Sherbet Mayhem: Howdy folks! It is I, the wreaker of candy-flavoured chaos throughout the land of fanfiction. Here's another sugary treat for y'all – it's chapter three of War!

Kai: You're way too happy.

Sherbet Mayhem: Quiet, Kai. Go clean the bathroom.

Kai: You do this to me every day! Why can't I speak and stuff at the start of your stories? You never let me!

Sherbet Mayhem: 'Cause you're fictional, and fictional people can't talk. However, they can clean. Off you pop.

Kai: Man, I hate my life . . .  (picks up toilet brush . . .)

Sherbet Mayhem: Anyway, now that the poppet has left us, on to the legalities. I don't own anything much. You know, dovetail saw, piece of cheese, purple protractor – and today I add to my collection . . . A TUBE OF TOOTHPASTE!!! It's getting more and more useful by the day, I swear it . . . anyways, enjoy chapter three. Now I just gotta write this crap . . . oh, and thanks to all of you who reviewed. Merci beaucoup. Et . . . voilà!!! Le troisieme chapitre pour vous! (Mon français est tout à fait épouvantable!!!)

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Chapter Three: Freedom Ripped Away

Max sighed, his bright blue eyes flecking about the dim, dingy room. The walls were wooden and unstable – no plumb line verticals here. The floors were rather grotty and the one window that the room had was covered by a black piece of material – possibly rubber. The light was painstakingly dim, and often, vexingly, moths and large flies would find their way in and flutter about the weak glow until they fried themselves on the radiance.

Max had been stuck in the room for over two hours now. It was his turn, after all. Before he had entered, Tyson had spent a whole afternoon in there! Now, the night was falling outside – but Max wouldn't have known but for the watch he wore on his wrist. All he could see was the enclosure of the dank room.

Three days had elapsed since the incredible arrival of Dragoon in the forest HQ. The soldiers had stared in utter veneration at the sight of the enormous dragon as it stalked its way into the tiny camp. Surprisingly enough it had not left a mown down trail of trees behind it – the dragon was obviously very accurate and graceful, and it hadn't left a single sign that it had traipsed through the close forest to the tree-bound HQ – the HQ was not based on the floor. It was built as a succession of tree-bunkers, and this was probably why it was one of the only Japanese camps that had not been discovered by BIOVOLT. Dragoon had raised its head up to the lowest level of the camp, and onto the wooden platform had hopped Tyson and Dave, along with an unconscious Kai. Then, with a dazzling roar and a wave from Tyson, it had disappeared back into the chip held in its master's hands.

Kai had immediately been moved to the medical unit. However, the facilities were not great. Supplies were very limited and there were no especially skilled doctors there – as was mentioned earlier, BIOVOLT troops were ruthless and would not hesitate to shoot at a doctor, even though, by rules of war, it is forbidden. The remaining soldiers had used what skill and supplies they had to bandage up Kai's leg and stop it from bleeding. In spite of this, the bullet was still lodged in the knee. The camp was only twelve soldiers strong – counting Kenny, who remained at HQ constantly to monitor stats and so on using the computer system there.

Upon entering, and despite their pleas to stay with Kai, Tyson and Dave had been sent to another ward where they were given a good meal out of the little food the camp had left, and Dave's arm had been bandaged. Max had bombarded them with questions, his bubbly, inquisitive nature shining through amongst the concern he had for his friends. Tyson and Dave had answered as best they could, still traumatised and exhausted by the day's events. The other soldiers had seen this and decided quickly to let Tyson and Dave simply relax. They gave the two a bunker to themselves – usually bunkers were shared by four soldiers at the least – and let them sleep.

The next day Tyson and Dave had awoken refreshed and alert. They had explained in detail the events of the previous day; of course avoiding the gorier details for the sakes of the rest of the squad. To their concern Kai still had not woken up, but had shown signs of developing a fever – probably caused by poisoning from the bullet. It was then that the group decided to take it in turns to watch over him, making sure that no shift in the unpleasant medical room was too long.  

Now, two days on, the other soldiers had become seriously concerned. Kai had indeed developed a fever, which had blazed within him, allowing him only a few minutes of clarity each day to speak to people. When it wasn't so bad, he had spoken quietly to Tyson and Dave, commending them on their efforts and thanking them for returning to help him with Dango. They, feeling overwhelmed with delight, had in return acclaimed Kai on his bravery, assuring him that the whole squad were proud to be captained by him. But this was a rare passing moment, and these instants of clear thinking were soon lost to the effects of the fever. All the soldiers could do was keep him as comfortable as possible until the fever passed – if, indeed, it passed.

