.The Skin Trade.
Chapter 3: The Facilitated Wake Up Call.

Sat in the back of a blackened out vehicle, Kai and Tyson had no choice but to entertain themselves during the journey to the top secret BBA facility. The drive was so stuffy, and the tinted windows made it difficult for the bladers to register just exactly where they were going. Everything was dark and this concerned Tyson immensely – he hated it.

"Tell me, Agent Z." Kai took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Was it you who authorised that shot which could have killed Bryan?"

"Hm." The slender woman smirked cunningly, "You're very clever, Kai. But how did you figure it out?"

"It doesn't take a genius to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The Blitzkrieg Boys have only crossed paths with traffickers once."

Tyson then fell out of his chair. Naturally, he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. So when the shock did kick in, he wasn't able to restrict his movement, or his tongue for that matter.

"YOU WERE WILLING TO KILL BRYAN FOR THAT!? WHAT!?" He screeched, "YOU BETTER NOT MAKE ANY OF THOSE RASH DECISIONS NEAR ME OR MY MISSIONS!"

"I told you, I have to do what I think is best. No matter how costly the end result can be." The violet-haired agent bit her lower lip briefly, "Now that you know a little secret of mine, I want to know one of yours, Kai."

"How about no." The Bladebreaker Captain fired back immediately. "I am not playing games."

By this point, Tyson had crawled back up into his seat. He squinted when Kai shot him a brief glare as if to say: 'Will you put your FUCKING seatbelt on.' Even though it was Kai's way of showing that he 'cared', Tyson still would rather hear him say it, so he ignored it and focused back on the agent.

She laughed arrogantly, "Games? Kai, don't be so childish now. I am not your enemy." Agent Z then leaned closer to intimidate him, "But I do want you both to tell me when you first found out about this trafficking industry."

"Literally when I first met you." Tyson held up his hand to honestly confess his truths. "I didn't know this sick trade existed."

Agent Z nodded to demonstrate that she had acknowledged Tyson's response. Buuut we all know that she was more interested in Kai's answer, and for some reason, the Hiwatari wasn't willing to discuss this. He pardoned it by looking out the window to watch the world move.

"Okay, Kai. If you won't talk now, you will talk later."

'Was that a threat?'~

"Until then, when we arrive at the facility, you will both be provided with a uniform. Change into those and wait for further instructions on what to do next."

"It's awfully kind of you to put us up, Mr Granger-"

Max was cut short by Ryuu's slick tongue.

"Oh don't sweat it, little dudes. Tyson may be a little unthoughtful at times, but he wouldn't let any of his homies endure the streets now. So make sure you hold your end of the bargain and stick out this tournament."

Everyone nodded to signal their promise. But when Ryuu left the room to do his own thing, it gave the team a chance to discuss some of their personal thoughts and issues.

"I am beginning to think that Mr Dickinson has some explaining to do." Ray thought out loud as he rubbed his face to ease up the frown. "He's not been spotted in the public eye for some time now, nor has he been in contact with any of us."

"That's true." Kenny tilted his head aside and adjusted his oversized specs. "Perhaps he is involved in the missions somehow."

"Mr Dickinson isn't the type to get his hands dirty."

The unexpected voice caught everyone off-guard and they turned their heads to the dojo lounge. Each individual widened their eyes at the tall man removed his mask to strip his alter ego from his personal identity – Jin, aka, Hiro.

"And before you ask, yes, I have been asked to fill in for Kai." Hiro briefly smiled at their reactions, "Nobody will be replacing Tyson because his mission should be completed before the championship finals."

Stunned by the piece of gossip, Ray stepped forward and asked the question in which everyone had on the tip of their tongue, "How do you know about Tyson? And who told you that?" He stared his sincere golden eyes into those piercing untrustworthy pupils.

"We both know that I can't tell you anything. But let's just say that my source of information is reliable." Hiro wasn't intimidated by the nekojin. He just continued as normal and addressed his remaining teammates. "So, I have heard that Hilary and Kenny have designed some training regimes for the upcoming match, I want to see them."

"Jeez, I just wish someone would be honest with us for five minutes." Max sweat dropped and pouted in a fed up tone. "It's getting ridiculous."

Before anybody had the chance to either agree or disagree with the American blond, the sound of the television subconsciously caught everyone's attention.

