Things are really starting to heat up, aren't they? I've just about reached the halfway point. Well, kind of... Anyway, on with the fanfic! Wait hang on a minute! Review gratifications!

Devildragon- Thank you for bringing that up. Now that you mention it, I see it too. I'll try to make Tala more "in-character" for the rest of the story.

Anime the Fallen Angel- Check your reviews. What exactly do you mean by a "soppy ending"?

Dusty D- Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine, thanks.

13. Soul fusion

On their way to the change rooms, Boris confronted Kai, Tala, and Sarah. The three stopped dead in their tracks and glared upward into those frigid grey eyes of his. He held out his arm to them, which on it rested what looked like three navy blue nightgowns.

They cast their gazes to the nightgowns. "Instead of getting changed into your regular street clothes, get changed into these and go to the east lab infirmary."

"The east lab infirmary? But isn't that the infirmary for experimental testing?" Tala queried.

Boris straightened up a little. "Yes."

"But why are you sending us there? Are you going to make Kai and Sarah cyborgs and give me upgrades?" Tala exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

Kai and Sarah made a small gasp and then saw Boris shake his head.

"No, no, Tala. Nothing of the sort. You'll see why when you finish changing. Now take a robe and do so. Oh, and don't forget to bring your Beyblades."

Kai took a robe with no expression while Sarah handled it as if it was about to explode and Tala snatched it rather angrily from Boris, untrusting of him. Tala continued to stare at Boris suspiciously as he made his way down the corridor and out of sight.

Tala led Kai and Sarah to the lab infirmary in the east wing of the Abbey. Each one wore the dark blue robe, which reached down to about their knees, and had their blades clenched firmly in their hands.

When they got there, they saw scientists bustling about. Judy, Irina, George, Derek, Nigel, Mr. Dickenson, Leon, Vladimir, Kenny, and Boris were there, too. They also saw their teams and the other teams hanging around- probably to just help out wherever it was needed and to observe the whole procedure.

"I can tell you, it's not going to work, Boris," Nigel was saying to Boris. "Emily, run a simulation of the operation on the computer."

"Yes, Mr. Langley, sir," Emily replied as she ran to a nearby computer that wasn't being used.

"I don't see why it wouldn't work," Boris answered. "Voltaire gave me the exact equipment specifications. It worked for Goadbwa in cloning souls, why won't it work for Biovolt in the fu- oh! Kai! Tala! Sarah! Come in! You too, Voltaire."

Kai, Tala, and Sarah turned behind them and jumped on seeing Voltaire standing there. He pushed past Kai on the end. Kai moved slightly but not willingly. He scowled murderously at his grandfather as the man walked over to Boris' side.

Tala was the first to take a step forward. Kai and Sarah followed a moment or two later. Tala stopped when he saw a long, vertical tube in the corner of the room. He glowered at it, oblivious to all the chatter and running around going on around him. 'Such hateful memories... Why did I have to be his strongest blader? And even if I was, wasn't I strong enough without..."hardwire cranium saturation and nerve and muscle strengthening"? Now because we can barely win against Goadbwa, I'll bet you he's going to do the same to Kai and Sarah.'

While Tala was contemplating the incubation tube, Kai and Sarah surveyed a large steel door in the wall. Sarah took a few steps closer and placed her hands on the wheel handle, though she wasn't intending to open it. She pulled it away almost immediately. Kai saw that there was moisture where her hand had been, where the condensation from the frost had cooled.

"It's cold. Why'd you pulled your hand away?"

Sarah glanced into his eyes with a slightly angered look. "Yeah, it's cold. So very cold that you can't touch it, either."

"Oh..."Kai trailed off as Boris came up behind them.

"That's the cryogenation chamber," Boris explained.

Sarah's eyes widened. Kai turned his head to look at Sarah. "I thought it would have been destroyed by the Black Dranzer incident. Didn't the east and north wings have to be rebuilt?"

"Yes, but because of its high durability, it survived the juggernaut. It's the place where Celeste became Sarah," Boris continued.

Kai stared at it in disbelief and Sarah stared at it in fear.

"Boris! Are we going to do this now or not? I don't have all night, you know!" Voltaire yelled from the doorway to another room.