Max sighed again, glancing over at the sleeping Kai, his face flushed and heated. Max was greatly concerned for his friend, certainly, but he longed to go outside and itched for another battle. It was safe to say that Max had begun to enjoy the thrill of battle – and I suppose that it was Max's way of blocking things out. The way he saw it, why let the atrocity of war consume the mind when it is just as easy to see the whole thing as some sort of competitive game? Life was beginning to matter less and less to the boy, and the hunger of war had started to consume his once innocent mind.

Still, he was a contented lad, and he got through the day more cheerful than the rest of the soldiers left in the squad. His thoughts still centred on entering into another bloody mêlée, Max removed the cold compress from Kai's forehead and dipped it in the nearby dish of iced water, ringing it out before placing it back on the boy's burning skin.

A knock on the dark brown flimsy door snapped Max out of his reverie and he blinked, turning toward the door. It opened and in came Kenny, looking a little comical if not completely out of place in army khakis and boots.

"Hey there Max," he said as he shut the door behind him. Max nodded a hello to the Chief, who moved to the bed.

"Anything happen?"

Max shook his head. "He woke up once, but I couldn't make any sense of what he said. He's been asleep for the past hour and a half."

Kenny nodded, his mind whirring. His job was not to be doctor, but he knew he could help out. After all, he was a science genius. He had been very busy the past few days, and, although he had given Kai a brief examination, he had not had time to look at the wound in extreme detail. Although it sounds mean to say Kenny had been given no time for Kai, it was true – but not through any choice of his own. Kenny had been weighed under with depressingly massive statistics. BIOVOLT were winning. Their troops were flooding the area – and Tokyo had been taken.

Their squad, only twelve members strong, was the only surviving one in Japan. Every other portion of the Japanese army had been completely destroyed. Intelligence was demolished, and the only intimate knowledge that the Chief was receiving was from hidden allies that the BIOVOLT agents had not discovered . . .  yet. It was only a matter of time until their hidden allies were revealed and their source of information was permanently cut off. Their survival was simply a waiting game.

Kenny moved over to Kai, watching the insentient boy as he breathed in and out shallowly. He shook his head.

"That bullet has to come out."

Max nodded. "I know that already, Chief. But what do you suggest that we do? It's not like we have an expert doctor on the case, is it?"

"No," replied the Chief confidently, "but I have Dizzi. She can guide me, using her advanced technology, to the bullet, and I could probably remove it manually. Of course, I'd need a lot of help. And I'm going to have to open the stitches up again. So I need as many surgical instruments as we can spare. Are you in, Max?"

Max paused, uncertain. Sure, he trusted Kenny, but the Chief was not a doctor of medicine. He was a physics genius. Max didn't know whether he liked the idea of an inexperienced medical operating on one of his friends.

"Um . . . I don't know, Chief. Sounds a little risky."

"If we don't remove it this fever isn't going to go away. It's better like this."

Max considered. He still didn't like this very much – but if there was no other choice . . .

"Okay, I'm in. When are you going to do it?"

The Chief grinned, his face lighting up in a mischievous smile. "Now."

Max did a kind of double take. "Oh right, you're going to do it . . . wait, you're going to do it now?"

Kenny nodded. "Come on in, guys!"

The door to the hut swung open and in came Tyson, Dave, and two other soldiers, all cloaked in surgical masks and sterilised gloves. Tyson grinned at Max, but Max could only see the grin through his friend's grey-blue eyes, as a mask covered his mouth. He was given a pair of gloves and a mask of his own, and he quickly slipped them on after rinsing his hands in the nearby grotty basin.

"Dave, could you hand Dizzi over to me?"

Dave passed the small laptop to Kenny as it chattered away. Dizzi had lost none of her bubbly personality during the war.

"Okay, Chief, let's get ready to rumble! Oh, and by the way, are you paying me for this?"

"Come on, Dizzi, quit goofing around!" scolded the Chief, "And besides! What would I pay you in?"

"Respect, Chief! What does a girl have to do around here to earn some R.E.S.P.E.C.T? Find out what it means to me! R.E.S.P--- "

Kenny cringed as Dizzi began to sing the famous Aretha Franklin song. He quickly turned down the volume on her built in speakers and spoke to the other soldiers, who were watching with amused smiles crinkling their eyes.

