Disclaimer: Still don't own em. Not yet anyway. . .
A/N: Really not that much to say. Thanks to all for your great reviews, despite the fact I can't respond to them. I never thought this story would be as popular as it is. Thanks! Now, we left with Red X and Terra finding their home is being invaded, right? Well, then, let's go!
Chapter Seven: Betrayal
"Zeta Maneuver!" Jinx cried to her only remaining teammates. Without question, Mammoth and Gizmo zoomed in, following the former HIVE technique. As Jinx blinded the enemies with a pink blast of light, Mammoth took down all the foes on the left, while Gizmo blasted the right with missiles.
The three were doing their best to drive out the hundred robots that were gradually making their way into the school. The robots looked like huge men in white uniforms, all wearing steel masks. They were armed with various types of weapons, but all of them were armed with Zinothium.
"There's too many!" Mammoth cried, punching another robot through the face. On his other side gizmo fired a powerful laser and ripped ten robots apart.
"Doesn't matter!" Jinx called back, blasting another nearby robot. The Zinothium tank on its back exploded, covering he three behind it as well. "Just keep 'em back! Terra and X will be here soon!"
"Wrong!" came a distant voice. As everyone turned to look, a giant boulder burs through the doorway, destroying several robots in the process. Terra appeared behind it and opened up a fissure that swallowed a good ten robots whole.
"We're here!" X cried, throwing a dozen razor sharp X-blades that proceeded to rip apart some nearby robots. Another robot cam up behind him with a special staff. The staff had two red balls on either side, holding Zinothium. The robot struck X, causing the hero to scream in pain.
"Get away from him!" Terra cried, her eyes glowing yellow. As her hands rose up into the air, so did the earth itself. A great stalagmite rose up, impaling the robot through the torso.
Red X stood up and jumped over to where the other three were, thanking Terra along the way. As he ran, he drew a special liquid X. Throwing it, he managed to snag four different robots with each of the four points of the X. The four robots were grabbed, and pulled in at the same tiem. An explosion followed as four robots were thrust into each other.
A few rogue robots drew up and surrounded the three former HIVE students ad Terra and Red X held their own in another part of the school. A few robots drew their guns and fired. Mammoth and Jinx cried in pain as the red lasers struck them down. Gizmo merely shielded himself without thinking twice.
"Gizmo!" Mammoth cried, looking up at his friend. To his dismay, Gizmo didn't even look twice. The young boy fired an array of missiles, destroying the robots that surrounded them, but also hurting Mammoth in the process.
"We've got to help the others!" Red X cried to Terra as he punched another robot's face in. The robot fell to the ground and exploded in a blast of Zinothium. "Where did he get that...?" Red X wondered out loud. He recognized these robots...from where, he didn't know.
"I'm on it!" Terra cried, lifting both her and X into the air on a floating rock. She sped through the school, trying to find their friends. They were frightened by what they finally found. Their three friends were in the gym, fighting for their lives. Dozens of robots were flooding in from everywhere.
Mammoth was on the ground, completely unconscious, and bleeding everywhere. Jinx was still hodlding her won, but bleeding heavily. One arm was limp. Gizmo was the only one unharmed. It looked like the young man had gone mad, firing missiles in every direction possible. He was going to bring the whole school down!
"I don't know how you guys got in," Red X said cocky, "but I know how you're getting out!" Saying this, Red X pulled out a very special X. Throwing the giant metal X in the air, he grabbed Terra quickly. Pushing the button on his chest, he activated his teleportation. The two disappeared.
The X finally landed. And did nothing. The robots crowded around it, scanning for any danger. That's when they heard the ticking. Without any time to move, the robots cried out as the X exploded. The room filled with Zinothium fire, lighting the robots packs. As Red X and Terra returned, they found the gym empty of robots.
"Good idea!" Jinx cried, rushing over to them. She had hidden in the locker room after seeing the bomb. Gizmo had merely turned on his shield generator.
"I think we got them all," Terra said, glad.
"Not quite," Gizmo said, walking over to them on his spider legs. "Scanner says about fifty more in the front lobby."
"Right," Red X said. "Leave Mammoth for now, we'll have to help him later." Turning towards the exit of the gym, he pointed and cried "Reforms! GO!"
At once, all four of the remaining Reforms sped off down the hall. Gizmo flew with his bat wings while Terra gave Jinx a lift on a floating rock. Red X merely teleported. They entered the lobby to find that Gizmo was right. A new group of robots was just arriving.
"REFORMS, GO!" Red X cried, pushing a button on his belt. As he did this, the turned his entire body invisible, even to the robots. As the robots looked around, they heard a metallic SNIT sound. Red X had drawn two large metal X's to use as hand blades. The invisible leader then proceeded to slash apart robot after robot.
Terra rose up in the air on a great pillar of rock. Rising up as far as she could, she broke the pillar apart into many apices of solid rock. Floating on the top segment, she fired the rest at the robots. The rocks ground the robots into dust, and knocked them apart.
Jinx was probably struggling the most. Her one arm was now useless, and she was now firing all her energy out of the one arm. It blasted apart robot after robot, but she was slowing down. She spun and twirled, helping the robots destroy each other as she tried to catch her breath. She knew she couldn't keep this up much longer.
"Gizmo!" Jinx cried, looking over at her friend. The boy was now blasting everything he had everywhere, not caring who or what he struck. A line of blood ran down his forehead. Lasers, missiles, even smoke bombs were being thrown in a mad attempt top stop the robots. He was out of it. Or so Jinx thought.
