Silvan Arrow: Hey, guess what? I am officially in the double digits for chapters! And you know what that means!

Tala: What?

Silvan Arrow/points at Tala/ YOU get to do the disclaimer!

Tala: Huh? I don't remember volunteering to do this!

Silvan Arrow: Well, too bad! I'm the author, so you have to do what I say!

Tala: You don't have any power over me.

Silvan Arrow/smirks/ We'll see about that. I can write for something really bad to happen to you. /starts typing/ "And all of a sudden, Tala was attacked by a mob of rabid fangirls!"

Rabid fangirls: EEK! IT'S TALA /start running toward him/

Tala: O.O OKAY! OKAY! I'LL DO IT! SILVAN ARROW DOES NOT OWN BEYBLADE! NOW CALL THEM OFF!

Silvan Arrow: "But at the very last moment, a large hole opened up in the ground under the fangirls, and they plummeted into a pit full of…BORIS PLUSHIES!"

Rabid fangirls: AAAAHHHHHH! HELP!

Tala: Whew…that was close.

Silvan Arrow: While I go buy an industrial-sized pair of ear plugs to drown out the pitiful screams of Tala's fan club, here's chapter 10! WOOT!

Chapter 10: Losing Tala

Eri was silent during the helicopter ride back to the Abbey. She really didn't want to go back so soon, but at least she would get a break from Boris, not to mention a halfway-decent meal. Besides, it would have been foolish for her to speak. Boris had made her sit next to Bryan, and she knew better than to do anything to provoke him. He was especially ticked after losing to Rei, so he wouldn't need any excuses to vent his anger on the first poor sap to cross him. Pyrix sensed her master's desire for silence and kept quiet as well.

After what felt like an eternity, the helicopter finally touched down on the landing pad of the Abbey. The Demolition Boys and Eri filed out after Boris and stood at attention. Boris said, "Voltaire is furious with your failure today. He will be here later today to meet with me. Tala, you will come with me. I want the rest of you to return to your quarters and await my orders. I will be speaking to each of you individually later this evening."

"Yes sir," the Demolition Boys replied with a salute. Eri kept silent. She would never willingly show any shred of respect for Boris.

Boris strode over to her and shouted in her face, "You WILL show me the proper respect!" Eri just glared at him. "Insolent wretch!" He backhanded her across the face so hard that she fell to the ground. Tala flinched slightly at Boris' cruelty. He remembered well his lessons to block out emotions, but he couldn't shut Eri out entirely. He felt as if the walls around his heart were slowly crumbling, but the instinct to obey Boris was still ingrained too deeply in his mind. Therefore, he followed Boris willingly when he dismissed the rest of the team. Boris led Tala into the deep underbelly of the Abbey, where all the research labs were located. He turned to his young warrior and stated, "Now, Tala, the time has come for you to become the ultimate bey-warrior and take your place as my top soldier."

"I understand," Tala replied emotionlessly. But a small seed of doubt nagged at his heart at what Boris had planned.

Two hours later…

Eri had been sitting in her room for two hours, and Boris still hadn't called for her. Pyrix sat by her bedside in physical form to keep her company. "What's Boris waiting for?" Eri asked as she lay back on her bed. "I was sure he would come here first and give me some kind of beating…or at least a boring lecture."

"Hmph…are you complaining?" Pyrix teased.

"No! Of course not!" Eri objected. "But still…something's not right. Boris took Tala deep under the Abbey, and I haven't heard from either of them or the other Demolition Boys since. And Voltaire's on his way. That can't be good."

Pyrix sighed as she propped her head on the bed. "I have sensed it too. I am also concerned for Tala. Bryan's loss today may force Boris into doing something drastic to ensure victory against Tyson tomorrow. I also fear for Bryan. Biovolt will not let a failure from one of its top soldiers go unpunished." Just then Pyrix's ears pricked up, and she gazed hard at the door.

"What's wrong? Do you hear something?" Eri asked, sitting up.

"Someone's out in the hallway…and he's in pain," Pyrix replied. She quickly vanished into her bit chip as Eri stepped out into the hallway to see who it was. She gasped at the sight before her. "…Bryan!" Bryan was collapsed on his knees against the wall. His clothes were torn and bloody from what looked like dozens of whiplashes, and his breath came in short, ragged gasps. Eri could see dark blue and purple bruises in between the tears in his shirt. She knelt down beside him. "What happened to you?"

Bryan snarled and shoved her away. "Get away from me!"

"Like that's gonna happen," Eri protested. "You can barely stand! Did Boris do this to you?"

"I…lost my match," Bryan managed between breaths. "I…deserved this punishment."

