Okay, I feel like such a moron! I NEVER NOTICED THAT I HAD BEEN SAYING TYSON'S EYES WERE BROWN WHEN THEY'RE REALLY BLUE THIS ENTIRE TIME until Kenren19 pointed it out. Thanks a ton for telling me. Sheesh, I can't believe I never noticed. o.O Also, I'd like to thank JadesRose for reviewing every single chapter (minus chapter five, but that's okay) in one go! ^_^ I'm so happy I have a new reader. Thank you! And for the rest of you, I love you. *bows*

Oh yeah, a lot of you are wondering about whether Max is going to make an appearance. He will eventually be in it, but his role isn't going to be exceptionally huge. But he will have a part! I'll try to remember to let you know a chapter before he shows up. ^_^ Enjoy.

Chapter Twelve

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When Kai awoke, he found himself on a bed in an average-sized, unfamiliar bedroom. His eyes took a moment to focus on his surroundings, and he blinked slowly. With a pained grunt, he pushed himself upright, and then gently held his head. Dizziness swarmed his vision, and he kept still for a second until it passed.

The crisp, white sheets had slipped down when he had sat up, and he suddenly realized he was shirtless. Someone had bandaged his shoulder, and it had stopped bleeding. He was still feeling the effects of the tranquilizer, but as the minutes crept by, his mind was getting clearer, his thoughts sharper. He cast his gaze around the room. There was a small table beside his bed with a matching chair pushed neatly underneath. Draped across the chair was a clean white shirt. Kai reached for it, and absently wondered where his bloodstained one was. Probably in an incinerator.

Pulling the shirt on, he eased out of bed. With no small amount of difficulty, he managed to get the shirt on without hurting his already painfully throbbing shoulder further. He stood slowly, and when he was sure he wasn't going to keel over, he ventured over to the small bathroom to the right of the door. Stumbling inside, he flicked up the light switch, and the room was filled with luminosity. A mirror threw his reflection back at him, and Kai brushed his bangs away from his gray eyes. He left the lavatory quickly, and sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

He was worried about Wyatt. He had no idea where they had taken him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and went to the door. Upon opening it, he discovered there was a guard loitering outside of it.

"I'm under strict orders from Boris to bring you to the lab as soon as you are able," he said, straightening and looking more alert. Kai blew out his breath.

"I don't give a damn. Where's Wyatt?"

"Come with me." The guard looked him in the eyes. "We can do this easily, or…" He rested a hand on his gun, while the other twirled around a pair of metal handcuffs. "We can do this the hard way."

Kai's face remained impassive. He was stubborn, he knew, but he was also well aware of the fact that he was not stupid. He shrugged resignedly. "Lead the way."

"'Atta boy."

They walked in agreeable silence. Kai blinked nervously, wondering what was awaiting him. Their dark shadows danced on the walls, and he absently thought about what time it was. Past nightfall, he guessed. Kai closed his eyes briefly. He knew that Tyson would have come by his dorm at eight, and he wondered what he had made of his and Wyatt's absence. It wouldn't be too hard to come up with a reasonable solution; he also knew he had left quite a bit of blood on the carpet.

The guard stopped, and Kai snapped out of his reverie.

"I have to handcuff you here," he said, holding out the cuffs. Kai raised an eyebrow in question.

"Why?"

"Boris's orders. I suppose he doesn't want you messing anything up, or trying to make a break for it." He stepped up closer to Kai, and paused. "Boris mentioned something about an injury?"

Kai snorted. "That maniac took a shot at me."

"Where?"

Kai gestured to his shoulder. The guard nodded.

"I'll cuff your hands in front of you, then. Less painful," he added. Kai sighed, and held out his wrists. The guard snapped the cold, metal cuffs in place, and then led him to a door marked simply with 'Lab.' He opened it and they both stepped inside.

The room was very spacious, and filled with computers, electronics, and various other whirring devices. Kai swept his gaze further, and saw strange, cylinder shaped glass containers big enough to hold a person. They rested on an electronic base complete with dozens of buttons and gadgets. He felt his apprehension grow.

"I see you made it with no casualties," Boris chimed pleasantly from his wheelchair. Kai looked over at him, and then felt a surge of surprise when he saw a familiar redhead leaning against a wall a few feet away, arms lazily crossed, looking quite bored. Kai hadn't seen Tala in years. He hadn't changed much, except that he'd grown. If he remembered correctly, Tala was twenty by now, the same age as him. Kai's eyes narrowed, and he wondered just whose side Tala was on.

