AN: So here it is.. the next chappy ^^ Hope you guys like it.. no really big surprises this chapter.. maybe the next one but ehn.. hehe R+R =)
Oh and I was told to recommend 'Drops of Silver' by ShadyKai.. its cute =)
The four teenagers ran until they couldn't run anymore. Darkness had long fallen over the unwelcoming streets of Moscow. The streets were all but deserted, and not a soul was seen for blocks in certain sections. The whole city, the whole world it seemed, feared Biovolt's penalties for being out past dark. However, the small band of fugitives didn't really have a choice. It was run and hide in shadows or be caught. It was simple survival.
Liika was slowing down considerably. The pain between her legs was becoming sharper and the cuts that littered her body were beginning to bleed slightly, each providing their own stabbing pain. The bite marks in her neck, marks that symbolized possession, burned like brands. She was tired, but she couldn't stop, she would never stop running.
Stumbling, she struggled to regain her balance before she fell face first into the concrete. However, it was unnecessary as strong arms wrapped around her waist and caught her before she could hurt herself further.
Kai's auburn eyes narrowed slightly and flickered around them. Here was as good a spot as any to stop and rest. They were just passing a narrow, dark alley, filled with crates and garbage bins. They would be difficult to spot in the darkness. "We rest here." He hissed, setting Liika on her feet. He could tell the running was taking a toll on her already abused body.
Oliver and Enrique stopped running and looked back at the tall blue haired Bladebreaker captain. Enrique's stormy eyes watched the shadows around them anxiously. "Are you sure it's safe Kai?" He asked apprehensively, a frown marring his blond brow.
"We don't have a choice." Oliver said softly, taking a good look at Liika, who sagged -wincing in pain, from Kai's arms. He stepped back over to the two teens, laying his hand gently on the top of Liika's head. "I have a bit of first aid training, let's see what we can do hm?"
Kai jerked his head in a nod and turned to set Liika on one of the over turned crates. Liika chose that moment to rouse herself out of her daze and shook her head, pushing Kai away. "We ca-can't stop, they'll catch us. Don't worry about me…I'm fine." She stated stubbornly, trying to pull herself to her feet, but wobbling dangerously as she did so.
"Don't be stupid wench, you can barely move. We're safe for now." Kai replied, pushing her back down onto the crate with a glare that read 'stay there or I'll tie you there'. "Besides, I have a few questions for you."
Liika sighed tiredly, knowing that there was no way she was going to get them to believe that she was perfectly fine when it was obviously clear that she was not. Everything ached and burned and she wanted to die. But she couldn't…not until she atoned for her failure. "Such as?" she mumbled, leaning her head against the brick wall behind her. Oliver started to flutter around her, checking the various wounds her body was inflicted with.
Kai's eyes softened slightly as Oliver poked a rather sensitive spot and Liika flinched. He sighed, raking a hand through his unruly slate bangs. Deciding that he should go about his interrogation gently, he smoothed some of the roughness out of his voice. "First of all, what was Ian talking about when he said you stole something very precious to their 'Lord'?" Kai winced slightly, that came out harsher than he had wanted.
Liika's eyes closed and she let out another large sigh. Then reaching into one of the side pockets in her borrowed cargo pants she felt around for the small object that had been nothing but trouble since it came into their lives. Her searching fingers came in contact with a small, smooth, padded envelope but ignored it and continued into the depths of the pocket, finally finding what she was searching for. "Hold out your hand…" She whispered, pulling her hand and the object from her pocket.
A slate eyebrow rose, but Kai did as was requested and held out one of his large, callused hands. Slowly, Liika's hand came up and covered his outstretched one and dropped something small, cool and metallic into his palm. Kai's eye's widened dramatically as he pulled his hand back and caught sight of the shiny black bit that held the Black Dranzer insignia on the top. He stared at it for minutes, merely blinking in shock. "Yo-you…you stole Black Dranzer…?" His stunned voice murmured huskily, still staring at the bit.
Liika watched him with hooded turquoise eyes. She was starting to get drowsy, but she knew she couldn't fall asleep, no matter how badly she wanted to. "It was lying on the floor…under…his clothes." She shrugged, wincing, "I was already wanted, why not add one more thing?"
"You shouldn't have taken it." Kai muttered, frowning down at her, finally taking his eyes off the bit. "They'll never stop hunting you now."
She snorted, shifting over so that Oliver could sit beside her. As soon as he did she leaned over and leaned her head against his shoulder. "As soon as I stepped from the Abbey gates I ensured they would never stop hunting me…Black Dranzer or not." She replied tiredly.
Enrique frowned in confusion. "But why? If you didn't steal Black Dranzer then you would merely be another fugitive like the rest of us."
At this Liika laughed, a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "If it were only that simple…" She said softly, but with a clear sarcastic edge.