'This just in. The three agents whose identities were exposed through an unknown online source have been found dead in Germany. Their Beyblades were stripped from them and their cause of death is yet to be announced as investigators continue to piece together just exactly what has happened to the three individuals.'

"What?!" Kenny had to lean on Hilary for stability, "Their identities were only revealed yesterday!"

The newsreader went on in the background. 'Children around the globe are washing their hands with the sport by destroying or abandoning their Beyblades.'

Stressed at the thought of his friends joining this dangerous game, Ray pinched the bridge of his nose before leaving the room. Max, on the other hand, he switched off the television and blinked back the insecurity that was now lingering in his eyes.

"I can't believe that we aren't allowed to speak to our friends to see if they are okay." Hilary piped up, she wrapped an arm around Kenny to comfort him briefly. "I really don't want any of us to end up staring at a television screen 24/7 to find out if Tyson or Kai have been killed."

Struck by the dark thought, Max turned around to Hiro. "Tyson and Kai are going to resolve this problem. I know they will-"

Proud of Max's inner strength, Hiro nodded and held out his cupped hands to the team. "That's right. So until this is all over, I am banning mobile phones and television. We must concentrate on our side of the bargain to ensure that Tyson and Kai can do their jobs successfully." Even though he'd given away a hint of the plan, Hiro didn't show any remorse.

It was his job to distract the team from interfering with Tyson and Kai's opportunity. Hiro also was in charge of adding some positivity to the news, he had a few ideas in mind to bring back those smiles.

In the changing rooms, Tyson adjusted his blue trousers and then slipped on a pair of red gloves. "It reminds me so much of your season one style, Kai. All we need now is the black shoe- Oh man, we have them too! HAHAHA!" Of course, there were black trainers provided.

Unamused by the comparisons that Tyson was making with the BBA uniforms, Kai turned his back to his teammate and changed quietly.

'On the first day of his mission, I can see myself being sent in to save his dopey ass.' The leader concluded to himself and wiped away his blue face paint with his old lilac t-shirt. 'Still, will Tyson cope with this mission knowing that he cannot contact his friends? He'll crack.'

"So, how come you wouldn't answer that lady's question earlier?" Tyson asked as he placed on a clean t-shirt, he even tucked it into his blue trousers to mimic his captain's old look. "I mean, is it personal or something?"

Kai nodded negatively, "No. I just don't see the need to talk about it."

"Typical." Tyson rolled his eyes, "But what if your knowledge of the industry can shed some light on the investigation?" He purposely peeked at his teammate to register his facial expression; Tyson was determined to get him talking about.

Unphased by Tyson's intrusion, Kai attached his blade and launched to his belt. "I'll be the judge of that." Once more, Kai pardoned the subject before shifting his attention over to the new intruder who had stepped into the room.

The agent defensively scanned the two bladers to identify any hazards or risks that they may pose. "Kai, you are coming with me. But Tyson, you have to walk through that door. You both have to attend separate training sessions to test your skill and strength." He explained with one hand tapping over his launcher which was also intact with his belt.

Their uniforms were matching, so this immediately indicated to Kai that they were now official agents. But before he could follow the agent's footsteps, he briefly gazed at his rival for the last time and he forced a weak brotherly smile.

'Be careful, Tyson. These guys won't go easy on you. They will test you.'~

When Kai took his first step, he felt Tyson's hand latch on to his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kai. We are going to save these kids and we are going to save this sport. I'm not going to let anybody down, even if it kills me." The champion gave him a final squeeze and then released him.

'Pft, that's what you think. You have to stay alive wither you like it or not, Tyson.'~

Kai impatiently huffed and continued his stroll, "See you around, Tyson."

The facility was very similar to the layout that was located in America, but the biggest difference was the size of the location. Even though Mrs Tate's labs contained the top of the range equipment, this laboratory featured technology that no man had ever dreamed of witnessing, not even Boris himself would consider himself to be this advanced with his experiments.

Kai would peek through the windows in the hallways to absorb everything. There were rows of bit-beasts contained in large capsules, infiltrated with chemicals and substances. Some looked man-made, yet others clearly were extracted from archaeological sites.

'Had they been brought back to life?'

And in Kai's mind, there was only two men for that job – Mr Granger, and his apprentice, Hiro.