Tala's sky blue eyes lifted, and he looked slightly startled to see Kai glaring at him. He glared right back with a "what-the-hell-did-I-do-to-piss-you-off-now?" look. Kai looked away, muttering under his breath. Another door opened, and a much rougher guard appeared, shoving Wyatt into the room. The brown-haired boy whimpered.

"Wyatt!" Kai lunged forward, only to be stopped by the guard who had never left his side as he yanked him backwards painfully by his shoulder. Kai fell to his knees. Wyatt looked up.

"Kai!" he yelled. The guard growled, and told him to harshly shut up while shoving him again. Wyatt stumbled, and Kai felt rage boiling inside of him at the harsh treatment of his friend. Tala's eyes followed idly, but he never left his place by the wall. Kai felt like slapping him. 

"Don't touch him," Kai ground out, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. Wyatt's eyes locked with his, sending him a frightened look. Kai bit his lip. Boris cleared his throat.

"Welcome to my lab," he said, lacing his fingers together. Tala yawned widely. Boris gestured at Kai's guard, and he pulled Kai to his feet and led him toward Boris. They stopped a few feet in front of his wheelchair. Kai looked at him darkly.

"I'm going to offer you a proposal, Kai," Boris continued. "Join us. You can become the president of this company, and oversee the making of our cyber bit-beasts, which will make us the most powerful people on this planet. You'll be rich and dominant over us all. What more could you ask for?"

"I've told you a million times, I'm not going to join you," Kai spat. "Why can't you get that through your head?"

Boris sat back and sighed. "I didn't want it to come to this, really. But you've simply left me with no choice."

Kai cocked his head slightly, and saw Tala look away. Boris went on.

"Over the years, we've had some of the most influential scientists come our way. We also had this problem on our hands: you are the only one who can control the cyber bit-beast of Black Dranzer, our most powerful one, and you simply won't cooperate. So, we've come up with a solution." Boris steered over to the cylindrical machines Kai had been looking at first. "We've found a way to make another copy of any given human."

Kai's stomach lurched. "You're going to make another me?"

Boris gave him a sinister smile. "In layman's terms, yes, we're going to make another you. It's an extensive process, though, it takes quite a while."

Kai shook his head. "You can't do that. It's not so simple to play God."

"And we're well aware of that. There's one slight problem, though. If you're not strong enough to take it, it eventually kills you."

Wyatt made a panicky noise, and Kai growled. "Just how do you think you're going to go about doing this? I'm not exactly the most willing guy around." 

Boris smiled again, and gestured toward Wyatt and the rough guard. The guard smirked, and pushed Wyatt hard towards them. Wyatt yelped, and stumbled again, and Kai broke into a run to him.

"Would you stop shoving him, you brainless moron?" Kai yelled. Wyatt clung to Kai's good shoulder, shaking in fear. Kai's guard was beside him in a flash, and Kai turned to him.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" he asked angrily. "He's hurting Wyatt, and I won't stand for that."

"Just be glad that Dan's not your guard," he replied dryly.

"I'd rather him be mine than Wyatt's."

"Kai, I'm okay… really," Wyatt said, putting on a brave face. Kai once again felt like the lowest scum on the earth to have let Wyatt get caught up in all this.

"If you don't cooperate, the pained screams of your little friend will haunt you for the rest of your life," Boris said, arching an eyebrow. "You're a smart boy; I know you can figure out what I'm saying."

Kai's blood froze, but he managed to keep a straight face. He knew that Boris had just called his biggest weakness, and that it was all over.

"Kai, I'm sorry, this is all my fault!" Wyatt cried in dismay. Kai shook his head.

"You're not the one to blame."

"Yes, I am, at least partially. They're making you do whatever they say, and you're going along with it because you don't want me hurt," Wyatt said, sniffling. Kai admitted to himself that what Wyatt said was indeed true, but still, that didn't make him the one at fault. There was no one to blame but Boris, and possibly Voltaire, although Kai hadn't seen hide or hair of him since he had left the prison.

Dan came forward, and yanked Wyatt away. Kai's guard kept a firm grip on Kai to make it impossible for him to physically retaliate, and Kai cursed him mentally. Besides, what possible harm could he do with his hands cuffed?

"Leave him alone!" Kai shouted. Tala finally decided that he'd seen enough, and pushed himself off the wall. Kai's eyes swept over to him, wondering what he was going to do.

"Dan, for fuck's sake, are you trying to kill the kid?" Tala asked, sauntering closer with his arms crossed. "Can't you see he's terrified?"

Dan growled. "Shut your mouth, Tala."

