Sorry for the hold-up last week. I was just too busy with other things and
didn't have a chance to upload the chapters.This chapter's all about my
reconfiguration of the Russian tournament.
7. Celestial Myriad, Unmasked
Hot Battle In A Cold Town
Kochab was with the Bladebreakers as they were trying to find Boris Abbey. When they finally got there, they saw all of the trainees in the courtyard, Beyblading. Like Kai, she watched in silence as Tyson defeated Alexander, the trainee chosen by Boris to face the outsider. Then Kochab and the Bladebreakers watched in horror as the young Alexander was dragged away by two tall men in long robe uniforms. Boris had supposedly not recognized her, and so she decided to proceed with the Celestial Myriad's plan as they left the Abbey.
Out Of The Past
While Kai had left the Bladebreakers (again), the Bladebreakers had done a little bit of sightseeing around Moscow. Sarah, rather Kochab, had stayed at the hotel to think about how she would approach the Demolition Boys. Unlike before, where her friends had known the threat team, it was now her turn. How easy would she be to recognize? Kai didn't know it was her, or did he? Could he just be pretending? Tala had always been good at noticing similarities; she'd have to disguise herself well.
This truly was a puzzling tournament. As she picked through her garments, she pondered how to get past all those guards she had seen at the Abbey. And where had Kai gone? He hadn't told a single soul, just left spontaneously.
Drawn To Darkness
The Bladebreakers (save Kai) had decided to go looking for Kai, since he had been gone for so long. The Abbey seemed to be the perfect place to start. Kochab, who was now ready for anything the tournament could throw at her, was obliged to help them look, but was still slightly busy. "You guys go on without me. I'll see you at the Abbey."
"Oh. Okay." Tyson said as he grabbed his BBA jacket and closed the hotel room door behind him.
She watched as the door slammed shut and then scurried over to her bag. She pulled out six clothing articles; a red vest, a black and white striped shirt with low neckline and elbow-length sleeves, her white sarong, purple moon belt, black tights, and green and black knee-high boots. She also pulled out two white elastics. She undid her Kochab hairstyle and parted her hair down the middle. She made one pigtail low and at the back of her head, tying it with the white elastic. She did the same with her remaining hair. She leapt up and ran over to the mirror. "Good enough.It's been six years."
She redid her Kochab hairstyle and stuffed the disguise in a small fanny pack. She snatched the ultramarine blue jacket with a star and moon on the back that members of the Celestial Myriad wore and hurried out the door with the fanny pack and after the Bladebreakers.
Kochab arrived to see the Bladebreakers at the front gates, sneaking around. She slinked over to the bushes and sat beside them. "I've come. What happened?"
Ray glanced up at her. "Nothing much. We're just trying not to be caught."
"Oww! Hey Tyson, what are you doing?" Max whispered frantically.
"Sorry! My foot fell asleep and I was just- what the?" Tyson asked in confusion as an alarm sounded.
"An Abbey with a high-tech security system? This just doesn't fit." Kenny concluded.
Max grabbed him and leapt up. "Who cares about that now? Just run!"
Tyson, Kochab, Kenny, and Ray followed Max towards the Abbey's main doors. But then someone barred their way; two boys, who had jumped from the roof of the Abbey. One of them was tall, taller than any of the Bladebreakers (that were there) and Kochab. The other one was shorter than all of them; about up to Kochab's shoulder. The taller one had bright red hair and sky blue eyes while the shorter one had purply-blue hair and brown eyes.
Kochab gasped slightly, yet quietly so that no one but her heard. 'It was them! Tala and Ian! But where were Bryan and Spencer?'
"Let us through! We're looking for our friend, Kai!" demanded Tyson.
"There's no Kai here, but we'll let you though if you can defeat us in a Beybattle," challenged the shorter boy.
Tyson pulled out his blade and shooter. "Fine, then. Challenge accepted."
With that, the two began to battle. Everyone else watched intently. Kochab kept glancing up at Tala, who seemed to pay no interest towards her at all. Good. 'I wouldn't want him to memorize me. Not yet.'
After a minute or so, the red-haired boy suddenly shifted and held his ear. "Affirmative, boss." He turned to Ian. "Finish it."
The blue-haired boy called back his blade.
Tyson called back his and yelled at him, "Hey, why'd you call back your blade?"
Tala glanced solemnly up at the Bladebreakers. "This boy, Kai was it? That you were looking for.Is he a friend of yours?"
"Yeah.How'd you know?" queried Tyson in a puzzled tone.
"Well, he's in the Abbey, but he was out in the cold a lii-ttle too long. He has a fever."
Kochab gasped again. "He does?! Will he be okay?"
Tala shifted his gaze towards her for a moment and then back to the Bladebreakers. "Let our doctors treat him. We'll tell you when he gets better."
"How will we know who to look for?" asked Kenny.
"My name's Tala."
"And I'm Ian," the blue-haired boy added.
Tyson gestured to himself and the rest of the team. "I'm Tyson, and this is Max, Ray, Kenny, and Kochab. Just be sure you do tell us."
Tala lifted his head slightly. "Yes. Of course." He gazed at Kochab again, who was still in shock from discovering Kai's fever.
The Bladebreakers turned to leave, while Kochab didn't budge.
"Make sure your doctors take good care of him, Tala!" Kochab cried.
Tyson walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Come on, Kochab. Let's go. Tala will tell us when Kai's better. Why are you so worried about Kai, anyway?"
Tyson began to drag her away, but she was still reluctant to leave. "Make sure you don't feed him anything much until he's better!"
Kochab began to turn but then whipped back around. "And make sure he drinks lots of fluids!"
She turned again, growing closer to the gate, Tyson still trying to pry her away. She leapt out of Tyson's grasp and almost ran back, but Tyson seized her arm once more. "Remember, it's starve a cold, feed a fever!"
Tyson exited with her, "Come on, Kochab!" But just before the gate slammed shut, she yelled back one more thing:
"How do you get a fever from being in the cold too long?!"
The Bladebreakers had closed the gate and were now beginning to walk away, thinking Kai was in safe hands, but Kochab didn't move from her position in front of the gate.
"Aren't you coming, Kochab?" called Max.
Kochab turned her head towards them and then back to the gate. "Yeah.I'll be with you a little later."
Ray cocked his head to one side. "Sure. We'll be at the hotel."
They began to walk away. Kochab waited until they were gone from view before she slipped back inside the gate.
Tala and Ian went back inside the Abbey as Tala took off the earpiece. "I don't know what it was about Tyson and that girl, but it reminded me of an incident long ago that also involved you and I."
Ian looked up at him as they walked briskly down the hall. "You mean when Kai and Sarah left the Abbey? When we were seven years old?"
Tala stopped and glanced at Ian. "Now that you mention it, yeah." He began to walk again. "That girl 'Kochab' did look kind of like Sarah. Kai's here, I know that, but I wonder how Sarah's doing, and if she's still alive."
"With all those prayers you made, it would be hard for her not to be."