"Well, I'm not gonna let you sit out here and bleed to death. You're coming in my room so I can take a look at those cuts," Eri stated. Before Bryan could protest, Eri looped one of his arms across her shoulders and supported his weight as she helped in into her room and sat him on the bed. "And don't even think of trying to leave, because you won't get far." She pulled out a first aid kit from under the bed and rummaged through it, looking for some antiseptic and bandages.

Bryan was confused. Why was Eri helping him? He had always pushed her away and been cruel, but she was still trying to reach out to him with friendship. "I…don't think I have the strength to try and escape," Bryan admitted, finally letting some measure of weakness show after all these years.

Eri pulled out the bottle of antiseptic and quickly appraised the situation. "Okay, I can't get to your cuts while you have that shirt on." When Bryan gave her a weird look, she sighed in frustration and said, "Don't be a baka (Japanese for idiot). I'm just going to disinfect the cuts." He complied reluctantly and pulled off his shirt. Eri sucked in her breath through her teeth as she saw the criss-cross pattern of whiplashes covering his back, chest, and arms. "This may sting a bit, so just hold on." She dabbed some antiseptic on a clean cloth and began applying it to the cuts. Bryan drew in his breath sharply as he felt the sting from the medicine. "I'm sorry, but I need to tend to these wounds."

"Why…are you doing this?" Bryan asked in confusion. "I treated you like dirt, so why are you helping me now?"

Eri smiled and tried to get a conversation going to get Bryan's mind off his injuries while she tended to them. "It wouldn't be right of me to just leave you out there in pain, now would it?"

"So you did it because of your sense of right and wrong?"

"That's not all. I did it because I still think of you as a friend," Eri replied gently as she finished treating the wounds on his back and moved to his arms and chest. Bryan's eyes widened. He hadn't been called a friend since he was a young child. "When I first came to the Abbey, you and Tala looked out for me like big brothers and helped me learn the ropes of living here. At least you did until Boris started brainwashing you. But I never forgot those days. You helped me survive my first days at the Abbey, and I am truly grateful."

"So…we're friends?" Bryan asked in disbelief. Eri nodded. "And what about Tala? You feel something…different for him, don't you?"

Eri put away the antiseptic and reached for a roll of soft bandages. "You could say that. That's why I'm so worried about him. I haven't seen him since we got back, and I can only imagine what Boris has planned for him to ensure victory tomorrow." She started to wrap Bryan's wounds so they could heal.

"As I was staggering back up here from the punishment chambers, I saw that one of the research labs was running," Bryan revealed. Eri paused from her ministrations and looked him in the eye. "That lab hasn't been used for years, but I could see a faint green glow coming from deeper in the room. I would bet anything Tala's in there."

"But if he's there, then that means…" Eri's voice trailed off. She quickly finished bandaging Bryan's cuts to get her mind off whatever Boris was doing to Tala. "That should do it. Does it feel any better?"

Bryan nodded as he put his shirt back on and shrugged into his jacket. He took Eri's hand so she would look at him. "Eri…you were right all along. About Boris, I mean. If this is the life I have to look forward to every day, then I want no part in it."

Eri smiled. "You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you."

"I want to help you, but I'm afraid I won't be of much use," Bryan said regretfully, pulling something out of his pocket. He held out Falborg's bit chip. "My beyblade was shattered during my match, but at least Falborg survived."

"Once this is over and we're all free of the Abbey, we can rebuild your beyblade. Then you and Falborg can blade as a team again. And this time it won't be for Biovolt," Eri reassured him.

For the first time in over six years, Bryan finally smiled happily. "Thank you…my friend. Now you should go find Tala." He stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm sure Spencer and Ian will side with me when I tell them about you did to help me." With that, he strode out into the hallway to return to his room. Suddenly alarmed for Tala, Eri raced toward the stairs that would take her to the underground research labs.

'Just hold on, Tala. Don't let Boris have his way,' Eri prayed silently. She reached the hallway where the lab was located and, sure enough, she could see a faint green glow coming from the open doorway. She was approaching from the side, so she couldn't see inside the lab yet. Pyrix's sudden apprehension struck Eri like a wave and stopped her in her tracks. What's wrong, Pyrix?

That green glow means that something…or someone…is inside a test tube of incubation fluid. Boris did the same thing to me when he tried to erase my memories, Pyrix replied in obvious distress. Someone's coming! You must hide! Eri picked up the sound of approaching footsteps and ducked behind a corner only to see Boris leading Voltaire to the lab. Eri grimaced at seeing Voltaire. Evil thoughts radiate from that wicked man, Pyrix hissed. And Boris is even more sinister than usual.