Tala's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Uh, no?"

Boris steered over to them, and Dan immediately straightened, and let his grip on Wyatt loosen. Wyatt was shaking pathetically, and while Dan looked as if he was slightly fearful of Boris, Tala certainly didn't. The redhead brazenly walked over and took Wyatt by the arm, pulling him away from Dan. Kai saw his guard's mouth twitching upwards in an amused smile.

"What's your name?" Kai whispered, looking back at Tala and Wyatt. The guard looked startled.

"Oh, me? It's Sam," he said. Kai nodded faintly, watching Tala intently. Wyatt was still looking fearful, but more curiosity was showing on his face. Kai watched in disbelief as Tala led Wyatt away and looped an arm around his neck loosely.

"You don't have to pay an attention to that idiot, Dan, over there," Tala said loftily. Dan suppressed his rage and held still.

"Oh… okay," Wyatt said timidly. Kai sent Tala a quizzical glance, and Tala infuriatingly ignored him. Kai turned to Sam and demanded that he remove the handcuffs.

"Go ahead," Boris called out. "We'll be running our first test in a minute, anyway."

Tala stopped and turned around. Concern reflected in his eyes. Sam removed the cuffs, and Kai rubbed his wrists gingerly. Wyatt sucked his breath in.

"What are they going to do to him?" he asked fearfully. Tala pressed his lips together in a grimace.

"Damn it," he said softly. Wyatt heard him and looked up, worried for Kai. He tugged on Tala's arm, and he absently looked down at him.

"What?"

"What are they going to do to Kai?" Wyatt repeated, tired of being left in the dark. Tala sighed.

"You see that thing over there?" Tala pointed to the cylindrical machine. "That's where they scan everything about you. If they're going to make another Kai, they have to know everything about him first, like blood type, genetics, blah, blah, the list goes on. That alone is a long process, and takes weeks. You get inside, and you're scanned. The thing is… when they do, you're open to a lot of radiation."

Wyatt paused. "And?" he pressed. Tala shook his head.

"It's different with different people. Sometimes it's too much for a human. It killed two people I used to know."

Wyatt gasped. "But… but then Kai's in danger! You can't let him do that!"

Tala sent him a withering glare. "There's nothing you or I can do about it."

Boris was barking orders to the scientists and lab staff in the room. Sam made sure he was always right next to Kai, watching him closely. Boris had warned him that if he gave him even the tiniest bit of leeway, Kai would succeed in ruining their plans, and Sam did not want to be the one who messed everything up.

Kai, in spite of all that was happening around him, was suddenly struck by the thought that if he didn't make it out alive, he would never see Tyson again. Overwhelmed by sudden sadness, Kai's eyes grew disheartened, and he wished that he could have at least said goodbye before all this insanity started. He didn't want Tyson involved at all, but it hurt him deeply that he might never feel safe in his arms again. Kai took a deep breath, and cursed himself harshly for being so weak.

He was led to the cylindrical machine, and a member of the lab staff had the glass door open. Kai surveyed it without conviction.

"You just get inside, and we'll do the rest," Boris said. "And if you decide you don't want to… well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Isn't that right, Wyatt?" he sneered. Kai glanced at Tala and Wyatt briefly.

Wyatt was shaking. "No! Kai, don't!" he yelled. Tala looked at him in surprise. Kai turned, his expression matching Tala's.

"Wyatt…?"

"No! Kai, you could die!" Wyatt broke free of Tala's hold and ran forward. Boris growled, and Dan stepped forward, a ferocious look on his face. Tala tensed.

"Get him inside," Boris snapped. Before Kai could say or do anything, someone roughly pushed him inside the machine. The door clicked shut behind him. Kai stumbled slightly, and turned. Dan reached Wyatt's side, and grabbed his arm. Wyatt struggled.

"No! Let him out, he could die!" he cried. Dan raised his fist, ready to knock Wyatt's lights out. Kai saw this, and slammed his own fist against the glass in frustration.

"Wyatt!" His voice was muffled through the glass. Sam lithely stepped forward and intercepted Dan's fist. The bigger man's eyes flashed in anger.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Sam pushed Dan and Wyatt apart. Wyatt staggered backwards. Boris growled.

"What is going on with you two?" he demanded. Dan made a gravelly sound in his throat.

"I think Sam likes the kid," Dan sneered. "Defendin' him, an' all."

Sam stood defiantly. "I'm not going to let you beat up on him, Dan. He's a hostage, not your punching bag."

"Or your wife," Tala muttered. Dan growled, and Boris glared at the four of them.