Boris stood erect and looked down at Kai and Sarah. "Yes, Voltaire. Come along, you two."

When Sarah refused to move, Kai took her by the shoulders and followed Boris into the other darkened room. Boris passed by Tala on the way, signalling for him to come, too. Judy, Irina, Nigel, Mr. Dickenson and Derek followed along with the Majestics, All Starz, and White Tigers.

"Hand me your Beyblades," Mr. Granger instructed once they were inside. Kai, Tala and Sarah obediently did so.

Derek took the Bit Pieces out and stepped over to three of the beds on the left side of the room. At the far end of the room was a window which moonlight shone through against the navy blue sky. There were ten beds in the rooms, five on each side. They all looked like hospital beds and had light blue sheets and covers on them. The floors and walls were made on the same stone bricks that the rest of the Abbey was made of.

Derek held the Dranzer bit out towards Kevin. A red light with some yellow shot out and straight into Kevin's body. He made a slight jerk and then impending silence in the room as everyone's eyes lay on the boy. Then the red light shot out again, without the yellow this time, and into its bit.

Kevin groaned, screwed up his eyes, and then fluttered them open. He sat bolt upright in the bed and looked around at everyone staring at him. "Huh? What happened? Did I faint or something?"

"No, you had your soul taken," explained Derek.

Everyone now crowded around his bed, and Kevin felt quite uncomfortable. "Uh... my... soul taken?"

"Yes," Derek replied as he moved away from Kevin and over to Eddy's bed on the left. "But we'll explain once I wake Eddy and Enrique."

Derek held up the Wolborg Bit to Eddy's unconscious form. A green light shot out with some red on it. It shot into Eddy, and after a second or two, it shot out again without the red light. Eddy groaned the same way Kevin had and opened his eyes right away. He blinked a couple times and stared blankly at everyone else staring down at him. "Uh...Where am I?"

"I'll explain in a minute," Derek replied as he then stepped over to Enrique's bedside. He did the same to Enrique as he had to Kevin and Eddy. A yellow form flashed with traces of orange. It then shot out just as Wolborg and Dranzer had done. Enrique's eyes fluttered open right away and sat up right away, fear and surprise in his eyes. "Hah! What happened? Where are Amanda and Cecilia?! I must live to find them! Am I dead? It's so...comforting here."

"No, you're not dead, Enrique," Judy explained. She placed her hands on her hips. "Although I can imagine it felt like it."

"What felt like it?" Eddy questioned.

"We 'had our souls taken'," answered Kevin, turning his head to Eddy.

"That is correct," clarified Irina as she stepped forward and away from the throng. "Your souls were taken by Vitality Extortion when you battled them, weren't they?"

When Eddy, Enrique, and Kevin stared back with blank looks, she sighed and continued. 'This is going to be like pulling teeth...' "Well, that's what happened from what we at Biovolt can gather. And since you three were the only ones that were there to witness and experience it, you're our vital links."

The three nodded their heads slowly, as if Irina was speaking a different language and they were agreeing just to be polite.

"Okay, then. Let's start with the question: How did it feel to be dormant for these past few days?"

Kevin raised his hand gingerly.

Everyone turned to him. "Yes, Kevin?" Irina called upon.

"Uh...well I don't think I remember even feeling anything at all."

"Yeah, that's right. No happiness, no sadness, just...no expression at all. Not even contentment," added Enrique.

"Unless you're talking about the Soul Realm, I believe it's called," Eddy chimed in.

Nigel leapt forward, a look on his face that was intent on finding out about it. "Yes, yes, that's it! Tell us all you know!"

Eddy backed away slightly. "Uh...sure, Mr. Langley, sir. Well, let's see..."

"It was like...this place..." Enrique interrupted.

"Yeah, it was this beautiful land..." Kevin continued.

Eddy nodded his head. "Uh-huh. The thing I remember the best from it was this cliff..."

"And it was really steep with a straight drop to crashing waves and rocky outcroppings below..." Enrique said.

Kevin made a wide gesture with his arms; a semicircle. "But the impending danger below was made up for by the beautiful huge sunset that was always there. There seemed to be no transition between day or night."

Enrique clasped his hands and stared into space. "It was so totally cool...The girls would have loved to have seen it."

