Frozen Bindings

Beyblade and any other references do not belong to me. All characters that do not come from anywhere but my own mind and fingers, are mine.

Warnings: see chapter 1

Chapter 2: Dust of Frost

(Ian)

Pain…

Screams…

Those men…

The toxin…

Falling…

Sleeping…

Moving…

Voices…

Around me…

Calling…

Me…

"Ian! Ian, wake up!" Sergei…

"Was the toxin too strong?" Tala…

"Why won't he wake up? We've all been up for hours!"

"His body is too small. He's having a harder time to handle it!" Bryan…

"He's waking up." Even… Kai still cares…

Slowly I cracked open my weak eyes. Sergei was holding me in his arms, and though he was usually so strong and silent, I could see the tears in his eyes. Odd, how his eyes, even as strangely blue as they were, seemed even more like water with the tears causing them to shine. I could see the wrinkles in his furrowed brow relax as he saw me open my eyes. I notice these things about everyone. Even if I am the Little Brother.

Sergei pulled me close and I realized how cold it was outside, so I snuggled into him. I could hear a faint sigh from everyone as they relaxed. It felt good to have everyone care about me so openly. I felt Sergei stand up and he carried me across… wherever we were. I opened my eyes hesitantly, and found we were in a room that was much like the abbey's inner walls. Cold, dull stone with a small light on the roof to give us some visibility.

There were two decent beds where I supposed the others would sleep. Sergei set me down in a nice warm bed, which we all knew was made especially for me. No one really understood why, but I have always had a deathly sensitivity to cold. I don't quite remember what the doctors said, but it had something to do with the fact that my nose was somewhat oversized. But the others still loved me and since I couldn't go and train with them, I had spent most of my time reading and learning all I could so I could help them. I actually became smarter than most people, but I prefer to play the young, naive brother in the group. I know everyone (especially Kai and Bryan) get a little freaked out when I talk over their heads, it's slimly possible to confuse the others, but possible and fun to do sometimes.

I could make out another room and I could see the toilet and immediately knew it was the bathroom. There was another door, though closed, near the bathroom door and I, knowing Boris and Voltaire all too well, knew it had to be a training room. Sergei wrapped me up all nice and warm in the blankets and then sat on the edge of my bed. Kai, Tala and Bryan were standing in a group around one of the beds, where apparently Sergei had been holding me.

Tala flashed me a smile when he caught my gaze, I saw Kai blink, but when I looked closer I realized he had winked at me. Bryan gave me a barely noticeable nod. They all have too much pride to even admit they were worried about me in front of everyone. It's funny sometimes. But then again, I also have a lot of pride for someone as young as myself. But I guess that's who… we are.

I yawned loudly, rolled over and curled into a ball as I fell asleep.

(Normal)

Sergei sighed happily as Ian drifted into a calm, natural sleep. They had all woken up a few hours ago from the toxin's effect, but it had taken quite some time for Ian's small and vulnerable body to fight off the 'poison'. In that time the group of four had been able to patch together what they understood of their current whereabouts.

They knew that driver had been a double agent and cheap man. He had been bought out by Boris and had turned them over to a group of Boris's men instead of Mr. Dickinson's Beyblade Battle Association undercover workers. They had been darted with strong chemicals, though none of them (besides Ian) seemed to be suffering from any ill effects, and then loaded into that large van. When they had woken up they were in the current room. Though it was cold, it was too warm to be the Russian Abbey.

The room had a similar layout to the rooms they had stayed in in Russia though. Cold, dark stone walls, some rat holes and cracks from water damage. The place didn't seem to have been used in a long while, but was still functioning at an acceptable level. The bathroom had running water, which also meant it had been prepared for them or it had been used in the past decade or so.

There was a shower, toilet, some soap, and a towel in the bathroom. They had found that their bags had been brought with them so thankfully they had some other items they could use to sustain themselves in the room. The door beside the bathroom led to a training room. There was a sandbag, a Beyblade dish, the perimeter of the room was laid out for a jogging track with about four lanes, some weights and a sectioned off area that seemed to be a boxing/fighting ring. It was the largest room out of the bathroom, 'bedroom' rooms.

Besides that, there hadn't been nay major discoveries or events. Though not to say the boys weren't furious that Mr. Dickinson had betrayed them like that by having an unreliable man take them instead of a very, very, very trustworthy one. They all understood the dark side of human nature all too well, and knew that it wasn't exactly Mr. Dickinson's fault, but they still felt betrayed. Extremely betrayed.

Sighing exhaustedly, Mr. Dickinson finally put his pen down. He was growing more and more anxious by the hour, waiting for the call that the transfer of the Blitzkrieg Boys had gone alright. Suddenly the phone rang and the old man leapt at the machine and threw it to his ear.

"Hello!"

"Oh… hi, sir," came the reply form one of his 'secret-agents'.

"Have the boys arrived safely?"

"Arrived? ... My God! When were they supposed to be here?"

Mr. Dickinson paled, "A-a… quite some time ago. I must say at least an hour!"

"No, sir! I haven't gotten word from anyone, at al! The man driving them hasn't contacted me!"