"I was concerned, that's all."
"That girl was pretty sharp. Did you make that excuse up, or did Boris?"
"I did. He said be spontaneous. Only Sarah could tell when I was lying. No one else I knew could do that."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Maybe it was her. Say, do you still have her ribbon?"
Tala pushed back the sleeve of his blue shirt to reveal a red ribbon tied to his wrist.
Ian suppressed a laugh. "Yeah, well we should get back to class. Sister Lutka isn't going to wait."
Tala rolled his sleeve back down. "If you're only going to chastise everything I say and do, then why do I even bother doing anything at all?"
"Because your obsession forbids you to do so." Ian paused a moment, waiting for the insult to seep in. When Tala finally realized, Ian tore down the hall towards their classes and away from Tala's wrathful pursuit.
"Today we have a new trainee that will be joining our Abbey life. I can only hope that you boys will treat her fairly and as an equal. We want to make her feel welcome," Tala and Ian heard as they entered the classroom.
Everyone in the class looked up as the two stood in the doorway, panting heavily, trying to understand what was going on.
A lady standing at the chalkboard opened her mouth to speak. "Ah.Tala and Ian. You've come back. What did Boris want?" She had on a long navy blue robe with a maroon petticoat on top. She also had a navy and white headdress. Her dark blue eyes reflected nonchalance.
To the lady side stood a girl, about up to her eyes. The girl had long brown hair tied in pigtails by white elastics. Her eyes were greenish- blue. She had on a red vest, black and white striped shirt, white sarong and purple belt with a yellow moon that hung loosely from her right hip. Underneath the skirt, she wore black tights; probably to protect her from the chilly Russian weather, and green and black knee-high boots.
Tala and Ian stared at her in confusion. It was like they were seeing Sarah clones everywhere. Could she possibly have twin sisters?
"You're not going to answer, boys?" the lady vociferated.
Ian looked up at her to answer, for Tala was preoccupied. "Uh.Boris wanted our help with some intruders."
The lady nodded slowly. "I see.Well, as you can see, we have a new trainee joining us. Her name is Thalassa. As I was telling the other boys, you will treat her fairly and as an equal."
Tala and Ian stood erect. "Yes, Sister Lutka." The two hustled to their seats and sat down.
"Hmm.Let's see, we'll need a seat for you, Thalassa. Oh! I know! How about that vacant desk right beside Tala?"
Tala shrunk down in to his seat. 'Great. I have to sit beside a girl? And she's new, so that means the Sister wants me to be her mentor.'
"Thank you, Sister Lutka," Thalassa said as she hurried over to where Tala sat and flopped down in the desk to his left.
A lot of the boys began to stare at her. They had never really had a chance to see many girls since they had begun training at the Abbey, and Thalassa was the only female trainee there. Quite a few also found her pretty.
Losing Kai
It was free time for the trainees of the Abbey. The Demolition Boys had decided to play a card game. Signal was their favourite. Spencer and Ian had teamed up, while Tala and Bryan were partners. Tala and Bryan were winning, when someone came in.
The four turned to see Thalassa. None of them had talked to her much, except for Tala. They thought she was quiet and shy, which she seemed to be now.
Tala scowled as he slouched in his chair. "Go away. I'm your mentor in class, not free time. Or do you need my help for that, too?" he quipped without turning his head.
Bryan gave him an empathetic look. "She can't be that annoying, Tala."
Tala glared at the cards in his hand. "You obviously don't know her, then."
Spencer glanced at Tala and then back at Thalassa standing in the doorway. "Don't mind him. He's just grouchy. You can play, if you want."
Tala sat bolt upright. "What? But signal is a game for an equal number of players!"
"She could team up with you," Ian suggested.
"Besides, if you're not going to be a good sport, we might as well kick you out of the game," added Bryan.
"Fine, then! I won't play!" Tala exclaimed as he stood up and stormed over to where Thalassa stood. He stopped in front of her and leered at her. They were almost at eye level, if only Thalassa had been three centimetres taller. "I hope you're happy."
Thalassa didn't answer.
"Well?"
"."
"Answer me!"
"I don't want to play." Thalassa replied softly.
Tala loosened up and withdrew. ".Oh.okay.Well, I don't want to, either." He stood there a moment longer before going around her and down the corridor. Thalassa watched him disappear from view.
Breaking The Ice
The next day, Sarah was with the Bladebreakers (except Max) as Kochab again. She sat with them in the hotel room, discussing Kai's betrayal. After a little while, there was a knock on the door.
Kenny got up from his seat. "This better not be room service, Tyson. Not after they kicked us out of the buffet," he sighed.
"The purpose is that it's an 'All You Can Eat' buffet. I didn't have 'all I could eat'." Tyson replied.
Kenny jumped as he opened the door to see a man in a black suit and sunglasses standing there. "You are to come with me, please," he ordered in a gruff voice.
"Says who?" Kochab countered as she leapt up from the bed, ready to defend.
"My orders come from the one you call Kai."
The Bladebreakers and Kochab stared with dumbfounded looks.
The next thing the Bladebreakers knew, they were in a helicopter, flying with some secret agent across Russia. Kenny recognized Lake Baikal right away. As always, he began to spew out facts.
The helicopter landed on the ice and they saw Kai in a black jacket, awaiting their arrival. They all talked, rather argued, with each other, save Kochab, who just stood on the sidelines and watched (see the show for dialogue). Kai took on Tyson, Ray, and Kenny all at the same time, and defeated them all; one by one. Kochab once again just stood and watched.
When all hope seemed lost, and Kai had won, Max leapt out of a plane and to the Bladebreakers' rescue. With Max's improved Beyblade and Tyson's use of the normal Dranzer, Kai was defeated.
While Kai moped over the loss and the Bladebreakers watched with sympathy, unbeknownst to them all, the ice was cracking underneath them. Kochab was the first to notice. She heard a cracking noise and glanced downwards. She could see that chunks were breaking off behind Kai and lacerations spread across the once-thick ice.
"Guys! The ice's breaking! Let's move it!" she screamed.
The boys observed the ice. Tyson gasped. "Kai!"
"Kai!" all of them shouted, for Kai was on an iceberg all on his own. Kai, who was still in shock, was reluctant to move.
Kai wasn't paying any attention to a word they yelled. He was trapped in his own reverie, complaining to himself over what perfection meant; and how it was something he didn't have. The Bladebreakers were unwilling to give up, and Kai was unwilling of their help. He couldn't accept their help- not after he'd treated them so badly. The Bladebreakers didn't care anymore- especially Tyson- he just wanted to forgive and forget.
Finally, Kai reached out, but moments too late- he'd become frozen with the water of the sinking iceberg already. The Bladebreakers pulled with all their strength to attempt to free him, but to no avail. Kochab wasn't trying, but standing on the sidelines like she had through the whole ordeal. But now, it had gone far enough. She had been unsure of whether to trust Kai or not, but now she knew his life was at stake- and like the Bladebreakers, thought that this was no time to argue.