"Okay, guys, now that Soul Diva has been silenced, let's get started . . . "

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Later that night, as the stars began to radiate in the deep purple heavens above, Tyson sat outside the medical room, gazing upwards as a few clouds ambled above him. He sat on a small deck, easily accessible due to the wooden bridge nearby that led to the other soldier's rooms and the meeting room. There were about six bunkers in the trees altogether, excellently camouflaged so that they could not be seen with the naked eye. Masses of leaves and a canopy of branches hid them, and so the squad knew they were safely protected from view. Each room was joined to the next by a small wooden bridge, rickety but reliable in a pinch. There were only two entrances to the camp. The first was a rope, and it would be let down by the person who always stayed at the camp – Kenny. The other way into the camp was simply to climb. Small indentations had been made on one of the nearby trees, and using the branches of the tree with the indentations on it, one could reach the camp using a series of precise swings and jumps.

Tyson sighed, his hand clutched around the small, bloody bullet that had finally been removed from Kai's knee. It had been a trying time. Kenny, of course, had done an excellent job and Tyson wouldn't hesitate to help him again. He had been entirely professional – as had the whole team. But they had not been in possession of any anaesthesia and Kai had woken on more than one occasion. Of course, having his knee slit open and instruments groping about inside it was not exactly painless. Dave had done his best to explain that they were merely removing the bullet, but it had been almost impossible to reach the Captain through the pain and fever that he was undergoing. One image that haunted Tyson more than others was his friend gripping the sides of the bed, his teeth ground together in torture, when Kai had looked directly at Tyson, his brown eyes wide, focused and completely alert. Seeing just how awake Kai was had disturbed Tyson; knowing that Kai could feel every agonising movement that Kenny's instruments made.

Tyson shuddered, rubbing his own knee almost in reassurance that he would never have to go through anything like that. He knew that he could never imagine the anguish that they had inflicted upon their leader – but it had all been for a good cause. Kai had passed out soon after he had locked gaze with Tyson and the whole operation had continued like that – wake up, pass out, in a constant chain of torture.

Still, it had gone well, and the bullet was out now. Tyson had been told to throw it away but something compelled him to keep it. It remained clutched within his enclosed palm for the rest of the night as he kept vigilant watch outside the medical room, gazing up at the firmament and listening for any sounds of attack or ambush. Kenny and Dave had remained inside to simply watch over Kai and make sure that the wound was kept clean. Max had gone to patrol the area and keep extra watch. Sometimes Tyson worried about that boy. During the operation, where everyone else had been completely focused on Kai and the bullet, Max had constantly spoken about battle.

"When's the next battle? I can't wait for another good brawl. I got my pistol ready and waiting!"

Another sigh escaped Tyson's lips. The events of recent times had matured Tyson incredibly, and he thought so much more now. He thought about everything. Often nothing would please him more than to simply sit alone and watch the sky, processing things backwards and forwards in his mind. A lot had changed during the war.

I still remember the world from the eyes of a child.


Slowly those feelings were clouded by what I know now.

Where has my heart gone?


An uneven trade for the real world.

I want to go back to believing in everything,

And knowing nothing at all.

Lyrics of a song he couldn't quite remember filled Tyson's head, and he sighed once more, feeling some small bangs of pain as his once naïve childish innocence was replaced by an intimate knowledge of man's nature. And he was pained also for Max, who had begun to show signs of relishing unhealthily in this nature. How far, wondered Tyson, would his friend be willing to go?

Pushing these depressing thoughts from his mind, Tyson stood up and stretched, clenching his fists together tightly and squinting his eyes shut for a second.

"Tyson!"
     

Tyson snapped open his eyes and turned around to face the door of the medical room, where the yell had escaped from. Heart pounding and wondering what on earth had gone wrong now, Tyson yanked the door open violently and sped through it at an impressive speed. He blinked, letting his eyes focus in the dim light of the room, and found himself facing a beaming Kenny and Dave.

"What is it, guys?" he asked frantically, his breath still coming quickly. Dave laughed outright at his frenzied expression.

"Chill, Tyson! Kai woke up and we just wanted to let you know!"

Blinking again, this time in stark confusion, Tyson glanced over at the bed, where Kai had already pulled himself into a sitting position and was looking at him with a very amused grin on his face.

"Nice to know you care, Tyson."

Tyson's eyes lit up at the sound of his Captain's voice, even though it was a little hoarse. He already looked so much healthier than he had merely hours ago.

