Disclaimer: I do not own Cyberchase. It belongs to PBS Kids, among other people. I also don't own Dasariah and Vil Kothos: they belong to Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.
Summary: Will the returned Crimson Blade, altered but still as evil as ever, achieve his ultimate goal? Who will become tangled in his dark designs? And, most of all, who will survive his vicious onslaught? New allies, new threats, and old enemies combine to make the Cybersquad's desperate fight against Crimson harder than ever…
Rating: PG-13 (minimal gore, death, violence)
Song Lyrics: "Where Will You Go" by Evanescence.
Author's Note/s: I've decided to make the layout of the chapter headings better, because they're kind of… not well done, if you know what I mean. So that's why it looks a bit better. Also, some new episodes of Cyberchase have finally come out here, so the characters should be a little more portrayed in Chapter 8.
You just cannot imagine how hard this chapter was to write. It was edited at least five times before I decided it worthy of submission. Phew. Next chapter will be with Hacker, Crimson Blade and his evil plan… :)
Re-edit Notes: This chapter is probably one of the ones most edited, mostly to clear up confusion about Scythe. Most of the original dialogue remains, but some has been removed and some has been added in.
Chapter 7: Labyrinth
"Ouch!" Matt gave another yell, this time of pain, as he landed on his back about five feet down from the surface. The ground was strangely warm and somewhat soft; it sloped down away from him. Groaning, not really wanting to stand, Matt sat up and put a hand to his ringing head.
"Ugh…" he muttered. "What a thing to happen at a time like this…" Brushing back those ever-annoying strands of hair that always seemed to obscure his vision at the worst of times, he carefully lifted himself to his feet and stared around. The voices they had heard before were louder; there were two tunnels leading to who knows where. Both were equally dark, but it was from one of them that the voices issued.
"I guess while I'm here, I may as well check them out." Matt stared upwards at the hole. Light filtered down through it and dimly lit the area, but he couldn't see his friends at all.
"Jackie! Inez! Digit!" he shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Jax! Didge! Nezzie!"
Just when he was about to give up and continue on his own, someone came flying down the hole and landed next to him. Inez, her face set in a frown, got up and placed her hands on her hips. "DON'T call me Nezzie, Matt…"
"Okay, okay," the redhead replied, holding his hands up in a sign of peace. "Sorry. I forgot, Inez…"
"That's better," the Hispanic girl responded, and squinted up to the light. "Jackie, Didge, it's safe to come down."
Almost immediately, the other two jumped down the hole; a couple of seconds later, Jackie was standing next to them, checking her hair, while Digit was trying to tug his beak back into place. (Eventually, he succeeded.)
"Is everyone okay?" Matt asked, and his friends nodded. "I think we'd better go check those voices out, while we're here." He gestured to the tunnel on the right.
Jackie shivered. "I sure hope there aren't any bats down here."
Matt opened his mouth to confirm her statement, but Inez gave him a warning look and he shut it again abruptly. "Come on, guys."
Leading the way, Matt stepped slowly into the tunnel and looked around. Apart from the fact that it was pretty dark, it seemed fairly safe. He was about to start off again, but Jackie put a hand on his arm and he stopped. "What's up?"
"Matt, I seriously don't think this is safe. What if there really are people down here? I imagine we wouldn't exactly get a… warm welcome, you might say. Plus, it's pitch-black down there."
"Jackie is somewhat correct on that one," Inez agreed. "You're too important to lose, Matt. We almost lost you once; we don't want to lose you again."
You're
too important for anyone,
There's
something wrong with everything you see
She held his gaze for a very long moment, but Matt refused to give in. "Look, the only way we're going to get out of here is by finding who those voices belong to. They obviously live down here, and so they would know the way out. I don't think we're going to find our way out ourselves, by the looks of things."
After considering this final statement, coming to the conclusion that Matt was right and there was nothing else they could do, both girls sighed, and nodded. "You're right," they said in unison. Digit nodded agreeably.
Still following the voices, the group travelled down the tunnel, which twisted and turned in confusing patterns. Many times, they passed other tunnels, but for the entire time, the voices were still ahead, always ahead.
