Only a day late...That's not too bad at all for me:P I'm thinking four more chapters, maybe a bit more, and this story is finito. Hope you enjoy this one!
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade
Chapter 17
It was the morning news report that informed them of the tragedy that had been bestowed upon two of their friends. It had been unexpected and the news had hit hard.
The morning had started like any other morning. One or two had gotten out of bed and quickly pulled everyone else out to start the day. Toast, cereal and other breakfast foods were prepared by those who wanted them and the news channel was turned on for background noise as they ate or waited on the kettle to boil. Normally they only half payed attention to the television for it was all news they had heard before. Nothing seemed to have changed lately apart from the 'leads' that Kingston had gotten on the Resistance's whereabouts. However the news bulletin had for once grabbed each of their attentions and held it there for much longer than any of the could have imagined from a morning news report.
"We've been informed last night that the capture of rebel leader Kai Hiwatari, known leader of the rebel group The Resistance, took place last night in an unknown location by the great leader Brooklyn Kingston himself. Hiwatari is currently being held in a secret prison; the details of which are strictly confidential. There will be no trail held in defense of Hiwatari in his crimes of terrorism due to overwhelming evidence and no lawyers willing to represent such a detestable criminal."
Tala shook at his head incredulously. His mind couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing and his ears were hearing. "No! It can't be!"
"Kai!" Garnet whispered hopelessly.
On the screen was a picture taken at the scene with Kai's hands behind his back and he being detained by two soldiers. His eyes and Kingston's were locked in a look of shared utter contempt. He looked defeated by the fire in his eyes was still there.
"I don't get it," Max said. "How did he find him? Why didn't Mariah stop him?"
Ray, who had said nothing to this point, shook a silencing left hand at them to be silent as his face's colour drew paler and paler until it was white.
"Further investigations into the matter showed that Hiwatari had an informant working as a servant to Hilary Tatibana, fiancée of Kingston. Her identity was revealed as Mariah Hiwatari – cousin to Kai - and had been working under Lord Brooklyn using a false name. Mariah Hiwatari was taken into custody just hours before her cousin. However sentencing can't be issued as she passed away in the early hours of this morning. Investigations into her death are currently being carried out.
"For a full report watch the news at twelve when we'll have second in command Lord Garland live at the palace."
All of them turned to Ray whose ashen face was stony.
"Ray...?" Garnet whispered.
"I didn't even know she'd been arrested," he said, his voice thick. "I hadn't spoke to her in days but I'd just put it to the back of my mind. I didn't think anything of it, even though barely a day goes by when we don't talk. I could have found out she was in prison. We could have rescued her. I could have rescued her."
Max rubbed his friend's back. "Ray, no. Can you imagine the security in a place like that? There's nothing we could have done."
"We could have tried!" Ray cried. "I've failed her. She's dead because I've failed her." They were silent. Words of consolidation couldn't reach any of their tongues. What could they possible say anyway? "I wonder if she thought about me before she died? I wonder if she blamed me for not being there."
"Mariah knew the consequences of her actions should they be found out," Tala told him, his voice taking on an unfamiliar soft tone. "She accepted the post in full knowledge that she would very well be killed if she was caught. If any blame's to be passed it should be on those who are really responsible. I'm talking about Kingston and his two bloodhounds."
"It won't bring her back, though, will it? 'Bring her back'. I can't believe I'm even talking about bringing her back. How can this be happening so soon? We had our whole future together." Ray took his head in his hands for fear he would no longer hold it up. "How can I do it alone? Even now I feel like a part of me had been ripped away. And the worst of it was that she died alone in a cold jail cell. No one to comfort her, no one to tell her it would be okay."
"You're wrong," Kenny murmured. "She wasn't alone. Kai would have been with her. I'm sure of it. Kai wouldn't have let her go through it by herself. I'll bet he was there beside her until the very end. Her death would have been peaceful and you can't ask for anything better than that. Do you think Kai's death will be peaceful? Do you think any of ours will?"
Tyson slammed a fist hard onto the coffee table. "Kai doesn't deserve a peaceful death. Its his fault we're all a part of this. It was his mistakes that led this to happen."
