18. Fine Again

Boris stepped off the helicopter and onto the frigid ice platform. The two Langleys followed swiftly after, Samson jumping down and slipping on it. Sarah glanced down at him, trying to suppress a giggle as he turned to Boris, who didn't seem as jovial. Boris kept his gaze on him for a moment before turning away.

Sarah stepped down cautiously and helped her brother up as a man appeared in the doorway of a large glass and ice dome a few metres ahead. The man, who was bundled up in a full-scale parka, sunglasses and boots said something softly to a bodyguard at his side before turning to Boris. He held his arms out welcomingly. "President Balkov! How good it is to see you again!"

Boris fiddled with the zipper of his parka for a moment before returning the greeting. "Commander Fornax! Yes, likewise. I see that the facility is progressing well."

Commander Fornax moved over to stand beside Boris and looked at the icy structure before them. "Yes, Boris, sir. The Antarctic Dome is made of glass, ice, and a few other basic materials. Here in the Antarctic, we have new building materials because of the sub-zero temperatures." He cast a glance at the two on Boris' left. "And who might these two be?"

Boris turned to them. He stepped out of the way so that Septimus had a better view of them. "This is my niece and nephew, Sarah and Samson."

"Hi..." "Salutations..." The two greeted with a salute each.

"It's nice to meet you," he replied.

"You should know Sarah as Celeste. Remember-the select cryogenation subject?" Boris said in a hushed voice to Septimus so that Samson and Sarah couldn't hear.

Septimus' smile disappeared from his face. "Yes," he answered in the same hushed tone. "She's doing well. Thirteen, is it?"

Boris nodded as Commander Fornax turned back to the dome, raising his voice once again. "Well, it's getting chilly out here, so we'd better head inside, don't you think? We can discuss in there what we're going to do about this final battle."

*

"It was nice of you to accompany me on the trip home, but are you absolutely sure about this, Commander Brandez? Is Hans truly willing to give up something that important just for the sake of our victory?" Gilepse asked as he walked swiftly down the hallway of Galsky Castle.

"I can assure you that Hans knows what he wants. When he says something, he means it," replied the German commander.

Gilepse glanced at the young teenage boy following briskly behind Commander Brandez and himself. The boy was as tall as Anya, with blond hair and blue eyes, though he walked with the solemnity of Tala. He was staring at the floor, seemingly detached from his surroundings. He wore a dark brown turtleneck and full-length pants of the same colour. The Russian president suddenly felt sympathy. The boy was so young, yet he was ready to die.

"Gilepse, sir?"

Ophelia's voice startled him from his reverie. He turned to the left, where she had recently appeared out of nowhere. "Yes, Ophelia, what is it?"

"We are ready to commence Operation: H Soul."

"Good. This is our subject for today," he said, gesturing to Hans, who looked up.

Ophelia stopped and stared at the boy in astonishment. The other three walked past him, Gilepse turning his head slightly to watch her while the two Germans continued their pace. She shook her head and sped up to catch up with them.

Gilepse, Ophelia, Kurt, Deneb (who had appeared for this exclusive operation) and a few of the Goadbwa technicians and scientists stood in the testing facility control room, observing the scene through the glass window. Some of the Goadbwa staff were seated in front of computers and keyboards while the others stood by the window with clipboards to record their observations.

In the testing facility itself stood Vitality Extortion and Hans. Hans was in the middle of the room while the other three had formed a triangle around him on the white tiled floor. Vitality Extortion had their regular street clothes on-Spica wearing the ones she had while controlling Sarah, Telesto wearing a yellow T-shirt with black and white vest with white pants that had characters in red along the sides. His boots were laced and yellow. Kuiper wore a blue turtleneck long-sleeved shirt with white and orange vest with the Goadbwa logo on the left side of his chest. He had two belts hanging from another one, which held up white pants with three orange stripes down each side. He had knee-high boots with straps across the foot.

"Hans, are you absolutely sure about this?" Gilepse questioned the boy, speaking into a microphone. His voice was projected through a PA system so that it echoed around the test facility through a speaker positioned high in one of the wall corners.