Enrique looked even more confused. He tossed a questioning look at Oliver who sighed, shaking his head, making it clear he didn't understand either. Kai closed his eyes, pocketing the small bit. "As much as I want to disagree, I can't. Liika is right, it's clear now that whether or not she took Black Dranzer is irrelevant to the Demolition Boys. They hunt her, and therefore us." He spoke quietly taking a seat on the concrete in front and of to the side of the crate Liika and Oliver were perched on, leaning back against the garbage bin behind him.
Enrique soon plopped himself down on Oliver's other side, grumbling. "I still don't understand."
Liika sighed. "The moment Bry-he…took me… he claimed me…" She choked, swallowing down the bile that threatened to erupt from the back of her throat.
"In his own mind Bryan believes Liika is his property and therefore will never stop trying to reclaim his 'lost' property." Kai finished, reaching behind him and taking her hand in his own and squeezing it briefly before dropping it again. "Bryan is, if nothing else, extremely possessive."
They fell silent then, each resting their weary bodies. They all hoped it would be over soon, or at least over to a point where they didn't have to fear for their lives because of running into the Demolition Boys. But that meant escaping Moscow and Russia and none of them were even sure how they were going to accomplish that. After about ten minutes of silence, Enrique couldn't take anymore and so turned his head to Kai. "You said you had questions… as in more than one. What were the other ones?"
Kai's eyes cracked open and shifted to the blond that sat mere feet to his right. He sighed, running a hand over his eyes. "I wanted to know how Liika got free in the first place. However, it can wait, we all need a bit of rest."
"Hey, actually I want to know too. Why not tell us now Ika? Since we're sitting here anyway." Enrique asked, craning his neck to look up at Oliver and Liika. It was clear he was growing bored, even if it was just a short break from the running for their life. Enrique had a nervous energy about him and it made it difficult for him to sit still.
"I had help." Was her only reply. She didn't even open her eyes, nor move her head.
Silence ensued. Enrique wasn't really satisfied with the answer but he didn't want to press her for fear of upsetting her. " Who?" Kai demanded after a few moments, his head turning slightly.
"I can't tell you that…."
"Why…?" Liika whispered to the tall figure in front of her, as they sped across the large Abbey courtyard to the gate. "Why are you helping me?"
Spencer turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder at the tiny Bladebreaker. His crimson eyes, the only things showing from under his hood, reflected traces of empathy and pity. "My reasons are my own." He stated quietly, taking a firm hold on her arm.
They soon reached the gate and Spencer pulled Liika to a stop. He peered around, watching for returning soldiers. As soon as he saw it was clear he released her arm and reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, but bulky envelope. "Do not open this until after midnight tonight, and only after you have shed the cloak." He shoved the envelope into her hands. "Now go, dawn approaches and soldiers will flood the streets soon. Go to the 1500 block south of Red Square, your friends were seen heading in that direction. Tell no one of me." With that he spun on his heels and melted into the shadows that cloaked the Abbey courtyard.
"Liika? Are you ok??" Oliver whispered, shaking her. He frowned worriedly. She had just zoned out suddenly.
"Huh? Oh sorry…" Liika murmured, blinking her eyes open and casting apologetic looks at the three boys that surrounded her. Her hand reached down and ran over the envelope in her pocket…not until midnight.
Kai was on his knees in front of her, glaring. "Why can't you tell us who helped you escape?" He demanded, eyes flaming.
She sighed, falling forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she did so. "I'm sorry Kai, but I swore I wouldn't reveal their identity. He saved my life…it's the least I could do." She said softly into his ear.
Kai stiffened, his hands moving to her waist of their own volition to stop her from falling completely off the crate. He caught the gender reference and wondered at it. It didn't really help as most of the Abbey's occupants were males, except servants, and even some of them were male. He could feel her breath on his neck evening out and could tell she was on the verge of falling asleep. "Fine. But tell me how…they helped you escape." Better not to let her knew he knew her rescuer's gender.
"Drugs…they…stuck him in the back of the neck…" She whispered in reply before falling unconscious against Kai's shoulder, her dead weight leaning on his body.
He sighed, shifting her so he could stand and sit in her vacated place with her perched vicariously in his lap. Kai could feel the other two's eyes on him and merely grunted. "Keep on alert. We'll rest for an hour before heading to Red Square."
Oliver and Enrique nodded and relaxed slightly, ever on guard against someone in the shadows.
Johnny frowned at the cell phone in his hand, pushing the 'end' button. He'd never admit it, but he was starting to worry. He hadn't been able to get a hold of Robert, who always had his cell phone on. The fact that the tall captain hadn't answered did not bode well. It meant one of two things. Either he had been captured, or he lost it. In either case, it was annoying. He scowled, the only thing he could do now was try one of his other teammates, who were a lot less reliable when it came to communication devices.
