A LONG WAY DOWN 4
By Evil Overlord of Fallen Angels
==Oh my gosh I am so, like, totally glad that you totally reviewed this whacko, hello I'm TV's Sarah Michelle Gellar and if you hadn't reviewed the nut case shapeshifter (I swear--it's?--- worse then the first) he would have killed us all===
Thank you Ms Gellar You may leave now. Yes thanks for the reviews sorry I took so long my inspiration is glitchy. My friend (the yaoi fanatic hereafter known as Lt. Twisted) thought I wasn't giving enough info in my bio...people can guess who and what I am I've been dropping hints in lots of fics! This is the friend who insists on Yaoi in every one of my stories. Give me a break! He ended up shooting my muse out of the sky so I cut back on any TyKa action to spite him...sorry. On with the fic...Don't own Beyblade! Or I'd be rolling in doe rather then skint!
Kai Koi: Thank you I am you won't be tortured when I take over the planet
crescente nuwedes: Aw shucks you're just saying that I'm not that good...at all
Nancys-little-Obsession: Seriously? Well this is better then therapy
Ms Hobgoblin: Oh I like you, you're pretty determined well here ya go!
===================
Tyson skimmed over the card. The same name on it but on the back was written. 'He's gone back to where his best friend was made, pity he left him behind.' Tyson cocked an eyebrow. 'What's that all about?'
'It's a puzzle' Kai said. 'We're supposed to figure out who and where for this. She's toying with us it seems'
Rei shivered and sat up. 'Driger' he breathed. 'He's calling for help'
'You feel it too' nodded Kai. Max and Tyson looked at them. 'We can feel our bit-beasts in their captivity. We know they're there but not where there is.'
'When I find her I'll make her pay.she just vanished from the arena and attacked. Then did some sort of magical spin and Driger had to come out. After that her freaky monster absorbed it. I felt him get torn away.'
Max put his arm around his friend. 'hey we'll get them back' he reassured. The phone started to ring and Mr Tate answered it still holding an ice pack to his forehead. 'Hey kids! It's a girl'
Mr Tate wasn't surprised a girl was calling the group of 16 and 17 year olds. They were handsome, famous and good-natured. He was a little worried about stalkers though.
Kenny took the phone. 'Hi.Lydia? What's wrong?' He put the phone on speaker.
'She's here! She's here at Tyson's house! Help! She's got his grandfather! Agh!' The sound of a slap rang like a bell across the speakers and the four young men all tensed in rage. 'Oh dear someone's made a call' the familiar voice hissed. 'Hey boys, just li'l old me. You know this is a nice house. Hey hope you got my card because I just answered one question.ciao babes.' The line going dead followed the sound of a clatter.
'Oh man' breathed Kenny. 'We have to get to your house Tyson!'
'I'll drive' Rei said as he grabbed the keys to his car from the desk by the door. Everyone grimaced remembering how dangerous Rei could be behind the wheel. He had gotten the provisional and everyone had been scared.
===Tyson's house===
'There was definitely a fight' Tyson remarked when he saw the hole shaped like Ms Medusa in the wall. It was accurate to the shape of her hair. Kai looked around and spotted the kendo sword Grandpa always carried. 'He goes everywhere with this.like the clue' he murmured.
'Yeah Grandma gave it to him' shrugged Tyson. 'She carved it herself from the wood.the wood she got from the woods outside town! Where his best friend was born! The Sword!'
Kenny stuck his head in the door. 'Hey I found Dryassius!' He waved the palm pilot at them. 'And he's still active!'
Max and Rei were outside looking rather worried. The other three boys looked at them. 'What's wrong?' asked Kenny as they grouped.
'We found the phone.' Rei said holding up the split method of communications that had been cracked open by something. 'And.this'. Max held out the rose and the card. 'It says, "The little lady ain't with big G but he'll know where with question"'
'Another puzzle? She's totally wacko!' snarled Tyson. 'We should go get Grandpa if he knows where Lydia is!'
Kenny held up Dryassius. 'Hey Dryassius has something to say!'
'Oh I say.yes' the bit-beast said. 'I found more information on Ms Medusa while I was stuck under the cupboard. Apparently the MO for the thefts involves only battling and then stealing. This is the first ever time that there have been kidnappings, if I didn't know any better I'd say she were desperate.'