She could see that the Bladebreakers weren't making any progress. "Weaklings! Let me show you how it's done!" she cried as she hustled over to grab a hold of Kai's arm.
She pulled along with the Bladebreakers, Kai trying to move his legs. It seemed that this would be Kai's final resting place when he suddenly was liberated. All six of them fell down and stared in wonder at the miraculous outcome of the situation.
Kai was the first to recover and get up. He stood there for a moment and observed as Kochab slowly staggered to her feet. Then, the others stood up. Kai thanked them, and was about to leave when Kochab halted him.
She held his black coat and glared at him, empathy in her eyes. She outstretched her arms. "Your jacket."
Kai took it from her and looked at it the same way he had Sarah's eight years ago. "Uh.thank you..."
With that, Kochab grinned a little at him and then walked away, muttering something about, "that's the second time."
Tyson came up behind Kai. He began to snicker at Kai who was still had his gaze fixed on the retreating Kochab. "Oooh!" he swooned, and then burst in to song:
"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, She loves you and you know you should be"
"Zip it, Tyson!" snapped Kai. He moved towards the helicopter.
".mad." Tyson finished, modifying the phrase of the actual song to fit Kai.
The helicopter then left once Kai had boarded, and only once it was out of sight did the Bladebreakers realize that their transportation had either flown or walked away.
A Lesson For Tyson (a scene that didn't actually happen)
Tala stepped out of Boris' office. 'That was it. I would have no more full control over myself if he did that to me. Not that I have anything to do with my life anymore, anyway.'
He glanced up and jumped as he saw Thalassa, daunting as ever with that solemn look. "Don't scare me like that! What do you want?"
Thalassa turned and sauntered down the hall in the direction of the dormitories without a word.
Tala speculated her in confusion. "Where are you going, now? Why do you act so different in class from now? Why do you annoy me then, but not now?" He called as he ran after her.
"Why? Do you want me to annoy you?"
"No.Not really.it's just."
"Then don't complain," she said as she opened the door to their dormitory.
Tala was about to follow her inside when she whirled around. "Why are you following me?"
Tala stepped backwards and in to the hall, not realizing what he had been doing. "Oh.sorry.But it's my dormitory, too."
"Oh. So it is." Regarrdless, she closed the door on him. Tala continued to stand there, though, in amazement. A moment later, the door opened again. "Just joking! Anyway, what do you want?" Thalassa asked.
Tala didn't respond.
"Come in." she sighed.
Tala obliged slowly and Thalassa closed the door behind him. "What do you want?" she repeated.
"I was just wondering."
"Yes?" presses Thalassa.
Tala glanced anxiously at the door. 'Oh great.what was I going to say again?' "I was wondering, umm. Can I play with you hair?"
'What? Why does he want to play with my hair?' "Okay then, I guess."
Thalassa sat down in front of the mirror and Tala knelt down behind her. He reached out gingerly, for fear of embarrassment or hurting her, and pulled the white elastics from her pigtails. 'I must face my fears and see if it's her.' He took a brush from the table and ran it through her hair.
It ran pretty smoothly, with few tangles. Long and brown, like Sarah's had been. Tala began to blush. "Say, have you heard of a girl named Sarah?"
'He remembers me!' "No, I don't believe so."
Tala's heart sank. "Oh."
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I once knew this girl.named Sarah.and.she looked a lot like you," Tala replied, hesitant at first.
'I'm going out on a limb with this next one, but.' "Did you like, like her?"
Tala was now as red as his hair. "Kinda', sorta'."
Thalassa now felt uncomfortable. 'I never knew he liked me.and I left the Abbey with Kai.How heartless could I possibly be? Oblivious of all the telltale signs he probably threw at me everyday?' She stared at the mirror with hurt sympathy. "So.what does that have to do with playing with my hair?"
Tala had now stopped brushing and was now taking the hair at the sides of her head. "She always wore the same hairstyle. I wanted to see if you looked exactly the same." He made the two half-pigtails at the back of her head and slowly retied them with the white elastic. Then, he untied the red ribbon from his wrist.
'Oh no.' Sarah thought. 'Once he sees that ribbon on me he'll recognize me. And that's my old red ribbon- one of the ones I lost on the way to Japan! How did he get it and why does he still have it?'
Tala started to tie the ribbon around her pigtail, anxious to see the outcome. Sarah couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't risk blowing her cover. She leapt up, as Tala pulled away, ribbon in hand. "Um.I just remembered.I have to be somewhere right now, so I've gotta go. Bye, Tala!"
With that, she ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her. "Th-that was.her!" he gasped.
Victory In Defeat
Sarah was now trying to avoid the Demolition Boys, since Tala knew what was going on and he had probably told the others. She hadn't told the Celestial Myriad of her slip-up, for fear of being terminated as their leader. They couldn't really care anymore now, anyway, since now was the moment of truth; the Russian Tournament.
The Celestial Myriad sat in the audience in the same area they had for the previous matches where the White Tigers and All Starz had battled. They sat far away from any of the other teams, for fear of being recognized. They watched as Kai was defeated and Dranzer was taken away from him.
Eva placed a consoling hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Do you think he'll get his Bit Beast back?"
"It's hard to say," Elvin answered for her. "I mean, it's too early in the tournament to tell, and as our research said, it all depends on who wins, though the Bladebreakers are the underdogs right now."
"I'd hate to see what happens if the Demolition Boys win. They may actually be nice and all, as Sarah can confirm, but it won't really be them that wins, but Boris and Voltaire," mentioned Philemon.
A Wicked Wind Blows
"With the Bladebreakers and Demolition Boys both tied at one a piece, all we can make is inferences, here, since even Sarah can't unearth info on the Boys," said Elvin after Ray had defeated Bryan.
"It's not my fault! The Demolition Boys know less about themselves than I do!" Sarah opposed.
Elvin gave her a look that radiated compassion. "I'm not saying it is your fault, just that we're on thin ice here, with how little we know about the possible apocalyptic forces behind the Demolition Boys' win."
"Am I the only one to notice that Eva's crying?" vociferated Philemon.
Sarah and Elvin turned their attention to her. Sarah placed her hand on Eva's shoulder, the same way Eva had yesterday. "Ray'll be okay. Should we go visit him in the hospital?"
"He doesn't remember me. What's the point? Besides, Mariah's there," she wept.
"We wouldn't mind going," offered Philemon.
Eva shook her head vigourously as she observed the men carrying Ray's stretcher leave the stadium.
New And Cyber-Improved
Thalassa knew she couldn't avoid the Demolition Boys for the whole tournament, so she went to the Abbey during the day before the final battle. She crept in through the main gate and began to search the Abbey for them. She travelled down a long corridor and came to a room where people were talking. It sounded like Boris and Voltaire.
"Draining incubation fluid," she heard one of the scientists say.