"Oh my word! We have to find them right away! We simply must!"

"I understand sir. I'll be on it right away." There was a click hat signaled the end of the conversation.

Mr. Dickinson rested his face in his hands and shook his head quietly.

I just hope we're not too late!

The group of four sat in a comfortable silence as they waited for someone else to speak. They occupied themselves with watching Ian. It had been a stressful time thinking the youngest Blitzkrieg's painfully slow heartbeat might stop at any given second. Unconsciously they had all stood over him, guarding Ian from anything they could. Sergei had held him close and kept him warm the whole time though.

Sergei and Ian had a bond that was unique to the type of bond the youngster shared with the other three members of the team. Though they were all like protective big brothers to Ian, Sergei truly held that position. If Ian didn't understand something (a rare case) he would go to Sergei for help. And if he needed help, which was quite often, he'd usually ask Sergei to help. The two always seemed to go hand-in-hand with each other. Ian's brains and Sergei's muscle. Sergei was also the calmest and quietest of the group and got along easily with Ian. But if any of them ever did make Sergei angry, they knew better than to fight back. Instead Kai, Tala or Bryan would 'vanish' for a long, long time until they felt it was safe to return home.

Home… would they ever see it again?

Where was their home? What made a home, a home? A home usually meant a house, roughly around two stories. It consisted of wood, metal and some carpet and color. But what made it so that people paid large amounts of money to live in it? To return night after night and feel safe? Why did people fill that empty space with so much security and love? And yet then block the world out to have strange things happen behind closed doors that they never wanted anyone else to see? The world made less sense than experimenting on teenagers to make perfect soldiers did.

Bryan finally broke the silence.

"So… now that the squirt's asleep- who's sleeping where? I want to go start training," he said loudly as he linked his hands behind his head.

Tala looked at him oddly, "Aren't you going to help us figure a way out?"

"No."

"Why not?" Tala growled.

"There's no point," the falcon replied lazily, "Boris always knew what he was doing. And he knows each of us as well as we know each other. There's no point in trying to break out of a room that's obviously Blitzkrieg-proof."

"You idiot!" Tala suddenly cried, which was odd because their captain never lost his cool so quickly, "has Boris already intimidated you that much? Out of all of us I'd expect you to be the one who'd be looking for a way out! You've gotten soft. Bryan!"

Tala's last statement caused something to snap in Bryan, "What did you say, mutt?" he asked angrily as he narrowed his eyes.

"You heard me, fledgling. You. Have. Gone. S-O-F-T." Tala pushed his face right into Bryan's.

"Watch it, mutt, or I'll punch your face in. Then tell me who's 'gone soft'!" Bryan snapped.

"Shut up, both of you," Kai snapped angrily, "this arguing is annoying and pointless. You're only angry because you're scared that we're back in Boris's grimy hands and upset that we've been betrayed. Bryan, you take the bed near the training room and share it with Sergei. It's closer to Ian and you'll both feel better that way. Tala and I can take the one over by the bathroom." He finished by standing in his usually stance, arms folded across his chest and head bowed, eyes closed.

Bryan grumbled something about how uptight Hiwatari was and then grabbed his bag and threw it onto the bed he and Sergei he would be sharing with Sergei. He took out his launcher and ripcord and then stormed into the training room.

Sergei wasn't paying any real attention to the others and had sat quietly during Tala and Bryan's little spat. He was still sitting on Ian's bed and checked to make sure the younger was safely tucked in again and then got to his feet and climbed into his and Bryan's bed before falling asleep without another word.

Kai grabbed Tala's arm and dragged him to their bed, and the redhead threw his bag down beside the bed and flopped down onto his stomach with a loud sigh. He could hear Bryan crying out aggressively as he, most likely, annihilated the punching bag. The bed dipped down beside him as Kai sat down.

Stupid Hiwatari…always has to be right to the point… and right all the time! Tala rolled his eyes annoyed.

While Kai remained silent, Tala sensed he was waiting to speak, so the Captain sat up slowly and faced his tag-team partner. He gave Kai a slight nod to tell him he was listening.

Kai sighed quietly and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. Tala finally realized why Kai had so many annoying fan girls. Kai did seem to be too perfect to be human, and he always stood out wherever he went. And not to mention he was an 'anti hero', had the craziest color of eyes and a personality that few ever got to experience. All made perfect qualities that most girls went crazy over.

Perfect. Many people seemed to associate that word with Kai. And in a lot of ways it seemed to be the only way to describe him. But, as Tala watched the blader prepare to speak, he wondered how it must feel to be thought perfect by the world. He, himself, had been thought perfect by one or two people, and the pressure nearly killed him. How did Kai handle it? Maybe he could handle anything? He didn't seem too worried about their current state.

"Look, Tala," Kai began quietly, still in the same position, "I understand how all of you are worried about being here, with Boris, again. It's scary-"

"You're scared too, Kai. You just don't want to admit it," Tala added in. This comment caused Kai to smirk. Yes he, Tala Ivanov, with his witty, truthful sarcastic comments was one of the only few alive and who would ever live that could make Kai partially smile.