Ray shook his head. "You're wrong. Mariah's death was through no one's fault. I certainly don't blame Kai for it. Sure, the whole thing revolves around him but Mariah's involvement in the Resistance was her own choice. Knowing that I'll never see her face again, never hear her voice...It hurts so much that I can't even put it into words. Even so, I know that blaming Kai to try and heal the pain isn't going to help any. All it will do is turn my pain into hate against some one whose never done anything but his up most best to protect his friends and family."
"And now its his turn to be protected," Tala said firmly. "Too many of our friends have been lost to Kingston's reign. I'm not losing another one. We've got no choice. We have to break him out or die trying."
Max nervously replied, "I think its the die trying bit that's going to be more likely."
"Are you afraid to die?" Tala questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah!"
"Me too," Garnet admitted. "But I'm even more scared of losing everyone around me. At least if all of the world goes wrong around us we're never totally by ourselves when we're all here together. One by one we're getting picked off. How long do you think it'll be until there's only one of us left? We have to try and do something. Kai would have done the same for any of us."
Tyson stood up angrily and looked around them all. "Am I hearing you right? Are you saying that we should risk our lives trying to save that asshole? What has he done for us lately apart from reduced our numbers!?"
"He left when he thought he was in the way between us and victory," Tala answered calmly. "And the real crime is that we let him leave. If we hadn't then we wouldn't even have to think about a rescue mission. We all knew the danger he would be in if he didn't have our hideout to stay in while the heat was still on."
Garnet wrapped her arms around her body. "Let's face it. We've all done wrong to each other, haven't we? Not one of us can say that they've done right to each by each other. Not lately anyway. Maybe now's our chance for making it all up?"
"Getting Kai our isn't going to be easy," Kenny said, hacking into the security system used by Kingston's army. "By the look of this we'd have a better chance of killing Kingston that rescuing Kai." They all went silent and looked to Kenny who squirmed nervously under all the attention. "Is it something I said?"
"What's the one thing we could do that would mean even more to Kai than getting him out of the shit he's currently in?" Tala asked, almost smirking but given the situation unable to. "If we killed Kingston Kai wouldn't care what happened to him because then it wouldn't have been in vain. Nothing else would matter. But if we rescued Kai and in turn missed what may be our only chance to take Kingston out that'll be all the more worse to him." Now he did smirk. "I think I have a plan forming."
Kai's body was stiff and every inch of him felt like it was in a cramp. Having to sleep on a cold hard floor didn't seem to be doing much for his limberness. His stomach felt empty as he slowly moved into a sitting position. During the night Mariah's body had been taken away by soldiers and he had feigned sleep. Getting questioned about her death wasn't something he had been particularly in the mood for. His soul was too sad for that.
His thoughts went to Ray. How was he feeling? The entire world must know now and Ray would have had to learn the news of her death via some public communication, like a newspaper or channel. What would that feel like? Getting up one morning, carrying on business as usual only to open the newspaper and find out that the woman you love is dead. As quick and as painful as a bullet to the heart, only this heart wouldn't show signs of injury, nor would the blow be fatal. Did he want to die too?
Kai wondered how he would feel if the tables were turned and Hilary had been in Mariah's place. He was sure that the world would stop. The pain of knowing that she would never again smile, laugh, cry or even get angry...that was worse than any physical injury. Even though he would never see her again it didn't hurt just now because he knew that she was still alive. Though what life had for her may possibly be a fate worse than death, just as his now was. Would Kingston treat her well? He'd give anything to know that she was. What good would Kingston get out of it anyway? Hilary did care for him. Although it made him jealous to no end Kai couldn't deny that Hilary did have feelings for Kingston. What man in their right mind would destroy those feelings which he returned just to get back at another?
That was just it, wasn't it? Kingston wasn't in his right mind. Jealousy had driven him mad. Mad and dangerous. Not for Kai. He would survive. He was a survivor. Was Hilary? He almost laughed at that. Of course she was. She was a lot stronger than anyone he'd ever met. Maybe not physically but certainly mentally. A lot stronger than he'd been anyway. Her morals and sense of justice were equal to none. His were flawed. He saw that now. His were flawed by love and revenge, two dynamic opposites. He didn't think it made him a bad person. Yeah, he may have killed a lot of people and destroyed a lot of families but that had been for the greater good. Or so he believed. Maybe Kingston felt the same. Or maybe he was power hungry. Whatever it was it didn't help his current situation.