'Makes sense' sneered Rei. 'Someone who wears leather all the time has to be desperate.'
'Let's head out' sighed Tyson. 'The woods are a thirty minute drive even with Rei driving.' He took the kendo staff and then his own. 'And when we get there we hunt her down and teach her kendo.'
===The Tate House===
Mr Tate removed the icepack from his head and heard the floorboards creak behind him. He twisted in the doorway fo the dining room. The handle of the whip clattered with his head. 'This isn't your day' a voice said as he fell into blackness.
===The BBA research centre===
'Judy' a scientist called as he carried the bouquet through the lab. 'These arrived for you!'
Judy paused and looked up from the work. She took the white flowers from the man. 'Thank you' she said. 'Hang on.you don't work in this lab!'
'Yeah but whatcha gonna do?' the female voice said from the man's mouth. The flowers were white blossoms.that each sprayed a cloud of silver and gold pollen into the face of Judy Tate. She slumped down. 'Aside from pass out I mean'.
=== The Woods (forty minutes later) ===
'Grandpa?' called Tyson at the top of his lungs. 'I swear we're going in circles.' He looked at the others over his shoulder. There was a lack of spirit in them. Kenny opened the laptop.
'Dizzi check the web for some sort of map of the woods' he said.
'Sure thing chief!' Dizzi said brightly and ran a scan. 'Hey I've got one.and there's an old cabin not far from here to the---'
'North' Kai said. He rose from his crouch clutching something in white.
'Yeah' Dizzi murmured. 'Did you read my screen from over there?'
'No' Kai said putting his fist out and opening it. 'I found these.' The petals fell to the ground like snow. 'They point north.'
'Let's move!' Tyson said as he took off into the woods following the white that seemed unnatural in the dark woods. The path was unmistakeable. He couldn't fail to miss it. The cabin was a run down old shack in the clearing. A white candle burned with an eerie white flame in the window. 'Grandpa is in there!' Tyson exclaimed as he ran forwards.and connected with an invisible wall. With a groan he toppled backwards and landed with a thud on the grass.
'Tyson are you okay?' Kai asked rushing over to his dazed friend. He bit back the concern. 'We don't need you knocking yourself out if its all the same. You've still got your bit-beast.'
Tyson frowned. He had to admit he was hurt Kai was more concerned with his bit-beast status then any injury he might have sustained. That jerk.cute sweet.beautiful eyed.jerk, he murmured inwardly.
Kenny walked forwards with his hand out. He found that he could go no further; there was a bizarre solid shape before him that felt like ice. He knocked on it and watched as a gold honeycomb pattern with blue filling it. 'Bizarre' he muttered. Dizzi piped up. 'Dryassius and me have been looking into what this is, when Tyson hit it both Dry and me felt it. It's a force wall that won't let a just anyone past. Rei and Kai can get in.because they've had their bit beasts stolen'.
'I get it' Rei said. 'What if she's waiting to capture one of us?'
'I doubt it' Dryassius said. 'I don't think she'd have any reason to capture someone she's already fought'.
Kai rose and took a step forwards. 'Lets do this' he said as he strode towards the cabin. He felt the cold liquid energy run over his flesh and heard Rei yelp in surprise behind him. On the other side he found himself at the cabin door. A mist was clouding around them; it prickled his skin and raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
'Door' Rei said. He leapt and kicked it in. The old wood clattered to the ground and they entered the musty one room of the cabin. Grandpa was sitting in a corner surrounded by white rose petals. 'Are you okay?' Rei began. He strode forwards, the petals glowed black and hit him with a smoky haze of light that bounced him off a wall. Eerily words began to appear on the wall.
'Such little things keep you away, only release is to vanquish the light of day' Kai read. He looked at the white petals and at the candle in the window. 'Rei are you okay?' he asked.
'Fine' groaned Rei. 'Just a bruise or two.ow! Twelve sorry'
Kai walked to the candle and blew at it, the flame flickered and grew triggering a crackle of energy from the field to hit the wall beside Kai and singe the wood. 'Okay, the light.released.'
