Disclaimer: To put it simply: don't own it.
A/N: Hello everyone! Heh… sorry about the long (extraordinarily LONG) wait. There are two reasons to thank for that. The first is my busy life (I still haven't finished with university applications and the deadline's so near… Eep!). The second is the chapter. Some important information is given in this chapter and I wanted to get it right. I'm pretty satisfied with the way the chapter turned out so I hope you like it too! Enjoy!
-
Craving Freedom
-
Chapter 9: In the Beginning"Nice little speech, Kai," a drawling voice echoed from the darkness. "Even I would believe it if I didn't know the truth." Voltaire stopped face to face with Kai.
"It's Black Dranzer," growled Kai.
"Sorry. Black Dranzer," Voltaire re-addressed the boy mockingly. "So this is your plan; to turn them against me through lies and deceit. I suppose you were always good at that type of thing. I should know. Too bad for you I followed you. You would have gotten away with it otherwise."
"Bastard! I don't care what's going on between you two, but you shouldn't have killed them," Tyson shouted angrily, tears spilling from his eyes as he threw out his arm to point toward the cell containing the bodies of his two friends. "They didn't deserve it!"
Voltaire began to laugh maliciously. In the confined space of the hallway, his laughter had a hollow, resounding effect. Tyson, Max and Ray cringed. "You're quite mistaken. I never touched your friends. And they are far from being dead."
"Do you have eyes?" Ray said dangerously, his hand still reached out to Hilary.
"Of course I do. It is rather unfortunate that they are not up to talking, presently."
"What are you saying?" Max asked, his voice much lower than usual.
"They are not dead," Voltaire repeated again. "You have their state to blame on Black Dranzer, however. He gave them a sedative that is so effective the person appears to be dead. I noticed a quantity of it missing from our medical supplies in the laboratories. That is when I realized your plan, Black Dranzer, and came here," he spoke now to the boy who so resembled Kai.
Voltaire studied the faces of the four teens. Tyson, Max and Ray seemed confused. Black Dranzer was furious. "Well, now that that has been cleared up, you three should get some sleep. It is getting late and you'll need your rest. Black Dranzer, Kai, come with me. We need to talk," Voltaire commanded. He immediately began to leave and Black Dranzer didn't hesitate to follow. Tyson, Max and Ray were left alone, utterly confounded at what had just taken place. Could either Voltaire or Black Dranzer be trusted? And what about Kai? Was he lost for good? And were Hilary and Kenny still alive like Voltaire said? Could Black Dranzer be capable of leading them on to think such a terrible fate had befallen their friends?
The three of them decided to return to their room, saying a soft goodbye to the two friends they may be leaving behind for good. Although no one uttered a word on the way back to their room, their minds were racing with too many thoughts to organize. What was happening?
---
Voltaire led Black Dranzer to a small office space on the last floor of the home levels. It was his basement office, the place where he kept all his personal things hidden from the world. Black Dranzer realized this when he studied the paintings of previous Hiwataris. Beside a painting of a softly faced woman was a large painting of a fiery phoenix that had a rip across the bottom right corner of the canvas. The large, golden bird had its beak half open as if it was singing a silent song. Red feathers seemed ruffled as the bird was trapped in mid flight. Voltaire had had this painting ever since Black Dranzer could remember.
Voltaire sat down and motioned for Black Dranzer to follow suit in the other padded chair in the room. Although the chamber was situated in the cold basement, it had a warm feel to it. Yet Black Dranzer was on edge; he didn't know what to expect from Voltaire. His plan had been so perfect. He knew that the three others wouldn't believe him, not after everything that has happened between them. But Voltaire ruined it all. Black Dranzer should have been more careful to cover his tracks. And now here he sat. He knew Voltaire would punish him in someway, but he could handle it. He was used to pain. But the perfect future he had wanted may no longer be possible if the others chose to follow Voltaire instead of himself.
"I want to speak with Kai," Voltaire said.
"Why? What do you want with him?" Black Dranzer asked. "It was all my idea."
"Be that as it may, what I have to say is between me and Kai, and me and Kai alone. If he wishes to share the information I give to him, he may do so at his own discretion." It was not debatable.
Kai's appearance changed as his unconscious mind replaced Black Dranzer. Kai's posture seemed much more relaxed, more loose, emotions came forward in his face. It was like his muscles were defrosted. It was like the strength he was using to stay rigid abruptly gave in to pressure. It was like he suddenly became human.
"What do you want?" Kai asked indifferently.
"I want you to act as you are told to."
"I'm no pawn," Kai retorted.
"It's time, Kai, I told you your place!" Voltaire raised his voice. Kai fell silent for a brief moment. He hadn't expected that.
"You don't control me. I make my own decisions," said Kai dangerously.