'Wait, does that mean Hiro is involved in all of this somehow? If so, how much does that sly bastard actually know?'~

Moving onwards, Kai's attention swung over to the next room which contained a vault that was heavily protected by armed men and swift technology. He wanted to lean forward and have a closer look, but he understood that his priority right now was to focus on his mission.

'I'll be looking up that vault later.'~

Eventually, the agent led Kai into a bare giant room that contained nothing but an oversized dome. Above them were two enormous fans to circulate the temperature and the air flow in the atmosphere.

"Here is where I will be assessing your psychological skills as a blader." The agent spoke in a formal voice and prepared his launcher. "My job is to see how well you can handle pressure, even in your darkest hour."

'Oh, here we go.'

"If you're trying to extract information from me, then you won't win, not by a long shot." Replied Kai as he too loaded his launcher. He aimed it at his opponent without a hint of fear gleaming in his crimson eyes.

'I'll just have to bring him down quickly to stop him from getting too personal. But just what exactly is this agent capable of doing?'

More than Kai could ever imagine.

Without warning, the door they once came through sealed closed and the agent remained neutral faced. He seemed to be very composed for a blader who was about to take on one of the world champions in the sport. It's as if the agent didn't care or acknowledge Kai's title, and this bothered the Hiwatari for some reason.

A bright red light then filled the room, and it was soon followed by an amber glow, then a green.

It was a traffic light countdown, and this caught Kai off-guard immediately. He was so thrown off by the unpredictable scenario that his opponent had already launcher their blade before he did.

"Shhhhit." Kai dived aside to dodge their blade. "Go Dranzer!"

'Two can play this game!'~

On his back, Kai yanked the chord back to fire his blade towards his opponent. Dranzer flourished onto the ground and immediately attacked the opponent's yellow blade.

"You don't like surprises, do you?" The agent sounded disappointed in Kai's behaviour. It was as if he was expecting much more from him. He closed his eyes and went on to continue his rant. "When you are in the field, nobody cares about your status. So don't expect any special treatment from your opponents because they will kill you."

'IS HE READING MY MIND?'~

"And don't expect your opponents to be predictable because they will do everything in their power to destroy you."

Kai's pupils narrowed and he picked himself up from the floor. At this point, he didn't know where to put his face. But when he turned his attention back to his blade, he noticed that his opponent's blade had begun to glow whenever it was driving into Dranzer.

This clearly was a clue as to what was going on. But the big questions were: HOW!? WHAT!? WHEN!? WHY!?

After a brief blink, Kai found himself standing before Brooklyn. His flesh was sore, yet his body fatigued. "What is going on here?" He breathed heavily and glanced his heavy eyes down to his feet to see that he was sinking in thick black liquid, it almost looked like oil.

"No, no, no." He growled and peeked back to his blade to see that his opponent was still driving into Dranzer. "What are you doing?"

Then within the next blink, everything changed again. Kai was now stood before Boris and Voltaire. They were discussing the future of Biovault.

"My grandson won't fail because you are going to train him better than any soldier that you have previously

Stunned and overwhelmed with the dramatic changed. Kai also acknowledged the heavy bitterness that was drowning his healed heart.

'This is the day after Voltaire won custody of me. Dad had just walked out on me and my mother and I hated that man more than anything. It was then when Voltaire decided to make me his secret weapon for his world domination plans. I must have been seven when this took place.'

"How are we going to keep ourselves financially protected?" Voltaire questioned in a stern tone, "Because this equipment and facility doesn't come cheap, Boris and I cannot afford to keep investing my own personal finances into this, especially if half of the bladers don't meet the criteria that we are searching for."

A smug grin spread across Boris's lips and he placed his hands at either side of his built figure. "I have a very dark yet reasonable suggestion that you may well want to sit down and consider. Voltaire, if a blader is proven to be unuseful to us, then potentially we could sell the worthless blader to a few people that I know. They will offer a large sum for a blader who have been brainwashed and trained in such a fine abbey."

"Are you trying to tell me that you want to sell the children to the underground traffick ring? Isn't that inhumane?"

"Maybe, but you will never have to worry about money. Now, as I am your most loyal companion in this business, Voltaire, let me do the dirty work. You can deny everything-"

Gaped by the scene, Kai had now suddenly placed the final pieces of the puzzle together. He turned his back to Voltaire and Boris to see that his blade was still taking a beating from the agent's blader.