The prison door opened and Kai watched as Kingston strolled in, looking pleased with himself and as if he didn't have a care in the world. He felt his lip curl as his cell door slid open. He got to his feet, using all his effort to hide the hardness of such a feat after sleeping on a stone floor.
"Morning Kai," Brooklyn sang, smiling widely. "How did you sleep?"
"Like a rock."
"Glad to hear it. I've got a couple of things I'd really like to know and obviously it would be just great if you could tell me."
Kai smirked. "Do you worst."
His smile gone, his captor leaned in close to him so he could make out every little detail of his face. "Don't you worry. I plan to."
Kai was hauled out of his cell by Kingston and Garland and walked down the short length of the prison to a metal door at the opposite end of the entrance. Just from the look of it Kai could tell what awaited him beyond. He was right. Littering the room were various devices, specially created to inflict maximum pain, punishment and humiliation on those they were used against. Kai recognised a few he'd learned about back when he had attended school and their history lesson had been about the middle ages: thumb screws, iron maidens, scold's bridles. Now he was sure he was about to get a much more detailed and involved lesson.
His hands were tied behind his back with iron chains by Garland, the end of which was tossed to Kingston. "The mistake a lot of people make when using torture devices is that they allow their victims to be seated or something of the sort. This means that between sessions there is a time of recuperation where the victim can have some form of comfort." He threw the chain over a beam above them and pulled hard. Kai was lifted onto his toes by his arms which were pulled up at painful looking angles. He felt like any other pressure would cause them to dislocate from the shoulder completely. He gasped at the sudden pain as the chain was secured. "I don't give them that such comfort."
"Really?" Kai asked, struggling to hide the pain from his voice that his face was showing. "I could get used to this."
Kingston laughed and took out a whip while Garland removed Kai's shirt. "Another common mistake is that when using a device such as this one people aim for the middle of the back." He let the whip unravel before Kai's eyes. It was a cat-o'-nine-tails. The main whip split into nine different throngs which in turn split into another nine, all of which were knotted. He flicked it up and let it crack in front of Kai's face. "To inflict maximum pain you should always aim for the small of the back where the skin is much more sensitive. I'll show you the difference. The middle..." He flicked the whip and it cracked against the middle of Kai's back. Kai gritted his teeth to stop him from crying out from the shock of the sudden pain. Kingston smirked. "And the small." He cracked the whip off of Kai's lower back and this time he couldn't stop himself grunting. It was at least double as sore.
"Couldn't tell...the difference," Kai gasped.
"Didn't think you would," Kingston admitted. "Now for the reason I've brought you here. I want answers and you have them. So tell me, where is the Resistance's hideout and how can I get in? And just so you know, for every answer I don't get, I'm going to add another five lashes. As it stands, I'm starting at ten so you can guess how quickly that's going to mount up. On another note, once I start, I don't stop, even if you suddenly feel like giving answers."
Kai smirked. "Do you think you're arms will hold out long enough? Surely after the first two hundred it's going to start getting achy."
Kingston cracked the whip, a clear sign his patience was running out. "Enough. Tell me what I want to know." He grabbed Kai's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "And I want the truth."
"The truth?" Kai repeated. "The truth is you'll need to convince me more than that."
His nemesis nodded. "I figured you'd say that. And so it begins."
Kai braced himself for the pain he was about to endure, taking in a quick breath before each lash. Kingston's aim was impeccable. He managed to hit the same area with force that would bring tears to any ordinary man's eye. Kai was no ordinary man. Even so the pain was terrible. His teeth were gritted so hard after the tenth blow that they were close to shattering. A trickle of blood ran down the bottom of his spine and he felt it soak into his jeans.
"How was that?"
"Just peachy," Kai replied.
"Same question."
"Same answer."
A second of silence passed between the two men until Kingston suddenly broke it by swinging the whip again. Kai hissed in pain as he was caught of guard.
And so it went on...