As Jinx tried to contact Gizmo again, she was grabbed from behind by a large group of robots. One of them fired a Zinothium ray at her, rendering her powerless and burned. She panted for breath as she struggled to remain awake.
"Gizmo...help..." she panted, looked up at him. Gizmo finally stopped blasting and looked over at her. And then the most frightening thing Jinx had ever seen happened. Despite the current predicament, Gizmo grinned. He grinned!
"Why should I?" he asked, approaching on his spider legs. "After all, everything is going according to plan!" Before Jinx could even gasp in horror, Gizmo electrocuted her with a taser. She screamed out in pain, and then slipped into unconsciousness.
"Gizmo, what are you doing!" Red X cried in disbelief.
"Exactly what I planned to do from the start," Gizmo said with a grin. Typing into his control panel, the robots suddenly turned towards Terra and X.
"You...you betrayed us," Red X said, not believing what he was hearing. "You're the one controlling the robots. You've been deceiving us the whole time!"
"No, not me," Gizmo said, grinning even wider. "US!"
"Us?" Red X asked. Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror. Terra walked over to Gizmo and stood beside him. Her head was down, and it looked like she was crying.
"Terra...no..." Red X mumbled under his breath. He couldn't believe it. The girl he had loved, the one person he felt comfortable around...and she was a criminal. "How long?"
"Since we arrived," Gizmo said, smiling like a maniac. Terra was still sniffling slightly. "Did you actually think you could change her? She is, and always will be, a traitor."
"X..." Terra said, looking up. Her eyes were tearing, and looked blood shot. "I'm so sorry...he said he would kill you if I didn't..."
"Who did? Who are you working for!" Red X cried. Two of his teammates had just betrayed him, and he wanted to know why! Especially since he loved one. . .
"Actually," came a voice behind him. "That would be me."
As Red X turned around, he was blasted by another ray of Zinothium. The red element sucked his energy away, and he fell to his knees. He breathed hard as he looked up at his enemy.
Prof. Chang.
"It's been a while, bad boy," Chang said, leaning in close to him. "Did you really think you could just start a team here, right under my nose? Not gonna happen." Chang grinned. "Especially once my little plan unfolds. Not even your girlfriend will be able to stop me!"
"Chang..." Red X growled, looking up at his rival. "I will kill you..."
"Oh no no no," Chang said, tsking him with his finger. "I don't believe you will. That is...unless you want the pretty girl to die..." He pointed over to Terra, who was now crying openly.
"Gizmo, Terra," Chang commanded. "Get back to base. We will proceed with the plan."
"As you wish," Gizmo said, walking out of the building with his spider legs. The robots filled out after him in three single file lines. There were only about twenty left.
"Why?" Red X growled softly, looking up at the scientist.
"Why?" he repeated, looking down at the fallen hero. "Because you are the only thing in my way. And now that you are gone...my plan is unstoppable! Prepare to see a new Chang soon! Leader of Cactus City!"
"You're mad!" X growled.
"Probably," Chang said, laughing like a maniac. "But I guess we'll determine that later, now won't we?" Chang looked back to see Terra hadn't left yet. The girl was crying softly, staring at Red X, laying on the ground.
"Terra?" Chang said. She looked up at him. Chang grinned evilly. "Would you mind doing the honors?" As he said this, five remaining robots dumped the limp bodies of Jinx and Mammoth next to Red X.
"As you wish...master..." Terra said, sobbing. She lifted up her hands, her eyes glowing yellow. She looked at Red X one final time.
"Terra, you don't have to do this..." Red X said, looking up at her.
"Yes...I do..." Terra said, looking away.
"Terra..." Red X said, his voice cracking slightly. "I love you..."
"I know," Terra said. With that, she closed her fists together. As she did so, a huge fissure opened up, swallowing the three friends. Terra listened to the three fall as she closed the gap up. She felt herself begin to cry again.
"Terra!" Chang commanded. She looked up slightly. "Come, we must go."
"Yes, Master Chang," Terra said, taking one last look at the crack in the ground. Seeing something, she picked it up. It was an X-blade, one of the razor sharp ones that X used to throw. Feeling it, Terra accidentally cut herself on the sharp blade. She felt the tears return. He was gone. . .
"Terra, now!" Chang commanded.
"As you wish."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX Under the Surface XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"We're alive..." Mammoth said, shaking his head. "But why...?"
"Because Terra didn't want to kill us," Red X mumbled.
"How can you say that?" Jinx asked, mad. "She betrayed us! Just like that little twerp..."
"We're alive, aren't we!" Red X shouted. The other two shrunk back. "Whether by mistake or not, we're all alive. And that means...we can still fight."
He took a deep breath and grabbed the back of his mask. He ripped it from his face, making both Mammoth and Jinx gasp. What they saw was both mysterious and frightening. Their leader stood before them, completely unmasked.
Red X stood, his mask off completely. His tanned, Hispanic skin was bleeding and sweating heavily. Blood dripped from the gold tooth in his mouth. A painful scar traveled up from his cheek across the side of his face, just missing his eye. Messy black hair covered the top of his head
He spoke in his accent. "And as long as we can fight, we will." He growled softly as his two teammates stared back in fear. "Even if it means we have to take them down."
A/N: Betcha five bucks you guys weren't expecting that! Am I good at plot-twisting or what? Seven chapters down, two to go, guys! Next chapter is the return of the Reforms, and the final battle begins! The countdown has begun, dudes!
Review away!
PEACE OUT!