But
I, I know who you really are:
You're the one who cries when
you're alone
To tell the truth, the tunnel was not actually pitch black; a dim, barely perceivable light lit the walls and floor. As the Cybersquad continued, forever heading down - for the ground was still sloping - the light grew gradually stronger.
At times, they stopped and debated which way to go, for sometimes the voices led down a different tunnel. Eventually, as the minutes passed, the hallway they were currently in started to widen, until it led out into a massive cavern.
Warily, for the voices were now so loud that the words could be clearly heard, the Cybersquad stopped at the exit of the tunnels and peered out into the large room, keeping hidden behind a large rock that served to conceal their presence. The twitter of bats reached their ears; Jackie began to moan in horror, but Matt clapped a hand over her mouth, and she fell silent, glancing up at the ceiling every now and then.
Three figures stood in the middle of the cavern, their backs to the Cybersquad. From the conversation, the group could tell that the middle person was obviously the leader, while the other two were his servants. The centre figure could hardly be made out, so that the only way Matt could know he was there was the sound of his voice. (All of the voices were male.) To his left and right stood two people of similar stature and clothing: they both wore scarlet red, with simple armour covering their backs and chests, and shoulder plates protecting that area of them. White gloves clothed their hands and they wore silver, mid-calf-high boots on their feet; they were humanoid in appearance.
"Master, I think it past time that we, ah, 'persuaded' (the Cybersquad heard him crack his knuckles) Hacker to attack Motherboard with everything he has," the one on the left spoke.
"Dasariah Kothos, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times!" the leader snapped. "I am NOT on the side of that green bastard, and I never will be, regardless of your opinions."
"It is the only way that that supercomputer can be defeated," replied the left figure.
"There are other ways… and besides, I have no interest in Motherboard," replied the leader. There was the sound of a deep sigh.
At the most inopportune time, a cloud of bats swooped from the ceiling, heading straight for the Cybersquad's tunnel. This time, Matt wasn't fast enough to stifle Jackie's shriek of horror, and she leapt out from behind the rock and sped away from the object of her fears, totally forgetting what was now staring at her with mixed expressions, from scorn to slight anger.
Looking up to watch where she was going, the African-American girl skidded to a stop and gaped soundlessly, shrinking away from the three figures that now faced her. "Uh - " she stammered, trying to force out the words that refused to come. "Er - "
But
where will you go,
With
no one left to save you from yourself?
Not particularly wanting to leave her to face the trio alone, yet not really wanting to face the trio themselves, Matt, Inez and Digit crept out from behind the rock and drifted in to stand beside her. At that moment, another few bats fluttered past, and though Jackie shivered, she did not dare to move, pinned by gazes she could and could not quite see.
An amused chuckle came from the centre figure; it was quite strange to hear it because, as of yet, they still could not see him properly. The person on the left turned right around and snorted softly upon catching sight of the Cybersquad, while the other growled loudly, fists clenching in anger.
Unfortunately, a most grotesque thing occurred that disrupted the moment and disgusted just about all present.
As a bat passed quite close to the figure on the right, his head snapped up and, reaching out with lightning-quick reflexes, he grabbed it right out of the air, clutching it in his hands tightly, and proceeded to rip its wings off slowly and deliberately. In his hands the bat jerked and shrieked in rage, writhing in agony, while its fellows continued, ignoring their comrade's plight. Once this gruesome task was completed, he let them fall to the floor like feathers, the creature's lifeblood pouring out over his hands, dripping onto the floor in a blood-red stream. The bat gave a single, sharp cry and shivered in its final death throes.
You
can't escape,
You
can't escape
Shuddering at this display of bloody viciousness, Jackie watched as the figure let the twitching bat drop from his hands to the floor with a soft, wet THUD. She could only imagine the agony, the pain it was going through, at the hand of this… thing. Digit moaned softly, his wings both hiding his face and covering his mouth, while both Matt and Inez stared in horror at the dying bat, faces pale.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," groaned the cybird, and rushed off to some distant corner to… I'll leave it to your imagination…
By this time, Matt had figured out which was which; though they both looked the same, the person on the left had icy blue eyes, while the one on the right had brown.