"Kenny," said Tyson generously, "You were right! Removing that bullet did bring the fever down!"

Kenny shrugged. "Like I've ever been wrong, Tyson!"

They all laughed, and an incredible sense of relief washed over them. Kai was glad to be awake again. His dreams had been dark indeed during the sleep of the fever – visions of Dango screaming to him before being engulfed in an overthrow of flame had spun around his head sickeningly. He had not mentioned it to the others but he had felt extremely guilty about the death of Dango. Part of Kai told him to stop being silly, that it was just a huge accident, but somewhere inside panged and wondered whether Dango would have been safer staying face down in the rubble of the battle scene before being picked up by Kai.

His face must have sobered or something because the others noticed. They stared at him before Dave came out with:

"Don't think it was your fault, Kai. It definitely was not."

Kai stared almost open mouthed at Dave. "How did you know I was thinking that?"

Dave rolled his eyes in false exasperation and tutted motherly. "For one thing, you kept mumbling sorry to Dango when you were feverish. It was pretty scary. Secondly, we all knew you'd feel guilty because you're the guy in charge, and whenever a man is lost the guy in charge immediately thinks it's his fault – which, in this case, it isn't."

Kai was silent, and he looked down at the white bed sheets, the bottom of them flecked with scarlet sparks of his own blood. Tyson moved over to the bed and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder.

"Kai, Dango would have been proud of the way you acted. We all are. Don't think for a second that he would blame you. Okay?"

Kai looked up at Tyson, inwardly afraid to admit that he was a little touched. He found himself looking at Tyson's outstretched palm. Glinting right in the centre of Tyson's tanned skin was a smooth black bullet, tiny spots of congealed blood going brown on the shell.

"Who else," continued Tyson proudly, "would have tried to carry a friend to safety with a bullet through their knee?"

Kenny nodded his agreement. "You were great, Kai. You all were. Dango would be proud."

Kai looked at them all for a moment before smiling. "I guess. So . . . Kenny, how are the other camps doing? Did the BIOVOLT troop that we ran from discover them yet?"

The Chief furrowed his brows and adjusted his thickly rimmed spectacles. "Well, Kai . . . you've missed quite a lot of action. To cut an extremely long story short – we're the last free camp in the entire Japanese army. Our HQ is the only thing standing between BIOVOLT and success."

There was a silence, unbroken yet splintered all the way through. Kai's face paled drastically as the news sank in. It certainly was a wake up call. The other three in the room had no idea what to say, and looked down at the floor, their eyes averted.

Finally Kai spoke, more calmly than they'd expected him to. "How many of them are there, Chief?"

The Chief looked up, appearing a bit flustered. "Well . . . um . . . "

Kai laughed grimly. "Thought so. Well, BIOVOLT will be going crazy trying to find us. I suggest we stay at HQ for the next couple of weeks. Keep a low profile until their hunger runs out. They'll think they own Japan. That we just disappeared without a trace. And then . . . " his voice trailed off as he realised that there was nothing they could do against BIOVOLT.

"Cross that bridge when we come to it, huh Kai?" offered Tyson consolingly. Kai nodded with a sigh.

"We'll think of something."

The other three nodded, doubtful but not about to show it. Kai was a great Captain, certainly, but it was incredibly dubious that he would be able to lead a twelve strong troop of half trained soldiers to victory against BIOVOLT army of thousands. The odds were just too highly stacked against them.

Dave looked down to the floor again, feeling rather desolate and hopeless. He wasn't usually one to become depressed, but recent events had taken a toll on the lad. It wouldn't be long before all of their spirits were broken by this meaningless slavery. For who knew anymore what they were fighting for?

Dave sighed, a little wearily, but was all of a sudden jolted to his senses

"Guys! Guys, quickly! Come here!"

It was Max's voice, and it sounded incredibly frantic. Tyson and Dave sped outside immediately, followed by Kenny, scampering along behind them with Dizzi slacking about his neck. The boys leapt out of the medical room, onto the medical deck, and across the rickety bridge to the nearest surveillance platform where Max was standing and yelling. He was staring through a small, not particularly powerful telescope that had been erected for observation when the camp was constructed.

"What is it, Max?" cried Tyson as he got onto the deck first, followed by a swift footed Dave and a nervous Chief. Max glanced away from the lens for a second before ushering the Chief to it.

"Take a look, Kenny. What do you see?"