"You have no right to choose," Voltaire alliterated carefully. "You have always belonged to me. You have never had the right to choose. You, Black Dranzer and Dranzer have always been under my control."
"What are you babbling about?" Kai almost laughed at Voltaire's remark. "Dranzer came to me when I was in Japan. When I was far away from you," he added.
"No. Dranzer has always been with you. Dranzer first showed himself to you in the Abbey, or do you not remember?" Voltaire smirked. Perhaps this was going to be even funner than he thought. If Kai never knew… "Well, isn't this a surprise. You really don't remember Kai? It was Dranzer who rescued you from Black Dranzer's power… all those years ago…
---
flashback
---
One chilly winter morning, the younger trainees were given a special treat. Everywhere in the Abbey, the coldness nipped at unprotected skin. The walls had a layer of frost. Except for in the laboratories which always needed to be heated so that the machinery didn't break. And that was exactly where Kai and the others were brought. They would be among the first to witness a new weapon Boris had been bragging about for some time now. Kai was intrigued but he didn't believe all the rumours he heard. Among those rumours, gossip told of a new beyblade in production that would be stronger, faster, and more accurate than any other. It was said to be the perfect blade.
At the beginning of the presentation, the small black blade, which looked nothing more than ordinary, was introduced as Black Dranzer. Kai watched on eagerly, however. And then, it went into action.
The blade spun; its axis perfectly perpendicular. Kai was mesmerized by it. It was so - so perfect, there were no other word to better describe it. It was everything Kai strived to be. With it, he would never lose. He felt a connection to it immediately. It was calling to him. Kai pressed up against the glass of the observation room to get as close to it as possible. His eyes followed it like a hawk watching its prey. When the trainees were called to leave and resume their exercises, Kai felt like he was leaving a part of himself behind.
During the training sessions of the day, Kai couldn't get his mind off of that little black blade. Black Dranzer was the most awesome thing he had seen in all his life, even if he only had six years of life experience.
Boris ignored Kai's lack of attention. That was something Kai did take note of. When he was practicing launches, quite a few times Kai noticed that he'd been doing it wrong for several seconds yet Boris never once bothered him about it. That was so unlike Boris. He was the type of person that would notice if you performed a technique wrong only once, and then he would punish you for it just as fast. Nevertheless, Kai was thankful that he didn't get into any trouble. He needed his body in the best condition possible for what he was planning to do tonight.
That evening after tactics class, Kai separated from his group and instead of returning to his room to sleep, even though his body screamed in agony, he went back to the lab.
Test Room B
That was the sign he read on the door before pushing it open. The room was dark and still. He stumbled into the room, allowing his senses to guide him. If he turned the lights on, the alarm would go off. Luckily, once in the room, a small window overhead allowed the light from the full moon to provide enough luminosity to see. In fact, the room seemed otherworldly with the glowing machinery and the soft edges of metal dulled by shadows. It felt like if he went up and touched the metal, it would melt away and there would be nothing left to touch.
Kai looked around and noticed the black blade still attached to the launching mechanism. "They should take better care of their new toys," Kai smirked. He then reached out and snatched the blade for himself.
He could feel its power underneath his fingertips. It throbbed with energy and it longed to spin once more. Listening to its call, and to his own thrill, he placed the blade on his own launcher, prepared it, and launched. The beyblade shot forward. It flew through the air. Its power echoed around Kai and a flush of fear ran through his body. What was going on now?
Time seemed to stand still as the blade stayed spinning in the air. All of a sudden, it released a powerful burst of energy. It took all of Kai's might to stay standing. Kai closed his eyes and just as soon, a high-pitched screech resonated in the air.
Kai's eyes shot open again. The blade was emitting a bright, black light. Kai felt the flow of the air change and a current began to pull the air in towards the blade. It was storing up the force of the air as if preparing to explode. Kai kept his balance on the ground, trying to keep himself from being pulled toward the growing sphere of light.
"What's going on?" he asked. He wanted an answer but got none. He was petrified. He couldn't move, let alone run away to safety. That light would consume him. It wanted to consume him. It was calling him. The loud screech continued.
The force of the beyblade began to shake the walls and ceiling. The Abbey was beginning to crumble.
