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.
"Dranzer, return."
Flapping her wings a final time to shower the area with molten fireballs, the great phoenix gave a mighty screech before breaking down and disappearing into the blue blade in his hand. He tightened his fist and brought it to his chest.
"Give me the strength to do this. Give Saskia the strength to hold on."
The blade in his hand warmed his palm as Dranzer answered his prayer. Placing it in his pocket, he looked behind him at the now charred tunnel. The brick walls were blackened and the wooden beams that held up the ceiling groaned dangerously in their weakened state. He could still see the red glow within them as thin tendrils of smoke curled up though they were overwhelmed by the heavy black smoke that billowed up from where fires still burned steadily.
A small beep got his attention and he raised his head to look up into the lens of one of the Abbey's hundreds of cameras. Small sparks danced across its encasement and it made a strained whirring sound as it turned from left to right. It settled on him, tiny red light blinking though barely visible in the red glow of the embers of the fire. A new crackle sounded and he recognized it to be that of the speakers.
"Impressive, Kai. It would have been even more so if it had been what we wanted you to do," Boris' voice floated through the room.
"Sorry for disappointing you," he threw back, more intent on planning his next move.
"Believe me, I know you won't. But do keep in mind that Saskia is here with us, not with you. You can destroy as much as you want but what's keeping us from killing her? Hm? I really doubt you came all the way out here to rescue a dead body."
"Well, believe me, I didn't. And as far as dead bodies are concerned, I would watch myself if I were you. In fact, watch this."
He raised the gun and fired at the lens. The camera pivoted for a moment before exploding into several smaller pieces.
"If you are going to waste your time by shooting out every camera of ours, then you are in for a long night indeed," the irritating voice still rang out.
"Why hit the nerves when it is the brain that counts?" He smirked. "And I thought that you knew this Abbey so well? Haven't you noticed where I am?"
The voice was silent for a while as the man did indeed finally take note of his position. He could hear the scowl in the man's voice.
"Son of a bitch."
"Takes one to know one."
Raising the gun again, he turned to the large fuse box that stood mounted on the wall across the room from him. The fire had not breached it but its yellow 'Warning, high voltage' sign was a charred..
The bullet rocketed out of the barrel as he pulled the trigger. Whistling through the air, it struck the protective cover, tearing through the metal and embedding itself deep between the main wires and fuses that fed the Abbey its light and power.
Walking down the hall, he didn't even flinch when a large eruption blasted behind him as the fuse box's circuits over heated, short-circuiting the entire system. The lights that lined the long corridor he was walking in flickered off, casting the whole corridor, not to mention the Abbey, into total darkness.
"Activate night shade."
: Nocturnal vision activated :
The once black world turned green as he continued. Approaching footsteps and startled shouts alerted him of the guards and soon he could see a lightening in his green view as flashlights were turned on further down the hall.
'Follow the light at the end of the tunnel.'
He smirked and clicked the revolver.
The lights flickered back on above his head and he turned to the nearest scientist.
"And?" he asked in an aggravated voice.
"W-well, sir, um...we got the power back on for this level, b-but we can't get the rest of the system to function. It's as if he wants only this lower level to have electricity."
"Of course he does, you idiot. He is coming at us under the cloak of darkness." Voltaire entered, having been forced to leave his office to investigate when the lights had suddenly gone off. "Also, he knows of Saskia's state and as long as she is in the holding tube she will need the electricity to live."
"Clever boy," Boris said somewhat sarcastically as he turned back towards the screens which were now all static except for those who belonged to the cameras on their level. "I hope that you will replace everything that he destroyed, sir."
"Once I have that chip in hands I will have all power. This rotting hole will be turned into an extensive laboratory. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go welcome my grandson."
He flung the glass doors open, ignoring the sting of cold air as he had left his coat along with his bag in the waiting room. Minor details as more important matters were on his mind. Golden eyes searched for a cab. The limited number of airlines flying had reduced the number of taxis but now there were none at all. Cursing softly, he started walking down, hoping to find one.
A loud beep and the sound of a motor behind him made him turn, quickly shielding his eyes as head lights shone brightly. The car was coming up pretty fast for a cab but it came to a halt beside where he stood on the sidewalk.