"Did you get a hold of him?" A troubled Max asked, peering up at Johnny from his seat on the ground. Emily was curled up beside him, her head in his lap, napping lightly.
"No. His cell phone's not on." Johnny replied, struggling not to snap. Getting angry and frustrated would do nothing in this situation.
"Why don't you try like, Oliver's?" Tyson perked up from his position beside Max.
Johnny rolled his eyes. "What did you think I was going to do dolt?" This time he did snap. Tyson really grated on his nerves.
Tyson muttered under his breath, but didn't reply directly. He didn't have the energy to fight the Scottish nobleman. His only available energy was focusing on worrying about the two members of his team that were not with him…The two that could, in all possibilities, be at the Abbey, being tortured. He winced at the idea, tears welling in his eyes. He had almost lost Kai once to that horrible place, now he was going to lose both him and Liika.
"Oliver?? Thank you god! Where are you?!"
The three boy's jumped as a sudden obnoxious jingle rang through the silence, disturbing the quiet atmosphere. Oliver groped at his belt as Kai glared at him, his gaze threatening to do bodily harm. Enrique glanced around them nervously to see if anyone had heard the cell phone right.
"He-hello?" Oliver said cautiously, bringing the phone to his ear.
"Oliver?? Thank you god! Where are you?!"
Oliver winced at Johnny's loud demands, pulling the phone away slightly. He glanced at Enrique, and Kai who was carrying Liika. The four were travelling quickly through alleys and back drives to Red Square as it was only a half hour before midnight.
"Hush Johnny, not so loud. Unless you want us to be caught." Oliver hissed, eyes glancing around him nervously.
"Sorry. But seriously, where are you? And who's with you?"
The green haired boy sighed, quickening his pace to match Kai's, who was leading them. It was amazing how much stamina the teen had. He had been going for almost twenty-four hours but still found the strength to run… and with Liika's added weight to boot. "We're on the back streets. Enrique, Kai and Liika are with me." He finally answered.
An impatient grunt was heard from the other line. "Moscow you mean? Damn, you're in one hell of a lot of trouble if your still there. Wait…Kai and Liika? You mean those two actually made it out of the Abbey?!"
"It's a long story Johnny, one we will tell you when on a secure line. They will be tracking our lines soon. Where are you and who are you with?"
"The AllStars –minus that black kid- Tyson, Max and Kenny. Oh and one of the weird looking cat ones. Ow! Fine then, Lee! We're in…Switzerland, thankfully, still a neutral country. We took the AllStar's private jet. What fun that was."
Oliver made a noise of affirmation. "Anyone hurt?"
"Nope. We got out relatively easily…it was strange, because even though we were being chased, it was like they weren't really trying to catch us. Almost if they were distracted."
"That's because they weren't. They were looking for us…or rather Liika. All part of the story I don't have time to tell you now. I have to go, they'll be catching the signal soon."
"Wait! Have you seen or heard from Robert? He's not answering his phone."
"We're on our way to meet him and a small group he's leading. He lost it in the initial scuffle."
"Ahh…ok then. Bye then…ack!"
The green haired boy, blinked, hearing a scuffle on the other end of the phone. "Johnny? Are you ok?"
"Where is Mariah?!" A voice demanded harshly. "Is she ok?? And what of Kevin, Gary and Rei?!"
Oliver sighed. "Mariah is fine, she is with Robert, Rei and Kevin, we're on our way to meet them." He faintly recognized the voice of the White Tiger captain.
"And Gary??"
"I don't know what happened to your friend Gary…I haven't seen him."
"Tell him he's been captured." Kai interrupted, shooting Oliver a look.
"Kai says he's been captured."
A suffering sigh was heard. "Thank you. Goodbye." With that a click ended the call.
Oliver pressed the end button and went to put the phone back in his belt. Kai, however, had other plans. He turned his head and nodded at the phone. "Get rid of it. They've more than likely put a tracer on it."
The French teen nodded and tossed the phone against a brick wall as they travelled down a deserted street a few blocks from Red Square.
Liika stirred to consciousness slowly. Her head throbbed in pain, along with just about everything else. She cursed mentally, cracking her eyes open. She found herself draped over the broad shoulders of Robert, her knees tucked neatly at his sides, his arms hooked through them. She looked around them. They were walking through a park, into the deepest part of it. The voices of her companions surrounded her, filtering into her hazy mind. Idly, she wondered what time it was.
"Is it really a good idea to be going into this dark place? I mean…who knows what kind of things live in this forest!" Enrique whined, shuddering slightly.
Kai sighed, throwing the blond a glare. "It's the middle of the city! Nothing besides racoons and maybe the odd coyote live here. And yes it is a good idea. This forest will shelter us through the day, we'll decide where to go later tonight."
This caused Liika to come full awake. Lifting her head from Robert's shoulder she said, rather quietly, "What time is it??"