Finally, the blade seemed to have taken in enough natural energy, and in one split moment, the ball of light pulled in, becoming completely dense and white, and exploded. The burst was powerful beyond imaginable. It tore through the walls. The mechanical equipment disappeared in its light. Kai stood immobilized, waiting for his premature demise. As the light overcame him and his eyes became unfocused, he felt warmth at his breast. From within his chest, the spot where his heart was situated, his own light shot out; a red light just as powerful and bright as the white one in front of him. However, this light was different. It had a form to it. It circled him and then stopped in front of him, blocking Kai from the blast. Kai could see the faint resemblance of a creature he only heard about in mythology. The swanlike bird looked just like the fiery phoenix from ancient Greek mythology. Its long, beautiful tail feathers continued to circle him and the light that formed it was still coming from his chest. The creature refused to detach itself from Kai, as if it wanted to keep its connection to him to protect him. The phoenix spread its wings out in between Kai and the explosion. The last thing Kai saw was the red phoenix fending of a black one. As Kai fainted, a small portion of black light made its way into his chest from the opening made by the red light, yet it went unnoticed. The walls crumbled down and buried the boy in his tomb.
---
"What's going on?" Boris yelled, waking up suddenly from his light sleep. It was the first time he was able to sleep in a few days because of the constant testing being performed on Black Dranzer. He walked over to the window where a ghastly, orange glow was filtering into his room. He was horribly surprised to see a portion of the Abbey lost in flames and rubble - years of work burning to ashes, not to mention the soldiers he will have to replace.
Boris made his way to the security room in his section of the false sanctuary. "What happened?" he spat at the guards on duty.
"There was an explosion, sir," one of them replied.
"I can see THAT!" What caused it?" Boris retorted.
"Sir, the explosion originated in Test Room B. We've managed to recover a recording of it, sir." The guard typed a command on the keyboard in front of him and a monitor flickered on. It loaded the video and began to depict the story.
Kai snuck into view and to the back of the room. He grabbed Black Dranzer from its place. He put it on his own launcher and 'let it rip!' The blade soared through the air and seemed to freeze in flight. Seconds later, an explosion of dark energy took place. The shock waves came fast and within moments, Boris and the guards were watching static. Boris was shocked but from years of experience he regained his composure relatively fast. Then he went on to be flushed with anger. He balled his fists and barred his teeth. "And how," he said dangerously, "may I ask, did you fail to notice him the first time?"
Boris was ready to attack when a voice drifted from the entranceway. "That is because I told them not to interfere." Voltaire had just entered as casually as ever.
"Voltaire, what's the meaning of this? Why kill al those people? And Kai… after all it took to get him in the first place? Why?" Boris shouted unbelievingly.
"No need to worry. Kai's not dead. This is just the beginning of my plan for him." Boris didn't completely trust Voltaire. After all, Voltaire was getting older; maybe he lost a few brains over the years. How could Kai be all right? He was at the centre of that explosion. And besides, why did Voltaire keep this a secret from him? He could have saved at least half the work he left in that section of the building. Voltaire told Boris earlier to excuse Kai for his lack of concentration. Was that part of his plan as well? So why couldn't Voltaire have told him about this as well? No, Boris didn't trust Voltaire; not at all.
Boris' jaw stayed locked as he watched the building on one of the screens continue to burn. From the back of the room, Voltaire's low laugh reached Boris' ears in complete clarity.
---
Boris was overseeing the rescue search of the guards. The men clambered over the remnants of the fallen Abbey. They lifted rock, metal and charred bodies clearing the way for an even deeper dig into the debris. However, the attention was centered where there were no bodies, except for one. Around forty guards sifted through the remainders of Test Room B looking for Kai. It was well over an hour before one of the guards lifted their head in utter shock and shouted that they'd located Kai who, as it turned out, had little more than a scratch on him. He appeared to be peacefully sleeping. They pulled his body out from the wreckage. It would only be two days before he awoke again, but it would be eight years until he remembered and returned to the place where he grew up: the Abbey.
---
-end flashback-
---
Kai was wide-eyed. Could it be true? But, he still didn't remember half of that even now that he'd regained his memories. "Nice story, but I fainted long before the explosion overcame me. And Dranzer was never there."
"How can you say such a thing? Of course Dranzer saved you. Besides, how else would you say that you survived that blast?"
"All I'm saying is that Dranzer wasn't there. All I remember is launching Black Dranzer and then waking up in this place, in this house. Then I was here until I left and I met Dranzer in Japan," Kai insisted.
Voltaire cackled. "You really think Dranzer's appearance in Japan was by chance? I thought you were smarter than that. Have you not figured it out by now?" Kai stared defiantly. "Dranzer was implanted in you from the beginning. You were meant to go after Black Dranzer that night in order to gain a connection to him as well as Dranzer. And it was successful. With Dranzer in your heart and Black Dranzer in your palm, you would be unbeatable! But then you released Dranzer and turned your back on Black Dranzer. This time you won't foil my plans."
Kai had stopped listening. He was caught up on the thing Voltaire said just before that. "What do you mean by implanted? You operated on me when I was a baby? You sick bastard! You always intended to use me. Right from my birth, didn't you?!"
"Actually, your life was planned before you were even created. My plan is why you are alive. That is why you belong to me. That is why you cannot deny me! I own you and if you choose to work against me, I'll have to take the life back from you."