After a thorough search of the Cybersquad's appearance, the leader figure finally revealed himself, flickering into sight – which was quite startling, at first. He wore black armour with an emerald-green jewel set into the breastplate. The armour seemed flexible, moved with him, seemed a part of him; a black helmet hid his features from view. Reaching up, the figure pulled the helmet off his head, handing it to one of the large figures beside him.
It was the calm face of a teenager that now looked upon them, piercing, light grey eyes fixed on them steadily. He had short hair, as black as a raven's wing, while simple-framed glasses accentuated his eyes; his left shoulder was slightly higher than the other – the result of scoliosis, Inez immediately recognised.
Studying them each carefully, the light grey eyes travelled over the frightened Jackie, stopping for a moment on Matt, taking in the hideous bruises on his neck, before finally resting on Inez's face.
You
think that I can't see right through your eyes,
Scared
to death to face reality
"You're the Cybersquad, aren't you…" he said softly, gaze still on Inez. It was not a question, just an obvious statement.
"Yeah," Matt replied shortly. "And who are you?"
For a moment, the light grey eyes glanced to him, and then flicked back to Inez. The young man smiled - that is, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "I am known here as Scythe." Then the expression was gone, replaced by a serious, yet slightly melancholy, look.
"From what we heard, you're evil," Inez said, her tone matter-of-fact.
"Yes, somewhat. I prefer to use the term 'twilight'." He held her level gaze.
"And you don't like Hacker."
"That is correct."
There was a long silence, in which Inez surveyed the strange teenager intently, and Scythe looked straight back at her with those clear, gray eyes. A thoughtful expression marred his smooth complexion for a moment as he studied the Cybersquad further, then his gaze returned to Inez.
"What are you going to do to us?" Inez asked, at length.
"It depends on the circumstances," Scythe replied softly, slightly dangerously. "If you come here with evil intent - " with these words, his eyes narrowed dangerously – " - then evil will come back to you. However, if your intent is other than that, let me hear your explanation."
"My friend Matt accidentally found the entrance to this place. We couldn't leave him down here, therefore we followed, and eventually came to this cavern."
The young man leaned back, contemplating this story. "I see. And why were you at the Northern Frontier in the first place? To fight the Hacker, perhaps." Upon mentioning the cyborg's name, Scythe looked as if he'd like nothing more than to spit.
Inez was silent for a moment. Should she tell this stranger about Crimson Blade? What would be his reaction? Deciding that it couldn't hurt – maybe this Scythe knew something about the creature – and taking a glance at the formidable DKothos and VKothos, she responded quietly:
"Do you know of a creature named Crimson Blade?"
"Speak not that name here!" The Cybersquad saw the grey eyes burn with a sudden flame. "It is one of an evil that not even Hacker's - " Scythe grimaced " – can rival."
"Then you know his story?"
"Yes. He and I, and my servants… we have met before, in one of his previous lives, although he was not called that at the time." After this statement, he fell silent, as if remembering something he was at loath to recall.
No
one seems to hear your hidden cries;
You're
left to face yourself alone
The Hispanic girl watched the shifting expressions in his eyes before saying something that caught the teenager off-guard. "We intend to fight him."
Scythe stared at them incredulously, brought sharply out of his trance-like state. "The Cybersquad? Fight that creature of immeasurable evil?" He shook his head firmly, refused to believe that this could be achieved. "No offense intended, but surely you jest!"
"No, unfortunately." Inez seemed to slump slightly. "He wants to kill Matt – twice already has he attempted, and the previous time, he almost succeeded. We can't do anything else other than oppose him…"
"Ah," Scythe responded softly. "So that's why your neck is in such a state," he said to Matt, who was standing beside Inez. The red-haired boy nodded, fingers lingering on the bruises that covered his throat.
But
where will you go,
With
no one left to save you from yourself?