Hans closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Yes, sir. I'm ready."

Gilepse turned as he heard a sigh come from Ophelia. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "The incubation tube is ready. You may start any time now."

Gilepse continued to stare at her a moment longer before casting a meaningful glance at the short grey-haired, beady-eyed Commander Brandez. The German man nodded and with a small sigh, Gilepse turned back to the microphone. "Spica, begin operation."

"Yes, sir," came her reply. She fitted her Beyblade to her shooter and positioned it, ready to fire. She aimed at Hans' feet and shot it. At his feet was where it landed. "Revenost! You know what to do!"

Spica's black blade began to glow purple from the light of her Bit Beast. The humanlike figure that was Revenost rose from the Beyblade. It looked like a female, Hans could see. She had long hair that trailed loosely down her back. It ascend high into the air, and then Hans closed his eyes, bracing for the onslaught.

Sure enough, Revenost plunged downward towards the blond boy. It drove right through him, Hans looking utterly petrified before becoming dormant and dropping to the ground. Spica watched with the most horror-struck expression that her cold-hearted personality would permit. She let out a small gasp as the boy fell to the ground, suddenly realizing what she had done and how attractive he was-physically and mentally. She swallowed, but then gasped again, louder this time as she heard someone call her name.

"Spica? Are you okay?" It was Kuiper, and he had a suspicious and confused look on his face.

Spica immediately concealed her sadness and shock. Her scowl returned. She turned away from him. "Of course I am. He was just a stupid kid, nothing more. How dim-witted can you be to give up your whole life that easily? What a wimp..."

"You may dispose of the corpse, Gilepse," Kurt said softly.

Gilepse turned to Ophelia. "Do we have the soul?"

"Yes, sir. It is in the incubation tube and is undergoing contamination scanning."

Gilepse turned back to the microphone. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Telesto, you know what to do."

"I'm a whole step ahead of you, sir," the boy replied as he took his gun out from the holster on his belt. Smirking, he prepared it and then aimed at the cadaver on the floor. He placed his index finger on the trigger and paused for a minute, casting quick glances up at his teammates. Spica looked worried while Kuiper seemed devoid of emotion. They were both staring at the body. Telesto lowered the gun and continued to stare at Spica. "What's wrong? I thought you didn't care about Hans."

Spica looked up, a stunned expression on her face. She folded her arms and glowered at him. "Of course I don't, so just quit it with the excuses already and shoot him, or I will!" she huffed.

Telesto lifted his arm and aimed once more. "Very well, then. Here goes." He fiddled with the trigger for a moment and then cocked it.

*

"You're back. It's been quiet around the Abbey without you," said Kieran as Samson entered the room and flopped down on the bed, throwing his bag and spilling its contents.

"Yeah...I'm back...and glad to be, too. It was fun seeing all these others countries and continents but Russia is my home," Samson replied.

Kieran kept his hands in his pockets as he scrutinized the six souvenirs from the other six other continents that Samson had visited. He turned to the brown-haired boy. "You've never lived outside of Russia, have you?"

Samson sat up, since he had been lying down before. "No. But you weren't in the Abbey all your life, were you?"

"No. Of course not-you know that. You didn't know me until two years ago. I lived in China with my sister before that. Then we parted our ways as I went to Russia with our father and she took our mother to go to Canada."

Samson looked Kieran straight in the eye. "Are your parents divorced?"

Kieran turned away from his impending stare and to the window. "No, they just don't live together. They still keep in touch, but every so often have thought about getting one. They're just staying together for Eva's and my sake. It's an on and off thing, you know?"

"Oh, so sometimes they love each other and other times they hates each other?"

"Yeah, that's basically it. Though Eva doesn't know that. They figured that she would be too young to handle that crushing information."

Samson turned his gaze to his lap. "That considerate of them, though- to take their children into account. Not many parents would do that."

There was a silence between the two boys as Samson stared at his lap and Kieran out the window. Kieran finally turned around, creating a shuffle and causing Samson to look up. "What?" he asked.

