Chapter 4
Chaotic G: Alright, this is important. Listen up people: I need reviews for motivation. C'mon. Those of you who are reading and skipping out on even the shortest review possible cut it out.
Charly swung open Kai's door recklessly and ran to his bed, practically jumping on him. She had already woken up all of the girls in record time, who were now proceeding with the task of waking up the other boys.
"Kai!"
The boy jumped up, swinging a opened hand out in her direction but stopping it quickly before it could make contact, his eyes widening as he became entirely conscious. "What the hell! Charly, what's up?!"
Out of panic for her friend she could ignore the fact that he was shirtless. "Vega's gone!"
Kai blinked once in confusion. "What?"
"She's gone! Tom says she left this morning and no one's seen her since and Tala's contacted Cleo saying he saw someone kidnap her! Lily's got Cleo on the phone downstairs still, c'mon!"
"What?!"
He was up and out of bed faster than lightning and the two of them were barreling down the steps, passing Hikaru, who was on her way up the steps carrying a habanero pepper in one hand and looking very perturbed.
"Give me that," he snarled, snatching the phone away from Lily, who was attempting to calm who he assumed to be Cleo.
"Cleo?"
"Hey, Kai," the blonde girl replied on the other end and before she
could stop him Brian had the phone out of her hands.
"Kai?"
"Brian, give me the number Tala used, I want a talk with him," the blue-haired boy replied.
"Wish I could, he hung up after saying he'd meet us at the airport whenever we get in, said he'd know when we would arrive and the phone's number didn't come up on the caller ID, he has it blocked," Brian replied. "I hope you didn't expect him to be easy to deal with in this situation."
"I never expect him to be easy to deal with in any situation!" Kai snapped back. "When are we meeting?"
"Cleo's already off making arrangements to fly to St. Petersburg. We'll be there by morning, you?"
"About the same. Give the phone back to Cleo, I'm sure she'll want to talk to the girls, I have things to do."
Kai passed the phone back to Lily without another word and stalked out of the kitchen to meet the other boys who were lingering in the hallway, probably thinking it wisest to stay away from the emotional typhoon building in the kitchen.
"Who do you think would've done something like that?" Rei asked. "I mean… she's on one of the best-known teams in world and lives with a billionaire… it's not exactly tactical to abduct someone that well known."
"I told her," Kai muttered resting his head back against the wall, "I told Vega that Tala was bad news but she didn't listen to me."
"Kai, it's illogical to think that Tala would have anything to do with this!" Kenny piped up immediately. "I mean… he did call to tell Brian what was going on. Brian! Why would someone like Tala call to tell what they'd done, even if he did hope that we'd think he was innocent? He's not one to do anything unless it's for his own personal gain; kidnapping Vega goes against that completely."
"Yeah, Kai, I mean… Tala's a little on the crazy side but this is Vega we're talking about… I don't think he'd do anything to hurt her," Tyson said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "It's got to be something else."
Kai shook his head. "People like Tala don't change… even if he was different three years ago he's had no contact with anyone to keep him that way… he's probably relapsed and he's got all of you fooled."
"You're not being fair, Kai, you won't even give him the BOTD," Max argued, "just because you two are rivals doesn't mean you can blame him for everything that happens."
The boy scoffed in annoyance. "You think what you want, I think what I want," he replied gruffly before shoving past the four of them and disappearing down the hall.
"Why doesn't he just admit that maybe for once he's wrong about Tala?" Rei asked , crossing his arms and frowning slightly in concern.
Tyson folded his arms behind his head and sighed. "Because it's Kai. Look we shouldn't worry about old sourpuss when Vega's missing. He can deal with his own issues by himself."
Kato sat in the corner of a rather barren room, watching as the ebony-haired girl stirred in her forced slumber but did not waken.
He had decided an hour ago that there was nothing extraordinary about her except the dragon she wielded. But he had also drawn the conclusion that there as no way that this girl before him, as wonderfully meek and timid as she looked, could be the monster on the video tape he had reviewed a half-million times.
The similarities were there but how could someone so plain be so powerful? And someone so gentle appearing be so malicious?
Vega shifted again and this time her eyes fluttered open and they met his.
She was up and out of her bed faster than he could stand up from his chair and looking fierce.
The likeliness was suddenly alive as her eyes shifted immediately from shock to anger and distrust and seemed to darken with this change.
"Who the hell are you?" she growled.
"My name's Kato," he said emotionlessly.
"Where am I?"
"I'm not to tell you that."
The girl scowled at him as she looked down at her clothes, as if making sure everything was in tact. "Alright, Kato," she said, spitting his name like venom, "why am I here?"
"I'm not to tell you that either," the boy said, in an almost playful manner, letting go of his monotone for a second.