"Have you all forgotten just who is in charge in this room?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. Tala crossed his arms again, and leaned against a wall, looking away from Boris. Wyatt glanced around desperately.

"Please… why do you want to do this to Kai? He could die," Wyatt said pityingly. Boris looked at the brown-haired boy for a moment before turning back to the scientists in waiting to start the test on Kai. Wyatt opened his mouth again, but Sam stopped him.

"Just keep your mouth shut, it's not going to do any good," he informed him softly. Dan mumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms.

"Turn it on," Boris said, sitting back in his wheelchair.

Kai's breathing accelerated. He had heard what Wyatt had said about him being in danger of death, and the dream that he had had that night in Tyson's room suddenly came back to him. He remembered vividly looking Death in the eye, and shuddered. He wasn't ready to die, but what could he do now? He closed his eyes, and felt electrodes taking their place on his temples.

Silver metallic cuffs came from the base, and Kai watched as they snapped around his wrists and ankles. His blood froze, and he remembered the first part of the dream. The thorny rose stems wrapping around him, holding him down… it felt exactly the same. He was fighting panic now, and struggled to keep his composure. The dream was all coming back to him. He could see the flying rose petals, the glinting thorns, and…

The wall.

Kai moaned in mental agony. He could see it clearly. He could see Tyson's soiled body against the filthy wall, he could see the knives encrusted with dried blood cruelly thrust right through him. Kai's chest was heaving in anguish, his eyes seeing something that no one else could.

"What's going on?" Boris asked.

The scientists looked puzzled at the readings they were receiving. "He's having… some kind of visualization. A dream."

"Why?"

"We're not sure. Something must have triggered an image in his mind."

Wyatt was clearly worried, and Tala was watching in curiosity. Boris quickly ran out of patience.

"Well, whatever it is, we don't have time for it. Start the scanning, now!"

Kai's eyes felt moist, and he almost cried. He thought about the first time he had had that dream. Tyson had been there for him. To comfort him. The images were chilling, and he knew that if Tyson were here, everything would be all right.

"Starting, sir," a scientist said. He typed in something and flipped a tiny switch. 

A red light filled the cylinder, and Kai felt static electricity on his skin. He was aware of a buzzing sound. The air felt thick, and reeked of ozone. Tingles ran up and down his body, and he felt his hair rising slightly. The red light saturated every corner, and he shut his eyes.

Wyatt looked at Tala fearfully, and saw the red light mirroring in his sky blue eyes. Sam was watching impassively. Boris's eyes were glowing in cruel ecstasy.

The air was so thick, it was almost suffocating. Kai took in a shallow breath and felt nauseous. The cold metal cuffs were uncomfortable, and his shoulder was protesting loudly. He cracked his eyes open and looked down, discovering that the red light was actually millions of tiny pinpricks of luminosity. They swarmed maddeningly, and Kai felt dizzy. He shut his eyes again in time to miss a bright red laser scan him from top to bottom. 

Tala blew out his breath loudly, and seconds later, the light disappeared and the machine stopped. Wyatt whimpered and fidgeted with his hands.

"First scanning process complete," a scientist said, looking critically at the charts that were flowing out of a machine in sheets. Boris sat back contentedly. Sam left Wyatt and walked over to the machine as a lady scientist opened the door. The cuffs unlocked and Kai slowly stepped out, a slender hand holding onto the side for support. He let out a sigh, and Wyatt came scampering over.

"Kai! Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Wyatt looked into Kai's gray eyes and bit his lip. "Kai…?"

"I'm okay," Kai said, not sounding convincing at all. Wyatt felt tears pooling in his eyes as he watched Sam take a hold of Kai's arm, beginning to lead him out of the lab.

"I just need some rest, that's all…" Kai's soft voice floated back over his shoulder. Sam and Kai walked passed Tala, who was staring at the other side of the room. He didn't turn his head. After the door clicked shut behind them, Tala turned and left the room without a word.

Wyatt felt tears slipping down his cheeks, and he ran his sleeve over his eyes. He sniffled softly and heard Dan's footsteps approaching. The burly man stopped in front of him. 

"Come with me," he said gruffly. Wyatt complied without a word, and they left the room in silence.

* * *

TBC

* * *

Well, I really hate this chapter. I love drama and action and all that fast-paced stuff, but I just can't write it to satisfy myself! But oh, well… the next chapter should make me happier. Hopefully. I guess you can sort of tell if Tala is good or bad in this fic. Next chapter should make his role definite. This chapter is not proofread. Review please?