Kieran cast his gaze sideways so as to avoid direct eye contact. "Samson...I would like to go back to China one day, and maybe you'd like to come with me?"

Samson's face lit up. "Sure!"

Kieran shifted his gaze back to the greenish-blue eyed boy. "But, seriously...there's one more thing I have to indulge..."

Samson watched with stunned silence as the red-eyed boy sat down beside him, rather close for comfort. Kieran leaned in closer to Samson so that he was barely a centimetre away from his ear. Samson pulled away slightly, uneasy, but Kieran took his hands from his pockets and placed them on Samson's shoulders, not allowing him to move. "I just want to tell you something, Samson. I don't want anyone else to hear." Samson stopped squirming and sat still as Kieran leaned closer again. "I have strange feelings that are instigated by-"

"Kieran! What are you doing to Samson?!"

The two boys looked up, Kieran pulling away though keeping his hands on Samson's shoulders. Anya was standing in the doorway, looking quite disgusted.

Kieran pulled away from Samson and stood up. "I was telling him something. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Anya had a suspicious look on her face as she eyed Samson. "No...I guess not. What were you telling him?"

"That, my dear Anya, is none of your business."

She folded her arms huffily. "I'm not important enough, am I? I'll bet you Rhea knows whatever it is that you're telling him. I'm left out, eh?"

Kieran closed his eyes and lowered his head. "That's true. Rhea does know of my secret."

Anya opened her mouth to protest when an announcement came over the PA system. "Second Hilanovs and teams to the east lab infirmary. I repeat: second Hilanovs and teams to the east lab infirmary."

"'Second Hilanovs'? What does that mean?" Samson questioned no one in particular.

"I think it would mean the second child of each generation. That would be you and Tala," Anya voiced.

"How do you know that they're the second Hilanovs?" Kieran asked.

Anya unfolded her arms and placed them akimbo. "Rhea's birthday is May 30, Samson's is June 6, and mine is December 4. Sarah was born July 20, 1980, while Tala was born March 20 and Kai was born November 20, both 10 years later. Unless they're not taking that into account and Sarah is considered the middle child. In that case, it would be the Langleys."

"But if they meant the second sibling born, then there would be three of us-Kai, Tala and I. Sarah wouldn't be included because she is technically older than me," Samson explained.

"You're on the right track, Samson," a dull voice said from the doorway.

The three looked up to see Rhea standing right behind Anya, who jumped. "Yargh! How long have you been standing there? It's not nice to sneak up on people like that!"

Rhea ignored her and continued to speak. "They want the second generation, but they want Sarah, not you. She's mentally younger than you are, and so she fits more in the category of Kai and Tala."

"Boris, sir? They're all here," Lutka reported to the man.

Boris turned away from the papers he had been arranging. "Very well. Tell Judy to begin the explanation."

Lutka nodded and left the room. She stood at Judy's side, who stood facing the three teams and whispered Boris' orders. Judy nodded and Lutka departed. The blonde woman turned back to them. "Well...seems I'll have to do the explaining as that is what Boris wants me to do. To start from the beginning, do you guys know why you're here?"

"No," a few replied while the others shook their heads.

"Okay then, I'll take it from the top. You three know that you are the vital links in the final battle, right?" Judy asked, turning to the Hilanovs.

Kai nodded while the other two said, "Yes."

Judy turned back to the others. "Fact is, they're not the only important ones, at least not by themselves. They'll need your help, too, Bryan, Eva and Tyson. And they need you because you're their vital links. You are their primary soul supports. As for the rest of you-"

"'Primary soul supports'? What's that supposed to mean?" Tyson enquired.

"It means that they derive their power from you. If their spirits are weak or need energy, they'll take it from your spirit. They can take that power from you, and only you. Everyone has a soul support, though not everyone knows who theirs is, let alone the person themselves."

"Then how do you know that they are our soul supports?" Kai grilled suspiciously.

Judy glanced at the clipboard in her hands and then back up at them. "Because Biovolt has run numerous tests and searches and according to the Prophecy, the soul supports of the chosen ones are on the soul support list within the tomb."