She peered around the corner to see a group of scientists, Boris, Voltaire, and.Tala! Tala was in a tube with wire attached to him and green liquid, which as the scientist had said, was now draining. The glass on the tube was lifted and green steam engulfed Tala, then cleared as he steeped off the platform and on to the stone floor. He stood there solemn as ever in blue undergarments and glared at Boris. Boris stepped over to him and handed him the Wolborg blade. "Tala, your new modifications have made you a cyborg. You shall win the Russian Tournament, Cyber-Tala!"
Sarah stepped backwards in petrified fear. She stepped in to the room in the hall opposite to the one Tala and Boris were in. She leaned against the wall and stared ahead in shock. 'How could Boris.What's happened to Tala.What in the world is going on?'
She threw herself down on what she thought was a counter. She accidentally sat on the start button, which turned on the computer with Boris' visual and audio diary of the goings on of the Abbey. Sarah jumped back in surprise as the computer began to say, "July 20, 1980."
It was Boris' voice, and the monitor showed a black haired woman in a hospital bed with a baby. "My younger sister, Irina has a baby daughter. It is Irina and Nigel's first-born; Celeste Langley."
Sarah stared at the screen in amazement, having calmed down a little from the shock of Tala becoming a cyborg. 'Irina and Nigel.my parents.That would mean Celeste is my sister. 23 years old- then why wasn't I ever told?'
That scene soon disappeared as a picture of the Abbey courtyard appeared. "November 17, 1982. Celeste has gone missing. She had been left with Leon, but ran away from him. As we, the Biovolt team search, we pray that she has not ventured outside, for she will surely freeze to death."
The picture was then on the Volga River, with an unconscious girl lying prone on the riverbank. Boris began to speak again as in the distance on the bridge, a man walked across and noticed the girl. "November 18, 1982. We have found Celeste- dead on the riverbank. We took her back to the Abbey and don't know what to do. All our hopes for this potential champion Beyblader have been thrown out the window."
A shot of the girl on a stretcher was shown. She had brown hair. 'She looks a lot like I did.Poor kid.so that's why I was never told- it must've been too painful to talk about.'
"November 21, 1982. We had a meeting today on what to do with Celeste, and Lutka came up with the idea to cryogenate her. Irina and Nigel have agreed, so that is what we'll do."
"March 20, 1990. Tala Segevitch Romanov was born. When he is thirteen, I have plans for him that will aid the Corporation's progress."
'Those plans must be for becoming a cyborg.'
"November 20, 1990. Kai Daimyo Hiwatari was born. A syndicate human- Biovolt's first. The next challenge is to keep him alive. Let's hope he's not as liberation-inclined as Celeste."
'Kai's a syndicate human? Does he know, I wonder? What's Boris done to us three? And what happened to my birth? I'm his niece for goodness sake, and he records everyone else's birthdays?'
"July 29, 1992. Thank goodness! The cryogenation was a success! Celeste has been reborn. Irina and Nigel have a daughter while I have a niece. We've renamed her. She is now Sarah, or literally, Scrah. You see, her name's an acronym of Select Cryogenic Resurrection Achieved Human. We are all interested to see if the cryogenation will play a role in her development, if at all."
Sarah became traumatized again. "So that's why I was never told of a sister- I never had one!"
The computer turned off and she stepped backwards. She tripped on a stone in the floor and fell down. She stared with wide, petrified eyes at her trembling hands. "I am Celeste. Celeste is me. I died.and was brought back to life by cryogenation. Tala's a cyborg. Kai's a syndicate. and I'm resurrected.that's my aberration! We're all aberrational!"
Final Showdown
The Celestial Myriad had once again assembled to see the final battle between Tyson and Tala. The battle had already begun, and the two boys were halfway through, with Tyson having won the first set. Tala had used an attack by Wolborg to encase the two in a frozen parallel dimension at the beginning of the second set, which Tala then won. It now came down to this; the third and last set.
Everyone in the audience watched as after a long, gruelling battle, the jagged ice prison dissipated and Tyson emerged, victorious. Tala ogled in shock.
Philemon glanced up into the balcony where Boris sat to see him exclaim something, though he couldn't hear over the roar of the crowd. He observed him leave, then realized that they should probably do the same thing. "Hey, guys.We should get out of here before the other teams do."
The Celestial Myriad crept out of the stadium and stood outside Biovolt Stadium. Eva placed her hands akimbo and looked in admiration at the stadium entrance. "Well, we did it. Our mission's over, and now we can participate in a tournament."
"I know just the one!" exclaimed Elvin. "And it's even being held right here in Russia. It's a default tournament of the World Championships. Any team can enter. That includes the Celestial Myriad."
"We should enter! We're going to show the other teams a thing or two!" suggested Philemon. He turned to Sarah. "What's wrong with you? You're normally more enthusiastic."
Sarah gazed down at him. "I'm fine.just thinking. You know, maybe we should get out of here, now."
"Why?" enquired Eva.
Sarah hesitated. Here it went- the story of her slip-up. "Well, you see.Tala knew that Thalassa was me, and he might recognize me now, so we'd better move it before"
"Hey! You!"
Sarah froze and turned rigidly to see Tyson running up to them. "We've seen you at all our tournaments, and we want to know your game!" he demanded.
The rest of the Bladebreakers and all the other teams (except the Demolition Boys) were now emerging from the entrance of the stadium.
Philemon attempted to explain. "Uh.well, you see we're just major fans of you guys." He sounded anything but convincing.
As Emily approached, she adjusted her glasses and examined Elvin and Sarah queerly. "Hey.Aren't you Alkaid? And aren't you Miranda?"
"You're right, Emily.they do look a lot like them," agreed Michael.
"That's funny," Kevin said as he pointed to Eva and Sarah. "You guys look more like Wirtanen and Luyten to me."
"What did ever become of Mathilde and Rosalind?" questioned Oliver rhetorically.
"I'd recognize those multicoloured green eyes anywhere! You're Kochab, aren't you!" exclaimed Kenny.
The Celestial Myriad was now beginning to clump together in a defensive circle. "How are we going to get out of this one?" stammered Elvin.
At that moment, Tala and the Demolition Boys stormed out of the entrance. The Celestial Myriad glanced at Sarah. "We're doomed." she prophesied.
"What's going on?" Ian asked the throng. He surveyed Sarah. "Aren't you Thalassa?"
"She's not Thalassa, Ian," explained Tala as he folded his arms in anger and glared Sarah in the eye.
"She's not Rosalind, Miranda, Luyten, or Kochab, either," added Kai. "And her friends aren't who you think they are."
"What?!" everyone yelled in surprise.
"You win.I'm not who you think I am, and as Kai said, neither are my friends." Sighed Sarah. "My name is Sarah Langley, and this is Eva Temagami, Philemon Ivujivik, and Elvin Tremblay. I'm leader of the team, the Celestial Myriad of Canada."
'My guess was right,' thought Kai. 'It's good to see her again.'
'I can forgive her for betrayal.this time,' Tala said to himself.
And that just proves the saying: you can lie through your teeth, but your teeth don't lie! What the Celestial Myriad did came back to haunt them. And yes! Now I can continue with the actual Hilanov Prophecy! If anyone's still reading.