"Sounds interesting, though I'm not willing to lose my soul just for that," Sarah implied.

"Sorry, Sarah, but that's what's going to have to happen," Derek informed as he placed the Bit Pieces back in their respective Beyblades and handed them back to their owners.

"What?" Sarah asked in shock. "Why?"

"It's Biovolt's plan to combat Goadbwa by the enhancement of the prophesied ones' souls," Voltaire explained.

"But how exactly do you plan to 'enhance' our souls?" Kai queried.

Boris stepped forward. "We shall extract your souls and then extract the souls of your Sacred Spirits. We shall then fuse your soul with your Bit Beasts, making the two of you fight as one to defeat the enemy. Call it 'synchronizing' if you will."

"Soul fusion? But how can you possibly do that?" Tala asked doubtfully.

Judy moved towards the exit of the room. "Anything's possible with the technology these days." She stepped out and into the control room.

"Shall we begin?" Boris asked, advancing on the doorway the same way Judy had.

Kai, Tala, and Sarah turned to each other with apprehensive looks. "We don't have to go through with this, if we don't want to, you know," Tala whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Sarah raised her hand in a trembling fist. "I want to. It's about time Fovular and I got in touch. Even though we've created a psychic bond, already, this one'll be a physical connection."

Kai hesitated. "Yeah. I agree with Sarah. Dranzer and I have some catching up on to do."

Tala sighed. "I guess I can't be the only one to object, then."

"Right, then. Follow me, you three," Boris instructed as he left the room.

The three followed Boris with his brisk walk to another room down through the control room and down the hall. They came to a long, stone room with vertical incubation tubes, some with green fluid in them already, some awaiting a victim. There were scientists and technicians standing in the room beside stretchers and some of them were making final checks on the incubation tubes. Lutka, of course being the Head Scientist, was there. She was making one final check on one of the tubes, but then looked up to see Boris, her son, and his friends. Lutka raised her hand in the air. "Okay, everyone. That should be perfect. Get the wiring ready!"

The technicians and scientists immediately took to the order, leaving the incubation tubes behind. Lutka stepped over to Boris' side, her lab coat flowing behind her. "Are we ready to commence Operation: Soul Fusion, sir?"

"I don't know. Are all systems go, Irina?" Boris asked his sister who was standing behind him. Kai, Tala, and Sarah jumped, for they hadn't known of Irina's presence.

Irina checked her clipboard quickly, then she pulled a walkie-talkie out of her lab coat pocket and spoke into it. "Are we all clear?"

A staticy voice replied, "Ready with all automatic computer systems."

Irina turned back up to Boris and with a smile responded, "Yes."

Boris turned to Kai, Tala, and Sarah. "Take off your robes and go over to the scientists over there."

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked with a prissy, uncomfortable look.

Boris glared at her with suspicion. "You do have that special bathing suit I gave you three, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't see why we have to wear bathing suits," Kai said as he pulled the robe up and over his head and handed it to Boris, revealing a pair of tight blue shorts. He stepped towards one of the scientists.

Tala did the same and moved over to another scientist. He had the same swimming trunks as Kai did, the same ones he had wore while in the incubation tube becoming a cyborg. "Well, think. We're going to be in this green incubation fluid, and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't fluid supposed to be wet?"

Kai turned around and scowled at Tala. "There's no need to be so sarcastic about it."

Tala glared back as he reached the other scientist.

"Tala's right. They're also more easy to move around with if they're tight, that way you have nothing billowing about you," Lutka explained. She turned to Sarah, who still stood apprehensive and in her navy blue robe. "Are you going to join them?"

Sarah glanced up at her and then back at Kai and Tala. "Yeah...I guess." She pulled the robe up and over her head, revealing a two-piece blue bathing suit of the same ultramarine hue as Kai and Tala's.

"Oh, Sarah, dear- You may want to untie your hair, too, honey," Irina said as Sarah began to take a step away.

Sarah turned, and then yanked on either one of her pigtail buns. They released to become a pair of sad-looking, regular pigtails, and then she took the elastic off from them. She handed the elastics to Irina and scurried over to the third scientist, Kai and Tala staring as she hurried past.