Kai had lose count of the number of times that the whip had made contact with his skin but he was certain it was sometime after one hundred. Between that and the pressure on his arms Kai was close to total exhaustion. After the fiftieth hit he had began to cry out. After the ninetieth he didn't even have the strength for that. His body was now in so much pain it had actually gone numb and he dreaded to think what a mess his back must be in. So much of the skin had been whipped away it wasn't long before Kingston had been making contact with raw flesh.
However, Brooklyn now had made no further progress getting his answers than when he'd started. As Kai had predicted, his arm was beginning to get a little sore from the repeated action and the frustration was wearing off into something else. Plain and utter contempt. How on earth was Kai managing this? He should be begging him for mercy by now. Even he doubted whether or not he would be able to maintain such a high level of pain for such a length of time. Irritatingly enough, he couldn't help but admire his strength. It was amazing, possibly beyond anything he could ever endure.
Without warning he cut the chain and Kai fell to the ground, hissing as the breath was knocked out of him. He lay motionless on the cold floor obviously awaiting whatever was next in line for him. Brooklyn frowned. So far all he'd managed to get out of him was a scream. His resilience was annoying. Not that it mattered anyway. In all honesty, he hadn't really expected to get anywhere with Kai. It was mainly to vent his own frustration at the current state of affairs. Still it would have been nice to be pleasantly surprised. At least he would get some use out of Kai.
"Bring Hilary in," he demanded to Garland who, with a slight smile on his lips, left immediately.
Alone at last, Brooklyn sauntered casually over to Kai and dragged him to his feet by his hair. He grinned at the sight of his once powerful and strong opponent struggling to maintain his balance but the grin quickly left his face when he looked into the other man's eyes. They were burning brighter than ever. His body may be weakened but his spirit clearly hadn't even been dented. Brooklyn felt a growl low in his throat. His body would heal if it was given time. He'd basically gotten less than nothing out of the last hour or so.
He decided to try a different angle. "I'm impressed by how long you've lasted; longer than anyone else who would either be crying out their secrets of unconscious. Longer than your cousin, that's for sure." He saw he struck a nerve as Kai's head turned sharply towards him.
"Leave her out of it," he growled.
"Well I've got no choice now since she up and died," Brooklyn replied with a chuckle. "After the first ten lashes she was begging for mercy. Really it was pathetic. I was almost embarrassed to be the torturer. To be honest, being a Hiwatari I expected more from her. I guess she wasn't from the pure breeding that the rest of you were. Probably just some little whore's accident. I heard that's what like your mother and her family were like. Thank God I've rid the world from the likes of such vermin."
Kai had heard enough and put all his power into a single blow to Brooklyn's face but he easily blocked it by grabbing Kai's fist. He turned Kai around so that he tender back was pressing into Brooklyn's midriff. He struggled but to no avail. In their current states Brooklyn was simply the stronger man.
"You should have heard Hilary last night Kai," he whispered into the other man's ear. "You should have heard her scream and cry as I raped her over and over again." That sent Kai in a fury that Brooklyn could only laugh at. "Nothing gets a man hotter than having a woman struggle beneath him. Believe me, you should try it sometime. If you're looking for a test subject then I'd suggest Hilary. I mean it, the fight just doesn't go out of her no matter how hard you fuck."
"You bastard," Kai screamed. "You sick, twisted bastard!"
Brooklyn shrugged and let him go, glad that he'd managed to get a rise out of him. Without the support, Kai's knees buckled under him. It took him another few seconds to regain his shaky footing. At the same time Hilary was led into the room. Kai was mesmorized by her from the instant her presence was known. Despite what Kingston had said happened the night before her head was held high and proud though she seemed to struggle with walking properly Their eyes met and they offered each other the smallest of smiles, invisible to anyone else had they been looking. Both of them seemed to be saying to each other 'look at the situation we've got ourselves into' and both of them seemed to be inwardly laughing at the irony of it all.
Even though he'd obviously just been through hell, Hilary didn't think Kai had looked stronger or more impressive. Physically he was severely weakened by whatever punishment Brooklyn had chosen to inflict but inside she could see nothing had come close to breaking. The two of them had that at least.
"Why am I here?" Hilary demanded uneasily.
