--------------------------------------------------------

Trial By Old Flames

Chapter Seven: Yes, Grandfather?

Distant Storm

--------------------------------------------------------

Tyson smiled at his crew, before opening the door to the executive office on the top floor of B.B.A. headquarters. The entire group left the two female members outside the office, and the other four members entered quickly, shutting the door behind them.

"Why hello boys," The chairman said from behind his desk. "Where's Kai?"

"He ditched us," Tyson said. "That's why we're here."

"Really? Did he give you a reason?"

"Kai? Reason?" Ray laughed. "Mr. D, come on. Kai wouldn't give us a reason if we begged him."

"Well, Kenny, are you going to fill in this time?" He looked at them quizzically. Something was up. They all looked a little jumpy.

Tyson smiled, and Kenny responded. "I'm going to sit this one out."

"Yeah." Tyson walked to the door. He opened it gently. "Hilary, you can bring her in now."

Hilary pulled her into the room. The blonde wrung her hands, slightly nervous. Her hair was left down, in patient curls that were layered just a bit. She wore a pair of brown boots, a white peasant skirt and a white halter.

"A girl?" Dickenson was pleasantly surprised. "This is a change of events."

"Hi," the girl said to him, shaking his hand. "I'm Carrie Ann Omara."

The chairman choked on his coffee. "Excuse me?" He paused. "Could you repeat that?"

"No joke. She pulled a parallel universe," Max explained. "Two years in Texas."

"Thanks," Carrie said. She twisted a strand of blonde hair. "Sorry about all that trouble," she said. "I wasn't very okay in the head, now that I think about it."

"We all get a little messed up." Dickenson smiled. "So you're the one that the boys are putting in instead of Kai?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "I'm going to take care of business."

He nodded, handing her a few papers and a contract. "These boys are getting in over their heads with you," the old man commented. "Especially Tyson. Kai's going to be furious when he finds out that his greatest rival has the only girls he's ever semi-bonded with."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ray said. "He might be furious, but he wouldn't tell us that."

They all nodded. "Tala was acting strange too," Hilary commented, annoyed at being so silent. "We all thought he was going to beat the crud out of Car," she said. The others nodded.

"I think there's a conspiracy against them or something," Carrie replied. She signed the paperwork quickly and handed it back to the man. "First Kai disappears, then Tala is either lying or not, and he's acting strange. I know he hates me, we all figured that out the other day, but come on. He isn't that ruthless."

"You weren't that ruthless though," Ray pointed out boldly. She smiled.

"Point taken, but I'm just saying. He was annoyed because I-well, you know," she said, diverting her attention out the window. "Anyway, it isn't like he didn't do the same to me when I messed up. Him and Kai have been the only two with the privledge to do something like that." She paused. "Ahh, the abilities granted to someone of a higher rank."

The rest of the group just took in the information. Carrie would share more than Kai did when unprovoked. Kai would tell you things on a need to know basis, or when Tyson was ready to shoot a launcher down the captain's throat.

"Have you heard from Hiro?" Tyson asked.

"Nope, not since he disappeared after B.E.G.A. went under." The group nodded, and Tyson cast a glance at the ground. Carrie looked up at Ray, who explained it to her quietly. She nodded.

Tyson in the meantime had grabbed onto something with his left hand. Hilary turned a light shade of pink, and Tyson eventually felt the heat rising from his own palm, which was sweating just a little.

"You two lovebirds can stop holding hands now," Kenny said. Tyson turned the color of a tomato, and Hilary shoved him away.

"God Tyson, don't touch me."

"Oh shut up, you two, we all know you both liked it." Everyone else, including Mr. Dickenson laughed at this, knowing that it was true. Their stubbornness was the only thing that kept them from being together.

--------------------------------------------------------

In a deep chamber below the earth's surface, two men walked down a hallway patiently, smiling maniacally to each other. They looked through each of the four doors, studying the contents of each room.

"Hold on," the first man said. "I want to check something out."

"What now, Boris? We've got everything all taken care of."

"I want you to see how they've taken to the syrum."

"Alright." The older man pulled out a set of cards on a ring, and slid them through the slots at the doors of the first room.

"I thought we'd start with your personal favorite."

