skin. His dying cries where gurgled as blood started to fly.
The sight of the guard being mauled to death triggered a total all-out chaos and crowd turned to head out via the only other direction away from the tigers. Which happened to be the main entrance…where the three friends stood.
"Oh shit," Ray breathed as the mass of petrified bodies thundered towards them.
They had little time to react before the crowd was upon them.
/Phase one has been effectively carried out./
"Excellent. Commence second phase."
/Yes, sir./
Ata curled his upper body around Saskia as the first row of terrified people hit them. Keeping his back facing the onslaught was the only way he could protect the little girl from being crushed against his chest by the rushing bodies that punched and kicked at anything in their way.
Above the mayhem he heard a familiar voice cry out and spun in time to see Ray disappear below the crowd.
"Ray!"
Ata focused all his training and strength and started to shove his way through the mass of bodies as he tried to reach the spot where the Drigger blader had fallen but it was proving to be difficult since he also had to keep in mind that Saskia was with him.
"Damn it! This is taking too long!" he growled as a passerby pushed him several feet further away from his destination. There was no way he could make it to the Chinese blader on time.
Not giving up, he continued onward as much as the impassive mass surging around him would allow. There were too many people and it would take forever before all of them could get through the single exit. Saskia yelped as she got an elbow in the side from some unknown person amidst the crowd.
"It'll be over soon, Saskia. We're just going to get Ray."
The commotion of the zoo goers was deafening but she looked up at him and buried her face in his shoulder, trying not to be too much of a burden.
Too distracted with helping his friends, he did not notice one particular man who was making his way towards them in the crowd, roughly thrusting people out of the way easily with his large frame. A black hood concealed the man's features and had anyone been paying attention they would have noticed the light reflecting on the revolver in his belt. Mercilessly, he shoved a young mother and child down as he drew nearer.
Ata froze when an alarm sounded in his head. A female's metallic voice spoke up.
: Warning: Identified agent fifty feet and closing. Male is armed :
"Position," he demanded as he searched the crowd for the man, though he new the agents were damn near impossible to see when amongst others.
: 34 degrees north to northeast. 25 feet and closing. Recommend System Upload. :
"Denied. Maintain current status." Blue eyes tried to discern the threat but couldn't refine his blurred vision.
A fist slammed into the side of his head out of nowhere, swiftly followed by a second punch to his throat. The savage impact left him gasping for air. A forceful tug was accompanied by a pained scream. Blinking away the spots, he saw the hazy outline of the man who had grabbed Saskia around the waist, thick fingers digging into her skin as he tried to twist her away from the red-head's protective hold.
"Ata! Help me!"
: Warning, second agent approaching. :
"Let go of her, you bastard!"
He was so preoccupied with Saskia that he failed to register Vitha's warning and in doing so didn't notice the man who seemingly materialized behind him. The metal prongs of an electric device buried themselves into the back of his neck before sending a high voltage through the skin and muscle to his chip. His whole body convulsed as several circuits crackled before shutting down.
: System damaged. Repeat, system damaged. Recommend System Upload :
"D-Denied!" he commanded through clenched teeth. His body was trembling as he felt the circuits die out one-by-one.
: Warning! Firearm had been detected :
It was too late and he felt white, hot agony as a bullet ripped through his stomach, having been fired by the first agent who had one arm around Saskia while the other held the gun he had pulled from his belt. The shot echoed loudly and the people around them cried out as his blood splattered onto the floor, soaking her dress.
"ATA!" the little girl shrieked as she watched as blood started to drip from his mouth.
Struggling against the combined assault, he knew there was only one thing he could do to still ensure her chance of survival, even if the chances were small. Reaching into her blouse, he tugged on the necklace she wore hidden and palmed it, making sure their aggressors didn't see him.
"Kai will find you," he whispered into her ears, rapidly losing the strength to hand on to her. "Be brave, Saskia…"
And she was gone, wretched violently from his arms with a last tug from the agent.
"NO! ATA!" She tried to kick at the man but he secured his grip on her and pushed his way through the mass, leaving behind the dying teen.
"Saskia..."
He had failed her. He had failed Ray. He had failed Kai.
"I…I'm so sorry…Kai…"
: Warning, system failure. Recommend System Upload :
No one in the crowd tried to help him, all keeping their distance from him, as if his injuries were contagious. He tried to get to his feet but his legs couldn't support him for much longer and he fell.