Blinking, he removed his arm to find a silver convertible whose top was open, as the snow had stopped fallen. The vehicle gleamed in the bright lights from the airport.
Ray stared at the driver with open mouth. Black hair was pulled back tightly into a high ponytail which ran down in curly waves though it never passed the shoulders. The driver was clad in a midnight-black trench coat which was open revealing a full black, skin-tight outfit which outlined a trim body, the curves betraying the person to be a female. Black sunglasses reflected in the lights and a gloved hand reached up and removed them.
"Get in." The voice was commanding yet somewhat child-like though it was all he needed to confirm the name to the face he had identified, with much shock.
"Claudette?"
"You want to help or not?"
Her eyes, which he had always thought to be plain brown, were a light green highlighted with silver streaks, giving her a mysterious look. Something about them was deadly and calculating.
"I don't understand--"
"Get in and I'll explain everything." Pressing a button near her left arm the passenger door sprung open. "Kai and Saskia are in danger."
That was all the motivation he needed and he jumped in. No sooner had his foot left the pavement than the car roared with life as she gunned the engine and they took off. He held on tight and looked over at the girl he had always thought to be timid and withdrawn. The shades were back in place and her pretty face was stern as she revved the car to go faster.
Soon the airport was far behind them and they were racing down a deserted road that led, not through, but around the large city of Moscow. Ray's ponytail whipped behind him as theysped down the road with frightening speed.
"Where are we going!" he shouted over the gushing winds.
She calmly flicked a switch near the steering wheel and the convertible's top slid up, latching into place as the windows came up automatically. A green light blinked on the steering wheel and the central heaters kicked in.
Without the deafening winds in his ears, he could now hear distant voices speaking. Looking down, he saw a radio near his hand on the armrest. Beside it, a gun. This was getting really scary, really fast.
"Claudette? What's this all about?"
Not taking her eyes off the road, she pulled something out of the black trench coat and flashed it before him. A golden badge.
"Agent Raven Fuchsia. BBA Secret Service."
What the…? Secret service? Agent? Her! At least it explained the gun but his relief was horribly outweighed by even more shock and confusion.
"Who--"
"The BBA has long had its eyes on Voltaire's plans. We suspected him to be up to no good, especially after we found evidence linking him to the destruction of a warehouse some ten years ago that belonged to him. A young child was found but he quickly slipped into a coma before we had the chance to interrogate him. We held on to him as long as possible but he was handed over to a supposed 'uncle'."
The pieces were slowly starting to fall into place.
"Tala."
She nodded, her curly hair bouncing slightly.
"Since then we have been trying to prove Voltaire and his goons guilty of war planning but he always managed to slip through our fingers at the last minute."
"So why now? How do you know that you have him for sure?"
She looked over at him, sadness clear though repressed in the light green eyes. Without a word she leaned over to the glove compartment. Opening it, she removed a small box and handed it to him.
"Open it."
He did and found himself looking at a small...thing. It was flat and circular. Some strange engraftment was on it and it had about a dozen tiny cables attached to it like some type of bug. Over all, it unnerved him.
"What's this?"
"It's real name I cannot tell you, but we at the BBA nicknamed it Elixir."
"What does it do?"
She seemed to falter for a moment but then collecting her knowledge, she answered, never taking her eyes off of the road.
"You don't know much of Kai, do you?"
He was surprised that she mentioned the bluenette's name but shook his head.
"Well, Ray, you're in for a shock..."
He looked up as an assistant ran into his office, panting softly.
"Sir, they have returned."
"Do they have it?"
"Yes. Shall I give the team the go-ahead?"
Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
"Be careful, but work as fast as you can. We're leaving soon."
"Yes, sir."
Rising from his chair, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
'This is it. There's no going back now.'
"Oh man."
He allowed his head to fall back onto the headrest. It was as if all the information had weighed it down and was pounding on the inside trying to get out. Fishing in his pocket, he withdrew the small trinket Tala had given him before he had died. How can something so harmless be the key to total world domination?
"Tell me about it."
"So that's what Voltaire was up to all this time? Kai has a chip that allows him to control Dranzer Demon and Saskia has the chip to wipe out all technology." Just one thing was missing. "So whose chip is this? I mean, don't Kai and Saksia still have theirs?"
