13: May Our Strength Remain

Hey people. Thanks for all the reviews. It's good to be able to hear what you think about this story and where it is going. . You're allowed to guess, and when it's finished, we can go back and see who was the closest to being right. Unfortunately I have no time to reply to you all tonight, as I am sending in excerpts to a Star Wars fan fic contest.

Disclaimer: Or how about a new fashion line? We could get Ray and Mariah to model the swim suits. Or maybe even Kai and Lee. Let's throw Erique in there too and have a fashion parade!

Tyson growled as he watched their captors move about. The sound of dripping water from the spring made him want to pee, but the only place to do that was a sunken hole in the back corner of the cage. Yes, a cage. Steel bars almost as thick as his wrist, a solid steel plate for a roof. The ground was rock save for where a couple of bales of hay had been thrown into the centre of the medium sized space. Their water came from that spring, and so far they hadn't been offered food. Even animals were treated better then this.

He leant against the bars, looking down at the padlock. He had tried everything he could to get it unlocked, but nothing had worked. Perhaps if they had had Dizzi, they might have had a chance, but she, along with their beyblades, had been taken from them when they had first been captured and bundled onto the bus. They were helpless.

The air was cold, forcing him to pull his jacket tighter around him. He spotted Max sitting against one of the hay bales with his legs pulled into his chest and moved toward him. "You look cold."

"It's freezing in here," Max hissed through clenched teeth. "They could've at least given us a blanket or something."

"These gentleman are quite inhumane," Mr Dickenson agreed. "I do wish I knew what it is that they were after."

"Same thing as everybody else," Tyson growled as he dropped down beside Max. "Money."

Kenny looked up from where he was polishing his glasses. "I still don't understand why it was so important for them to have our team captains."

"Lee and Kai two of the best bladers around," Gary spoke up. "BBA would want them back."

Kenny looked up. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Does it really matter?" Max said softly, curling tighter into a ball. "They got us. Kai, Ray, and Lee are safe back at the hotel. Probably enjoying the peace and quiet."

"I do believe this Zika fellow was going to send the ransom demand to those three," Mr Dickenson said, shivering as a cool breeze moved through the cavern.

Tyson's eyes widened. "Uh-oh."

Max looked at him sharply. "Please don't tell me you're thinking what I'm thinking."

Tyson pushed himself up, moving toward where Gary was settled in beside a sleeping Mariah, who was still cradling Kevin tightly to her. The younger neko-jins eyes slitted open as Tyson approached, a tired curiosity playing through the violet orbs. Tyson knelt beside them, looking quickly at Kevin with faint concern, before returning his attention to Gary.

"You know Lee, right?"

Gary nodded. "Our village is very close. Lee's mother looked after me before Lee was born."

"Woah, that's a long time." Tyson bit his lip. "If Lee gets the ransom note… what will he do?"

"He'll get mad," Gary answered.

Kevin laughed softly, eyelids fluttering closed. "He'll get even."

Max joined them, kneeling beside Tyson. "What do you mean 'he'll get even'?"

Kevin's eyes opened again, his fangs shining in the faint light. "Lee is the over-protective big brother of the group. He likes to make sure we're always okay, and hates it when we do something dangerous or will get us into trouble. It can get annoying at times." He sighed. "He doesn't like it when we get hurt or threatened. Once, when we were younger, some gang tried to hurt Mariah. Ray arrived in time to stop them and protected her, but got beaten badly in the process. When Lee found out, he hunted the gang down one by one and gave them a taste of their own medicine."

"Yeah, I remember that." Gary reached out and patted the top of Kevin's head. "Lee's a good fighter. Nobody messes with him."

Tyson scratched his nose, glancing around to see if anyone was close before leaning closer. "So you think that if Lee gets the ransom note, he'll come after you?"

Kevin nodded, reaching up to pat Gary's hand reassuringly. "And he'll be really pissed off."

Kenny looked at Tyson from where he now knelt beside Max. "Why do you ask, Ty?"

"Think about it, Chief." Tyson looked at him. "Who else do we know like that?"

Max's eyes widened. "Kai!"

"Exactly." Tyson nodded, scowling. "Every time we get ourselves into trouble, Kai is always there to pull us out of it. Remember the Winton thing? Kai was down for the count but was still able to come through when we really needed him." Tyson lowered his eyes. "And if Lee and Kai come, then Ray will too. Remember what he is like when he gets mad."

"Run for cover, Zika," Kevin laughed, then winced, one hand pressing against his wound.

Max looked around. "But how will they get in? Not through the front door, you saw how heavily guarded it was. Getting inside will be impossible."

"I have no idea." Tyson let his gaze sweep the interior of the cavern. The complex had been built into a mountain, and the room they were in seemed to be a large well-lit cave. Red stone walls stretched up toward the high ceiling except for where corridors and small rooms had been built into them, the farthermost wall from the cage untouched, it's top lost in darkness. Finding a way in seemed impossible.

Tyson turned back to the group. "You know Kai; he invented the word 'possible'."

So how will the bad boys get in, if they get there at all? We'll just have to wait and see… In the meantime, how about a review?