'Dranzer and I are connected like one. Is this how the agent and his bitbeast are bitbeast capable of reading our every move and thought? That explains why his blade is glowing, he has accessed our connection.'

"You may have extracted the information that you need from me, but you're not going to win." Kai clenched his fists and growled in temper. "Dranzer, let's finish off this creep!"

Obeying her master's command, Dranzer snatched herself free from the opponent's blade and she swirled around the scene to create a feisty fire tornado around both the agent and his blade. Kai had trapt them.

Naturally, Kai had returned back to the BBA facility without no illusions or memories being replayed. He was free from his mind, and Kai was ready to make his agent pay for his invasion.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't roast you to death?"

"If you have to ask to take a man's life, then you don't have the strength to kill someone, Kai. You're all talk." The agent took a deep breath through his nose and then raised his head up to the fans. "Oh, and by the way, never expect a match to be fair and never underestimate a desperate man."

"Oh spare me the lecture and shut your mouth." Kai pointed his finger to initiate his final attack. "Go Dranzer!"

Dranzer narrowed the tornado towards the blader, but before it could enclose on their opponents, the flames disappeared and a deafening sound spiralled around the room – it was the fans on the ceiling.

"And you were supposed to be Boris' secret weapon? Pathetic."

"There are bladers out there who have been trained to wipe out the dark side of this sport… These people are known as The BBA Agents. They take down people who are dirtier than Boris."~

"Oh, I am so going to prove Hiro wrong." Tyson groaned aloud to himself with sweat pouring from every pore in his face. He gritted his teeth together and used every ounce of energy in his figure to lift these oversized weights in his palms. "I will take down the dark side of this sport and then I will win a match against an agent to prove that I am the best that ever lived."

Even though Tyson's intentions were a little self-centred, he was about to understand the unlocked potential that was hidden deep within his oversized heart.

As he raised, and then lowered the weight in his hand, the screen on the gym wall switched on to reveal the most disturbing images that not even the most disturbing bladers would even dream of witnessing.

Chained filthy children were standing in rows along a sewer wall with price tags stamped on to their hands. Attached to their clothing were some descriptions to define just how well the blader could perform in a match.

Obviously, the stronger the blader, the more flashy the price tag.

'This cannot be real.'~

Another image revealed six malnourished and frail bladers on an oversized ship, they had just crawled out of a container looking disorientated and wide-eyed. Yet the man who had opened the door was holding a bottle of chloroform and a cloth in his left hand.

'What!?~

Children were blading in dangerous conditions in which no man would dare to explore: mines, underground cities, caves, laboratories and boats.

No matter how far or near, there was a handful of individuals to control the frightened bladers – in their hands was some form of a weapon: a whip, a gun, a stun gun, a flame thrower or anything!

At first, a frown appeared on his tanned face, but once the images flashed before his eyes, Tyson naturally was distracted. He dropped the weights onto the ground and almost collapsed to the ground on his knees.

"HOW CAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAVE BEEN SWEPT UNDER THE RUG FOR SO LONG!?"

The sudden distress that Tyson experienced awoken a deep rage from deep within his soul. He slammed his fists against the ground and released a frustrated tear or two from his mournful eyes.

'I HAVE TO SAVE THESE KIDS!'~

For one final time, Tyson raised his head to glance at the final image that was frozen on the screen. It was a boy who was plastered in fresh bruising and wounds from a merciless beating. His soul destroyed eyes told a sad story which displayed that there had not an ounce of joy in his short life. If anything, the boy looked as if he was ready to die just so he could escape this nightmare.

On his t-shirt, it displayed: BBA Agent. He'd clearly been captured by the thugs who were in charge of his this disgusting business.

'GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW! I NEED TO SAVE THESE KIDS! THIS IS NOT WHAT BEYBLADE IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT!'~

A/N: After drafting out this plot, I have quite a few nasty turns and twists lined up. xD. So head this warning in advance, this story is going to get pretty dark and twisted. However, thank you ever so much to LuxahHeart and The-Next-You-Know-Who for the kind reviews. Plus, cheers to the peeps who have followed and favourited, I'm glad you're ready for this journey :D. Take care - Granger~