Kenny pressed his eye to the lens, looking left and right until his pupils could focus on what had alarmed Max.

"It's difficult to see anything because it's getting so dark now, but . . . it's a Japanese woman and a small girl, I think. The woman is heading this way. Should be able to hear her – she looks like she's screaming."

The four boys paused for a moment, listening to each and every sound – the gentle hushing of the trees that swayed in the escalating wind, the chirping of crickets below, and distantly, almost inaudibly, the voice of a despairing woman, her echo slipping through the trees to haunt her as she searched desperately for help and hope.

The noise reached his ears, and Tyson peered through the telescope. "We should help them."

Max took a glimpse at Tyson before adding, "But what if there are BIOVOLT men waiting for us down there?"

"What does that matter?" came a dull voice behind them. Turning they saw that Kai had gotten out of bed and followed them. The Chief was about to scold him like a protective mother when Kai moved through them to the telescope, an obvious limp in his step.

"What do you mean, Kai?" asked Max, his eyes glinting as he watched his Captain in the night air. Kai looked back up from the telescope.

"Why are we fighting this war, Max?"

A little puzzled by the furtive response, Max pondered for a second before answering: "To kick BIOVOLT's butt!"

"And why is that?" asked Kai again; returning to the telescope and moving it down a little to focus on the moving woman and child. Max had to think a little harder this time.

"Well, because they are the enemy! Right?"

Kai sighed, returning his gaze to the naïve Max. "Max, we are fighting this war to protect our country," he said with a trace of disappointment, "We have to protect Japan and her people. Even if . . . " he looked back into the telescope lens, "it's just one woman and one child. We're not here for kicks, Max. We're here to save lives."

As the conversation played through, Tyson couldn't help feel his heart sink when he heard Max's heartless answers. He knew Kai had noticed the same change in Max as he himself had. Feeling bolder than before, he spoke.

"We have to help them."

Dave nodded. "If there's no one left to protect, what do we do then? We need to keep as many of our people alive as we can. They might be hurt!"

Cornered by Tyson and Dave's enthusiasm in the matter, not to mention Kai's rather piercing words, Max had to give way.

"Okay, so let's go."

"Do we need backup or anything?" asked Dave, always thinking a step ahead. Kenny shook his head.

"I'll stay here and monitor you guys on infra red. Radio me if you need help."

"Kai, we'll tell you what happened as soon as we get back," said Tyson firmly, "Now go back to bed. You look exhausted just getting out of bed!"

Kai gave Tyson an extremely withering glance, mixed in with a little annoyance and scepticism.

"Whatever. I'm coming too."

Tyson was about to protest when Dave held a hand to his mouth.

"Do as he says," he whispered calmly, "The woman is more important now. Kai'll manage."

Reluctantly Tyson gave up and made for the nearest rope, which was slung in a heap near the edge of the platform. He tossed it down and clambered down it a little awkwardly – he had never liked rope climbing. His radio remained safe, tucked into his belt. His feet touched ground and he let go of the rope in relief, the earth feeling reassuring beneath him. He looked up to see Dave making his way down the rope easily, his long legs and strong arms giving him ample support until he dropped to the floor lithely like a cat. In a way, Tyson was suddenly reminded of Rei, and he ached for his friend, who was probably training up in the Chinese army. He looked down at the ground, feeling a longing for Rei's bubbly, positive outlook, and when he looked up again he saw Kai land next to them softly, balancing lightly on one foot but looking a little pale.

"You okay?" asked Tyson cautiously. Kai nodded as, behind him, Max dropped to the earth and the rope was reeled up to the deck. The woman's cries could now be plainly heard. The words were still very unclear but she was definitely wailing for help.

Dave moved forwards first, his height giving him an advantage to see further. He spotted the woman about fifteen metres away and they moved as a block toward her, slipping through the brambles and forestry like shadows; inky stains on a jet black page. Stealing through the night they finally reached the sobbing woman.

She was tall, averagely built, with thick black hair that came just past her shoulders. It hung in rags about her face, as her dress did about her body. In fact, the dress was on backwards, and the woman was missing her shoes. The dress had been torn in such a way that the woman's cleavage was prominent and heaving, and the boys could instantly tell that she had been raped – possibly on more than one occasion. Next to her stood a small girl, skinny, with knobbly knees that protruded from her bony legs and a dirty face masking big black eyes that watched each one of them fearfully.

Her clothes were on incorrectly too.