"Our names are in the Prophecy, too?" Bryan questioned, rather interested now.

Judy nodded. "Yes. Now if you have no other questions, may I continue? As I was saying, for the rest of you-we called you here because we wanted you to witness this because apart from the leaders of the other three teams, you are the next most vital links to the Hilanovs. And if our calculations are wrong, we'd like to have you on hand just in case you are the actual one we're looking for. Now may we begin the operation?"

Eva leapt forward. "What operation?"

"They'll need your spirit support for the final battle," Judy said as she turned away. She led them into the infirmary where Boris, Irina, Nigel, Kenny, Emily and Derek were standing.

"Censors ready to record status levels, ma'am. We may begin," informed Kenny, who had just finished typing something on Dizzi.

"Wire them up and make sure that the Beyblades are connected with no flaws," Irina directed.

"No defects. Test subjects ready for wiring," Derek replied as he finished with the connection wires that linked the Beyblades to the computers to wires with nothing at the end.

"Come here, you three," Irina told Kai, Tala, and Sarah. They obeyed the order and stood beside her.

She took Tala's arm in her hand, rolled up his sleep and embedded a wire inside his skin. Tala yelped in pain and pulled away. Kai seemed devoid of expression while Sarah appeared rather astonished. Tala analyzed the area on his forearm where Irina had forced in the clip-wire end. The clip-wire had formed a laceration to the skin and blood was now beginning to seep through it. He looked back up, anger in his eyes. "What did you do that for?!"

Irina narrowed her eyes. "That's the only way it will attach to you. These aren't suction wires, boy."

"Why can't we use suction wires, then, Mother?" Sarah countered.

She cast a slightly angered glance at her daughter and opened her mouth to speak when Boris intervened.

"We can't use suction wires because they don't have the same effect as clip-wires. Clip-wires are embedded into the skin, and therefore penetrate the blood vessels, while suction wires simply stay on the surface of the skin. We need deep-penetration for this type of operation, otherwise there will be no effect on your Sacred Spirits or your souls, which is the whole purpose. You should just be grateful that we decided against using intravenous wires." He explained.

Even Kai gulped on hearing the alternate, more gruesome option. Tala lowered his head and gave his arm back to Irina. She finished implanting the rest of the wires; another to his other arm, two to his neck, three to his chest and one to his forehead. Once she had finished, Tala stepped away and observed the wounds caused by the sharp ends of the wires while Irina moved on to Kai and then Sarah.

When she had finished with her daughter, she paused, sighed and continued to stare at her longingly. Sarah, who had also been examining the wounds, noticed and looked up. "Yes?"

Irina flashed a quick expression of surprise before turning away. "I'm sorry. It's nothing." As Irina turned away, she caught the eye of Boris, who was glaring back at her through the red lenses of his glasses. She stared a moment longer before blushing and fixing her gaze on the window. 'What is wrong with me? She'll be fine...she's one of the chosen ones-not to mention the strongest chosen one... And if Tala is the one she wants, then so be it...I'm not going to interfere with business that isn't mine..."

"Very well. Stand in front of your soul support," instructed Nigel. The six lined up, forming two lines that made it appear as if they were to begin a dance.

"I'm getting some readings from Sarah and Fovular but the other two's power levels are still at zero, Chief," Dizzi reported, displaying the numbers on her monitor.

"Okay, now Kai, Tala, and Sarah, just raise your hands so that they are in front of your soul supports face. But there's no need to suffocate them, so keep your hand about a decimetre away," Emily ordered, looking over Kenny's shoulder.

The three slowly raised their hands, following exactly what Emily had said. Eva closed her eyes and threw her head back torpidly while the other two stood staring at their captains dumbfoundedly. Sarah also closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her comrade began to glow a brilliant white while she shone yellow-the exact colours and shades of their Bit Beasts.

"Whoa, Kenny...I'm getting some impressive readings from Sarah and Eva. Pegusar and Eva are getting weaker, while Fovular and Sarah's powers are growing rapidly. Nothing's happening with the others, though," Dizzi exclaimed as the levels indicating the Celestial Myriad girls were rising, just as she had said.