The three held out their arms as wires were attached to them. Wires were also attached to their neck, forehead, and legs. They then handed the scientists their Beyblades. The scientists strode across the room to the incubation tubes opposite Kai's, Tala's, and Sarah's. They took the Bit Pieces out and placed them in a small bit-shaped indent on the mantle in front of the tube.

Dranzer glowed red light from the mantle indent, then appeared in the tube as a ghostly image. Wolborg and Fovular did the same. But then after a few seconds of floating in the green fluid of the tubes, their images began to darken. Their forms stopped glowing, and they came to look like the animals they had once been, without the armour of ghostly body. A fox, a wolf, and a red bird were now all that floated unconscious in the tubes.

"Step into the tubes, you three," Lutka instructed.

The three did so, stepping onto the circular black platforms of where the tubes were to be. The three stood on the platforms opposite their Bit Beast's tube bracing themselves for what might happen next. Their readiness was answered by a rumbling sound and vibrations coming from the platforms they were standing on. Tala didn't falter-he knew what was going on, while Kai and Sarah glanced downwards in slight fear and curiosity.

After a moment or two of the rumbling and vibrations, glass began to rise from the platform below them. It was a circle, the same size and shape as the platforms below and above them. The glass enclosed them as it met the top platform, making and airtight enclosure.

They were ready to begin. Everyone else had left the room, including Boris and Irina. Sarah turned her head in the direction of Kai and Tala, since she was on one of the ends. "What now?"

"We wait. There'll be a lot of commands and replies coming over the speakers. And once all the action tones down, the tube will begin to fill with incubation fluid." Tala replied.

"Will it cover our heads? Because if it does, we'll drown," mentioned Kai.

"No we won't," Tala answered without turning his head to either one of them. He continued to stare straight ahead and at Wolborg.

"Now decanting incubation fluid."

Kai and Sarah looked up at the speaker in their tubes as the male announcer came on. Then they looked down as they felt something warm and wet at their feet. The green fluid had begun to come from jets on the bottom platforms. It continued to flow until the verdant liquid lapped at their ankles. Then it moved up their legs to their knees. A couple minutes more brought it to their hips. It proceeded up to their necks, when Kai and Sarah began to get nervous, holding their heads higher. They both glanced at Tala in the middle, who had his eyes closed and seemed perfectly comfortable. When the fluid was up to where their noses were supposed to be, Kai and Sarah turned their heads upwards even more, while Tala's face lay submerged in the warm green liquid. He was so quiet, still and calm that he seemed unconscious.

"Kai, Sarah, don't worry. This liquid won't drown you. It's special," came Judy's voice over the speakers within the tube.

"That's right. You can breathe this liquid. It has a special oxygen component to it, so you don't have to worry about breathing," Lutka added.

"Though it has an sedative component, too," Judy continued. "After a few minutes of being in contact with and inhaling the fluid, you shall become unconscious. That will make the perfect conditions for extracting your souls."

"But you can't be very tense and uppity, you two. Think nought but happy thoughts." Lutka explained.

Sarah and Kai, still untrusting of them, slowly lowered their heads into the liquid. Sarah ducked her head in, took a deep breath and felt the warmth of the liquid move through her mouth and surge through her insides. Kai did the same, and tried to relax in the warmth of it all.

"They're not relaxing..." Emily said in a rather panicked tone.

Tyson pushed his way to the front of the crowd gathered around the visual screen and microphone. "Hey! I know what'd make Kai happy and relaxed! Could I give it a try?"

Emily, who was sitting on the chair in front of the computer, looked up. "Sure. I don't see why not. But maybe the whole team should confer upon the matter. You too, Demolition Boys and Celestial Myriad. You guys know what your leader likes and doesn't like the best."

The Bladebreakers stepped up first. The three of them and Kenny gathered around the microphone as Irina made the page confidential to conduit #1.

"Hm...What would soothe Kai?" Ray pondered.

"Kai doesn't really seem to want anything from us or anyone else..." Max cited.

"I know one thing he wants," Tyson taunted with a sneer as he gripped the microphone greedily in his gloved hands. He flipped the switch to turn it on. "Hey Kai-"

"Argh! Tyson! What are you going to say?" Kenny exclaimed as he covered the transmitter with his hand and pulled it away from Tyson's mouth.