Appalled, Max stepped forward, something that had been suddenly closed up within his heart stirring and panging. He approached the woman gingerly, and she quietened, her sobs dying down a little. Meanwhile, Kai bent down and picked up the little girl, gripping her securely (if not a little coldly). Tyson greeted the girl as cheerfully as he could, asking her name and favourite food to distract her from her current situation. Dave also spoke to the older woman, reassuring her confidently and helping her to calm down and stop crying.

Tyson felt the speaker on his radio vibrating and he heard a crackle through it. Hastily he picked up the radio, pressing it to his ear, as the reception was awful. As he did so he felt a splatter of rain drop onto his nose, and looked up into the firmament. The sky had turned from purple to dark grey and water was falling in fluency. He squinted as some rainwater dripped into his eyes and looked back down.

"Is that you, Chief? I can't hear you too well."

" . . . away, Tys- . . . it's . . . you have to r- . . ."

Confused, Tyson frowned, sensing an aura of alarm. "What, Chief?"

There was a rumble of thunder overhead, and suddenly the reception cleared.

"Run! Get away from there, Tyson!"

Gasping, Tyson looked up to Kai frantically, who had heard every word. Kai's deep brown irises were darting around swiftly, scouring every bush for the slightest sign of movement.

Taking charge, Kai gave his orders quickly. "Get these two to HQ. Move it."

He turned back to the HQ, the girl still clinging to him tightly, and breathed out in horror. Tyson did the same.

HQ was ablaze, the fiery sparks and embers dancing their macabre waltz in the deep grey sky. Smoke could be seen billowing as each platform slowly fell, crashing to the ground and ripping some of the trees and branches with them. Screams could be heard.

"KENNY!!!" screamed Tyson, lunging forwards and starting to run back to camp. Kai was about to yell and stop him, his world crumbling before his very eyes, when a shadow from a nearby loft leaped down and tackled Tyson viciously. They rolled over, Tyson crying out as they did so.

Growling, Kai dropped the girl to her feet and reached to his waist for his Uzis. He had strapped them on just as he had gotten out of bed and was thankful for that. However a sharp blow to the back of his right knee toppled him, and he yelled out in agony, the wound still incredibly painful.

Dave and Max, by this time, had seen what was happening and had whipped out their own guns. Dave held a pistol and Max, preferring hand to hand, had relinquished a knife, which glinted in the deadly moonlight.

Max looked around for his adversary. However, beside the one that was still rolling about and brawling with Tyson a little way ahead, there was no one to be seen. The assailant who had swept Kai was gone.

"What the-?"

An arm about his throat silenced Max and he struggled frantically, his airway completely closed and his lungs already pounding for air. He thumped on the arm of his aggressor and then sank his knife deep into the flesh, relishing in his small victory as scarlet seeped from the wound. The arm was released and Max jumped away, gasping heavily, to immediately engage in combat with another hidden fighter.

Dave had caught sight of Kai's attacker retreating into the bushes and had followed, his gun loaded and at the ready. It was, unfortunately, knocked straight from his hand by an unseen foe and he was pushed to the floor. His head slammed into the concrete painfully and his world spun as he rolled into a thick patch of thorny greenery with his attacker.

Tyson finally managed to break free of the soldier on top of him and scramble away to a second long security before being tackled and then pulled to his feet in a vice-like grip by another soldier.

Squeezing his fists together so hard that the palms felt like they would bleed in an attempt to block out the wash of pain in his leg, Kai staggered to his feet, allowing himself a moment of release when he grabbed an Uzi from its holster at his waist. Catching sight of a solitary guard, he whizzed around and aimed his gun, ready to fire.

"STOP!!!"

Kai paused, puzzled by the command which was given in Russian. Being raised for a while in Russia when he was younger had allowed him to grasp a firm knowledge of the language. He turned to where the voice had resounded from, and his heart pounded in his aching head when he set eyes upon Tyson, held firmly in the arms of a BIOVOLT soldier, a rifle pressed into his temple and ready to fire.

"Shoot him, Kai," said Tyson bravely and hoarsely, an arm pressed against his throat and preventing him from speaking properly. All the fighting around them suddenly stopped and all focused on this scene. Kai, poised with his gun at the ready, watched Tyson with wide eyes, a battle of his own playing in his mind.

"Shoot and we kill him," boomed the burly BIOVOLT soldier in clear, unbroken Russian. "Drop your weapon, Captain Hiwatari."