After a few more seconds, the lights dissipated and Eva swayed dizzily for a moment before heading for the ground. Her knees buckled and she fell backwards, landing in the arms of Ray, who had been standing almost right behind her. Sarah, on the other hand had forced her eyes open and stepped back from Eva as if about to lose her balance. The bed that was behind her caught her fall, and unlike Eva, she was still conscious.

Sarah glanced from Eva to Ray to Kai to Tala to Bryan to Tyson and then to Boris, looking rather dazed. "Wh-what just happened?"

"Account...of...encounter...not...evident..." Judy mumbled as she scribbled on a piece of paper on her clipboard.

Kai and Tala took their hands down and turned to Sarah in bewilderment. Sarah looked at the comatose Eva being held inches from the floor. "What happened to her? Will she be okay? How can she go into the final battle like this?!"

Boris cast a quick glance down and then back to his niece. "Yes, she'll be fine. Her soul is just weak because of your withdrawal of strength from it. She'll be up and around in a couple of hours. Do you feel any stronger?"

Sarah held her hand out in front of her and examined it innocently. "No. I don't feel any different at all." She glanced at her Beyblade that lay on top of the bed across from her. It was glowing brightly. Fovular seemed to illuminate with a new-found power. "Though Fovular seems to," she added with a smile.

Boris turned to the four boys. "What puzzles me is why nothing's happening with you." He examined Dizzi's monitor and then the one that Nigel had been working on. "Everything seems fine. No problems, right?"

"No, sir," Irina replied. "At least none that we can find."

Boris stood up straight and glared down at them. "Try again."

Kai and Tala raised their hands over Tyson and Bryan's faces once more. This time, Bryan's eyes closed slowly and he began to glow the blue shade of Falborg. Tyson also started to illuminate the blue light of his Dragoon. Kai and Tala shone red and green, though not as brightly as Sarah had yellow. Finally, Bryan and Tyson were thrown back as were Kai and Tala, though their Beyblades weren't glowing as Fovular had, in fact, they weren't glowing at all.

Kenny tore his eyes away from the scene and to his laptop. "Well, Dizzi? Give me the numbers."

"I don't know, Chief... The readings aren't very impressive, but Wolborg and Dranzer definitely received the souls. It's up to Boris whether that's satisfactory or not."

Everyone in the room (that was conscious, anyway) turned to the purple-haired man. Boris lowered his head and took a few steps toward the exit of the room. "I think...it is satisfactory. For now, at least. Keep an eye on Tyson, Bryan, and Eva, clear up, and continue training." With that, he left the room.

Once he reached his office, he flopped into his chair with a heavy sigh. He leaned forward onto the desk and propped his head up in his hands, staring at the desk with tired eyes. He took off his glasses and lay them on the desk before him, rubbing his temples thoughtfully. 'Ugh...How in the name of fate are we ever going to do this? We might as well just roll over and hand Goadbwa the world...'

Boris looked up when he heard a rapping at the door. "Come in," he voiced loudly, and the guest willingly obliged.

The door opened and a figure with a long black cloak stepped in through the door, closing it behind them. "Boris..." a low and throaty voice growled.

Boris, who had lowered his head again, raised it. He scowled at the man in front of him as the man stepped towards his desk. Boris stood up. "What is it, Voltaire? I'm busy right now."

Voltaire returned the upwards scowl at the tall man. "I wouldn't talk back like that. I could terminate your position faster than you can say 'You're fired'."

"Fire me, I don't care anymore," Boris snapped, turning away and to the window. "I just want it all to be over. It's so frustrating to lead this whole company at a time like this, what with combating Goadbwa and all...there are also trainees to discipline, paperwork to manage, research to carry out..."

Voltaire moved to Boris' side and peered out the window blackened by night that held their reflections. "I know, Boris, but that's the responsibility you took on when you accepted your status as Biovolt President. Besides, what would you say if Gilepse found this all quite easy and you were suffering?"