"Nothing much," Tyson replied dumbly.

Ray took the microphone from Tyson's hand. "Stop fooling around, dude. Now think, guys. What would make him happy?"

"I know!" Max exclaimed. Ray handed him the microphone cautiously. "Kai! The Bladebreakers'll win every match we're in just for you, 'kay? We promise. If we do by any chance happen to lose..."

"Then you can do whatever you want to us." Finished Ray.

"Except kick us off the team," affixed Kenny.

"And kill us." Tyson finalized. "Oh yeah! And here's something that'll calm you down! The water's warm, right? Well, imagine that it's someone's warm embrace. Such as..." Tyson covered his mouth and whispered something into the microphone.

"What?! Look, Tyson, just keep your grubby little nose out of my 'lovelife'!" was Kai's exasperated reply.

As the Bladebreakers turned off the microphone and walked away, Kenny turned to Tyson. "What was that? What did you say?"

The Celestial Myriad stepped up. Irina switched the intercom to conduit #2. Kai had seemed to have calmed down, and now had his eyes closed, probably thinking about whatever Tyson had told him.

Eva took the microphone in her hands and turned it on. "Think...what would make Sarah happy?"

"To beat me at everything..." Philemon suggested.

"She does that already." Eva retorted.

"No she doesn't!" Philemon cried, but no one was listening.

"I know." Elvin said.

"Better not be anything nasty-" Eva replied with a scowl.

Elvin extended his hand out for the microphone. "It's not. Just give me the microphone."

Eva glowered even more as Elvin took it in his hand. He kept a straight face as he began to speak. "Hey Sarah...think of... Philemon!"

"What?!" Eva and Sarah both erupted. Elvin chuckled as Eva snatched the microphone back from him. Philemon narrowed his eyes and yelled at the microphone, "Maybe you should think of Elvin!"

Eva cradled the microphone in her arms and held it away from her two male teammates. "If Sarah thinks of you two, she'll become a mutant!" Eva placed the microphone close to her mouth, the same way Tyson had done. She glanced quickly upwards at the ceiling and stifled a laugh, then spoke into the microphone. "Hey, Sarah! Think of your 'friends'!"

"Friends?" Sarah queried in confusion. "You know how many friends I have now because of you and your little terminology?"

"Huh? Oh! Well...think of your special someones...your little blue- haired and red-haired living organisms..."

"Blue and red..." Sarah mumbled. "Oh!" She then burst out. "You know everyone can hear?! Why don't you think of your little black-haired and purple-haired living organisms?"

Eva made a pouting face and then turned off the microphone. She placed it back on the counter and noticed Mariah glance around the room. Her eyes landed on Ray, and then glanced towards Eva. Mariah curled up her lip and blushed in anger. She stuck her tongue out at Eva, and did the same.

Both Kai and Sarah were now relaxed, and were beginning to get drowsy from the sedative fluid. Tala had already been knocked out, in a deep, drugged sleep and dreaming of what the source of all the warmth he felt could be. Soon, Kai and Sarah were in the same state, and their souls slowly began to slip out of their bodies...

"Yes! That's it!" Exclaimed Gilepse.

"It was no problem, sir," Ophelia replied in the same monotone she always carried.
"You bet it is. We'll surprise that old fool and his 'prophesied' ones, all right! They'll never suspect an attack like this when we've planned a battle already," Gilepse said cockily.

Gilepse and Ophelia were in the main control room of Galsky Castle, Goadbwa's headquarters. Ophelia sat on a chair in front of a computer screen and Gilepse stood behind her, looking over her shoulder. On the computer screen in front of them was a map of Moscow, and then a red blinking dot that showed the location of Balkov Abbey.

The room around them was dark, because of the lack of lighting. The only light came through the glass window of the door to the hallway and the single computer screen. The room was fully white when the lights were on, what with the white tile floors and keyboards of the many computers, including the walling which was also of the same blanched colour. Since it was late at night, all the other technicians had ended their jobs for the day and were catching up on their sleep, leaving Gilepse and Ophelia in an abandoned room to find the location of Biovolt's headquarters-which they had.

"But there is one thing, Gilepse..." Ophelia trailed off.