"Yes, they do." Her jaw tightened. "The chip in your hand belonged to subject 201121...Ata."
She fell silent, waiting for his reaction.
It was silent for a while as he digested the news. Bright blue eyes sparkled and his ears rang with a ghost of a laugher that was followed by the howling of a wolf. Holding the deceased teen's chip made him feel queasy..
'All your life you've been used as a lab rat. So much that it became your death...'
His hands itched as he remembered the feel of the cold yet soft skin of the wolf as he had laid dying in his arms.
Claudette watched him with understanding eyes and he firmed his emotions.
Swallowing down his tears he asked, "What does it do?"
She easily saw past his mask but didn't hold it against him. Even with all her training she had broken down at the sight of the redhead's body. All they could do now was wait...
"It's an anti-virus for Saskia's chip."
"How did you get it?"
A possibility came to mind and he shuddered. The look on her face was unreadable.
"We removed it from him a few hours ago."
He didn't ask anymore. He didn't want to hear how they had somehow managed to get the body and then have the hearts to cut into it to remove the chip. He could picture the thin trails of blood running down the cold neck.
"You are going to use it to wipe out the other chip, aren't you?"
"I know you think us cold and uncaring to have done this, but we had no choice. These chips cannot survive once their...host...has ceased to live for much time." She gripped the steering wheel as they swerved between two semi-trailers, ignoring the angry blaring of the mighty horns that blew mist into the cold night sky. "Ata was a very good friend of mine, Ray. What happened was painful for me too, but I have to do my job."
"So that whole 'servant' bit, that was just a cover up." Ray turned to face her, golden eyes devoid of everything except determination to help out as best he could.
"Yes. We needed someone to be in the surroundings to report the happenings. You are the first person outside the BBA to know this. I have had several close encounters with Kai but luckily he never really dwelled on it."
"Is Tiffany also an agent?"
He released a laugh on the inside; somehow he couldn't picture the blonde to be much of a field person.
Raven stifled a soft laugh herself.
"That blonde brat doesn't have the slightest idea what goes on beyond her sad little world. It was too easy to pose as a servant. That's why I was chosen. No one would ever suspect me to really be 19 years old."
"Well, you really don't look it." He then remembered the gun and quickly added, "No offence."
"None taken, and thank you," she smiled coyly; shaking her head at the faint blush that ran over his cheeks till his somewhat pointed ears. However, their conversation was cut off by a high-pitched beep over the radio before a stern voice spoke up in Russian. Picking up the black device, she promptly answered, her eyes focused on the sky as she looked for...whatever it was. Her voice was soft as she answered and she clicked it off.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing, we just have to hurry." Her eyes belied her words but before he could question them her full lips pressed together in a thin line and she gripped the wheel tighter with her gloved hands. "Hang on."
Ray didn't need to be told twice when the car suddenly accelerated to top speed, the powerful burst of force crushing him back into the seat. At that speed the world turned to a constant white as the snow sped past them. His mind raced even faster, though.
'So this is what it's all about, huh Kai? This is what made you into who you are, or at least pretend to be on the outside. Always living in fear and worry; having never been able to live a normal life. When this is all over, and if you win…what then? Will you be able to open up to others? I hope you do. I hope you win.'
: Level reached :
"Deactivate visors."
His eyes quickly adjusted to his renewed multi-colored world. With a heat that rivaled the flames he had brought upon the Abbey, they scorched the chamber, locking on the three doors opposite him.
He reached for his gun, which he had stowed away in his back pocket, and reloaded it, the bullets turning red and sticky from the blood that stained his hands. He didn't care. Anyone who served his grandfather and Boris deserved to die like those sniveling cowards he had easily disposed of in the upper levels. With each neck he broke he had felt a surge of satisfaction that was now beating inside him. He had enjoyed it…
'No!' He shook his head sharply. 'I didn't! It was necessity. Why did I think that?'
He knew why. It was the exact same reason why Ata had no doubt refused to activate his chip that could have avoided his death. The devices would only obey them to a certain extent. The part they could not control had a mind of its own, a mind that had been programmed by Biovolt to be lethal killers. He was letting his most private emotions slip and the dark side of the chip was happily feeding from it.
'I've been able to keep my emotions hidden for all these years. I can't let them get the best of me now. I must focus!'