Boris whipped around to face Voltaire, wide-eyed. "Gilepse is breezing along underneath all this?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And how do you know this?"

Voltaire withdrew slightly but then regained his composure. "That's none of your business, Boris!"

Boris turned back to the window and didn't answer.

"But if you're finding this so hard, I may have the answer to one of your problems." Voltaire reached into his pocket and brought out a brown Beyblade with blue ghost-like Bit Beast. He held it in his palm so that Boris could reach out and take it. "This would be extremely useful in the final battle. It's a Beyblade with a special Bit Beast. It is the Sacred Spirit of a human being that makes it so strong-stronger than the ones the Demolition Boys have and possibly Black Dranzer, Wolborg and Fovular. It is the very soul, the very spirit of the human being-the ability it brings to easily synchronize with the Beyblader and cause the opponent mental and physical pain that makes it so unbelievably strong. It's yours, Boris, that is-if you want it. So what do you say-break a few moral rules and utilize this powerhouse or continue to lose with proper, legitimate tactics?"

*

"I'm not so sure about this final battle. What do you think, Kai?" Sarah asked as she turned to the blue-haired boy sitting on his bed.

Kai's eyes narrowed longingly. "I don't know...it's all a waste of time to me."

"I think that it's rather good, actually. We should fight for what's right, and Biovolt is counting on us to win. The whole world is counting on us to win," Tala said as he launched his Beyblade at the floor.

Sarah sat on her bed, watching Tala practise while Kai was analyzing the picture that Rhea had given him on his.

"What scares me a little though is that we may die," Tala added.

"Death's a very queer thing," Kai replied, stuffing the picture into his pocket, standing up and taking his shooter from beside him on the bed. "It can sneak up on you like an assassin or be as ominous as the vast ocean. You can never know what it's like until you experience it."

Tala watched Kai launch his blade. "Yeah, I know. And don't laugh at me, but...I'm a bit afraid of it."

"We won't laugh at that fear, Tala. It's natural to be afraid of the unknown. In fact, that is what, more often than not, our fears actually are- of the unknown. You're not the only one, anyway. I'm scared, too," Sarah consoled, looking away.

Kai closed his eyes. "I must say that I'm...I'm not really afraid. You feel no more pain, that's for sure. To me, that would be, like...paradise..."

Tala and Sarah looked up puzzlingly. "Since when did you feel pain that made you want to escape it all?" they grilled in unison.

Kai lifted his head and turned away, realizing the foolishness of what he had just said. "Never mind. It's not important."

Sarah got up from the bed and sauntered over to Kai. She lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Yes it is important, Kai. We're your best friends. If you can't tell us, who can you tell?"

Sarah felt Kai shudder under her hand and then pull violently away. "My dead parents," he muttered sarcastically, turned away from them. They could see that he was shaking with pure rage. After a silent moment, he whirled back around. "And do you know what killed them? It wasn't a car crash, it was your uncle, Sarah! Your uncle, Boris!"

Sarah stepped back fearfully, Tala staring in shock, though he finally stepped forward. "Look, Kai-it's not her fault that Boris is her uncle, so you can't blame her. There's no need to go taking your anger out on us-"

"Just zip it," Kai said in a much quieter tone, reforming the defensive shell.

Tala backed down slightly after glancing at the innocently hurt Sarah. "Wh-...what did you say?"

"I said just zip it!" Kai repeated, raising his voice once again. "You know what, Tala? You shouldn't have saved my life those few nights ago. All it brought me was this bruise on my cheek-nothing more. You should have let me stab myself-let me commit suicide-let whoever that was controlling me get what they wanted!"

"Kai..." Tala said quietly, almost in a whisper.

"And you-" he yelled, turning to Sarah. "You should have let him get his beauty sleep-goodness knows he needs it," he persisted as he cast a murderous glower at the offended Tala. "You should have come to wake me up and stop me yourself, you coward! But no, you had to go and wake your little boyfriend up because he was the only one that can protect you."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Kai! I-"

"You know what? Just...just leave me alone," he replied, quieter now. He sighed and slumped over on his bed, leaving Dranzer to spin aimlessly.