Kai frowned, and spoke to the soldier in slightly halted Russian. "How do you know my name?"

The soldier laughed. He was stocky, with a black uniform on that was a little short about the ankles and a grizzly chin that was in dire need of a good shave.

"Ask any BIOVOLT soldier who you are, Hiwatari. You are one of the most hated faces in Russia. Boris made sure of that. You and that wormy team of yours; Kon, Granger and Tate, as well as you and that puny geek. I think he was at your pathetically hidden HQ, wasn't he? Ah well. He's burned now. Just a smouldering nerd burger."

Kai growled, annoyed. He had suspected that something like this would happen. He leaned forward a little to take some pressure off his throbbing leg.

"Why haven't you killed us?" he asked gruffly, almost allowing his thoughts to turn to Kenny, lost in the flames at HQ. He knew he couldn't allow himself to sink into grief for his friend. Although Kai and the Chief had never particularly bonded, they had come to respect each other and Kai had realised what a value contribution Kenny made to things in the past few weeks. Now was not the time to break down. He had to stay strong in the face of trial and punishment.

The soldier spat into the dirt, pressing the gun a little harder into poor Tyson's head, making him wince.

"Boris' orders. You're not to die yet."

He looked at the grimacing Tyson, whose heart was shuddering and gasping in his chest.

"Of course, we could always make this runt's death look like an accident."

Kai narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Touch him and your entire troop goes down, I swear it."

The BIOVOLT soldier's lips curled, and, unrestricted he laughed out loud, guffawing in amusement. When he calmed, he glanced back at Kai.

"Take a look around, Hiwatari."

Reluctant to take his eyes from Tyson, Kai glimpsed sight of Dave and Max, each in the same predicament as Tyson. His head pounded as he realised that there was nothing he could do to save all of his friends at once. Sighing, hope beginning to fade away already, Kai lowered his Uzi slowly and then dropped it to the ground.

"There."

Instantly he felt his arms being twisted behind his back and a gun being pressed to his own already aching head. For some reason he had the most terrible headache. Upon them all the rain began to pour, lashing down in tiny bullets, not strong enough to pierce the skin yet sharp enough to sting. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead and Kai caught distant sight of a lightening streak, knifing through the sky and splitting the night.

Beside him, Kai saw the woman and child having their wrists bound. One BIOVOLT soldier was eying the woman, his eyes sparking with primeval lust and inhumane thought. Another stared, fascinated, at the child, a similar look in his eyes. Suddenly feeling incredibly desperate, Kai spoke out:

"At least let the woman and child go. They're innocent."

The lead soldier who had conversed with Kai a moment ago chuckled. "Of course, Captain Hiwatari. Whatever you say, Captain Hiwatari. You're under our rule now. Shut your mouth or your friend here gets it."

Wincing, Kai could do nothing but fall silent; feeling like his pride was being run over by a tank. Still, he could do nothing but watch in mute as one soldier slipped his hand down the trembling woman's cleavage. The woman's eyes spilled over with crystal tears, and, tearing himself up inside, Kai found himself looking away when the other lusty soldier reached toward the shivering child. He couldn't bring himself to watch.

Behind him, Dave spoke quietly. "Where are you taking us?"

"That's for you to find out," answered the leader, still holding Tyson firmly. Somehow, Kai already knew where they were going.

They began to be marched through the thick undergrowth, guns still pointed at them but not into their heads as Tyson had experienced earlier. Their hands were bound tightly, so tight that Max lost feeling in his hands after a while. They traipsed through the forest at the mercy of the officers of BIOVOLT, Dave's head spinning from where he hit it on the floor. Tyson's thoughts were not focused on his own safety, but the inconsolable loss of Kenny. The Chief had always been one of Tyson's best friends, and to lose him was like losing an arm. It was as if this were some sort of surreal dream as things floated by him. Kai merely stumbled along in thought. Where were China and Britain? Would they be here soon? Japan could no longer hold its defences. In fact, its last defence had been demolished in an amber glow and a spiral of smoke. They needed help.

After two hours of hard marching, Kai felt that he could not keep up for very much longer. He had been attempting to walk on his injured leg as much as possible to disguise the fact that he was already hurt, as the soldiers would spot it and use that fact against him. Every step he took was agony. His head spun, still not quite clear of fever, and a few steps in front of him, Dave felt a similar complaint. His head burned in the corner, throbbing from where it had connected with the hard ground. Max wondered if his hands were blue and Tyson was still in a dream, his heart breaking over the loss of a friend. The BIOVOLT soldiers who had captured them – about ten in all – shoved them along roughly, jeering at them if they tripped and poking them with their rifle barrels. All around them the rain continued to splatter heavily, marring their vision and searing their skin. A rather nasty wind blew and cut into their faces as they marched, and thunder rolled above.