The cold mask slipped into place and he felt the vibe of the chip lessen.
Cocking the firearm, he knew which door he had to take but he found it to be locked, though that came as no surprise.
'Always doing things the hard way, aren't you, grandfather?'
With a sigh he stepped back only to turn and with a well-aimed heel, smash the lock clean off the door. The heavy wooden barrier fared no better as it fell with a resounding clap to the floor of the long corridor hidden behind it. Gun at the ready, he looked down the corridor.
The bare walls around him echoed his footsteps hollowly. As he neared he clicked the gun once, the sound a warning to those at the end of the tunnel of his arrival. All too soon, but not quick enough in his opinion, he reached the archway.
Large spotlights lit the arena before him, their heat making everything shimmer before his eyes. A large Beydish stood proudly in the center, its bowl enormously wide and deep. Twin platforms faced each other for the duelers. There were no bleachers since this was no public stadium but the area's sheer size made it undoubtedly the largest stadium on the entire planet.
However, there was a large glass cylinder that stood on the sideline, hooked up and wired to several beeping and blinking machines. He knew of similar containment 'chambers' that the scientist used when stealing the souls from unfortunate animals to create the deadly mutant bit beasts Biovolt so proudly boasted. But this was human sized, big enough for a full-grown man to stand in. But it wasn't a full-grown man in it. It was a small form, floating helplessly inside.
"Saskia!"
Lowering the gun, he made his way towards her, all thoughts on the many painful way he was going to kill his grandfather forgotten as he took in her limp body. Despite his usual caution, he failed to notice that he had made it there without any trouble. All that mattered was that his baby sister.
Stepping over the thick wires that ran over the floor, connecting tube to machine, he stood before her, crimson following the cruel wires and needles that had been mercilessly stabbed into her frail body. Her long hair flowed amongst the bubbles, floating above her head like a halo as her motionless body swayed back and forth in the yellow liquid. A mask covered her nose and mouth and her eyes were shut, long lashes resting on her pale cheeks.
She was so close, but not close enough. The surface of the glass was icy cold to the touch when he rested his palm on it but he didn't care, staring up at her. He had sworn that she would never end up in there again. The day he had freed them he had made a solemn oath that that had been her last stay in the incubator. And now...
"Saskia?" He tapped lightly on the glass but the small girl inside didn't stir. "Saskia!"
He climbed up onto the ledge, bringing himself up to eye-level with her. Again he ticked on the glass.
"Sassy."
The machine nearby beeped as the low heartbeat picked up a pace and he turned back to see her left hand twitched. Slowly, she raised her head and her eyes opened even slower than that. They looked about her, dull and lifeless and pained. However, the moment they met his a spark of light returned. Through the clear plastic mask over her mouth he could see her lips form his name in silent disbelief.
"I'm here, Sassy. I'm going to get you out of here," he promised, already examining the structure of the incubator. He couldn't simply break it open; his grandfather would have most certainly rigged it in some way that made brute force a fatal mistake.
Movement caught his attention and he looked back down to see a thin arm reaching out as Saskia tried to touch his hand where it still rested on the glass. The wires attached to her went taut and pulled painfully and he could see her biting her lip in agony but she refused to give up, using her other arm to weakly maneuver herself forward in the liquid. Finally, she succeeded and her small hand pressed against the inner glass, looking so small a frail against his larger one on the other side, but her eyes held relief just to be near him again.
"I love you, Kai," she mouthed through the mask. Her eyes were larger than usual and he knew she was crying, which made his heart clench. He would always comfort her when she cried and felt the frustration building up inside him because now he couldn't, just when she need it the most.
"Everything is going to be alright, Sassy." He caressed the smooth surface over her palm with his thumb. Behind the glass, her big eyes blinked away the unseen tears.
"Such a joyous reunion. I should have brought flowers."
His eyes narrowed once more and in a fluent move he drew the pistol and spun around, immediately targeting the space between the cold eyes that gleamed beneath bushy eyebrows.
"They will look great on your grave," Kai growled, hand steady though his whole body trembled with fury.
Voltaire merely chuckled, which raised his annoyance, and waved him off.
"You wouldn't shoot your own dear grandfather, would you?"