7. Celestial Myriad, Unmasked
Hot Battle In A Cold Town
Kochab was with the Bladebreakers as they were trying to find Boris Abbey. When they finally got there, they saw all of the trainees in the courtyard, Beyblading. Like Kai, she watched in silence as Tyson defeated Alexander, the trainee chosen by Boris to face the outsider. Then Kochab and the Bladebreakers watched in horror as the young Alexander was dragged away by two tall men in long robe uniforms. Boris had supposedly not recognized her, and so she decided to proceed with the Celestial Myriad's plan as they left the Abbey.
Out Of The Past
While Kai had left the Bladebreakers (again), the Bladebreakers had done a little bit of sightseeing around Moscow. Sarah, rather Kochab, had stayed at the hotel to think about how she would approach the Demolition Boys. Unlike before, where her friends had known the threat team, it was now her turn. How easy would she be to recognize? Kai didn't know it was her, or did he? Could he just be pretending? Tala had always been good at noticing similarities; she'd have to disguise herself well.
This truly was a puzzling tournament. As she picked through her garments, she pondered how to get past all those guards she had seen at the Abbey. And where had Kai gone? He hadn't told a single soul, just left spontaneously.
Drawn To Darkness
The Bladebreakers (save Kai) had decided to go looking for Kai, since he had been gone for so long. The Abbey seemed to be the perfect place to start. Kochab, who was now ready for anything the tournament could throw at her, was obliged to help them look, but was still slightly busy. "You guys go on without me. I'll see you at the Abbey."
"Oh. Okay." Tyson said as he grabbed his BBA jacket and closed the hotel room door behind him.
She watched as the door slammed shut and then scurried over to her bag. She pulled out six clothing articles; a red vest, a black and white striped shirt with low neckline and elbow-length sleeves, her white sarong, purple moon belt, black tights, and green and black knee-high boots. She also pulled out two white elastics. She undid her Kochab hairstyle and parted her hair down the middle. She made one pigtail low and at the back of her head, tying it with the white elastic. She did the same with her remaining hair. She leapt up and ran over to the mirror. "Good enough.It's been six years."
She redid her Kochab hairstyle and stuffed the disguise in a small fanny pack. She snatched the ultramarine blue jacket with a star and moon on the back that members of the Celestial Myriad wore and hurried out the door with the fanny pack and after the Bladebreakers.
Kochab arrived to see the Bladebreakers at the front gates, sneaking around. She slinked over to the bushes and sat beside them. "I've come. What happened?"
Ray glanced up at her. "Nothing much. We're just trying not to be caught."
"Oww! Hey Tyson, what are you doing?" Max whispered frantically.
"Sorry! My foot fell asleep and I was just- what the?" Tyson asked in confusion as an alarm sounded.
"An Abbey with a high-tech security system? This just doesn't fit." Kenny concluded.
Max grabbed him and leapt up. "Who cares about that now? Just run!"
Tyson, Kochab, Kenny, and Ray followed Max towards the Abbey's main doors. But then someone barred their way; two boys, who had jumped from the roof of the Abbey. One of them was tall, taller than any of the Bladebreakers (that were there) and Kochab. The other one was shorter than all of them; about up to Kochab's shoulder. The taller one had bright red hair and sky blue eyes while the shorter one had purply-blue hair and brown eyes.
Kochab gasped slightly, yet quietly so that no one but her heard. 'It was them! Tala and Ian! But where were Bryan and Spencer?'
"Let us through! We're looking for our friend, Kai!" demanded Tyson.
"There's no Kai here, but we'll let you though if you can defeat us in a Beybattle," challenged the shorter boy.
Tyson pulled out his blade and shooter. "Fine, then. Challenge accepted."
With that, the two began to battle. Everyone else watched intently. Kochab kept glancing up at Tala, who seemed to pay no interest towards her at all. Good. 'I wouldn't want him to memorize me. Not yet.'
After a minute or so, the red-haired boy suddenly shifted and held his ear. "Affirmative, boss." He turned to Ian. "Finish it."
The blue-haired boy called back his blade.
Tyson called back his and yelled at him, "Hey, why'd you call back your blade?"
Tala glanced solemnly up at the Bladebreakers. "This boy, Kai was it? That you were looking for.Is he a friend of yours?"
"Yeah.How'd you know?" queried Tyson in a puzzled tone.
"Well, he's in the Abbey, but he was out in the cold a lii-ttle too long. He has a fever."
Kochab gasped again. "He does?! Will he be okay?"
Tala shifted his gaze towards her for a moment and then back to the Bladebreakers. "Let our doctors treat him. We'll tell you when he gets better."
"How will we know who to look for?" asked Kenny.
"My name's Tala."
"And I'm Ian," the blue-haired boy added.
Tyson gestured to himself and the rest of the team. "I'm Tyson, and this is Max, Ray, Kenny, and Kochab. Just be sure you do tell us."
Tala lifted his head slightly. "Yes. Of course." He gazed at Kochab again, who was still in shock from discovering Kai's fever.
The Bladebreakers turned to leave, while Kochab didn't budge.
"Make sure your doctors take good care of him, Tala!" Kochab cried.
Tyson walked up to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Come on, Kochab. Let's go. Tala will tell us when Kai's better. Why are you so worried about Kai, anyway?"
Tyson began to drag her away, but she was still reluctant to leave. "Make sure you don't feed him anything much until he's better!"
Kochab began to turn but then whipped back around. "And make sure he drinks lots of fluids!"
She turned again, growing closer to the gate, Tyson still trying to pry her away. She leapt out of Tyson's grasp and almost ran back, but Tyson seized her arm once more. "Remember, it's starve a cold, feed a fever!"
Tyson exited with her, "Come on, Kochab!" But just before the gate slammed shut, she yelled back one more thing:
"How do you get a fever from being in the cold too long?!"
The Bladebreakers had closed the gate and were now beginning to walk away, thinking Kai was in safe hands, but Kochab didn't move from her position in front of the gate.
"Aren't you coming, Kochab?" called Max.
Kochab turned her head towards them and then back to the gate. "Yeah.I'll be with you a little later."
Ray cocked his head to one side. "Sure. We'll be at the hotel."
They began to walk away. Kochab waited until they were gone from view before she slipped back inside the gate.
Tala and Ian went back inside the Abbey as Tala took off the earpiece. "I don't know what it was about Tyson and that girl, but it reminded me of an incident long ago that also involved you and I."
Ian looked up at him as they walked briskly down the hall. "You mean when Kai and Sarah left the Abbey? When we were seven years old?"
Tala stopped and glanced at Ian. "Now that you mention it, yeah." He began to walk again. "That girl 'Kochab' did look kind of like Sarah. Kai's here, I know that, but I wonder how Sarah's doing, and if she's still alive."
"With all those prayers you made, it would be hard for her not to be."
"I was concerned, that's all."
"That girl was pretty sharp. Did you make that excuse up, or did Boris?"