// You have to release things, let go of them to see them in a different light//. Its what his friend had told him.he couldn't remember where.mechanically he raised his hand and closed it tightly along with his eyes. He saw the flame, the thing he wanted to vanquish.to free Tyson's grandpa. Then he snapped his hand open and his eyes forcing the thoughts from his head. The flame extinguished instantly as if it didn't exist anymore.
Rei looked at the blossoms as they melted away, converging on one spot to create a familiar card. He picked it up as Kai untied Grandpa. 'Do you know where Lydia is?' asked Kai. 'Ms Medusa got her'. The others rushed in the door behind him.
'Sorry Kai' Grandpa shrugged as he rose and accepted the kendo stick from Tyson. 'But I have nothing.though I expected to be in the docks. She said that people like to fish here.'
'He answered the question we didn't ask him' Kai said faintly. 'Now I get it.Lydia's at the fishing docks! He answered without a question.'
Kenny nodded. 'Hey I get the idea. So we have to go to the docks!'
Rei held up the card. 'Look for the stone card of mine for the final one' he shrugged. 'She's really psycho. Why give us a clue when we have already found Grandpa and know where Lydia is?'
Max was holding the phone. 'Because she has my dad' he whispered. 'And my mom.I called to tell him that Tyson's Grandpa was okay.and instead I got the answering machine.' He hit redial on his cellular.
'Hi there Maxi and all those you're with. Your parents aren't in right now; in fact I've put them in the game. They're at the docks.and you'd better hurry there. Because the tied gets high and they're going under.but of course that's because this is an exceptional dock.kisses. Ciao' the line went dead and Max paled. Tyson punched a wall and looked at Rei.
'I get why it helps' Tyson mumbled to Rei. Rei shrugged and looked to Max.
'We have to find them' he agreed. 'Question is.how? Where? What does she mean by exceptional'.
'She means the old collapsed Dock' Dizzi said. 'Well that's what I think, a marine biologist build it to try and control the tides it partially worked because the machine that regulates the tides got messed up and at about sundown it floods the beach and the collapsed area of the cove. We'd better hurry the schedules on the Internet say we have only forty-five minutes before it's a full flooding.'
Max was gone in a shot followed by everyone. Grandpa grabbed Tyson's arm. His eyes were serious. 'Be careful little dude, that gal is a dangerous one. She's not all she seems'.
===The Wrecked Dock===
The cove of the dock was specifically for small boats, the shattered old staircase was a testament to the fact the dock on the pillars had been for small boats but made to look bigger. Beneath it criss-crossed old beams and wooden poles. The machines at the mouth of the cove whirred as they funnelled the water into the cove. They looked like some sort of small damn. Max stumbled across the grey-gold sands searching breathlessly for a sign of his parents.
'Mom? Dad?'
'Max!' his mother shouted. Kai followed slowly behind the others looking back at Kenny and Grandpa in Rei's old blue van trying to work on the clue. A nasty thought was creeping to his brain.
Mad minds think alike, you're going crazy Kai Hiwatari and you know why, because of him, you can't fight it but you won't risk the relationship you have for the one you want. Coward!
He dismissed the thoughts and scanned the dock. The voices began coming from all around with faded images of the Tate's. They were shouting for help and the mirages were baffling Max. He raced along the wooden walkway that was meant to be at the level of the water but was now beneath it. 'Mom? Dad?' Max shouted again, his messy blonde hair was billowing in the wind. Rei was searching on the part of the dock that was furthest above the water, a good twelve feet in height with old wooden steps leading up from the sand.
Kai looked at the sand before him. 'Everyone! Look!' the words were sketching themselves along the golden sands. 'Your focus is scattered and lost, your eyes are betrayed and your mind is tossed, that pumping beat at the core of strife, to save Mr Tate and his wife' he read.
'Agh! Another riddle' groaned Tyson. 'I hate riddles.'
'Pump, beat, core.lost eyes mind and focus. Max, you have to use your heart to find your parents. It's a trick she's using to fool all the other senses. You can only trust what your heart smells.just follow it'
Max stood there, his hands shivering by his sides in the water as the other reread the clue in the sand and Kai urged him to shut his senses. The water was growing to his waist level slowly but swiftly. He shuddered and let his heart speak. The sounds of his parents faded and only the cacophonous sounds came. Frantic shouts and the sound of rattling chains splashing in the water hummed in his ears, growing louder and easier to hear. 'This way!' he shouted as he leapt into the water and waded through the pillars below the dock to find his mother and father tied to a pillar with ivory white chains. 'Max!' they shouted together. He reached them.