Once the two men disappeared into the lab, Eri crept closer to the open door so she could pick up their conversation. She heard Boris' silky, oily voice first: "...And thanks to my superior technology and genetic experiments, I have succeeded in creating the ultimate bey-warrior! Let him hear his new name: Cyber Tala!"

'Cyber Tala?' Eri thought in disbelief. 'What has Boris done!'

She peeked around the edge of the door and saw Tala suspended in a test tube filled with green incubation fluid. He only wore a pair of blue shorts, and numerous wires were attached to his unconscious body. She heard the computer give the command to drain the incubation fluid and open the test tube. Voltaire was shocked, maybe even horrified, and his voice quaked as he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Boris just laughed maniacally as the empty test tube opened, filling the room with steam, and Tala opened his eyes. "Now the computer has reprogrammed his mind for only one purpose, and that is to win!" Boris proclaimed. He held up an upgraded version of Wolborg. "And with this techno-advanced beyblade, he will be unstoppable!" He tossed the beyblade to Tala, who effortlessly caught it. Eri caught a glimpse of Tala's eyes. They were cold, unfeeling, and empty.

Eri couldn't take this anymore. She moved toward the open door. Eri! What are you doing? Pyrix asked in alarm. Do you want Boris to kill you?

I can't take this anymore! Eri shot back. They can't do this to Tala! She jumped into the doorway and yelled, "Stop this, Boris!"

The two men turned abruptly to face her, but Boris just smirked as if nothing was wrong. "Well, hello there, Eri," Boris greeted with a fake smile. "I had a feeling you would seek me out here to discover Tala's fate." He indicated his new warrior with a sweep of his hand. "What do you think? Magnificent, isn't it? Now our victory is assured against the Bladebreakers."

"It's not magnificent! It's horrible!" Eri cried. "You can't just reprogram people's minds." She turned to face Tala, who hadn't moved or made a sound during the whole exchange. "Tala, you can't let Boris have his way. Why did you let him do this to you?"

Tala stared at her for a long, hard moment and then replied, "I don't know what you are talking about. I have no recollection of you."

Eri gasped as Boris started laughing. "Tala…what are you saying?" she asked in disbelief. "It's me…Eri. Don't you know me?"

Boris replied with a maniacal laugh, "He doesn't remember the slightest thing about you! I have known for a long time that you were the only one preventing him from letting go of his emotions entirely, so I simply erased all his memories of you."

Eri's eyes widened. "He's…lost his humanity…" she whispered. She couldn't bear to look into those soulless, blue eyes anymore, so she did the only thing she could. She ran.

She raced up the stairs leading back to the trainee quarters and retreated into her room, slamming the door behind her. Eri slumped down against the door and buried her face in her hands. I failed him, Pyrix. This is all my fault.

Pyrix materialized from her beyblade and gently licked Eri's cheek. "No, it isn't your fault. You were the only ray of hope in Tala's cold heart. It is Boris who is to blame."

"Can't you do anything, Pyrix?" Eri begged. "You can influence people's hearts and help them remember their most cherished memories."

Pyrix shook her head sadly. "Alas, I can do nothing in his present state. We need for someone to at least begin to bring down the walls around Tala's heart. If Tyson cannot defeat him tomorrow, then I fear we will lose him for good."

Tears welled up in Eri's eyes. "I don't want that," she whispered. Pyrix nuzzled her face, and Eri wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck and sobbed into her soft fur. Pyrix simply sat there, silently sharing in her master's suffering and trying to offer comfort, just like she had done all those years ago.

Bryan, Ian, and Spencer were all just as surprised by Tala's transformation, though they didn't dare let Boris see that. The night before Tala's match against Tyson, they all came to Eri's room to discuss what to do. "What did Boris do to him?" Spencer asked. "It's like Tala never knew us."

"That stupid Boris is going to pay for what he did!" Ian exclaimed.

Eri was rather surprised by their words. "I never thought I would hear those words coming from you guys," she admitted. "But the question now is what to do."

"Well, I for one have had enough of Boris' tyranny," Bryan stated. "I'm throwing my lot in with you, Eri. If anyone can help Tala, it's you."

"I'm in too!" Ian added.

"Don't forget me," Spencer chimed in.

Eri smiled and nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll find a way out of this together. And not just for us…for Tala as well."

End chapter 10

Author's Note: I hope I didn't confuse anyone with that long digression with Eri and Bryan. This fic is still focused on Tala. I actually meant for that to be a short segment, but then I really got into it and couldn't stop. Besides, it made it easier to transition to the part where the rest of the Demolition Boys join forces with Eri. Will Tala ever regain his humanity? You'll have to wait and review to find out! Oh, and tell me what you thought about the skit before the disclaimer!