"I did. He said be spontaneous. Only Sarah could tell when I was lying. No one else I knew could do that."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Maybe it was her. Say, do you still have her ribbon?"
Tala pushed back the sleeve of his blue shirt to reveal a red ribbon tied to his wrist.
Ian suppressed a laugh. "Yeah, well we should get back to class. Sister Lutka isn't going to wait."
Tala rolled his sleeve back down. "If you're only going to chastise everything I say and do, then why do I even bother doing anything at all?"
"Because your obsession forbids you to do so." Ian paused a moment, waiting for the insult to seep in. When Tala finally realized, Ian tore down the hall towards their classes and away from Tala's wrathful pursuit.
"Today we have a new trainee that will be joining our Abbey life. I can only hope that you boys will treat her fairly and as an equal. We want to make her feel welcome," Tala and Ian heard as they entered the classroom.
Everyone in the class looked up as the two stood in the doorway, panting heavily, trying to understand what was going on.
A lady standing at the chalkboard opened her mouth to speak. "Ah.Tala and Ian. You've come back. What did Boris want?" She had on a long navy blue robe with a maroon petticoat on top. She also had a navy and white headdress. Her dark blue eyes reflected nonchalance.
To the lady side stood a girl, about up to her eyes. The girl had long brown hair tied in pigtails by white elastics. Her eyes were greenish- blue. She had on a red vest, black and white striped shirt, white sarong and purple belt with a yellow moon that hung loosely from her right hip. Underneath the skirt, she wore black tights; probably to protect her from the chilly Russian weather, and green and black knee-high boots.
Tala and Ian stared at her in confusion. It was like they were seeing Sarah clones everywhere. Could she possibly have twin sisters?
"You're not going to answer, boys?" the lady vociferated.
Ian looked up at her to answer, for Tala was preoccupied. "Uh.Boris wanted our help with some intruders."
The lady nodded slowly. "I see.Well, as you can see, we have a new trainee joining us. Her name is Thalassa. As I was telling the other boys, you will treat her fairly and as an equal."
Tala and Ian stood erect. "Yes, Sister Lutka." The two hustled to their seats and sat down.
"Hmm.Let's see, we'll need a seat for you, Thalassa. Oh! I know! How about that vacant desk right beside Tala?"
Tala shrunk down in to his seat. 'Great. I have to sit beside a girl? And she's new, so that means the Sister wants me to be her mentor.'
"Thank you, Sister Lutka," Thalassa said as she hurried over to where Tala sat and flopped down in the desk to his left.
A lot of the boys began to stare at her. They had never really had a chance to see many girls since they had begun training at the Abbey, and Thalassa was the only female trainee there. Quite a few also found her pretty.
Losing Kai
It was free time for the trainees of the Abbey. The Demolition Boys had decided to play a card game. Signal was their favourite. Spencer and Ian had teamed up, while Tala and Bryan were partners. Tala and Bryan were winning, when someone came in.
The four turned to see Thalassa. None of them had talked to her much, except for Tala. They thought she was quiet and shy, which she seemed to be now.
Tala scowled as he slouched in his chair. "Go away. I'm your mentor in class, not free time. Or do you need my help for that, too?" he quipped without turning his head.
Bryan gave him an empathetic look. "She can't be that annoying, Tala."
Tala glared at the cards in his hand. "You obviously don't know her, then."
Spencer glanced at Tala and then back at Thalassa standing in the doorway. "Don't mind him. He's just grouchy. You can play, if you want."
Tala sat bolt upright. "What? But signal is a game for an equal number of players!"
"She could team up with you," Ian suggested.
"Besides, if you're not going to be a good sport, we might as well kick you out of the game," added Bryan.
"Fine, then! I won't play!" Tala exclaimed as he stood up and stormed over to where Thalassa stood. He stopped in front of her and leered at her. They were almost at eye level, if only Thalassa had been three centimetres taller. "I hope you're happy."
Thalassa didn't answer.
"Well?"
"."
"Answer me!"
"I don't want to play." Thalassa replied softly.
Tala loosened up and withdrew. ".Oh.okay.Well, I don't want to, either." He stood there a moment longer before going around her and down the corridor. Thalassa watched him disappear from view.
Breaking The Ice
The next day, Sarah was with the Bladebreakers (except Max) as Kochab again. She sat with them in the hotel room, discussing Kai's betrayal. After a little while, there was a knock on the door.
Kenny got up from his seat. "This better not be room service, Tyson. Not after they kicked us out of the buffet," he sighed.
"The purpose is that it's an 'All You Can Eat' buffet. I didn't have 'all I could eat'." Tyson replied.
Kenny jumped as he opened the door to see a man in a black suit and sunglasses standing there. "You are to come with me, please," he ordered in a gruff voice.
"Says who?" Kochab countered as she leapt up from the bed, ready to defend.
"My orders come from the one you call Kai."
The Bladebreakers and Kochab stared with dumbfounded looks.
The next thing the Bladebreakers knew, they were in a helicopter, flying with some secret agent across Russia. Kenny recognized Lake Baikal right away. As always, he began to spew out facts.
The helicopter landed on the ice and they saw Kai in a black jacket, awaiting their arrival. They all talked, rather argued, with each other, save Kochab, who just stood on the sidelines and watched (see the show for dialogue). Kai took on Tyson, Ray, and Kenny all at the same time, and defeated them all; one by one. Kochab once again just stood and watched.
When all hope seemed lost, and Kai had won, Max leapt out of a plane and to the Bladebreakers' rescue. With Max's improved Beyblade and Tyson's use of the normal Dranzer, Kai was defeated.
While Kai moped over the loss and the Bladebreakers watched with sympathy, unbeknownst to them all, the ice was cracking underneath them. Kochab was the first to notice. She heard a cracking noise and glanced downwards. She could see that chunks were breaking off behind Kai and lacerations spread across the once-thick ice.
"Guys! The ice's breaking! Let's move it!" she screamed.
The boys observed the ice. Tyson gasped. "Kai!"
"Kai!" all of them shouted, for Kai was on an iceberg all on his own. Kai, who was still in shock, was reluctant to move.
Kai wasn't paying any attention to a word they yelled. He was trapped in his own reverie, complaining to himself over what perfection meant; and how it was something he didn't have. The Bladebreakers were unwilling to give up, and Kai was unwilling of their help. He couldn't accept their help- not after he'd treated them so badly. The Bladebreakers didn't care anymore- especially Tyson- he just wanted to forgive and forget.
Finally, Kai reached out, but moments too late- he'd become frozen with the water of the sinking iceberg already. The Bladebreakers pulled with all their strength to attempt to free him, but to no avail. Kochab wasn't trying, but standing on the sidelines like she had through the whole ordeal. But now, it had gone far enough. She had been unsure of whether to trust Kai or not, but now she knew his life was at stake- and like the Bladebreakers, thought that this was no time to argue.
She could see that the Bladebreakers weren't making any progress. "Weaklings! Let me show you how it's done!" she cried as she hustled over to grab a hold of Kai's arm.