'I swear, when I get my hands on that bitch' he snarled as his face contorted uncharacteristically. 'I will kill her with my bare hands!'
'Max language' his mother said as he gripped the lock shaped like a gorgons head. And pulled at it. He fell backwards as the clasp burst into a thousand cherry blossoms that took flight. 'Max you don't know your own strength' Judy Tate said.
'Let's get out of here' Max said as they waded away from the ever rising water. Grandpa rushed down the sand with Rei's old camping blanket and a towel from a beach bag. Mr and Mrs Tate were covered quickly with the blanket and Max wrapped himself in the towel. Kenny was still working on Dizzi trying to figure out where Lydia was. Tyson nodded, Kenny was determined and that was a pretty powerful drive for him. Max handed him something. 'I found this in my hands when the lock broke apart. It's a clue'
===Tyson's house===
'Where's Max?' Kenny asked without looking from the program on Dizzi's screen. He'd connected her to a scanner and was acting on a hunch.
'Downstairs, he won't go home to rest he wants to stick around whil we try to find Lydia' Tyson said. 'Have you found anything?'
Kenny pointed to the card on screen. 'I thought about it and figured that the card is more decorative then it looks. Hence it might be a stone carving near where Medusa took Lydia. Well on zooming in I found that there is a watermark at the curves in the cards frame. On each edge there is the curve inwards I zoomed in and spotted a watermark. Then I shifted the contrast and got this.'
The frightening Gorgons head appeared. It was a thin face with vampire fangs and slit pupil eyes. Its hair was a mass of hissing snakes. The black insignia sent a shiver up Tysons spine. 'And?'
'I checked it on the Internet, its in graveyards across the globe. Its here.in St Gertrude's Cemetery. And I think that's where we'll find Ms Medusa the clue said, "You're on the right track, to counter attack, follow the face and face my place"'.
Outside in the hall Max paused and set his jaw. 'You're mine Medusa' he growled and shot off.
TBC
By Evil Overlord of Fallen Angels
==Oh my gosh I am so, like, totally glad that you totally reviewed this whacko, hello I'm TV's Sarah Michelle Gellar and if you hadn't reviewed the nut case shapeshifter (I swear--it's?--- worse then the first) he would have killed us all===
Thank you Ms Gellar You may leave now. Yes thanks for the reviews sorry I took so long my inspiration is glitchy. My friend (the yaoi fanatic hereafter known as Lt. Twisted) thought I wasn't giving enough info in my bio...people can guess who and what I am I've been dropping hints in lots of fics! This is the friend who insists on Yaoi in every one of my stories. Give me a break! He ended up shooting my muse out of the sky so I cut back on any TyKa action to spite him...sorry. On with the fic...Don't own Beyblade! Or I'd be rolling in doe rather then skint!
Kai Koi: Thank you I am you won't be tortured when I take over the planet
crescente nuwedes: Aw shucks you're just saying that I'm not that good...at all
Nancys-little-Obsession: Seriously? Well this is better then therapy
Ms Hobgoblin: Oh I like you, you're pretty determined well here ya go!
===================
Tyson skimmed over the card. The same name on it but on the back was written. 'He's gone back to where his best friend was made, pity he left him behind.' Tyson cocked an eyebrow. 'What's that all about?'
'It's a puzzle' Kai said. 'We're supposed to figure out who and where for this. She's toying with us it seems'
Rei shivered and sat up. 'Driger' he breathed. 'He's calling for help'
'You feel it too' nodded Kai. Max and Tyson looked at them. 'We can feel our bit-beasts in their captivity. We know they're there but not where there is.'
'When I find her I'll make her pay.she just vanished from the arena and attacked. Then did some sort of magical spin and Driger had to come out. After that her freaky monster absorbed it. I felt him get torn away.'
Max put his arm around his friend. 'hey we'll get them back' he reassured. The phone started to ring and Mr Tate answered it still holding an ice pack to his forehead. 'Hey kids! It's a girl'
Mr Tate wasn't surprised a girl was calling the group of 16 and 17 year olds. They were handsome, famous and good-natured. He was a little worried about stalkers though.