Gilepse turned his gaze from the computer screen to Ophelia. "Yes?"

She turned her head upwards to him. "What are we going to do with Spica and Telesto?"

Gilepse lifted his head and stared blankly at the computer screen. "Well, I hear that Telesto is okay, and has woken up already. All he needs is a little rest and he'll be as good as new, He has no mortal wounds. As for Spica on the other hand, we'll have to implant her with a soul, otherwise she is of no use to us. Either that, or find a new recruit."

"None of the trainees have the same Beyblading skill as she would at this point. We've been negligent of training for the past few months. Besides, none of them would stand a chance against the Biovolt deploys. Spica, Telesto and Kuiper are the best we have-that's why they became Goadbwa's deploy team, Vitality Extortion."

Gilepse nodded. "Yes, you're right. I guess we have no choice, then." He turned on his heel and strode over to the door. He stopped and turned back to Ophelia as he placed one hand on the door. "It's late. I'm going to bed, and you should, too. We'll commence the implantation tomorrow morning. We'll also need to come up with a new set of battlecostumes."

Ophelia slouched in her chair. "Yes, Gilepse, sir." She watched as Gilepse opened the door and exited, the door swinging closed behind him.

The morning sun shone through the window. It landed on her face, warming and waking her almost immediately. Her eyelids slowly opened, and she threw her head back a little on the pillow. She moved her hand out from under the blanket and to her right eye and felt the machine that rested there. It covered her right eye completely, and through it she could see only blackness. Through her left eye she saw the cold stone room she lay in.

Sarah took her hand away and sat up in the bed. She was in the room with the hospital beds, and she was sitting in one of them. Kai and Tala were still asleep in the two beds to the left of hers. She glanced at the window, only a metre away from her since she was on one of the end beds. Sunlight poured through and she squinted as she looked outside at the snow that lay on the stone bricks of the Abbey courtyard.

The sheets of the bed were light blue, as was her pillow. She had the dark blue robe on again, which someone must have put on while she had been asleep. She turned to Kai and Tala again, to see that they had the robes on, too. They also had some machine-like device over their right eyes, which was probably the same as the one she wore. It looked like some sort of high-tech eyepatch. The two boys were fast asleep.

Sarah noticed that on a chair in the opposite corner of the room were their clothes, supposedly they were expected to get changed once they had woken up. Taking advantage of the fact that Kai and Tala were asleep, she eased herself out from under the bedsheets and onto the cold stone floor. She stepped over to the chair, and searched through the pile for her things. She found her two blue ribbons, yellow T-shirt, white and red pants, black and white vest, purple gloves, and yellow and white boots. But where were her purple belt and star necklace? Not in this pile. Maybe the Celestial Myriad or Boris had them.

Regardless of her incomplete outfit, she got dressed, all the while praying that Kai or Tala wouldn't wake up or no one would come in. When she finished, she found and sorted Kai's and Tala's clothes, only to find they were missing things, too. Tala's two orange belts weren't in the pile and Kai was missing his gloves and scarf. After puzzling over what could have happened to their garments for a minute or two, she placed their clothes on the foots of their beds.

Sarah glanced around the room for a clock and found one-it read 8:35. The other trainees should have been up by now and in mass. That must have been why the Abbey was so quiet. She must have slept through the bustling of the trainees as they had moved from dormitories to church room. But the funny thing about it was: why didn't Boris wake them? He had always been a firm believer in religion, and had always wanted all the trainees and staff to attend mass, no matter what excuse they gave. Wouldn't he expect Kai, Tala, and Sarah to do the same?

Sarah walked outside of the infirmary and into the control room. It was abandoned, so she moved on to the hall. She looked up and down the corridor to see no one. She decided to stay in the infirmary at least until Kai or Tala woke up. As she re-entered the control room, she cast her gaze sideways and noticed the cryogenic chamber again. She froze halfway to the infirmary and turned her body so that she fully faced the door. Her innocent stare then turned to a scowl as she stepped closer to it, slowly, but surely.