Vega eyed her guest with annoyance, sizing him up. He was a lot taller than her, maybe just a bit shorter than Spencer and less broad.
She scanned the room and frowned inwardly. The room was absolutely empty except for the chair he was sitting on and the small bed she had been lying in. The walls were a sterile white and the floor cold cement.
And suddenly something slammed on her and she immediately began patting at her pockets.
"Where's my blade?!" she roared suddenly.
"It's being held for you," Kato replied, crossing his arms.
Her eyes narrowed at him and looked ready to say something when the radio at his hip crackled and he shifted his head a little bit, revealing to her a small earpiece he wore.
"Right," he said briskly into the microphone clipped to his shirt. His eyes focused on Vega. "You're coming with me. There's a situation concerning your blade."
Kaosu, Vega thought, suddenly very aware of the presence the dragon held in her mind. He was very much awake and at the moment very angry.
Before she could fight or argue he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the door, which he opened with his card key, and then dragged her down the hall.
They hadn't even gotten down the stairwell and Vega could hear Kaosu's thunderous roars, which seemed to shake the very foundation under her feet.
Kato swung open a door and they were met with the sight of cowering scientists, sparking machinery, destroyed walls, a few inches of water, which rushed towards the now opened door and began flooding down the staircase, and a very, very irked appearing river dragon, which swung its enormous head around to eye them.
Mistress! The hissing voice within Vega's mind was, for the first time, welcomed as the dragon lunged at her and then circled her body once protectively.
"Recall the beast!"
The voice cracked like a whip through the chaos in the room and the hairs on Vega's neck bristled as she looked to a different doorway across the room and a man stood there in a long, olive green trench coat, boots that made a very noticeable 'thud' on the cement flooring, and a black shirt and jeans. He wore a pair of goggles with red lenses and his hair was purple, slicked back from his face and was giving her a disturbing smirk.
The girl's eyes narrowed as realization hit her. She knew who this man was… and a sickened feeling suddenly grew in her stomach and writhed like a snake. "Boris."
"So you know me, Vega… good… then introductions aren't needed," the man said, crossing his arms. "Tell him to return to his blade."
"Why should I?" she growled.
"If you don't then the consequences will be very great," he repeated.
Vega paused, unsure of what he meant, but she decided that she didn't want to find out and looked to Kaosu. Go back… I can handle this.
I won't, mistress… I do not trust this human, he reeks of evil.
I'll be fine… just do it… you'll know when I need you.
The dragon hesitated a second longer before he vanished from sight and his blade fell dead beside his mistress' foot.
She crouched and picked it up before straightening and eyeing the man before her. "You're the psychopath who ruined Tala and the other D-boys."
"Psychopath?" he said, his expression mocking her. "You wound me."
"I'd believe that if you had a heart to aim at."
This seemed to amuse him and his smirk widened into a grin. "I can see why Tala liked you as his partner... you've got spunk." He took a step forward toward her but just as he did she took one back. "You don't need to be afraid of me, Vega… I won't hurt you."
"I'd love to believe that but I think I'd take my chances with a pit full of snakes over you any day," Vega spat back.
"That can very well be arranged."
She didn't like the way he said that but didn't let her concern show. "Why am I here? What do you want with me? And if you think you can get to the boys through me you are so dead wrong!"
This also seemed to amuse Boris and the man chuckled as he crossed his arms and shook his head. "I care nothing about them… they were failed experiments and they hold very little of my interest," he replied. "Actually… you hold my current interest… specifically your dragon."
"What's Kaosu got to do with anything?"
He smirked. "I saw the world tournament three years ago… I believe you'll recall a certain semi-final battle… in which you destroyed an entire arena with a single attack. I can honestly say that after seeing that… I was impressed. Obviously you have a lot of talent… another reason why Tala picked you I'm sure."
"Chaos and destruction… two of your favorite things huh?" Vega growled bitterly. "You can forget it. You're not getting your grimy fingers on Kaosu."
"I have a feeling that you'll change your mind about that very soon," Boris said, "but let's talk somewhere a little more comfortable than this. How about a walk outside?"
"I have a feeling that I have no choice."
He smirked. "You catch on quick."
The large "backyard" of the broken down, prison-camp appearing building was as sad and depressing as the inside. The borders were lined with a high, electrified fence with barbed wire along the top and there were guard towards on the corners of the property and on either side of the front gate.
There were arenas scattered about the disheartening yard and a large track that surrounded it. Everything was about functionality.
"So, how'd you plan on changing my mind?" Vega asked, glancing over her shoulder where Kato was lingering just out of her sight but still very much present.
"You cooperate with me and everything will be just fine… argue… and your friends will meet very untimely ends… and believe me, I won't be going after them with beyblades."
"What do you know about my friends?"
Boris chuckled. "What don't I know about your friends?"