Kenny took the phone. 'Hi.Lydia? What's wrong?' He put the phone on speaker.
'She's here! She's here at Tyson's house! Help! She's got his grandfather! Agh!' The sound of a slap rang like a bell across the speakers and the four young men all tensed in rage. 'Oh dear someone's made a call' the familiar voice hissed. 'Hey boys, just li'l old me. You know this is a nice house. Hey hope you got my card because I just answered one question.ciao babes.' The line going dead followed the sound of a clatter.
'Oh man' breathed Kenny. 'We have to get to your house Tyson!'
'I'll drive' Rei said as he grabbed the keys to his car from the desk by the door. Everyone grimaced remembering how dangerous Rei could be behind the wheel. He had gotten the provisional and everyone had been scared.
===Tyson's house===
'There was definitely a fight' Tyson remarked when he saw the hole shaped like Ms Medusa in the wall. It was accurate to the shape of her hair. Kai looked around and spotted the kendo sword Grandpa always carried. 'He goes everywhere with this.like the clue' he murmured.
'Yeah Grandma gave it to him' shrugged Tyson. 'She carved it herself from the wood.the wood she got from the woods outside town! Where his best friend was born! The Sword!'
Kenny stuck his head in the door. 'Hey I found Dryassius!' He waved the palm pilot at them. 'And he's still active!'
Max and Rei were outside looking rather worried. The other three boys looked at them. 'What's wrong?' asked Kenny as they grouped.
'We found the phone.' Rei said holding up the split method of communications that had been cracked open by something. 'And.this'. Max held out the rose and the card. 'It says, "The little lady ain't with big G but he'll know where with question"'
'Another puzzle? She's totally wacko!' snarled Tyson. 'We should go get Grandpa if he knows where Lydia is!'
Kenny held up Dryassius. 'Hey Dryassius has something to say!'
'Oh I say.yes' the bit-beast said. 'I found more information on Ms Medusa while I was stuck under the cupboard. Apparently the MO for the thefts involves only battling and then stealing. This is the first ever time that there have been kidnappings, if I didn't know any better I'd say she were desperate.'
'Makes sense' sneered Rei. 'Someone who wears leather all the time has to be desperate.'
'Let's head out' sighed Tyson. 'The woods are a thirty minute drive even with Rei driving.' He took the kendo staff and then his own. 'And when we get there we hunt her down and teach her kendo.'
===The Tate House===
Mr Tate removed the icepack from his head and heard the floorboards creak behind him. He twisted in the doorway fo the dining room. The handle of the whip clattered with his head. 'This isn't your day' a voice said as he fell into blackness.
===The BBA research centre===
'Judy' a scientist called as he carried the bouquet through the lab. 'These arrived for you!'
Judy paused and looked up from the work. She took the white flowers from the man. 'Thank you' she said. 'Hang on.you don't work in this lab!'
'Yeah but whatcha gonna do?' the female voice said from the man's mouth. The flowers were white blossoms.that each sprayed a cloud of silver and gold pollen into the face of Judy Tate. She slumped down. 'Aside from pass out I mean'.
=== The Woods (forty minutes later) ===
'Grandpa?' called Tyson at the top of his lungs. 'I swear we're going in circles.' He looked at the others over his shoulder. There was a lack of spirit in them. Kenny opened the laptop.
'Dizzi check the web for some sort of map of the woods' he said.
'Sure thing chief!' Dizzi said brightly and ran a scan. 'Hey I've got one.and there's an old cabin not far from here to the---'
'North' Kai said. He rose from his crouch clutching something in white.
'Yeah' Dizzi murmured. 'Did you read my screen from over there?'
'No' Kai said putting his fist out and opening it. 'I found these.' The petals fell to the ground like snow. 'They point north.'
'Let's move!' Tyson said as he took off into the woods following the white that seemed unnatural in the dark woods. The path was unmistakeable. He couldn't fail to miss it. The cabin was a run down old shack in the clearing. A white candle burned with an eerie white flame in the window. 'Grandpa is in there!' Tyson exclaimed as he ran forwards.and connected with an invisible wall. With a groan he toppled backwards and landed with a thud on the grass.