"You forced my parents to have me for your own petty purposes?" Kai was shocked. That was cruel, even for Voltaire.
"Ha! Ha! If you can call test tubes and septic tanks parents."
That wasn't the reaction Kai had expected from Voltaire. What on earth was he going on about? "You're mad, old man!" Kai exclaimed. Voltaire didn't seem bothered in the least. Instead, he reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a small, square piece of paper and threw it Frisbee-like to Kai. Kai looked at it for a moment and then blinked uncertainly. "What is this?" He was looking at an old picture of himself. The film was something that seemed to date back to the Second World War. It was odd considering Kai was born well after that. Furthermore, Kai didn't remember the photo ever being taken or even remember wearing the clothes he had on in it. He was wearing an old, brown cap and a long green sweater which was too large and fell off his shoulders. Underneath that sweater, he wore a white prep shirt, tie, and brown overall shorts. He sat in the photograph like a doll, his limbs placed carefully in odd angles to get the best looking picture. "What is this?" he asked again.
"That," Voltaire smiled, "is a picture of me when I was a child." Kai's face turned white.
"I-it can't be!" That is NOT you, it's me!" Kai was furious. Voltaire was babbling nonsense. There was no way that Voltaire could look that much like him. Yet, everything else seemed to support it. "How can it be?" Kai said desperately as his faith in his version of things was crumbling away from his grasp. His life up until now… was it all a lie?
"There is a simple explanation for it all. You were created for me, from my DNA, and you were enhanced in order to be stronger."
"I - I'm a… clone?" Kai's head felt sickeningly light for the amount of thoughts that whipped through it.
"That's the cliché word for it. I prefer to call you a replica."
"But - why?" Kai didn't understand it. He'd been living all this time and he never knew…
"I told you, I needed you."
"Why did you need me?"
"You will get that answer in time. Perhaps it is best if you sleep on what you have found out here tonight. It is getting awfully late." Voltaire turned his back to Kai. This was the signal that he was finished talking and Kai knew Voltaire would tell him no more. No matter how much Kai wanted answers now, he would have to wait.
Kai went to the door and stopped to look around once more. He would see this room again soon. And, hopefully, that time will be the last. With that in mind, Kai left.
As Kai walked back toward his room, he became aware of how much his head hurt. It felt like his world had fallen away and he was falling faster and faster by the second. It was the effects of the knowledge he'd gained. He managed to remain calm during his confrontation with Voltaire, but now, with only his thoughts, he felt sick. He was a creation, nothing more. But one more question remained in his mind: Why? Why did Voltaire go through so much trouble, why did he work so hard, to create a replica of himself? Why was Kai the key to his plans now? Kai's head gave a sudden throb and Kai found himself lying on the floor. 'Why?' he thought once more before his blurry eyes gave in to the darkness overcoming them.
---
Hope you all enjoyed it. First twist for this story… yep, Kai is a clone. Lol But don't worry, the idea behind it all is original, I promise! Anyway, to those who reviewed (hope you're all still with me -.-'' )…
MasterFranny: Sorry for the lateness… I hope this chapter made up for the wait. I'm sorry to say that your questions will have to wait until later to be answered. Hope you've been enjoying the tv series. I wonder, what episode are you at?
CrystallineWolf: Well, there you have it. According to Voltaire, Kenny and Hilary are alive. So I guess the question is, who's word do you trust more: Black Dranzer's or Voltaire's? Oh, and thanks for the comment on my pic of Black Dranzer.
Light of the Blue Rose: Yes, lots of poor souls in my fic… I hate to say it, but later on I'm going to delve a little into Voltaire's past too… and why he's doing what he's doing. Well, sorry for the long wait… I hope it was worth it, and you can hope with me that I get the next chapter up sooner than I did this one, eh? Heh…
Golden Lunar Eclipse: So, did you enjoy the new, surprise, chapter… yes, surprise because I decided to post this without you knowing. I hope it was good. What did you think of the clone thing? Or did I tell you about that before? Anyway. Talk to you soon. (If you want to talk this weekend, I'm at Dad's… whom I still have to tell about the trip in March… ulp --; ) Je te parlerais a plutard.
krage: Hope you liked the new chapter. And, no, Kai's not evil. He just has several layers to him. And of course Black Dranzer's influence.
taryn: Glad to hear you like it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I can definitely relate to the stress of schoolwork.
Anyway, the next chapter will be Seeking Answers, Gaining Questions. I hope to get it up faster than this one took. I will be busy but maybe during exam week (end of Jan) I'll be able to type the next chapter up… Well, hopefully… until then!
Here's something from H.G. Wells:
The past is but the past of a beginning. - H. G. Wells
.:Fey Phantom:.