"Alright, I understand that all of us are worried about being here in Boris's hand again. But we all need to keep it together. Falling apart suddenly, without even seeing him or any sign of him, will not do us any good. We're all still on the edge about Ian, but it seems like he'll be fine. Now, you're the Captain. So you have to keep your team together," Kai finished by bringing his head back up and looking Tala in the eyes.

Tala sighed and nodded slowly. He leaned forwards and embraced Kai in a soft hug, Kai gingerly wrapping his arms around Tala. Touching and close contact with one another back in the abbey had been forbidden. Unless they were fighting though. And so this show of 'emotion' was very strong for the both of them. They didn't go and embrace people every time they felt happy or needed some comfort. Usually they kept it to themselves. And although Tala had already known what he needed to do, Kai's words weren't necessary but a way of showing he was just as concerned about everyone as Tala was. And so Tala returned Kai's emotion with a simple hug.

As the pulled apart, Tala sighed, "I know what I have to do. But I don't think it'll do any good to do anything right now. Sergei has the right idea, I'm going to sleep."

Kai nodded. He waited while Tal laid down and then got up; checking on Ian briefly then snuck a brief glance into the training room as he passed it to head into the bathroom. Tala knew that Kai was just checking up on everyone before going to bed, it was a habit any Captain of any team developed and never grew out of. Kai had been Captain of the Bladebreakers around a year ago, a most likely the only truly sensible one. Except for that cat-boy who had beaten Bryan…

Tala yawned, who cared? They were here now, and that was what they had to deal with. He rolled onto his side and fell asleep as he felt the bed sink and Kai shift into a comfortable position.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Rain pounded on the windows, cracked and smudged over the years of abandonment. Inside the room, sat a man at his desk with a small lamp on to shine over the papers. His pen scratched annoyingly at the paper, the once blank sheet was covered in many different calculations and equations. Many other papers of the same type, and covered in other formulas were spread over the top of the desk.

The man mumbled quietly to himself as he worked, trying to figure out the best possible solution for the problem he faced. His master's new plan was ingenious and in many ways unthinkable.

To use a machine to re-create the ice age, but to an extent that it would render all technology and human advances useless. And then, to have his own company, BioVolt, as the only place prepared for the storm! People form all over the world would flock to their stationed locations worldwide to be saved. They would offer heating, food, water and shelter from the cold- but for a high price of course. It was so evilly genius that it made the man want to laugh and squeak like a schoolgirl. And of course, he was the perfect man for the job!

He, Boris Valcov, the greatest scientist to ever exist, who had thwarted human evolution, created living, breathing beasts from ancient spirits, was ideally the best man to do this. But he would also be getting a fair amount of the profits from the scheme. Now, all they needed was to create a few people who would be able to brave the cold weather and survive so that they could have a versatile army. If anyone tried to stand in their way. And also, in order to run the other companies they would need peoples who were well adjusted and evolved to fit the environment. And that was his current job.

Designing the blueprints for the machine had been a walk in the park. He could create almost any machine from scratch. But though he was the best at human alterations, they took time and careful consideration. Not to mention- the best candidates needed to be selected. And it couldn't be just anyone; it had to be someone- some ones who would be able to handle the major alterations that he would be performing on their bodies. And his old apprentices would be the perfect people for the job…

Suddenly the door to his office creaked open and he stood up straight immediately.

"Ah, Boris, still at work I see?" Voltaire asked amusedly.

"Yes, Lord Voltaire. I am working very hard to perfect the formulas for the changes we will place on the captives."

"To perfect? You've finished them?"

"Well, yes, to a point but-"

"If you've finished them, why haven't you begun the experiments?"

"Well, you see Lord Voltaire, I'm not sure if they're quite ready. Though I absolutely believe my work won't prove useless, if you want I could experiment on Sergei or Bryan. They aren't of that much worth to us, like Tala or your grandson Kai are?"

"Ahh, yes, my grandson…" Voltaire mused quietly. He turned away from Boris to look out the window for a moment, watching the rain fall.

"Is something troubling you, my lord?"

Voltaire smirked coldly, "Very well then, Boris. If you believe your work is so right, I want you to begin the experiments with Kai. But remember, I will be rid of you if anything happens to him!"

Boris went pale. To start with his own grandson? On an unproven formula? Even he did not believe Voltaire could be this mad! But he would not disobey.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good night then, Boris." Voltaire turned and left the room.

Boris remained standing, shaking slightly. While many people feared death and pain, Boris was accustomed to those things and with the way he stayed close to Voltaire, he was protected from those things. But what Boris feared most was having no purpose. If Voltaire threw him in a dungeon without anything to do, or work for, Boris would die. He would go mad.

Slowly he sat down and rubbed his temples. Nothing could go wrong with Kai's experiment, he would make sure of that. Now, to perfect the bugs in his formulas…

Well… happy now? We know Boris and Voltaire's plot, and why they kidnapped the Blitzkrieg Boys. We had a cute Tala/Kai moment, and I hopefully kept the characters in character. R&R please and thank you!

Demenior