'Tyson are you okay?' Kai asked rushing over to his dazed friend. He bit back the concern. 'We don't need you knocking yourself out if its all the same. You've still got your bit-beast.'
Tyson frowned. He had to admit he was hurt Kai was more concerned with his bit-beast status then any injury he might have sustained. That jerk.cute sweet.beautiful eyed.jerk, he murmured inwardly.
Kenny walked forwards with his hand out. He found that he could go no further; there was a bizarre solid shape before him that felt like ice. He knocked on it and watched as a gold honeycomb pattern with blue filling it. 'Bizarre' he muttered. Dizzi piped up. 'Dryassius and me have been looking into what this is, when Tyson hit it both Dry and me felt it. It's a force wall that won't let a just anyone past. Rei and Kai can get in.because they've had their bit beasts stolen'.
'I get it' Rei said. 'What if she's waiting to capture one of us?'
'I doubt it' Dryassius said. 'I don't think she'd have any reason to capture someone she's already fought'.
Kai rose and took a step forwards. 'Lets do this' he said as he strode towards the cabin. He felt the cold liquid energy run over his flesh and heard Rei yelp in surprise behind him. On the other side he found himself at the cabin door. A mist was clouding around them; it prickled his skin and raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
'Door' Rei said. He leapt and kicked it in. The old wood clattered to the ground and they entered the musty one room of the cabin. Grandpa was sitting in a corner surrounded by white rose petals. 'Are you okay?' Rei began. He strode forwards, the petals glowed black and hit him with a smoky haze of light that bounced him off a wall. Eerily words began to appear on the wall.
'Such little things keep you away, only release is to vanquish the light of day' Kai read. He looked at the white petals and at the candle in the window. 'Rei are you okay?' he asked.
'Fine' groaned Rei. 'Just a bruise or two.ow! Twelve sorry'
Kai walked to the candle and blew at it, the flame flickered and grew triggering a crackle of energy from the field to hit the wall beside Kai and singe the wood. 'Okay, the light.released.'
// You have to release things, let go of them to see them in a different light//. Its what his friend had told him.he couldn't remember where.mechanically he raised his hand and closed it tightly along with his eyes. He saw the flame, the thing he wanted to vanquish.to free Tyson's grandpa. Then he snapped his hand open and his eyes forcing the thoughts from his head. The flame extinguished instantly as if it didn't exist anymore.
Rei looked at the blossoms as they melted away, converging on one spot to create a familiar card. He picked it up as Kai untied Grandpa. 'Do you know where Lydia is?' asked Kai. 'Ms Medusa got her'. The others rushed in the door behind him.
'Sorry Kai' Grandpa shrugged as he rose and accepted the kendo stick from Tyson. 'But I have nothing.though I expected to be in the docks. She said that people like to fish here.'
'He answered the question we didn't ask him' Kai said faintly. 'Now I get it.Lydia's at the fishing docks! He answered without a question.'
Kenny nodded. 'Hey I get the idea. So we have to go to the docks!'
Rei held up the card. 'Look for the stone card of mine for the final one' he shrugged. 'She's really psycho. Why give us a clue when we have already found Grandpa and know where Lydia is?'
Max was holding the phone. 'Because she has my dad' he whispered. 'And my mom.I called to tell him that Tyson's Grandpa was okay.and instead I got the answering machine.' He hit redial on his cellular.
'Hi there Maxi and all those you're with. Your parents aren't in right now; in fact I've put them in the game. They're at the docks.and you'd better hurry there. Because the tied gets high and they're going under.but of course that's because this is an exceptional dock.kisses. Ciao' the line went dead and Max paled. Tyson punched a wall and looked at Rei.
'I get why it helps' Tyson mumbled to Rei. Rei shrugged and looked to Max.
'We have to find them' he agreed. 'Question is.how? Where? What does she mean by exceptional'.
'She means the old collapsed Dock' Dizzi said. 'Well that's what I think, a marine biologist build it to try and control the tides it partially worked because the machine that regulates the tides got messed up and at about sundown it floods the beach and the collapsed area of the cove. We'd better hurry the schedules on the Internet say we have only forty-five minutes before it's a full flooding.'
Max was gone in a shot followed by everyone. Grandpa grabbed Tyson's arm. His eyes were serious. 'Be careful little dude, that gal is a dangerous one. She's not all she seems'.