"I'd prefer to strangle you with my bare hands and carve you into little cubes, but under these circumstances, yeah, I can settle with shooting you." To verify his words, he cocked the weapon with a loud click.
"Smart words, though they will get you nowhere," Voltaire smirked and his eyes looked past Kai at Saskia. "Doesn't she look absolutely precious? Once she is dead I will keep her in it, a lovely collection to our impressive lab displays."
His smirk turned into a full grin when Kai stiffened at those words.
"What are you getting at, old man?" The fact that his ever-present guards, or even Boris didn't flank his grandfather was very suspicious.
"What we had discussed over the phone; the activation key and yourself in return for the midget's life."
"How do I know that you will free her once I agree?" He didn't have the necklace but as long as his grandfather didn't know that he could buy himself time. "What guarantee do I have?"
"Why my word, of course." Voltaire took a step closer but wisely halted when Kai raised the weapon once more in warning; he knew the boy will more than happily shoot him at any given moment.
"You're going to have to do better than that."
"Very well, then I have another proposition for you."
Kai raised a brow to show that he was listening. He knew this new proposition will probably be even more ridiculous than the first but he was curious as to why the old man had set up this whole stadium, which was no doubt a part of the new plan.
"I challenge you to a beyblade match."
Kai blinked and lowered the gun.
'What the hell...?'
His grandfather, Voltaire, was challenging him? It wasn't as laughable as one may think; Voltaire had been one of the first great beybladers on the planet and it was he who had trained Kai. He knew all of his grandson's moves and tactics. But still, blading with the ancient bastard was not very high on his To-Do-list.
"If I am going to let Saskia go, I want to be assured that it is not in vain. Prove to me that the fire of the phoenix still burns in your soul. If you win, the girl will go free though you will stay on to help me carry out my plan."
"And if I lose?"
"The plug that is keeping her alive will be pulled and she will die. You will still surrender yourself to me and work for me."
"Either way you will get what you want."
"Yes, but you only have one way if you want young Saskia to live. So what say you, Kai? Do you think that you can save your sister before she wastes away?"
Kai lowered his eyes as he thought it over. He could easily just shoot the old bastard and free Saskia himself, but he couldn't risk killing her in the process. His knowledge of technology was high but not to this extent. That had been Ata's specialty...
"Oh, and if I may add, I will be using Black Dranzer." Voltaire held up the demonic black blade, the bright light washing over the hell-spawned black phoenix that had haunted his dreams for many years.
"What are you trying to prove? You know Dranzer doesn't have the power to battle that," Kai pointed out with narrowed eyes. There was not a spirit in existence that could defeat the powerful bird of prey. Except for...
"Dranzer Demon."
He snarled the name of a beast so feared that not even its creators spoke of it. His grandfather had planned every last detail. To defeat Black Dranzer he would have to use Dranzer Demon, which meant he would have to activate the part of the chip he had been fighting all his life; the part that would spell earth's destruction.
"Very clever, Kai. You saw through my plan. Now, how will you react to it? Will you risk the doom of mankind over a single whelp? Do you love her that much that you are willing to risk life as we know it for her?"
Rolling the ebony blade in his hand, he awaited the bluenette's choice.
'Do I? I'll do anything for her. But...the entire world...the people...Ray...'
The last one caught him off guard though he did not push it away.
A small knock on the glass redirected his eyes. Ignoring Voltaire for a moment, he turned to Saskia who shook her head slowly and as far as the wires allowed her.
"Run, Kai," she begged. She was scared. Scared that he would get himself killed right before her very eyes. She didn't want him to fight. She didn't want him to turn into what she knew he hated the most about himself.
For the longest seconds in his life, he simply stared at her, taking in her helpless and tortured state, remembering the bloodied little four year old he had carried away from the Abbey after he had found an escape route. She had been so small and weak, clinging to her big brother as the cold night air whipped around them. Though she was cold she had tried to wrap his bleeding arm with her scarf, the only thing that had been keeping her warm.
Looking at her now, he knew what his decision would be.
"System is loading, sir. It will take an hour for the download to be completed." The scientist said as he checked the charts. Turning uncertain eyes on the old man he asked softly, "Do you think this will work, sir?"
Mr. Dickenson sighed.
"It's got to. They are going to need all the help they can get."
Giving the worktable a final glance, he turned and left.
Tbc...
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