She pulled along with the Bladebreakers, Kai trying to move his legs. It seemed that this would be Kai's final resting place when he suddenly was liberated. All six of them fell down and stared in wonder at the miraculous outcome of the situation.
Kai was the first to recover and get up. He stood there for a moment and observed as Kochab slowly staggered to her feet. Then, the others stood up. Kai thanked them, and was about to leave when Kochab halted him.
She held his black coat and glared at him, empathy in her eyes. She outstretched her arms. "Your jacket."
Kai took it from her and looked at it the same way he had Sarah's eight years ago. "Uh.thank you..."
With that, Kochab grinned a little at him and then walked away, muttering something about, "that's the second time."
Tyson came up behind Kai. He began to snicker at Kai who was still had his gaze fixed on the retreating Kochab. "Oooh!" he swooned, and then burst in to song:
"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, She loves you and you know you should be"
"Zip it, Tyson!" snapped Kai. He moved towards the helicopter.
".mad." Tyson finished, modifying the phrase of the actual song to fit Kai.
The helicopter then left once Kai had boarded, and only once it was out of sight did the Bladebreakers realize that their transportation had either flown or walked away.
A Lesson For Tyson (a scene that didn't actually happen)
Tala stepped out of Boris' office. 'That was it. I would have no more full control over myself if he did that to me. Not that I have anything to do with my life anymore, anyway.'
He glanced up and jumped as he saw Thalassa, daunting as ever with that solemn look. "Don't scare me like that! What do you want?"
Thalassa turned and sauntered down the hall in the direction of the dormitories without a word.
Tala speculated her in confusion. "Where are you going, now? Why do you act so different in class from now? Why do you annoy me then, but not now?" He called as he ran after her.
"Why? Do you want me to annoy you?"
"No.Not really.it's just."
"Then don't complain," she said as she opened the door to their dormitory.
Tala was about to follow her inside when she whirled around. "Why are you following me?"
Tala stepped backwards and in to the hall, not realizing what he had been doing. "Oh.sorry.But it's my dormitory, too."
"Oh. So it is." Regarrdless, she closed the door on him. Tala continued to stand there, though, in amazement. A moment later, the door opened again. "Just joking! Anyway, what do you want?" Thalassa asked.
Tala didn't respond.
"Come in." she sighed.
Tala obliged slowly and Thalassa closed the door behind him. "What do you want?" she repeated.
"I was just wondering."
"Yes?" presses Thalassa.
Tala glanced anxiously at the door. 'Oh great.what was I going to say again?' "I was wondering, umm. Can I play with you hair?"
'What? Why does he want to play with my hair?' "Okay then, I guess."
Thalassa sat down in front of the mirror and Tala knelt down behind her. He reached out gingerly, for fear of embarrassment or hurting her, and pulled the white elastics from her pigtails. 'I must face my fears and see if it's her.' He took a brush from the table and ran it through her hair.
It ran pretty smoothly, with few tangles. Long and brown, like Sarah's had been. Tala began to blush. "Say, have you heard of a girl named Sarah?"
'He remembers me!' "No, I don't believe so."
Tala's heart sank. "Oh."
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I once knew this girl.named Sarah.and.she looked a lot like you," Tala replied, hesitant at first.
'I'm going out on a limb with this next one, but.' "Did you like, like her?"
Tala was now as red as his hair. "Kinda', sorta'."
Thalassa now felt uncomfortable. 'I never knew he liked me.and I left the Abbey with Kai.How heartless could I possibly be? Oblivious of all the telltale signs he probably threw at me everyday?' She stared at the mirror with hurt sympathy. "So.what does that have to do with playing with my hair?"
Tala had now stopped brushing and was now taking the hair at the sides of her head. "She always wore the same hairstyle. I wanted to see if you looked exactly the same." He made the two half-pigtails at the back of her head and slowly retied them with the white elastic. Then, he untied the red ribbon from his wrist.
'Oh no.' Sarah thought. 'Once he sees that ribbon on me he'll recognize me. And that's my old red ribbon- one of the ones I lost on the way to Japan! How did he get it and why does he still have it?'
Tala started to tie the ribbon around her pigtail, anxious to see the outcome. Sarah couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't risk blowing her cover. She leapt up, as Tala pulled away, ribbon in hand. "Um.I just remembered.I have to be somewhere right now, so I've gotta go. Bye, Tala!"
With that, she ran out of the room and slammed the door behind her. "Th-that was.her!" he gasped.
Victory In Defeat
Sarah was now trying to avoid the Demolition Boys, since Tala knew what was going on and he had probably told the others. She hadn't told the Celestial Myriad of her slip-up, for fear of being terminated as their leader. They couldn't really care anymore now, anyway, since now was the moment of truth; the Russian Tournament.
The Celestial Myriad sat in the audience in the same area they had for the previous matches where the White Tigers and All Starz had battled. They sat far away from any of the other teams, for fear of being recognized. They watched as Kai was defeated and Dranzer was taken away from him.
Eva placed a consoling hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Do you think he'll get his Bit Beast back?"
"It's hard to say," Elvin answered for her. "I mean, it's too early in the tournament to tell, and as our research said, it all depends on who wins, though the Bladebreakers are the underdogs right now."
"I'd hate to see what happens if the Demolition Boys win. They may actually be nice and all, as Sarah can confirm, but it won't really be them that wins, but Boris and Voltaire," mentioned Philemon.
A Wicked Wind Blows
"With the Bladebreakers and Demolition Boys both tied at one a piece, all we can make is inferences, here, since even Sarah can't unearth info on the Boys," said Elvin after Ray had defeated Bryan.
"It's not my fault! The Demolition Boys know less about themselves than I do!" Sarah opposed.
Elvin gave her a look that radiated compassion. "I'm not saying it is your fault, just that we're on thin ice here, with how little we know about the possible apocalyptic forces behind the Demolition Boys' win."
"Am I the only one to notice that Eva's crying?" vociferated Philemon.
Sarah and Elvin turned their attention to her. Sarah placed her hand on Eva's shoulder, the same way Eva had yesterday. "Ray'll be okay. Should we go visit him in the hospital?"
"He doesn't remember me. What's the point? Besides, Mariah's there," she wept.
"We wouldn't mind going," offered Philemon.
Eva shook her head vigourously as she observed the men carrying Ray's stretcher leave the stadium.
New And Cyber-Improved
Thalassa knew she couldn't avoid the Demolition Boys for the whole tournament, so she went to the Abbey during the day before the final battle. She crept in through the main gate and began to search the Abbey for them. She travelled down a long corridor and came to a room where people were talking. It sounded like Boris and Voltaire.
"Draining incubation fluid," she heard one of the scientists say.