Tala and Sarah cast each other meaningful glances before Sarah went and sat beside Kai. She put her arm around his shoulders. "Kai, I'm sorry about the way you feel, and-"

"I want to be left alone..."

She spoke over him. "And I wish that there was some way I could help you more. Remember how I said that I'd always be here for you, no matter what? Until death due us part?"

"You didn't say that," he replied, not raising his lowered head.

"Or something like that," she continued, staring into space for a moment or two. "But anyway, that means that I'm here at times like this- when you need someone the most. I may not be your parents, nor the affectionate Rhea you sometimes wished she were, but I'm your friend-the one that you've always dreamed of.

"And about waking Tala up the night of your dream-I couldn't just stand there and let you die. Then, I'd technically be responsible for your death for just being there and not doing anything to stop it. I couldn't kill, someone, Kai. And you're right, I am a coward. That's why I got Tala to wake you for me. I'm scared of death, I'm afraid of what lies there for me, I'm frightened of killing other people, even if that must be done sometimes." Tears began to work their way out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "That's why I don't want to participate in the final battle-I know that people are going to die, and those people could very well be the ones I'm close to. I don't want to face that and that's why I'm a cowardly pacifist, Kai. A cowardly pacifist!"

Kai lifted his head and glanced at Tala, who seemed as confused as he was. Sarah had now taken her hand away from his shoulders and had used it to cover up her face. Kai lay his hand on her chin and lifted it, then pried her hands away slowly. "It's okay, don't cry. I'm sorry-you're not a coward. I didn't mean anything when I said-"

"You say that now! But I just realized that what I feared to face was the truth! I am a coward and you know it! I haven't killed anyone and I don't intend to! I just can't...even if I tried! I don't want any part in this final battle and that's my final decision! I don't want to see people getting killed or hurt!"

"That's good, then, Sarah because you won't be taking part in it."

The three turned to the doorway to see Judy, Irina, and Lutka. Judy, who had just opened the door and spoken moved inside so that the other two women could enter.

"What do you mean by that?" Tala asked.

Lutka closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, you three, but Boris has decided that you guys may not be the prophesied ones we were looking for, and we can't risk anything during the final battle. Therefore, you shall not be fighting Goadbwa as we had intended for you to."

"You can't get rid of us, now!" Kai exclaimed, almost in a whine, which was extremely out of character. "What about all the trust you've put in us? All the money you've spent trying to perfect our skills and grant us new technology? Who will replace us?"

"Those have all gone to waste and your older siblings will be the Biovolt leaders and main combatants." Irina informed coldly. "Biovolt suspects that they're stronger than you."

"So then what position do we have in the battle?" Tala queried, regaining his composure and placing his hands akimbo.

"None whatsoever," Irina continued. "You are not to take part in the final battle or by in any way interfere. Boris strictly prohibits it and there are severe consequences for those that don't comply."

"So there you are. You're fine again. You don't have to worry about the fate of the world resting on your shoulders anymore and can go about your normal lives. That's all we had to say, so...I guess it's goodbye," Judy said, leaving for the door. Lutka followed closely behind her, casting the three one last sad glance before disappearing through the doorway.

Irina brought up the rear and paused in the doorway with her hand on the knob. "I'm terribly sorry, but that's the way it has to be. Oh, and Sarah, dear-dry your eyes. There's no reason to cry over a petty thing like this." With that, she shut the door to their room behind her, leaving them to stare in amazed silence.

Sarah stared a moment longer before glancing at Kai, who closed his eyes, folded his arms, and lowered his head with a succinct, "Hmph!" She then turned to Tala who had replaced his hands on his hips and turned his head away with a severely annoyed growl. She, herself on the other hand, lowered her head slowly, screwed her eyes shut and growled. Tears of hatred and rage started to well up in her eyes again as the nails of her fingers dug into the skin of her clenched fists and her teeth threatened to shatter under the pressure.

Never, in their lives, had they felt so angry.