: Recommend System Upload :
He had promised Kai that he would look after her with his life, but only if it would mean that she was safe. He was dying…and she was in enemy hands. He hadn't kept his promise.
Lightheaded from lack of air and rapidly losing blood, he felt the world spinning.
A flash of green lit the area and people parted as something large made its way to where he knelt on the floor. Blinking into the bright light he tried to make out the origin.
: Blood loss critical. Insufficient oxygen. Recommend System Upload :
"De...denied..." he gasped as the wound in his stomach gushed out more blood. His eyes didn't leave the green giant as it came to stand before him. The area around them was cleared as people backed off, shocked and mesmerized.
"Tala!"
That voice.
: Recommend System Upload :
A blurred movement on top of the light source got his attention and the next thing he knew he felt two hands grip his arms, shaking him softly.
"Tala! What happened!...Oh no…"
Ray's voice broke through and he looked up into frightened eyes. The boy looked like he had been through a shredder; his shirt was torn and bruises were forming on the exposed flesh. A cut on his cheek seeped blood onto his white shirt.
"R-r-ray...?"
The crowd hit him hard, effortlessly pushing him along until he lost his footing and was buried beneath many trampling feet, the wind being beaten out of him by the massive weight of the people.
All sense of reality had almost been lost when he heard, above the racket, a small girl scream and recognized it as Saskia. His friends needed him but he was just as trapped as they were. When a gunshot went off, however, he somehow knew what was taking place several feet away. Resorting to his last option, he pulled out Drigger but there was no room, or energy, to use his ripcord so he had to rely on his bond between him and his tiger bit beast.
"Drigger, go!"
A large flash lit the area as Drigger emerged from the blade, roaring loudly at the tone of pain in his master's voice.
People around them gasped and parted but the giant feline didn't give them a second look. Instead he nuzzled Ray's face, trying to find what was hurting the teen but unable to give him the medical attention he badly needed.
Disheartened when he couldn't locate the invisible enemy, he licked at the boy's face and was rewarded when Ray placed a reassuring hand on his muzzle, stroking it to show that he was all right. The boy would have spoken but the tiger noticed that it was painful just to breathe so was satisfied with the gesture, ignoring the blood from the slashed fingers that smudged his nose.
Using the tiger's strong neck for support, Ray hoisted himself up onto the beast's back, grateful for the fresh air above the crowd. However, he had no time to enjoy it; he had to find Saskia and Tala.
Many unfortunate souls hadn't made it and lay broken and lifeless on the ground. Turning around he was relieved to see that the zoo workers had been able to round up all the tigers, though two other employees had lost their lives doing so. The crowd was unaware that the tigers had been contained and the pressure of the bodies was just as intense.
An opening in the crowd many feet away from him drew his attention.
"Drigger, that way," he pointed to the spot and the tiger started to make his way over there, carefully minding not to crush anyone though the people wisely kept their distance, staring with wide eyes and open mouths as the glowing green feline stalked pass them.
As they neared Ray caught a glimpse of red and felt some sense of relief. He had found them. So why was there something nagging his mind? Why did he feel that something was wrong? The answer came fast and shocking.
"Tala!"
He jumped off of Drigger's back and ran over to where his friend laid covered in blood, hands on a hole in his stomach that was spurting blood with each weak heartbeat. Tala's shirt was completely dyed red and his face was as white as snow, lips a slight tint of blue.
'Shit!'Ray had never thought that he would live to see the day that Tala would ever look so weak. Tears formed in his eyes from the pain he saw in Tala's ever dimming blue orbs. Fighting panic, he turned to where others stood in a circle around them, not doing anything.
"What the hell is wrong with you! He needs help!"
His shouted words caused the people to look amongst each other uncertainly yet still they didn't move to assist.
"Ray?"
He broke off his angry glare at the whispered voice.
"I'm here, Tala. Don't move." He tore off his coat and pressed it against the wound, trying to stall the bleeding. Where the hell were the paramedics? Someone must have contacted them by now!
"…You look terrible," Ata smirked ever so slightly but then hissed when he felt another circuit fry out.
"Look who's talking," Ray replied though he was too worried to mean it.