She peered around the corner to see a group of scientists, Boris, Voltaire, and.Tala! Tala was in a tube with wire attached to him and green liquid, which as the scientist had said, was now draining. The glass on the tube was lifted and green steam engulfed Tala, then cleared as he steeped off the platform and on to the stone floor. He stood there solemn as ever in blue undergarments and glared at Boris. Boris stepped over to him and handed him the Wolborg blade. "Tala, your new modifications have made you a cyborg. You shall win the Russian Tournament, Cyber-Tala!"
Sarah stepped backwards in petrified fear. She stepped in to the room in the hall opposite to the one Tala and Boris were in. She leaned against the wall and stared ahead in shock. 'How could Boris.What's happened to Tala.What in the world is going on?'
She threw herself down on what she thought was a counter. She accidentally sat on the start button, which turned on the computer with Boris' visual and audio diary of the goings on of the Abbey. Sarah jumped back in surprise as the computer began to say, "July 20, 1980."
It was Boris' voice, and the monitor showed a black haired woman in a hospital bed with a baby. "My younger sister, Irina has a baby daughter. It is Irina and Nigel's first-born; Celeste Langley."
Sarah stared at the screen in amazement, having calmed down a little from the shock of Tala becoming a cyborg. 'Irina and Nigel.my parents.That would mean Celeste is my sister. 23 years old- then why wasn't I ever told?'
That scene soon disappeared as a picture of the Abbey courtyard appeared. "November 17, 1982. Celeste has gone missing. She had been left with Leon, but ran away from him. As we, the Biovolt team search, we pray that she has not ventured outside, for she will surely freeze to death."
The picture was then on the Volga River, with an unconscious girl lying prone on the riverbank. Boris began to speak again as in the distance on the bridge, a man walked across and noticed the girl. "November 18, 1982. We have found Celeste- dead on the riverbank. We took her back to the Abbey and don't know what to do. All our hopes for this potential champion Beyblader have been thrown out the window."
A shot of the girl on a stretcher was shown. She had brown hair. 'She looks a lot like I did.Poor kid.so that's why I was never told- it must've been too painful to talk about.'
"November 21, 1982. We had a meeting today on what to do with Celeste, and Lutka came up with the idea to cryogenate her. Irina and Nigel have agreed, so that is what we'll do."
"March 20, 1990. Tala Segevitch Romanov was born. When he is thirteen, I have plans for him that will aid the Corporation's progress."
'Those plans must be for becoming a cyborg.'
"November 20, 1990. Kai Daimyo Hiwatari was born. A syndicate human- Biovolt's first. The next challenge is to keep him alive. Let's hope he's not as liberation-inclined as Celeste."
'Kai's a syndicate human? Does he know, I wonder? What's Boris done to us three? And what happened to my birth? I'm his niece for goodness sake, and he records everyone else's birthdays?'
"July 29, 1992. Thank goodness! The cryogenation was a success! Celeste has been reborn. Irina and Nigel have a daughter while I have a niece. We've renamed her. She is now Sarah, or literally, Scrah. You see, her name's an acronym of Select Cryogenic Resurrection Achieved Human. We are all interested to see if the cryogenation will play a role in her development, if at all."
Sarah became traumatized again. "So that's why I was never told of a sister- I never had one!"
The computer turned off and she stepped backwards. She tripped on a stone in the floor and fell down. She stared with wide, petrified eyes at her trembling hands. "I am Celeste. Celeste is me. I died.and was brought back to life by cryogenation. Tala's a cyborg. Kai's a syndicate. and I'm resurrected.that's my aberration! We're all aberrational!"
Final Showdown
The Celestial Myriad had once again assembled to see the final battle between Tyson and Tala. The battle had already begun, and the two boys were halfway through, with Tyson having won the first set. Tala had used an attack by Wolborg to encase the two in a frozen parallel dimension at the beginning of the second set, which Tala then won. It now came down to this; the third and last set.
Everyone in the audience watched as after a long, gruelling battle, the jagged ice prison dissipated and Tyson emerged, victorious. Tala ogled in shock.
Philemon glanced up into the balcony where Boris sat to see him exclaim something, though he couldn't hear over the roar of the crowd. He observed him leave, then realized that they should probably do the same thing. "Hey, guys.We should get out of here before the other teams do."
The Celestial Myriad crept out of the stadium and stood outside Biovolt Stadium. Eva placed her hands akimbo and looked in admiration at the stadium entrance. "Well, we did it. Our mission's over, and now we can participate in a tournament."
"I know just the one!" exclaimed Elvin. "And it's even being held right here in Russia. It's a default tournament of the World Championships. Any team can enter. That includes the Celestial Myriad."
"We should enter! We're going to show the other teams a thing or two!" suggested Philemon. He turned to Sarah. "What's wrong with you? You're normally more enthusiastic."
Sarah gazed down at him. "I'm fine.just thinking. You know, maybe we should get out of here, now."
"Why?" enquired Eva.
Sarah hesitated. Here it went- the story of her slip-up. "Well, you see.Tala knew that Thalassa was me, and he might recognize me now, so we'd better move it before"
"Hey! You!"
Sarah froze and turned rigidly to see Tyson running up to them. "We've seen you at all our tournaments, and we want to know your game!" he demanded.
The rest of the Bladebreakers and all the other teams (except the Demolition Boys) were now emerging from the entrance of the stadium.
Philemon attempted to explain. "Uh.well, you see we're just major fans of you guys." He sounded anything but convincing.
As Emily approached, she adjusted her glasses and examined Elvin and Sarah queerly. "Hey.Aren't you Alkaid? And aren't you Miranda?"
"You're right, Emily.they do look a lot like them," agreed Michael.
"That's funny," Kevin said as he pointed to Eva and Sarah. "You guys look more like Wirtanen and Luyten to me."
"What did ever become of Mathilde and Rosalind?" questioned Oliver rhetorically.
"I'd recognize those multicoloured green eyes anywhere! You're Kochab, aren't you!" exclaimed Kenny.
The Celestial Myriad was now beginning to clump together in a defensive circle. "How are we going to get out of this one?" stammered Elvin.
At that moment, Tala and the Demolition Boys stormed out of the entrance. The Celestial Myriad glanced at Sarah. "We're doomed." she prophesied.
"What's going on?" Ian asked the throng. He surveyed Sarah. "Aren't you Thalassa?"
"She's not Thalassa, Ian," explained Tala as he folded his arms in anger and glared Sarah in the eye.
"She's not Rosalind, Miranda, Luyten, or Kochab, either," added Kai. "And her friends aren't who you think they are."
"What?!" everyone yelled in surprise.
"You win.I'm not who you think I am, and as Kai said, neither are my friends." Sighed Sarah. "My name is Sarah Langley, and this is Eva Temagami, Philemon Ivujivik, and Elvin Tremblay. I'm leader of the team, the Celestial Myriad of Canada."
'My guess was right,' thought Kai. 'It's good to see her again.'
'I can forgive her for betrayal.this time,' Tala said to himself.
And that just proves the saying: you can lie through your teeth, but your teeth don't lie! What the Celestial Myriad did came back to haunt them. And yes! Now I can continue with the actual Hilanov Prophecy! If anyone's still reading.