The smell of blood was thick in the air and she knew it had to be both Mariah's and Kai's. The news of Mariah's death had been given to her that morning by Brooklyn. He would tell her nothing more, only that she had passed on the previous evening. Outwardly she had merely nodded, determined not to show that inside her heart was breaking. In the space of a night she had lost Kai and also her best friend. She knew she was now completely alone. Mariah would never be there to comfort her, chat to her or even be around her. However the time to mourn had not been then and she'd pushed her feelings backwards for surface appearances. She missed Mariah dearly but it wasn't the time for her to be sorrowful at her passing; not when the reason for her death was constantly around her.
Brooklyn feigned puzzlement. "You mean you two aren't happy at being reunited? I thought you'd be pleased." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you can't please everyone."
"Cut the crap, Kingston!" Kai barked angrily.
A brief look of anger flared on his face but it was quickly replaced by the eerie casualness he was treating the whole situation with. "Okay, okay. You've got me. I've brought you here to ask you a question, Hilary, which would be great if you would comply. If you don't..." He looked towards Kai and back to her. "Well, trust me, you don't want to go there. You see, I'm not really liking this bachelorhood nonsense so it'd be great if we could move the wedding to, I don't know, say...tomorrow."
"I'm not seventeen yet," Hilary pointed out. "It would be illegal."
"Yes well there's a little by-law to that legislation that states if I have your consent; your full consent - and that means agreeing before a witness in a sane state of mind – that the marriage can be made at any age, providing the girl is of a high enough maturity and in an adolescent stage. Now the problem has always been getting your full consent, hasn't it. But you see, I have a bargaining chip that you might want to know about." Garland looped the chain around Kai's neck and hoisted, bringing him onto his toes and applying pressure to his air passages. Hilary screamed in surprise and fear. "Now if you want him to live all you need to do is agree."
"Don't do it," Kai gasped, his voice choked against the chain. "The Resistance are still at large. They can still strike if you give them time to-" Brooklyn struck Kai to silence him but it did no good. It only fired Kai up further. "What's wrong Kingston? Hitting too close to the truth for comfort? You're scared aren't you because the Resistance is going to be after you with a vengeance and the next time they strike I don't fancy your chances."
"Shut up!" Brooklyn hissed dangerously.
"Even if you marry Hilary they won't stop. You know that, right? They'll keep coming after you until you're dead. You're a marked man, Kingston. You've crossed too many people with nothing else to lose."
"Shut up I said!" Brooklyn cried and tore the chain from Garland's hands. He pulled up with all his might so Kai was hanging in mid air, bound and choking. "The choice is yours Hilary but I wouldn't waste too long in making it. How long do you think he can hold on? A minute? Two minutes? Do you really want to risk it?"
Panicked, Hilary ran a hand through her hair. Her head was telling her one thing but her heart was telling her another. "Brooklyn stop this! I know you don't want to kill him just yet!"
He hoisted the chain even higher. "Do you really want to see if I'm bluffing? Come on, come on. Time's running out Hilary. He'd dieing for God's sake! How many more deaths do you want to be responsible for?"
Hilary's mind ran in circles of desperation. She'd lost everything so far. She didn't want to lose Kai completely as well. At the same time would she be giving up her last chance for the Resistance to take down Brooklyn? Everything was dangling on a delicate thread that was going to snap over a single word.
"Yes! I'll fucking do it just don't kill him!" Hilary cried, sobbing hard.
Brooklyn released the chain and Kai landed hard on the ground, knocking his head hard enough for his vision to blur. Hilary ran towards him but was apprehended by Garland's firm and unfeeling grip. She looked to him with tears in her eyes but her emotions went unnoticed and uncared for.
"Take her back to her room. She'll be needed for planning later on," Brooklyn said, waving a hand dismissively at her. With Hilary gone, he turned to Kai. "Maybe now you see that things always go my way, no matter how unjust or unfair my way may be. Resistance is futile, both the action and your little gang. Maybe now you can realise that." He gestured for two soldiers who had been waiting outside to attend to him. On passing, he added, "by the way, you're invited to come tomorrow. And don't worry, I'll see to it that you're properly attired cleaned up and all the rest. You'll be the guest of honor after all. You'll be the one giving Hilary away." His leering grin was all that Kai saw before he lost consciousness.
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