"Kai? You got him in here?" The man smiled. "I'm pleased Boris, I didn't expect you to get him in."

"Once we had Tala roped in, it was a breeze." The one called Boris stopped, scratching his chin. "We didn't have to use the syrum on him until yesterday. He didn't know that we were even behind it."

The two walked into the room. It was bare bones, with a bed, clothes and a bathroom. Beyblade equipment stood on top of a small table next to the bed, and the entire room was dimly lit by a lamp in the corner.

"Kai?" The boy turned at the mention of his name. "Come here, boy."

The kid obeyed, coming toward the man. "Yes, grandfather?" His voice was a dark monotone, that showed respect while being entirely evil.

"Boris, you shall get a raise in pay for this. He hasn't obeyed me once since before we shipped him out of that academy."

"Thank you sir."

"Now then," the older man said, handing the boy a second beyblade. "Here is what your orders are." He paused, allowing the boy to look at the beyblade. "Train hard, grandson. I want you to take the world by force."

"Yes sir." The boy handed over the first beyblade, which his grandfather tucked away in a pocket.

"Good boy."

The old man turned to leave, shutting the door behind him. The boy's hard eyes flickered in the light, revealing glazed over amethyst grey eyes.

After checking the other three rooms, the man was pleased.

"This time," he said viciously, "We shall not fail. No one shall ever stop us. Biovolt will be the most powerful company in the world, and we shall have our beyblade army!"

Both men laughed again, but this time, it was more psychotic than before. No one would ever see it coming.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Let's go Tyson! We don't have all day!"

No! Go away Hilary! I wanna sleep...

"No!"

"Fine, miss your flight to Moscow. See if I care."

"Would you either shut up and lay down or go away?"

Did I just say that?

He felt a body lay down next to him, and a voice whisper in his ear.

"Time to get up Tyson. I'd love to go back to sleep myself but we gotta leave in an hour."

From the front of the house, a buzzer was heard.

"Is someone going to get the door peeps?" Gramps asked, poking his head into the room clad in a kendo outfit.

"I've got it, I'm closest," Carrie said, her suitcase and duffel bag already at the door. She ran down the hallway in bare feet, and slid open the front door. "Can I help you?"

"This package came for Carrie Omara. Is she here?"

"That would be me," she said, taking the box. She thanked the man and shut the door.

"That's strange," Ray said from behind. "You don't live here."

"I know," she said, untying the string on the top. She opened the box and dropped it, holding only the contents in her hand. "Oh God Ray," she said. "Who would send me this?"

In her hand was the blue beyblade of Kai, Dranzer intact.

"Something is definitely up."

"Should we tell them?"

"It's only right they know."

"Know what?" By this time, the entire group had heard her say 'Oh God,' and had entered the living room.

"Someone mailed me this," she said, showing them the beyblade. They all gasped.

"Great, Tala was right," Tyson said.

"We don't know that for sure."

"Yeah, I do," the blonde girl said. "See this stamp on the side of the package?"

"Uh huh," they replied.

"This is the old Biovolt logo. Voltaire sent this to us."

"How do we know it's real?" Kenny said. "He could just be messing with us and sending a fake."

"Here," Carrie said, stepping outside. "I'll show you." She looked at the beyblade before extending it. "Dranzer!" she called. The bit glowed a flaming red color. "Enough said."

"This is great. Now something is definitely going to go down in Moscow."

"Maybe," Carrie said, "Maybe not." She paused, looking around. "Do you mind if I-"

"Go ahead and hold onto it," Ray said, before anyone like Tyson said no. "We all know you're the one that Kai liked the best."

"Thanks."

She allowed her cheeks to tint a soft shade of pink, then turned and exited the house.

"What's her problem?" Tyson asked.

Ray sighed. "I think she likes Kai."

"You mean the southern belle ex-psychopath has a crush on sourpuss?"

"You never know," Hilary said. "It would make sense. He did risk a lot trying to change her for the better."

"Yeah, and he let her tag along with him to get the marshmallows that one night. I saw them come back," Max said. "Kai actually looked pretty happy."

"Happy?"

"Well, I think he likes her too."

"Kai? A crush? Nah, he'd probably shoot himself first."

"Tyson!"

"What Hil? It's true. He's not much of the social type."

--------------------------------------------------------

please review x3