They approached a depressing, dark grey area that matched the gloom of the night. It looked about six hundred and fifty squared acres in all, carefully laid out. A barbed wire fence ran around the compound. Outside the fence were fourteen matching gun turrets, each one looking lethal in the occasionally flash of lightening. The barbed wire looked to be electrified – as Kai caught sight of at least two dead bodies, hands thrust through the wire in desperation, lying up against the wire. Inside the fence were neat dark green barracks, lined up like a row of body bags. They were about three metres wide and three metres long, with no windows and only one door each. The ground was muddy in the rain and the four Japanese lads repeatedly slipped and stumbled as they were shoved to an entrance gate.

The main BIOVOLT soldier, whose nametag read Captain Dursk, muttered a number password and the metal gate in front of the boys slid open. Tyson, Dave and Max all glanced at each other, each knowing what was coming. The lightening streaked again as they were thrust forward into the area, lighting up the threatening, frightening looking metal fence and reflecting in the ground water around them. They were led forwards for a while until they reached a small white room.

They stood there, dripping puddles of their own onto the floor, shivering in the dull light, hearts pounding. The room smelled of tobacco and sweat, and the floor was filthy. It was bare except for a dark brown desk in the middle of the room, and the man at the desk.

The man wore a facial mask that covered his eyes and part of his nose, and his eyes glowed red in sadistic delight. He wore a green duffel coat with a white collar that stuck up ridiculously, and his hair was hidden beneath an army cap.

"Boris," breathed Kai as the door shut behind them.

Boris looked up at them and gave them a contorted, twisted smirk.

"Welcome, boys, to Balkov Labour Camp."

The words settled in on Kai's chest and he sighed heavily, his shoulders suddenly feeling very heavy. He'd known it from the start.

"Rei . . ." he thought despairingly, "Where are you?"

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In a bed somewhere in the heart of China, Rei Kon jolted awake with wide eyes.

"Kai . . ."

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Sherbet Mayhem: Another day another chapter. That was pretty crappy. Sorry I took so long to update. I got my exam results this week and I've been very nervous – too nervous to even think about stories! But I did good so now I can concentrate. Did you like it? Yeah, that was the Rei-Meister at the end. The cat is back! Er . . . anyhow, read and review, if you please. It's now . . . 02:13 am, so that's how hard I work to satisfy you people! Hope you're enjoying it! Aw, and poor Kenny's dead. What a . . . shame. Tragic. Oh, and just in case it may have even slightly occurred to you, Rei and Kai are NOT going to be gay. There will be no gay activity in my stories. If you like your slash then read somewhere else.

Now who should I kill off next? Hmm . . . let me see . . .

The next chapters are probably gonna be quite gruesome – nothing more than chapter two, by the way. Just in case you get put off. Well, they might be gruesome. I haven't written them yet, have I? I still have no idea where this is going. If anyone has any amazingly fantastic plot ideas, just email me at reiko_hiwatari@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear from you guys! Oh, and read my other fic if you get time! It's called Hidden Adversary and it's completed. I'm trying to sell it off as much as possible because I spent four months on it and have a grand total of . . . SIX reviews! It's really pathetic – and it's a top quality story! Honest. Of course it's Kai centred. Who else would I write about? Tyson? Pfuh, yeah right. Only in a rare moment of insanity.

Kai: Rare?

Sherbet Mayhem: You're supposed to be cleaning. Anyhow, to all people who have read and reviewed so far, on any of my stuff, thank you sooooooooo much! I appreciate every review and I take to heart all of the comments you make.

Hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I'll update soon!

Oh, and the lyrics in the middle of the chapter were from "Field of Innocence" by Evanescence. THEY ROCK AND I'M GOING TO SEE THEM IN OCTOBER!!! Yay! Sorry, I'll go now.

REVIEW!!!!!!!! Please?

Oh, and I got an A in French! Hee hee! How could I say my French was terrible (see beginning of chapter)? Oui, mon français est manufique! Ha ha! Je suis l'homme!! (In a metaphorical sense, you French speakers. I'm a girl!!!)