===The Wrecked Dock===
The cove of the dock was specifically for small boats, the shattered old staircase was a testament to the fact the dock on the pillars had been for small boats but made to look bigger. Beneath it criss-crossed old beams and wooden poles. The machines at the mouth of the cove whirred as they funnelled the water into the cove. They looked like some sort of small damn. Max stumbled across the grey-gold sands searching breathlessly for a sign of his parents.
'Mom? Dad?'
'Max!' his mother shouted. Kai followed slowly behind the others looking back at Kenny and Grandpa in Rei's old blue van trying to work on the clue. A nasty thought was creeping to his brain.
Mad minds think alike, you're going crazy Kai Hiwatari and you know why, because of him, you can't fight it but you won't risk the relationship you have for the one you want. Coward!
He dismissed the thoughts and scanned the dock. The voices began coming from all around with faded images of the Tate's. They were shouting for help and the mirages were baffling Max. He raced along the wooden walkway that was meant to be at the level of the water but was now beneath it. 'Mom? Dad?' Max shouted again, his messy blonde hair was billowing in the wind. Rei was searching on the part of the dock that was furthest above the water, a good twelve feet in height with old wooden steps leading up from the sand.
Kai looked at the sand before him. 'Everyone! Look!' the words were sketching themselves along the golden sands. 'Your focus is scattered and lost, your eyes are betrayed and your mind is tossed, that pumping beat at the core of strife, to save Mr Tate and his wife' he read.
'Agh! Another riddle' groaned Tyson. 'I hate riddles.'
'Pump, beat, core.lost eyes mind and focus. Max, you have to use your heart to find your parents. It's a trick she's using to fool all the other senses. You can only trust what your heart smells.just follow it'
Max stood there, his hands shivering by his sides in the water as the other reread the clue in the sand and Kai urged him to shut his senses. The water was growing to his waist level slowly but swiftly. He shuddered and let his heart speak. The sounds of his parents faded and only the cacophonous sounds came. Frantic shouts and the sound of rattling chains splashing in the water hummed in his ears, growing louder and easier to hear. 'This way!' he shouted as he leapt into the water and waded through the pillars below the dock to find his mother and father tied to a pillar with ivory white chains. 'Max!' they shouted together. He reached them.
'I swear, when I get my hands on that bitch' he snarled as his face contorted uncharacteristically. 'I will kill her with my bare hands!'
'Max language' his mother said as he gripped the lock shaped like a gorgons head. And pulled at it. He fell backwards as the clasp burst into a thousand cherry blossoms that took flight. 'Max you don't know your own strength' Judy Tate said.
'Let's get out of here' Max said as they waded away from the ever rising water. Grandpa rushed down the sand with Rei's old camping blanket and a towel from a beach bag. Mr and Mrs Tate were covered quickly with the blanket and Max wrapped himself in the towel. Kenny was still working on Dizzi trying to figure out where Lydia was. Tyson nodded, Kenny was determined and that was a pretty powerful drive for him. Max handed him something. 'I found this in my hands when the lock broke apart. It's a clue'
===Tyson's house===
'Where's Max?' Kenny asked without looking from the program on Dizzi's screen. He'd connected her to a scanner and was acting on a hunch.
'Downstairs, he won't go home to rest he wants to stick around whil we try to find Lydia' Tyson said. 'Have you found anything?'
Kenny pointed to the card on screen. 'I thought about it and figured that the card is more decorative then it looks. Hence it might be a stone carving near where Medusa took Lydia. Well on zooming in I found that there is a watermark at the curves in the cards frame. On each edge there is the curve inwards I zoomed in and spotted a watermark. Then I shifted the contrast and got this.'
The frightening Gorgons head appeared. It was a thin face with vampire fangs and slit pupil eyes. Its hair was a mass of hissing snakes. The black insignia sent a shiver up Tysons spine. 'And?'
'I checked it on the Internet, its in graveyards across the globe. Its here.in St Gertrude's Cemetery. And I think that's where we'll find Ms Medusa the clue said, "You're on the right track, to counter attack, follow the face and face my place"'.
Outside in the hall Max paused and set his jaw. 'You're mine Medusa' he growled and shot off.
TBC