: System malfunctioning :
Ata closed his eyes at those words and fighting the inevitable he looked back up at Ray. The Chinese boy's hair was loose and cascaded down his shoulder and back, some of it dangling in the blood on the floor. Golden eyes begged him to say that he would be fine. And he would have. He would have lied and told him that he had never been better, but time was short. Vitha confirmed that with a scan result.
: System has reached critical level. Automatic shut down will commence in 5...:
"Ray...t-t-take...this. They took Saskia..."
Tala pressed something into his palm. Ray looked down at the thin, silver necklace with a glowing pendant rested in his hand. Saskia's necklace. The one she had always been so secretive about. Right now he wanted nothing more than toss it away but Tala's pain filled stayed his hand.
"Where is she? Who took her?"
:…4…:
"Tell Kai…for me…"
"Why! Tala!"
:…3…:
"Give Kai…Tell…Tell him that I-I'm sorry." Tears brimmed his blue eyes as he felt his life source leaving him. "A-and that I l-l-love them all…"
:…2…:
"No! You're going to give this and tell him yourself. You're going to make it. It-It's not as bad as it look! The medics will be here soon. Just hang on." He choked on his words as he watched his friend draw ragged breaths.
:…1…:
"Tell him that I love him…an-and that you love him…too…"
: System deactivating :
"I swear, Tala; you are going to be alright! A few more minutes…You can't…Tala!"
"P-promise…me…"
Ray angrily blinked away his tears but nodded.
"I promise you."
A soft sigh came from the blue lips that smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Kitten."
Loud voices made Ray look up to see the police swarm the area, finally bringing discipline to the traumatized citizens. Dozens of men and women in white uniform ran in behind them carrying medical kits and stretchers. The paramedics!
"Look, Tala. They're here. You're in good hands now."
He smiled down at the teen but the other didn't respond, a serene look on his sickly pale face.
"Tala?" He shook the teen but the head rolled limply to the side.
"Tala, come on buddy. Don't fall asleep on me now."
Nothing. He could feel the chest rise through the bloody clothes. With trembling fingers, he reached out and placed them on the pulse point on the smooth neck. No pulse.
"Tala, wake up." His voice was small and pleading. "Everything's alright now. The doctors are here. You have to wake up for them to help you."
The long lashes didn't even flutter and the face remained calm.
"No…Tala, don't do this to me. Don't do this!"
Drigger moved to stand beside him, offering his support but not knowing how to comfort his mourning blader.
"Please, Tala…Open your eyes…say something. Anything. Just don't…Don't die on me now."
It was too late. He had been too late.
Burying his face in the flaming red hair, he started to sob, the cries wracking his body as he rocked the motionless teen in his arms. Warm. Tala was still warm…He had been talking a minute ago.
"I'm sorry. Please, Tala..."
Now it was too late. Tala was lying peacefully in his arms…dead.
"TALA!"
Several halls away a grieving howl wailed as the beta female raised her head to the sky. The rest joined in as the pack mourned the lone wolf's passing.
They knew that he was now where he always wanted to be and that he had been reunited with Wolborg.
His long journey had finally come to an end.
A loud crash broke through the kitchen and Natasia looked up startled at Kai. The mug he had been drinking out of broken and forgotten on the floor, black coffee spreading everywhere.
"Kai? What's wrong?"
He couldn't answer her at once, blinking in disbelief.
'No. It can't be…'
"Kai?" She stood up from where she had been reading the newspaper and walked around the table to where he still stood stunned at the bar. Gently taking hold of his face between her hands, she made him look at her. "What is it?"
Her heart grew heavy with dread when the red eyes began to shimmer. Kai looked as if he was refusing to come to accept something but finally he spoke, in a soft voice.
"Vitha has crashed." He swallowed, finishing the message his own chip had just relayed. "201121...has ceased to exist."
"W-What does that mean?" she asked, hysterics starting to creep into her voice.
"…Ata's dead."
A lone figure in the cold room smiled as he received the successful news. Clapping his hand in triumph he rose and left the room.
'Don't mourn your little friend, Kai. You will be joining him soon.'
Right now there was work to be done. They had a guest coming in the form of a little 8 year-old. Once they had what they needed from her she was going to join her brother and their friend as well.
And he would finally have the power to make the world his.
Walking down the dark halls, Boris Balcov grinned.
Tbc...
Read & Review, please.