She was about to place her hand on the turntable handle again when she remembered what had happened the last time. She withdrew her hand sharply and ran into the infirmary. She grabbed her abandoned robe off the chair and hurried back to the chamber door. She placed the robe over one of the bars on the handle and firmly gripped the bar in both hands. She commenced attempting to turn it. She struggled with all her might, and after a couple of seconds it began to budge. That only made her try harder. Finally, the turntable handle gave in and spun fully around. With loud clicking and clanking sounds, it unlocked and opened slightly, the sublimating air billowing out through the crack.

Sarah glared at the crack in disbelief, a look of slight fear on her face. She stepped up to the crack, wedged her fingers in it and pulled the door open wider. Inside she saw another room, covered in condensation and frost. It must have been at least 10 metres to the ceiling, and 15 metres to the opposite end of the room. Sarah felt the chill envelope her, which made her shudder and want to shut the door right away, but she couldn't. Something was drawing her inside. She took a step inside to take a closer look at the large metal cylinders in front of her. There were about 12 of them. On the walls, she saw more doors like the one that led to the main cryogenic chamber. Though she was freezing, she took some more steps closer to the closest door. Then she heard a loud clanking behind her. She whipped around to see the door closing by itself. She gasped and ran to the door, but it closed and slammed shut just as she reached it.

She stared around the cryogenation chamber in trepidation. She pounded her hands against the door and screamed. "Kai! Tala! Someone! Help me!"

The cold was beginning to encircle and close in on her. She could see the goosebumps on her arms seemingly grow bigger and she could feel her teeth chattering and body shivering.

Tala's eyes burst open and he sat bolt-upright in the bed. He panted and was sweaty, having woken up from a rather disturbing nightmare. He ran his fingers over the machine covering his eye before he looked up and towards the control room on hearing a mocking laugh. He glanced at Kai, who was still sleeping but didn't see Sarah. He caught his breath, swallowed, and got out of bed without bothering to change. He moved groggily into the control room to see no one there, though he could hear a pounding on some door.

He could hear the pounding getting fainter, and the silence interval between each impact was getting bigger each time. He saw only one door in the room-the cryogenation chamber's. He noticed the navy blue robe on one of the bars, and remembering that Kai still had his on and so did he, there was only one person the other robe could have belonged to. 'Oh no,' Tala thought. 'What could have happened to her?' Putting the evidence together, he came up with a rather disturbing explanation, one as disturbing as his dream. 'She's not in bed, her robe is right here, and there's pounding on the door. I could also swear I heard my name being called...by her...'

Tala tilted his head back and checked to see if Kai really and truly was in bed. He was, so that was one suspect off his list. He leapt over to the door and yanked on the turntable. He could hear the pounding had stopped, but continued to pull. The handle cranked, and then unlocked. Tala placed his hand in the crack and pushed the door open. He held out his arms as Sarah fell into them. She had the same machine on her eye. 'Well it's better than what I originally thought...'

Tala could feel that her skin was freezing and that she wasn't shivering. Tala placed her arms around his neck and reached with his left hand as he held her with his right for the door. He pushed the door shut, and the turntable spun around, locking once more. Tala knelt down on the floor and cradled Sarah in his arms. He could see that she was scarcely breathing. "Sarah? Sarah!"

Sarah opened her eyes and the pained expression on her face disappeared. "Tala..."

Tears began to well up in Tala's eyes. He blinked them away, but they streamed down his cheeks and onto Sarah's. He pulled Sarah closer to him so that her face touched his. Sarah could feel the machine's band around his head press against her jawbone. Tala could feel the coolness of the cryogenation chamber rub off from her and onto his cheek. He hugged her tightly, tears now flowing freely. "Sarah...Why do you do these things to yourself?"

The spirit soared through the Abbey and back to its awaiting body. Its cackle rang through the deserted corridors as it finally reached its destination: the dormant body of Rhea Hiwatari. Rhea's body lay in her bed, unable to be woken when it was time for mass. The white soul returned to the body.

Rhea winced and then opened her eyes. She sat up and held her head. The pain in it pounded. She looked at the window. Outside she saw the pond with the trees on the opposing side. The skies were blue and clear. "Why'd you do that?" she asked.

To the bystander, it would have seemed that she was talking to herself, when really there was someone else in the room. Only thing was that this person was visible to Rhea only. The person was a female of Rhea's age, 18, and her name was Crucis, or so Rhea called her. Rhea scowled at the girl sitting on the edge of her bed. She had jet-black hair and light blue eyes, the colour of Tala's. She was a ghostly image and seemed to take no notice of Rhea as she smiled and fiddled with the ponytail high on her head.