The girl scowled at him. "You're bluffing."
"You can think that if you want, Vega, but do you really want to find out if I am or not?"
Vega mulled this over. Brian had told her about Boris before once when she asked, and she had been lucky to get a straight answer out of him. Ian went quiet and would mutter something incoherent and Spencer, at the mention of the man's name, mysteriously went deaf.
According to the lavender-haired D-boy Boris was a megalomaniac bent on achieving world domination and willing to do whatever necessary to reach his goal.
She could make-believe that he wasn't capable of getting at the girls or the others all she wanted to in her head but that didn't mean he couldn't in real life. Brian told her that Boris could live up to every threat he posed and wouldn't stand for disobedience.
And that was all she had gotten out of Brian before he refused to talk anymore about it.
"What do you want with Kaosu?"
Boris smirked. "Don't be absurd… this isn't all about him. Since you're the only one who can harness his powers you're just as important to my plans. I've just a few very simple favors from you," he said.
"And in return I get what?"
"Do everything I ask of you and your friends will come to no harm, I promise."
"And what good are the promises of a snake?"
"They're better than nothing. Do we have a deal?"
Vega looked out over the barren courtyard. There was no way out of the place and no way to guarantee the others wouldn't meet trouble with a capital T without handing herself over to this 'man'… if someone so cruel could be considered a man.
Kaosu stirred within her at the surface of her being as she allowed for her heart to be hardened and her eyes to go blank. The dragon would not be in control but he would help her when she needed it; and right now he needed to help her forget her morals and her loyalty.
"Fine," she said bitterly, with a tone of finality. "I'll do it."
Boris placed a hand on her shoulder as delight played on his lips. "Wonderful."
"So that you are not in the dark or worrying as to what I intend to use you for I'll explain," Boris said as he briskly descended a flight of steps, Vega quickly at his heels.
Her insides were twisting themselves into knots. She had already pinched her arm into a lovely scarlet hue trying to wake up from this nightmare and was despaired to find it not working. "How very decent of you," she replied bitterly.
"Come now, Vega, we've on the same side as of ten minutes ago… it would do you good to view this in a positive manner."
"Positive… do you even know what that means or is your definition of that word as warped as everything else seen through your eyes?"
He paused in his brisk stride to whip around and look her in the eye, a frown setting itself firmly across his lips. "You're growing quite tiring and I've never been known for patience," he growled. "If you know what's good for you, you won't continue speaking to me like that. Do you understand?"
The girl regarded him coldly, lifting her chin at him in a defiant way as her eyes narrowed. "I understand… though I've never been known to respond well to threats," she said coolly. "What were you going to show me?"
Boris eyed her for a second more before turning sharply back round and closing in on a doorway that led out into a hall. They walked for a few more paces and then entered into a room, which was something like a library.
Vega was surprised when her boot met carpet and her eyes walls that were not sterile, hospital white, but rather a dark brown that darkened the room by several notches.
There was a large desk on the other side of the room on which a computer sat and on either side of which there were filing cabinets and behind this was a large set up of book-shelves.
"Read this," he said, tossing her a vanilla-colored folder and then sitting back in his desk chair.
Vega picked up the file and examined it momentarily. "A tournament?"
"It's not BBA sponsored… it's more like an experiment. Some of the best and brightest beyblading stars from around the world gathered in the same place… they're set in a restricted zone where they seek each other out and blade for points. Players with the lowest points at the end of the week are eliminated. You pick your opponents rather than having them chosen for you. Much easier for more tactical bladers to fight and win, wouldn't you say?"
"Why haven't I heard of it?"
"It's very hush-hush… no one's getting the invitations until tomorrow so no one knows about it. I took the liberty of intercepting yours by the way. I knew you'd be in Russia, not Japan, when they were coming out."
She eyed him as she snatched the paper from his hand. "How sweet," she drawled, examining the file and the paper in her hand. "But I don't believe you'd go to all of this trouble just to win a tournament. What's in winning for you?"
"That's nothing you should be concerned about. The prize will be well-worth the effort."
"If this isn't BBA sponsored then very few, if any at all, of the normal teams will be there. Some might be stronger. How can you be so sure that Kaosu will be able to take them on? I must admit that I'm not quite up to par… it's been a while since my last match."
"He'll be
ready for them… that is… if you trust me enough to let me modify him."
Vega scowled. "Trust you?
All of the money in the world wouldn't help you to buy my trust… but
what choice do I have?"
Boris smirked as she removed the blade from her coat pocket and sat it on the desk in front of him. Kaosu's chip glowed violently for a moment and then faded.
Mistress, is this wise?
No, but what choice do I have?
Kaosu did not seem to agree but he allowed the man to pick his blade up and tuck him away in his pocket.
"When will I get him back?"
"You won't be long without him, I promise."