"I know… that there is not much hope… to fight him alone," Inez said haltingly, glancing down at the ground, devoid of faith in their future. Scythe did not reply; his gaze shifted onto Digit, who was just returning (and still looking a little green), then moved to Jackie, who was listening to the conversation intently, then halted on Matt, who stared back at him confidently.
"What of you, Matthew?" he asked of the eleven-year-old. "What are your thoughts on the matter?"
Matt decided to look past the use of the nickname usually spoken by Inez, and said, "I admit that I'm afraid of him, but who isn't? I don't know how we can fight him either, but it's the only thing we can do right now…"
Scythe seemed to accept this; he looked back at Inez, expecting a response.
"Scythe…" she said slowly, staring at a point somewhere past him. It was as if she didn't dare to meet his gaze, because the piercing gray eyes might discover her thoughts earlier than she wished to reveal them. "Perhaps… perhaps you could help us fight," the girl said at last.
"I cannot," he responded simply; turning away and placing his hands behind his back, gazing at something beyond this world, beyond all pain, beyond death, with longing. Scythe continued to speak. "I am evil, at least leaning towards it, anyway; evil cannot help good. So it is known throughout the universe – including your own."
"You said yourself that you were… not fond of Hacker. We have reason to believe that this creature -" Inez almost spoke Crimson Blade's name, but stopped herself just in time – " - goes forth to join forces with Hacker. Why he does this, I do not know, but it is doubtless that his intentions are evil.
"Twilight. That was the term you used for your standing in this world. Twilight is not quite night, but not quite day, either… therefore you can help us, and still keep your twilight. You do not stand entirely in shadow. Without the likes of you, we stand almost no chance against this… this creature. And surely that must mean something to you."
"Do not listen to the girl, Master," hissed the brown-eyed figure, who had murdered the bat. "She tells nothing but lies to bend you to her ways."
Uttering a soft, "Keep thy silence, Vil," the teenager slowly faced Inez again. "But sometimes the shadows can consume all hope and everything that represents good," he replied, the depressed look deepening on his face. As he brought his arms to his sides again – he was not wearing the arm guards that usually went with the armour - Inez caught sight of many long scars running down them, alongside fresh ones that seemed too straight to be natural…. She could only guess their cause, and by the way he stared back at her with that dark expression, Inez thought - no, knew - that she was correct. However, she did not let this falter her, and showed no sign she had seen anything at all.
You
can't escape,
You
can't escape
"But, in the end, the shadow's only a passing thing. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine all the clearer. Have you ever read the Lord of the Rings, Scythe? Sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? It was full of darkness and danger, betrayal and twilight. But also, with hope and bravery, with triumph and wisdom." With this courageous speech, the intelligent girl fell silent and waited for his answer, praying that he would see the light – no pun intended.
"In my eyes, the shadows never pass," Scythe responded dully. "A new day never arrives; the sun can never emerge again from the surrounding clouds." He glanced over at Dasariah. "I am also held back by other things." The bulky figure growled and crushed a rock beneath his foot.
By now, Matt was thoroughly irritated. They needed help, yes, but surely Inez didn't expect this Scythe to come to their aid? Hadn't he stated clearly that he could not? Personally, he thought that it would be a better idea to find their way out and locate Crimson Blade before anything happened.
Shaking his head, Matt turned to Jackie and Digit and said quietly, "Jax, Didge, this isn't going anywhere. I think we should find our way out."
Jackie held up a hand to silence him. "Matt, if you listened properly, maybe you could see that Inez has some good arguments," she snapped as softly as she could manage. "This guy could really help us."
"Could he?" Matt countered. "He said himself that he's held back by 'other things'. And besides, what's one person going to be able to do that we can't? Crimson Blade could be doing anything up there, and we should be looking for him!"
"I agree on that point," Digit spoke up. "I saw a tunnel over there, when I was…" He trailed off into a suggestive silence for a moment, then added, "And I haven't seen any other exits, other than the one we came out of."
"All right," Jackie said. "Inez is probably wasting her time, anyway. From the looks of things -" she jerked her head in the direction of the proceeding conversation – "- she isn't getting much headway."