"Crucis!" Rhea exclaimed with irritation. "Speak, now!"

The girl on the end of the bed took her hands away from her hair and looked up at Rhea. She now scowled back at Rhea after turning her head from the window to her. "What do you want, Rhea? I thought you never showed emotion."

"I can when I want to, now answer me!"

Crucis folded her arms. "I can do whatever I want. Including killing Langley's sister."

"But why would you want to do that? I thought you were out for revenge on the Hiwataris."

"I am, but can't I have my fun?"

"Fun! Fun?" Rhea yelled, out of character. "Killing people isn't fun!"

"It is when you're me."

Rhea's eyes welled up with tears. She lowered her head and the tears fell onto her blanket. She clutched the blanket in her hands tighter. "How would you know the true pain of death? You were the one that killed my parents...you caused that car crash...you were the one that caused all the pain and misery to Kai and I."

"Look, Rhea-what have I told you about getting sentimental?"

Rhea looked up, the scowl still on her face. She didn't answer.

Crucis unfolded her arms and began to play with her black dress. "Don't do it, 'cause I'm not listening and it'll only make me murder you faster."

"Rhea?"

Rhea and Crucis both turned to the doorway, and Crucis disappeared. Rhea saw Kieran standing there. He had the same smile on his face that he always did as he advanced on her. "Who are you yelling at? Crucis again?"

Rhea continued to scowl and looked away towards the window. "Yes."

Kieran sat down at the foot of the bed.

Rhea turned her head from the window and to Kieran's blood red eyes. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at mass?"

Kieran stared back at Rhea with daunting nonchalance. "Nope. It just finished. Langley and Romanov should be up here any minute-yelling at each other."

Rhea's smile became a painful smile. "What are they fighting about, now?"

Kieran looked away towards the door. "You know that brown-haired, blue-eyed kid, Alexander?"

"Yes?"

"Well, his last name's Langley, like Samson. He told them that after they bumped into him in the hall. He claimed Anya to be his mother and Samson his father. So now, Anya's dragging Samson over to Boris to find out if this is true or not. Though how it's possible I don't know."

Rhea lost her smile and she became emotionless once again. "It is possible, I suppose. But I thought Alexander was banished from the Abbey?"

"No. He was simply threatened and then brought back. Old Boris is going soft these days."

None of them spoke for a minute or two as they listened to trainees pass by outside the room. Kieran broke it, though kept his voice low. "Anyway, what has Crucis said to you lately?"

Rhea fiddled with a button on her oversized shirt; her nightgown. "She says...that the time is drawing near...to when she'll make me commit suicide."

"Has she said anything about how?"

"No, though she's talked about how she killed past victims. She made one slit their throat, she drowned one, and flung another from a cliff. What about Toutalis?"

"No. Nothing. I actually haven't talked to him in a long while. I wonder if he's given up on me and left. I just hope that he hasn't possessed Eva."

"Rhea?"

The two looked up as Lutka poked her head in the doorway. "Oh, hi Kieran. Oh! Sorry! Did I barge in on anything?"

Kieran said, "No" while Rhea shook her head.

Lutka stepped just inside the room and stood in the doorway. She had her long red hair tied in a ponytail low on her head that reached halfway down her back and tied in a salmon pink elastic. She wasn't wearing her labcoat, so you could fully see her green sweater, brown belt and black knee-length skirt. She wore her black high-heeled shoes. "Okay, then. Rhea...Why weren't you at mass this morning?"

"Sorry, Lutka. I slept in and the others couldn't wake me."

"That's fine, but maybe you should get to sleep earlier tonight, okay? Boris wants to see you there tomorrow." With that, she turned and left the room.

Once she was out of earshot, Kieran turned back to Rhea. "We shouldn't tell the truth until the time is right."

Rhea nodded slowly. "Until the time is right."

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So Kieran's possessed, too. And what about Spica? Has Goadbwa returned her soul or what? Will she be ready in time for the surprise attack Goadbwa's planning? Find out soon! Oh yeah, and READ AND REVIEW o !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!