The group stopped upon realizing she was awake. Kai spun on his heels and was at Robert's side in moments. He frowned, eyes running over her bruised face, hand feeling her forehead, his frown grew. "You have a bit of a fever. Not much, but a bit. You should go back to sleep." He stated flatly.
Liika shook her head. She tapped Robert on the shoulder and signalled him to let her down. He did so slowly. "What time is it?" She repeated, looked at Kai.
He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's about quarter after one, why?"
She nodded, suddenly remembering the envelope Spencer had given her, as well as its instructions. Reaching down into her pocket she pulled the bulging envelope out and looked it over warily.
"What's that?" Mariah asked, stepping beside her. She eyed the envelope curiously over Liika's shoulder.
"I'm not sure." Liika replied. "Someone gave it to me."
"Who?"
"I can't tell you."
Kai narrowed his eyes, the wheels in his mind turning. Obviously the person who helped her escape also gave her the envelope.
Liika tore at the seal then peered inside. Inside was a bunch of small, orange, squares of paper, held together with elastic, beside them was a folded piece of white paper, she pulled this out first. She quickly unfolded the letter and scanned its contents.
"Bladebreaker –Liika,
If you are reading this then you have made it safely away from this disgusting place and back to your friends. Before I go any further in this letter I want you do to something for me. As soon as you are finished reading this burn it. I can't have anyone tracing anything back to me…not if I want my plan to work.
In this envelope are fifteen train tickets for the 2 am train to Borky, Ukraine. This country has been extremely cooperative with the Biovolt take over, but are regarded as nothing more than a source of food to Voltair. You should be safe there for at least a few days. My advice to you is to head south to Egypt, the desert is a very good hiding place.
Also enclosed in this envelope is a contact number for me. Only I have access to this line and to any messages left on it. Even though this is true, be discreet. Never leave your name, or any mention of who you are. Your name to me is now Byakko, or white fox. You may refer to me as Sergei.
I will act as an informant. Check back with me periodically and I will tell you what is going on. Do not ever tell me where you are, for if I am caught I cannot promise my silence. I have, as you have, witnessed the many types of torture Biovolt is capable of.
Know you can trust me, and stay safe. I will try with all I am to help you and your cause. Start a resistance. Those are my instructions. I will send aid to Borky. Contact me at dawn on the second day and I will tell you where. Good luck.
One on this inside."
Liika's eyebrows furrowed over her eyes. To trust him, or not to trust him? He did save her life and that should be enough to convince her. He drugged his teammate and betrayed his lord, but why? Why the instructions to start a resistance against him? She didn't understand, but decided that it would be best to trust him. After all, if he were really out to trick her, he would have done so before now. Letting her loose just to capture her again in a trap would be stupid.
The same thoughts were running through Kai's head. He read the letter over Liika's other shoulder, and the name stuck in his head. So, Spencer was the one that helped her escape, but why? Why would he risk his life to save his enemy? Kai was suspicious. He knew the taller Russian boy, not just from his short stint in the Demolition Boys, but he also knew him from their academy days. He frowned. Spencer was always quiet and kept to himself so it was hard to tell just what was going on in his head. Or maybe it was just the fact that Kai, himself had been so introverted that he never saw what the tall boy really was. Kai's only question was how Spencer's inner goodness stayed protected from the horrible atmosphere and brainwashing of the Abbey.
"Who's Sergei?" Mariah asked, tilting her head to the side.
Her question snapped Liika back to reality and she quickly folded the paper back up. "Enrique, you wouldn't happen to have a lighter on you would you?" She asked, looking at the blond boy.
Enrique shook his head. "Sorry, can't say that I do."
"Well I can, here you go Liika." Kevin spoke up, pulling a small zippo lighter from his pocket and handing it to her.
Liika thanked him quietly and flipped open the lid, lighting the piece of paper on fire. The rest of the group –minus Mariah and Kai- jumped back and yelped a bit.
"What are you doing Ika??" Rei demanded, staring at the now burning paper she had just dropped to the ground.
"The letter can't be found, so I'm burning it." Liika replied simply, shrugging. Rei shook his head.
"What did it say?" Oliver questioned, frowning at her.
Liika stopped staring at the small flames and looked up, finally noticing the worried faces around her. "It was from the person that saved me. They gave train tickets to Borky in Ukraine. We have to go now, our train leaves in forty-five minutes." She explained, looking at each of them.
"How do we know we can trust this person?" asked Robert, his logical mind suspicious.
"We can."
The group turned stunned eyes to Kai who was standing beside Liika with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed in thought. Liika brought her wide eyes to meet his in a silent question. He inclined his head. "I know." Was all he said before turning on his heel and heading in the direction they had come from. "The train station is about five blocks from here. If we hurry we can get to it in time."