"Then let's wait for a break in their talking. You convince her to leave, and me and Didge will check out the tunnel," Matt said, and turned his attention back to Inez and Scythe reluctantly.
"There's nothing stopping you from stepping away from evil – or twilight - even for just a moment," Inez was saying. "Your will is your own."
I realize
you're afraid,
But you can't abandon everyone
"Is it?" Scythe whispered to himself, so quietly that even Inez did not hear it. He then looked back up at her and said, "I am sorry… I must think about this."
And, walking a few paces away, he sank deep into thought, ignoring – or remained merely oblivious to - the events around him.
You can't escape,
You
don't want to escape
Matt, now guessing that this was the time to act, nudged Digit, cast a look at Jackie, and started to walk towards the tunnel the cybird had seen. He had only taken a few steps, however, when a large figure stepped in front of him and pushed him backwards.
"Where are you going, stripling?" Dasariah growled menacingly. Behind Matt, Digit stopped short and stared at him in fear.
I'm so
sick of speaking words that no one understands,
Is it clear enough
that you can't live your whole life all alone?
Unfortunately for the pair, Matt remained unafraid. Glaring at the blue-eyed Kothos, Matt shoved past him, his temper running short. He was wasting precious time lingering here.
But as the red-haired eleven-year-old began to run towards the exit, Digit flying beside him, Dasariah reached out a massive hand and yanked Matt backwards again, throwing him to the floor roughly. In a split second Matt was on his feet once more, slightly winded but too angry to care. The cybird opened his mouth to say something but, staring at the huge bulk of DKothos, decided not to after all.
Yet again, it was unfortunate that Matt ignored the size of Dasariah.
"Let us go, you overgrown… uh… person… thingy…" His voice trailed off, as he was undecided upon what DKothos was, exactly.
"The master does not wish it," Dasariah replied stubbornly, clenching a huge fist warningly. Behind him, VKothos hissed, brown eyes alight with the expectation of a fight.
"Who cares what "the master" wishes!" Matt yelled back. "What matters is that we stop Crimson Blade, and the only way we can do that is by getting out of here – now!"
I can hear
you in a whisper
But you can't even hear me screaming…
DKothos simply ignored him, and continued to block their way, glaring down at them balefully. Fuming, Matt whirled to face Digit and shrugged. "I have no idea what to do now," he said angrily. "We definitely can't get past this guy."
"Maybe we can call Dr Marbles and Motherboard from here," Digit suggested, hovering in the air.
Matt frowned. "I just hope the Squak Pad has range from under here." Deftly, he slipped off his backpack and searched through it for a moment. At length, he held it up. "Here we go." Quickly he dialled in a couple of numbers, then waited for someone to answer.
Static was the only thing that responded to his summons; finally, Matt sighed and shoved the small machine back into his red backpack, slinging it onto his shoulder once more. "I'll bet it's that virus again," he muttered sullenly. "Or Crimson Blade has somehow gotten back into Control Central." Digit looked scandalised at the very thought.
But where
will you go
With no one left to save you from yourself?
Together, the boy and the cybird returned to where Jackie was talking to Inez. "Nezzie, Jax," Matt said softly, "We tried getting hold of Motherboard and Dr Marbles, but they aren't answering us."
Jackie stared at him in surprise; this was not usual of the supercomputer or the cyborg. "Maybe we're out of range," she suggested.
You can't
escape,
You can't escape
"Jackie, it isn't possible to be out of range. Motherboard can reach us everywhere in Cyberspace, remember?" Inez replied. "And don't call me Nezzie, Matthew!" She shot a small glare in the boy's direction before continuing, glancing over at Scythe as she began to speak again. "Like Jackie explained to me, I think we'd better leave before Crimson Blade decides to do anything more."
"Then it's agreed," Matt said. "We have to ask Scythe for the way out, no matter what he decides."
I
realize you're afraid,
But you can't reject the whole world
Before Inez could reply, Scythe walked back over to them, having considered the situation. Glasses glinting in the dim light, he halted in front of the Cybersquad, and spoke:
"I have made my decision."
You can't escape
You
won't escape
You can't escape
You don't want to escape…